Chapter 51

Chapter 51

With everyone else gone, only the arctic fox family, Ye Cong, and Chen Yue remained. Chen Yue and Le Hu were good friends—not as close as kin, but they often looked out for each other.

Lately, Chen Yue had been preoccupied with farming, so he was completely unaware of Le Hu’s injury. Feeling a pang of self-reproach, Chen Yue remained mostly silent after entering the cave, speaking little and quietly helping out from the sidelines.

However, Le Hu bore significant responsibility for this bite. The location where he was injured was outside their usual hunting grounds; even patrolling beastmen rarely ventured there. With ample prey nearby, there was no need to go so far. How Le Hu ended up chasing prey alone to such a remote area remained a mystery.

Nevertheless, this incident served as a wake-up call for the tribe. When they eventually expanded their hunting grounds in that direction, they would need to exercise extra caution.

While the beastmen were engrossed in conversation, Xue Tuan, unable to stay awake, drifted off to sleep.

Bing Qiu carried the soundly sleeping Xue Tuan on his back. The adults instinctively lowered their voices, unwilling to disturb the little kit’s rest.

Feng Yan and Rong Shan initially suggested Bing Qiu take Xue Tuan back, but Bing Qiu reasoned that since his younger brother was already asleep, he might as well wait for their fathers to return together.

Le Hu said, "Chief, Ye Cong, I’m fine now. You should head back soon too." Seeing Xue Tuan asleep from exhaustion, Le Hu wanted everyone to rest early, as they had already been delayed too long.

The remaining group no longer demurred. After bidding farewell to Le Hu, the arctic fox family departed. Faintly, they could still hear the conversation between Le Hu and Chen Yue echoing behind them.

"Chen Yue, aren’t you in charge of farming? Once my leg is better, I’ll come help you!"

"You should worry about your leg first."

…

The next day, the area outside the arctic fox family’s cave was bustling again—this time because potted plants from several other families had sprouted. The beastmen didn’t even wait to see if the chief’s family was awake; just like Chen Yue and An Tu before them, they rushed over, clutching their little potted plants, their joy overflowing.

This time, however, they weren’t alone; they brought along a small group of people they had roused with their excitement.

"Chief, I believe it now! I truly believe it!"

"Look at my potted plant, Chief, just look!"

Feng Yan and Rong Shan looked at the potted plants in the beastmen’s hands, equally delighted. More evidence that their tribe’s soil could once again support planting brought joy to everyone. Feng Yan calmly reassured the excited beastmen, patiently listening as they "vented" their elation.

Xue Tuan rubbed his eyes and crawled out of his bedding, a tuft of hair innocently sticking up on his head. He was almost accustomed to the beastmen’s sudden bursts of excitement.

"Today is another day the kits can go outside," Bing Qiu said happily, picking up the newly awakened Xue Tuan and spinning him around.

Every few days, the kits could accompany the beastmen into the wild, and Bing Qiu always looked forward to it.

Bing Qiu usually spent his days fishing or running errands for his father or younger brother. Occasionally, when his father called him, it was only for simple tasks; he rarely took Bing Qiu to more distant places.

While Bing Qiu looked after Xue Tuan, the beastmen who had rushed to the arctic fox family’s cave without even eating breakfast ended up staying for a meal before leaving.

The cold season hadn’t yet passed, but once the flower season arrived, the tribe could officially begin farming. For now, much preparatory work remained: plowing fields, digging channels, making tools, and so on. Yun Lu and the others, including Chen Yue, were diligently studying the farming methods inscribed on the "Beast God Stone Slab."

While farming was getting underway, Xue Tuan was still contemplating domestication. The reason was simple: the beastmen had endured hardship in the past, often struggling to feed themselves. How could they possibly use hard-won food to raise captured wild animals?

Now that their lives had only just begun to improve, asking them to feed wild animals seemed unrealistic. They might not object if they were raising a few Spirit beasts like Hui Hui or the HundredHerb Beast.

Xue Tuan had once subtly inquired with Uncle Yun Lu, wondering if the beastmen’s ancestors, having farming experience, might also have practiced animal husbandry.

But Uncle Yun Lu had looked utterly bewildered, with an expression that seemed to say, "Huh? What are you talking about?" So Xue Tuan didn’t press further, fearing he might accidentally "agitate" Uncle Yun Lu again.

Thus, Xue Tuan felt there was no need to rush into domestication. They could start small, with just a few animals, and see how it went.

Once most beastmen found the idea acceptable, large-scale animal husbandry could follow. The tribe had already experienced many changes recently; it was better to proceed slowly.

Xue Tuan was also glad that his knowledge was mostly theoretical, allowing him to hand over the practical work to the adults without burden. He was more than happy to spend that time playing with the furry creatures.

"Zhong Yan."

Xue Tuan sat on the little black lion’s back and ruffled the fur on his head. By now, the little black lion could accurately discern whether Xue Tuan had something to discuss or was simply in a playful mood. So, he merely swished his tail against Xue Tuan’s back, playing along while focusing on the path ahead.

Bing Qiu was going with the hunting team to learn how to hunt. Before leaving, he proudly showed off a new trick to Xue Tuan.

"Xue Tuan, watch this!" Bing Qiu brought two fingers to his lips and suddenly let out a sharp whistle.

Not long after, Hui Hui flew back from ahead and landed on Bing Qiu’s head.

"Pretty cool, right?" Bing Qiu puffed out his chest—he had practiced this for days with his father. From now on, a single whistle would summon Hui Hui.

Hui Hui seemed to realize that Bing Qiu had called it over for no real reason—just to show off—so it pecked Bing Qiu’s forehead a few times in annoyance before flying away again.

Xue Tuan tilted his head, watched for a moment, then mimicked Bing Qiu. Bringing his fingers to his lips, he let out a clear whistle—"Beeeeep!"

To everyone’s surprise, Hui Hui, who had just flown away, circled back! This time, it perched obediently on Xue Tuan’s shoulder, nuzzling the little kit affectionately.

Bing Qiu was dumbfounded. That wasn’t right—he had practiced for so long!

The little black lion was also stunned. So Little Dumpling could whistle that loudly? It made the bone whistle he had gifted Xue Tuan seem a bit silly.

What was even more embarrassing was that every time he went to the cave to pick Xue Tuan up, the little black lion would check the pouch hanging on him to make sure the bone whistle was inside. If Xue Tuan ever forgot it, he would even go to the shelf to fetch it and put it back in…

The little black lion lifted a paw and smacked his own forehead, feeling quite silly.

Xue Tuan just smiled without explaining. After all, he had grown up deep in the mountains in his previous life—a little skill like this was nothing to him.

Watching Xue Tuan interact with Hui Hui, Bing Qiu thought, *Is my little brother a genius?* The thought made him feel a bit better.

"Alright, let’s go, Hui Hui." Bing Qiu transformed into a little white fox, said goodbye to his brother, and dashed off toward the hunting team with Hui Hui.

Older kits could already follow the adults to learn with the hunting team or the Gathering Team. As for younger ones like Xue Tuan, they were mostly free to do as they pleased.

Hui Hui had become very capable lately—it could catch fish and even assist during hunts. According to Xue Tuan, Hui Hui deserved two salaries.

This time, during their trip to the wild, Xue Tuan and the little black lion’s "watering project" could expand further. They had already taken care of the area around the tribe and the places frequently patrolled by beastmen.

Of course, Xue Tuan had kept a "secret base"—a piece of land he planned to use for experiments. His special ability was only a temporary fix; no matter how powerful, it couldn’t cover all the land in the beast world. They still needed to find other methods.

Still, the land already blessed by his special ability was more than enough for the tribe’s current needs.

Sometimes, when Xue Tuan looked over the "kingdom" he and the little black lion had watered, he felt a great sense of accomplishment.

Lately, it had rarely snowed. Though it was still cold outside, the paths were easy to walk. The forest was filled with the fresh scent of plants—a familiar and beloved smell from Xue Tuan’s past.

Xue Tuan and the little black lion were accompanied by a few furry companions. The Ringtailed Marten kit and the red fox cub kept trying to jump onto the little black lion’s back to play with Xue Tuan. But each time, the little black lion’s tail would "accidentally" sweep them aside, preventing them from getting close.

Xue Tuan was quite surprised to see the red fox cub, since just yesterday Xiao Xing had been upset for a long time over his father’s injury.

After asking the red fox cub, Xue Tuan learned that it was Le Hu’s idea. The adults all knew how much the kits looked forward to outdoor adventures. No matter what the red fox cub said, Le Hu insisted he stay with the group—other beastmen would help take care of him, and he didn’t want his kit to miss out on the fun because of him.

How could a little kit outsmart a determined adult? In the end, the red fox cub had no choice but to join the outing.

"Hmph!" The red fox cub snorted indignantly, flicking his tail, his eyes fixed on Xue Tuan. He hadn’t given up yet—he still wanted to pounce on Xue Tuan.

The Ringtailed Marten kit wasn't happy either, but at the moment, he couldn’t tell whether Zhong Yan was doing it on purpose or by coincidence. After all, he couldn't accuse someone for no reason—Xue Tuan wouldn’t like that.

“I told you so earlier, but you just wouldn’t believe it,” the saber-toothed tiger cub walking on the left side said to the red fox cub knowingly.

With Zhong Yan around, there were no surprises. It wasn't easy to get to play with Xue Tuan.

Xiao Shu ran to the right side of the red fox cub and said in a tone of someone who’d been there before, “No chance now, but when it’s time for gathering, there will be. Learn from this.”

Both the red fox cub and the Ringtailed Marten kit stopped in their tracks, looking confused at the two cubs on either side. They just wanted to play with Xue Tuan—were there really so many rules?

The little black lion naturally pretended not to hear anything, carrying Xue Tuan leisurely forward as he looked around for any untried foods.

“Wait, stop for a moment,” Xue Tuan said, spotting a familiar tree and signaling the little black lion to halt.

“What is it, Xue Tuan?” the cubs gathered around.

Today, they found a walnut tree.

“Eating these can help nourish your brain,” Xue Tuan said to Sha Hu. The cubs were used to hearing Xue Tuan use phrases like “nourish this or that,” so they were used to it.

But why say it to me? Sha Hu looked at Xue Tuan, puzzled.

Since picking walnuts barehanded could easily stain your hands black, Xue Tuan directed the cubs to gather the walnuts that had fallen on the ground. They placed them on a clean animal hide and covered them with another hide.

Xue Tuan turned to the excellent “hand-operated walnut cracker”—the little black lion—and said, “Zhong Yan, carefully step on them with your paws.”

The little black lion: ?

“We want to eat the walnut kernels inside,” Xue Tuan explained, blinking and looking at the little black lion with an encouraging expression.

“Okay,” the little black lion indeed raised his paw and carefully stepped across the hide from left to right.

After a series of *crack-crunch* sounds, the little black lion stopped.

Xue Tuan walked over, lifted the top hide, and revealed the walnuts below—already crushed, both the green skin and shells included.