Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Xue Tuan pondered, if only the tribe could make pottery, crafting a watering can would be effortless. Yet, upon reflection, he realized that once the ice river thawed, having the tribe dig irrigation channels would achieve soil irrigation much more easily.

Xue Tuan's ability had its limits: any water he imbued with his power needed to be applied to the soil within a specific timeframe, otherwise it would revert to ordinary water.

"Elder Grandpa, could you help us modify this small wooden bucket?" Xue Tuan pointed to a bucket in the corner. He decided to first ask Elder Grandpa to make a lid and then poke a few holes in it, to serve as a temporary watering device.

When the beastmen eventually decided to try planting with an experimental mindset, the land they chose would likely be random. For now, Xue Tuan's priority was to water the areas the beastmen frequently passed through. The more improved soil, the better.

"That's easy enough! Bring it here." Elder Grandpa was almost disappointed by the simplicity of the task. Drilling holes was a trivial matter; any strong beastman skilled with a bone needle could do it.

Elder Grandpa's disappointment was palpable, prompting Xue Tuan to ask, "Elder Grandpa, do you know how to make pottery?"

Elder Grandpa's hand, mid-poke, faltered: "Huh? How would I know that?" No need to jump to such a high level of difficulty.

Xue Tuan pouted: You disdain the simple, yet you're unhappy with the difficult.

"Don't even mention me—no one in the tribe has ever successfully fired pottery," Elder Grandpa quickly explained, seeing Xue Tuan's expression.

"Elder Grandpa, watch your hand," the little black lion had to remind him not to get too excited and risk pricking himself with the bone needle.

"Indeed, if even Elder Grandpa doesn't know how, then no one else will," Xue Tuan quickly reassured him.

Hearing this, Elder Grandpa visibly brightened. Still, he had always heard that pottery was incredibly useful and wondered when their tribe might finally learn to make it.

"There, all done," Elder Grandpa handed the modified wooden bucket back to Xue Tuan. "Go on, go on. This old man has work to do too."

Xue Tuan: "Elder Grandpa, you're the best."

Little black lion: "Goodbye, Elder Grandpa."

Leaving already? Elder Grandpa watched the two youngsters disappear swiftly, sighing that they hadn't stayed a moment longer.

Xue Tuan poured the water from the bamboo tube into the small wooden bucket. When it was time to sprinkle, he could simply secure the lid with a vine rope. Later, he could hang the small wooden bucket around the little black lion's neck, and they could just run across suitable patches of land, couldn't they?

"Zhong Yan, can you take me to a high place?" Xue Tuan tugged at the fur on the little black lion's neck and asked.

"Okay," Zhong Yan turned and ran towards the back mountain. If Xue Tuan wanted to go high, they would go to the mountain.

The black and white figures of Xue Tuan and the little black lion were quite conspicuous. Any beastman with keen eyesight could spot them from afar.

However, the little black lion didn't dare take Little Dumpling all the way to the summit. He stopped at roughly the midpoint.

The wind rustled through the small grove behind them, making the leaves whisper. Xue Tuan and the little black lion stood on the mountainside, gazing into the distance as the landscape around the tribe unfolded like a scroll.

To the east lay the ice river, and to the south, the jungle—places they frequented. To the west, there were several frozen small lakes and swamps. After the cold season came the flower season, and by then, there should be plenty of food to gather there.

Xue Tuan roughly estimated the acreage needed for the tribe's future population and mentally outlined the potential planting areas.

The beastmen were quite cautious, having built their tribe away from the river to prevent accidental flooding.

This left ample land for cultivation, alleviating Xue Tuan's worries. He could simply water the areas around the tribe whenever he had time. He and the little black lion could dedicate a bit of time each day to run around with the watering tool, and that would suffice.

Once cultivation expanded in the future, irrigation channels would likely be in place. Xue Tuan would be content if he could ensure as much land as possible around the tribe was cultivable before his ability faded. This period would also give him enough time to research methods for soil improvement. Perhaps in the future, this could become a vital technology for exchanging resources with other tribes.

Xue Tuan rubbed the little black lion's head—his companion would have to work hard. He didn't want to reveal his special ability to anyone, fearing it might truly make others see him as a monster.

But Xue Tuan maintained a positive outlook—he'd cross that bridge when he came to it; no matter what, things always worked out in the end. For now, he just wanted to play.

Xue Tuan: "Zhong Yan, let's go check out the swamp area?" He hadn't been there before.

"Alright." As long as it wasn't anything dangerous, the little black lion was always compliant.

Xue Tuan waved his small hand: "Let's go~"

Along the way, the water, already touched by Xue Tuan’s hand, splashed along the path as the little black lion ran, just as Xue Tuan had predicted. Of course, Xue Tuan had also instructed the little black lion not to retrace their steps on the way back, so they could spread the water over more soil.

Midway, Xue Tuan found an easily memorable spot—between three unusually tall trees—and planted a few beans to test if the soil there would be equally effective.

As Xue Tuan watered, he suddenly recalled the previous rain. Rain during the cold season was rare, and who knew when the next would come. If he had discovered his ability had returned then, he could have utilized the rainwater...

But Xue Tuan was merely daydreaming. If he truly dared to venture out in the rain, his fathers would surely drag him back and give him a stern lecture. His fathers feared nothing more than him falling ill, so he shouldn't gamble with his health.

"Let's come back here this afternoon to check." Xue Tuan walked over and patted the little black lion, who had been patiently waiting beside him, watching him work. If his ability worked quickly, they might see results by the afternoon.

The little black lion was skeptical seeing Little Dumpling planting things... He and Rong Shan Feng Yan shared the same concern: if nothing grew, Little Dumpling would be very upset. The little black lion quietly thought about pretending to get lost that afternoon so Little Dumpling wouldn’t have to return and see if the planting was successful...

Unaware of the little black lion’s secret plan, Xue Tuan’s attention was drawn to a patch of green in the bushes.

Xue Tuan walked over, crouched down, pushed aside the other weeds, and found a low shrub growing in a crevice. Its leaves were small, dark green, and curled at the edges. Xue Tuan plucked a tender bud, brought it close, and sniffed—a faint, familiar tea fragrance wafted over.

Was this tea from this world? Xue Tuan didn’t recognize the variety, but he could take it back for Elder Grandpa to try. He should persuade Grandpa to abandon those dreadful concoctions of his sooner.

Xue Tuan casually picked some wild tea leaves and tucked them into the beast-skin pouch the little black lion was carrying.

Xue Tuan climbed back onto the little black lion’s back and continued forward. Now, he and the little black lion were increasingly in sync—a mere pat on the little black lion’s head, and without Xue Tuan even speaking, the little black lion would stop and dutifully dig out a plant in front of him with his claws, placing it into the small pouch. It was remarkably intelligent, even more "useful" than his brother.

Knowing that farming was likely in their future, Xue Tuan kept an eye out for common crops, instructing the little black lion to dig them up whenever possible.

The beastmen currently lived hand-to-mouth, eating whatever they could forage from the wild. In the future, Xue Tuan hoped everyone could grow whatever they desired and no longer worry about food shortages.

For now, Xue Tuan preferred to grow crops like scallions, ginger, and garlic, mainly because they didn’t lack for ingredients, making seasoning especially important.

But in the long run, it would definitely be better to grow more filling staple crops.

The little black lion was sensible. He wasn’t as familiar with the Mountain Water Tribe as he was with his previous tribe, so he consciously avoided taking Xue Tuan too far.

He hadn’t been to this small swamp before either, but he’d heard from the Subbeastman uncles that they occasionally came here to gather reeds to make into ropes.

Xue Tuan, however, noticed some unusual trees on the other side of the swamp.

They were unusual because their trunks resembled palm trees, but their branches and leaves looked different.

Xue Tuan walked over, took out his special mini bone knife, and struggled to cut off a piece of bark: "Oof—"

There were usually two types of raincoats: grass raincoats and palm raincoats. Palm bark was the main material for making palm raincoats, so now his fathers’ rain gear was taken care of.

The little black lion couldn’t help with cutting things, so he could only watch Xue Tuan work. When the little black lion saw Xue Tuan move to another tree with smooth bark and start another difficult cutting session, his eyes showed a hint of confusion.

He’d heard that long, long ago, beastmen used to eat tree bark, but now they had no need for it. So, he didn’t know what else tree bark could be used for. But the little black lion still stayed quietly by his side, only frustrated that he couldn’t help Little Dumpling cut the bark.

Xue Tuan suspected the newly cut tree might be a *wingceltis* tree. *Wingceltis* bark was pretty useful stuff. Whether it was useful or not, he decided to cut some and take it back for his father to see.

He didn’t need to take too much—if his fathers thought it was usable, Uncle Yun Lu would surely send people to collect more bark.

"Whew, all done." Such a small piece of bark, and it was surprisingly tough. Xue Tuan had only cut two pieces and was already out of breath.

After storing the two pieces of bark, Xue Tuan said to the little black lion, "Let's go mooch a meal off Dad." It was almost lunchtime, and his father should have finished hunting and be resting by now—perfect timing.

The little black lion gave Xue Tuan a ride directly and ran toward the direction of Feng Yan's hunting team.

On the way, when passing by a small bamboo grove, Xue Tuan had the little black lion stop, and they dug up some fresh bamboo shoots to bring along.

Seeing the two cubs approaching, the beastmen greeted them warmly and invited them to share a meal from their stone pots.

"Junior Priest Lord, what delicious food do you have today?"

Word had spread among the beastmen that where the Junior Priest was, there would be delicious food. Those who missed out on the "Eight Delicacies Goose" that day were sulking about it all day.

Xue Tuan smiled without saying a word and walked straight to his father's side.

"Good cub, what would you like to eat today?" Feng Yan had already taken out and prepared the cookware, with freshly sliced meat ready. But he hadn’t expected his young one to come, so he thought the prepared meat slices weren’t thin enough and needed to be sliced even thinner for him.

Xue Tuan rummaged through the little black lion’s pack and found the winter bamboo shoots they had just dug.

Today, he would coach his dad through making roasted meat slices with winter bamboo shoots.

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Author's note: Thank you, dear readers, for the nutrition potions~