Chapter Summaries

Jian Mo and the tribe fired pottery with charcoal and a hand-cranked fan, producing many smooth, glossy pieces despite numerous shards breaking. Wu Jiong arranged for the makers to choose their share first and the tribe to trade the rest, while people eagerly offered supplies for pottery.

• Wu Jiong and the beastmen gathered hardwood while Jian Mo led the tribe in making better charcoal, and Jian Mo suggested planting trees to replace those they cut.
• After Qing Kuo said the glazed pottery was ready, Jian Mo and the others built two hand-cranked fans to improve airflow in the kiln.
• The tribe fired the pottery with charcoal, and the kiln grew hotter than it had during their wood-fired attempt.
• The tribe opened the cooled kiln and found many shards, with the intact and usable pieces shining with a smooth luster.
• Wu Jiong gave two pieces to each person who had helped make the pottery and set the rest aside for the tribe to trade for supplies.

Jian Mo cooked clay-pot fish that changed Wu Jiong’s opinion of fish, then began preparing to milk the mother Pack-Pack Beast. The chapter ended with Jian Mo asking whether people from other tribes would visit that day.

• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong caught fish, and Jian Mo cooked a clay-pot fish dish that Wu Jiong found delicious.
• Jian Mo started checking woven fish traps each morning and brought home fish and shrimp for breakfast.
• Wu Jiong chose meat patties, so Jian Mo decided to roast the small fish for the mother Pack-Pack Beast.
• Jian Mo planned to try milking the mother Pack-Pack Beast now that its baby could graze on grass.
• Jian Mo asked whether people from other tribes would be coming over that day.

Jian Mo learned to milk the Pack-Pack Beast with Wu Jiong and shared the boiled milk with Wu Jiong and the Flying-Winged Beast. At the tribe’s market, he met visitors who had brought spices for him.

• Jian Mo asked Wu Jiong to help milk the timid female Pack-Pack Beast, and Wu Jiong filled a wooden bucket with milk.
• Jian Mo boiled the milk, tasted it with Wu Jiong, and added fruit jam to make a sweet-and-sour drink.
• Jian Mo gave the remaining Pack-Pack Beast milk to the Flying-Winged Beast, which eagerly drank it.
• Jian Mo visited the market where people from the Ice River Tribe and Mengshui Tribe had arrived, but he found nothing he wanted to trade for his glazed pottery.
• A group of sub-beastmen called Jian Mo Doctor Jian Mo and said they had brought spices because they heard he liked them.

Jian Mo traded a pottery plate for pepper stamens and planned to make a pepper stamen sauce. With Wu Jiong's help, he separated cream from Pack-Pack Beast milk and began preparing it.

• Jian Mo tasted the curly-haired sub-beastman's pungent, sweet pepper stamens and traded a dark brown glazed pottery plate for the packet.
• Jian Mo learned from Qing Kuo and the others that pepper stamens came from rare flowers and asked Zhou Fu to help gather more next spring.
• Jian Mo decided to use the spice to make a sauce like black pepper sauce.
• Jian Mo milked the female Pack-Pack Beast and returned home with more than half a jar of beast milk.
• Wu Jiong helped Jian Mo beat the milk until cream rose to the surface, and Jian Mo ladled it into a pot to heat.

Jian Mo made pepper stamen sauce and a satisfying steak dinner, then decided to trade for more pepper stamens at the Ice River Tribe. He and Wu Jiong flew there on the Flying-Winged Beast and were welcomed by the tribe’s chief, Kang Ying.

• Jian Mo thickened his pepper stamen sauce with fried hairy root starch and meat broth, then served it with steaks and roasted Wood-Stabilizing Root.
• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong agreed to visit the Ice River Tribe to trade cloth for pepper stamens and possibly obtain a stone mill.
• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong rode the Flying-Winged Beast to the Ice River Tribe, and Jian Mo fell asleep during the flight.
• The Ice River Tribe’s patrol recognized Jian Mo and Wu Jiong and let them enter.
• Kang Ying, chief of the Ice River Tribe, came in person to welcome Jian Mo and Wu Jiong.

Jian Mo and Wu Jiong traded for a stone mill and pepper stamens from the Ice River Tribe, but hurried back to the Riverside Tribe when a beastman reported that his young son had developed a fever. Jian Mo examined the little beastman and found a large, hard lump beneath the abscess on his back, suggesting an infection.

• Kang Ying showed Jian Mo and Wu Jiong the Ice River Tribe’s stone mills and helped them trade cloth for a small mill and a large bag of pepper stamens.
• As Kang Ying invited them to his home, a red-furred, three-tailed beastman arrived and asked Jian Mo to treat his feverish son, who had an abscess on his back.
• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong left for the Riverside Tribe on the Flying-Winged Beast, carrying their new goods.
• Ban Ming met them at the tribe and sent them home, where Qing Kuo and the little beastman’s parent were waiting.
• Jian Mo examined the little beastman and felt a large, hard lump beneath the abscess.

Jian Mo operated on Tai Yan to drain severe abscesses and kept him at home for care and observation. Tai Yan’s fever subsided and he recovered enough to become lively, though his wounds still needed time to heal.

• Jian Mo warned Tai Yan’s fathers that draining the abscesses carried risks, and they agreed he should proceed without holding him responsible for the outcome.
• Jian Mo drained and bandaged Tai Yan’s abscesses while Wu Jiong helped, then arranged for Tai Yan to stay at their home for care.
• By evening, Tai Yan’s fever had gone down and he woke up; Jian Mo fed him stew and continued treating his wounds.
• Tai Yan’s fathers returned with cloth and stem tubers to cover the medical expenses, and Jian Mo returned some of the cloth.
• As Tai Yan improved, he became lively and ran around Jian Mo and Wu Jiong’s home while his wounds continued to heal.

Jian Mo settled a dispute between the little ones and the territorial Flying-Winged Beast by offering to make ice pops. He prepared fruit-and-milk ice pops with the children's help, but they had to wait until evening to try them.

• The little beastman recovered enough to play with the tribe's children, while Jian Mo told his two fathers they could visit every other day as he continued caring for the wound.
• Banjiu alerted Jian Mo that Tai Yan and the others were arguing with Jiujiu, the Flying-Winged Beast.
• Ban Ming explained that Jiujiu had snapped at the children for disturbing him, and both the children and Jiujiu looked to Jian Mo to settle the dispute.
• Jian Mo offered everyone ice pops, distracting them from their argument, and promised they could eat them in the evening.
• Jian Mo boiled Pack-Pack Beast milk and Wood-Stabilizing Root, mixed them with fruit jam, and had the children fetch sticks and wooden cups for the ice pops.

Jian Mo made frozen fruit-and-milk ice pops for the children and the Flying-Winged Beast, then cared for Tai Yan’s healing wound. The chapter ended with Tai Yan nearly ready to return home the next day.

• Jian Mo froze fruit puree in wooden tubes and bowls while the children kept watch.
• Jian Mo shared the finished ice pops with the children and Ban Ming, then fed some to the Flying-Winged Beast.
• Jian Mo cleaned the Flying-Winged Beast’s damp nest and replaced its hay while the children asked for more ice pops.
• Jian Mo cleaned and treated Tai Yan’s nearly healed wound, telling the children to seek him if anything seemed wrong.
• Jian Mo gave Wu Jiong the largest ice pop as the children went home, and planned for Tai Yan to return home after his two fathers visited the next day.

Jian Mo and Wu Jiong searched for the escaped Flying-Winged Beast, only to learn it had returned with Wood-Stabilizing Roots after gathering them for ice pops. Jian Mo praised Jiujiu but confronted it about sneaking out and told it to ask before leaving again.

• De Jiang told Jian Mo that the Flying-Winged Beast had escaped by biting through its rope, and Wu Jiong reassured Jian Mo that it was not his fault.
• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong led the tribe in searching for the Flying-Winged Beast, but they found no trace of it during the day.
• Ban Ming met them and reported that the Flying-Winged Beast had returned carrying Wood-Stabilizing Roots, apparently after hearing the tribe was running low.
• Jian Mo thanked and praised the Flying-Winged Beast, which then tried to hide the broken rope beneath its body.
• Jian Mo sternly told the Flying-Winged Beast not to sneak out again and to tell him before going anywhere.

Jian Mo persuaded the tribe to let Jiujiu roam untethered near their home, and the Flying-Winged Beast later invited Jian Mo and Wu Jiong onto its back. It flew them toward a mountain near the Green Marsh Source, leaving them unsure what it wanted to show them.

• After Jian Mo scolded Jiujiu, the Flying-Winged Beast offered him a Wood-Stabilizing Root, and he prepared a special meal for it.
• Jian Mo asked Wu Jiong to seek permission to stop tying Jiujiu up, and the tribe agreed it could roam near their home as long as it did not leave the area.
• Jian Mo told Jiujiu the rules, but the beast chirped without seeming to understand.
• A few days later, Jiujiu tried to get Jian Mo onto its back, so Jian Mo called Wu Jiong to help.
• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong mounted Jiujiu, which flew toward a mountain near the Green Marsh Source while they wondered where it was taking them.

Jian Mo and Wu Jiong followed the Flying-Winged Beast to a valley of sweet flowers, gathered them, and made nectar syrup. After a crash woke Jian Mo during a heavy snowfall, Wu Jiong went to investigate while keeping him inside.

• The Flying-Winged Beast led Jian Mo and Wu Jiong to a warm valley, where it uncovered flowers filled with sweet nectar.
• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong stopped the Flying-Winged Beast from eating more flowers after it became drunk, then gathered two baskets to take home.
• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong soaked the flowers and simmered the nectar water into thick syrup, then made nectar tea for themselves and the Flying-Winged Beast.
• A loud crash woke Jian Mo in the middle of the night, and Wu Jiong said something had probably collapsed under the heavy snow before going to look.

After heavy snow collapsed two neglected houses, Wu Jiong returned safely and warmed Jian Mo through the night. The next day, Jian Mo examined A Hu after his friends dragged him over, but A Hu transformed into a giant orange cat and chased them off.

• Wu Jiong told Jian Mo that two houses had collapsed, though their residents had only minor injuries.
• Wu Jiong explained that the houses had been neglected and weakened by melted snow before the heavy snowfall crushed their roofs.
• Unable to warm his feet, Jian Mo slept beside Wu Jiong in his giant wolf form and woke late the next morning.
• Ban Ming and several beastmen brought the embarrassed A Hu to Jian Mo for treatment after his house collapsed and injured him.
• A Hu transformed into a large orange cat and beat up his friends while Jian Mo watched.

Jian Mo treated A Hu’s infected wounds and received a basket of tubers and eggs in thanks. He then invited Wu Jiong to try ice cream and had Ban Ming and the other beastmen help make it.

• Jian Mo examined A Hu’s wounds and found debris trapped beneath the healed skin.
• Jian Mo sent the other beastmen outside, then used a sterilized bone needle to remove the debris and applied fresh herbs to A Hu’s wounds.
• A Hu thanked Jian Mo with a basket of tubers and three eggs, then ran off before Jian Mo could refuse the gift.
• Jian Mo invited Wu Jiong to try ice cream and prepared the mixture with cream, syrup, milk, and egg yolks.
• Jian Mo asked Ban Ming and several beastmen to stir the ice cream mixture, and they were astonished when he said he had studied for nineteen years.

Jian Mo made ice cream for his friends and learned from Ye Luo about pink tube flowers in Shangnan Canyon, so he and Wu Jiong flew there to gather them. In the canyon, Jian Mo discovered insects feeding on the flowers and learned that a rare bird called a honey sparrow stored nectar as honey.

• Jian Mo explained that he was a doctor, then shared his sweetened ice cream with Ban Ming and the others.
• Ye Luo said pink tube flowers grew in Shangnan Canyon, and Jian Mo decided to go there with Wu Jiong the next day.
• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong flew through the snow to Shangnan Canyon, where Wu Jiong wrapped Jian Mo in his coat to shield him from the cold.
• They found pink and white pink tube flowers across the canyon, along with insects gathering nectar.
• Wu Jiong told Jian Mo that the insects did not make honey, but rare honey sparrows carried nectar to their nests and stored it in honey blocks.

Jian Mo and Wu Jiong followed a Honey Sparrow to a remote cliff in the snowy mountains, where they discovered hundreds of nests. They landed nearby and began making their way across the slippery terrain toward the nests.

• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong spotted a Honey Sparrow feeding on nectar and decided to follow it to its nest in hopes of harvesting honey blocks.
• Wu Jiong guided the Flying-Winged Beast after the Honey Sparrow while keeping it far enough away not to scare the bird.
• The Honey Sparrow led them high into the mountains and returned to a cliff crowded with hundreds of nests.
• Wu Jiong landed the Flying-Winged Beast on a flat patch of ground and told it to wait while he and Jian Mo headed onward on foot.
• Wu Jiong held Jian Mo's hand as they crossed the slippery, rocky mountain slope toward the nests.

Jian Mo and Wu Jiong reached the Honey Sparrows' nesting grounds, where they gathered sugar from the nests and discovered that the abandoned nests were made of solid honey blocks. They collected all the abandoned honey nests while leaving active nests untouched.

• Honey Sparrows attacked Jian Mo, but Wu Jiong transformed into a giant wolf and drove them away with a roar.
• Wu Jiong carried Jian Mo to the nesting grounds and showed him the many nests built along the cliff.
• Wu Jiong and Jian Mo took about a third of the sugar lumps from each nest, leaving the rest for the Honey Sparrows.
• Jian Mo discovered that an abandoned nest was made entirely of honey blocks, and Wu Jiong helped break it off the rock face.
• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong broke off all the abandoned honey nests and left the occupied nests alone.

Jian Mo and Wu Jiong gathered abandoned Honey Sparrow nests, warmed themselves beneath the Flying-Winged Beast, and collected powder-tube flowers on their way home. They headed back to the tribe with their supplies as evening fell.

• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong returned to the Honey Sparrow nesting site and gathered more abandoned nests while avoiding nests with chicks.
• Jian Mo rested beneath the Flying-Winged Beast, then joined Wu Jiong in collecting more nests before they headed back.
• Jian Mo planned to make red-braised pork and pepper-stamen water, and Wu Jiong agreed to stop at Shangnan Canyon for powder-tube flowers.
• Jian Mo gave the waiting Flying-Winged Beast a honey lump, and Wu Jiong secured their basket before they flew toward the canyon.
• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong cut half the powder-tube flower vines from each plant, tied the flowers to the Flying-Winged Beast, and set off for the tribe at dusk.

Jian Mo and Wu Jiong returned to the tribe with honey chunks, then Jian Mo stored them and prepared red-braised pork for dinner. The meal was finally ready, and Jian Mo served a portion to the Flying-Winged Beast before inviting Wu Jiong to eat.

• Jian Mo and the others returned to the tribe with two baskets of honey chunks, drawing a crowd that asked to trade for them and learn where they had found them.
• Jian Mo said he would store the honey chunks, then took them home and packed them in clay jars with charcoal to absorb moisture and odors.
• Jian Mo made sweet, spicy pepper-stamen water for himself and Wu Jiong, who drank his portion despite not liking the taste.
• Jian Mo asked Wu Jiong to bring meat so they could make red-braised pork, then simmered the pork with spices, caramelized sugar, and fruit wine.
• Jian Mo served a portion of the finished red-braised pork to the Flying-Winged Beast and handed Wu Jiong his chopsticks so they could eat.

Jian Mo realized the unfrozen lake was likely a salt lake and told Wu Jiong that they could harvest alkali from it in winter for making soap. Wu Jiong agreed to go with him, though he planned to collect their salt from the salt mountain instead.

• Jian Mo enjoyed Wu Jiong’s red-braised pork, and Wu Jiong ate the remaining food before making Jian Mo some preserved fruit tea.
• Wu Jiong slept in beast form with Jian Mo curled on his belly, and Jian Mo woke up warm and refreshed.
• Jian Mo recognized that the lake had not frozen because it was a salt lake, and he rushed to find Wu Jiong.
• Jian Mo explained that winter salt lakes could provide purer alkali for soap, and Wu Jiong agreed to make a trip with him.
• Wu Jiong said they would collect salt from the salt mountain, which tasted better than salt from the lake.