Qiao Xixi didn’t refuse.
"Then I’ll leave it to you."
After setting a ti with Hong Xi, Qiao Xixi left with her cubs.
Hong Xi felt a cold gaze fall upon him.
He looked up and t Jin Ling’s deep, gilded-gold eyes, clenching his fists.
Last night, Jin Ling had beaten a dozen of the tribe’s males to the ground. It was a complete humiliation.
He would definitely find a way to grow stronger and defeat him.
Back ho, Qiao Xixi frowned as she looked at the completely exposed yard and stone house.
With no fence or door, there was absolutely no privacy.
"Today, Mother plans to build a door for the house and a fence for the yard. I’ll need all of you to help in a bit."
"Okay."
Jin Ling asked Qiao Xixi what kind she wanted to make.
Qiao Xixi gestured around the yard.
"We’ll fence this whole area. It’ll be safer for the cubs when they’re at ho."
"There’s a large forest behind the tribe. I’ll go get so more wood."
This was a job Qiao Xixi couldn’t help with.
"Then I’ll take the cubs to gather more pebbles and yellow clay. We can use them to plaster the walls later."
"Okay."
After Jin Ling left, Qiao Xixi took the dirty animal-hide clothes from the day before and went out with her cubs.
There was plenty of wet clay by the stream, and she could wash the dirty animal-hide clothes at the sa ti.
When Qiao Xixi arrived at the stream with her cubs, quite a few female beastn were already there, either bathing in the water or washing their hide clothes.
Seeing Qiao Xixi, the female beastn still subconsciously moved away.
But their expressions were no longer filled with the previous disgust, but with fear.
Qiao Xixi didn’t mind. She said to her cubs, "Mother will wash the clothes right here. You all can gather so stones nearby. After I’m done, we’ll carry them back together."
"Okay."
With no detergent, Qiao Xixi could only soak the clothes in the water to loosen the dirt before scrubbing them by hand. Fortunately, animal hides were easy to clean, and a few rinses were enough to get them spotless.
After finishing, Qiao Xixi set the clean hide clothes aside and began to gather stones and dig up yellow clay with her cubs.
"Priest, what are you doing?"
Qiao Xixi turned to see Mi Lan and Mi Qi walking over.
"Please, just call Xixi. I’m gathering stones and digging up yellow clay. I want to build a sturdier fence."
"We’ll help you."
The two of them got right to work. Their movents were swift and efficient, without a hint of the delicacy often associated with females.
Soon, the group had piled up a large mound of yellow clay and pebbles by the stream.
It was too much to carry back in trips; it would be exhausting. Qiao Xixi looked around and spotted a large tree not far away. Its leaves were as big as her entire body.
She shifted into her beast form, leaped into the tree, and began to pick the large leaves.
Qiao Ang and Qiao Qiao stood under the tree, gathering the fallen leaves.
"Mother, why are we picking so many leaves?"
When she felt she had enough, Qiao Xixi jumped down from the tree.
"We’re going to make a simple sled to haul the stones and yellow clay back."
Qiao Xixi stacked the leaves and returned to the pile of clay.
Qiao Lie also dragged over several branches as thick as his leg.
Mi Lan and Mi Qi helped by bringing over so vines.
"Xixi, what exactly are you making?"
Qiao Xixi took the vines and smiled. "You’ll see soon enough."
She used so small branches to space out several larger ones, then tied them together tightly with the vines.
Once she confird the branches were secure, she laid the leaves over the tied fra and continued to bind them with vines.
"There, the sled is done. We can put the stones on it and pull it back."
Curious, Qiao Ang started putting stones on it. Once it was full, Qiao Xixi grabbed the two vines at the front and began to walk.
As she moved, the simple sled moved with her. It looked much more convenient than carrying everything back by hand.
"Mother, let help you pull."
"I want to pull too! I want to pull too!"
The cubs were all eager to help.
The female beastn watching from a distance were amazed by Qiao Xixi’s sled.
"I never thought you could pull things like that. We should make one to keep at the foot of the mountain for hauling fruit."
"The Priest really is different from us."
Qiao Xixi didn’t know that by simply making a crude sled, her image had greatly improved in the eyes of these beastn.
By the ti they got ho, it was almost noon.
"Mi Lan, Mi Qi, thank you for your help. Please stay for a al. I’ll make sothing delicious for you."
"Okay! We said yesterday we wanted to co try the Yellow Earth Fruit."
Qiao Xixi took out the Yellow Earth Fruits from the small stone house to wash them, and also brought out the leftover at from yesterday.
When Mi Lan and Mi Qi saw Qiao Xixi start a fire, they both backed away in fear.
But when they noticed how at ease Qiao Xixi was while handling the fire, they curiously edged closer.
"Xixi, aren’t you afraid of fire?"
"Not at all. I can teach you how to use it. Food cooked with fire is delicious."
"I want to learn! Teach , quick!"
Mi Qi was bolder and imdiately moved next to Qiao Xixi.
Qiao Xixi didn’t hold back, carefully explaining how to use it safely.
Soon, the fragrant aroma of cooking food began to drift through the air.
"It slls so good, Xixi! This food looks delicious."
Stewed at with Yellow Earth Fruit was sothing Qiao Xixi found hard not to love. However, there were no seasonings here, not even salt, so it always felt like sothing was missing.
Jin Ling had ntioned that dium and large tribes had salt, but it was quite precious.
Small tribes like the Black Stone Tribe mostly went without salt and had no channels to trade for it, so it was very difficult for her to get any here.
Just as the food was ready, Qiao Xixi heard a commotion outside.
It was Jin Ling. He was back.
Mi Qi watched Jin Ling return carrying a large bundle of logs, her eyes full of admiration.
She nudged Qiao Xixi.
"Xixi, that golden tiger male is so capable! And handso, too. When are you planning to take him as your mate?"
Qiao Xixi choked on her own saliva and started coughing, her face turning red.
Hearing the sound, Jin Ling strode over and patted her on the back, his voice gentle.
"What made you choke?"
Mi Qi and Mi Lan kept winking at Qiao Xixi.
Qiao Xixi, flustered, grabbed Jin Ling’s hand.
"I just finished cooking. Let’s eat first."
Jin Ling glanced at her blushing face, a warm, spring-like softness filling his eyes.
He had overheard their conversation just now, but he wouldn’t pressure Qiao Xixi to accept him imdiately.
"I’ll go wash up and be right back."
The mont Jin Ling left, Mi Qi and Mi Lan burst out laughing.
"Xixi, why is your face so red? It looks like a red berry."
Qiao Xixi glared at them.
"Food’s on the table and you still can’t shut your mouths."
Only then did the two of them obediently sit down on the stone stools.
As Qiao Xixi was calling her cubs to co and eat, she saw several beastn approaching in the distance.
Qiao Lie shot up from his stone stool, his snake-like eyes fixed nacingly on the newcors.
Jin Ling also stood in front of the dining table, blocking the beastn’s line of sight.
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