Chapter 74
The temperature was steadily rising, and the weather was getting hotter day by day. On a quiet afternoon, with no wind and no clouds, the sun hanging high in the sky was no longer gentle, but cast a considerable heat upon the land.
On the green lawn opposite the camp, the beastmen who had returned from their outing were lying on the ground on their backs, like fish with their white bellies turned up in a river. They were clearly exhausted. Their chests were heaving, and their breathing was heavy, audible even from a distance.
A large black dot had appeared on the emerald green grass, as if ink had been spilled, dyeing a large area black. Or as if a sturdy black giant tower had appeared out of thin air, standing majestically and occupying a large patch of the grass.
The ink-black behemoth lay horizontally on the ground, its back high and arched, like a rolling hill, in stark contrast to the beastmen lying beside it. Its skin was smooth and its fur was sparse. Its blackish-brown body covered a large patch of the grass. Its four limbs were as thick as the roots of an ancient tree, and its lowered head was like a rock wall built of stones.
The beastmen’s proud and strong bodies were made to look incredibly small, barely reaching the giant beast’s thigh. If the giant beast were still alive, stepping on a person would be as simple as crushing an ant.
Its limbs were short and thick, its waist and abdomen were bulging, and its smooth skin was faintly reflective under the sun. From a distance, it looked very much like a chubby, thick-skinned animal—a hippopotamus. But when he walked to the side and saw its head, and the two large, long, backward-curving horns, Hua Shi’an already had a clear answer in his mind.
“Moo, moo~”
Just as he was about to confirm it from behind the giant beast, two soft and strange low moans broke the silence. Hua Shi’an was startled and staggered back, almost falling on his butt.
What’s going on? It’s not dead yet?
Hua Shi’an’s heart rate shot up. He was afraid that this behemoth would stand up in the next second.
“Lord Priest!”
The beastmen who had been lying on their backs on the grass all stood up and quickly surrounded him.
Seeing Hua Shi’an’s nervous look, the captain, Hong Yong, smiled, then turned and walked back to the giant beast, slapping its back twice with a “thump thump.” “Don’t be afraid, Shi’an. This beast has long been dead. It wasn’t the one that made the strange noise just now. We also caught a small one.”
“A small one?” Hua Shi’an was instantly energized. He strode forward and walked around the giant beast’s head to the front.
As Hong Yong had said, the water buffalo had been dead for a long time. There were deep, bone-deep ligature marks on its neck, which was as thick as a giant redwood tree. There wasn’t much bleeding, so it must have died of suffocation. The fibers of a coir rope were faintly visible at the edge of the wound.
The water buffalo’s huge body blocked his view. When he walked around to the front, Hua Shi’an looked down and saw a furry calf with clear eyes nestled by the large water buffalo’s belly.
The calf was not small at all, even a circle larger than an adult red sheep. But its soft, grayish-brown fur, the pointed horns that had just sprouted on its head, and its incredibly clear eyes all indicated that it was just a newborn calf.
All animals are cute when they are young, and the calf was no exception. Hua Shi’an looked down at it. It timidly looked up at Hua Shi’an, its eyes filled with fear of the unknown, but also curiosity about new things.
“Although it’s a bit big, this should be its cub. When the large water buffalo was trapped, it was squatting beside it. It didn’t even know to run when it saw people.” Hong Yong stared at the calf and explained to Hua Shi’an, his eyes without a ripple.
Hua Shi’an keenly caught the keyword and withdrew his gaze to look at Hong Yong. “Trapped? Trapped by what? Didn’t you guys catch it?”
“Hahaha! Lord Priest, you’re overestimating us.”
As if he had heard a joke, Yan Qiuyu threw his head back and laughed twice, slapping the buffalo’s belly. “This beast is not just big. Although we could have caught it, it would have taken a lot of effort. We’ve only been out for half a day. Look at me, I don’t have a single scratch, and my hair is not even messy. Do I look like I’ve been fighting a wild beast?”
That was true. Hua Shi’an asked again, “So what exactly happened?”
“It’s like this,” Hong Yong explained unhurriedly. “The traps by the tribe haven’t caught any prey for a long time. A while ago, we dug a few traps deep in the forest. We went to check them as usual today, and in the second trap, we saw this giant beast.”
“The trap wasn’t dug very big, so of course it couldn’t fit this giant beast. But for some reason, maybe because it was too big and its steps were too large, its hind leg stepped into the trap and got stuck. It couldn’t fall in, and it couldn’t get out.”
“It must have been trapped last night. When we went, it was still alive, but it didn’t have much strength to struggle anymore. We put a coir rope around its neck, and more than ten of us pulled together. In the end, we strangled it to get it out.”
“You’re so capable!” Hua Shi’an was thrilled. He reached out and patted the water buffalo’s belly, looked around with a smile, and praised them unstintingly. “The prey you’re catching is getting bigger and bigger. You guys are really amazing. How much meat can you get from such a big beast? If you eat it every meal, it will probably last for more than ten days.”
“Luck, luck. It was pure luck today.” Hong Yong scratched his head in embarrassment and grinned.
“Luck?” Hua Shi’an chuckled. “You guys dug the trap, you guys caught the prey, and you guys carried it back. What does that have to do with luck? If you ask me, this is strength!”
“That’s right. This is the strength of our hunting team!” Yan Qiuyu was so praised that he was on cloud nine. He beat his chest so hard it thundered, his chin almost reaching the sky.
Ju Ming couldn’t stop smiling. “The Lord Priest really knows how to talk! Isn’t that right? No matter how we caught it, as long as we brought back the prey, it’s our skill.”
One after another, the grass was in an uproar.
Laughing and joking aside, the most important thing was how the giant beast tasted. Mo Huaishan inconspicuously moved a few steps to the side and secretly came to Hua Shi’an’s side. “Shi’an, you recognize this beast, right? What’s it called, and how does it taste?”
At these words, the grass instantly quieted down, and dozens of pairs of eyes all looked at Hua Shi’an.
It was clear that everyone was concerned about this question. Hua Shi’an didn’t keep them in suspense and gestured with his chin. “This giant beast is called a cow. Just like mountain goats and red sheep, there are many breeds of cows. The one you caught is called a water buffalo. Beef is delicious. In my personal opinion, it’s the most delicious of all beast meat.”
“Really? Is it that delicious?”
“The most delicious of all. Heavens, I’m drooling.”
“Why don’t we slaughter this little one too? It has a lot of meat!”
“What are we waiting for? Let’s go, let’s go. Let’s hurry up and move it to the river to clean it. We’ll wash the meat and internal organs, and then the Lord Priest will cook it when he’s done.”
They got excited as soon as they talked about eating. The crowd was chattering and discussing.
Before they could act, Hua Shi’an waved his hand and pointed to the pitiful little calf beside the large cow. “Don’t be in such a hurry. Listen to me. Leave the calf. No one is to touch it. We’ll raise it first, and when it’s grown up—”
“I know, we’ll eat it when it’s fat. It will have more meat,” Yan Qiuyu had learned to answer quickly.
Hong Yong glared at him. “Eat, eat, eat. All you know is how to eat. The Lord Priest hasn’t even finished talking.”
Yan Qiuyu stuck out his tongue. “Alright, Lord Priest, you continue.”
“Beef is indeed delicious, but a water buffalo is also a draft animal.” Hua Shi’an paused, looked up at the fields that had merged into one upstream, and said slowly, “Didn’t you always say that working in the fields is tiring? If we raise this little guy and train it well, it will be the best helper in the fields.”
“It? Help?” Yan Qiuyu’s eyes widened as he looked at the little calf, and he burst out laughing. “Lord Priest, don’t tease me. It’s a beast, not a beastman. What can it help with? Can it even help turn the soil?”
Hua Shi’an nodded quickly. “Hey, you’re right. Turning the soil is its job. When it’s a little older and has been trained well, we’ll give it a tool called a plow, and when we drive it to walk in the fields, it will be able to help us turn the soil.”
Hua Shi’an was serious, and he didn’t look like he was joking. But driving a wild beast to work, Hong Yong had never heard of it, and he had never even thought of it.
From nothing to something, the Lord Priest had taught them too many things. He had no choice but to believe him. But out of curiosity, Hong Yong couldn’t help but ask again, “A wild beast is still a wild beast. Can, can it really understand our words and follow our arrangements?”
“Of course,” Hua Shi’an said with a smile. “Wild beasts also have brains and intelligence. They know to run when they encounter danger, and they know to charge forward when they encounter food. This kind of newborn animal is the most suitable for taming. If we raise it from a young age and let it interact with people from a young age, its dependence on people will be stronger, and its obedience will also be higher.”
“Taming a beast is a long process. It requires time and patience, and it also needs to interact with people more. Find a rope and tie it up. We’ll take it back to the tree hollow today. When you feed it, don’t feed it directly. Take it out for a walk and let it find its own grass to eat. When you have nothing to do, you can also take it out and play with it.”
“We even have to play with it? This is like raising a human cub. It feels so troublesome.” Ju Ming was greatly shocked.
Yan Qiuyu rubbed his hands in excitement. “It’s not troublesome. I think it’s quite interesting. Catching a wild beast only proves that my hunting ability is strong. But taming a wild beast and making it obey my commands, my heavens, that’s just too cool!”
Hong Yong stroked his chin, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. “Hiss, it is a bit cool.”
“If we’re going to raise it like a companion, then, should we give it a name?” Mo Huaishan suggested in a gentle voice, subconsciously glancing at Hua Shi’an.
Hua Shi’an agreed at once. “We can. What would be a good name? What do you guys think?”
Yan Qiuyu blurted out, “Little Flower, Little Grass?”
“You little brat, are you looking for death?” Hong Yong slapped him on the back of the head. “Have you forgotten the Lord Priest’s surname? This is a wild beast. It can’t have the same name as a beastman.”
“Ouch, ouch,” Yan Qiuyu staggered back a few steps, holding his head and pouting aggrievedly. “I always call him Lord Priest, Lord Priest. I really didn’t think of it for a moment. Why don’t we just call it what it was called just now? Baa, moo?”
“Moo moo.” Mo Huaishan followed his example and mooed twice like a calf.
Hua Shi’an raised an eyebrow and couldn’t help but chuckle. “Not bad, very cute.”
A double-edged comment. Hong Yong misunderstood. “Alright, then we’ll call it Moo Moo.”
“The newcomer has a name. What about the red sheep and rabbits in the pen? Why don’t we give them names too?” Having fed them for so long, Ju Ming had developed some affection for them and wanted to fight for them as well.
The beastmen thought it made sense and started to offer suggestions.
“There are three red sheep. Big, big, small, small, red, red?”
“Huh, what kind of name is that? Why don’t we call it…”
Although it was a bit of a buzzkill, he had to stop them. Hua Shi’an’s brow furrowed, and he coughed heavily when the crowd was at its most excited. “Cough, I don’t recommend giving the red sheep and rabbits names.”
The smile froze on his face. Ju Ming looked at Hua Shi’an with great confusion. “Why? The red sheep and rabbits are also wild beasts we’re raising. Why are they being treated differently?”
“They must be treated differently.”
Hua Shi’an’s smile faded, his gaze stern, and his tone earnest. “We raise water buffalo to plow the fields. They are our laborers and also our partners. Do you remember what we raise the red sheep and rabbits for? To eat their meat. Don’t give food names. Don’t develop too deep a bond with food. Otherwise, when it’s time to kill and eat them…”
He didn’t finish his sentence, but everyone understood.
How sad would it be to kill and eat an animal you’ve developed a bond with!
Just thinking about it was not pleasant. Yan Qiuyu glanced at the little calf lying on the ground and then asked Hua Shi’an, “What about Moo Moo? When Moo Moo gets old and can’t work anymore, will we slaughter it and eat its meat?”
Hua Shi’an shook his head. “No. There’s an old saying, ‘No matter how poor you are, don’t sell your watchdog. No matter how hungry you are, don’t eat your plowing ox.’ From the day it starts working in the fields, it is a member of the tribe. Even if it has no great achievements, it has worked hard. Even if it gets old and dies, it should be left with a whole corpse.”
“And don’t feel sorry for it. A water buffalo’s lifespan is very long. By the time it gets old, it will be twenty years later. I believe that by that time, the tribe will not be short of this one bite of meat.”
