Chapter Summaries

Jian Mo accepted the tribe’s little ones’ invitation to dig tasty bugs from trees and joined more than thirty of them on a mountain behind the tribe. After finding a white grub inside a tree trunk, he joined the children as they spread out to search.

• The little ones invited Jian Mo to dig for bugs with them the next day, and Wu Jiong reassured him that the outing would be safe.
• The next morning, more than thirty of the tribe’s little ones gathered outside Wu Jiong’s house and led Jian Mo toward the mountain behind the tribe.
• Jiang Xing gave Jian Mo a shell knife and showed him how to dig bugs out from beneath bulges in tree trunks.
• Jian Mo uncovered a white, finger-sized grub, and the little ones confirmed it was the bug they had come to find.
• Jiang Xing told everyone to split up and call out if anything happened, then the little ones scattered among the trees to dig.

Jian Mo spent the day gathering grubs with the tribe’s little ones, then invited them home for honey-cube water. That evening, he and Wu Jiong fried the grubs, shared warm wine, and talked about their childhoods and families.

• Jian Mo searched the woods for grubs while the little ones hunted alongside him.
• Jiang Xing gathered the children to roast their grubs, and Jian Mo praised them and invited them home for honey-cube water.
• The tribe’s young people joined Jian Mo’s gathering, and they left when Wu Jiong returned in the evening.
• Jian Mo fried the grubs for Wu Jiong, who told him that eating roasted grubs was a tradition for the children.
• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong warmed wine and shared stories about their childhoods and their families.

After a failed glass firing produced metal, Jian Mo realized the black sand from the Jintuo Tribe was ore sand that could yield several kinds of metal. Wu Jiong and the tribe’s core members agreed to keep the discovery secret, and the chapter ended with Jian Mo asking how much ore sand remained.

• Zhou Fu woke Jian Mo and told him that a kiln’s worth of black sand had failed to form glass.
• Jian Mo examined the clumps at the kiln and identified porous reddish-brown pieces as metal.
• Jian Mo explained to Wu Jiong, Qing Kuo, De Jiang, and the other core members that the black sand was ore sand and could contain metals such as copper and iron.
• Wu Jiong told the group to keep the metal secret, and Qing Kuo and De Jiang arranged to inform the tribe and hold a meeting.
• Jian Mo asked how much ore sand was left.

The Riverside Tribe smelted its first batch of ore sand into metal, and Jian Mo urged the tribe to turn the metal blocks into useful tools rather than store them. He explained how to forge the metal and agreed to prepare plans and bellows, while the tribe set out to build a forge.

• Qing Kuo, Jian Mo, Wu Jiong, and De Jiang discussed smelting the twenty-one and a half baskets of ore sand and planned to gather more trees for fuel.
• The Riverside Tribe smelted the ore sand in improved ceramic containers and produced a little over half a basket of metal blocks.
• Jian Mo examined the blackish-red metal and wondered whether its iron content meant the planet might share a universe with Earth.
• At a meeting, Jian Mo persuaded the tribe's core members to make everyday tools from the metal instead of keeping it as strategic supplies.
• Jian Mo explained that the tribe could heat the blocks in a forge and hammer them into tools, and Wu Jiong agreed to begin building one.
• Qing Kuo and De Jiang volunteered to gather materials, while Jian Mo promised to draw up plans and make bellows.

Jian Mo and the tribe forged their first metal knife, then Jian Mo tried to sleep beside the giant wolf but was kept awake by strange cries outside.

• Jian Mo, Qing Kuo, and the tribe built a furnace and bellows to heat a metal block.
• Di Ya worked the bellows while De Jiang removed the heated metal, and A Da and Yong An hammered it into a blade.
• A Hu and Ban Ming sharpened the blade, and Wu Jiong fitted it with a hardwood handle to complete the knife.
• Jian Mo tested the knife by slicing a hair and praised it, prompting the tribe to cheer.
• Jian Mo went to bed beside the giant wolf, but repeated cries outside disturbed his sleep.

Jian Mo learned that Ban Ming and the others were excited about their new knives, then agreed to join their full-moon night hunt. The young beastmen asked him to persuade the chief to approve the outing, and they cleaned his fish while they tried to win him over.

• The giant wolf told Jian Mo that Ban Ming and the others were celebrating their new knives, and the pair talked late into the night about inheritance and metalworking.
• Jian Mo woke tired and ran into Ban Ming and the other young beastmen, who offered to help him check his fish traps.
• A Hu and Ban Ming invited Jian Mo to join a large night hunt and outdoor roast under the full moon, and Jian Mo agreed.
• The young beastmen asked Jian Mo to seek the chief's permission for the hunt, praising him as they walked to the river.
• Ban Ming and the others pulled up Jian Mo's fish traps and cleaned the fish for him with their shell knives.

Jian Mo joined Wu Jiong and the tribe on a nighttime hunt, watching the beastmen herd and capture prey beneath the moon. The hunt ended at the river, where everyone changed back and prepared to roast the meat.

• Jian Mo asked Wu Jiong to let the young beastmen join a nighttime hunt, and Wu Jiong agreed to make it a group expedition.
• Qing Kuo and Di Ya counted the participants before the tribe set out, with Jian Mo riding on Wu Jiong's back.
• Jian Mo asked to touch Wu Jiong's ears and found them warm and springy.
• Wu Jiong howled, and the beastmen split into groups to drive the prey together and surround it.
• The beastmen caught enough prey, then gathered by the river, where Ban Ming called for them to stop hunting and prepare to roast meat.

After a communal hunt, Jian Mo and Wu Jiong shared an intimate moment that left Jian Mo unsettled about his feelings. The next morning, Jian Mo seemed to have recovered, while Wu Jiong left to visit the Dianxin Tribe and said he might return late.

• The tribe butchered the hunted beasts with their new metal knives, then sang, danced, and feasted around a bonfire.
• Wu Jiong fed Jian Mo pieces of roasted meat and watched him before pressing their foreheads together and resting a hand on Jian Mo’s neck.
• Jian Mo grew flustered and worried that his feelings were slipping out of his control.
• That night, Jian Mo paused before settling beside the giant wolf, but Wu Jiong told him to sleep, and Jian Mo soon drifted off.
• After breakfast, Wu Jiong told Jian Mo he was visiting the Dianxin Tribe and might return late, then left.

Jian Mo helped Qing Kuo make meat patties and asked him to reserve stone for a house, prompting Qing Kuo to hint that Wu Jiong should know. That evening, Wu Jiong gave Jian Mo an elaborate metal-and-glass flower garland, and Jian Mo realized its significance as a declaration of love.

• Jian Mo checked on the Pearl Algae, then visited Qing Kuo and helped season and shape meat patties.
• Jian Mo asked Qing Kuo to reserve stone for him to build a house and to tell Wu Jiong about the request.
• Jian Mo returned home and rested, while Wu Jiong came back that evening looking hesitant and downcast.
• Jian Mo told Wu Jiong he had asked Qing Kuo for stone, then asked whether Wu Jiong had something to say.
• Wu Jiong gave Jian Mo a flower garland made of metal and colored glass, leaving Jian Mo moved by the gift and its meaning.

Jian Mo and Wu Jiong confessed their feelings, became a couple, and shared their first kiss. The next day, Wu Jiong left to trade for metal blocks, while Zhou Fu and the others visited Jian Mo and asked how he and the chief had gotten together.

• Wu Jiong gave Jian Mo a flower wreath, and they confessed their feelings and kissed.
• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong joined their sleeping mats and cuddled together in Wu Jiong's wolf form.
• Wu Jiong left for the Jintuo Tribe to trade for metal blocks, carrying food Jian Mo had prepared.
• Zhou Fu, Xi Lu, and others visited Jian Mo and asked whether he and Wu Jiong were together.
• Jian Mo asked the visitors how they had heard about their relationship.

Jian Mo showed his friends the wreath Wu Jiong had made for him, then welcomed Wu Jiong and the others back from their trade journey. They discussed the Jintuo Tribe’s request to trade for their glassmaking and metal-refining technologies, and Jian Mo approved a limited exchange while refusing to give away glassmaking.

• Jian Mo showed Zhou Fu, Xi Lu, and the others the wreath Wu Jiong had made, and admitted he had tried to make Wu Jiong jealous by applying to build a house.
• Jian Mo’s visitors gave him gifts and left, and he tucked a jar of ointment away in his chest.
• Wu Jiong and the others returned after five days with metal blocks and mineral sand they had collected in unclaimed territory near the Jintuo Tribe.
• Wu Jiong explained that the Jintuo Tribe wanted to trade for their glassmaking and metal-refining technologies, and asked Jian Mo whether to accept.
• Jian Mo agreed to trade the charcoal-making technology and help improve the Jintuo Tribe’s furnaces, but refused to trade away glassmaking.

The Riverside Tribe agreed to exchange its charcoal-making and metal furnace techniques with the Jintuo Tribe for metal blocks, and Ban Ming led a group of young beastmen to complete the trade. After traveling slowly with the Jintuo Tribe’s people, they reached the Riverside Tribe, whose clean, orderly buildings surprised their visitors.

• The Riverside Tribe decided to trade its charcoal-making and metal furnace techniques to the Jintuo Tribe in exchange for metal blocks, and Ban Ming led the negotiating group.
• Jian Mo worried about the young beastmen’s long absence, but Wu Jiong reassured him that they were safe.
• Ban Ming and his companions traveled slowly with Jin Shi and the Jintuo Tribe’s people, sharing a meal and discussing seasoning powder, pottery, and metal blocks along the way.
• Ban Ming and his companions reached the Riverside Tribe and howled excitedly as they ran toward it.
• The Jintuo Tribe’s people saw the Riverside Tribe’s clean, tidy buildings and wondered why they had been told it was full of stones.

The Jintuo Tribe arrived at the Riverside Tribe carrying two hundred baskets of metal blocks, hoping to trade them for improved techniques. The Riverside Tribe prepared comfortable lodgings and an elaborate feast, and its members planned to demonstrate their knives as negotiations approached.

• Jin Shi and the Jintuo Tribe members entered the Riverside Tribe, where Wu Jiong welcomed them and arranged for them to rest.
• The visitors admired the tribe’s clean, attractive houses, then enjoyed the soft beast-hide mats and sweet tea prepared for them.
• Jian Mo marveled at the two hundred baskets of metal blocks, while Wu Jiong explained that the Jintuo Tribe had abundant ore and wanted better techniques.
• Qing Kuo urged Jian Mo to show off his dagger, and the Riverside Tribe prepared roasted meat, wine, and knives for the visitors.
• The Jintuo Tribe members joined the Riverside Tribe at the bonfire, where their hosts warmly served them food and sliced meat with knives.

The Riverside Tribe showed Jin Shi and the Jintuo Tribe how its furnace softened metal, convincing them to exchange metal for charcoal-making and furnace-building techniques. After the tribes finalized the deal, Jian Mo questioned whether he should accept the hundred baskets of metal allocated to him.

• Ban Ming showed Jin Shi and Jian Mo the Riverside Tribe’s metal knives, and Jin Shi recognized that their metal was superior to his own.
• Qing Kuo led the Jintuo Tribe to the furnace, where Riverside Tribe beastmen heated a metal block and let Jin Shi inspect and hammer it.
• Jin Shi saw how easily the furnace-heated metal could be forged and agreed with Wu Jiong that their tribes should remain on good terms.
• Jin Shi, Wu Jiong, and Jian Mo discussed the exchange, and the two tribes agreed to trade two hundred baskets of metal for charcoal-making and furnace-building techniques.
• The Riverside Tribe assigned one hundred baskets of the exchanged metal to Jian Mo, who asked Wu Jiong whether accepting it would look like favoritism.

Jian Mo accepted his share of the tribe’s metal and examined the Jintuo Tribe’s teeth, then inspected the metal tools they had made from his suggestions. The Jintuo Tribe praised his help and urged him to move there and become their priest.

• Wu Jiong agreed to store Jian Mo’s share of the metal in a separate cave with a door.
• The Jintuo Tribe visited Jian Mo for dental checkups, and he found their teeth were in good condition.
• The Jintuo Tribe presented Jian Mo with metal forceps, knives, scissors, and needles they had made.
• Jian Mo told the Jintuo Tribe they could trade the tools and shared ideas for making more implements.
• Jin Shi and the other Jintuo Tribe members invited Jian Mo to live with them and become their priest, promising him greater comfort and support for his Flying-Winged Beast.

After the Jintuo Tribe failed to persuade Jian Mo to become their partner, he and Wu Jiong prepared to join the tribe’s first hunting and gathering trip in a long time. The group set out for the mountains, where Jian Mo rode on Wu Jiong’s back and struggled against the cold.

• Jian Mo told the Jintuo Tribe that he and Wu Jiong were together and asked them not to suggest another partner.
• The Jintuo Tribe left with the charcoal-making and furnace-building techniques, while the tribe prepared to hunt and gather after the weather warmed.
• Wu Jiong explained that Hairy-Horned Beasts were fast and dangerous to chase in the mountains, but agreed to discuss hunting with the others.
• Jian Mo decided to join the trip after Ye Luo, Zhou Fu, and Qing Kuo listed food they could gather, and he brought two baskets.
• Most of the tribe set out together, with Jian Mo riding on Wu Jiong’s back as the cold wind chilled him.
• Wu Jiong noticed Jian Mo was cold and told him to lie down to keep warm.

Jian Mo joined the tribe’s cubs and sub-beastmen to gather food while the beastmen hunted Hairy-Horned Beasts. The hunt succeeded, and Jian Mo rode home on the giant wolf with a large beast tied behind him.

• Jian Mo agreed to stay with the sub-beastmen and cubs while Wu Jiong and the other beastmen went hunting.
• Jian Mo gathered food with the group as Qing Kuo kept the cubs together and safe on the icy mountain.
• Jian Mo, Qing Kuo, and Ye Luo heard the beastmen howling and guessed they had caught plenty of Hairy-Horned Beasts.
• The beastmen returned carrying Hairy-Horned Beasts, and Jian Mo climbed onto the giant wolf with one tied behind him.
• Jian Mo asked whether the Hairy-Horned Beast was too heavy, then hugged the giant wolf and closed his eyes as they ran downhill.

Jian Mo cooked a shared dinner for his family and Qing Kuo’s family using Hairy-Horned Beast meat. The meal ended with everyone satisfied, while Wu Jiong quietly appreciated Jian Mo’s concern about his dislike of the meat.

• Ban Ming suggested that the families eat together, and Jian Mo agreed to cook.
• Jian Mo and Qing Kuo prepared several dishes, including dry-pot Hairy-Horned Beast meat and an offal stew.
• Ban Ming praised Jian Mo’s cooking, while Jian Mo noticed Wu Jiong struggling to eat the Hairy-Horned Beast meat.
• Jian Mo quietly took the meat from Wu Jiong’s bowl and told him to eat something else, making Wu Jiong’s ears turn red.
• The six diners finished the meal, and Ban Ming left with Banjiu after inviting Jian Mo to eat at their house next time.

Jian Mo turned the Hairy-Horned Beast meat he had received into pure meat sausages with help from Qing Kuo and the other villagers. By the end, they had made many sausages, and Qing Kuo asked whether they should be dried.

• Jian Mo worried that the lean, gamey Hairy-Horned Beast meat would be hard to use, and the villagers suggested ways to cook or preserve it.
• Jian Mo decided to make sausages and brought the meat and saved fatty meat to the stone mortar, where the young beastmen pounded them into mince.
• Jian Mo picked sinew out of the mince and set aside some for Jiujiu, then cooled each finished batch in the snow.
• Jian Mo and the villagers cleaned casings and stuffed them with the mince, making link after link of pure meat sausage.
• Qing Kuo looked at the sausages and asked Jian Mo whether they should put them out to dry.

Jian Mo cooked the tribe’s first sausages and introduced a new way to grill them, winning everyone’s praise. The chapter ended with him inviting Jiang Xing and the other children watching from outside to come in and share the food.

• Jian Mo cooked the sausages and let everyone taste them, and they praised their springy texture and rich flavor.
• Qing Kuo suggested keeping the sausage recipe secret from neighboring tribes, and Jian Mo and the others agreed.
• Jian Mo grilled sausages with Wu Jiong, who enjoyed them and joked that Hairy-Horned Beasts might have been eaten to extinction if the tribe had known the recipe sooner.
• Jian Mo spotted Jiang Xing and several little ones watching through the window, invited them inside, and served them grilled sausages.