Hairy-Horned Beast (continued)

Jian Mo removed her hand from her mouth and smiled, "It's alright."

Giant Wolf: "Tell me if you're cold."

Jian Mo nodded.

After the giant wolf turned its head, Jian Mo lay on top of it.

His body heat came through, and it felt much warmer after I covered myself with it.

Jian Mo put her hands under his hair to warm them, and he slowly recovered.

There wasn't much worth hunting near the tribe, so they had to go all the way to the edge of the tribe, to the high mountains.

After traveling for half a day, just as the sun was about to reach its zenith, they finally arrived at one of the mountains in a certain mountain range.

Wu Jiong said to Jian Mo, "We're going up the mountain to hunt Hairy-Horned Beast. You and the other sub-beastmen from the tribe stay here and gather resources. Don't get separated from your group; it's very dangerous to be alone this time of year."

Jian Mo agreed earnestly, adding, "You all need to be careful too. Catching any prey is already a great achievement; safety comes first."

After saying goodbye, the beastmen went hunting, while the sub-beastmen took their cubs to gather resources.

Jian Mo was among them, surrounded by the little ones who wanted to hear him tell a story.

The mountain was dry and cold, the ground was covered with ice and snow, and the rocks underfoot were unstable, crumbling and sinking with every step. Jian Mo really wasn't in the mood for a story, so she waved her hand and said to the children, "We'll tell the story when we get back. Now, everyone, be careful."

The kitten Banjiu had been walking beside Jian Mo, glanced at Jian Mo and tiptoed ahead, saying, "Jian Mo, I'll scout the way for you. Follow my footprints."

Seeing this, the other cubs immediately chased after each other and ran ahead, saying, "Jian Mo, we'll help you scout ahead too!"

Qing Kuo shouted, "No one is allowed to run! Walk slowly and get to the middle!"

As soon as Qing Kuo spoke, the little ones immediately stopped being naughty and behaved themselves in the crowd.

Jian Mo touched her nose.

Qing Kuo patted him on the shoulder. "You should go to the middle with the little ones, it'll be safer there."

Jian Mo nodded. "Okay."

The little ones, including orcs and sub-orcs, regardless of gender, must learn to gather resources to lay the foundation for independent survival in the future.

The adults in the tribe taught the children very carefully and in detail when they brought them out. Jian Mo followed along and learned a lot.

They gather a wide variety of foods, from hibernating insects to small animals, from moss to mushrooms to common stems, nuts, and fresh fruits.

Everyone tries their best to gather anything edible, and they won't waste even if it's not very tasty.

Jian Mo and the others walked along the ridge. The wind gave him a slight headache, but the harvest was truly plentiful.

He collected half a basket of moss alone.

Ye Luo said this moss is delicious. Although it's a bit old, it has a slightly sweet taste and is quite fresh. It's better than most bitter wild vegetables and goes very well with grilled meat.

Jian Mo took a sniff and smelled a pleasant aroma, but it was indeed very coarse. He guessed that on Earth, only ruminants could digest it.

But that's okay, eating a small amount is fine too, as it's good for supplementing fiber and vitamins.

For the sake of the little ones, everyone walked for a while and then rested for a while.

Jian Mo felt that today's data collection process went relatively smoothly, at least not as tiring as before.

They continued walking towards the mountainside, occasionally hearing the long howls of the beastmen.

The beastmen's cries were quite terrifying. Jian Mo guessed that they used these cries to drive away their prey, which is why they sounded particularly oppressive and very loud.

Qing Kuo listened intently to the sounds and said, "Their harvest today must be quite good."

Ye Luo: "It would be nice to have Hairy-Horned Beast to eat this time of year."

Qing Kuo: "I think so too. It's already winter, it's good enough to have enough to eat."

After saying that, the two looked at each other and smiled.

Jian Mo guessed from their smiles that the Hairy-Horned Beast probably didn't taste very good.

However, it's really nice to have fresh meat to eat this season.

The meat they store at home isn't as fresh anymore because of the large temperature difference between day and night; it thaws slightly during the day and then freezes again at night.

Although some meat stored in caves may be in a slightly more stable condition, it still cannot compare to fresh meat.

It's good to have fresh meat to eat.

Since it was a rare opportunity to get out, everyone stayed in the wilderness until the afternoon. As the sun approached the mountaintop, they began to call out to each other to signal their return.

The orcs came to pick them up.

Jian Mo watched as a pack of large cats and dogs ran down the ridge, almost every one of them carrying huge prey on their backs, indicating a very good haul.

Everyone was in a good mood; their furry faces were beaming with joy, and even their perked-up ears seemed more alert.

The sub-beastmen, with their cubs, climbed onto the backs of the beastmen and reached the meat.

Jian Mo climbed onto the giant wolf, reaching out to hug its neck, while the bound Hairy-Horned Beast remained behind her.

The Hairy-Horned Beast was enormous, almost completely obscuring half of the giant wolf's body.

Jian Mo was a little worried and whispered in the giant wolf's ear, "Isn't it too heavy?"

Carrying too much weight on your back is bad for your spine.

The giant wolf turned its head, a smile in its eyes, "It's alright, I can still carry it."

Jian Mo reached out and touched his nose. The tip of his nose was warm and dry, and he seemed alright. "Tell me when you're tired and need to rest. I can get down and walk around for a bit."

Giant Wolf: "Okay."

As they spoke at the very back, Di Ya had already started running, carrying Qing Kuo, Banjiu, and the Hairy-Horned Beast.

Behind Di Ya was Ban Ming, who was carrying the lone Ye Luo and the Hairy-Horned Beast, and didn't seem to be struggling much.

The other orcs fared much better; they all ran quite easily and quickly. Even the downhill path didn't hinder their speed at all.

Instead, after observing for a while, Jian Mo felt the scenery on both sides rushing past, and the descent brought a sense of weightlessness, which was a bit uncomfortable. So he hugged the giant wolf's neck, buried his face in its fur, and closed his eyes.