Soon, Wu Ye’s deep and powerful voice echoed: “No luck! The forest is too hard to walk through. I even had to change into my beast form.” 

Right after, Ji Sha and Sang Hui called out from their side: “Still nothing! What about you, Wen Ze?” 

Wen Ze responded, “Nothing on my side either! These lotus leaves seem to have appeared out of nowhere!” 

The place where the lotuses grow must be incredibly hidden; even the beastmen couldn’t find it. 

But the harder it was to find, the more determined Wen Ze became. 

If no one had found it yet, there was a good chance the lotuses were thriving somewhere. 

Sang Hui’s voice rang out: “We can’t just keep looking like this! We need to come up with a better plan!” 

Wen Ze paused to think. 

Lotus flowers need sunlight to grow, so they can’t be overly shaded. 

What if he climbed up high to get a better view? 

Just as he made up his mind and prepared to climb a tree, a loud “crack” of snapping branches echoed through the woods! 

Right after that, a huge and fierce pure white python lifted its body high from the thick forest. 

In his beast form, his voice carried immense power. 

“Let me take a look.” 

The massive python’s head slowly turned, pausing briefly as he caught sight of Wen Ze.

His red eyes fixed on him. 

Wen Ze wasn’t scared of his beast form anymore and even smiled brightly. 

The pure white python blinked once, then slithered away, continuing his search. 

This time, there was finally some progress. 

“There’s something unusual over there,” he said, pointing his snake head in a direction. 

The others quickly gathered, and before long, they reached Zhuo Mu’s side. 

Zhuo Mu led the way at the front, Wu Ye covered the back, and Wen Ze and the others walked in the middle. 

About ten minutes later, though they were still surrounded by dense forest, Wen Ze caught a faint scent of lotus flowers in the air! 

His eyes lit up instantly, and he asked, “Do you smell that?” 

Everyone nodded. “Yes, we smell it too. It must be close.” 

With that, they all quickened their pace. 

The farther they went, the stronger the fragrance became. Finally, when Zhuo Mu knocked down several thick trees ahead, the scenery suddenly opened up. 

Before them, a small valley surrounded by towering mountains appeared! 

The blue sky was wide and high, with patches of white clouds hanging here and there. 

The setting sun cast its warm golden rays onto the shimmering surface of the lake, making it sparkle like pearls. 

Birds resembling white egrets glided leisurely across the water, leaving a trail of ripples. With a graceful flap of their wings, they soared gracefully into the sky. 

But the most breathtaking sight was the endless stretch of pink lotuses and emerald-green lily pads. They swayed with the breeze, creating waves that seemed alive with nature’s rhythm. 

It was stunningly beautiful. Wen Ze’s jaw dropped in amazement, rendered speechless by the scenery. 

It was Sang Hui’s surprised voice that pulled him back to reality. 

“Who would’ve thought so many lotuses would grow here? No one ever noticed this place before.” 

Wu Ye, now back in human form, added, “Yes, this place is so hidden. Without wings, we couldn’t have seen it from above.” 

The sweet fragrance of lotus flowers filled Wen Ze’s senses, and his heart pounded like a drum. 

An endless expanse of lotuses meant countless seed pods and lotus roots. 

He rushed excitedly toward the water’s edge. “I need to get down there and check how large these lotus roots are!” 

Zhuo Mu raised a hand to stop him. “There might be some wild animals. Let me go first.” 

Wen Ze obediently stopped. “Alright, be careful.” 

“Got it.” 

Zhuo Mu strode forward with his long legs, walking steadily along the serene, picturesque lakeside. 

Suddenly, Wen Ze noticed his gaze fix on something underwater. Zhuo Mu’s expression darkened. 

Before Wen Ze could ask, there was a loud splash, and a dark figure burst from beneath the water, its massive jaws snapping as it lunged toward Zhuo Mu with a ferocious roar. 

Wen Ze’s heart tightened in an instant, and he cried out, “Zhuo Mu!” 

In a flash, Zhuo Mu didn’t even change into his beast form. He grabbed the creature’s jaw with his bare hands, exerted force, and swung it out of the water, slamming it onto the shore! 

“Thud!” The massive creature, standing more than a meter tall and weighing several hundred pounds, was hit so hard that it was thrown back, knocked out, and couldn’t get up. 

It was only then that Wen Ze got a good look at it. The creature resembled a crocodile with its long body and short legs, but its head was much larger, like a hippopotamus. 

Its open mouth revealed sharp teeth, still bearing fish scales and traces of blood. 

“A black-armored beast?” Wu Ye commented. “I didn’t know we had these in our territory.” 

Looking at Zhuo Mu and the calm expressions of Wu Ye and Ji Sha, Wen Ze realized they had noticed the creature underwater all along. It made sense—Zhuo Mu’s strength alone was enough to handle a black-armored beast in human form, so that’s why the others hadn’t stepped in to help. 

Ji Sha added, “I haven’t seen many of these before. Judging by the size of this lake, there might be quite a few of them here. Should we kill them?” 

Zhuo Mu replied casually, “Wen Ze wants to go into the lake for the lotus roots. Let’s kill them.” 

Wu Ye was just waiting for him to say this: “Alright!” 

He changed into his beast form, let out a roar, and stomped forward. With a massive bear paw, he smashed down on the black-armored beast’s head. 

Already dazed and disoriented from Zhuo Mu’s throw, the black-armored beast didn’t even have time to cry out before its head was flattened under Wu Ye’s strike. 

Wen Ze: “…” Once again, this really made him rethink how strong beastmen were in battle. 

Next, Ji Sha and Zhuo Mu also changed into their beast forms. 

Two bears and a giant python leapt into the lake, startling the birds and fish. At the same time, they triggered the larger creatures underwater to become more aggressive. 

A group of black-armored beasts howled angrily and rushed toward them. 

They swam quickly, and regardless of their black, bulging bodies, red mouths, or cold fangs, they were incredibly frightening. 

Wen Ze imagined himself falling into the lake, surrounded by a swarm of these ferocious creatures, and immediately felt chills run down his spine. 

But in the face of Zhuo Mu and the others, these black-armored beasts were no match. 

Wu Ye and Ji Sha struck with their bear paws, tore with their bodies, and charged with their heads, ripping the black-armored beasts apart. Pieces of flesh fell like rain, making loud, cracking noises as they dropped. 

The cloudy lake water turned a large area red. 

Zhuo Mu, larger than either of the bears, moved much faster in the water than on land. 

Although he didn’t have sharp claws, his whole body could adjust the angle of his attacks. One swipe of his tail could kill more than a dozen black-armored beasts. 

At first, Sang Hui tried to comfort Wen Ze. “Don’t worry, they’re experienced hunters. These black-armored beasts are no match for them.” 

Later, Wen Ze got so caught up in the action that he began shouting directions. “The skins seem to be in good condition; you could keep them for clothes and shoes. You should leave their bodies whole.” 

“And fight in the middle of the lake! Don’t trample the lotus roots near the shore!” 

Upon hearing this, the three beastmen lightened their approach and quickly moved the fight elsewhere. 

The hunt didn’t last too long. Once the fiercest and strongest of the black-armored beasts were killed, the smaller ones panicked and fled into the dense forest on the other side of the lake. 

Working together, the three beastmen dragged the more intact, large black-armored beasts from the lake to the shore. 

Wen Ze counted—there were 47 whole bodies, with countless scattered pieces everywhere. 

Having witnessed such an overwhelming victory, Wen Ze’s blood was still boiling with excitement. “Can black-armored beasts be eaten?” 

Sang Hui replied, “Yes, they’re not poisonous, but the meat’s tough and doesn’t taste great.” 

“That’s fine!” Wen Ze declared. “We can turn it into cured meat and store it for winter when food supplies are low.” 

Wu Ye shook the water off his body, and with a rustling sound, water droplets flew from his long fur, soaking the ground around him. 

He changed back into his human form, water still dripping from his short hair, and nodded in agreement. “Yes, being able to eat is definitely better than not being able to.” 

Ji Sha added, “This place is so hidden. Who knows how long these black-armored beasts have been living and breeding here. There are so many of them. It’s been a long time since we had such an easy and satisfying hunt.” 

Sang Hui pulled out a piece of hemp cloth and stepped forward, wiping Ji Sha’s warm face with it as he chuckled slightly. “I can tell you like this place. After you take care of these black-armored beasts, Wen Ze and I need to go check things out down there.” 

Ji Sha, whose build was significantly larger than his, obediently lowered his head, letting him wipe his face, and agreed, “Okay.” 

The intimate and harmonious interaction between the two made Wen Ze smile. 

Looking up, Wen Ze met Zhuo Mu’s gaze—he had no idea how long Zhuo Mu had been watching him. 

Fresh from the hunt, Zhuo Mu’s usually pale face now carried a faint blush. His thin lips had turned a deep red, making his already striking and sharp features even more captivating. 

Wen Ze’s heart skipped a beat, and suddenly he felt a sense of helplessness, unsure where it came from. 

“Then I…” 

“I and…” 

They both spoke at the same time. 

Wen Ze closed his mouth and gestured for Zhuo Mu to go first. 

Zhuo Mu said, “The black-armored beast might come back. I’ll stay with you.” 

Wen Ze nodded. “Okay.” 

He put his shirt, pants, and shoes into his space and wore only his shorts before heading into the water. 

The sun had been shining on the lake for some time, so the water was not cold. 

The water near the shore reached his waist. He held his breath, bent down, and began feeling through the mud. 

As he moved his hand through the water, he touched something hard and cool. 

The sunlight filtered through the water, flickering slightly, and made its surface look pale gray. 

It was a lotus root! 

Wen Ze quickly moved his hand around the lotus root. It was as thick as his thigh! 

Feeling excited, he used both hands to clear away the surrounding mud, grabbing the root tightly with his fingers. Gritting his teeth, he used all his strength. 

“Ha!” 

Splash! The entire lotus root was pulled out of the water by Wen Ze! 

It was even longer than his legs, and he had to spread his arms wide just to hold it steady. 

“Zhuo Mu, Uncle Sang Hui, look! It’s a huge lotus root!” 

The other two were also busy and had pulled up their own lotus roots, which were equally impressive. 

“Got it.” 

“I found one too! But mine’s broken. When I touched it, it seemed to have a lot of starch inside.” 

Wen Ze nodded repeatedly. “That’s right!” 

Sang Hui’s eyes brightened. “Just in time. We don’t have much starch at home.” 

Wen Ze replied, “Same here. I haven’t had time to make any. Quick, let’s continue. There’s so much more under the water!” 

Sang Hui said, “We’ve harvested some starch, so this trip wasn’t a waste. It’s just a shame the lotus root doesn’t taste good. Otherwise, it could have been used in cooking.” 

Wen Ze responded, “The lotus root tastes pretty good when it’s cooked properly! If you don’t believe me, wait until I get back and make it for everyone.” 

This time, not just Sang Hui but Zhuo Mu and the others also looked excited. 

Wu Ye didn’t hesitate and was about to come down to help, but Sang Hui stopped him. 

“There’s so much lotus root. Just the few of us won’t finish digging before dark. Go up high and call for the tribe members nearby to help.” 

Wu Ye thought it made sense and said, “Okay.” 

He had turned into his beast form, climbed to the top of the mountain, and howled to call the other tribe members. The response was a distant, melodic whistle. 

In the tribe, the beastmen communicated over long distances with howls. 

Those who used whistles were the half-beastmen, whose voices weren’t as loud. 

Having lived together for so many years, the half-beastmen could understand the howls, and the beastmen could also understand the different meanings of the whistles. 

So, Wu Ye used his howl to communicate the location to the half-beastmen, then returned to the lake to help. 

Before long, the half-beastmen made their way through the path they had cleared and entered the valley. 

To everyone’s surprise, the first group he brought back was a bunch of half-beastmen, covered in dirt and looking messy. 

Upon seeing the piles of black-armored beast bodies and the endless lotus flowers and leaves, the half-beastmen were all stunned. 

“Beast God… what happened here?” 

Wu Ye, who was closest to them, frowned and asked, “Let’s not talk about us for now. Why do you all look so dirty and panicked? Did you run into a herd and get attacked?” 

The noise naturally caught the attention of Sang Hui and the others. 

Sang Hui thought for a moment and asked, “Right, people in the tribe rarely gather around here together. How did you all end up here? No one got hurt, right?” 

Among the half-beastmen, there was someone Wen Ze knew well—Li Shui. 

In Wen Ze’s memory, Li Shui was gentle, skilled with his hands, and kind-hearted. Although he only wore a few simple clothes, every time Wen Ze saw him, he always looked neat and tidy, with his hair meticulously combed and even wearing accessories. 

But now, his clothes were torn, his hair was a mess, and it was covered with grass and leaves from who knows where. 

Li Shui lowered his eyes and sighed. “No one’s hurt, but all the things we gathered with so much effort are gone.” 

“We were just gathering along a familiar route, but we ran into a group of long-haired tusked beasts with their cubs.” 

Wen Ze tried to recall what he knew about these beasts. The long-haired tusked beast looked like an elephant but was covered in gray fur, with sharp tusks that curved upward on either side of its mouth. 

An adult long-haired tusked beast stood about seven or eight meters tall, with an enormous frame. When it ran on its four hooves, it could shake the ground. 

They were incredibly strong, used their tusks as weapons, and had a bad temper. 

Only the strongest of the beastmen in the South Mountain Tribe dared to hunt them. 

Wu Ye was surprised. “It was a long-haired, tusked beast! They’re already short-tempered, but when they have cubs, they turn into wild animals, attacking anything they see!” 

Li Shui still had lingering fear. “Yes, so when we spotted them from far away, we decided to avoid them. But they chased us like mad. No matter what we threw at them—stones, spears—they didn’t care.” 

Wen Ze paused in his digging, a look of fear on his face as he asked, “You didn’t climb trees?” 

Li Shui shook his head. “We tried, but the tree we climbed was too small to hold us. The beast just slammed its head against the trunk and snapped it in half. Luckily, we were fast, or we would have been trampled.” 

Wen Ze’s face paled as he imagined the scene. “That’s so dangerous. I’m glad you’re all alright…” 

Li Shui nodded. “Yes, we didn’t have much space, so we were all carrying important things, and to run faster, we had no choice but to throw them away.” 

“And we ran in all directions, not paying attention to where we were going. When we finally shook them off, I realized I had ended up near Hot Spring Mountain. It took some time before I could gather everyone.” 

“After that, we heard Wu Ye’s roar.” 

Hearing this, the other half-beastmen began to speak with red eyes, recounting their struggles: 

“The routes we usually take never had this kind of dangerous beast before. We could usually scare off ordinary wild animals when we all gathered together, but this time we ran into the long-haired, tusked beasts.” 

“I picked a bunch of delicious berries, but they were all destroyed by them! I was so mad!” 

“I can’t believe I lost that basket. It was made by my father yesterday, and I really liked it!” 

“That’s nothing! Look at my clothes; they all got torn while we were running! It breaks my heart.” 

“There’s barely any meat left at home, and I can’t bring back any food. What should I do? My little ones will be hungry.” 

Everyone was complaining, both angry and sad, and the gloomy atmosphere spread along the water’s edge. 

Wen Ze observed this and felt deeply distressed. 

Food was everything to them, and even the baskets and clothes took so much hard work to make. 

Now that it was all gone, it was no surprise they were upset. 

Wu Ye, understanding their feelings, angrily said, “Those long-haired, tusked beasts have gone too far!” 

He turned to Zhuo Mu, who had been silent, and asked, “Should we send out a group of beastmen to drive these wild beasts away?” 

Zhuo Mu replied coldly, “Just driving them away won’t work. They might come back to the gathering routes again. They were lucky this time—everyone was far enough and fast enough—but what if next time they can’t escape?” 

He paused. “So, starting tomorrow, I’ll take the beastmen on a hunt and make sure they never dare to come near the half-beastmen again.” 

If anyone else had said this, people might have thought it was just talk, but since Zhuo Mu said it, everyone believed he would make it happen. 

This time, not just the team of half-beastmen but Wen Ze and Sang Hui also felt reassured. 

Wen Ze smiled and said, “That’s great! When we’re gathering, we won’t have to worry so much.” 

Sang Hui also seriously discussed with Wu Ye, “From now on, let’s have the beastmen patrol the half-beastmen’s gathering routes from time to time. If they encounter any dangerous beasts, they should deal with them.” 

Wu Ye nodded in agreement. “Sounds good.” 

Li Shui and the others also breathed a sigh of relief, and smiles finally appeared on their faces. 

“That reminds me—why did you ask us to come over? What do you need help with?” he asked. 

Wen Ze quickly responded, “To dig up some lotus roots! They’re right here!” 

He pulled a root from the water and showed it to everyone. “This lake was never discovered before, but it’s full of lotus roots. We can’t possibly dig them all by ourselves.” 

Wu Ye added, “And these black-armored beasts—we caught them from the lake.” 

Sang Hui explained, “Lotus roots have a lot of starch. Wen Ze said they taste great when cooked.” 

Wen Ze nodded eagerly and called out to everyone, “Come on, let’s all dig together! We’ll divide it up once we get back to the tribe!” 

Li Shui and the others couldn’t help but feel excited. 

So, they could get some of the lotus roots from the lake too? 

After all, they had just been forced to abandon most of their supplies and were worried about how to explain it to their families. 

Most of the half-beastmen present had never eaten lotus roots before, but they understood they were food. 

And as long as it was food, they liked it! 

The half-beastmen’s eyes lit up, and they eagerly said, “Great! Let’s do it!” 

Without hesitation, they jumped into the water. 

The lakeshore was long, and all the dangerous beasts had been dealt with by Zhuo Mu and the others. The half-beastmen didn’t gather in one spot; instead, they spread out, each maintaining a distance from one another, and started searching for lotus roots. 

Li Shui was the first to find one. After scraping through the mud for a while, he finally pulled up a whole root. 

The lotus root was long, almost as tall as he was, and the thickest part was as wide as his waist. 

Li Shui’s eyes went wide, and he exclaimed, “This is huge! One root could feed my whole family for a meal!” 

Wen Ze laughed loudly. “Your reaction is just like mine when I found it!” 

Li Shui said excitedly, “The best part is, I can just casually feel around with my foot and find several roots! If we dig them all up, how many will there be?” 

This lake was full of endless food! 

Wen Ze encouraged, “Everyone, put in some effort, and let’s try to finish digging before it gets dark!” 

When it came to food, how could they not be excited? Everyone eagerly agreed. 

The group worked energetically in the lake. 

Especially the half-beastmen—they’d never felt this happy before. 

Even though the mud made their bodies and faces dirty, their hearts were full of warmth. 

Before, when they went gathering, they had to walk long distances, picking a little here and there. If they were lucky, they could gather enough for a meal in half a day. 

Now, they hardly needed to do anything—just bend down and poke around, and they could find a large root! 

It was so easy, so relaxing, so satisfying! 

Ji Sha, as a beastman, was mainly responsible for keeping watch, so he didn’t dig up lotus roots as quickly as the half-beastmen. 

He walked deeper into the lake, and when he couldn’t reach the bottom in his human form, he switched to his beast form. 

He felt something hard beneath his feet, bent down, and used his thick bear paw to pull it up. 

When he looked at it in the sunlight, he realized it was a giant river clam. 

“Sang Hui, look at this clam. It’s huge,” he called to his partner. 

Sang Hui turned around and saw that the clam almost covered Ji Sha’s entire bear paw, his eyes lighting up. 

“It’s really big! We can scoop up a few and make shell knives when we get back!” 

Shell knives were sharp but fragile and needed to be replaced often. 

Ji Sha listened to Sang Hui and bent down to scoop up several large river clams, holding them all in his arms and bringing them to the shore. 

Others noticed the commotion and said, “As expected, in a lake where no one has been before, the clams grow much bigger than elsewhere. After I finish digging for lotus roots, I’ll grab a few clams too and make knives when we get back.” 

Wen Ze straightened up, intending to wipe the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, only to smear mud all over his face instead. 

The cool sensation on his forehead made him pause for a moment. 

A deep, magnetic chuckle came from not far away. 

Glancing over, he saw Zhuo Mu standing in the water, his muscular, well-defined upper body exposed, while the water concealed everything below his waist. 

Zhuo Mu’s red eyes reflected the water, and the slight curve of his lips made Wen Ze blush. 

Wen Ze quickly turned his gaze away and hurriedly splashed water on his face to wipe off the mud. 

Trying to cover it up, he asked the other half-beastmen, “What do you do with the clam meat?” 

Someone answered, “We throw it away.” 

Wen Ze was stunned. “Huh? You’re not going to eat it?” 

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