The Dueling Platform

The fruit is somewhat like a persimmon. It is quite astringent when unripe, but the astringency lessens as it ripens, and the whole fruit becomes soft and juicy. You can peel off the skin to eat the fruit sac inside.

Jian Mo and Wu Jiong sat down by the fire pit, each taking a roasted naan fruit, and slowly peeled and ate them while chatting.

Roasted naan is sweet, soft, and creamy.

Jian Mo quite liked it.

When the kitten Banjiu saw Jian Mo, it touched his knee with its paw, as if it wanted to snuggle into his arms.

Unfortunately, the kitten from before has now grown to be almost the size of a Samoyed, and there's no way it can sit in Jian Mo's lap without obstructing his view.

The Banjiu circled twice before reluctantly sitting down to the side, using its fluffy tail as a cushion for its rear end, looking quite particular.

Jian Mo patted Banjiu's head. "When can Banjiu transform?"

Qing Kuo: "It should be this autumn. The little ones can suddenly transform into human form one day, but we can't say exactly which day it is now."

Jian Mo casually scratched Banjiu's chin. "Our Banjiu would definitely look good in human form."

The Banjiu rubbed its cheek against Jian Mo's hand, meowing happily.

After chatting for a while, Jian Mo and Wu Jiong went home.

Jiujiu and Ying'ao are still in their nest, while the Long-tailed Bird and the Pack-Pack Beast are in their shed.

Jian Mo had been worried for a long time. The Long-tailed Bird hadn't laid eggs. Could it be because their domestication techniques were inadequate?

Unexpectedly, when the wind picked up, the Long-tailed Bird laid eggs—two of them! I wonder when the other one was laid?

He couldn't wait to pick up the bird eggs, put them in his pocket, and run into the house to show them to Wu Jiong.

Wu Jiong touched the still-warm egg. "Just laid?"

Jian Mo: "I think so. The other one might have been born yesterday or the day before, without us noticing. Quick, quick, let's start a fire, let me see if these two bird eggs can hatch into chicks?"

Wu Jiong asked, puzzled, "Light a fire to incubate it? Won't it cook?"

Jian Mo: "No, I wanted to see if the two bird eggs were fertilized. If they were, you could see a small dark dot inside in the firelight. Aren't those two Long-tailed Bird a male and a female? Logically speaking, the probability of fertilization should be quite high."

Wu Jiong then started a fire.

Jian Mo took the eggs closer to the stove, examined them carefully, and excitedly pointed, "Both of these eggs have little black spots, right?"

Wu Jiong looked at it carefully. "Yes."

Jian Mo: "Then let's put the eggs back and see if the Long-tailed Bird will incubate them. If they do, we'll have a continuous supply of Long-tailed Bird to eat."

Eggs are an important resource. You can take eggs from birds outside, but it's definitely more convenient to take eggs from birds you keep at home.

Especially in winter, when you can't find bird eggs outside, your own birds will lay eggs every day, making life quite happy.

The Long-tailed Bird laid an egg, Jian Mo was in a great mood, humming a song the whole time.

Jiujiu and Ying'ao could also sense that he was in a good mood, and they became more lively as well.

The wind has been blowing for several days, and everyone has been staying at home, unable to do anything.

The wind finally stopped, and the entire tribe immediately sprang into action, with some going out hunting and others gathering.

Jian Mo also planned to go out with Wu Jiong.

They've been eating meat and dried vegetables for the past few days; they should go out and pick some fresh vegetables.

After the wind blew, the temperature dropped significantly, as if autumn had arrived. It was time for them to go out hunting and gathering to prepare supplies for winter.

Theoretically, there's no need to rush, but preparing in advance will make things less hectic later.

Jian Mo and Wu Jiong wanted to go out, and Ying'ao and Jiujiu also wanted to go out.

Ying'ao was the most anxious; it went out early in the morning and wasn't there when Jian Mo went to feed it.

Jiujiu stayed in its bed, looking a little guilty and acting rather furtive.

Jian Mo already knew it was hiding River Fluff Beast, so she turned a blind eye to its behavior and didn't pursue the matter.

Unexpectedly, just as Jian Mo and Wu Jiong were about to leave, they saw Jiujiu run from its den to the animal shed on the other side of the house, constantly sticking close to it, and they wondered what it was doing.

One side of the animal shed houses timid Pack-Pack Beast, while the other side houses Long-tailed Bird incubating their eggs.

Regardless of which animal pen is disturbed and an accident occurs, it represents a significant loss for them.

Jian Mo called out to Jiujiu, "Jiujiu, what are you doing?"

Jiujiu froze for a moment. "Eek."

Jian Mo walked over and asked suspiciously, "What are you doing here if you have nothing to do?"

As she spoke, Jian Mo had already reached Jiujiu and saw the River Fluff Beast it was carrying in its mouth.

Jian Mo understood immediately: Jiujiu also wanted to go out, so she wanted to put the pet in the animal pen.

When Jiujiu realized that things had been exposed, her body stiffened, and the River Fluff Beast in her mouth slipped and fell out of her mouth.

The River Fluff Beast was round and plump, like a ball, and it bounced on the ground when it fell.

Immediately afterwards, the dizzy and disoriented River Fluff Beast tried to run away.

Jiujiu was even faster, skillfully slapping the River Fluff Beast with its paw, making its eyes roll back in its head. "Chirp."

This doesn't seem like the attitude one would have towards a pet.

Before Jian Mo could figure it out, Jiujiu skillfully picked up the River Fluff Beast and shoved it into Jian Mo: "Jiujiu!"

This action is exactly the same as when he used to stuff prey into his mouth.

Jian Mo understood immediately, muttering, "The River Fluff Beast isn't a pet, it's food."

Jiujiu, with its big eyes, looked at Jian Mo and chirped.

His tone was very certain.

He said, "How could a gluttonous Jiujiu like you possibly keep a pet?"

Chapter 145 The Arena

Jian Mo grabbed the River Fluff Beast by the scruff of its neck and lifted it up.

The River Fluff Beast was clearly a cub, its fluffy body resembling a dandelion, looking intimidating, but actually barely any meat.

No wonder Jiujiu was raised first.

Jian Mo shoved the River Fluff Beast into the shed where the Long-tailed Bird were kept. "Alright, let's try raising it. If it dies, don't blame me."