Beastmen are usually taller than half-beastmen, and Wen Ze, who has social anxiety, showed a slight change in expression and subconsciously tried to step back. 

But before he could move, Zhuo Mu raised his hand to stop the beastmen and said in a deep, intimidating voice, “Wait until he comes over.” 

The beastmen stopped moving right away and just stared at Wen Ze with excited, hopeful eyes. 

Wen Ze then rubbed his nose and took a step forward. 

“What’s going on?” 

As soon as he asked, a beastman stepped forward immediately. Wen Ze recognized him as Ji Sha, Sang Hui’s partner and Bai Ling’s father; his beast form was a white bear. 

Beastmen develop quickly, but age slowly, and their lifespans are much longer than humans. Ji Sha, who was over twenty years older than Wen Ze, still appeared like a young man. 

He was a bit shorter than Zhuo Mu, with a powerful and muscular build, and his animal hide skirt could barely cover his solid thighs. 

“Wen Ze, the clothes that Zhuo Mu is wearing were made by you, right? You used the cloth you wove yourself?” Ji Sha asked a little eagerly. 

“Yes,” Wen Ze answered. 

Ji Sha then asked, “Could you help me weave some cloth as well? I have freshly hunted animal meat, pottery, stone tools, and some animal bones…” 

While speaking, he took the things out of his space like a magic trick and soon filled the area around his feet. 

Wen Ze was startled and quickly stopped him. “Don’t take it out, the ground is wet. It’ll get dirty.” 

Ji Sha then stopped and said, “Or if you need any other supplies, just tell me, and I’ll gather them for you!” 

The other beastmen were unwilling to be left behind, “We also have supplies! Especially animal meat. We will give you as much as you want! As long as you can help us weave cloth!” 

“Don’t you half-beastmen like pearls and gemstones? I’ll exchange these with you!” 

“Shut up, let me speak first.” 

“I need it more than you, don’t fight me for it!” 

These beastmen were very loud, and Wen Ze’s ears were almost hurting from the noise. 

He had just frowned when Zhuo Mu shot a cold, sharp look over, “Let Ji Sha speak alone, everyone else be quiet.” 

Although he was young, because he was a warrior of the tribe, the other beastmen respected him and immediately stopped talking. 

Wen Ze considered everyone’s requests and asked Ji Sha, “So, you also want the kind of clothes that Zhuo Mu is wearing?” 

Wen Ze just discovered that when Zhuo Mu went out hunting today, he was not wearing his usual fish skin skirt but the coat he made. 

In the daylight, he was simply a walking clothes rack, with the cloth thread faintly shining with silver. No beastman would be able to resist wanting it. 

Ji Sha nodded and spoke truthfully, “Yes. I touched it, the fabric is soft, smooth, breathable, and lightweight, much better than the animal hide skirts. But Zhuo Mu said that the fabric you weave is almost used up. If we can exchange for some, I want to take it back to Sang Hui and Bai Ling, so they can make their own clothes.” 

Wen Ze understood. It was a simple design, and there was no reason why a half-beastman, who was more skillful than him, couldn’t make it. 

Moreover, when encountering good things, the first thing Ji Sha thought of was his partner and son. Wen Ze silently praised him as a “good beastman” in his heart. 

Ji Sha continued, “They have to go out to gather, and if they have clothes to wear, they won’t be afraid of branches and leaves scraping against them, and it will also protect them from insect bites. Oh, and the color of these clothes, they would surely like it.” 

Perhaps thinking of the joy of his partner and son, a simple and yearning look appeared on Ji Sha’s face. 

Wen Ze looked at everyone and said, “I understand what you all mean, but it takes a lot of time to weave the cloth, and the cloth we have woven is not enough for us. I’m afraid I can’t exchange it with you. I’m sorry.” 

All of them suddenly looked disappointed but didn’t want to give up, so they negotiated with him. 

“Wen Ze, you don’t have to apologize. Such a good thing must be rare. We all understand.” 

“We’re not insisting on exchanging it right now, we can wait one or two months, or even three or four months, as long as you can help us weave it.” 

“Supplies are not really a problem, just tell us what you need.” 

“Please, Wen Ze, please think about it again.” 

Just as Wen Ze was about to say something, he heard some urgent footsteps behind him. 

“Brother! I’m back!” Yin He, who was leading the group, turned into his human form and ran toward his side. “These half-beastmen are looking for you!” 

The half-beastmen ran over as well, only arriving a little later than Yin He. 

Dozens of people gathered in the open space in front of Zhuo Mu’s cave in an instant, and it was a bit crowded. 

The two groups recognized each other; some were family members, while others were familiar friends. 

For example, Sang Hui, who came here with Bai Ling, was now standing with Ji Sha. 

After a short discussion, they figured out what was going on. 

“Are you here to exchange fabric? We are here for that as well!” 

“The clothes Zhuo Mu is wearing are so light and beautiful!” 

“The same goes for Yin He! Several kids even rushed to try it on and said it was very comfortable.” 

“Yes, I thought the clothes were so thin that they wouldn’t be strong, but it turns out that ordinary grass leaves and branches can’t even scratch the cloth!” 

“I have made grass skirts with flame hemp before, but it took so long and they were so rough to wear. The clothes Wen Ze made are nothing like that!” 

“The color is amazing! And it has a faint scent of plants, I really love it!” 

Everyone spoke one after another and eventually turned to Wen Ze, “Can’t you really help us weave some cloth?” 

“We can spin the thread ourselves; you just need to weave the fabric.” 

“We can provide the materials you and your brother need.” 

Wen Ze apologized and said, “It’s really not that I don’t want to help, it’s just that I don’t have that much time.” 

The atmosphere fell silent, and the expressions of the people dimmed. 

Several beastmen kept looking at Zhuo Mu, their eyes full of envy. 

Is it because he took Wen Ze and Yin He in that he can wear the clothes made by Wen Ze? 

Sigh, if only they were as capable as him. 

Just when everyone was disappointed, Wen Ze suddenly said, “But don’t worry, although I can’t weave cloth for you, I can teach you the method of weaving this kind of cloth.” 

Both beastmen and half-beastmen, even Zhuo Mu, immediately looked at Wen Ze. 

“What?!” 

“You’re willing to teach us the method?” 

“Beast God! How many supplies will that take?” 

Everyone understood how precious the method of weaving fabric was, and some beastmen who weren’t doing well began to hesitate. 

Wen Ze smiled and reassured them, “There are only two people in my family, so I won’t need too many supplies. We’ll discuss the exact exchange once I know how many people want to learn the method.” 

Everyone exchanged glances, some beginning to feel hopeful. 

Maybe if they worked all together, it could work. 

Not long after Wen Ze made his offer, tribe leader Yi Yan came in person. 

In the beast world, beastmen who are healthy can generally live to over 150 years old. Yi Yan is already 140 years old this year. He is an elderly leader with gray hair, a hunched back, and needs to use a walking stick to support him. 

Wu Ye, who had been to Zhuo Mu’s house before, was his son. Because his health was not as good as before, Wu Ye had taken over most of the tribe’s affairs. 

Aside from the two of them, the assistant tribe leader, Sang Hui, also showed up. He’s the leader of the half-beastmen in the tribe. 

Zhuo Mu had great respect for the old tribe leader. He cleaned the straw shelter himself and also poured him a bowl of water. 

Yi Yan raised his hand and motioned for everyone to sit down and talk. 

Although he was old, his eyes were sharp. He stared at Wen Ze and asked earnestly, “Are you really willing to teach the method of weaving fabric to the people of the tribe?” 

Wu Ye and Sang Hui sat on Yi Yan’s left and right, looking at him with a mix of surprise and suspicion. 

Compared to them, Zhuo Mu seemed to understand something and appeared much calmer. 

Yin He was still young, so Wen Ze didn’t let him participate in the conversation. 

Wen Ze nodded and said, “Yes. I’ve talked to Zhuo Mu, and relying only on me and Yin He to weave the fabric isn’t enough. So, I think it would be better to teach the method to the tribe and make it more useful.” 

Yi Yan and Sang Hui exchanged a look, their expressions growing more serious, and then Yi Yan asked Wen Ze, “What do you want the tribe to give in return?” 

Both of them were sharp and noticed that the fabric is a useful and high-quality material. If they can learn how to weave, it will surely help the South Mountain Tribe grow stronger. 

But they were not sure whether the tribe could afford to give Wen Ze what he wanted. 

Hopefully, it would be within a reasonable range. 

If it were too much… they would think of another way. 

Several people had already prepared for the worst, but unexpectedly, Wen Ze said calmly, “I want to pick a piece of solid land and take the red clay from the tribe to build a house.” 

The Southern Mountain Tribe had a few plots of clay soil, and among them, the pottery made from red clay was of the best quality. 

However, the supply of red clay was limited, so the tribe prohibited its private use and assigned beastmen to patrol the area. The only time they would collect clay was when they exchanged pottery with other tribes every year. 

Wen Ze needed red clay, and he couldn’t get it without involving the tribe. Even before thinking about weaving, he had been considering this issue. 

Yi Yan had seen “houses” in other tribes and knew they were buildings with walls and roofs placed on the ground. 

But he didn’t understand how red clay could be used to build houses—did it need to be fired like pottery first? That would be a lot of work. 

Besides, pottery was so fragile—can they even live in that house? 

He waited quietly for Wen Ze to continue, possibly asking for other supplies or for the tribe to contribute manpower and effort. 

But the straw shelter fell into silence. 

Yi Yan: “…”? 

Wen Ze showed a confused expression. 

Yi Yan asked in disbelief, “Is that it?” 

“Yes.” 

Even the elderly leader, who had witnessed many storms, was not calm at this moment. 

Is that all he wants? 

Wu Ye said in surprise, “The tribe has plenty of land. You can build a house anywhere you want without the tribe’s consent. As for the red clay, do you want to take it all?” 

If they were all taken away, that would indeed be a lot of supplies, and they would have to re-evaluate whether this weaving method was worth it. 

Wen Ze shook his head, “I don’t need that much, probably… half of what the tribe collects every year.” 

This number is not small, but compared with the weaving method, it’s definitely not a lot. 

The guests exchanged a few looks and came up with a plan. 

Yi Yan kindly looked at Wen Ze and said earnestly, “Child, I heard you wove three pieces of cloth in just a few days. If you exchange like this, you’ll actually be at a disadvantage. The tribe doesn’t take advantage of young people; you can ask for a bit more.” 

Wu Ye and Sang Hui also nodded kindly, their eyes filled with encouragement. 

Wen Ze had thought that just getting the red clay would be good enough, but unexpectedly, they were willing to give him more. 

---

Thank you so much for reading! 🌸 If you’d like to support my work, you can buy me a coffee on my Ko-Fi page. ☕💖 Your support means everything! 😊✨

https://ko-fi.com/xiaocaojade