Chang Ye, who was packing baskets with the other slaves, heard Wu Yue call his name. He quickly handed the item in his hands to the young one beside him and ran over.

He looked at Wu Yue apprehensively, as if afraid he had done something wrong. "You called for me."

Wu Yue nodded, then pointed to a basket on the ground. "This is some food I just prepared. Take it back and share it with everyone who worked today."

Chang Ye stared at the basket overflowing with food in disbelief. His eyes began to burn, and it felt as if something was caught in his throat. "For... for us?"

The other slaves nearby overheard their conversation. Some were so shocked they even dropped the baskets in their hands.

’Since when do slaves get food for working for the tribe members?’

Wu Yue didn’t know the customs of the tribe, but she knew that the drying kiln was only successfully built today because of the slaves’ help.

"Alright, hurry back. The sky is a bit overcast, so it might rain later. Go and share the food with everyone."

After she spoke, she turned and went straight into her house. Those two shameless freeloaders, Qingcao and Aya, were eating at her place again.

Watching Wu Yue’s retreating figure, Chang Ye wiped his face with his hand, then picked up the basket at his feet and walked toward the other slaves.

He ended up distributing the food to everyone right there beside the drying kiln.

One slave, trembling, tucked the wild vegetable ball from his hands into his grass skirt, a rare smile appearing on his numb face.

’I can take this back for my partner to eat.’

After a moment’s hesitation, the remaining slaves ate the vegetable balls in their hands.

Considering how tiring it was to carry mud from the back mountain today, Wu Yue had made the wild vegetable balls very large and filling.

For once, the slaves actually had a full meal.

Chang Ye looked at the newly built drying kiln, remembering what Wu Yue had just said about the rain. He turned to the other slaves, who were still licking their fingers, and said, "Lady Wu Yue just mentioned that it might rain later.

"Let’s go find some grass and large leaves to build a shelter, so this kiln we worked so hard to build doesn’t get ruined by the rain."

Chang Ye was the leader of this small group, and because he was on speaking terms with Wu Yue, the other slaves had great faith in him.

Besides, having just eaten Wu Yue’s food, everyone was naturally willing to contribute a little more of their strength.

And so, they immediately followed Chang Ye’s lead to gather materials for the shelter.

Sure enough, just after Wu Yue saw Qingcao and Aya off, the rain began to fall in a light drizzle.

Thinking of the drying kiln that had just been built today, Wu Yue frowned in annoyance.

’I even told Chang Ye and the others it was going to rain, but I forgot to take any precautions myself.’

She grabbed a straw mat from inside her house and ran toward the drying kiln behind it, hoping it wasn’t ruined yet.

But when she rounded the corner, what met her eyes was a simple, yet effective, thatched shelter covering the entire drying kiln.

A smile couldn’t help but appear in her eyes. ’These slaves may have hard lives, but the kindness in their hearts has always been there.’

Holding the straw mat over her head, Wu Yue walked quickly back to her house.

The next morning, after eating, she headed for the Clan Leader’s home.

In the basket at her side were the mushrooms she, Qingcao, and Aya had gathered the day before.

But when she arrived at the Clan Leader’s cave and called out for a while, no one was there, which made Wu Yue a little confused.

’Did they go out to gather and hunt?’

With that thought, she turned to head home, planning to come back again later.

She hadn’t gotten far, however, when she was stopped by two Half beastman Warriors. "Yue, the Clan Leader and the witch have summoned you."

Wu Yue looked at the two of them, confused. "Me? Where?"

The Half beastman Warriors nodded. "In the witch’s cave."

As she followed the two Half beastman Warriors toward the witch’s cave, she began to hear bursts of angry shouting from up ahead. The voice was very familiar.

"Aya?"

The voice belonged to Aya, who had been gathering with her and Qingcao just yesterday. Something sounded very wrong.

Wu Yue hurried into the cave and saw Aya being held by her Half beastman partner, kicking her feet as she repeatedly tried to lunge at Ye Duo.

"What’s going on?"

Wu Yue’s voice rang out in the cave. Aya immediately stopped struggling, shoved her partner aside, and ran to Wu Yue’s side. "Yue, early this morning, Ye Duo came with a few others and took all the mushrooms I gathered yesterday! She brought them to the witch, insisting they’re poisonous."

Aya finished her tearful complaint, but didn’t get the support she expected from her friend. She looked at Wu Yue with a pout, only to find her staring back, trying to stifle her laughter.

And she was looking at her face...

"Yue, don’t you laugh!"

Aya said, flushed with shame and anger. She couldn’t beat Ye Duo in their earlier fight and had been punched a few times, leaving her with two black eyes.

Wu Yue coughed twice and turned to look at Ye Duo, who was hiding behind a male. That girl’s hair looked like it had just been styled in a washing machine—it was quite a look.

Wu Yue couldn’t help but turn back to Aya. "You did that?"

Sporting two black eyes, Aya lifted her chin proudly. "Of course. How about it? See that pile of hair at her feet? I’m the one who ripped it out."

Wu Yue secretly gave her a thumbs-up. "You’re a total badass."

Ignoring Aya, who was snickering behind her, Wu Yue raised an eyebrow at Ye Duo. "You say these mushrooms are poisonous. Did you eat one? Did it kill you?"

Ye Duo sneered. "This stuff is poisonous. Everyone in the entire Polar Forest knows it. Besides, people from our Snow Tiger Tribe have died from eating this kind of... mushroom before. And now you’re just going to say they’re not poisonous?"

"The proof is that Qingcao, Aya, and I all had mushroom soup twice yesterday, and we’re all standing here perfectly fine."

She looked at Ye Duo mockingly. "If you say they’re poisonous, then eat one for me to see. If it kills you, I’ll avoid these mushrooms for the rest of my life."

"Yue, did you really eat them?" the Snow Tiger Tribe Leader asked with a frown from the side.

Wu Yue nodded. "Yes. There are many types of mushrooms, so if you want to eat them, you first have to learn how to identify them. Otherwise, you’ll get poisoned if you gather and eat the toxic ones."

The Snow Tiger Tribe Leader instantly breathed a sigh of relief. "As long as you’ve eaten them and they’re not poisonous, that’s good."

Aya’s face immediately fell into a sad puppy pout. "Father, I just told you we ate them and that the mushrooms weren’t poisonous, but you didn’t believe me! Now Yue says it once and you believe her. Am I that untrustworthy?"

A look of disdain flashed across the Snow Tiger Tribe Leader’s stern face. "Don’t you have any idea what you’re like? I’d have an easier time believing the young cubs in the tribe have stopped wetting their nests than I would believing you."

Aya: "..."

’Are you even my real father? Don’t you know you’re supposed to help your daughter save some face in public?’