Chapter 81

Chapter 81

The little snow fox and Chong Yan were both startled for a moment, then the little snow fox quickly waved his paws and said happily, "Quick, quick! Untie the quill, let's go take a look!"

This was a major event for the tribe, and Chong Yan, like the others, had mixed feelings of excitement. He looked at the brush in his hand, still wanting to continue practicing.

But after hesitating for only a few seconds, Chong Yan quickly untied the quill from the little snow fox's paw. "Let's go."

Chong Yan picked up the little snow fox and followed the crowd running toward the tribe's entrance.

Almost all the beastmen of the tribe rushed out at once. Everyone already knew that the Brown-eared Leopard Beastmen's settlement had been arranged near the lake to the west.

This time, not only had the Brown-eared Leopard Beastmen arrived, but all the beastmen who had gone out had returned, including Guang Sha, the green-backed tiger, and Yuan Tu and the others.

A large crowd surged over, creating a "grand" scene.

The Brown-eared Leopard Beastmen hadn't expected the Mountain Water Tribe to be so enthusiastic. The exhaustion from their journey seemed to disappear in that instant.

The beastmen of the Mountain Water Tribe saw the Brown-eared Leopard Beastmen—some in beast form, some in human form—but without exception, all carrying numerous bundles. Recalling their own experience of moving away from their old tribe, which had also been very tiring, they empathized, thinking the Brown-eared Leopard Beastmen must feel the same.

"Welcome to our tribe!"

"You've had a long journey! Do you need any help?"

The beastmen of the Mountain Water Tribe spontaneously began helping the Brown-eared Leopard Beastmen set up a temporary camp. Their new houses were planned on the empty land nearby, but since they started construction later than the Mountain Water Tribe, they would still need to live in tents or caves for now.

"Thank you, thank you all," Chief A Li thanked the many beastmen who came to help. He had expected that the Brown-eared Leopard Tribe might need some time to integrate into the Mountain Water Tribe.

A Li had also anticipated that after their relocation, the initial period would be quite difficult, as everything had to start anew.

But seeing the scene before him—each Brown-eared Leopard family had at least three or four Mountain Water Tribe beastmen helping set up tents and organize belongings. Even more beastmen were helping them build fences around the temporary settlement to protect them from wild beasts.

"Chief, are you alright?" A Mu was helping Chief A Li organize his things, feeling particularly happy. But noticing the chief standing there dazed, he came over to ask if there was anything he needed to instruct.

"No... I'm fine." A Li discreetly wiped the corner of his eye with the back of his hand. "You don't need to go to so much trouble; just set it up roughly, as long as it's livable."

"That won't do. Although we've merged into the Mountain Water Tribe, Chief Feng Yan just said that we're now called the Brown-eared Leopard Branch, and you are the chief of this branch tribe. All internal affairs are still under your management." A Mu chattered away while arranging the chief's large tent as it had been before.

Feng Yan's arrangement pleased the Brown-eared Leopard Beastmen greatly. If everything had suddenly changed and they were assigned to others for management, everyone would have felt somewhat uneasy.

Now, with Chief A Li still leading them, there was no need to worry.

From hearing about their merger with another tribe to arriving at this tribe for the first time, the Brown-eared Leopard Beastmen had already gained a deep understanding.

They no longer needed to repeatedly recall the various benefits of the tribal merger that Chief A Li had mentioned, nor use these to convince themselves to silently accept the arrangement. Now, they genuinely liked the Mountain Water Tribe.

Everything proceeded so smoothly and naturally, as if they were just a small team returning from a long "mission," not a newly joined, unfamiliar tribe.

Ah Lan also lent a hand nearby, saying, "Did Chief Feng Yan and the others also say there will be a ceremony later and a welcome party tonight?"

"Yes, yes, I heard that too. Let's hurry up; I want to go see." A Mu deftly lifted the hide tent flap. After finishing here at the chief's tent, he still had to go organize his own family's belongings.

Da Er and Xiao Er had previously heard Chief A Li mention Xue Tuan. Now, seeing Xue Tuan in his beast form, they were overjoyed and wanted to hold him. But the little cub waved his paw in refusal, so they had to give up.

"Xue Tuan! Long time no see!" Xiao Er, leaning on his crutch, looked affectionately at the little snow fox, then at Chong Yan. "You are... that black lion?"

Xiao Er didn't have time to wonder why both cubs had changed to unfamiliar forms; he was just happy to be reunited with the little cub.

Chong Yan silently agreed with Xiao Er's words, nodding as a greeting.

"Brother Da Er, Brother Xiao Er, long time no see~" The little snow fox was also happy to see his new friends safely arriving at the tribe.

"So this is the Xue Tuan you mentioned?" Xiao Er's father, A Xin, walked over and smiled gently. "Just as you said, he's very cute."

"Hello, Uncle A Xin~" Being praised so directly, the little snow fox was uncharacteristically shy, curling his tail to cover his face.

"Oh, he's even shy." A Xin gently stroked the little snow fox's fur. He had never seen such a handsome and lively little cub before; one couldn't help but like him at first sight.

With help from the Mountain Water Tribe beastmen, the Brown-eared Leopard Tribe managed to set up their temporary settlement within half a day, far exceeding their expectations.

It was at this moment that they truly began to look forward to the future.

Now, the beastmen who had free time were all heading toward the low-lying area of the ice river. The chiefs of the Mountain Water Tribe and the Brown-eared Leopard Tribe would hold a brief ceremony there, with the grand gathering in the evening being the highlight of the welcome party.

The high-lying area of the ice river was closer to the tribe and near the farmland, but water could only be supplied via a waterwheel.

The low-lying area was dug later to provide water for the breeding grounds; it could be used once dug through.

Throughout the afternoon, Xue Tuan felt like he and Chong Yan were jumping from one thing to another. When he heard there was still a ceremony to be held, he immediately urged Chong Yan to go watch the excitement.

"What's wrong? What are you looking for?" The little snow fox saw Chong Yan rummaging through his hemp bag, not setting off, and grew impatient.

Chong Yan's hemp bag had accidentally been snagged by another beastman earlier. He was checking if anything inside was lost.

Hearing the little snow fox's question, Chong Yan quickly covered the bag with his hand and said, "It's nothing, let's go."

What's he being so secretive about? The little snow fox shook his head helplessly.

With so many people around, Chong Yan ran carefully, afraid the little snow fox might get bumped. But he wasn't slow and soon brought the little snow fox to where Rong Shan, Yun Lu, and the group of leaders were.

The beastmen gathered on both sides of the ditch. The surroundings were silent; even the cubs were affected by the atmosphere, holding their breath.

Before Xue Tuan could wonder how they had ended up right in the leadership group, his attention was quickly captured by the ceremony. Their position offered an excellent "viewing" angle.

It was a very special ceremony. Feng Yan represented the Mountain Water Tribe, and naturally, A Li represented the Brown-eared Leopard Tribe.

The two stood at the forefront by the ditch, each holding a stone shovel. Judging by A Li's expression, he didn't seem to fully understand what they were about to do either.

"First, let us cheer for the joining of the Brown-eared Leopard Tribe!"

The crowd erupted into enthusiastic applause and cheers.

"The ditch from the lake is already dug. This ditch from the ice river only needs one arm's length more to be connected," Feng Yan said. "In the future, our tribe will also build a waterwheel."

"With the waterwheel, river water can flow to every corner of our tribe!"

This was the first time the Brown-eared Leopard Beastmen had heard this news. They were stunned, their faces, like A Li's, showing disbelief.

For the Brown-eared Leopard Beastmen, their water source had previously been an ordinary stream, requiring them to fetch water using various containers.

But now they were hearing that the Mountain Water Tribe had dug multiple ditches to channel river water to where it was needed in the tribe! This made life much easier for the beastmen!

"Now, I invite A Li, chief of the Brown-eared Leopard Tribe, to join me in digging this final section." Feng Yan smiled, signaling for him and A Li to dig together through the remaining short distance.

A Li's hand trembled, almost unable to hold the stone shovel, digging alongside Feng Yan purely on instinct. Sweat beaded on his forehead. He had never imagined such a significant ceremony.

The watching Brown-eared Leopard Beastmen also unconsciously clenched their fists. The impact of this ceremony was far greater than when they first heard their chief speak of merging tribes.

"This is a canal..." A Mu was almost fainting. Not only was it here by the Ice River, but there was also one near the lake where they lived! When he last visited the Mountain Water Tribe, he hadn't known about this, but for the Brown-Eared Leopard clan, it was absolutely a huge surprise!

The little Arctic Fox was also shocked. So Beastmen had rituals like this? Witnessing such a process firsthand, the little Arctic Fox also experienced what it meant to feel the blood rush with excitement.

"Dad, there's such a beautiful ceremony, and you and Papa didn't even tell me in advance..." the little Arctic Fox said, nimbly leaping into Rong Shan's arms. Luckily, he wanted to come himself, or he would have missed such an exciting moment.

"But you made it, didn't you?" Rong Shan laughed and rubbed the little Arctic Fox's ears. The implication was: we just didn't tell you in advance, but once the ceremony started, we would have called you.

On the other side, Feng Yan spoke to Ali, "Ali, don't be nervous." Feng Yan noticed that Ali had let go several times to wipe his palms on his beast hide, so he comforted him.

"Just remember, our lives will definitely get better and better."

"Let's work together to build the Mountain Water Tribe!"

Feng Yan's firm words made Ali inexplicably believe him. As long as he led the Brown-Eared Leopard Beastmen to follow the Mountain Water Tribe, they would surely live a good life.

"Okay, I understand." Ali let out a long breath, and his hand finally steadied under Feng Yan's reassurance.

The two of them dug shovel by shovel, and the canal slowly extended along the ground toward the Ice River.

Ali used the stone shovel to forcefully dig into the soil and shoveled out the last piece of earth that separated them from the Ice River.

Feng Yan was the first to climb up the side of the canal, then reached out his hand to Ali. Ali looked up and, without any hesitation, grasped Feng Yan's hand, pulling himself up to the bank.

"Water... the water is flowing into the canal!"

"There's water! There's water!" The water from the Ice River began to flow slowly along the canal.

The news spread like wildfire, and everyone cheered. The people of the Mountain Water Tribe had previously wondered why the remaining short distance of the canal hadn't been dug through. Now they understood it was to share this moment of joy with their new partners, the Brown-Eared Leopard Beastmen!

The crowd was still celebrating enthusiastically, unable to stop for a while. Feng Yan didn't try to stop them. After the noise gradually subsided, he and the elders proceeded to the next part.

"Next, let's exchange ceremonial tokens," Feng Yan said to Ali.

Exchanging tokens was the normal procedure Ali had often heard about. By now, Ali had calmed down, and under the Priest's guidance, he began to exchange tribal tokens with Feng Yan.

Ali took off the ivory necklace he wore around his neck. It had been given to him by the previous chieftain, and he had continued to use it until now as a symbol of the tribe.

Ali handed the necklace to Feng Yan, while Feng Yan received a white bone plaque from Elder Mushi.

The bone plaque was whiter than any bone Ali had ever seen, polished very smooth. When Ali touched it, he could hardly feel any texture, and he couldn't tell what beast's bone it was made from.

On the bone plaque, a few strokes clearly depicted curved mountain peaks and wavy water, with a very simple and clear meaning—it was the totem of the Mountain Water Tribe.

Only much later did Ali learn that it was made from the bone of a precious Evil Beast. In the common knowledge of ordinary Beastmen, it was hard to imagine that any tribe would possess a whole "Evil Beast material."

However, beside the "mountain and water," there was also a simple sketch of a small fox head. The body wasn't depicted; instead, there was a curled, fluffy tail.

"This is...?" Ali initially thought it symbolized the Arctic Fox chieftain, but such a playful and cute appearance really didn't resemble the images of Feng Yan or Rong Shan...

The surrounding people of the Mountain Water Tribe laughed but didn't answer Ali's confusion. Every one of them knew who the little fox represented, and they believed that in the future, the Brown-Eared Leopard Beastmen would also understand.

Yun Lu raised both hands high and announced with a laugh, "From now on, our two tribes will merge into one, officially becoming a single tribe!"

"Good—!"

"Great!"

The crowd became exuberant again, clapping wildly, and the excited mood infected everyone.

The little Arctic Fox recalled that when the Mountain Water Tribe was first established, they had nothing, but now they had exquisite tokens. A few days ago, were the elders making this token? But why were they being so secretive about it?

"Grandpa, Grandpa, do you have more tokens there? I want to see!" The little Arctic Fox pestered Elder Mushi, wanting to take a closer look at the tribal token.

This time, Mushi didn't hide it anymore. It was originally meant to be a surprise for the little one, so of course, he showed it to him.

Mushi handed the bone plaque to Zhong Yan, asking him to hold it for the little Arctic Fox.

The little Arctic Fox looked at the token, reached out his little paw, and touched the little fox's head. Without needing to be told, he knew it was himself—the familiar handiwork of his dad.

The little Arctic Fox looked at his dad and saw Rong Shan looking down at him with a gentle smile.

The little Arctic Fox's eyes suddenly grew warm, and he turned to bury his face in Rong Shan's embrace, not speaking for a long time.

·

Night fell, and the "Welcome Celebration" of the Mountain Water Tribe began.

Each clay stove was steaming with heat. The Beastmen of the Mountain Water Tribe had prepared various ingredients: all kinds of meat, plump river catches, fresh vegetables, and various root vegetables and fruits. Frying pans, cooking pots, and stone slabs were all put to use, and the aroma of food wafted everywhere in the Mountain Water Tribe's territory.

Everyone squeezed together, sitting lively around wooden and stone tables. Food was passed around and shared, and they chatted about their journey stories, with hearty laughter erupting from time to time.

The night sky was filled with brilliant starlight, and roaring bonfires were lit one after another. As the flames danced, the Beastmen's faces were illuminated by the flickering light. After the meal, everyone was reluctant to leave, sitting in circles and chatting with new friends.

The young ones of the two tribes had long been playing together. They transformed into their beast forms and chased each other, occasionally shouting names they weren't yet familiar with, laughing and frolicking together.

A silver-white little Arctic Fox was the most popular, with all the furry young ones crowding around him to play.

A Huang led the Brown-Eared Leopard young ones, chasing the little Arctic Fox. The little Arctic Fox felt that today's physical activity was the most he had ever had since transforming into his beast form.

Worn out, the little Arctic Fox returned to Zhong Yan, who was sitting cross-legged nearby watching them play. The little Arctic Fox performed a sudden flop, landing "paji" onto Zhong Yan's lap.

Zhong Yan maintained his usual unapproachable aura, so the other young ones didn't dare to chase the little Arctic Fox anymore.

Zhong Yan's hand slowly stroked the little Arctic Fox's snow-white fur, and his eyes couldn't bear to leave the little dumpling in front of him.

Then, Zhong Yan fumbled through his rough cloth bag, took out something, and quietly slipped it onto the little Arctic Fox's paw.

The little Arctic Fox: ?

The little Arctic Fox flipped over and found that his front paw was adorned with a... malachite bead bracelet?

"You... did you make this?" asked the little Arctic Fox.

"Mm," Zhong Yan murmured softly, without further explanation.

But the little Arctic Fox guessed that it must have been from the time he asked Uncle Antu and the others for materials. There were likely some leftover pieces that Zhong Yan used to remake it.

The little Arctic Fox raised his paw and looked at the malachite beads. They were made from tiny pieces of malachite, polished into near-spherical shapes and strung together.

Probably due to tool limitations in the beast realm, it was still difficult to make them completely round. However, the surface of the malachite was relatively smooth and wouldn't irritate his skin.

"Thank you," the little Arctic Fox said happily. The malachite bead bracelet glowed with a soft luster under the starlight and firelight; it was really pretty.

Zhong Yan: "I'll make you a better one in the future."

The little Arctic Fox wanted to say he shouldn't go to the trouble, as making these must have taken him ages. But looking at Zhong Yan's steadfast look, the little Arctic Fox felt that he didn't seem like someone who would listen.

Just as the little snow fox was about to say something more, a faint sobbing sound came from not far away.

The little snow fox turned around and spotted two furry figures crouching under a tree nearby.

One was the familiar Tao Tu, while the other was someone the little snow fox didn't recognize.

"Zhong Yan, let's go check over there."

Zhong Yan picked up the little snow fox and walked toward the tree.

"Lele, don't cry. My dad said that once the rice grows, we'll have plenty to eat again."

"But... but when will that be? Wahh... and it's all wasted now."

Since Yuan Tu and Guang Sha had been working together frequently lately, Tao Tu and Lele had grown closer.

Seeing how upset Lele was, Tao Tu felt a bit troubled too. Just as he was at a loss, he heard Snowball's voice.

"What's wrong with you two?"

Tao Tu exclaimed happily, "Snowball!" If Snowball was here, everything would be fine—Snowball would surely have a solution!

As the little snow fox approached, he realized that the other figure next to Tao Tu was a young green-backed tiger cub! It was furry, with a faint green stripe running down its back. The little snow fox was itching to get closer; he patted Zhong Yan's arm to be put down.

The green-backed tiger cub turned around, its damp green eyes looking at the tribe's little priest. "Snowball..." it whined pitifully, sounding utterly miserable.

Tao Tu explained the situation to the little snow fox. It turned out that several days ago, Lele had cooked the last bit of rice his family had left, intending to save it for later. But after sitting for a while, it had all spoiled.

The entire pot of rice was ruined. Lele felt not only that he had barely gotten to eat any of it but also that it had all gone to waste, which made him feel terribly guilty.

The little snow fox reached out a paw and gently patted the young green-backed tiger cub. What a responsible little cub! More than missing out on the tasty rice, the act of wasting food was what truly upset him.

The little snow fox thought for a moment before asking, "Lele, did the rice smell sour or rotten?"

"Probably... sour," the young green-backed tiger cub replied with a sniffle.

If it was sour, there might still be a way to salvage it. The little cub was mainly upset about the waste, so if they could find a way to reuse it, he would feel better.

Sour rice likely contained a lot of amylase, which could be useful as laundry soap. Besides, he recalled an ancient method called "using sour rice to make vinegar," which was a way to avoid wasting food.

However, Snowball wasn't particularly fond of this method. In the past, dough that turned sour required a "starter" to be successfully reused, but if the rice had soured on its own, it might be due to unsafe bacteria...

It would be better to use it for laundry instead. They could find another way to make vinegar later.

"Lele, this sour rice isn't wasted. It can be used to wash fur garments!" the little snow fox told the green-backed tiger cub.

The young green-backed tiger cub blinked. The little priest's words had to be true, but he still hesitated and asked, "Really...?" His rice wasn't wasted and could still be reused?

"Of course it's true! Snowball isn't like Bing Qiu. Snowball would never lie!" Before the little snow fox could answer, Tao Tu cut in to reply on his behalf.

The little snow fox was speechless for a moment, thinking to himself: *Brother, look at your reputation—you'd better hurry up and fix it.*

Seeing the little snow fox nod in confirmation, the green-backed tiger cub finally cheered up. "Okay! I understand. I'll go tell my papa right away. Thank you, Snowball!"

The green-backed tiger cub moved closer, giving the little snow fox a hug and nuzzling his neck before running off with Tao Tu to find his father.

*Hehe, I love snuggling with furry friends,* the little snow fox thought happily.

But then he remembered something and said to Zhong Yan, "Zhong Yan, let's go find Uncle A Li."

"Okay," Zhong Yan replied, picking up the little snow fox. He gently patted the fox's neck as if smoothing his fur before carrying him off to find A Li.

Snowball wanted to ask about distiller's yeast. Now that they were part of the same tribe, perhaps Uncle A Li would be willing to share the process of making sauce? But what Snowball really wanted was the "distiller's yeast" used in the sauce-making process.

He had no idea how the Brown-eared Leopard Beastmen produced it, especially since their tribe didn't have access to materials like smartweed, which was commonly used to make distiller's yeast.

Of course, Snowball wouldn't pressure anyone. Even if Uncle A Li refused to share, it was fine. He believed that given enough time to explore more areas, the tribe would eventually find the necessary materials.

When the little snow fox and Zhong Yan arrived, they saw Uncle A Li sitting with the chief and the priests. They were discussing matters, so the little snow fox and Zhong Yan stayed by Rong Shan's side, listening quietly for a while.

Yun Lu and Shi Hu brought a small tea stove and brewed tea for everyone. The little snow fox and Zhong Yan also received a small cup, though the little snow fox was more interested in milk tea than plain tea. Once the weather warmed up, he could start making it.

Zhong Yan, on the other hand, didn't mind what he drank—unless it was made by Little Dumpling.

Feng Yan and Rong Shan were explaining the current situation of the Mountain Water Tribe to A Li.

As he listened, A Li began assigning tasks to his clansmen based on their abilities, hoping they could quickly integrate into the tribe's development and start contributing to the work.

Feng Yan said, "The waterwheel is currently a challenge for us. If any of your people are skilled in craftsmanship, they can join Elder Mushi's team."

"Okay, I understand," A Li nodded, accepting a cup of tea handed to him by Yun Lu. This was his first time drinking "tea," but he loved it instantly and had already exchanged thoughts on tea with Elder Mushi.

Seeing that the adults were taking a tea break, the little snow fox finally spoke up. "Uncle A Li, do you have something called 'distiller's yeast' in your tribe?"

"Distiller's yeast?" A Li looked puzzled.

"It's..." The little snow fox explained, based on his understanding, during which part of the process this ingredient might be used.

Though surprised that the little snow fox knew so much, A Li smiled and said, "I see. You're talking about 'nie qu,' right?"

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