Chapter 7: Deer Antlers

“Is that so? Then I’ll inform the teacher later and have her find a few elders to try it out. Sister Yue, quickly tell me how to make this bone broth,” Ling’er said eagerly, her interest piqued by the promise that it could heal illnesses.

“Start with cold water in the pot, bring it to a boil over high heat, skim off the foam, then simmer over low heat for one to two hours. When it’s done, skim off the fat and add a pinch of salt. You can also add other seasonings and vegetables according to your preference,” Qi Yue explained leisurely.

“I’ll start stewing it right now, a bowl after the meal,” Bao Xue’er said, instructing Hu Yue to first remove the hind leg bones.

Qi Yue stared thoughtfully at the two antlers—are these deer velvet? Indeed, these were deer antlers, at least five times larger than any she had seen on Earth. “Brother Hu Yue, cut these two antlers off right at the base.”

“Qi Yue, this is a young deer; the antlers are too small and useless. They’ll start to rot in a few days. Why do you want them?” Hu Yue looked at Qi Yue in confusion but still cut off the antlers and handed them to her.

“Useless?” Qi Yue choked on the words. In the modern world, this was a precious medicinal herb. She sensed its effects were similar here. She wasn’t sure how to explain it—if she said it was for kidney health, they wouldn’t understand, and there was no concept of virility here. “It’s a medicinal herb.”

“A medicinal herb? What’s it good for? Tell me,” Ling’er jumped over eagerly. As a student of the Deer Tribe’s shaman, she was excited to see a herb she had never encountered before.

Qi Yue glanced at Hu Yue, feeling a bit embarrassed. She couldn’t bring herself to say it in front of the beastmen, but Ling’er kept pressing.

“Ling’er, Sister Xue, let’s talk somewhere private. Later, Sister Xue, you can tell Brother Hu Yue,” Qi Yue said, pulling both of them inside.

Hu Yue gave Qi Yue a puzzled look but then lowered his head to continue processing the game.

Once inside, seated on the animal hides, Ling’er urged her to begin.

“Young deer antlers are called deer velvet. To put it plainly, when mates are active at night too often, they can experience soreness in the lower back. Eating some jelly made from this velvet can help relieve it. Both males and females can take it. Usually, males have too much stamina, so the females suffer more. This is a great help to the females,” Qi Yue said, a little embarrassed.

In this beast world, although she was grown up, she had only experienced that kind of intimacy once—and that was under the influence of the illusion powder, so her memories were hazy. The modern Qi Yue had never even been in a relationship. But since Ling’er was a shaman’s student, it was appropriate to tell her about the herb and its effects in advance.

After hearing Qi Yue’s explanation, Ling’er blushed deeply. “So that’s what it’s for.”

Bao Xue’er was not embarrassed and asked, “Does it really work?”

“We’ll stew these two pieces of deer velvet after dinner. Put the jelly in a small jar. Take a little when needed—but don’t overdo it. For the first time, try just the size of a thumbnail, taken with warm water. You’ll know if it works by the effect,” Qi Yue said. Practice proves the truth; they would only believe once they saw the results. As for dosage, she wasn’t sure. Everything in the beast world was quite large; perhaps the medicinal effect was also potent. It was best to start with a small amount.

“All right, we’ll prepare it after dinner. I’ll check if the bones are ready,” Bao Xue’er said, taking the deer antlers Qi Yue handed her and placing them inside the house before heading outside.

“Sister Yue, how do you know all this?” Ling’er asked curiously. She had never heard of such things before.

“I think I heard someone mention it once, but I can’t recall who,” Qi Yue said, picking up a fruit to feed a small red bird.

Ling’er reached out to touch the little bird’s wing and asked, “Sister Yue, why don’t you give it a name? Beastmates usually name their young as soon as they’re born.”

The little red bird ignored her, twisting its body to dodge Ling’er’s hand.

“Oh, I forgot. What would be a good name? It’s a red bird—’Zhu’ doesn’t sound nice. How about ‘Chi’? I’ll see what the father’s name is and combine them later. For now, let’s call it Chi’er. Do you like that?” Qi Yue asked.

“Chirp chirp,” the bird seemed to say, [Mama, I like it.]

“Hmm, it says it likes it,” Qi Yue told Ling’er casually.

“You can understand what it says?” Ling’er exclaimed in surprise.

“Of course, it’s my offspring!” Qi Yue said proudly, not questioning why she could understand Chi’er’s words, thinking it was perfectly normal. “All right, let’s go help Bao Xue’er prepare the meal. We can’t just eat ready-made food when we’re sharing a household.” Qi Yue placed Chi’er back on her head and stepped outside.

Just then, Lang En arrived with ten pounds of bear meat, warning Ling’er not to be naughty before leaving.

After lunch, each person drank a large bowl of bone broth. Everyone agreed the broth was palatable, much better than plain water. Qi Yue even gave Chi’er a small half bowl.

In this beast world, beastmen typically ate only two meals a day—breakfast and dinner. Females ate less, so they added a midday meal. Those with mates usually returned at noon to prepare lunch for their partners and sometimes ate a little with them. Single beastmen often hunted all day and didn’t come back until evening.

In the afternoon, after the deer velvet jelly was finished, Ling’er, still blushing, asked Bao Xue’er for some to give to her teacher for research.

Bao Xue’er generously gave Ling’er a third of it, then turned to Qi Yue. “What do you want to do this afternoon? Want to rest or take a nap?”

“I’ve been sleeping for three years already; I really can’t sleep now. In three months, I’ll go to the Mo Qi tribe. I want to visit the market this afternoon to see what we might need for the journey,” Qi Yue said. She knew females here didn’t usually take naps; Bao Xue’er’s concern was for her health.

“All right, we’ll go with you. I also need to buy some things, and Hu Yue can help carry them back,” Bao Xue’er agreed.

“I’ll go home to get two crystal stones,” Qi Yue said, starting to head home but was suddenly pulled back by Bao Xue’er.

“How much do you plan to buy? Crystal stones are only used for valuable items. Here’s what we’ll do: you buy first, I’ll pay for you, and you can settle with me later.”

Qi Yue thought that made sense. It was awkward to pay others’ crystal stones and get change later. “Okay, I’ll pay you back all at once.”

“By the way, at what age do beastmen usually transform?” Qi Yue suddenly remembered a question she had been meaning to ask.

“It varies. Different beast species transform at different times depending on their talent. Most transform at three years old. Some special species can transform at birth, while others take ten years,” Ling’er shared what she had learned from her teacher.

“Looks like we’ll have to find Chi’er’s father to know for sure,” Qi Yue said, a bit worried. She feared that if they didn’t find that beastman in time, her child might miss the chance to transform.