Presumably, something important was being discussed inside. As Feng Yan and his companions hesitated whether to knock, the door opened.
Priest Yun Lu emerged first, his expression grim.
“It’s…you.” Yun Lu paused, recognizing the Snow Fox family standing at the door. He didn’t say much, and simply nodded before leaving.
Behind the priest was the scarred deputy chieftain, his face cold. He didn’t even glance at Feng Yan and his group, acting as if they didn’t exist.
Feng Yan and his companions weren’t particularly bothered by their attitude. They hadn’t planned to stay long anyway, they were just resting and regrouping.
Elder Mu Shi, however, came out and smiled amicably at the Snow Fox family. “What brings you here?”
“This is the food we’re handing over to the tribe today,” Feng Yan said, handing the prepared meat to the elder.
Elder Mu Shi’s astonishment was palpable when he saw they had actually hunted food: “This…you guys are really amazing.”
Elder Mu Shi hadn’t expected them to hunt so quickly. It wasn’t just good luck, they must have been very observant to spot the wild animal’s tracks.
Unlike their tribe’s hunting party, whose chief hadn’t returned after two days, it seemed unlikely they’d bring any good news.
“On behalf of the tribe, thank you.” Elder Mu Shi expressed his gratitude for the food the snow fox family had brought, and admired their commitment. This piece of thigh meat could be shared with some of the more difficult families, increasing their chances of surviving the cold season.
“There’s one more thing we’d like to ask the elder’s opinion on,” Feng Yan and Rong Shan exchanged a glance, they decided to share their information about the discovery of the giant beast.
“We’ve found the tracks of a giant beast. I wonder if the elder would be willing to send a few men with us to hunt it tomorrow?”
The elder was somewhat confused: “What, a giant beast?” They’d lived here for so long and had almost never encountered a giant beast during the cold season except…
“Could it be… the Giant Horned Beast!” The elder was now terrified. The Giant Horned Beast hadn’t been seen for many years so they had assumed it had left their area.
“This is terrible! The Giant Horned Beast is extremely ferocious. Several years ago, one of our beastmen was seriously injured by it!” The elder became anxious. Thinking Feng Yan and the others didn’t understand the seriousness of the situation, he quickly told them how terrifying the Giant Horned Beast was.
Not to mention that the stronger beastmen in the tribe had all gone hunting with the chief and hadn’t returned yet, even under normal circumstances, it was impossible to send anyone to capture the Giant Horned Beast. They were too busy avoiding it!
The elder, breathing heavily, desperately tried to dissuade Feng Yan and the others from provoking the ferocious beast: “Please don’t do anything rash!”
Feng Yan had only asked one question, but he hadn’t expected the elder’s reaction to be so strong.
In Feng Yan and Rong Shan’s view, this giant-horned beast was probably about the same size as the long-haired beasts they had encountered before, so they were mentally prepared.
They wanted more people to go together, firstly to increase the success rate of the hunt, and secondly because they would be distributing the meat to the tribe anyway so it was only natural for them to contribute.
But seeing the elder’s anxious and well-intentioned advice, Feng Yan and Rong Shan didn’t want to immediately argue with him. They put down the meat and left.
Xue Tuan obediently held his brother’s hand the whole time, but just before leaving, he suddenly noticed a small black lion sleeping soundly under the elder’s table.
So the little black lion belonged to the elder? However, he seemed tired and was resting, so he couldn’t say hello. Xue Tuan was a little disappointed, maybe next time.
The snow fox family headed towards their thatched hut.
Bing Qiu walking ahead suddenly exclaimed, “Huh?”
“Who put this at our doorstep?”
The family had just reached their hut when they noticed a pile of wild fruit at the entrance.
They looked at each other. They had only been there a couple of days and didn’t know anyone. There wasn’t a soul in sight.
Could it be a kind person from the tribe? They wondered who it was that gave them so much fruit, they could trade some meat for it.
“Let’s ask the neighbors tomorrow. It’s getting late.”
After setting aside the meat for dinner, Rong Shan skillfully hung the remaining meat on a wooden rack to dry. Meat is easier to preserve in the cold season.
While the adults were busy, Xue Tuan wasn’t idle either. He untied his brother’s pack, first putting away the gourd containing a small amount of sulfur which they wouldn’t need for the time being. Then, Xue Tuan took out another small bundle, preparing to dry fresh pepper.
Black pepper is made from peppercorns that haven’t fully ripened, while white pepper is made from ripe peppercorns.
The harvested peppercorns can’t be eaten immediately, they usually need to be dried. If the sun is good, two or three days should be enough. But the plants in this beast world are somewhat different from before, maybe this variety will only need a day to dry? Xue Tuan thought optimistically.
Unfortunately, today’s meat can only be eaten with sweet and sour sauce, but thankfully there’s mushroom soup to drink.
Bing Qiu always followed behind Xue Tuan, and imitated every step Xue Tuan took. Since Xue Tuan recovered, Bing Qiu often noticed some unusual behaviors from Xue Tuan, but his confusion quickly vanished. His brother’s recovery was already a blessing, he only hoped his brother could grow up happily.
“Look,” Rong Shan nudged Feng Yan with his shoulder and whispered.
The two looked at the little cub. The tiny bundle of fluff was so adorable bustling around like that.
Feng Yan and Rong Shan smiled at each other.
Both of them naturally doted on Xue Tuan, treating it as a game with Bing Qiu and not interfering. Whatever Xue Tuan did, just having him by their side was enough.
So, with the two little ones’ efforts, they built a small drying rack.
Bing Qiu thought Xue Tuan was really interesting now, and his head was always full of wonderful ideas. His little brother was so much fun.
Since his little brother recovered, their family had never been so happy.
“Sweetie, just tell me what you want to do.” Seeing Xue Tuan needed water, Bing Qiu quickly went to help.
Xue Tuan was happy to be a hands-off parent, and ordered his older brother around. With Bing Qiu’s help, the pepper had been washed clean with snow water and spread all over their small drying rack.
As for why the plant was called “pepper,” the family wouldn’t ask why it was named that, they would only praise him for choosing such a nice name.
Xue Tuan wasn’t too worried about his occasional strange behavior. Perhaps this is the advantage of being a child. Coupled with the pampering of his family, he can do whatever he wants without arousing suspicion.
Looking at the pepper already laid out, Xue Tuan was satisfied. Soon he would be able to use it—how happy!
The setting sun gradually disappeared, and the last rays of golden light filtering through the houses slowly faded. The tribe was bustling with activity, and wisps of smoke rose from chimneys.
Feng Yan and Rong Shan had built a fire pit. They set up a pot to cook mushroom soup while roasting fresh chicken.
Soon, the aroma of meat wafted from the thatched hut, the chicken skin glistening with oil gradually turned golden brown.
Rong Shan occasionally turned the wooden stick, ensuring each side was heated evenly.
During the migration, whenever he roasted meat, Xue Tuan would come over and laboriously turn the stick. Rong Shan thought he was just playing around and helped him a few times. After a few times, he discovered that the meat roasted this way tasted better.
From then on, he and Feng Yan paid close attention to these small details when grilling meat. It wasn’t just about grilling meat, they were willing to do everything they could to ensure the cubs had a better life.
“Bing Qiu, take Xue Tuan to wash his hands, dinner’s ready.”
The rich aroma of meat wafted through the air, and the nearby beastmen couldn’t help but peek towards the snow fox family, eager to feast their eyes.
The beastmen then looked at the dried meat in their hands. It was left over from long ago, hard and tough. But the general situation for the beastmen now was that having anything to eat was already a blessing.
Feng Yan took out a clean bone knife and cut off a portion of the outermost already cooked chicken, placing it in Xue Tuan’s small ceramic bowl.
Bing Qiu took the bowl of meat and placed it in Xue Tuan’s hands: “Quick, eat it while it’s hot.”
Xue Tuan was happily eating the chicken dipped in sauce when she saw the little sub-beastman named Qing Miao emerge from the thatched hut diagonally opposite carrying some berries.
“Please accept these,” Qing Miao said, handing over the berries. There weren’t many, and he seemed a little embarrassed.
“My family just went to collect food. The elder said it was what you caught. Thank you.”
Qing Miao’s father and mother had gone hunting with the chief and hadn’t returned yet. Only he and his younger brother were left at home surviving on a meager amount of food.
Feng Yan and Rong Shan knew Qing Miao’s family’s situation, so they couldn’t possibly accept his meager berries. Instead, they invited him to come and eat with them.
“Qing Miao, go call your little brother over and let him eat with us.” Ordinary cubs don’t eat much, and having two more won’t bother their own cub.
Qing Miao had already seen the white-feathered beast meat being roasted… but he quickly waved his hand to refuse. How could he possibly eat and take some? Qing Miao glanced at the little cub Xue Tuan eating heartily, and his mood improved. He thought he’d come back to play with the little cub and talk to him next time.
Rong Shan saw Qing Miao’s reluctance and didn’t force him. Bing Qiu sitting nearby asked:
“Do you know who put these at our doorstep?” Bing Qiu pointed to a bag of fruit by the door.
Qing Miao thought for a moment and shook his head. “I didn’t notice, but it seems only Chong Yan came from your direction today.”
Chong Yan was the little black lion’s name. Qing Miao, afraid they wouldn’t know, even described his beast form.
Could it be that the little black lion gave them to him? Was it repaying him for stopping the other cubs from bullying him? Although it was a small thing, seeing the fluffy’s gift still made Xue Tuan very happy.
Rong Shan couldn’t help but think of the scene of the little black lion playing with his cub, and smiled: “Next time you see him, just tell him not to bring anything, if he wants to play with Xue Tuan, just come directly.” Rong Shan guessed that giving fruit was the little black lion’s way of showing goodwill by wanting to befriend Xue Tuan.
Qing Miao nodded. His expression suggested he wanted to say something more, but ultimately didn’t speak, only agreeing to Rong Shan’s words before going back.
“The little black lion?” His cub had made a new friend? Feng Yan grasped the key point and asked Rong Shan about the little black lion.
Qing Miao’s hesitant expression just now reminded Xue Tuan of something.
When his father came to find him and the little black lion before, he didn’t see what happened, but Xue Tuan himself heard and saw it.
Judging from the little black lion’s expression, this wasn’t the first time it had been bullied. The people in the tribe must have heard of its reputation as a jinx. Qing Miao didn’t stop them from continuing to associate with the little black lion, perhaps because he also didn’t believe it was a jinx.
That’s more like it! Superstition is unacceptable! Having faith is one thing, but attributing all bad luck to one person is completely unreasonable.
Xue Tuan had always had a good impression of Qing Miao so his beast form must be a very cute little animal!
“Careful, it’s hot.”
Taking the seashell bowl from his mother, Xue Tuan happily drank his mushroom soup.
However, he was still thinking about what had happened earlier. His father and mother were going to hunt a giant beast for food.
The elders said it was best not to go, meaning their family would still have to hand over other food.
He and his brother couldn’t help much with the hunting, so it was better to split up.
Xue Tuan remembered the frozen river…