The cats, dogs, bears, and birds here darted their eyes around, looking at the sky, the ground, or the empty space—anywhere except at Wen Ze. 

Their whole demeanor screamed one thing: guilty. 

A few half-beastmen stood awkwardly in front of the broken weaving frame. One was holding a horizontal beam, another gripping a vertical support. 

Bai Ling had also stood up, holding a shuttle in his right hand and a thread brush in his left. 

The head of the frame, tangled with a mess of hemp threads, had fallen right at his feet. 

The scene was both chaotic and eerily silent—so much so that it was almost comical. A few seconds later, Wen Ze suddenly let out a chuckle. 

It was like a signal. Everyone, who had been frozen in fear and breaking out in cold sweat, finally dared to move and make some noise. 

Still gripping the thread brush, Bai Ling gritted his teeth. “I told you not to pull! Now look what happened—the weaving frame is broken!” 

Chang Chuan, who had been the most eager to take Bai Ling’s spot earlier, muttered under his breath, “Well, if you had moved sooner, we wouldn’t have had to fight over it…” 

The others chimed in, “Yeah, exactly.” 

Bai Ling’s eyes widened. “You’re still going on about this!” 

They shrank their necks, looking guilty. “We didn’t mean to… We didn’t think the frame would break. We’re sorry…” 

As they apologized, their faces turned red, and all of them instinctively looked at Wen Ze. 

But he didn’t scold them. Instead, he spoke gently, “I know you’re all excited and curious about the weaving frame, but don’t argue over it. This one was only half-finished anyway. The structure wasn’t secured properly, so it was bound to be unstable. We’ll just make a new one.” 

A half-beastman who was not only smart and capable but also this patient and forgiving—even when they messed up, he didn’t get mad. 

Everyone felt both ashamed and even more impressed with Wen Ze. 

Chang Chuan took the lead and apologized to Bai Ling. “Sorry, I was being too impulsive. I’ll carve some extra wood later so we can finish the new weaving frame faster.” 

Bai Ling froze for a moment. His expression softened, and his tone wasn’t as harsh anymore. “I wasn’t completely in the right either… I shouldn’t have hogged the weaving frame. Sorry.” 

The others also exchanged apologies, and just like that, the atmosphere became harmonious again. 

Because of this little incident, the tribes grew closer, and everyone interacted more naturally

Some who got along well even started chatting and laughing about interesting things from their own tribes.

Seeing that everyone was still eager about the weaving frame, Wen Ze led them to carve more wood and make new parts. 

With the experience from the first one, they adjusted the design right from the rectangular frame this time—fine-tuning the length, width, height, and tilt. 

The more detailed tasks were given to the bird-type half-beastmen with sharp claws. The simpler parts were handled by the Rainbow Sun Tribe. The beastmen, who couldn’t turn into their beast forms easily, helped carry wood and do physical labor. As for the half-beastmen without claws, they tied hemp ropes and adjusted the crossbeams. 

Everyone was assigned a task suited to them, like gears in a machine—each working individually yet perfectly in sync, creating a unique sense of harmony. 

The open space was bustling with activity. 

Just as the sun started leaning west, the new weaving frame was finished, and Zhuo Mu returned. 

“Wen Ze, how’s it going? Everything smooth?” His deep, magnetic voice rang out. 

Wen Ze was bending over, making the final adjustments.  

He was fitting a wooden wedge into the connecting structure. 

Hearing Zhuo Mu’s voice, he pressed the wedge firmly into place, making sure the frame was stable. Satisfied, he stood up excitedly and said, “Zhuo Mu! Come, come! Look at what we made!” 

Zhuo Mu’s lips curved into a faint smile as he stepped forward. 

Wen Ze, too impatient to wait, took a couple of steps toward him and naturally grabbed his sleeve, pulling him over to the weaving frame. 

“Look! We remade it today! Isn’t it even better than the last one? And it works great! Let me explain each part to you!” 

Seeing Wen Ze’s excited face and hearing his enthusiastic words, Zhuo Mu’s eyes softened with amusement. 

“Alright.” 

Wen Ze eagerly began his explanation, and Zhuo Mu listened carefully, occasionally asking a question or two, which Wen Ze patiently answered. 

Even though the others had been working on it with Wen Ze for two days, they still listened intently and picked up some new insights. 

Meanwhile, Kuang Xin, the leader of the Fierce Wind Tribe, quietly said to Mo Xing, the leader of the Wild Field Tribe, “Exchanging seeds for the weaving frame was a huge win for us.” 

Mo Xing looked at Wen Ze and nodded. “Yeah, we really took advantage of him. I feel a bit guilty about it.” 

Kuang Xin nodded in agreement. “Same here. To be honest, our tribe actually heard about backstrap weaving frame a while ago, but I kept the news under wraps. I was trying to find a way to get Wen Ze to teach us instead.” 

Mo Xing glanced at him in surprise. “…Same here.” 

Kuang Xin gave him a knowing look and said with relief, “Thank the Beast God, we made the right choice. Otherwise, this weaving frame would have nothing to do with us.” 

It wasn’t just the two of them—Bai Han and Luan Xun also felt a bit shaken. 

Luckily, everything had turned out well for everyone. 

After Wen Ze finished explaining everything in detail, Zhuo Mu looked at the weaving frame with a hint of admiration in his eyes. 

His gaze swept over the excited and satisfied faces around him before finally landing on Wen Ze’s deep black eyes, as if he was trying to see straight into his heart. 

“This weaving frame is really great,” he said seriously. “Wen Ze, thank you.” 

Wen Ze was stunned for a moment, then a blush quickly spread across his handsome, sun-kissed face. 

He scratched his nose and looked away, feeling a little embarrassed. “No need to thank me, it was a team effort.” 

For some reason, whenever Zhuo Mu praised him, he felt extra happy and motivated. 

Like right now—he couldn’t stop the corners of his lips from curling up, and he even had the urge to let his tail appear and wag it. 

With a smile in his eyes, he awkwardly changed the subject. “Zhuo Mu, are you here to take me to the pottery kiln?” 

Zhuo Mu nodded. “Yes. When do we leave?” 

Wen Ze didn’t hesitate. “Let me give a few instructions, and then we’ll go. I was originally going to have Yin He take me, but that kid ran off somewhere to play and hasn’t come back.” 

Zhuo Mu said patiently, “I’ll wait for you.” 

Wen Ze shifted his gaze to the others. “I have something to take care of at the pottery kiln, but I’ll be back before evening. We’ve gathered quite a bit of wood, so go ahead and make a few more weaving frames based on this one. If anyone wants to weave, you can use this as well.”

“If you run into any problems, don’t worry. I’ll sort them out when I return.” 

Everyone responded enthusiastically, “Got it! We’ll do our best.” 

“Is there anything else that needs to be done at your place? We can help out.” 

“Or if you need anything, just say the word.” 

Wen Ze smiled. “Thanks, but there’s nothing for now.” 

Noticing that Ji Sha had come with Zhuo Mu, he turned to Sang Hui and said, “Uncle, why don’t you come with me to the pottery kiln too? As for things here… Li Shui, Qin Shan, can you two keep an eye on things?” 

The group all nodded in agreement. 

Before leaving, Wen Ze added, “I’ll check what you’ve made when I get back.” He waved, climbed onto the back of the massive white python, and headed toward the pottery kiln.

Before long, they arrived outside the kiln. 

Zhuo Mu turned into his human form, then lit a torch to lead the way. 

They navigated through the winding mountain paths and finally stopped at the cave where the pottery pieces had been placed. 

After multiple changes and two firings, traces of past work were evident throughout the cave. 

The air also carried traces of charcoal smoke mixed with the earthy scent of pottery. 

Holding up a torch, Wen Ze glanced around and asked Zhuo Mu a few questions. 

“This is the place where the pottery turned into brick-like shards, right?” 

Sang Hui replied, “Yes. I checked, and Zhuo Mu and the others have reinforced the other areas to be similar to this one.” 

Wen Ze nodded. “I don’t have any suggestions for now. We’ll need to fire a batch of bricks first to see how they turn out.” 

Zhuo Mu said, “Then we’ll go gather firewood this afternoon.” 

Ji Sha asked, “How many bricks are we firing the first time?” 

Wen Ze thought for a moment. “I want to use red clay, but I’m worried about messing up and wasting it. Should we start with a small batch?” 

Zhuo Mu didn’t agree. “No matter how many we fire, a kiln takes a lot of firewood. We might as well fire a full batch. Anyway, there’s plenty of red clay in the territory.”

Sang Hui also said, “I agree with Zhuo Mu. Who knows? Maybe we’ll get it right on the first try. There’s no need to be frugal in this regard.” 

Their attitude really touched Wen Ze. He nodded and said, “Alright, I’ll go with your plan.” 

At the same time, he was already thinking about what he could do with the bricks if the firing didn’t go well. 

After walking around the kiln a couple more times, they finally left and returned to the tribe. 

The scene was pretty much the same as when they had left. People weren’t strictly working only with members of their own tribe. Instead, everyone was working together, each doing what they did best. 

When people noticed Wen Ze was back, they stopped what they were doing and greeted him warmly. 

“Wen Ze, come check out our work!” 

Wen Ze responded with a smile, “Sure!” 

After inspecting everything, he didn’t find any issues. He praised everyone, making the atmosphere even livelier. 

He also noticed that the bird-type half-beastmen from the Feathered Fierce Tribe were especially popular. 

Several tribal leaders had already placed orders with Yu Qiao and Chang Chuan for weaving frame parts, while Luan Xun was helping them negotiate the exchange of goods. 

Being valued like this filled the entire Feathered Fierce Tribe with pride. They stood tall and the joy on their faces never faded. 

Through their combined efforts, they managed to complete three more weaving frames that afternoon. 

Zhuo Mu, who had gone to collect firewood, also returned. 

Meanwhile, the people who had come to learn weaving had basically mastered the skill and were ready to work on their own. 

Now, there were four completed weaving frames in total, but with six tribes, there weren’t enough to go around. 

However, everyone was considerate. In the end, they agreed that the Rainbow Sun and Feathered Fierce Tribes would receive the next batch. 

Seeing that it was getting late, Wen Ze had a feeling the other tribes were about to head back. 

Sure enough, a few of the tribe leaders approached him together. 

The first to speak was Chi Yu, but instead of saying goodbye, he looked at Wen Ze seriously and said, “Wen Ze, thank you for teaching us how to make and use the weaving frames. We discussed it among ourselves, and from now on, whenever you need fabric, we’ll take care of it. You won’t need to provide anything in exchange.” 

Kuang Xin chimed in, “That’s right. This time, once we finish weaving the cloth, each tribe will send you two rolls first.” 

Luan Xun added sincerely, “Or if you don’t need fabric this year, we can send you other supplies. I heard you’re building a house and need wood. Our tribe lives in treehouses, so we have a lot of well-dried timber.” 

The other tribe leaders all nodded in agreement. 

Wen Ze was a little surprised, but more than that, he felt warm inside because of their words. 

He smiled and said, “Thank you. I understand your intentions. If you’re just providing the fabric my family needs, then I won’t be polite about it.” 

Everyone had been worried he would refuse, so they all sighed in relief and smiled happily. 

“As for the wood I need to build my house, I’ve already collected most of it. You should keep yours—you’ll need it in the future,” Wen Ze said with certainty. 

Right now, no one in the tribe had seen the house he built, so they didn’t know how good it was. 

But once they experienced it for themselves, he was sure it would cause a sensation! 

The tribe leaders didn’t quite understand what he meant, but they trusted him and assured him they would store the wood properly. 

With that settled, they prepared to leave. 

Suddenly, Bai Xia, one of the patrol warriors, came running over in a hurry and called out, “Wen Ze! Zhuo Mu! Has that kid Yin He come back yet?” 

Wen Ze immediately turned away from Chi Yu and the others and asked, “No, why?” 

Bai Xia frowned, looking serious. “Several kids from the tribe have gone missing! Yin He is one of them!” 

Wen Ze’s heart sank. “What?!” 

He hurried over to Bai Xia, with Zhuo Mu quickly joining him. 

The others looked over, equally alarmed. 

Chi Yu and his group no longer felt like leaving. They wanted to see if they could help. 

Children were extremely rare in the beast world. Many beastmen, despite their long lifespans, could only have a single child. 

Take the South Mountain Tribe, for example—out of 800 people, there were only about 20 young children. 

More than half the year had already passed, and no new children had been born. 

And now Bai Xia was saying that several kids had disappeared?! 

How could Wen Ze not be anxious? 

“Tell me everything. What exactly happened?” Wen Ze asked seriously. 

Bai Xia explained, “I started my patrol this afternoon. Some of the others told me they saw Yin He and the rest playing near the tribe in the morning, but by noon, they were nowhere to be seen.” 

“You know how kids are—they love to run around and play. But they never go far, and they always come back after a while.” 

“I just searched the area with a few warriors. Not only did we not find them, but even their scent has faded a lot! That means they left in the morning and went really far!” 

The more Wen Ze listened, the more he frowned. 

Zhuo Mu lowered his gaze and asked, “Did Yin He tell you where he was going?” 

Wen Ze shook his head. “Not at all.” He turned to Bai Xia. “Is Qin Shu in the tribe?” 

Bai Xia hesitated. “I was just about to mention that—he’s missing too!” 

Qin Shan and Li Shui walked over as well, their expressions growing increasingly serious. 

Bai Xia tried to comfort them. “Oh, but Jia Yi is still here. The problem is, he has no idea where Yin He and Qin Shu went.” 

Wen Ze’s eyes darkened. “Looks like they planned this in advance. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have left Jia Yi behind.” 

Zhuo Mu nodded. “They must have gone somewhere far and possibly dangerous.” 

Bai Xia agreed, “Exactly! The ones missing are all beastmen who can take on human forms, along with a few half-beastmen children around ten years old. Yin He has always been adventurous and loves taking the young ones on explorations near the tribe. This time, they either got carried away playing or ran off on purpose.” 

Li Shui’s usually gentle face had turned completely cold. “That brat Qin Shu is being reckless! Just wait until we find him—I’ll give him a good beating!” 

Qin Shan echoed, “Same here.” 

Li Shui continued, “And Jia Yi—how could he not come to us when his two older brothers have been gone for so long? If he had told us earlier, we would’ve dragged them back by now!” 

Bai Xia asked, “What should we do now? The sun is about to set.” 

Wen Ze’s voice was urgent. “We need to gather people and search for them. The territory is huge—where could they have gone?” 

Zhuo Mu said, “Don’t worry, I’ll go gather the tribe members now and split them into groups to search for them. As for where Yin He and the others might have gone, try to recall—was there anything unusual about him today?” 

Chi Yu and the others walked over and said seriously, “Wen Ze, Zhuo Mu, we won’t head back for now. We’ll join you in searching for Yin He and the others.” 

This was an urgent matter, and the more people they had, the better. Wen Ze didn’t refuse their help and sincerely said, “Thank you! Really, thank you!” 

Other tribes also had young ones, so they understood how he felt. They reassured him, “Don’t worry, Yin He is smart—he’ll be fine.” 

That made sense, but Wen Ze still couldn’t relax. 

He couldn’t stop thinking—Yin He and the others were still kids. They’d been out for so long. What if they ran into a wild beast? How would they handle it? 

He didn’t want to waste another second and told Zhuo Mu, “I’ll go with you to gather the others.” 

Zhuo Mu nodded. “Let’s go.” 

He climbed onto the giant python’s back and quickly rallied everyone in the tribe. 

Without hesitation, they split up and set out in different directions. 

Several other tribes, including the Snow Sea Tribe, also helped in the search. 

The beastmen of the Feathered Fierce Tribe transformed into their beast forms, while the half-beastmen’s arms turned into wings as they circled in the sky, calling out the names of Yin He and the others. 

Sitting on the giant python’s back, Wen Ze’s ears and tail appeared as he tried to distinguish scents carried by the wind. 

But with so many people in the tribe recently, the young ones’ scents were heavily masked. 

They had covered quite a distance but still hadn’t found a single trace of them. 

Wen Ze’s heart sank. He forced himself to stay calm and retraced everything Yin He had done today. 

That kid was usually pretty sensible—he wouldn’t just wander off without saying anything. 

And it wasn’t like someone else had lured him away either. He had a strong sense of independence. 

Besides, at his age, his thoughts revolved around eating and playing. Especially eating—he was particularly enthusiastic about that… 

“Wait!” Wen Ze’s eyes lit up. “I think I know where they went!” 

The deep voice of the giant python rumbled beneath him. “Where is it?” 

“He mentioned this morning that he wanted to eat Yangyang grass! What if they went to collect river clams?” 

“You mean they went to the mountain lake where we dug lotus roots before?” 

“Yes!” 

“If that’s where they went, you can relax. I passed by there yesterday and hunted a Black Armor Beast. The other ones in the lake got scared off, so they won’t be coming back anytime soon.”

Wen Ze finally felt a little less anxious. 

“If they went river clam hunting, they’d need baskets since they wouldn’t be able to carry everything in their own space. I didn’t check if any baskets were missing from home. Can you ask the others?” 

“Got it.” 

Zhuo Mu opened his massive jaws and let out a thunderous beast roar. 

Soon, roars echoed back from different directions. 

Wen Ze understood immediately—one of the beastmen said his kid did leave with a basket! 

This time, before Wen Ze could give any instructions, Zhuo Mu took the initiative. He told the others that he would take Wen Ze to check the lotus root valley and instructed those nearby to meet them there. 

Zhuo Mu moved at lightning speed. Wen Ze, still puzzled, asked, “Last time we collected lotus roots, Yin He wasn’t there. How did they find the place?” 

“It’s close to the Hot Spring Mountain, and he knows the way there. Besides, we left plenty of traces on our last visit.” 

Wen Ze nodded. “That makes sense.” 

Before they even reached the mountain, Wen Ze sniffed the air and said, “I can smell those little troublemakers!” 

In his beast form, Zhuo Mu was even more sensitive. He let out a low grunt and followed up with a few deep beastly calls. 

As they stepped into the mountains, they were met with a chaotic scene—half-beastmen cubs in human form were scrambling to climb onto their beast formed companions. 

The beast cubs were howling in panic, running aimlessly toward the other end of the mountain. 

But before they could get far, they saw a beastman blocking their escape! 

Yin He, that little rascal, was even giving orders. “Run up the mountain! Hurry, hurry!” 

The others blindly followed, charging up the slope, only to be met with— 

A massive golden eagle with a wingspan of dozens of meters soaring above them! 

Half the sun had already dipped behind the western mountains, casting the mountain in dim light. 

As the enormous eagle swooped by, its dark silhouette loomed over the ground like an ominous shadow. 

Its sheer presence sent shivers down the cubs’ spines. 

“Where do you think you’re running off to, little ones?” The golden eagle spoke with a commanding tone—it was Luan Xun’s voice. 

A bear cub let out a pitiful whimper, its legs giving out as the basket of river clams on its back tumbled to the ground. 

Blocked from the front, the back, and even the sky, the cubs knew they were done for. They huddled together, looking thoroughly defeated, their heads hanging low. 

The giant white python that Zhuo Mu had transformed into slithered forward, its overwhelming aura pressing down on them. His red eyes swept over them coldly, and a few of the cubs were so scared they burst into tears on the spot! 

With a serious expression, Wen Ze slid down from the giant python’s back and walked forward with heavy steps. His dark eyes swept around before finally settling on Yin He. 

“You. Come here.” 

Even though he hadn’t called out a name, Yin He knew it was directed at him. His whole body stiffened. 

He hesitantly stepped out from the group, shifting into his human form, and mumbled guiltily, “Brother…” 

Wen Ze had originally planned to give him a good scolding, but upon noticing that a few half-beastmen cubs had their clothes and pants soaked through, their faces pale from the lake’s chill, he gritted his teeth, forcibly suppressing his anger, and said: 

“We’re heading back first.” 

The trip back was smooth. Wen Ze pulled out some beast hides to keep the half-beastmen cubs warm. 

The entire way, neither he nor Zhuo Mu said a word to them. 

When they arrived outside Zhuo Mu’s cave, the other tribes had already received word and showed up one after another, completely surrounding the small clearing. 

Some cubs, upon seeing their fathers, barely managed to call out timidly before immediately receiving a mixed beating from both parents. 

Yin He and Qin Shu, the “two brothers in suffering,” exchanged a glance and wisely decided to stay in their beast forms, huddling together in a display of “weakness, helplessness, and pure innocence.” 

Meanwhile, some cubs who hadn’t gotten into trouble came over to watch the show. Jia Yi, for example, raised his fluffy bear paw and laughed loudly: 

“See? That’s what you get for going out to play without me! Haha… Ow!” 

Before he could finish, Li Shui knocked him on the head. 

Li Shui: “Keep your bear mouth shut!” 

Jia Yi: 🥺 

Why do I still get hit even when I didn’t cause trouble?! 

---

You can grab the full book now on my Ko-fi page, available in both PDF and EPUB formats! 🖤
📎 Here’s the link to the full novel