Just as dawn was breaking, Xu Que was awakened by the chirping of birds outside the cave.

He rubbed his sleepy eyes and saw Hou walking in from outside, carrying a bulging bag of dry food on his shoulder and holding various tempting wild fruits in his arms, humming a tune.

Xu Que jumped off the straw mat in one go, folded the goatskin quilt, and placed it at the head of the bed.

Seeing Xu Que get up, Hou smiled and handed him a milky white fruit that looked like a cantaloupe.

He picked out the smallest one, took a big bite, and juice burst out: "Try it, it's pretty good!"

Xu Que couldn't wait to take a bite, and his taste buds were instantly enveloped by a cool and sweet sensation: "Delicious! This is the first time in my life I've ever eaten something so delicious!"

Seeing the fruits and vegetables she picked herself, and knowing that the boy she likes likes her, makes her incredibly happy from the bottom of her heart!

With tender eyes and affection, she gently pushed the wild berries from the animal skin food bag in front of Xu Que, gesturing with her eyes: "Try this!"

Xu Que grabbed a handful of berries still warm from the heat, swallowed them all, and gently stirred them with his tongue. The berries burst open instantly, releasing sweet and sour juice that tantalized every nerve in his taste buds: "Mmm! It's still that familiar taste from my childhood!"

I remember when I was a child, there were patches and patches of wild berries on the hill behind my hometown.

Xu Que and his grandfather picked wild fruits while herding cattle, their mouths stained red with the juice, making them look like they had eaten people.

For this reason, Grandpa would get a "beating" from Grandma every time he came home. Even after many years, Xu Que still couldn't help but laugh when he recalled it.

Hou gently wiped away the wild berry juice from the corner of Xu Que's mouth.

Xu Que wiped his mouth again with the back of his hand, looking slightly embarrassed.

After looking around, he suddenly realized that there were only two people in the huge cave: him and Hou.

Xu Que asked in confusion, "Where are the others?"

Hou pointed outside the cave entrance and gestured: "As usual, off to hunt!"

"Huh? These savages! They promised to take me hunting, but they left without a word! This is bad! My plan to save up coins to exchange for a time-travel machine ticket will have to be postponed for another day!" Xu Que was a little disappointed.

Hou quickly explained, "We were originally going to take you with us, but today at the public hunting grounds, several tribes are hunting together. The chief is mainly worried that they might kidnap you! He wants you to lay low for now! It's not too late to go out after this period is over!"

"Why would you rob me? I don't know how to hunt! Are you going to rob me to be a food bucket for the other savages?" Xu Que looked at Hou with confusion.

He chuckled, sprawled on his straw mat, chin in hand, kicking his toes back and forth: "On this continent, you're the only one who can control fire! Whoever possesses you possesses the most advanced weapons and tools in the world. How could they not want to steal them?!"

"A god like you, handsome and intelligent, skilled in grilling and able to control fire, would be the kind of person every primitive chief would love! If things go wrong, fierce wars will break out between tribes over you, and many people will die!"

"At the tribal meeting in the early morning, while you were asleep, the chief repeatedly emphasized the need for strict vigilance and complete secrecy! No one is allowed to reveal any information about you to the outside world! Anyone who disobeys will be expelled from the tribe and left to fend for themselves!"

Xu Que scanned Hou's entire body with an incredulous look, thinking to himself, "Isn't it said that primitive people at this stage are in a state of ignorance? Hou's actions have completely overturned my understanding! In terms of emotional intelligence and IQ, she crushes 99% of modern girls."

Aside from her slightly rougher skin and tanned complexion, she was otherwise no different from modern girls in many ways! The only difference was that modern girls are pretentious, materialistic, and self-important!

Seeing Xu Que scrutinizing him like that, Hou also looked at Xu Que with puzzlement. For a moment, the two stared at each other blankly.

After waiting for a while and seeing that Xu Que did not make any further moves, Hou pointed at his clothes and said, "Your clothes are completely out of place with the tribe's special clothing. If you go out, you will be recognized by the savages of other tribes at a glance! Change into this animal skin outfit first!"

Xu Que took the new clothes that Hou had made overnight, found a corner and quickly put them on! He didn't forget to use the ashes from the wood that had been used to roast meat outside the cave to repeatedly rub his face, making himself look more like a savage.

Hou was very satisfied with Xu Que's actions. She grabbed Xu Que's wrist and pulled him outside to familiarize himself with the primitive environment and enjoy the scenery. This would help him integrate into the tribe more easily and quickly in the future and take on the important task of revitalizing the tribe.

"Oh dear! You don't even know how to hold hands! You should interlock your fingers tightly, not just hold hands like this! It's so awkward!" Xu Que separated her hands and held them together again in his preferred way.

Hou felt the grip and warmth from Xu Que's fingers, and his sense of security increased significantly.

"Look! There's a public hunting ground right behind this mountain!"

Centered on the public hunting grounds, there are forty tribes of varying sizes upstream, fifty-eight in the middle reaches, and ten downstream.

"Among the forty tribes upstream, the Julu tribe is the largest, with about ten thousand members."

“There are many tribes with more than 20,000 members in the middle reaches of the river.”

"Most of the members of the ten downstream tribes are criminals with prior convictions who were expelled from other tribes. A small number of members are young men and women who were abducted from other tribes by these former criminals through violence."

"Ji, the female leader of the Black Goose tribe downstream, is skilled at seducing men. And that sassy Ba Han, tall and strong, doesn't help his tribe hunt properly; instead, he spends his days thinking about how to seduce women from other tribes. We need to be extra careful with these two primitive people and their tribes!" Hou gripped Xu Que's hand tightly, gesturing as he gave a warning.

"We are the Black Stone Tribe! We got our name from a black stone used to block our entrance."

"Our tribe currently has only 37 people, including you, making us the smallest of all the tribes. We often face exclusion and bullying from other tribes! But don't worry, I will protect you!" Hou gripped Xu Que's hand even tighter, his eyes growing increasingly determined.

The wind tousled her long, flowing hair, and the setting sun painted half of her face red.

Xu Que used his consciousness to open the newcomer discount exchange shop. With his last remaining exchange coin, he redeemed a red hair tie with a bow, a wooden comb, and a mirror! The silver bracelet with small bells was a free gift from the system.

"When the chief and the tribe members return from hunting, please tell them for me: starting tomorrow, I will teach everyone how to make fire by friction and how to roast meat!" Xu Que said, a red hair tie with a bow in his mouth, a wooden comb in one hand, and gently combing Hou's hair with the other.

Hou gestured slightly, puzzled, "Why?"

“Think about it, if every member of the tribe could control fire, no tribal chief would be willing to risk war to rob me! That way, we would have more time to gather resources together, revitalize the tribe together, and enjoy the scenery together!” Xu Que tied Hou’s ponytail, put a silver bracelet with bells on her wrist, and handed her a mirror.

When Hou saw her beautiful self in the mirror for the first time, she was so happy and surprised that she jumped up and down on the spot.

Seeing Hou's overjoyed expression upon receiving the gift, Xu Que was genuinely happy: "Thank you for taking care of me these past few days! You've brought me so much warmth and touched me deeply in this unfamiliar place! Since I grew up, no one has ever been so kind to me..."

Hearing what Xu Que said, Hou could no longer contain his emotions!

He lunged forward, grabbed Xu Que's head, and tried to find lice in the gaps in his hair.

After Xu Que decisively refused, he covered her lips with a passionate kiss.

Half a minute later, Xu Que gently placed his hands on Hou's shoulders and said earnestly, "Liking someone isn't just about finding lice in their hair!"

Hou blinked her big, fluffy eyes and looked at him affectionately, nodding repeatedly. Then, she stood on tiptoe and rehearsed the affection Xu Que had taught her.