Chapter Summaries

Jian Mo and Wu Jiong prepared to trade their surplus sausages at the Mengshui Tribe for seasonings and other supplies. After arriving by Flying-Winged Beast, they were warmly welcomed by the tribe’s patrol, who went to announce their arrival.

• The sub-beastmen asked Jian Mo for help making sausages, and he directed them through several batches until the tribe ran out of spice powder.
• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong decided to trade their family’s surplus sausages at the Mengshui Tribe for spice powder, honey-block powder, and other supplies.
• Jian Mo fed the Flying-Winged Beast sausages and other food before loading more sausages onto its back.
• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong flew to the Mengshui Tribe, where a patrol member recognized them and hurried to announce their arrival.

Jian Mo traded grilled sausages for seasonings at the Mengshui Tribe gathering and received a large supply of high-quality pepper stamens from Min Dang. The chapter ended with Wu Jiong carrying sausages for Min Dang while Jian Mo stayed to trade.

• Yun Long welcomed Wu Jiong and Jian Mo, and the Mengshui Tribe helped them set up a stall and light a fire.
• Jian Mo grilled sausages and shared samples, impressing the gathered beastmen and sub-beastmen with their flavor.
• Jian Mo traded sausages for seasonings, including pepper stamen powder and bright-fragrance tree bark.
• Wu Jiong greeted Min Dang, who came to trade well-preserved pepper stamens for sausages.
• Jian Mo offered Min Dang a basket of sausages for the pepper stamens, and Wu Jiong took them over while Jian Mo stayed at the stall.

Jian Mo met Min Dang’s son Ran Wu and discovered that the young beastman was severely underweight and losing his hair and fur. After examining Ran Wu in his fox form, Jian Mo concluded that he was malnourished but could not determine the cause without his medical tools.

• Jian Mo traded sausages and spices while Wu Jiong returned with Ran Wu, a quiet young beastman who insisted he was not sick.
• Jian Mo took Ran Wu to a sheltered spot by the Flying-Winged Beasts and asked him about his condition.
• Ran Wu showed Jian Mo the sparse hair on his scalp, then transformed into a silver-white fox with patchy, thin fur.
• Jian Mo examined Ran Wu and found that he was frail, had brittle fur, and was clearly malnourished.

Jian Mo suspected Ran Wu’s fur loss was connected to poor nutrition and stress, and learned that his family had struggled since Min Dang was badly injured. After returning to the Riverside Tribe, Jian Mo decided Ran Wu might recover better if he stayed with them, and Wu Jiong offered to bring him over.

• Jian Mo questioned Ran Wu about his eating and advised him to eat and sleep more while they monitored his fur loss.
• Ran Wu asked Jian Mo not to tell his fathers about the problem, and Jian Mo agreed to return with medicine.
• On the flight home, Wu Jiong explained that Min Dang had been crippled after a hunting accident, leaving Ran Wu’s family with fewer resources.
• Jian Mo packed food and herbs for Ran Wu, then suggested that he stay with them to recuperate.
• Wu Jiong agreed to bring Ran Wu to their home the next day.

Jian Mo and Wu Jiong brought Ran Wu from the Mengshui Tribe to stay with them, and the welcoming Riverside Tribe helped him regain confidence and join their hunting trips. As Ran Wu settled in, Ban Ming and the others invited him to collect tree sap, but he worried it was too late to go out safely.

• Wu Jiong brought Ran Wu to the Riverside Tribe, where Jian Mo welcomed him, arranged a bath and rest, and helped him settle in.
• Ran Wu spent his days helping Jian Mo with chores, and Jian Mo suggested that Wu Jiong take him hunting.
• Ran Wu agreed to join a hunting trip, where the tribe’s beastmen patiently taught him and treated him kindly.
• Ran Wu gradually became more comfortable in the Riverside Tribe after the elders encouraged him and included him in their activities.
• Ban Ming and the other young beastmen invited Ran Wu to collect tree sap, but he worried that going out so late would be unsafe.

Jian Mo joined the Riverside Tribe on a nighttime trip to collect sweet sap from purpleheart trees, learning how to set up wooden tubes without damaging the trees. After falling asleep on Wu Jiong’s back on the way home, he woke at daybreak and hurried to prepare for the group’s return to the grove.

• A Hu and Ban Ming explained purpleheart sap to Jian Mo, who asked to join the collection trip, and Ran Wu and many other tribe members decided to come too.
• Jian Mo rode on Wu Jiong’s back with Ran Wu and the tribe to the purpleheart grove, where Ye Luo demonstrated how to cut the bark and place a wooden tube beneath it.
• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong set up one tube per tree, taking turns cutting the bark, while the tribe worked through the grove and planned to return before sunrise.
• On the journey home, Jian Mo fell asleep on Wu Jiong’s back, and Wu Jiong let him rest without waking him.
• At daybreak, Jian Mo remembered the sap collection and quickly dressed to go back to the grove with Wu Jiong; Ran Wu greeted them outside.

Jian Mo and the Riverside Tribe gathered purpleheart tree sap, which he enjoyed and used to make bird soup for dinner. The chapter ended with Ran Wu’s fathers bringing gifts and thanking Jian Mo and Wu Jiong for caring for him.

• The tribespeople went to the purpleheart grove before sunrise to collect the sap they had gathered overnight.
• Jian Mo tasted the sweet, crisp sap, and he, Wu Jiong, and Ran Wu shared it before bringing home more than half a bucket.
• Jian Mo and Wu Jiong decided to use some of the sap to make bird soup, and Jian Mo invited Qing Kuo’s family to dinner.
• Ban Ming and Ran Wu asked Jian Mo to teach them how to cook, and he welcomed them to learn.
• Ran Wu’s two fathers visited with baskets of meat and pepper stamens, and Min Dang thanked Jian Mo and Wu Jiong for helping Ran Wu grow stronger.

Jian Mo examined Sui Ai’s injured hand and saw Min Dang’s family off as they returned to the Mengshui Tribe. Wu Jiong later arranged for them to move back to the Riverside Tribe, where they were welcomed, while people in the Mengshui Tribe objected to their departure.

• Jian Mo saw that most of Sui Ai’s palm was missing, and Sui Ai said he was grateful to have two useful fingers left.
• Sui Ai carried Min Dang back toward the Mengshui Tribe, while Ran Wu watched them leave sadly.
• Ran Wu grew more cheerful after the visit and eagerly cleaned the Flying-Winged Beast’s nest.
• Wu Jiong told Jian Mo that Min Dang’s family had decided to move back to the Riverside Tribe, with both tribes agreeing to the move.
• Qing Kuo, Ye Luo, and other Riverside Tribe members prepared a house and supplies for Min Dang’s family.
• People in the Mengshui Tribe complained that Min Dang’s family was ungrateful for leaving.

Jian Mo gathered sinew grass and chose a renovated riverside house for the tribe’s new place to treat sick people. He planned its interior as curious tribe members gathered to watch.

• Jian Mo picked tender sinew grass on the snowy mountainside and declined Min Dang’s offer of mushrooms.
• Qing Kuo told Jian Mo that the tribe had repaired four abandoned houses and offered one for treating sick people.
• Jian Mo inspected the houses and chose the spacious riverside house near Zhou Fu’s home.
• Jian Mo drew a layout for the house, and tribe members gathered to look around the future hospital.

Jian Mo and Wu Jiong made a wooden bed and fur quilts, introducing more comfortable bedding to their home and teaching the tribe how to sew quilts. After enjoying the finished bed, Jian Mo found Wu Jiong in giant wolf form and teased him for still lying beneath him.

• Wu Jiong prepared Jiajia wood for cabinets, and Jian Mo asked him to make a bed after drawing a design.
• Jian Mo traded for Pack-Pack Beast fur, washed and dried it, then sewed it into quilt inserts with help from Qing Kuo, Min Dang, and other sub-beastmen.
• Jian Mo explained how quilt covers worked, and the group made two quilts and two covers with ties to keep the inserts in place.
• Wu Jiong completed a bed using mortise-and-tenon joints, and Jian Mo laid the sun-dried bedding on it.
• Jian Mo delighted in the comfortable bed, then climbed onto Wu Jiong in giant wolf form and asked why he was still sleeping beneath him.

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.