Recaps

Jian Mo struggled with his growing attraction to Wu Jiong after they shared a bed, then went with him to meet traders offering cured meat. The chapter ended with Jian Mo discovering that the supposed cured meat was actually chunks of creamy-yellow fat, and the trader recognized him.

• Jian Mo asked Wu Jiong to sleep beside him in human form, and the two shared a bed.
• Jian Mo woke before dawn, flustered by his feelings for Wu Jiong, and went outside to cool down.
• Jian Mo started a fire to prepare breakfast, but Zhou Fu told him traders had arrived with cured meat.
• Wu Jiong insisted on accompanying Jian Mo to the open area, where the traders were surrounded by members of the tribe.
• Jian Mo saw that the traders were offering cured fat rather than meat, and one trader addressed him as Doctor Jian Mo.

Jian Mo discovered that Kuang Ning’s cured meat contained a seasoning with the aroma of scallions and garlic, and he traded for some to try. After enjoying it with Wu Jiong, Jian Mo used it to make a meat-filled pastry, which he invited Wu Jiong to taste.

• Kuang Ning offered Jian Mo a sample of his family’s cured meat, and Jian Mo recognized a distinctive aroma like scallions and garlic.
• Jian Mo traded cloth for five pieces of cured meat and learned that Kuang Ning came from the distant Qin Sea Tribe.
• Wu Jiong agreed to visit the Qin Sea Tribe with Jian Mo after the longest nights passed so they could learn more about the seasoning.
• Jian Mo roasted the cured meat and ate it with Wu Jiong and boiled stem tubers, then decided to trade for more.
• Jian Mo baked a pastry filled with fresh and cured meat, and Wu Jiong tasted it with him.

Jian Mo and Wu Jiong traveled to the Qin Sea Tribe to trade, arriving in its snowy, mountainous territory the following afternoon. They were welcomed by a patrol beastman, who escorted them toward the tribe’s meeting cave.

• Qing Kuo, Zhou Fu, and Ye Luo warned Jian Mo that the Qin Sea Tribe was colder and windier than the Riverside Tribe, and Jian Mo packed his medical instruments and medicine.
• Min Dang’s carefully made beast-hide bags drew the tribe members’ interest as Jian Mo finished preparing for the journey.
• Wu Jiong arranged things for the tribe, and he and Jian Mo set out the next day on the Flying-Winged Beast.
• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong arrived at the Qin Sea Tribe, where Jian Mo saw its many cave homes among the snow-covered low mountains.
• A Qin Sea Tribe patrol beastman recognized the visitors from the Riverside Tribe and invited them to the meeting cave, asking Jian Mo about his eye protection and mask.

Jian Mo and Wu Jiong reached the Qin Sea Tribe, where Chief Shu Guang welcomed them and offered to help them find spices. The next morning, Shu Guang led them to a hillside to gather broadleaf garlic, and Jian Mo spotted the first plant.

• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong arrived at the Qin Sea Tribe’s meeting cave and met Chief Shu Guang, who warmly welcomed them.
• Shu Guang gave the visitors a warm place to stay, and Jian Mo shared sausages and Flour Fruit cakes with the tribe.
• When no one had enough spices to trade, Shu Guang offered to take Jian Mo and Wu Jiong out to dig for fresh ones.
• Shu Guang led the group across the snowfield to low hills and showed Jian Mo a broadleaf garlic plant.

Jian Mo and Wu Jiong gathered broadleaf garlic with Shu Guang, and Jian Mo learned that its roots were bitter and had to be used sparingly. Back at the Qin Sea Tribe, Jian Mo treated the sick and injured, and Kuang Ning came to ask him about a problem on his hand.

• Jian Mo dug up broadleaf garlic with Wu Jiong and Shu Guang, then tasted a root and discovered its bitter, pungent flavor.
• Shu Guang lent Jian Mo a hand gathering broadleaf garlic, and they filled more than half a basket before the cold drove them back.
• Jian Mo offered to examine sick tribespeople, explaining that he would charge supplies only if he cured them.
• Kuang Ning heard that Jian Mo had eased an acquaintance's winter leg pain and decided to seek treatment for the growths on his hand.
• Kuang Ning arrived at the crowded cave and saw Jian Mo pricking a young sub-beastman's finger while Wu Jiong changed another patient's dressing.

Jian Mo treated patients in the Qin Sea Tribe and suspected Kuang Ning’s recurring bumps were caused by an allergy to soft-thorn fruit. After Kuang Ning stopped eating it, his skin improved, while Jian Mo and Wu Jiong prepared to leave the tribe the next day.

• Jian Mo treated a little sub-beastman’s digestive trouble and gave him pills and dietary advice.
• Kuang Ning showed Jian Mo his recurring itchy bumps, and Jian Mo advised him to stop eating soft-thorn fruit and wash with soap.
• Jian Mo continued treating the Qin Sea Tribe’s patients, then told Shu Guang that he and Wu Jiong planned to leave the next day.
• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong sorted the supplies they had received while the Flying-Winged Beast played with the tribe’s bear cubs.
• Kuang Ning returned and reported that his bumps had nearly disappeared after he stopped eating soft-thorn fruit.

Jian Mo learned Kuang Ning’s method for making broadleaf garlic seasoning and shared a meal of seasoned roast meat with Kuang Ning and his partner. The visit ended with Jian Mo savoring the food and praising its flavor.

• Kuang Ning invited Jian Mo and Wu Jiong to his cave and offered to teach Jian Mo how to remove broadleaf garlic’s bitterness.
• Kuang Ning explained that the roots should be chopped, washed, and fried in oil, then ground with salt after the oil was discarded.
• Jian Mo tasted the finished broadleaf garlic seasoning and recognized it as the seasoning powder he knew.
• Kuang Ning’s partner roasted cured meat, and Kuang Ning served it with broadleaf garlic powder.
• Jian Mo dipped the roast meat in the seasoning, enjoyed it, and praised its savory flavor.

Jian Mo and Wu Jiong returned from the Qin Sea Tribe with traded goods, including big-leaf garlic, and Jian Mo shared a meal of garlic-roasted meat with friends. Jian Mo checked on Ran Wu’s recovery and planned to get a replacement knife, leaving the big-leaf garlic processing method as Kuang Ning’s family secret.

• Jian Mo gave Kuang Ning his metal knife in return for Kuang Ning’s hospitality and sweetleaf.
• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong returned to their tribe after about ten days away, bringing back big-leaf garlic roots, sweetleaf, and other goods.
• Jian Mo showed the tribe the garlic powder and invited Qing Kuo’s family, Min Dang’s family, and Ye Luo to eat roasted meat.
• Jian Mo examined Ran Wu, found that his fur and health were improving, and reassured him.
• Jian Mo asked Qing Kuo to arrange a replacement knife and offered metal as payment.
• Jian Mo shared garlic-roasted meat with his friends and said he would give them some processed garlic powder without revealing Kuang Ning’s family recipe.

After returning home, Jian Mo learned that the flour Min Dang had mentioned came from the Qin Sea Tribe and decided to make noodles with it. The chapter ended with Jian Mo rolling out and cutting the dough while Wu Jiong helped.

• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong settled back into their home after returning, while their friends offered to bring supplies from the Mengshui Tribe.
• Min Dang brought Jian Mo a bag of flour he had traded for from a friend and explained that it came from the Qin Sea Tribe.
• Jian Mo tasted the flour and thanked Min Dang, then gave him broadleaf garlic powder and meat to take home.
• Jian Mo decided to try making noodles, mixed the flour with water, and asked Wu Jiong to knead the dough.
• Jian Mo made a rolling pin, rolled the dough into a sheet, and cut it into thin strips.

Jian Mo made braised meat noodles that reminded him of home, and Wu Jiong comforted him when the meal stirred up homesickness. Unable to sleep, Jian Mo drank warmed Snow Pearl Wine and clung to Wu Jiong, still awake and wanting comfort.

• Jian Mo prepared noodles with stewed meat, pickled vegetables, bird eggs, and tendon grass, while Wu Jiong helped him.
• Jian Mo tasted the noodles and cried because they reminded him of home; Wu Jiong comforted him and praised the meal.
• After dinner, Wu Jiong washed the bowls and checked on Jian Mo, who remained homesick and could not sleep.
• Wu Jiong brought Snow Pearl Wine and warmed it for Jian Mo, who drank until his thoughts grew hazy.
• Jian Mo wrapped his arms around Wu Jiong and said he still was not sleepy.

After Jian Mo teased Wu Jiong while drunk, Wu Jiong left him sore and exhausted the next day, then cared for him as he recovered. Jian Mo basked in the courtyard on Wu Jiong’s wolf form, where Qing Kuo arrived to ask whether they would help collect alkali before the weather turned cold.

• Jian Mo showed Wu Jiong that they had supplies ready and coaxed him into spending the night together.
• Jian Mo woke the following afternoon aching all over, and Wu Jiong offered to massage him and carry him downstairs.
• Wu Jiong prepared noodles for Jian Mo, who ate before going outside to enjoy the sun.
• Jian Mo asked Wu Jiong to transform into a giant wolf, then lay on his warm belly and fell asleep.
• Qing Kuo found Jian Mo asleep on Wu Jiong and asked whether they wanted to collect alkali before the weather turned cold.

Jian Mo recovered and tried the traded ointment with Wu Jiong before inviting Qing Kuo and the others to make sausages during freezing rain. The group finished a richer, more fragrant batch, which Jian Mo boiled and shared.

• After several days of rest, Jian Mo recovered and used half a jar of ointment with Wu Jiong, enjoying the experience.
• During freezing rain, Jian Mo invited Qing Kuo and the others to make sausages so they could trade some for flour before spring.
• Jian Mo asked around the tribe for spare casings, and Zhou Fu and Qing Kuo provided some.
• Jian Mo changed the sausage recipe to include more fat, fruit wine, and broadleaf garlic powder.
• Jian Mo boiled the finished sausages and shared them with everyone, and Qing Kuo praised the fragrance of the broadleaf garlic powder.

Jian Mo and Wu Jiong traded sausages for flour at the Qin Sea Tribe and asked Kuang Ning to help them find the plant ground into flour. After receiving permission from the chieftain, they followed Kuang Ning and Jin Ping to a snowless mountainside where the grass grew.

• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong traveled to the Qin Sea Tribe with sausages and traded them for two large baskets of flour.
• Kuang Ning helped organize the trading, and Jian Mo thanked him and Jin Ping over dinner.
• Jian Mo asked Kuang Ning about seeing the plant used to make flour, and Kuang Ning promised to consult the chieftain.
• Kuang Ning told Jian Mo the chieftain had approved their visit, then led Jian Mo, Wu Jiong, and Jin Ping to the grassland.
• Jian Mo and the others reached a mountainside near noon and saw withered grass covering the snowless slope.

Jian Mo harvested nine sacks of flour grass with Kuang Ning and the others, then decided to take some home to plant and improve. After giving Kuang Ning honey chunks, Jian Mo and Wu Jiong prepared to return to their tribe.

• Jian Mo and Kuang Ning harvested flour grass heads, filling nine sacks by the end of the day.
• Jian Mo decided not to harvest the remaining patch because the grass grew on Qin Sea Tribe territory.
• Jian Mo told Wu Jiong he wanted to plant two sacks of flour grass and work on improving it.
• Jian Mo gave Kuang Ning honey chunks as a gift and said he and Wu Jiong were heading home.
• Kuang Ning offered to help carry the grain heads, but Jian Mo said they likely would not need help.

Jian Mo and Wu Jiong returned to the Riverside Tribe with flour grass seeds, where their friends welcomed them and offered to help grind the seeds. The group planned to use the tribe’s new stone mill after breakfast the next day.

• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong loaded the grain heads onto the Flying-Winged Beast and set off for the Riverside Tribe.
• Ban Ming spotted them on patrol, howled to alert the tribe, and everyone helped unload their supplies.
• Jian Mo found that Qing Kuo had cleaned their house and prepared warm water for their return.
• Qing Kuo tasted the flour grass seeds and agreed they were worth the trip; Ye Luo, Min Dang, Zhou Fu, and Xi Lu offered to help grind them.
• Jian Mo arranged to take the seeds to the tribe’s big stone mill with a few helpers the next morning.

Jian Mo and his friends laboriously ground flour from flour grass seeds, then he began baking a cake with Wu Jiong’s help. The cake was left to bake in a covered stone pot over charcoal.

• Jian Mo explained how to thresh the flour grass seeds, and the group began processing them while he made grilled sausages for breakfast.
• Wu Jiong, Di Ya, Qing Kuo, Ye Luo, Min Dang, Xi Lu, and Zhou Fu divided the work of pounding, grinding, and sifting the seeds.
• After a day of work, the group had made one bag of flour from seven bags of seeds, and Jian Mo promised to treat them to cake the next day.
• Wu Jiong borrowed bird eggs and whipped the egg whites while Jian Mo mixed batter with Pack-Pack Beast milk, powdered honey blocks, and other ingredients.
• Jian Mo combined the egg whites and batter, poured half into an oiled stone pot, and set it to bake under charcoal while everyone waited.

Jian Mo baked a cake over a charcoal fire, and everyone gathered at his home eagerly waited to taste it. After enjoying the cake, they agreed to grow more flour grass and other crops, while Jian Mo baked another batch for them to take home.

• Jian Mo checked the cake as it baked, and Wu Jiong confirmed that it still smelled slightly of raw egg, so everyone kept waiting.
• Jian Mo decided the cake was ready, and Wu Jiong divided it into eight portions for the group.
• Everyone enjoyed the soft, fragrant cake, while Min Dang saved his portion for Ran Wu and Sui Ai until Jian Mo promised to bake another batch.
• Wu Jiong, Qing Kuo, Di Ya, and Zhou Fu agreed to clear land and grow flour grass and other crops for future baking.
• Jian Mo explained basic agriculture while baking a second cake, then gave everyone portions to take home and saved one for Jiujiu.

Jian Mo and Wu Jiong fed Jiujiu cake, then planned improvements to their kitchen while the snow kept them indoors. Jian Mo discovered a piece of naturally fermented dough and decided to use it to make steamed buns.

• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong gave Jiujiu the cake, and Jiujiu eagerly nibbled it after swallowing and spitting it back out.
• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong chose grilled meat for breakfast and agreed to wait for the snow to stop before gathering tendon grass.
• Jian Mo suggested building a separate kitchen and trading animal hides for stones, and Wu Jiong agreed to tell Qing Kuo and the others.
• Jian Mo proposed making a stove and metal pots, and Wu Jiong offered to forge them.
• Jian Mo found a soft, fermented piece of dough and explained fermentation to Wu Jiong.
• Jian Mo decided to use the dough as a starter and make steamed buns for dinner.

Jian Mo made meat-filled baozi with Wu Jiong, then the Riverside Tribe began clearing riverside land for its first serious planting effort. The work proved exhausting, and Jian Mo warned the tribe not to dig with their claws.

• Jian Mo used risen dough to make sauce-braised meat baozi while Wu Jiong prepared the pot for steaming.
• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong tasted the buns and enjoyed their soft wrappers and savory filling.
• After several days of rain and snow, Wu Jiong joined the tribe in clearing communal riverside land before anyone claimed private plots.
• The tribe struggled with thick roots and buried stones, and a tribesman asked Jian Mo whether he could use his beast-form claws to dig.
• Jian Mo advised against using claws because they could wear down, become inflamed, and hurt for days.

Jian Mo and Wu Jiong prepared riverside fields for farming, while most of the tribe decided not to grow crops. The tribe helped clear the land, celebrated with a bonfire party, and then joined Jian Mo in spreading base fertilizer.

• Many tribe members gave up on farming because clearing land seemed too tiring, leaving Jian Mo with plenty of riverside plots to use.
• Ban Ming, A Hu, Xi Lu, He Feng, and the cubs joined Jian Mo and Wu Jiong in clearing fields, and the rest of the tribe came to help as well.
• The tribe cleared all Jian Mo's chosen plots in less than three days, so he treated everyone to a meal and Qing Kuo suggested a bonfire party.
• Jian Mo brought Snow Pearl Fruit wine to the gathering and told Qing Kuo that his Flour Fruit wine was fermenting slowly.
• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong began mixing plant ash and fermented beast dung into the soil, and Jian Mo advised Qing Kuo's household to use Jiujiu's fermented droppings as fertilizer.

Jian Mo and Wu Jiong gathered grass to protect their new crops, then returned to find two unconscious cubs from the True Scarlet Tribe at the clinic. Jian Mo examined them and suspected an external cause, but had not yet identified what was wrong.

• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong decided to cover the crops with grass and build a fence to keep wild beasts out.
• Wu Jiong carried Jian Mo downriver, where they cut grass, gathered vines, and picked a basket of red fruits.
• A patrolling beastman told Jian Mo and Wu Jiong that two cubs from the True Scarlet Tribe had been brought to the clinic unconscious.
• Jian Mo examined Su Yue and Wang Yue, found that both had rapid breathing, dilated pupils, feverish bodies, and an unusual odor, and asked their father when their symptoms began.

Jian Mo treated two unconscious cubs from the True Scarlet Tribe for suspected poisoning, identified mi grass as the likely cause, and stabilized them. The cubs stayed in the Riverside Tribe for observation while their families waited nearby.

• Jian Mo suspected the cubs had been poisoned and sent Wu Jiong, Qing Kuo, and Ye Luo to gather supplies for treatment.
• Jian Mo made the cubs drink Flour Fruit water until they vomited, then found dark green plant matter and identified mi grass as the likely poison.
• Jian Mo gave the cubs an herbal decoction and ordered their fathers to keep them warm while the room was cleaned and disinfected.
• Jian Mo said the cubs were stable but needed two days of observation, and the group left two people to watch over them.
• Wu Jiong offered the True Scarlet Tribe visitors vacant houses, and Jian Mo learned their chief had come with them.

Jian Mo treated two cubs who had eaten rot grass and checked on them through the night. The cubs recovered by morning, and their father learned they had eaten the poisonous grass during a contest after blaming each other.

• Jian Mo reassured Qing Kuo that the cubs were improving, then went home and prepared food to take to their caregivers.
• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong visited the clinic that evening, where Jian Mo found the cubs' fevers had gone down and gave them another dose of medicine.
• Jian Mo woke early and returned to the clinic with Wu Jiong, where the two cubs ran out to greet him, awake and lively.
• Jian Mo examined the cubs and told their father to give them two more bowls of detoxifying herbal soup.
• Jian Mo asked how the cubs had eaten rot grass, and they admitted they had done it during a grass-eating contest before accusing each other of starting it.

Jian Mo treated Su Yue and Wang Yue after they ate poisonous plants, then accepted stonewood from the True Scarlet Tribe as payment. The visitors brought more than he wanted, so he offered to trade a small metal axe for the extra logs.

• Jian Mo sent Su Yue and Wang Yue home to rest after they recovered, and their father thanked him and asked how to pay for the treatment.
• Jian Mo requested fifty logs of stonewood and lent the cubs' father a metal axe to cut them.
• The cubs' father returned home with his family, and Jian Mo praised Wu Jiong's beast form before riding home on his back.
• Five days later, the True Scarlet Tribe brought fifty large stonewood logs, but Jian Mo insisted that thirty would be enough.
• Qing Kuo suggested trading supplies for the extra logs, and Jian Mo offered the old chief a small metal axe for the remaining twenty.

Jian Mo traded a small metal axe for stonewood and prepared for spring by sprouting flour grass seeds. He joined the tribe’s trading trip to the Mengshui Tribe, where he treated a growing number of patients.

• Jian Mo traded a small metal axe to the True Scarlet Tribe, then asked Wu Jiong to deliver the tribe’s share of the stonewood and arrange help making furniture and household goods.
• Jian Mo showed Qing Kuo the flour grass seeds he had sprouted, and they discussed preparations for spring.
• Qing Kuo invited Jian Mo to trade with the Mengshui Tribe, and Jian Mo agreed to join the next day’s trip.
• Jian Mo traveled with the group to the Mengshui Tribe and noticed signs that the snow and ice were melting.
• Jian Mo treated people at the Mengshui Tribe, then saw patients from other tribes arrive, including someone with a broken leg.