Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Feng Yan and Rong Shan weren't overthinking anything; they were simply enjoying sharing the meat. At that moment, what could bring more joy than not having to worry about food?

"We'll help too," Big Hu said, eagerly leading his two brothers to assist Feng Yan and the others. The three brothers felt incredibly fortunate, almost as if they wanted to worship Feng Yan and his family like deities.

Dividing meat at the altar—when had the Marbled Polecat clan ever experienced such a thing? Those outsiders in the tribe who used to look down on them could only wait below the platform now. Big Hu and his brothers couldn't contain their satisfaction.

"Brother Feng Yan, Brother Rong Shan, thank you for not looking down on us brothers," Big Hu said, his emotions shifting quickly. After the initial excitement, he suddenly grew sentimental, sniffling as he expressed his gratitude to the arctic fox family.

Rong Shan looked at these honest young beastmen and smiled. "Thank you for your help too."

"No, no, no," Big Hu replied, his lips drooping. "We're small in stature and even smaller in courage... We didn't dare face the Gianthorned Monster with you. We didn't really help at all." His voice grew softer.

"Don't say that," Feng Yan interjected. "Those stronger than you didn't dare come either. You're much braver than them."

Big Hu: "..."

The group was stunned. Having never received such affirmation before, Big Hu and his brothers felt their eyes well up. Since childhood, they had endured countless taunts and thought they had grown accustomed to it, only to realize how much they still yearned for recognition.

Second Hu turned away to discreetly wipe the corners of his eyes, speeding up the meat division. "Hurry up, you two. Brother Feng Yan and his family haven't rested all day."

"Okay!" San Hu shouted loudly, his eyes brimming with tears, not much better off than Big Hu.

The beastmen waiting below for their share watched San Hu nervously, afraid his tears or snot might fall on the precious Gianthorned Monster meat.

The young men worked with renewed vigor, and Feng Yan and Rong Shan smiled approvingly.

After some discussion, they decided to give one-third of the meat to the tribe. The Gianthorned Monster was simply too large. Even after setting aside a significant portion for drying, there would still be enough to feed their family for ten-odd days.

Besides, their cubs preferred fresh ingredients. If the meat ran out, they could always put in more effort to hunt again.

Zhong Yan returned to Elder Mushi’s side. Though he couldn’t do much, he wanted to help share his grandfather’s burden as much as possible.

Xue Tuan reluctantly bid farewell to the little black lion. It was admirable how responsible he was at such a young age.

"Let's play together again next time," Xue Tuan said, nuzzling the little black lion’s furry head. Before he could get enough, Bing Qiu quickly pulled him away.

"Come on, let's go home first," Bing Qiu said, taking Xue Tuan to get some fire before heading back. He took the initiative to start the fire and prepare the pot, ready for a delicious roast when the adults returned.

Qing Miao, having witnessed the bravery of the arctic fox family, admired them deeply. After joining the crowd at the altar square, he prepared to head home. Passing by Xue Tuan’s house, he helped the two light the fire.

Noticing they were both younger than him, Qing Miao worried they might accidentally set the house on fire like his younger brother often did, so he decided to stay and keep an eye on things.

When Feng Yan and Rong Shan returned, Qing Miao prepared to leave.

Unexpectedly, Rong Shan stopped him. "Qing Miao, go bring your younger brother over. We’ve spoken with your fathers—you’re all joining us for dinner."

Rong Shan and Feng Yan had met Qing Miao’s fathers at the altar. They hit it off immediately and agreed to share a meal. However, Qing Miao’s fathers were still helping the chief distribute meat at the central square and would be delayed.

Rong Shan had taken a liking to Qing Miao, who had been warm and welcoming from the start and had always been friendly toward Xue Tuan and the others.

Hearing this, Qing Miao’s face lit up with an irrepressible smile. "Great! I’ll go get my brother right away."

Bing Qiu generally didn’t have a favorable opinion of the tribe’s people, but he knew Qing Miao, the young Subbeastman, liked Xue Tuan and had always shown kindness to their family. So, he had no objections to his fathers’ invitation.

As for Xue Tuan, his eyes curved into a smile. He didn’t mind having more people join the meal. Besides, after dinner, he’d surely get to play with the furry ones.

Seeing the adults preparing the barbecue, Xue Tuan decided to get his pepper ready.

As he had hoped, the pepper grains in this world didn’t require long drying before they could be used.

Making pepper sauce was out of the question, but ground pepper was manageable. Xue Tuan grabbed a handful of pepper from the small drying rack and placed it in a stone mortar, intending to grind it bit by bit.

His recent exercises had paid off somewhat. Though it was still strenuous, it was much easier than before.

Just as his arms grew sore, Bing Qiu, who was searching for his younger brother, walked in. Seeing Xue Tuan struggling stubbornly with something, he found it both pitiable and endearing.

"What are you up to now?" Bing Qiu naturally took the pestle from his brother’s hand and picked up the mortar, not noticing what was inside.

"Brother, grind it."

Seeing his younger brother’s sparkling, expectant eyes, Bing Qiu agreed without hesitation.

"Alright, alright, I’ll grind it for you." As he ground the grains, Bing Qiu found the crushed bits familiar. Weren’t these the things he and his brother had dried earlier? The ones his brother called pepper.

Bing Qiu asked, "Ah, you want all this pepper ground?"

Xue Tuan made a sprinkling motion with his fingers. "We can sprinkle it on the meat."

Hearing that it could be sprinkled on meat, Bing Qiu recalled his brother’s earlier experiment with sour-sweet juice on meat and suddenly felt intrigued.

But then again...

"How do you always come up with these strange ideas?" Bing Qiu’s strength was no joke. What had taken Xue Tuan so long to grind, he crushed in just a few strokes.

Xue Tuan had already prepared an answer. How could a child always have so many whimsical ideas? Of course, it was...

"I dreamed it. Someone in my dream told me," Xue Tuan said, putting on his most innocent expression, making it impossible for anyone to doubt him.

And Bing Qiu believed it, even letting his imagination run wild with additional theories.

As the pepper grains turned into powder, a natural, pungent aroma wafted out.

Hui Hui, who had been hopping excitedly on Xue Tuan’s shoulder, suddenly sneezed from the spicy scent.

"Chirp—!" Hui Hui flapped his wings and fled in a panic from Xue Tuan’s side.

"Hahaha." Both Xue Tuan and Bing Qiu were amused by Hui Hui’s reaction, watching gleefully as the little bird scrambled away. "Seems like you can’t handle this smell. Better wait outside."

Hui Hui had no choice but to fly out of the house dejectedly.

Seeing that the grinding was almost done, Xue Tuan tugged at Bing Qiu’s fur clothing to signal it was enough. Bing Qiu held the mortar steady while Xue Tuan used a small spoon to scrape the pepper powder into a shell bowl, gently spreading it evenly.

Bing Qiu was growing impatient—this was a scent he had never experienced before.

Outside, the atmosphere was lively. The meat had been set up for roasting. The bonfire flickered gently in the breeze, sparks flying, illuminating the smiling faces of those gathered around. The cold day felt warmer with the added glow.

Qing Miao’s father, An Tu, and his other father, Shu Yi, had arrived and were chatting happily with Feng Yan, Rong Shan, and the others.

Bing Qiu, holding the ground pepper, hurriedly ran to his father, eager to try it on a piece of meat first. Rong Shan, unable to resist his persistence, quickly gave him a piece to shut him up.

The meat had already been salted. Now, all that was left was to sprinkle the pepper on top.

The pungent aroma of the pepper seeped into the meat, adding a unique stimulating kick.

"How should I put it?" Bing Qiu smacked his lips, his eyes widening briefly before he pretended nonchalance. "I couldn’t really taste it. Dad, can I have another piece?"

With a quick slap, Bing Qiu's outstretched hand was quickly swatted back by Rong Shan: "It'll be ready to eat soon, don't rush."

Several skewers of tender beast meat were grilling over the fire, their fats rendered by the intense heat, the meat roasted to a golden-brown crisp with a glossy sheen.

Bing Qiu fidgeted impatiently, convinced the meat had been ready long ago.

"Here, take it." Rong Shan handed a freshly cooked skewer to Bing Qiu, seeing just how antsy he had become.

A small spoonful of freshly ground pepper was carefully dusted by Bing Qiu over the meat. As soon as it landed on the browned surface of the beast meat, it was immediately enveloped by the sizzling hot oil. With the rising steam, the charred aroma of the meat intertwined with the pungent heat of the pepper, growing even more intense.

Without waiting for it to cool further, Bing Qiu took a big bite straight into the meat.

Though the saltiest flavor still dominated, the addition of the pepper brought an entirely new layer of spicy zest.

Seeing Bing Qiu buried in his food, unable to speak, Rong Shan knew he must be very pleased.

Qing Miao's family had brought back some ox head meat and leafy greens from their recent hunt, and An Tu helped get two additional fire pits going. The pot was also replaced with their own large stone cauldron, and the two families gathered noisily.

As soon as Xue Tuan stepped out of the house, he was thrilled to see something fluffy—it turned out Qing Miao's family were sun bears!

A small, dark-gray furry bear cub was curled up in Qing Miao's arms. Its fur was soft and fluffy, its round body looking adorably clumsy, with a unique ring of golden markings across its chest.

The sun bear cub’s small, grape-like black eyes watched as Xue Tuan leaned closer. Its slightly plump, short limbs sprawled out casually, revealing a soft belly and paw pads.

It was practically offering itself up for some petting!

Xue Tuan’s small hand slowly reached out, and the little sun bear lifted its head slightly, allowing the small palm to gently rest on its head.

Qing Miao watched the interaction between the two little ones with a smile, the scene too adorable for words.

"His name is Qing Guo, two years old, and he still doesn’t really like using his human form," Qing Miao introduced to Xue Tuan.

"Hello there."

Xue Tuan stroked the sun bear cub’s back, his hand gently stroking down its back. The fur was dense and soft, slightly fluffed outward. This kind of texture was something anyone would find irresistible to stroke over and over.

The sun bear cub’s small ears twitched lightly, and it unconsciously narrowed its eyes.

"Can I hold him?" Xue Tuan’s eyes sparkled, and Qing Miao simply couldn’t refuse.

Xue Tuan immediately reached out to pick him up…

Huh?

"Hnnn—" Xue Tuan held his breath, sticking his bottom out as he strained to lift the little sun bear.

One second passed, then two… he couldn’t budge him…

Seeing Xue Tuan’s face turning red with effort, Qing Miao discreetly used a bit of strength to help lift the sun bear cub a little.

"Whew, got him."

Don’t be fooled by the little sun bear’s small size—what it lacked in stature, it made up for in density. Round and chubby, it was surprisingly heavy.

Xue Tuan flashed a smile at Qing Miao and his brother, pretending nothing had happened, while secretly deciding he would have to eat several extra skewers of meat today.

Author's Note: