The ones who arrived were Yin He, Qin Shu, and Jia Yi. 

Yin He and Jia Yi’s beast forms were giant pandas, while Qin Shu’s beast form was a black bear. 

But now, all three were covered in mud from head to toe, looking like “black bears,” with only the whites of their eyes still visible. 

The rain had just started and wasn’t too heavy yet, but the three looked as if they had been drenched for half a day, with muddy water continuously dripping off them. 

Wen Ze: “…” 

Seeing them rush over, Wen Ze raised his hand and said, “Stop! Just stay right there.” 

The three lined up and met Wen Ze’s gaze, looking somewhat guilty. 

Very soon, puddles of muddy water formed beneath each of them. 

“Brother, Brother Zhuo Mu, you’re already home,” Yin He spoke up first, trying to cover for himself. “As soon as I saw it was raining, I rushed back.” 

Wen Ze walked into the straw shelter, set down the basket on his back, crossed his arms, and let out a faint chuckle. 

Even though he was a relatively weak half-beastman, his gaze carried an undeniable pressure. 

The three glanced at each other but didn’t dare to make a sound. 

Zhuo Mu finished putting everything away and came to stand beside Wen Ze. 

Wen Ze frowned slightly and said, “Go on, what were you all up to?” 

Yin He and Qin Shu, being slightly older, hesitated and kept quiet. But Jia Yi, in a soft and innocent voice, said, “Brother Wen Ze, we went to play in the mud!” 

Yin He immediately gasped and shouted, “That’s not it!” 

Qin Shu quickly added, “We were working!” 

Then, using his big bear paw, Qin Shu shoved Jia Yi, making him tumble and roll on the ground. “Stop talking! Let us explain!” 

Jia Yi, with his round and plump body, rolled over on the ground with a “plop,” expanding the muddy mess, making Wen Ze’s mouth twitch slightly at the sight. 

“What kind of work involves rolling in the mud?” Wen Ze asked. 

Yin He and Qin Shu exchanged a glance, then raised their bear paws. With a “crack,” more than ten large river clams dropped from the air. 

Wen Ze pressed his throbbing temples. “Where did you dig them up?” 

Yin He answered honestly, “The pond where you had me plant the lotus root.” 

Wen Ze raised an eyebrow. “You dug them up thinking I should cook them?” 

Yin He hesitated. “Ah… yes. I know the Yangyang grass isn’t ready yet, so I thought I’d dig them up first to get rid of the dirt and sand.” 

“And what about Qin Shu and Jia Yi?” 

“They helped me.” 

After being pushed down by his little uncle, Jia Yi simply lay on the ground. 

He had clearly forgotten Qin Shu’s reminder. Staring eagerly at Wen Ze, he licked his dirty bear-like mouth and said, “Brother Yin He said the clam meat tastes really good. We helped him dig, and he’s going to treat us to some clam meat~” 

Wen Ze shot Yin He a look. 

Great, now he even knew how to make empty promises. 

“Thank you both for helping Yin He.” 

Jia Yi eagerly asked, “So, Brother Wen Ze, when are you going to make it?” 

Wen Ze sighed. “It’ll take a few more days. Once it’s ready, I’ll have Yin He bring some to you.” 

Qin Shu awkwardly added, “No, no need.” 

But Jia Yi happily agreed, “Thank you, Brother Wen Ze!” 

All that effort just for food—Wen Ze was amused by them. Whatever little displeasure he had was completely gone. 

“Alright, but next time, don’t get yourselves so dirty. It’s such a hassle to clean up,” Wen Ze said. “Qin Shu, Jia Yi, let’s go. I’ll take you back.” 

Zhuo Mu spoke up from the side, “The rain’s going to get heavy. I’ll take them.” 

Wen Ze thought for a moment but didn’t refuse. “Alright. You can also explain things to Qin Shan and the others.” 

Zhuo Mu nodded. “Got it.” 

He stepped outside and changed into a massive white python. His red eyes swept over Qin Shu and Jia Yi. As he spoke, his scarlet tongue flicked out. 

“Let’s go.” 

Once they left, Wen Ze shot Yin He a glare. “Well? Grab some soap and get yourself properly cleaned in the river!” 

Yin He quickly turned around. “I’ll go now!” 

“Wait!” 

The “black panda” turned back. “Hmm?” 

“You didn’t mess up the lotus roots I planted, did you?” 

“No! We made sure to avoid that area.” 

Wen Ze waved his hand, signaling for him to go. 

The rain started pouring heavily. Zhuo Mu had already come back, but Yin He was still in the river washing, which clearly showed how dirty he was. 

Zhuo Mu said, “I explained everything to Qin Shan. They even said they’re the ones causing trouble and told you not to mind it. When I left, they were getting the two cubs ready for a bath.” 

Wen Ze deeply understood how difficult it was to deal with “bear cubs” and sighed. 

Unexpectedly, Zhuo Mu reassured him, “Yin He and the others just want to help you.” 

Wen Ze looked at him and smiled. “I know. All the cubs in the tribe grow up like this.” 

After all, which little cubs could possibly resist the temptation of a mud pit? 

Just like how every kid probably stepped into a puddle at least once when they were little. 

“I’ll talk to Yin He properly once he’s back.” 

His gaze drifted to the heavy downpour outside. The wilderness and mountains were all shrouded in rain. 

Wen Ze asked with concern, “Do you think we’ll still be able to go this afternoon?” 

Zhuo Mu replied confidently, “We’ll be able to go. The rain will stop soon.” 

Wen Ze trusted him completely. “Alright, I’ll make some food. We still have work to do this afternoon, so we should eat first.” 

About half an hour later, Yin He finally returned. He changed back into human form inside the straw shelter, his long black hair dripping with water. 

He lifted his arm, sniffed, and instantly scrunched up his face in disgust. 

Upon seeing this, Wen Ze laughed and scolded, “Of course! The mud in the pond stinks. When we were digging for lotus roots the other day, we used our human forms, and it took a while to wash off. You used your beast forms to soak in the mud for the whole morning. How could you not get the smell?” 

Yin He lowered his head, looking guilty. “At first, we used human forms… but somehow, we changed into beast forms.” 

Wen Ze snorted lightly. “Mud must be quite attractive to little troublemakers.” 

Then he chuckled to himself. When he glanced over, Zhuo Mu’s lips were also curling upward. 

Just like Zhuo Mu had said, the rain came fast, but it cleared up quickly too. 

After the three of them finished their lunch, the clouds cleared up completely, and the sun rose high, roasting everything below. 

They packed up their things and headed out. 

Yin He changed into his beast form again, and the stench of the mud almost knocked Wen Ze over. 

He really didn’t want to deal with the stench, so he kept quiet and climbed onto the giant python’s back. 

After meeting up with the others from the tribe, they all headed toward the Salt River. 

Wen Ze quickly counted and realized that more than half of the tribe had come along. 

Sang Hui’s family, Li Shui’s family, Wu Ye, Bai Xia, and many familiar faces were in the crowd. 

Beastmen traveled fast, and before long, they arrived at the Salt River under the intense sun. 

The half-beastmen slid off the backs of the beastmen, and the beastmen changed into their human forms. 

Wen Ze had been in a hurry last time, but this time, he was able to take a closer look. 

The river was very wide and flowed through several tribes. 

The section of the river near the Mountain South Tribe even experienced tidal changes, with the water rising and falling. 

On the wide stretch of muddy shore, layers of black salt mud were piled up, shaped by the waves crashing against them. 

The sound of the water rushing was constant as it hit the shore. 

Birds circled high in the sky, calling out in long cries, occasionally diving down to scoop something from the mud or water to eat. 

Their ancestors had been collecting and boiling salt here for generations, so everyone was already familiar with the process. 

No one needed to direct them; they simply took out their clay jars, clay bowls, wooden spatulas, and other tools and placed them on the ground. 

A few people went further into the mountains to gather some firewood. 

Sang Hui’s family wasn’t far off, and Wen Ze heard Bai Ling teasing his brother, “Yin He, did you go play in the mud?” 

Yin He’s face turned red, knowing they had probably noticed the smell on him. 

He awkwardly responded and took the initiative to tell Wen Ze, “Brother, I’ll go collect firewood.” 

Wen Ze nodded. “Go ahead. Just collect it from the forest over there; don’t go too far.” 

“Got it.” This was the wild, so Yin He understood that he had to be careful. 

As he left, he took along Qin Shu and Jia Yi, who smelled just as bad as he did. 

Once the three “stinky bears” left, the air felt much fresher. 

Zhuo Mu, seeing Wen Ze’s face relax, smiled lightly and said, “Boiling salt takes a while, so why don’t you start the fire with the wood we brought? I’ll go fetch the saltwater.” 

Wen Ze came to his senses. “Alright.” 

On the dry ground, piles of fire soon rose up. 

During this time, Li Shui came by again. The two parents exchanged apologies, and in the end, they both laughed. 

Li Shui shyly admitted, “I thought Yin He was just saying the clam meat was good to be polite to you, but after seeing how eager the three kids are, I now believe it’s really tasty.” 

Wen Ze chuckled. “I knew something was strange with your reaction this morning, hahaha.” 

Li Shui also laughed and asked humbly, “You stir-fry it with Yangyang grass, right? When your Yangyang grass is ready, would you mind exchanging some with me?” 

Wen Ze generously replied, “No need to exchange. I’ll just send you some when it’s ready. You can give it a try.” 

Li Shui was delighted and thanked him. “Thanks! I won’t hold back then!” 

Noticing Zhuo Mu returning with a clay pot, Li Shui waved goodbye to Wen Ze. “I’ll head back to boil the salt now. Sigh, every time I reach this part, I end up breaking a lot of pottery…” 

Wen Ze heard him muttering as he walked farther away. 

Zhuo Mu poured the saltwater into the stone pot they brought, then went to gather some firewood. 

Following his memory, Wen Ze began stirring the saltwater. 

This was both a time-consuming and labor-intensive task that required a lot of patience. 

The main problem was that the efficiency was still low. 

Was there any way to improve it? 

Wen Ze kept stirring as he seriously thought about it. 

As an agricultural student, he didn’t know much about the history of salt production. 

But he was lucky to have been born in an era where information was easily available and had come across some knowledge on the topic. 

The images of salt fields, in particular, had left a deep impression on him. 

To create a salt field, they would have to dry it out in the sun, right? 

The winds here on the mudflats were strong, and the sun was harsh, so it seemed like a good place for drying salt. 

The best part was that drying salt didn’t require anyone to stay by it. 

The more he thought about it, the more convenient it seemed. Just as Yin He returned with firewood, Wen Ze asked him to watch the pot while he went to check the mudflats. 

The tides rose and fell, and over the years, the constant washing by the waves had left a thick layer of mud and sand on the flats. 

Wen Ze crouched down, dug up a chunk with his hand, and smelled it. 

“Wen Ze, what are you doing?” Bai Ling, with sharp eyes, curiously asked. 

Wen Ze inhaled deeply, detecting a strong salty smell from the mud. His dark eyes brightened. 

“I was wondering if there’s another way to make salt.” 

“Oh?” This time, it wasn’t just Bai Ling; even Sang Hui and the others turned to look at him. “What method?” 

Wen Ze raised the mud in his hand. “There’s so much salt in this, way more than in the river water. If we can filter it out and then dry it, wouldn’t we get salt?” 

Bai Xia, from another direction, quickly spoke up. “But that sounds so troublesome. You’d have to filter it.” 

Sang Hui, after thinking about Wen Ze’s words, became excited. “It’s different.” 

Bai Xia was confused. “What’s different?” 

Sang Hui glanced at the mudflats and eagerly asked, “How big is this place?” 

Bai Xia shrugged. “The river is as long as the land is wide, so it’s hard to measure.” 

Wen Ze smiled, knowing Sang Hui understood now. “Exactly. So, if we filter the mud here, we should be able to get a huge amount of salt.” 

Bai Ling caught on too and looked shocked. “Wen Ze, you just said we’d filter it and then dry it, right?” 

Wen Ze nodded. “Yes.” 

Bai Ling’s eyes lit up. “When we make salt, we boil the water off. Drying it works the same way!” 

Wen Ze smiled and nodded, signaling for him to go on. 

Bai Ling practically bounced with excitement. “We don’t need so much firewood, no pottery, and no one has to watch it all the time! Once it’s dried, we just gather it up. Think of how much trouble we’ll save!”

Wen Ze nodded. “That’s exactly what I was thinking.” 

This time, Bai Xia finally realized what Wen Ze’s suggestion meant. 

He gasped, his eyes scanning the mudflats from top to bottom. 

“Beast God! If we follow Wen Ze’s method, the salt we get from one batch would probably last our tribe an entire year!” 

Without anyone noticing, Wu Ye had come over too, equally excited. “Not only that, but we can exchange the extra salt with other tribes! Salt is essential, so we won’t have trouble exchanging it!” 

Ji Sha added, “Maybe the nearby tribes will be lining up to exchange with us!” 

Bai Ling was already deep in thought. “I’ve got to figure out what goods I want in exchange!” 

The sun was hot, and everyone dreamed about the bright future ahead, their faces glowing with excitement. 

Wen Ze thought to himself, “Drying the salt is fine; they can do it secretly if they want. But the noise from the filtering process is so loud that if other tribes find out, it might be difficult for them to earn a lot of supplies by exchanging salt.” 

However, Wen Ze’s original intention had been just to save trouble when it came to having enough salt, not to make a big profit. 

After a while of lively discussion, Sang Hui clapped his hands, signaling everyone to quiet down. 

His gentle eyes shone like stars as he said loudly, “Since most of the tribe is here, let’s decide whether we should make salt the way Wen Ze suggested! As long as Wen Ze is willing to lead us, we’re definitely going for it!” 

Once he finished speaking, everyone’s gaze turned to Wen Ze. 

Wen Ze smiled and said, “Making salt isn’t an easy job. If we have more people helping out, that would be great. The more hands, the better.” 

With his approval, everyone cheered, not wanting to be left out, and excitedly yelled: 

“Wen Ze, I want to join!” 

“Me too!” 

“You have to take me along!” 

Not a single person there wanted to miss out on this opportunity. 

It wasn’t just about the salt; they all wanted to learn Wen Ze’s method. 

Everyone knew it was a rare chance! 

Wu Ye looked at the excited faces around. “Since everyone wants to join, let’s not just keep it to us. Let’s send someone to the tribe to call everyone else, except for those working on the kiln. Let’s make salt together, and once it’s done, we’ll divide it up based on how much everyone worked!” 

Everyone cheered back loudly, “Yes!” 

This took Wen Ze by surprise. 

He had originally just wanted to gather a few people to try things out… 

But now, he saw Beastmen changing into their beast forms and rushing back to the tribe. He quickly called out, “Wait, hold on!” 

Everyone turned to him. “What’s wrong?” 

Wen Ze looked at their excited faces and took a deep breath before explaining… 

“I’ve never made salt before, and I’m not sure if filtering and sun-drying will even work. Do we really need to get the whole tribe involved? What if it fails?” 

Wu Ye let out a relieved sigh. “That’s it? I thought you were going to say something else. So what if it fails? At most, it’ll just take some extra effort.” 

Sang Hui added, “Exactly. The salt river is right here. It’s not going anywhere. Even if your method doesn’t work, we can always boil salt the old way.” 

Bai Xia couldn’t wait to try the new method. With confidence, he said, “Wen Ze, I believe in you! Even if it fails, we won’t blame you!” 

Li Shui nodded with a calm expression. “We’re already grateful that you’re sharing this new method with us.” 

Even Yin He, caught up in the atmosphere, said to Wen Ze, “Brother, didn’t you always say that failure is the mother of success? Anyway, I’m not afraid of failing. I want to follow you!” 

“Yes, Wen Ze, we trust you!” 

“Now that we’ve cleared things up, no matter what happens, no one better cause trouble for Wen Ze! Otherwise, don’t even think about staying in the South Mountain tribe!” 

“Yes! I agree!” 

With everyone so determined, Wen Ze finally stopped resisting and said seriously, “I’ll do my best.” 

After that, Wu Ye didn’t just send Beastmen to spread the word within the tribe; he also called back those who had gone to gather firewood. 

Zhuo Mu noticed how excited everyone was, discussing things like filtering and sun-drying, and he couldn’t help but feel something stir in his heart. His gaze quietly fell on Wen Ze’s face. 

Their eyes met, and Wen Ze suddenly realized that he had made a decision before Zhuo Mu even came back. Now, he felt a little guilty. 

He rubbed his nose, walked over, and was about to explain himself to Zhuo Mu. 

Zhuo Mu simply looked at Wen Ze, his cold face showing little emotion. 

But having lived with him for a while, Wen Ze could tell that he seemed slightly displeased. 

After a moment of mentally preparing himself, Wen Ze spoke slowly. “When you were out gathering firewood, I noticed that the mud on the tidal flats had a decent amount of salt in it. I thought maybe we could extract the salt by filtering the mud and drying it in the sun. It should be easier and more efficient than boiling it. After I told the others in the tribe, they all wanted to help me with it.” 

“Honestly, I was just thinking of having the three of us try it out, along with any friends who were willing to give it a go, just to see if it worked. But now, it’s become something the whole tribe is involved in.” 

He finished and, feeling a little embarrassed, smiled at Zhuo Mu. 

Under the intense sun, his light brown skin seemed to glow faintly. Whether it was from the sun or from feeling awkward, it was hard to say. 

His dark, dog-like eyes were watery, looking completely innocent. 

Zhuo Mu’s gaze softened halfway through Wen Ze’s explanation. 

No matter where he was, Wen Ze had always imagined that Zhuo Mu would be part of the plan. 

Staring at the handsome young man, Zhuo Mu’s lips parted slightly. “What do you need me to do?” 

Wen Ze froze for a moment before smiling. 

Just as expected from Zhuo Mu—he got to the point so quickly, not a single unnecessary word. 

Encouraged by him, Wen Ze thought for a moment and said, “You Beastmen have a lot of strength, so how about you help with moving stones and digging the salt pits?” 

Zhuo Mu nodded. “Sure. Where do you want the pits? How big should they be?” 

While they were talking, the other members of the tribe, eager not to miss anything, quickly gathered around. 

Without needing Wu Ye or Sang Hui to say anything, Wen Ze easily began to count the people present and soon had a plan in mind. 

Clearing his throat, he spoke up, “Bai Xia, Ji Sha, you two lead a team of Beastmen to turn over the salt mud on the tidal flats. Do any of the half-Beastmen have tools for turning soil, like a stone hoe or something?” 

He figured a rake might work better for turning the soil here, but he hadn’t tried it before. 

Sang Hui spoke up right away, “Bai Ling and I have them.” 

Some other half-Beastmen also said they had tools or could use their claws. 

Wen Ze nodded. “Then you all stay behind to help turn the soil and fill the baskets with mud.” 

Bai Xia and the others responded enthusiastically, “Got it!” 

Wen Ze turned to Wu Ye. “You take the rest of the Beastmen with me to find a good place to dig the pits.” 

Then he looked at Zhuo Mu. “You lead your team to find large, bowl-shaped stones. We’ll use them to dry the filtered saltwater later.” 

Wu Ye and Zhuo Mu both agreed. 

“Wen Ze, what about us?” Li Shui raised his hand to ask. 

“Don’t worry, you all have an important task too.” 

Wen Ze casually snapped a stick from the firewood Zhuo Mu had brought and drew a simple sketch on the ground. 

“The salt storage pits I want to dig are also filtration pits. The bottom of the pit needs to be lined with something that can filter. When the salt mud goes in, we pour water over it, and the saltwater will filter out from another opening.” 

As he spoke and drew, everyone understood. 

Li Shui asked earnestly, “What should we use to filter it? Hemp cloth?” 

Wen Ze chuckled. “Cloth would be extravagant. Even if we use it, it shouldn’t be for the first filtration.” 

Zhuo Mu added, “What about dry grass?” 

Wen Ze gave him an approving look and nodded. “Exactly, dry grass is what I was thinking of too. Besides dry grass, suitable tree leaves should work as well.” 

He quickly recalled the knowledge he had learned over the years and picked out a few tree types. 

Bamboo, for example, is thin and tough, which makes it a good fit. 

However, they hadn’t come across bamboo in the South Mountain tribe’s territory. 

He described the characteristics of bamboo to the group and turned to Li Shui. “Your job is to collect dry grass, tree bark, and leaves. If you’re unsure, bring them back, and I’ll decide which to use.” 

Li Shui grinned. “Alright! This task isn’t difficult. I’ll take the little ones with me.” 

Wen Ze guessed that he was probably worried the little ones would cause trouble if left behind. He smiled warmly. “Alright, thank you for the help. Yin He, go with Li Shui and keep an eye on the little ones. Their task is quite important, so make sure they do a good job.” 

Back in the tribe, the younger ones couldn’t really help out. But this time, they actually got their own tasks! Of course, they were excited. How could they not be? 

Their voices, though still childish, were loud and proud: 

“Wen Ze, I’m very capable!” 

“I’ll totally finish the task!” 

“Don’t worry!” 

“Hurry up,” Jia Yi couldn’t help but urge Li Shui. “Father, let’s go right now!” 

Including those who had rushed over from the tribe, there were four groups of people. Soon, Wen Ze assigned everyone tasks, and they quickly got to work. 

Wen Ze said he was taking people to find a spot to dig. Considering the strong winds and plenty of sun by the tidal flats, they didn’t have to go far. 

In the end, they found a location about 100 meters from the edge of the tidal flats. 

He measured the ground with his foot, then raised his chin and looked around at the group of beastmen. 

They were all taller, stronger, and more imposing than he was. 

But right now, everyone was looking at him with trust, waiting for his instructions. 

Feeling confident, Wen Ze pointed to the ground with his foot and said, “Dig here. The pit should be twice my length, one and a half times my width, and half my depth. Let’s dig five to start with.” 

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