Wu Jiong wasn’t very familiar with the details of each household in the tribe, but Qing Kuo had a better grasp.
Hearing that they wanted to inquire about the Lin Yan Tribe, Qing Kuo suggested, “You’ll need to ask the elders, like Wu Dang and his peers. They might know.”
After a moment of thought, Qing Kuo added, “Actually, I’ll come with you. I’m curious about the Lin Yan Tribe too.”
Jian Mo, holding a notebook, let out a sigh of relief. “Great, you can ask the questions while I take notes. This way, we can pass the information down.”
Qing Kuo chuckled. “Don’t worry. If the chieftain asks, the elders will definitely talk.”
Jian Mo quickly flattered him. “They’ll talk, but probably not as thoroughly as you would.”
Qing Kuo wasn’t sure who knew the most about the Lin Yan Tribe, so he invited the elders to gather in the open space.
Most people in the tribe hadn’t heard much about the Lin Yan Tribe, so the news brought a crowd curious to listen in.
The so-called elders were simply older in age. Since beastmen and sub-beastmen aged rapidly only near the end of their lives, the elders looked no older than middle-aged.
When the discussion began, memories from the tribe surfaced:
“The Lin Yan Tribe is different from us; their lifespans are especially long.”
“I heard they don’t move much. In their beast forms, they’re practically like stones, though they’re more active in human form.”
“As for hobbies? They seem to like eating a root called ‘grass ginseng.’ Maybe you could bring them some?”
“My household has some grass ginseng. It’s been sitting there for ages. Let me grab it for you.”
The person who mentioned grass ginseng brought it over for everyone to see.
When the grass ginseng was handed to Jian Mo, he stared wide-eyed. “Isn’t this a carrot?”
Ban Ming immediately asked, “What’s a carrot?”
Jian Mo explained, “It’s a type of vegetable where I come from. It tastes a little sweet, but it’s much larger than this grass ginseng.”
The grass ginseng was only about the size of a finger, with a dull yellow color, wrinkled skin, and clearly less moisture than a typical carrot.
The others nodded, half understanding.
Jian Mo sniffed the grass ginseng and detected a peculiar scent. “What do the leaves of this grass ginseng look like? Do we have any nearby?”
The person who brought it replied, “It’s hard to describe. They’re thin and short, like a tuft of fur on the ground. You’ll know it when you see it. We don’t have any nearby; it only grows on the grasslands.”
Jian Mo asked, “So we’d have to go to the grasslands to gather it?”
“Exactly. It doesn’t grow here, and since the roots are so small, most people don’t bother looking for it.”
After thinking it over, Jian Mo decided it was worth the trip. The glue from the Lin Yan Tribe was incredibly useful, and having some on hand would be beneficial.
When Ban Ming and his group heard about Jian Mo’s plan, they eagerly volunteered, “We want to go too!”
Jian Mo reminded them, “The Lin Yan Tribe is pretty far.”
Ban Ming puffed up his chest. “No problem! I can make a round trip to the Xiong Ying Tribe in a day. Going to the Lin Yan Tribe is no big deal—even if we have to camp overnight.”
Other young people shared the sentiment. “We’ve been hunting with the tribe for a while now and haven’t had any time to ourselves. If we don’t get out for a bit, we’ll lose the energy to hunt!”
Jian Mo turned to Wu Jiong. Decisions about the tribe had to go through the chieftain.
Wu Jiong said, “Alright, let’s go together.”
The young cubs listening nearby immediately perked up, their eyes lighting with excitement.
They swarmed around Jian Mo, hugging his legs and clinging to his waist. “Brother Jian Mo—!”
Jian Mo hurriedly waved them off. “It’s not up to me; you need to ask your fathers and dads.”
Jian Mo wasn’t keen on taking the cubs but was more interested in Qing Kuo. He warmly invited him, “Do you want to come along?”
Qing Kuo hesitated. “If I go, it’ll be harder to organize the gathering work in the tribe.”
Noticing his hesitation, Jian Mo suggested, “Why don’t we use this trip to gather from the grasslands? There should be plenty of wild vegetables and roots to collect now, along with mushrooms, insects, and bird eggs. We don’t often forage in the grasslands, so we might get some unexpected harvests.”
This made sense to Qing Kuo, who turned to the others. “What do you think about foraging in the grasslands?”
The tribe unanimously agreed. “It’d be nice to explore somewhere new.”
Everyone was tired of the same old hunting and gathering spots. With the idea gaining traction, most of the tribe’s beastmen and sub-beastmen wanted to join the trip to the grasslands.
Wu Jiong and the others reorganized the plan, ultimately deciding to take more than half the tribe.
The main group would return after hunting or gathering, while Jian Mo and his team would head south to visit the Lin Yan Tribe.
Early the next morning, they set out.
Since there were no significant dangers on the grasslands, they decided to bring the cubs along to broaden their horizons.
The Ambus Grasslands and the areas south of it were relatively far. The group ran at full speed and arrived after the sun had climbed high into the sky.
Some beastmen went hunting while others, including sub-beastmen, began foraging.
Jian Mo asked everyone to help look for grass ginseng.
Ban Ming and his group agreed but had no luck after searching for a while. Frustrated, they transformed into their beast forms and started sniffing around.
The big cats prowled the grasslands, sniffing here and there, but didn’t find much.
The canine beastmen couldn’t stand it anymore. One after another, they transformed and began sniffing as well, quickly locating a pile of grass ginseng.
To Jian Mo’s surprise, the one who found the most wasn’t a cat or dog beastman but Chirpy, who had joined in the fun.
Chirpy sniffed around with precision, leading Jian Mo to patches of grass where he would clear away the foliage to reveal tufts of furry leaves. Using a small hoe, he dug out the juicy grass ginseng.
Unable to resist, Jian Mo gave Chirpy a congratulatory pat on the rear. “Chirpy, you’re amazing! Great work! I’ll treat you to something delicious when we get back.”
Chirpy puffed up proudly and chirped, “Chirpy!”
The others watched enviously. “When did Chirpy develop such a sharp nose? Winged beasts aren’t known for their sense of smell.”
Qing Kuo chimed in, “Winged beasts might not have keen noses, but Chirpy is a glutton. Nothing edible escapes it!”
Chirpy, oblivious to the teasing, wagged its tongue cheerfully and chirped again, “Chirpy!”
With everyone pitching in, the small pile of grass ginseng grew into two large baskets.
By nightfall, they decided to call it a day.
Qing Kuo remarked, “I think we’ve gathered enough grass ginseng for now. If it’s not enough, we can always search more tomorrow.”
Jian Mo agreed, “That should do. This grassland doesn’t seem to have much grass ginseng anyway. Let’s take it to the Lin Yan Tribe tomorrow and see if they want it. If they do, we can gather more. No need to waste effort unnecessarily.”
Qing Kuo chuckled. “They’ll probably want it. From what you’ve said, they seem pretty easygoing.”
Jian Mo sighed. “I hope so. Gathering grass ginseng is exhausting.”
Since fresh grass ginseng was plump and juicy, Jian Mo decided to deliver it to the Lin Yan Tribe quickly while it still looked appealing. Another day might ruin its appearance and lessen its charm.
Everyone agreed with the plan.
The next morning, Jian Mo and his group broke away from the main party, heading south on Chirpy toward the Lin Yan Tribe.
Chirpy flew swiftly, and not long after sunrise, they arrived at the Lin Yan Tribe.
The enormous beasts lying on the grass stirred at the sound of their approach, slowly raising their heads to peer at the newcomers.
Recognizing them, one of the massive beasts rumbled, “It’s—you—again. What—do—you—want?”
Jian Mo explained, “We’re here to ask if you could share the recipe for the glue you gave us last time.”
The massive beast responded sluggishly, “Oh—the—glue—is—just—scorpion—droppings—and—beast—hide—boiled—together. No—need—for—a—trade.”
After this, the beast lowered its head and started curling back into a ball.
Jian Mo was stunned. He hadn’t expected the Lin Yan Tribe to reveal their secret recipe so easily. After all the effort of uncovering their preferences and gathering grass ginseng, it seemed entirely unnecessary.
Seeing the beast about to curl up, Jian Mo hurriedly called out, “Wait—!”
At that moment, a head peeked out from between the armor plates of the massive beast. It belonged to a sub-beastman, presumably one of the Lin Yan Tribe.
Jian Mo stared, realizing for the first time that the sub-beastmen of the Lin Yan Tribe lived on the backs of their massive beastmen counterparts!
The sub-beastman spoke slowly, though faster than the beast. His tone was much easier to follow. “Do you still need something?”
Jian Mo quickly replied, “We brought grass ginseng as an offering for the recipe. You can keep it and eat it.”
The sub-beastman softened slightly. “No need. Grass ginseng is too troublesome to gather. Take it back and eat it yourselves. Scorpion droppings are easy to find. Look under stones, and you’ll likely find some.”
After thinking for a moment, the sub-beastman continued, “For the glue, any beast hide will do. Use about nine parts hide to one part scorpion droppings. Boil them together until they melt, then take them out and pound them into a paste. After that, boil it again, and it’s ready.”
Jian Mo listened carefully, then said hurriedly, “Got it. Thank you. I’ll leave the grass ginseng here for you.”
The sub-beastman shook his head. “No need. We eat grass wherever we find it. If we come across it, we eat it. If not, we don’t.”
With that, the sub-beastman retreated back into the beast’s armor and paid them no further attention.
Jian Mo and Wu Jiong exchanged bewildered looks, both confused.
The Lin Yan Tribe wouldn’t accept the grass ginseng—not because they didn’t want it, but because they were too lazy to take it and eat it?
Jian Mo asked, “What do we do now? Do you know what scorpion droppings look like?”
Wu Jiong replied, “I’ve seen them before. I’d recognize them if I saw them.”
Jian Mo nodded. “Let’s go look for some?”
Behind them, Chirpy jumped excitedly. “Chirpy!”
The grassland was dotted with scattered gray-white boulders. Some were massive beasts from the Lin Yan Tribe curled into balls, while others were actual stones.
After distinguishing the two, they began searching around the natural rocks.
Before long, they found their first scorpion-like insect between a rock and the soil.
The segmented scorpion, as they called it, resembled a spider but was flatter and more elongated. When it sensed danger, its legs flipped upwards with a sharp snap, revealing black, venomous barbs on each tip—an intimidating sight.
Jian Mo paused, then grabbed a pair of long chopsticks from his pack. With a swift motion, he clamped the segmented scorpion and lifted it. “Alright, let’s clean up its droppings.”
Chirpy watched from behind and chirped, “Chirpy!”
The scorpion’s droppings were small, irregular black pellets. Even with the first find, they collected less than the size of a chestnut.
They continued their search.
Jian Mo soon noticed that Chirpy could keenly sniff out the scent of segmented scorpions and let it lead the way.
Chirpy sniffed carefully, occasionally finding scorpions on boulders, but more often locating them in abandoned burrows left by the Lin Yan Tribe.
Wu Jiong speculated, “These might not be abandoned burrows, just ones they aren’t using right now. This one, for example, was probably occupied last winter.”
Jian Mo was doubtful. “Really? With so many burrows, do they even use them all?”
Wu Jiong pointed to the walls of the burrow. “It seems so. Look at the fresh scratch marks here, and the walls are still quite dry. I remember hearing that the Lin Yan Tribe doesn’t have fixed dwellings. They dig burrows across the grasslands and stay wherever they’re eating.”
Jian Mo considered this. “Sounds like what we call ‘wandering lifestyle.’”
Wu Jiong nodded. “Exactly. They’re quite different from us.”
Jian Mo suggested, “We should move these segmented scorpions further away so they don’t sting the tribe members when they return.”
He carefully relocated the scorpions, suspecting that the Lin Yan Tribe’s unique glue recipe might have been discovered accidentally due to their laziness. If beast hides got contaminated with scorpion droppings, they likely boiled everything together, unknowingly creating the special glue.
They spent the day collecting scorpion droppings.
Once they had gathered enough, they decided not to disturb the Lin Yan Tribe further and flew back to their tribe on Chirpy.
Back home, Jian Mo followed the instructions from the Lin Yan Tribe, boiling the scorpion droppings and beast hides together. The resulting glue was remarkably similar to the Lin Yan Tribe’s glue, bonding materials with exceptional strength.
He experimented by substituting the beast hides with fish maw. The resulting fish maw glue was even better, proving more effective than the original recipe.
The process of making the glue was labor-intensive, especially during the step of pounding the fish maw and scorpion droppings into a paste. Even with Jian Mo and Wu Jiong taking turns, Jian Mo’s hands were swollen by the end.
Once they had filled two large bags with fish maw glue and beast hide glue, Jian Mo suggested, “Let’s take one of these bags to the Lin Yan Tribe. Making glue is such a hassle. Since they don’t like doing much themselves, they’d probably appreciate ready-made glue.”
Wu Jiong agreed, “Alright, let’s make another trip.”
Jian Mo added, “We can gather more scorpion droppings while we’re there.”
Wu Jiong nodded. “Good idea.”
The two set out once again on Chirpy.
This time, the Lin Yan Tribe gratefully accepted the glue blocks they brought, acknowledging the effort it took to deliver them.
A sub-beastman came forward to speak on their behalf. “We use glue every year to repair our burrows; otherwise, they become uncomfortable to live in. Thanks to the glue you’ve brought us, we won’t need to make any this autumn.”
Jian Mo smiled. “You’re welcome! We’re the ones who should thank you for sharing the recipe with us.”
The sub-beastman grinned. “It’s nothing. It wasn’t really a big secret to begin with.”
Jian Mo replied, “In our hands, it’s become incredibly useful.”
The sub-beastman nodded. “That’s great. I’m glad it’s helping you.”
After exchanging a few more words, the sub-beastman began to look fatigued.
Not wanting to impose further, Jian Mo quickly said, “We’ll take our leave now. By the way, I’m a healer. If any of you feel unwell, please come to the He’an Tribe and find me. I’ll do my best to help.”
The sub-beastman nodded. “Alright. If we ever need to.”
Noticing how uniquely lethargic the Lin Yan Tribe seemed, Jian Mo felt like even speaking to them was intrusive. He quickly said his farewells and left.
After collecting another bag of scorpion droppings, Jian Mo and Wu Jiong returned to the He’an Tribe.
By the time they arrived back at the tribe, it was already evening. Most of the tribe members had returned as well.
The scent of cooking fires filled the air, and many people were chatting in the open spaces.
The children ran around the tribe, playing a game of Eagle and Chicks—a game Jian Mo had taught them.
Unlike the original version, this game included both children in human form and those in beast form. The beast-formed cubs ran particularly fast, making the game far more intense.
Chirpy, spotting the children playing, lit up with excitement. It turned to Jian Mo, tugging on his clothes with its beak. “Chirpy!”
Clearly, it wanted to join the fun.
Since they were back in the tribe with no need for Chirpy to carry anything further, Jian Mo unloaded the baskets strapped to its back and patted its rear. “Alright, go play, but be careful. Don’t hurt the cubs, and don’t get hurt yourself.”
Chirpy chirped in response, “Chirp—!”
It dashed off on its hind legs, quickly joining the cluster of children.
The cubs were thrilled to have Chirpy join in, eagerly making it the eagle in their game.
The plump Chirpy alternated between running and flying, thoroughly enjoying itself as it played with the cubs.
Jian Mo watched the scene with a sense of satisfaction.
Others in the tribe noticed as well, finding the sight equally amusing.
Among the crowd, Ye Luo glanced between Chirpy and Jian Mo before calling out, “Jian Mo, can I talk to you for a moment?”
Jian Mo approached with a smile. “What’s up?”
Ye Luo said, “Chirpy’s been acting a little strange lately. You might want to keep an eye on it.”
Jian Mo, preoccupied with glue-making over the past few days, hadn’t paid much attention to Chirpy. “What do you mean by strange?”
Ye Luo explained, “Its food supply seems to have suddenly increased.”
