Chapter 157: Chapter 157: The Chili Feast

“Changxia—!”

Nanfeng’s loud voice rang out from the courtyard of the cave dwelling.

Clearly, Maple Leaf, Warm Spring, and the others had all arrived.

“Shaman, chiefs, you two keep chatting with the other chiefs. I’ll go prepare lunch. Since Chief Anbian brought chili peppers, let’s have an all-chili feast at noon,” Changxia said cheerfully as she stood up.

Su Ye waved her hand, letting Changxia do as she pleased.

Gen couldn’t wait to keep showing off the Heluo Tribe’s recent progress to Anbian and Xifeng. Likewise, the Lion and Bear chiefs wanted to tour the cave dwellings and see what they could learn from Gen.

The changes in the Heluo Tribe were so dramatic, it was hard for them to believe.

They were all supposed to be weaklings—so why was the Heluo Tribe the only one to break out and get ahead? It just didn’t seem fair.

These cave dwellings were so clean and spacious—they wanted them too!

Unfortunately, Gen had already explained:

The cave dwellings were built to suit the Heluo Tribe’s unique geography.

Neither the Heavenly Lion nor the Earth Tribe had the same kind of mountains as the Heluo Tribe. Even if they wanted to build caves, it would be easier said than done.

They weren’t stupid—they could tell these dwellings were adapted from natural caves.

To dig out such caves on a hillside, the ground had to be solid. Clearly, the mountains where the other two tribes lived didn’t have the right geology.

The Lion Tribe lived in stone houses; the Bear Tribe in mountain caves.

Both tribes had chosen their homes based on their own climate and environment. There was no way they could just copy the Heluo Tribe’s cave dwellings—otherwise, Gen wouldn’t have been so open about showing them around.

“Hahaha—” Anbian laughed. “I’m looking forward to Changxia’s all-chili feast.”

Xifeng giggled as well, equally eager for the meal. The Lion Tribe’s red chili peppers were famous throughout the Twilight Forest—no other beast tribe dared to touch them.

Since Changxia had just invited them to an all-chili feast, she must have something up her sleeve.

Xifeng noticed the look of anticipation on the shaman and Gen’s faces, which made him even more curious. The Earth Tribe’s territory was damp, and though they didn’t like spicy food, the Bear Tribe would trade with the Lion Tribe for chili peppers to keep warm during the cold season.

That’s right—the Bear Tribe traded for chili peppers.

They used the heat of the peppers to ward off the cold.

Not many beast tribes knew about this.

Chili peppers were so spicy that few could handle their intensity.

Even though everyone knew chili peppers could keep you warm, only a handful of tribes dared to trade with the Lion Tribe for them. Most beast tribes had fur, and would rather tough it out than eat something so spicy.

Except for strong tribes like the Bear Tribe, who could handle the heat.

“Changxia’s preparing lunch. I’ll show you around the Heluo Tribe’s cave dwellings,” Gen said, standing up. The shaman had come all the way from Mount Kana in the rain and had chatted with them for so long—Gen knew she probably wanted to rest.

So he took the initiative to invite Anbian, Xifeng, and the others to tour the caves.

They readily agreed.

Having the shaman around was a bit intimidating for them.

They weren’t like Changxia, who dared to act spoiled around the shaman.

Su Ye smiled and shook her head, then went to the next room to change her slightly damp clothes and rest for a bit.

With the Lion and Bear chiefs on board, everything was going smoothly.

Next, they just had to wait for the other tribes to head to the shaman’s hall at Mount Kana.

Su Ye wanted to spread the new way of eating ginkgo nuts throughout the Twilight Forest as soon as possible. Ginkgo trees could be harvested four times a year—this was a blessing from the Beast God.

Who would have thought that the ginkgo nuts found everywhere in the Twilight Forest could be turned into so many delicious foods? Su Ye was full of hope for the future of the beast tribes.

Without the threat of hunger, the beast tribes would surely thrive.

And a more varied diet would also prevent unhealthy competition within the tribes.

All of this

Was going even more smoothly than Su Ye had imagined.

Of course, it was all thanks to Changxia.

The little cub she’d picked up all those years ago was now helping her solve problems. Truly, everything in life comes full circle.

“Changxia, are these chili peppers?”

“There are so many! Big ones, small ones, and all different colors.”

Nanfeng chattered away, and Maple Leaf and Warm Spring curiously examined the chili peppers in the basket. Changxia looked at the peppers—some familiar, some not—and was especially delighted.

They were a little different from the chili peppers she knew, but overall, they were quite similar.

But isn’t this variety a bit exaggerated?

Changxia can only name a few types; most of them, she can’t even identify.

Like the space peppers Kongshan gave her last time, or the screw peppers Baiqing brought over—Changxia feels like the Tian Lion Tribe is practically surrounded by peppers. Why call it the Tian Lion Tribe? They might as well rename it the Kingdom of Peppers!

“Pointy ones, round ones, long ones—”

“Changxia, are there really this many kinds of peppers?”

“There are. But I don’t know all of them either.”

As they chatted, Changxia took a wicker basket from the kitchen, planning to sort the different peppers.

“For lunch, I’m thinking of making an all-pepper feast. Nan Feng, if there’s anything you want to eat, just say it—I’ll see if I can make it with peppers,” Changxia said generously.

With so many peppers, she had more than enough to experiment with.

Besides—

The Lion Clan chief, Anbian, had said so himself.

Every year, the Tian Lion Tribe not only gives away thirty thousand catties of peppers for free, but also teaches the Heluo Tribe how to grow them.

However, in Changxia’s opinion, the Heluo Tribe probably won’t be able to grow many peppers successfully.

She’s tried planting them many times, but hasn’t succeeded yet.

Even the pepper seeds she put in a broken clay pot still haven’t sprouted.

“Fish—I want fish cooked with peppers.”

“Spicy chicken! Let’s have spicy chicken.”

“Pepper stir-fried meat, pepper stir-fried bird eggs, pepper-steamed rice noodles…”

At first, Changxia agreed with what Maple Leaf and Warm Spring suggested. But then Nan Feng’s “pepper-steamed rice noodles”—what the heck was that?

Pepper stir-fried rice noodles, she could accept.

But Nan Feng’s pepper-steamed version? That sounded like some kind of culinary disaster!

“Nan Feng, shut up!” Maple Leaf cut her off forcefully. Clearly, she was just as horrified by Nan Feng’s idea.

“Chen Rong, can you go to the shore of White Lake for me? I need fish and chicken. Forget about ducks this time. Go catch a few wild rabbits near the animal dens—I’ll make a cold rabbit dish,” Changxia called out to the kitchen, where Chen Rong was tending the fire and boiling water.

Hearing her, Chen Rong came out from the kitchen.

“Sure, I’ll head to White Lake,” he agreed, turning to grab a wicker basket from the wooden shed. With so many people at home today, they’d need more chicken and fish than usual.

Everyone knew Changxia had fenced off an area by White Lake.

She kept chickens and ducks inside, so whenever anyone went out hunting or foraging and came across one, they’d catch it, clip its wings, and toss it into her enclosure.

As a result, the number of chickens and ducks in Changxia’s pen just kept growing.

It left her both amused and exasperated.

“Changxia, what’s cold rabbit?” Nan Feng asked excitedly.

“Food,” Changxia replied.

Faced with Nan Feng’s excitement, Changxia had no desire to explain. She knew that if she said even a word, Nan Feng would pester her with endless questions.

So, she decided to nip the problem in the bud.