Transmigrated to the Beastman World as a Veterinarian – CH3

The next morning, before the first light of dawn broke through, Jian Mo was still asleep, wrapped in the warm, soft animal hides. In his half-dazed state, he vaguely heard soft voices conversing outside.

“Why are you up so early?”

“Haha, when I got up, I felt completely refreshed, so I transformed into my beast form and went for a run outside. As luck would have it, I spotted this purple bird. I brought it back for Jian Mo as thanks for helping me with the gua sha treatment.”

“I’ll let him know once he wakes up.”

“Alright, I’ll be heading back then…”

Jian Mo listened for a while longer before he realized that it was likely Wu Jiong and Hong Qiu talking outside.

Was Hong Qiu’s illness cured?

Feeling much more awake now, Jian Mo pushed aside the animal hide covering him and got up to go downstairs.

But by the time he reached the ground floor, Hong Qiu had already left.

He peeked outside.

Wu Jiong was by the hearth, boiling water. Seeing Jian Mo come down, he pointed outside. “Hong Qiu just stopped by and left you a purple bird as thanks for your gua sha treatment.”

Jian Mo replied, “I heard from upstairs. Is he feeling better now?”

Wu Jiong nodded while feeding wood into the fire. “He said he’s fine now.”

Jian Mo let out a sigh of relief. “That’s great.”

So gua sha works on beastmen too, huh? That’s excellent news.

Wu Jiong added, “The purple bird is by the door, go have a look.”

Jian Mo nodded enthusiastically and went over to check it out.

By the door was a large, blue-violet bird, unlike any he had seen before. It was even bigger than a regular duck and looked quite plump.

Jian Mo inspected it and found that its neck had been twisted, but its body was still warm.

He brought the bird into the house, placed it near the hearth, and fiddled with it for a while, trying to figure out how to process it.

It seemed like he needed to bleed it first, then scald it with boiling water to remove the feathers.

Luckily, Wu Jiong had just boiled some water, so Jian Mo asked, “Can I use this hot water?”

Wu Jiong replied, “I boiled it for you, so use it as you like. What do you need it for?”

The beastmen here had no habit of drinking hot water, but Jian Mo couldn’t get used to drinking it raw. After asking Wu Jiong to boil water a few times, it became a daily routine for him to prepare a large pot.

Jian Mo looked at the purple bird. “I’m going to use it to pluck the feathers.”

Wu Jiong corrected him, “No need for hot water to pluck feathers.”

Jian Mo was puzzled. “How do you pluck them without hot water?”

Wu Jiong explained, “Just pull them out directly. I’ll take it to the river to clean it up. You stay here and prepare breakfast.”

Jian Mo realized that processing it indoors would indeed make a mess, especially on the dirt floor, which would be troublesome if it got wet.

He nodded, then added, “Could you bring back all the feathers for me?”

Wu Jiong was surprised. “The feathers?”

Jian Mo nodded. “Yes, I want to see if I can use them for something.”

Wu Jiong agreed, “Alright.”

Jian Mo smiled and asked, “Would you prefer grilled meat or meat patties? Or I could make both.”

Wu Jiong immediately chose, “Meat patties.”

After Wu Jiong left, Jian Mo cut some fat and lean meat from under the eaves and gathered some side ingredients to prepare the meat patties.

Although his knife was just a shell knife, it was sharpened to the point where cutting meat and vegetables was effortless, though it did tend to chip easily.

However, the stone slab used for grilling meat was tricky. It took ages to preheat, and when it finally got hot enough, the food would burn easily if left unattended. It required constant flipping.

Jian Mo busied himself in the house.

Wu Jiong soon returned with the cleaned bird, just as Jian Mo was finishing frying the meat patties.

Seeing Wu Jiong return, Jian Mo quickly served him some food.

The two of them sat by the hearth, enjoying their breakfast.

Wu Jiong spoke up, “When I was coming back, I ran into some sub-beastmen from the tribe. They asked if you wanted to join them for gathering.”

Jian Mo’s eyes lit up. “Can I? I’d love to go!”

He had been cooped up at Wu Jiong’s place for about seven or eight days, only managing to stroll around the tribe yesterday. He was feeling quite restless.

Wu Jiong nodded, “Sure, they’ll be gathering near the tribe. There’s no danger.”

Jian Mo asked, “How do I find them? Should I go look for them?”

Wu Jiong replied, “I’ll take you to them when I head out to hunt.”

Jian Mo nodded and continued eating the meat patties with two sticks he used as makeshift chopsticks.

Since he was still recovering from an illness, Jian Mo had reduced the amount of fat and added more vegetables into the patties to make them lighter.

Wu Jiong watched him use the strange sticks to eat but didn’t say a word.

After quickly finishing their breakfast and washing the dishes, Jian Mo strapped on a basket and followed Wu Jiong out.

In the open area at the center of the tribe, beastmen, sub-beastmen, and the unshifted young ones were already bustling around.

People gathered in small groups, chatting away. When they saw Jian Mo following Wu Jiong out, many greeted him and curiously observed him.

The arrival of a new sub-beastman in the tribe was quite the novelty, providing a hot topic of conversation for days.

Wu Jiong led Jian Mo to a sub-beastman named Qing Kuo. “Qing Kuo, Jian Mo will be in your care today. Please look after him.”

Jian Mo recognized Qing Kuo as the model-like sub-beastman with cat ears.

Today, Qing Kuo appeared entirely human, with regular human ears.

He raised his eyes, locking them onto Jian Mo.

His gaze turned sharp, and he slowly pulled back his lips into a smile. “Alright, as long as he doesn’t wander off.”

For some reason, Jian Mo felt that Qing Kuo’s demeanor was very cat-like, or rather, reminiscent of a feline predator with an innate fierceness.

Feeling the pressure from being stared at, Jian Mo quickly replied, “I’ll follow your lead once we’re outside.”

Qing Kuo gave him another look and then nodded, satisfied. “Just stay behind me.”

The crowd was growing larger, and Jian Mo noticed they were dividing into teams.

A few people gathered around Qing Kuo, all older sub-beastmen.

Qing Kuo was clearly the leader of this group. Once everyone had gathered, he briefly introduced Jian Mo to them and then led the team out.

As Jian Mo walked among the group, he answered questions when asked but kept to himself when no one spoke to him.

Before long, the group’s attention shifted away from him, and they started talking about various tribal matters.

Jian Mo listened quietly, learning quite a bit about the tribe.

The world seemed to be in the midst of autumn. The wind that blew past was dry and cold, while the sky appeared high and clear with a deep blue hue.

If it weren’t for the unfamiliar plants and the strange people around him, gathering in a forest like this would have been quite an enjoyable experience.

Jian Mo gazed at the distant snow-capped mountains and sighed inwardly.

He really couldn’t go back.

This was a forest that the sub-beastmen were familiar with. It didn’t take long before they came upon a grove of fruit trees.

The group dispersed, each choosing a tree to start gathering from.

Qing Kuo signaled for Jian Mo to follow him. “Let’s pick the fruits from that tree.”

Jian Mo nodded.

They approached a tree at the edge of the grove. Qing Kuo looked up, set his basket down, and then, with a swift leap, extended his fingernails and toenails into sharp hooks.

He then used his claws to firmly grip the tree trunk and swiftly climbed up, moving as nimbly as a cat.

In just the blink of an eye, the long-limbed sub-beastman had reached the high branches. He looked down at Jian Mo and motioned for him to climb up as well.

Jian Mo slightly opened his mouth as he looked up at the sub-beastman standing high among the treetops.

This tree was at least twenty meters tall, with a very straight trunk. Its branches didn’t start until about six or seven meters above the ground.

Jian Mo looked at the bare trunk, then at his own legs.

Oh no.

It seemed he didn’t know how to climb.

From his perch on the tree, Qing Kuo crouched down, gripping the trunk with his claws, and furrowed his brow slightly. “What’s wrong?”

Jian Mo snapped back to attention, hurriedly putting down his basket. “Nothing, I’ll give it a try.”

When sub-beastmen go out, they can partially transform certain parts of their bodies. For example, they can grow pointed ears with inner and outer tufts, dilate or contract their pupils, or extend claws shaped like scimitars.

These transformed parts are known as “beast marks” and help sub-beastmen better adapt to their environment.

Jian Mo also wanted to do as Qing Kuo did, but unfortunately, he didn’t have that ability. He had no choice but to use a purely human method, gripping the trunk with both arms and legs to try and climb up.

However, the trunk was thick and slippery, offering no footholds. Having just recovered from an illness, he was not in his best shape. For every thirty centimeters he managed to climb, he would slip back twenty-five. Despite trying hard for quite a while, he made no real progress.

Qing Kuo watched as Jian Mo struggled, barely half a man’s height off the ground. His cheeks were tinged with a faint blush from exertion, and his lips were an unusually vivid red.

Clearly, he was trying his best.

But it was all in vain.

Qing Kuo found it rather unbelievable; even the young cubs who had just seen their first full moon could climb trees.

It was obvious that Jian Mo wasn’t slacking off; he truly couldn’t do it. Qing Kuo finally said, “Stop climbing. Take a break.”

Jian Mo’s face turned even redder, and he panted heavily. “Let me try a bit more.”

Qing Kuo, more straightforward this time, said, “It won’t work, no matter how hard you try. Just pick up the fruits that fall. I’ll shake some down for you.”

Jian Mo’s arms were already aching. After a few more futile attempts, he finally gave in. “Thank you.”

Qing Kuo instructed, “Step back and stand a little farther away.”

Jian Mo slid down the tree and moved out of the way.

Once Qing Kuo saw he was clear, he wrapped his arms around the trunk and gave it a good shake.

The tree rustled loudly, and fruits rained down like a shower, rolling across the ground.

These fruits, called “energy fruits,” were about the size of Jian Mo’s fist, with greenish skins that looked quite bitter.

Jian Mo searched his memory but couldn’t recall anything about these fruits. He didn’t know which parts were edible, but they seemed like decent food.

From how precisely Qing Kuo and the others knew the locations of each tree, it was clear they valued these energy fruits.

Once Qing Kuo was done shaking down the fruits, Jian Mo went to pick them up.

Some of the ripe fruits had already fallen to the ground earlier, and as Jian Mo collected them, he noticed some had been gnawed on by animals.

The fruits had a tough, thick outer skin. Beneath that was a layer of soft, snow-white flesh, with tiny black seeds about the size of grains of rice. They had a faintly sweet fragrance.

The flavor should be quite pleasant.

After collecting for a while, Jian Mo’s hands turned black from the oxidizing juice seeping out of the skins. His skin began to redden and itch.

He was having an allergic reaction.

Jian Mo rubbed some dirt on his hands to alleviate the itching and continued picking.

Qing Kuo soon gathered most of the fruit from the tree, filling more than half his basket.

Jian Mo, on the other hand, only managed to gather half a basket from the ground. His large basket, once strapped to his back, felt heavy—probably weighing around forty to fifty pounds.

Fortunately, the straps on the basket were wide enough, so it wasn’t too uncomfortable on his shoulders. Jian Mo figured he could carry it back to Wu Jiong’s place without much trouble.

After gathering the fruit, Qing Kuo led Jian Mo to rejoin the others.

The rest of the group had also nearly finished their harvesting, but their baskets weren’t yet full. They still needed to gather more.

Jian Mo followed along at the back of the group.

Carrying forty to fifty pounds wasn’t too heavy for an adult man, but walking around with it for a long time was exhausting.

Qing Kuo, walking ahead, turned to glance at Jian Mo. Perhaps noticing his struggle, he made sure not to deliberately hand over more food to him during the rest of their gathering.

Jian Mo followed the group, slowly picking wild herbs and fruits along the way.

The forest was full of edible plants, though not all of them were particularly tasty.

The sub-beastmen weren’t picky. They tried to take back anything that was edible.

It wasn’t until late afternoon, when the sun was nearly setting, that they began to head back.

Almost everyone’s baskets were filled to the brim, except for Jian Mo’s, which was only half full.

Considering this was his first time going out to gather, it was already a decent haul, and Jian Mo felt quite satisfied with his harvest.

On their way back, they took a different route, passing through a section of the forest where they could still find some food.

Walking in the middle of the group, Jian Mo spotted some pod-like fruits hanging from a “sour tree.” He reached up and plucked about a dozen of them.

A sub-beastman behind him noticed and paused. “Why are you picking those? They’re not tasty. Eating them will just leave your stomach feeling uncomfortable and sour.”

In his memory, Jian Mo recalled this kind of fruit. The “sour fruit” was too plain and sour, quite harsh on the stomach. Eating too much would cause acid reflux and leave a person feeling weak.

However, after eating so much meat in the tribe, Jian Mo had developed mouth ulcers, likely from a lack of vitamins. He needed to supplement his diet with something richer.

Jian Mo carefully stored the sour fruits and smiled at the sub-beastman. “I’ll take them back to see if I can make something different out of them for a change of taste.”

The sub-beastman looked at the sour fruits silently and shook his head slightly.

Jian Mo didn’t explain further. He quickly finished gathering the sour fruits and hurried to catch up with the group.

Back at the tribe, the sub-beastmen first went to the central clearing to deposit half of their collected goods.

—It was a rule that adult members of the tribe, whether hunting or gathering, had to leave half of their harvest for redistribution within the tribe.

Jian Mo followed the example of the others, leaving half of his harvest before heading back to Wu Jiong’s house.

Wu Jiong hadn’t returned yet.

Jian Mo set down his basket, took out a wooden basin, and began washing a portion of the wild vegetables he had collected.

After thoroughly cleaning them, he mixed in a bit of salt and spread them out to dry outside.

The evening sky was a brilliant red today, so it was unlikely to rain tonight. He could air-dry the vegetables first, then leave them in the sun tomorrow. Since there were no wild animals around the tribe, it was perfectly safe to leave them out.

Wild vegetables tend to spoil quickly, but drying them would help preserve them.

While Jian Mo was busy with his tasks, the tribe’s beastmen began to return.

One of them came in to grab a knife for dividing meat and, seeing Jian Mo busy, called out, “We’re distributing food now. Jian Mo, come on out.”

Jian Mo was taken aback. “Me?”

The beastman responded enthusiastically, “Yes, of course! You’re part of our tribe now, so you get a share too. Come and choose what you want.”

Jian Mo hadn’t expected the tribe to accept him so quickly.

After a moment’s hesitation, he extinguished the fire and took the meat off the heated stone slab before heading outside.

He needed to integrate into the tribe as soon as possible and couldn’t afford to refuse their goodwill.

The tribe members were gathered in the small plaza, chatting while waiting for their share of the food.

When they saw Jian Mo step out, there was a brief pause, and many of them turned to look at him.

He forced himself to smile at them and then lined up at the back of the queue.

Soon enough, the tribe members lost interest in him and resumed their conversations.

Relieved, Jian Mo finally had the chance to observe his surroundings.

He noticed that usually, only one person from each household would line up to collect food. In the line were beastmen, sub-beastmen, and even some youngsters who had already gained the ability to transform.

It seemed that the distribution was based on household size; the quantity and type of meat varied for each person.

As the line gradually shortened, it was finally Jian Mo’s turn.

“What kind of meat would you like?” The sub-beastman distributing food, named Ye Luo, glanced at Jian Mo. “Or should I pick something for you?”

Jian Mo had already thought it over. Eyeing the various cuts laid out on leaves, he nervously said, “I’d like a small piece of liver, like this one. For the meat, any cut will do.”

Without hesitation, Ye Luo used a shell knife to carve off a chunk of liver, then sliced off a fist-sized piece of meat and even added a leg bone for him.

The sub-beastman next to Ye Luo also gave him some tubers and wild vegetables.

Jian Mo quietly said, “Thank you.”

Ye Luo looked at him and replied, “No need to thank me. Eat well and make sure you replenish your strength.”

Feeling touched by the kindness, Jian Mo carried his hefty share of food back to Wu Jiong’s house with a lighter heart.

If he could receive this much meat daily, combined with the food he gathered himself, sustaining himself here shouldn’t be difficult.

As Jian Mo was busy with preparations, Wu Jiong returned carrying meat and vegetables.

In addition to the meat, Wu Jiong had a string of small intestines.

Seeing Jian Mo glance over, Wu Jiong simply handed him the meat. “The intestines are a bit tricky to clean. Let’s just eat the meat today; I’ll handle the intestines tomorrow.”

Jian Mo waved his hand. “No, I’m just surprised you brought intestines back.”

Wu Jiong explained, “I traded for them.”

Jian Mo, seeing Wu Jiong take the initiative to explain, smiled, revealing his small, not-so-noticeable tiger teeth. “I also got some liver. Don’t worry, I can handle it. Leave it to me.”

Wu Jiong, seeing Jian Mo’s serious expression, finally handed over the intestines.

Jian Mo took the intestines and filled a large wooden basin with plant ash, using it to wash the intestines.

Wu Jiong had never seen this method before and stood by to assist.

Jian Mo explained, “The ash absorbs odors, and the alkali helps clean off all the mucus.”

Wu Jiong didn’t fully understand but nodded anyway.

Jian Mo worked quickly and efficiently, washing the intestines several times until they were thoroughly clean. He then cut them into sections with the shell knife and placed them on the hot stone slab to grill.

Grilling the intestines was easier than grilling meat. They didn’t stick and quickly developed a crispy, tiger-skin texture.

Once the intestines were nearly done, Jian Mo added the sour fruits to the pan, stir-frying them together with the intestines, liver, and other ingredients. He added salt for seasoning.

With the sour fruits, he made sure to use an extra half-spoon of salt.

After stir-frying everything together, Jian Mo tasted a bit. The flavor was a delightful mix of salty and tangy, effectively masking the off-putting taste of the innards while enhancing their natural umami.

It was surprisingly delicious.

Jian Mo plated the stir-fried sour fruit with innards and also took out the meat patties he had set on the edge of the stone slab, calling Wu Jiong over for dinner.

Tonight’s meat patties came in two varieties: one made purely of meat and the other mixed with tubers. Both types were grilled to a golden brown on both sides, exuding a rich aroma that was instantly appetizing.

Wu Jiong glanced at Jian Mo. “How much do you want? You go first.”

Jian Mo, confused, picked up two tuber-filled patties and placed them on his plate. “I’m good.”

Wu Jiong nodded and then called out to the door, “You can come in now.”

Just as Jian Mo was about to ask whom he was inviting, a group of dark-skinned children filed in, greeting in unison, “Chief.”

Wu Jiong acknowledged them with a nod, then drew the knife from his belt and neatly cut the meat patties into portions. “Each of you take one.”

The children, with bright, curious eyes, looked at Jian Mo before reaching out with their little paws to grab a piece of meat patty. They quietly thanked the chief before scurrying away.

Jian Mo almost called out for the children to wash their hands but held back.

Once the children were gone, only about a third of a patty remained on Wu Jiong’s plate.

Jian Mo glanced at it, then transferred the pure meat patty from his own plate to Wu Jiong’s.

Wu Jiong said, “No need.”

But Jian Mo held up his plate, refusing to take the patty back. “I’ve had enough. If we’re still hungry, we can always make more.”

Wu Jiong paused for a moment. “Then eat more of the side dishes.”

The two of them sat across from each other. Wu Jiong picked up a piece of grilled intestine and tried it. He was surprised to find that it had no unpleasant odor at all—just a tender, succulent, and richly flavorful taste, unlike any preparation he had ever tried before.

He looked at Jian Mo with a complex expression.

Jian Mo was contentedly savoring a piece of liver when he noticed Wu Jiong’s gaze, a question mark practically popping up over his head.

Wu Jiong said, “It’s truly great that you could join our tribe.”

Jian Mo swallowed the food in his mouth, straightened his posture, and replied earnestly, “I feel very honored to have been able to join the tribe as well.”