The impact of Bai Yi being struck by lightning was greater than Xu Zifan had anticipated. In this world where there truly was a Beast God, they held the Beast God in absolute awe. Xu Zifan, who was "protected" by the Beast God, was naturally regarded as a harmless person who came to help them, and was the person closest to the Beast God who deserved respect.
Other races that had initially been observing now sought to meet Xu Zifan, including the wolf, fox, eagle, and bear clans. Xu Zifan met with each of them, learning about their situations through conversation, but the information was somewhat unsatisfactory. The wolf clan seemed to be experiencing internal strife, and the Fierce Fangs were very wary of them, considering them too warlike; the fox clan valued enjoyment too much and was unwilling to endure hardship, meaning many of Xu Zifan's plans would be impossible to implement; the eagle clan's activities were mainly in the air, making them unsuitable for establishing a solid base; the bear clan was somewhat clumsy, rough, and impatient…
In the end, Xu Zifan realized that the Leopard Clan of Sada was the most suitable. This wasn't just because Sada, as the young chieftain, held considerable influence, but also because the Leopard Clan was very united. They were willing to reconcile with the Snake Clan for peaceful development, setting aside their hatred, and were also willing to work hard for better development. Furthermore, the Snake Clan wasn't far from the Leopard Clan, and Mo Wen had shown great interest in Xu Zifan's medical skills, willing to make a deal with him. In this way, he could essentially live among the Leopard Clan, changing two tribes, and then other tribes could gradually learn from him.
The three-day trade fair came to an end. Xu Zifan announced to the public that he would be staying temporarily with the Leopard Clan, "So far, I think the Leopard Clan is the most suitable for making changes. If I have the opportunity in the future, I will go to other tribes. Of course, after I achieve some results in the Leopard Clan, other tribes that are interested can come and learn. I am very willing to teach everyone everything I know."
The tiger clan's high shaman pleaded urgently, "Wise One, please give us another chance, don't abandon us."
Xu Zifan waved his hand, "I'm not giving up on you, it's just that you don't believe in your hearts that I can help you. This won't be good for anyone. If you want to study in the future, you can come to the Leopard Clan to study."
The wolf clan sneered, "The wise man's choice is truly perplexing. We, the wolf clan, are willing to offer you better treatment and guarantee our cooperation. Why not choose the wolf clan?"
Before Xu Zifan could speak, Sada retorted, "Who doesn't know what you're up to? Your wolf clan has always wanted to defeat other tribes and loves to steal their things. You would cooperate with the Wise Man? Who would believe that?"
The wolf clan member's face darkened. "That happened a hundred years ago."
Sada shrugged. "Who knows how long you can hold out? The wise man already told you to come and learn, so why are you babbling on? That's it, we're leaving now. Welcome to the Leopard Clan for learning and trading." With that, he transformed into a black panther and lay down in front of Xu Zifan, gesturing for him to sit down.
Xu Zifan rode on his back, ignoring the shouts of the tiger clan members, and quickly left the trading point. Mengya remained with Xu Zifan. He had already fallen out with the tiger clan, so Xu Zifan simply hired him as his bodyguard. Mengya also wanted to witness firsthand what changes he could bring, and agreed without hesitation.
The leopard clan members were very excited. In their eyes, the leopard clan had gained immense prestige by capturing the Wise Man, and the Wise Man would bring benefits to the tribe. They were like steroids on a mission, charging at any ferocious beast or prey they encountered, reaping considerable rewards. This was also their way of demonstrating the leopard clan's strength to Xu Zifan.
Upon arriving at the Leopard Clan, Sada immediately introduced Xu Zifan to the clan chief and the high shaman. He thought he would have to use his persuasive skills to convince them, but to his surprise, the chief and the high shaman treated Xu Zifan as an honored guest upon hearing the news. Sada asked in bewilderment, "Father, you don't seem surprised at all?"
The chieftain said, "Last night, the Great Shaman received instructions from the Beast God, indicating that a wise man would descend from the heavens and teach us the way of survival. The Great Shaman and I did not notice anything unusual and thought the time was not yet right, but we did not expect the wise man to descend upon the Tiger Clan."
Sada laughed happily, "Isn't your son capable? The wise man who descended upon the Tiger Clan was brought back by your son."
"Sada, don't be rude!" the chieftain scolded, then looked at Xu Zifan apologetically, "Wise One, please don't mind, that's just how Sada is."
Xu Zifan smiled, feeling much more relaxed. "Chief, please don't stand on ceremony. Sada has helped me a lot, and I'm very grateful to him. There's one thing I need to clarify first: the development of the tribe must be done step by step. Initially, the effort will definitely be greater than the reward, which is why the Tiger Clan lost patience. But if we lay a solid foundation first, we can achieve better development. As the changes become more significant, the impact on the orcs will become apparent. I hope everyone can be more patient and not be afraid of hardship. The rewards in the future will definitely be worth everyone's initial efforts."
The chieftain immediately smiled and said, "Rest assured, wise one. Our tribe used to fight frequently and often suffered from hunger and cold. Everyone in the tribe hopes to live a better life. No one is afraid of hardship, and our fighting strength is definitely not weak. In any aspect, we will fully cooperate with you."
[Shaohua: Lie detector results—the clan chief did not lie.]
Xu Zifan nodded and gave him a traditional orcish bow, signifying an agreement. He hadn't expected the Beast God to help him; after he chose the Leopard Clan, the Beast God had even given the Leopard Clan's High Priest instructions. It seemed the Beast God approved of his previous actions. With this support, the road ahead would be much easier.
The leopard tribe quickly built a spacious wooden house for Xu Zifan near the Great Shaman's residence, explained Xu Zifan's identity to everyone, and ordered them to follow his instructions. Xu Zifan had the leopard tribe repeat what he had done for the tiger tribe before: farming and raising livestock. Because he had experience, the leopard tribe cooperated very well, and this time they did it quickly and well, on a scale several times larger than the tiger tribe.
Xu Zifan imparted his experience to them according to the books recorded by Shao Hua. Those who were talented in this area naturally grasped the key points and progressed further.
This prompted Xu Zifan to encourage them to rely on themselves. He had set an example for them, and they were determined to figure it out on their own and continue on this path. Not long after, Mo Wen arrived, requesting to learn medicine preparation. He stated that he had persuaded the snake clan chief to follow Xu Zifan's lead. Thus, the snake clan began to change in the same way as the leopard clan. When Xu Zifan went out to find plants and animals, he was usually accompanied by Mengya, Sada, and Mo Wen.
Herbal medicine was his forte, and he progressed the fastest in that area. With Mo Wen assisting him, in just one month, two wooden shelves were built in his room, filled with the medicines he had prepared. Mo Wen learned quickly and was completely convinced of his abilities. The Leopard Clan's High Priest also followed suit, making them the two people who most felt the tremendous changes Xu Zifan had brought about.
One day, Xu Zifan had just returned home when he heard a sound of weeping. A group of people were gathered around the tribe's altar, and the weeping was coming from there. Sada was the first to run over and saw the orcs on the altar with solemn expressions. "What happened?"
Xu Zifan and the others also came over and heard the Great Shaman sigh, "Monchi encountered two ferocious beasts while hunting today. His leg was bitten and mangled. I hope the Beast God will protect him."
Xu Zifan looked at the wounded orc. His right calf was a bloody mess, with bone exposed. He lay unconscious, his face deathly pale, his forehead covered in cold sweat. Orcs didn't know much about medicine, and when faced with wounds like this—which were difficult to stop bleeding and prone to infection—they basically left it to fate, hoping he might survive. He pushed through the crowd and knelt down in front of the orc to carefully examine his wound. He discovered that the orc had not only been badly bitten but also had a broken bone.
Hope flickered in the great shaman's eyes. "Wise one, do you... do you have a way to save him?"
Xu Zifan nodded. "I'll give it a try. Carry him to my place. Da Shaman and Mo Wen, help me. Hurry up."
"Okay." Sada and Mengya immediately carried the orc to Xu Zifan's wooden house.
Xu Zifan took out several kinds of medicine, had someone boil water to wash their hands, disinfected the stone knife, and then used an anesthetic on the orc to clean the wound and reconnect the leg bone. After that, he applied medicine, immobilized it with a splint, and then gave the orc two oral medications. Throughout the process, he explained to the Great Shaman and Mo Wen the reasons for his actions and the effects of the medicines. Even when Xu Zifan stopped and wiped his sweat, they were somewhat incredulous. Could such an injury really be healed? Judging from Xu Zifan's reaction, it didn't seem like a serious injury. Could he possibly heal something more serious?
With this question in mind, they diligently cared for the orc, witnessing his injuries improve day by day. The orc's family sent Xu Zifan many fruits and game, their gratitude overflowing. This rescue further increased everyone's trust in him, and they were full of energy, striving to do everything Xu Zifan asked of them.
Then Xu Zifan taught them how to make cured meat, ham, salted fish, sauerkraut, dried vegetables, dried fruit, and so on. He taught them according to the book. They didn't do it well the first two times, but everyone worked together, discussed ideas, and quickly made them. These were all easy to preserve, so they could be eaten anytime even in winter. The orcs only needed to store more ham. Then there was the issue of keeping warm. Although fur was warm, it would still feel cold after a while. In the past, every winter, everyone would move to live in nearby caves, where it wasn't as windy as the wooden houses and was at least a little warmer.
So Xu Zifan began teaching them how to make bricks and charcoal, things he had never done before. He could only impart knowledge from books, figuring out the tricks himself based on the descriptions, and working hard alongside everyone. Initially, he only wanted to become a high shaman so the chieftain couldn't arrange a marriage for him, but the Beast God refused, and he unexpectedly became a wise man, so he had to do what a wise man should do. But now, having truly taught them so much and seeing the tribe getting better and better, he felt a great sense of accomplishment. No matter how far he could help them develop, this trip was worthwhile.
People from other tribes noticed the changes in the leopard tribe and sent one or two people to learn from them. Just as Xu Zifan and his group successfully fired bricks and charcoal, Shao Hua suddenly reminded him, "[Twenty wolf-tribe beastmen are approaching.]"
Xu Zifan was taken aback for a moment, then hurriedly ordered everyone to be on guard, but there were only five orcs on their side; the others had all returned to the tribe to deliver the fired bricks and charcoal. The wolf-orcs quickly ran over and surrounded them.
A pure white wolf took two steps forward and said, "Hand over the wise man, and I will let you go."
Xu Zifan stood behind Mengya and Sada, silently scanning the position of each wolf. Surrendering was out of the question.