The Fengchuan tribe was located by the lake. In the morning, the males had already gathered to go hunting, and the females were carrying baskets to forage together.
Si Shuo slept until she woke up naturally again and habitually touched her wrist.
She didn't see Xu Chi, but there was a wooden bucket full of water and a soft, clean animal skin left at the door of the shack.
After washing up, Si Shuo stepped out and saw Xu Chi sitting in front of a campfire, roasting a bamboo rat.
She walked over briskly and sat down beside him.
Xu Chi caught the warm scent from her body and silently moved a bit away.
Si Shuo: …
The belly of the bamboo rat was stuffed with mushrooms, wild vegetables, and fruits. The outside was brushed with honey—it was delicious. But Si Shuo wasn't used to having meat as a staple food. Even if her stomach was full, she felt unsatisfied without steamed buns or rice.
While walking along the lakeside to help digest her meal, Si Shuo couldn't help but ask a few little beastmen following her.
"Are there any fish, shrimp, or crabs in this lake?"
The little beastmen nodded and answered, "Yes, but the fish are very smart and hard to catch. And their bones are thin and many, which makes them easy to choke on. They also smell fishy."
"Beastmen from the waterbird tribe like them and come to catch them sometimes."
Si Shuo blinked. "So, you've been living by the lake all this time and never caught fish?"
The little beastmen kept nodding. "Si Shuo is a cat beastman, right? You like to eat fish. We don't like them."
But this had nothing to do with race. In her past life, Si Shuo wasn't a cat beastman, yet she still loved all kinds of freshwater and seafood.
In fact, many people didn't dislike eating fish—they just found it troublesome or couldn't stand the fishy smell.
Xu Chi asked, "Do you want to eat some, Si Shuo? I'll catch them for you."
Si Shuo had a shrimp cage in her space, but it wasn't convenient to bring it out in front of the tribe members. So she planned to weave a simple one from rattan.
Hearing Xu Chi's words, she asked curiously, "How are you going to catch them?"
Xu Chi simply snapped his fingers, and a whirlwind formed in the lake. As the wind swirled, lake water along with fish were sucked onto the shore.
When the whirlwind disappeared, the water, fish, shrimp, and crabs all fell onto the grassy bank.
The little beastmen screamed with joy and ran over to pick up the shrimp and crabs and play with them.
Si Shuo couldn't help giving Xu Chi a thumbs up. This man really knows how to control the wind!
And that snapping gesture…
Xu Chi snapped his fingers again. This time, the whirlwind swirled through the lake twice before returning to shore, carrying a large mass of fish, shrimp, and crabs.
Si Shuo was envious. What a skill! It reminded her of those strange news reports from her past life about fish, shrimp, and crabs falling from the sky during storms.
The whirlwind made such a commotion that even the children playing in the tribe and the females who hadn't gone out came to check.
Si Shuo rolled up her sleeves. If she remembered correctly, the tribe's food storage included potatoes.
Potatoes could be used to extract starch!
Everyone helped pick up the fish, shrimp, and crabs—including loaches, eels, water snakes, and turtles—and placed them into rattan baskets.
Si Shuo asked a middle-aged female if she could trade some of the river fish for ground eggs.
The woman smiled and waved her hand. "Si Shuo is a guest from afar. No need to trade. Take as much as you like. We can always gather more. If we have anything in abundance here, it's ground eggs!"
She even called a few of her children over to deliver a whole basket of ground eggs to Si Shuo.
Si Shuo smiled and accepted the gift. She instructed Xu Chi to wash, peel, and chop the potatoes, then put them in water to stir and squeeze.
Xu Chi used his wind powers to complete all three steps efficiently.
Si Shuo explained to the curious females that she was extracting starch from the potatoes, which could be stored for a year once dried.
But today, she planned to make fish balls and shrimp balls. She used the sticky pulp from the first batch of squeezed potatoes and mixed it with fresh river meat paste, salt, chopped scallions, ginger, garlic, and pepper. These seasonings could be substituted with whatever herbs were available.
After mixing thoroughly, she beat in some egg and continued stirring. Then she asked an orc with ice powers to help refrigerate and solidify the mixture.
The meat paste was rolled into evenly sized balls—handmade river meatballs.
These meatballs were delicious, chewy, and full of nutrients—perfect for frying, deep-frying, baking, or boiling in soup!
Everyone was curious about the wild vegetable and meatball soup. The fishy smell had vanished, replaced by savory flavors that made people want to swallow their tongues. The name "river fresh" was truly fitting!
With a new food source available, the tribe was overjoyed. This reduced the pressure on male orcs to hunt, and even the elderly, weak, sick, or disabled could now fill their stomachs.
In cold weather, stockpiling meatballs could literally save lives. It was deeply meaningful.
Their gratitude was straightforward—they gave Si Shuo the best things they had: eggs, meat, fur, crystals, and more.
Si Shuo couldn't refuse them. They simply placed the items in front of her and walked away, which made her chuckle. Was I here to make money?
"Take them. I'll help catch more river fish," Xu Chi said, patting her head.
Si Shuo looked at him sideways, smiled, and asked, "Are you helping me to reciprocate again?"
Xu Chi nodded honestly. His eyes remained cold and calm, with no sign of affection, but he couldn't look away from her.
Si Shuo hooked her finger at him.
Xu Chi took a step forward, puzzled, only to be caught by the scent of her body and the smile on her face. A strange desire rose in him again.
His expression changed. He stepped back suddenly. "Si Shuo, just say what you want. I can hear you clearly from here."
Si Shuo burst into laughter. Was she a monster? Why was he so scared his face turned pale?
She said clearly, "Nothing to say!"
Xu Chi hesitated and took a small step closer. Si Shuo raised her chin and stepped toward him, watching carefully for his reaction—ready to run if needed.
Her eyes gleamed, and she suddenly lunged.
As expected, he jumped back three or five meters in shock…
She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Xu Chi, seriously—what's wrong with you? Can I eat you?"
Xu Chi pursed his lips. "I'm afraid I'll eat you."
Si Shuo froze. Her face flushed. "It's daytime! What are you thinking?"
Xu Chi said seriously, "Aren't you afraid? There are cases of female Zergs eating males."
Si Shuo frowned slightly. Zerg? Xu Chi is a Zerg?
What kind of Zerg has wings, horns, and flax-colored hair?
"You… are you a big fluttering moth?" Her expression turned pale. This won't do!
Zergs were already bad enough—fluttering moths were even worse!
It turns out, on the Beast World Continent, you couldn't choose a beast husband just based on appearance. Their beast form mattered too.
Xu Chi…
"I can't control the urge to get close to you," he said, his face filled with frustration. "I have an urge to swallow you whole."