Jian Mo continued chatting with the giant wolf as they patrolled. Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep again on Wu Jiong’s back.
When he woke up, daylight had broken.
Rubbing his eyes, Jian Mo nudged Wu Jiong. “Why didn’t you wake me up?”
The giant wolf replied, “There wasn’t much to do. Better to let you sleep longer so you’re not tired during the day.”
Yawning, Jian Mo stretched. “I’m usually fine once I get busy. Are you done with patrol?”
Wu Jiong nodded. “It’s been handed over.”
Jian Mo’s eyes lit up as an idea clicked in his head. He threw his arms around Wu Jiong, exclaiming, “Does that mean we can go mushroom hunting now?”
The giant wolf’s voice carried a trace of amusement. “And take a bath, too.”
“Let’s go, let’s go!” Jian Mo said eagerly.
After informing Yun Long and Qing Kuo of their plans, they grabbed their toiletries and headed out to gather mushrooms and freshen up.
The sky was still dim, bathed in gray, with a few morning stars faintly twinkling.
The temporary campsite was quiet, with most people still asleep. No smoke rose from any fires, leaving them plenty of time to venture out.
Wu Jiong took Jian Mo straight to the spot he had marked the day before.
As they ran across the grasslands, startled herds of animals fled in fear, stampeding into the distance.
Ignoring the fleeing animals, the giant wolf focused on taking Jian Mo to the mushroom patch.
Jian Mo clung tightly to his neck, scanning the surroundings. Before they even reached the destination, he spotted something.
“Oh my! Is that a mushroom under that tree? What a huge one!”
“It is,” Wu Jiong confirmed. “It wasn’t this big yesterday.”
“Maybe it grew overnight. But how is it not poisonous? And why hasn’t any animal eaten it?”
“Maybe they haven’t gotten to it yet.”
“Let’s hurry and check it out!”
As they spoke, the giant wolf carried Jian Mo directly to the mushroom.
Jian Mo eagerly slid off Wu Jiong’s forelegs and ran to the mushroom, spreading his arms for scale. “Up close, it looks even bigger!”
The mushroom grew next to a towering tree. Its stem was thicker than Jian Mo’s waist and reached up to his chest.
It looked like something out of a fairy tale, with its cap still partially closed, a brown top, and white gills underneath.
Leaning in, Jian Mo sniffed it. The mushroom emitted an authentic fungal aroma—slightly sweet, slightly earthy, with a hint of plant fermentation.
Jian Mo turned to Wu Jiong, who had shifted back to his human form. “Are you sure this mushroom is edible?”
Wu Jiong nodded. “It’s easy to recognize. It’s called the Giant Mushroom.”
Jian Mo knocked on the cap with his hand, listening to the hollow sound. After ensuring its spores had likely been dislodged, he hugged the thick stem. “I’m harvesting it!”
“Go ahead,” Wu Jiong encouraged.
With a strong pull and a satisfying pop, the mushroom came free, releasing an even richer aroma.
Inspecting the solid, white cross-section, Jian Mo remarked, “Back where I’m from, there’s a plant similar to this—bamboo shoots. They grow just as fast, reaching human height in a single night. The cut ends are white and carry a light, sweet scent, just like this.”
“Let’s look for them in the future,” Wu Jiong suggested.
Jian Mo sighed. “It might be tough. Anyway, let’s see if there are more mushrooms nearby.”
Wu Jiong shook his head. “I checked yesterday. This was the only perfect Giant Mushroom around.”
Reluctantly, Jian Mo shouldered the mushroom and searched the area, but he found nothing else. “Alright, let’s take a bath and then bring the mushroom back to camp for breakfast.”
Wu Jiong transformed back into his wolf form and carried Jian Mo to a shallow upstream section of the river.
After a thorough inspection of the area, the giant wolf let out a deep roar to scare off any potential threats before allowing Jian Mo into the water.
The morning water was chilly, but compared to the sticky discomfort from yesterday, the cold wasn’t a problem.
Jian Mo lathered up soap and scrubbed himself from head to toe, enjoying the refreshing sensation.
Meanwhile, Wu Jiong washed his hair while keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings.
Seeing Wu Jiong so alert, Jian Mo chuckled and playfully attacked his abs with his soapy hands. The sudden touch made Wu Jiong’s breath hitch, and his muscles reflexively tensed.
Jian Mo burst into laughter.
Wu Jiong’s eyes narrowed dangerously, his gaze becoming predatory.
Recognizing the warning signs, Jian Mo quickly raised his hands in surrender. “My bad! Don’t mess around—we need to hurry back to camp!”
Though tempted, Wu Jiong sighed and gave up. With a large hand, he ruffled Jian Mo’s hair. “Finish washing up properly.”
“I’m on it!” Jian Mo grinned, quickly rinsing off.
After a few more scrubs, Jian Mo lay back in the water, letting the current wash away the soap from his hair and body.
As he got up, he noticed some wild birds wandering along the riverbank, leisurely pacing.
These birds were unique. Their wings were bare and looked like human arms protruding from thick feather coats. Their movements were strikingly anthropomorphic.
A flash of inspiration struck Jian Mo. Sitting upright in the water, he patted Wu Jiong’s leg excitedly. “Look! Those birds over there—are they the meat-winged birds you mentioned?”
Wu Jiong followed his gaze and confirmed, “Yes, they are.”
Jian Mo exclaimed, “We’re lucky today! Are they fast? Can you catch them?”
“They’re quick, but I can catch them. Wait here,” Wu Jiong said.
He shifted into his wolf form and crept toward the birds.
His large frame moved surprisingly stealthily. When he got close, the meat-winged birds noticed him, flapping their wings and scurrying in panic.
Though they looked unremarkable at first, their swift, erratic movements proved otherwise.
Wu Jiong lunged but missed as the birds darted toward the river.
Standing in the shallows, Jian Mo instinctively reacted. With a quick scoop, he caught two birds—one in each hand—and promptly fell into the water.
Dazed, Jian Mo stared at the wriggling birds in his grip. “Did I just… catch them? How am I this good today?!”
The two meat-winged birds in Jian Mo’s hands flapped their wings frantically, struggling in vain.
Meanwhile, the giant wolf returned with two more birds clamped in his jaws, muttering through his teeth, “Good job.”
“I didn’t expect to catch them!” Jian Mo exclaimed, gripping the birds tightly. “Hurry, take these—they’re pecking me!”
Without hesitation, Wu Jiong bit through the necks of the two birds he carried, shifted back into human form and swiftly broke the necks of the ones Jian Mo held.
Since they were already by the river, they cleaned the four birds right there in the water.
Once finished, they washed up again before heading back to the temporary camp.
Their efficiency meant the entire trip hadn’t taken long. By the time they returned, the camp was just starting to prepare breakfast.
Seeing them arrive with the meat-winged birds and a massive mushroom, Qing Kuo called out, “Looks like you had a great haul!”
Grinning from ear to ear, Jian Mo replied, “We were lucky today. What’s for breakfast? How about I make meat-winged bird and mushroom soup?”
Everyone was more than happy to let Jian Mo take charge and quickly cleared a space for him.
Jian Mo instructed them to fill two large pots with water. Once the water reached a simmer, he reduced the fire and gently placed the cleaned meat-winged birds into the pots, allowing the near-boiling water to cook them slowly.
This poaching method ensured the meat would be especially tender and juicy, far superior to standard stewing.
While Jian Mo prepared breakfast, others were getting ready for the day’s hunt.
Today, they planned to bring more ropes, baskets, and bags, as well as sharpened tools such as shell knives, stone knives, and metal blades. They also packed medicinal powders and ointments just in case.
Soon, Jian Mo’s four meat-winged birds were perfectly poached. Testing the thickest part of a bird’s thigh with a knife, he confirmed they were cooked when no blood emerged.
He lifted the birds from the pot, and Qing Kuo and the others used fire-hardened metal blades to chop them into pieces. They laid the meat neatly on large tree leaves for easy sharing.
The two pots of broth remained on the fire. Jian Mo brought them back to a boil before adding sliced mushrooms, a pinch of salt powder, and peppercorn powder. The fragrant mushroom bird soup was ready.
Jian Mo called everyone over for breakfast.
The others brought over the previously prepared stewed meat and tubers. With two dishes and one soup, breakfast wasn’t elaborate, but the portions were plentiful, and everyone ate to their heart’s content.
Even Chirpy got a share, though its main meal was still fresh grass.
Jian Mo gave Chirpy a bit of his own food, and the bird happily nuzzled against him.
Seeing this, others began feeding it too. Chirpy responded by affectionately nuzzling each person who shared food, amusing everyone, and filling the camp with laughter.
After breakfast, some beastmen stayed behind to patrol the temporary camp while the rest went out hunting.
Meanwhile, the sub-beastmen worked on processing the meat salted the day before.
After a night of curing in salt and spices, the meat had released much of its blood and moisture, becoming firm and dense.
The sub-beastmen cut the cured meat into thinner strips and spread them out on the grass to dry.
Under the strong sunlight, the meat would be ready in two days.
Their swift and practiced movements meant the task was completed quickly.
With no need to prepare lunch while out hunting, everyone suddenly had a large block of free time.
Seeing this, someone suggested, “Why don’t we go foraging? It’d be a shame to visit the Great Plains and not gather anything.”
The idea was met with unanimous approval.
“Good idea! We’ll draw lots to decide who stays behind for support. The hunters likely won’t return anytime soon.”
The lottery was left to luck, and Jian Mo drew a lot for going out.
Qing Kuo and Ye Luo were also selected, while Min Dang stayed behind at the camp, indifferent to the result.
For safety, two beastmen joined the foraging group to guard the sub-beastmen.
Leaving the camp, the group decided to follow the river.
Plants near rivers tended to grow more densely and in greater variety, promising a more fruitful harvest.
Except for Jian Mo, the group consisted of experienced foragers.
Their predictions proved accurate—many excellent plants thrived along the riverbank.
Jian Mo discovered several patches of broadleaf garlic. The young shoots this year were tender and green, with a much milder bitterness.
Not hesitating, he dug them up and added them to his basket.
The others gathered fresh wild vegetables and fragrant herbs like Wildly Grass, quickly filling their baskets.
As they walked, someone exclaimed, “Is that a Green Velvet Beetle flying over there?”
At the mention of the name, the group became excited and crowded forward.
“Where? I don’t see it!”
“Over by the river, to the right—there’s a tiny black dot.”
Jian Mo was utterly confused. He couldn’t see the beetle and had no idea why everyone was so thrilled about it.
As the group surged ahead, he lagged behind until Qing Kuo pulled him forward. “This way,” Qing Kuo said.
Once caught up, Jian Mo asked quietly, “What’s so special about the Green Velvet Beetle? Why is everyone so excited?”
With a sly smile, Qing Kuo explained, “The beetle itself isn’t valuable, but its nest is quite useful for beastmen and sub-beastmen with partners.”
Realizing the implication, Jian Mo touched his nose, embarrassed.
“And even if you don’t use it yourself,” Qing Kuo added, “its nest fetches a good price in trade.”
At the front, the others had already spotted the beetle. “It’s still out foraging. When will it return to its nest?”
“No idea. We’ll need to keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn’t get away.”
“These little bugs are so hard to track—they’re tiny and fast. Blink, and they’re gone.”
Jian Mo still couldn’t spot the beetle, but he asked, “Can we stick some fluff or fur on it to make it easier to track?”
The others paused, and then one said, “That might actually work! Doctor Jian Mo, you’re a genius.”
Embarrassed, Jian Mo waved it off. “It’s just a common method where I’m from.”
Not wasting time, the group began searching for some fluff to use.
Finding fluff in the wild proved challenging until they collectively turned toward the beastmen accompanying them.
Alarmed, one of the beastmen cried out, “You’re not seriously going to pluck my fur, are you?”
“It’s just a couple of tufts!” the sub-beastmen insisted. “Don’t be stingy!”
“If you really can’t spare it, we’ll settle for two leg hairs.”
The beastman tried to resist. “Why don’t you ask Ya Zheng?”
The nearby beastman named Ya Zheng, a giant-armored beast, replied lazily, “I’m a Giant Armored Beast. Leg hair won’t help you.”
“Quick, before the beetle flies off!” the sub-beastmen urged.
With no choice, the first beastman reluctantly shifted into his beast form—a Red Striped Beast—and contributed two tufts of long, fluffy leg fur, which turned out to be ideal for tracking.
