Improvement

Timid as they were, there were plenty of things they liked to eat, so finding food for them shouldn't be difficult.

By the time the two led the Pack-Pack Beasts back to the tribe, it was completely dark.

Everyone else who had attended the Hunting Gathering had returned.

A person patrolling outside the tribe saw the Pack-Pack Beasts they were leading and said with a smile, "Jian Mo finally traded for some Pack-Pack Beasts?"

Jian Mo nodded. "Yes, they were given to me by the family of a beastman with an injured leg."

The patrolman said, "Ah, being able to heal is wonderful. Hurry home and get some rest. You've had a long day."

The two led the Pack-Pack Beasts home.

Jian Mo glanced around inside and outside the house. "Where should we keep them? How about next to the Flying-Winged Beast?"

Wu Jiong said, "That would scare them to death. We'll keep them outside the house for now. Tomorrow I'll find some wood and build a pen for them."

Jian Mo nodded repeatedly. "That works. I'll get some food ready for them first."

The Pack-Pack Beasts adapted reasonably well to their home, as evidenced by the fact that they were still alive the next morning and had gnawed the ground beneath them bare.

Jian Mo looked at the Pack-Pack Beasts, then turned to Wu Jiong. "I told you they should get along with the Flying-Winged Beast."

A question showed in Wu Jiong's eyes.

Jian Mo pointed at the ground beneath the Pack-Pack Beasts. "Look."

The Pack-Pack Beasts had gnawed all the grass beneath them away too, and were now eating the roots. Their teeth ground away as they looked at the two men innocently with wide eyes. When Jian Mo pointed at them, they let out a drawn-out call. "Duo-"

Just like the Flying-Winged Beast.

Jian Mo went over to check on the Pack-Pack Beasts and made a point of prying their mouths open for a look.

Based on his experience as a veterinarian, the Pack-Pack Beasts were probably ruminants. The grass in their mouths had clearly been digested.

It was a little remarkable, considering they were omnivores.

Jian Mo felt a belly, then stopped.

He looked up at Wu Jiong. "This female seems to be pregnant."

Wu Jiong bent down. "Let me see."

Wu Jiong soon confirmed that the Pack-Pack Beast was indeed pregnant.

The female Pack-Pack Beast's belly was round, and through the thin skin, the fetus inside could be felt.

Jian Mo remarked, "A Meng is really generous. I'll ask Ban Ming to bring him some more food later. Speaking of which, how long are Pack-Pack Beasts pregnant? Will we be getting beast milk soon?"

Wu Jiong said, "Half a season. She should be able to give birth when winter comes."

Jian Mo looked at the female Pack-Pack Beast, his eyes lighting up. "Wow."

Chapter 16: Improvement

It would still be some time before the Pack-Pack Beast produced milk, so for now, Jian Mo continued to focus mainly on the Hunting Gathering.

The Hunting Gathering lasted nine days in all.

The people of the tribe didn't attend the whole time. They took turns going, spending the rest of their time hunting and gathering as needed to prepare for winter.

After the people of the Mengshui Tribe heard of Jian Mo's reputation, they asked him to be on hand at the Hunting Gathering and paid him in supplies each day, so he had to go every day.

That morning, after Jian Mo finished breakfast and fed the Flying-Winged Beast and the Pack-Pack Beasts, he set off for the Mengshui Tribe with Wu Jiong.

They rode the Flying-Winged Beast straight there, which was much faster.

Their Riverside Tribe was some distance from the Mengshui Tribe, and even riding the Flying-Winged Beast, they didn't arrive particularly early.

Many people had arrived long ago. There were plenty of people setting up stalls, strolling around, and chatting, making for a lively scene.

When they arrived, Wu Jiong led the Flying-Winged Beast away to tether it, while Jian Mo went to the spot the Mengshui Tribe had reserved for him. He put down his medical kit and got ready to treat patients.

Jian Mo had only just sat down when a sub-beastman from the Mengshui Tribe came over carrying a clay jar. "Doctor Jian Mo, try our sweet drink. It's made with cooling leaves and sweet fruit. See if it tastes like what you described."

The beastmen had originally wanted to call Jian Mo a priest or a shaman, but Jian Mo felt he didn't deserve those titles, so he asked everyone to call him doctor.

Jian Mo stood and reached out to take it. "Thank you."

The sub-beastman moved the jar out of his reach and set it on the table, then laid out the bowls he had brought. Smiling, he asked, "Did Chief Wu Jiong not come today?"

"He did. He went to tether the Flying-Winged Beast." Jian Mo picked up the drink and took a sip, narrowing his eyes at its icy, lightly sweet taste. "It's delicious!"

The sub-beastman said, "Isn't it? When we made it this morning, the people in our tribe said it was delicious too. Your method really was better."

As they were talking, a panicked voice came from behind them. "Doctor Jian Mo-"

Jian Mo turned and saw two panicked people running toward him with a child in their arms.

The child's eyes were squeezed shut as he wailed, and whenever he opened his mouth, blood poured out in a steady stream.

Jian Mo's heart tightened. He quickly swept the things on the table into a corner. "Quick, put the child up here! What happened to him?"

The sub-beastman holding the child tightly said, "He fell out of a tree just now, and he's been coughing up blood ever since!"

Seeing that the sub-beastman's hands were nearly cramping, Jian Mo said to him, "I'll check what's wrong first. Lay the child on his side."

The child was still crying when he was placed on the table. His cries were loud and sounded full of vigor.

Generally speaking, an injured person who could make such a loud noise was less likely to be badly hurt. The little beastman was in fairly good condition.

Jian Mo quickly pulled the little beastman's mouth open and examined it closely, then pressed his head against the boy's chest and listened carefully.

The people around them didn't dare breathe loudly, standing tensely behind him.

After assessing him for several minutes, Jian Mo looked up and said, "There probably aren't any internal injuries. His mouth is full of blood because his teeth cut a big gash inside, and a piece of a tooth has broken off too."

As he spoke, Jian Mo pinched the little beastman's mouth open to show his two fathers.

Sure enough, there was a large, bleeding gash inside the little beastman's mouth.

At the sight, the two fathers instinctively felt relieved, and their expressions softened somewhat.

Jian Mo opened his medical kit, took out a beast bladder filled with salt water, and rinsed the child's mouth.

Soon, the blood in the little beastman's mouth had been washed away, and Jian Mo had pressed a clean piece of cloth against the large gash.