The weather was cold, so after Jian Mo and Wu Jiong planted their crops, they covered them with a thin layer of soil.
Still, Jian Mo felt it wasn’t enough to keep the seedlings warm.
He discussed with Wu Jiong, “How about we cut some grass to cover the soil? Grass will help maintain the temperature.”
Wu Jiong asked, “What kind of grass?”
Jian Mo thought for a moment. “For warmth, any ordinary grass will do. It’s best if we cut some longer grass to save effort.”
Wu Jiong nodded. “There’s a patch along the river downstream. The dried grass there should still be around. Let’s go cut some.”
“That works,” Jian Mo agreed. “After cutting the grass, let’s chop some wood and build a fence around the vegetable plot. I’m worried that wild animals might come and ruin everything.”
This area had plenty of wild animals, and without barriers, any crops would likely be destroyed soon after sprouting.
After discussing their plan, Wu Jiong transformed into his giant wolf form and carried Jian Mo on his back as they headed downstream.
This year, since few people were farming, there were only scattered patches of cultivated land along the riverbank.
The white snow against the black soil stood out vividly, and as they approached one of the plots, flocks of birds scattered in alarm.
Even though the seeds had only recently been sown, many birds had already come to feed on them.
Watching the birds, Jian Mo realized that covering the soil wasn’t just for warmth—it was also to protect the seeds from being eaten.
Farming truly wasn’t easy.
The two followed the river downstream until they found a patch of reed-like plants growing along the bank. Even in the depths of winter, nearing spring, the plants still bore white tassels at their tips.
Jian Mo brightened at the sight of the tall grass. “These look great. Let’s cut some to take home and put in vases too, alright?”
The giant wolf rumbled a low reply. “The leaves are sharp. Let me do the cutting.”
Jian Mo said, “I’ll cut along the edges. You be careful too.”
Using their newly forged sickles, they worked efficiently. In no time, they had cut a large bundle of grass.
They ventured into the nearby forest to gather vines, using them to tie up the bundles of grass.
While exploring the forest, they found small berries hidden under the snow.
The berries were bright red and tempting. Though they were slightly icy to the taste, they were delicious. Unfortunately, there weren’t many. After gathering the grass, they scoured the forest for more berries, managing to fill just one basket.
By the time they finished, it was quite late, and they returned to the He’an Tribe later than planned.
A beastman on patrol spotted them from a distance and called out, “Chief! Jian Mo! What took you so long to get back?”
Jian Mo assumed it was just a casual greeting and replied, “We were in the forest picking berries. Want some? I can give you a handful.”
“Forget the food for now,” the patrol beastman said urgently. “Someone from the Zheng Chi Tribe just came by with two sick young beastmen. You should check on them immediately.”
Jian Mo sat up straight. “Where are they? What’s wrong with them?”
“They’re at the small clinic by the river,” the beastman explained. “It looks serious—they’ve already passed out. Qing Kuo set them up there and sent people to look for you, but I guess you missed them.”
“I’ll go take a look,” Jian Mo said.
The giant wolf, hearing this, immediately carried him to the clinic.
Outside the small clinic, a crowd of people had already gathered. Before Jian Mo and Wu Jiong could even step in, they heard the murmur of anxious voices.
The commotion was unintelligible, but the urgency was clear from their tones.
The moment the giant wolf appeared, someone shouted, “Doctor Jian Mo is here!”
Another person rushed out, crying, “Doctor Jian Mo, please save our little ones!”
Sliding off the giant wolf’s back, Jian Mo hurriedly said, “Let me check on them first.”
The crowd parted to let him through.
Inside the clinic, two small beastmen lay curled up on a bed of beast-hide mats. They were about half the height of an adult and resembled a cross between a beaver and an otter. Their eyes were tightly shut, and their breathing was faint. Their long fur was matted and curling and their condition looked dire.
Nearby, a sub-beastman was frantically touching one cub, then the other, repeatedly calling their names. “Su Yue! Wang Yue! Don’t fall asleep!”
Jian Mo stepped forward. “Let me take a look.”
He pulled out a simple, handmade metal stethoscope from a cabinet. Pressing one end against the cubs’ chests and the other against his ear, he carefully listened to their breathing.
Both cubs were breathing rapidly, their pupils were dilated, and they were feverish. Their symptoms were almost identical.
Gently, Jian Mo opened their mouths and caught a whiff of a strange odor.
From his observations, it seemed likely that the issue wasn’t a typical illness but something external—perhaps poisoning.
After forming a preliminary diagnosis, Jian Mo asked, “When did this start?”
Their father, clearly distressed, replied, “They were fine this morning. But when I couldn’t find them this afternoon, I went looking and found them collapsed on the ground.”
“By ‘fine,’ you mean they showed no symptoms earlier today? No rashes, no fevers, and they didn’t mention feeling unwell?” Jian Mo clarified.
The father nodded vigorously. “Yes! They were lively as always.”
“I suspect they’ve been poisoned by something they ate,” Jian Mo said decisively. “I’ll start treating them as if it’s poisoning.”
The panicked adults had no objections.
Turning to Wu Jiong, Jian Mo instructed, “Go home and grind some Mien Fruit powder. Bring it back with some water.”
Wu Jiong immediately left to carry out the task.
The other adults asked, “What should we do?”
“Open the windows for ventilation,” Jian Mo replied. “Then spread out a bit so the cubs can breathe more easily.”
The crowd quickly complied, clearing space around the cubs and allowing fresh air to circulate.
Jian Mo carefully examined the two small cubs again. Their symptoms strongly resembled poisoning, and based on their father’s account, this seemed to be the most likely cause.
After some thought, Jian Mo spotted Qing Kuo in the crowd and immediately called to him, “Qing Kuo, could you help me by going to the back mountain and digging up ten stalks each of detoxifying Ming Grass and Cang Mao Grass? Wash them thoroughly and bring them here.”
Without hesitation, Qing Kuo agreed and sprinted off.
Turning to Ye Luo, Jian Mo instructed, “Ye Luo, please light a fire and boil water in the large pot. At least two barrels’ worth.”
Ye Luo, his expression serious, nodded and got to work immediately.
Min Dang asked, “Jian Mo, do you need more water? We have boiled water at home.”
“Yes, the more, the better,” Jian Mo replied. “Everyone, if you have boiled water ready, please bring it here.”
The He’an Tribe quickly mobilized, gathering supplies.
Soon, Wu Jiong arrived with the Mien Fruit powder.
The powder had a pungent odor—so bad that even Chirpy, the notoriously gluttonous winged beast, would vomit it up if it accidentally ate some. The small cubs were no exception.
Jian Mo mixed the Mien Fruit powder with warm water in a bowl and motioned to the people standing by the cubs. “Now, get them to drink this.”
The adults, holding their breath to endure the smell, moved to carry out his instructions.
The cubs, already unconscious, clenched their jaws tightly.
The onlookers tried prying their mouths open to pour the liquid in but struggled to get much down.
Jian Mo stepped in. “Let me do it. Hold them still for me and keep their mouths open.”
The crowd quickly complied.
Where they had been hesitant and awkward, Jian Mo was quick and efficient. Supporting a cub’s head on his thigh, he clamped its head with his arm and expertly got the liquid down in just a few swift movements.
The previously unconscious cub began to struggle uncomfortably.
Jian Mo didn’t falter, his face stern as he continued administering the liquid without mercy.
Watching this, the others couldn’t help but feel a mixture of awe and unease. Some instinctively averted their gaze.
One of the cubs, seemingly overwhelmed by the pungent smell, vomited violently even while unconscious, ejecting the contents of its stomach in a sudden burst.
Startled, many people backed away.
Jian Mo used a stick to prod through the mess, quickly identifying a lump of dark green plant matter.
After examining it closely, he concluded, “This looks like it came from poisonous Millet Grass. The other cub likely ate the same thing. Keep giving them the Mien Fruit water to flush out as much as possible. If the poison stays in their systems, it could cause serious harm.”
Hearing this, the others redoubled their efforts, pouring more water into the cubs’ mouths.
The cubs’ bellies became round and bloated, and they continued vomiting repeatedly.
Initially, they threw up violently because of the powder’s odor. Later, perhaps out of exhaustion or desensitization, their vomiting slowed.
Unperturbed, Jian Mo manually stimulated their throats, coaxing out more vomit.
Gradually, the water expelled onto the ground turned clear.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Jian Mo told the group, “That’s enough for now. Let’s give them the detoxifying herb soup next.”
Qing Kuo had already prepared the herbal decoction, leaving it outside to cool.
Jian Mo tested the temperature with the back of his hand. “It’s ready. I’ll administer it myself. When you feed them, they might reflexively vomit it out.”
The others, eager to avoid mistakes, quickly stepped aside. “You do it.”
Jian Mo took the herbal soup and efficiently fed it to the cubs. Only when he was sure they weren’t going to throw it up did he turn to their fathers. “Now, clean their fur and wrap them in beast hides. Carry them outside—it’s too dirty in here. Once we’ve disinfected the space, you can bring them back in.”
The fathers didn’t dare argue. Holding their now steady-breathing cubs, they carried them outside to wait.
Jian Mo, meanwhile, directed the He’an Tribe members to clean up the vomit and disinfect the area with quicklime. They aired out the space by opening the windows and replaced the bedding with fresh beast hides.
Once everything was in order, Jian Mo called the group back inside.
After rechecking the cubs, Jian Mo told their fathers, “Their condition has stabilized for now. It’s best if you stay here to monitor them for the next two days. Take turns watching over them, and call me if anything happens.”
He then addressed the crowd. “It’s fine to leave two people here, but the rest of you should head back home.”
Having witnessed Jian Mo’s skillful treatment and the improvement in the cubs’ condition, everyone was impressed and trusted him implicitly.
After some whispered discussions, they decided to follow his advice. Most of the group left, leaving only two caretakers to stay with the cubs.
Wu Jiong extended an invitation, offering some of them temporary lodging in the He’an Tribe’s vacant houses. The Zheng Chi Tribe was too far away to make daily trips practical, especially during this tense time.
It was then that Jian Mo realized the Zheng Chi Tribe’s chief had also come along. The small, sharp-eyed elder in the crowd turned out to be their leader.
Qing Kuo commented, “It’s no wonder they’re so anxious. Cubs are rare, and having two fall ill at once is a big deal.”
In the beastmen’s world, it was difficult to have children, and Jian Mo could empathize with their worry. “Their chief seems very much like a grandfather figure.”
“He is,” Qing Kuo replied. “He’s also the oldest chief among the nearby tribes. It’s his nature to be overly concerned about everything.”
This matched Jian Mo’s observations. Beastmen and sub-beastmen had long lifespans, remaining in their prime for most of their lives and only aging rapidly near the end. It was uncommon for someone to look as elderly as the Zheng Chi chief did.
With a sigh, Qing Kuo added, “I just hope the cubs recover soon.”
“They will,” Jian Mo reassured him. “They’re already much better, so I don’t think it’ll be an issue.”
When Jian Mo returned home, he found that Wu Jiong had thoughtfully placed the large water pot on the coals.
The lingering heat from the charcoal had warmed the water nicely.
Feeling a wave of gratitude, Jian Mo grabbed some soap and went to bathe.
After treating the cubs, his clothes and body had gotten dirty, and he felt the need to clean himself thoroughly. Tomorrow, when he had time, he also planned to disinfect and clean all the medical tools he had used.
Jian Mo thought to himself that a full house disinfection might also be in order.
After finishing his bath, he boiled another pot of water for Wu Jiong and nudged him to go wash up as well.
When Wu Jiong came out, Jian Mo had just finished preparing dinner. “We were pretty busy today, so I didn’t make anything fancy—just some stewed meat to satisfy our hunger.”
Wu Jiong looked at the pot. “Did you make enough for breakfast tomorrow, too?”
Jian Mo shook his head. “No, after dinner, I need to check on the two cubs at the clinic and bring a meal to the adults taking care of them. This stew is for them.”
Wu Jiong offered, “I’ll go with you later.”
After a simple meal, the two headed to the clinic with the food and checked on the cubs.
One of the cubs’ fathers gratefully said, “We’ve already eaten. A few people brought us food earlier.”
Surprised by the tribe’s kindness, Jian Mo smiled. “Then save this stew for later. If you get hungry at night, you can reheat it. I’ll bring over a brazier shortly so you can warm the meat on it.”
The cubs’ father nodded. “Thank you, Doctor Jian Mo.”
“No problem. Let me check on the cubs. Have they woken up yet, or have they been asleep the whole time?”
“They’ve been sleeping soundly, just like they do normally. Their fevers are gone, too,” the father reported.
Relieved, Jian Mo took out his stethoscope. “I’ll check them again just to be sure.”
The cubs’ conditions had improved significantly, and there were no major abnormalities.
Jian Mo administered another dose of herbal medicine and let them continue sleeping, planning to return for another check-up in the morning.
That night, exhausted from the day’s events, Jian Mo collapsed into bed and fell asleep immediately. However, with the cubs still on his mind, he slept fitfully and woke up early the next morning.
As soon as he stirred, Wu Jiong, lying beside him, also woke up.
Jian Mo grabbed his clothes from the end of the bed and began dressing quickly. “It’s still early; you can sleep a little longer.”
Wu Jiong asked, “Are you going to check on Su Yue and Wang Yue?”
Jian Mo nodded. “I want to see how they’re doing.”
“I’ll come with you,” Wu Jiong said.
Before Jian Mo could protest, Wu Jiong added, “The snow has just melted, and it’s slippery outside. I’d worry if you went alone.”
After a moment’s thought, Jian Mo relented. “Alright. Let’s eat breakfast first, and we can bring some food for them, too.”
Since he was heading to see patients, Jian Mo didn’t feel like making anything elaborate. He quickly prepared roasted meat and sausages for breakfast.
As they approached the clinic, they heard voices from inside.
Jian Mo’s ears twitched, catching the sound of children talking.
Could the cubs already be better?
Grabbing Wu Jiong’s arm, Jian Mo hurried forward to check.
The people inside heard their footsteps approaching, and the door suddenly swung open.
Two brown-furred cubs dashed out—they were awake!
With wide, curious eyes, the cubs looked up at Jian Mo, their voices lively as they greeted him. “Doctor Jian Mo!”
Seeing them, Jian Mo felt his heart lighten. Their round bodies and long fur made them look like a mix between a beaver and an otter. Unable to resist, he squatted down and patted one of them. “You know who I am?”
The cub he touched answered cheerfully, “We opened our eyes yesterday while you were giving us medicine!”
Not wanting to be left out, the other cub squirmed over and shoved its head under Jian Mo’s hand. Only after being patted did it happily add, “I can even recognize your scent!”
Amused by their energy, Jian Mo chuckled. “You’re amazing.”
The cubs gleefully led Jian Mo and Wu Jiong into the clinic. Their father came out to greet them. “Doctor Jian Mo.”
Jian Mo nodded and asked, “When did they wake up?”
“They were up before dawn,” their father replied. “Probably because they slept so much yesterday. I tried to get them to sleep more, but they couldn’t stay still.”
The cubs ran to either side of their father, their bright eyes fixed on Jian Mo.
Jian Mo reached down to scratch both of their chins in turn. “Let me take another look at you.”
Carefully examining them, Jian Mo soon concluded, “They seem fine now. Just drink two more bowls of detoxifying herbal soup today, and they should be completely recovered.”
Their father smiled gratefully. “Thank you so much.”
“No need to thank me.” Jian Mo crouched down and asked the cubs, “How did you end up eating Millet Grass?”
Millet Grass had such a terrible odor that anyone with a nose would know not to eat it.
At his question, the cubs clamped their mouths shut, their eyes darting sideways to avoid his gaze.
Jian Mo immediately suspected the truth. “Were you two having a contest to see who could eat it?”
The cubs’ mouths pressed even tighter.
Their father, seeing their reaction, understood what had happened. Furious, he slapped each of them on the bottom. “Doctor Jian Mo is asking you a question!”
Reluctantly, the cubs admitted, “Yes…”
Then, as if to shift blame, they started pointing fingers at each other. “He’s the one who said to eat it first!”
Jian Mo sighed. “It tastes terrible, so why did you eat it? Did you know it was poisonous?”
Su Yue mumbled, “We didn’t think it’d be that poisonous.”
Wang Yue added quietly, “We’ve eaten other grasses before, and they were fine.”
Before Jian Mo could scold them further, he noticed the veins on their father’s forehead bulge.
Sure enough, the next moment, their father’s roar shook the room. “You’ve eaten other poisonous grasses before—?!”
Not even Jian Mo could intervene in time to stop this exasperated father from disciplining his cubs.
Of course, Jian Mo didn’t exactly try to stop him, either.
The cubs recovered quickly, and Jian Mo informed their father that they could return home to recuperate.
He advised them to focus on eating meat and avoiding random foods for now. Otherwise, he worried it might affect their development—internal damage like liver and kidney issues wouldn’t show immediately but could have long-term effects.
As they were leaving the clinic, the cubs’ father said, “I can’t thank you enough for this. There have been cases where cubs died after eating poisonous grasses. The fact that they recovered so quickly is all thanks to your incredible medical skills.”
Jian Mo waved his hand modestly. “Their strong constitutions played a big part—it’s not all my doing. Make sure they don’t eat random plants again. Poisoning can cause long-term damage to the body.”
The cubs’ father patted his chest and vowed, “I’ll never let them go out alone again. Doctor Jian Mo, what can we give you as compensation? Would fabric work?”
The cubs’ other father chimed in, “If fabric isn’t enough, tell us what you want, and we’ll trade for it.”
Jian Mo already had plenty of fabric at home and didn’t particularly need more. He had considered this in advance. “Do you have stonewood in your area? If so, just bring me fifty logs of stonewood. If not, harder wood like Ruo Wood, Ming Wood, or Star Wood will also do.”
The cubs’ other father immediately said, “We have stonewood! Give us a few days to chop it, and we’ll bring it over.”
Stonewood was exceptionally tough, so much so that attempting to chop it with stone axes often resulted in shattered tools. The He’an Tribe even had a story of breaking ten stone axes in a row without felling a single stonewood tree.
Feeling a bit apologetic, Jian Mo said, “If it’s too difficult to cut with stone axes, I can lend you a metal axe. Just return it when you bring the hardwood over.”
Since the Zheng Chi Tribe were their neighbors, Jian Mo wasn’t worried about them keeping the axe. If they did, he’d simply refuse to treat anyone from their tribe in the future.
The cubs’ father, who had heard of metal axes before, was deeply grateful. “Thank you so much. We’ll be very careful with it and return it after we’re done.”
Jian Mo smiled. “It’s no trouble. Thank you for going to the effort.”
Jian Mo’s household had a good supply of metal tools, including farm implements and equipment. They even had two metal axes, so he took out the larger one and handed it to the cubs’ father.
After accepting it, the cubs’ father transformed into his beast form, a massive creature that carried his mate and cubs on its back as they departed for the Zheng Chi Tribe.
Watching the hulking beast form leave, Jian Mo turned to Wu Jiong.
Though both were giant beasts, Wu Jiong’s wolf form was undeniably more majestic than the beaver-otter hybrid.
Noticing Jian Mo’s gaze, Wu Jiong leaned in and lightly touched their foreheads together. “What’s on your mind?”
Feeling playful, Jian Mo hopped onto Wu Jiong’s back. “Nothing much, just thinking how handsome you are. Both your human and beast forms.”
Wu Jiong carried him steadily, but his ears turned slightly red.
Jian Mo reached out to touch his ears, lamenting, “It’s a shame that you beastmen can’t selectively show your beast traits in human form. It’d make you look even cooler.”
Sub-beastmen could retain certain beast traits, like ears or tails, in their human forms. Beastmen, however, could only fully transform between their human and beast forms, with their eyes being the only exception, as their pupils adjusted to light levels.
As Wu Jiong walked, he asked, “Why do you like beast ears so much?”
Jian Mo laughed mischievously. “I just do. The same way I like you.”
Wu Jiong’s ears turned redder, but he kept his face serious as he replied earnestly, “I like you too.”
The Zheng Chi Tribe proved to be very reliable.
Five days later, a large group of their beastmen arrived at Jian Mo’s home, carrying fifty enormous stonewood logs as payment for treating the cubs.
While the He’an Tribe usually dealt with trees about ten centimeters in diameter, the stonewood logs the Zheng Chi Tribe brought were over thirty centimeters thick and looked massive.
Stonewood was dense, heavy, and incredibly hard. The sheer effort it must have taken to carry these logs such a distance made Jian Mo feel a pang of guilt.
Looking at the towering logs, Jian Mo said, “These are way too big. There’s no need to give me so many. For logs like these, thirty would be enough.”
The Zheng Chi Tribe’s elder chief smiled warmly. “It’s fine, Doctor Jian Mo. Please take them all. We have plenty in our tribe. Besides, the metal axe you lent us made cutting these much easier.”
Jian Mo shook his head seriously. “No, it’s not right. I can’t take more than I need. Thirty is more than sufficient. The other twenty—you should take them back.”
The elder chief replied, “It’s a long way back, and these logs are heavy. Please, don’t be so formal, Doctor Jian Mo.”
Jian Mo found himself at an impasse. No matter how much he insisted, the Zheng Chi Tribe wouldn’t take the extra logs back. Growing flustered, he finally exclaimed, “I really can’t accept this. It’s a matter of principle!”
Seeing that the situation was becoming tense, Qing Kuo stepped in to mediate. “How about this: Brother Jian Mo, why don’t you trade something with them for the extra logs? It’s true that taking them back would be difficult.”
Relieved at the suggestion, Jian Mo quickly asked, “Would that work for you?”
The elder chief, unable to refuse Jian Mo’s earnestness, agreed. “Alright, we’ll trade. Just give us something simple in return.”
Noticing how reluctant they were to part with the metal axe when they returned it, Jian Mo hesitated before suggesting, “How about I trade you a smaller metal axe for the twenty extra logs?”
A large axe was out of the question due to its high value, but a smaller one seemed reasonable.
Before Jian Mo could finish speaking, the elder chief enthusiastically agreed. “Deal! Thank you, Doctor Jian Mo!”
Jian Mo chuckled. “You didn’t even see the small axe, and you already agreed?”
The elder chief smiled brightly. “Metal axes are rare. No matter what it looks like, it’s worth it to us. Besides, we trust your character.”
Pleased, Jian Mo nodded. “Alright, let’s call it a trade. Thank you for the logs!”
