Chapter 43

Chapter 43

The commotion outside stirred Xue Tuan from his sleep. He groggily opened his eyes to find his fathers surrounded by several beastmen.

"Since you're awake, come have breakfast," Bing Qiu said, gently lifting Xue Tuan from the fur blanket and leading him to wash up.

"Chief, look, look at this—it sprouted!" An Tu stammered, barely coherent.

Last night, his child had brought home this broken pot. An Tu figured it was useless anyway, so he let the child play with it. To his astonishment, he woke up this morning to find a tiny sprout in the pot. He was so stunned it took him a long time to recover.

"How is this possible? Nothing beastmen plant ever sprouts..." Chen Yue was equally bewildered. His elders used to love digging up wild plants to grow in the tribe, and he often helped care for them as a child. But without exception, whether they were just sprouting or in full bloom, they always died shortly after being transplanted.

Feng Yan and Rong Shan also looked astonished. Last night, they had watched Xue Tuan and the little black lion filling the broken pot with soil. At the time, they thought their little one was trying to plant something again. But when their well-behaved child gave the pot to his friends, their hearts melted.

Xue Tuan, who had overheard the adults' conversation, wanted to declare his innocence. The soil he "activated" usually made crops grow exceptionally well. If seeds were planted and watered simultaneously, the seeds would also be "activated," causing them to sprout quickly, though their subsequent growth rate would only be slightly faster than natural growth.

Otherwise, if they sprouted today, bloomed tomorrow, and bore fruit the day after, his special ability would be far too overpowered.

"Sweetie, you..." Rong Shan approached, holding An Tu's small potted plant, unsure where to begin. "Did you plant this?"

Xue Tuan resorted to his usual tactic, blinking his large eyes innocently: "The little black lion and I only dug up the soil..." implying they knew nothing.

Rong Shan considered this. Perhaps the patch of soil his child dug up happened to contain wild seeds? Still, the fact that it sprouted was unexpected.

Feng Yan pondered for a moment. "Let's leave it at that for now. Chen Yue, send some people today to check that patch of land and see if there's anything unusual."

"Alright! I'll go right away!" After confirming the location, Chen Yue dashed off, leaving even faster than he arrived. The others could tell from his "distorted features" that he was extremely excited.

An Tu usually worked with Feng Yan and Shi Hu, so this matter was temporarily entrusted to Chen Yue. Feng Yan thought about the few tender sprouts that had inexplicably appeared at the entrance of their cave—perhaps things weren't as simple as they seemed. But he hesitated to speculate further; it challenged their previous understanding too much.

"An Tu, as for this potted plant... you can handle it as you see fit," Feng Yan concluded.

"Okay," An Tu replied, still dazed. Too many shocking events had occurred recently, and he was struggling to process them all. He dared not dwell on what the sudden sprouting of this plant might signify.

Feng Yan and Rong Shan collected their thoughts and, after ensuring the children had finished their meal, went off to attend to other matters.

The little black lion arrived early as usual. Bing Qiu glanced at him but didn't stop Xue Tuan from pouncing on the furry beast form.

Bing Qiu hadn't had fish for a few days, so he decided to take his fish basket, bring Hui Hui, and gather a few other beastmen to go fishing. After watching Xue Tuan play with the black lion for a while, Bing Qiu handed Xue Tuan a stone before leaving: "I picked this up last time and forgot to give it to you."

Xue Tuan took it and held it up to the sunlight: "Ah, it's amber."

When Xue Tuan was sick, Bing Qiu would always bring back something novel for him whenever he went out, hoping to elicit a response from his little brother. Even after Xue Tuan recovered, the habit remained.

During the earthquake, Bing Qiu made sure not to leave behind the pouch of things he had collected for Xue Tuan. The beautiful stones, dried flowers, and other items inside had since been transferred to bamboo tubes and placed on a shelf.

This was a rare piece of amber, though it didn't contain insects but rather what appeared to be a few seeds. Given their current efforts to "restore" the soil of the beast world, it felt quite meaningful.

Sunlight streamed through the amber, casting a warm glow that lifted one's spirits. Xue Tuan said, "Thank you, brother."

After Bing Qiu left, Xue Tuan held the amber next to the little black lion's face and said with a smile, "It's the same color as your eyes."

Seeing Xue Tuan's smile that could melt anything, the little black lion unconsciously widened his eyes so Little Dumpling could see more clearly.

With his eyes wide open, the little black lion looked much cuter than his usual "serious" self. Xue Tuan took the opportunity to mess up the fur on his head.

"Let's go find Elder Grandpa," Xue Tuan said, placing the amber stone Bing Qiu gave him into a bamboo tube and preparing to head out with the little black lion.

"Wait," the little black lion said. "I... I also have something for you."

"Hmm?" Xue Tuan turned around in surprise, looking at the little black lion.

The little black lion clumsily used his paws to dig through the small bag on his back. Since he couldn't hold things with a single paw, he needed both paws to work together, which required him to stand on his hind legs to search the bag.

He had practiced for a long time to master the action of taking something out of the bag with his paws, all because he wanted to personally give the item to Xue Tuan.

"Tuan Tuan, this is for you," the little black lion said, a hint of nervousness in his voice.

Xue Tuan was stunned, looking down at the little black lion, who carefully held out an object with both paws.

"What is this..." Xue Tuan took it and looked up, his eyes filled with curiosity.

"It's a bone whistle," the little black lion said.

In Xue Tuan's palm lay a small bone whistle. The surface felt exceptionally smooth to his fingertips, clearly polished with great care and time.

The little black lion turned his face slightly, unreadable emotion in his eyes: "If someday something like falling into a trap happens again, blow this whistle." His voice was soft, like a morning breeze grazing against the cheek. "No matter where you are, I will hear it."

Really? Xue Tuan was skeptical it could carry that far.

Still, he was always accompanied by either the little black lion or his brother and was never alone, so he probably wouldn't need to use the bone whistle.

But Xue Tuan still loved the gift—it was made by the little black lion himself, just for him! Xue Tuan gently rubbed the bone whistle, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth: "Okay."

Seeing Xue Tuan's delight, the little black lion finally relaxed. He had been worried that his polishing wasn't good enough, wasting the materials Elder Grandpa had left for him. But he hoped that one day, he could find suitable materials himself and make something even better for Little Dumpling.

The little black lion, as usual, gave Xue Tuan a ride to water the soil before heading toward Elder Grandpa's cave.

Inside the cave, a group of people gathered around Elder Mushi, Bai Xiang, and others, making final adjustments to the potter's wheel.

The core tool of the wheel-made pottery method was the potter's wheel, made up of a wooden wheel, a bearing, and a central axle. The axle under the wheel could be buried in the ground for stability, with the top of the axle polished into a rounded tip. The wheel, bearing, and axle were then assembled together.

Xue Tuan had described the potter's wheel in just a few sentences, but it took several elders and their apprentices a long time to develop it.

The materials ready for assembly were placed in the center, becoming the focus of everyone's attention.

The first to be lifted was a thick wooden wheel, the core component of the potter's wheel. Its surface had been polished smooth, clearly requiring considerable effort.

Next, they placed the bearing into the pre-cut hole in the center of the wheel and began assembling the axle. The long wooden axle had already been carved, with one end shaped into a convex cylinder to fit into the wheel's central hole.

Bai Xiang picked up the wooden axle, aligning it with the center of the wheel to insert it. He murmured, "It doesn’t fit quite right. The axle needs to be shaved down a little more."

His apprentice, Lu Meng, quickly brought a stone knife and crouched to carve the wooden axle. Wood shavings flew under his hands. After a while, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and inserted the axle again—this time, it fit perfectly.

The youngsters, eager to try the potter's wheel, gathered around curiously to watch this new tool taking shape.

Lu Meng brushed the wood chips off his hands and stood up to examine the potter's wheel, feeling a thrill he couldn’t describe. Aside from the elders, Lu Meng was the most engaged apprentice. He had spent a long time studying the bearing to ensure the wheel could spin smoothly. He had a feeling that the principle behind making this "bearing" would be frequently used in the future.

"Is it done now?" a bystander questioned, not quite understanding how this thing could be used to make pottery.

"It's done. Who wants to try first?" Elder Mushi stood up, patting the wooden potter's wheel as he looked around.

Sha Hu eagerly darted toward the wheel but was pulled back by his father, Yun Lu: "Come back. Let's see how others do it first."

After a brief silence, Er Hu stepped forward. He grabbed a handful of moist clay from the prepared pile and, after a moment's hesitation, slammed it onto the center of the wooden wheel. He sat on a low stool and suddenly pushed the wheel with force, causing it to wobble wildly and nearly topple over.

"Sorry, sorry!" Er Hu quickly apologized.

"Slow down! Don't push so hard!" Elder Grandpa hurried forward to steady the wooden pottery wheel and anchored it back into the ground. Although the central axis wasn’t buried too deeply, a normal amount of force shouldn’t have toppled the wheel—it was clear just how recklessly strong Er Hu had been.

"Watch my movements—a gentle push is all it takes to get the wheel spinning smoothly." Elder Grandpa had already messed up a few tries himself and had gained some experience by now.

Er Hu scratched his head and adjusted his stance and how hard he was pushing. This time, the pottery wheel finally began turning properly. He patted the clay with his palm and somehow squashed it into something resembling a pancake. Then, clearly having paid no attention earlier, he had no idea what to do next.

Da Hu and San Hu twitched at the corners of their mouths, sharing a pained expression as they covered their eyes in unison: they never should’ve let him go up there and make a fool of himself.

No one had expected Er Hu, who usually seemed so steady, to have such a comical side.

"Hahaha! Is he making pottery or just playing in the mud?" A wave of laughter rose from the crowd.

Er Hu stood up, his face red. "This thing is too hard to use! Elder Grandpa, you should take over!"

Elder Bai Xiang stepped up with a sigh, taking Er Hu’s place. It seemed the elders would have to demonstrate after all.

Bai Xiang picked up the clay from the wheel, rolled it back into a ball, and placed it in the center of the wheel.

The elder pushed the wheel with his palm. Once it was spinning steadily, he pressed his dampened hands lightly onto the clay, applying gradual pressure. Bai Xiang’s hands slowly pulled upward, cradling the clay until it gradually formed a short cylinder. Then, he pressed his thumb into the center, and as the wheel turned, a dip began to form.

The others watched quietly and intently. The elder smiled—he had practiced a few times in secret already. He continued to gently push and pull along the clay walls with his palms, his movements quick but careful. The walls gradually rose, forming the body of a cup. The walls were evenly thick, and the shape took on a smooth, rounded curve.

"Wow, the rim is as round as the sun!" Xiao Shu blurted out, his eyes full of admiration and wonder. The pottery cups made with this tool were way better than the hand-shaped ones! And it looked more fun, too!

The elders had already prepared several parts for the pottery wheel, and now, after seeing the demonstration, the beastmen were all eager to try!

Xue Tuan watched the entire process and had to admit—the elders were truly impressive. Drawing from their own experience and combining it with what he had described, they had nailed almost exactly what Xue Tuan had in mind.

"No rush, just pull up slow, and it will thin out," the elders observed from the side, occasionally offering advice to the beastmen.

"I want to try too!" Sha Hu, who had wanted to go earlier, finally couldn’t wait any longer. He took a new lump of clay and, under the elder’s guidance, carefully worked it with both hands. But before long, a shaky move from Sha Hu caused the partially formed wall to wobble, and the shape of the pottery bowl instantly warped.

"Hahaha, slow down, don’t rush." The elder laughed, guiding his hands to show him how to apply force. "Here, keep your palms steady and follow the rotation of the wheel."

Xue Tuan was watching intently when he felt something nudge his leg. He looked down and saw an adorable Ringtailed Marten kit!

"Juan Juan?" Xue Tuan happily picked up the little Ringtailed Marten.

"Mm." Juan Juan’s eyes shone as he lifted his furry little paw, gently clinging to Xue Tuan’s shoulder.

Seeing this, Xue Tuan reached out to stroke his little head, and the fluffy kit nuzzled his palm in response, his soft ears quivering slightly, almost like he was acting cute.

"Did Juan Juan come to learn pottery too?" Stroking the adorable fluffball, Xue Tuan was in a great mood.

Juan Juan wanted both to play with Xue Tuan and to try making pottery. He buried his whole little head in Xue Tuan’s palm, his curly, bushy tail swaying back and forth.

Nearby, the little black lion could only watch silently—he knew all too well how irresistible fluffballs were to Xue Tuan.

Noticing that the fluffy Ringtailed Marten kit was both clinging to him and unable to take his eyes off the pottery wheel, Xue Tuan carried him over.

Xue Tuan: "Let’s make pottery together."

Juan Juan’s eyes lit up. He shifted back to his human form and said happily, "Okay!"

In the time that followed, more beastmen took turns at the wheel, each eager to try their hand at making pottery. Some couldn’t help but clench their fists and cheer under their breath, celebrating their success.

Even after they lit bowl lamps inside the cave, everyone was still reluctant to stop. Under the firelight, unfired pottery took shape in the hands of the beastmen, their faces smudged with clay and smiles, the air filled with a joyful and satisfied atmosphere.

They really had to thank the elders for making the pottery wheel possible. To reward Elder Grandpa, Xue Tuan remembered the "wild tea leaves" he had picked earlier.

Author's Note: Thank you, dear readers, for the support~ [kiss]