Chapter 40: The Black Qilin Tribe

After Qiyue finished her bath, she changed into the long snakeskin skirt that Feng Yu had made for her. As she stepped out of the cave, Feng Yu was struck dumb. She was breathtaking! The moon-white snakeskin skirt against her fair skin, paired with her blue eyes and long hair, made her look as graceful and noble as a moon goddess descended to earth—truly mesmerizing.

Qiyue stepped forward and nudged him, pointing toward the cave. "Empty the water, and mark that bamboo vat so we can use it as a bathtub from now on." With that, she took the replaced animal skins down to the stream to wash them.

Over the next two days, the two divided their tasks. During the day, Feng Yu hunted and gathered fruit, returning to skin and butcher the prey, handing the cuts over to Qiyue. At night, they pounded rice. During the day, Qiyue boiled and roasted meat, and in the evening, she wove floor mats out of sturdy grass.

For the following three days, Feng Yu joined Qiyue in cooking the meat. They also braised all five portions of the reserved meat at once. Lacking sugar, she substituted it with a high-sugar fruit that Chi’er had found, which Qiyue named "honey fruit." When time permitted, she stir-fried the vegetables she had gathered: leafy greens, sponge gourds, water spinach, and eggplants; she also made scrambled eggs with chives, toon leaves, and tomatoes, and stir-fried large intestines with green peppers.

Finally, she used the smaller pot to steam three batches of rice, which she stored in the bamboo vats. With the bamboo vats, Qiyue decided once and for all to abandon the idea of boiling beef-hide bags.

She had washed the remaining lettuce and cabbage, planning to use them as wraps for the meat, while the cucumbers were meant for raw consumption and the bamboo shoots were to be sliced for a cold salad. She had originally intended to save the chives for dumplings when she had time, but she realized that since Chi’er would be staying in the lava for a long time, the chives wouldn't last. With Chi’er away, she wasn't in the mood to make dumplings anyway. Forget it; she would see if she could find more to make them for him when he returned.

Once the food was prepared, Feng Yu carried Qiyue and their son on his back to continue their journey westward, stopping only when they were tired or hungry.

Taking advantage of Feng Yu’s rest periods, Qiyue had him craft four bamboo needles. During the flight, she wove spider silk while watching the landscape unfurl below. Whether it was due to Feng Yu’s beast form or the power of the guardian stone, Qiyue didn't feel the intensity of the wind while sitting on the Fire Phoenix. Though the temperature was rising, she felt no discomfort, yet she didn't want to go on wearing only a tube top; she had never dressed so provocatively even in the modern world. Of course, Feng Yu was entirely in favor of this—he preferred that his mate’s beauty remained for his eyes alone.

More than twenty days later, they arrived at the Moqi Tribe. The tribe was nestled in a valley surrounded by mountains on three sides, with the clanspeople living in caves carved into the mountains. The dwellings were arranged in circles and tiers, resembling the grottoes Qiyue had seen in the modern world, though organized with even greater regularity. A cave opening appeared every twenty or thirty meters, with a vertical distance of over thirty meters between levels, and the caves were staggered at 45-degree angles, creating a spiraling, interlocking pattern.

The Qilin beastmen could not fly, so each cave had a horizontal walkway in front with wooden railings on the outer edge. Each mountain featured two straight, vertical staircases, also equipped with wooden handrails on both sides.

These three mountains were made of bluestone, with steep, sturdy rock faces. The valley enclosed between them spanned over two thousand acres, and at the junction of two of the mountains, a twenty-meter-wide waterfall cascaded down, creating a spectacular sight. Beneath the waterfall lay a pool, the overflow from which ran through the valley and extended into a two-meter-wide stream exiting through the southern opening.

When the two entered the tribe, Qiyue was wearing a white spider-silk short-sleeved T-shirt with her moon-white snakeskin midi-skirt, while Feng Yu wore a matching red spider-silk short-sleeved shirt. Feng Yu’s shirt was unique, featuring buttons down the front and under the armpits—four wooden buttons on the front and one under each arm. When Feng Yu transformed, he only needed to undo the first button at the neck and all the others, ensuring the shirt wouldn't tear.

Their attire drew curious gazes and whispers from passersby, but neither paid them any mind, heading straight for the cave of the tribe’s witch doctor.

Upon finding the witch doctor, Qihua, they explained their purpose. Qihua’s collection of herbs was indeed comprehensive, and when Qiyue offered crystals in exchange, Qihua refused.

"If you can teach me how to make these tops of yours, you may take whatever herbs you need from here." Qihua had been deeply curious about their clothing from the moment she saw them.

Qiyue did not refuse; these were, after all, her father’s clanspeople. From her father’s past words, she knew they had never harmed them, and they had only left due to the marriage customs of the tribe. Furthermore, upon meeting this black-haired, black-eyed witch doctor, Qiyue felt an instinctive sense of kinship. She didn't know if it was because of her resemblance to modern Chinese people or because the witch doctor shared a three-part likeness with her father.

Qiyue took out two balls of spider silk and two bamboo needles, gifted them to Qihua, and taught her some simple stitching techniques and how the needles were made, before departing with the three types of herbs she needed.

After leaving the cave, Feng Yu landed in the clearing at the bottom of the valley with Qiyue and her son. "Yue, shall we go see their trading area?"

"That sounds good. You’ve worked hard for over a month; let’s treat this as a break and see if there’s anything we need. Where is their trading street, though?" Qiyue was quite curious about what a trading street in the Moqi Tribe looked like.

"The Moqi Tribe doesn't actually have specific streets. Since everyone lives in caves, the lowest level of caves serves as their shops. During the Luojia Festival, clanspeople or outsiders with goods to sell usually lay out an animal skin on the clearing in the valley floor," Feng Yu explained.

"So, during the Luojia Festival, it’s like a street market?" Qiyue imagined it and said.

"Haha, more or less. You describe it perfectly," a grinning young beastman interjected from the side.

Seeing the newcomer, Feng Yu walked up and gave him a playful punch to the chest. "You weren't out hunting, then?"

"If I were out, would you still be able to see me? Alright, enough joking around. Won't you introduce me to this beautiful female?" Qijue performed an exaggerated gentleman's bow toward Qiyue.

"Don't go fawning over her. This is my mate, Qiyue, and my cub, Feng Chi," Feng Yu introduced with a hint of pride. "This is my good friend, Qijue."

Qijue’s jaw dropped. "When did you have a cub? How come I didn't know? You didn't mention it when you were here last time."

"It’s a long story; I’ll tell you later when I have time. We’re heading to the trading area to pick up some supplies, then we’re leaving," Feng Yu said, pulling him along. "By the way, how did you know I was here?"

"Didn't you go see my mother earlier? As soon as I got back, she told me you had arrived, so I hurried out to find you." Qijue was the son of the witch doctor Qihua, and Feng Yu had stayed at their home several times when visiting the Moqi Tribe. Beastmen generally moved out of their parents' caves after reaching adulthood, so Qijue did not live with his parents, though he returned to visit them monthly; today just happened to be the day he was visiting.

Seeing how well the two got along, Qiyue decided not to disturb them, letting them chat freely. She wandered leisurely behind with Chi’er, deciding that if she saw anything they needed, she would have Chi’er tell his father to pay for it.