Chapter 356

But the next moment, that familiar call came from above…

Tongzi's mouth twitched as he looked up, but his pupils instantly contracted and he agilely jumped to the side.

Then he watched helplessly as a female, pretending to meditate but actually just yawning, drooled saliva that fell onto the dry grass where he had previously been squatting.

He felt goosebumps all over his body, and his disdain for the dog host deepened even further.

「Glug~」

Through a narrow gap in his vision, Wu Yue saw the Dog System's plump body dart aside quickly, and she almost reached out to press it down there to receive her saliva's baptism.

But thinking of how the Dog System, when angry, doesn't recognize even its own kin, she still secretly sighed in regret.

She pretended to wake up with a slurping sound: 'Oh dear, I must have fallen asleep by accident; surely it's because I'm too tired. I'll still listen to you, Tongzi—who knows, maybe I'll dream of it.'

Having said that, she lay back and fell asleep.

Watching her host fall asleep instantly, Tongzi stared with his round eyes, unable to say anything but feeling speechless.

The dog host is really despicable—don't think I didn't see that hint of regret in her eyes; she actually tried to scheme against me with saliva, which is utterly shameless.

The next morning, Wu Yue got up early, stretched out her toes, and kicked the four‑legged‑up‑in‑the‑air Tongzi who was sleeping in the corner of the grass nest to wake him.

"Get up and get to work!"

The chubby Tongzi stretched a big yawn, his back arching like a bridge, and said, 'Hah~ what work do we have to do?'

"Let's build a brick kiln!" Wu Yue answered while picking up her leather shoes and putting them on her feet.

Hearing that, Tongzi stopped his half‑finished yawn, his eyes widening round: 'Let's just play—I'm just a cute little Tongzi; why would you have me build a brick kiln?'

Upon hearing that, Wu Yue paused while putting on her shoes and sneered, 'I'm still an invincibly cute maiden, after all—I still have to go build the brick kiln!'

Tongzi choked, slowly climbed to his feet, watched his host's limping back, and sighed, 'Did you sleep so long your leg cramped up?'

Wu Yue frowned: 'I don't know why, but today I keep feeling like one leg is longer than the other...'

Thinking of something, she suddenly turned to stare at Tongzi with a fierce little gaze that erased his last trace of sleepiness: 'Ga… ga ha? Ga ha, you're looking at me like that?'

Wu Yue walked over with uneven steps, grabbed Tongzi's chubby front paw, and demanded, 'You said the Strong Body Health Pill you gave me earlier—does it have any side effects?'

Tongzi's face went blank: 'Huh?'

He then realized the dog host was doubting the system's credibility, and immediately jumped up, shouting, 'How can you doubt the great system's reputation? System-made products are always top‑quality, absolutely no counterfeits or side effects.'

Seeing little Tongzi angry and a bit wronged, Wu Yue rubbed her nose and felt she had truly wronged little Tongzi this time.

"Well, I'm just suspicious, right? I can't just mysteriously grow a leg out of nowhere."

Tongzi's throat tightened: 'What do you think you are, some weird creature?'

Having said that, he lay down and looked at her soles; after a moment his face stiffened, he gave her a look of utter contempt and said, 'Lift your own feet and take a look!'

Being looked down upon by her own Tongzi, Wu Yue sat awkwardly in the grass nest, bent her leg to examine the sole of her leather boot, and wondered aloud, 'What is this?!'

The boot sole, which she had sewn with two layers of hide, was now coated with a thick layer of dirt mixed with the ant eggs she had crushed yesterday.

Previously, stepping on it would at most pick up a little dust, but now the sole seemed to be glued on by some powerful adhesive, tightly attached and impossible to peel off.

Looking at the boots she had just put on, Wu Yue felt her heart bleed: 'My newly made boots!'

The delight on Tongzi's face vanished instantly; he leapt up in frustration and swiped at his host with a paw, saying, 'Host, you're such a pighead!'

Seeing the little meat pad pressed against her face, Wu Yue calmly grabbed it, gave it a squeeze, then happily narrowed her eyes: 'So soft~'

Tongzi looked horrified: 'Host, you're acting like a shady guy going to a disreputable place.'

Wu Yue gave the dramatic Tongzi an annoyed glance: 'Are you trying to say that the dirt on the sole got stuck?'

Tongzi, feeling a bit defeated, extended his tiny claw: 'Host, once in a while you should let little Tongzi show off his smarts!'

Wu Yue cooperated fully, flashing a grin that showed all eight teeth: 'Please instruct me!'

Tongzi adjusted his nonexistent little tie, raised his head solemnly, and said: 'Normally, stepping on this dirt causes no trouble, but when mixed with those yellow ant eggs it becomes this strongly adhesive.'

When building houses, we can completely mix ant eggs with soil and use it as an adhesive.

Wu Yue clapped enthusiastically: 'Wow, Tongzi, you're really smart!'

Tongzi hehe‑laughed, lifted his little paw to scratch his head: 'Oh come on, you're overpraising me.'

After saying that compliment, Wu Yue changed into another pair of boots, picked up little Lan Pangzi, and headed out of the tent.

"Awake?"

A beastfolk's voice sounded from beside her; Wu Yue turned her head and instantly jumped in fright.

Three panda‑like beastfolk sat outside the tent, each sporting huge dark circles under their eyes.

"What were you guys doing yesterday?"

"Did you go steal chickens?"

Yuan Lang rubbed his brow and rose from the ground; only then did Wu Yue notice that there was still a piece of hide beneath him.

"Are you going to rest here again tonight?"

Yuan Lang pressed his lips together and nodded: 'Last night I was tormented by a pair of scoundrels until the early morning, and I've only just gotten a little rest!'

"Scoundrel partners?"

I don't know why, but Wu Yue felt that what he said must be the flower-tree grandma and Yuan Qi's uncle.

But…

She tiptoed over and said: "Yuan Lang, although you're not the original body, to them you are the Snow Tiger Tribe's Yuan Lang, so be nicer to their parents!"

Seeing her expression that seemed to say 'I'm advising you to be good,' Yuan Lang's handsome face stiffened slightly, he lowered his head to her ear and said: "I still consider myself a very filial beast."

Wu Yue gave a hehe dry laugh, patted the dust off his beast-skin skirt, and said: "Of course, what kind of beast you are, how could I not know?"

Yuan Lang chuckled: "…"

How does this general's butt feel?

Seeing his fake smile, Wu Yue quickly changed the subject: "Um! Should we discuss the matter of building houses?"

Yuan Lang raised an eyebrow: "Have you thought of a good method?"

Wu Yue nodded: "This matter still has something to do with Teng Kun."

After speaking, she looked at the two beastfolk behind him who were drooling in their sleep, having lost track of day and night.

Yuan Lang's eyes lit up: "Could it be the cellar we built last time..."

Wu Yue nodded: "Yes, when we built the cellar last time, Teng Kun discovered a soil that could be fired into pottery; I think we can use it to make bricks and tiles."

Yuan Lang nodded, then turned and mercilessly kicked his two lackeys awake with his foot: "Get up, time to work."

Tongzi, who was napping in Wu Yue's pack, reflexively poked his head out; after a moment he felt something was off, then lifted his head to look at the beastfolk gathered together and his own host.

This merciless demeanor—truly a match made in heaven!

The two beastfolk wiped the drool from their mouths, looking bewildered at their boss's... feet.

"Gaha ya? Bird big!" Teng Qian said, still a bit dazed.

Wu Yue beside them unconsciously glanced at a certain unspeakable spot on the nearby beastfolk, then that deeply meaningful gaze began to wander back and forth between Yuan Lang and Teng Qian.

This nickname instantly made Wu Yue's thoughts go astray.

That glance, as if peeking at some scandal, made Yuan Lang's body stiffen!

Afterwards, his deep eyes looked toward the little female behind him: "What unhealthy stuff are you thinking about in that head of yours?"

Wu Yue stiffened, withdrew her probing little gaze, and hehe-laughed: "Nothing, nothing, hehe!"

That lewd laugh instantly snapped Teng Qian and Teng Kun out of their daze.

"Boss, didn't you say we'd work? What work? Just give the orders!"

Yuan Lang gave Wu Yue, who looked guilty, a meaningful look: "You ask Yue; she says she has a method for making bricks."

Wu Yue gave an appeasing smile, turned to Teng Kun beside her: "Do you still remember that soil you found when we built the cellar, which can be fired into crude pottery?"

Teng Kun scratched his head, bewildered: "Did I really do something like that?"

Wu Yue gave a black line: "No need to doubt—you haven't fired pottery before, but you did discover that soil."

After giving Teng Kun a look of disgust, she led Yuan Lang and the three beastfolk toward the back mountain where they'd built the cellar: "Let's go take a look first; your lackeys have limited brain capacity."

Although the cellar had no food left, the half-beast warrior patrols still passed through here, so it hadn't been damaged by wild beasts.

Walking up to a cellar, Wu Yue signaled Teng Kun to lift the stone slab covering it; the three beastfolk immediately noticed the part protruding above ground.

Yuan Lang stepped forward: "Is this the soil you meant?"

Wu Yue nodded: "Yes, this soil was found by Teng Kun; after firing it becomes like this."

Yuan Lang nodded: "Indeed it resembles brick, but do you know how to build a kiln for firing bricks?"

Upon hearing that, Wu Yue's eyes sparkled as she looked at him.

Yuan Lang's face froze: "Don't look at me; although I've been to many places, I've never built a brick kiln."

Wu Yue waved her hand disdainfully: "Didn't you say Teng Qian once worked at a place where porcelain was fired?"

Yuan Lang's eyes flashed, then he turned to his own lackey: "You can, right, Teng Qian?"

Teng Qian: "..."

With this look of yours that says "I won't, I will," do you dare say you won't?

But...

A beastman warrior still shrank his neck and said: "Boss, when I went to work, that porcelain-firing kiln already existed—I really didn't know."

After the four stared at each other for a moment, Wu Yue sighed deeply: "Let's first find a place, then decide what kind of house to build—we need to dig the foundations first."

Yuan Lang nodded: "We'll handle the foundations."

Wu Yue nodded: "I actually hadn't planned to dig foundations with you, after all I'm just a frail little female."

Yuan Lang: "..."

He too couldn't help doubting his own taste—does he really like this thick-skinned, deceitful woman?

The beastfolk also fell into deep doubt.

"Boss, shall we go work?"

Looking at their boss still in a daze, Teng Qian tentatively spoke up.

"Digging the ground..." Yuan Lang's eyes narrowed slightly, the corner of his mouth curling into a mischievous smile.

Wu Yue, who had spent ten points to swindle Tongzi out of the most primitive brick‑kiln construction method, came to the place where several beastfolk were digging foundations and saw a familiar lush‑green bunch hard at work, huffing and puffing as they dug.

The beastman warrior leading them, his nose bruised and face swollen, was so familiar...

"Figured out a way?"

Yuan Lang's voice sounded beside her; Wu Yue covertly pointed at the angry, violent poison‑scorpion beastman and said: "You gave him a beating?"

The beastman raised his chin: "It's how men communicate."

"Power grows from the barrel of a gun"—looks like dealing with a violent beastman still works best with fists.

Having said that, his gaze toward the violent beastman ahead gained a few more layers of meaning.

The toiling violent beastman only felt a chill run through him, his resentment growing deeper.

It's summer already, yet I actually feel cold—could it be that violent beastman's beating gave me some ailment?

No way; later he'll have that female take a look—if he gets hurt there it'd be bad, after all back in the tribe he also made a living by his looks.

Wu Yue pulled a piece of beast hide from her bosom: "Take a look!"

"Is this a blueprint?"

Wu Yue nodded: "Mm."

Yuan Lang's eyes lit up; he hastily opened the beast hide in his hand, but...

"What is this?"

"These circles within circles on it—do you call this a blueprint?"

"Isn't that a bit hasty?"

"Your... painting skill still needs improvement!" It's truly a pity for this beast hide.

Wu Yue blushed; her drawing really wasn't good, there's no doubt about that.

Gave an awkward laugh, took another clean beast hide from the backpack, and picked up the burnt black wooden stick used for drawing earlier: "I'll speak, you draw,"

"First dig a pit, then around the pit..."

One spoke while the other drew; after a moment, looking at the vivid primitive brick kiln drawing on the beast hide, Wu Yue's eyes sparkled as she looked at Yuan Lang: "I never expected you to draw this well!"

Yun Lang's lips curled slightly: "As a general of a state, skill in painting goes without saying."

"How about it, don't you think this general is quite excellent?"

Wu Yue nodded absentmindedly: "Come on, let's get building that brick kiln!"

After the poison scorpion beastfolk finished digging with huffs and puffs, they were mercilessly abandoned; not even receiving a wild vegetable dumpling, they could only drag their exhausted bodies to go hunt again.

The poison scorpion beastfolk with tears streaming into their stomachs looked at the nearby trio of beastfolk and the vicious little female, who were huddled together saying who knows what bad things, and felt that anything associated with Wu Yue was nothing good.