A half-beastman seemed to be reminded of some painful memory. “How do you even eat this? It’s tough, which isn’t a big deal because we can chew it fine, but the smell—it’s just too fishy!” 

Someone else added, “Yes, the smell is bad. Just smelling it makes me want to vomit.” 

Sang Hui stared at Wen Ze, asking eagerly, “Do you know how to make the river clam meat taste good?” 

Wen Ze answered honestly, “I haven’t really eaten it much… but I know that if it’s prepared properly, it should be really delicious.” 

Back in modern times, his family lived in the city, so river and seafood were rare on their table. 

When he started school and lived on campus, the canteen didn’t serve clams since they were too troublesome to prepare. 

He had only eaten them a few times at restaurants, stir-fried with ginger, garlic, and chili peppers, seasoned simply. Not only did it lose the fishy smell, but it tasted fresh, with a crispy and bouncy texture that left you wanting more. 

Sang Hui asked him for advice, “So how should it be prepared?” 

… He didn’t have any ginger, garlic, chili, or cooking wine to get rid of the fishy smell. 

Wen Ze could only say, “I’ll have to figure it out first.” 

Sang Hui wasn’t disappointed, and with a smile, said, “Alright, when you figure it out, I’ll go collect some river clams and bring them back to eat.” 

There were so many lotus roots in the lake, along with the black-armored beast. They had to climb to the top of the mountain again and call for more people. 

The newly called beastmen were instructed to first bring the black-armored beasts back to the tribe. 

From the afternoon until the sun set, everyone worked tirelessly, digging up the larger and thicker lotus roots. 

At first, Wen Ze had planned to gather some clams, but his basket wasn’t big enough, and since he wouldn’t have time to process them today, he decided to wait until next time. 

Earlier, when the water wasn’t too cold, Wen Ze had taken a few breaks onshore. But now, the freezing lake water made him shiver uncontrollably. He quickly climbed onto the shore, wiped his body dry as fast as he could, hurriedly put on his clothes, and wrapped himself in a layer of animal hide to warm up. 

Looking down at his fingers and toes, they were wrinkled and pale from the soaking. 

But compared to the huge harvest today, this didn’t matter! 

Since Wen Ze had been the first to suggest gathering lotus roots, everyone now looked to him for the next steps. 

He thought for a moment and said, “We’ve already dug up enough this time. Let’s leave the rest in the lake to grow and harvest them again when they’re bigger.” 

“We’ll bring all the lotus roots we’ve gathered back to the tribe and distribute them there.” 

No one had any objections to this. 

The people who arrived later brought a lot of baskets. 

The beastmen changed into their beast forms, while the half-beastmen placed the lotus roots into the baskets. They tied a thick hemp rope to each basket, with one basket at each end, and hung it on the beastmen’s backs. 

For bear beastmen like Wu Ye and Ji Sha, the rope was placed over their shoulders. However, since their shoulders had limited space, they couldn’t carry many baskets. 

Zhuo Mu didn’t have this problem. His entire snake body was the perfect place to carry the baskets. 

However, after placing the baskets, he couldn’t move too quickly, or they might fall off. 

Wen Ze volunteered to keep an eye on the baskets. 

Zhuo Mu moved slowly, and Wen Ze stood on his back, adjusting the baskets that weren’t stable enough. 

With his feet on the giant snake, he could clearly sense that it wasn’t solid ground. 

But it wasn’t just a soft mass of flesh either. It was tough, strong, and slightly slippery, with tiny pits left by the tightly arranged scales that would quickly bounce back as he walked. 

The sensation was quite fascinating. 

The lotus roots that the beastmen couldn’t carry were distributed among the half-beastmen, who then carried them toward the tribe. 

By the time everyone returned to the tribe, the moon had quietly risen on the horizon. 

On the altar square of the South Mountain tribe, Tribe Leader Yi Yan had been waiting for a long time. 

Yin He stood beside Yi Yan while holding a torch, but when he saw Wen Ze land, he eagerly ran over to him. 

“Brother! You really had a great harvest today!” 

Not only were there dozens of black-armored beasts, but the altar square was also filled with large baskets, full of lotus roots that were about to overflow. 

Wen Ze reached out and ruffled Yin He’s hair with a smile. “That’s right.” 

Someone excitedly recounted their day of digging lotus roots to Yi Yan and the others. Their joy and excitement were evident in their tone. 

Yi Yan nodded repeatedly as he listened. The look in his eyes when he glanced at Wen Ze was full of satisfaction. 

Meat and lotus roots were solid food! Who would complain about having too much food? 

“Wen Ze, thank you for bringing so much food back to the tribe. This will last us for many days,” Yi Yan said seriously. “You are truly blessed by the Beast God.” 

Wen Ze humbly shook his head. “The lotus roots were what I was looking for. Without Zhuo Mu and the others killing these fierce black-armored beasts, and without everyone’s effort, we wouldn’t have been able to bring back so many lotus roots.” 

His humble attitude made Yi Yan even more pleased. 

The elderly beastman stood before the altar, hands clasped together, eyes closed, and sincerely said, “Thank you for the Beast God’s gift.” 

Others, like him, spoke with the same sincere prayer, “Thank you for the Beast God’s gift.” 

Wen Ze watched this scene and couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe. 

Imitating the others, he also prayed to the altar. 

Wen Ze didn’t oversee the distribution, but fortunately, Zhuo Mu, Sang Hui, and the others were experienced. With their help, the black-armored beasts and lotus roots were quickly divided. 

One-third of the food was handed over to the tribe, and the rest was shared among them. 

As for the river clams everyone brought back, there weren’t many, so it was fine to just keep them for themselves. 

The black-armored beasts had been hunted by Zhuo Mu, Wu Ye, and Ji Sha together, and in the end, Zhuo Mu received eight of them. 

Wen Ze put in the most effort for the lotus roots, so he received the most—he and Zhuo Mu shared ten large baskets. 

Everyone else at least got one basket of lotus roots, and they were all really happy about it. 

Bai Ling, like Yin He, had been waiting at the altar square for a long time. 

When Bai Ling picked up the lotus roots meant for his family, he shook the basket and happily said, “Wow! It’s so heavy!” 

He glanced over at Wen Ze, who, together with Yin He, was busily moving baskets of lotus roots onto Zhuo Mu, who had changed into his beast form. 

“Wen Ze, are you making the starch today?” Bai Ling called out. 

Wen Ze replied, “It’s too late today, we’re planning to make it tomorrow.” 

Bai Ling said, “Alright, see you tomorrow at the big stone mill!” 

Wen Ze nodded, “That reminds me, if you want to know how to cook lotus roots, you can come by my place.” 

As soon as he said that, everyone around responded eagerly. 

“I want to learn as well!” 

“Right now?” 

“Wen Ze, I also want to learn how to make the starch!” 

When Wu Ye saw the scene, he excitedly suggested, “How about we have a feast? Everyone’s been working hard all day, let’s have some fun!” 

There weren’t many entertainment options in the tribe, so when the idea of a feast was mentioned, the voices of approval almost overwhelmed Wen Ze. 

“Yes, yes! We can do it at the plot of land where Wen Ze’s planning to build his new house. It’s big enough!” 

“It’s not far from the river, and collecting firewood is easy. I think it’s perfect!” 

“Wait for me, I’ll drop off my things at home and bring over the pots and food!” 

“I’m covered in mud, but I’ll wash up and be right there!” 

The adults were all excitedly discussing it, while the young ones were overjoyed, shouting and running around. 

Wen Ze had no objections to the location of the feast. 

After agreeing with everyone, he, Yin He, and Zhuo Mu headed back to the cave first. 

Wen Ze rolled up his sleeves and started unloading the things. After a deep sigh of relief, he went to find the two cows. 

Since they were given extra feed during milking times in the morning and evening, the cows had gotten used to grazing in the nearby mountains during the day and returning to the cave at night to sleep. 

The patch of ground where they often lay was now completely flattened, with the plants trampled down. 

At the moment, the two brown cows, one large and one small, had their bellies full and were snuggled together, eyes closed and chewing in a leisurely manner. 

Yin He said, “Brother, I’ve already milked them tonight. With the milk from the morning and leftovers from yesterday, there’s plenty of milk left.” 

Wen Ze didn’t hesitate. “Let’s take it to the feast then. It’s hot, and it’ll spoil if left too long.” 

Yin He nodded, “Got it.” 

Wen Ze looked at himself and couldn’t stand it anymore. “I’m too dirty, I need to wash up first.” 

Zhuo Mu had already returned to his human form and was equally dirty. 

“I’ll go with you to the river.” 

The two of them left together but didn’t wash at the same spot. 

Wen Ze washed upstream, and Zhuo Mu washed downstream. Wen Ze didn’t need to change into beast form, so he finished a bit faster than Zhuo Mu. 

After finishing, he changed into clean clothes, feeling refreshed. 

As he passed by the downstream, he called out to the pure white giant snake in the river, “Yin He and I will go to the open area to prepare. You can take your time washing and join us when you’re done—no need to rush.” 

The giant snake answered from the river, “Got it.” 

Wen Ze and Yin He brought a basket of lotus roots, a fluffy beast, two black-armored beasts, as well as salt, scallions, and other ingredients. They also brought the stone pot from home and some milk. 

Yin He carried the heavy items in his beast form, but he couldn’t bring everything in one trip. 

Luckily, Zhuo Mu returned just in time to take care of the rest. 

At the open area, many people had already arrived, each bringing their own cooking tools and ingredients. 

They were all familiar with the process of the feast, so without any instructions, they naturally began drawing water, gathering firewood, and starting the fire. 

Bai Ling naturally moved over to Wen Ze’s side. “We’ll help you out.” 

Wen Ze smiled, showing his little canine teeth. “Sure. Let me first explain how to tell the different kinds of lotus roots.” 

The group moved the large basket of lotus roots to the riverbank. 

Wen Ze cleaned one and pulled out the black-silver knife from his space. With a “crack,” he sliced through a lotus root as thick as his leg. 

Bai Ling exclaimed, “Is that… a metal knife? Wen Ze, you have a knife now!” 

Li Shui looked at it enviously. “It seems even longer than the one we have in our tribe.” 

Wen Ze nodded. “It was a gift from the Rainbow Sun Tribe.” 

Both beastmen and half-beastmen hoped to own a metal knife of their own, but the supplies needed to exchange for one were simply too much for them to afford. 

At this moment, everyone looked at the knife with great interest. 

“It looks good. A metal knife is definitely sharp.” 

“Wen Ze, now you can cut things easily.” 

Wen Ze smiled and nodded. “Yes, I really like it too.” 

Metal knives wear down easily, so he didn’t show off by saying that everyone could use them freely. 

He simply said, “If you want to see it, I can lend it to you later. If anyone needs it urgently, you can borrow it from me.” 

Everyone understood the value of such a beautiful metal knife, so they agreed that they would only look at it and not borrow it. 

Considering it was getting late, Wen Ze brought the topic back to the lotus roots. “Look at this lotus root I just cut; it’s crisp with less powder. This is the crispy kind, suitable for stir-frying or making salads.” 

Everyone listened attentively, looking quite serious. 

Wen Ze pulled out a few more lotus roots, cleaned and cut them one by one. The first few were the crispy kind. 

What pleasantly surprised him was that the lotus roots from the Beast World were this thick but not at all tough, and he could visibly see how much moisture they had. 

Finally, he found a starchy lotus root and cut it for everyone to see. 

“Look, this is a starchy lotus root. It has more starch inside, perfect for soups or making starch,” he encouraged everyone. “You can feel it with your hands; it’s easier to tell that way.” 

Everyone took turns touching the root and nodded in understanding. 

Wen Ze held the cleaned and cut lotus roots, leaving one half-beastman behind to finish washing the remaining lotus roots by the river and separate the crunchy from the starchy ones. 

Then, he led the other half-beastmen back to the open area, where the fire was already burning. They began preparing the ingredients together. 

For the lotus root dishes, he planned to make a few dishes: lotus root and pork bone soup, fried lotus root slices, stir-fried lotus root, and cold crispy lotus root salad. 

He and the others first cut the cleaned lotus roots into small pieces or thin slices, along with scallions, wild vegetables, and other side dishes. 

He also asked Sang Hui and a few other half-beastmen to soak the fluffy beast’s bone in cold water and then chop some meat into filling. 

The beastmen were busy as well—some were breaking down the animal meat, while others set up a pot to render the animal fat. 

The little ones, both those who could and couldn’t change, were happily running around, causing more mess than help. 

A little bear cub bumped into Wen Ze’s leg, and with dirty hands, he chuckled and pushed the cub gently with his toes. 

“Yin He!” he called out to his younger brother. 

“I’m tending the fire! What is it, brother?” 

“Boil the milk and share it with the little ones!” 

“Got it!” 

As soon as the little cubs heard there’s milk, their eyes lit up, and they excitedly squealed with joy. 

Wen Ze lowered his head and told them, “Only good little ones get milk!” 

The little cubs excitedly raised their fluffy little paws, and their voices were sweet and soft. “Brother Wen Ze, I’m good!” 

“I’m good too! I’m good too!” 

Wen Ze smiled, his eyes curving into crescents. “Alright, you’re all good. Go find Brother Yin He.” 

“Mm-hmm~” 

Li Shui was chopping meat filling beside Wen Ze, and when he saw his Jia Yi, who had a round little bottom, rushing to the front, both of his panda ears flapping with excitement in the wind, he couldn’t help but laugh and teased him. 

“Jia Yi, look at you, you greedy little bear! Slow down!” 

The adults, whether they had cubs or not, couldn’t help but laugh. 

Wen Ze laughed the loudest because Jia Yi was indeed a bear, and when Li Shui called him “greedy little bear,” it wasn’t wrong. Haha. 

Li Shui looked at him with gentle eyes and said apologetically, “The little cubs are so mischievous, sorry for causing you more trouble.” 

Wen Ze shook his head. “It’s fine. Besides, the milk was brought for them to drink. We have something else to eat today.” 

Everyone’s knife skills were good, and for a while, the air was filled with the rhythmic sound of chopping vegetables. 

Wen Ze didn’t use the black silver knife; instead, he focused on cutting with a bone knife. 

It wasn’t until Zhuo Mu called out from beside him that he turned around in surprise. “You’re done?” 

“Mm,” Zhuo Mu replied, holding up a piece of black-armored beast meat, and asked, “How do you plan to cook this?” 

The animal skin had already been removed, and the fresh, red meat looked a lot like beef at first glance. 

Wen Ze thought for a moment and said, “Since Uncle Sang Hui said the meat is a bit tough, let’s stew it. Wait for me, I’ll finish here soon.” 

“Okay.” Zhuo Mu lowered his hands and patiently waited. 

Wen Ze focused on the cutting board, and his movements with the knife became even faster. 

The lotus root had fine threads that were hard to cut through, and he occasionally tugged at them with his hands. 

Suddenly, he seemed to remember something and smiled at Zhuo Mu. “That reminds me, there’s a saying: ‘Lotus root breaks, but the threads remain connected.'” 

Zhuo Mu looked at the lotus slices with a puzzled glance. “Hmm?” 

“It means, even though the lotus root is broken, there are still threads holding it together. It’s used to describe relationships that haven’t been fully cut off or feelings that are hard to break.” Wen Ze turned and gave him a smile. “Doesn’t that make sense?” 

At that moment, a gentle breeze swept by. 

Everything around, whether it was people or sounds, seemed to fade. 

Only the young half-beastman’s handsome face and warm smile were crystal clear. 

Zhuo Mu stared at him, his gaze as deep as a whirlpool. He smiled slightly, “Yes, that seem right.” 

The man’s smile was so striking that Wen Ze froze for a moment. 

But before he could think it through, the other half-beastmen nearby picked up the conversation: “Lotus root breaks, but the threads remain connected… What a great phrase!” 

“Wen Ze, you’ve taught me something new again.” 

“By the way, weren’t you making the toilet a couple of days ago?” Li Shui said. “We followed your method and made one at our place. It really works and is convenient. Even Jia Yi learned it after just one try.” 

Bai Ling: “Oh, I know that! Feng Yuan, who lives not far from my place, made one too! I was wondering why everyone was making toilets, but it turns out they all learned it from Wen Ze. Since it works, we’re doing it too! Although there’s no stream near the cave by my house…” 

The other half-beastmen asked, “What’s it like? You’re secretly preparing something without me? Wen Ze, I want to learn too!” 

“Me too! Can I come see it later?” 

Wen Ze, who had finished cutting the vegetables, “…” 

He sighed and, with a helpless smile, said, “We’re cooking. Are you sure you want to talk about toilet right now?” 

There was a brief silence before everyone burst into laughter, drawing curious looks from others. 

After that, everyone tactfully dropped the topic. 

Wen Ze washed the cutting board and took the black-armored beast meat that Zhuo Mu handed him, making a quick cut. 

“Oh, is it because they live in the water? It feels easier to cut than land animals,” Wen Ze mumbled. 

Since it’s considered an aquatic creature, maybe he should add some fluffy beast meat—fish and sheep—to make it “fresh.” 

Once it’s almost done, he’ll toss in some tender, sweet roots. 

It’s okay if it doesn’t taste great; they’ve still got plenty of raw meat. 

If it tastes good, they’ll have another dish. 

Making up his mind, Wen Ze first blanched the ingredients, then stir-fried them, added some seasonings, brought it to a boil on high heat, and simmered it on low heat. 

At the same time, he blanched the large bones of the fluffy beasts and simmered them in a separate pot. He didn’t add the lotus root just yet. 

Once the aromas from the two big pots filled the air, he asked one of the Beastmen to watch the fire while he continued working on his “lotus root feast.” 

By this point, the half-beastmen had gathered around him, watching carefully and learning. 

Wen Ze first made a cold dish of lotus root slices.  

It was simple—just cut them up, put them together, and add the seasonings you like. 

He personally liked a combination of sweet, sour, spicy, and numbing, so he added some sweet-sour fruit and fried Sichuan pepper. 

After mixing the lotus root slices, he set them aside and said, “Let it sit for a bit to marinate.” 

Bai Ling sniffed the air. “It already smells so good, crisp and refreshing. It’s really appetizing.” 

Wen Ze nodded. “Cold dishes are great for stimulating the appetite in hot weather.” 

When Sang Hui saw him melting a large pot of animal fat and bringing over some minced meat mixed with salt and other seasonings, he asked, “Are you making fried meat?” 

“Actually, it’s deep-fried lotus root slices. Uncle, could you lend me some starch?” 

It wasn’t just Sang Hui; other half-beastmen also pulled out their cloth bags and said, “I’ve got some too.” 

Wen Ze smiled. “Thank you.” 

He accepted it all, compared the starches, and picked the one with the finest texture and the least smell. 

Then he took a clean, large bowl and poured in the starch. 

It would have been better if he had some flour to add, but unfortunately, he didn’t have any. 

Next, he cracked a few bird eggs into the bowl, then added the eggs that other half-beastmen had brought. 

Finally, he added a pinch of salt and quickly stirred the mixture in one direction with chopsticks until it turned into a smooth batter. 

His movements were swift and clean, a sight that was pleasing to watch. 

Once the batter was ready, he picked up two slices of crispy lotus root, cut to similar sizes, and while demonstrating, said to everyone, “Look, take a spoonful of the meat filling, place it in the center of the lotus root slice, press down a little, and squeeze out the excess filling.” 

“Then, flip the lotus root slice into the batter like this, and coat it with a thin layer of the batter.” 

He held a lotus root slice with chopsticks in one hand and tested the oil temperature with the other. 

“When the animal fat is heated to a moderate temperature, gently place the lotus root slices in and fry them until both sides turn golden.” 

As soon as he finished speaking, he placed the lotus root slices gently along the side of the pot. 

With a sizzling sound, the lotus root slices bubbled in the oil, changing color in no time. 

The oil enhanced the aroma of the fried lotus root, and even the batter gave off a tempting egg fragrance. 

Soon, the lotus root slices were golden on both sides. 

Once they reached the right color, Wen Ze swiftly scooped them out and placed them in a clean bowl. 

“In a bit, we’ll raise the oil temperature and fry them again, and the dish will be done.” 

Wen Ze looked at everyone and smiled. “How’s that? Not difficult, right?” 

Someone swallowed, clearly craving the food, and eagerly said, “Not difficult! Let’s fry these quickly before the oil gets too hot.” 

Sang Hui even added, “It smells really good… I take back what I said about the lotus root not tasting good.” 

Li Shui laughed heartily. “You haven’t even tried it yet.” 

Sang Hui confidently replied, “I trust Wen Ze’s cooking skills.” 

Hearing all the compliments made Wen Ze’s face turn red, but he felt a sense of accomplishment. 

He shyly said, “Come on, everyone, help me with the lotus root slices. Let’s get them done quickly so we can go cook the other dishes.” 

Everyone eagerly responded, “Okay!” 

Some helped with stuffing the meat and coating it in batter, while Wen Ze focused on frying the lotus root slices. 

With him controlling the heat, the fried lotus roots turned golden and smelled delicious. 

After double frying, when he pressed them with chopsticks, the outer layer made a satisfying crispy sound. 

The strong aroma had already captured the attention of the Beastmen. 

As they piled up, the fried lotus root slices stacked high, extending past the edge of the bowl. 

The uneven patterns on the surface shimmered with golden oil, glowing enticingly under the firelight. 

Everyone was so captivated that they couldn’t take their eyes off them, and the sound of swallowing could be heard everywhere. 

Their expressions all said the same thing: Hungry! Food! Now! 

Wen Ze didn’t keep them waiting and called out with a smile, “Come, come, eat while they’re hot!” 

Everyone rushed over. He didn’t have enough chopsticks to go around, so he just handed the lotus root slices directly to their hands. 

In the middle of the sound of blowing air, a sudden scream broke out. 

“Ah!!” 

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