39: Chapter 39 The Bamboo Shoot Squad Sets Off

Aqi bounced on his feet while holding the meat bun, tears welling up from the heat.

Si-ha, si-ha~

The bun rolled around in his mouth a few times before it finally cooled down. As Aqi chewed, the flavors of the Heng Heng Beast and the bamboo shoot intertwined, a never-before-experienced taste spreading through his mouth. Mmm, it was truly delicious.

Mmph... it's too good. Heavens, it's delicious—an absolute delicacy.

Xing Jiu shook his head at his silly younger brother and carefully took a large bite of the bun in his hand. As soon as the food entered his mouth, he was startled.

It was delicious, and it even contained a tiny bit of energy.

He blew on the bun again and quickly finished the remaining half in two or three bites.

Sang Qing poured each of them a cup of water. "Don't rush, eat slowly. These are all for you."

She had set aside one steamer tray for Aqi and his brother; the current basin was only half full.

Xing Jiu nodded gratefully and smiled at her. "Sang Qing, you're amazing. This is so delicious; I've never eaten food this good before."

Sang Qing smiled and spoke to them in a soft voice, "So, once you have iron pots in the future, you'll be able to make this kind of delicious food yourselves."

Listening to the female's gentle and soft voice, Xing Jiu's ears flushed a faint crimson, and he didn't know where to look.

For a moment, he felt as if all the flowers around him had bloomed. It was like the end of the Cold Season, when everyone watches the ice and snow melt and everything on the earth awakens—a feeling of surprise and joy surged through his entire body.

A burning intensity rose in Xing Jiu's eyes. He liked Sang Qing. Hadn't he remained unbonded for so long after reaching adulthood just to find a female he truly liked?

Sang Qing wanted a powerful mate. He could do it; he would work hard to become even stronger. He believed Sang Qing would choose him.

Before Aqi left this morning, his Mother, fearing he might get hungry on the way, had stuffed a piece of roasted meat into his stomach. But now, smelling the aroma of the buns, he felt like he wouldn't even be full if he ate another whole Heng Heng Beast.

The two brothers worked together, eating in large gulps, and finished the buns Sang Qing had left for them in no time.

Patting his round belly, Aqi let out a burp. It wasn't a burp of fullness, but rather one from indigestion because he had eaten too fast.

Sang Qing came out after washing some Crunchy Fruits and called out to the busy Sophia, "Sophia, come rest for a bit and have some fruit."

Sophia was truly too hardworking. She woke up earlier than Sang Qing every day and was so meticulous in her work that it made Sang Qing feel a bit embarrassed.

After spreading out the sliced bamboo shoots, Sophia walked over with a smile.

"Where's Dainai?" Sang Qing sat down and handed a fruit to Aqi and Xing Jiu.

"She seems to have followed Uncle Meng Qi to the stream to sow seeds," Sophia replied, her voice crisp as she took a bite of the fruit.

Well, Dainai was also someone who couldn't sit still.

"Sister Sang Qing, the buns you made are too delicious. They're much better than the roasted meat my Father makes." Aqi rubbed his prominent little belly and praised Sang Qing with a grin.

"Hahaha~" Sang Qing chuckled, glancing at Xing Jiu's expression. "Be careful, or your brother might tell on you to your Father."

Aqi turned his head and saw his brother staring at him with a subtle expression. Whoops! He quickly covered his small mouth and gave Xing Jiu a placating smile.

But... but it was the truth. His Father's roasting skills weren't even as good as his Mother's.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Sang Qing began to teach Aqi and the others how to make marinated eggs.

Taking out the bird eggs Xing Jiu had brought yesterday, Sang Qing taught them step-by-step. As for the marinating spices, she'd give them some for free first and sell them later.

Marinating eggs didn't take long. Since Aqi and his brother had to return to their Tribe, Sang Qing skipped the final simmering time. Once they had absorbed enough flavor, she fished them out for them to taste.

This time Aqi was smarter; he knew to blow on it to cool it down before eating.

The texture of the marinated eggs was better than eating bird eggs directly, but they lacked the unique fresh fragrance of raw eggs. Xing Jiu took a bite of the egg in his hand and savored it carefully.

Still, the taste was very good. He figured his Mother would like them.

Moreover, Sang Qing said that marinated eggs could be kept for a day or two and were easy to carry, making them a good food source.

Clutching two shell crystals, Sang Qing saw off her big customer with a beaming smile.

It really is good to make money.

So happy~

Sang Qing packed half of the eggs in the pot for Aqi to take away; the rest were left to simmer for the other beasts when they returned home.

"Master, Qing Que is peeking at us."

While slicing bamboo shoots, Sophia sensed a figure nearby and immediately alerted Sang Qing.

"?" Sang Qing looked up. Behind a nearby bush, a dark shadow flashed past, immediately hiding as if trying to avoid her.

"Don't worry about him." Why bother pretending? She couldn't even be bothered to acknowledge him.

After processing all the brought-back bamboo shoots into slices for drying, Sang Qing told Sophia to rest at home while she went to the stream to help with the sowing.

More than half of the land by the stream hadn't been sown yet. Who knew how long her Father would be busy if he worked alone.

On the other side, Mao Shuo had also formulated a plan to dig for bamboo shoots. He summoned the Fourth-Tier Warriors of the Tribe to discuss it.

Amidst the heavy dew and vast white mist, before dawn had even broken, two-thirds of the Wildcat Tribe's people gathered at the Tribe entrance. They held various tools and animal skin bags, looking utterly bewildered.

Although they didn't know what they were going to do, it was arranged by the Chief, so they simply followed orders.

Looking at the throng of heads, Mao Shuo stood on a rock, his sharp gaze fixed. "Alright, let's set out. Keep quiet and keep up with the group."

Meng Qi jumped out, carrying the bleary-eyed Sang Qing on his back to lead the way. The long Wildcat Tribe bamboo shoot squad marched into the forest.

Qing Que watched Sang Qing and the others leave the Tribe with disappointment. He was responsible for the Tribe's security today and couldn't go out with them.

He had thought for a long time yesterday and wanted to explain things to Sang Qing again.

Sang Qing was definitely angry with him.

Since it wasn't light yet, although beastmen can see at night and walk through the forest without hindrance, their speed was still not very fast.

The group was too long, and with females present, Mao Shuo, who was bringing up the rear, didn't dare let the beastmen in front speed up for safety's sake.

Fortunately, at this hour, the wild beasts in the forest were still asleep, so the safety factor was slightly better than during the day.

Walking with somewhat anxious steps, Mao Shuo kept a vigilant eye on the surroundings and told the patrolling beastmen to stay alert and protect the females at all costs.

Upon arriving safely at the bamboo forest, Sang Qing was woken up by Meng Lai. She rubbed her eyes and hopped off Meng Qi's back.

How did she fall asleep? She had clearly slept quite well last night.

Stretching her waist, Sang Qing felt the gazes of the Tribesmen. She scratched her head and quickly picked up a hoe to demonstrate the bamboo shoot digging technique... In the Gray Leopard Tribe, smoke curled in the air. In front of his home, the eating Violent Eye chewed contentedly on the tender meat in his mouth.

A middle-aged male ran over in a hurry and whispered beside him.

"Great Elder, there was movement in the Wildcat Tribe this morning."

Violent Eye tore off another piece of meat, his gruff voice ringing out, "What movement?"

He didn't have much interest in the Wildcat Tribe right now. Recently, their Tribe had clashed with the White Lion Tribe, and even the Heavenly Wolf Tribe had warned them not to mess around in the forest. Yesterday, the Chief had summoned him for a harsh scolding, and he had almost lost all face.

And then there was that damned Flower Deer Tribe; he would definitely make sure their entire Tribe was wiped out.

"The Tribesmen on lookout said that almost the entire Wildcat Tribe set out early this morning and entered the forest. We don't know what they're going to do. Currently, the Wildcat Tribe only has a few warriors guarding it."

"Should we take the opportunity to..." The middle-aged male gave a lewd smile, his eyes falling on the beast meat in front of Violent Eye as he swallowed his saliva greedily.

"The entire Tribe set out?" Violent Eye frowned, slowing his chewing as he fell into thought.

He suddenly remembered the time when the various Tribes in the forest were fighting over crabs. Wasn't that caused by the Wildcat Tribe?

Could they have discovered something good again? It was very likely; otherwise, why would they go into the forest?

Violent Eye stood up abruptly, his eyes gleaming with sharp light, and stopped eating the meat.

"Do you know which direction they went?" Violent Eye's lips curled up wildly. Suppressing his excitement, he questioned the middle-aged male.

"We know, but we didn't follow too far. It's likely near the riverbank." The middle-aged male was stunned, not understanding why the Great Elder was suddenly so excited.

*Slap~*

"Idiot, why didn't you follow them to see what they're doing?"

The middle-aged male took another slap from Violent Eye, letting out a cry of pain, his eyes full of fear.

Wait, why hit him again? This wasn't even his responsibility.

The Great Elder was simply too much. The middle-aged male lowered his head innocently, his eyes full of resentment.

Violent Eye snorted coldly. Useless!

"Go call Han Shui and bring all the Fourth-Tier Warriors of our Tribe. Come out with me."

He was going to search around the riverbank to see if the Wildcat Tribesmen were there.

If they really found something good, he would snatch it away immediately and definitely not let them benefit from it, hahahaha!!!

Violent Eye rushed out of the Tribe excitedly, and the middle-aged male behind him didn't dare delay, immediately turning to call the Tribe's warriors.

In the bamboo forest, the Wildcat Tribesmen were digging the ground with great enthusiasm. As bamboo shoots were unearthed one by one, the smile on Mao Shuo's face grew wider.

So bamboo shoots grew underground; no wonder he hadn't seen them before.

Suddenly, a Guard Beastman patrolling the perimeter ran over in a panic and spoke to Mao Shuo nervously.

"This is bad, Chief, Chief! I saw a group of Gray Leopard Beastmen heading this way."

The Chief had ordered them to watch the surroundings, especially for Gray Leopard Beastmen. Once discovered, they had to notify him immediately.

"What?"

Mao Shuo's brow furrowed, and the smile on his face instantly vanished.

"Come, take me to see."

He couldn't let the beastmen of the Gray Leopard Tribe find out what they were doing, or else these bamboo shoots wouldn't be safe.

Sang Qing noticed Mao Shuo's unusual behavior, stopped digging for bamboo shoots, and looked over in confusion.

What happened?

Mao Shuo gathered three Fourth-Tier Warriors and over a dozen Third-Rank Warriors to wait on the path the Gray Leopard Beastmen were taking, his expression icy.

Watching the movement not far away, Meng Qi furrowed his brows tightly. However, he wasn't afraid; he had the crossbow Qing Qing gave him. If the males of the Gray Leopard Tribe dared to cause trouble, he would definitely send them to see the beast god.

Violent Eye saw the group of beasts blocking the road from afar, which further solidified the suspicion in his heart. The Wildcat Tribe must have found something good.

"Hahaha~"

Without waiting for Mao Shuo to stop him, Violent Eye burst into hearty laughter as soon as he approached, speaking with forced familiarity, "Isn't this the Chief of the Wildcat Tribe? Are you personally leading a hunt today?"

Violent Eye was ugly, and his laugh was terrifying, but Mao Shuo couldn't just insult him right away. He exchanged pleasantries somewhat politely, "You know me?"

Although he was already certain Violent Eye harbored ill intentions, it was better not to resort to violence if possible.

Violent Eye laughed readily, his voice booming, "I know you, how could I not? Chief Mao Shuo is famous in the forest."

"I was even saying that once our Tribe stabilizes a bit, I'd personally come visit you."

"I am Violent Eye, the Great Elder of the Gray Leopard Tribe. We truly are fated to meet today, Chief Mao Shuo."

Violent Eye didn't dare to directly confront Mao Shuo. Firstly, both were Fifth-Rank Warriors, and Mao Shuo was younger than him. Secondly, he hadn't figured out their purpose here today. If he acted rashly and made enemies of the two Tribes, it wouldn't be good.

But he certainly wasn't afraid of Mao Shuo; he just wanted to get the facts straight first.

"A visit won't be necessary. I heard your Tribe has been quite busy lately. After all, you're newly migrated; there must be many things to handle." Mao Shuo's attitude was neither warm nor cold, responding casually as if he had encountered a beastman asking for directions in the forest.

"It's necessary, it's necessary."

"But what are you all doing right now? It doesn't look like you're hunting?"

As Violent Eye spoke, he looked past Mao Shuo, trying to see the situation behind him.

Before he got close, he felt there was a lot of movement here. Why was it so quiet now?

Several Fourth-Tier Warriors immediately blocked his view, staring at him with vigilant eyes.

Violent Eye chuckled and took a few steps back.

"We're not doing much, just accompanying the females of our Tribe while they gather," Mao Shuo smiled and explained to him with a peaceful expression.

"Gathering? Do you need our help, Chief Mao Shuo?" Violent Eye took a few steps forward, looking at Mao Shuo enthusiastically, appearing very willing to help a fellow beast.

Does gathering require half the Tribe to set out? What a joke.

"No need, the females know how to gather, and we're just watching from the side." Mao Shuo flatly refused his request, his face showing a hint of displeasure.

It seemed he must have scouted some information. How hateful.

If a tribesman had leaked the news, he would definitely not let that person off once they returned.

Violent Eye snorted disdainfully in his heart. If it weren't for the mud on their feet, he almost would have believed Mao Shuo's words.

What kind of gathering involves digging up mud?

Violent Eye's mouth twitched, and he suddenly laughed again, the hideous scar on his face becoming even more prominent. "Then what are you gathering? Chief Mao Shuo, if there's something good, you must share it with us."

This sentence directly revealed his inner thoughts.

Mao Shuo's expression darkened, his eyes filled with suppressed anger, and his gaze grew a few degrees colder.