Chapter 179: Chapter 179: Little Lambs

Creak—

The courtyard gate of the cave house swung open.

Shen Rong entered first, carrying a wild mountain goat over his shoulder. Behind him, Shan Kun and Ya Dong each held a lamb in their arms. Chang Xia had often talked about wanting to raise some small animals. The number of chickens and ducks in the pen by White Lake was growing, while the wild rabbits had held steady at around thirty or forty.

The chickens and ducks didn’t need special feeding—they foraged among the reeds. But the wild rabbits were different. They needed to be fed grass and wild greens. Chang Xia didn’t want too much extra work, so she kept their numbers stable.

Besides the pen by White Lake, the tribe had fenced off a larger area near the lake wall. Like the smaller pen, it was divided into sections with wooden fences, used to keep small animals caught during hunts.

At first, the tribe had no experience and tried penning up adult animals like wild boars and black-horned cattle. The result? The fences were all smashed and knocked down by the animals. Luckily, the pen was right next to Elder Dalai’s cave. When the fence was broken, Elder Dalai rushed over and killed the troublesome wild boar and black-horned cow on the spot. Afterwards, he gave the tribe members who’d put them in the pen a good scolding.

After this incident, the clan members finally understood why Chang Xia had repeatedly reminded them to catch small animals or animal cubs.

Adult wild boars and black-horned cattle are extremely difficult to tame.

But cubs are a different story.

With proper care, there’s still a chance they can be domesticated.

Besides, even if the cubs are a bit unruly, they’re not strong enough to break through or damage the fences.

“A sheep—!” Chang Xia exclaimed in delight.

Chen Rong said, “We found them upstream of the small river—caught one big one and two little ones.”

“The big one, is it dead?” Chang Xia quickly walked over to Chen Rong.

The two lambs were bleating and bouncing around energetically. Only the big sheep slung over Chen Rong’s shoulders was motionless. From a distance, Chang Xia couldn’t tell if it was male or female.

“It’s dead,” Chen Rong replied.

He’d used a bit too much force—he’d meant to keep it alive.

Chang Xia glanced regretfully at the big sheep Chen Rong had laid on the ground. Its udder was hanging down—it was a ewe. If it were still alive, they could have milked it. What a pity—it was already dead.

Since it was dead, they might as well eat mutton.

There were chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, and cinnamon in the cave dwelling—perfect for a hot pot lunch. The two lambs would be sent to the fenced enclosure by White Lake. Every day, clan members who went out would bring back fresh wild grass and vegetables to feed them. There were already a dozen or so cubs being kept there.

At first, these animal cubs were quite rowdy.

But after a few days, perhaps realizing they couldn’t escape, and with fresh food provided daily, they gradually quieted down.

It looked as if they’d accepted their fate.

Chang Xia knew that meant they were close to being fully tamed.

“It’s a bit of a shame,” Chang Xia said.

Nan Feng blinked and asked, “What’s there to be sorry about?”

“Boiled sheep’s milk is delicious once the smell is gone. The children and elders in the tribe often drink it—it’s good for their health,” Chang Xia explained. “And not just sheep’s milk—cow’s milk works too.”

She wondered if there were any dairy cows in the Twilight Forest.

She’d never heard Su Ye or the others mention them, so probably not.

Dairy products are good for the body if consumed regularly.

“It’s good for the children and elders—Shan Kun, when you go hunting, pay attention. If you come across a mother animal with young or one that’s pregnant, try to bring it back alive,” Nuan Chun said. Watching the lively cubs on the ground, she thought of the tribe’s injured elders and felt even more motivated.

Shan Kun nodded earnestly.

“There’s a grassland upstream of the small river, even bigger than the wildlands. There’s a whole herd of wild sheep there, and probably quite a few ewes with lambs or pregnant ones,” Ya Dong said.

Over the years, the tribe had deliberately avoided the Wei Mountain area, so there was plenty of game nearby. With abundant water and fertile soil supporting lush vegetation, the area could sustain a lot of wildlife.

That grassland was right where the Wei River and the small river met—plenty of water and thriving plants everywhere.

There were sheep, birds, and probably cattle and deer herds as well.

Wei Mountain was dangerous, but only within the poisonous zone inside the mountain. Outside the mists, at the foot of the mountain, ancient trees towered and many animals lived there too. Only inside the mists did their numbers decrease.

Chang Xia listened quietly.

She couldn’t help but marvel in her heart.

The territory of the He Luo tribe’s Black Panther clan was probably as large as an entire province in her previous life—maybe even bigger.

Otherwise, how could there be so much game and such complex terrain and mountains?

Thinking of this, Chang Xia remembered a joke she’d heard in her previous life.

A foreign friend came to China, wanting to try all the food in the country. But after three years, he still hadn’t finished exploring the cuisine of just one city in a single province.

Chang Xia wanted to explore the whole Twilight Forest.

But considering the size of the He Luo tribe’s territory, she hesitated.

Was this dream too ambitious?

“Grassland—” Nan Feng’s eyes lit up and she said excitedly, “Did you see any black-horned cattle? Last time, after eating the beef stew you made, Chang Xia, I’ve been craving it again.”

Herbivorous animals usually live near grasslands.

Hearing that there was a grassland upstream of the small river, Nan Feng was naturally excited.

Recently, the tribe had plenty of food.

No one had gone out hunting much—they’d all been busy grinding flour and digging up thatch roots.

“We didn’t see any black-horned cattle today, but there were sheep. There should be herds of black-horned cattle on that grassland,” Ya Dong said.

That was just common sense.

Nan Feng could guess it, and Ya Dong knew it too.

“I’ll go check it out tomorrow—” Nan Feng said.

After chatting, Chen Rong started skinning the sheep—the hide could be tanned for clothes and shoes. The two lambs were sent by Ya Dong and Shan Kun to the enclosure by White Lake, and for lunch, Chang Xia began preparing the hot pot seasonings.

This meal was also a celebration for Chang Xia successfully completing her basic training.

With running water now in the cave dwelling, they no longer had to go all the way to White Lake to process game—much more convenient.

When Ya Dong and Shan Kun returned, they brought back a few fish, clearly planning to grill them.

“By my count, the Lion and Bear tribes should be arriving soon. The other tribes haven’t made a move—maybe they’re planning to come together with the Lion and Bear tribes. Chen Rong, do you want to go out and have some fun?” Ya Dong squatted beside Chen Rong, cleaning the fish, thinking about when Maple Leaf and the others would leave. He missed the Lion and Bear tribes’ chili peppers and seaweed candy.

Chen Rong hadn’t decided how to bring it up.

From the corridor, Chang Xia’s excited voice called out, “Ya Dong, where are you taking Chen Rong to have fun?”

“Uh!” Ya Dong froze.

He wasn’t stupid—seeing how excited Chang Xia was, it was obvious she wanted to leave the tribe and go into the forest. Today was the day she finished her basic training, and the tribe had promised that as long as she completed it, they wouldn’t stop her from going out to hunt or forage.

But—

Ya Dong didn’t have the guts to take Chang Xia into the forest.

He’d probably get beaten up.

“You said the Lion and Bear tribes should be arriving soon—any word from Maple Leaf?” Chang Xia asked, ignoring Ya Dong’s silence. She knew full well he didn’t want to take her into the forest—how could she not guess?

“The Sheyue Tribe was ambushed by the Wanderers, so Maple and the others will be staying in the Wangyue Mountains for a while longer.” Shan Kun, standing nearby, helped explain, shooting a glare at Ya Dong—why bring up the one thing we shouldn’t? Tempting Chen Rong to go into the forest—could she really leave Chang Xia behind?

Thanks to: Book friend 533*514, Baozi, Yue Ming Xing Xi, Mo Feng Dan, France, Liuli666, and all the others for your monthly ticket support. Thank you & Sha & for your reward! There will be an extra chapter later.