Chapter 31

Chapter 31

As the sled "flew" out, Bing Qiu and the little black lion were utterly dumbfounded—it looked like so much fun!

Seeing that the makeshift "sled" was indeed effective, Yun Lu and Xue Tuan exchanged glances, both breaking into smiles.

Feng Yan clapped An Tu on the shoulder: "Excellent! Let’s make a few more and get all this ice moved quickly."

"I’ll help!" Bing Qiu, spotting a second "sled" being assembled nearby, dashed over to join them.

Help? Xue Tuan suspected Bing Qiu just wanted to play. Still, once everyone got the hang of pulling the sleds, the ice transport speed was bound to increase.

One after another, the newly crafted sleds were eagerly "driven" by the beastmen, and their work efficiency mysteriously soared.

With everything seemingly under control on Feng Yan’s side, Rong Shan approached Yun Lu and the others. "Shall we head to the cave?" After the ice was transported, there was still follow-up work to be done.

Yun Lu nodded. "Yes, let’s go check on Shi Hu."

Unbeknownst to them, the sun was already beginning to set. The little black lion, carrying Xue Tuan, trotted behind the other adult beastmen in their Beast Forms, arriving together at the ice-storage cave.

Bathed in the lingering twilight, the cave entrance glowed with a warm, orange hue.

Inside the cave, a group of bare-chested beastmen were diligently digging deeper, working up a sweat even in the chilly season.

"Almost done," Shi Hu said, wiping his brow. Digging a new cave was less efficient than utilizing an existing one; besides, once they moved into their new homes, all the caves would eventually be used for storage.

The beastmen interpreted "digging a simple cellar" as creating a sealed underground storage.

Xue Tuan stood to the side, peering down into the pit. It was roughly the height of an adult beastman, with stones stacked along the edges for basic reinforcement against collapse. The bottom was lined with a thick layer of dry grass for insulation and moisture control.

Overall, it looked quite well-constructed.

"This should do, right?" Shi Hu surveyed the completed pit, quite pleased with his and his team’s efforts.

Seeing that the pit closely matched Xue Tuan’s description, Yun Lu nodded. "This will work perfectly. Thank you for your hard work."

Now, several beastmen stood inside the pit, reaching up to receive ice blocks handed down from above, then meticulously arranging them.

Each layer was separated by dry grass before another layer of ice was carefully stacked. Once all the ice was in place, a final layer of dry grass was added, and the entire pit was sealed with soil, to be opened when the hot season arrived.

After a full day of labor, their efforts had paid off. The remaining caves could be prepared in the same manner to store sufficient ice.

Rong Shan announced, "Excellent work, everyone. You can go rest now. We’ll continue tomorrow."

"Alright, thank you for your hard work."

"No problem, we’ll definitely be here."

No one among the beastmen complained of fatigue or reluctance; all willingly participated in this ice-storing activity, understanding that it would benefit every single one of them when the hot season came.

For convenience, whenever a group finished their tasks, the beastmen would gather in the central large cave to cook together.

The arctic fox family also joined this time, making the area in front of the cave a bustling hub of activity.

The beastmen skilled in cooking were busy everywhere, with families like the arctic fox and the sun bear forming the main culinary force.

The tribe still possessed several communal large stone pots that anyone could use.

Xue Tuan could tell that the beastmen understood thicker stone pots conducted heat poorly, but making them too thin risked breakage. Thus, they had tried to make the pots as thin as possible.

Rong Shan and Shu Yi naturally agreed to everything, placing absolute trust in their new Junior Priest.

Xue Tuan’s reasoning was simple: once all the pots had received his "guidance," no matter which pot his dinner came from, it would surely be to his liking. Why not indulge?

Rong Shan used a smoothly polished wooden spoon to stir the ingredients evenly in the pot. The stone pot bubbled with wild vegetables and hunted Tusked Boar meat, steam carrying a rich aroma slowly rising; vegetable leaves tumbled in the boiling water, meat cooked until falling apart, with rendered fat forming pale yellow ripples on the soup’s surface.

Although the Tusked Boar in the beast world resembled pigs, like other wild beasts, their meat was naturally tender without needing castration.

This difference pleased Xue Tuan; otherwise, the beastmen might find pork unappetizing and choose to forgo hunting Tusked Boars.

Shu Yi’s pot was for cooking white radish, dug up by an experienced Sub-beastman. This pot focused on a clear broth, with excess oil and scum carefully skimmed off. The transparent broth gurgled, and the white radish gradually turned translucent.

The beastmen instinctively lined up with their bowls, mouths watering at the sight of the food in the large stone pots.

"One at a time," Shu Yi smiled, ladling out bowls of steaming hot soup.

The sweet, tender radish melted in the mouth, the meat was deliciously soft, and the warm soup slid down smoothly, dispelling the cold season’s chill.

San Hu sighed, "If I could have a bowl of hot soup like this every day, I’d be so happy."

Er Hu nudged him. "Don’t even start. Have we ever had soup this good before?" He was getting greedy now.

Although their tribe hadn’t even finished building homes, for some reason, they all felt like life was steadily improving.

Feng Yan and Bing Qiu’s pot contained their specialty fish soup; beastmen who enjoyed fish could come to their side. Unlike others, Feng Yan had already adopted the practice of adding ginger slices to reduce the fishy taste.

The beastmen who had previously endured the "torture" of raw ginger water now realized this ingenious use of ginger—a trick worth learning.

Xue Tuan had an excellent appetite today, enjoying a small bowl from each pot. The hot soup warmed his stomach, spreading warmth to his limbs, leaving his body and mind completely cozy and content.

Feeling stuffed, Xue Tuan asked the little black lion to accompany him on a walk to aid digestion.

They passed several caves, where enthusiastic beastmen greeted them, some even smiling and calling Xue Tuan "Junior Priest Lord."

Xue Tuan would wave back, which only made the beastmen want to tease him more. To prevent the Little Dumpling from being "manhandled" by the adults, the little black lion nudged the innocent Xue Tuan with his head, urging him to move faster.

The little black lion guided Xue Tuan to another small cave, where a listless young cub sat by a fire.

The cub stared blankly at the fire, likely the little guardian of the tribe’s flame, formerly known as a "fire child."

Xue Tuan remembered the fire child in his previous tribe, who took great pride in this "duty." But this fire child here, for some reason, seemed distinctly unhappy.

The fire child also noticed Xue Tuan and the little black lion but merely glanced at them before returning to his fixed, statue-like stare at the fire.

"Aren’t you bored?"

Hearing the question, the fire child looked up at the adorably bundled-up little cub. He knew his name was Xue Tuan; probably no one in the tribe didn’t know this little fellow.

He shrugged indifferently. Stuck watching just this fire all day—how could it not be boring?

He really didn’t want to be the fire child. The previous fire child had gone with the former Deputy Chief, and his father had insisted he take over. If not for his father, he wouldn’t have come.

"Will you help me with something?"

The fire child heard Xue Tuan ask again.

Xue Tuan was unlike any other cub he had met, inspiring fondness and a desire for friendship. He wanted to help, but he couldn't leave his post. The fire child grew even more disheartened, lowering his head.

But Xue Tuan’s next words made the fire child stare at him wide-eyed in disbelief.

Xue Tuan: "I found a method in the Beast God Stone Slab that allows us to start a fire anytime."

"Really?!" If such a method existed, he wouldn’t need to keep watching the fire anymore! The fire child jumped up excitedly, his eyes, which had been dull and listless for days, finally lighting up with a spark.

Seeing the cub suddenly so animated, Xue Tuan was also touched.

"Come on, let’s go find Brother Ye Cong together." Xue Tuan motioned for the cub to follow him.

The group of them headed toward Ye Cong’s central cave.

Xue Tuan: "Brother Ye Cong, could you give us a few small bamboo tubes?"

"Oh, Xue Tuan is here." Ye Cong replied, gently pinching Xue Tuan’s cheek.

Ye Cong readily grabbed a few small bamboo tubes from his bamboo shelf and handed them over: "What do you need these bamboo tubes for?"

What was so fun about bamboo tubes? Ye Cong looked at the cubs suspiciously.

He knew that Xue Tuan was Yun Lu’s highly regarded disciple and could even interpret the Beast God Stone Slab, so he was curious about what they were up to.

"Go get a few small pieces of charcoal," Xue Tuan instructed the fire child cub, also telling him to grind the charcoal into powder.

"Zhong Yan, go to my place and grab the pouch of dried dandelions." That pouch contained flammable materials collected by the cubs. Every cub following Xue Tuan had one, and the little black lion was no exception, so he knew what the pouch looked like.

"Okay, I’ll be right back."

Ye Cong watched as Xue Tuan directed the other cubs and found it quite entertaining. He wanted to see what these cubs could come up with.

Xue Tuan felt perfectly justified in delegating tasks to the cubs; after all, he had already said it was to "do me a favor."

"Brother Ye Cong, could you pick a few bigger bamboo leaves for me?"

Ye Cong, who had been standing by watching the commotion, didn’t expect to be called upon as well, but he was happy to help.

Ye Cong: "Sure, wait a moment, I’ll get them for you."

They had plenty of cut bamboo in their cave, so plucking a few leaves was no problem.

The little black lion also returned with the small pouch in his mouth.

Xue Tuan then had the fire child cub arrange the leaves flat, evenly sprinkling them with crushed charcoal, dandelions, resin, and other flammable materials. Then they carefully rolled them up, just enough to fit into the small bamboo tubes.

"Could you also make a bamboo lid for us, Brother Ye Cong? We need a small hole here." Xue Tuan gestured, looking at Ye Cong with his big, pleading eyes.

"Just a lid? I’ll make it for you!" They already had many bamboo cups and bowls, so materials and tools were readily available. Ye Cong quickly made the lid for Xue Tuan and the others.

With the small lid added, a simple fire starter was complete.

Xue Tuan picked up the fire starter they had all worked on together, went to the fire basin, and lit the rolled-up flammable materials inside the small bamboo tube.

Sure enough, a small flame quickly appeared, but then Xue Tuan immediately covered it with the lid, snuffing it out.

The others stared at Xue Tuan, baffled, not understanding what he was doing.

But Xue Tuan handed the fire starter to the fire child cub, signaling him to open the lid.

The fire child cub was even more puzzled. He opened the lid bewilderedly—the fire was already out. Wasn’t this supposed to be something that could make fire anytime?

Xue Tuan: "Blow into it."

The fire child cub reflexively obeyed, puffing out his cheeks and blowing a big breath into the small bamboo tube.

To everyone’s surprise, the previously extinguished fire starter gradually burst back into a small flame.

Everyone present was stunned!

"Fire! How did the fire appear out of nowhere?" Ye Cong jumped back, startled, thinking Xue Tuan was performing some ancient magic.

Xue Tuan: "Ahem, it didn’t appear out of nowhere."

"The fire was never fully out."

"Think about it—when the wind is stronger outside, doesn’t the fire burn brighter?" During their time surviving in the wild before finding a base, they had indeed noticed this phenomenon.

"Putting the lid on only made the flame smaller. When you open it and blow into it, it catches again."

With this explanation, everyone seemed to grasp the concept, even if they didn’t fully understand the science.

But that didn’t matter. With this tool, they could easily start a fire, especially during hunts in the wild—it was incredibly convenient!

Xue Tuan felt it was best to leave it at that, fearing they might get confused if he explained further. The fire starter he made was mainly meant to function like a lighter, not for illumination, so it could last longer.

They just needed to remember to open the lid periodically to reignite the flame, preventing it from going out completely due to lack of oxygen.

"Quick, quick, everyone—come here!" Ye Cong quickly called over a few other beastmen. While he still remembered Xue Tuan’s process, they needed to make a few more to give to the chief—this thing was too useful!

Soon, the cubs were pushed to the periphery. The fire child stood there dazedly holding the fire starter, as if clutching a lifeline.

Xue Tuan patted the cub: "Go tell your father. Now you don’t have to keep watching the fire anymore."

The fire child cub finally snapped out of it, nodding with his smile widening: "Thank you, Xue Tuan!" He laughed and ran off to find his fathers.

Xue Tuan turned to the little black lion: "I’ll make one for you later."

The little black lion gazed deeply at the adorable and kind-hearted little furball in front of him. Xue Tuan’s smiling eyes seemed to sparkle in the night.

This thing was practically a divine artifact! Now they could start a fire quickly anywhere—it was incredibly convenient!

As usual, Xue Tuan went to study the stone slab with Uncle Yun Lu. This time, as soon as he stepped out of his cave, he saw the little black lion waiting outside for him.

Xue Tuan happily trotted over to give him a quick nuzzle. Now, it felt like they were going to school together every day—so fun!

Seeing the little black lion waiting outside, Feng Yan felt slightly conflicted, but he still entrusted Xue Tuan to the little black lion, letting him escort Xue Tuan to the Priest.

When the two of them arrived at the Priest’s cave, the fire child cub was already waiting inside for them.

The fire child cub said nervously: "The High Priest has agreed to let me assist you here."

The fire child cub had taken the fire starter to his fathers yesterday, and they were also amazed by how useful it was. The fire child cub’s fathers had already been considering whether to ask Deputy Chief Shi Hu to assign someone else as the fire child, seeing their cub so unhappy. But since they had volunteered for the role, it wouldn’t be right to quit so easily.

Fortunately, the Junior Priest Lord had created such a handy fire starter, easing the fathers’ worries. So when the fire child cub expressed his desire to follow Xue Tuan, they didn’t hesitate. Staying by the Junior Priest Lord’s side would surely allow him to learn a lot.

"Sure." Xue Tuan was naturally happy to have another fluffy companion by his side. Since Uncle Yun Lu had no objections, he certainly didn’t either.

Hearing Xue Tuan’s agreement, the fire child cub was thrilled. But for some reason, he felt an icy glare fixed on him. Looking up, he realized it was Zhong Yan, standing behind Xue Tuan.

The fire child cautiously smiled at Zhong Yan.

Xue Tuan: "By the way, I still don’t know your name?"

The fire child immediately replied, "Ah, my name is Tao Tu." Then he transformed into a palm-sized little rabbit!

Xue Tuan carefully cradled the little rabbit in his hands. The rabbit’s fur was a light milk-tea color, and under the firelight, it seemed as if it were coated in a layer of golden light.

It felt soft and smooth in his hands, like wisps of fluff brushing against his palm. The little rabbit curled up quietly in Xue Tuan’s hand, its small head nuzzling against his palm. Xue Tuan was melting from the cuteness, gently stroking the soft fur around its neck with his fingers.

The little rabbit seemed to enjoy the gentle caress, shifting slightly and giving a light kick with its hind legs as it settled into a more comfortable position, a soft, fluffy ball obediently resting in Xue Tuan’s palm.

Xue Tuan: Deciphering the stone tablet? He was already melting from the cuteness of the fluffy creature.

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Author’s Note: Xue Tuan: Another fluffy conquest [cat paw]

Everyone, since the book will be featured on the Saturday new works ranking list, the update on Saturday will be at 10 PM~

Thank you all for your support [heart]