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Jian Mo: "It's alright, it's a good opportunity to try a unique flavor."

Four people sat at the table drinking tea.

Ji Xun and his family's house was newly built, and they even took glass from the old house to make it look very nice.

The sunlight was perfect at that moment, and through the window, one could see vegetable gardens, meadows, green hills, and snow-capped mountains outside, with layers of scenery, each layer different from the last.

Jian Mo softly exclaimed, "This place is so beautiful and comfortable."

Ji Xun with a hint of pride, "When we built the house, we specifically chose the best spot for the view. We even planned out the vegetable garden outside to make it look as tidy as possible, which is why it's so beautiful."

Jian Mo: "That's really good."

After finishing the tea, Jian Mo examined Ji Xun's body.

Ji Xun is in good health, just a little thin; his ribs are starting to protrude.

Jian Mo, "Do you experience morning sickness? You seem to have lost some weight; you need to eat more to replenish your nutrition."

Ji Xun: "I don't vomit, but I get hungry easily. I've already eaten quite a lot. Mo A said that this is how their clan is when they are pregnant. I guess the baby's beast form will be like theirs."

Mo A nodded in agreement, "Our clan expends a lot of energy during pregnancy, so this is indeed common."

Jian Mo: "Then you should make some jerky or other snacks, so you can eat them whenever you're hungry, instead of just waiting for a proper meal."

Ji Xun: "We did. We were just thinking of going up the mountain to pick some nut kernels to make nut butter."

Jian Mo asked in surprise, "Are there any 'Grinning Fruits' nearby?"

Ji Xun: "Yes, Mo A found them. The weather is nice today, and the fruit is growing well. Do you want to come along?"

Jian Mo ate the "grinning fruit" twice.

The nut with a scalloped shape is one of the best-tasting nuts here; it's very fragrant, and apart from being a little hard, it's perfect.

The main reason is that the trees of the "Grinning Fruit" are often over ten meters tall, making them large trees, and a single tree can produce a good harvest.

With that in Jian Mo happily accepted Ji Xun and the others' invitation.

So the four of them carried baskets on their backs and went into the mountains.

Ji Xun and his group were already living on the mountain, but this area was part of the Mount Ambus Range, which had many mountains, one after another, layer upon layer, and even on the mountain, one could climb even higher mountains.

Today they are going to the deep mountains to pick the "grinding fruit".

Mo A had been here before and knew the roads well. He led them around in circles until they reached the mountainside and stood under a huge, grinning fruit tree.

Ji Xun up. "It's this tree with the 'greasy mouth' fruit. We came to see it once before, but the fruit wasn't quite ripe then. Now it's finally ripe."

Jian Mo looked down at the ground, where there were grinning fruits that had been blown down by the wind.

He picked one up; the fist-sized, split open, revealing clusters of nuts inside, each with a smooth outer skin.

Jian Mo used a little force to break open the outermost hard shell of the nut, rubbing the nuts off one by one and placing them in her palm.

These nuts, about the size of longans, were quite heavy. He shared them with Wu Jiong, Ji Xun, and a few others, then randomly picked one, put it in his mouth, and bit into it. Inside the shell was crisp and sweet flesh, with relatively little water content, but it tasted good.

Ji Xun looked at Jian Mo's expression and asked, "How is it? Aren't the 'Grinning Fruits' from this tree delicious?"

Jian Mo nodded. "Sweet."

Mo A put down the basket on his back. "You all step back a bit, I'll go to the top of the tree and shake the grinning fruit down."

Ji Xun: "Go ahead, but be careful."

Mo A nodded. "I know."

Mo A carried them on her back, tore off her animal skin skirt, and transformed into a giant panda. Then, she hugged the thick tree trunk and climbed to the top of the tree in no time.

For a giant panda, a tree that is more than ten meters tall is practically the same as flat ground. It can climb the trunk and the canopy in the same way.

Jian Mo watched as he climbed up to a very thin branch and felt a little worried. "Should we ask him to come back a little? That branch is really too thin."

Ji Xun: "It's alright, he's not the unreliable type. If he judges it's okay, then it should be okay."

Jian Mo had no choice but to stop talking and just watch the giant panda struggling to shake the treetop.

Using its weight advantage, the giant panda hugged the tree crown and fell in one direction.

Then, he began to swing in another direction, like on a swing.

The massive tree canopy was shaken violently, swaying from side to side and making a rustling sound.

The ripe, gaping fruits in the tree canopy fell to the ground like raindrops as the tree swayed.

After just a few shakes, a thin layer of the lychee fruit covered the ground. They hardly needed to pick them out; a sweep with a twig was enough to gather them into a pile.

Jian Mo stared at the treetop in astonishment. "Mo A is truly amazing."

Ji Xun: "He's very powerful. He lived a good life even when he was wandering alone. Look at his beast form—after wandering for so long, his beast form is even larger than that of an average beastman."

Jian Mo nodded in agreement. "Indeed. When he was teaching the kids, I felt he was both strong and gentle; he has such a strong personal charm."

The giant panda was still swaying in the tree and probably didn't hear the conversation below.

Wu Jiong heard this, glanced at Jian Mo, and said nothing.

Jian Mo was sensitive to her partner's emotions. She reached out and hugged Wu Jiong's waist, not minding that Ji Xun was standing right next to her. "Wu Jiong is also very powerful. He should be the most powerful clan leader in our area now."

Ji Xun praised in agreement, "That's right. Everyone from the surrounding tribes speaks highly of Chief Wu Jiong. They all say that Chief Wu Jiong is both powerful and fair, just like the most admired orc hero."

Jian Mo nodded in agreement. "Indeed. Powerful people are often arrogant, and strong people who are not arrogant are truly admirable."

Wu Jiong's ears turned slightly red, and he said in a deep voice, "I'll go up and help too."

As he spoke, Wu Jiong tried to transform back into his beast form.

Jian Mo quickly grabbed his waist to stop him from moving. "No, no, no, it's already worrying enough that Mo A went up there. If you go up, my heart will probably jump out of my throat."