Becoming a Leader in a Primitive Otherworld - Chapter 12

Xie Yu had to take hygiene seriously. The primitive people’s toilet habits were crude, mostly involving digging a hole in the wilderness and burying it afterward, little different from how cats and dogs relieve themselves.

The Shadow Tribe was relatively better. Chief Song had strictly regulated this aspect, establishing designated toilet areas and requiring tribespeople to regularly collect leaves from a plant similar to jute.

Xie Yu remembered jute leaves as densely covered in soft, durable fuzz, making them ideal for use as toilet paper.

Fortunately, toilet paper was already available. Now she only needed to build one or two latrines. If left unchecked, with tribespeople defecating indiscriminately, the Tribe might be overwhelmed by its own waste before it could even develop.

Imagining that scenario filled her with despair. It’s not that free defecation is inherently bad, she thought, then corrected herself: No, it is bad.

While such practices could nourish the earth, she refused to adopt them. In Xie Yu’s mind, proper waste management was a milestone in human civilization, carrying profound significance.

However, building latrines would take time, and creating a sewage system with their current technology was nearly impossible. For now, they would have to rely on diligent daily cleaning and regular waste removal.

Once the environment is clean, the proliferation of bacteria will decrease, significantly reducing the chances of the Tribespeople falling ill.

After starting her evening meal, Xie Yu stopped thinking. The fish soup tonight was particularly sweet. She savored the taste, feeling utterly content. “Priest, we can also grill the fish. Do you know of any other ingredients that taste like chili peppers?”

“I do, but they’re not found near our settlement, so finding them would be a bit of a hassle,” Yun Nai said, shattering Xie Yu’s hopes. “Next time we go hunting, if we see any, we can bring a few back.”

Xie Yu’s eyes lit up. “Which direction are they in? I’ll make sure to hunt in that area specifically.”

Yun Nai pointed vaguely, her gaze briefly sweeping over Xie Yu’s arm. “Does your wound still hurt?”

Before she could answer, Lian rushed over, clutching a bowl. “Chief Priest, are you eating fish?”

“Want to try some of Ping’s?” Lian asked, unusually shy, his cheeks flushed. “Ping said it should taste normal, but I think it’s off—bitter. That’s why I came to find the Priest.”

Ping was more meticulous than the others. A few days ago, she had built a stone stove in front of her hut and occasionally cooked her own meals.

Lian’s hut was right next to Ping’s. He often visited her, and today, as he passed by, Ping had invited him to try the freshly cooked fish.

Just moments ago…

“Is it really that bad?” Ping asked tentatively, staring at the green sludge in the stone pot.

“No,” Lian reassured her. Ping had always been so encouraging, how could she possibly discourage such a kind friend?

Considering Ping’s feelings, she had even thoughtfully avoided frowning in front of her.

“Actually, the fish you made is incredibly useful, Ping,” Lian said after a moment’s thought. Noticing a flicker of hidden hope in Ping’s usually composed expression, his eyes suddenly lit up. “If we ever capture prisoners from another tribe, your fish soup would be perfect for punishing them!”

Ping’s eyes widened in disbelief at this unexpected response, but he suppressed his disappointment. “That’s wonderful, Lian! You should come eat here more often.”

Alarmed, Lian immediately rushed to Yun Nai for guidance.

Yun Nai had already informed the Tribespeople about the supplementary ingredients in the grove, and now they regularly went there to gather them for cooking.

To protect these limited resources, Xie Yu had observed that their seeds were easily obtainable, similar to plants like chrysanthemum greens.

Moreover, it was spring, and the plants would soon flower and produce seeds, allowing them to quickly expand the grove’s cultivation.

“Lian likes fish too?” Yun Nai reached out to take the stone bowl. The green broth swirled with a few rare wild vegetable leaves. She struggled to imagine the taste Lian had described. “How did Ping make this?”

“She… she said she just threw in all the ingredients and then tossed the fish in to boil.”

Xie Yu glanced sympathetically at the contents of Lian’s bowl, a stark contrast to the meal she was enjoying.

The tribespeople knew to remove the bitter gall bladder before cooking fish, so the fish itself couldn’t be the problem.

After a few seconds, Yun Nai had a hunch. “I’ll go check on Ping.”

Xie Yu felt a little put out. Yun Nai had just asked if her wound still hurt, and she hadn’t even had a chance to answer.

As Yun Nai and Lian approached Ping’s hut, they saw her standing thoughtfully over the pot of fish soup.

The tall, imposing woman, over 1.8 meters tall, took a small sip with a serious expression, then frowned.

The two approached. Yun Nai noticed a pile of ingredients beside the stone stove, and the simmering broth was crammed with unusually rare wild vegetables.

Ping, still savoring her carefully crafted dish, looked up at their arrival, set down her utensils, and greeted them warmly.

Behind the others, Lian stuck his tongue out at Ping, making her itch to knock him on the head.

“Ping, where did you gather these bitter greens?”

“Bitter greens?” Ping looked slightly surprised. She had seen many varieties of bitter greens, but the ones she had picked today looked unusually sweet, judging by their color.

“I picked them by the river, a little further north of the forest,” Ping explained. She had been hunting and thought she might as well gather some to cook with the fish.

“They’re a bit bitter, but they clear heat, detoxify, and are good for healing wounds,” Yun Nai said with a smile. “Could I have some? I’ll trade you something for them later.”

Ping readily agreed, pleased that she had stumbled upon something useful.

So it wasn’t Ping’s cooking that made it taste bad, Lian thought to himself. But this bitter herb is really bitter. Does the Priest actually like it, or is she just asking Ping for it out of politeness?

When Yun Nai returned home, the stone pot had already been washed and placed neatly outside, but Xie Yu was nowhere to be seen.

Yun Nai took out a basket and carefully arranged the bitter herbs inside. She glanced around the house, but Xie Yu wasn’t there either.

After searching for a while, she finally spotted a familiar figure by the river.

Xie Yu’s slender frame hardly conveyed strength, yet her presence unconsciously evoked a deep sense of security. The ends of her slightly curled hair draped lazily over her shoulders.

Her shoulders swayed rhythmically as she skipped stones across the water, one of her few pastimes.

“Oh, Priest?” Xie Yu’s sixth sense was sharp; she immediately sensed someone watching her from behind. Turning around, she saw Yun Nai and waved.

As Yun Nai approached, Xie Yu spoke up first. “My wound doesn’t hurt much anymore.”

Yun Nai paused, surprised. “So it still hurts?”

“Maybe just a little,” Xie Yu muttered to herself. She hadn’t felt anything before, but Yun Nai’s question suddenly made her wound ache slightly.

Why is she skipping stones so enthusiastically? Yun Nai thought, amused. She’s claiming it hurts, yet she’s throwing those stones with such force.

The person beside her stopped, a hint of embarrassment on her face. “Actually, it doesn’t hurt at all anymore.”

“Ping gathered some new bitter greens today. They’re medicinal. If it still hurts, eat plenty of them.”

“It doesn’t hurt at all! I feel completely healed,” Xie Yu said, raising her hands in surrender. She loathed bitter foods, especially the bitter greens of this world.

“Really?” Yun Nai glanced at her skeptically.

“Look how hard I’m throwing!” Feeling doubted, Xie Yu immediately demonstrated her stone-skipping technique to prove she had been exaggerating earlier.

Xie Yu pulled back the animal hide covering her arm. “See? The scab already fell off.”

Yun Nai nodded dismissively, not taking Xie Yu’s words seriously. After all, she had already retrieved the bitter greens. Whether Xie Yu wanted to eat them or not, she would have to. Being fully healed was better than being only partially recovered.

The wound had indeed healed, leaving behind several angry, raw scars after the scab fell off. They stood out starkly against her surrounding skin.

Xie Yu had only intended to show Yun Nai the scar briefly and was about to cover it again with the animal hide when she suddenly felt a faint breeze on the scar, making her arm tingle.

Yun Nai had a particularly vivid memory of this wound. Having personally cared for Xie Yu, she knew every detail of its healing process.

“Injuries to bones and tendons require a hundred days of rest,” Yun Nai reminded her. “You still need to take care of it to prevent future complications.”

Xie Yu: Priest, stop blowing on it! I’m embarrassed.

In reality, the breeze had only lasted a moment.

The two women fell silent, each lost in her own thoughts.

“I want to make a bathtub,” Xie Yu said, continuing to ponder the tribespeople’s hygiene. “If only we had natural stone tubs—they wouldn’t leak.”

Besides the latrines, bathing was another major challenge.

The primitive tribespeople were open and wild, bathing directly in the river. Men and women avoided bathing together, but Xie Yu still found it difficult to adjust to this lack of privacy.

She needed to teach her people good hygiene habits.

If she wanted to bathe at home, she’d need a bathtub. But making a wooden tub required tung oil, and how on earth was she supposed to refine tung oil with their current technology? The thought alone made her head spin.

Yun Nai listened quietly beside her as Xie Yu daydreamed aloud. “A stone tub would be too heavy for me to lift,” she said.

Xie Yu couldn’t help but laugh. “You wouldn’t be able to lift a wooden one either.” She quickly changed the subject. “But I’ll help you.”

Building a simple wooden tub frame wouldn’t be too difficult, Xie Yu thought, but she worried about leaks if the joints weren’t perfectly sealed.

She shook her head in frustration. Just then, her eyes fell on a large lotus leaf leaning against the wooden wall of the thatched hut. Overjoyed, she turned to Yun Nai and exclaimed, “You’re amazing!”

Her sudden turn was so sharp that the curled ends of her hair brushed across Yun Nai’s nose, slid down her bridge, and nearly grazed her cheek.

Thank goodness they didn’t touch, Xie Yu thought, relieved. “We can start by making a wooden tub frame,” she said, “then line the inside with these large, waterproof lotus leaves that won’t tear easily.”

“If we secure the leaves properly, we might be able to use it as a bathtub!”