Chapter 79

Chapter 79

The arctic fox pressed his paws together in front of his chest, closed his eyes, and "put on a show" of praying silently for a moment. What if the Beast God was actually listening and truly heard his words? Maybe he could turn back into his human form then.

Zhong Yan said, "I see Sha Hu and the others."

The arctic fox opened his eyes and perched on Zhong Yan's shoulder, indeed spotting several fluffy cubs heading into the cave.

As soon as Zhong Yan and the arctic fox entered the cave, Mu Shi and Bai Xiang, who'd hurried over when they heard, each took one of them by the paw and led them away.

"Come on, Xue Tuan, come with us."

The arctic fox: *What's this about?*

"Zhong Yan, get everyone started on processing the fur first," Xue Tuan said to Zhong Yan, who was following behind.

Processing fur required a lot of patience. Xue Tuan had already given Zhong Yan some key tips earlier, so for now, he had to let Zhong Yan lead the cubs in doing it.

Besides, Zhong Yan had been learning various skills from Elder Mushi since he was young, and Xue Tuan trusted that he could guide the cubs well in handling the fur.

When he heard Little Dumpling's words, Zhong Yan stopped in his tracks. He figured the elders probably had something important to discuss with Little Dumpling, so he had no choice but to let it go and call after the arctic fox, "I understand."

Hearing Zhong Yan's response, the arctic fox felt better and followed the elders.

Seeing the unfinished items they were working on were still on the table, Bai Xiang quickly blocked the arctic fox's view with his body, covered the objects with animal hide, and placed them on a nearby shelf.

The arctic fox had wanted to see what was on the table, but Bai Xiang moved too fast, and he couldn't get a good look.

Elder Mushi placed the arctic fox on the table. The little fox smoothed down his ruffled fur with his paws and asked, "Grandpa, what's so urgent?"

Mushi poured tea for the little one, while Bai Xiang brought over a piece of animal hide, spread it out, and placed it in front of the arctic fox. "Take a look—this part seems smudged. We can't make out what these parts are."

The arctic fox lowered his head to examine the "waterwheel" design he had drawn with charcoal. Sure enough, several spots were smudged, especially the "water channel" and "gear" sections. Looking more closely, he noticed some charcoal marks on the blank parts of the hide, likely from someone accidentally pressing their hand on it and then smudging it there.

It was obvious—the two elders wanted him to fill in the missing parts.

"But Grandpa, I'm in Beast Form now..." The arctic fox looked up at the two elders, shuffling his front paws nervously as he spoke innocently.

Mushi and Bai Xiang had already brought the charcoal sticks over, but upon hearing the arctic fox's words, they remembered the problem.

Bai Xiang asked, "Then... when will you turn back into human form?"

The arctic fox replied, "I don't know." Perhaps only the Beast God would know the answer—he had already prayed in advance.

"What are we going to do?" Bai Xiang asked, turning to Mushi. He had hoped that once the little one fixed the drawing, they could continue studying how to make it.

As for the other components, they'd already handed them out to their apprentices to make. Only these smudged parts remained. At first, they didn’t realize the charcoal had smudged—they thought they simply hadn’t understood the design.

But later, both of them noticed the smudged areas becoming increasingly blurred and finally realized that these parts needed to be redrawn by Xue Tuan.

"Hmm..." Elder Mushi stroked his beard thoughtfully and frowned.

Bai Xiang, meanwhile, lifted the arctic fox's paw to examine it. But Xue Tuan had already looked into it—with paws structured like this, there was no way he could hold a writing tool!

Though if he used both paws to grip it, maybe he could give it a try? So the arctic fox attempted to pick up the charcoal stick on the table, but only ended up batting it back and forth.

Bai Xiang understood the little one's intention and helped him prop the charcoal stick up. The arctic fox then "snapped" his paws around it, clamping onto it.

The arctic fox tilted his head to look at his "work" and said softly, "Grandpa, I’ll need to practice this for a long time..."

Mushi and Bai Xiang leaned in to examine the little cub's drawing, but in the end, they stayed quiet.

"I do have a method—one that Zhong Yan used before..." Mushi said uncertainly as he looked at the arctic fox.

"Oh? What method?" the arctic fox asked excitedly. So it was a method Zhong Yan had used? That meant it had worked?

Mushi turned and dug through the tool shelf, returning with two items in his hand: strips of animal hide and thin vine rope.

"When the tribe first moved here, Zhong Yan, in his Beast Form, tied a grinding stone to his paw to make a bone whistle..." Mushi recalled the situation. Thinking back now, he had to admit that Zhong Yan, though young, had unexpectedly steady determination.

"It can be done like that?" Bai Xiang seemed to be hearing this for the first time as well. He knew Zhong Yan often helped the elders with work, but who would have thought a Beast Form cub could be so capable?

Hearing this, the arctic fox was so stunned he forgot to blink. So was the bone whistle that the little black lion gave him made under these circumstances?

Back then, the little black lion hadn’t mentioned anything about the process, and Xue Tuan had never really thought about how a Beast Form fluffy could make a bone whistle. In his subconscious, he probably assumed an adult had helped.

The arctic fox looked apologetically at Zhong Yan’s distant figure—he had underestimated the fluffies back then. But that little bone whistle was still kept in his small bag, so it hadn't gone unappreciated.

"Xue Tuan, do you want to give it a try?" Mushi asked with anticipation. He wouldn’t let the little cub draw for too long—the little guy shouldn't overdo it.

Unlike Zhong Yan, who could work all night without getting tired. Old-timers like them couldn’t stand being around such energetic young people nowadays.

Xue Tuan said confidently, "Okay!" If the little black lion could succeed, then he, who had often held pens in the past, should have no problem either!

Elder Mushi carefully began tying the charcoal stick to the arctic fox’s paw.

Mushi said, "If it feels uncomfortable, just let me know."

Perhaps Elder Grandpa had often helped the little black lion tie things before and knew how to secure the charcoal stick to fit the paw. The arctic fox didn’t feel uncomfortable.

"Alright, give it a try," Mushi said, withdrawing his hand and standing aside to observe the result.

The arctic fox tested his paw by shaking it and found the charcoal stick firmly attached—which was half the battle.

He began drawing lines on the animal hide. Although the unusual grip still felt awkward for writing and drawing, it was far better than "clamping the charcoal stick with both paws."

The arctic fox practiced for a long time, each line coming out better than the last. Finally, when he managed to draw lines that weren’t "caterpillar"-shaped, he started filling in the smudged parts of the design.

The elders also knew that under these circumstances, they couldn’t expect the little cub to restore the design exactly as before. As long as it was clear enough to understand, a little crookedness wasn't a problem.

After a while, Mushi said, "Have some water and take a break." He placed a cup of water in front of the arctic fox, hoping he would rest a bit before continuing.

But the arctic fox was clearly in the zone, seemingly oblivious to anyone talking to him, his eyes fixed intently on the animal hide before him.

The elders didn’t disturb the little cub and went about their own tasks nearby.

Until the arctic fox suddenly collapsed onto the table with a "thud," startling the elders who were busy with other things.

"Oh dear, Xue Tuan! Are you alright?" Mushi threw aside what he was holding, hurried over, and picked up the arctic fox from the table. He quickly untied the charcoal stick and worriedly checked the little one’s condition.

"Ah? I’m fine. I was just resting after finishing the drawing."

Silence fell for a moment...

*Wasn’t it comfortable to lie down for a bit after getting tired from drawing?* The arctic fox blinked slowly with his big eyes, as if to say 'that's just how it is'.

"Are you really okay?" Bai Xiang worriedly turned the arctic fox over a few times, as if giving the little one a quick check-up on the spot.

After all that prodding and checking, it miraculously made the arctic fox feel like his little paws were no longer sore.

Back on the table, the arctic fox hopped a few times in place, then looked at Zhong Yan—who'd rushed over the moment he heard the commotion—and said to him, "See, I'm perfectly fine."

"Good thing you’re alright, good thing you’re alright." Mushi let out a sigh of relief; the arctic fox's sudden collapse had really given him a scare. "Grandpa can't take such frights, you know."

The arctic fox gave a sheepish laugh, "I didn't mean to..." After saying this, the arctic fox lifted his front paw and looked at Zhong Yan, who naturally came over and picked him up.

"Grandpa, I'll go with Zhong Yan now," the arctic fox said.

Mushi smiled, "Go ahead, Grandpa doesn't need anything for now."

Meanwhile, Bai Xiang was already focused on studying the hide the arctic fox had just finished repairing.

Zhong Yan carried him over to where the cubs were. The arctic fox lay against Zhong Yan's chest, his ears picking up a clear thumping sound.

The arctic fox tilted his head, pressing closer to Zhong Yan. Was it Zhong Yan's heart beating wildly?

"Were you scared too?" The arctic fox patted Zhong Yan's chest with his paw. It was beating much faster than usual.

Zhong Yan glanced down at the arctic fox, pursed his lips without a word. When he heard Grandpa's shout, he had indeed felt his heart skip a beat—a sensation that made him very uncomfortable.

"It's fine." Zhong Yan rubbed the arctic fox's head with his palm, his fingers gently scratching the arctic fox's forehead.

"Oh." This time, the arctic fox didn't swat the hand away. Considering he had scared Zhong Yan, he decided to let him pet him for a bit.

Zhong Yan returned to where he had been working on the fur and set the arctic fox down on the table.

It was a large square wooden table, surrounded by many chairs. Usually, beastmen with tasks would also do handiwork at this table, but now that it was free, the cubs had taken it over.

The nearby cubs, seeing Xue Tuan had arrived, eagerly showed off the fur they had been working on.

"Xue Tuan, look at the fur I combed!"

"You're still combing? I've already aligned all the fur!"

So the arctic fox began wandering around the table, checking on how the cubs were doing with their work.

Making brushes required patience because handling the fur required constantly smoothing it out and picking out unsuitable strands—only then would the quality be good enough.

The cubs might lack patience, and their manual skills varied, but from Xue Tuan's observation, they all seemed to have a bit of perfectionism about making the fur "smooth and aligned," which happened to be just right for this task.

All the collected fur first had to be soaked in limewater to degrease. A basin of it was sitting on the table, and anyone who needed it could take some to soak. Wet fur was also easier to sort.

The handles for the brushes they were going to use had been prepared for them by Elder Ye Cong—the processed thin bamboo tubes that Uncle Yun Lu had delivered that morning.

The arctic fox first checked out what Zhong Yan had made. Zhong Yan had worked the fastest; he had already reached the step of tying the fur brush head tightly.

But...

"Where’d you get fox fur?" the arctic fox asked. Who else’s silver-white fur could it be? He could now tell that his fur was different from Bing Qiu's—after looking at it for a while, he could recognize it.

Zhong Yan's hand paused, and his ears suddenly turned red. Just as he was thinking about how to explain, the arctic fox continued on his own:

"Keep going." Then again, it made sense—he was always climbing all over Zhong Yan, so it must have been easy for Zhong Yan to gather some of his fur.

The arctic fox went on to check how the other cubs were doing.

Whether Zhong Yan was just that good at teaching or the cubs were picking things up faster, most of the young ones could handle the collected down step by step.

When it was Tao Tu's turn, the little snow fox saw Tao Tu push a clump of unprocessed down toward him.

Little Snow Fox: "This is..."

Tao Tu flashed a knowing smile, and the little snow fox understood. He hadn’t expected Tao Tu to complete the secret mission so quickly?

He heard that earlier that morning, Uncle Yuan Tu had brought back a batch of supplies with a few others and was probably still resting by now.

So, little Tao Tu was quick on the draw—must have swooped in while Uncle Yuan Tu was asleep...

Uncle Yuan Tu’s Beast Form is a giant mountain hare, and what’s rare is that its coat was evenly patterned without any patches. Ancient purple hare’s fur brushes were expensive precisely because the black hairs on the mountain hare’s back were scarce and took a long time to sort out.

And the clump Tao Tu gave was entirely black, no need to pick through it.

"Thank you, Tao Tu~" The little snow fox scooped up the precious fur with his paws, nudging it bit by bit toward Zhong Yan.

Zhong Yan understood and gathered the down. He knew Little Dumpling wanted to make a "purple hare brush," and he would help Little Dumpling complete it. Just like when he was in his Beast Form, Little Dumpling always made an extra portion for him.

Zhong Yan went back to finishing the fox-fur brush he was working on. He carefully rolled the sorted down, then took the sinew thread nearby, winding it from the base of the fur, wrapping the fur into a tight cylindrical bundle.

The little snow fox pushed the small bamboo tube of fish glue on the table to Zhong Yan’s side. Zhong Yan then dipped the base of the rolled brush tip into it, securing the down completely.

Next, they just had to wait for the brush tip to dry before inserting it into the thin bamboo tube to complete it.

Hearing Little Dumpling’s praise, a faint smile finally broke through Zhong Yan’s usually stoic expression. With the experience of making the first brush, Zhong Yan sped through the rest.

Watching Zhong Yan’s nimble fingers working deftly, the little snow fox never expected Zhong Yan to be so skilled at such delicate tasks.

Just then, the cubs facing the cave entrance suddenly shouted, "Wow, Hui Hui's here!"

Then, the little snow fox heard the sound of flapping wings. Turning around, he indeed saw Hui Hui flying in, perching steadily right beside him.

Seeing Hui Hui hopping closer, the little snow fox instinctively raised a paw to scoop it up, but to the other cubs, it looked like the little snow fox was giving Hui Hui an enthusiastic pat-down.

Luckily, the little snow fox had only a tiny bit of strength, so there was no scene of feathers flying everywhere.

Hui Hui, meanwhile, tilted its head and looked at the little snow fox, its beady eyes looking thoughtful. Then, Hui Hui turned and pecked at Zhong Yan’s fur clothing.

Zhong Yan looked puzzled at Hui Hui, unsure what it wanted. But since Hui Hui was Little Dumpling’s Spirit Beast, he couldn’t just shake it off.

The little snow fox, however, already understood what Hui Hui meant. Watching Zhong Yan’s flustered expression, the little snow fox smirked to himself.

Back when Bing Qiu sent Hui Hui to fetch him, Hui Hui would peck at his fur clothing. Now that he was in his Beast Form, Hui Hui had no way to peck him, so it cleverly went for Zhong Yan instead.

"Chirp—" Hui Hui struggled to tug at Zhong Yan’s fur clothing, hopping in the direction of the cave mouth.

The little snow fox walked over and patted Hui Hui’s head, saying, "Alright, alright, Hui Hui wants us to go find Bing Qiu."

"Is that so... Shall we go then?" Zhong Yan stood up, gathered his things, and asked the cubs to keep an eye on the drying brush tips. Then, he picked up the little snow fox and followed Hui Hui to find Bing Qiu.

Outside the cave, the sunset had already washed the distant mountains in gold and red hues under the evening mist.

Hui Hui flew ahead, Zhong Yan followed behind, and the little snow fox lay in his hood, gazing at the beautiful distant scenery.

As for why Bing Qiu was in a hurry to call Xue Tuan over, it was because their "fishing team" had great success with the new fishing net this time, and hauled in a huge catch of river goodies!

Seeing Zhong Yan and the arctic fox approaching, Bing Qiu pointed proudly at the assortment of fishing nets with varying mesh sizes spread on the ground and said:

"Tuanzai, look! We caught so many delicious things!"

Xue Tuan looked closely and noticed that the fishing team had indeed caught a great deal of river delicacies that were rarely captured before—all thanks to the "fine-meshed nets." He saw plenty of river snails, freshwater mussels, and river shrimp! There were also thick-fleshed, flavorful fish, like the bullhead fish, which could be dried into jerky.

Xue Tuan recalled an old saying: "River snails at Qingming (around early April) are as plump as geese; river snails after Grain Rain (around late April) are as lean as firewood." Now was the perfect time to enjoy snails! After Grain Rain, snail meat not only becomes thin but is also more likely to harbor parasites, making it less suitable for consumption.

The Subbeastmen had also gathered plenty of water shield, known as "emerald in water," from the riverbank. The ingredients for tonight’s meal were incredibly abundant—everyone would have tons of delicious food to feast on!

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Author's Note: Thank you, dear readers, for your support [heart].