Chapter 177: Chapter 177: Bringing Water into the Cave

The sun was setting in the west.

A light mist hovered over White Lake.

In the dusk, it looked beautiful, tranquil, and mysterious. Even the reeds by the lakeshore seemed to have a touch of romantic charm.

“Nothing happened out in the wild, right?” Changxia asked, not following up on Nanfeng’s mention of Shen Rong. Knowing someone was thinking of her put her in a great mood.

“No, nothing,” Nuan Chun replied. “It was very peaceful. The cubs were having so much fun they didn’t want to come home.”

The twin cubs were rolling and playing in the wild, covered in grass and dirt, not wanting to leave. They were so filthy that Nuan Chun would have to boil water to bathe them before bed—otherwise, she really wouldn’t dare let them into bed.

Beast tribe cubs usually get their names when they can shapeshift at about a year old.

Normally, people just call them “so-and-so’s cubs,” or simply “the cubs.” The twins didn’t have names yet, and there hadn’t been any new beast cubs born in the tribe recently, so they were the youngest.

Everyone doted on them and let them run wild.

In a few months, they’d probably get even more rambunctious.

Thinking of this, Nuan Chun felt a headache coming on.

“The elders have personally cleared the area around the wilds, and there are totem warriors patrolling every day. Nothing will happen,” Nanfeng said.

It looked like the tribe would probably send people into Weishan soon.

But Nanfeng wasn’t sure when.

“Better safe than sorry,” Changxia said seriously.

Nanfeng and Nuan Chun nodded earnestly. They understood this better than Changxia, since they often went out hunting and gathering and had faced plenty of dangers—they knew exactly what kind of mindset was needed.

“Shankun, time to go home!”

Entering the cave courtyard, Nuan Chun called out.

Nanfeng went into the kitchen, scooped out half a bowl of chili paste and chili oil, smiled at Changxia, and dashed off. Yadong, not to be outdone, also took some chili paste and oil home.

The once-busy courtyard fell quiet.

“I brought some rice noodles from the tribe. Is it okay if we just have noodle soup for dinner?” Changxia asked softly. Yesterday’s meal had been greasy, and Changxia hadn’t had much appetite all day. After being busy, she just wanted to lie down and rest, not cook.

“Sure,” Shen Rong said, taking the rattan basket. “You don’t look so well—did you overdo it this afternoon?”

“A little,” Changxia replied with a yawn.

She’d been tired from training in the morning and hadn’t helped much with making starch in the afternoon.

Her body was still a bit weak.

“Just rest. I’ll make dinner,” Shen Rong said. “After we eat, you should take a bath. When you’re in bed, I’ll give you a massage.”

“Okay!” Changxia said excitedly.

Shen Rong was really good at massages—she always felt great afterward.

They had a simple dinner.

Changxia took her clothes and went to bathe. After soaking in the tub, she returned to her room.

Fiddling with her luminous stone, Changxia continued polishing her snowflake stone bracelet while waiting for Shen Rong to finish his bath and return.

A short while later—

Shen Rong came back, towel-drying his dripping hair.

“Shen Rong, why didn’t you dry your hair?” Changxia asked with concern. “There are blue cloth towels in the wardrobe—do you want to use one?”

“It’s fine, it’ll dry quickly,” Shen Rong replied.

His hair was thick and usually dried fast after washing.

Thinking Changxia was waiting for him, Shen Rong didn’t bother drying his hair thoroughly before coming back.

Changxia was skeptical. She got up and reached out to touch his hair—it was stiff and a bit prickly. Just as Shen Rong said, it really did dry quickly.

“That’s amazing!” Changxia said, running her hand through his hair a couple more times.

It was a bit prickly, but the texture was nice—different from the cubs’ soft hair, and kind of fun.

Shen Rong was speechless.

His head seemed to have become Changxia’s toy.

“Lie down—” Shen Rong cleared his throat, telling Changxia to lie down so he could give her a massage. “Don’t forget, you have training at the tribe tomorrow. Once the basic training is done, we’ll head into the forest.”

"沉戎, tell me... if you could leave the tribe, where would you want to go?” Chang Xia lay sprawled on the kang bed, eyes half-closed, enjoying Shen Rong’s attentive care. She had to admit—it felt wonderful!

“Where do you want to go?” Shen Rong asked.

“I’m easy—anywhere’s fine,” Chang Xia replied. Truthfully, she didn’t have any particular place in mind. In the past, she’d thought about leaving mostly to improve her meals and to do what she could to help the tribe. But now, with the tribe running smoothly, she no longer needed to follow her old plans. This left her feeling a bit lost.

“Let’s wander around the tribe’s territory first,” Shen Rong suggested. The image of the Sirius Tribe flashed through his mind, but he knew it was far from the Heluo Tribe. Without an invitation from the wolf clan, barging into their lands would only make them wary. After some thought, Shen Rong gave up on that tempting idea.

“Sounds good!” Chang Xia said happily. The Heluo Tribe’s territory was vast. She’d heard Nan Feng and Maple Leaf talk about all sorts of hunting adventures. Once she finished her basic training, Chang Xia wanted to see for herself.

As they chatted, Chang Xia gradually quieted down. Shen Rong looked down and saw that she’d fallen asleep, lying on her stomach. Her long lashes covered her bright eyes, and her breathing was soft and even.

Shen Rong leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “Good night, Chang Xia!” he whispered, then gently rolled her onto her back and covered her with a fur blanket.

The next few days, it rained nonstop. But Chang Xia’s training didn’t stop. She continued to practice basic hunting skills with Elder Yami. Likewise, the tribe didn’t halt their starch-making just because of the rain.

Under the wooden shelters in the tribal square, racks were lined up, each stacked with freshly made noodles. Since the rain kept people from hunting or foraging, everyone took turns making starch. The white nuts stored in the caves were steadily transformed into noodles, right before their eyes.

The finished noodles were packed in leather bags and stored back in the caves. Judging by the time, the first rainy season was about to end. Afterward, although it would still rain in the Twilight Forest, it wouldn’t be as frequent. This also meant the beastfolk would soon enter the hunting season.

One day, after finishing her training, Elder Yami told Chang Xia she’d passed her basic training. She didn’t need to come anymore. This meant Chang Xia could now apply to join the hunting party and go out hunting and gathering with the other totem warriors.

When Chang Xia returned to her cave dwelling, the first thing she did was head to the bathroom to wash up. Shen Rong, along with Yadong and Shankun, had dug a water channel and gradually brought water into each family’s cave. Of course, each household was responsible for installing their own water pipes. Shen Rong taught everyone how, and Chang Xia’s and Warm Spring’s families were among the first to get their wooden pipes connected. Now, no one in the Baihu caves needed to fetch water from the lake anymore.

In the spacious, sunlit courtyard, fresh water flowed through the pool. Five brightly colored fish swam happily in the water, and the pebbles gleamed in the sunlight.

“Nan Feng, is there any news from the Sheyue Tribe yet?” Chang Xia asked, drying her wet hair as she stepped out of the bathroom.

Nan Feng was sitting at the square table in the corridor, fiddling with a snowflake stone bracelet that Chang Xia had carved in her spare time. After much practice, Chang Xia’s skills had improved rapidly.

“Father hasn’t said anything…” Nan Feng frowned and shook her head. Maple Leaf and the others had been gone from the Heluo Tribe for seven or eight days now. With no news, the tribe was starting to get worried.

“Any word from the Sacred Mountain Kana’s shaman hall?” Chang Xia asked, using a blue cloth towel to dry her hair as she sat in the sun. Now that she’d finished her basic training, she naturally wanted to explore the forest. But with Maple Leaf and the others gone for so long without any news, Chang Xia couldn’t help but worry that something big had happened in the Wangyue Mountains.

“No news. Don’t overthink it, Chang Xia. Elder Senda went with them this time—who could possibly cause trouble under Elder Senda’s nose? Besides, Maple Leaf, Kongshan, and the others are all totem warriors. A few wanderers wouldn’t be able to do anything to them,” Nan Feng said confidently. She slipped the snowflake stone bracelet onto her left wrist and raised her arm. “Chang Xia, can I have this bracelet you carved?”

“What’s the rush? Once I get a bit more practice, I’ll carve you one from jade—it’ll be prettier and sturdier,” Chang Xia replied. Snowflake stone made nice bowls and plates, but as jewelry, it was a bit lacking.

While making starch, Chang Xia had chatted with Granny Wu about pottery. She’d mentioned porcelain, and with Granny Wu’s skills, maybe the tribe could fire something even more beautiful than pottery. Most of the bowls and plates in Chang Xia’s home were wooden, but if the tribe could make porcelain, she’d be happy to trade for it. No one could resist thin, beautiful porcelain. Maybe they could even trade with the bird and fish clans and bring some wealth to the tribe.

“Jade? Weren’t you planning to trade that with the bird clan?” Nan Feng asked hesitantly. She wasn’t much into jewelry, but she had to admit, glassy jade was beautiful.

“You’re right!” Nan Feng said excitedly. There was no shortage of rocks at the Rocky Beach—maybe she’d find something even more beautiful than jade. The thought made her eager to rush out and start searching right away.

By the pool.

Nuan Chun kept a close eye on her twin toddlers, making sure they didn’t tumble into the water. Listening to Chang Xia and Nan Feng chatting, she couldn’t help but smile. “Nan Feng, didn’t Aunt Muqin ask you to go back to the tribe to help with the flour-making?”

Lately, everyone in the tribe had been busy processing flour.

“Don’t even mention it!” Nan Feng’s mouth twitched in exasperation.

Her mother had been acting almost possessed recently, grabbing anyone she could and sending them off to the tribe’s square. It was as if she wanted to turn every last white fruit stored in the cave into vermicelli.

With that, Nan Feng immediately gave up the idea of going to the rocky beach. If she passed through the tribe and got caught by her mother, she could forget about leaving today.

“Two-thirds of the white fruit stored in the tribe’s caves has already been used up,” Chang Xia explained. “Aunt Muqin should be stopping soon. The next round of processing will probably wait until the second harvest of white fruit. The tribe has stockpiled a lot of dried flour. Once the Lion and Bear tribes deliver the first batch of chili peppers and seaweed sugar, Chief Gen might let them try some of the dried flour.”

Of course, the tribe’s large stockpile of dried flour might also be preparation for next year’s Normandy Grand Market.

Chang Xia guessed that, besides the Heluo tribe, the Sky Lion and Great Earth tribes were probably thinking the same thing.

The beast tribes had been weak for a long time. Now that they finally had something worth showing off, naturally they wanted to impress the bird and fish tribes in any way possible. This was, in a way, a display of the beast tribes’ strength.

The shaman would definitely support this. With the rainy season over and the Twilight Forest officially entering the warm season, Chang Xia could imagine the tribe soon becoming lively, with more beast tribes coming to visit Heluo.

Actually, Chang Xia couldn’t figure out why the Normandy Grand Market was only held once a year, and why it was scheduled at the turn of the cold and warm seasons. At that time, the snow and ice melted, and the fierce beasts that had slept through the cold season were just waking up. By all accounts, the Twilight Forest should be extremely dangerous then—so why did the beast, bird, and fish tribes choose that time for the market?

Chang Xia had asked Su Ye and Gen, but neither gave her an answer. They just told her to see for herself.

“Have you finished harvesting the white fruit from your vegetable garden behind the house?” Nuan Chun asked.

She was referring to the little hollow behind Chang Xia’s cave cellar. That spot was truly magical—if you didn’t look for it on purpose, it was hard to even find the way in.

Chang Xia had asked Shen Rong to tidy up the garden there, planting ginger, scallions, garlic, and some wild greens she’d transplanted. To her surprise, everything was growing beautifully.

Chang Xia pointed to the white fruit drying on a bamboo sieve in the courtyard. “Shen Rong finished harvesting everything a couple of days ago. Half is already dried and stored in the cellar. The rest just needs another day of drying before we can put it away too.”

“I’ve cleared a few plots near my cave for vegetables,” Nan Feng said, “but the ginger, scallions, and garlic are all wilting, and even the wild greens look lifeless.”

She couldn’t understand it—she’d done everything exactly as Chang Xia had taught her. Yet, Nuan Chun’s garden was thriving, while hers was the worst in the tribe. The others had been teasing her about it lately.

Chang Xia shrugged helplessly. “There’s nothing I can do about that. After all, I still haven’t managed to grow chili peppers myself.”

If she wanted to plant chilies, she’d have to wait for news from the Sky Lion tribe.

“Nan Feng, why don’t you ask Aunt Muqin for help?” Nuan Chun suggested. “She’s the one who helped plant all the tribe’s vegetable gardens, and they’re all doing great. She even managed to grow some rare wild greens. Chang Xia sometimes goes to chat with her and exchange tips.”

Feeling the changes in the Heluo tribe, Chang Xia felt that in another year or two, they might truly enter the age of agriculture.

“Forget it!” Nan Feng waved her hand, not wanting to continue the topic. Her mother was busy with flour-making and, for once, not nagging her about marriage—why go looking for trouble? Besides, if she couldn’t grow vegetables, she could always find wild greens in the nearby forests.

“I hear footsteps—Shen Rong and the others must be back from hunting,” Nuan Chun said, scooping up her twins and looking toward the courtyard gate.

At her words, Chang Xia and Nan Feng jumped to their feet. With plenty of python meat stockpiled, most of the tribe had been too lazy to hunt, spending their days making flour or digging for grass roots. It had been a leisurely time.

Just yesterday, Chang Xia had complained about being tired of the food stored in the cellar. So Shen Rong decided to go hunting for something fresh. He took Shan Kun and Ya Dong, left White Lake, and headed upstream along the Wei River.

Gen hadn’t said anything about it, which was another reason Chang Xia and the others suspected the tribe was planning to return to Wei Mountain.