Chapter Summaries

Jian Mo traveled with Qi Ming to the Rain Rising Tribe, where he toured its mountain settlement and discovered its clay-pipe toilet and wastewater system. He was impressed by the system and said he wanted to build one after returning home.

• Jian Mo left Jiujiu and Ying'ao in Ban Ming's care before traveling with Qi Ming toward the Rain Rising Tribe.
• Jian Mo and the others reached the Rain Rising Tribe, where a little Pallas's cat happily reunited with its father.
• Qi Ming welcomed Jian Mo and Wu Jiong and showed them around the tribe's old stilt houses.
• Qi Ming showed Jian Mo a toilet connected to clay sewer pipes and a sealed tank, with excess water flowing into a ditch.
• Jian Mo praised the wastewater system and said he wanted to build one when they returned.

Jian Mo and Wu Jiong returned from the Rain Rising Tribe and were led by the chubby birds to meet a Honey Sparrow keeper. They reached Ji Xun’s alpine home, where Jian Mo could learn about raising Honey Sparrows.

• Jian Mo examined the Rain Rising Tribe and left them ointments, medicinal powders, and medicated plasters.
• On the way back, the chubby birds reproached Jian Mo for visiting the Rain Rising Tribe first, then invited him to see someone who raised Honey Sparrows.
• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong flew with the chubby birds on Jiujiu and Ying'ao toward the alpine meadow.
• The group reached Ji Xun’s cabins, and the chubby birds introduced Jian Mo and Wu Jiong as mates who wanted to raise Honey Sparrows.
• Ji Xun welcomed Jian Mo and Wu Jiong and asked whether their Flying-Winged Beasts belonged to them.

Jian Mo and his companions visited Ji Xun, shared a meal of his homemade clay pot rice, and discussed cooking and farming. Afterward, Ji Xun showed Jian Mo and Wu Jiong the Honey Sparrows he kept near his home.

• Ji Xun welcomed Jian Mo and his companions into his home after agreeing to let Jiujiu and Ying'ao roam outside.
• Ji Xun cooked clay pot rice with dried meat, vegetables, eggs, and sauce while he and Jian Mo traded cooking tips and talked about growing crops.
• Jian Mo and the others ate Ji Xun's meal, and Jian Mo asked for extra portions for Jiujiu and Ying'ao.
• After the meal, Ji Xun took Jian Mo and Wu Jiong to see his Honey Sparrow nests and explained how he cared for the birds.

Jian Mo and Ji Xun failed to agree on a price for Honey Sparrow nests, but Jian Mo regretted turning down the trade and decided to return the next morning. The chapter leaves him asleep beside Wu Jiong, resolved to obtain the nests and secure a long-term supply of honey blocks.

• Ji Xun offered Jian Mo Honey Sparrow nests for one basket of Pearl Rice each, but they could not agree on a price.
• Jian Mo told the chubby chirpers that he appreciated their help, and they asked whether they were more thoughtful than the Rain Rising Tribe.
• After returning to the Snow Foot Tribe, Jian Mo tossed and turned as he thought about the nests and the value of honey blocks.
• Wu Jiong offered to go back with Jian Mo, and Jian Mo decided they would visit Ji Xun the next morning to make the trade.

Jian Mo traded supplies with Ji Xun for thirty-one Honey Sparrow nests and sold him four panes of colored glass, earning honey blocks and metal. After installing the windows, Jian Mo and his companions returned to the Snow Foot Tribe, where he found little to do.

• Jian Mo offered Ji Xun cloth, hides, metal, glass, and other supplies in exchange for Honey Sparrow nests.
• Ji Xun traded thirty-one nests for Pearl Rice and four large panes of glass, paying the remaining balance in honey blocks and metal.
• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong fitted the glass panes into Ji Xun's wooden window frames and advised him about using the windows safely in winter.
• Jian Mo and his companions returned to the Snow Foot Tribe and found the settlement nearly empty because most people had gone hunting or gathering.
• Jian Mo told Wu Jiong that he had already examined the sick people and decided not to go looking for the hunting party.

Jian Mo and Wu Jiong visited the Cypress Branch Tribe, where the sub-beastmen invited them to gather a local specialty. The chapter ended with Wu Jiong helping shake a giant tree so its translucent seeds fell for the tribe to collect.

• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong flew northwest to visit the Cypress Branch Tribe, bringing supplies and arriving on Jiujiu and Ying'ao.
• The Cypress Branch Tribe's sub-beastmen welcomed them and invited them to join a gathering trip without explaining what they would collect.
• The group walked through the forest as the sub-beastmen sang, then stopped at a giant tree and revealed that they were trying to knock something from its branches.
• After the sub-beastmen's attempts barely shook the tree, Jian Mo prompted Wu Jiong to help.
• Wu Jiong transformed into a giant wolf and rammed the tree several times, scattering its translucent seeds across the ground for everyone to gather.

Jian Mo and Wu Jiong accompanied the Cypress Branch Tribe’s sub-beastmen into the mountains to gather Pearl Rice, where Jian Mo discovered that they could glide and saw how abundant their crop was. The group collected four and a half baskets of rice and headed back toward the tribe.

• The sub-beastmen sifted insect eggs from fallen leaves and invited Jian Mo and Wu Jiong to gather Pearl Rice roots with them.
• The sub-beastmen glided up steep mountain slopes, astonishing Jian Mo, and Wu Jiong carried him up the mountain as a giant wolf.
• The sub-beastmen showed Jian Mo a tall clump of ripe Pearl Rice and stripped its large grains from the stalks.
• The group left the remaining rice to ripen, gathered more along the way, and collected four and a half baskets in half a day.

Jian Mo and Wu Jiong visited the Cypress Branch Tribe, where the sub-beastmen prepared a communal feast using the insect eggs they had gathered. Jian Mo enjoyed the fried eggs and learned the tribe had discovered how to remove the bitterness from garlic powder by frying it in oil.

• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong returned to the tribe with tender white roots and watched Jiujiu and Ying'ao play with the plump chirpers.
• The sub-beastmen showed the plump chirpers the branch-clinging insect eggs they had collected, and the tribe began preparing a shared meal.
• Jian Mo observed the Cypress Branch Tribe's communal cooking and greeted its chief, Zhou Zhi.
• Zhou Zhi explained that the tribe had learned to fry garlic powder in oil to remove its bitterness, and Jian Mo discussed growing broadleaf garlic.
• The tribe served the fried insect eggs at the feast, and Jian Mo tasted them and found them crisp, fragrant, and delicious.

Jian Mo developed a fever after two tiring days of travel and woke late while Wu Jiong was away arranging the day's itinerary. A Meng noticed Jian Mo was unwell and he planned to treat the fever with herbs.

• Jian Mo recorded what he had seen and heard, but fell asleep before Wu Jiong returned.
• Jian Mo woke late the next morning, feeling dizzy, and realized he had a fever.
• Jian Mo decided to boil dried herbs and drink the medicine.
• A Meng noticed Jian Mo's flushed face and touched his forehead.
• Jian Mo told A Meng that he had a mild fever and would be fine after taking medicine.

Jian Mo fell ill with a high fever while traveling with the caravan, so he stayed behind in the Snow Foot Tribe to rest with Wu Jiong and others caring for him. As his fever worsened, Jiujiu stayed by the house and accepted the congee Jian Mo could not finish.

• A Meng prepared medicine for Jian Mo after he became too weak to stand and fell asleep in the clearing.
• Wu Jiong found Jian Mo feverish, and the gathered tribespeople urged him to stay in the Snow Foot Tribe until he recovered.
• Wu Jiong arranged for the caravan to continue without him, while Bei Ya insisted on staying with his companions to help care for Jian Mo.
• Yun Long wished Jian Mo well before the caravan departed, and Wu Jiong took him back to the house to rest.
• Jian Mo's fever worsened by noon, and he fed his leftover fish congee to Jiujiu, who had been keeping watch outside.

After Jiujiu accidentally caused Jian Mo to grow a pair of cat ears, Jian Mo struggled with his fever and heightened hearing while Wu Jiong and the tribes cared for him. Resting on Wu Jiong outside, Jian Mo asked the little beavers to catch some noisy fish.

• Jian Mo developed two soft new ears on top of his head after Jiujiu rubbed against him, and Wu Jiong identified them as cat ears.
• Wu Jiong suggested Jian Mo might have awakened a civet bloodline and said they would ask Qing Kuo to examine him after he recovered.
• People from the Snow Foot Tribe, Cypress Branch Tribe, and Rain Rising Tribe brought Jian Mo food and urged him to rest.
• Jian Mo's fever and unusually sharp hearing made him uncomfortable, so Wu Jiong carried him outside and let him lie on his warm beast form.
• Jian Mo watched the little beavers practicing in the lake and asked them to catch the noisy fish below the platform.

Jian Mo’s new cat ears helped the beavers find fish, and after his fever improved, he examined the small, floppy ears with Wu Jiong. He remained unsure how they would grow, while Wu Jiong reassured him that they were cute and unique.

• Jian Mo used his new hearing to guide the little beavers to a hidden fish nest, and they caught several large fish.
• Jian Mo learned that Zhou Fu had beaver blood through his father, who came from the Snow Foot Tribe.
• After his fever eased, Jian Mo joined Wu Jiong and the others for dinner and watched Jiujiu and Ying'ao swim with the little beavers.
• The next morning, Jian Mo examined his small gray ears in a mirror and complained that they looked unlike Qing Kuo’s.
• Wu Jiong stopped Jian Mo from pinching his ears and reassured him that they were cute and would grow.

Jian Mo recovered enough to help the Snow Foot Tribe prepare fruit jam before examining Dan Guan, a beastman from the Mountain Bright Tribe with several bald patches. Jian Mo suspected Dan Guan’s hair loss differed from the case he had treated before, leaving the cause and treatment uncertain.

• Jian Mo asked to rejoin the main group, but Wu Jiong insisted he rest another day.
• Jian Mo got up in the good weather and helped the Snow Foot Tribe cut pinghua fruit while their young practiced catching fish.
• Dan Guan arrived from the Mountain Bright Tribe and asked to see Doctor Jian Mo about his worsening hair loss.
• Jian Mo examined Dan Guan’s smooth bald patches and explained that the young beastman he had previously treated had lost fur after stress and malnutrition, unlike Dan Guan.

Jian Mo examined Dan Guan, found no clear cause for his sudden fur loss, and suggested he seek a change of environment. Wu Jiong refused Dan Guan’s request to stay in the Riverside Tribe, so Dan Guan planned to ask the Mengshui Tribe for help; Jian Mo and Wu Jiong also discussed organizing the tribe and improving its roads.

• Jian Mo examined Dan Guan and found him healthy, but could not identify why his fur had fallen out.
• Jian Mo suggested Dan Guan try a different environment, and Dan Guan asked to move to the Riverside Tribe.
• Wu Jiong refused Dan Guan’s request and suggested he approach the Mengshui Tribe, which sometimes took in outsiders.
• Dan Guan planned to stay with the Snow Foot Tribe for two days, then travel with them to ask the Mengshui Tribe for help.
• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong discussed dividing the Riverside Tribe into living and work areas and paving its sand road with stone.

After recovering from his fever, Jian Mo prepared to leave the Snow Foot Tribe and catch up with the caravan, while inviting nearby tribes to visit Riverside Tribe. The fat chirps and Pallas's cats decided to join him and Wu Jiong on their trip to the Eighteen Bends Tribe, provided they sent messages to their tribes first.

• Jian Mo told the Snow Foot Tribe he was leaving and received two jars of jam as a gift.
• Jian Mo showed the Snow Foot Tribe a drawing of ginger and asked them to look for the plant, then explained paper and pens to them.
• The fat chirps and Pallas's cats asked to accompany Jian Mo and Wu Jiong to the Eighteen Bends Tribe.
• Jian Mo insisted that the young visitors arrange for messages to be sent to their tribes before joining the trip.
• Wu Jiong noted they might return by way of the Bright River Tribe, and Dan Guan arrived ready to travel.

Jian Mo and his companions reached the Eighteen Bends Tribe, where they reunited with their caravan and joined a hunt for long-tailed birds. Dan Guan gathered herbs for his suspected fungal infection and went to bathe, while the group settled in for a communal meal.

• Jian Mo advised Dan Guan to try a medicinal wash for a possible fungal infection, and Dan Guan chose to continue with the group.
• Jian Mo and his companions reached the Eighteen Bends Tribe's territory after traveling through its mountainous terrain.
• Jian Mo's group encountered their caravan companions hunting long-tailed birds alongside members of the Eighteen Bends Tribe.
• The Eighteen Bends Tribe welcomed the visitors, and its people helped Jian Mo gather herbs that Dan Guan eagerly collected.
• The tribe offered Jian Mo and Wu Jiong a house, and Dan Guan hurried off to bathe while everyone prepared dinner.

Jian Mo settled into life with the Eighteen Bends Tribe, checked Dan Guan’s treated bald patch, and joined the tribe and caravan on a hunt for long-tailed birds. The hunters surrounded the birds’ cliff habitat and prepared to capture them alive.

• Jian Mo’s companions accepted his new beast ears, and everyone agreed to stay another day and hunt long-tailed birds.
• Dan Guan asked Jian Mo to check his bald patch, but Jian Mo said it was too soon to tell whether the medicine was working.
• Jian Mo traded for jars of the Eighteen Bends Tribe’s spicy pickles and agreed to look for the plant’s seeds during the hunt.
• Jian Mo learned that the Eighteen Bends Tribe wanted to capture long-tailed birds alive and considered raising poultry for eggs.
• Wu Jiong, Yun Long, Yan Dun, and the Red Zheng Tribe’s chief split their hunters around the birds’ territory and prepared to ambush them.

The Eighteen Bends Tribe, the Cypress Branch Tribe’s fat chirps, and the Pallas’s cats caught long-tailed birds in the mountains, with Jiujiu and Ying'ao joining the hunt. After returning with their haul, the Eighteen Bends Tribe fed mushrooms to the badly injured birds, and Jian Mo asked whether the mushrooms could heal them.

• The Cypress Branch Tribe’s fat chirps and the Pallas’s cats chased the long-tailed birds along the cliffs and learned to pin them down rather than grab them.
• Jiujiu flew off despite Jian Mo’s calls and caught a long-tailed bird, earning praise from the others.
• The hunting party moved to another spot, where Jiujiu and Ying'ao helped catch more birds while the hunters released the thin, weak, and young ones.
• The Eighteen Bends Tribe returned with the remaining birds and fed freshly gathered mushrooms to those most seriously injured.
• Jian Mo asked whether the mushrooms could heal the long-tailed birds’ injuries.

Jian Mo learned how the Eighteen Bends Tribe raised long-tailed birds and enjoyed a meal of bird soup with mushrooms and cured meat. After hearing about Banhe Mushrooms, he and the caravan decided to visit the Banhe Tribe the next day to trade for some.

• Jian Mo watched the Eighteen Bends tribespeople test mushrooms for poison by feeding them to long-tailed birds and asked about raising the birds.
• The Eighteen Bends tribespeople offered Jian Mo two long-tailed birds and eggs to take home, and he gave them a dagger in return.
• The Eighteen Bends tribespeople served long-tailed bird soup with mushrooms and cured meat, and Jian Mo praised the meal.
• The Eighteen Bends tribespeople recommended the Banhe Tribe's mushrooms, and Wu Jiong said the tribe was on their route home.
• Jian Mo and the caravan agreed to visit the Banhe Tribe the next day, trade for mushrooms, and rest there before returning.

Jian Mo traveled with the trading party toward the Banhe Tribe after checking on Bei Ya and Dan Guan. The group met Banhe Tribe members who had come to greet them, and Ao Xi asked Jian Mo to treat his older brother’s persistent cough.

• Wu Jiong reassured Jian Mo that he could tell him if his ears became uncomfortable, and they discussed the supplies they had traded for.
• Jian Mo examined Bei Ya’s healing facial wound and Dan Guan’s rash, agreeing to continue Dan Guan’s medicine for two more days.
• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong joined the trading party as it set out for the Banhe Tribe.
• The group met Peng Duo, Ao Xi, and other Banhe Tribe members, who offered them water and welcomed them.
• Ao Xi asked Jian Mo to treat his older brother, who frequently coughed and brought up phlegm despite having no other apparent symptoms.