Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Feng Yan paused for a considerable time, allowing everyone to slowly process and comprehend.

Xue Tuan glanced back at the beastmen, wondering how many would still be "functional" after tonight's information overload. The upcoming rules were bound to profoundly impact them all.

Xue Tuan idly stroked the little white fox's head in front of him; the soft fur felt wonderfully comforting.

The little white fox wanted to protest, "Don't be so familiar, you can't keep rubbing your brother's head!" Yet, Xue Tuan's touch was so soothing that despite his muffled grumbles, his body betrayed him, his head instinctively nuzzling into Xue Tuan's palm.

Hui Hui, nestled in Xue Tuan's arms, seeing Xue Tuan's hand still on Bing Qiu's head, indignantly pecked Xue Tuan's arm with his beak: "Chirp."

Xue Tuan was indeed distracted by Hui Hui, withdrawing his hand to tap Hui Hui's forehead and begin playing with him.

Bing Qiu turned his head, giving Hui Hui a look that clearly said, "=。="

Hui Hui completely ignored Bing Qiu, practically turning his back on him. Despite their recent frequent fishing partnerships, they still enjoyed their usual playful "sparring."

The little black lion, lying behind Xue Tuan, could only rest his head on his paws in silent contemplation, wishing he could grow another tail.

Suddenly, a fiery-red fox cub scurried over to Xue Tuan, its wet eyes looking up timidly.

"Xiao Xing." Xue Tuan's clear eyes lit up; he recognized this little cub. Being a distant relative, and with his fiery red fur somewhat resembling the "flame-red" marking on the little black lion's forehead, Xue Tuan felt an immediate kinship with this fluffy creature.

The little fluffball seemed downcast, not as lively as when Xue Tuan last saw him, his tail drooping. Xue Tuan picked up the red fox cub and gently stroked its back with the back of his hand.

The red fox cub wriggled further into Xue Tuan's embrace, letting out a tiny hum. Then, the fluffy cub looked up, gently nuzzling Xue Tuan's chin with its nose, as if responding. A smile touched Xue Tuan's eyes as he ran both hands up and down the cub's back. The red fox cub emitted a few soft purrs, and its tail finally began to wag.

In the central clearing, Feng Yan stood with legs slightly apart and arms crossed, his expression still solemn: "First rule: do not hunt pregnant beasts or young cubs. Think about it—if we kill all these beasts, what will be left in the forest by the next cold season?"

The beastmen fell silent for a long time. Their initial reaction, like Yun Lu's, was always excitement at the sight of prey—it meant food. They never thought beyond that.

An older beastman finally murmured in agreement, "Wasn't that how our old tribe eventually ran out of food? I think the chief is right."

The elder's words made everyone recall that in the old tribe, they had indeed hunted this way, especially in recent cold seasons, never sparing a single creature.

So that was why... The beastmen silently reflected, and some began to agree with Feng Yan.

Feng Yan, with his acute hearing, naturally overheard the beastmen's recent conversation. The sternness in his eyes softened considerably as he continued, "Second rule: no solo hunting. No matter how capable you are, accidents can happen. If something happens to you, think about what will become of your family."

Upon hearing this, a few young beastmen glanced at their usual hunting partners. Sometimes, to finish quickly, they did prefer hunting alone, and fortunately, nothing had happened so far. One of them hung his head in shame, clearly recalling some of his past risky behaviors.

"Third rule," Feng Yan paused, raised his right hand, and gestured. Da Hu and Er Hu then carried in a giant bull-horned beast.

"Prey must be utilized fully, without waste. Meat for food, hide for clothing, bones for tools—even organs and fat must be properly handled." After speaking, Feng Yan personally demonstrated.

For many beastmen, this rule was ingrained. So these words seemed more directed at the cubs in the front row.

Sure enough, the cubs pricked up their ears, intently watching Feng Yan’s movements. They all wanted to learn how to process prey as skillfully as their fathers.

After a beast dies, the hide must usually be skinned "while warm," otherwise, it becomes difficult to remove intact once stiff. For larger beasts like bull-horned beasts or tusked boars, the "sheet-skinning method" is typically used.

Rong Shan: "Here."

Feng Yan flipped his wrist and caught the bone knife Rong Shan tossed over. Gripping the handle firmly, Feng Yan deftly sliced the bull-horned beast along the belly line from front to back, then cut open the limbs. Each hide was peeled off in sheets, perfectly intact and beautiful.

"Good!" Many beastmen were seeing their chief demonstrate this for the first time. A few, mesmerized, even unconsciously began to clap. The beastmen nearby were amused by their silly expressions, and even Feng Yan couldn’t help but crack a smile.

Seizing the good atmosphere, Feng Yan continued to announce the next few rules.

It seemed the chiefs and the Priest had finally decided to combine "announcing rules" with "teaching skills," allowing everyone to divert some attention to learning interesting content, rather than being completely overwhelmed and disoriented by the sudden rules.

Xue Tuan knew most of the rules, but sitting below, watching his father demonstrate, he was completely captivated. Like the other cubs, Xue Tuan sometimes unconsciously raised his hand to mimic the motions, as if a beast lay before him too.

Then Rong Shan brought out another pre-prepared hide and stepped forward, saying, "Next, I’ll explain the process of curing hides..."

From sun-drying hides, beating them flat, to scraping them, Rong Shan explained everything simply and clearly. His eyes remained fixed on the cubs; if they looked confused, he would explain again in a different way.

After Rong Shan finished, Feng Yan continued with bone tool making: "The shoulder blade of a bull-horned beast can be made into a bone spatula." A bone spatula is very handy when stir-frying in a pottery pot. Feng Yan chopped off the spine of the bull-horned beast’s shoulder blade, making the resulting bone spatula very flat.

Xue Tuan kept nodding nearby. Though tools made from bone weren't particularly refined, they were easy to obtain, so it was indeed worth learning how to make them.

Shi Hu and Yun Lu also took turns stepping up. The beastmen listened with great interest. Usually, everyone worked based on "experience," with no clear right or wrong. But after seeing the chiefs’ more refined skills, everyone was especially focused, eager to learn more.

The hunting segment temporarily concluded, and Shi Hu stepped forward, looking over the crowd before speaking slowly, "Today, we’re not just talking about hunting; we’re also discussing fishing."

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Fortunately, as long as they avoided the fish spawning season, there should be no shortage of fish to eat. By clarifying this part first, everyone would find it easier to accept what Uncle Shi Hu was about to say next.

The beastmen looked up, their expressions turning serious, their eyes focusing intently on Shi Hu, all wearing looks of attentive listening. They gradually realized what the main purpose of this gathering seemed to be.

Shi Hu’s tone carried a heaviness: "Back in the old tribe, did anyone notice that even before the cold season, the number of fish had dwindled significantly compared to before?" His gaze fixed straight on those who had lived together in the old tribe, as if peering into each person’s heart.

An Tu and Yuan Tu exchanged glances. One of them murmured, "Yes, in the earliest days, you could easily spear a full basket of fish. Now? Sigh." He sighed, not wanting to say more.

A Leopard Beastman chimed in, "But what could we do? If we didn’t catch more fish, what would our families eat?" His words were full of resignation.

"The big fish are gone, the small fish haven’t grown up. Year after year, we all know how it ended," Shi Hu said gravely.

The cave fell silent again, everyone’s shadows flickering with the firelight against the walls.

Seeing everyone’s low spirits, Shi Hu comforted them, "But that’s in the past now. Things have changed. As long as we follow the rules, we won’t run out of fish."

An Tu nodded, "The chief is right. Over the years, to have food, we’ve indeed overhunted the river. I—I am willing to try fishing according to the tribe’s rules."

The crowd gradually joined in: "We—we are all willing too!" Having survived such difficult times before, what couldn’t they accept now?

Then, a young beastman stood up and declared loudly, "Chief, I'll listen to you! I know these rules aren't meant to harm us but to ensure none of us starve again!"

"Right! We all follow the tribe’s rules!" Beastmen, young and old, stood up one after another to respond, their voices rising in waves.

Shi Hu exchanged glances with Feng Yan and the others behind him. They were all very pleased and touched. This meeting had gone much more smoothly than they had imagined. Gaining most people’s understanding had exceeded their expectations.

San Hu whispered to his brothers beside him, "So that’s why the fish kept getting fewer—so that’s what happened..." Da Hu and Er Hu remained silent, thinking to themselves, "Aren’t you the one who loves eating fish the most at home?"

Tao Tu beside Xue Tuan suddenly asked, "Then if I catch a small fish, should I set it free?"

Xue Tuan smiled, stroking the little bunny’s fluffy head, "Yes, let it go back. It’ll grow into a bigger fish."

The little bunny nodded, nuzzling against Xue Tuan’s palm to show he understood.

Feng Yan stepped forward, making a "palms out, pressing downward" gesture, and the crowd voluntarily fell silent.

Feng Yan’s voice carried through the firelight to everyone: "Whether fishing or hunting, we do it to survive. But now, our survival isn’t just about having enough to eat today—it’s about ensuring the tribe never lacks food in the future!"

"Right! Well said, Chief!"

"We all understand! We’ll definitely follow the rules properly!"

The bonfire continued to burn fiercely, and another round of applause broke out from the crowd. The beastmen felt strangely excited, as if they could already envision a future where everyone diligently followed the rules, and tribe life kept improving.

An uncommon smile appeared on Feng Yan’s stern face. What he was about to announce next, though also very shocking for everyone, was at least good news.

And Chen Yue, seeing the chief’s expression, knew exactly what he was going to say. He had been waiting below all evening, eager to hear the chief announce to everyone this news that even he had found difficult to believe for so long.