Chapter 130
To ensure the empty nests they placed had indeed attracted honeybirds, Jian Mo and Wu Jiong decided to wait two days before heading out one evening to retrieve them.
The decision to go in the evening was Wu Jiong’s suggestion.
Honeybirds return to their nests at dusk, so going at that time would ensure most of them were home. Additionally, honeybirds have poor vision in low light, making them less likely to fly around or peck wildly. This would make the operation safer for Jian Mo and Wu Jiong.
To increase their chances of successfully capturing the honeybirds, they had enlisted the help of the tribe to weave a batch of small cages with latches.
The cages, about the size of a rice cooker, were designed to hold both the honeybirds and their nests, securing them inside to prevent injuries caused by panicked flapping or excessive stress. The wooden slats of the cages were spaced widely enough not to obstruct the birds’ breathing.
Once loaded into the cages, the nests and birds could be stacked into large backpacks, making transportation much easier.
Since honeybirds lived in the mountains, climbing to their habitat wasn’t convenient. Jian Mo and Wu Jiong rode Chirpy and Ying Ao to the area.
To avoid startling the honeybirds, they stopped some distance from the nests and left Chirpy and Ying Ao behind, as they had done before.
Chirpy, having accompanied them to this area several times, was displeased at being left behind again. This time, as they were about to leave, Chirpy grabbed Jian Mo’s shirt with its beak. “Chirp.”
When Jian Mo turned to look, Chirpy blinked its eyes in a deliberate attempt to appear cute, hoping Jian Mo would let it tag along.
Jian Mo quickly pulled his shirt free. “Not this time. I’ll bring you along to play next time.”
Chirpy’s ears drooped in disappointment. “Chirr…”
Jian Mo gave its large head a comforting rub. “You and Ying Ao wait here obediently. We’ll be back soon. Don’t wander off, okay?”
After reassuring Chirpy and Ying Ao, Jian Mo, and Wu Jiong set off for the honeybird nests.
Wu Jiong, in his giant wolf form, sprinted swiftly, and before long, they were near the honeybirds’ nesting area.
By the time they arrived, the sky was already dark. Even with their eyesight, Jian Mo and Wu Jiong could only see shadowy outlines. The honeybirds, too, huddled in their nests, letting out uneasy coos but not flying around.
Jian Mo quickly spotted the nests they had placed earlier. As expected, the nests were already occupied by young honeybirds—the fledglings’ feathers were pinker in tone, which Jian Mo could discern even with the limited light.
Jian Mo gestured to Wu Jiong, signaling for him to start collecting nests from the east while he handled the west.
Wu Jiong nodded.
They worked carefully and quickly, placing the honeybirds and their nests into the small cages. Once secured, the cages were placed into their large backpacks.
The honeybirds barely had time to react before they found themselves confined.
Inside the cages, the limited light and stillness of their nests calmed the honeybirds, leaving them to issue only a few uneasy coos before settling down.
Jian Mo and Wu Jiong collected all 31 nests they had set out, along with an additional nine wild honeybird nests for comparison in their experiments.
As they were finishing up, the honeybirds began to realize what was happening. Their uneasy coos turned into calls to rally their companions, and soon the birds attempted to repel the intruders.
Despite the darkness, some honeybirds braved the low visibility, flying up to peck at them.
Jian Mo and Wu Jiong shielded their faces as they hurriedly packed the remaining nests and birds, retreating as quickly as they could.
This time, the honeybirds were more aggressive, chasing them even as they fled back to Chirpy and Ying Ao. Even as they took flight down the mountain, a few determined honeybirds continued to pursue them.
Once they had flown a good distance, Jian Mo wiped the sweat from his brow and said, “Catching a few honeybirds is no easy task. Good thing my hair’s thick, or I might’ve ended up with bald spots from all that pecking.”
Wu Jiong, seated atop Ying Ao, replied, “You’re exaggerating.”
Jian Mo rubbed his sore scalp with lingering dread. “My head still hurts, but at least we succeeded. Considering today’s haul, I’d say the pecking was worth it.”
Chirpy and Ying Ao flew diligently, and the group finally returned to the tribe as the moon rose above the treetops.
Everyone in the tribe knew they had gone to capture honeybirds and gathered to watch the spectacle.
Seeing the 40 cages packed into three baskets, Ye Luo commented, “If you manage to raise them successfully, you’ll never run out of honey blocks again.”
Jian Mo smiled. “Not quite. We’ll still run short, but not as much. If this works out, we should have enough honey blocks to last year-round.”
Qing Kuo asked, “You’re planning to raise the honeybirds in the back mountain, right?”
Jian Mo nodded. “I cleared the area a couple of days ago. I’ll be placing the nests on treetops there. Please let everyone know, especially the kids, not to touch the nests. The honey blocks inside aren’t edible yet—they’ll make you sick.”
Ji Xun had explained that the nests contained substances to attract honeybirds, which were slightly toxic and required at least 30 days before the nests would be safe.
Jian Mo and Wu Jiong had gone to great lengths to acquire these nests, so eating them wasn’t an option. However, it was better to warn the mischievous children in advance.
He Feng popped out, grinning. “Brother Jian Mo, don’t worry, we won’t eat them.”
Jian Mo patted He Feng’s head. “So well-behaved?”
Before He Feng could respond, Ban Ming quipped, “If He Feng isn’t causing trouble, the other kids probably won’t either.”
He Feng glared at Ban Ming. “Who’s causing trouble?”
Ban Ming laughed and reached to pat He Feng’s head. “You, of course.”
He Feng tilted his head to dodge and huffed indignantly. “I’m not causing trouble. You’re the troublemaker, Ban Ming. Back then, I wasn’t half as naughty as you!”
Ah Hu joined in with a chuckle. “Exactly, Ban Ming’s not trustworthy at all.”
Ban Ming puffed out his chest. “Not anymore. Now that I’ve got A Meng, I’m reliable.”
He Feng declared, “I’m super well-behaved now, too!”
The adults laughed, and Qing Kuo said, “How about you two keep an eye on each other and see who’s really more trustworthy?”
He Feng grinned. “It won’t be me—I can behave for a few days at least.”
The laughter continued.
Instead of keeping the honeybirds at home, Jian Mo and Wu Jiong carried them to the back mountain that very night. They placed the cages, along with the nests, on the tree branches they had prepared earlier.
Once everything was set, the honeybirds, no longer detecting human presence, began to calm down and stopped calling as loudly.
To help the honeybirds acclimate to their new environment, Jian Mo and Wu Jiong kept them caged for three days, following Ji Xun’s guidance by feeding them small amounts of pre-prepared honey blocks daily.
After three days, Jian Mo decided it was time and removed the cages.
The moment the cages were opened, all the honeybirds fled in a flurry, flying away at once.
Watching the honeybirds soar high into the sky, Jian Mo felt a pang of worry. “Do you think they’ll really come back tonight?”
Wu Jiong replied, “There’s no point guessing. We’ll find out tonight.”
Jian Mo sighed. “I hope they return. After all the effort we put into this, it’d be so frustrating if we got nothing out of it.”
Wu Jiong patted his shoulder. “Let’s go.”
Jian Mo spent the entire day distracted, his mind constantly preoccupied with thoughts about the honeybirds.
As soon as night fell, he eagerly dragged Wu Jiong to the forest behind the mountain to check on the nests.
Of the 40 honeybird nests placed on tree branches, honeybirds had returned to 31 of them and were now perched inside. The remaining nine nests were empty, with no honeybirds returning to them.
Jian Mo inspected the markings they had made earlier. “The honeybirds came back to the nests Ji Xun gave us, but they abandoned the wild ones we brought back randomly.”
Wu Jiong nodded. “I figured as much.”
Jian Mo sighed. “Raising honeybirds is definitely not as easy as it looks. Ji Xun really knows his stuff.”
Wu Jiong said, “Let’s keep raising them. We might gain some experience along the way and figure out better methods.”
Jian Mo nodded. “That’s our only option.”
The honeybirds were left to be raised in the back mountain.
Though the children in the tribe were curious, they kept their distance and only watched from afar. They even helped Jian Mo and Wu Jiong by keeping an eye on the tribe’s young men.
Ban Ming couldn’t help but laugh, both exasperated and amused. “Do we really seem that unreliable?”
The small feline sub-beastman, Ban Jiu, chimed in gleefully, “You do, you do!”
Ban Ming raised an eyebrow. “It’s not like it’s the same as when you used to jump into my arms for food.”
Ban Jiu turned away and pretended not to hear, grooming his fur.
Jian Mo laughed and changed the subject. “Ban Ming, did you come to see me for something?”
Ban Ming said, “We saw you pulling weeds in the field this morning. Need some help?”
Jian Mo was surprised but smiled. “If you’re willing to help, I’d be really grateful.”
Xi Lu asked, “Why wasn’t the chief helping? Did he leave all the work to you?”
Jian Mo explained, “He was working this morning too, but De Jiang called him away to check on the metal plow. I figured there wasn’t much weeding left, so I decided to finish up.”
Ah Hu peeked in. “The metal plow? The one we’ve been using to till the fields? Don’t you already have one? Why make a new one?”
Jian Mo replied, “The old one was based on the plows from my homeland and wasn’t suitable for use here. So, we ordered a new design to better suit the local needs.”
Plows from Earth were primarily designed for use with oxen. Beastmen, however, used their own strength to operate the plows, so the design Jian Mo initially drew up didn’t quite fit. As a result, they had tasked the tribe with crafting a plow tailored to this world.
Ah Hu asked, “So, you’re going to re-till the fields?”
Jian Mo nodded with a smile. “Exactly. The soil mounds around the crops have flattened due to wind and rain erosion. We need to rebuild them, which gives us a good chance to fertilize the soil as well.”
Though Jian Mo’s explanation was a bit technical, the group understood the general idea.
Ban Ming declared, “We’ll help you. When are you planning to start? We’ll come together.”
Jian Mo said, “How about tomorrow morning? Before the sun gets too hot, we can get some work done.”
The young men readily agreed. “Of course! We’ll get up early and bring more people to finish the work quickly.”
Jian Mo smiled. “Then I’ll prepare extra dishes for breakfast to thank everyone.”
Jian Mo had expected only a portion of the young men to show up, but when he got up the next morning, nearly all the tribe’s beastmen and sub-beastmen were there.
After briefly explaining the tasks, they divided into groups.
Some weeded the fields, others applied fertilizer, while another group, in their beast forms, pulled the metal plows to till the soil. The fertilizer was buried under the freshly turned earth, ensuring its nutrients would gradually release.
Massive beast forms moved through the fields like giant oxen. Every time Jian Mo looked up, he felt like he was living in a fairytale.
The fertilizer they used that day was fermented dung from Chirpy and Ying Ao, which had a somewhat unpleasant smell.
No one complained, though, and they worked diligently.
Jian Mo, feeling embarrassed, decided to extend the effort beyond his own fields. He led everyone to weed, fertilize, and till the tribe’s communal fields as well.
When they finished those, the group still had time and ended up helping with tasks in other private fields around the tribe.
Jian Mo generously offered the metal plow and fertilizer for others to use.
With so many people working together, there was no way Jian Mo could prepare enough breakfast for everyone—not with the limited ingredients and time.
The families who owned private fields, including Qing Kuo’s, offered to host a communal meal instead. After some discussion, they decided to hold a tribe-wide feast that evening.
The ingredients would be provided by the families who owned private fields, and everyone would pitch in to help prepare the meal.
As always, communal feasts were a source of joy. The entire tribe agreed enthusiastically and planned to return early in the evening to prepare.
After the feast, Jian Mo and a few familiar beastmen and sub-beastmen organized a fishing trip.
Qing Kuo asked, “Are you planning to use all this fish to make fish bladder glue or fish balls?”
Jian Mo smiled. “Mostly fish bladder glue. Since we’re focusing on building the tribe, there’s been a high demand for it recently. I thought I’d make it in advance. As for fish balls—if we have leftover fish, I think making fish balls would be more practical than dried fish.”
Qing Kuo agreed easily. “I love fish balls too. Let’s go fishing together.”
Ye Luo interjected, “The fish near White Sand Islet have been big and plump lately. We should fish there. The waters at Green Marsh Source have become swampy, and the fish there have a muddy taste. Plus, it’s easy to get stuck in the mud—it’s not very convenient.”
Ye Luo was well-known for keeping track of hunting and gathering information. His suggestion won everyone’s approval.
Qing Kuo added cheerfully, “Perfect! We can play in the water while we’re at it. It’s been ages since I’ve had fun in the water.”
Jian Mo’s eyes lit up. “That sounds like a great idea! I even have newly made swim trunks!”
Jian Mo’s household was well-stocked with fabric, so he often made extra clothing.
Hearing this, Qing Kuo and the others, already familiar with swim trunks, eagerly responded, “Let’s bring ours too! We can split into groups and have fun separately from the beastmen.”
Jian Mo added, “Should we bring the kids along? It’ll be a nice break for them.”
Qing Kuo considered it. “Sure, why not.”
Beastmen and sub-beastmen were naturally excellent swimmers, far better than humans.
Though Jian Mo knew this, he still reminded everyone to prioritize safety.
The group readily agreed.
And so, nearly the entire tribe set out again, combining a fishing trip with water play.
Their departure was particularly lively. Since White Sand Islet was near the border of the Yi Gu Tribe, the commotion even drew some people from Yi Gu, who joined them in fishing.
By the time they returned to the tribe, they had caught an enormous haul of fish. They turned a large portion of it into fish balls and had yet another communal feast, devouring most of the fresh fish balls on the spot.
Everyone handed the fish bladders over to Jian Mo, who accepted them without hesitation.
That night, Jian Mo took some insect resin he had obtained from the Lin Yan Tribe and boiled another batch of glue.
Boiling glue was a meticulous process that required constant stirring and observation.
While tending the pot, Jian Mo grew bored and decided to make use of the leftover wooden planks in the house. He directed Wu Jiong to plane the boards smooth, adjust their sizes, and experiment with assembling them.
Wu Jiong eyed the large assembled plank with curiosity. “What’s this for?”
“A boat!” Jian Mo declared.
Wu Jiong tilted his head. “What’s a boat?”
Jian Mo gestured enthusiastically. “It’s something that floats on water. With a boat, we can sit and stay on the water’s surface.”
Wu Jiong still seemed puzzled. “But we can already float on water in our beast forms, and even in human form, we won’t sink as long as we’re careful.”
Jian Mo waved his hands emphatically. “No, no, no! When you’re just floating, it’s hard to do other things. With a boat, it becomes much more convenient.”
“Like what?” Wu Jiong asked.
“Like fishing from the boat,” Jian Mo explained. “Or if you want to explore the center of a lake, the boat can act as a floating island where you can rest.”
Wu Jiong nodded slowly.
Jian Mo grinned. “You’re still thinking it’s unnecessary, aren’t you?”
Wu Jiong thought for a moment. “Maybe for tribes that need to work on the water, it’s very necessary.”
Jian Mo chuckled. “Hey, don’t only think about whether it’s practical. Imagine how fun it could be! Remember when I lay on your back, drifting in the lake? That was so much fun. Once the boat’s ready, we can lie on it and drift together—it’ll be even better.”
Wu Jiong’s eyes brightened slightly as he stared at the planks. “You make a good point.”
