Chapter 16: The Flying Sparrow's Reward

“These stones are quite good. Let’s pick out some suitable ones to take back.”

During the earlier process of digging for stones, he had discovered that many of them met his requirements—the shape and hardness were just right.

Since they had come all this way, Zhou Xu certainly had no intention of letting Dashan and the others return empty-handed.

They selected the stones that met the criteria and gathered as many as they could carry. Before the sun set, the group successfully returned to the tribe.

At the same time, Feique and the others, who had been catching mice near the dark forest, also arrived back.

Counting their spoils, Feique’s group had caught a total of twenty-seven mice throughout the day!

Obviously, among the hunting teams, Feique had caught the most. The other members averaged only one or two each.

However, this was partly due to the rather concentrated placement of their traps.

Once the dark forest had been thoroughly explored, they would be able to spread their traps more widely, increasing their efficiency.

“The way we handle these mice is similar to the insects—break their necks and remove the innards. The difference is that we also need to skin them.”

Zhou Xu was at a loss as to how to demonstrate the skinning process.

Fortunately, Feique and the others were experienced at this. Their movements were practiced and precise, and despite limited tools and conditions, they managed to peel the mouse skins relatively intact.

It made sense—just look at their tents made of animal hides and the fur garments they wore.

In this era, animal skins were an extremely valuable resource, so skinning techniques naturally became one of their essential life skills.

While Feique and the others processed the mice, Zhou Xu called Butterfly and the others to find some suitable wooden sticks. They then tied pieces of animal hide to build a small hide shelter.

The purpose of this shelter was not to shield them from the wind but to protect the fire stove from the rain.

Spring was in season, and a sudden rain could pose a real problem for them.

They also gathered the collected firewood and the pottery bowls drying nearby, consolidating everything in one spot.

By maximizing their use of available conditions, they minimized the weather’s impact.

The cleaned mice and insects were quickly strung together.

Though Feique and the others had only done this once before, they were now showing signs of proficiency.

Cooking all twenty-seven mice one by one would have been impossible for Zhou Xu alone.

So he took on the role of instructor, teaching Feique and the others how to roast their food properly.

They lit three fires, with ten people divided among them, increasing the roasting efficiency.

Inevitably, some cooked their portions better than others, but compared to the previous night, everyone received more food.

Putting aside any small worries, in this environment, a grilled mouse seasoned with salt was undoubtedly a feast.

“Phew—”

After gnawing the meat clean from every bone and swallowing the last bite, Zhou Xu exhaled deeply as he sat by the fire.

Until now, he had never imagined that simply eating more food could bring such happiness. The satisfaction it gave him was unprecedented.

Before darkness fully fell, Zhou Xu rested briefly before gathering Butterfly and the others to teach them how to weave bags from twisted tree bark fibers.

With these bags, the tribe members could more easily carry and store the mice and insects they caught.

Most handcrafted weaving techniques shared common principles—once one was mastered, learning others became much easier.

Under Zhou Xu’s careful guidance, Butterfly and the others quickly grasped the essentials, steadily improving their efficiency.

Yet, catching up to Zhou Xu himself would require even more effort.

“Feique.”

Calling out, Zhou Xu tossed the bark bag he had just woven to him.

“You did well today; this is a reward.”

Though Feique did not understand the concept of a reward, he understood Zhou Xu’s intention and immediately beamed with a radiant smile.

“Thank you, chief.”

Under the envious gazes of the tribe members around him, Feique spoke while examining the bag’s use.

Seeing that he was struggling to understand, Zhou Xu smiled and approached to demonstrate.

“Look here. This is the bag’s opening. You just slip your finger inside and pull outward, and the mouth opens wide.”

“Oh!!!”

At that moment, the bag’s previously tight opening, barely large enough for one finger, was stretched by their chief’s hand to fit an entire head inside.

Not only Feique and Dashan, but even Butterfly and the others working alongside Zhou Xu gasped in amazement.

But that was not all.

“Now just put something inside.”

Zhou Xu said as he dropped a fist-sized stone into the bag, then pulled the two drawstrings at the mouth, instantly tightening the wide opening.

“Then you simply wrap the strings around the bag’s mouth twice and tie a knot. That’s it.”

Finished speaking, Zhou Xu threw the bark bag back to Feique.

The ingenious design astonished the watching tribe members.

For Zhou Xu, it was merely a handwoven drawstring bag, but to the tribe members who had never seen anything like it, the concept was beyond their imagination.

They couldn’t fathom how it worked at all.

For a moment, the envy in Dashan’s eyes as he looked at Feique grew even stronger.

Sensing the gazes of his companions, Feique quickly clutched the bag to his chest, fearing they might pounce to snatch it away. Zhou Xu couldn’t help but laugh.

“All right, I’ve taught Butterfly and the others how to make this bag. Everyone will have one eventually.”

Even so, Dashan and the others still kept their eyes fixed on Feique.

Even those with no understanding could tell that what Butterfly and the others made was not on the same level as what their chief made.

Perhaps because they had finally eaten well today, everyone seemed more energetic than usual.

Watching Dashan and Feique playfully teasing each other, Zhou Xu had a thought and waved to Dashan.

“Oh right, Dashan, and those who helped you collect firewood last night, come here for a moment. I want to take a look at you all.”

The power of the “Insight Eye” incantation was no secret here, so there was no need to hide it.

Feeling in good spirits, Zhou Xu decided to take this opportunity to check the status of the remaining tribe members.

He started with Dashan.

[Insight Eye]

At that moment, as the incantation activated, Dashan’s status panel appeared before his eyes.

Name: Dashan
Gender: Male
Age: 17
Race: Human
Status: Fatigued
Incantation: None
Talent: Weapon Master – The best way to face ever-present danger is to learn to use everything at hand with agility!
Bravery: ★★☆☆
Intelligence: ★★☆
Spirit: ★★☆
Endurance: ★★☆☆
Leadership: ★★