Chapter 185: A Reminder

The salve wouldn’t show results right away, and the Hunting Festival rolled on.

The next morning, Jian Mo and the others went to watch Ye Luo’s match first.

Ye Luo faced a fighter from the Qinhai Tribe and won cleanly, barely breaking a sweat—nothing like his claim that he “wasn’t that good.”

Jian Mo thumped Ye Luo on the shoulder, thrilled. “You were amazing! You and Qing Kuo are both amazing—your skills are unreal.”

Ye Luo smiled. “It was fine. The guy I drew today wasn’t that strong.”

Jian Mo said, “He was already really strong to me—I couldn’t even follow his moves.”

Qing Kuo slipped an arm around Jian Mo’s shoulders and murmured by his ear, “When Ye Luo says ‘not strong,’ he means ‘not strong for him,’ not ‘not strong for you.’”

Jian Mo’s eyes went wide. “Oof—right to the heart.”

Ye Luo and Qing Kuo exchanged a look and burst out laughing.

After Ye Luo’s bout, the other matches were excellent too. With nothing else on their plate, they stayed in the stands to watch.

Maybe it was Jian Mo’s imagination, but everything felt more polished than last year—more technique and planning, less raw mauling.

Jian Mo didn’t have much combat experience and his eye was only so-so. Ye Luo and Qing Kuo sat on either side, giving him a running breakdown of what was happening in the ring.

Before long, Qing Kuo was called over to help officiate, and Ye Luo was pulled to assist as well, leaving Jian Mo to watch alone.

Since accidents could happen during matches, Jian Mo, as a physician, had been invited to remain on standby, so it wasn’t really convenient for him to wander off anyway.

After a bit, he felt someone sit down beside him. He turned—and there was Ji Xun.

“Ji Xun!” Jian Mo brightened. “What brings you down the mountain?”

“Mo A was invited for an exhibition match,” Ji Xun said. “I came with him. But—”

He smiled. “Even if he hadn’t been invited, we’d have come for the fun. The matches are too good to miss.”

“Always welcome!” Jian Mo said. “Hey, how’ve you been lately? Any discomfort at all? I can give you a quick check-up later, if you want.”

“No, I’m fine,” Ji Xun said. “But I heard something—word is that Zhouzhi is pregnant?”

Jian Mo’s black-and-white eyes flicked to him. “I can’t comment on that. It’s someone else’s privacy.”

Ji Xun nodded knowingly. “So he is—and it’s Qi Ming’s cub, right?”

Jian Mo neither confirmed nor denied it; he just looked at him.

Ji Xun followed the thread himself. “Sounds like it happened when they weren’t ready. An impulsive moment.”

He chuckled. “Honestly, that might be for the best. With how cool-headed and restrained Zhouzhi is, if not for a moment of impulse, those two might never have ended up together.”

Jian Mo covered the lower half of his face. “Sounds like you’re very familiar with their situation?”

“We’re friends, and now neighbors,” Ji Xun said. “We’ve had plenty of dealings. Once my situation is more stable, I’m going to send them a congratulatory gift.”

Jian Mo hurried to say, “Maybe don’t fan the flames from the sidelines. If you actually send a gift and Zhouzhi isn’t ready to face it, that could backfire.”

Ji Xun laughed again. “I guessed it was the two of them—and now you’ve confirmed it.”

Jian Mo blinked. “You were baiting me?”

“Not exactly,” Ji Xun said. “Just verifying my guess by your reaction.”

Jian Mo rubbed his forehead, exasperated. “You people—each one slicker than the last.”

“We people?” Ji Xun said. “Who else pulled something?”

“Don’t think you’ll trick me twice.”

Ji Xun grinned. “Alright, alright. Come on, let’s keep watching.”

When the sub-beastmen finished, it was the beastmen’s turn.

Mo A and the Red-Zhēng Tribe’s chief, Huo Meng, took the arena for the exhibition.

Huo Meng’s strength went without saying—no one becomes chief of a big tribe without fighting his way up. You can’t command respect if you’re weak.

What surprised everyone was that Mo A was every bit his equal.

A stark black-and-white giant panda against a blazing red zhēng-beast—massive bodies colliding, shaking the ground of the arena.

From the stands, watching two hulking furballs tumble together, Jian Mo couldn’t help muttering, “So cool!”

“Mo A has always been strong,” Ji Xun said.

“Wu Jiong is strong too,” Jian Mo said. “They fought once, but it ended without a result.”

“Today’s exhibition won’t have a winner either,” Ji Xun replied.

“Fair,” Jian Mo said. “Not the right occasion. One day when they have time, they should do a private match—that would be spectacular.”

Mo A and Huo Meng traded back and forth until they rolled to opposite corners of the arena. They separated and, still in beast form, bowed to the crowd on all sides.

Another wave of cheers crashed over them.

Their exhibition over, the official bouts resumed.

The very first fight that afternoon was Zhou Fu’s partner, Jiu Yin, versus the Mengshui Tribe’s Ya Zheng.

Jian Mo had been about to chat with Ji Xun again, but seeing two familiar faces enter, he focused on the ring.

Jiu Yin’s beast form was a crimson giant fox; Ya Zheng’s was a giant armor-beast.

The fox was agile; the armor-beast was steady. One couldn’t crack the shell; the other couldn’t land anything decisive.

It was a grinding, patient fight. Neither could force the issue for a long time.

From the stands, Jian Mo watched with both fists clenched.

At last, the giant fox seized an opening, used the other’s force against him, and flipped the armor-beast by the scruff—four legs to the sky—ending the match.

The stands erupted. Zhou Fu’s voice was the loudest of all, so loud it cracked.

The giant fox glanced over at Zhou Fu, eyes smiling.

“Fantastic,” Ji Xun murmured by Jian Mo’s ear.

Jian Mo straightened with pride. “They really fought brilliantly.”

“Maybe it’s just me,” Ji Xun said, “but it feels like everyone in your Riverbank Tribe has leveled up their fight IQ—from sub-beastmen to beastmen.”

Jian Mo thought about it. “Probably not your imagination. We run combat classes. Folks drop in whenever they’ve got time.”

Mo A, done with the exhibition, sat nearby and added, “Not just listen—sometimes they hop in and demo for the cubs.”

“More or less,” Jian Mo said. “Learning while doing—everyone’s gotten stronger.”

Mo A nodded agreement.

“Good thing we moved near your tribe,” Ji Xun said. “Once our cub is born, we’ll have him come learn often.”

“Even if our cub doesn’t go to class,” Mo A countered, “I’ll train him seriously. He’ll be strong.”

“Nope,” Ji Xun said. “School is non-negotiable. Let him play with his little friends. I’m not babysitting every day.”

Mo A laughed and patted him lightly on the back.

As they chatted idly, Jian Mo mentioned 喉眼珠. “The scar-fading effect should be good. We’re testing it now. If it works, I’ll send you some.”

Ji Xun looked at the scars on his hand. “It’s fine. I don’t mind them.”

“It’s no trouble,” Jian Mo said. “Not rare, either. Funny enough, we got the 喉眼珠 by trading with a young sub-beastman from your tribe.”

“With Tian Zhi, right?” Ji Xun said. “I heard. We’ve got a lot of good herbs in our tribe. You haven’t really visited our area, have you? If you get the chance, you should. Our folks are pretty easy to deal with.”

Ji Xun was from the Dense Stream Tribe, though he didn’t like communal living and later moved out to live on his own. His tribe had no real objections—nor did they help much.

“喉眼珠 is pretty rare,” Jian Mo said. “That kid said he found just a bit and couldn’t find more afterward.”

“I know the fruit you mean,” Ji Xun said. “You look under tree shade. I found a lot when I was younger. We didn’t know it could fade scars back then—we used it to braise meat as a spice. Tastes great.”

“Really?” Jian Mo perked up. “喉眼珠 smells so strong—doesn’t it overpower everything?”

“No,” Ji Xun said. “It’s great for cutting gaminess and boosting aroma. You know all the cured meats we make in autumn and winter? Add a little powdered 喉眼珠 and the bacon turns out incredible—smells better the longer it dries.”

Jian Mo looked half-convinced.

“You’ve got me craving it,” Ji Xun added. “If you do find more, share a little, yeah? I’ll trade you for it. I haven’t tasted that flavor in years.”

“Is 喉眼珠 unique to your tribe?” Jian Mo asked. “Do other tribes have it?”

“No idea,” Ji Xun said. “I’ve never seen it elsewhere.”

“I’ve roamed this region for a long time,” Mo A said. “Never seen it either. Might really be unique to the Dense Stream Tribe.”

Jian Mo had only been mildly curious about 喉眼珠 before—enough to use what he had. Now, hearing the two of them talk, he wanted to rush out and gather heaps of it.

Ji Xun chuckled. “Do you have any left on hand? If so, test it first—if you like it, then go forage.”

“We’re out,” Jian Mo sighed. “I used it all in the medicine.”

“You didn’t keep any?” Ji Xun said.

“There wasn’t much to begin with,” Jian Mo said. “If I held some back, I couldn’t guarantee the potency.”

“Then talk to the Dense Stream folks after the festival,” Ji Xun said. “Your Riverbank Tribe’s got way more pull now. They should give you face.”

“I’ll ask,” Jian Mo said.

Ji Xun gave him a keen look. “You haven’t really toured that region, have you? Sharp-Tooth, Meng’an, Dense Stream, Fanbing, Shanming… I don’t think many of their people come to Riverbank for treatment either, right?”

Jian Mo paused, then smiled. “Sounds like there’s a point to that.”

“There is,” Ji Xun said. “You went all the way to study medicine and you’re a proper healer now. It’d be a shame not to use it more. Those tribes are rich in resources—go take a look, expand your practice.”

“You can… do that?” Jian Mo asked.

“Why not?” Ji Xun said. “You’re good. Let them see it—it’s a waste if they don’t. And it’s the perfect excuse to give Bei Ya a follow-up exam. The ‘reason’ is baked in.”

Jian Mo studied his face. “No wonder you can live alone. Brains and guts—you’ve got both.”

Ji Xun lifted his chin a touch. “Naturally.”

After a beat, he added, “Those tribes aren’t far. Fly over and you’ll be there in a few days. Go back and forth a few times, everyone gets acquainted. Easy.”

“I’ll think it over and talk to Wu Jiong,” Jian Mo said.

“Up to you,” Ji Xun replied. “I do miss some of the Dense Stream Tribe’s goods. If we can strengthen ties, that’d be great.”