Chapter 446: with translation of chapter title

The Beastfolk who had just returned to the tribe saw the tribesmen's unsophisticated look and actually felt a bit superior, lifting his chin and said: "Yes, we hunted these game on the second day after we arrived at the Snow Tiger Tribe."

Afterwards, the Snow Tiger Tribe's females made it into cured meat, and up to today, it hasn't spoiled at all.

Saying that, he also picked up a plump hind leg and sniffed it.

Flying Eagle Shaman looked at the Beastman Warrior and asked: "Do you know how the Snow Tiger Tribe's females turn game into cured meat?"

With a hint of hope in his eyes, he looked at his own Beastman Warrior.

The Flying Eagle Beastman Warrior's slight sense of superiority collapsed instantly, he sheepishly touched his nose and said: "That's the Snow Tiger Tribe's secret; we hand the processed game over to the females in charge of curing, and they take it to a special stone house where we can't see."

The Flying Eagle Shaman glanced at him with disdain: "Looking at your spirited appearance just now, I thought you had mastered this technique, but it turns out you know nothing at all."

Disdained by his own shaman, the Beastfolk could only grin sheepishly, feeling utterly empty inside.

Seeing the tribesmen's hostile gazes, he quickly shifted the topic.

Walking to the side of a jar, he patted the chubby jar and said: "This is a pottery item made by the Snow Tiger Tribe themselves; inside are their cured wild vegetables, which can be stored for a very long time."

He carefully opened a jar, then took out a short bamboo tube from his bosom, opened its lid, and actually pulled out a pair of clean chopsticks.

He picked some cured vegetables from the jar and immediately covered the lid: "Whenever taking cured vegetables, one must use clean chopsticks and not get them wet."

Saying that, he waved the two bamboo chopsticks in his hand: "This is it."

Then he took some water, rinsed the cured vegetables in it, and handed them to his own shaman: "Try it; the pickled vegetables are made with salt, so they still have a salty taste."

Pickled with salt!

This statement made everyone's eyes glow with eagerness; good stuff, we definitely have to try it.

The picked vegetables weren't many, about one per person; the last two Beastman Warriors even shared one together.

Yet the flavor of the cured vegetables left everyone wanting more.

"Who would have thought wild vegetables could be prepared like this; the taste is really good."

"Although the color looks a bit... it's really delicious."

Seeing everyone liked it so much, the Flying Eagle Beastman Warrior also unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

The pickled vegetables were a temporary discussion among the Beastman Warriors of the three tribes; although they were initially uneasy, seeing their own tribesmen's reactions put their minds at ease instantly.

"Shaman, the Snow Tiger Tribe does not allow outsiders to be present when they cure game and vegetables; each stone house where curing is done has Half-Beasts or Beastman Warriors guarding outside, so we cannot approach."

After the Flying Eagle Beastman Warrior finished speaking, the tribesmen in the cave exchanged glances and nodded knowingly; if their tribe could produce such long-storable food, they would naturally keep it secret from other tribes as well.

The Flying Eagle Shaman nodded: "It's fine; bringing back this much cured food is already good enough."

He somewhat wistfully wiped at the cured meat, which looked much darker than fresh game, and asked: "Until when can we eat this cured meat?"

The Flying Eagle Beastman Warrior's eyes lit up, he nodded repeatedly, his gaze still unable to hide his amazement: "When we left, the grandmothers who made the cured meat said our cured meat could be eaten until the end of next spring."

"Whoa!"

"Can it really be stored that long?"

"Is that true or false?"

Seeing the tribesmen doubtful, the Flying Eagle Beastman Warrior hurriedly said: "I heard the Snow Tiger Tribe's Beastman Warriors say they store the prepared cured meat in a cool food storage cave, and they only brought it to eat during the recent migration."

After the Beastman Warrior said that, the Flying Eagle Shaman also recalled eating a flavorful meat at the Xuehu Wu's place that didn't need salt; now he thought it must have been the Snow Tiger Tribe's cured meat.

Thinking that, his gaze at the cured meat in the back basket grew ever more fervent.

He waved to call the Beastman Warriors outside: "Put all this cured meat into the innermost spot of the food storage cave and keep it well preserved; we'll eat fresh food first."

Thinking of those anxious days before each winter's end, the Flying Eagle Shaman's worries eased considerably.

With these preserved foods, if we eat sparingly we can get through; this winter the tribe will lose fewer people.

Thinking that, a smile also appeared on his face.

The tribesmen who could come here are the pillars of the Flying Eagle Tribe; they naturally understand clearly the importance of food that can be stored until spring.

They couldn't help but look delighted at their companions nearby.

Seeing the tribesmen quite satisfied, the Flying Eagle Beastman Warrior felt relieved and then remembered he still had something more important to tell the chieftain and shaman.

He quickly took out a large leaf bundle from behind his back basket, carefully opened it, and inside lay several taro roots about the length of his forearm and very thick.

Perhaps because the Beastfolk's expression was overly excited, the surrounding tribesmen and the Flying Eagle Shaman couldn't help but look over.

"What is this?"

They were all drawn to the unfamiliar thing in his hand.

The Beastman Warrior struggled to calm his breathing, then gazed fervently at the taro in his hand and said: "This is a food called taro, a new food discovered by the Snow Tiger Tribe this year."

New food!

Everyone's breath caught; every new food is something the tribe's members have painstakingly discovered, and some tribes have even lost lives discovering a new food.

But what did this youngster of our own tribe just say? He brought back the new food discovered by the Snow Tiger Tribe?

The Flying Eagle Shaman looked at him gravely: "Do you know what this means? If the Snow Tiger Tribe finds out you stole their newly discovered food, our two tribes might even go to war over it."

The Flying Eagle Shaman's heart was full of conflict; the new food represents vitality, and gives the tribe an extra hope of survival.

But the Flying Eagle Tribe and the Snow Tiger Tribe have always been on good terms; if because of this food they become enemies...

His brow suddenly furrowed; this is something he does not wish for.

Around them, after the initial excitement, the tribesmen also thought about the relationship between the two tribes, and their joy faded considerably.

The Beastman Warrior took out two taros and threw them into the fire in the middle of the cave, then bared his teeth in a big smile and said: "Shaman, uncles and aunts, rest assured; this new food is permitted by the Snow Tiger Tribe for us to learn."

The Beastman Warrior's single sentence instantly dispelled the previous stagnant atmosphere; the people in the cave looked over in disbelief.

"How could it be? How could anyone be willing to share such precious food with other tribes?"

The Flying Eagle Beastfolk previously thought the Snow Tiger Tribe's planting of taros in the fields was troublesome, but now they realize the Snow Tiger Tribe isn't afraid of other tribes learning about this new food precisely because they aren't afraid of competing with other tribes, since they themselves can grow countless taros.

"The Snow Tiger Tribe planted countless taros on their old settlement buried by silt and sand; on the day I was resting, their taros matured, they dug up many, many, and each taro is about the size of these in my hand."

"They can grow them themselves, so they don't fear competing with other tribes for forest-grown taros."

The Beastfolk's eyes were sincere.

The Eagle Shaman stepped forward and took a taro, holding it in his hand; the thick taro made it impossible for him to grasp with one hand.

His eyes were slightly red; he took a deep breath and looked at the Beastman Warrior: 'How do you eat this food?'

The Beastman Warrior tilted his head toward the fire in the middle of the cave: 'Just throw it into the fire to roast, then it's edible.'

He thought of the many delicious foods the Snow Tiger Tribe made from taro, and unconsciously licked the corner of his mouth: 'The Snow Tiger Tribe's people can make many, many delicious foods from taro, but we don't know how.'

The Eagle Shaman's hand at his side trembled slightly; he struggled to suppress his excitement, raised his hand wanting to scrape off the taro's skin to see the flesh inside.

Just then, a pair of rough big hands blocked him; the Beastman Warrior's anxious voice sounded in his ear: 'You must never touch the taro's juice with your hands; although taro is delicious, the raw taro juice has a slight...'

Mid-sentence, he scratched his head, carefully recalling what those grandmothers had said earlier; after a moment he tapped his own head and said: 'There is a slight toxin that makes one feel itchy and painful; therefore, when we remove the taro skin, we can wrap a layer of beast hide around our hands.'

Toxic food...

Over the years, each tribe only knows a few foods because the forest contains too many toxic things; a careless mistake could cost one's life.

Thus, everyone is highly sensitive to poison.

The Eagle Shaman, upon hearing this, also felt a bit more hesitant.

The Beastman Warrior naturally knows what his tribe's people are thinking, because he himself used to think that way.

The air in the cave was somewhat still.

Just then, wafts of tempting aroma came from the fire; the Beastman Warrior hurried over to the fire side, took out a taro that had just been thrown in on a piece of firewood.

He brushed off the ash clinging to it, fearlessly held it in his hand despite the heat, and broke it into two halves.

The fragrant, tempting aroma of the roasted taro domineeringly filled the whole cave; a series of gulping sounds broke the previous silence.

The Beastman Warrior raised the half of taro in his hand and took a bite; his face showed a nostalgic, satisfied expression: 'It's really delicious, fragrant and soft.'

After he finished eating his portion for a while, he then handed the remaining taro in his hand to the Xuehu Wu: 'Please try it.'

The Xuehu Wu, amid the disapproving looks of the crowd, took the roasted taro from the Beastman Warrior's hand and bit into it; the fragrant, soft food instantly spread in his mouth, making him unconsciously narrow his eyes in happiness.

Seeing his expression, everyone realized what was going on and rushed forward; in just a moment, the remaining taro was completely divided up.

As for those who didn't get any, they requisitioned the few remaining taros the Beastman had, leaving only one for him to think about.

The cave, filled with taro aroma, swept away its earlier gloom and became heated.

After everyone had finished dividing the roasted taro, he then lingeringly sucked his fingers: 'This food is really too delicious.'

'Do we have this food in our tribe's territory?'

The Eagle Shaman looked at the Beastman Warrior beside him.

The Beastman nodded: 'This taro is the food we always saw the wild boar beasts eating; it's the fruit of those grasses buried underground.'

What he said is correct, right? These are the things Shaman Yue had said before.

Everyone stared again, dumbfounded: could it be that what we just ate was the wild boar beasts' food?

Instantly things felt not good; the envy and jealousy deep inside rose uncontrollably.

Alright! They daily humbly eat bitter Ye Cai Zi, while the wild boar beasts eat something better than them.

'The Snow Tiger Tribe's people said, the taro dug from the forest isn't as big as the ones they cultivate themselves, but it's not small either; there are many such taros in the territory where our tribe's wild boar beasts often roam.'

'If we dig them up, we'll have plenty more food.'

'Moreover, these taros can be stored much longer than those wild vegetables.'

Wu Yue and the others hadn't taught the cellar technique to the three tribes' Beastman Warriors, but winter is not far off, and the weather is already quite cold, so storing until winter poses no problem.

Delicious food is constantly being rooted up by the wild boar beasts; now that we know, we can't just sit idle, so everyone hurriedly rose, grabbed the Beastman Warrior's arm, and headed out.

'Let's go now to where the wild boar beasts are active and dig up the taros overnight.'

'Food that is easy to preserve is truly the most precious thing.'

'After winter, when the rare fruits in our tribe's territory ripen, we must certainly send some to the Snow Tiger Tribe; we must definitely hold onto this thick thigh.'

'The news of the new food, taro, instantly spread throughout the Eagle Tribe.'

'Three days later, the same thing was happening in the Mad Lion Tribe and the Flying Wolf Tribe.'

'At this moment, in the Snow Tiger Tribe, Wu Yue and Yuan Lang had already placed the second batch of ferocious beasts into the great cave.'

'Seeing the game piled up again into a small hill, Changye and the other slaves, after the initial shock, got to work starting the curing process.'

'Don't ask, just get it done!'

'The only thing that Wu Yue and Yuan Lang didn't expect was that the cured ferocious beast meat's foul, gamy smell actually became even stronger.'

'Can this be eaten?'

'Wu Yue covered her nose in disgust and ran away, yet she saw Yuan Lang still standing there, his expression even carrying a hint of enjoyment.'

'Instantly she felt speechless; what kind of bizarre hobby is this?'

'Feeling the energy locked within the cured meat, Yuan Lang felt delighted in his heart.'

'Unexpectedly, after curing, these ferocious beast meats still retained the energy within their bodies, which was quite delightful.'

'In the future, eating a piece during battle can quickly replenish the expended energy in the shortest time.'