Chapter 196: The People Who Signed Up

Because Min Ta and Tu Ming’s cub was still so tiny, Jian Mo suggested they stay in the Riverside tribe a few more days and head back only after the little one’s body had been nursed up.

The two gratefully agreed.

The Sharp-tooth tribe folks couldn’t remain in Riverside for long and returned first.

To look after Min Ta’s family of three, the Riverside tribe set aside an empty house for them so they could move in and temporarily join tribe activities.

Once they settled, everyone in Riverside took good care of them, and they adapted quickly.

The cub was allergic to beast meat, so Jian Mo had Min Ta and Tu Ming slowly try the cub on other foods.

He later discovered the little one simply couldn’t handle most beast meat and nuts; poultry, fish, eggs, and pack-beast milk were fine.

Min Ta and Tu Ming let out a huge sigh of relief. They began taking turns accompanying Riverside hunters and foragers; with food in hand, they fed their cub eight times a day and soon had the little snow leopard’s belly round and taut.

Well fed, the cub grew fast—soft milk-fat all over, big round eyes, a thick long tail—when you picked him up he was like a plush toy, with none of his former wilted-kitten look.

Jian Mo rarely spent time with a cub this small, and to his surprise he was having a great time.

The little snow leopard adored Jian Mo too—every day he crawled onto Jian Mo’s knees, burrowed into his arms, and fell fast asleep, sometimes even kneading with tiny splayed paws—so cute it hurt.

Jian Mo doted on him, cuddling and kissing now and then, and didn’t find the daily cub-care the least bit tiresome.

More than once, Wu Jiong couldn’t help it and personally carried the snow leopard back to his two fathers.

Watching the snow leopard whisked from his hands, Jian Mo said regretfully, “It’s only during this stretch that his fur’s the softest and he’s the chubbiest. Give it a while—once the coat turns coarse and the muscle fills in, he won’t be as fun.”

Wu Jiong looked at him. “Not as fun, so you won’t play?”

Jian Mo laughed. “That won’t do—less fun is still fun.”

Wu Jiong bent a finger and tapped Jian Mo’s forehead.

Jian Mo caught his hand and laced their fingers. “Honestly, it’s not like I’m fixated. It’s just my first time rescuing such a tiny cub—I can’t help paying extra attention. He won’t hog my focus.”

Wu Jiong nodded. “I know.”

Jian Mo leaned over and kissed him, eyes crescenting. “So don’t glower at the little guy. You’re number one in my heart.”

Wu Jiong: “I’m not glaring at him. You’re number one in mine, too.”

Jian Mo looked at him, smiling.

Wu Jiong’s ears flushed faintly. “It’s just—Min Ta and Tu Ming are back. The cub should be with his fathers.”

Jian Mo pecked him again with a grin. “True. And if I cuddle the snow leopard too much, Jiujiu seems to get a little jealous.”

Wu Jiong kept a straight face and nodded solemnly.

Jian Mo was someone who cared a lot about his partner’s feelings. After realizing that dividing his attention to the cub made Wu Jiong jealous, he reined it in; even if he was going to pet the snow leopard, he’d do it when Wu Jiong wasn’t around.

Once Wu Jiong was home, his focus returned to their time together—at most he’d scritch Jiujiu.

Jian Mo’s ability to cure something as serious as the snow leopard’s condition left nearby tribes amazed.

Even the Mengshui tribe, who knew him well, couldn’t help saying, “Doctor Jian Mo, your medical skill has improved again.”

Jian Mo: “It’s all right. Practice makes perfect—after you’ve seen enough cases, you form your own understanding. And the little guy’s illness wasn’t that tricky—once you find the cause, it’s fine.”

Jian Mo had already begun writing a book—not some lofty treatise, just his understandings of medicine and a few views.

He intended to organize his own framework, combine formulas he’d learned with the local witch-doctor system, and develop a set of teachable material.

So far it was going smoothly; completion shouldn’t be far off.

One day, while he was writing in the courtyard, tribe cubs lay at the fence peeking in.

When his hand tired, Jian Mo stood to loosen his back and neck and waved them in. “What are you watching out there?”

Jiang Xing craned his head in. “Watching you! Brother Jian Mo, are you writing a textbook?”

Jian Mo: “Yep. A witch-doctor textbook. Want to learn?”

All the cubs pressed their lips together and shook their heads in unison.

Their synchronized motion made Jian Mo chuckle. “You dislike studying that much?”

Jiang Xing: “Brother Jian Mo, you taught us to recognize medicinal herbs already—that’s enough.”

He Feng: “We can bandage too. If we get hurt, we’ll do basic treatment and then come to you. No matter how we learn, we won’t be as good as you.”

Well, at least they were self-aware. Looking at straightforward He Feng, Jian Mo smiled. “You’ve got your own take on it.”

He Feng lifted his chin proudly. “That’s right. My dads said we should think for ourselves and not just obey others, or it’s a wasted life.”

Jian Mo: “Well said. Keep that up.”

A cub named Bai Lu glanced at him. “Brother Jian Mo, are you the best witch-doctor around here now?”

Jian Mo: “Are there other witch-doctors nearby?”

All the cubs shook their heads.

Jian Mo said, “Since there aren’t, then I’m the only one—and by default the best.”

Bai Lu: “Then are you everyone’s witch-doctor too?”

Jian Mo sensitively picked up the hint of jealousy. “What’s wrong?”

Bai Lu pouted. “Xing Yuan said you’re everyone’s witch-doctor, not just ours, and told us not to monopolize you. Xing Yuan is so annoying—always playing nice.”

Jian Mo was very popular with the cubs. When kids from other tribes came for classes, they’d make a point of visiting him.

Some clever ones—like Mengshui’s Xing Yuan—would bring tender wild grasses or greens to feed Jiujiu and Ying’ao when they came.

When Jian Mo asked, they’d say it was just on the way and they wanted to help.

After delivering the greens, they’d ask for nothing in return, just chat.

Naturally, Jian Mo found these cubs sweet; the Riverside kids, meanwhile, thought those fawners were crafty.

Jian Mo rubbed Bai Lu’s head. “I do treat people from other tribes, but I charge them supplies. Only for our tribe’s people is treatment free.”

The cubs’ eyes lit up.

Jian Mo continued, smiling, “And when I prescribe for others, I just prescribe. When I prescribe bitter medicine for you, I also prepare candied fruit. In my heart you’re different.”

That smoothed the cubs over right away.

Zhou Dao shot up his hand, eyes shining. “Brother Jian Mo, I want to report something.”

Hearing the new phrase out of Zhou Dao’s mouth, Jian Mo couldn’t help laughing. “Report what?”

Zhou Dao: “Gui Qin from the Ice River tribe has been coughing for a long time. Brother Jian Mo, give him some bitter medicine.”

Jian Mo arched a brow. “Really?”

Jiang Xing exposed him on the spot. “It’s true—Gui Qin coughs during class too. But Zhou Dao’s reporting him because he fought Gui Qin and lost.”

Zhou Dao flushed. “No! I just think he isn’t well and want him better. And in our fights, it’s not like I never beat him—he just didn’t lose this time.”

Jiang Xing made a “shame-shame” gesture. “Didn’t lose means…he won.”

Zhou Dao: “He didn’t win by much!”

The cubs soon devolved into a lively squabble, and Jian Mo watched with a smile.

Not easy—these earnest kids were learning to scheme.

Once he confirmed Gui Qin’s cough, that evening after class Jian Mo went to check and called Gui Qin out.

After a careful exam, he found it was just a chill—likely from running about in autumn without enough clothes. Nothing serious; given time, the cough would resolve on its own.

He told the Ice River adult who came to pick the kid up, and the man promised to tell Gui Qin’s fathers. Jian Mo left it at that.

Over this stretch Jian Mo had been compiling his book, and now preparations were nearly complete.

He brought it up formally with Wu Jiong. “I’m planning to open classes and take students. What do you think?”

Wu Jiong: “I’ve already made the arrangements on my side. No objections.”

Jian Mo’s eyes shone. “Then I’ll ask Qing Kuo and the others to spread the word and have interested folks come register. I’ll screen them and try to finish before the full moon this month.”

Wu Jiong: “I’ll handle it. How far do we spread the news?”

Jian Mo: “Try to cover the dozens of nearby tribes. As for farther ones, that’s fate. If they come, I’ll take them; if not, that’s fine.”

Wu Jiong nodded. “I’ll have the beastmen who fetch the cubs carry the message—three to five days should reach every nearby tribe. The Baizhi tribe will likely hear and inquire—then we’ll ask them to pass it even farther.”

Jian Mo: “Perfect. With Baizhi helping, it’ll go much smoother.”

Once the announcement went out, their own tribe asked first.

Ye Luo, Xi Lu, Chen Yi, Jiu Yin…even A Hu came to join the fun.

Jian Mo’s gaze fell on the boisterous big orange cat A Hu, eyes a bit doubtful.

A Hu scratched his head, uncomfortable. “Brother Jian Mo, you can’t discriminate—we beastmen want to be witch-doctors too.”

Jian Mo: “I’m not discriminating—Jiu Yin’s here and I didn’t say anything. It’s just…didn’t you say you didn’t want to learn to read? Being a witch-doctor requires literacy and memorization.”

A Hu clenched a fist. “I can stick with it!”

Looking at the young man’s serious face, Jian Mo smiled. “All right, you’re registered. But whether you pass the exam is up to you. I won’t go easy because we’re close.”

A Hu puffed his chest. “No need. I believe I can do it.”

Over twenty people registered from Riverside alone. From nearby tribes like Mengshui, Yigu, and Xiongying, about twenty to thirty came from each as well.

Two days later, people from farther tribes—Qinhai, Meng’an, Tianning, Yangyao, and others—also arrived, a dozen or so registrants from each.

Jian Mo hadn’t even accepted students yet, and Riverside had already earned a tidy sum hosting the would-be registrants—those from far away had to lodge in the tribe for a few days.

Ban Ming was baffled, eyes wide as he groused to Jian Mo, “Why does everyone want to be a witch-doctor? You have to study so much, memorize so much—such a grind!”

Jian Mo laughed. “You’re only saying that because A Meng wants to be one, huh?”

Ban Ming: “No! If A Meng becomes your student, it’ll only help when I ask him to be my partner. I’m just worried he won’t pass the exam and won’t get in.”

Jian Mo got it. “You’re worried the competition’s too stiff and he’ll fail.”

Ban Ming bristled. “As if! A Meng is smart and hardworking—if anyone can pass, he can. I just don’t get it: everyone has their own talents, so why must they be witch-doctors?”

Jian Mo thought a moment. “Maybe it’s a longing for knowledge.”

Ban Ming: “A longing for knowledge?”

Jian Mo: “Yeah. Everyone’s curious and wants to explore a wider world. Since there aren’t other courses to study, medicine’s the only option—if there were other subjects, many wouldn’t pick medicine. But it’s fine—I have an entrance exam. Once they take it, they’ll see if they’re suited to this path.”

Ban Ming looked a little lost. “I still don’t really get it. Everyone’s changing so fast.”

Jian Mo smiled. “It’s normal—don’t worry. As our civilization develops, people will find their interests. Maybe someday someone will go to Tianning to learn pottery-making, to Jintuo to learn metal smelting, or come to us to learn glassmaking…”

Ban Ming’s focus snapped to one point. “Wait—are we going to teach our glassmaking to others too?”

Jian Mo: “I don’t know. That depends on how the chiefs plan for the tribe. Maybe not for now—but later, who knows.”

Technology has to be passed on and developed. Jian Mo didn’t think Riverside’s know-how could stay secret for hundreds or thousands of years, nor that the crude techniques he’d brought would remain the pinnacle.

With so many clever beastmen and sub-beastmen, people would keep learning and exploring, and eventually develop a civilization of this world.

At best, he was a guide. Looking down on them because of that would be arrogant.

Ban Ming thought it over. “I get it. There’s nothing wrong with technology, nor with wanting to learn it.”

Gently, Jian Mo said, “Some will feel out of sorts because the tribe’s changing fast. If anyone’s confused, we can talk it through together.”

Ban Ming nodded repeatedly. “Brother Jian Mo, you’re really good.”

Jian Mo smiled again. “Everyone’s good.”

With his doubts eased, Ban Ming looked a bit bashful, then simply shifted into a huge gray cat and bounded off in a few leaps.

Wu Jiong appeared behind Jian Mo and hugged him. “Only you would patiently explain all that to these blockheads.”

Jian Mo: “He’s not the only one wondering. I bet plenty don’t get it. Talking helps.”

He glanced back at Wu Jiong and smiled. “Learning a craft can be a joy in itself. Ban Ming and the others may not care for medicine or pottery, but if we offered a hunting course, they’d be first to sign up.”

Wu Jiong assessed, “Depends on the topic. If you got De Jiang to teach hunting arrow-bone beasts, they’d sprint over. They’ve wanted his secret for ages—but he won’t teach.”

Jian Mo laughed. “Exactly. In some ways, learning itself is a kind of happiness.”