LSLFBW: Chapter 2

Following Hou Yan’s command, people gradually divided into two teams.

It was only at this time that Qi Bai discovered that there were only ten adult horned beastmen in the team of over 50 people, including several elderly and disabled ones.

At this time, the sub-beastmen and children team where Qi Bai was had already started to assign tasks.

Yang Luo first asked if anyone knew how to polish stone tools. Everyone was hesitant when they heard Yang Luo’s question. Yang Luo didn’t urge them and just looked at them encouragingly.

At this time, a sub-beastman raised her hand cautiously. “Elder Yang Luo, I have helped my master polish a stone axe.”

Yang Luo smiled at her and said, “Very good.”

This was a sub-beastman with a very gentle appearance called Lu (Deer) Guo. Once she noticed that everyone was looking at her, she immediately lowered her head and didn’t say anything else.

After seeing Yang Luo’s smile, another sub-beastman raised his hand. “Elder Yang Luo, I… I have sharpened a stone knife for my master.”

Yang Luo still smiled and nodded. He called the two of them out to stand alone. He didn’t stop until there were five people in the team.

Qi Bai saw Yang Luo’s smile and felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity and weirdness.

Then Yang Luo asked again, “Who can start a fire?”

This stumped everyone. In this era, fire was a resource that all tribes cherished. The most important reason was that it was too difficult to use fire.

The beastmen had learned to use fire, but very few could make it as it was a highly sacred and skillful technique.

But this didn’t mean it was difficult for beastmen to use fire. On the contrary, the tribe would save the fire so that it never went out. People didn’t need to make fire by themselves at ordinary times. Everyone just needed to go to the fire to get it when they needed to use it.

Qi Bai might’ve come from modern times and knew the principle of making fire, but if he was really asked to do it, he might not be as good as these beastmen who had been living in primitive society.

Yang Luo wasn’t disappointed when he saw this result. He selected two older horned beastmen from among the children and decided to let these boys try it first.

As for the remaining 30 or so people, Yang Luo divided them into four small teams and assigned team leaders to each one.

The captain of Qi Bai’s team was the sub-beastman Tu (Rabbit) Ya. Tu Ya was very anxious when she heard Yang Luo’s arrangement. “I have never been a captain. I don’t know how to be a captain.”

Yang Luo told her gently, “You were a member of your original tribe’s gathering team, right?”

Tu Ya nodded timidly with bright eyes.

Yang Luo continued to ask, “Then can you recognize which plants and fruits are edible and which are not?”

Tu Ya hesitated before shaking her head. “I can’t recognize all the plants and fruits.”

“You don’t need to recognize all the plants and fruits. You just need to find the ones you know, pass on this knowledge to other sub-beastmen and children, teach them how to pick it, and bring food back safely with your teammates. Then you will be a good captain.”

Tu Ya recalled what the gathering team captains did before. It seemed that it was just as Yang Luo said. She seemed to understand how to become a captain in a daze. This thing didn’t seem so difficult.

Yang Luo put his hand on top of Tu Ya’s head and said in his melodious tone, “You can do it. The Beast God will protect you.”

Tu Ya felt unprecedented confidence and a sense of responsibility. She nodded heavily and started to look forward to tomorrow’s collection.

Qi Bai opened his mouth. He knew what this strange feeling was. Yang Luo’s performance today was completely different from before. He seemed to have suddenly transformed from an unkempt old man who was fleeing to a ‘swindler.’

What Qi Bai was currently facing was like a scene where a swindler was swindling people and everyone seemed to have quickly become a believer of the swindler. They key was that even Qi Bai himself felt that Yang Luo was very convincing.

Of course, what Qi Bai didn’t know at this time was that only specially trained priests would have such a tone.

The original owner was from a small tribe before. The priests were elected from the tribe members. Compared with Yang Luo, they naturally lacked some ‘professional ability such as this posture that looked particularly noble at any time and in any place.

After Yang Luo’s arrangement, everyone had their own responsibilities. Even the little sub-beastmen who were only three or four years old followed their captain closely.

QI Bai returned to his resting place after determining what to do tomorrow.

There were no signs of beastmen living in the cave, but there were beds made of hay.

Qi Bai judged that this should be the nest of an animal, but the animal hadn’t returned for a long time. The breath of the animal here was very weak.

At this time, the children and older beastmen were arranged to sleep on the hay.

The older horned beastmen and sub-beastmen like Qi Bai chose their own places to rest on the outside.

Qi Bai chose a place next to the stone wall closest to the cave entrance. It wouldn’t be wet by the rain and was very quiet. He simply swept away the pebbles on the ground with a branch and made a simple bed.

It was close to the cave entrance, so even late at night, Qi Bai could still see the scenery of the mountains and forests outside the cave. It was beautiful and mysterious.

Soon, the horned beastman in the form of a wolf, Lang (Wolf) Ze, sat down beside him.

After Lang Ze rescued Qi Bai from under the big tree, the two of them had been acting together these days.

Qi Bai felt that he and Lang Ze had a lifelong friendship, so he always felt a sense of intimacy with Langze.

It wasn’t known if Lang Ze was the same, but the always silent Lang Ze only showed a bit of closeness to Qi Bai.

Qi Bai smiled while revealing a row of small, white teeth. “Have you arranged the tasks for your hunting team?”

Lang Ze nodded while silently clearing the open space around Qi Bai.

Qi Bai was accustomed to Lang Ze’s attitude. He knew that the other person was more withdrawn but not indifferent.

“We will set off at dawn tomorrow. When will you set off?” Qi Bai asked.

“Earlier.” Lang Ze paused. He probably thought that his answer was too blunt, so he added, “Maybe we have to go to a further place.”

Qi Bai nodded. “It is raining so hard. The animals here might’ve fled to other places. It must be very difficult for you to go hunting. We will pick a lot of wild vegetables and fruits tomorrow, so don’t worry. We will definitely have enough to eat tomorrow.”

Lang Ze saw Qi Bai’s bright eyes and couldn’t help being infected. His eyes sank slightly and he nodded gently.

In the sound of falling rain, Qi Bai had the most peaceful sleep since transmigrating.

He woke up the next day and found that Lang Ze beside him had disappeared. It seemed that the hunting team had indeed set off early.

At this time, Tu Ya also found him. “Bao (Leopard) Bai, we are leaving. Do you know that you have to follow me closely today?”

Seeing Qi Bai’s serious response, Tu Ya smiled and led him to join the others.

It wasn’t that Qi Bai made people worry, but Qi Bai’s current body was only 17 years old. For beastmen with a lifespan of over 100 years, they were considered adults when they were 20 years old. Thus, Qi Bai was still an underage sub-beastman.

Tu Ya had already instructed all the other children before finding Qi Bai. Now she was very patient with this teenager who was about to become an adult.

Yang Luo guided the four teams in four different directions at the entrance of the cave. He repeatedly confirmed that everyone could understand the signs along the way. This way, even if they accidentally left the team, they could find the way back to the cave. Then he let the four gathering teams leave.

There were a total of eight people in the gathering team led by Tu Ya.

In addition to Tu Ya and Qi Bai, there were two adult sub-beastmen and four underage children.

Among them was a very lively, little sub-beastman. He was very happy when he heard Tu Ya calling Qi Bai’s name and kept circling around Qi Bai. Qi Bai asked and found out that the little guy’s name was Bao Xing. He was only 5 years old this year.

They were both leopards, but the two people weren’t from the same tribe. Their beast shapes also weren’t the same.

Bao Xing was a leopard with very beautiful patterns, while Qi Bai was an albino snow leopard.

Usually, snow leopards had irregular black rings all over their bodies. However, Qi Bai was an albino snow leopard and was completely white. It was only under the sunlight that the fur on his body would show faint silver ring patterns.

The involution of the small animal world was very serious. The leopard tribe had always been proud of the patterns on their bodies. Therefore, the original owner had always been bullied in his original tribe. His name wasn’t Bao (Leopard) Bai but Mao (Cat) Bai. Mao Bai had always felt very inferior.

After Qi Bai transmigrated, he once carefully admired his animal form in the water. The snow-white little snow leopard was so cute that it melted his heart. The huge tail was almost as long as his body. He was fluffy like a big dandelion when not wet by water.

Qi Bai rubbed his thick pink meat pads together with satisfaction and immediately did what Mao Bai had always wanted to do but never had the courage. He changed his name to Bao Bai.

After he introduced himself to others as Bao Bai, the soul deep in his heart, which had almost merged with Qi Bai, seemed to respond with joy.

Qi Bai’s group left the cave and headed east.

In his previous life, Qi Bai spent the last few years of his life in the hospital. Due to Qi Bai’s condition, no plants were allowed to be placed in his room. Even flowers couldn’t be brought into the room.

Therefore, he might’ve liked to watch some food shows and survival shows, but he hadn’t been in close contact with plants for a long time.

Tu Ya had worked in the gathering team for several years. Unfortunately, they had now completely left the area where Tu Ya’s tribe had lived. many plants were different from what Tu Ya had seen before. As everyone knew, many plants looked similar but their effects might be far different. Some might even be poisonous. She didn’t dare to slack off at all.

This meant Tu Ya was very attentive along the way. But as she said, she couldn’t identify all the plants. On the contrary, another inconspicuous sub-beastman called Diao (marten) Lan had very rich experience in gathering and helped Tu Ya solve a lot of problems.

Tu Ya squatted down in front of a wild grass with thicker leaves.

She stretched out her hand and pinched a small piece of the leaf. She put it in her mouth and chewed it gently before swallowing it. Then she called the group over, pointed at the grass and said, “This is Li grass, which is the grass eaten by the sheep on the mountain. IT can be eaten. Everyone, remember the appearance and taste of this grass.”

She pinched a few more pieces and stuffed them into the mouths of several children.

The two adult sub-beastmen, Shu (mouse) Lin and Diao Lan, watched Tu Ya’s actions from the side and covered their mouths silently.

In the next second, Qi Bai’s entire face wrinkled, but he wasn’t willing to vomit. He hadn’t eaten enough yesterday and was now gathering on the mountain with an empty stomach. Finally, he came across something he could eat. The taste of this grass might be very bitter, but he swallowed it with gritted teeth.

Sure enough, after that, there was the sound of several children spitting.

Shu Lin had already laughed.

Tu Ya also laughed. “Li grass is a very precious food. It is very bitter when eating raw, but the bitterness will fade after it is boiled in water. If you are bleeding, you can find some Li grass, chew it in your mouth and apply it to the wound. This can stop the bleeding. There is a patch of Li grass here. Let’s take it back with us.”

Everyone was very motivated after hearing Tu Ya say that this was edible and wouldn’t be so unpalatable after being cooked.

Some little beastmen reached out to pick it directly while others learned to use tools.

For example, Bao Xing picked up a small stone from the ground and gently cut the Li grass with it.

Qi Bai took out a small bone knife from his small animal skin pouch.

This small bone knife and animal skin bag were his only two assets.

The small animal skin bag was made of animal skin with a strong rope. In human form, it hung loosely around his neck. In animal form, it was stuck between his thick fur like a small bib.

The food originally in the animal skin bag had been eaten up long ago. Mao Bai had shared a few stripes of meat with Lang Ze.

Qi Bai reasonably suspected that Lang Ze saved Mao Bai due to these strips of meat. Unfortunately, Mao Bai died before that. This benefited Qi Bai later.

Now there was only this small bone knife left in the bag.

This was a small bone knife that was slightly longer than his palm. Qi Bai didn’t know what type of beast’s bones it was made of. It was very hard and had a metallic texture when struck. Qi Bai had used this knife to cut a lot of things along the way. This knife was still as sharp as before, showing no signs of wear and tear.

Qi Bai’s efficiency was very high due to the small knife. Soon, a small pile of Li grass was piled up at his feet.

After seeing that everyone had collected almost everything, Tu Ya called for a stop at the right time. Several people found some large leaves and packed the Li grass. They could no longer carry more food, so they had to go back to the cave first.