Chapter 3

Shao Xuan's destination was not to keep walking up the mountain, but after going up a bit, he followed a gravel-strewn path to the back of the mountain.

Upon reaching the other side of the mountain, he looked far into the distance, where his eyes met an endless expanse of mountain forests. Among them, a few barren mountains with little vegetation were used by the tribe's warriors for training, and were also the main source of stone tools for the hunting warriors. The stone quality there was not suitable for plant growth, but it made for a good training ground.

Shao Xuan was now standing on a gravel field. These gravel pieces were not naturally formed, but had been broken by people. The useful stones that could be processed had long been picked up by the tribe's people, leaving only some useless fragments, and no one usually came here.

The surroundings were very quiet, but the rumbling sounds from the nearby mountains could still be heard. Shao Xuan had not yet seen the totem warriors training, but he had heard that their training was extremely destructive. Weak individuals like Shao Xuan were not allowed to get close, and many people who quietly went to observe were accidentally injured.

Shao Xuan retracted his gaze and loosened the grass rope in his hand: "Go eat your 'noodles.'"

Kaiser, who had been eagerly waiting, immediately started running on the gravel field. As he ran, he sniffed the ground, and when he smelled something, he quickly dug with his front paws. Soon, he pulled out a worm as thick as an adult's thumb and about a foot long, ate it, and then continued searching for the next one.

These worms, called "stone worms" by the tribe, looked similar to earthworms but were much larger. The one Kaiser just ate was relatively small; Shao Xuan had seen stone worms as thick as an arm, and he had heard of even larger ones. However, the larger the stone worm, the deeper it preferred to live underground, so only the smaller ones remained on the surface.

Stone worms were hard to eat, and many people suffered from severe diarrhea after consuming them. Therefore, the tribe did not include stone worms in their diet, which was a benefit for Kaiser, who was very interested in them.

As a wolf, it was quite pitiful to have to eat worms.

Shao Xuan found a suitable place to dry the grass and spread it out to dry, so it would be more comfortable to sleep on when he returned to the cave at night.

After laying out the grass, Shao Xuan observed the surroundings to ensure no one else was around. He then went to the edge of the gravel field near a short tree, cleared away the surface gravel, and took out a crude stone knife tied to his waist to dig. Soon, a stone bowl, even more crudely made than the knife, was revealed. Inside the bowl was a piece of dried meat. Shao Xuan quickly took out the dried meat and buried the stone bowl back in its place.

The dried meat was only about the size of half a palm, dry and hard with a strong smell. If it were the Shao Xuan from his previous life, he wouldn't have given it a second glance, but now, after experiencing true long-term hunger, even something "tasteless" could become a "delicacy."

Life was so simple... all because of necessity.

After eating a little, Shao Xuan felt much more energetic and had more strength. He stood up, stretched his limbs, and practiced a few rounds of the fitness boxing he used to do in his previous life. This was something Shao Xuan did every day because when he first woke up in this body, it was quite weak.

On the other side, Kaiser was still digging for food but remained vigilant, occasionally looking around. This was why Shao Xuan felt safe eating. Otherwise, if some equally hungry people from the tribe discovered him, the meat would be taken away. Shao Xuan was now isolated and weak, with thin arms and legs and a yellowish, emaciated appearance, making him a poor fighter. If not for the experience from his previous life and the toughness he had developed since coming here, he might not even have the energy to move around.

After practicing a few rounds of fitness boxing, Shao Xuan stopped to catch his breath. He noticed that Kaiser, who was pulling a stone worm out of the ground, suddenly turned his head. The sudden turn caused the worm to be torn in half, and the part still underground quickly retreated into the soil. Even with only half, the worm could grow back and continue living. The half that Kaiser had in his mouth was thrashing violently, striking at his mouth.

Kaiser did not immediately eat the worm or pay attention to its thrashing. Instead, he stared intently in one direction, growling in his throat, a sign that someone was approaching.

Kaiser did not immediately show his sharp teeth, and Shao Xuan knew that the person approaching was someone he recognized.

Staring in that direction, Shao Xuan soon heard a very faint sound, like the rustling of leaves in the wind. Gradually, a figure appeared in his field of vision.

It was a tall, muscular man wearing simple animal skin clothing. The quality of the animal skins was excellent, but they were covered in a layer of gravel. The man had several scars on his face, adding to his intimidating appearance. The parts of his body not covered by the animal skins were also scarred, and he wore a belt of stone tools, which were carefully selected and ready to be processed into stone tools.

These stones were of a different type from the gravel under Shao Xuan's feet. They were much harder and more suitable for making tools, which were more effective for hunting than the crude stone knife Shao Xuan had. If these stones were exchanged for meat, even the smallest rough piece would be enough to feed Shao Xuan for several days.

The man, probably accustomed to stealth in the forest during hunts, walked almost silently. This was unintentional, but if he really wanted to hide, even Kaiser might not have noticed him immediately, and Shao Xuan would not have heard a sound.

Kaiser's growling continued, and the man glanced at him. Kaiser immediately tensed up, opened his mouth, and showed his four particularly long, sharp teeth. The half of the stone worm on the ground, trying to escape, did not distract him; he just kept staring at the man.

To the tribe's warriors, wild animals were just prey and food, and Kaiser was no exception. Even though the man only glanced at Kaiser without any intention of hunting him, his long-term hunting instincts made him emit a dangerous aura that Kaiser found very intimidating.

Seeing this, Shao Xuan had to speak first.

"Uncle Mai, good morning!"

The middle-aged, muscular man shifted his gaze from Kaiser to Shao Xuan. The fierce aura he had shown toward Kaiser diminished, and he did not make Shao Xuan feel too much pressure. In fact, most of the tribe's warriors were not too harsh toward young children unless the children provoked them.

Mai looked at Shao Xuan, then at the marks left on the gravel from his earlier exercise, and a smile appeared in his eyes, though the scars on his face did not soften his expression much.

Shao Xuan knew that Mai was kind and not as terrifying as he looked. Moreover, Mai and the father of the body Shao Xuan now inhabited were once in the same hunting team, and Mai had helped Shao Xuan a lot.

"Axuan, you're out so early? It's good to practice a bit," Mai said.

The people in the tribe did not have surnames, and most names were single characters, probably for ease of memory and convenience. The original name of the body Shao Xuan inhabited was "Xuan," and he had gradually adapted to the local customs. As for the way of addressing people, because one of the tribe's ancestors, a highly respected elder, liked to call people with an "a" sound before their name, the younger generation followed this practice. Now, some people in the tribe still like to add an "a" before names, though they would not do so when addressing elders or people with special status in the tribe.

The people living near the foot of the mountain, including the children in the "children's cave," were still too young to awaken their totem powers and rarely came out to exercise. They mostly ate and slept, and if they did come out, it was just to play. After all, exercise and physical activity were very energy-consuming and made them hungry, and for the poor people living near the foot of the mountain, conserving energy was important. Even the adults encouraged their children to be less active.

However, it was clear that Mai approved of Shao Xuan's behavior. Practicing now would benefit him in the future.

"Uncle Mai, are you back from the training ground?" Shao Xuan asked.

"Yes," Mai nodded slightly.

The tribe's warriors did not have a fixed training schedule as long as they did not miss the hunts, and they could arrange their time freely.

"It seems you had good luck this time, Uncle Mai. By the way, Uncle Mai, I heard that your hunting team will go out to hunt tomorrow? I wish you a successful and bountiful hunt!" Shao Xuan said.

Langga was a warrior in the same hunting team as Mai, and it was Langga who had found and given Kaiser to Shao Xuan. "Langga" in the tribe's language meant "ground bow," and he lived up to his name.

Mai smiled in response to Shao Xuan's words. Since he would be going out to hunt the next day and might be gone for several days, he needed to rest and prepare. Without saying much more, he planned to leave.

After taking a few steps, Mai stopped and turned around, calling out, "Axuan!"

Shao Xuan looked at Mai, who then took a piece of dried meat from his animal skin bag and threw it over.

The warriors always brought their own food when they went to train, as there were few plants and even fewer animals to eat in the training area. To replenish the energy lost during training, they prepared food in advance. The piece of dried meat Mai gave Shao Xuan was from his previous preparations, and he had planned to eat the last small piece on his way back. Unexpectedly, he met Shao Xuan and gave it to him. Shao Xuan did not have the ability to go out hunting, and the tribe did not allow them to do so, which was one way the tribe protected the young.

"Thank you, Uncle Mai!" Shao Xuan said.

Food was not abundant in the tribe, especially at this time of year, and not everyone was as generous as Mai in giving away meat.

After giving the meat to Shao Xuan, Mai said, "My training ground is on the mountain's waist, where you can see the sun set..."

After telling Shao Xuan the specific location of the training ground and cautioning him to be careful, Mai left. Once Mai's figure disappeared, Kaiser relaxed. He looked at the ground and noticed that the half of the stone worm had already escaped. In frustration, he dug at the ground, using his nose to carefully distinguish the scent, trying to track and recapture the escaped prey. However, Shao Xuan did not intend to let him do so, as Mai had given him a chance to eat his fill today.

Shao Xuan put the dried meat Mai gave him into the stone bowl he had buried earlier, covering it with a layer of gravel to disguise it. He then looked in the direction Mai had pointed and called to Kaiser.

"Let's go, Kaiser! We're going for a big score!"