Chapter 199: Chapter 199: Wild Kudzu Root

“Nan Feng, the mugwort on Mount Wei has thick, fluffy leaves—perfect for making moxa sticks. If you have time, gather as much mugwort as you can. When we return to the tribe, we can dry it and use it to make moxa sticks or mugwort mosquito coils,” Chang Xia said, eyeing the pile of mugwort in the corner of the Stone Beast Den.

The mugwort on Mount Wei was clearly taller and had thicker leaves than the kind near the tribe. This kind was best for making moxa sticks.

“Sure!” Nan Feng replied.

There was plenty of mugwort growing right near the den. It was easy to gather a big bunch without much effort.

“It’s a pity we didn’t bring any fruit flour with us. Otherwise, we could make mugwort dumplings. Mugwort dumplings are bitter this time of year, but with a bit of sugar, they don’t taste too bad,” Chang Xia said, licking her lips regretfully.

There wasn’t much entertainment in the tribe, let alone snacks.

When Chang Xia made cracklings while cooking meat, the tribe members were amazed by the taste. Lately, everyone kept thinking about it, often making cracklings to eat on their own or dipping them in egg to make crispy fried meat.

“Mugwort dumplings—”

Instantly, everyone in the den turned to look at Chang Xia.

“Chang Xia, tell us about mugwort dumplings,” Nan Feng said, swallowing, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

They’re simple to make, not complicated at all.

The only tricky part is extracting the mugwort juice.

“There are quite a few white fruit trees on Mount Wei, but the fruit is all fresh.”

“What a shame. Next time, we should remember to bring some fruit flour.”

This trip to Mount Wei had been a bit rushed. Aside from antidote pills and weapons, they hadn’t brought much else. Fresh white fruit needs at least two or three days to dry before it can be ground into flour.

So, for now, mugwort dumplings were just something to talk about—they couldn’t actually eat them.

“No rush. Once we deal with the wanderers and the situation on Mount Wei, we’ll be able to eat mugwort dumplings back at the tribe. By the way, Chang Xia said the mugwort for dumplings needs to be fresh, so don’t cut it all down around here,” Gen reminded everyone.

Chang Xia smiled and said, “Even if we cut it all, we can take it back to the tribe to make moxa sticks or mosquito coils. There’s mugwort near the tribe too, so we won’t miss out on dumplings. The best time for mugwort dumplings is right after collecting red maple sap. This year, we’re a bit late.”

Hearing this, Gen and the others made a mental note: next year, when collecting red maple sap, they should also gather mugwort.

“Chang Xia, all the meat is marinated. I’ll go gather some more mugwort nearby. You stay here with the little snake cub and keep warm by the fire,” Nan Feng said, standing up.

With that, Gen and the others also got up.

Since Chang Xia suggested they gather more mugwort to take back, they might as well use this free time to harvest all the mugwort near the den.

Soon, only Chang Xia and the little snake cub were left in the den.

To be safe, when Nan Feng and the others left, they closed the stone door. The den had a vent in the roof, so there was no need to worry about running out of air inside.

Seeing this, Chang Xia once again felt comforted by how thoughtful her tribe was.

She got up and moved the mugwort pile closer to the stove to dry it.

At the same time, she cleaned out the stone pot, planning to boil some water to cool off. She discovered another convenience of the Stone Beast Den: easy access to water.

The den was built against a cliff, and there was a spring in the rock face.

Spring water dripped down into a stone vat below. When the vat was full, the excess water would flow out through a small channel in the den floor.

This was much more convenient than the old beast dens in the tribe.

Except for the White Lake cave dwellings, which now had piped water, the tribe’s other caves didn’t have running water. They had to fetch water from the White River or the small waterfall near the training grounds.

Hiss hiss—

The little snake cub gently tapped Chang Xia’s arm with its tail.

Chang Xia looked down and asked softly, “What’s wrong, little one?”

“Hiss hiss.” The snake cub raised its upper body, opened its mouth slightly, and flicked out its pink tongue. It kept showing its belly, which was now flat and empty.

Clearly, the little snake cub was hungry.

He was reminding Chang Xia that it was time to eat.

Seeing this, Chang Xia quickly understood what he meant.

“Hungry?” she murmured. “I’ll make you some roasted meat. Eat a little to fill your belly, and when Shen Rong comes back from fishing, we’ll have black fish from the Wei River.”

The black-horned ox meat was tough, and even tougher when roasted—not suitable for the cub.

But for now, it was all she had.

Chang Xia took a piece of marinated beef from the wooden basin, placed it on a stone slab, and tenderized it repeatedly with an ironwood knife to make it softer and easier to eat.

Knocking was done, and Changxia didn’t skewer the meat on branches to roast it over the flames.

Instead, she chose to grill it on a stone slab. Direct roasting gives the meat a smoky, charred flavor, but it also makes it a bit tougher. This grilled meat was meant for the young snake beast cub, and if it’s too tough, it’ll be hard for the little one to digest. Snake cubs swallow their food whole, which is different from the black panther tribe.

By the stone stove, Changxia set up a small fire and placed the stone slab on top.

On the slab, she laid out small pieces of beef she had tenderized.

Using wooden chopsticks, Changxia carefully turned the pieces over, doing her best not to let them burn, making sure the meat was cooked through.

As the aroma of grilled meat wafted through the air, the little snake cub happily slithered up and down Changxia’s arm. Remembering how he’d scared her last time, he made sure not to go near her shoulders or neck.

“Don’t be impatient, little one. It needs to cook just a bit longer!”

When the beef was ready, Changxia put it in a bowl to cool before feeding it to the snake cub. Meanwhile, the water on the stone stove had come to a boil. Changxia ladled the hot water into a clean wooden bucket and kept the fire going for more.

After changing the water, she finally sat down by the stove and began shredding the grilled beef to feed the snake cub.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the stone beast den.

“Changxia, look what I dug up—” Nan Feng’s cheerful voice called from outside. The stone door was pushed open, and she came in carrying a woven basket half-filled with yellowish roots.

“Yellow roots! I found yellow roots.”

“I’m telling you, these are delicious both raw and cooked.”

“My father and the others are still digging. The hillside we found is covered in these vines—we’ll probably get thousands of pounds of yellow roots.”

Listening to Nan Feng’s excited chatter, Changxia leaned over for a look.

These “yellow roots” were actually kudzu roots, which Changxia recognized at a glance.

Kudzu root can be eaten raw or cooked, and can also be made into kudzu starch, which, when mixed with hot water, makes a refreshing drink that cools you down and stimulates the appetite.

[Thank you to: Hibernating Bear, Linglong, Carefree Little Lord, Yaya, the Donkey from Shangmo, Ming Lili, Just Changing My Name, McDull, Sorrow, Ma Xianglin 353716544, and others for your monthly votes. Thanks also to &Sha& for your generous reward and support—an extra chapter will be added tonight. (Sorry, I couldn’t fit two of your names in~~)]