Chapter 94

More than a dozen young cubs were playing in the courtyard at the entrance of the weaving house. Among the human children, the oldest was Dayun, followed by Xiaoshitou and Xiaoyun, then Xiaopan and Xiaoyan. On the ground, four young beast cubs were running around—these were Fengling, Taige, Zhuo Le, and Zhuo Buhei.

Among them, Zhuo Le and Zhuo Buhei were the youngest—only a day younger than Fengling and Taige. At this moment, Zhuo Le pounced on Fengling, biting down on Fengling’s head with a playful growl. Fengling refused to back down and fought back, while the clumsy little tiger, Taige, eagerly joined in. Taking advantage of the chaos, Zhuo Buhei also threw himself into the pile.

The cubs turned into a tangled mess, wrestling and tumbling over each other.

The adults were busy with their own tasks and didn’t notice what was happening outside. Even if they had, Shitou would have simply laughed and said, “They’re having so much fun.”

The younger siblings raised by Shitou naturally shared his view. To them, it was all just play. When Xiaoyan and Xiaopan were little, the two brothers used to wrestle just like this—biting each other’s ears, playfully gnawing on each other’s heads.

Until—

Baoxue arrived, carrying Zhuo Kang in his arms. He ran a few steps but then slowed down, remembering that Kangbao couldn’t be exposed to the wind. Carefully lowering his head to check on him, he asked, “Did the wind choke you?”

Zhuo Kang let out a tiny, soft whimper.

Baoxue sighed in relief and continued walking slowly while calling out, “Kangbao is here! I asked Uncle Zhuo Yan to let him come and play.”

The fluffy pile of wrestling cubs all turned their heads in unison.

At the very top, Zhuo Buhei let out an excited yelp and jumped down. Next came the little tiger, followed by Fengling. At the very bottom, Zhuo Le, who had been squashed under the pile, stared up with wide, indignant eyes. His playmates, however, weren’t afraid of his anger—Fengling even took the opportunity to bite his ear again, and seeing this, Taige eagerly joined in. Zhuo Buhei howled happily, thrilled by the chaos.

Zhuo Yan: …This kid just loves joining in the fun, completely carefree. He probably thinks it’s time for another round of ‘stacking cubs’ again.

With his tiny legs, Zhuo Buhei pounced and landed on top of the pile, howling excitedly.

This time, it was Fengling who got squashed at the bottom.

That was just how cubs played—they didn’t understand the grand lessons adults tried to teach them. Zhuo Yan had previously attempted to instill values like “siblings should love and respect each other,” but it was completely useless. Shitou and Aman had looked at him in disbelief when he tried.

Qiao said, “This is just how young ones play.”

“Yeah, they wouldn’t understand that stuff now anyway. And they’re just roughhousing—what are you gonna do, punish them?” Shitou asked. By the time he finished speaking, he was even looking at Zhuo Yan with a hint of ‘Are you serious? That’s messed up.’

Aman added, “If you’re going to punish anyone, hit Taige. Don’t touch Kangbao.”

Zhuo Yan: ???!!!

What kind of nonsense are you all saying?!

How could he possibly hit a bunch of tiny, fluffy cubs that were barely over half a month old? He was just trying to explain things! Kids don’t know their own strength—what if they accidentally scratched an eye or bit too hard?

When he said that, his friends were utterly shocked before bursting into laughter.

“Zhuo Yan, they’re not made of grass—how could that even happen?”

“Their teeth are all soft and wobbly.”

“Their claws barely do more than tickle me.”

“Of course, Kangbao can’t play like this—he’s a bit weaker.”

Everyone was just being honest; they all took special care of Zhuo Kang. After chatting with his friends for a while about “cub-raising experiences,” Zhuo Yan adjusted his perspective. The cubs of the Four Prairie Tribes were all raised rough and tough—they could handle a few knocks and tumbles. He had to trust in their beastman genes. The modern mindset of coddling infants just didn’t apply to the cubs of the tribe—except for Kangkang.

In beast form, cubs followed their natural instincts. At four to five months old, they were in a carefree, kindergarten-like phase—just playing, eating, and drinking all day. It wasn’t until they transformed into their human forms for the first time that they started learning to speak, walk, and understand the tribe.

After that, whenever Zhuo Yan saw his second child launching an all-out attack on Fengling, Taige, or even the human kids like Baoxue, Dayun, Xiaoyun, and Xiaoshitou during their “stacking game,” he simply remained calm and let it be.

Zhuo Le really loved headbutting people—headbutting everything.

Fortunately, Zhuo Le didn’t headbutt his eldest brother too much. Maybe it was because Kangkang was too weak, so instead, she would only press her forehead against her big brother’s butt while sleeping.

Zhuo Yan: …This habit won’t change, huh?

And now, Zhuo Buhei was following suit. But instead of headbutting, he liked to drape his fluffy tail over his big brother’s butt.

Zhuo Yan had no idea why these two were so obsessed with their big brother’s butt.

He even secretly sniffed Kangkang’s butt once—there wasn’t any bad smell. But he got caught red-handed by A-Yin.

Zhuo Yan quickly sat up, put his eldest son down, and said very seriously, “I was just curious why Lele and Buhei keep doing that.” He was definitely not a pervert.

A-Yin burst out laughing, then ran over to his brother and asked, “Why?”

“…I still don’t know,” Zhuo Yan admitted honestly.

That night, when they were all curled up to sleep, the three cubs nestled on the inner side, Zhuo Yan in the middle. A-Yin was hugging him when he suddenly said, “I figured it out, brother! It’s because of me.”

“???”

“I like licking my brother’s butt too!”

Zhuo Yan: …His face turned completely red from embarrassment.

This was nothing to be proud of, A-Yin! You really didn’t have to say it in such a proud tone!

…

Baoxue arrived, carrying Kangkang in his arms. The cubs quieted for a brief moment before diving back into their game of stacking up. Seeing this, Baoxue sat down a few steps away, still holding Kangbao.

He was a tall and sturdy little boy, sitting calmly while looking after Kangkang. His expression was serene and steady. From certain angles, his silhouette bore a striking resemblance to Kong Xingxing.

Tranquil, indifferent, composed.

That kind of temperament wasn’t immediately noticeable—you had to really observe to see it. After all, Baoxue’s outward appearance was simply too much like a smaller version of Shitou, making it hard to focus on anything else.

Inside the house, the previously indifferent peacock clan leader, Kong Xingxing—also known as Boss Kong—happened to glance out the window and spot his son. Delighted, he said, “Look at that! Baoxue really takes after me and that big brute. He’s growing so well—both handsome and strong.”

Hearing this, Shitou sometimes doubted himself, but he had never doubted Kong Xingxing. After a slight hesitation, he nodded and said, “That’s right!”

If Xingxing said Baoxue was good-looking, then he was good-looking.

The five peacocks: …

Even Kong Yue, who usually had something to say, was left speechless and could only focus on his work in silence.

With the weather getting hotter, the ramie fields were ready for harvest. Before that, several preparations had to be made. The six peacocks had been taught by Zhuo Yan how to go through the entire process: harvesting, extracting fibers, winding threads, soaking, drying, warping, and weaving. They had memorized everything and were now each attending to their own tasks—organizing tools, inspecting the wooden stakes for warping, cleaning the drying area, and so on.

The six members of the Kong family handled everything from harvesting ramie to weaving fabric, so Zhuo Yan didn’t have to worry about it at all—he didn’t even need to interfere. Kong Xingxing was more attentive to it than he was.

Sure enough, becoming a father really makes a difference.

This year’s harvest was going smoother than last year’s. Weighing the sickle in his hand, Kong Huo remarked, “This one works well.”

“Then cut more,” Kong Xingxing said.

Kong Huo: …

Shitou chuckled and said, “Let me do it. Don’t tire yourselves out.”

“He’s not tired,” Kong Xingxing insisted.

Kong Huo: “…I’m not tired.”

But the peacock clan isn’t really the type to do hard labor. They are much weaker than the beastmen in terms of strength, which is evident just from their diet. A few of them combined weren’t even as strong as Shitou. Last year, beastmen even had to help with the harvest. They excel at delicate tasks that don’t require much effort.

So when it came time to harvest ramie, Maha arrived with his own tools, and A-Yin, Ada, and Daen all went over to help. For the beastmen, this kind of work was an easy task.

The large open space in front of the weaving house was now in use, meaning the cubs could no longer play there.

Kong Xingxing was the type of parent who doted on children. Even though Baoxue was willing to take the younger siblings to play elsewhere, Kong Xingxing felt bad for them. Not minding the extra effort, he searched around and said, “A-Fu will clear a spot for you so you can still play here.”

“No need, A-Fu,” Baoxue said happily, holding Kangbao in his arms. “My younger siblings and I will go play by the river. Uncle Zhuo Yan and the others are there.”

Kong Xingxing looked disappointed. “Alright then, go ahead.”

Things had been busy lately, and he hadn’t had much time to watch over his son.

Baoxue carried Kangbao, while Xiaoyan and Xiaopan each held Lele and Buhei. Xiaoshitou and Xiaoyun carried Taige and Fengling. Each of them was holding a cub in a mixed, haphazard way—except for Kangkang, whom Baoxue always carried.

Kangkang was too small and frail. If he wasn’t held properly, he would get dizzy and look as if he was about to pass out, scaring the humanoid cubs stiff. After that, none of them dared to hold him anymore—they were too afraid. So Baoxue took over, becoming the one to always carry Kangkang.

On the surface, Baoxue looked like a carefree little boy, but in reality, he was thoughtful, gentle, and responsible. Seeing how Xiaoshitou, Xiaoyun, and the others were scared to carry Kangkang, he took the responsibility upon himself.

According to logic, Dayun should be the biggest among them, but before long, in the small group of young cubs, Baoxue became the leader of the “kindergarten,” looking after the little ones.

Everyone followed Baoxue’s lead.

Shitou was actually quite happy. When Baoxue had just hatched, he had worried that the tribe might reject him and that no one would play with him. But now, he could finally set his mind at ease.

Zhuo Yan was right—Baoxue had his own little companions.

The adults hardly had to worry about the cubs’ lives. After all, once they were born, it didn’t take long before they could run around. At first, Zhuo Yan had been somewhat concerned about raising children, feeling busy and responsible, but he soon realized that there was no need to be overly meticulous. The modern approach to childcare simply didn’t apply here.

When they were hungry, the cubs could eat meat—even dried meat, which worked like a teething toy. His daughter especially loved dried meat, clinging to it as she played and gnawed on it until it was gone.

Moreover, the cubs could eat salt. The tribe believed that eating salt was beneficial and would help them take on a humanoid form earlier.

Without salt and only consuming meat, grass, and mud beans, beastmen would become more animalistic. Over time, this could lead to violent and aggressive behavior.

Zhuo Yan wondered—was A-Yin still unable to take on a human form because of a lack of salt?

But he still made sure to mix things up—giving them dried meat and salted meat separately, along with some coarse grains that contained no salt. He remembered that consuming salt too early could harm an infant’s liver.

So they could eat it, but not too much.

Once the cubs were able to run, the adults would take them along when they went out to work. The adults would sit together in a group, while the cubs were watched over by the older children as they played.

Previously, every mealtime, Zhuo Yan would bring food or meat to Baoxue and the others to feed the children. But now, he didn’t need to do that anymore. Before heading out, he just had to pack some dried meat, boiled potatoes, or cornbread and hand them over to Baoxue and Dayun. The rest of the day required no supervision—by evening, the older kids would even bring the cubs back to them.

Zhuo Yan was truly grateful to Baoxue, as well as Shitou’s younger siblings and his uncle’s two children.

…During this time, Zhuo Yan and the tribespeople had been working under the shade of the trees by the river, making toys for the young ones—a slide, a swing, and a seesaw. These were things even the older kids could play with. Most importantly, they also built a large cat climbing structure.

The fluffy ones loved to climb.

There were plenty of transparent stones in the tribe, so the slide’s surface was made from transparent stone. Several pieces were fired and fused together, while the structure itself was built with bricks and wood—this was the most challenging part, while the rest was fairly simple.

With the help of the tribe’s sub-beastmen, the work was quickly completed.

When Zhuo Yan mentioned that he wanted to make some toys for the children before the harvest, the tribe members asked what toys were. After he gave a rough explanation, the sub-beastmen immediately agreed to help.

Not only would their current cubs be able to play with them, but there would soon be at least eight more cubs—and at most sixteen, assuming an average of two per person. By the end of the year, the leopard tribe would finally surpass eighty members.

A joyous occasion, indeed.

The chief had been in a great mood lately. When he strolled along the river with the great-uncle, he was often seen smiling, his expression much gentler than before. Unlike the first time Zhuo Yan had met him—back then, he had seemed intimidating, with a stern face etched by hardship, his brows tightly furrowed, rarely speaking or smiling.

So the playground equipment was quickly completed.

“Baoxue, come and play!” Zhuo Yan called out to Baoxue.

The young ones didn’t know how to play with it—they had never seen anything like it before. When they were still in their beast cub forms, their favorite activity was charging into the grass and playing with the bent stalks, pouncing on them as they swayed back and forth.

Zhuo Yan explained to the children, “Just climb up, sit there, and you’ll slide down.”

Since the tribe’s children were quite tall, the slide was built large and wide. Dayun, who was around thirteen or fourteen years old, was already nearly 1.7 meters tall. If he didn’t undergo a second transformation, he would be considered a sub-beastman, meaning his growth would continue in a more balanced way—stronger, taller. Based on Shitou’s height, Dayun was likely to reach around 1.8 to 1.85 meters in the future.

Right now, though, Dayun was still lanky, clearly just a kid.

“I’ll try it first,” Dayun said. He was close to Zhuo Yan—in fact, the tribe’s sub-beastmen all trusted Zhuo Yan’s words.

Dayun was holding Buhei in his arms as he ran up to the slide. When he sat down, the little cub slipped out of his hands and landed on the slide first.

Then Zhuo Yan, the doting father, watched as his third child slid down like a fluffy little rag, zipping all the way to the bottom.

Everyone saw it.

Zhuo Yan quickly picked him up, a little worried since his third child looked a bit dazed. “Did he get scared?”

But in no time, Buhei started yipping excitedly, craning his neck to look at the slide while wildly wagging his tail. His big, fluffy tail even swiped right across his father’s face.

Zhuo Yan: …

The entire group burst into laughter.

“The cubs seem to love it!”
“This is amazing!”
“I wonder if my little one will like it.”
“Of course they will! Look, the others are already poking their heads out, eager to try.”

Dayun had already slid down, her long legs stretched out. Her eyes were filled with surprise and joy.

Beastmen usually only carried their cubs on their backs when they were still furry babies or up to seven or eight years old. Once they grew older, it became rare. But since Shitou’s father and mother were famously affectionate within the tribe, Dayun had experienced that warmth more than most.

Sliding down from such a height, feeling the rush of wind—it was thrilling, just like riding on her mother’s back when she used to run and play with her.

She loved it.

One by one, the children lined up, taking turns. Before they played, they even seemed to follow some mysterious ritual—one that Buhei had somehow established. Every time, they would place a fluffy cub on the slide first, letting the cub go down before they took their own turns.

Zhuo Le absolutely loved it. The little fluffy “rag” would even catch a bit of air mid-slide, forming a tiny arc before tumbling into the sandy patch at the bottom of the slide.

Baoxue, on the other hand, held onto Kangkang while sliding down, carefully watching to see if Kangkang was scared. After two rides, Baoxue decided to take Kangkang to play elsewhere. Since the slide had a breeze, he was worried that Kangbao might catch a chill from the wind.

The kids quickly got the hang of everything—playing was an instinct, after all. The older children played on the slide, swings, and seesaw. When they couldn’t manage the little ones, they placed them on the cat climbing structure—a big treehouse equipped with stairs, steps, vine ropes, and a small transparent glass house where they could bask in the sun.

The little tiger, Tiger, and Zhuo Le were the most energetic, constantly climbing up and down. Then, of course, they started fighting—biting each other’s heads, crashing into each other’s butts—until they finally ended up playing a stacking game inside the little house.

The cubs also loved the slide, but since it had steps, they couldn’t climb up on their own. Zhuo Le, determined to find a way, simply stepped on her little brother, Tiger, and Wind Chime’s heads to jump higher.

Zhuo Yan: … My daughter, you are something else.

But even after jumping up one step, she still couldn’t reach the next. Frustrated, she turned in circles, looking at her little friends stuck below. Then she let out a series of anxious howls—Awooo awooo!—urging them, Hurry up and get up here!

Taige Fengling and Zhuo Buhei: …Can’t climb up.

Zhuo Yan grabbed one in each hand, with another clinging to his chest, and sent them all up.

With a place to play, the young cubs no longer needed to be carried everywhere by the older children. They could go to the treehouse and stack blocks, keeping them occupied for an entire morning.

Meanwhile, the tribe could finally begin harvesting.

Peanuts, mung beans, millet, potatoes.

The lion chieftain led the team. This time, only a small group went to the leopard tribe. The lion chieftain planned to dig up salt mud and bring it back to refine themselves, so he brought fifteen beastmen and only three sub-beastmen. Natsuki was among them.

Natsuki was quite clever. Although he had been a bit odd in the past and messed up a lot of things, he always figured out the right way to do things soon after making mistakes.

But these were all minor things that the beastmen didn’t pay much attention to. It wasn’t until the lion tribe witnessed the skill and intelligence of the leopard tribe’s sub-beastman, Zhuo Yan, and saw how quickly Natsuki could learn and replicate what Zhuo Yan came up with, that they started to realize Natsuki might actually be quite smart too.

So every time they came to trade for salt, the chieftain would bring Natsuki along to let him learn properly.

“We’re almost there.”

“Great.”

The beastman team spotted the leopard tribe’s territory, but surprisingly, there were no leopard beastmen out hunting. This year, the chieftain had decided they would take the salt mud back and dry it themselves. However, as a token of gratitude to the leopard tribe, they still brought some hides and bone knives.

Of course, some beastmen weren’t too happy about it—just a tiny bit. They felt that since they were making the salt themselves now, they shouldn’t have to give the leopards anything. But the chieftain had a point—the salt was still on leopard tribe land, and the leopards had taught them how to refine it. So, any complaints were kept in check.

“The chieftain said, ‘After delivering the supplies, we’ll rest for a day, then go collect salt mud and bring it back.’

Strangely, when they reached the edge of the forest near the Leopard Tribe’s territory, they finally spotted some patrolling beastmen. Upon meeting, a lion beastman curiously asked, ‘Didn’t you go hunting today?’

‘No, the tribe’s grain shipment has arrived, so we’re busy harvesting,’ Aman replied, inviting the lion beastmen inside.

‘Grain?’

‘Oh, Zhuo Yan brought back some seeds from the Feathered People. We planted them last year—peanuts, and they’re actually pretty tasty. I love peanuts,’ Ake answered.

The lion beastman knew that those peanuts and beans were something only the Feathered People ate—not particularly delicious. Why were the Leopard Tribe eating them? Meat was much tastier. Was it because the Leopard Tribe had fewer hunting grounds and prey? Well, their tribe definitely had more game.

Each beastman had their own thoughts, showing little interest in farming or planting beans.

Ake and Aman didn’t notice and led the lion beastmen to the resting area first.”

“This year, your three tribes’ resting area has also been renovated…”

Seated on his partner’s back, Natsuki had already seen it.

A glimmering area came into view—long slabs that looked like stone but were smooth and beautiful. Among the trees, there were small tables, and wooden plaques hung from some trees, engraved with patterns.

Natsuki recognized one—it was a square-shaped design.

“Is this our resting area?” the lion beastman asked.

Ake replied, “No, this is our tribe’s marketplace. It was just built this year. That one over there should be—”

“Soaps, square-shaped ones. Ah Bai and Chun made a soap stall.”

“This one is pottery.”

“That over there is jewelry and wind chimes, made by Xiao Xian.”

“And this table should be for food.”

The marketplace was located between the wolf, lion, and tiger tribes. The platform was built from translucent stone, with rectangular tables about 1.5 meters long and half a person’s height. Two or three trees had a table set between them. The tables were arranged in slightly curved rows, leaving a central walkway. Each tree near a table had a wooden plaque displaying an image of what was being sold.”

“This marketplace was built gradually, with work interspersed between daily tasks. At first, the sub-beastmen formed small groups to discuss what to ‘sell’ and how to make goods, while Zhuo Yan planned where to construct the market and how to organize it. Later, some of the sub-beastmen’s partners also joined in to help with the labor.

It wasn’t built all at once in just a few days. In between farming, hunting, and other tasks, they had to transport more transparent stone whenever they ran out. Bit by bit, the marketplace was only recently completed.

The lion sub-beastmen, upon hearing it was a market, looked at the bare, transparent tables—were they supposed to be replaced with something?

‘The market goods haven’t been set out yet. When the time comes, you can pick and trade for what you like.’

‘What’s this?’ Ake noticed a wooden plaque hanging from a tree with an unfamiliar drawing and turned to ask Aman.

Aman leaned in for a closer look. ‘Is it… pants?’

‘Huh?’

‘Looks a bit short, though.’

‘Maybe the peacocks drew them too short.’

The lion tribe knew the peacocks had arrived at the leopard tribe’s settlement—they had even carried them here. Now, hearing this, they became curious and moved closer to examine the plaque, but they couldn’t make sense of the drawing.

‘What are pants?'”

“‘It’s made of summer cloth. It’s cool to wear and more breathable than leather. When the weather gets hot in summer, you can wear it…’

As Ake and Aman chatted, they led the lion tribe toward the resting area.

The resting area for the three tribes hadn’t changed much—just some adjustments and the addition of practical furniture, all made from transparent stone. For example, long tables were built, which could be used as workstations for cutting meat, slicing potatoes, and cooking. They could also serve as dining tables.

There was also a water bucket made from transparent stone. It was lighter than regular stone, with holes on both sides where vines were threaded to form handles for carrying.

The setups were nearly identical for all three tribes.

After leading the lion tribe there, Ake and Aman left to report back to the chieftain. As soon as they were gone, the lion tribe members finally spoke up.

‘The leopard tribe is setting up a marketplace too.’

‘I recognize the soap and pottery. The leopard tribe used to trade for them at the feathered people’s market.’

Some felt regret—if they had known earlier, they would have brought more goods to trade. Now, what were they supposed to exchange?

The lion chieftain gazed back at the marketplace they had passed earlier. It was still empty, with nothing displayed yet. But Ake and Aman had mentioned things he had never heard of before—like summer cloth, or those shiny, stone-like slabs. What were they?”

“It had only been a year since they last met, yet the leopard tribe had so many new things.

‘Rest for now, and don’t go out hunting,’ the lion chieftain said. He was eager to visit the leopard tribe himself.

He went alone, without bringing any of his warriors.

Since the leopard chieftain had not yet invited him, the lion chieftain knew to be respectful. Stepping out of the forest, he gazed across the river into the distance and finally understood what Ake and Aman had meant by the leopard tribe harvesting.

Was that peanuts and beans?

The lion chieftain wasn’t sure. He had never paid much attention to the food of the feathered people before—beastmen survived on meat. How could those tiny beans possibly fill a stomach?

But now, as he looked out, he saw vast fields of them, stretching far and wide.

One small bean wouldn’t be enough to satisfy hunger—but what about many?

Before long, the leopard chieftain received word of the lion chieftain’s arrival. When they met, the leopard chieftain smiled and said, ‘The fields need another two days, and the market won’t open until the third day. You should stay a little longer.’”

“‘No… Well, alright.’ The lion chieftain had initially planned for them to rest for just one night, drop off their supplies, and then take the salt mud back to their tribe. But after seeing the scene before him and hearing Ake mention summer cloth, he decided to stay a few more days and wait for the leopard tribe’s market to open.

Even if the lions had nothing to trade, just seeing it would be worthwhile.

The leopard chieftain smiled, the deep furrow in his brow—etched from years of responsibility—unwittingly easing for the first time in a long while.

‘Last year, your lion tribe left early. I spoke with the wolf and tiger tribes afterward. If all three of your tribes only take salt mud back to dry yourselves, then you don’t need to give anything to our tribe in return.’

The lion chieftain turned to look at him, about to protest—how could that be allowed?”

The leopard chieftain spoke first, cutting off any protest. “The tiger and wolf tribes have already agreed. I can’t just take offerings from the lion tribe alone, can I? Let’s keep it the same for everyone.”

“…Alright.” The lion chieftain nodded, this time accepting without argument.

As the two chieftains walked along the riverbank fields, the lion chieftain noticed the leopard tribe members skillfully cutting down long-stemmed plants.

“What are they holding?” he asked, then immediately hesitated, realizing it might be something private—perhaps a secret of the leopard tribe.

“This?” The leopard chieftain glanced at the tool and replied, “It’s a scythe made from transparent stone, along with some other farming tools—all ideas from Zhuo Yan.” He then paused, smiled, and added, “We’ll explain everything once all three tribes have arrived.”

The lion chieftain nodded in agreement.

“We won’t take any goods from you, but as always, you’ll need to hunt on our lands and share half the catch with us.”

“Of course,” the lion chieftain chuckled. That went without saying—otherwise, they would owe the leopard tribe far too much.

That day, the lion chieftain saw peanuts and mung beans being gathered—dried but still in their shells. The leopard tribe members carried baskets of them back into their caves, but that wasn’t all. There was still the millet the leopard chieftain had mentioned—piled up in massive heaps.

He overheard some leopard tribe members saying, “The millet we harvested last year lasted us an entire year. Even after winter, we still have plenty left…”

Basket after basket. The lion chieftain counted—one beastman alone had carried at least ten baskets. And that was on top of the peanuts, beans, and something they called “mud beans”…

“Won’t you run out of space in your caves?” he asked.

“Haha, yeah! I was thinking of digging a new storage cave once we’re done with the harvest.”

“You should have done that ages ago. I dug one last year, and it’s been really useful.”

The lion chieftain listened to their conversation.

The leopard tribe had so much food—so much that they needed to dig extra storage caves just to keep it all.

His eyes were filled with shock and envy.