Chapter 82: Chapter 82: Trading for Chili Peppers

Thinking about it, Nuan Chun was filled with grief and indignation.

She’d been looking forward to the hotpot feast for so long, and now she was going to miss it. She wanted nothing more than to jump out of bed and tell everyone she was perfectly fine.

But Shan Kun was watching her like a hawk.

And her soft, squirming babies would let out a cry or two from time to time.

No matter how much she wanted to, Nuan Chun could only give up.

Heh heh—

Nan Feng chuckled and whispered, “Nuan Chun must have guessed she won’t be able to attend the hotpot feast tomorrow night.”

“She’ll need to stay in bed for two or three days,” Su Ye said.

Having twins was hard on the body. Normally, a beastwoman could get up and move around a day after giving birth, but Nuan Chun had twins. Even if she looked fine, there was still some damage. Resting a couple more days would do her good.

Changxia nodded in agreement with Su Ye’s suggestion.

It was true that beastfolk were strong and robust, but giving birth was still like taking a walk through the gates of hell. With so much blood lost, it was always good to nourish the body more.

“Shankun, remember to catch more fish from White Lake and make crucian carp soup for Nuanchun. Drinking more crucian carp soup helps with milk production,” Changxia said. “Crucian carp are smaller than black carp, with small heads, pale yellow color, and shiny scales. If you can’t tell them apart, just go to Chenronglei’s pond by White Lake—the smallest fish there are crucian carp.”

There were many types of fish, and Changxia couldn’t recognize them all.

But she could still tell the most common ones: crucian carp, carp, and grass carp.

“Alright, I’ll head to White Lake right now,” Shankun replied.

He picked up a rattan basket and eagerly set off for White Lake.

For Shankun, fishing was a breeze. He kept Changxia’s description of crucian carp in mind, caught one from Chenronglei’s pond to study it carefully, and then went to the lake to fish.

The fish in White Lake were plump—a regular crucian carp could weigh ten pounds or more.

Bigger ones, twenty or thirty pounds, were not uncommon.

Changxia couldn’t help but marvel. On Earth, getting your hands on a wild crucian carp that big would be pure luck. With all the rivers and lakes having been overfished, wild fish like that were incredibly rare.

Meanwhile, Nan Feng kept pestering Changxia to add more dishes to the menu.

“We don’t have chili peppers, so don’t even think about spicy chicken or anything like that,” Changxia said, crossing out several dishes Nan Feng suggested.

Honestly, she wanted to eat them too.

But unfortunately, there was no sign of chili peppers anywhere in the tribe’s territory.

Maybe, when the rainy season came, she could find a chance to visit Qingshanyan again.

After all, last time Kongshan had found chili peppers there.

“Changxia, I have chili peppers,” Bai Qing suddenly spoke up.

Everyone immediately looked at each other in surprise, all stopping what they were doing.

Su Ye asked in astonishment, “Bai Qing, where did you get chili peppers?”

“They were sent by the Lion Tribe,” Bai Qing explained. “This time, the chief of the Heavenly Lion Tribe came to Kana Sacred Mountain and brought many gifts for the shaman. Among them were the chili peppers you mentioned, Changxia. The Heavenly Lion Tribe doesn’t know what chili peppers are—they thought they were some kind of medicinal herb and brought them for the shaman to identify.”

In the past, the beastfolk tribes had sent many things to Kana Sacred Mountain.

Su Ye would pick out what she recognized, and the rest would be discarded.

Besides, as the shaman, Su Ye had a lot on her plate every day.

Bai Qing was usually the one in charge of sorting out these miscellaneous items.

This time, Su Ye and Bai Qing had left the Twilight Forest for the Qinghai Plateau, spending nearly a month away.

A lot of things had piled up at the shaman’s hall on Kana Sacred Mountain.

As soon as Su Ye returned, she was busy preparing medicines and handling matters from all the tribes.

So, she missed sorting through the items sent by the Heavenly Lion Tribe.

“Bai Qing, why didn’t you mention this earlier?” Su Ye asked in surprise.

Bai Qing looked a little embarrassed and said softly, “I wanted to give the chili peppers to Changxia as a gift.”

At that, everyone couldn’t help but laugh.

Bai Qing might always refuse to call Changxia “sister,” but deep down, he already saw her as one. He just felt too shy to say it out loud.

If anyone else tried to tease Bai Qing like this, he’d probably have already fought back.

Though Bai Qing wasn’t yet an adult, as the shaman’s successor, he was far from as harmless as he looked. When it came to poisons, Bai Qing was a true expert.

Su Ye had said before that Bai Qing’s talent for making poisons far surpassed his skill with medicine.

Su Ye herself was a master of medicinal arts, but her apprentice leaned toward poisons, which made her both amused and exasperated.

But Su Ye believed that medicine itself was neither good nor bad.

It was the user who determined its purpose.

“Bai Qing, you’re just too adorable!” Changxia smiled, rushed over, puckered her lips, and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

Instantly, Bai Qing’s whole face turned bright red.

He clutched his cheek where Changxia had kissed him, his hands trembling, and pointed at her, unable to get a word out for a long time.

“Bai Qing, did you bring the chili peppers with you?” Changxia was more concerned about the peppers than Bai Qing’s embarrassment. After all, whether they could have spicy chicken, spicy barbecue, or stir-fried pork with chili at tomorrow’s hotpot feast depended on it.

Bai Qing nodded. “I brought them. They’re in the grass shed behind your beast den, Changxia.”

“Yay!” Nan Feng jumped up in delight, muttering about all the dishes she wanted to eat.

“Grandma Su Ye, can our tribe trade for chili peppers with the Heavenly Lion Tribe?” Changxia asked excitedly.

It seemed that besides Qingshanyan, the Heavenly Lion Tribe also grew plenty of chili peppers.

Changxia had already analyzed that the Heluo Tribe’s climate was suitable for growing chili peppers—they couldn’t handle drought or flooding, but could be sown around the spring equinox. Last time, she’d tried planting seeds from the peppers Kongshan brought, but probably due to inexperience, none had sprouted.

Now, with Bai Qing confirming that the Heavenly Lion Tribe had plenty of chili peppers, how could Changxia not be tempted?

The fact that they still had chili peppers at this time of year showed that their territory’s climate was different from Heluo’s.

Su Ye nodded and asked, “Changxia, what do you want to trade with the Heavenly Lion Tribe?”

The Heavenly Lion Tribe was also a powerful beastfolk tribe in the Twilight Forest, with a territory no smaller than Heluo’s and abundant resources.

Ordinary things might not interest them.

“Would white nuts work?” Changxia asked, glancing at Mu Qin as she spoke.

As a shaman, Su Ye naturally wanted the beastfolk to grow stronger, but there were always frictions between tribes.

That’s why, when Changxia mentioned trading white nuts, she looked to Mu Qin—she needed to know how the tribe felt about using white nuts for trade.

Mu Qin met Changxia’s gaze and smiled. “Changxia, you’re the one who discovered the use for white nuts. If you want to trade them for chili peppers with the Heavenly Lion Tribe, the tribe has no objections. White nuts are a gift from the Beast God to all beastfolk—the Heluo Tribe won’t hoard them for ourselves.”

This point.

When Changxia first decided to share the ways to eat fruit powder with the tribe, she and the tribe elders discussed it thoroughly. The Misty Forest is full of dangers, and by offering different ways to use fruit powder, Changxia undoubtedly gave the beastfolk a new path forward.

The Heluo Tribe has never been stingy about sharing the uses of white fruit with other beastfolk tribes. However, the tribe won’t bring it up on their own initiative. Everything depends on Changxia’s choice.

Today, Changxia decided to trade the white fruit for chili peppers, and Muqin was very satisfied. The Heluo Tribe is generous, but they’re not saints.