Chapter 49 - 45, The Great Change in Identity_1

Words : 1276 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

Chapter 49: Chapter 45, The Great Change in Identity_1 The morning sunshine pierced through the slightly cool mist, playfully awakened the slumbering animals and orcs in the tribe with its light twirls and jumps, accompanied by the chorus of birds, and ushered in a new day of labour. Ji Nuan was awakened by a soft touch on her face. The furry little head of the little lion cub enlarged in front of Ji Nuan’s eyes. Seeing her awake, the little one let out an excited roar, its chubby body bouncing a few times, causing ripples of flesh to wave on its body. Hmm? Ji Nuan instantly sobered up, sat up in surprise, looking at the chubby cub, taking prouder steps on the small bed. She wasn’t mistaken. The little one had begun to walk. The snake skin which had been used to dress his wound and the wooden board used to fix it had been chewed off by the little one and thrown aside. The cub expressed its joy of recovery by running around excitedly on the stone bed. Ji Nuan reached out, cradling the lively little one in her arms, lightly pinching its plump little paw. Knowing that Ji Nuan was inspecting its wound, the young cub named Xiu Yan obediently nestled in Ji Nuan’s arms. Its round, shiny eyes looked at her, waiting for her to announce the good news of its complete recovery. She gave the little one a gentle flick on its forehead, comically mussed up the soft fur the cub had so carefully groomed upon waking, sparking a series of dissatisfied roars. The slightly angry, soft voice of the cub was incredibly cute. "You little rascal, your paw isn’t fully healed yet. If you continue to jump around, it could grow crooked and ugly in the future!" Ji Nuan held up the little one, looking into its round eyes as she said this. Xiu Yan tilted his round little head, picturing its future warped limbs after shapeshifting, and shivered involuntarily. The fur on its small body bristled at the thought. "Roar, roar, roar!" The cub pushed with its chubby paw and was placed on the stone bed, under Ji Nuan’s curious gaze. With its chubby little legs it hobbled over to where he had thrown away the discarded snake skin and wooden splint, obediently sprawled into a small pudgy pancake, its round eyes twinkling with anticipation. It looked at Ji Nuan and then nudged at the snake skin and wooden splint again, trying to please her with its cute antics, nearly causing Ji Nuan to burst into laughter. Walking over and patting his soft head, Ji Nuan fetched some new herbs from the Food Storage Cave, ground them into a paste and smeared it onto the cub’s chubby legs, stabilizing them with a wooden board. No sooner had Ji Nuan gotten an approving snout boop than she threatened the little one, "You have to lie quietly in your nest and recover, no running around. Otherwise, your leg will grow crooked, and no other girl will like you!" The cub stirred its pudgy tail, its eyes shiny with innocence, and let out a: "Roar~" Seeing that the cub dutifully nods its head and wags its chubby chin twice, Ji Nuan’s eyes are instantly filled with amusement. Suppressing her laughter with a cough, Ji Nuan stands and quickly heads towards the Food Storage Cave: "I’m off to prepare some food!" How could there be such a plump little lion? Ji Nuan really finds it too cute and too lovable. She boiled some Giggle Beast soup noodles and roasted two fragrant Giggle Beasts. After sharing a pot of noodles with the cub, who was delighted to eat, its tail never stopped shaking. Wrapping two Giggle Beasts in large leaves and placing them by the cub’s nest, Ji Nuan, like the day before, picked up her basket and went to the grove. Today’s goal was clear: to collect as many Stinky Fruits as possible. The Chief Ge Xing would announce the edible status of the Stinky Fruit only at the afternoon dinner. Ji Nuan had a full day to gather the Stinky Fruits, which only she knew how to eat. The number of Stinky Fruits that can fit in her basket is limited, so Ji Nuan also made a vine rope to hang two more around her neck. As the day’s work was about to end, the lazy sun was emitting its last rays and shining through the clouds onto the bustling tribe of orcs on the empty ground. After a day of labor, seeing a small pile of Divine Punishment Fruits in the Food Storage Cave and the hill-like Stinky Fruits beside it, Ji Nuan felt a faint sense of pride. She was quite capable! "Shan Zaizai! Shan Zaizai! Are you there?" Ge Ye’s clear voice came from outside the cave. Ji Nuan rubbed her sore shoulders and got up to go outside: "Little Ye Zi, I’m in the Food Storage Cave. What’s up?" Seeing the dusty Ji Nuan coming out of the cave, Ge Ye’s eyes lit up. She hurried over and grabbed Ji Nuan’s hand. Her little mouth was puckered up enough to hang two Stinky Fruits: "Shan Zaizai, my father told me, yesterday, you sneakily treated them to delicious food. My father was salivating when he talked about it, I could hear the sound, why didn’t you call me!" She patted her plump forearm: "Grandma Shaman came yesterday too!" Hearing Shamen Ama, Ge Ye’s little legs felt weak. Because she was born in the cold season, she was frail and often sick during her cub years. So, from an early age, she was often made to drink bitter medicinal concoctions by Grandma Shaman, leaving indelible scars on her fragile little heart. So, wherever Shaman Ama was, Ge Ye never went near. She always stayed far away from her, much to Shaman Ama’s helplessness. She chuckled, "My father has asked me to call you over to the open ground, saying that there’s important news to announce today." When the two of them reached the open ground, all the orcs of the tribe were already present, except for Manli. "I gathered you all here today because there is a very important matter I want to announce!" Chief Ge Xing paused and gestured Ji Nuan over, "Shan Zaizai, come here!" Feeling slightly blushed, Ji Nuan walked over to the chief amidst the curious gaze of the orcs. Chief Ge Xing took a deep breath, his tone a bit excited, "You all must be very curious why I called Shan Zaizai up here. A few days ago, Shan Zaizai discovered how to eat the Giggle Beasts, giving us an additional food source for the winter. Yesterday, Shan Zaizai called me and the Shaman over. She discovered a new type of food!" After a brief pause, Chief Ge Xing raised his voice excitedly, "Do you all know what this new food is?" "It’s the Stinky Fruit! Yes, Shan Zaizai has made a delicious food—the noodles out of Stinky Fruit. Both the Shaman and I have tasted it, and it’s very delicious. Moreover, Shan Zaizai has agreed to teach everyone how to make noodles out of the Stinky Fruit." It wasn’t Ji Nuan’s imagination, she could clearly feel that the orcs’ gaze towards her had completely changed. It was no longer simple gratitude, there was even a trace of respect. Grandma Shaman, leaning on her walking stick, stepped forward and took hold of Ji Nuan’s skinny paw: "I have decided to take Shan Zaizai as my disciple and train her to become a qualified Shaman."

Chapter 49 - 45, The Great Change in Identity_1

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