Chapter 16: Harvesting Salt

The next morning, Chi’er reported to Qiyue, “Mother, Father Beast has set out to find us.”

“Did he say how long it will take?” Qiyue asked.

“Father Beast said it would take at least seven or eight days and told you not to worry.”

Qiyue was far from worried. No matter where she was going to settle, some preparations had to be made. Fortunately, Chi’er had a space to store things, so she planned to gather as much as possible, ensuring that after leaving, neither she nor Chi’er would be neglected.

Early that morning, Lang En arrived at Huyue’s home to pick up Qiyue. After breakfast, Qiyue bundled two large beast-skin pouches together, strapped a waist bag around her, and mounted Lang En’s winged wolf.

Most of the beast-men in the Luyu tribe were lion, tiger, bear, or wolf types; due to bloodline differences, only a fifth of them were born with wings.

Soon, the tribespeople who were to gather salt assembled in the central square, numbering over a hundred. Most were pairs—one beast-man carrying a female—and a few were single. Fortunately, Huli and Shide were absent this time, though Hu Wei was among the group. Qiyue paid him no mind.

The team leader was Hu Xiao, son of Elder Huwan. “Almost everyone’s here. Let’s go. Those who didn’t make it can go next time,” he said before transforming, letting out a tiger’s roar and carrying his female partner as he dashed ahead.

When Lang En and Qiyue reached midair, Qiyue suddenly sensed something amiss. She understood Hu Xiao’s tiger roar as a command to depart. Could it be that she understood Chi’er’s bird language not simply because Chi’er was her offspring? She had never had this ability before fainting. She couldn’t figure it out—perhaps it was another gift from the Beast God.

They traveled south, passing through mulberry forests, leaping over a canyon, and finally arriving at the inner edge of a dense forest. Qiyue had never gathered salt before; when Father Beast was alive, he carried her to collect it. Since his passing, she usually traded for salt at the market.

A massive tree ten meters in diameter stood before them, its lower trunk encircled by simple scaffolding or wooden frames, allowing people to stand and harvest salt crystals exuding from the bark. However, the crystals here were smaller, remnants from previous harvests.

Qiyue asked Lang En to cut a vine, then positioned herself on a thick branch in the treetop. Using the vine, she fashioned a simple safety tether—one end tied to the trunk, the other around her waist. She held a bamboo knife in her right hand and a salt crystal in her left, plucking and casually dropping the crystals into the waist bag on her left. Once full, she handed the bag to Lang En to pour into a large beast-hide sack nestled in the tree fork.

When Lang En had free moments, he stood in the tree fork holding another beast-hide pouch, helping Qiyue gather salt. By the time others filled a small bag, the two had already filled a large one. Whether intentional or not, Hu Wei was always gathering salt not far below them.

“Lang En, shall we go down and rest a while?” Qiyue suggested as the sun reached its zenith.

Lang En lowered Qiyue to the ground, then retrieved the heavy salt sack from the tree fork. The beast-men truly possessed immense strength; that large sack felt as light as a feather in Lang En’s grasp.

While Qiyue rested, Lang En went hunting. At the same time, Huyue descended with Bao Xue.

“How much salt have you collected, Qiyue?” Bao Xue asked.

“A full bag. After we eat, I’ll gather another, and that should be enough. How about you?” Qiyue transferred the remaining contents of her waist bag into the large beast-hide pouch.

“More than half a bag. Mostly gathered by Huyue; I’m afraid of heights,” Bao Xue admitted, worried for Qiyue, who stood on such a high branch.

“It’s okay—I tied myself with a vine around my waist. As long as I don’t look down, I’m fine,” Qiyue replied nonchalantly.

A few females came down to rest but kept their distance from Qiyue, occasionally casting her wary glances and whispering amongst themselves.

Qiyue sighed inwardly, wondering why they looked at her with such displeasure when she neither invited nor provoked them.

Lang En returned with two cloud rabbits, and Huyue brought back a small deer. The four of them quickly roasted the game for a simple lunch. Qiyue fed Chi’er two milk fruits and a couple of bites of meat puree before letting him continue to sleep.

In the afternoon, with stronger sunlight, Lang En placed Qiyue in a slightly lower spot where the foliage was denser. The two cooperated for over three hours to fill another sack, likely enough for a long time.

Lang En lowered Qiyue and the salt sacks from the tree, where some of the gathered tribespeople waited below. It was neither too early nor too late; there were still twenty or thirty beast-men in the tree.

“Lang En, will it be too heavy carrying both big salt sacks and me back?” Qiyue felt a bit guilty seeing how much salt she had gathered.

“Don’t worry. Together, it’s still lighter than a large-horned deer,” Lang En reassured her. Relieved, Qiyue sat down to rest.

Taking advantage of the break, Lang En and Huyue picked fruits and milk fruits nearby, filling their empty waist bags.

Half an hour later, the group prepared to return to the tribe. The journey back was noticeably slower. On the way out, the females had been chatting cheerfully, but on the return, their spirits seemed drained, as if utterly exhausted, repeatedly rubbing their arms. Yet, they had rested for half the morning and afternoon and had asked companions to set them down whenever tired.

Lang En escorted Qiyue back to her temporary dwelling, then left carrying a large black bear hide and two cloud rabbit pelts.

Over the next four days, Qiyue and Bao Xue spent mornings collecting spider silk in the mulberry forest, afternoons stripping vine and palm fibers and twisting hemp rope, and evenings alone weaving hemp sacks. During this time, Shiyu finished a snakeskin skirt and sent it over but, to avoid causing trouble for Qiyue, they agreed she would wear it only after Qiyue left. The weather was still cool; Qiyue was moved by the genuine care of these friends.

On the Beastmen continent, lighting at night came from a milky-white stone called “Brightstone.” During the day, these stones were placed outside to absorb sunlight, then brought indoors at night for illumination. It was said the first Brightstone was found by a beastman by the river, who discovered its usefulness, leading to its widespread adoption in the tribe.

Grandfather Xiongjia’s house originally had one stone, and Bao Xue’s package contained two more. During the day, Qiyue placed all three outside to charge, so at night, their combined glow was no less bright than modern fluorescent lights. When it was time to sleep, she covered the stones with beast skin.

While weaving hemp sacks, Qiyue chatted with Chi’er, occasionally telling him small fables that fascinated him. Naturally, after finishing each sack, she had Chi’er store it away.