Chapter 21

Inside the cave, there was bear meat, half a bear hide, and a basket of fish.

Because the incident with the hibernating bears had attracted attention in the afternoon, Zhuo Yan didn’t dare to slack off in the evening. He worked late into the night with A-Yin, taking care to eliminate any lingering smells. After securing the cave entrance, Zhuo Yan still felt uneasy. He placed wooden boards and a stone pot against the door and wrapped the hide in ash to cover it.

Once he finished everything, he was utterly exhausted and still a bit shaken.

This was the first time he had witnessed such a brutal hunting attack; it was truly a matter of “kill or be killed.” Compared to the first time he saw A-Yin catch a wild pig, today was an entirely different experience. Back then, the patrolling team in the tribe dealt with wild pigs swiftly, and they were gone in no time.

It was just like when he killed chickens or fish.

Today, they faced two bears. Even from a distance, Zhuo Yan could sense the killing intent; it was a real demonstration of the jungle’s law. The elders were experienced hunters, their bodies massive, especially Ada’s mother, who could even change form during combat and wield weapons with ease.

He was really impressive and brave. No wonder Ada would occasionally run off to check on Qiao during the winter; with a mother as formidable as hers, he could rest easy knowing the cave was safe and there was plenty of food stockpiled.

Zhuo Yan thought about this and that. Although he appeared calm on the surface, deep down, there was still a lingering fear. A-Yin had noticed this ever since they returned to the cave. Was his brother scared? A-Yin wanted to reassure him. “Brother, don’t be afraid. I will protect you.” If only those bears could eat him instead and leave his brother unharmed.

That night, they hastily ate some potatoes without processing the meat or fish. Zhuo Yan lay down early on the stone bed, and A-Yin stayed close beside him, as usual. However, tonight A-Yin was especially clingy; he kept rubbing his head against Zhuo Yan’s neck and licking his head.

Zhuo Yan felt too drained to joke around, letting A-Yin groom him. The sensation was electrifying, and after a while, the chaotic images in his mind began to settle as he relaxed.

“Today… it was a good thing everyone came,” he murmured.

“If the smell of fish had attracted the bears, you and I—”

“Umm, um, um.”

A-Yin continued to lick, completely engrossed in his actions!

Zhuo Yan thought to himself: … You’re licking your brother’s mouth.

As he reflected on this, the sentimentality faded away. Now he looked at A-Yin more seriously. He had been tempted to ask why A-Yin was licking his mouth—he could lick other places, but not that. After all, he was still a pure, innocent virgin; he hadn’t even had his first kiss yet. But when he met A-Yin’s blue eyes, filled with genuine concern for him, Zhuo Yan found himself at a loss for words.

Zhuo Yan: The urge to lecture him vanished.

But A-Yin, you mustn’t lick me anymore!

Zhuo Yan reached out and gently held A-Yin’s mouth shut, which caused A-Yin to respond with muffled sounds. The tense and serious atmosphere transformed into something comical. Zhuo Yan’s eyes curved into a smile as he released his grip and affectionately stroked A-Yin’s cheek. “Are you worried about me?”

A-Yin nuzzled against his brother, responding with a series of excited howls, “Aowu! Aowu~”

Zhuo Yan found his hand unconsciously brushing through A-Yin’s soft fur. “Honestly, I was a bit scared. Even from a distance, that bear was incredibly fast and huge. If Ada hadn’t drawn its attention first, we definitely wouldn’t have been able to escape easily. It was quite dangerous. It was my first time facing such a situation directly.”

A-Yin stretched his neck to lick his brother’s chin, trying to comfort him by smoothing his fur. “Don’t be scared, don’t be scared.”

Zhuo Yan continued, “What if the bears were really woken up by the hail, and then drawn here by the smell of fish? If we hadn’t gone to call Qiao and the others to help us catch fish today, wouldn’t those bears have come right to our doorstep? But then Ada and Xiao Xian got injured, and I feel pretty embarrassed for bringing back the bear meat like this…”

He sighed, remembering how imposing Ada’s mother had been during the fight. “She was really something; when she said we would get a share of the meat, I couldn’t even find the words to respond.”

“Anyway, let’s stop thinking about it. In a few days, we should go check on Xiao Xian and Ada.”

A-Yin nodded vigorously. He always listened to his brother. He rubbed against Zhuo Yan’s neck, trying to reassure him, and let out a low growl. He wanted to tell his brother that if the bears came back, they should eat him first while his brother stayed safe in the cave. He would fight to protect him no matter what.

Zhuo Yan couldn’t understand the specifics of A-Yin’s low growls, but he could sense A-Yin’s comforting concern. He reached out to scratch A-Yin’s ears and said, “Talking it out makes things feel a lot lighter. Now, let’s get some sleep.”

“Tomorrow we’ll have boiled fish and roasted meat.”

One of the benefits of chatting with A-Yin before bed was that Zhuo Yan didn’t have any nightmares that night. In fact, he had a rather pleasant dream. In it, A-Yin was as huge and impressive as Ada’s mother, towering at two or three meters tall. Despite not being able to transform into a human form, A-Yin was incredibly powerful, carrying him through the forest and across the grasslands as they ran together.

It wasn’t a snowy day in his dream; instead, the air was filled with the scents of spring. The wind blowing against him felt refreshing, though slightly damp.

Damp?

Zhuo Yan opened his eyes to find A-Yin’s tongue frozen on his forehead, followed by a cautious lick. Zhuo Yan blinked in confusion. “A-Yin, you—”

A-Yin enthusiastically licked him again. “Good morning, brother! Did you sleep well?”

“That’s enough, that’s enough! You’ll lick my hair bald if you keep that up. Stop licking my hair strands!”

A-Yin, ever clever, quickly shifted his attention to licking Zhuo Yan’s cheeks and chin instead. Zhuo Yan could only sigh, exasperated yet amused.

“Let’s get up and wash our faces. Thank you for that, A-Yin.”

A-Yin nuzzled against his brother, reassuring him that he didn’t need to be so polite. Zhuo Yan found it amusing and had no real anger towards A-Yin’s affection. He stretched lazily, getting out of bed with A-Yin, and opened the cave door. Outside, it had snowed again overnight, though not heavily; the snow only reached the height of his calves.

The air was crisp and cold, filled with the scent of ice and snow, and thankfully, there was no trace of the bloody aftermath from the previous day’s events. However, the cave still held a heavy odor from the remnants of their activities. Zhuo Yan decided he would take care of everything today—cleaning the fish entrails and disposing of them far away, as well as dealing with the half bear hide, which was quite large, almost the size of a blanket measuring around one meter eighty.

This time, Zhuo Yan planned to soak the hide for several days to gradually remove the fat and flesh, preparing it for tanning…

After two busy days, the snowfall had lightened. Zhuo Yan took A-Yin to check on Xiao Xian and Ada. He first headed to Xiao Xian’s cave. As soon as he entered, he saw Xiao Xian looking much better, a smile gracing his face. Zhuo Yan felt relieved, knowing that his brother must have come through the ordeal without any serious harm.

“…Hmph, they bullied me this morning,” Xiao Xian said, though his tone was cheerful. “My dad said that once spring comes, my brothers will be fine.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Zhuo Yan nodded, uncertain of what to say. “Actually, the fishy smell might have attracted the bears—”

“I know, my dad told me,” Xiao Xian interjected with a quick nod. “Even though my brothers got hurt, if we hadn’t gone out, we wouldn’t have caught any fish. We’ve been eating grilled meat every day, and now there’s bear meat too. Zhuo Yan, if you’re going to handle fish in the future, you really need to be careful.”

Zhuo Yan replied with a soft “uh-huh,” surprised that Xiao Xian was aware of all this and even turned around to check on him.

“Well, I’m off to find Qiao Jie now.”

Compared to Xiao Xian’s carefree demeanor, Zhuo Yan’s guilt wasn’t as noticeable. Qiao quickly understood the situation and took Zhuo Yan to Ada’s cave. The distance was a bit far, so the two chatted along the way. Qiao said, “Zhuo Yan, you shouldn’t blame yourself for what happened with the bears.”

“During those days, our cave almost ran out of food. You noticed the fish and were thinking of us. You see us as companions. Searching for food outside always carries risks, and the dangers are even greater in winter.”

“Ada’s injury is somewhat serious, but with Ada’s mother and father taking care of him, I think once winter ends, we’ve made a promise that when he’s healed, we’ll become mates and start digging a new burrow together.”

Qiao’s face radiated with a determined and happy smile. “I have the courage to become mates with Ada.”

Zhuo Yan understood what Qiao meant by courage. In the face of danger, Ada always stood in front of Qiao, and she also worried about him, which likely strengthened her resolve to become mates.

Pre-marriage anxiety—perhaps it’s something that exists in every era?

Moving out of the burrow where they had lived since childhood to pair with another beastman and finding a new place to dig a burrow meant they would live together in the future. In the culture of the leopard tribe, the concept of family begins with the couple’s own burrow.

However, Ada truly is a worthy beastman to become mates with.

Zhuo Yan nodded, affirming, “I wish you and Ada all the best. You’ll have a good life together.”

“Thank you.” A relaxed smile spread across Qiao’s face as she glanced behind Zhuo Yan. “You too. In that dangerous situation, A-Yin was the first to rush in front of you. Zhuo Yan, I won’t worry about you anymore. Although A-Yin can’t transform into a human, he is a good beastman and a good mate.”

Zhuo Yan: Huh?

“… How can I explain this? Zhuo Yan didn’t want to hurt A-Yin’s feelings. That day, A-Yin had protected him fiercely, so he could only laugh and say, ‘A-Yin and I are not yet adults; he’s my little brother, haha.'”

Qiao had a knowing expression on her face, as if to say, “I understand.”

Zhuo Yan thought, What do you understand? Qiao! Why do you have that same expression as Xiao Xian?!

Ada was the one who was most seriously injured, with wounds on his abdomen and chest. When they arrived, Ada’s father greeted them. Ada’s father was a sub-beastman, a lean and handsome man in his late twenties. The burrow was tidy, and Ada’s wounds had been cleaned and treated, covered with a layer of herbal paste.

This herbal remedy had been found by Ada’s mother a few days earlier.

“I heard it can stop the bleeding,” Zhuo Yan said, his eyes lighting up at the thought of a herbal remedy that could staunch blood flow. He recalled how A-Yin had stubbornly endured—A-Yin really is blessed and lucky. He couldn’t help but muster the courage to ask, and to his surprise, Ada’s mother brought out the herbs and explained where they could find more.

“That area is the territory of the woolly mammoths, so don’t go there. If beastmen venture too far—”

Ada’s mother turned her gaze to A-Yin.

“You all shouldn’t go; it’s very dangerous,” Ada’s mother said directly.

Zhuo Yan understood the level of danger involved; it wasn’t a place for him and A-Yin to venture. He cautiously asked, “Can’t we plant this kind of medicinal herb near the tribe?”

“Ah?” Ada’s mother looked puzzled this time. “Plant? This? How do you plant it?”

Zhuo Yan gestured to illustrate, “Just like planting mud beans, you put it in the soil. This herb can be grown… right?”

Ada’s mother showed confusion and handed Zhuo Yan a piece of the herb. He quickly waved his hands, refusing, and explained, “This herb has been left out for too long; it can’t be planted. It needs seeds, but I’m not sure when this herb produces seeds.”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying; let’s forget about it,” Ada’s mother said, not insisting on giving it to him.

After staying at Ada’s home for a while, Zhuo Yan took his leave and stepped outside with A-Yin. Qiao had a brief conversation with Ada and followed Zhuo Yan back. On the way, she continued the earlier topic, asking, “How do you plant mud beans?”

“??? Then how did the mud beans in the tribe come about?” Zhuo Yan asked curiously.

Qiao replied, “They just grow there naturally. Every year, there are many of them. Can this mud bean be planted? Zhuo Yan, you haven’t told me what ‘planting’ means yet.”

“It means edible things that grow in the ground, like mud yam or dudu fruit. As long as we find their seeds, we can plant them in the soil and wait for them to grow,” Zhuo Yan explained.

Qiao’s eyes slowly widened as she processed what Zhuo Yan was saying about ‘planting.’ After a moment, she said, “But mud beans will rot if they fall into the soil.”

“That’s because the seeds haven’t been found. Mud beans need to be cultivated; you have to encourage them to sprout. The sprouted ones are the seeds, and they shouldn’t just be dropped on the ground; you need to dig a hole to bury them for planting,” Zhuo Yan clarified.

“Zhuo Yan, it’s hard for me to picture what you’re saying, but we can give it a try in the spring. I want to experiment with what you’ve described,” Qiao said thoughtfully.

“That would be great!” Zhuo Yan was thrilled to have come to an agreement with Qiao.

Qiao continued, “This way, there will be even more mud beans in the tribe in the future.”

“I can also plant some on the gentle slope below my cave,” Zhuo Yan quickly pointed out a suitable location.

Everyone was looking forward to the arrival of spring.

After several snowfalls, the patrol team didn’t find any bears, but they did come across a lot of rabbits and guinea fowl. The orcs seemed a bit disdainful of these two types of game, but they were still better than having nothing at all.

Zhuo Yan’s supplies at home were relatively sufficient. He hadn’t eaten much dudu fruit throughout the winter—Sister Qiao had mentioned that this fruit is excellent for storage. As long as the hard shell isn’t damaged, it can last an entire winter. Before winter started, she suggested that Zhuo Yan avoid eating it right away and wait until the snow melted to enjoy it.

In other words, it was best to rely on dudu fruit during the lean times when fresh food was scarce.

In the tribe, everyone relied on the survival wisdom gained from experience.

The orcs could still hunt, and after spring arrived, they would be able to catch some meat to eat. However, during that time, Zhuo Yan would be the only one in the cave of an aboriginal orc, and he would have to rely on dudu fruit for sustenance.

No one among Qiao and the others had expected that Zhuo Yan would find a white-furred little creature during the winter.

The last snowfall lasted for a very long time, falling continuously for six or seven days. However, the snow accumulation on the ground wasn’t very thick. Standing at the entrance of his cave, Zhuo Yan seemed to sense something: “It feels like spring is really coming.”

The sound of rushing water echoed, and the thickness of the accumulated snow seemed unyielding. The bare trees and withered plants appeared to awaken with the arrival of spring, filling the air with the scent of melting ice and snow. Zhuo Yan felt the resilient vitality of life that was awakening across this land.

He finally understood why Qiao and Ada’s mother didn’t grasp the concept of “planting.”

It was because this land was teeming with life, whether in the form of animals or the plants growing in the soil, nourishing everything around. Seeds would fall wherever the wind blew, and as the ice and snow melted, flowers and grasses would bloom again, given just a bit of time.

The felled trees would sprout new branches.

Young saplings of varying heights broke through the soil, growing at a visibly rapid pace, almost changing by the day. No wonder the area of “thin trees” used for making doors was so densely packed; they had to stretch desperately upwards due to the lack of sunlight.

The tribe had existed for many years, and the trees and vegetation had not been completely cut down.

It was a vibrant continent full of life.

After the snow ceased, Zhuo Yan opened the door to wash and fetch water by the river and was pleasantly surprised to find that the grasses in the meadow, which had been flattened all winter, were not dead. The yellowed grass roots were sprouting green shoots, as if breaking free from old shackles and growing new stems.

“We have a broom at home!”

Zhuo Yan planned to wait a few more days so that he could gather the dried grass that the roots shed and weave it into brooms. He picked up some of the soil and couldn’t help but exclaim, “What a naturally fertile planting ground this is!”

After a long winter, the rain and snow had seeped into the land, providing ample moisture that seemed to nourish the soil for an entire year. This was an enormous piece of “fertile land.”