The sea of stars is indeed beautiful, but no matter how lovely something is, after watching it for too long, you eventually get tired of it.
As night fell and the temperature dropped, after half an hour, Qin Tian and Ye Lin got up and returned to the Cave.
Exhausted from a long day, Qin Tian just wanted to lie down and rest.
But then he discovered that Han Pi had already claimed his bed, sleeping soundly, snoring away in total bliss.
“Tomorrow I’m building you a shelter outside,” Qin Tian said with a laugh.
The Cave was so spacious, yet Han Pi had to pick that exact spot to sleep—truly a master at finding the best places.
This was his own bed, after all—how could he let someone else take it over?
Qin Tian walked up to Han Pi, raised his hand, and gave Han Pi’s butt a hard smack, scolding, “Han Pi, get up! Go sleep somewhere else!”
To a human, that slap might’ve hurt a bit, but Han Pi was a prehistoric giant beast, with skin thick as hide and muscles like armor.
To him, the smack was like a tickle—he barely noticed.
“I think you need to use more strength.” Seeing Han Pi completely unresponsive, Ye Lin couldn’t help but smile with her lips pursed.
Left with no choice, Qin Tian smacked even harder. “Han Pi!”
At last, this slap woke Han Pi up—though not completely.
He rolled over in a daze, ready to drift back into sleep.
But how could Qin Tian let Han Pi off so easily?
He grabbed Han Pi by the ear and dragged him toward the Cave entrance.
Still half-asleep, Han Pi didn’t know what was happening, simply letting himself be led away.
When Qin Tian stopped, the whole bear flopped down at the Cave’s entrance and promptly continued his nap.
Maybe it was uncomfortable, because Han Pi wiggled and shifted about for a while before finally settling down.
Seeing this, Qin Tian breathed a quiet sigh of relief. “I’m going to sleep now. Ye Lin, when you’re on watch, remember to keep an eye on… the smoked fish.”
As he spoke, Qin Tian turned around and saw Ye Lin frolicking joyfully, rolling back and forth atop the Wild Boar Skin.
The words in his throat got swallowed back down.
The Cave was so spacious that sleeping here wasn’t at all like staying in the Wooden Shelter, where they’d been cramped up in such a tiny space.
Even the smallest movement had to be careful and gentle, for fear of bumping into and knocking over the shelter.
Ye Lin was utterly enjoying this newfound freedom, so much so that she spoke without thinking, “We don’t have to take turns on night watch anymore, right? As long as Han Pi is around, there’s no need to worry about wild beasts getting close. We can totally sleep together.”
“Sleep together?” Qin Tian repeated, emphasizing the words.
“That’s right.” Ye Lin still hadn’t realized anything was wrong with what she said. “Is there a problem?”
“No! Not a problem at all.”
At this point, Qin Tian almost burst out laughing.
Clearing his throat and trying to hold back his smile, he put on a serious face and asked, “So, when did you start liking me?”
Qin Tian’s question was so sudden and out of the blue that even Ye Lin was stunned for a moment before she finally came back to her senses.
Her cheeks turned scarlet, and she could barely think straight as she stammered, “W-Who says I like you? There’s no such thing! You’re overthinking it!”
Qin Tian hadn’t expected Ye Lin to have such a girlish reaction—it was amusing to watch.
He quickly stepped toward her, looking as if he might just gobble her up.
Instinctively, Ye Lin backed away, but unfortunately, there was only the wall behind her.
She had nowhere left to retreat and could only watch wide-eyed as Qin Tian approached.
In that instant, all Ye Lin could hear was the rapid pounding of her own heartbeat.
Leaning close to Ye Lin, Qin Tian gazed into her eyes, enunciating each word, “Since you don’t like me, then why’d you suggest we sleep together?”
After Qin Tian exposed the problem, Ye Lin finally realized what she’d said wrong.
Her shyness disappeared, replaced by a burst of indignation as she raised her hand to swat at Qin Tian. “You’re just making fun of me!”
Having anticipated this, Qin Tian dodged backward, neatly avoiding Ye Lin’s slap—but Ye Lin hadn’t really meant to hit him anyway.
By now, it was about eight in the evening, still six hours till midnight—just enough for a decent sleep.
Not wanting to tease her further, Qin Tian waved his hand at Ye Lin. “Alright, enough joking. I’m going to sleep.”
Ye Lin gave a cold snort, puffing out her cheeks in annoyance, but she still got up and moved aside.
“Same as always tonight, wake me at midnight,” Qin Tian said with a smile as he lay down on the Wild Boar Skin and promptly fell asleep.
***
The night passed quietly.
By seven in the morning, the sky was fully bright, sunlight streaming into the Cave and warming Ye Lin as she woke up and stretched luxuriantly.
Last night had definitely been her most comfortable sleep since arriving on this deserted island.
Compared to the old Wooden Shelter, the Cave was like the sturdiest of fortresses, with Han Pi and Qin Tian guarding the entrance.
She no longer had to worry about danger, which was why she could finally let herself relax and sleep so soundly.
Looking around the Cave, Ye Lin didn’t see any sign of Qin Tian or Han Pi.
Even the two Bamboo Baskets left in the Cave were gone.
Puzzled, Ye Lin heard sounds coming from outside the Cave.
When she stepped out to look, she saw that the contents of the Bamboo Baskets had already been neatly sorted outside, while Qin Tian was setting up the Stone Pot they’d brought from the Camp.
The Stone Pot was heavy, but unlike pottery, it couldn’t be remade by firing, and such a large, thin slab of stone wasn’t easy to find.
That was why they’d decided to bring it along.
Looking farther away, she saw Han Pi sprawled on the grass, basking lazily in the sun—everything was peaceful and tranquil.
The morning air was fresh and cool.
A breeze drifted by, making Ye Lin feel cheerful, and she greeted Qin Tian at once, “Morning!”
Hearing her, Qin Tian turned around with a smile. “Morning!”
***
There was still much to do in their new place.
After breakfast, Ye Lin and Qin Tian started digging up clay.
Given the pottery they had, it still wasn’t enough; they needed to fire more.
Of course, they could’ve returned to the Camp and brought back the remaining pottery, but a round trip would take enough time to just make new pottery.
Why bother? Wasn’t it better to make fresh ones?
The grassy area retained water well and had loose soil.
Within an hour, they’d dug up some fine yellow clay.
Qin Tian didn’t help shape the clay—he was busy building the Kiln.
As for the pottery, he left all of it to Ye Lin, while he took the Ground Cage, climbed atop Han Pi, and headed to the Creek.
***
Compared to their old Camp, the Cave was farther from the Creek.
It took Qin Tian half an hour to reach the water’s edge.
The river here was wide but much shallower, with many stones jutting from the surface.
There were fish, but they were small—about the size of a pinky finger—practically fry.
Besides, there was nowhere to set up the Ground Cage, so Qin Tian had no choice but to head upstream.
The upstream water was deeper, and soon enough, Qin Tian found a good spot:
the water there was over knee-deep, the riverbed a few meters wide, thick with aquatic plants—a prime spot for big fish.
Using fish guts from last night as bait, Qin Tian set the Ground Cage in the water, marking a nearby tree with his knife so he’d find the spot again later.
“Once the Camp’s set up, I’ll come check here first.”
Standing on the bank, Qin Tian followed the river’s flow, looking into the distance.
He hadn’t explored this part of the river yet—if he searched carefully, he might find some useful resources.
He didn’t linger for long.
He climbed onto Han Pi’s back. “Let’s go to the Bamboo Forest.”
***
Han Pi had a huge appetite, and he was picky—he wouldn’t even sniff at bamboo older than three days, let alone eat it.
So every three days, Qin Tian made a trip to the Bamboo Forest.
Fortunately, the Camp wasn’t far from the Bamboo Forest now—only about two hours on foot, unlike before, when a round trip would take a whole day.
And that was just on foot—riding Han Pi shaved off another half hour.
It seemed Han Pi understood Qin Tian’s words, because he perked up with excitement, let out a noise, and dashed into the woods.
Han Pi was fast.
Once inside, Qin Tian lay flat on his back to avoid being scratched by the underbrush.
They alternated between running for ten minutes and walking for another ten, and after an hour, Qin Tian and Han Pi arrived at the Bamboo Forest.
Jumping off Han Pi, Qin Tian pointed to some bamboo nearby and said, “Han Pi, go!”
Ever since taming Han Pi, Qin Tian brought him along every trip to the Bamboo Forest—not just as a bodyguard, but also as a means of transport.
After so many trips, Han Pi knew exactly what to do with just a gesture.
No sooner had he spoken than Han Pi charged ahead and sank his fangs into a bamboo stalk.
Bears had terrifying jaw strength—the bamboo was as thick as a bowl, but Han Pi bit it clean through in one go.
No need for a second bite.
Han Pi made harvesting bamboo far easier than using a stone axe.
In under five minutes, three stalks were down, and by the fifth, Qin Tian finally told Han Pi to stop.
Each bamboo was over ten meters long.
Qin Tian took his axe, cut them into sections, and bundled them with hemp rope.
Meanwhile, Han Pi wandered nearby looking for food.
The big, tough, spiky bamboo wasn’t to Han Pi’s taste; only the tender young shoots, still green and barely two fingers thick, suited him.
Soon enough, Han Pi found a patch of young shoots and, delighted, settled down among them and started munching.
***
By noon, Qin Tian and Han Pi returned to Camp with five bundles of bamboo, each bundle holding five or six stalks, each three meters long—enough to make all sorts of things.
It was all thanks to taming Han Pi.
Without him, Qin Tian would’ve spent a whole day just cutting bamboo and another day hauling it back.
By midday, Ye Lin had shaped plenty of clay vessels.
After a short rest, Qin Tian loaded them all into the Kiln to fire.
By evening, the Camp already had five pottery jars, a ceramic vat about a meter square, three pots, and seven or eight bowls—enough to meet their daily needs.