Chapter 4

Since it is the source of most of the stone tools in the tribe, there are naturally many suitable stones for processing. However, that area is also the training ground for the totem warriors, who naturally have priority. Only after them would weaker individuals like Shaoxuan go to "scavenge the leftovers."

The term "scavenge the leftovers" sounds rather pitiful, but it accurately describes the current situation.

Generally, other members of the tribe would go to "scavenge the leftovers" when the sun is about to set and it's close to mealtime. Only at that time do most of the warriors in the training ground rest. At other times, the training ground is very dangerous for those who haven't awakened their totem power. The stones shattered by the warriors' fists are like bullets to the weaker individuals. However, with the path Mai pointed out, Shaoxuan's journey would be much easier.

Shaoxuan casually brushed his somewhat messy hair, shook off some sand, and continued walking.

Mai's previous training location was near the mountaintop. The mountains designated as training grounds by the totem warriors had not been carved into gentle paths, so climbing was quite difficult. By the time Shaoxuan reached the spot, his arms, hands, and feet were bleeding.

Shaoxuan didn't mind the injuries on his body; a couple of days of rest would heal them. If he could find good stones, it would all be worth it.

It took a lot of effort, and if he hadn't eaten in the morning, Shaoxuan definitely wouldn't have had the strength to climb the mountain.

On the uneven ground lay stones of various sizes and shapes. On the stone wall opposite, there were some holes of varying depths, with marks from tools around the edges. Shaoxuan deduced that harder stones had originally been embedded there, which Mai had dug out and taken back to make hunting tools. Many very hard stones are not widely distributed on the mountains but form in clusters, some on the surface and some deep inside. The warriors couldn't split the mountains, so whether they could find the desired stone blanks depended entirely on luck. That's why Shaoxuan had said Mai's luck was good this time.

Apart from those holes, there were also some fist marks on the stone wall. This was where Mai trained.

The fists of totem warriors are really hard. If it were Shaoxuan, even hitting the weakest part of the stone wall, his fist would be the one to suffer, not the stone.

The best and hardest stones had already been picked by Mai. The stones that Mai and his group chose were naturally of higher quality, and what was left would be useful for Shaoxuan.

Without further ado, Shaoxuan had Caesar take charge of the lookout while he quickly searched for stones to exchange for food. If he delayed, someone would definitely come to snatch them.

Shaoxuan picked up a half-foot-long, irregularly shaped stone. It wasn't large or particularly heavy, but Shaoxuan knew that the quality of the stones wasn't determined by weight. Many types of stones he had never seen in his previous life, and some common knowledge from his past didn't apply here. Shaoxuan's current knowledge was all accumulated over the past half year. He didn't know how to quickly identify the quality of the stones. Unlike the experienced warriors who could determine the quality of a stone with just a glance and a touch, Shaoxuan used a simple method. He first looked for stones with good shapes suitable for processing, then used the stone knife he carried to cut and scratch them, judging the quality by the depth of the marks. Generally, the shallower the mark, the higher the quality of the stone.

Shaoxuan swung the knife at the edge of the stone. After a crisp sound, there was only a shallow mark on the stone. Seeing this, Shaoxuan was delighted. This could be processed into arrowheads or spear tips. The specific polishing would be the job of the stone tool maker; Shaoxuan just needed to take it to the stone tool maker to exchange for food.

Shaoxuan put the stone into the rough leather bag he carried, which had several holes in it, and planned to continue searching. However, Caesar noticed something unusual.

Shaoxuan carefully moved to Caesar's side and looked in the direction Caesar indicated. Three children, about ten years old, taller and stronger than Shaoxuan, were approaching.

Three old acquaintances, Shaoxuan's old rivals, the three little bastards who always stole from him.

These three were not from the Children's Cave; they belonged to different families and lived in the area near the foot of the mountain. They often played together, and their conflicts with Shaoxuan had started a few days after he woke up in this world. At first, Shaoxuan hadn't adjusted his mindset and would often think of his past life, holding back even when he fought. The result of those few times of holding back and pitying them was that Shaoxuan lost the dried meat he had worked hard to obtain and was beaten up by the three little bastards.

Later, Shaoxuan gradually adjusted his attitude. Just like the first day he woke up and saw the children in the cave with the eyes of wolves fighting for food, his attitude and mindset towards them changed.

During the time he was recovering from his injuries, Shaoxuan deeply reflected. After that, he no longer held back when facing them. The tribe's rule was not to kill or seriously injure fellow tribe members, but as long as they didn't kill or cripple, no one would say much. The people living near the foot of the mountain were already accustomed to this brutal rule.

Shaoxuan didn't know what special race the people of the tribe belonged to. Although they looked no different from the people in his past life, this race had an exceptionally strong recovery ability. After being beaten up, they could walk around after resting for two or three days and be as lively as ever after a month or two. This is why the tribe didn't intervene in such conflicts, as they considered it a minor issue, less important than preparing food.

As for those three children, Shaoxuan was shorter and weaker than them and ate less food. What could he use to fight them? Fighting against multiple opponents also required strategy and determination.

Shaoxuan pressed Caesar's head down. Seeing that Caesar was still baring its teeth at the three children approaching, Shaoxuan pinched its mouth, "Wait a moment!"

Looking around, Shaoxuan chose a hidden spot to hide the stones he had selected in the leather bag, then quietly moved behind the stone wall. He told Caesar, "You deal with 'Yeh.' Do you know who 'Yeh' is?"

A warrior once said that many of the beasts living deep in the mountains were very intelligent, while the less intelligent ones were even harder to deal with. Caesar belonged to a relatively intelligent species. This wasn't the first time they had cooperated. Even if Caesar couldn't distinguish, dealing with any of them was fine. Shaoxuan had already decided to target the leader, "Sai," the top little bastard. Dealing with him would make things much simpler.

Caesar crouched low and quietly hid behind a large stone, indicating that it understood Shaoxuan's meaning.

Approaching quietly, striking swiftly, and aiming for a fatal blow seemed to be the nature of wild animals. In hunting, they always managed to bring out this inherent nature, even if they were raised as dogs from a young age.