Chapter 69: Chapter 69: Chang Xia’s Notebook

“The shaman isn’t coming today. At the latest, she’ll be here tomorrow.”

Nuan Chun was carrying twins and her due date was near. Knowing Granny Su Ye’s personality, if there wasn’t anything urgent at Kana Holy Mountain, she would probably have brought Bai Qing over today. If she hadn’t come, it must mean something needed her attention.

There were about a hundred beast tribes, large and small, living in the Twilight Forest. All sorts of matters would be handled through the shamans. Of course, some of the smaller tribes were too weak to cross the forest to reach Kana Holy Mountain—they simply couldn’t get close.

Only the strongest beast tribes could actually set foot on Kana Holy Mountain and meet with the shaman. Still, the shaman would make rounds every few years to ensure the safety and peace of all the beast tribes living in the Twilight Forest.

The shaman’s life was far from easy.

“How lucky we are that our tribe is so close to Kana Holy Mountain!” Nuan Chun sighed.

Chang Xia shook her head with a smile. “Nuan Chun, that’s not quite right.”

“What do you mean?” Nuan Chun looked puzzled.

“The Leopard Tribe lives near Kana Holy Mountain and right next to the shaman—not because of luck, but because of our tribe’s strength,” Chang Xia said confidently.

Among the beast tribes, strength is everything. The shaman governs all the tribes, and only those with the greatest strength, wisdom, and ability can keep the unruly beast tribes in line.

The Leopard Tribe is rooted in the Heluo Tribe, right next to Kana Holy Mountain, clearly with the duty of guarding the mountain and serving the shaman. The elders never said this outright, but Chang Xia could sense it.

Just looking at the tribes bordering the Heluo Tribe, you could see the difference in strength. The closer to Kana Holy Mountain, the stronger the tribe. The farther away, the weaker.

The beast tribes of the Twilight Forest might seem scattered, but in reality, they all spread out from Kana Holy Mountain as the center. The Heluo Tribe sits right at that center point.

Nuan Chun was a little surprised. “Chang Xia, tell me more—”

“There’s not much more to say. Just remember, as long as the Heluo Tribe stays strong, no one can shake the Leopard Tribe’s position,” Chang Xia said casually. Some things didn’t need to be spelled out.

The elders and the tribe leaders would steer the big picture. The rest of the tribe just needed to live their lives well.

Nuan Chun squinted, pondering Chang Xia’s words. She seemed to understand, but didn’t ask further.

Nearby, Mountain Sparrow and Wu Liu sipped their red maple sap with delight. Only the youngest, Lu You, frowned in concentration, listening intently to Chang Xia and Nuan Chun’s conversation.

“Chang Xia, the Leopard Tribe will definitely be the strongest! When I grow up, I’ll become the tribe’s greatest totem warrior!” Lu You’s soft voice was full of determination and confidence.

The Lion, Tiger, Wolf, Snake, and Bear tribes were all strong tribes in the Twilight Forest, and their territories all bordered the Heluo Tribe. Among the beast tribes, the Leopard Tribe and these five were the most powerful. Together, the six tribes assisted the shaman in governing the forest, allowing all the beast tribes to live and thrive in peace.

Chang Xia looked surprised. Lu You seemed to have picked up on the deeper meaning behind her words—how interesting!

She narrowed her eyes and said nothing, just reached out to gently pat Lu You’s head.

“Tch!” Mountain Sparrow scoffed. “Lu You, you can’t even beat me, and you want to be the tribe’s greatest totem warrior? Keep dreaming!”

“You—” Lu You pouted, glaring at Mountain Sparrow, wanting to argue, but when he saw Mountain Sparrow’s raised fist, he decided to back down.

Mountain Sparrow successfully intimidated Lu You, waving her little fist in triumph and laughing out loud.

After finishing the red maple sap, Chang Xia washed the wooden bucket and bowls, then led everyone back to the cave.

There was no need for Changxia to get involved in the construction of the kilns—Gen and the elders had it covered.

Changxia had already explained all the details to the tribe. It was all manual labor, which the beastfolk were least afraid of.

It had only been half a day.

Standing in front of her own cave dwelling, Changxia could already see many new caves appearing around her. The most eye-catching were the ones belonging to Nanfeng and Nuanchun, since their caves were already finished—the smooth cliff faces stood out brightly in the sunlight.

She could even see white nuts drying in front of Nuanchun’s cave.

The newly built stoves were burning with campfires.

Wisps of smoke drifted up into the sky through the chimneys.

“Changxia, what are you doing with all this rosewood?” Nuanchun asked curiously.

The yard in front of the cave was piled high with rosewood logs—dozens of them, enough to make a hundred sets of tables and chairs. Even though Changxia’s cave was big, surely she didn’t need that many?

Changxia looked at the rosewood filling her yard, eyes shining with excitement. She’d asked Yadong to help her cut it, and every log was about the same size, all very even.

“I’m planning to build a corridor along the cliff face in front of the cave, with eaves above it. That way, whether it’s raining or windy, I can sit or lie in the corridor and listen to the rain or watch the snow…”

Actually, she could have used rammed earth for this.

But Changxia wanted a touch of ancient style, something a bit more artistic.

“Changxia, if you’re building a corridor and eaves, ironwood would be better. Using rosewood is a bit of a waste. Ironwood keeps away insects and can even withstand beast attacks,” Nuanchun suggested. Rosewood was nice, but exposed to sun and rain, she doubted Changxia wouldn’t feel bad about it.

Sure enough—

As soon as Nuanchun finished speaking, the bright look on Changxia’s face clouded over.

“I really didn’t think of that,” Changxia sighed, stroking the rosewood regretfully. “Looks like my little luxury will have to wait. It’s more practical to use ironwood for the corridor and eaves. I’ll use this batch of rosewood to make furniture instead.”

With the tribe expanding, everyone was building new caves.

Furniture was in short supply, so Changxia wasn’t worried about wasting the rosewood.

After all, who could say no to rosewood furniture?

“Great!” Nuanchun said happily. “If you have any extra furniture, don’t forget me. My place is empty—I need tables, chairs, beds, everything.”

Gen had already made lots of wooden beds for the tribe.

The elders had tried them out and loved them.

If the tribe hadn’t been so busy lately, wooden beds would have become popular everywhere by now.

“Don’t worry, I’ll save some for you,” Changxia promised.

She squinted, thinking. With kang beds in the cave, there wasn’t really space for a wooden bed.

Wait—

Changxia’s eyes lit up as she thought of a solution.

She could build a wooden canopy bed on top of the kang, like the traditional ones from ancient times. Pleased with herself, Changxia praised her own cleverness.

Then she quickly jotted it down in her notebook, along with plans for expanding the cellar and building the corridor and eaves—things to do during the rainy season. For now, the two adults and three kids started grinding white nuts.

The tribe had sent lots of dried white nuts to Changxia’s house.

In a few days, Changxia wanted to host a hotpot feast, so she needed to prepare all kinds of ingredients. Of course, she knew the tribe would have to provide most of it—there was no way she could feed over a thousand hungry mouths by herself.