Building a Civilization and Raising Cubs in the Beast World – CH3

Chapter 3

After chatting with Bai An and his son for a while, Bai Tu finally had a moment to himself to think once Bai An went to feed Bai Chen the medicine.

A lot had happened today. First, he discovered that he’d transmigrated into the tragic supporting character of a novel, and then Bai Chen was gravely injured. Bai Tu resolved that, regardless of whether or not he regained his memory in the future, he needed to work hard to change his fate and avoid any involvement with the protagonists to prevent the tragic ending from the book.

He decided to check the nearby plants during tomorrow’s herb-gathering trip to see which ones were edible. He could try transplanting seedlings to see if they could be cultivated. Ideally, he wanted to stockpile enough food before winter arrived so that the tribe wouldn’t have to risk hunting during the snowy season.

Judging by the current state of the tribe, it was clear that their standard of living wasn’t great. Compared to beastmen with larger beast forms, the Rabbit Tribe was at a significant disadvantage. While beastmen in general were robust and strong, each race had unique characteristics. For instance, the Bear Tribe could endure hunger better, the Lion and Tiger Tribes had greater strength and stealth, the Wolf Tribe had unmatched stamina, and the Deer Tribe excelled in speed.

In contrast, the Rabbit Tribe’s advantages weren’t as apparent. Their beast forms were small, their speed wasn’t exceptional, and their teeth and claws were practically useless for hunting. As a result, most members of the Rabbit Tribe preferred to hunt using tools in their human forms, though they were still outmatched by the larger neighboring beastman tribes.

Food was always scarce, and the tribe had to reserve part of their supplies to trade for necessities like salt. The Rabbit Tribe constantly teetered on the edge of hunger.

Bai Tu recalled the foods the Rabbit Tribe currently ate. Most were plants and animals he recognized, but due to their limited knowledge, many edible plants were overlooked. Their cooking methods were also very basic—roasting over an open fire or boiling in plain water were the only options.

The flora and fauna of the Beast God Continent were largely similar to those of his previous life, but the beastmen had yet to name many plants individually. For instance, all edible fruits were collectively called “wild fruits,” with only their color or a notable feature used for further distinction. White ones were called “white fruits,” red ones “red fruits,” and fruits that exploded when squeezed were called “exploding fruits.”

One notable difference, however, was that nearly all plants and animals here were larger than those in his past life. For example, the wild chickens they caught today each weighed nearly 10 kilos—he had never seen chickens that big before.

The eggs were almost the size of goose eggs, and the fruits were similarly oversized. Cherries, for example, were about twice the size of a coin. It seemed like everything on the Beast God Continent was an upgraded plus version. The good news was that a single hunt could provide food for a long time. The bad news was that hunting such oversized animals was far more dangerous, especially for a physically weaker tribe like the Rabbit Tribe.

On the bright side, if farming and breeding were successful, the returns would also be much greater…

As Bai Tu was lost in thought, a tribesman approached him cautiously and asked, “Witch doctor, what would you like to eat tonight?”

The tribespeople had already heard that Bai Chen’s bleeding had stopped. Now, they were filled with guilt and unease, afraid that Bai Tu might still be upset about their earlier doubt and refuse to stay in the Snow Rabbit Tribe.

A witch doctor was invaluable to beastmen. With one around, hunters no longer had to fear being left to die if they were injured. In every tribe, it was customary for returning hunters to offer the best food to the witch doctor first.

Hearing himself addressed as “witch doctor,” Bai Tu’s face darkened. “Just call me by my name,” he said. In the tribe, unless people were directly related, they called each other by their names. It was simple and straightforward.

As for dinner, Bai Tu replied, “Didn’t we catch a chicken today? Let’s use it to make soup. Bai Chen could use some, and we can add some wild vegetables for flavor. That should taste good…”

He hadn’t even finished speaking when Bai An’s surprised voice interrupted him: “You want to drink wild vegetable soup?”

The tribesman who had asked the question was equally stunned. Their expressions were reminiscent of the shock they’d shown earlier when Bai Chen’s bleeding had stopped.

Bai Tu was confused. “Why can’t we make soup?” he asked. Was there some strange dining ritual in the Beast God Continent that he didn’t know about? Was roasting the only acceptable way to prepare food?

“Tu, are you sure you want to eat wild grass?” Bai Qi, still overjoyed at his brother’s recovery, made a face as if the idea was unpalatable. “We can eat it, but it doesn’t taste good. Some grasses are even poisonous.”

Logically, rabbits should be able to eat a wide variety of plants. However, beastmen, having evolved beyond their animal counterparts, weren’t quite the same. This was true for the Rabbit Tribe as well. Most plants tasted bitter to them, and they weren’t nearly as filling as meat. Additionally, in the past two years, some beastmen had died after eating poisonous plants, so the tribe had grown wary of consuming grass-like vegetation. Meat and wild fruits were considered much safer and more reliable food sources.

Only the most desperate elders would boil leftover bones and wild grass into a thin soup when food was scarce. Even then, it wasn’t very nutritious. Eating only grass didn’t provide much energy, and over time, it left people weak and exhausted.

Witch doctors were held in such high regard that most beastmen believed they had very high standards for food—fresh, tender meat, often requiring immediate preparation. Bai Tu’s low expectations, his lack of fuss about meat, and his willingness to eat bitter or potentially toxic grasses left everyone stunned.

Realizing that their hesitation was due to the taste and potential toxicity of the plants, Bai Tu felt relieved. After all, the nearby vegetation was plentiful. While it would take careful selection to avoid poisonous plants, that wasn’t a problem for him. “That’s easy,” he said confidently. “I know which plants are poisonous. I can just pick out the safe ones.”

Hearing this, the surrounding beastmen looked excited. They seemed on the verge of saying something, but in the end, they just exchanged glances and swallowed their words.

Bai An glanced around at the group, shook his head slightly, and assigned tasks. “Go collect the hunt and prepare dinner. Qi, help Tu get the food ready.”

The Beast God Continent’s weather resembled a monsoon climate, with distinct spring, summer, autumn, and winter seasons. However, the changes in temperature and rainfall were far more extreme. Summer days were abnormally long. Even though the hunting team had returned over two hours ago, the gathering team still hadn’t come back, indicating there was still some time before nightfall. This allowed them to prepare dinner without rushing.

With Bai Qi’s help, Bai Tu had the plucked chicken chopped into pieces and soaked in cold water. Then he took Bai Qi to dig up wild vegetables and search for some scallions and ginger to eliminate the gamey smell.

While gathering herbs over the past two days, Bai Tu had noticed the surprising diversity of plant life in the area. The variety was so vast that plants from completely different climates seemed to coexist. He had seen several species that, according to his previous life’s knowledge, shouldn’t have grown in the same environment.

Looking up at the sky, Bai Tu felt the oppressive heat of temperatures that were likely above 35–40°C (95–104°F). Surprisingly, the tribespeople didn’t consider this the hottest weather. Only when it rained did it cool down slightly—but when it rained, it poured for days without end, making mid-summer effectively a rainy season. In winter, the snowfall was said to be heavy enough to bury a person completely.

With this in mind, Bai Tu decided it wasn’t worth trying to classify the climate zones here. The temperature fluctuations were on an entirely different level compared to the Earth he had lived on before.

On the positive side, the abundance of plants was likely what allowed the Rabbit Tribe to survive the harsh winters. The surrounding vegetation was so rich that it attracted animals to forage, which in turn supported the tribe’s survival. Despite their rabbit beast forms, the tribe’s dietary needs far exceeded those of actual rabbits, a result of their evolved physiques.

Near the water’s edge, Bai Tu found a patch of sand ginger. He hadn’t had time to collect it while foraging for herbs earlier, but now it would come in handy. Wild scallions weren’t hard to find either. Bai Qi, who had been part of the gathering team before joining the hunting team, immediately recognized the plants once Bai Tu showed him a few examples and began searching nearby.

While Bai Qi searched for scallions, Bai Tu turned his attention to gathering wild vegetables. Unlike the usual Rabbit Tribe practice of grabbing random grass indiscriminately, Bai Tu carefully picked only plants he knew were safe and edible. For example, thistle was both medicinal and edible, while wild amaranth could be used for salads or soups…

Not straying far from the tribe, Bai Tu and Bai Qi spent less than an hour collecting vegetables and herbs. By the time they returned, the gathering team had already come back.

Tu Bing, Bai Chen’s mate and a member of the gathering team, had already heard about the events that had transpired in the tribe. When she saw Bai Tu, she immediately rushed over. “Witch doctor, let me carry those for you!”

Bai Tu sighed helplessly. “Don’t call me ‘witch doctor,’ and I’m not one. Just call me by my name. I can carry these myself.”

“But your wound hasn’t healed yet,” Tu Bing said matter-of-factly. She was firm on the matter—she could change how she addressed him, but she wouldn’t let him do the heavy lifting.

Left with no choice, Bai Tu handed over the scallions, ginger, and wild vegetables, asking her to chop them instead.

Tu Bing accepted the task with the solemnity of someone taking on a grand mission, carefully cradling the plants as she went off to find a stone knife.

The beastmen’s approach to making soup was typically simple and crude. They would throw freshly butchered prey—often without even draining the blood—straight into a pot of boiling water. Other than adding salt, no seasonings were used, and one could easily imagine how it tasted. That wasn’t the kind of soup Bai Tu wanted to drink.

While Bai Tu wasn’t a top-notch chef, he had lived on his own for many years and had been cooking for himself since middle school to save money. Over time, he had developed his own methods for handling ingredients.

He began by soaking the chicken in cold water to remove the blood. Then, he added scallions and ginger to blanch it, removing the gamey smell. He also took a small piece of fat from the pork that had been distributed to him, rendering it to make lard. Using this lard, he stir-fried the chicken pieces before adding water and some roots of the thistle plant, letting it all simmer slowly.

Nearby, others had already started roasting meat. Bai An came over to ask if Bai Tu wanted to eat some first since the soup looked like it would take a while to finish.

Bai Tu shook his head. After eating roast meat for several days in a row, his jaw was sore from all the chewing. He was eager to try something different.

Since the soup would take some time, Bai Tu grabbed a few wild fruits to tide him over. Early summer fruits were limited, and the gathering team had only managed to collect three large baskets after an entire day. Although it seemed like a lot, once the tribe divided them up—reserving some for storage—the remaining fruits were barely enough for each of the dozens of tribe members to get two or three pieces. Bai Tu, however, had the most in front of him.

He ate the ones that resembled mangoes and cherries, leaving behind one that looked like an oversized apple. Most tribespeople were like him—saving part of their portion for later, especially for times when food was scarce.

Knowing that Bai Chen’s wound had stopped bleeding and that their tribe now had a “witch doctor” (even if Bai Tu himself kept denying it), the Snow Rabbit Tribe was in a noticeably more cheerful mood during tonight’s food distribution than in the past few days.

Before now, Bai Tu had either been resting in the cave or out gathering hemostatic herbs. He hadn’t had the chance to watch a full food distribution from start to finish, especially since there hadn’t been any large prey caught in the past few days. Tonight was the first time he witnessed the entire process.

Because Bai Tu had treated Bai Chen, the best portions of both meat and fruit were placed in front of him. After his share was set aside, the remaining meat was distributed first to the hunting team, followed by the gathering team. Fruits were distributed to the gathering team first, then to the hunters. After these two groups were done, the remaining food was divided among the elderly and children who hadn’t participated in the day’s labor.

The wild boar they had caught was quite large, so they didn’t distribute all of it. About half was left behind and stored in a shaded cave used for preserving food. This cave was deep and shielded from sunlight, allowing meat to keep for several days even in the heat of summer.

The previously empty clearing was now bustling with activity. Groups of three to five people gathered around individual campfires to roast meat. Their method was simple and bold: large chunks of pork were skewered onto tree branches and roasted while being rotated. When the meat was nearly done, they sprinkled a bit of salt on top.

The tools they used varied widely. Some used stone knives, others used bone knives, and a few even used flat, fan-like pieces that resembled fish gill covers.

Bai Tu sat by the campfire near the entrance to the cave, keeping an eye on Bai Chen. Bai An and Bai Qi sat next to him. While most people in the tribe had heard about what happened earlier that evening, aside from those close to him, the others only watched curiously from a distance and didn’t come over to disturb him.

“Tribe leader, do you have an extra stone knife or a pointed stick?” Bai Tu asked as he added a couple of branches to the fire. For the past few days, he had been using makeshift stone shards to gather herbs. They weren’t sharp enough and were quite inconvenient. Tomorrow, he wanted to dig up more plants, but using just his hands wouldn’t be enough.

While digging with his rabbit form’s paws was an option, he didn’t want to keep shifting back and forth between forms. Besides, there were many inconveniences with his beast form—his paws weren’t good for gripping, and it was easy to damage the roots of plants. Preserving the roots was crucial if he wanted to transplant them successfully.

Without hesitation, Bai An handed him the bone knife he had been using. “This is made from ox bone. It’s very sturdy and can last for years.”

Bai Qi looked at the bone knife his father handed to Bai Tu with envy, wondering when he might become as strong as his father and older brother.

Feeling a bit discouraged, Bai Qi suddenly caught a whiff of a familiar yet unfamiliar aroma. He sniffed the air, trying to locate the source of the scent. “What’s that smell?”

Bai Tu, knowing exactly where the aroma came from, moved the heavy wooden board that was serving as a lid off the stone pot and glanced at the bubbling chicken soup. “The chicken soup is almost ready.”

“Tu, your chicken soup smells amazing,” Bai Qi said as he leaned closer to the stone pot, swallowing instinctively. Suddenly, the roasted meat in his hands didn’t seem so appetizing anymore. He had always thought soups tasted bland, but now he realized it was just because they had never made it properly.

Bai Tu stirred the soup with a clean branch and then replaced the lid. “It’s not done yet. It needs to simmer a bit longer.” Bai Chen was still unconscious and could only drink the soup, so Bai Tu decided to let it cook a little longer to extract more flavor.

However, Bai Qi couldn’t focus on eating his roasted meat anymore. His attention remained fixed on the stone pot, and he kept glancing at it every so often.

Not far away, a group of children around another campfire, including Bai Dong and the others who had spoken to Bai Tu earlier in the day, kept turning their heads to look in the direction of the soup.

Bai Tu noticed their eager expressions and chuckled. When the soup was ready, he ladled out some chicken and gave it to Bai Qi, asking him to share it with the children so they could taste it.

The chicken weighed over 10 kilos before plucking and gutting, and even after processing, there were still seven or eight kilos of meat—enough for four or five people to eat to their hearts’ content.

Bai Tu served a large wooden bowl of soup and chicken. The bowls used by the Snow Rabbit Tribe were particularly large, carved from whole pieces of wood and requiring two hands to hold. After serving the first portion, Bai Tu left about half the soup in the pot and asked Bai An to use some to feed Bai Chen.

After dividing the chicken among themselves, Bai Qi and the children eagerly ladled out wild vegetables and soup.

The children stared intently at the wooden bowls in their hands. When their portions were finally served, they carefully brought the bowls to their mouths for a sip. One taste, and their eyes lit up with delight. As for the wild vegetables, they were more cautious. Only after watching Bai Tu eat some did they tentatively follow suit, using branches as makeshift chopsticks to pick up a piece and place it in their mouths. Instantly, their faces brightened in surprise.

The chicken, stir-fried before simmering, was completely free of any gaminess and bursting with a rich, savory flavor. The soup was infused with the nutrients and essence of the chicken and thistle roots, creating a pure, natural taste. It was even more delicious than any chicken soup Bai Tu had tasted in his previous life.

If Bai Tu was amazed by the flavor, the children were utterly blown away. This soup was nothing like the bland, watery concoctions they had previously called “soup”! Even the wild vegetables tasted great—not bitter at all—and, most importantly, they weren’t poisonous!

The children, having already eaten roasted meat, were now drinking delicious chicken soup and savoring wild vegetables. They were so content that they let out little hums of satisfaction.

Tu Shi, eyeing the nearby cave where the other two wild chickens were stored, said longingly, “I wish we could eat more of this…” He was promptly smacked on the head by Bai Dong.

“Stop dreaming. Those chickens are for trading salt! Tomorrow, I’ll catch another one myself!” Bai Dong declared.

The other two wild chickens were still alive, tied up and placed in an unused, ground-level cave. This was a common practice for the tribe—keeping live prey until food supplies ran low. Livestock that was kept alive could be slaughtered later for meat or traded for other supplies, unlike raw meat, which spoiled quickly in the heat and was rarely accepted by other tribes.

“It’d be so cool to join the hunting team,” Tu You said wistfully, his tone full of yearning. Joining the hunting team meant being able to catch prey and getting larger shares of food.

After eating, Bai Tu sat a little farther away from the campfire to rest. He noticed Tu Bing glancing in his direction repeatedly, looking like she wanted to say something but couldn’t bring herself to. Bai Tu recalled Bai An mentioning earlier that Tu Bing was the first to notice his absence and had led the group that found him injured and brought him back. Deciding to make it easier for her, he asked directly, “Do you have something to say?”

Tu Bing hesitated before gathering her courage and asking, “Tu, the grass you put in the pot earlier—what is it? Can we dig it up and cook it in the future?”

To Bai Tu, it was a perfectly ordinary question, but Bai An immediately paled. His expression turned stern as he barked, “Bing! Don’t speak carelessly!”

On the Beast God Continent, witch doctors were notoriously unwilling to share their knowledge. Bai An had once witnessed a tribe punish a beastman who offended a witch doctor, and the scene had been so brutal that even years later, he still shuddered at the memory.

Tu Bing was young and hadn’t witnessed such events firsthand. While she had heard many stories, she believed that Bai Tu, who had saved her mate, was different from the fearsome witch doctors of legend. That’s why she had taken the risk to ask about the food.

After Bai An’s warning, Tu Bing didn’t dare pursue the matter further. Instead, she gazed worriedly at the darkening sky outside the cave. “It’s going to rain soon…”

Rain during the summer on the Beast God Continent often lasted for dozens of days. During such periods, the Rabbit Tribe’s success rate in hunting dropped significantly. Sometimes, they couldn’t catch any large prey at all and had to rely on wild fruits to get by. But this year, the fruits in their territory were far fewer than usual, and the tribe’s stored food was only half of what it had been the previous year—far from enough to last through the rainy season.

When there is not enough food, the first to be abandoned in the tribe are the injured beastmans and the weak children and the elderly. The priority is to ensure that the strong beastmans survive. This is a tradition of hundreds of years, and it will not change because of anyone.