Chapter 156

Chapter 156

The horizon paled with the first light of dawn, and faint golden rays slipped through the gaps in the tent roof, falling quietly on the black lion's back.

That thick, black fur, under the sunlight, instead took on a deep brown hue, shimmering with a glossy sheen, warm and comfortable.

Xue Tuan was nestled snugly within the furry embrace, only half his face visible. His soft hair was tousled against his forehead, his eyes still closed as he raised a hand and began a practiced routine of "massaging" the fur.

The giant black lion had woken when Xue Tuan began to stir. He was greatly enjoying Xue Tuan's petting; his amber eyes glinted where Xue Tuan couldn't see, and a low purr rumbled in his throat.

Hearing the sound, Xue Tuan opened his eyes with a smile. This purring was like a perfectly timed alarm clock, rousing him awake.

"Time to get up," Xue Tuan said, stretching with a big yawn. The pajamas Rong Shan had sewn for him seemed to have shrunk, revealing his slender waist and stomach.

The giant black lion's paw helped tug the quilt up over Xue Tuan a few times, afraid he'd catch a chill, but then suddenly felt something was off.

"The clothes... got shorter...?" the black lion murmured.

"What?" Xue Tuan belatedly lowered his arms and looked at his pajamas. "...Huh?"

Xue Tuan shot to his feet, thumping the black lion's thick back urgently. "Quick, change back to your human form! Hurry!"

Once the black lion transformed back into Zhong Yan, Xue Tuan pressed a hand to the top of his own head, comparing his height against him.

Zhong Yan lowered his head slightly, his gaze falling on the top of Xue Tuan's head. He realized that, without his noticing, Xue Tuan had grown tall enough to reach his chin.

Xue Tuan's palm faced downward, the hand measuring his height kept leveling against Zhong Yan's chin, as if repeatedly confirming the truth of the matter.

"I grew taller... Hahaha! I grew taller!" Xue Tuan was so happy he spun in circles inside the tent, then threw himself onto the quilt, kicking his long legs like a child.

Was this what it was like for a beastman nearing adulthood? Such rapid development!

Xue Tuan's mind was already dreaming bigger dreams. Maybe, just maybe, he could surpass Bing Qiu's height! Hehe...

Even after the two of them got ready and left the tent, Xue Tuan was still buzzing with excitement, a high that would likely last the entire day.

Xiao Shu: "What's up with Xue Tuan? Did he find gold?"

Truth be told, none of them had ever seen so-called "gold." It was just that Xue Tuan often used this phrase to describe someone's happy appearance, and everyone had picked it up.

Xue Tuan said, "Even happier than finding gold." With enough effort, you might actually dig up gold, but height wasn't something you could just decide to grow.

Xue Tuan's previous height was only slightly shorter than Xiao Shu's, and since they'd been together every day recently, it was normal that Xiao Shu hadn't noticed.

It wasn't until Xue Tuan kept kicking his legs and shifting his weight in front of him that Xiao Shu suddenly realized: "Wait! Xue Tuan! How are you almost taller than me now?"

"Hehe, I don't know. Height just grows when it wants to, I guess," Xue Tuan replied cheerfully, playing dumb, his heart filled with delight.

But Xue Tuan could remain this happy for a long time yet, unaware of what would happen later.

However, Xue Tuan's current height had already exceeded the arctic fox family's expectations. So later, the brief period of unhappiness would be his alone.

After all, in the eyes of the arctic fox family, his frail body from childhood growing healthily to this point was practically a "medical miracle."

At that moment, the group of young people walked towards the chief's tent, laughing and joking along the way.

Xiao Shu naturally knew how much Xue Tuan always hoped to grow taller, and he was genuinely happy for him.

After the Mountain Water Tribe members had a simple bite to eat, they gathered in front of the chief's tent for a brief meeting.

Xue Tuan stopped his playful antics, his expression turning serious as he prepared to listen attentively to Feng Yan's instructions.

Feng Yan: "Everyone has worked hard these past days."

Feng Yan's opening words inexplicably brought a redness to everyone's eyes. The relentless journey day and night, the fear of encountering danger, the anxiety of not finding salt—everyone had been living on edge.

Now, with Feng Yan's words, everyone's anxious feelings finally settled. All their efforts had not been in vain!

"Not hard at all!"

"Finding the salt is what matters!"

The beastmen looked at their companions beside them and couldn't help but smile.

No beastman had been lost, no insurmountable obstacle had been faced. This expedition was not only of great significance to the Mountain Water Tribe but also an indelible, important experience for the beastmen themselves.

The beastmen even began teasing each other, mentioning who had been heard crying secretly in the middle of the night. The exposed beastman's face flushed bright red as he offered flimsy excuses, making everyone laugh.

For a moment, the temporary camp was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

"Let me tell you, it's no big deal! San Hu cried too, woke me right up in the middle of the night!" Er Hu loudly revealed San Hu's embarrassing moment.

"Second Brother! You!" San Hu angrily pounded Er Hu's shoulder. How could he expose him like this, especially now? He had some pride too!

Thinking back now, San Hu, who had been so determined to conquer the snowy mountains only to secretly wipe away tears at night afterwards, felt a bit embarrassed.

It seemed he had grown too comfortable staying in the tribe these past few years. He really needed to venture out more.

After finishing pounding his brother, San Hu silently reflected on himself.

Once Er Hu started, the other beastmen began mercilessly "attacking" each other too, venting all the pent-up frustrations from the journey.

Xue Tuan, with one arm resting on Zhong Yan's shoulder and the other on Xiao Shu's, laughed so hard he rocked back and forth because of the beastmen's mutual exposures.

Seeing everyone regain their spirits, Feng Yan lowered his head and smiled, a smile filled with genuine relief.

As the voices gradually quieted down, Feng Yan continued: "As you all know, since our Mountain Water Tribe started 'written communication,' we have dedicated beastmen who constantly record the changes since the tribe's founding."

"I believe this time, all your names will also be forever recorded in the Mountain Water Tribe's record book..."

"That's wonderful! Thank you, Chief!" The beastmen cheered. All the hardships of the journey were worth it!

Feng Yan, however, shook his head sincerely. "No, it is the Mountain Water Tribe that thanks you. I feel fortunate that the Mountain Water Tribe has so many beastmen like you."

Er Hu, who had been the most boisterous earlier, couldn't help but raise an arm to cover his eyes upon hearing this. Countless images flashed through his mind.

His emotions came quickly. Now feeling sentimental, he silently began sniffling below, his shoulders shaking.

San Hu patted Er Hu's arm, comforting him wordlessly. After calming himself for a moment, Er Hu immediately lowered his arm, took a deep breath, and returned to normal.

"Alright, now let me talk about the next steps."

When it came to serious matters, everyone quickly sat up straight, and Feng Yan resumed his serious expression: "Today, we have another important task—

Finding a water source."

"Next, we will split into groups, but everyone's goal is the same..."

The beastmen below were first taken aback, thinking their leader would lead them to push on straight to the salt lake in one go.

But upon hearing it was about finding a water source, they quickly caught on, and all felt the leader's decision was right.

Xue Tuan also thought his father’s approach was reasonable. They already knew the exact location of the salt lake.

The salt lake wasn’t going to run away—getting there was just a matter of time.

The Mountain Water Tribe was to set up a long-term camp here to refine salt, so their first priority was to familiarize themselves with the surroundings.

Water, at all times, was the most crucial resource—not only for the beastmen’s survival but also for salt refining.

Snow water could only be obtained above the snow line, and with the added interference of fog, they would only consider the snowy mountain area if no water source could be found near the jungle.

Feng Yan continued, “When encountering a small number of poisonous beasts, deal with them as you see fit. If there are too many, flee immediately or call for nearby groups! Remember, don’t try to be a hero…”

“If you discover a nest, be sure to pinpoint and remember its exact location. We must eliminate them all!”

Apart from the salt lake, the only resources they could use were in this jungle. If they didn’t wipe out all the poisonous beasts, the Mountain Water Tribe wouldn’t be able to camp here safely.

So the best scenario would be to take out all the poisonous beast nests at once. But given their current limited numbers, they could only deal with the nearby ones first.

A stroke of bad luck like last time, where everyone happened to walk right into a poisonous beast nest, was unlikely to happen again.

It was only because they were so many, and Feng Yan had instantly sized up the situation and decided they could handle it, that they fought. Otherwise, given the abilities of the selected beastmen, escaping wouldn’t have been difficult.

So Feng Yan wasn’t too worried about the groups being unable to handle poisonous beasts after splitting up.

From the planning to the departure of this mission, Feng Yan and Rong Shan had repeatedly emphasized that no matter what happened, their lives came first, and completing the task was secondary.

At this point, no beastman in his right mind would keep fighting a losing battle against poisonous beasts.

“In addition, we need a few people to return to the tribe and notify them to send more hands.” Feng Yan’s gaze inadvertently swept over the remaining two Marbled polecat brothers.

Er Hu and San Hu instinctively straightened their backs. They both knew it was probably their turn now.

Was this the payback for teasing Da Hu earlier?

However, their mindset was different from Da Hu’s—after all, they had successfully crossed the snowy mountain and even seen a rare Spirit beast! Unlike Da Hu, who hadn't even made it here yet.

Feng Yan said, “Once you've split into groups, you can set out. Return here to gather before dark.”

The two Marbled polecat brothers stayed seated, and A Ying and A Rong also remained.

Sure enough, after the meeting dispersed, the leader walked over to them and said, “Then I’ll trouble you to return and notify Rong Shan that the tribe’s plan can proceed normally. Have Rong Shan organize willing beastmen to come over as soon as possible.”

“We will be stationed here long-term.”

“Yes, Chief. Leave it to us!” The Marbled polecat brothers didn’t try to make excuses or “struggle pointlessly.”

They had already anticipated this task would fall to them, so they had no complaints and were ready to follow instructions immediately.

Feng Yan patted their shoulders, satisfied with the performance of the Three Marbled Polecat Brothers during this expedition.

When Er Hu and San Hu were about to pack their belongings, Xue Tuan stopped them—he had something to ask of them.

“A Ying, A Rong, I’ll also trouble you two to continue guiding the way,” Feng Yan turned to the two chieftains of the Rockball Sparrows.

Now everyone knew the snowy mountain wasn’t actually scary—the real trouble was the fog shrouding its backside.

After being led once by the Spirit beast Leaping Goat, the winged beastmen were the first to remember the general route.

So until other beastmen became familiar with the path, their sense of direction was especially important.

“Of course,” A Ying and A Rong smiled, both very excited.

Not only because they found the tribe’s rumors weren’t as terrifying as they thought, but also because they were thrilled the Rockball Sparrow clan could help by finding the precious salt lake.

Among those who hadn’t left were Xue Tuan and his companions. Knowing Xue Tuan had something to say, Feng Yan kept them for last.

After finishing his instructions, Feng Yan approached Xue Tuan and the others.

Xue Tuan got straight to the point: “Father, after finding a water source, I also hope everyone can help me find this kind of soil.”

As he spoke, Xue Tuan took out a bamboo container from his bag—inside was the No.1 Soil he had brought from the experimental field.

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Author’s note: Thanks for the paw prints [heart].