Chapter 7

Chapter 7

This world is truly fantastical, where phenomena not only defy geographical space but also transcend time.

Discovering pepper now is a delightful surprise!

Without a second thought, Hu Li went to untie the fur pouch hanging on Bing Qiu, specifically designated for carrying fruits.

Pepper, native to tropical regions, was once considered a luxury in ancient China. It serves not only as a seasoning but also has numerous medicinal applications.

However, given its discovery during the cold season in this beastman world, it might merely resemble pepper but belong to a different species.

Bing Qiu watched as Xue Tuan deftly packed the unknown small berries into the fur pouch. He swiped with his paw, attempting to halt Xue Tuan's actions. The result was a "smack," as his younger brother delivered a light slap to his head.

"Oww!" Bing Qiu released the fur pouch and covered his head with his paw.

He couldn't control him in the slightest! Bing Qiu slumped down gloomily, observing Xue Tuan's busy movements.

After gathering the pepper, Xue Tuan moved to another spot to pick some white mushrooms.

Bing Qiu glanced over—these were indeed edible. Dad had picked them before. His younger brother truly possessed an excellent memory.

Xue Tuan, having secured both pepper and mushrooms, was still reveling in his happiness when the sound of flapping wings suddenly came from behind.

Turning around, he saw Hui Hui flying back with something in his beak.

It bore a striking resemblance to the winter jujubes he had eaten in his previous life.

Hui Hui landed on Xue Tuan's shoulder and offered the string of winter jujubes towards his face.

"Thank you, Hui Hui." Xue Tuan reached out and accepted them. Hui Hui was becoming increasingly thoughtful, even remembering to bring him food.

Did he genuinely perceive him as a fragile cub in need of sustenance?

"Next time, you don’t need to bring anything. I have food," Xue Tuan said affectionately, gently stroking the fur on Hui Hui's forehead.

It was unclear whether Hui Hui understood, but he continued to gaze at Xue Tuan and let out a "chirp," as if inquiring, "Why aren’t you eating?"

Bing Qiu approached and casually plucked one to eat. He, too, enjoyed this fruit—it was delightfully crisp and sweet.

Witnessing Bing Qiu consume Xue Tuan's food, Hui Hui flapped his wings a couple of times in protest: "Chirp!"

Then Hui Hui flew up and landed on Bing Qiu's head, pecking his forehead in exasperation.

"Oww!" Bing Qiu hopped around wildly, desperately trying to reach Hui Hui with his paws to pull him down.

Just as Bing Qiu and Hui Hui were playfully sparring, a mournful cry suddenly echoed from the distance.

Xue Tuan and Bing Qiu immediately exchanged glances.

"That must be Father and Dad catching prey," Xue Tuan remarked.

So, could they now actively seek out Father and Dad to rendezvous?

Bing Qiu crouched down, and Xue Tuan swiftly climbed onto his back. Bing Qiu then immediately carried Xue Tuan and ran in the direction where Feng Yan and Rong Shan had departed earlier.

Indeed, after running for a short while, they spotted their father and dad, already in human form, processing the prey.

The prey resembled a chicken from his previous life, but it was at least ten times larger, covered in snow-white feathers, with vibrant, colorful tail feathers.

"Father, Dad, did you catch a Whitefeathered Beast?" The moment he saw the adults, Bing Qiu had already transformed into human form and swiftly ran over to assist.

Feng Yan and Rong Shan each wielded a sharp bone knife, expertly gutting and processing the Whitefeathered Beast on the spot.

The plucked feathers lay scattered nearby, with only a few of the more attractive ones collected by Dad for decoration. The Whitefeathered Beast's skin was unsuitable for making fur clothing, but it could still be consumed along with the meat.

The current situation mirrored their previous migration. While the adults were occupied, Xue Tuan would wander around, searching for anything useful. He would often pick up a stick and begin digging here and there—that was how he had previously discovered scallions, ginger, and garlic.

After Rong Shan noticed Xue Tuan's hobby, he even specially crafted a miniature hoe-shaped stick to facilitate his digging.

Now, Xue Tuan retrieved this miniature stick from his small bag, his hands itching to dig.

However, after searching through the grass for a long time, Xue Tuan found nothing of interest, save for a small hole.

Xue Tuan blinked: Huh?

He carefully pushed aside the weeds and peered into the hole.

Not far away, Feng Yan and Rong Shan kept a watchful eye on Xue Tuan's movements from the corner of their eyes, ensuring he remained within their sight.

While processing the prey, Rong Shan continued their earlier conversation:

"Those beast footprints look like..." Rong Shan's brows furrowed slightly, his expression growing serious.

Feng Yan pondered for a moment and nodded, confirming Rong Shan's conjecture. Judging solely by the marks, the beast's size far exceeded the combined mass of the two of them, leading them to suspect it was a vicious beast.

Feng Yan said, "Let’s ask the tribe elder for his opinion when we return."

"Okay." This was also Rong Shan's thought. While a large prey signified danger, it also guaranteed a substantial food supply.

Bing Qiu only partially understood their conversation. A single Whitefeathered Beast wouldn’t have prompted Father and Dad to instruct him and Xue Tuan to remain in place—had they encountered some massive beast?

He only wished he could mature quickly, work diligently with Father and Dad, and soon feed Xue Tuan until he was plump and healthy.

Just as Bing Qiu was about to ask more questions, he heard Xue Tuan calling him.

"Brother—"

Bing Qiu set down the tool he was holding, briefly acknowledged his fathers, and headed towards Xue Tuan. When they were out, his primary responsibility was to prioritize Xue Tuan.

Xue Tuan had ventured several dozen meters away. Upon reaching him, Bing Qiu saw Xue Tuan pointing to a small hole nearby, clearly indicating his desire to enter.

However, the hole was quite small. The slender Xue Tuan might be able to crawl in, but Bing Qiu, who was several times larger, simply couldn't fit.

Bing Qiu was somewhat troubled. The interior didn’t appear dangerous, but he didn’t want Xue Tuan to enter alone. Frowning, Bing Qiu crouched down and placed his hands on Xue Tuan’s shoulders:

"Good Tuan, it’s no fun inside. Let’s not go in, okay?"

"I’ll be right back."

Looking into Xue Tuan’s sparkling big eyes, Bing Qiu found himself unable to refuse.

Seeing Xue Tuan’s insistence, Bing Qiu had no recourse. He always gave his younger brother whatever he desired.

Bing Qiu: "Then I’ll wait right here. Come out quickly, or if Father and Dad find out, watch out for your backside."

Though it was more probable that his own backside would bear the brunt, Bing Qiu still feigned a threat to prevent Xue Tuan from lingering too long inside.

"Chirp." Hui Hui hopped on Xue Tuan’s shoulder—it wanted to go in too.

"Yes, Hui Hui, watch over Xue Tuan, alright?" Bing Qiu poked the little bird's forehead with his finger and then gently rubbed it.

So Hu Li crawled into the hole with Hui Hui.

He insisted on entering primarily because he detected an unusual, pungent odor.

Hu Li slowly crawled on hands and knees. As he advanced, the smell grew increasingly distinct. Fortunately, the crawling distance was short, and he was soon able to stand upright.

A wide, open space suddenly appeared before him.

Hu Li brushed the dirt from his clothes. It was a fairly large cave, with several beams of sunlight piercing through the ceiling, casting patches of light and preventing the cave from being completely dark.

The sight before him took Hu Li by surprise.

This had once been a hot spring!

The dried-up spring revealed its base, covered with irregular, pale-yellow crystals that emitted the distinctive smell of sulfur.

Xue Tuan rummaged through his small bag and retrieved a small gourd. Untying the vine rope, the gourd split into two halves, filled with berries.

He poured the berries into his bag, picked up his small wooden stick, and began chipping away at the sulfur to take back with him.

Even if they collected all the sulfur here, it wouldn't amount to much. Still, believing every bit helped, Xue Tuan dug diligently.

"Tuan'er—"

His brother’s call echoed from outside the cave.

Guessing that his brother, who was keeping watch, must be growing impatient, Xue Tuan filled one half of the gourd, then fitted the halves together and tied it tightly with the original vine rope. Task complete.

Hearing his brother call again, Xue Tuan hurriedly crawled out through the narrow cave entrance.

As soon as he emerged, his brother grabbed him by the back of his collar and lifted him up. Xue Tuan’s small frame swayed in the air. He only had time to hastily scratch a few marks on the cave entrance with the stone in his hand.

Bing Qiu promptly hoisted his younger brother onto his back and sprinted back to their fathers' location, pretending they hadn't been gone for too long.

Feng Yan and Rong Shan had just finished butchering the Whitefeathered Beast and were preparing to pack the portioned meat before returning the way they came.

Feng Yan and Rong Shan specifically carved out a large hind leg to be set aside as the tribe's share.

Generally, food distribution in the tribe followed either agreed-upon rules or was more flexible, with contributions made as possible. Since the elder hadn’t set any prior agreement with them, giving a quarter of the meat to the tribe was already quite generous.

By the time the arctic fox family were nearing the tribe, the sky was ablaze with the vibrant colors of sunset.

The patrolling beastmen were the first to notice their return, and the news that "the arctic fox family hunted a giant Whitefeathered Beast!" quickly spread.

It didn’t take long for the news to permeate the tribe. Many people pretended to peer toward the entrance, ostensibly waiting for the leader’s hunting party to return, but their eyes unconsciously fixated on the arctic fox family returning from outside.

They actually managed to bag game on the very first day... The leader’s hunting party had been out for two days and still hadn’t returned. The longer they were gone, the more worried everyone grew.

"That family must've gotten lucky..."

"What else could it be? Even the leader’s group has to go farther to hunt now."

"If only our family could catch something too..."

The beastmen were mostly envious of their luck in being able to hunt food during winter. They didn’t believe the family’s good fortune would last—before long, they’d end up just like everyone else.

The arctic fox family ignored the stares. They headed straight for Elder Mushi’s house, intending to deliver the food.

Usually, hunting parties distributed food at the altar in the center of the tribe. But as outsiders, and with only one family, it was quicker to go directly to the elder.

Houses like those of the leader, the elder, and the Priest were easy to spot. Just as Feng Yan was about to knock on the door, he heard arguing from inside.

"...I can’t make the decision..."

"It’s happening more and more frequently... I’ve had a bad feeling about this for a while now..."

"...With prey becoming scarcer, it’s better to make plans early..."

"...We can’t delay any longer!"

Author's note: