Chapter 45
In the twilight of evening, the beastmen carrying honeycombs and the gathering team carrying potatoes met at the foot of the mountain. They talked and laughed all the way, sharing their harvests and walking back to the tribe together.
They emerged from the mountain forest, crossed the river, and walked at full speed on the increasingly sparse grass.
As the last rays of the setting sun faded and the sky gradually darkened, the large group of people finally reached the location of the first fish trap upstream.
Traveling with the beastmen had its pros and cons. The good thing was that it was safe, and there was no need to worry about danger. The bad thing was—after several days of hard work coming down from the mountain, the group of beastmen still had endless energy, and they walked faster and faster.
After two full days of hard work in the mountains, and carrying heavy potatoes, the young and healthy could still manage, but the elderly Chief Mu was really struggling.
To keep up with the beastmen and not fall behind, he was drenched in sweat on a cold day, and his legs were starting to tremble. He wanted to stop and rest for a while, but they were almost there, and he was too embarrassed to say anything.
Chief Mu tightened the back strap and gritted his back teeth, preparing to push through. Just then, Mo Huaishan, who was walking side by side with Yan Qiuyu in front, stopped in his tracks, as if he had noticed something unusual. He turned his head and looked around, sniffing vigorously.
When the person in front stopped, the entire team gradually came to a halt. Yan Qiuyu, who was eager to get home, was very impatient. He suppressed his anger and looked at Mo Huaishan. “What’s wrong? If you have something to say, say it. Don’t just stand there.”
“I, I…” Mo Huaishan sniffed hard and said with some uncertainty, “There’s a strange smell around here. Do you guys smell it?”
Ju Ming took a couple of deep breaths. “The smell of dry grass, the smell of earth.”
“Are you stupid, or is he? Is it necessary for him to specifically mention the smell of grass and earth?” Yan Qiuyu glared at him with disappointment.
“Then what is it?” Ju Ming sniffed again carefully and shook his head. “I don’t smell anything.”
“I don’t smell anything either.”
“Is there a strange smell?”
“No, the big oaf’s nose must be playing tricks on him.”
…
The sound of sniffing rose and fell, and the sub-beastmen were all discussing it.
The Pallas’s squirrel had the most sensitive sense of smell, ranking first among squirrels. Others didn’t take it seriously, but Chief Mu did. He quickly asked, “Don’t just ask. Tell us, what do you smell?”
“It’s a bit smelly, like animal droppings, but also a bit strange, like, like…” Mo Huaishan stammered for a long time, unable to explain.
It was a strange but familiar smell, and he couldn’t recall it for a moment. He was about to give up when a flash of white light appeared in his mind. “I know! The gamey smell. The Lord Priest said it before, the gamey smell of mountain goats, and a faint smell of blood!”
“The smell of mountain goats? Are there mountain goats nearby?”
“Wow, really? Why don’t we put down our back baskets and go look for them?”
“Why don’t I smell anything? Big oaf, you’re not hallucinating from wanting meat, are you?”
“Quiet, quiet! What time is it? You’re still in the mood to think about mountain goats?”
The mention of mountain goats caused a commotion. The tribe members were making a fuss again, and Chief Mu shouted at the top of his lungs. When the crowd quieted down, he quickly took two steps forward and confirmed with Mo Huaishan, “Are you sure you smelled blood? Can you tell which direction it’s coming from? We’re not far from the tribe. Could it be…”
He didn’t finish his sentence, but everyone understood.
The crowd’s faces changed drastically. No one spoke or laughed anymore. They all stared at Mo Huaishan.
Mo Huaishan also realized something. His hands, hanging at his sides, clenched into fists, and his lips trembled slightly. “There is indeed the smell of blood. I, I smelled it earlier. The smell was very faint, but it got stronger the further we walked.”
The further they walked, the stronger the smell of blood became. And not far ahead was their tribe.
“Oh no, something might have happened to the tribe. Quick, back to the tribe!”
Someone shouted, and in an instant, the stagnant team became restless. The beastmen with back baskets, like a stampede of ten thousand horses, rushed downstream eagerly and quickly.
Forgetting their fatigue, forgetting the cold, the beastmen’s legs were a blur as they ran desperately. The biting cold wind blew, and the increasingly strong gamey and bloody smell rushed to their faces. Everyone’s heart was in their throat.
What on earth happened? Did the mountain goats attack the tribe in revenge for their companions? The gamey smell came from the mountain goats, but who did the bloody smell come from? There were also beastmen in the tribe. It shouldn’t be, it shouldn’t be… Yan Qiuyu’s mind raced all the way. His little face was pale, and his heart was pounding.
It was already completely dark. After running for who knows how long, they could finally see the tribe. But looking from a distance, the camp, which should have been lit by a fire, was pitch black. The tribe members, who should have been weaving fishing nets and cooking dinner in the camp, were all gone.
And to the front right, in a corner of the camp, there were three white shadows. They were sitting around a large rock, their sharp ibex horns gleaming in the darkness, their lips opening and closing as if they were chewing something.
An even stronger smell of blood filled the air. Yan Qiuyu’s heart instantly sank. He gritted his back teeth and forced himself to stay calm. He stopped under a large tree, then put down his back basket, pulled out the stone knife from the crevice of the back basket, and walked towards the camp in the dark.
The others followed his example, putting down their back baskets and picking up their weapons to defend their home.
They still didn’t know where more enemies were. A silent battle was brewing. Just as the crowd was tensing up and slowly approaching the camp, a loud shout suddenly broke the tense and heavy atmosphere.
“Chief? Yan Qiuyu? Whoa, so many people. When did you guys get back? What are you doing sneaking around?”
The voice came from the direction of the riverbank. Yan Qiuyu turned his head to see a tall figure standing on the slope ahead, waving to them from a distance. “What are you standing there for? Hurry up and come over. I have something good to show you!”
He had been so focused on the camp that he hadn’t noticed the person by the river. The tall figure standing there was none other than Hong Yong. A nameless anger flared up. Yan Qiuyu rushed forward in three big steps, “What the hell is there to see? Why is there a smell of blood? What are you guys doing, not making a fire in the middle of the night? Don’t you know we were worried sick—”
Before he could finish his tirade, Yan Qiuyu, who had walked to the riverbank, inadvertently glanced down, tripped over his own feet, and fell to the ground. Without bothering to get up, he threw down his stone knife and rubbed his eyes repeatedly. He was completely dumbfounded, his mouth open wide enough to fit an egg.
The night was thick. The missing tribe members were squatting by the river, each busy with their own tasks.
A beastman held a machete and was cutting at the belly of a long-dead wild beast with sharp horns. He was skilled and fast. In a short while, he had peeled off a complete and smooth sheepskin and had also removed the internal organs.
The Lord Priest and a few young sub-beastmen were responsible for dividing the meat. One person per beast, the stone knives rose and fell, cleanly separating the meat from the bones. After washing it, it was placed in the back basket beside them.
The elderly and the children couldn’t do heavy work, but they weren’t idle either. They were washing the extremely gamey and fragmented internal organs in the water, removing the excess fat and undigested food, and then placing them in a winnowing basket after washing.
It was clear that they had been busy for a long time. The uncleaned animal skins and goat heads were piled up in a small hill. The back baskets filled with bones and meat were neatly arranged in a row. There were also winnowing baskets filled with internal organs and bamboo tubes filled with an unknown liquid…
“This, this, this,” Yan Qiuyu was dumbfounded. He pointed at the riverbank, and after a long time, he managed to squeeze out a sentence, “What’s going on? Am I awake? Are, are these all mountain goats? Where did you guys get so many mountain goats? And what’s with the few in the camp?”
His words were a wake-up call. The dazed Chief Mu finally came to his senses. His round eyes were like two burning fires, bursting with a brilliant light. “My Beast God, did we go to the wrong place? Is this our tribe?”
“I, I think so?” Ju Ming stared blankly at the riverbank, his eyes filled with disbelief. “I smelled blood and thought something had happened to the tribe. It turns out something happened to a herd of beasts?”
The scene before them seemed to only appear in dreams. The impact was too great. The beastmen and sub-beastmen who had returned from their outing were stunned. After repeatedly confirming that this was not a dream, they danced with excitement and couldn’t help but cheer.
“Heavens, so much meat, so much meat! I’ve never seen so much meat in my life!”
“This is too much! Did the hunting team encounter a herd of beasts?”
“I counted, eight goat heads, six whole sheep!”
“There are three more in the camp, three live ones! That’s amazing. The six of them caught more than ten prey!”
“Are these the same kind of mountain goats we ate before? They seem a bit different.”
“How are they different? Aren’t they all white-furred?”
“They are a bit different. Their size, their size is much bigger.”
“I can’t take it anymore, I can’t take it anymore. I’m so hungry, I want to eat meat!”
…
The riverbank at night was like a marketplace. The crowd was chattering, in a complete uproar.
It was a day of great harvest, and Hong Yong did not spoil the fun.
After the tribe members had had their fill of excitement, he smiled and beckoned to the crowd. “You want to know how the prey came to be, right? I’ll be responsible for answering, but not while standing. We can only eat after the prey is processed. Those who want to eat meat, hurry up and come down to help!”
“Me, me, I’ll help!”
“I want to eat meat!”
“Count me in.”
“Wait for me, wait for me…”
Fatigue? Exhaustion? Non-existent.
A group of beastmen ran wildly and swarmed to the riverbank.
There weren’t many sheep left to begin with, and the newly joined companions were full of energy. Their speed was quite fast. In just a short while, only two of the fourteen plump red sheep were left un-butchered.
After skinning and gutting them, Yan Qiuyu and Mo Huaishan dragged the last two mountain goats to the side. Just as they were about to start cutting the meat, the busy Hua Shi’an quickly walked over and stopped them in time. “Hey, don’t chop these two. Just wash them clean like this. We’ll eat them later.”
“Huh?” Yan Qiuyu looked down at the mountain goat, which was even bigger than himself, and asked uncertainly, “How do we eat it if we don’t chop it? Eat it whole?”
Mo Huaishan thought for a moment and muttered, “It’s too big. The pot can’t fit it.”
“Pfft.” Hua Shi’an burst out laughing. He fanned away the gamey smell that lingered in the air and said gently, “We don’t need a pot to cook it. We’ll eat it whole. It’s better to be lucky than to be early. It just so happens that you guys are back. We must have a good meal tonight. We’ll have roasted whole lamb!”
