Everyone was puzzled, but no one voiced their doubts. 

They had already gotten used to Wen Ze doing things in unconventional ways. 

Although his ideas were unconventional, they always seemed to lead to unexpectedly good results. 

Sang Hui asked, “Is regular clay fine, or does it have to be pottery clay?” 

“Regular clay is fine.” 

“Then I’ll take some people to get it.” 

Wen Ze nodded and directed the remaining people to move part of the wood to an open space. 

“Next, I’ll explain how to stack the wood.” 

Everyone gathered in front of him, listening attentively. 

“First, take a wood and bury it upright in the ground. Zhuo Mu, you’re the strongest—why don’t you do it?” 

Zhuo Mu stepped forward, “Alright. How deep should it go?” 

Wen Ze measured with his arm, “About this much? It needs to be stable.” 

“Got it.” 

The trees that Wu Ye and the others had cut down were thicker than Wen Ze’s thigh. Even after being chopped into sections, each piece still reached his chest. 

The wood was dense and solid, looking incredibly heavy. 

Yet, when Zhuo Mu lifted one, he showed no effort at all. His expression remained unchanged, as if he were merely lifting a feather. 

He smoothly placed the wood upright, held it steady with one hand, then raised the other and struck the top. 

“Boom!” 

With a muffled sound, the massive wood sank into the soil effortlessly, as if a candle had been pushed into a buttercream cake. 

It was buried to the exact depth that Wen Ze had measured. 

“Done,” the tall, serious-looking man with well-defined features said lightly. 

Wen Ze was secretly impressed and instructed a few others to carry more woods, stacking them layer by layer around the upright one. 

Eventually, they built a woodpile about two meters in wide. 

The remaining half-beastmen, who hadn’t participated in moving the woods, stood a bit farther away, observing carefully. 

Li Shui remarked, “It looks similar to how we stacked firewood for bonfires before, but this is more organized.” 

Wen Ze heard this and said, “It also needs to be more solid.” 

Li Shui nodded. “Got it.” 

“Wen Ze, we’re back!” Sang Hui’s voice came from behind. 

Wen Ze turned and saw them approaching quickly, carrying several large baskets of mixed clay. Muddy water was still dripping from the bottom of the baskets. 

“Come, put them here. Just in time, we’ve also finished setting up the wood.” 

After Sang Hui set the baskets down, Wen Ze rolled up his sleeves, scooped up a handful of mud, and spread it onto the wood in front of him. 

“Next, we need to coat all the wood with clay,” Wen Ze explained as he worked. “Then we’ll leave a large hole on top, and that’s where we’ll light the fire.” 

“So that’s what the clay is for—trapping the wood inside while it burns?” Wu Ye asked. 

“Exactly.” 

Standing beside Wen Ze, Sang Hui thought for a moment and asked, “Will the outer layer coated in clay also turn into charcoal?” 

Wen Ze was momentarily stunned and paused his movements. 

“Uncle Sang Hui, you just reminded me! If we apply the clay directly like this, the outer layer of wood will be wasted!” 

He had read about this charcoal-making method a long time ago in a book, so his memory of it wasn’t very clear. 

Only now did he recall that they could first lay a layer of dry grass and leaves around the wood before applying the clay! This way, the clay would spread more evenly too! 

“Li Shui,” Wen Ze called. 

“I’m here!” 

“Can you take some people to the forest and collect dry leaves? We need them urgently.” 

“I’ll go right away!” 

As Li Shui led his group off, Wen Ze turned to Bai Xia. “Can you find some stones about this big? They need to be sturdy and heat-resistant.” 

Bai Xia responded, “Got it!” 

Since it would take some time for Li Shui to return, Wen Ze didn’t rush to apply the mud. Instead, he had Zhuo Mu and the others build a few more woodpiles in the same way. 

With him coordinating, everyone worked in an orderly manner, and their efficiency was high. 

“Wen Ze, here are the leaves!” Before long, Li Shui dumped a large basket of dried leaves beside the woodpiles. 

“Great.” Wen Ze directed two people to help him spread the leaves over the stacks, then applied mud on top. 

“Make sure to coat it evenly without any gaps.” 

“Got it!” 

At the very top of each pile, Wen Ze left an uncovered hole. 

Near the bottom, he also dug several small holes around the base. 

“Come on, light it from the top.” 

As soon as Wen Ze finished speaking, a tall beastman stepped forward and set the dry leaves on fire. 

Under the watchful eyes of several people, the leaves burned quickly. In no time, wisps of bluish smoke rose from the holes above. 

Wen Ze added a few more dry branches to the top, and the flames roared upwards. 

“The fire is lit!” His black eyes gleamed in the firelight as he spoke to the others. “Uncle Sang Hui, Li Shui, you two stay here. If you see any cracks in the mud, seal them up with wet clay immediately.” 

The two responded together, “Got it.” 

Wen Ze led the others to repeat the process for the remaining wood piles—covering them with leaves, applying mud, and lighting the fire. 

After assigning people to keep watch, Wen Ze returned to the first burning pile and checked the holes below. 

Whenever flames tried to escape downward, he quickly blocked the openings with stones and then covered them with a thick layer of wet clay. 

He used stones first because, unlike the Beastmen, his skin wasn’t as thick and tough, and he didn’t want to burn his hands. 

With multiple wood piles to keep an eye on, he found himself darting around like he was playing whack-a-mole—blocking whichever hole started spewing flames, barely pausing for breath. 

Zhuo Mu and the others observed for a while, then took over for him once they got the hang of it. 

Even so, Wen Ze didn’t take a break. He continued stacking wood, mixing mud, gathering dry leaves, and sealing gaps with wet clay. 

He also had to decide whether to block the ventilation holes at the top, depending on the state of each woodpile. 

Wherever he was needed, he rushed over without hesitation. 

Seeing him panting from exhaustion, Sang Hui advised, “Wen Ze, go take a seat over there. We can handle the rest.” 

The others chimed in, “Yes, we’ve been following your lead for half a day now. We more or less get how it works.” 

“If we mess up, you can correct us.” 

Wen Ze waved a hand. “This is the tribe’s first time making charcoal. We chopped down so much wood—if we ruin it, it’d be such a waste. I have to oversee it myself, or I won’t be at ease.” 

Once Wen Ze made up his mind, no one could persuade him otherwise, so everyone just lets him do as he wants. 

Still, they all stayed by Wen Ze’s side. Whenever he wanted to do something, they would rush to do it for him. 

The work wasn’t heavy, but running back and forth for so long was exhausting. 

Wen Ze led the group in tending the fires for over three hours before he finally had a chance to sit down and rest. 

By then, the sun had dipped behind the western mountains, painting the sky in shades of orange and red. 

Even with a layer of mud covering the woodpiles, the heat they emitted was intense. 

With all the smoke and fire, Wen Ze, like the others, had long taken off his shirt and stored it away in his space. 

Now seated on a rock, he pulled out his water pouch and gulped down the entire thing in one go. 

After finishing, he let out a satisfied sigh and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. 

Something rough scraped against his skin. When he looked, he saw streaks of dried mud smeared all over his hand. 

“…” 

Glancing around, he realized that all the once-distinct handsome faces around him were now covered in soot and ash, with only their eyes still shining brightly. 

Zhuo Mu and Bai Xia, with their light-colored hair, looked even funnier—their hair had turned a shade of “granny gray.” 

Wen Ze had never seen Zhuo Mu in such a sorry state before. He tried to hold back, but in the end, he couldn’t. Hugging his empty water pouch, he burst out laughing. 

“What are you laughing at?” Zhuo Mu asked, then quickly realized the answer himself, his lips curving up into a grin. 

Their laughter was contagious. One by one, they looked at each other and broke into loud laughter. 

“Sang Hui? Is that really you? How are you even darker than your partner, Ji Sha?” Bai Xia laughed so hard he slapped his thigh dramatically. 

“…Why don’t you go to the water and take a look at yourself? Your whole body is dark except for your teeth, and you still dare to laugh at me.” 

Ji Sha muttered, “Why do I feel like I was just laughed at too?” 

Li Shui and Qin Shan, as a married couple, joked with each other: 

“You’re dark.” 

“No, you’re darker.” 

“You’re the darkest.” 

After resting for a bit, Wen Ze felt less tired. He stood up and went to check on the woodpiles. 

After burning for a long time, the pile of firewood occasionally made sounds of collapsing. 

Fortunately, everyone had applied a thick layer of clay, so the hardened “clay shell” was still standing firmly. 

Sang Hui and the others walked over and asked, “Wen Ze, do we just keep it burning now?” 

“Mm, no need for so many people to stay. You all can go back and eat.” 

Li Shui asked, “What about you?” 

“I need to stay here and keep watch tonight.” 

Seeing their eagerness to volunteer, Wen Ze raised his hand to stop them before they could speak. “No, this is something only I can do.” 

Sang Hui sighed. “Alright, but you can’t stay here alone.” 

Zhuo Mu immediately volunteered, “I’ll stay with him.” 

Wu Ye chimed in, “I’ll come over after I take a bath and eat.” 

Bai Xia added, “Me too. Even if I can’t help with the charcoal burning, I can at least patrol the area for you.” 

Li Shui nodded. “Then I’ll cook extra food and bring it over. That way, you won’t have to start another fire.” 

Sang Hui reassured them, “No need to worry about Yin He. Bai Ling has probably already brought him food. If needed, he can stay at our place tonight.” 

Without Wen Ze needing to say anything, everything was arranged perfectly. 

He smiled. “Alright, let’s go with your plan. Thanks.” 

After the others left, Zhuo Mu, knowing Wen Ze liked to stay clean, suggested he go wash up, but Wen Ze refused. 

“I’ll probably just need to stay up for the first half of the night. I’ll wash up tomorrow. After working so hard, I don’t want anything to go wrong at a critical moment.” 

Zhuo Mu didn’t insist. 

However, when Bai Xia and the others arrived, he still fetched some clean water for Wen Ze to wash his hands and face. 

As night fell, the temperature in the mountains dropped sharply. 

Fortunately, the several wood piles in the area provided warmth. With an additional beast hide blanket, their bodies stayed warm. 

Bai Xia and the others changed into their beast forms and lay outside the clearing. In the darkness, their heavy breathing could be heard. 

By now, Wen Ze was no longer afraid of the sound. 

Still, sitting like this without anything to lean on, he soon started feeling tired. 

Just as he was considering moving around, Zhuo Mu walked up behind him and said in a low voice, “I’ll change into my beast form. You can lean on me.” 

As soon as he finished speaking, he silently changes into a massive, pure-white python. 

Under the soft moonlight, Wen Ze turned to look. 

His neatly arranged scales reflected a cool, silvery glow. 

His long body stretched outward without touching any of the woodpiles. 

His head was enormous and intimidating, yet at this moment, it rested quietly on the ground, his long mouth shut, even his red slit pupils closed. 

It was contradictory, but right now, he gave off a strangely harmless and gentle aura. 

Besides, his snake body was as white as snow, exceptionally beautiful, and looked incredibly comfortable to lean on. 

Remembering the cozy “snake-skin mattress” from before, Wen Ze hesitated for a few seconds before following his instincts and leaning against him. 

Ah… He closed his eyes in satisfaction. 

This cool “genuine leather cushion” was more comfortable than any ergonomic chair he had ever sat on. 

The night was deep and quiet.  

With such a beastman by his side, Wen Ze didn’t feel exhausted at all. Instead, he felt an unusual sense of peace. 

He had to keep an eye on the firewood all night and didn’t get any sleep. 

But just leaning against Zhuo Mu gave him the feeling of being recharged. 

The next day, before dawn, Wen Ze yawned and told Qin Shan and the others who came to take over, 

“The firewood has mostly burned through. Now we just need to let it cool. We’ll go back to catch up on sleep and check on the charcoal tonight.” 

Qin Shan nodded. “Alright. We’ll keep an eye on things here, don’t worry.” 

“Mm, thanks for the hard work.” 

“You worked the hardest. We didn’t do much.” 

Wen Ze was so sleepy that his eyes were filled with tears from exhaustion. He waved goodbye without saying more and slowly climbed onto the giant python’s back. 

When they got home, he forced himself to take a bath and change into clean clothes before finally lying down in the cave to sleep. 

Half-asleep, it seemed like someone asked if he wanted to eat. He mumbled a response but couldn’t remember what he said. 

When he woke up again, his muscles ached in a way he hadn’t felt in a long time, but he was well-rested and comfortable. 

Lying there with his eyes closed, he lazed around for a while before he couldn’t hold it anymore and sluggishly got up to use the bathroom. 

His hair was a bit messy, and he looked sleepy as he stepped outside the cave. 

Noticing the people sitting in the nearby straw shelter, his sleepiness instantly vanished. 

“Leader Chi Yu? And beastmen from the Snow Sea Tribe? Why are you here?” 

Chi Yu was the first to stand, leading the people from the Rainbow Sun Tribe. 

He was tall and had a strikingly handsome face, his usual flamboyant demeanor softened by a friendly smile. 

“Wen Ze, we brought you the weaving frames. Also, the soap molds you ordered from us—we fired a batch for you.” 

The beastmen from the Snow Sea Tribe also stood and greeted Wen Ze politely. “Leader Bai Han sent me over.” 

Having just woken up, Wen Ze wasn’t exactly at his best, feeling a bit self-conscious. “Give me a moment, I’ll wash my face and be right back.” 

Chi Yu said, “No rush, take your time.” 

Wen Ze quickly ran off to take care of his needs, washed up, and returned with his hair still damp. 

As he approached the straw shelter, he noticed that the clothes he had changed out of last night and hadn’t washed yet were already cleaned and hung up to dry. 

He wasn’t sure if it was Yin He or Zhuo Mu who did it… His face turned slightly red. 

“Do you want to eat something first?” Zhuo Mu, who had also freshened up and changed into clean clothes, asked. 

Wen Ze shook his head. “I’ll eat later.” 

“Alright. All the housework is done, and the meat is being smoked again, so there’s no need to rush.” 

Wen Ze glanced at him, touched by the gesture, then walked into the straw shelter. 

“You’re back,” he sat down and asked a bit awkwardly, “How long have you all been here?” 

Chi Yu smiled. “Not long. We arrived first, then the Snow Sea Tribe people came after.” 

Was this fox implying that they were more patient than the Snow Sea Tribe? Wen Ze chuckled knowingly. 

“If you come next time and I’m sleeping, just wake me up directly.” 

Chi Yu only smiled, neither agreeing nor refusing. 

Wen Ze didn’t insist. After all, Zhuo Mu was on his side. Worst case, he’d just ask Zhuo Mu to wake him up. 

Wen Ze then looked at the beastmen from the Snow Sea Tribe. “What’s your name?” 

The beastmen was a ruggedly handsome man with thick eyebrows, deep-set eyes, honey-colored skin, and a muscular build. Sitting there, he resembled a small tower. 

“My name is Lin Sen,” he replied in a slightly rough, deep voice. 

“Lin Sen, your tribe leader sent you here. Does that mean you’ve found what I was looking for?” 

Lin Sen nodded. “We’ve searched our entire territory over the past few days and found quite a few plants that match your description. The tribe leader hopes you can visit our tribe to identify them at the places where they grow.” 

Wen Ze glanced at the sky. “Not today. There’s still work to do in the tribe.” 

Lin Sen asked, “When do you think you can come?” 

“If all goes well, we’ll head over tomorrow.” 

“Should we come to pick you up?” 

“No need. I’ll have Zhuo Mu accompany me.” After speaking, Wen Ze suddenly realized how naturally he had said that. 

He pretended to remain calm as he turned his head and asked Zhuo Mu, “You know the way, right?” 

Zhuo Mu nodded. “Yes.” 

Luckily, he hadn’t turned him down. Wen Ze sighed in relief. 

With the message delivered, Lin Sen stood up and said politely, “Wen Ze, we look forward to your visit.” 

Wen Ze smiled and nodded. “Me too.” 

“Then I’ll take my leave.” 

Lin Sen walked to an open space, changed into a majestic golden tiger, and ran toward the Snow Sea Tribe. Before long, his figure shrank into a small black dot in the distance. 

Before Wen Ze could ask, Chi Yu smiled and placed the items they had brought on the ground. 

“There are thirty weaving frames in total. We disassembled them to bring here. We’ve also tested them, and they all work.” 

“As for the soap molds, we made two types: twenty of one kind and forty of the other.” 

Wen Ze first checked the molds, which were about the size of his palm. The edges were thick, and they felt heavy in his hand. 

Though they weren’t made of red clay, the glossy brown surface looked great. The sound they made when tapped was clear and crisp, proving they were high-quality pottery. 

What surprised him the most was… 

“You even carved patterns on the bottom? Flowers, leaves, and birds? These look beautiful!” 

With just a few simple strokes, the designs were incredibly lifelike. He could already imagine how lovely it would look when printed on the soap. 

Chi Yu smiled. “That was Huo Lan’s idea. He personally led a few half-beastmen to carve the designs. He couldn’t come today, but he insisted I tell you to visit our tribe when you have time.” 

“Haha, I miss him too. I’ll definitely go when I get the chance.” Wen Ze admired the molds, unable to put them down. “It’s so beautiful, I love it.” 

Chi Yu chuckled. “I’ll let him know you like it.” 

“Mm-hmm.” 

He checked the weaving frame again, and after confirming there were no issues, Wen Ze took out the supplies for them to choose from. 

“I currently have milk, beast meat, cured meat, vegetables, nuts, animal hides, fabric, hemp thread, and seasonings like thorn fruit, salt, and honey syrup.” 

“The soap we made last time is all gone. If you need more, you’ll have to wait two days.” 

Now that he mentioned it, Wen Ze realized just how many things he had on hand. 

Chi Yu said, “This is enough for now. But instead of regular milk and meat, we heard you’ve made something called yogurt, along with sausages, meatballs, and smoked meat. We’d like to do an exchange for those.” 

“The sausages and meatballs are already gone. There’s only a little yogurt left, and the smoked meat isn’t ready yet.” 

Chi Yu looked a bit disappointed. 

Wen Ze added, “I just don’t have any on hand right now. If you want them, I can make them fresh. You can come pick them up in a few days.” 

Chi Yu’s eyes lit up, and he immediately agreed. “That works!” 

After finalizing the quantity of supplies, Wen Ze noticed they were asking for far less than he had expected. 

“Leader Chi Yu, aren’t you taking too little?” Wen Ze said helplessly. 

Chi Yu, however, replied seriously, “It’s not little at all. Have you forgotten? You didn’t just teach us how to make weaving frames—you also taught us how to filter and sun-dry salt.” 

“Just by using weaving frames, we can exchange them for plenty of supplies.” 

“And salt—before, every time we boiled salt, we’d ruin countless pottery, and the process was tiring. But now, our tribe can easily produce enough salt for an entire year. If we have more than we need, we can exchange it with other tribes.” 

The beastmen around them nodded in agreement, “That’s right, although one jar of salt only gets us two pieces of beast meat, it adds up over time.” 

“We’re planning to dry as much salt as we can before summer ends. The leader said some places lack salt. If we wait for the traders to come, we might be able to make a good profit.” 

“This is all thanks to you. We’re really grateful.” 

Chi Yu looked at Wen Ze with a warm expression and suggested, “If your tribe isn’t too busy, you should also store some salt. It’ll always come in handy.” 

Wen Ze was secretly impressed. 

Chi Yu truly lived up to his role as the leader of the Rainbow Sun Tribe—sharp and forward-thinking. 

Salt might seem ordinary, but it was an essential item that no one could live without. 

He nodded seriously. “Alright, I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks for the advice.” 

Chi Yu chuckled. “No need to thank me. So our exchange is settled. If I can’t come in a few days, I’ll send someone else from the tribe to pick it up.” 

“Alright.” 

Chi Yu signaled the other beastmen to wait farther away, then moved closer to Wen Ze and whispered: 

“There’s something I’ve been hesitating about, but I think I should tell you.” 

At some point, Zhuo Mu had quietly entered the straw shelter and calmly sat beside Wen Ze, meeting Chi Yu’s gaze. 

Chi Yu laughed. “Why are you guarding against me like I’m an enemy?” 

Wen Ze also chuckled. Well, after all, you’ve tried to poach me from my tribe more than once. It would be strange if the South Mountain Tribe didn’t keep an eye on you. 

“Zhuo Mu knows everything about me, Leader Chi Yu. Just say it directly.” 

Chi Yu glanced at Zhuo Mu with a hint of envy and said, “As you know, our tribe has two thousand people, and now everyone has learned to use the weaving frame. It’s only natural that weaving method will spread soon.” 

Wen Ze nodded, not surprised. 

“I understand. Besides, it might not even be your tribe that spread it. We have a lot of people too.” 

Chi Yu appreciated his attitude and nodded. “From what I know, several nearby tribes already have people who can weave. The Snow Sea Tribe is one of them. I’ve noticed they’ve been eager to approach you lately, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re willing to exchange a lot of supplies to learn weaving from you.” 

“Anyway, after you reach the Snow Sea Tribe, be more cautious. If they do anything wrong, our Rainbow Sun Tribe will definitely help you.” 

Wen Ze thought of Bai Han and felt that the tribe leader didn’t seem like a bad person. 

Still, he expressed his gratitude for Chi Yu’s concern. 

After Chi Yu and his people left, Zhuo Mu solemnly said to Wen Ze, “I won’t let anyone hurt you.” 

Zhuo Mu didn’t make promises easily, but once he did, they were as heavy as mountains. 

Wen Ze smiled brightly. “Mm, I believe you.” 

By evening, after finishing dinner, the two of them headed to the pottery kiln together. 

The clay shell had completely cooled, and it was time to check the charcoal. 

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