Chapter 366: Dividing the Taro

Thinking this, the tribespeople instantly felt energized, looking at the taro still un dug in the field, their eyes all sparkling.

At that moment, the slaves' gazes were different, their faces showing a bit more smile.

Such large taro were tended by these slaves; if they wanted to grow taro at home, they would certainly need to ask these slaves for cultivation advice later.

Thinking this, their gaze toward them grew ever kinder, no longer the usual lofty attitude.

Seeing everyone's changed attitude, the slaves felt as if something was sprouting in their hearts, the emotions they had long lost also slowly sprouting within.

Because they hadn't planted much, harvesting the taro took only a few short days.

The ordinary taro was handed over to the tribe; the remaining taro, Wu Yue divided half among the slaves according to the prior agreement.

"From planting to maturity, taro takes about one and a half months; according to the current season, we can still plant another round this summer."

After experiencing one planting, the slaves had memorized everything from seedling to planting, so Wu Yue no longer needed to worry.

At the tribe's request, the chief distributed the taro Wu Yue had handed over among the tribespeople.

Although it seemed like a lot, each tribesperson got only a few taro, so everyone opened a small plot in their own yard to plant.

Having never planted taro and not knowing how to raise seedlings or care for them, some clever tribespeople brought out food to ask the slaves for guidance.

After the taro harvest, Wu Yue thought of the cellar issue; now that everyone had their own yard, the rear mountain cellar's usefulness was small.

With the brick kiln, when Wu Yue built the cellar again, its interior was made of bricks.

The top used thick wood as beams; the fired cover was sturdy and durable, then a layer of soil was added, and a handsome, practical cellar was completed.

Qingcao and Aya loved Wu Yue's cellar at first sight, immediately pulling their families over to learn.

The next day, Wu Yue's cellar welcomed wave after wave of visitors, truly making her laugh and cry.

"Yue, going?" Yuan Lang's voice sounded in the courtyard; hearing it, Wu Yue packed a few biscuits, then shouldered her basket and went out.

"I've packed some food, hoping to gather all we need back."

Yuan Lang nodded, patting his large chest basket: "I also brought a big one, no need to worry about capacity."

Having said that, Yuan Lang directly turned into a mighty, sturdy giant snow tiger, lying down in Wu Yue's courtyard: "Let's go."

Wu Yue had no qualms, she flipped up and rode on, the two flying through the tribe toward the forest.

After a great flood ravaged the area, they thought many small plants had disappeared, but to their surprise, the plants relying on shrub thickets all survived.

The two gathered chili, Sichuan pepper, green leaves, and some seasoning plants into their baskets; Wu Yue intended to plant them in her own yard.

"I... I gao! Yuan Lang, come quick!"

Wu Yue's exclamation sounded from one side.

Yuan Lang's mouth twitched: "When you shout my name, can you not add those extra words?"

Wu Yue turned her head, only to see a beastman looking at her with disdain: "What are you staring at? Come over quickly, there's something good!"

Rarely seeing her so excited, Yuan Lang set aside his slight grumble and quickly walked over.

Just as he was about to ask what had startled her so, the next moment his own face changed dramatically.

In disbelief, he stared at the thing on the ground ahead, his throat bobbing involuntarily: "This... really?"

Wu Yue's little face turned bright red, she kept nodding: "Right, right, that's it."

As a great general, Yuan Lang had naturally seen ginseng before, but this beastman's arm-thick ginseng was truly his first sight.

He recalled the national treasure he had taken from the enemy kingdom's palace—it was only as thick as a baby's arm.

"I can't dig out such a huge ginseng; I'll leave it to you."

Wu Yue looked solemnly at the beastman warrior beside her; her strength was some, but this thing so big left her willing but unable.

Yuan Lang nodded: "Leave it to me."

Wu Yue didn't waste time; while Yuan Lang dug the ginseng, she searched nearby for wild vegetables or herbs to put in her small basket, planning to bring them back to the tribe for planting.

"Yue, it's dug out!"

Such a large ginseng, and without damaging the rootlets, even a mighty beastman warrior would be a bit out of breath.

"Just..."

"Beastman Warrior, this precious ginseng, you're using it as a crutch stuck in the ground—isn't that a bit too extravagant?"

He threw the ginseng in his hand to Wu Yue: "Put it in your space; bringing it back like this would be too conspicuous."

Wu Yue nodded, waving her hand to store the ginseng inside.

"I've dug about enough; the rest can be brought back by the females when we gather later."

Yuan Lang nodded at her words, stretched his long arms, embraced Wu Yue, and ran toward the tribe.

When the two returned to the tribe at noon, after transplanting the herbs, wild vegetables, and seasonings from their baskets into their small gardens, Wu Yue hadn't even washed her hands when shouts from the beastman warriors came from outside the courtyard.

"Yue! Come quick, those fireball beasts are sick, constantly ramming the walls, their heads bloody."

Wu Yue and Yuan Lang exchanged a glance, quickly washed their hands, then headed outward.

The one who came was indeed the beastman warrior who had previously brought the fireball beasts back; seeing Wu Yue and them, his face was full of anxiety.

Wu Yue nodded: "Don't panic, let's go check."

When the three reached the fireball beast pen, many tribespeople were already gathered around; inside, the fireball beasts kept hitting the walls while bellowing, looking pitiable.

Two beastman warriors stood aside trying to control them, but could not stop the young fireball beasts from self-harming.

"When did it start like this?"

The beastman frowned: "It's been a few days, but they only rubbed against the walls before; today they keep slamming into them."

Wu Yue moved closer to the fireball beast pen again, observing carefully.

After a moment, her gaze settled on the sides of their foreheads, where there were two faint bumps.

Recalling that adult fireball beasts, regardless of sex, seemed to have a pair of very sharp long horns...

"These young fireball beasts are about to grow horns."

The beastmen's anxious expressions froze; they then turned to look at the sides of the three young fireball beasts' foreheads, finally noticing those two barely perceptible bumps.

Isn't this a bit too inconspicuous?

When their horns grow, it gets uncomfortable, so they end up bumping into walls. Go get some animal hides, stack them up and hang them on the wall—that way they won't hurt their foreheads.

Since the little fireball beast was unharmed, everyone let out a sigh of relief.

Time flew by, and after the Snow Tiger Tribe's taro harvest was abundant again, the tribespeople started another round of planting. This time everyone got more taro, so they began to open up their own fields around the tribe.

In order to regulate everyone's land use, the shaman and the chief again stipulated the rules for the newly opened fields.

Such an orderly tribal settlement must not be turned into a mess by opening fields.

Wu Yue then busily began arranging the already-built inn and shops.

The collected grass mats were spread on the heated brick beds inside the rooms; in summer, everyone wished they could strip off and run naked, so naturally there were no luxurious animal hide blankets.

But even so, Wu Yue believed that such an inn would definitely let those outsiders see how impressive the Snow Tiger Tribe's houses are.

Yue, isn't it a bit too wasteful to give such houses to those outsider Beastfolk?

Qingcao beside her looked at the clean, tidy little room and wished she could move in herself.

Because she has no partner, she lives with her father A Mu; having her own little room has always been Qingcao's hope.

But this guy only knows how to eat all day, making it so she'd have to save up enough bricks and tiles to build a house—she probably won't manage until middle age.

Wu Yue gave her a sideways glance: 'If outsiders want to move in, they need to give me some goods; what can I do to let you stay?'

You're definitely hoping to stay for free—I know you too well.

Her little scheme seen through, Qingcao gave an embarrassed hehe laugh: 'No way, I can also help you work.'

Wu Yue chuckled: 'What kind of person are you? I still don't know you.'

Yue, the Black Wolf Tribe's trade caravan has arrived.

Aya came running, panting, her face full of excitement.

Just as excited as her, Qingcao beside her exclaimed: 'Really? Where are they? Have they been stunned by our tribe's houses?'

The two walked toward the tribe's gate while speaking, quickening their steps; watching their receding figures, Wu Yue felt utterly uneasy.

Aya, what exactly are you here for?

Just leaving me here like this, won't your conscience bother you?

The two females' guess was correct: when the Black Wolf Tribe's trade party arrived at the Snow Tiger Tribe's settlement, they were dumbfounded!

What happened to the agreement that we'd all live together in caves?

In summer we sleep in tents!

Aren't we the four united, friendly brothers of the Polar Forest?

Why did the Snow Tiger Tribe secretly develop behind our backs?

Row after row of pretty houses so dazzling they could blind eyes stood along a wide road, with Snow Tiger Tribe members coming and going in every courtyard; moreover, the number of such houses didn't look like a privilege reserved only for Beastman Warriors or Half-Beast Warriors.

So has the Snow Tiger Tribe surpassed the super-large tribes outside and achieved housing freedom?

The Black Wolf Shaman, who had sworn to capture the vile Poison Scorpion Tribe's curse shaman and torment him a hundred times, also came with the tribespeople to attend the trade fair.

Upon hearing that the Black Wolf Shaman was also coming, the Xuehu Wu decisively put on her shoes and jumped off her heated brick bed—such a good chance to show off, she had to seize it.

So, when the Black Wolf Shaman, who felt as if he'd eaten a basket of sour fruit, saw the Xuehu Wu running over from afar, the smile on his face had already been flung somewhere unknown.

You secretly built houses yourself and didn't tell us—is that really okay?

The Xuehu Wu hehehed: 'These houses weren't built by me; the little ones in the tribe are amazing—they built these houses, and I'm just living in them; otherwise the little ones wouldn't be happy.'

Host, isn't the shaman's behavior just the legendary Versailles?

Tongzi sat in Wu Yue's arms, looking at the not-far Xuehu Wu, constantly pursing her lips, her little cat face full of disdain.

Wu Yue smirked: 'Yeah, that's Versailles.'

I don't know why, but hearing the Xuehu Wu say that made the Black Wolf Shaman feel even more displeased.

Hehe, come on, come on—for this trade fair you'll stay with me; my courtyard still has a few empty rooms, and even the Eagle and Lion can fit.

After saying that, she turned to Wu Yue beside her: 'Yue, please arrange the remaining Black Wolf Tribe members.'

Wu Yue naturally understood the Xuehu Wu's meaning and smiled, nodding.

After the two shamans left, Wu Yue and the Snow Tiger Tribe's Beastman Warriors then led the many Black Wolf Tribe members toward the built inn.

This is where you'll stay during the trade; a room can hold four people, but if you squeeze, you can fit more.

We prepared five houses for each major tribe's trade party; if you need more than five, you'll have to exchange goods for them.

The Black Wolf Tribe's Beastman Warriors looked at each other; with five rooms they could only accommodate half of their people—what about the rest?

If you don't want to stay in a house, you can also set up a tent; the tent site doesn't require goods.

Looking at the smiling little female before them, the Black Wolf Tribe's Beastman Warriors exchanged glances.

Everyone wanted to stay in that comfortable-looking house, but if they had to trade goods...

"How many goods do we have to trade?" a middle-aged Black Wolf Beastman Warrior asked.

Wu Yue's smile grew brighter: tribes inside the Polar Forest get a discount—outside tribes need ten hides per day to stay, while those inside the Polar Forest only need two hides.

Saying that, she took a hide from the hand of a Snow Tiger Tribe Beastman Warrior beside her and unfolded it—a hide of that size.

Looking at that saber-toothed tiger hide as tall as a little female, the Black Wolf Tribe's Beastman felt as if his whole beast was off.

Calling you Snow Tiger Beastmen really wrongs you—you're basically a bunch of black-hearted tigers.

The middle-aged Black Wolf Tribe Beastman Warrior's lips twitched slightly: 'Please take our tribe's Beastman Warriors to the tent site.'

This hide is so huge—do we need two of them, or is it two per day? You guys really are enough.

Wu Yue smiled and pointed to the large square in front of the inn: 'That's the spot; go over yourselves and find a place to set up.'

The two places aren't far apart, but one is free while the other requires payment in hides.