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Jian Mo patiently shoveled out its droppings and replaced the wood ash, giving it a dry, clean place to stay.

As for the droppings, Jian Mo shoveled them into a wooden bucket kept for that purpose, carried them to a patch of woods a little farther away, and covered them with weeds to compost.

Once the compost had finished fermenting, he could use it to fertilize the plants he had put in the ground.

As Jian Mo piled up the droppings, he considered clearing more land and planting more crops.

Otherwise, the Wood-Stabilizing Roots and medicinal herbs he was growing now wouldn't use up nearly that much fertilizer.

It would be such a waste.

That day, Jian Mo separated from the main group and planned to go with Wu Jiong to dig up tubers called "hairy roots."

The people in the tribe said hairy roots grew fairly large, but there wasn't much to eat. They were full of tough fibers, which had to be spat out as one ate, and their texture and taste were nothing special.

Nobody liked these tubers much. Unless there was no other food, they generally wouldn't consider eating them.

They weren't popular, so a large patch had grown at the foot of a distant mountain, with hardly anyone going to dig them up.

Jian Mo had lately been worrying about food for the Flying-Winged Beast. As soon as he heard about them, he took Wu Jiong along and set off without hesitation.

People disliked hairy roots because they were too fibrous, but the Flying-Winged Beast certainly wouldn't mind. It could even eat grass roots, so hairy roots would be no problem.

If nothing else worked, he could wash out the starch and such inside them. Using it to make something else would be a good option too.

Wu Jiong was puzzled. "How do you wash it out?"

Jian Mo said, "You pound them to a pulp, soak and wash them in water, then filter it and let the starch settle. Doesn't Qing Kuo have cloth? We can trade for some and use it to filter the mixture."

Wu Jiong thought for a moment. "Let's try it tonight."

"Then let's dig up some extra," Jian Mo said.

The two rode the Flying-Winged Beast straight through the air to the foot of the mountain, where hairy roots grew in abundance.

Being able to fly really did give the Flying-Winged Beast a huge advantage.

Even though they had flown all the way to that distant mountain, the trip had actually taken a little less time than Jian Mo usually spent going to gather things on the nearby mountains.

After getting off the Flying-Winged Beast, Jian Mo couldn't resist stroking its wings.

With the Flying-Winged Beast, they could travel over a much wider area.

The Flying-Winged Beast folded its wings, blinked its big eyes, and nuzzled Jian Mo, whose expression had suddenly softened considerably. "Chirp?"

Jian Mo said, "Take a break and graze nearby."

The Flying-Winged Beast chirped.

The two tethered the Flying-Winged Beast beside a tree, picked up their stone hoes, and began digging for hairy roots.

The soil at the foot of the mountain was relatively soft and easy to dig. Swinging their hoes in wide arcs, they could dig up a large one in just a few strokes.

Hairy roots looked like large taros, but their skins were covered in hairs. Piled together and caked with dirt, they looked filthy.

Jian Mo thought they might as well take them straight to the river when they got back, scrub them clean, and then bring them home.

The hairy roots were easy to dig up, and before noon they had unearthed a huge pile.

Jian Mo looked at the hairy roots. "Why don't we head back for today? If we dig up any more, I'm afraid the Flying-Winged Beast might not be able to carry them."

Wu Jiong turned to take a look and agreed. "All right."

The two sorted the hairy roots, brought over the Flying-Winged Beast, which had been resting and foraging nearby, and tied the baskets of roots onto its back.

As Jian Mo piled the hairy roots onto its back, he watched its expression, worried that they might be too heavy for it.

The Flying-Winged Beast watched Jian Mo with shining eyes, chirping now and then. It seemed completely unconcerned by the weight on its back.

Jian Mo patted its neck, full of feeling. This fellow ate a lot, but it was strong too, and made quite a capable pack animal.

After tying down the hairy roots, they climbed onto the Flying-Winged Beast's back and directed it to fly toward the tribe.

They had moved exceptionally quickly today.

When they reached the tribe, the sun was still high in the sky, with clearly quite some time left before it set.

The two went to the river to wash the hairy roots.

As Jian Mo cut away the parts infested with bugs, he found that the hairy roots did indeed contain a great deal of fiber. Eaten like ordinary tubers, they would probably get stuck in their teeth.

They might as well wash out the starch.

Holding a hairy root cut in half, Jian Mo said to Wu Jiong, "They really aren't very good to eat. Why don't we just wash out the starch in a bit?"

"Okay," Wu Jiong said. "Once they're clean, we'll take them over to the stone mortar and pound them."

Jian Mo still wasn't very familiar with the tribe. "Where's the stone mortar? I don't think I've seen it."

"Under the big tree not far from Hong Qiu's house," Wu Jiong said. "Sometimes the tribe gathers nuts with shells too hard to crack with a knife. We just crush them in the stone mortar and pick out the kernels."

After washing the hairy roots, Wu Jiong took Jian Mo to see the stone mortar.

It was a large natural rock with a hollow in it, right under the tree.

The people of the tribe had installed a wooden frame beside the rock, with a large stone hammer attached to it.

By stepping on the stone hammer's wooden handle, one could use the frame in the middle to make the hammer fall into the hollow again and again, pounding whatever was inside to a pulp.

Jian Mo hadn't expected the tribe to have such an advanced tool, and he was deeply struck by it.

One really shouldn't underestimate the ingenuity of working people. The tribe didn't have abundant supplies, but it certainly had plenty of tools.

Unaware of Jian Mo's thoughts, Wu Jiong picked up the large stone hammer and moved it aside, then poured the hairy roots into the hollow. "It'll be easier if I change back into my beast form. Don't stand too close when I start pounding."

Jian Mo quickly nodded.

Wu Jiong turned his back, transformed into a huge white wolf, and walked over.

Jian Mo watched the huge white wolf approach step by step, his fur flowing, and kept feeling an urge to go over and give him a good rub.

Jian Mo lowered his head and resisted the urge, keeping himself from looking at him.

The giant wolf walked to the stone mortar and used his paw to push the hairy roots into the hollow. Then he moved over to the wooden handle and stepped on it again and again, pounding the roots.

The enormous stone hammer was like a toy beneath his paw. With him stepping on the handle, it quickly pounded the hairy roots to a pulp.

At the side, Jian Mo kept pushing the hairy roots down and using a long wooden stick to turn over the roots at the bottom.