Chapter Summaries

During a long spell of rain, Jian Mo went into the hills to lure a stray cat back to his veterinary clinic, but the surroundings began to seem unfamiliar. The chapter ended when a large, timid gray kitten answered his call from beneath a tree.

• Jian Mo found that rats had damaged the cat food in his clinic and decided to bring home a stray cat to deal with the problem.
• He closed the clinic and climbed the slippery, rain-soaked path into the hillside park with cat food and canned food.
• Jian Mo noticed the trees and undergrowth seemed unusually dense, but continued into the woods and waited beneath a large tree.
• After his phone lost signal and nearly ran out of battery, Jian Mo prepared to leave, then heard a kitten meow.
• Jian Mo saw a large gray cat crouched beneath a nearby tree, its fur standing on end and its demeanor timid.

Jian Mo befriended a kitten and invited him home, only to discover that the kitten’s older brother was a giant talking cat and that the people who arrived were beastmen. The chapter ended with Jian Mo staring in disbelief at the cat-eared man who had just beaten the giant cat.

• Jian Mo coaxed a cautious kitten into eating canned food and gradually gained his trust.
• Jian Mo picked up the kitten, cleaned him, and cuddled him while offering to take him home.
• A giant talking cat appeared and demanded that Jian Mo release his little brother.
• The kitten ran to the giant cat, who carried him on his back and warily asked if Jian Mo was a wandering sub-beastman.
• Several people emerged from the woods, and one man beat the giant cat for sneaking out with his month-old brother, Banjiu.
• The cat-eared man turned his sharp gaze on Jian Mo, who stared at him in disbelief.

Jian Mo realized he had been transported to an unfamiliar world populated by beastmen and could not find his way back. After questioning him and searching the forest, Wu Jiong decided to take him to the tribe and carried him there on his back.

• Jian Mo fled from the animal-eared strangers, but Ban Ming pounced at him and he tumbled down the mountain.
• The strangers surrounded Jian Mo until a giant white wolf arrived, transformed into a man, and was greeted as their chief.
• Jian Mo experienced a stabbing headache, recalled strange memories, and asked whether the man was a beastman.
• Wu Jiong introduced himself and asked where Jian Mo came from, but Jian Mo could only say he did not know and had walked in from another direction.
• Jian Mo led Wu Jiong and the others through the forest but failed to find his way home, so Wu Jiong decided to take him to the tribe and carried him on his back.

After recovering from a prolonged illness, Jian Mo explored Wu Jiong’s home and learned more about the beastman tribe he had been brought to. Wu Jiong left to hunt, while Jian Mo stayed behind and looked out over the tribe beneath the snow-capped mountains.

• Jian Mo woke feeling stronger after days of illness and told Wu Jiong he was beginning to recover.
• Jian Mo found that Wu Jiong had gathered his belongings, but his phone had no battery.
• Wu Jiong cooked Fork-Horned Beast meat and cut it into small pieces for Jian Mo to eat.
• Wu Jiong warned Jian Mo to stay inside the tribe or ask its residents for help, then left to hunt with other beastmen.
• Jian Mo watched the beastmen run out of the tribe and looked over the settlement on the plain below the snow-capped mountains.

Jian Mo explored the tribe, then used Wu Jiong’s ingredients and tools to prepare a meal while waiting for him to return. Wu Jiong came back with young men and a day’s hunt, and Jian Mo watched the tribe divide the animals’ meat.

• Jian Mo walked around the tribe and river valley, then returned to Wu Jiong’s house when he grew tired.
• Jian Mo cooked roasted meat, meat patties, and bone soup, then swept the room while Wu Jiong was away.
• Wu Jiong returned with several young men, who praised the food Jian Mo had prepared.
• Wu Jiong led the young men into the courtyard to divide the hunted beasts, and Jian Mo watched before going back inside to sweep.
• The tribe members carefully kept the beasts’ blood, organs, and other usable parts while dividing the meat.

Jian Mo cooked a meal for Wu Jiong and the young men, impressing them with tender Fork-Horned Beast meat and juicy meat patties. After learning that Jian Mo was a veterinarian, the group brought him Hong Qiu to examine, leaving him unsure whether he could help.

• Jian Mo helped Wu Jiong salt the meat, then served the young men his seared meat and soup.
• The young men praised Jian Mo's cooking and learned how he had prepared the Fork-Horned Beast meat and tuber-filled meat patty.
• The young men asked whether Jian Mo had a mate, and he said he did not and was not looking for one.
• Jian Mo explained that he was a veterinarian who treated sick animals, prompting the young men to ask whether he could treat Hong Qiu.
• Ban Ming rushed to fetch Hong Qiu, then returned carrying the sallow middle-aged man as Jian Mo recognized Ban Ming from their first encounter.

Jian Mo treated Hong Qiu's suspected wind-cold with gua sha, and Hong Qiu felt better afterward. The next morning, Hong Qiu left Jian Mo a Purple Bird as thanks, and Jian Mo inspected the still-warm bird.

• Hong Qiu explained that he had fallen ill after hiding in cold water from a Cave Ox, and Jian Mo examined him.
• Jian Mo used beast fat and gua sha to scrape Hong Qiu's back, then advised him to stay warm and rest.
• Hong Qiu said the treatment had made him feel better, and Wu Jiong thanked Jian Mo for helping him.
• The next morning, Jian Mo overheard Wu Jiong and Hong Qiu discussing Hong Qiu's recovery and the Purple Bird he had brought as thanks.
• Jian Mo found the Purple Bird by the door and saw that its neck was broken while its body was still warm.

Jian Mo prepared breakfast with Wu Jiong, then joined Qing Kuo and the other sub-beastmen on a gathering trip. At a tall fruit tree, Qing Kuo climbed up and called for Jian Mo to follow, leaving him staring at the bare trunk and wondering how to get up.

• Jian Mo asked Wu Jiong to bring back the purple bird’s feathers, then cooked meat patties for breakfast.
• Wu Jiong told Jian Mo that the tribe’s sub-beastmen had invited him gathering, and he agreed to go.
• Wu Jiong introduced Jian Mo to Qing Kuo, who agreed to look after him and led a group of sub-beastmen out of the tribe.
• Qing Kuo showed Jian Mo how he planned to gather energy fruit, then climbed a tall, branchless tree with his claws and motioned for Jian Mo to join him.
• Jian Mo looked from the high branches to the bare trunk and his own legs.

Jian Mo struggled to gather food with Qing Kuo and the other sub-beastmen, but collected neng fruits, wild vegetables, and sourfruit. After returning to the tribe and handing over half his haul, he began preparing vegetables at Wu Jiong's house while Wu Jiong was still away.

• Jian Mo failed to climb a tree, so Qing Kuo shook neng fruits down for him to gather.
• Jian Mo's hands became red and itchy from the fruit rind, but he kept gathering before joining the others to collect food.
• Jian Mo picked sourfruit despite another sub-beastman's warning and said he wanted to try making different dishes with it.
• Jian Mo left half his gathered food at the tribe's open space and returned to Wu Jiong's house.
• Jian Mo washed wild vegetables, salted them, and set them outside to dry.

Jian Mo received his share of food from the tribe and prepared an offal dish that impressed Wu Jiong. As they ate and shared patties with the tribe’s children, Jian Mo and Wu Jiong expressed gratitude that he had joined the tribe.

• Jian Mo joined the food distribution line and received liver, meat, a leg bone, tubers, and wild vegetables.
• Wu Jiong brought home meat and small intestine, and Jian Mo persuaded him to let him prepare the intestine and liver.
• Jian Mo cleaned the intestine with plant ash and stir-fried it with liver and Sour-Sour Fruit.
• Wu Jiong shared meat patties with the children who called him Chief, and Jian Mo gave Wu Jiong his pure-meat patty.
• Wu Jiong praised Jian Mo’s cooking and said he was glad Jian Mo had joined the tribe, and Jian Mo replied that he was honored to be part of it.

After Jian Mo’s meat patties impressed the tribe, its sub-beastmen greeted him more warmly. On a tiring gathering trip, Jian Mo grew exhausted and discovered that the others planned to bathe in the river without any washing supplies.

• Qiu Li shared Jian Mo’s meat patty with Zhou Fu, and they praised its flavor.
• The next morning, the sub-beastmen greeted Jian Mo warmly, and he joined their gathering party with Wu Jiong.
• Jian Mo’s group found mostly sour, unripe fruit and few mushrooms, then walked farther to gather at other spots.
• Jian Mo became exhausted during the trek, struggled to eat his patty, and fell asleep while resting by the river.
• Qing Kuo woke Jian Mo and told him the group was going to bathe; Jian Mo asked whether they had anything to wash with, and Qing Kuo was puzzled.

Jian Mo introduced the tribe to bathing with plant ash, and the villagers gathered to ask him about better cleansers. He also heard a strange cry by the river, but Wu Jiong found nothing unusual there.

• Jian Mo suggested using ash to wash, and he and the sub-beastmen tried it at the river.
• The tribe's cubs and beastmen joined in bathing with ash, and the villagers praised how clean it left them.
• Jian Mo heard a faint cry near a large rock in the river and asked Wu Jiong to investigate.
• Wu Jiong searched the river valley and found nothing unusual while Jian Mo prepared a steamed meat patty and meat stewed with Sour-Sour Fruit.
• Zhou Fu and the villagers visited Jian Mo during dinner to ask how to make a cleanser that worked better than ash.

Jian Mo showed the tribe how to make soap from plant ash and animal fat, and the first pieces quickly proved useful. After waking from a troubled night’s sleep, he asked Wu Jiong whether he had found anything in the river valley.

• Jian Mo explained that soap could be made from plant ash and animal fat, so the tribespeople brought animal fat to Wu Jiong's home.
• Jian Mo directed the tribespeople to prepare ash water, then heated it with animal fat and stirred until it became a paste.
• Wu Jiong helped Jian Mo stir the mixture, and Jian Mo tested it, confirmed it produced bubbles, and told everyone to leave it to harden.
• The tribespeople made more soap and set it outside; the next day, excited sub-beastmen told Jian Mo that some pieces had hardened and worked well.
• Jian Mo returned to Wu Jiong's home and, after mentioning his jumbled dream, asked whether Wu Jiong had found anything in the river valley.

Jian Mo and Wu Jiong searched the river valley for the strange sound Jian Mo had heard, finding fresh destruction at a mountain summit. Wu Jiong spotted what seemed to be a flying-winged beast in a cave beneath the summit, and they headed for the cave entrance at the mountain’s foot.

• Wu Jiong arranged for another beastman to lead the hunting party, then took Jian Mo out to investigate the strange sound.
• Wu Jiong carried Jian Mo along the river and over the mountain ridge, where they gathered fruits and roots but heard nothing unusual.
• Wu Jiong found broken trees and a fresh hole at the summit, then noticed a flying-winged beast inside the cave below.
• Wu Jiong carried Jian Mo down the mountain to look for an entrance to the cave from its foot.

Jian Mo and Wu Jiong found an injured Flying-Winged Beast trapped in a cavern and brought it back to the tribe for treatment. Jian Mo cleaned its wounds and discovered that its cry matched the one he had heard earlier, while the beast woke and struggled weakly.

• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong entered a cavern and found an unconscious Flying-Winged Beast beneath a hole in the mountaintop.
• Wu Jiong returned to the tribe for help, and nearly every available adult joined in hoisting the beast out and carrying it back.
• Jian Mo examined the beast and found its wing broken, along with several wounds and a charred mark suggesting it had been struck by lightning.
• Jian Mo boiled salt water and used his T-shirt to clean the beast's wounds and drain their pus.
• The Flying-Winged Beast woke during treatment and whimpered, and Jian Mo recognized its cry as the sound he had heard before.

After the tribe celebrated a successful hunt with a communal feast, Jian Mo cooked a fragrant breakfast that drew the villagers to Wu Jiong’s house. The visitors learned how he prepared the meat, then left for their usual hunting and gathering.

• The tribe tethered the rescued Flying-Winged Beast and agreed to share a communal meal that evening.
• Jian Mo cooked at the feast, discovered the tribe had fruit wine, and enjoyed the celebration with Wu Jiong and the others.
• The next morning, Jian Mo and Wu Jiong prepared stir-fried meat with pickled vegetables and steamed eggs.
• Curious children and villagers gathered at Wu Jiong’s house, drawn by the cooking aroma.
• The visitors tasted Jian Mo’s food and listened as he explained his ingredients and cooking methods.
• The villagers thanked Jian Mo and left to hunt or gather.

Jian Mo joined Zhou Fu and the others to gather herbs and tubers, learning that the tribe usually collected medicinal plants only when needed. After they found a plentiful patch of Wood-Stabilizing Roots, Jian Mo gathered some fruit from the plants to try growing them himself.

• Jian Mo checked the recovering Flying-Winged Beast before leaving with Zhou Fu and the other sub-beastmen.
• The group taught Jian Mo about local herbs, and he decided to dry some for storage despite their habit of gathering herbs as needed.
• The group found wild fruit, edible roots, and a large patch of Wood-Stabilizing Roots, then began digging them up.
• Xi Lu took over digging when Jian Mo grew tired, while Jian Mo examined a bitter fruit from the Wood-Stabilizing Root plant.
• Jian Mo collected the fruit to try growing Wood-Stabilizing Roots, though Xi Lu and Zhou Fu said he could simply gather more in the mountains.

Jian Mo and the others found an abandoned Long-Headed Beast cave filled with unusually large Wood-Stabilizing Root, which they harvested. Jian Mo also collected the beast’s shed fur, planning to make something from it.

• Jian Mo buried Wood-Stabilizing Root fruit in the loosened soil, and the others helped him.
• The group discovered a hidden, abandoned Long-Headed Beast cave and entered after clearing its overgrown entrance.
• Jian Mo smelled the beast’s droppings inside the cave, and the group began digging through the fertile soil.
• The group unearthed many unusually large Wood-Stabilizing Roots growing densely in the cave.
• Jian Mo learned that white clumps scattered through the cave were shed Long-Headed Beast fur and gathered them in his basket.

Jian Mo and the others harvested a large amount of Wood-Stabilizing Root, and he saved some seeds and beast fur for planting and weaving. The next morning, he and Wu Jiong planted the roots and herbs behind their house before Jian Mo stayed in to rest.

• Jian Mo collected soft beast fur to wash and try spinning into yarn, while the group dug up more than 1,500 jin of Wood-Stabilizing Root.
• The group brought their harvest back to the tribe, and Jian Mo received enough Wood-Stabilizing Root to feed himself and Wu Jiong for five or six days.
• Jian Mo asked Wu Jiong to plant the Wood-Stabilizing Root fruit behind their house, and Wu Jiong agreed to help.
• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong planted all 277 seeds and the herbs, with Wu Jiong offering to bring back more seeds from the mountain.
• Jian Mo watched the peaceful tribe and began to appreciate life there, then stayed home to rest after the previous day's exertion.

Jian Mo spun yarn in the clearing, where Qing Kuo and the other sub-beastmen taught him to make finer thread and began weaving socks. After they worked together through the day, Jian Mo invited them to dinner at his and Wu Jiong’s house.

• Jian Mo spun yarn outside, attracting curious children and adults who joined in after learning how to use his spindle.
• Ye Luo told Jian Mo that Qing Kuo knew how to weave, and a sub-beastman went to fetch him.
• Qing Kuo showed Jian Mo his patterned cloth and taught him to spin yarn thin enough for comfortable fabric.
• Jian Mo showed everyone his socks, and Qing Kuo and the other sub-beastmen began weaving socks with ties.
• After the hunters and gatherers returned, Jian Mo got Wu Jiong’s agreement and invited the weavers to dinner.