Noticing that Zhuo Mu had something on his mind, Wen Ze asked, “What’s wrong?” 

Zhuo Mu looked into his eyes. “It might not be so easy to collect honey.” 

“Are you worried I’ll get stung by bees? I’ll be careful when the time comes. If there’s danger, I’ll run.” 

Zhuo Mu shook his head. “No. I’ll go with you, so there’s no need to worry about the bees.” His snake scales were tough—even the black bees from the Snow Sea Tribe wouldn’t be a threat to him. 

Wen Ze was confused. “Then what’s the problem? From what Zhong Chu said, there should be plenty of beehives in the territory.” 

“Many beastmen and half-beastmen from the South Mountain Tribe like honey, especially the bear beastmen. They remember the locations of the hives and check on them regularly. Even if the bees move, their sharp sense of smell helps them find the new hives.” 

Wen Ze suddenly understood, “In that case, I guess there won’t be any honey left for me.” 

Zhuo Mu nodded again. 

Wen Ze chuckled to himself. How did he forget that most of the South Mountain Tribe were bear beastmen? 

It was honey! Who could resist the lure of honey, especially a bear? 

Even the quiet Zhong Chu had nearly gotten his nose stung while trying to get some. 

From what Zhuo Mu said, it seemed like these beastmen checked the beehives frequently, making it unlikely for Wen Ze to find any leftovers. 

But he really wanted honey. A rare look of hesitation appeared on his usually composed face. He sighed and fell silent. 

Zhuo Mu watched him quietly for a moment before saying, “I don’t have much to do this afternoon. Let’s go look for beehives together.” 

Wen Ze was surprised. “Huh? But didn’t you say I probably wouldn’t be able to collect any honey…?” 

“There are so many beehives. We might find one that was overlooked. Even if we don’t get much, collecting a little is still useful for preserving osmanthus flowers.” 

Hearing Zhuo Mu’s support, Wen Ze’s eyes lit up, and he broke into a bright smile. 

“Okay!” 

Since he wasn’t willing to give up so easily, it was worth a try. There was no harm in it. 

It was like when they, as half-beastmen, went mushroom picking together—there were always spots the others missed. 

Who knew? Maybe they’d be lucky enough to find an undiscovered beehive. 

But there was one thing that bothered him… 

“If you come with me and we end up collecting nothing, it would be a waste of your time.” 

Zhuo Mu replied casually, “It’s fine. I can hunt in the wild, and I can also collect some herbs along the way while we search for the beehives.” 

With that reassurance, Wen Ze felt better. 

“I might not be much help with hunting, but if we find herbs, I’ll help you gather them!” 

“Alright.” 

Seeing that the two had already planned their afternoon, Yin He peeked his head around eagerly and asked, “Brother, Brother Zhuo Mu, I want to go with you too! Can you take me along?” 

Wen Ze gently coaxed him, “Not this time.” 

Yin He was a little disappointed. “Why not?” 

“Because there’s something more important for you to do than coming with us to look for beehives.” 

“Huh?” 

“We still haven’t sorted the osmanthus flowers we collected this morning. If we don’t get them sorted and dried, all our work will be for nothing. By winter, we won’t be able to enjoy the osmanthus lotus root powder anymore.” 

Yin He immediately got serious at the thought of the delicious osmanthus lotus root powder. “I’ll do it!” 

Wen Ze smiled with satisfaction. “Wait for us to bring back some tasty treats.” 

*** 

After eating lotus root starch, no one felt hungry. They tidied up the stove, reminded Yin He to watch the house, and then Zhuo Mu and Wen Ze set off. 

As usual, Zhuo Mu changed into his beast form, and Wen Ze rode on his back as they searched through the areas mentioned by Zhong Chu one by one. 

The forest was deep and dense with vegetation. 

When they reached places too narrow for the giant python to pass through, Wen Ze slid off his back, and Zhuo Mu returned to his human form. The two of them continued walking through the woods together. 

This time, Wen Ze was fully focused. His furry beast ears and tail had appeared as he sniffed around along the way. 

Zhuo Mu walked beside him, his eyes occasionally glancing at his black ears and tail, which were swaying lightly. 

“I smell it! Over here!” Wen Ze’s eyes suddenly lit up as he pointed in a direction and quickly started walking. 

With one hand gripping his black silver knife, he chopped through the weeds in his path and quickly reached a large tree. 

Among the dense tree canopy, an oval-shaped beehive hung from the branches. 

Around it, deep brown bees—much larger than modern ones—buzzed, flying back and forth. The constant “buzz buzz buzz” filled the air. 

Wen Ze laughed excitedly, rubbing his hands together, ready for a big harvest. 

But as he circled around the tree and saw the other side of the hive… 

“Someone already cut into it!” 

The cut was so clean; it looked like it had been made with a shell knife. 

Wen Ze complained, his previously excited heart now feeling like it had been splashed with cold water. 

Zhuo Mu circled around and looked up, adding, “And it’s been cut quite a lot. We can’t take what’s left.” 

Wen Ze replied gloomily, “Yeah, I know. We have to leave some for the bees.” 

Patting his cheeks, he reminded himself that at least he had prepared for this, so it wasn’t too disappointing. 

“It’s okay, let’s try looking for others,” Wen Ze said to Zhuo Mu, then turned and walked ahead. 

They kept collecting supplies while searching through the forests. 

The next beehives they found were either completely empty or had been cut so many times that they couldn’t be harvested anymore. 

There was only one hive that still had a bit of honey. 

Zhuo Mu changed into his beast form and stood up. 

Wen Ze wrapped his exposed skin in cloth, then sat on his massive snake head. In a flash, he sliced off a small piece of honeycomb. 

Before the bees had time to react, Zhuo Mu quickly spun around, speeding off with Wen Ze as they left the forest. 

The angry bees chased after the two “honey thieves,” stinging them relentlessly. 

But Zhuo Mu was too fast, and they didn’t manage to catch up. 

The two stopped by a clear stream, surrounded by the lush green grass. 

In the distance, the trees grew peacefully, and beyond that, the mountains stretched endlessly, their peaks shrouded in mist. 

The afternoon sun was bright. Wen Ze walked to the water’s edge, cupping his hands to splash his face with cool water. 

He wiped his face with the back of his hand, then turned to Zhuo Mu with a smile. “Collecting honey is really troublesome. If you weren’t worried about me, you wouldn’t have needed to run just now. Haha.” 

Zhuo Mu’s thin, well-formed lips curved into a smile as well. 

“Where should we go next?” he asked. 

Wen Ze shook his head. “I’m done looking for beehives. We’ve searched a lot and found nothing. Didn’t you say you wanted to gather some herbs? Are there any around here? Let’s pick some, then head back.” 

Zhuo Mu looked around and nodded. “There are.” 

Wen Ze immediately stood up. “Let’s go!” 

Zhuo Mu didn’t change into his beast form. The two walked side by side toward the mountains. 

The peaks blocked the sunlight, casting large shadows over the land. 

They stopped in a grassy area near the base of the mountain. 

“This is it,” Zhuo Mu said. 

“Oh, okay,” Wen Ze said, scanning the grass around him. He couldn’t name a single plant. 

He had expected the herbs Zhuo Mu was looking for to be rare and hard to find. 

But to his surprise, Zhuo Mu casually pushed aside the grass, took a few steps forward, and picked a fruit off a vine. “This one.” 

“Huh?” Wen Ze looked at the fruit in his hand, feeling like he had seen it before. 

The fruit was wrapped in an orange, oval-shaped covering, with a pointed tip, closed petals, and a slightly indented base with a few slanted heart-shaped leaves. 

The oval-shaped covering was large, and the fruit nearly covered Zhuo Mu’s entire hand. It was also heavy. 

Looking behind him, Wen Ze saw countless other fruits of the same kind growing on the wild vines. 

“What are these? There are so many, collecting them would be easy.” 

Zhuo Mu replied, “Red Fruit.” 

“Huh? That’s its name?” 

“Yes. Why?” 

Wen Ze couldn’t help but laugh. “Haha, it’s nothing. I just think the name is kind of cute. But why is it called ‘Red Fruit’?” 

Zhuo Mu walked over, plucked a fruit, and peeled off the covering. 

When he saw the shape of the berry inside, his eyes widened as he realized the answer to his own question. 

“Because when it’s fully ripe, it turns bright red,” Zhuo Mu explained. 

Wen Ze stared at the berry in his palm. It was about the size of a tomato, but it looked like an oversized sour berry! 

Back in his previous life, it had a more down-to-earth name: “Red Guliang Fruit.” 

Wen Ze sniffed the slightly bitter scent of the fruit in his hand and glanced at the vast area of vines around them. His heart suddenly began to race. 

“Zhuo Mu, what can this Red Fruit treat?” he asked. 

“If taken, it helps with fever, sore throat, painful urination, and so on. If crushed and applied externally, it can treat abscesses.” 

That was it! The medicinal properties matched perfectly with the Red Guliang Fruit! 

Since it wasn’t the ripe season yet, the fruit in his hand still had an orange-red skin, looking quite tempting. 

This weed was easy to grow, and one vine could bear many fruits. Wen Ze couldn’t help but imagine: if this fruit tasted good, they would have a new, easily accessible food at home. 

Swallowing his saliva, he wiped the smooth surface of the fruit with his hand and asked, “How does it taste?” 

Zhuo Mu frowned. “It’s really bad.” 

Even Zhuo Mu, who wasn’t picky at all, said it was bad, so it must really be terrible. Wen Ze’s heart sank a little. 

Still, he held on to a glimmer of hope. Bad can mean different things. Like, when something’s bitter when raw, but tastes fine when cooked in a dish. 

With that, he opened his mouth and took a small bite from the fruit. 

“Ugh!” The taste was a hundred times more bitter than bitter melon, and it shot straight up to his head, instantly transforming his face into a “mask of agony”! 

His tongue and mouth were completely numbed by the flavor. Forgetting his image, he turned his head and spat out the fruit with a loud “puh!” 

Even after spitting it out, the sour bitterness lingered in his mouth. He spat again, and only after forcing himself to swallow did the discomfort start to ease. 

It was so bad that stars seemed to appear in his eyes, and tears were nearly streaming down his face. 

“I’m not exaggerating when I say this, but the taste of this thing ranks among the top three worst things I’ve ever eaten.” 

Wen Ze’s eyes turned red with tears, gritting his teeth and holding back the urge to vomit. 

Zhuo Mu’s red eyes flashed with a hint of amusement. “I told you it was bad.” 

Wen Ze nodded, now fully convinced. 

He had hoped that fruit from the beast world would be tastier than what he was used to. Looking back, he realized how naive he’d been. 

Not only was it not good, but it was several times worse! 

With a bitterness like that, it was impossible to cook with it. 

“Well, yeah…” Wen Ze muttered, staring at the wild grass in front of him. “The fruits are so big and easy to collect. If they really tasted good, someone would have picked them already.” 

Zhuo Mu nodded. 

Wen Ze sighed, “Alright, how much should we gather?” 

“A little less than half a basket will do.” 

“After all, it tastes so bad. Even if it can cure illnesses, I’m sure most people wouldn’t want to eat it, right?” 

Zhuo Mu smiled without denying it. 

The fruits grew thickly on the vines, and soon enough, the half basket was full. 

Just as Wen Ze was about to say, “Let’s head back home,” Zhuo Mu, still in a slightly bent posture, focused his gaze on something in the distance. 

Wen Ze noticed something and quietly asked, “What’s wrong?” 

“There’s a long-legged bird over there looking for food.” 

The meat of long-legged birds is delicious! Wen Ze said excitedly, “Do you want to catch it?” 

Although it was a question, his longing was unmistakable. 

Their bodies were hidden by the tall grass, so they moved carefully. The long-legged bird was focused on pecking at something and didn’t notice the danger. 

Zhuo Mu kept his eyes on the bird and said, “We can catch it. But didn’t you say you wanted a young long-legged bird?” 

Wen Ze blinked. “Yeah.” 

The meat of long-legged birds tastes a lot like chicken, and they can lay eggs. Wen Ze had been thinking about raising a few. 

Zhuo Mu said, “Long-legged birds are social animals. If we follow this one, we might be able to find their nest.” 

There was no need to think twice. Wen Ze immediately decided, “Let’s follow it!” 

They stored everything they could in their space. 

Then, Zhuo Mu crouched down with his back to Wen Ze. “Get on my back first.” 

Wen Ze hesitated for just a moment before obediently doing as he was told. 

Lying on his broad back, with his hands resting on Zhuo Mu’s shoulders, Wen Ze pulled slightly away, but he could still smell Zhuo Mu’s clean scent. 

In the past, Wen Ze had ridden on Zhuo Mu’s beast form many times and even sat on his back or his head. But this felt completely different. 

Zhuo Mu’s body temperature was lower than his own, and even through the clothes and skin, Wen Ze could feel his strong muscles. 

The warmth of their closeness made the blood beneath his palm rush faster. 

His thoughts and emotions were affected as well, making his heart race and his face grow warm. 

“Let’s go.” Zhuo Mu’s deep and magnetic voice sounded as he changed into his beast form! 

This time, the long-legged bird finally noticed the “hunter.” It shrieked and flapped its wings in panic, flying upward with berry juice still on its beak. 

The giant white python shot forward in one swift motion, scaring the bird into calling out even more frantically. It flew upward, instinctively heading toward the safety of its nest. 

When Zhuo Mu changed into his beast form, Wen Ze was already sitting on his giant python back. 

Now, with the bird flying high above them, they were on the ground following it. 

Wen Ze pushed aside the fluttering sensation from earlier, tilted his head back, squinted, and focused on the long-legged bird. 

Zhuo Mu’s tracking skills were exceptional. With his giant beast form, no matter whether it was a forest or a mountain peak, nothing could stop him. 

The long-legged bird stayed in their sight for most of the time. When it briefly disappeared, the giant python made some intimidating noises to scare it into reappearing, continuing its flight forward. 

After about forty minutes, they finally spotted a remote rocky cliff in the distance. 

There wasn’t much food around here, and the tribe rarely came to collect from this area. 

The long-legged bird let out a loud call as it flew toward its nest atop the cliff. 

Other long-legged birds responded with calls of their own. 

Wen Ze couldn’t understand the bird calls, but since he was now a half-beastman, he could sense the unease in their voices. 

“We can’t go any closer. If we scare them, they’ll move their nest, and it’ll be harder to find them again,” Zhuo Mu said. 

After waiting for Wen Ze to get off, he turned back into his human form. 

As the fierce presence around him faded, the long-legged birds calmed down a bit. 

Wen Ze looked up at the towering cliff and remarked, “They’re so big, but they build their nests so high up.” 

Zhuo Mu nodded. “It’s dangerous, but hunting them isn’t easy either.” 

Wen Ze nodded in agreement. 

“I looked around, and the nests are all pretty high. I want to climb up and see if there are any young birds that can’t fly yet.” 

“We’ll go together. You go first.” 

Wen Ze was worried about stepping wrong since the original owner of his body had fallen from a height and died from the injuries. 

But with Zhuo Mu backing him up, even if he fell, Zhuo Mu could change into his beast form and catch him. 

After agreeing, Wen Ze retrieved an empty basket, put it on his back, and walked to the base of the cliff. He rubbed his palms together and began climbing. 

Zhuo Mu kept a safe distance behind him, occasionally offering advice on where to step. 

To be safe, they climbed slowly. 

The long-legged birds spotted them, but since they were large themselves, they didn’t see them as a threat and casually went in and out of their nests. 

When Wen Ze reached halfway up the cliff and looked down, the height made him feel lightheaded. 

His foot slipped a little, almost making him lose his balance, which caused him to break into a cold sweat. 

It really wasn’t easy to gather some chicks. 

“Be careful,” Zhuo Mu’s calm voice came from below, “Don’t look down.” 

Wen Ze slowly exhaled. “Got it.” 

By the time they reached halfway up the cliff, birds had already started nesting there. 

Wen Ze carefully moved sideways along the rock, reaching one of the nests. 

He peeked inside. The adult bird wasn’t there, and there were no signs of chicks, but under the branches, there were several pure white eggs. 

“Wow, these eggs are huge!” Wen Ze exclaimed, reaching in to touch them. “There are five!” 

Zhuo Mu, using his experience, judged, “The eggs are large. But they wouldn’t be able to hatch too many. Looks like we’re the first to come here.” 

Wen Ze immediately asked, “So, we can take the eggs?” 

Zhuo Mu replied, “Yes.” 

“Then I’ll take half!” Wen Ze directly took two large eggs from the nest. 

After a moment of thought, he handed the eggs down to Zhuo Mu. “Can you put them in your space? I’m afraid they might break.” 

Zhuo Mu took them. “Okay.” 

Wen Ze had been feeling a bit down earlier since finding the beehives hadn’t gone well. 

But now, with the bird eggs, he was in a much better mood. He eagerly climbed the cliff, checking one nest after another. 

Almost every nest had four or five eggs, so they were gathering quite a few. 

After what seemed like countless nests, Wen Ze leaned over and saw a long-legged bird calmly lying in its nest. 

From the crown on its head and the length of its feathers, he figured it was a female bird. 

When it noticed the uninvited guest, the female bird let out a long, low warning from its throat, its feathers flaring up. 

However, it didn’t leave the nest. Instead, it pecked in Wen Ze’s direction with its sharp beak. 

Wen Ze was ready and quickly dodged, leaving the bird to peck at the air. 

“Such a bad temper; it’s probably incubating its eggs,” Wen Ze waved at Zhuo Mu. “Come over and help me hold it down for a bit so I can check.” 

“Okay.” 

Zhuo Mu quickly climbed up to the same level as Wen Ze. He used one hand to grip the rock wall and pressed the long-legged bird’s head down with the other. 

The long-legged bird was startled and tried to struggle, but Zhuo Mu’s strength was immense, and it couldn’t break free. 

So, it had no choice but to let Wen Ze reach underneath its soft belly. 

Wen Ze quickly counted the eggs: “Four eggs. Great, even at this time of year, there are birds incubating eggs.” 

He took out one of the warm eggs and examined it under the sunlight. The outline of the chick’s body could be seen inside. 

He knew a little about incubating eggs. 

“At this rate, in about ten days, it’ll hatch. After that, it’ll take some time for the chick to learn to fly, right?” He asked Zhuo Mu. 

Zhuo Mu, still holding down the frustrated, angry female bird, answered, “Hmm, about two months.” 

Wen Ze nodded. “A newly-hatched long-legged bird probably wouldn’t survive if we took it back, so let’s wait about a month and come back for them.” 

Zhuo Mu agreed with a nod. 

Wen Ze placed the egg back carefully, then climbed up a couple of steps. Zhuo Mu finally released his grip. 

They continued to climb to the top of the cliff, checking almost every bird’s nest along the way. 

They not only collected a whole basket of bird eggs but also found three nests with incubating female birds. 

There were chicks, but they could already fly, so it would be more difficult to tame them. 

However, thinking about how tender the meat would be, Wen Ze still had Zhuo Mu catch a few, planning to stew them once they got back. 

Finally, with both feet firmly on the ground, Wen Ze let out a deep breath. 

“Climbing a cliff really makes my legs weak,” he said with a cheerful smile at Zhuo Mu, his voice brimming with anticipation. “At least we had a good haul today! In a month, we’ll have some long-legged chicks!” 

Zhuo Mu remained steady, his usual calmness softening into a faint smile as he nodded. 

The sun was setting, its red glow stretching across the vast sky. 

The warm light bathed them both, casting a gentle halo around their faces. 

Wen Ze stretched lazily, his slim waist arching as he dragged out his words. “Let’s go home!” 

*** 

Today had been such a good day that Wen Ze, after asking Zhuo Mu for permission, lay down on his back. 

Ah~ The back of the giant snake was wide, cool, and bouncy—it was even better than a mattress worth thousands of dollars! 

Though he’d never actually laid on a mattress that expensive, he just knew that Zhuo Mu’s back was way better. 

The giant snake moved slowly down the mountain, and Wen Ze lay on his back, chewing on a piece of wild grass, enjoying the evening sky. 

Above them, long-legged birds flew by, seemingly heading back to their nests. 

Wen Ze wondered how they would react when they found their eggs were missing. 

Would they be mad and scold the bird that led them there in the first place? 

“What are you thinking about?” Zhuo Mu’s deep voice broke through Wen Ze’s thoughts. 

Wen Ze laughed. “I was just thinking about that long-legged bird, so focused on eating those berries in the grassland. It was so clueless, haha!” 

Zhuo Mu chuckled in response. 

Wen Ze continued, “Those red berries are so disgusting. I can’t believe it managed to eat them… wait a second.” 

Suddenly, Wen Ze sat up straight, his heart racing as a new thought crossed his mind. 

“Zhuo Mu, do you remember what color the berries the long-legged bird was eating were?” 

Zhuo Mu thought for a moment before answering with certainty, “Yellow.” 

“But the juice of those berries is red!” Wen Ze gasped. “Quick, turn around!” 

They had missed something! 

---

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