After a century of worship, I became the ancestor of the tribe.

Chapter 40 Cultivating Medicinal Herbs, Raising Millet Seeds, and Raising Wild Beasts (Please continue reading)
Day two.

"Pack your things and leave. There is hope as long as you are alive."

On the water's edge, Huotang gently patted Shifu.

The fact that these hundreds of people were able to survive was largely due to the role of the stone flea.

"Ugh……"

After gazing at the water for a long time, Shi Fu sighed and turned to walk towards the settlement.

The urge for revenge had long since gone numb; all that remained was pain. Even if he wanted revenge, he lacked the strength to do so.

They didn't even know where their enemies came from.

Huotang doesn't have much to worry about regarding that mysterious fleet right now.

Ships need water to travel, and it is clear that the floods made it easier for the fleets to sweep across various regions.

Now that the floodwaters have stopped flowing, people have probably already "returned home laden with their loot".

……

The Blazing Flame Section.

Ancestral temple.

After leaving the hearth, the tribal elders would habitually come to the ancestral temple to discuss any matters, with everyone gathering around the hearth.

"The clan leader has been away for so long without sending back any news. We don't know how he is doing."

Huo Yu poked at the flickering campfire with a stick, his face showing worry.

Previously, the tribe's activity range was only a hundred miles, and even hunting trips would only take one or two days.

In just a few months, members of our clan have been going out one after another, traveling so far without even sending a message. How can we not be worried?

After a moment's thought, Huo Yun took out the animal skin bag he had brought with him.

He took out a handful of tender herbs from one of the bags and handed them to everyone.

"These are common medicinal herbs that our people collect when they go out. The flood lasted too long, and only a few herbs grew in the mountains, and they didn't grow very well."

Huo Xian carefully examined these herbs commonly used by the tribe and found that the seedlings were small and the branches and leaves were weak, which was very different from the same period in previous years.

Before Huo Xian could speak, Huo Yun took out two rotten witch herbs that were oozing juice from another bag.

These are herbs that have grown long enough to be used in medicine.

One of them is a hemostatic herb, and the leaves are the main part used.

The other plant is *Gynostemma pentaphyllum*, and the root is used in medicine.

Both were rotten.

The effects of prolonged flooding on medicinal herbs are now becoming apparent.

Not only these herbs, but some of the resources brought back from various regions had grown mold due to dampness.

"This year's witchcraft harvest won't be very good, so we need to use the reserves sparingly."

The Blazing Flame Tribe has been collecting medicinal herbs for years, but only in the nearby mountains and forests.

The amount collected also depends on luck; sometimes it's more, sometimes it's less.

It's true that a tribe relies on the mountains for sustenance, but when there's not enough food from the nearby mountains, the best solution is to master cultivation techniques and plant whatever is available.

These are all common and frequently used herbs, with only one or two years of medicinal life, so there's no need to worry about their efficacy when grown yourself.

As for those medicinal herbs that have been growing for hundreds of years, let's talk about them when we find them.

“Uncle, we should cultivate these commonly used witchcraft medicines ourselves.”

Shen Can brought up his idea, but the clansmen just didn't have this concept and needed him to guide them.

“I agree with Ah-chan’s suggestion.”

Huo Xian nodded in agreement. Unlike before, the amount of medicinal herbs used by the tribe has increased significantly, and relying solely on collecting them from outside might not be enough.

The tribe had cultivated medicinal herbs before, but not on a large scale, mainly because it required a lot of manpower and resources.

Herbs grow in different environments than humans. Humans can adapt, but each herb has its own unique characteristics.

Some prefer shade, some prefer sunshine, some need the dung of certain wild beasts to nourish them, and so on.

I used to only think about the most basic things to eat, and I didn't have the energy to care about herbs.

“Then let’s start by cultivating the most commonly used herbs,” Huo Xian said. “I’ll take care of that.”

When it comes to the properties of medicinal herbs, Huo Xian believes that few in the entire tribe can compare to him.

Seeing that the clan elders were about to leave after discussing the matter, Shen Can quickly spoke up.

"and many more."

We've already discussed the cultivation of medicinal herbs, so food shouldn't be neglected either.

Tribal farming is better than slash-and-burn agriculture, but it is still limited to extensive planting, digging holes and burying soil, and there is little research on pests and other issues.

"The low yield of our staple food crops is also related to our planting habits."

I noticed that the weeds in the field were growing better than the millet seedlings.

Some of them even spawned small insects; such a rough, free-range approach won't work; intensive care is needed.

Thinking of the tall auntie in the tribe, pinching insects with her fingers as thin as radishes, and accidentally killing millet seedlings in the process, Shen Can felt somewhat helpless.

A palm the size of a fan is definitely not suitable for delicate work.

People have become accustomed to this rough farming method and have no concept of soil clumping, piles of gravel, and so on.

In fact, Shen Can didn't know much, but at least he understood that insects had to be caught, and that weeds and millet seedlings shouldn't be allowed to compete for sunlight, water, and nutrients.

As for cultivating better millet varieties, considering the tribe's current conditions, it's best to leave it for now.

Let's focus on getting the farming practices and pest control in place first.

“Ah Can, you have ideas, but you still need to set up the framework. We’re old and we only follow past experiences, which sometimes makes us a hindrance.” Huo Yun said. Many people in the tribe farm, but they are used to the farming methods passed down through generations.

Change needs a leader.

Shen Can is the most suitable.

Several elders nodded, but Huoshan stared blankly at the steaming earthenware pot with clear eyes.

"Okay then." Shen Can nodded in agreement.

"Uncle Volcano Clan, select twenty people from the hunting team for me. They need to be agile and good at running away."

"In addition, bring out all the clansmen who used to raise wild beasts."

"Now that the tribe's activity range has expanded, shouting for communication has become ineffective. Let's see if we can replace it with people first."

The hunting party first captured some mountain-cracking Kui birds to tame and use as transportation, and then captured some birds to try and breed them, to see if they could be used to deliver messages.

Shen Can was confident in taming the Rift Mountain Kui. The Shanghuang tribe had ridden one over before, and the fact that other tribes could successfully tame it meant that wild beasts could be tamed.

Besides, he would also drug people.

Even if wild beasts are extremely ferocious, just increase the dosage.

Even though wild beasts aren't very bright, they still know how to choose between pain and food.

The key to domestication lies in the ability to be domesticated; stubborn species that cannot be domesticated are killed and eaten.

Today's tribal discussions are all new issues that have emerged after the tribal reforms.

When new problems arise, we should find ways to solve them. Only when reforms are in operation can we continuously discover problems.

the next day.

Volcano led a dozen or so tribesmen away from the tribe, carrying anesthetic powder on their backs. Their goal was to find the Rift Mountain Kui and the Bird's Nest.

Simultaneously, within the clan, a breeding ground is being established in the northwest corner of the city.

Those tribespeople who had experience taming wild beasts in the past were busy building taming grounds.

Huo Xian also began to get busy, gathering all the tribe members with experience in gathering herbs to recount their herb-gathering experiences as if taking statements.

We plan to synthesize the experiences of all herbalists, remove unnecessary and verbose parts, and compile a book of experience on the growing environment and habits of commonly used medicinal herbs.

Then, based on the experience book, they opened up a medicinal herb cultivation garden on the mountain, adapting to local conditions.

Outside the city, in the fields, many more figures were busy weeding.

A few days later, inside the ancestral temple.

Shen Can was preparing the witchcraft potion.

Under the stone mill, the dry witchcraft medicine was crushed into powder.

This is 'pesticide', made from pure herbal extracts, specifically used to kill insects.

Shen Can mixed the medicinal powder into the water, then jumped up with his hand, causing the water to splash up and form a mist.

"Indeed, witchcraft is still the most effective."

……

A month and a half later.

Nestled among the eastern mountains of the tribe, a winding procession of people carried large and small bags as they moved forward.

"The clan mountain is just ahead, we're almost there."

Huotang walked ahead and pointed to the gentle, rolling hills stretching for miles, surrounded by small, solitary mountains in the distance.

Da da da!
Just then, a series of chaotic sounds came from behind the small hill blocking the way.

Before anyone could react, four mountain-splitting Kui appeared, letting out a deep roar.

"Chieftain, you've returned."

Volcano, riding atop the Rift Mountain, was overjoyed to see Huotang and his group returning.

Huotang and the remaining tribespeople he brought back looked towards Lieshan Kui.

What's going on?

"Ah Shan, what's wrong with you?" Huo Bai rushed up from the back of the group, his eyes practically glued to Lie Shan Kui.

Volcano chuckled, "I don't know either. The shaman gave them medicine and a big stick, and these Rift Mountain Kui became very obedient soon after we captured them."

As he spoke, he patted the head of the mountain-cracked Kui beneath him.

The Rift Mountain Kui let out a low whimper.

Upon hearing that it was done by a shaman, the Blazing Flame Clan members acted as if they understood perfectly and that it was perfectly normal.

"If only we had let the witch give us one before we went out, you got off easy."

The previously subdued remnants of the tribes now showed signs of surprise and disbelief, scrutinizing the robust and powerfully built Lieshan Kui.

"Let's go back to the tribe."

The group continued onward, and after bypassing the isolated mountain blocking their path, the mountains on both sides came into view.

There is an observation tower on the mountaintop.

The hillsides and the gentle slopes between the mountains are all reclaimed land.

Figures were bent over, working hard.

Looking out, the fields stretched all the way to the towering city in the distance.

The fields are lush and green, with millet seedlings swaying vigorously.

Shi Fu slowly withdrew his gaze and looked at Huo Tang, "Chieftain, didn't you say that Zhi Yan was a small tribe?"

“Ah…ah, yes.” Huotang also looked away and subconsciously replied.

(End of this chapter)