Chapter 204 (Extra 4): Crossing into the Beastmen’s Modern World

Jian Mo loved swimming.
Lake swimming felt miles better than a pool—vast, quiet, clean, and wonderfully free.

As long as it wasn’t too cold, he’d drag Wu Jiong to the White Sand Shoal for a dip.
Today was no exception. On their way back from a house call in the Yigu Tribe, Jian Mo pulled Wu Jiong along, planning to swim at the White Sand Shoal before heading home. It was still early; they could play outside a bit longer.

When they arrived, Jian Mo tossed his outer clothes aside, kicked off his shoes, and plunged into the lake. “Ahhh, that’s the stuff!”

Wu Jiong followed. “Slow down.”

“It’s fine,” Jian Mo stroked out into the water. “I’m just doing loops—won’t go far.”

After a while, Jian Mo dove, planning to prank Wu Jiong with an underwater grab.
But Wu Jiong had predicted his prediction and slipped under too, grinning at him through the water.

Jian Mo had just reached out when Wu Jiong caught both his arms, keeping him from any mischief. Jian Mo arched a brow, ready to launch a sneak attack—when a furious shout rolled over the surface: “What do you think you’re doing?! Get out of there—now!”

Both of them were startled. The White Sand Shoal was shared by their tribe and the Yigu Tribe; coming here for a swim wasn’t a big deal. No one should be shooing them off—especially since they’d just treated patients in Yigu today.

Hand in hand, they surfaced to see what was going on.
That’s when they noticed something off about the man on shore—his looks, his clothes, everything about him felt unfamiliar.

A bad hunch pricked at Jian Mo. He exchanged a glance with Wu Jiong and saw the same doubt in his eyes. They were hesitating when the man barked again: “Out! No unauthorized swimming here! If you don’t get out, I’ll fine you!”

His accent sounded odd too—awkward, not local.

Something wasn’t right.

Jian Mo, uneasy, led Wu Jiong ashore—only to find that everything they’d left on the bank was gone: clothes, shoes, back-baskets… all of it, vanished.

From shore they could see the opposite bank—where rows of stone houses had somehow sprung up, neat and handsome.

Those couldn’t have been built while they were in the water.
No one could work that fast.

Staring at the houses, an absurd guess rose in Jian Mo’s mind—they had crossed over.

This wasn’t his first time. He was, in a way, familiar with the feeling.

He immediately gripped Wu Jiong’s hand.
Wu Jiong had sensed it too. He squeezed back, interlacing their fingers.

The man on shore eyed them suspiciously.

“Let’s get out of sight first,” Wu Jiong murmured.

Still hand in hand, they slipped into the trees.
The man across the way finally stopped watching them.

When Jian Mo saw the man look away, he exhaled.

Wu Jiong studied their surroundings and asked, “Was it like this when you first came to our tribe?”

Jian Mo blinked at him, surprised, then nodded.

Wu Jiong’s hand tightened; he pulled Jian Mo into a hug. “That must have been hard.”

“It was okay. I met you right away—that kept things from being too bad.”

They talked a bit beneath the trees—both of them in nothing but their underlayers.

Jian Mo looked around. “So what now? Wait a while and try the lake again to see if we can go back? Or… explore this world?”

The White Sand Shoal looked like the same White Sand Shoal; the surrounding woods hadn’t changed either. Jian Mo’s gut said they were still in the beastmen’s world, not back on Earth.

“Let’s check whether the road in the lake is there,” Wu Jiong said. “If it is, we go back. If not, we have a look around and think of a plan.”

“Deal,” Jian Mo said at once. “Come on—let’s hurry.”

With Wu Jiong’s skill, getting Jian Mo back into the lake was so quick no one could have stopped them.

Before the man on the opposite bank spotted them again, they’d already dived.

The water was as clear as ever, the depths as dark and bottomless—exactly as before.
But after minutes underwater, when they surfaced again, the unfamiliar houses were still there, and so was the frowning stranger.

They climbed out on a different shore and slipped into the woods.

“Looks like we can’t go back yet,” Jian Mo said.

“Let’s eat first, then think,” said Wu Jiong.

Their belongings were gone, but the forest was as generous as always. It didn’t take long to find plenty to eat—berries, wild greens. Once full, they bundled two sheaves of tender greens to carry—if they met people, maybe they could trade for supplies.

“What a peculiar experience,” Jian Mo murmured, eyes wide at the world around them.

If he’d crossed alone, he might have panicked. With Wu Jiong, it wasn’t so scary.
If they couldn’t return today, Qing Kuo and the others would watch the house. If they could never return—Jian Mo’s heart dipped—he squeezed Wu Jiong’s hand.

Surely it wouldn’t come to that. If the passage didn’t open, they could camp by the lake and wait.

They walked on and soon found a road.

More pedestrians appeared. Noticing the way they were dressed and the greens in their hands, people gave them odd looks.

Jian Mo and Wu Jiong kept studying the buildings and passersby.
The architecture leaned stone—one, two, even three stories high. There were streetlights; the main road was neatly paved with clean cement. Quite developed, really.

But there were no vehicles—no carts, no cars. Instead, many people were in beast form; sometimes, huge beasts carried riders on their backs—like giant-beast buses.

Before long someone called out to them, “Brothers, what happened to you two?”

Jian Mo turned to the man leaning in a doorway and smiled. “We went for a swim and got swept—lost our clothes and shoes.”

“No wonder,” the man said. “I was wondering what happened to you.”

“Yeah. Want some greens? We foraged them in the woods. If you want them, we’ll trade—so we can swap for clothes and shoes. Otherwise, walking around like this is a bit… odd.”

The man grinned. “Sure. Come eat at my place first—I’ll find you some clothes and shoes.”

He introduced himself as Hu Zhen. He often went fishing; once he’d fallen in and had everything washed away—quite the mess.

Glancing back at Jian Mo and Wu Jiong, he added, “But I wasn’t as bad off as you. I just lost my shoes and rod, tore my clothes a bit—still wore most of it back.”

Jian Mo gave a wry smile. “We’re the unlucky ones, then.”

Hu Zhen laughed. “Soon as I saw you, I thought—fishermen. Looking that bedraggled yet refusing to go home empty-handed, still clutching something—that’s a fisherman’s stubbornness.”

Jian Mo let the pleasant misunderstanding stand. “Something like that.”

Fellow hobbyists bonded fast. Hu Zhen’s tongue loosened; he brought them inside and found clean clothes and shoes. “Jian Mo, you can wear mine. Wu Jiong, take my beastman big brother’s—he’s taller, broader—you should fit.”

“Thanks,” Wu Jiong said.

“Don’t mention it,” Hu Zhen replied. “Nobody wants to run into mishaps.”

He even told them to bathe.
Jian Mo had lived in a civilized world before; water heaters weren’t new to him. Though these were different from Earth’s, he figured them out quickly.

Cleaned up, they joined Hu Zhen for a meal in his living room. Seeing them transformed, Hu Zhen whistled. “You two are downright good-looking.”

Jian Mo rolled up his sleeves. “Thanks.”

“Come eat,” Hu Zhen said. “Didn’t have time to shop, just home cooking—don’t mind it.”

“How could we?” Jian Mo said.

“Not locals, are you?” Hu Zhen asked. “Your accents sound different. Where from—traveling, on business?”

“From the north,” Jian Mo parried. “Didn’t expect today’s mess.”

“Life’s full of surprises,” Hu Zhen chuckled. “Here, try this—can you handle spice? Our chili paste is handed down from ancient times—Doctor Jian Mo’s own recipe, not the fake stuff.”

Hearing his own name, Jian Mo traded a startled look with Wu Jiong.

Hu Zhen didn’t notice. “Have you been to the town museum yet?”

“Not yet,” Jian Mo said, “but it’s one of the reasons we came.”

“I figured,” Hu Zhen said. “We’ve got plenty worth seeing, but the museum’s a must.”

Jian Mo smiled. “Any recommendations—museum or nearby sights?”

“Depends how much time you’ve got,” Hu Zhen said. “If you’re short, hit the museum and the Ancient Riverside Settlement. If you’ve got more, visit the Doctor Jian Mo Memorial and a few nearby ancient settlements. You can also take a sky-ride on a flying Qiu for an aerial view.”

He brightened again. “Our food scene is famous, but don’t go to the overly hyped Jian Mo Dining House. Head to the little eatery at the end of T-shaped Alley—the owner’s from the old Riverside Tribe. His dishes are the most authentic.”

Warm and talkative, Hu Zhen kept rattling off local tips.
Jian Mo and Wu Jiong listened closely, then thanked him after dinner, left the wild greens as a trade, and took their leave. Hu Zhen invited them to visit again.

They thanked him once more.

Outside, night had fallen. Streetlights lit up like stars scattered along the ground.
Wu Jiong gazed at them, curiosity in his eyes.

“We had streetlights like this in my other world,” Jian Mo said, “but we had far more machines. I don’t see many here.”

“Maybe folks here are used to doing things in beast form,” Wu Jiong said.

Jian Mo laughed. “I’ve noticed. It feels like biology is the more advanced technology here. Where to tonight?”

“People are out strolling,” Wu Jiong said. “Let’s walk too, then decide.”

Jian Mo looked around. “Let’s head toward the museum. There’s a park over there—should be plenty of people. Maybe we can pick up more information.”

Wu Jiong squeezed his hand. “Let’s go.”