Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Though simple, the workshop was now quite respectable.

Sunlight streamed through the cave entrance, illuminating the rough, uneven rock walls and the busy figures within.

An elder, back hunched, meticulously chipped at a stone with a stone axe. With his skillful control, excess flakes flew off, gradually forming a sharp edge.

Beside him, his apprentice watched with wide eyes, afraid to miss a single detail. He clutched a piece of flint, eager to try his hand.

Elder Baixiang, without looking up, said in a deep voice, "Don't rush. You must carefully observe the stone's fissures, or you'll ruin it and waste this piece."

Elder Mushi's workbench, crafted from rough stone slabs and wood, held an array of primitive tools that Xue Tuan couldn't quite comprehend. A faint scent of wood lingered near the workstation.

"Elder Grandpa, we've come to see you!" Sha Hu, now re-energized, familiarly rushed to Elder Mushi's side. Whenever the tribe needed something made, they sought Elder Grandpa's help.

Sha Hu still remembered Yun Lu's father telling him that when he and his father became mates, it was Elder Grandpa who crafted their new wooden buckets, basins, and stone pots.

"See what's on my table?" Elder Mushi beamed, showing no annoyance at the sudden arrival of a group of young cubs.

The shorter cubs instinctively stood on tiptoes to peer at the table:

"It's the Gianthorned Monster's tusk!"

They had all witnessed the Gianthorned Monster being brought back, so its immense presence was hard to forget.

Xue Tuan finally understood—his father and dad had entrusted the Gianthorned Monster's horn to the elder.

The Gianthorned Monster truly was a treasure trove. Its fur, Xue Tuan recalled, was with Qing Miao's father, Tree Clothing, who, along with the Subbeastmen, would prioritize sewing warm beast-hide garments for the cubs.

As for the monster's bones, they could be polished into tools like bone knives, which were sharper and more durable than those made from ordinary beast bones.

Xue Tuan had once touched the Gianthorned Monster's horn—it was incredibly hard. He suspected the beastmen must have worn out many tools to carve it into its current shape.

Xue Tuan held deep admiration for the artisans of this world. They must possess extraordinary focus and perseverance to labor year after year, remaining patient and passionate.

Meanwhile, the little black lion, who had been observing nearby, suddenly nudged a small wooden stool, slowly moving it closer to the elder, and confidently stepped onto it.

As Mushi extended his hand, the little black lion deftly used his paws to retrieve the corresponding tool.

The cubs watched in amazement, and Mushi explained with a laugh, "Don't assume that just because Zhong Yan is still in his beast form, I haven't taught him many things. Once he can regain his human form, he might even surpass all of you."

The cubs: *Ahem*, he's already more capable than us, even without shapeshifting.

That day, when Mushi learned Zhong Yan could speak, he was so overwhelmed he hugged him, tears nearly welling up in his eyes, though he managed to hold them back. He believed Zhong Yan would continue to improve and would surely regain his adult form someday.

Watching the little black lion's familiar yet carefully controlled movements, Xue Tuan finally realized the elder's profound intentions!

The elder had raised the little black lion for so many years. Even if the little black lion couldn't speak, the elder must have known about his immense strength and his unpopularity since childhood.

According to what those bullies had said when they picked on the little black lion, he likely couldn't control his strength as a child, which led to the tribe saying he "hurt" other cubs.

And Elder Grandpa, being a skilled craftsman, had taught the little black lion to make tools as a way to help him learn to control his strength.

But now that he thought about it, the little black lion had indeed never touched him with his claws.

While Xue Tuan was still lost in thought, the other cubs, hearing the elder's words, were not to be outdone and eagerly asked the elder to teach them a few tricks too.

The elder, usually very kind and affectionate, was much-loved by the cubs. With a benevolent smile, he happily agreed to let the cubs stay and work alongside him.

On the elder's table sat a steaming wooden cup filled with a dark brown liquid. The elder picked up the cup, took a slow sip, squinted his eyes, and showed a satisfied expression.

Xue Tuan curiously sniffed but detected no particular scent in the air.

Seeing the little cub so interested, Elder Mushi placed the wooden cup in front of Xue Tuan and said with a smile, "Want a taste?"

Seeing Elder Grandpa's kind smile, Xue Tuan picked up the cup with both hands and took a small sip.

"Xue... Tuan..." It was too late to stop him. The cubs watched in horror as Xue Tuan took a sip.

The moment it entered his mouth, a strange flavor exploded on his tongue, followed by an intense bitterness at the back of his throat.

"Ugh... it's awful..." Xue Tuan's expression went blank, tears nearly spilling. In that instant, happy memories with his family flashed before his eyes, as if he were watching his life pass by.

"Here, drink some warm water." Seeing that Xue Tuan had drunk the elder's concoction, Qing Miao had already brought a cup of clean water for him. "Elder Grandpa, you're so mischievous," Qing Miao shook his head. Grandpa never seemed to think he was playing a prank.

The elder scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Oh, I didn't expect Xue Tuan wouldn't like it either."

"Normal people wouldn't like it!" the cubs shouted in unison.

Elder Grandpa always loved recommending his strange drinks to others—they'd experienced it back in the old tribe. But Xue Tuan was new and didn't know about Elder Grandpa's "tricky side."

Xue Tuan quickly took the water from Qing Miao and gulped down several mouthfuls, trying to wash away the strange taste. His face twisted in disgust, unable to express the bitterness, and he gave the elder a pitiful look: *You should drink something better.*

Everyone felt sorry for Xue Tuan. The cubs gathered around him, comforting him and reminding him to be careful next time and not get tricked again.

The little black lion also approached apologetically, worriedly looking at the small tear at the corner of Xue Tuan's eye. He had forgotten to warn Little Dumpling about Grandpa's old habit—what an unreliable friend he was.

Once Xue Tuan had recovered, the cubs began fiddling with the tools on the elder's table. They weren't much help, mostly just toying with the tools.

"By the way, Grandpa, can you make me a toothbrush?" Sha Hu suddenly asked while playing with the tools.

As soon as Sha Hu asked, Xue Tuan was surprised. When he had taught the cubs to use "tooth floss" to help their families clean their teeth, he had only mentioned toothbrushes in passing. He hadn't expected Sha Hu to have taken it to heart.

"Toothbrush?" The elder stopped working and turned his head. "What's that?" Although the name hinted at its purpose, the elder still patiently asked.

Once Sha Hu brought it up, the other cubs also remembered what Xue Tuan had said about toothbrushes. They all started chiming in, though it was unclear whether Elder Grandpa understood.

In the end, even Sha Hu wasn't sure what he had said and turned to look at Xue Tuan. The other cubs did the same. Seeing this, the elder also looked at Xue Tuan with an encouraging expression.

The arctic fox's child was special. The elders and priests, including him, were aware of the practice in the tribe where cubs helped their families clean their teeth with beast tendon floss.

The elder's affectionate gaze fell on the adorable little cub before him, and he couldn't help but think that this toothbrush was probably another one of the child's bright ideas.

Xue Tuan blinked, thinking he wouldn't be needed.

After a moment's pause, Xue Tuan spoke up: "A traveling beastman told me about it." It wasn't unusual for the arctic fox's family to have encountered traveling beastmen during their journey south.

As for why the traveler would tell a little cub like him—well, they could use their imagination. Xue Tuan cleverly thought.

By saying this, he pinned the origin of the toothbrush to a fictional person. The elder and the other cubs wouldn't dig deeper, and he could simply act as a messenger.

Actually, their current method of using floss followed by a mint rinse was quite good. But since the cubs wanted toothbrushes so much, why not make them?

So Xue Tuan explained what a simple toothbrush looked like to Elder Grandpa.

After listening, the elder nodded. "That shouldn't be too difficult."

"Okay then, you all go find me some suitable bristles, and Elder Grandpa will make them for you."

"Yay!" the cubs cheered in unison.

The cubs' laughter was infectious. The beastmen briefly paused what they were doing, glanced over at the cheerful cubs, and their moods lifted too.

But the plants in the corner caught Xue Tuan's attention.

"Elder Grandpa, why are the leaves of the grass in your cave all closed up?" Xue Tuan pointed with his little finger at the plants in the corner.

"Hmm?" Elder Grandpa's expression changed upon hearing this. He put down the tool he was holding, stood up, and walked over. Sure enough, the mimosa plants' leaves, usually open, were now tightly closed.

The elder frowned, looking uneasy, and said, "I'm afraid it's going to rain."

Xue Tuan nodded. This was indeed a sign of rain. It seemed Priest wasn't the only one who could read the skies.

Shi Hu and Yun Lu probably had similar plants in their cave and had probably already noticed, but just to be safe, the elder added, "Little Sha Hu, go tell your father and dad, and have everyone get ready."

When they heard rain was coming, the cubs couldn't stay any longer. They didn't want to get caught in the rain and be uncomfortable.

Soon, several cubs also began bidding farewell to Elder Grandpa one after another, planning to head home to take shelter from the rain.

Dark clouds slowly gathered on the distant horizon, and the air grew increasingly hot and humid.

"Father! Dad! Elder Grandpa says it's going to rain!" Sha Hu shouted as he ran, his loud voice reaching the beastmen along the way.

"Got it," Priest said, catching Sha Hu as he leaped into his arms. He brushed the dust off him and then casually handed him over to Shi Hu before continuing to discuss matters with the arctic fox family.

They planned to finish mining all the salt ore today and store it in the cave for supplies.

At that moment, Yun Lu was discussing with the arctic fox family how to refine the salt.

"The rain is actually perfect. We can crush the salt ore, mix it with clean rainwater, and then let it dry in the sun once the weather clears. Isn't that similar to the method you mentioned?" Yun Lu said.

Feng Yan nodded and replied, "That works." He wanted to make the salt as clean as possible, since his Xue Tuan didn't like eating small grit.

Ye Cong hurried in from outside, shaking off the raindrops from his body and said anxiously, "Ah, I didn't expect it to rain. Shi Hu Deputy Chief, we've brought the remaining salt ore—"

Ye Cong's words abruptly stopped.

He froze, looking uncertainly at the person in priestly attire standing next to Shi Hu. His voice trembled almost imperceptibly as he asked:

"Is it really you? Brother Yun Lu?"

Author's Note:

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Thank you, dear readers, for your support and encouragement~ [kiss]

Thanks for reading~