Large predators often have established hunting territories as adults, only moving under extreme circumstances such as food scarcity or natural disasters like droughts or floods.

Clearing the area around Lijian Peak of threatening predators drastically reduces the likelihood of danger for Bān Bù once he settles in.

Bān Bù didn't concern himself with the task of hunting predators; instead, he focused on staying within Má Yù's territory, honing his physical abilities through exercise.

Every evening, Má Yù returned to the nest to rest, transferring hunting and farming knowledge to Bān Bù.

Unknowingly, it was already early winter, and the month-long predator hunting operation came to an end.

Má Yù led Bān Bù to Lijian Peak, familiarizing him with the surroundings.

The Iron Knife Mountain Lord decided to take the opportunity to mobilize all warriors to cut down and clear all the dead bamboo forests on the peak, chopping, shredding, and burying them underground.

Rainwater and fungi would gradually decompose the dead wood, turning it into nutrient-rich soil.

With agriculture as the core industry in this primitive civilization, the principle of "helping the younger generation build their territory without compensation" became an unwritten rule.

All warriors pitched in to help, serving as unpaid labor.

Even the stingy Wind Chime tribe members were busy in the mountains. Newly promoted junior warrior Hēi Sāng also joined in the fun.

In agricultural production, diligence was a necessary quality.

This was the last task. As the future master of Lijian Peak, Bān Bù couldn't afford to be idle. He and Hēi Sāng were assigned to clear the weeds around the cave where they would reside.

After clearing the weeds, they moved to the summit to tidy up the channels.

Inside the summit, there was a hidden reservoir and designed water channels. During the rainy season, water would be collected through the channels and stored in the reservoir. In the dry season, the stored water would seep down to the mountain's base, ensuring soil moisture. In times of severe drought, the reservoir could be opened, and water directed through the channels for irrigation.

This was another benefit for Bān Bù taking over Lijian Peak: all basic agricultural engineering was already in place, tested and proven to be effective.

...

After a busy day, all the tasks assigned by the Iron Knife Mountain Lord were finally completed. Hēi Sāng couldn't wait and urged, "Bān Bù, Lijian!"

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Hēi Sāng's ability to communicate through mental power was limited, and throughout the day, he repeatedly expressed a certain idea to Bān Bù.

In essence: "Lijian is a great plant. Let's go to the bamboo forest below the mountain to find Lijian seeds. I plan to cultivate a Lijian life essence."

Having been born less than a year ago, Hēi Sāng, despite being a primal force creature, still lacked intelligence, roughly equivalent to a two or three-year-old child. He was indeed quite clever, showing some cunning. It couldn't be ruled out that he had some ulterior motive in finding seeds—a pretext to slack off and roam around the mountains.

Bān Bù pondered for a moment before saying, "Let's go."

With that, he took off, leading the way down the mountain.

"Wait."

Hēi Sāng's flying ability was much inferior to Bān Bù's; he needed to stop and rest after flying a short distance.

...

"Lijian" had a long period of glory in the Red Cockroach tribe and could be considered a specialty of Lijian Peak.

The Golden Bamboo Mountain Lord cultivated a new species of bamboo, named "Lijian," which could flower and fruit every three years without withering afterward.

News spread, and many mountain lords and princesses, including the Princess of Crimson Fort and the Iron Knife Mountain Lord, paid hefty prices to exchange for Lijian seeds. Even many mountain lords of the Black and White Cockroach tribes came to request trades, and the enthusiasm lasted for over twenty years before gradually fading. The Golden Bamboo Mountain Lord made a fortune with the new Lijian species, leading to the peak being named after it.

The most planted plant on Lijian Peak was Lijian bamboo. This year's drought caused extensive death, and it was the responsibility of the senior warrior Lí Zhú to cut down and clear the dead Lijian bamboo.

Lí Zhú spotted Hēi Sāng and Bān Bù wandering through the bamboo forest and called out from afar, "Hēi Sāng, Bān Bù, what are you two little guys up to?"

Hēi Sāng bounced over to Lí Zhú and exclaimed, "Seeds. Looking for seeds."

At this point, both the Iron Knife Mountain Lord and Má Yù were also present, seemingly discussing something.

The Iron Knife Mountain Lord asked, "Are you also planning to choose Lijian as your life essence?"

Hēi Sāng nodded vigorously.

The Iron Knife Mountain Lord looked at Bān Bù.

Bān Bù followed suit with a nod.

It was clear that Má Yù hoped for Bān Bù to follow a traditional path, emulating the Iron Knife Mountain Lord by planting iron knife trees, while the Iron Knife Mountain Lord and Lí Zhú hoped for Bān Bù to continue the legacy of the Golden Bamboo Mountain Lord by developing and cultivating bamboo.

Bān Bù, considering the situation, somewhat laboriously used his mental power to express, "Leave some of each, cut down the rest."

"Alright, wise choice," Lí Zhú exclaimed. "The Golden Bamboo Mountain Lord spent a lifetime collecting various bamboo species. The bamboo on this mountain is the crystallization of its life's work and shouldn't be destroyed so easily."

The Iron Knife Mountain Lord nodded in agreement. "Let's follow Bān Bù's decision—leave some of each species and cut down the rest."

Lí Zhú added, "I'll transplant some rare bamboo species to Iron Knife Peak and manage their cultivation myself, to ensure their preservation and inheritance."

The Iron Knife Mountain Lord turned to Má Yù. "I hope you'll provide Bān Bù with a batch of iron knife tree seeds by next spring."

"Of course," the Iron Knife Mountain Lord readily agreed, waving his antennae. "Hēi Sāng, Bān Bù, go play now, but be careful and don't wander off. Stay on the peak."

"Okay.""Understood."

Hēi Sāng and Bān Bù responded, spreading their wings and flying away.