On the way back, Tuya deliberately led the group along a different route, keeping Yang Luo’s instructions in mind to search for water sources along the way.
Although it was still raining, the downpour wouldn’t last forever, and they couldn’t afford to go even a single day without water.
To their surprise, after walking only a short distance, Qi Bai caught the sound of flowing water.
Tuya clearly heard it too, her face lighting up with excitement as she headed toward the source of the sound.
However, as they approached, her expression quickly darkened, and the same serious look spread across the faces of Shulin and Diao Lan, who were following close behind her.
Leopard Star, on the other hand, didn’t seem to notice the adults’ unease. Holding the leaves filled with Li grass, he shouted cheerfully, “It’s a river! We found a river! I want to go back and tell Grandpa Yang Luo!”
Despite having been running for over ten days, Leopard Star was as energetic as ever. Even though he was hungry, he had been in high spirits all morning at the prospect of collecting food. Setting the leaves in his hand down, he looked like he wanted to get closer to the water for a better look.
Before he could take another step, Tuya grabbed his arm firmly. “Leopard Star, listen carefully. This river is called the Man-Eating River. If you ever come across a river like this in the future, you mustn’t approach it or fetch water unless it’s absolutely necessary. Do you understand?”
Leopard Star looked up at her in confusion. “Why? There’s so much water here.”
Qi Bai, standing nearby, was equally puzzled.
Tuya pointed at the yellowish water flowing in the river and explained, “See that yellow water? That means there are man-eating piranhas in the river.”
Qi Bai was startled. In his mind, the yellowish color of the river had seemed like nothing more than muddy water stirred up by the rain. After all, in his previous life, the mother river of his homeland had also turned yellow because it carried silt from eroded soil.
Never would he have thought that piranhas could be hiding in such muddy water!
Noticing that the children didn’t seem entirely convinced, Tuya scanned the ground around her, found an earthworm wriggling out of the soil for air, and threw it into the river.
The moment the earthworm hit the water, the previously calm surface erupted with a flurry of splashes.
Several piranhas, each as long as an arm, surged out of the water. Their gaping mouths, filled with rows of fine, razor-sharp teeth, snapped furiously as they fought over the tiny earthworm.
From several meters away, Qi Bai and the others could clearly hear the clicking sound of teeth clashing as the piranhas bit at the worm—and at each other.
The youngest cub, Lili, was so terrified that he froze, clutching his bundle of leaves tightly. Moments later, he burst into tears.
Diao Lan quickly scooped Lili into her arms, patting him gently. “It’s okay, don’t be scared. Just remember not to get close to rivers like this in the future, alright?”
Sniffling and hiccuping, Lili nodded through his tears. “I know… I know… Wuwu…”
Tuya, not wanting to linger by the dangerous river any longer, instructed everyone to gather their bundles of leaves and continue on their way.
Qi Bai, however, remained rooted in place, staring in silence at the river that had only just calmed down.
Seeing him standing there dazed, Tuya thought he was paralyzed with fear. She smiled reassuringly and said, “There’s no need to be afraid. As long as you don’t provoke them, the piranhas won’t come onto land to bite you.”
But Qi Bai’s next words left her momentarily speechless.
Qi Bai opened his bright eyes and asked sincerely, “Can I eat this piranha?”
Tuya blinked in disbelief. She wanted to ignore Qi Bai, but the thought of him genuinely trying to catch and eat a piranha out of hunger alarmed her. Piranhas were extremely dangerous. Even the horned orcs, known for their extensive hunting expertise, avoided provoking them. She quickly replied, “This piranha isn’t tasty.”
Thinking about how unpalatable the raw Li grass in her hand was, Tuya added with emphasis: “Piranhas are bitter and fishy, even when cooked. They taste awful! Don’t even think about eating them!”
Qi Bai’s eyes widened further upon hearing her explanation.
Tuya had said the fish was not tasty—but not that it was inedible. That meant it could be eaten!
As for the bitterness and fishy taste she mentioned, Qi Bai figured that was probably due to improper preparation.
The fish itself was plump, its meat looked firm and rich—surely, it wasn’t as unpalatable as she claimed.
And most importantly, fish meant meat.
Qi Bai had just noticed that beneath the surface of the river, there were dense schools of piranhas swarming toward food.
That was an entire river of fish!
Of course, he also recognized the danger. If he wanted to enjoy this feast, he’d first have to figure out a way to catch the fish safely.
Deep in thought, Qi Bai followed the group back to the cave.
When they arrived, there was a pile of wild vegetables in the corner, a clear sign that one of the gathering teams had already returned. After placing the Li grass they had collected on the ground, Tuya immediately approached Yang Luo and reported what she had seen at the river.
Yang Luo, the leader of their group, listened seriously. He nodded after hearing Tuya’s description. “I’ll inform everyone to be cautious and avoid the Man-Eating River. You’ve done well, Tuya.”
Tuya flushed slightly at the praise but didn’t linger. Seeing Yang Luo busy tending the fire, she led her team back out to resume their search.
The mountains were bountiful in autumn. Though Qi Bai and his team spent long hours searching, they never returned empty-handed.
As a modern man, Qi Bai longed to help the orcs discover foods he had enjoyed in his own time. Unfortunately, the unfamiliar flora and fauna of this world meant that no plants he encountered matched anything he knew.
Still, the day wasn’t without rewards. Guided by Tuya and Diaolan, the team found several edible wild vegetables and even a type of small, red fruit that Tuya called red fruit.
The red fruit was sour and slightly astringent but edible. However, much of the fruit had already been knocked to the ground by the recent heavy rains and was now overripe and inedible.
Diaolan and Shulin climbed the red fruit trees, picking as much ripe fruit as they could. Meanwhile, Qi Bai and the others scoured the ground for any salvageable pieces. Despite their efforts, they couldn’t match the harvest of the climbers.
By the time they returned to the cave, it was already past noon.
The work of a gathering team was exhausting. Unlike hunting teams that could roam all day, gathering teams had a strict schedule. They had to collect as much food as possible in the morning because their afternoons were packed with other essential tasks—tanning hides, crafting tools, and preparing dinner. In this struggling group, every job was vital to survival.
The group wasn’t a proper tribe yet. They were poor, lacking basic tools and even animal skins. But the orcs and sub-orcs knew that only through collective effort could they secure a better future.
Qi Bai placed the red fruits in the northeast corner of the cave, where Yang Luo had cleaned an empty 90-degree space to store supplies.
Nearby, the sound of “ding-dang-dang” echoed as a team of five worked on crafting a stone pot.
This group, led by Lu Guo, had left early in the morning to find stones suitable for shaping cookware. The mountain cave they lived in, formed naturally on a rocky hill, provided the perfect resource: extremely hard and smooth stones. This was one of the reasons Houyan and Yang Luo had chosen this location—it was stable and unlikely to collapse, even in heavy rains.
The group had returned with a massive concave rock about one meter in diameter. Although all five were sub-orcs, they worked together to haul the stone back to the cave.
Unlike the other teams, who chatted and joked while working, Lu Guo’s group remained focused and quiet. Whenever one of them encountered an issue, they would consult Lu Guo in a hushed voice. Lu Guo would inspect their progress carefully before offering gentle instructions.
The constant clinking of stone on stone was the only sound as the group polished the large rock. Crafting stone tools was a tedious and time-consuming task, and making a pot big enough to cook for over fifty people was no small feat.
Yang Luo came over to check their progress and was satisfied with what he saw. “Tomorrow, take more people with you to find another stone like this. We’ll need at least two large pots to feed everyone.”
Lu Guo, always respectful, lowered his head. “Don’t worry, Lord Yang Luo. There are plenty of stones like this where we found today’s. We’ll bring another one back tomorrow morning.”
Seeing Qi Bai’s team had already returned, Yang Luo called them over. He assigned the children, including Baoxing and Lili, to wash the wild vegetables they had picked in the rainwater collected outside the cave
As for Tuya, Shulin, Diaolan, and Qi Bai, Yang Luo assigned them to stay behind and help polish the stone pot.
Near the entrance of the cave, there was a pile of large stones and sharp-edged stone awls that Lu Guo and his group had collected to use as hammers and chisels. Lu Guo demonstrated how to use the stone tools, patiently explaining the technique. However, the only one who truly needed instruction was Qi Bai. Tuya and the others, despite their lack of experience with polishing stone pots, had worked on making other stone tools before.
Fortunately, polishing a stone pot wasn’t as intricate as crafting smaller stone tools. After watching Lu Guo’s demonstration a few times, Qi Bai picked it up quickly.
Lu Guo assigned everyone a task, and soon, the group got to work.
With Qi Bai and the others joining in, the previously quiet and serious atmosphere near the cave entrance became much livelier.
Tuya began recounting funny stories from their gathering trip, particularly the part where the cubs struggled to chew the tough Li grass. Even Lu Guo and his companions, who usually remained focused and silent, couldn’t help but chuckle at her animated storytelling.
As the work continued, more gathering teams returned to the cave. Yang Luo immediately shifted his attention to organizing their tasks and assigning duties. Despite how busy he was, Qi Bai could tell that Yang Luo genuinely enjoyed it. The old man seemed to thrive amidst the chaos, managing everything with an energy that belied his age.
Once he finished overseeing the new arrivals, Yang Luo returned to monitor two young horned orcs working near the fire pit.
There was a reason Yang Luo had chosen these two.
In a tribe, making fire was a skill often mastered by experienced orcs or horned orcs. During hunting expeditions, orcs would spend days or even weeks away from the tribe. Fire was essential not only for roasting fresh meat but also for keeping wild beasts at bay.
Currently, their group had too few adult horned orcs to spare, so Yang Luo decided to train these two young horned orcs, Hu Meng and Niu Yong, who were on the cusp of adulthood.
Outside the cave, clean firewood and dry hay were hard to come by, but luckily, the cave’s previous inhabitants had stored a decent supply of hay mixed with twigs.
Hu Meng crouched on the ground, rapidly rubbing two wooden sticks together. Beneath the sticks was a pile of hay and grass clippings. Niu Yong knelt beside him, leaning close to blow air onto the smoldering area.
Qi Bai recognized the process from survival shows he’d seen on TV. It was just like this—friction to generate heat, hay to catch the spark, and a steady stream of air to coax it into a flame. He even remembered that some survivalists used a rope to increase friction, but the orcs’ sheer physical strength made the task look even more intense.
Hu Meng rubbed the sticks so quickly that his arms blurred with motion, but despite his efforts, there was still no spark.
Qi Bai, seated at the cave entrance, continued hammering the stone pot with rhythmic “dong dong clang” sounds, glancing occasionally at the fire pit.
Time seemed to drag on, but then, a sudden cheer erupted from within the cave.
Qi Bai turned, startled, as the sound of excited voices and laughter reached him.
“The blessing of the Beast God!” someone cried out, their voice echoing joyfully.
He quickly set down his tools and joined the others rushing into the cave.
Inside, a crowd had gathered in a circle, and everyone was cheering, clapping, and dancing. Even the young orc cubs, not fully understanding the significance of the moment, were dancing enthusiastically.
Each person’s movements were unique, a reflection of their tribal origins. But their shared belief united them. Everyone danced for light, for life, for hope.
Qi Bai couldn’t help but feel moved by the raw, unfiltered emotion around him.
The fire burning at the center of the cave wasn’t just a physical flame—it was a symbol of hope and survival.
Suddenly, a voice called from outside the cave:
“The hunting team is back!”
