Chapter 5 : Choose

Ye Rongrong’s awake time grew longer each day.

She happily stayed in the den with her two older brothers, occasionally causing some mischief with them, spending her days leisurely.

Sometimes, she overheard her parents discussing various matters at home.

They didn’t realize she was already starting to remember things, so they didn’t avoid topics even with the little ones around.

Ye Rongrong knew the family environment wasn’t good this time around.

Her parents seemed to be hiding some secret, but they loved their children dearly.

She and her two brothers were treated equally—each cub receiving ample love from their parents.

Bit by bit, Ye Rongrong pieced together the shape of this tribe from what she heard from her parents.

Ever since she saw them transform, she was stunned for a moment but quickly accepted this reality.

Becoming beastmen was far better than turning into pure animals.

Flapping her small wings, Ye Rongrong joined the playful battle between her two brothers—pushing and nudging, neither able to overpower the other, just having fun.

Ashi had gathered some plant branches and leaves and returned.

He sat at the entrance, pounding them repeatedly with a stone until the plants turned into dark green residue and juice, emitting a faint cool scent.

The wind blew outward, carrying away most of the smell, but the lingering fragrance gradually filled the cave.

The light cooling scent drove away the insects hiding inside and brought a pleasant aroma to the cave.

Taking a breath, they felt the stifling summer heat lessen a bit.

Ayue was busy processing the pelts stripped from their prey.

The pelts needed to be treated before they could be kept in the den.

This task took considerable effort.

Ayue was skilled at this, having often helped with such chores at home before.

Ashi sat quietly on a large rock by the entrance, his face calm.

From time to time, he glanced at the other four family members, then looked down carefully to tend to the pile of herbs he’d brought back.

Ashi had learned a great deal of knowledge from the old herbalist who secretly taught him everything he knew.

Previously, he hadn’t dared reveal that he had fully grasped the knowledge, so on the surface, it appeared he only recognized some of the herbs.

The old herbalist grew more sympathetic as time went on, teaching him more each day.

The idea was probably that Ashi would learn as much as he could.

Ashi obediently listened, occasionally complimenting the old man with kind words.

In this way, he absorbed a great deal of wilderness survival knowledge, hoping that one day, when he left the tribe to live on his own, he would be able to survive.

He separated the poisonous herbs and thought for a moment.

He found a pouch to store them and hung it on the wall nearby.

Looking at Ayue, he said, “Don’t touch the pouch on the wall. The herbs inside are poisonous.”

Ashi’s instructions were clear.

Then he carefully washed some useful herbs and laid them out in a ventilated place to dry.

After thinking it over, Ashi hesitated before saying, “Maybe I should become an herbalist and treat the other beastmen. That way, our family’s income would increase.”

The Huanshan Tribe was a mixed tribe without a fixed herbalist.

When sick, they had to seek herbalists from other tribes or buy medicines at the market.

Ashi considered that if he became the tribe’s official herbalist, it would not only help him integrate faster but also earn him plenty of food.

“No way!” Ayue stared seriously at Ashi. “There are quite a few beastmen watching you now. The herbs you sell could easily be tampered with—it’s not safe.”

“We have a long, long time ahead. No rush.”

They were new arrivals, their footing unstable.

The risk of being bought off or framed by other beastmen was high.

They needed to be more cautious.

Ashi nodded, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly. “Alright, I won’t take any risks.”

He wasn’t confident about his identity as an herbalist yet.

If he accidentally killed a beastman while treating them, it wouldn’t be something food could fix.

It was better not to do it for now.

Ayue shifted the topic cheerfully. “You can prepare some herbal packs for us. It’s fine to use them within the family.”

Ayue hung the treated pelts nearby, then came over to Ashi and comforted him, “Once we settle here, you can reveal your herbalist identity. Everything will be easier to handle then.”

Ashi nodded and smiled, “Yeah, I guess I wasn’t thinking it through before.”

He changed the subject, asking, “Have you noticed anything strange about the newly moved-in fox tribe beastmen recently?”

“No,” Ayue shook her head. “You know I don’t like hanging out with strange beastmen.”

Ashi’s eyes flickered with a brief smile, then he said seriously, “It seems they really moved here for the clay used in making pottery. No major problems so far. I heard others say that the fox tribe beastmen plan to stay here for a while to fire all kinds of pottery. If any beastmen need it, they can pre-order. Their prices are a bit cheaper than those at the market—they’re pretty good at winning people over.”

Ayue thought for a moment but couldn’t figure out their true intentions, so she gave up and sighed, “Let’s not worry about them for now. As long as they don’t deliberately approach us to harm us, we’ll leave them be. If there’s a chance, we’ll think of a way to repay them.”

There’s a saying—better to catch a thief a thousand times than to guard against them a thousand days.

Those fox tribe beastmen who dared to harm people should be prepared for retaliation.

Ashi instinctively glanced at the pouch of herbs on the wall, lightly nodded, and said, “I heard other beastmen chatting about a group of wild horses arriving from the north. Some beastmen in the tribe are organizing a hunting team to go after them. Anyone confident enough can sign up.”

“We won’t join,” Ayue said, “Compared to other beastmen, our advantage lies in speed. Even without these wild horses, we can find prey. Since we’re not familiar with the tribe, it’s best not to jump into cooperation right away.”

Hunting such large prey was risky.

If other beastmen didn’t help, the chances of injury or disability were high.

Healing could take months.

During that time, not only could they not hunt, but they would also be a burden to the family.

Ashi softly agreed, “We can use this time to observe and find suitable beastmen to form a team with.”

Within the tribe, beastmen cooperated with one another to exert greater strength. They could capture more prey and share more food.

Their previous tribe also operated with this kind of team system.

The beastmen grew up together, were well acquainted, and deeply bonded.

They worked in harmony when hunting, lived close by, and their teams often lasted for decades without change.

In mixed tribes like this one, most beastmen came from other tribes.

They were naturally wary and, in unfamiliar environments, were even more cautious.

They didn’t easily team up with others and mostly lived their own lives quietly.

Ashi looked at Ayue’s seeking gaze and smiled, “Don’t worry. I’ll handle the team selection. When I mingle with other beastmen, I’ll gather information about this. But so far, no suitable candidates have appeared.”

Cooperation among beastmen was more than just adding their strengths—it could multiply their effectiveness.

Many animals they wouldn’t dare to hunt alone could be attempted as a team.

However, character and trust mattered more than strength.

“No rush,” Ayue glanced at the cubs playing nearby, feeling reassured. “We’ll take it slow.”

Rushing only led to mistakes.

They exchanged a look, a gentle warmth passing between them.

Ashi’s restless tension gradually eased.

With family around, even if enemies lurked nearby, they didn’t seem too frightening.

For their family, an endless courage surged in their hearts.

When Ye Rongrong tired from playing, she leaned against the edge of the den, watching her parents and listening to their conversations.

She wished she could grow up fast and fight alongside all five of them.

From the information collected over the past few days, Ye Rongrong roughly understood the situation—someone was eyeing their family, intending to wipe them out.

She examined herself carefully but found no special powers.

She couldn’t help feeling a bit down.

Though reborn with memories in the beastman continent, she had no “golden finger” ability. It was disappointing, but she didn’t give up.

In her heart, she thought, maybe her “golden finger” just hadn’t been discovered yet?

With that thought, Ye Rongrong slowly fell asleep.

Ayue and Ashi waited until all the cubs were asleep before carefully moving them together.

The cubs cuddled up to keep their body heat, and Ayue could leave them unattended on top without worry.

She picked up some pelts nearby and gently covered the cubs.

The cubs ate their fill and slept their fill, growing quickly.

Their fur grew thick and fluffy, lessening their need for warmth, so Ayue could take time to do other chores.

When Ye Rongrong woke, the first thing she did was open her mouth wide, waiting for her parents to feed her meat.

This time when she woke, the outside was much darker. She looked toward the cave entrance; though distant, she saw clearly in the darkness.

After eating and drinking her fill, stretching her body, Ye Rongrong played with her two brothers before lying on the den’s edge, curiously watching their parents’ movements.

They were splitting open fruits, taking out the seeds, and collecting them in a spot nearby.

They ate the fruit pulp but Ye Rongrong didn’t understand why they were gathering so many seeds.

Nearby, a rabbit was waiting to be processed.

Ashi ate some fruit, while Ayue checked the dried meat at home.

Once she confirmed everything was fine, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Ayue smiled and said, “In three days, it’ll be market day. I’ll take these dried meats to trade for a pottery jar, a small knife, and some fire starters. If there’s anything left, I’ll exchange it for new cloth.” She spoke excitedly about the upcoming plans.

At the same time, she felt a little down.

Originally, they could have gone together, but the cubs couldn’t be left alone.

If that dead fox pack deliberately came in and killed their cubs, they wouldn’t even have a place to cry.

Ashi placed a large fruit among the cubs, letting them peck at it while playing, laughing, “Don’t worry. You go buy what we need. I’ll stay home with the cubs.”

Ye Rongrong took a small bite of the fruit, tasting only a tiny bit of the pulp.

However, the sweetness was completely different from meat’s flavor.

Instantly, she felt energized and began pecking at the large fruit with her brothers, taking turns.

Ayue and Ashi put down their tasks to watch the cubs, unable to help but smile.