Chapter 114: Chapter 114: Rest Early Tonight

“Changxia, you should rest first.”

“Gen, let’s head back to the tribe. Tonight we’ll boil thatch root syrup, and from now on, everyone can eat sugar freely.”

After tasting the milky white thatch root syrup, Elder Yami was overjoyed.

She chatted with Changxia for a bit, then called Gen and the others to return to the tribe to make more syrup. Red maple trees only grew on Red Leaf Ridge, but thatch grass was different—it was a weed, found everywhere, whether by the roadside or on the hillsides.

Changxia shared the method for making thatch root sugar.

From now on,

If anyone in the tribe craved something sweet,

They could just dig up some thatch roots and bring them back to the cave to make sugar anytime.

Even if they didn’t make syrup, they could eat the roots raw.

Thinking of this,

Elder Yami and the others were filled with excitement and joy.

Muqin was even more direct, hugging Changxia and giving her several kisses.

Suye watched everyone’s excitement in silence, a beautiful smile curving her lips. The arrival of sugar had firmly established the Heluo tribe’s supremacy in the Twilight Forest.

Even in exchanges with the Bird and Fish tribes, they would remain unbeatable.

This left Suye with no more worries, and she decided to return to the Kanasheng Mountain Witch Hall tomorrow.

The long summer was proving so helpful; it was time for her to return to the Wizard Hall on Mount Kana and pave the way for the season.

Tonight, the two types of candy she made—Elder Yami and the others hadn’t taken them all, just a small portion to share with their tribe. The rest, Changxia had Longxia store in the cellar to cool and set.

Unfortunately, there was no Ice Crystal Grass planted in the cellar.

If there were, the candy would cool and set much faster, and the shapes would turn out prettier too.

The thatch root candy hadn’t set yet, so Changxia wasn’t in a hurry to let everyone taste it. After sampling some of the syrup, everyone dispersed and returned to their own cave dwellings.

Of course, it was mostly just Nuanchun’s family who headed straight home—they had beast cubs to care for and couldn’t stay up late.

The others all left Changxia’s place and went to the tribe’s plaza.

In the kitchen, aside from the simmering meat, Nuanchun helped prepare everything that Suye and Baiqing needed to take back to the Wizard Hall on Mount Kana.

Even the jerky was ready, laid out on a rattan tray to cool before being packed into clay jars.

Suye tasted the jerky and couldn’t stop praising it.

“Grandma Suye, you and Baiqing should go wash up and rest,” Changxia said.

The stove in the cave courtyard had already been dismantled, and the stone pots were neatly stored in the wooden shed.

Suye didn’t refuse and was the first to head to the bathroom for a shower.

Meanwhile, Changxia and Chenrong went into the kitchen. The meat still needed a little more time to fully absorb the flavors. Once it was done, she’d let it cool before packing it up for Suye and Baiqing to take back to the Wizard Hall. Changxia didn’t plan to cut it yet—she’d leave that for Suye and Baiqing to do when they wanted to eat.

“Chenrong, want to try some?” Changxia picked out a small piece of stewed meat, tore it off, and offered it to Chenrong.

He didn’t refuse, opening his mouth to take a bite.

He nodded as he chewed—the flavor really was delicious. No wonder Baiqing, that wolf cub, specifically asked for it.

“I told you I’d take care of you, didn’t I? I wasn’t lying!” Changxia raised an eyebrow, grinning.

All love at first sight starts with physical attraction.

Changxia fully acknowledged this.

She’d chosen Chenrong at the Normandy market because of his looks.

Back then, all the males at the market had dismissed Changxia as frail, weak, and scrawny—apart from her pretty face, she was worthless in their eyes.

“It’s my honor!” Chenrong performed a warrior’s salute, right hand to left chest, tapping three times and bending his knee. His expression was solemn yet natural, and the way he looked at Changxia made it seem like she was the only person in the world.

Under Chenrong’s intense gaze, Changxia’s face grew hot.

She blushed bright red, unable to meet his eyes, and quickly turned away to add more firewood to the stove.

“Are you going to dig more thatch roots tomorrow?”

Chenrong knew when to stop. Seeing Changxia embarrassed, he smoothly changed the subject.

He gently took her hand in his.

His familiar masculine scent slowly enveloped Changxia.

Chenrong was confident that, given time, he’d be able to fully win over this shy female.

“I’m not going,” Changxia shook her head. Once was enough for digging thatch roots—if she was going to dig, she’d rather dig up something else.

The early rain had stopped, and the forecast was for three to five days of clear weather.

Changxia wanted to take advantage of the time to tidy up the cave courtyard. Once that was done, she planned to explore the tribe’s other hunting grounds. With the early warm season over, the wild beasts were returning to normal, and the beast tribe was resuming their regular hunting.

“I want to bring back some stone slabs to pave the courtyard, build a few flower beds, and reserve space in the corners for planting fruit trees…”

Chenrong listened quietly as Changxia described her plans for the courtyard.

“Fruit trees? Which kinds do you want to plant?” he asked.

Sour fruit trees? No, thanks!

There were tasty fruit trees in the Twilight Forest, but none had been found near the Heluo tribe.

“Flat apples, persimmon fruit, peach fruit…” Changxia listed off a string of wild fruit names. “We’ll plant whatever we can find, and if not, we can transplant them to the wasteland north of Lake Baihu. There are plenty of goji berries growing there, and the soil is fertile. I think whatever we plant should do well.”

“Sounds good,” Chenrong agreed easily.

The beast tribe didn’t have the concept of transplanting. They just remembered where to pick fruit each year and organized the tribe to go harvest when the season came.

Unfortunately, wild fruits didn’t keep long. Even with the cool temperatures in the tribe’s caves, most of the fruit would rot in large batches.

As they chatted, the aroma of stewed meat filled the air.

Changxia turned off the fire and ladled the meat onto a rattan tray to cool.

Suye and Baiqing had finished washing up. Chenrong fetched water for Changxia so she could wash up too.

It had been another busy day. Changxia wasn’t as strong as the other tribe members, so she was bound to get tired, but at the same time, she was getting healthier and stronger.

“I’ll go wash up first. Are you going to the tribe?” Changxia asked before heading to the bathroom.

Chenrong shook his head. “The chief told me before he left that I don’t need to go. There aren’t many thatch roots left, and they can handle it without me. But after I finish building the eaves tomorrow, I’ll probably need to go help guide the tribe in building corridors and making furniture…”

“Alright, then let’s get some rest tonight,” Changxia said.

With that, she darted into the bathroom and closed the door.

Outside, Chenrong shook his head with a smile.

Looks like he wouldn’t be getting into Changxia’s room tonight.

He’d let her escape for now, but once Suye and Baiqing left tomorrow, he’d see what excuse Changxia could come up with next.

He stared at the bathroom door for a couple of seconds, then went back to the kitchen to turn off the stove heating the water.

He tidied up the kitchen, waiting for Changxia to finish her bath—then it would be his turn.

Inside the bathroom, Changxia clutched her chest, her heart racing. Her face flushed red again—what she’d just done definitely counted as hinting and teasing Chenrong.

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At the same time, Chang Xia couldn’t help but scold herself for being both weak and addicted—every time she tried to tease Shen Rong, she’d end up chickening out and running away. Luckily, Shen Rong had strong self-control.