Chapter 23
Throwing away the leaves, Bai Tu clapped his hands and let out a barely perceptible sigh. “Let’s go!” he said, hoping the group of beastfolk would understand his hint.
Lang Ze was the first to respond enthusiastically, “Let’s go, let’s go—!” He had been waiting impatiently to move on.
Not long after Bai Tu and the others had left, the middle-aged beastman returned with a group of his tribesmen, some of whom were carrying baskets of salt. The middle-aged beastman announced, “Here’s all the salt. Place the food here, and my tribesmen will move it.”
The young leader nodded in agreement, but instead of handing over the food, he reached for a basket held by one of his tribesmen. “Let’s still measure it using our tribe’s baskets,” he said calmly.
The smile on the middle-aged beastman’s face froze. “Didn’t we already agree not to swap baskets? Swapping baskets is a hassle, and my tribe needs to hurry back.”
The young leader waved dismissively. “It’s no trouble; we just need to pour it over.” Before the middle-aged beastman could react, the young leader had already lifted the salt and poured it into their own basket.
The middle-aged beastman tried to stop him but failed. His face darkened, and just as he was about to speak, one of the young leader’s tribesmen suddenly raised their voice. “What’s this?!”
Everyone’s attention turned to the basket where the salt had been poured. Only the top layer and edges were salt—hidden in the middle was a white powder that looked nothing like the granulated salt they were expecting.
The young leader put down the basket. Although they didn’t recognize what the white powder was, it was clearly not salt. Had they not overheard someone else’s warning earlier and decided to double-check, they might have carried this basket back to their tribe. That could have left their entire tribe without enough salt to last through the rainy season.
The young leader was furious. “You’re passing this off as salt?!”
Seeing the situation turn south and realizing that the opposing group had more people, all of them young and strong, the middle-aged beastman quickly shouted, “Run!” Without waiting for a response, he and his group bolted.
The young leader reacted swiftly, shouting back, “Catch them!” Half of his tribesmen immediately sprinted off in pursuit.
*
When Bai Tu saw the young leader insisting on pouring the salt into their own basket, he felt reassured and walked away.
By the time they returned to the market, the “Yellow Monkey Tribe” stall had already changed hands.
Several unfamiliar beastfolk were now manning it, and the bowls they were using were similar in size to those at other stalls.
The crowd surrounding their stall had dispersed significantly, and the stalls on either side were no longer being ignored. Each stall now had a modest group of beastfolk gathered, and the chaotic crowds from earlier had settled. Bai Tu’s group quickly passed through this section.
Compared to the salt exchange area, the rest of the market was far more disorganized. Stalls selling all sorts of items were scattered haphazardly, with no clear division.
A stall selling animal pelts might be right next to one selling food or tools. Seeing this scene, Bai Tu realized it would take some time to find what he was looking for.
It was Bai Tu’s first time at the market, and although Lang Ze had been here before, his curiosity remained unbridled.
The two wandered about, looking at everything, occasionally stopping to ask about prices. Bai Qi and Tu Xun trailed behind, carrying their baskets, ready to help transport purchases.
Lang Qi, meanwhile, kept a vigilant eye on their surroundings. Although most beastfolk respected the unspoken rule against attacking others at the market, safety was never absolute.
Bai Tu’s youthful appearance made him look like someone who had just entered their growth stage.
Combined with his uncalloused hands, it was clear that he held a relatively high status in his tribe.
Lang Ze, on the other hand, needed no explanation—his carefree demeanor and energy practically screamed that he came from a strong and well-fed tribe.
The two wandering around together, occasionally asking about prices, made them look like the naive children of some major tribe leader, completely clueless about how the world worked.
Most stall owners were eager to sell to them, but a few who thought they might be easy to deceive quoted exorbitant prices.
Only Lang Qi noticed that while Bai Tu seemed aimless, he was actually gathering valuable information about the prices of animal pelts and food in the area.
Bai Tu was indeed taking mental notes about prices as he walked around. Eventually, he settled on a stall to make a purchase. Every tribe had access to different fruits depending on their region. Near the Snow Rabbit Tribe, there were plenty of apples, mangoes, and cherries. But here, Bai Tu spotted watermelons.
Watermelons! They were high-yield, hydrating, and absolutely essential for summer. And the best part? They were dirt cheap. Fruits were priced at just one-eighth the cost of meat: four baskets of fruit could be exchanged for just one bowl of salt. It was practically a steal.
Bai Tu inspected the four baskets in front of the stall. All the watermelons were ripe and ready to eat. Without hesitation, he said, “I’ll take all of these.”
“All… all of them?” The vendor was stunned.
Fruits weren’t a necessity and didn’t have the satiating effect of meat. Most tribes wouldn’t prioritize buying them, especially since fruits spoiled quickly during the journey home.
Only tribes with surplus food or those visiting the market specifically for salt might buy one or two pieces to try, but those cases were rare. Usually, it took a day or two to sell four baskets. To suddenly encounter someone who wanted all of them was a surprise.
“Yes, all of them. Could you help deliver them to our campsite?” Bai Tu asked. He hadn’t expected to find such a valuable yet inexpensive fruit here. But watermelons were heavy, and between the four large baskets and his plans to shop for other items, it would be difficult for his group to carry them all.
“Sure,” the vendor agreed readily. “My tribe has more people nearby. I’ll call someone over to help.”
It was a one-person stall, so the vendor needed an extra set of hands to carry the baskets. With two people, they could each carry two baskets and deliver them.
Bai Tu was just about to say that one person would be enough to help carry the watermelons, but he quickly realized that the other tribespeople might also be manning stalls. He asked the vendor, “Are they also running stalls? Are they selling the same kind of melons?”
The melon-selling beastman shook his head. “Not exactly. They’re selling smaller ones. The flesh isn’t as red; it’s yellow. They’re also delicious. They’ve got some small purple fruits too.”
Those were fruits Bai Tu had never seen around the Snow Rabbit Tribe. He asked eagerly, “Where are they? Can I take a look?”
Many fruits were high-yield crops, such as watermelons, which could be harvested the same year they were planted. There were also long-lasting fruit trees like apples and pears, which could produce for decades. Regardless of the type, fruits were an excellent resource for planting.
The melon vendor immediately replied, “I’ll call them over for you!”
The vendor was clearly excited at the prospect of selling the remaining fruits as well.
If luck was on their side, they could return to their tribe early—or even make another trip to the market with more goods.
Trusting the group, likely because they seemed to carry a lot of salt, the vendor left his baskets there and ran off toward another part of the market.
The other stall wasn’t far away because within two minutes, two adults and a child arrived carrying three baskets. It was a family of three; the child looked to be around five years old and was trailing behind their parents.
Bai Tu examined the two new types of fruit the adults brought: cantaloupes and mulberries.
While he was looking at the cantaloupes, the female beastman who had just arrived introduced the third basket. “These are white fat worms. They live in trees and eat leaves. We catch them and roast them—they’re delicious. Just a little salt will get you all of these.”
Her enthusiasm was clear, but the so-called “delicacy” of her tribe wasn’t appreciated by most beastfolk. The common reaction to seeing bugs was to squash them, not eat them.
Lang Ze, hearing the words “white fat” and thinking it must be something good, lit up with excitement. But as soon as he saw what was inside the basket, his face froze. Shivering, he stammered, “B-B-Brother!”
Lang Qi took a step forward, glanced briefly at the basket, and then nonchalantly looked away. “Mm,” he responded calmly.
Bai Tu wasn’t particularly interested in eating bugs, but when he noticed Lang Ze looking horrified, he thought it might be something truly scary. Upon realizing it was just worms, he suddenly became excited. The basket was filled with silkworms! Alive, leaf-munching silkworms!
After wearing beast hides for so long, Bai Tu had long been thinking about alternatives. The Snow Rabbit Tribe’s territory didn’t have the right materials for weaving ropes, and using leaves as clothing was impractical since they wore out too quickly.
Now, seeing silkworms, Bai Tu had one thought: There’s hope!
Clutching the basket of what he now considered a treasure, Bai Tu felt heartache at the thought of these silkworms being eaten in the past. What a waste of a treasure! he thought.
He eagerly asked, “Where is your tribe? Is it far from the market?”
“Not far! If you run, it’s just a day and a night. Two days if you take your time,” the beastman replied.
Bai Tu was surprised by this timeline. Was that calculated with no rest or sleep?
“And your name?” Bai Tu asked.
“I’m Ma Xin, and this is my partner, Ping,” the beastman said.
“Ma Xin?” Bai Tu suddenly understood. He pointed to the silkworms chomping away on their mulberry leaves. “Ma Xin, I want to trade salt for your tribe’s mulberry trees—the ones that grow these leaves. Would that be okay?”
The basket wasn’t filled with many silkworms, mostly leaves, but the worms looked nearly ready to spin cocoons. Such a good find couldn’t be missed! However, this small quantity wasn’t enough for Bai Tu’s plans—he wanted to raise them himself.
The plants in the Beast God Continent were exceptionally resilient. The ones Bai Tu had transplanted before leaving had already grown taller.
Mulberry trees should also adapt well. Bai Tu planned to transplant a small batch first and propagate them through cuttings after the rainy season.
By next year, the new branches would grow leaves, allowing him to raise a small batch of silkworms. Even if the adults in the tribe didn’t benefit immediately, the young ones could.
Ma Xin quickly agreed, “Of course! How many do you want?”
In Ma Xin’s eyes, the mulberry trees near his tribe were practically endless. Every year, they chopped down plenty for firewood. Trading them for salt was an easy decision.
From the moment Bai Tu said he wanted to buy the bugs, Lang Ze’s expression had frozen. Now, hearing that Bai Tu also planned to feed and raise the worms, his face turned ashen. He blinked rapidly as a terrible thought dawned on him: Was Bai Tu planning to raise these bugs?!
Bai Tu thought for a moment. “Let’s start with twenty trees. I can propagate the rest myself next year.”
Having settled the matter of the trees, Bai Tu began inspecting the basket of mulberry leaves. “How long will these leaves last for feeding?”
Since he planned to raise silkworms next year, this batch would serve as a test. Even if they didn’t survive, it wouldn’t be a significant loss, and he could still gain valuable experience. If everything went well, the silkworms could even start spinning cocoons on the journey back to the tribe.
“Two days’ worth,” Ma Xin replied. “My tribesmen will come by tomorrow with more leaves.”
Lang Ze, who had been listening to the entire conversation, took two steps back. He pointed a trembling finger at the basket and stammered, “T-T-Tu, you’re going to raise bugs?!”
Bai Tu was carefully inspecting the plump, chubby silkworms when he heard Lang Ze’s trembling question. He immediately corrected him, “These are silkworms.” Bugs were bugs, but silkworms? These were precious silkworm babies!
Lang Ze felt like the world had collapsed.
Today was officially a terrible day—not only was there no delicious food to look forward to, but they were also buying bugs! Worse yet, they were going to bring the bugs back with them!
The more he thought about it, the more horrified he became. Clutching Lang Qi’s arm, he let out a mournful wolf howl: “BROOOOTHER!!!”
The howl was so tragically pitiful that Bai Tu turned to glance at the pair of brothers. His eyes silently asked: What’s going on?
Lang Qi, without hesitation, pushed his brother away and calmly told Bai Tu, “Nothing, go ahead and buy them.”
“Oh,” Bai Tu replied, turning back to continue negotiating with Ma Xin. “Make sure to pick plenty of leaves. By the way, does your tribe offer delivery services? Could you help deliver the trees to our tribe? In the future, when we need more trees, we’ll contact you again. We’ll even cover your food on the way.”
The Ma Tribe was known for their speed and stamina, far exceeding that of most other tribes. Bai Tu thought they were perfectly suited for such tasks. A journey that would take most tribes two or three days could be completed by the Ma Tribe in just one day.
Ma Xin eagerly nodded. “We can deliver, yes!”
Bai Tu thought for a moment and added, “How about this: in a few days, you can travel back with us to our tribe to familiarize yourself with the route. Then you can return to your tribe, dig up the mulberry trees, and bring more silkworms and leaves to deliver to us.”
The longer a plant was uprooted from the soil, the harder it was for it to survive. Their journey to the market had taken eight days, and even if the return trip was faster, it would still take three to four days. In this hot weather, saplings would undoubtedly suffer.
Lang Ze, who was listening, felt his last shred of hope wither away. It didn’t matter how sad or horrified he felt—Bai Tu had already purchased all six baskets of fruit and the basket of silkworms, including their mulberry leaves.
The only bit of consolation was that Bai Tu decided to carry the silkworms himself, fearing that others might accidentally harm them with rough handling. Everyone else would just need to carry the fruit.
Bai Tu even gave up on exploring the market further, deciding instead to head back and properly settle the silkworms before returning to browse later. After all, the market could wait, but the silkworms were fragile and needed careful attention to avoid getting sick.
On the way back, Lang Ze acted completely out of character. He didn’t stick close to Bai Tu as usual, instead deliberately keeping as far away from him as possible, all while lugging a basket of melons. Lang Qi silently stepped into the vacant space beside Bai Tu, and the others finally felt relieved.
Bai Qi shifted his stiff shoulders, while Tu Xun turned to look away. It wasn’t that they were afraid of the bugs—really, they weren’t. It was just that the sight of those squishy, wriggling things made their scalps tingle. For some reason, they just wanted them gone.
To save time, Bai Tu discussed logistics with Ma Xin along the way.
The Snow Rabbit and Blood Wolf Tribes hadn’t yet decided when they would head back, so Ma Xin would need to confirm later when he could travel with them. However, it was clear that they wouldn’t leave for at least two more days.
Ma Xin decided he would return to his tribe after delivering this batch of goods, gather fresh mulberry leaves, and then come back. Their tribe enjoyed eating the silkworms, but they often struggled to sell them at the market. Many days would pass with no buyers, so they always brought extra leaves along just in case.
Bai Tu also took the opportunity to teach Ma Xin and his partner, Ping, how to cut bamboo into strips to make simple silkworm frames. “Once the silkworms start spinning cocoons—that’s when they secrete fine silk threads to wrap themselves up—you can collect the cocoons and bring them to our tribe. I’ll trade them for herbs, salt, and other goods.”
Hearing that Bai Tu would accept future silkworms as well, the couple eagerly agreed. There were plenty of silkworms near their tribe, and if they could consistently exchange them for salt, they wouldn’t have to worry about running out again!
Large animals were scarce near their tribe, which meant they didn’t have much meat to trade for salt. Instead, they had to rely on selling fruit, which fetched extremely low prices at the market and wasn’t particularly popular.
Occasionally, someone would buy some, but often they had to wait until the market was nearly over to scrape together enough salt. During these times, everyone in their tribe had to eat sparingly.
Bai Tu’s words gave them hope for a steady supply of salt. The couple nearly wanted to race back to their tribe and gather up all the silkworms right away. However, they calmed down when they remembered that not all silkworms would spin cocoons at the same time. It would take a while for them to produce enough.
When they returned to the area where their tribe was resting, Bai Tu carefully spread out a bamboo mat and gently poured the silkworms onto it. The basket had been too stuffy, and despite their resilience, some of the silkworms had already died. Bai Tu picked out the dead ones and set them aside.
The curious wolves who had gathered, thinking the “new thing” might be food, took one look at the silkworms and immediately scattered. Meanwhile, several members of the Snow Rabbit Tribe stayed behind, intrigued by what Bai Tu was up to this time.
Bai Tu handed the silkworms over to a former gathering team member for care and then explained to Ma Xin and his partner the symptoms silkworms show before spinning cocoons. All those educational posts I used to read finally came in handy, Bai Tu mused as he got lost in his thoughts for a moment.
Once Ma Xin and his family had left with their salt, Bai Tu distributed the fruits among everyone. He asked Lang Qi to slice open a watermelon and pointed to the seeds inside. “You can eat all the fruit from these baskets, but the seeds from the summer melons—these—must be saved. Don’t eat them.”
Originally, Bai Tu had wanted to call it “watermelon,” but considering the world he was in, it didn’t seem appropriate. This melon didn’t come from the Western regions as it had in his previous life. So, instead, he decided to name it “summer melon.” The cantaloupe-like melons would be called “sweet melons.”
Though the group preferred eating meat, fruits were also a part of their regular diet. And with the scorching heat, no one would turn down a fresh bite of fruit.
Once Bai Tu gave permission, the rabbits immediately got to work eating. The wolves, however, waited for Lang Qi’s approval before they began.
This meal, however, came with a bit of extra effort—they had to spit out the seeds.
While the mulberries and sweet melons didn’t pose much of a challenge, the massive summer melons were a different story.
Lang Ze, holding a big chunk of melon, found himself staring at it awkwardly. The piece had been handed to him by Lang Qi himself.
With a composed expression, Lang Qi had taken Bai Tu’s half-eaten summer melon and passed it to his younger brother.
He then picked up a sweet melon slice, washed it clean, and carefully used a stone knife to separate the seeds, placing them on a leaf. After taking a bite, he nodded to himself—it tasted good. Perhaps he could buy some to take back for his tribe to try.
As for the large summer melons, Lang Qi frowned as he observed his tribe’s younger members. They were sprawled out, messily devouring the fruit.
Feeling the weight of their leader’s gaze, the wolves all tensed up. In most cases, when the Wolf King stared at them like this, it meant someone was about to get reprimanded. The exact culprit and the number of scoldings remained uncertain. The younger wolves paused for a moment before deciding to wolf down the melons as fast as possible. If we’re going to get scolded anyway, might as well finish eating first!
Lang Qi opened his mouth as if to say something but stopped. After a moment, he sighed and looked away. Forget it, he thought. I’ve already witnessed so many unsightly eating scenes on this trip—one more won’t make a difference.
After everyone, including Lang Ze, had finished eating and washed their hands, Bai Tu divided the remaining fruits. “These are for everyone here. These, save them for the ones who went out.”
With the sun still up, there was enough time for another shopping trip before dark. Bai Tu calculated that they had only spent about one and a half bowls of salt so far—barely one-fortieth of what Bai An had given him. Even at this rate, he might not use up a single basket of salt by the end of the market.
As Bai Tu pondered this, a sudden shout rang out not far away: “Chief, over here!”
The voice was unfamiliar but loud. Although many tribes were gathered nearby, most groups had spaced themselves apart. Judging by the direction of the shout, it seemed closest to their encampment.
Bai Tu instinctively turned toward the commotion, but before he could get a good look, Lang Qi grabbed his arm and led him toward the area where the salt was stored.
At the same time, Lang Qi raised his other hand.
As if on cue, the wolves, who had been lazily munching on melons just moments ago, sprang into action. Those holding weapons grabbed them, while others transformed into their beast forms.
In the blink of an eye, the once-relaxed scene was replaced by the intimidating sight of over a dozen black and gray wolves forming a protective circle around the salt and Bai Tu.
By the time Lang Qi stopped moving, Bai Tu could clearly see the source of the commotion—a young beastman, probably around the same age as Bai Qi or Lang Ze.
The boy seemed to realize that his loud call had triggered an overreaction and froze in place. After a brief hesitation, he cautiously spoke up: “We’re not here to—”
Before he could finish, a group emerged from behind him, prompting the wolves and rabbits to heighten their vigilance.
But as the newcomers came into view, Lang Qi relaxed. He raised a hand to signal that there was no danger. “Go back to eating your melons,” he said.
He paused for a moment.
Then, from behind him came an excited howl. “Awooo!” Lang Ze bolted toward the melons, only to freeze mid-step when he realized there was a third tribe present. Feeling awkward, he quickly grabbed a basket and slunk to the back of the group, trying to hide.
Even if they weren’t from their tribe, and even if they had seen him at noon, they wouldn’t recognize him in beast form. Eating melon was the priority. Several young beastmen of similar age either ran or dashed after him.
Bai Tu instantly understood Lang Qi’s silence.
He reached out and patted Lang Qi on the shoulder. He had a feeling now—perhaps the reason the wolf tribe kept such a low profile and rarely interacted with other tribes wasn’t the cold arrogance that Bai An mentioned, but rather… something else entirely.
The older beastmen weren’t in such a rush; after all, the fruits weren’t going anywhere. Some, however, still held on to a bit of caution, constantly keeping an eye on the salt—a precious resource that needed to be guarded at all times.
Compared to them, Bai Tu and Lang Qi were much more at ease.
The newly arrived group turned out to be none other than the exchange team they had encountered earlier at noon—the ones who had nearly been scammed by the Yellow Monkey Tribe. The young leader being addressed as “chief” was indeed the same leopard beastman leader from before.
Upon seeing Bai Tu, the young leader quickened his pace, but he didn’t get too close. Every beastman knew that approaching another tribe’s salt without permission was considered a provocation.
The young leader stopped about ten meters away and spoke up: “I’m Bao Duo of the Leopard Tribe. I came here to thank you.”
Bai Tu glanced at Lang Qi. When it came to judging friend from foe or assessing combat strength, Lang Qi was undoubtedly the expert.
Lang Qi scanned the other group briefly and gave an almost imperceptible nod, though he still positioned himself protectively beside Bai Tu. “We’ll go over,” Lang Qi said. Bai Qi and Tu Xun followed close behind them.
Once they were closer, the young leader picked up a basket that one of his men had been carrying and explained, “This is the stuff they were using to fake salt. If it weren’t for you, we would’ve been tricked.”
Hearing about the possibility of the salt being scammed made him realize how dangerous his earlier situation had been. If the salt had turned out to be fake, there would’ve been no way to compensate his tribe. Later, after capturing the Yellow Monkey Tribe members, he also realized another important detail: the group that had spoken out to warn him didn’t seem like they lacked food. There was no reason for them to exchange such a small amount of salt, and they wouldn’t have only checked one basket if they were cautious. Their words had clearly been a deliberate attempt to warn him.
Once Bao Duo understood this, he began searching for Bai Tu and the others. However, the market was enormous, and there were plenty of tribes around. Even with his speed, it had taken until just now to locate them.
“It’s nothing,” Bai Tu said, shaking his head. He had only mentioned it in passing. The fact that Bao Duo had understood the warning was enough. “It’s good you weren’t scammed.” He glanced at the fake salt and realized it was actually lime.
Lime was quite useful. Bai Tu hesitated for a moment before asking, “Do you guys need this stuff? If not, could you spare some for me? I can trade you salt for it.”
He was planning to raise silkworms, but silkworms were delicate creatures. Even Ma Xin had mentioned that very few silkworms near their tribe made it to the cocoon stage naturally. Lime could play a big role in silkworm farming—it could be sprinkled regularly to disinfect and prevent diseases. While lime wasn’t particularly rare, obtaining it could take time, and having some on hand now would be perfect.
“We don’t need it. You can take it all—there are three baskets in total. I’ll deliver them to you tonight! If it’s not enough, I can dig up more,” Bao Duo offered enthusiastically. He then took the basket off his shoulder and placed it down. “This is a special food from our tribe, only found where we live. I want to give it to you. I didn’t bring much this time, but next market day, I’ll bring more. I hope you don’t mind—I really wanted to express my gratitude.”
Bao Duo looked particularly embarrassed as he said this. Normally, he would’ve gifted meat to show his thanks, but this time their tribe only had enough meat to trade for salt, and it was shared with other tribes. The only thing he could offer was this unique food from their tribe, which he had the authority to give.
Bai Tu glanced down at the basket and suddenly spoke, “No, I should be thanking you.”
Inside Bao Duo’s basket was corn—a full basket of corn.
It was perfect for summer planting, with an extremely short growth period.
