The food stored in the Wilderness World was enough to feed all of them for a year.

There was no rush.

After appearing in the Inner Mountain, Cheng Zongyang scanned his surroundings. Seeing no issues, he headed for the Inner Mountain Pass with his haul.

Inside the guardrail, Cheng Zongyun sat on a small stool, her hair in two pigtails that stuck straight up. Her little hands cupped her chubby face as she gazed intently across the pass, ignoring the other girls who tried to get her attention.

Suddenly, her eyes lit up. She jumped up excitedly and shouted, "Big Brother!"

The little girl’s shout immediately drew the attention of the others bustling about the settlement.

They all looked toward the forest on the other side of the Inner Mountain Pass.

There was Cheng Zongyang, a wolf slung over his shoulder and something else in his hand, walking toward the settlement.

Smiles appeared on everyone’s faces.

The old patriarch, Zhou Fengshun, smiled warmly.

"Yang’Er is still the most capable one. Every time he goes into the mountains, he brings back game. Now we all have meat at every meal. When have we ever had days like these?"

Zhou Hansong chimed in with a laugh.

"That’s right. You can’t just learn a skill like Yang’Er’s. His Archery is even better than his father’s was. And now that he’s a Ninth Grade Martial Artist, he’s even stronger. There’s just no comparison."

"Good that you know," the old man huffed. "You and your second brother need to work harder. Learn the Cultivation Technique from Guanghai and the others so you can start practicing sooner. That’s the only way you’ll be able to help Yang’Er. Letting a youngster support a whole group of grown men... have you no shame?"

Aside from the children and women, the faces of the other men flushed red with embarrassment.

But it was the truth. They could only secretly resolve to work harder... try harder... and do their best to remember everything.

Cheng Zongyang heard his grandfather’s words from outside the guardrail and laughed.

"Grandfather, everyone has their own role. First Uncle and the others do so much work; in a way, they’re doing it for me. Otherwise, where would I find the time to hunt?

Hunting is easy for me, but I wouldn’t know the first thing about building a house.

So, if you really look at it, my contribution can’t compare to everyone else’s."

As he spoke, he reached the kitchen area and set everything down at the entrance. He turned to his smiling mother and said:

"Mom, same as usual. Skin the wolf, treat the Wolf Hide, and set it aside. I’ll take it to the county to sell later. These are pumpkins; I stumbled upon them in the mountains. We can save the seeds for planting. Then we’ll be able to eat them all the time."

"How are these pumpkins so big?"

Everyone gathered around to look. It had been a long time since they’d eaten pumpkins, and they all looked surprised. The ones they had grown in the past were never this large.

But the ones he brought back from the mountains this time were enormous.

The little girl also squatted down, looking at them with curiosity.

"The soil in the Inner Mountain is probably more fertile,"

Cheng Zongyang said, offering a casual excuse. Then he went back to helping the men fell trees and prepare lumber.

At this stage, the primary task was to continue building houses to ensure they had enough rooms. These weren’t just for living, but also for storing supplies.

That evening, the Inner Mountain Pass was brightly lit by firelight as everyone continued to bustle about.

Cheng Guangshan walked over to Cheng Zongyang, who was busy sharpening a Firewood Knife.

"Zongyang, I’ve sorted through the Medicinal Materials you brought back for the children’s medicinal baths. After culling the ones that weren’t up to par, I’ve prepared a total of twenty-three doses. Who do you plan to have use them first?"

Cheng Zongyang’s hand paused on the whetstone. He pulled a bamboo stool over for his uncle and smiled.

"What do you think, Second Uncle?"

Cheng Guangshan pulled the stool to the side and sat down, his gaze turning toward a bonfire near the kitchen. By its light, his wife was teaching a few of the children to recognize words, scratching them into the dirt. He then said:

"Basically, any of the boys are eligible for the medicinal baths. Your First Uncle’s second son, Zhou Zhenli, is fourteen, and his third son, Zhou Zhenqi, is eleven. Your Second Uncle’s second son, Zhou Zhennan, is thirteen, and his fourth, Zhou Zhenhua, is six. Then there’s your own brother Zongliang, who’s eleven, and your cousin Zongwen, who’s fourteen.

All six of them are candidates for the medicinal bath. My thought is, we should just prioritize them by age.

We don’t have many Medicinal Materials right now. Rather than have everyone use a little, it would be better to focus them on one or two people first. The effects will be better that way. As for the girls, they don’t need them."