Chapter 2
A slap followed by a sweet date—it both united and inspired them.
It had to be said, this Chief Mu of the Squirrel Tribe was quite something. In just a short while, the once lifeless tree hollow buzzed with activity, and hope and fighting spirit rekindled in the beastmen’s eyes.
The disaster had struck suddenly. Most of those who managed to escape the mudslide and the hawks’ talons were strong young adults. Of course, there were also the lucky ones, like Hua Shi’an, and those protected by their parents, like the mud-caked cubs in the corner.
Young people meant labor, and the more young people there were, the better it was for the tribe. But fleeing a disaster was not a trip. By the time they reached this place, everyone had sustained injuries of varying degrees, and the powerful beastman warriors were no exception.
Hua Shi’an did a rough count. Excluding the unconscious squirrels lying on the ground, there were a total of fifty-two people in the tree hollow. Among them were more than ten elderly and children, and over ten young adults with serious injuries who couldn’t move for the time being.
In short, less than half of them could currently move about normally.
They had fled the forest in a hurry, and aside from the grass skirts wrapped around their waists for modesty, they had brought almost no belongings or food. With over fifty mouths to feed, they couldn’t rely solely on the beastmen to go out and find food. So, with a wave of his hand, Chief Mu had the adult sub-beastmen with minor injuries go out as well.
In a corner where no one was paying attention, Hua Shi’an clumsily transformed into his human form and dusted off the small, cold grass skirt that was soaked with muddy water.
It was strange and wonderful. When he was a chipmunk, Hua Shi’an had a miniature grass skirt around his waist. After changing back to his human form, the skirt was still securely fastened, as if it had grown larger with his body, showing no signs of tearing.
Although he didn’t know the principle behind it, having clothes that changed with his form was incredibly convenient. If he had been stark naked after transforming back, Hua Shi’an would definitely be lying on the ground playing dead right now.
The entrance to the tree hollow was bustling. Beastmen and sub-beastmen gathered there, forming small teams to go out. Hua Shi’an, who had only suffered minor cuts and scrapes, decisively chose to join and was assigned by Chief Mu to a six-person team.
As the sky brightened, the torrential downpour turned into a light drizzle that fell ceaselessly.
The squirrel beastmen, who had been awake all night, walked out of the tree hollow in an orderly fashion. They split into their pre-assigned teams of five or six and, stepping on withered branches and fallen leaves, headed in four different directions.
Following his companions out of the tree hollow, Hua Shi’an’s eyes and mouth never closed again. The fresh scent of earth and grass rushed to greet him, and the silent forest was awakened by the faintly blue light of dawn.
The Giant Tree Forest lived up to its name. Thick, tall, and straight like lighthouses, giant redwood trees were everywhere, standing majestically in the forest.
The lush canopy was like a giant parasol, its layers of branches and leaves blotting out the sky. The base of the trunks was ridiculously large, requiring at least ten people holding hands to encircle one. They were no less than a hundred meters tall, equivalent to the skyscrapers of modern society.
Standing beneath a tree and looking up, Hua Shi’an had the strange sensation of standing at a giant’s feet.
As the undisputed rulers of the forest, the giant redwoods were not tyrannical predators. Instead, they created a unique ecosystem, nurturing a vibrant forest.
A gentle breeze blew. The moss growing freely at the base of the trees was a verdant green, its fluffy leaves dotted with raindrops, looking like a soft lawn from a distance. In a sunlit clearing, small yellow wild chrysanthemums were in full bloom. In the dense thickets, trident maples entwined with white birches, growing unrestrainedly.
This was his first real encounter with nature, and Hua Shi’an was mesmerized, falling behind the group without realizing it. By the time he came to his senses, the others were gone, and only a tall, sturdy young man stood near a thicket not far away.
Getting separated from the main group in an unfamiliar forest could be disastrous. Hua Shi’an didn’t dare to delay and trotted over to the young man’s back.
Just as he was about to ask where the others had gone, the big man heard the noise and turned his head. As if he knew him, he pursed his lips and gave a friendly smile. “Are, are you okay? Are you hurt?”
The young man was tall and well-built, with broad shoulders and a wide back. He was quite tall, at least one meter ninety-five by visual estimation. Standing before Hua Shi’an, he was like a mountain, exuding a strong sense of pressure.
Just like his robust physique, his features were also sharp. A high nose bridge, thin lips, and sword-like eyebrows with starry eyes gave him the ruggedness of a mature man mixed with a youthful, heroic air, creating an impression of someone not to be trifled with, not easy to approach.
But there was a strong sense of incongruity about him, especially when he smiled. He instantly transformed from a cool, aloof guy into a simple and honest man.
Looking at the almost fawning smile, Hua Shi’an frowned in confusion and asked tentatively, “Did we… know each other before?”
The question made the man nervous. He waved his hands, his face turning red, and stammered, “N-No, we don’t. Um, I, I’m Shan, a beastman from the Red Pine Tribe.”
Why is he introducing himself? Nervous and blushing… could he be a pursuer of the original An? Hua Shi’an carefully searched his memories and found that the original An had never met this overly enthusiastic beastman either.
Out of politeness, Hua Shi’an smiled and nodded at him. “My name is An. I’m a sub, a sub-beastman from the Chipmunk Tribe. Thank you for your concern. I just have some minor cuts, nothing serious.”
“That’s good.” Shan was visibly relieved and grinned. “Last night, you, you were asleep. I couldn’t wake you up no matter how I called. I was worried you’d hurt your head.”
Hua Shi’an’s head shot up. “Huh? You were the one who saved me last night?”
Shan scratched his head. “I, I was just passing by. It was nothing.”
His consciousness had been blurry last night, so Hua Shi’an hadn’t seen his rescuer clearly. Just a moment ago in the tree hollow, he had been looking around, thinking everyone looked like his rescuer, yet no one did.
Not only had he failed to recognize his savior, but when the man had taken the initiative to ask about his injuries, he had misunderstood him…
This was the savior who had lent a helping hand in a time of crisis, who had carried him to safety even when he could barely fend for himself!
Guilt flooded him, to the point where he felt he’d slap himself if he woke up in the middle of the night. Hua Shi’an slapped his forehead and hurriedly explained to the young man, “I’m so sorry, I didn’t know… Anyway, thank you, Shan. If you hadn’t saved me, I never would have escaped. I would’ve definitely been caught by the goshawks.”
The cold sub-beastman had suddenly become warm. Shan was at a loss and waved his hands repeatedly. “Don’t say that. I, I was just passing by and happened to see you. I didn’t go out of my way to save you.”
He was too honest. Hua Shi’an laughed out loud. “No matter what, you saved me. I have nothing right now, so I don’t know how to repay you. We’ve been through life and death together, so if you need anything in the future, just ask!”
Shan’s lips parted slightly, as if he wanted to say something more, but just then, the sound of beastmen talking and shouting came from the other side of the thicket. “Strange, still nothing. Come on, let’s check further ahead.”
“Where’s the big oaf? Let’s go!”
Big oaf? Hua Shi’an was stunned for a moment.
Shan, standing beside him, answered, “Hey, coming!”
Following Shan, Hua Shi’an rejoined the group. He picked up a branch to probe the path and focused on searching the thickets with his tribe members.
Having not eaten all night and with no food in sight, the exhausted beastmen were like frost-bitten eggplants, slowly wilting. They had actually seen some edible plants along the way, like cogon grass roots, but the beastmen hadn’t stopped for them.
At first, Hua Shi’an thought they disliked the taste or found them not filling enough, until—walking the path his tribe members had already taken, he saw plump, round blue berries scattered on the uneven ground, crushed underfoot without anyone noticing.
This… Hua Shi’an decisively squatted down, reached out, and picked up a fruit that looked like a blueberry from the mud, sniffing it.
The earthy smell mixed with a fresh, light fruity fragrance wafted past his nose. Hua Shi’an’s eyes instantly lit up. This fruit, bigger than his fingertip, was actually a wild blueberry.
His back no longer ached, and his spirits lifted. Hua Shi’an grabbed the blueberry and quickly stood up.
Just as he was about to tell his visually-impaired tribe members about his new discovery, the beastman leading the team seemed to lose his patience. He suddenly kicked down a crooked-necked eucalyptus tree by the path and roared in frustration, “It’s been a whole morning, and we haven’t found any wild vegetables or fruits. What the hell kind of place is this?!”
Kicking the tree wasn’t enough to vent his anger. After speaking, the beastman snatched a branch from a companion and started hacking and smashing at the thicket.
Leaves and rainwater flew everywhere. The other beastmen took a few steps back and quickly tried to calm him down. “Calm down, Jian. We still have energy. We can just take our time and look.”
“Is this something we can find just by taking our time? Haven’t you guys noticed yet?”
Jian’s chest heaved violently, and it took a while for him to calm down. He pointed around and analyzed, “It’s different, completely different from our Clear Sky Forest. Miaomiao vegetable, Honghong fruit, Ding beans—all the common wild vegetables and fruits of the rainy season, this Giant Tree Forest has none of them. And look at these strange trees and grasses. Have you ever seen them? I haven’t.”
Another beastman said, “It’s a different forest, so it’s normal to see unfamiliar flowers and grasses. Besides, the Giant Tree Forest is huge, Brother Jian. We haven’t gone far. Maybe if we go a little deeper, we’ll find Miaomiao vegetable and Honghong fruit.”
“No, we won’t.” A female sub-beastman with a ponytail seemed to have thought of something, her brow furrowed in worry. “When I was little, I heard the Lord Priest say that the most dangerous thing in the Giant Tree Forest was never the giant beasts. The Giant Tree Forest is independent; the danger comes from the mysterious and unknown.”
“I didn’t understand what ‘unknown’ meant back then, but now it seems that the Giant Tree Forest is different from all the forests outside. We don’t recognize the plants and trees, we can’t identify the wild vegetables and fruits. This is the unknown.”
A beastman named Lang looked utterly confused. “What are you talking about? I don’t understand.”
“It means,” Jian took a deep breath and explained impatiently, “the Miaomiao vegetable, Honghong fruit, Ding beans, Xiangmu tips… all the things you’ve eaten since you were a child, the Giant Tree Forest has none of them, and it never will.”
Lang: “Huh? Then what do we eat?”
Jian: “You’re asking me? Who do I ask?”
“Maybe we should hurry back and tell the chief. There might still be time to leave the forest.”
Jian sneered. “Time? We’re uninjured, so we can last a couple of days on rainwater. But what about the people in the tree hollow? Some of them can’t even walk. What do you want them to do?”
“There’s nowhere to go even if we leave the forest. I think we should keep looking. Let’s pick any wild vegetables and fruits that look edible and take them back to the tree hollow to ask the chief and the elders. Maybe they’ll recognize some,” the sub-beastman Lan suggested.
Jian nodded. “My sister’s idea is good. Let’s do that.”
Hearing the beastmen’s conversation, Hua Shi’an belatedly realized he had overlooked a problem.
Did the original An recognize plants like redwoods, eucalyptus, and blueberries?
He didn’t!
He had mixed up his own memories with the original An’s, assuming the original An also recognized these plants. In reality, before coming to the Giant Tree Forest, the original An’s diet in the Chipmunk Tribe consisted of: Miaomiao vegetable, Honghong fruit, Ding beans… plants and fruits that Hua Shi’an had never heard of or seen.
He was no longer in his original world, so it wasn’t strange for there to be new species. But what his tribe members had just said reminded him that the strange thing wasn’t the world outside, but this mysterious and dangerous Giant Tree Forest, which was highly similar to Earth.
Plants that were commonplace to him were special here—novel plants that didn’t grow elsewhere and were beyond the knowledge of most beastman tribes. Hua Shi’an looked at the mud-covered blueberry in his palm, his furrowed brow relaxed, and a joyful curve appeared on his lips.
