Chapter 198: Chapter 198: Burning Mugwort

“Nan Feng, go look around nearby and cut some mugwort to fumigate the stone den,” Changxia said, still lying on Chenrong’s back, not yet on the ground.

The musty smell from the den was overwhelming. Changxia turned to Nan Feng and asked her to find some mugwort nearby to burn and cleanse the air. The mugwort was old this time of year, so the mugwort cakes would taste a bit bitter, but they were still edible.

It was a pity—when the mugwort was still fresh and tender a few days ago, Changxia had been busy building the kiln and collecting red maple sap, and missed the best time for eating mugwort cakes. Still, they were edible now, just not as tasty as they would have been a month ago.

Mugwort grows in thick clumps, and the best time to harvest it is around the Qingming Festival.

After that, mugwort starts to develop a bitter taste.

Nan Feng said, “Alright, leave it to me.”

Mugwort, like thatch, can be found everywhere.

Nan Feng didn’t have to go far before she came back with a large bundle of mugwort.

By now, Ge Lei had finished spreading the beast-repellent powder. When he saw Nan Feng come in with an armful of mugwort, he immediately understood her intention. He took the mugwort and headed toward the stone stove in the middle of the stone beast den. Fresh mugwort doesn’t catch fire easily, so it can only be burned.

Using the firewood already in the den, he struck a firestone to light it.

He put the mugwort in as kindling and set it alight.

Once it caught fire, Ge Lei and Nan Feng quickly left the stone beast den. As expected, thick smoke billowed out, enveloping the den as soon as the mugwort started burning.

The pungent smell of mugwort followed right after.

“No matter how many times I smell this, it always stings my nose,” Nan Feng complained.

Chang Xia twitched her nose and hesitantly asked, “Is it really that bad? I think it’s okay. If you don’t like the smell, when we get back to the tribe, bring some mugwort to my cave. I can roll it into moxa sticks or twist it into mugwort coils for you…”

As the warm season arrived, temperatures rose—

Which also meant more mosquitoes and bugs.

Before this, Chang Xia hadn’t thought of making moxa sticks or mugwort coils.

But now, watching the thick smoke rolling out of the stone beast den, she remembered that mugwort could be processed into these forms. They repel mosquitoes and insects, and save the trouble of burning mugwort every few days.

Beast-repellent powder was simple to use, but couldn’t be scattered in the tribe.

In the past, during the warm season, the tribe would often burn mugwort, filling the entire settlement with its scent. The beastfolk had sensitive noses, so for those who disliked the smell, the warm season was especially hard to bear.

“Sure, that sounds great!” Nan Feng nodded eagerly.

Nearby, the clan leader Gen, covering his mouth and nose, asked, “Chang Xia, do moxa sticks and mugwort coils smell less strong than just burning mugwort?”

Gen also couldn’t stand the smell of mugwort.

But with so many mosquitoes in the warm season, the tribe had no choice but to burn it.

Whenever this happened, Gen wished he could stay outside and not return to the tribe. But the forest outside was also full of mosquitoes and venomous snakes—it was just as unbearable.

“Moxa sticks and mugwort coils are both made from mugwort, but the smell is much milder, and they’re just as effective at repelling bugs,” Chang Xia explained, then added, “Actually, I don’t mind the smell of burning mugwort—I kind of like it. If you’d told me you didn’t like it, I could have made some moxa sticks for you!”

Making mugwort coils was a bit more complicated, but moxa sticks were relatively simple.

Chang Xia wasn’t lying.

She genuinely liked the scent of burning mugwort—it was comforting to her.

“What’s there to like about the smell of mugwort?” Nan Feng pulled a face, looking miserable.

For once, clan leader Gen didn’t argue with Nan Feng and agreed, “Ugh, I can’t get used to that smell either. It’s so overpowering, it makes me dizzy.”

The other tribe members burst out laughing.

In the tribe, Gen and Nan Feng were the two who hated burning mugwort the most.

Others disliked it, but didn’t go out of their way to avoid it. The two of them, father and daughter, would flee the tribe every warm season when mugwort was burned, hiding as far away as possible.

Once the mugwort in the stone beast den had burned out, Ge Lei went inside to clean up.

Gen and Nan Feng stood in a sheltered spot, covering their mouths and noses, not daring to get close. Nan Feng hated the smell of burning mugwort, but when Chang Xia asked her to go cut some, she hadn’t refused. This made Chang Xia feel a little guilty.

Chen Rong said gently, “Nan Feng didn’t refuse, so she must have been willing.”

“I really didn’t know she disliked the smell of mugwort!” Chang Xia said, feeling bad.

“Chang Xia, it’s not your fault. I just don’t like the smell, that’s all. Every year, when the tribe harvests mugwort, I’m the one leading the team…” Nan Feng explained. The tribe knew she and her father hated mugwort, but still insisted she lead the harvesting team.

The tribe’s twisted sense of humor was truly exasperating!

Elder Yami bluntly said it was a case of fighting poison with poison—maybe if she was exposed to it enough, she’d start to like it.

Nan Feng wanted to argue, but with so many elders above her, she was powerless and could only go along with it. Over time, she stopped gagging at the smell.

At most, she just kept her distance when mugwort was being burned.

Pfft—

Hearing this, Chang Xia couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

This was exactly the kind of thing the tribe elders would do.

Thinking of this, Chang Xia glanced at clan leader Gen.

Nan Feng hated the smell of mugwort, yet was forced to harvest it every year. As the clan leader, Gen must have it even worse!

Too bad it wasn’t the right time—

Otherwise, Chang Xia really wanted to ask Gen how the tribe tormented him.

Soon, the stone beast den was tidied up.

All the bugs, ants, and venomous snakes hiding inside had been cleared out.

Weishan was cold, and even before sunset, the temperature was already dropping. A bonfire was lit in the stone beast den, and Chang Xia took out a light stone and embedded it in the wall, instantly brightening up the space.

This time, they’d come to the Xiaochuan Grasslands for a trial.

From the start, Chang Xia had planned to stay here for a few days, so she’d brought a light stone for nighttime illumination.

“Chen Rong, want to go fishing in the Wei River?” Pu Kang asked.

It wasn’t dark yet.

The stone beast den wasn’t far from the Wei River, so it was safe to go there and back.

Chen Rong nodded. “Let’s go.”

Chang Xia wanted to go too, but sensibly kept quiet. You couldn’t be too casual in Weishan. She decided to stay in the stone beast den with the young snake beast cubs and help prepare dinner—it was the safer choice.

This time, Shan Kun went along as well.

After all, he had two cubs. Since the tribe had come all the way to Weishan, how could he miss out? Compared to the distant Wangyue Mountains, Weishan was much closer for fishing!

So, they split into two groups:

One group followed Elder Pu Kang to fish at the Wei River.

The other stayed at the stone beast den to prepare dinner and scout the area for any potential dangers.

Although Nan Feng also wanted to go to the Wei River to fish, in the end, she chose to stay at the Stone Beast Den to help Chang Xia prepare dinner.

Similarly, Clan Chief Gen and Yun Dong Gelei also stayed behind.

Dinner would be the black-horned ox Elder Pukang had hunted. Gen remained at the Stone Beast Den, while Yun Dong Gelei took two people and started scouting the area around the den, hoping to find some more game or perhaps gather some wild vegetables.

With so many people, one black-horned ox wouldn’t be enough to feed everyone.

Besides, they couldn’t put all their hopes on the Wei River. As the sun moved westward, night would fall earlier on Mount Wei than outside. Even though it wasn’t fully dark yet, a thin mist had already begun to swirl above the mountain.

At the same time, a faint strange odor drifted in with the mist.