Upon returning to the cave, the tiger cub caught the scent of its mother from afar and began flailing its paws, eager to get off the bed. The little fox who had been helping to look after the cub couldn’t react as quickly and could only follow it out.
The tiger cub was almost half a month old and could already walk on its own, though still unsteadily. It managed to dash out of the cave without issue, but once outside, it stumbled and staggered its way toward its mother.
Hu Li’s heart ached at the sight, and she immediately ran over to scoop the cub into her arms. “Did you miss me, little one?”
The tiger cub nodded, making soft whimpering sounds. It couldn’t speak yet—only after the evolution a month later would it gain the ability. If the evolution succeeded, it would become a Beastfolk and continue to advance its cultivation. If it failed, it would remain in its True Form for life, unable to cultivate and with limited intelligence.
Hu Li had consulted the Priest about this, so she had been using Spirit Spring Water to nourish the cub’s body. In the Tribe, only Hu Rong’s family had many Cubs. Recently, it was said she was pregnant again. Even though Hu Li’s tiger cub was less than half a month old, it had already caught up in size to Hu Rong’s one-month-old fox cub. However, none of the Beastfolk who had seen it were particularly surprised, as a tiger’s True Form was naturally much larger than a fox’s. No one noticed anything unusual.
“Big brother, I didn’t keep a close enough eye on the Cub. Your Cub is different from others—I never expected it to start running after just half a month,” the little fox said sheepishly, scratching its ear.
“It’s fine. You can head back now. Oh, and take a piece of meat from that wooden bucket over there,” Hu Zhuo said, pointing to a nearby bucket.
The little fox obediently did as told. The first time it came, it hadn’t known what these buckets were for, but after hearing Hu Zhuo’s words, it finally understood and couldn’t help but feel astonished.
The bucket had a lid to keep dust out. When the little fox lifted the lid, it saw many pieces of meat submerged in clear water. It reached in with its paw, pulled out a piece, and sniffed it. Turning back in shock, it asked, “Big brother, how long have you kept this meat here?”
“About two days, I think,” Hu Zhuo replied, thinking the little fox cub was being picky—clearly, it hadn’t been hungry enough.
“What? Two days?!” The little fox seemed to have heard something utterly unbelievable. “Usually, meat starts to rot after two days. How did you manage this?”
“What’s so surprising? It’s obviously something our A Li did. Have I ever done anything like this before?”
The little fox shook its head, then beamed with excitement. “Big brother, can you teach me this method? It’s really amazing.”
“Of course! Our A Li is the best,” Hu Zhuo said proudly. However, this wasn’t his decision to make, so he turned to Hu Li to ask for her opinion.
After Hu Li nodded, Hu Zhuo explained the process. The little fox thanked them happily, then took the meat home to try it out.
Hu Li handed the cub over to Hu Zhuo and dug up some soil to bring into her Spirit Spring Space.
After being washed in Spirit Spring Water for most of the day, the vegetable roots had grown even more lush. Hu Li smoothed out the soil, planted them, and patted the earth firmly. Even if she didn’t water them regularly with Spirit Spring Water, they would still grow taller than those outside, simply by being in the same space.
Satisfied, Hu Li clapped her hands clean. That evening, she cooked personally, picking some green beans and stir-frying them with meat in a stone pot. Slowly rendering out the fat, she prepared a dish of stir-fried green beans with meat.
Although there were no seasonings, it was still much better than eating raw meat. As for Hu Zhuo, from the first bite, he hadn’t stopped praising Hu Li.
With oil, fine salt, and two types of vegetables, Hu Li’s family lived a life akin to that of deities in the Beast World, completely unaware that a major event had occurred in the tribe.
“Little Fox, are you sure Hu Zhuo taught you this?”
Little Fox nodded, then shook his head. “It was his Wife-Master who taught my eldest brother, and then my eldest brother taught me.”
The Chieftain patted his head. “Little Fox is an honest, good child.”
Then the Chieftain looked at the red fox members around him, his excitement overflowing. They had finally found a way to preserve hunted meat. Their tribe would be recorded in the annals of time, and from now on, every Beastfolk in every tribe would remember them.
“Quick, go to Hu Li’s house.”
Joy brings vigor. The Chieftain, whose legs were usually not very nimble, now moved as fast as the young ones in the tribe.
Hu Zhuo’s ears twitched twice, and he immediately grew alert. “A large group is approaching here.”
Hu Li, still unaware of what was about to happen, was focused on preparing baby food for the cub. “It probably won’t be anything major. There are many warriors in the tribe, so it shouldn’t affect us.”
“Hu Li, Hu Li~ Are you home?”
“It’s… the Chieftain.” Hu Zhuo wondered what the Chieftain was up to. Lifting the animal hide curtain, he was shocked to find that all the Beastfolk from the tribe had come.
“A… A Li, come out and see. Am I seeing things? Why have all the Beastfolk from the tribe come to our house?”
“Impossible.” No sooner had she spoken than Hu Li witnessed the spectacular scene.
The Chieftain gasped for breath, excitedly grasping Hu Li’s hands. “A great contributor! Hu Li, I underestimated you before.”
Hu Li still didn’t know that a certain little fox had bragged and revealed her method of preserving meat. “What’s going on, Chieftain?”
“Hu Li, we all know. Don’t hide it anymore. Little Fox told us you know how to preserve meat. Since we’re all of the same clan, please teach us!”
“Yes! At most, we’ll give your family more meat as payment.”
Hu Li frowned. It sounded like moral coercion. She then glanced at the guilty little fox standing in the corner—Hu Zhuo’s younger brother.
Seeing Hu Li remain silent, another Female grew impatient. “Hu Li, how about this? I’ll bring you meat every day, and you tell me the method. Your tiger cub must eat a lot of meat. It’s a sure profit.”
“I’m willing to give you meat too.”
“Me too.”
Some Females, whose families had no shortage of Males going out to hunt, agreed, but those with weaker Males disagreed.
“Hey, what are you saying? Why not just have Hu Li tell all of us the method? This is a contribution to the tribe, an unparalleled honor. How can it only be told to those who give meat? I don’t agree.”
Several Females began arguing over the benefits.
Hu Li quietly watched it all. She had truly underestimated these Females. When they were willing to stand with her against Hu Rong’s bullying, it was because it benefited them. Now that their interests conflicted, they turned against each other. How ironic.
At that moment, Hu Rong, whom she hadn’t seen for days, stepped forward, her belly swollen. “I think you all should stop arguing. Perhaps Sister Hu Li doesn’t want to tell us the method. At worst, we can all just eat spoiled meat together.”
The females stopped arguing and formed a united front, demanding that Hu Li share her method with them for free, completely unaware of how terrifying their expressions had become.
Seeing that A Li remained silent and offered no rebuttal, Hu Zhuo couldn’t stand it any longer. What gave these Beastfolk the right to demand things from her like this? “Are you begging her or forcing her?”
“I remember how much you despised Hu Rong when you were at my place. Now that there’s a shared interest, you’re friends again? You change faces far too quickly! I’ve seen shameless males before, but this is the first time I’ve seen shameless females.”
“No, wait—this is the second time. The first was Hu Rong.”