After leaving the Banhe Tribe, the caravan didn’t stop at any other tribe along the way and hurried back nonstop.
Jian Mo and his group traveled for three days and two nights before finally returning to the He’an Tribe on the afternoon of the third day.
Their return stirred the entire He’an Tribe into excitement.
The people who had stayed in the tribe rushed out to greet them, taking the bundles from their hands and surrounding them with countless questions.
Even Chirpy and Ying Ao received an enthusiastic welcome. Several young beastmen and sub-beastmen pulled Chirpy over, burying their faces in its fluffy feathers multiple times.
Chirpy tilted its head happily, looking at its familiar companions. “Chirp—!”
Ah Hu couldn’t help rubbing Chirpy’s wings again. “Chirpy, you’re so well-behaved! I’ve missed you so much.”
Ying Ao stood coolly by the side. Nobody dared to bury their face in this imposing winged beast, but they did give it a few gentle pats to show their affection.
Ying Ao observed the He’an Tribe people with calm eyes, showing no sign of resistance.
Jian Mo turned around amidst the crowd and said, “If anyone has time, could you help feed Chirpy and Ying Ao?”
Ah Hu immediately responded, “We’ll take care of it right away.”
Not long after Jian Mo and the others returned to the tribe, the beastmen and sub-beastmen who had been out hunting and gathering also came back.
Some had even rushed back upon hearing the news delivered by messengers sent to the wilds.
Qing Kuo brought several sub-beastmen to Jian Mo’s home to help clean it. “Jian Mo, how was it being out these days? Did you trade for many good items?”
Jian Mo’s eyes sparkled as he nodded. “We got a lot of great things! Later, I’ll show you the seeds I exchanged for. I brought back several varieties of wild vegetable seeds, all of which are delicious.”
Qing Kuo said, “I figured you’d come back with seeds. Just now, I saw two birds outside the beast pen with their feathers all cut up. Are they for eating?”
Jian Mo quickly clarified, “No, those are long-tailed birds raised by the Shiba Tribes. We brought them back to try and domesticate them. If we succeed, we’ll have a steady source of bird eggs in the future.”
Zhou Fu chuckled from the side, “Good thing you mentioned it now, or else we might have helped you cook them by mistake.”
Xi Lu chimed in, “That won’t happen. Don’t scare him, Zhou Fu.”
Qing Kuo playfully pinched Zhou Fu’s neck. “You rascal, stop talking nonsense.”
Jian Mo laughed as he watched them play around.
After a bit of fun, Qing Kuo asked, “Since you brought back birds, where are you planning to keep them? The beast pen looks pretty full with eight Tou Tou Beasts.”
Jian Mo replied, “We might need to expand the house. With the weather being good lately, we were already discussing whether to replan and rebuild parts of the tribe on our way back—fixing up the roads, houses, and such.”
Qing Kuo immediately said, “That’s a great idea. We can bring it up at the next meeting.”
Jian Mo smiled. “Our house will definitely need to be renovated. We’ll have to make a proper nest for Ying Ao, expand the beast pen, build a separate poultry coop, and also add a bathroom and bathing room.”
Qing Kuo asked curiously, “What’s a bathroom?”
Jian Mo explained, “It’s a place for going to the toilet.”
He then described the rainwater toilet system he had seen in the Yuqi Tribe, focusing on how it handled waste.
Everyone listened with wide-eyed wonder. Zhou Fu said, “That’s amazing. If we build one, we wouldn’t have to go to the forest in the middle of the night anymore. It’s always such a hassle, not to mention getting bitten by bugs.”
Jian Mo nodded. “It’s a big project that needs to be discussed at a meeting. If most people agree, we’ll have to unify the drainage system and create a proper sewer network.”
He went on to elaborate on the necessity of a sewage system, leaving everyone deeply impressed.
Qing Kuo commented, “Looks like you didn’t just get good items this time—you also gathered plenty of useful knowledge.”
Jian Mo smiled. “Exactly. I was even thinking, for this reconstruction project, we could invite help from other tribes. For instance, the Tianning Tribe could make the sewer pipes, while other tribes could collect wood and stone for us.”
Qing Kuo agreed, “That’s a good idea. With extra hands, we won’t delay our hunting and gathering.”
Jian Mo nodded, “That’s what I thought too. Relying solely on ourselves would be too exhausting.”
As they chatted, Qing Kuo suggested, “Why don’t we hold a bonfire party tonight? Everyone can eat outside and chat, so you don’t have to cook.”
Jian Mo had no objections. “Sounds good. I’ll contribute two pots of fried Banhe Mushrooms. These are something we got from the Banhe Tribe—absolutely delicious when fried. Oh, and the two logs we brought back can grow Banhe Mushrooms, so don’t touch them.”
Qing Kuo exclaimed, “Logs that grow mushrooms?”
Jian Mo confirmed, “Yes, it’s a technique from the Banhe Tribe. We’re not sure how they do it, but it looks promising.”
Qing Kuo laughed. “Hearing all this makes me even more curious about your trip.”
Jian Mo replied, “There’s so much to tell. I also brought back two sick people, who are temporarily staying in the Mengshui Tribe. They’ll visit tomorrow morning—wait, no, three people.”
In the end, Bei Ya and his group chose to settle in the Mengshui Tribe. The He’an Tribe’s new technologies and secrets made it inconvenient to accommodate outsiders.
The Mengshui Tribe often hosted visitors for exchanges, and Yun Long had no objections as long as Bei Ya and the others provided the necessary resources.
Jian Mo and his group were finally home, and everyone surrounded them for a long chat before reluctantly dispersing to prepare for the bonfire party.
Jian Mo took the accumulated laundry and bedding to wash, then went to check on the Tou Tou Beasts.
While Jian Mo and his group were away, Qing Kuo and others had taken care of the Tou Tou Beasts, milking them daily. As a result, the beasts were still producing ample milk, enough for milking twice a day.
Jian Mo comforted the Tou Tou Beasts, who seemed to have trouble recognizing him, milked them, and planned to resume making yogurt and cheese.
By dusk, the tribe’s bonfire party began.
The group gathered around the bonfire, eating and listening to the caravan’s stories from their recent journey.
Those who hadn’t been selected for the trip listened with their mouths agape, slapping their thighs in regret and vowing to go next time no matter what.
The tales were simply too thrilling this time.
Even those who had gone on the trip themselves were brimming with excitement, saying they had learned so much and would definitely seize the chance to go again if it came.
They stayed together until late at night, eventually extinguishing the fire, tidying up, and leaving the patrolling beastmen behind before heading home.
Back at home, Jian Mo and Wu Jiong took a bath first, then nestled into their freshly cleaned bedding.
Wu Jiong gently rubbed Jian Mo’s head, checking his ears. Seeing no issues, he let Jian Mo lean against his shoulder.
Jian Mo sighed contentedly. “It’s so nice to be home.”
Wu Jiong replied, “It’ll be busy again soon.”
Jian Mo nuzzled closer to him. “That’s okay. Building a beautiful tribe is worth staying busy for.”
Wu Jiong said, “I’ve already told De Jiang and the others. We’ll have a meeting in the next couple of days to decide where to start.”
Jian Mo added, “I spoke with Qing Kuo too. Everyone’s really looking forward to it.”
The two chatted briefly before falling into a deep, restful sleep in each other’s arms.
The next morning, Bei Ya and Dan Guan arrived early.
Jian Mo checked Bei Ya’s facial wound first, applying Red Rock Grass and replacing the tension-relief patch on his face.
Dan Guan’s fungal infection looked slightly better. Though the rash hadn’t changed much, sparse new fuzz was sprouting from his follicles.
After some thought, Jian Mo adjusted Dan Guan’s herbal prescription, hoping it would speed up his recovery.
Jian Mo hadn’t yet finished treating them when the plump bird beastmen from the Bai Zhi Tribe arrived with pearl rice.
It wasn’t their first visit, and they were quite familiar with the place. Spotting Jian Mo, they joyfully hopped around in greeting.
This time, the bird beastmen brought the rice in exchange for honey blocks. Because it was a large quantity, they delivered it for free.
Feeling guilty about the effort they had put into the trip, Jian Mo used the Tou Tou Beast milk he’d collected the previous evening and that morning to make a large batch of cakes for them.
The bird beastmen hadn’t expected anything like cake to exist in the world. They devoured it with crumbs all over their mouths, unable to stop their cheerful tunes as they talked.
“Brother Jian Mo, where did you learn to make this cake? It’s so delicious!”
“Wow, wow, wow! The Qin Hai Tribe once showed us Mien Grass, but since we had pearl rice, we didn’t bother. Now I think we should get some.”
“Even if we get Mien Grass, we’d still need honey blocks and Tou Tou Beast milk. That’s a lot of ingredients!”
“Brother Jian Mo, you’re so good to us.”
Jian Mo, hearing their praises, responded with a warm smile. “You’ve been so good to us too. If it were someone else, you probably wouldn’t go out of your way to deliver the rice, would you?”
The bird beastmen chirped in agreement. “That’s true—it’s so far.”
Jian Mo added, “Exactly! And you even helped bring the honeybird nests for us. It’s such hard work.”
Hearing this while still savoring their cakes and being showered with gratitude, the bird beastmen grew bashful. They quickly said their goodbyes, planning to leave early and return to their tribe after resting for the night on the way.
The 31 honeybird nests they delivered were in pristine condition, with no cracks whatsoever, a testament to how carefully they had protected them during the journey.
Jian Mo, looking at the finely crafted honeybird nests, couldn’t resist and said to Wu Jiong, “Let’s go catch some honeybirds tomorrow. The sooner we catch them, the sooner we can start taming them.”
Wu Jiong considered this and said, “How about we take the nests directly to the honeybirds’ habitat? Maybe some will move in on their own. Summer is when honeybird fledglings leave their nests, so they might settle into the ones we place.”
Honeybirds were known to reuse old nests, which was why they had been able to gather so many last year. Ji Xun had added something to the honeybird nests that attracted them, so fledglings were likely to choose the nests Jian Mo and Wu Jiong placed.
Jian Mo immediately understood. “That sounds great! If they move in voluntarily, we won’t have to go through the trouble of catching them, and the honeybirds won’t get injured.”
Wu Jiong agreed, “Then we’ll head out tomorrow.”
The next morning, while feeding Chirpy, Jian Mo spoke to both Chirpy and Ying Ao, instructing them not to wander off as they’d be leaving together shortly.
Chirpy understood, hopping in excitement. “Chirp, chirp!”
Jian Mo chuckled and patted its wing. “We just got back together, and you’re already this excited?”
Chirpy replied with a happy “Chirp.”
Even Ying Ao tilted its head and let out a soft, “Chirp, chirp.”
Jian Mo said, “Okay, you two stay put for now. We’ll leave together soon.”
After breakfast, they carefully packed the honeybird nests into baskets and set off, with Jian Mo and Wu Jiong riding on Chirpy and Ying Ao.
After adjusting their direction twice, Chirpy surprisingly remembered the honeybirds’ location and flew there on its own.
Jian Mo exclaimed in amazement, “Your memory is pretty impressive!”
To avoid startling the honeybirds, they had Chirpy and Ying Ao stop some distance away from the colony.
Wu Jiong shifted into his beast form, carrying Jian Mo as they continued on foot to the honeybird habitat.
Perhaps it was the fledglings hatching, or maybe honeybirds were naturally more active in summer, but when they arrived, they startled a flock of honeybirds. Recognizing them as intruders, the honeybirds swooped down to peck at them, seemingly intent on leaving their heads full of bumps.
While shielding their heads, Jian Mo and the giant wolf carefully placed the honeybird nests on the inner side of a cliff and made a hasty retreat.
When the honeybird flock finally stopped pursuing them, the giant wolf paused, allowing Jian Mo to pluck stray honeybird feathers from his hair and remove them from the wolf’s fur.
“Let’s go wash up. These birds are truly something else—they can’t win in a fight, so they resort to poop attacks,” Jian Mo remarked wryly.
The giant wolf remarked, “It’s not like it really does anything.”
Jian Mo responded, “It’s just gross. Honeybird droppings stink. If we’re attacked this badly just for placing the nests, I can’t imagine what’ll happen when we come back to retrieve them.”
The giant wolf suggested, “We’ll come at night, take them when they’re not paying attention, and leave quietly.”
Jian Mo laughed. “That’s a solid plan.”
They went to the river to wash up, cleaning both their hair and bodies. They also washed their clothes and spread them out on the riverbank to dry.
Once their clothes were dry, the two set out to hunt and gather before returning to the tribe in the evening.
Today, the little ones were having lessons in the clearing. Both humanoid and beast-shaped youngsters were mixed together, all looking utterly miserable.
Seeing this, Jian Mo didn’t feel an ounce of pity; instead, he burst out laughing.
The sight of the little ones in class reminded him so much of his own childhood.
Back then, he too had attended lessons with a similarly unhappy expression.
