Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Dusk settled, and a biting night wind swept through the mountain forests. The beastmen, in small groups, followed familiar paths. After a day's labor, their steps were heavy yet imbued with a sense of fulfillment and contentment. In the distance, a bonfire flickered before the cave, beckoning them swiftly back to their warm homes.

Feng Yan and Shi Hu walked side by side, still engrossed in a discussion about how to increase the success rate of building a large charcoal kiln. This kiln, constructed entirely of wood and sealed with layers of mud, presented a significant technical challenge for firing such a large batch of charcoal.

Unbeknownst to them, they had already reached the entrance of the sub-beastmen's cave. Rong Shan, seeing Feng Yan there to escort him home, bid farewell to the others and departed.

"What was Shi Hu thinking just now? He almost tripped over the stone fire basin," Rong Shan mused as he and Feng Yan headed towards their own cave.

Feng Yan casually mentioned the charcoal kiln project, his arm around Rong Shan, while Rong Shan recounted the successful creation of their first down-padded fur garment.

Before they even reached their cave entrance, the boisterous shouts of young cubs reached their ears.

"Huh?"

Normally, if they returned late, Bing Qiu would have already managed dinner for himself and the Xue Tuan brothers, and even heating water for baths was no trouble. What could be happening today?

"Hahaha, come and catch me!"

Upon entering, Feng Yan and Rong Shan found wet patches scattered across the floor, bubbles floating everywhere, and Hui Hui flying near the cave ceiling, emitting a miserable "Jii—" as if half his wings were soaked.

In one corner of the cave, a low stone table held two surprisingly large wooden tubs. Charcoal beneath them still glowed, providing continuous heat.

It was clear the cubs had decided to bathe together and had managed to move the second tub.

One of the bathing tubs was already empty, while the other still steamed, containing only the little black lion and Xue Tuan. Xue Tuan, holding a thin piece of hide, was diligently scrubbing the little black lion's back...

The saber-toothed tiger cub scooped up a large handful of bubbles with both paws, blew a big breath with a laugh, and scampered away. The bubbles immediately scattered, sticking to the nearby little white fox.

The little white fox, expressionless, simply splashed a pawful of water back. Water droplets flew, creating a "no one gets off easy" situation.

Bing Qiu, Sha Hu, Xiao Shu, Qing Miao, and Tao Tu were all in their beast forms. They appeared to have finished bathing, but their fur was still covered in bubbles. They had likely started by lathering and blowing bubbles, which then escalated into a playful chase.

Fortunately, the charcoal burning inside the cave provided ample warmth, so there was no fear of the cubs falling ill from their brief frolic.

Rong Shan shook his head helplessly and clapped his hands. "Alright, alright, it's time for you all to go home. Tomorrow... maybe." Rong Shan's tongue tripped, vaguely omitting the "come again to play" part.

Seeing Rong Shan's calls were ineffective, Feng Yan stepped forward, picking up the cubs one by one like "chicks" and placing them at the cave entrance. The cubs finally dared not make more noise, but they shouted back, "See you tomorrow, Xue Tuan—"

"We'll come again next time—"

With the adults away, the cubs had gotten carried away. Seeing their fathers return, the little white fox finally regained some composure. He immediately shifted back to human form, went to pick up Xue Tuan, dried him off, and dressed him in fur clothing.

Bing Qiu said, "You two, stop soaking and come out quickly."

Xue Tuan stood dazedly, letting his brother handle him. He hadn't had enough fun yet...

The "soaked lion" consciously moved to an unoccupied spot, shook his fur vigorously to shed excess water, then walked over to Xue Tuan and crouched beside him by the fire to warm up.

Feng Yan and Rong Shan each took a tub and poured the used bathwater outside the cave.

Bing Qiu asked, "Father, can our new home have a separate place for bathing...?"

The ideas Xue Tuan had often shared with Bing Qiu now came to the forefront. Bing Qiu first described something called "rooms," then moved on to "bathrooms," followed by concepts like a large stone bathtub where people could recline.

Feng Yan and Rong Shan were stunned, both secretly glancing towards the well-behaved Xue Tuan, suspecting these were all his ideas.

With his back to them, leaning against the little black lion, Xue Tuan grew drowsy from the warmth of the fire. It was so comfortable, and Bing Qiu's voice gradually faded away...

Early morning, the sun had just crested the ridge, casting a soft light on the ground outside the cave.

Rong Shan was called away early by a sub-beastman, then Da Hu came to fetch Feng Yan. Bing Qiu and Hui Hui also accompanied Feng Yan; they were going hunting today.

Thus, the family didn't have time to watch their well-behaved cub finish his meal as usual before leaving. They could only give Xue Tuan a quick hug and a farewell when he woke up rubbing his eyes, telling him to be good.

"I'll stay with you," said the little black lion, seeing Xue Tuan still looking dazed. He came over so Little Dumpling could see him.

Xue Tuan exclaimed, "Ah, Zhong Yan! So early!"

Xue Tuan habitually reached out to hug the fluffy creature. Good thing the little black lion was still with him; he was always the last to leave and the first to arrive!

After eating and drinking his fill, Xue Tuan walked out of the cave with the little black lion, heading towards the sub-beastmen's cave to find Yun Lu.

But as he was about to leave the cave entrance, he stopped.

Xue Tuan frowned. He was certain there hadn't been any plants in front of their cave before. How could one have sprouted overnight...?

Wait a moment?!

Xue Tuan's heart skipped a beat. In that instant, he suddenly realized something, remembering his long-lost special ability from his past life as the Ginseng Spirit!

When he was very young in his previous life, the neighboring Grandpa Big Tree discovered that water he had used possessed special energy. It could improve soil and help crops grow better.

But as he grew older, the effect of this ability gradually diminished. Grandpa Big Tree said it might completely disappear after a few more years. But Grandpa Big Tree comforted him: "It's alright, our little plot of land has become very fertile after all these years of nourishment. We're not afraid of not being able to grow good crops."

Last night, his fathers had poured the water from their play outside the cave entrance, and today he saw the taro they had planted earlier had sprouted. So, had his lost constitution returned?

Having been here for so long, Xue Tuan felt a rare excitement. He suddenly had a strange feeling: perhaps his arrival was also meant to transform the barren land of the beast world?

The little black lion tilted his head, seeing Little Dumpling staring at a plant for a long time. "Do you want it?" (Meaning: Want me to dig it up for you?)

Feeling something fluffy brushing against the back of his hand, Xue Tuan snapped out of his thoughts.

"No, don't touch it," Xue Tuan quickly said, grabbing the little black lion's paw to stop him.

Xue Tuan thought about it. His current body was seven years old, meaning perhaps because he had become small again, his ability had returned. Then, when he grew older, the ability would probably fade again, just like in his previous life.

He just needed to run a few experiments to see if it was true.

Xue Tuan hurried back into the cave and started rummaging through their family's shelves and rattan baskets.

Generally, beans sprout relatively quickly. Under suitable temperatures, they can germinate in two or three days. With the boost from his ability, it should be even faster.

Xue Tuan said, "Zhong Yan, help me look for any beans."

He recalled that they rarely found beans to eat; otherwise, they should have appeared in his bowl before.

"Are these them?" asked the little black lion, pulling open a hide pouch.

Xue Tuan went over to look. Sure enough, there were only a pitiful few beans. No wonder they never made it into his bowl; the quantity was too small, not even enough for a small eater like Xue Tuan.

He would have to use them sparingly. Xue Tuan took all the beans. He first planted one bean on each side of the cave entrance, then watered them using the leftover water from the morning.

This time, however, as the water poured down, Xue Tuan extended a hand, letting the water flow over his hand before hitting the ground. Don't forget the potted plants inside the cave; Xue Tuan also watered the small potted plants with the water.

"Come on, let's go find an open space." He wanted to test not just the soil near home, but also other areas.

Little Black Lion crouched down, letting Xue Tuan climb onto his back.

"Ah, let's go find Elder Grandpa first." Xue Tuan tugged on the Little Black Lion's left ear, signaling for him to go left.

But they still needed to inform Uncle Yun Lu in the sub-beastmen's cave that they would be late today. So Xue Tuan tugged on the Little Black Lion's right ear again: "Let's go find Uncle Yun Lu instead."

Little Black Lion stepped left, then right, making sure Xue Tuan had decided on the direction before saying: "Hold on tight."

Xue Tuan patted Little Black Lion's head, indicating he was seated steadily: "Let's go!"

Little Black Lion's fur was fluffy and soft, and his warm body temperature warmed Xue Tuan. Wearing a small priest's cloak made of beast hide, Xue Tuan tightly hugged Little Black Lion's neck, not feeling cold at all while running.

Xue Tuan wanted to ask Elder Grandpa to make a simple tool, which would make watering much more convenient later. Also, he felt that even if his special ability had recovered, it would still take time and the right opportunity to change the minds of the beastmen who had long believed nothing could be grown.

The tribe hadn't even designated an area for future farming because they never thought anything could grow in this terrible soil.

"We're here." Little Black Lion carried Xue Tuan to the entrance of the sub-beastmen's cave.

Xue Tuan didn't bother to get down, so he cupped his hands around his mouth like a megaphone and shouted into the cave: "Dad—"

"Please tell Uncle Yun Lu I'll come later—"

Rong Shan peeked out, thinking his good kid wanted to play with friends first, and said: "Got it. Be careful!"

After hearing his dad's reply, Xue Tuan patted Little Black Lion's head. Without Xue Tuan saying a word, Little Black Lion had already imagined Little Dumpling's unspoken words: Let's go, to the next location!

Lying on Little Black Lion's back, Xue Tuan thought that if his special ability had really returned, the first thing he needed to do was gradually improve the unfarmable land here into fertile soil.

Then he would guide the beastmen to farm in the already improved areas. As long as they saw with their own eyes that crops could really be grown, he believed that without much explanation, everyone would be willing to grow food.

"Grandpa." Before even reaching the cave entrance, Little Black Lion had already called out.

When Xue Tuan and Little Black Lion entered together, they saw Elder Grandpa smiling at them.

"What's up, do you have some new idea again?" Elder Mushi had now figured out the cubs' routines. Coming to "play" with this old man definitely meant they wanted to make something weird again, right?

But this suited him just fine; he loved making weird things.

"Hehe, Grandpa, you're so smart." Xue Tuan felt that praising the Elder Grandpa first was definitely the right move.

Elder Grandpa laughed: "Aww, then I guess I have to agree."