Chapter 65

Chapter 65

Rong Shan watched Bing Qiu walk away, shaking his head with a smile. Bing Qiu’s thoughts were transparent, and Rong Shan had no intention of scolding him.

“Make sure they’re washed thoroughly,” Rong Shan called out to Bing Qiu.

“Got it,” Bing Qiu replied cheerfully as he went to wash the Chinese toon shoots, knowing he was off the hook—his fathers wouldn't pursue the matter further.

That evening, Xue Tuan happily enjoyed scrambled eggs with Chinese toon shoots. The aroma of eggs mingled with the chopped toon leaves; with each bite, a subtle bitterness swirled on his tongue, quickly followed by a light, refreshing sweetness—as if he had tasted the essence of spring itself.

The other dish was stir-fried water celery with cured meat. The crisp, refreshing celery stems perfectly contrasted the salty richness of the cured meat. This combination of water celery and cured meat made for an excellent accompaniment to rice.

Xue Tuan couldn’t help but marvel at his fathers’ culinary improvements. Nowadays, he largely trusted them to cook on their own.

As for his brother Bing Qiu, he still needed more practice.

During the final two days of their journey, Rong Shan and Feng Yan led the cubs, marking numerous new discoveries along the way—a truly fruitful expedition.

Xue Tuan was the most delighted. The more familiar things he found, the more excited he became. Besides various vegetables, they also discovered cherry and peach trees.

Once the beastmen transplanted them back in the tribe, fresh fruit would be available during the harvest season. If they were lucky enough to find an early-ripening variety, they might even enjoy some during the hot season.

The spring sunlight was perfect, dappling golden light through the treetops. The mountains and forests carried the moist scent of lingering early spring snowmelt. The group trod on soft ground, following a rugged path as they explored the deep woods and distant mountains.

“Bing Qiu, hold onto your brother,” Feng Yan called from the front, occasionally glancing back at the cubs.

“I’ve got a firm grip!” Bing Qiu replied, one arm tightly around Xue Tuan and the other steadying himself against a nearby tree. He would have preferred to simply hoist Xue Tuan by the collar to move faster, but his younger brother had flatly refused.

Of course, even if all the cubs stumbled, Rong Shan was right behind to support them.

Hui Hui, not wanting to add extra weight to Xue Tuan, had thoughtfully flown onto Feng Yan’s shoulder. Still, Hui Hui would occasionally turn back and chirp at Xue Tuan, seemingly offering encouragement.

“This place is enormous,” Xue Tuan exclaimed.

After climbing the slope, the view opened up, and in the distance, they could almost discern the outline of the tribe.

Rong Shan said, “Hopefully, we can make it back to the tribe before dark.”

“Mm,” Feng Yan responded. They had explored enough; it was time to hurry back.

Xue Tuan held a bamboo compass, his eyes wide as he carefully observed the landscape ahead. From here, if they continued northeast, there was a gently rolling depression and marshland. Beyond this wetland, the tribe should be visible, right?

“Dad, can we rest a bit before moving on?” Bing Qiu plopped down on a nearby rock, gently settling Xue Tuan onto his lap.

“Good Tuan, come take a break,” Bing Qiu urged, noticing how his brother had been running around nonstop. It made him tired just watching; little cubs needed more rest.

Bing Qiu handed Xue Tuan a small gourd filled with warm water, insisting he drink it all before letting him go.

The little black lion obediently lay beside Xue Tuan, his eyes also fixed on Little Dumpling. He was clearly allied with Bing Qiu, ensuring Xue Tuan rested for a while.

Xue Tuan felt as if he’d been injected with “adrenaline” on this trip, brimming with energy. But since his furry companions were so concerned, he obediently drank the water and then allowed his brother to transform into a little white fox. He lay on the fox’s back and rested for a while.

Days of arduous travel had left even the robust adult beastmen feeling somewhat weary, let alone the growing cubs.

Once Feng Yan and Rong Shan saw that the cubs had rested sufficiently, they shouldered their packs and resumed their journey.

Before they had even fully emerged from the deep forest, a crisp, refreshing fragrance suddenly wafted through the air, causing everyone to pause.

“Do you smell that?” Bing Qiu asked, his nostrils twitching as he sniffed the air.

Xue Tuan’s sense of smell wasn’t as keen; it usually took him a few seconds longer to detect scents the beastmen noticed immediately. Xue Tuan glanced at the little black lion and murmured, “This smells like… tea leaves?”

Tea leaves? The kind Grandpa likes? The little black lion sniffed again—the scent wasn’t quite identical, but if Little Dumpling said so, it must be a different variety.

The little black lion said, “Tuan Tuan, let’s go investigate.” If it was the tea leaves Grandpa often spoke of, he should gather some to bring back for Grandpa, whom he hadn’t seen in so long. Since living with Grandpa, he had never been away from him for such an extended period.

“Okay~” Xue Tuan climbed onto the little black lion’s back, and the little black lion carried him toward the source of the fragrance.

Feng Yan and the others followed closely, all curious to discover the origin of the pleasant scent.

However, when the little black lion pushed through a thicket, Xue Tuan exclaimed in surprise, “It’s tea trees!”

Then he immediately corrected himself, “No—it’s actually a… wild tea forest!”

The little black lion’s paw brushed aside a low shrub, and he stopped upon hearing Little Dumpling’s voice.

Xue Tuan also noticed the little black lion’s movement. What his paw pads touched weren’t ordinary plants—they were tea trees with flexible branches, slender leaves, and a faint oily sheen. And these tea trees spread densely from the forest all the way up the hillside!

Tea trees grew in varied clusters across the slope, differing in age. Some were as thick as bowls, with dark green, glossy leaves, while others were dotted with tiny buds and new growth.

“Now the Elder Grandpas won’t have to worry about others competing for tea…” Xue Tuan murmured.

Bing Qiu, seeing Xue Tuan utterly stunned, followed his gaze. All he saw was a vast expanse of green plants—nothing particularly special. “What’s wrong, good Tuan? Should we pick some?” he asked.

It did smell nice. If they brought some back to their cave, would it still be this fragrant? Bing Qiu wondered, though he doubted it—it wasn’t as potent as flowers.

Feng Yan and Rong Shan had naturally heard of “tea leaves” before, as the elders often mentioned them, asking beastmen to keep an eye out while traveling and bring some back if possible.

Feng Yan crouched down, plucked a tender leaf from the top, rubbed it between his fingers, and then popped it into his mouth. A bitter, astringent taste immediately spread across his tongue.

“So this is tea?” he wondered. Was this the flavor the elders enjoyed? Feng Yan had never been subjected to Elder Mushi’s bitter tea brews, so he didn’t know any better.

“Dad, you have to process and brew these leaves before drinking them,” Xue Tuan quickly explained, seeing his father chewing the raw leaf. Still, he noticed that his father had instinctively known to pick the tender top leaves.

The beastmen had heard the Junior Priest use the word “process” several times now. Even if they didn’t understand it at first, they could gradually grasp its meaning.

No wonder the beastmen enjoyed teasing Xue Tuan—he often came out with amusing words they’d never heard before. And because of Xue Tuan’s identity as a Priest, they didn’t overanalyze his many “quirky” behaviors.

“Brother, look over there!”

Bing Qiu followed Xue Tuan’s pointing finger. “Wow, that tree is huge!”

Everyone turned to look. Deep within the tea forest, a towering tea tree stood proudly at the base of the slope. Its trunk was thick, its bark mottled, and its branches spread out like a giant umbrella, casting dappled shadows under the sunlight.

“This one looks like a true wild tea tree…” Xue Tuan remarked. The shorter tea trees were likely cultivated varieties, but this giant wild tea tree was probably a native ancient species of the beast world.

Rong Shan asked, “Good cub, should we bring some back for Elder Mushi?” As for the rest, they would mark the location and have beastmen come later to dig up a few trees to transplant.

“Yes!” Xue Tuan replied. The Elder Grandpa was getting on in years and still so busy every day—Xue Tuan wanted to bring back plenty to reward the elders.

As for the cubs, now that they had milk and tea, wouldn’t additive-free milk tea be next? The cubs and younger beastmen were sure to love it.

After gathering the tea leaves, everyone set off again. Xue Tuan remained on the little black lion’s back, letting him carry him along the way.

The setting sun slanted westward, staining the clouds with fiery hues as if welcoming the travelers home.

But as Feng Yan and the others passed by the marshland, they encountered other beastmen still gathering resources.

The leader of this small team was none other than Pu Ying, Xiao Shu's father.

Pu Ying's face lit up, his voice filled with excitement: "Chief! You're back!"

"You're back at last, Chief!"

"Wonderful! Everyone's okay!"

The beastmen put down their tasks and rushed over, eager to see the arctic fox family they hadn't seen in ages.

Feng Yan and Rong Shan looked at the familiar faces, finally feeling like they were truly home.

Feng Yan: "We got back a few days later than planned. Is everything in the tribe okay?"

"Yes, everything’s fine!" Pu Ying replied with a smile. "It’s just... everyone has been hoping for your early return."

The arctic fox family and the little black lion were quickly surrounded by everyone, but Xue Tuan, wanting some fresh air, told the little black lion to push their way out.

"Xue Tuan!" They finally managed to squeeze out, only to hear someone call his name.

Huh, an acquaintance? Xue Tuan peered into the crowd and spotted Qing Miao squeezing out as well.

"Qing Miao!"

Qing Miao rushed over and gave Xue Tuan a big hug: "It’s so good to have you back! I missed you so much!" After days apart, the reunion felt extra special.

Qing Miao had been talking about the arctic fox family with Qing Guo every day, wondering when they would return. And today, while out gathering, he ran into them!

"Hehe, I missed you too," Xue Tuan replied, hugging Qing Miao back and rubbing his little head against Qing Miao’s shoulder. It felt wonderful to reunite with a familiar face.

Qing Miao let go of Xue Tuan and took his hand, saying, "It’s great that you’re back! Did everything go smoothly on your trip?"

Xue Tuan let Qing Miao pull him along as they walked hand in hand. He shared some of the cool things from their trip with Qing Miao.

Hearing how exciting the outside world was, Qing Miao started thinking about traveling to other tribes. But he quickly dismissed the thought—it was just a thought. He couldn’t bear to leave his family.

"What were you all gathering just now?" Xue Tuan asked, noticing the huge piles of plants stacked up nearby.

The beastmen seemed to have collected various plants, some a little different in color and appearance, but all mixed together.

"We’re gathering mountain silk seedlings," Qing Miao explained, pointing at the piles. "The priest, Yun Lu, said these can be made into ropes, just like reeds, so he asked us to collect some."

"Some of the leaves are for Priest Ye Cong. We’re to bring them back for him."

"Mountain silk seedlings?" Xue Tuan leaned in to look closer. The plants varied in height, with the tallest reaching about three times as tall as him. Their stems were pale yellow-green, while some had stems purplish-green, with distinctly serrated leaf edges.

Xue Tuan curiously touched the leaves. Why do these plants look so familiar?

"Ah, it’s wild hemp!" Besides vine ropes and reed ropes, wasn’t hemp rope also made from plants like these?

Xue Tuan crouched down and examined them one by one—flax, jute, ramie, and hemp! Whoa, they were all mixed together, and the variety was quite complete! Yet the beastmen collectively called them mountain silk seedlings.

"Clothing? You mean these can be used to make 'fur clothing'?" Now Qing Miao was curious. Was there anything better than fur clothing?

To be precise, flax and ramie were better suited for making clothing, while the others could be used for hemp ropes and sacks.

Qing Miao snapped off a piece of the mountain silk seedling and handed it to Xue Tuan. Xue Tuan peeled the bark off the stem, revealing layers of fibers. He gave a light pull, and fine strands could be pulled out, showing remarkable toughness.

Spinning meant twisting hemp fibers into thread, and weaving meant arranging hemp threads into cloth. If Qing Miao and other beastmen were interested, they could try making a loom.

However, making a loom was still pretty hard for them at this stage. Only those with a keen interest could attempt it. Perhaps fur clothing would gradually be replaced once they experienced the comfort of cotton, linen, and silk.

Xue Tuan glanced at the fur clothing he was wearing. His little fur garment was slightly different from others—at least it felt softer to the touch. Though he might seem delicate, the fur clothing his father had sewn for him was actually quite comfortable.

If his father learned that there were materials to make even softer clothing, perhaps he would be interested? It seemed he would have to start with himself again to "convince" his father.

The gathering team knew the chief’s family had just returned and shouldn’t be kept chatting for too long. They reluctantly let the arctic fox family and the little black lion head back first. The gathering team would finish collecting the supplies before returning to the tribe. Qing Miao bid a reluctant, brief farewell to Xue Tuan.

"Everyone is still so warm-hearted," Rong Shan said with a faint smile. Speaking of the tribe’s people, he couldn’t help but smile.

"Mm," Feng Yan responded. Though he spoke little and maintained a dignified image, he had gradually come to see the tribe’s members as important companions, aside from his family.

Under the sunlight, they continued forward, passing by a small thawed lake. Beyond it, they spotted several beastmen in Beast Form...

"Why are there so many big fuzzy beasts here?" Xue Tuan wondered aloud.

Squinting with his limited eyesight, Xue Tuan stared for a moment. Unless his eyes were playing tricks on him...

The fluffballs were actually plowing the land!