Walking in the jungle, Jiang Xuan thoughtfully looked at his Bamboo Spear, specifically the juice on it.
"Sister, do other tribes know about this Cage Vine?"
Chi Shao turned her head and said, "I don't know; this vine is quite rare. I've only heard stories about Cage Vine from the Hunting Team, but this is the first time I've seen it."
Jiang Xuan's eyes lit up and he said, "What if we plant a large number of Cage Vines around the tribe to protect it? What do you think?"
In this Primordial World, the greatest dangers aren't only fierce beasts but also other tribes. For example, the Deer Tribe was wiped out by the Crow Tribe.
Every year, countless tribes rise and countless tribes are destroyed in the Primitive Jungle.
For a small tribe like the Vine Tribe with only five people, a slight mistake could lead to their obliteration.
Therefore, self-preservation is something Jiang Xuan must consider.
Jiang Xuan thinks that ferocious plants like Cage Vine are perfect for protecting the tribe.
Chi Shao pondered for a moment and said, "Other tribes would generally try to eradicate such dangerous plants. Whether we can use them to protect the tribe, I'm not sure, but we could give it a try."
Gou Teng, who was beside them, curiously asked, "Leader, such a rare Cage Vine, where can we find enough to plant around the tribe?"
Jiang Xuan said, "There will always be a way, and it's not just Cage Vine that we can plant; other ferocious plants are also an option. This matter is not urgent."
The five continued walking ahead, not far along when Chi Shao seemed to have spotted something. She quickly went to a rock and pulled down a withered vine from it, then followed the vine to its root.
"Nan Xing, bring the Bone Plow."
The youngest, Nan Xing, was carrying a Bone Plow, which was specifically for uprooting plants.
"Coming."
Nan Xing ran to Chi Shao's side and handed her the Bone Plow.
Chi Shao took the Bone Plow, cleared away the dead leaves and weeds from the ground, and started digging.
Jiang Xuan walked over, curiously asking, "Sister, what are you digging for?"
Chi Shao answered while digging, "Digging Stone Eggs."
"Stone Eggs!"
Jiang Xuan's eyes shone brightly; he already knew from memory what these were.
It's a grayish-white tuber of a vine plant, the largest can grow to the size of a basin, and the smallest is as tiny as a bird's egg.
Since it typically grows by stones and its color resembles stone, the early tribe people thought it was eggs laid by stones, thus calling it Stone Egg.
When roasted, Stone Egg tastes similar to potatoes, rich in starch, and can fill the stomach - one of the traditional foods of the tribe people.
This is a good thing!
Jiang Xuan realized sharply that if Stone Egg could be planted in large quantities, the Vine Tribe would have its first grain crop!
Soon, the soil was dug open, revealing Stone Eggs hidden underground.
It was about the size of a soup bowl, rock-like on the outside, stone gray, relatively smooth. Jiang Xuan estimated that this Stone Egg weighed about seven or eight pounds.
Chi Shao dug away all the soil around the Stone Egg, then hugged it tightly and twisted it hard. With a crunch, the root of the Stone Egg was snapped off.
"Such a big Stone Egg!"
Chi Shao held up the Stone Egg, marveling at it.
"Let me take a look."
Jiang Xuan took the Stone Egg, it felt heavy in his hands and emitted a faint tuberous fragrance.
Jiang Xuan said with satisfaction, "This thing is great. We can dig up the smaller ones to plant back home. If successful, we'll have endless Stone Eggs to eat in the future."
Upon hearing Jiang Xuan's words, Chi Shao continued to dig energetically.
She is a person of action, doesn't like talking much, and works quickly.
Soon, Chi Shao dug up seven or eight small Stone Eggs, the largest the size of an adult's fist, the smallest only the size of a thumb.
Jiang Xuan carefully placed these small Stone Eggs into a separate Beast Hide Bag, and said contentedly, "With these seeds, we can try planting them back at home."
Since Stone Egg likes growing close to stones, Jiang Xuan planned to plant them where there are large rocks, to mimic their natural environment as much as possible, and later try other planting methods.
After digging up the Stone Eggs, the group continued forward.
"Moo..."
In the distance, a herd of wild buffalo passed by, covered with brown hair, topped with sharp horns, their shoulders higher than a person, and weighing at least three thousand pounds each.
These wild buffalo are truly great beasts!
The thought of having to hunt one alone to become a Three-Color Warrior made Jiang Xuan's scalp tingle.
Wild buffalo usually travel in herds, and once injured, they become frenzied and aggressive, actively attacking.
Therefore, to hunt a mature wild buffalo requires not only strength, speed, and hunting skills but also intelligence, otherwise, a failed hunt might result in death by cow horns.
Jiang Xuan had no intention of provoking this large group, at least not for now.
Once stronger, he might try to capture a few calves to domesticate, and if successful, they could be used for plowing fields, greatly improving productivity.
After bypassing the herd, Chi Shao discovered a large wild fruit tree, surrounded by several saplings.
Chi Shao picked up a fruit about the size of a fist from the ground, covered with spikes, and used a Stone Knife to cut it open, revealing pale yellow flesh inside.
"This is called Thorny Fruit. You might have eaten it before. It has sharp spikes on the outside, but it's full of fruit inside. After picking it, you can roast it with fire. Once roasted, the outer spikes are pretty much burned off."
Jiang Xuan also picked up a Thorny Fruit from the ground. Its flesh is in a ball shape, not split into two like a chestnut, and not enclosed in a hard shell.
The fruit's flesh texture is similar to other nuts, and its size makes it a good food for filling the stomach.
Additionally, it stores well. Even in the wild, it takes a long time to crack and rot after falling to the ground.
"This is good. Let's dig up the saplings and take back the edible fruits."
Chi Shao nodded and then used the Bone Plow once again, digging up the small Thorny Fruit trees from the roots, wrapping them with large leaves, and placing them in a vine basket.
With the efforts of the five, they collected a basket full of intact Thorny Fruits and dug up five saplings.
After that, Jiang Xuan noted the location of the large Thorny Fruit tree.
Chi Shao looked at the sky and said, "It's getting late, we can't continue forward, let's head back first."
Staying overnight in the wild is extremely dangerous because no one knows if a beast will attack during the night. Unless absolutely necessary, no one wants to stay overnight in the wild.
"Alright, let's go back first, head out earlier next time."
Jiang Xuan nodded in agreement, heading back the way they came.
"Gou Teng, come down quickly," Jiang Xuan called out looking up.
Gou Teng had already climbed to the top of the large Thorny Fruit tree; this guy really liked climbing trees.
"Alright, I'll come down soon."
Gou Teng, standing high on the tree, answered back, still relishing the view around him.
Standing at the treetop, he could see the distant forest, a feeling he enjoyed a lot.
Just as Gou Teng was about to climb down, he suddenly saw a wisp of smoke in the distance.
"Huh?"
Gou Teng didn't climb down but observed carefully for a moment, his expression gradually turning serious.
"Why haven't you come down yet?" Jiang Xuan urged from below.
Gou Teng looked down and said, "Leader, it seems like someone is making a fire over there."
Hearing this, the four below immediately tensed up.
Encountering people from outside tribes in the forest is never a good sign. Meeting a savage tribe could lead to immediate conflict.
"Are you sure?" Jiang Xuan asked.
"I saw it clearly; someone is definitely making a fire."
"I'll come up and take a look."
Jiang Xuan quickly climbed the tree. As a One-Color Warrior, his tree-climbing speed was fast, and shortly he was standing alongside Gou Teng.
"Leader, over there." Gou Teng pointed to the south.
Following Gou Teng's direction, Jiang Xuan saw a plume of thick smoke rising straight up, indeed the shape of smoke from a bonfire.
Jiang Xuan's heart sank; although it was far from here, there's no guarantee when those people might appear near the Vine Tribe.
It seems that the environment around the Vine Tribe is not as safe as they thought.
"Let's go back first."
Jiang Xuan and Gou Teng climbed down the tree together. Jiang Xuan briefly explained the smoke situation to Chi Shao and the others.
Out of fear of danger, the five did not stay or investigate the smoke source further. They returned directly to the Vine Tribe along the original path.
Even though they hadn't encountered outsiders yet, a sense of crisis already loomed over their hearts.
The Vine Tribe was just newly established and very weak, not capable of withstanding any attack. Jiang Xuan hoped those people were just passing by and wouldn't pose a threat to the Vine Tribe.