Chapter 157
Things went unexpectedly smoothly, but there were still a few hours before departure, so he wasn’t planning to leave immediately.
The Leopard and Black Bear family said they were heading into the forest to look for honey. They had been eyeing a beehive for a year, waiting patiently until just before winter to harvest it. Since Jiang Jitang had nothing to do, he decided to go along—also to get a closer sense of what this family was truly like.
Before setting out, the Leopard family changed into clothes suitable for moving around and put on hats. Each of them carried a bamboo basket on their back that contained clay jars and other tools.
Besides the honey they had already targeted, the forest could still provide other lucky finds—like the stored food of small animals or traces left behind by early-hibernating creatures.
During this time before winter, both adults would take the children to search for food while also teaching them how to survive in the forest. The two little black bear–totem kids were chatterboxes, circling around Moon and talking non-stop about the treasure-hunting adventures they had last year. Moon raised a hand to shield the light and responded from time to time.
“Oh, right.” Jiang Jitang took out the modified mask and squatted down to put it on Moon.
It was a half-face mask covered in silver satin, with white crystal tassels hanging underneath. Only the eye areas were fitted with dark brown crystal lenses. Jiang Jitang ultimately couldn’t bear to make it ugly and set the lenses on the inner layer.
Such a beautiful masquerade mask would stand out even in the modern world; at this moment it drew even more attention. But the wearer only cared whether it was practical.
“It’s two sizes too big—just make do for now. When you grow up, it’ll fit perfectly.”
Moon held the mask and looked out through the dark lenses; the sunlight seemed much less piercing now. The two new older brothers hovered around him, wanting to look but too embarrassed to ask. Moon thought for a moment, then handed the mask to them. “Brother, take a look.”
“Mama! Papa! He called me brother! I’m his brother!” Unexpectedly, this newly-minted older brother was the most excited of all.
“Since you know you’re an older brother, you must take better care of your younger brother,” the Black Bear warrior said.
Once everything was ready, the Leopard warrior woman lifted Moon into her arms, and with their mountain staffs, the family headed toward the back mountain.
The family chatted as they walked, occasionally pushing aside branches. They were only at the edge of the deep mountains, so the danger was low. This path was one they traversed every year. And with two warriors, they were very relaxed.
Jiang Jitang and Parsons walked slowly at the back.
Although it was late autumn turning into winter, there was still some greenery—mostly evergreens, especially pines, with squirrels flashing across the branches.
Moon’s previous home had just seen its first snowfall, but here a thin layer had already accumulated. White snow covered the dark soil and rocks, and crystal-clear stream water flowed through rocky crevices, making crisp, cheerful sounds.
The environment here wasn’t bad. If the tribe were ever truly desperate, they could survive a few days by chewing tree bark. But of course, what they paid most attention to was the family ahead—observing how they interacted with Moon.
“The two kids are taught really well. They protect the weak and show respect to people who aren’t as capable as they are,” Jiang Jitang whispered to Parsons, his tone full of comfort.
Children are the reflections of their parents; from children, one can judge a pair of parents. To find such a family in just one day was already a stroke of luck.
Parsons lifted a hand to brush off snow from branches above and kicked aside a stone on the path so Jiang Jitang wouldn’t twist his ankle.
“Parsi, look.”
On the rocks by the stream, several clear “crystal icicles” hung. When the scattered light hit them, they sparkled brightly.
Jiang Jitang behaved like a cat hiding inside a human body—hands itchy, wanting to break anything shiny. He stepped onto the stones and snapped off a few pieces, either holding them to melt slowly or snickering as he stuffed them into Parsons’ collar.
Parsons let him do as he pleased, as long as he didn’t put anything into his own mouth—because with Jiang Jitang’s curiosity, he absolutely would try it.
Besides the icicles, Jiang Jitang picked up roadside weeds, half-eaten mushrooms, even scooped up icy stream water with his hands until his fingers turned red.
Compared to him, the two actual children were much more practical. They collected dry branches along the way and picked the leftover edible wild fruits on branches.
Most fruits left this late were either overly ripe or poisonous. The kids picked the edible ones while telling Moon what they tasted like.
Food was most abundant in deep autumn—now the season had already passed. As Moon listened, he felt an increasing longing.
“Mama said the trees your family sent over are fruit trees. Do you know what their fruits look like?” Speaking of fruits, the kids were practically drooling—sweets were rare for them.
Their parents said those fruit trees were brought by Moon, and their fruit belonged to him. So he must know what they taste like, right?
Unfortunately, Moon didn’t know. But he remembered what Jiang Jitang had murmured on the way: “Sweet.” After speaking, he nodded to himself firmly, meaning definitely, absolutely sweet.
“Wow.”
“Wow.”
The two kids gasped, looking at Moon with envy.
They couldn’t own their own house or property until sixteen, but Moon already had fruit trees that produced sweet fruit.
Their reaction made Moon a little embarrassed. He had originally been afraid—he knew no one here. But Jiang Jitang had planted many trees for him, so he wasn’t afraid anymore.
At the very least, he could lie on those trees—if someone ever drove him away.
Because they were his trees. His… what was left for him. Even if he knew no one here, those trees were here; Jiang Jitang’s protection remained. So he wasn’t as scared.
After about an hour, they finally reached the honey-gathering location, which was inside a hollow in an old tree.
The dead ancient tree was 30–40 meters tall, with a trunk so thick it took seven people to encircle it. The beehive was inside the abandoned cavity.
When it came time to harvest the honey, the two warrior parents unexpectedly seemed nervous, asking whether Jiang Jitang and Parsons wanted to step back.
The bees would attack any visible creature when the hive was disturbed. The two could hide somewhere else, and the Leopard couple would come get them later.
Jiang Jitang refused, saying he could find the tribe himself.
So the Leopard couple hid the children. They used damp grass to generate thick smoke directed at the hive. Soon, a large swarm of bees was disturbed, gathering like a dark cloud in the air.
Jiang Jitang wondered how they would deal with the bees when the Leopard warrior woman suddenly scooped a handful of honey to provoke them, then jumped swiftly between tree trunks, drawing the entire swarm away.
“Hurry!” The Black Bear warrior had already climbed up and was rapidly cutting out sections of the honeycomb.
There were more than a dozen hanging slabs, but the warrior took only three before he had to stop—because the bees were already returning.
Judging from their furious buzzing, they probably hadn’t caught the Leopard warrior.
Well, they had been stealing honey for years; they were pros.
The Black Bear warrior slung the basket onto his back, stuffed the honeycomb and Moon inside, grabbed a child under each arm, and took off running, escaping the pursuing bees.
Jiang Jitang and Parsons watched them whoosh past. The bees paused for a moment, perhaps confused by the aura of the Life Tree on Jiang Jitang. They circled him in a friendly manner, then continued viciously chasing the honey thieves.
Jiang Jitang stared at the dripping honeycomb. “Smells amazing.”
A few minutes later—
“No wonder the Rouge World’s hundred-flower honey is famous. It tastes incredible even eaten straight.” Jiang Jitang chewed the little honey-wax cube like chewing gum.
The small wax ball burst with fragrant honey; thick, golden, sweet but not cloying—far better than any honey he had at home. At this quality, people would fight for it even at a hundred yuan per jin.
Ingredients in the Rouge World were not as abundant as the modern world, which had science to refine flavors. But the Rouge World still had its own advantages.
“Ultra-clean air, pure spring water, untouched environments—only places like this can grow top-tier herbs, mushrooms, and honey.” He licked the honey from his finger, eyes shining. “Even without fierce beasts or exotic plants, this world has long-term binding value.”
“So earlier you weren’t just fooling around—you were evaluating whether this world has… binding value?” Parsons asked. He didn’t understand what binding meant exactly, but it sounded like forming a long-term connection with the Rouge World.
“Yes.” Jiang Jitang looked righteous.
“When you lie to me, you always look very sincere.” Parsons said.
Jiang Jitang, staring sincerely into Parsons’ eyes: …
He wrapped one arm around Parsons’ neck and used the other to shove the remaining honeycomb chunk into Parsons’ mouth.
Yes—Parsons was carrying him now. As soon as the Leopard family left, Jiang Jitang revealed his true nature, whining “tired, the road is hard,” and the honest Parsons dutifully carried him.
When they returned to the tribe, the Black Bear warrior was proudly holding the honey jar, covered in herbal paste. He had several stings but nothing serious. The two kids danced around him like he was a hero.
Animals in the Rouge World had terrible tempers—bees included. Being able to steal their honey was genuinely impressive.
For their family, the honey would certainly be kept for personal use.
Jiang Jitang kept an eye on Moon. The boy stood between the two older kids, eyes sparkling, clearly captivated by the Black Bear warrior’s heroic storytelling.
“What’s this? Back in my day, I once met a fierce beast—” The Black Bear warrior began boasting, compelled by the children’s worshipful gazes.
“Wow,” the three kids exclaimed in unison.
“Looks good.” Jiang Jitang hooked his arm around Parsons’ neck, resting his chin on his shoulder.
“Feeling down?”
“No.” Maybe just a little. But this was how tasks worked—always meeting new people, then never seeing them again. Intersecting lines that never meet again. He was used to it.
Parsons didn’t call him out. He only adjusted his posture so Jiang Jitang could lean more comfortably. After a while, Jiang Jitang looked at the sky and said, “Let’s head back.”
They quietly left the fabric gifts for the Leopard couple in the master bedroom, placed the final green mask on top, and departed.
By the time the couple remembered to check on them, they searched everywhere and asked many people but found no trace of the two—only the fabric and masks in the bedroom proving they had come.
“These two are no ordinary people. Take good care of Little Moon,” the chief said before leaving.
Moon stood by the window, staring at the dark sky and the rising moon, running his fingers repeatedly over the mask’s tassels. His expression was blank—no one knew what he was thinking.
“Moon!” The door opened. His new older brother shouted excitedly, “Dinner time! There’s lots of good food today—and the meat you brought! It smells amazing…”
Moon tightened his grip on the mask. The confusion faded from his eyes. He climbed down from the window seat.
“To live well—that is the only way to not disappoint this encounter.”
“I must live well.”
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