Wen Ze paused for a moment, then quickly realized and asked excitedly, “Did the sulfur soap work?” 

Bai Xia nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, yes, exactly!” 

He even lowered his head to show Wen Ze his hair. “I washed my hair with the sulfur soap Zhuo Mu sent me a few times today, and the itching is almost gone! I can feel the soap killing the lice and their eggs. After a few more washes, it should be completely gone!” 

Wen Ze looked over. His gray, medium-length hair looked a bit rough after washing it with sulfur soap, and it lost some shine, but the scalp appeared normal, and there was no sign of skin burns. 

The lice he had looked like black spots, and it took a bit of searching to find one. It was clear that there had been a major improvement. 

Wen Ze smiled, feeling relieved. “That’s good. You’re not losing hair or anything, right?” 

Bai Xia shook his head. “No, my hair’s fine. Zhuo Mu also told me not to use sulfur soap too often.” 

Wen Ze nodded. “That’s right.” 

Bai Xia sincerely thanked Wen Ze. “If it weren’t for you, the lice on my head would have kept growing, and I would’ve had no choice but to cut off the hair I’ve been growing for years. It’s a bit dry now, but once I stop using the sulfur soap and take care of it, it should get better. Tonight, I can finally get a good night’s sleep. Wen Ze, really, thank you so much.” 

Wen Ze smiled, his eyes curving gently. “No need to thank me, I’m just happy I could help.” 

His attitude deeply moved Bai Xia, who then asked seriously, “What supplies do I need to give you as payment?” 

Wen Ze was taken aback for a moment. “Huh? Pay me?” 

Bai Xia nodded. “Yes, Zhuo Mu said so.” 

Wen Ze quickly waved his hand, not wanting to take credit. “The materials for the sulfur soap were all provided by Zhuo Mu. So I couldn’t possibly take your things. You should give it to him instead.” 

Bai Xia hesitated. “But…” 

“What are you two doing?” A deep, magnetic voice came from ahead. 

Wen Ze turned to look. Zhuo Mu, dressed in silver hemp clothes and gray pants, stood a few steps away. His narrow, reddish eyes briefly swept over their hands, which were still clasped together. 

Bai Xia’s grip suddenly loosened, and Wen Ze pulled his hand back. 

“You’re back? Is everything settled?” 

Zhuo Mu gave a soft “Mm” and walked over to stand next to him. They stood side by side, with Zhuo Mu’s tall, broad figure almost a head taller than Wen Ze. 

Bai Xia met Zhuo Mu’s gaze and explained his intentions. 

“…So that’s it. You told me to give the supplies to him, and he told me to give them to you. So, who should I actually give them to?” 

Zhuo Mu and Wen Ze said at the same time, “Give it to him.” 

Wen Ze: “…” 

Zhuo Mu calmly said to Bai Xia, “The materials aren’t worth much; what’s important is the method for making sulfur soap. Just give the supplies to him.” 

Then he turned to Wen Ze and said, “You’re planning to build a house, so you need the supplies more than I do. Take them.” 

Wen Ze still felt a bit uneasy and asked, “How about we just split it?” 

Zhuo Mu shook his head. “You’ve been the one cooking all this time, so you’ve already paid me with your labor.” 

“Isn’t that because you took us in…?” 

Bai Xia grew a little anxious and slapped his thigh. “Oh, come on, you two, stop being so polite. Zhuo Mu, tell me what supplies he needs, and I’ll check if I have any.” 

Wen Ze opened his mouth, then closed it again. 

Zhuo Mu thought for a moment and said, “Go chop some tamaris tree branches and gather some stones that are good for making tools.” 

Bai Xia looked at Wen Ze and asked, “What kind of tool do you need? Can you describe it to me?” 

Seeing the situation, Wen Ze no longer refused and explained what kind of stones he needed. 

“Alright, I got it. I’ll go cut some trees first thing tomorrow morning.” 

Wen Ze said, “You don’t have to rush.” 

After seeing Bai Xia off, he couldn’t help but feel a bit moved. The tamaris trees in the Beast world mostly grew on steep slopes, and it was really tough to gather them by climbing up and down on foot. 

He hadn’t expected that a single sulfur soap would save him so much trouble. 

He looked at Zhuo Mu with gratitude, keeping this favor in mind. 

The next day, Bai Xia kept his word and brought three large bundles of tamaris branches, along with some stones that fit Wen Ze’s needs. 

“Take a look. If it’s not enough, I can go cut more,” Bai Xia said. 

Wen Ze was stunned. “This is more than enough! One sulfur soap in exchange for all of this is too much. You should take some back.” 

Bai Xia refused. “I don’t have any use for it if I take it back. Just accept it.” 

Wen Ze still refused. “No, if I accept this, it’ll make future exchanges with others much more difficult.” 

Bai Xia thought for a moment and nodded. “Alright, I’ll bring back a bundle then.” 

Wen Ze: “Okay.” 

Bai Xia then shared how things went today, and it really was better than yesterday. 

Wen Ze noticed that his eye bags and dark circles were gone, and he looked like his usual energetic, handsome self again. He felt really happy for him. 

The next day, he went with Zhuo Mu to retrieve the animal hide bags they’d used to collect the resin. 

Now, with the resin, tamaris branches, stones, and wood all ready, they could finally start making the tools! 

Under Zhuo Mu’s guidance, he melted the resin and added the leaf juice of tamaris. He then stirred it with all his strength. 

Before he even applied it to the stones, he could already tell how sticky the resin had gotten. 

“You have to do it while it’s still hot,” Zhuo Mu said. “Once it cools and dried, it won’t melt again.” 

Wen Ze nodded, “Okay!” 

Following the plan in his mind, he focused and quickly stick each stone onto the wooden stick. 

The length and shape of the stick could be adjusted later, and the rope would only be tied once the resin was fully dry. 

Before long, he had crafted tools like a stone axe, stone shovel, and stone hammer. 

Once the tools were done, Wen Ze let out a deep breath, wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, and looked down at the circle of tools around his feet, feeling a great sense of accomplishment. 

“Alright, these tools will be enough for me for a while,” Wen Ze said happily. 

A faint smile also appeared in Zhuo Mu’s eyes. It was late afternoon, and the sky was filled with vibrant colors of the setting sun, which complemented his red eyes beautifully. 

“Yes, let me tidy up here.” 

Wen Ze quickly replied, “I’ll handle it.” 

Neither of them managed to finish what they were doing because some people showed up outside the cave. 

The Beastman at the front leading them was Li Shui. He had shortened the hemp robe he made himself and paired it with matching long pants. He looked refined and handsome. 

When he met Wen Ze’s gaze, his steps quickened, as if he were afraid of missing something. 

Wen Ze stood up and asked them in confusion, “What’s going on?” 

Li Shui spoke up, “Wen Ze, I heard you made sulfur soap that can kill lice? Do you think it can kill fleas too?” 

Before Wen Ze could respond, one of the beastman behind him eagerly added, “It should work, right? Aren’t they both just annoying little pests?” 

“Yes, it can be used with fleas as well,” Wen Ze replied. 

Li Shui breathed a sigh of relief, “That’s great! My kid is always rolling around in the mud. He’s always dirty, and he keeps on getting fleas. I’ve had to shave its fur countless times. I was hoping to trade for a bar of that sulfur soap so I can give it a bath.” 

Wen Ze knew that Li Shui already had a beastman partner, and their kid was about five years old—an age when they’re full of energy and hard to manage. Plus, they still couldn’t change into their human form yet. 

The image of a little bald bear rolling around in a mud pit made Wen Ze smile a little. 

“Sure, I’ve still got some sulfur soap left from the other day.” 

“Great! I brought some animal hide, meat, and bird eggs. What do you need? Or feel free to ask for anything else.” 

Wen Ze replied, “As for supplies, no rush. There’s a lot of sulfur in this batch of soap. If you’re using it for your kid, you’ll need to add more water. Or, you could wait a couple of days, and I’ll go gather some sulfur ore to make a fresh batch.” 

Li Shui nodded. “Then I’ll just exchange one for now, and when you’ve made the batch for the little ones, I’ll come back for that.” 

Wen Ze nodded. “Alright.” He then looked at the other beastmen, who were eagerly waiting. “What about the others? Do you want to exchange as well?” 

“Yes, yes! Same here! I’ve got lice too, and it’s driving me crazy with the itch.” 

“I’ll also exchange and give it to the young ones at home.” 

“I haven’t gotten any bugs, but I heard that your sulfur soap is really good at cleaning, so I wanted to try it.” 

Wen Ze took out the remaining sulfur soap, handed it out to everyone, and gave instructions on how to use it properly. 

Then they settled on the payment—since the materials needed for building the houses weren’t ready yet, most of what he exchanged for were honey blocks and other food items that were easy to store. 

Everyone agreed without hesitation, thanked Wen Ze again, and left satisfied with the sulfur soap. 

Not long after, another group showed up. They also wanted to get some sulfur soap from Wen Ze. 

When they heard that there was nothing left, they pounded their chests in regret. 

“Ugh, we missed it!” 

“Sigh, if I’d known earlier, I would’ve come before dinner. Who are those that move so quickly?” 

“Wen Ze, when are you making another batch of sulfur soap? My little one keeps complaining about itching all day.” 

From the looks of it, news about the sulfur soap must’ve spread throughout the tribe. 

Everyone who came, whether beastmen or half-beastmen, had strong young members at home and lived comfortably enough to trade for sulfur soap. 

Those with fewer supplies chose to shave instead. 

He had a plan in mind, raised his hand, and gestured for everyone to calm down. 

“I’ll be going to clear some land tomorrow morning, so let’s wait until the afternoon. I’ll go collect sulfur ore then. Don’t worry, everyone will get some. Oh, that reminds me, if it’s just for cleaning, regular soap will do, no need to add sulfur. I can make it tonight.” 

“Great! we’ll wait for you!” 

“I want the normal one!” 

“Clearing land? Have you decided where to build the house?” 

Wen Ze smiled and nodded: “Yes, I’ve already picked the place.” 

In the past few days, he took some time to bring Yin He and almost walked through the entire tribe. 

He had never built a house himself, but having lived in the countryside, he has some idea of choosing a location. 

Terrain, topography, soil quality, water sources, direction… there are quite a few things to consider. 

For example, being too close to a hillside could be risky because of landslides. 

Another, if the soil is too loose, the house could easily collapse. 

Since there’s no running water in this world, being too far from a water source would make getting water a hassle. 

After a few days of looking around, he finally settled on the place he liked the most. 

Everyone forgot about the soap after hearing what he said and eagerly asked, “So, where did you decide to build it?” 

Excited about the new house, Wen Ze smiled and said— 

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