Chapter 42

Xue Youchen watched Ye Baizhi’s joyful expression, his gaze soft as he smiled warmly. “Alright.”

Wherever she wanted to go, he would follow.

Ye Baizhi tugged him along toward the riverbank.

“To make pottery jars, we need very fine clay.”

“There’s refined clay near the river.”

“The more ceramic containers we make, the more the tribe can use them to store food and other supplies.”

Ye Baizhi knew that their Rabbit Tribe had very few pottery jars. Even the ones used in her household and her uncle’s were acquired through trade at the marketplace. But now, with more food to store, they naturally needed more of these containers.

She was also planning to make soy sauce and soybean paste from yellow soybeans. Since all the large clay jars had already been used, the only solution was to fire more of them—allowing for a larger batch of soybean paste and soy sauce to be made at once. Once prepared, the condiments would be stored in small pottery jars, making it easy to scoop them out while cooking.

Upon reaching the riverbank, Ye Baizhi began carefully digging for clay.

Xue Youchen spoke gently. “Let me do it.” He felt it was his responsibility.

But Ye Baizhi shook her head. “You wouldn’t know which clay is suitable. I need to compare them and dig up a variety to find the best one.”

For some reason, Xue Youchen couldn’t bear seeing her work so hard, her hands and clothes stained with earth. Stepping closer, he took out a handkerchief and wiped the dirt from her face, murmuring in a coaxing tone, “Ah Zhi, I am your beast husband. If you truly need these containers, I can have more sent to you.”

Worried she might refuse, he quickly added, “It’s not for any other reason—I just want to do something for you.”

Ye Baizhi understood his kindness.

“I know. You treat me well—I can feel it.”

“But as the saying goes, ‘Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach him to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.’ If the tribe wants to thrive and develop, they can’t rely on outside help.”

“Everyone needs to learn to be self-sufficient. If they get used to depending on external aid, they’ll grow lazy.”

Deep down, Ye Baizhi understood that as the leader of the Snow Wolf Tribe and the king of the Northern Region, if Xue Youchen constantly provided for her every need, it wouldn’t be fair to him.

The knowledge of pottery-making was controlled by noble tribes from other regions. If Xue Youchen wanted more pottery, he would either have to trade for it or purchase it with spirit stones. She didn’t want to become a burden to him—nor did she want her tribe to be seen as a liability. An unbalanced relationship would only exhaust him.

As she spoke, Ye Baizhi didn’t stop working. Then, as she scooped up another handful of clay, she noticed something different—it was white clay. Her eyes lit up. “Look! This is kaolin.”

“I never expected to find kaolin! With this, we can craft fine, delicate tableware.”

“I was only aiming to get yellow clay for simple pottery, but finding kaolin is an unexpected bonus.”

Xue Youchen couldn’t help but chuckle as he watched her excitement. If it were any other female beast, she might have already asked him for this and that. But no matter what he wanted to give Ah Zhi, she always gently refused.

His gaze softened, and he spoke warmly. “Pottery-making is a guarded craft, controlled by a tribe in the central region. It’s their secret skill, never shared. They’ve opened shops along the busiest streets across the districts, and their business is thriving.”

Ye Baizhi replied confidently, “Actually, it’s not that difficult to make. You’ll see when we get back.”

“If I make enough, you can give some to your friends and brothers.”

Xue Youchen gently stroked her hair and murmured, “You’ve worked so hard—I couldn’t bear to give them away so easily.”

Now that Ye Baizhi had found the clay, Xue Youchen used his special abilities to gather even more yellow clay and kaolin to bring back.

Once they returned, Ye Baizhi and Xue Youchen stored the chives, onions, and ginger. Then, adding water, they began kneading the clay. Her movements were skilled—just like kneading dough.

Xue Youchen spoke up. “Let me help you.”

Ye Baizhi looked at his long, jade-like fingers, feeling that using such exquisite hands for kneading clay was almost a waste.

“Yuchen, how about making a potter’s wheel instead?” With his ninth-tier abilities, crafting one would be simple.

She explained the process to him, and Xue Youchen got to work. Soon enough, he gathered stones and wood, assembling a potter’s wheel in the courtyard.

Meanwhile, Ye Baizhi kneaded the refined yellow clay and kaolin until smooth, then placed it at the center of the wheel. Dipping her hands in water, she cupped the clay, pressing it inward to shape it. With the potter’s wheel, the clay quickly took form. She could craft bowls, basins, and both large and small pottery jars. Since she possessed abilities as well, her crafting speed was even faster.

Watching her work, Xue Youchen’s expression flickered with amazement.
“Ah Zhi, what else do you need me to do?”

Ye Baizhi replied, “Use this yellow clay to build a firing kiln. Once the pottery is made, it still needs to be fired.”

“It takes a long time to fire.”

She explained to Xue Youchen how to construct the kiln, and he began using his abilities to assemble it.

Before long, Ye Chuan returned. Seeing his sister working alongside the Snow Wolf King, he listened to her explanation and was visibly excited.

“Sister, with all this, our tribe will surely become stronger.”

Ye Baizhi smiled. “By the way, brother, did you leave the tribe just now? Didn’t I tell you to rest properly?”

Ye Chuan shook his head. “No, I just went to Uncle Mu’s place and helped the healer deliver medicine to him.”

“Is Uncle Mu’s leg hurting again?”

Ye Baizhi and Ye Chuan were half-siblings, born from the same mother but different fathers. This was normal in the Beast World. Powerful female beasts usually had multiple beast husbands. Only females from lower-tier tribes or those lacking strength married just one beast husband—sometimes simply for survival. She knew that Gaomu, from the tribe, had once been a clan brother of Ye Chuan’s father—also a lion beast. Years ago, he had followed Ye Chuan’s father to the Rabbit Tribe. While Ye Chuan’s father married Ye Lu, Gaomu wed another female from the tribe. However, Gaomu had an old leg injury, and every time he endured the pain of hunting or work, it would flare up again.

She had heard about this from her mother and older brother but didn’t know the full details.

Ye Chuan nodded. “Yeah, he took a fall while hunting a few days ago. Then he kept busy harvesting food and grinding soybeans, barely resting—so I guess the pain worsened.”

“But Uncle Mu never said anything. If the healer hadn’t examined him, no one would’ve noticed.”

Ye Baizhi frowned, puzzled. “Uncle Mu’s wife, Aunt Ding, is perfectly healthy—shouldn’t she help?”

“Gathering food is something she could do. If Uncle Mu is exhausted, he should rest—it’s not a big deal.”

Since arriving at the tribe, she had barely seen Aunt Ding step outside.

Ye Chuan snorted. “Aunt Ding does nothing—she relies entirely on Uncle Mu. Even when his leg hurts, she doesn’t care.”

With a sigh, he continued, “But that’s just how it is. Aunt Ding doesn’t beat him or mistreat him, so he doesn’t see a problem.”

“She just thinks he’s a bit useless because of his leg injury—probably resents him for it. She’s always berating him.”

Hearing this, Xue Youchen’s expression shifted slightly. This was the way of the beast tribes—beast husbands bore heavy responsibilities, tending to their female mates. But none of them had someone like Ah Zhi. She was truly one of a kind.