Cai Lihua drained her drink and was about to get up to check, but Ajiu quickly helped her stand at the cave entrance to look out.
On the flat ground, a hundred burly men were tossing Meng Shaode high into the air and catching him.
"Hooray, Brother Meng is mighty!"
"Brother Meng is truly our great brother."
Meng Shaode, being tossed, clearly looked helpless. The sensation of spinning was quite unpleasant.
"Mom, look, Dad seems to have hunted a deer," Ajiu pointed at something hanging on a tree not far away. Lu Daniang was processing it with Gou Bao's help.
"Oh, isn't that right? Look how happy your father is," Cai Lihua had a look of relief on her face.
"That's right." Ajiu was also happy for him. Having a good bow and being a top-notch archer, he had finally gotten a chance to show his skills. He was a man who cared about his reputation, so he must have been incredibly satisfied.
"Mom, you should rest. Come out and sun yourself again when the midday sun is strong," Ajiu gently helped Cai Lihua back onto the makeshift bed to lie down, and then felt her forehead.
The fever had completely broken.
Tonight, he would absolutely not let his mother endure the cold again.
In the afternoon, all one hundred strong men gathered in the chief's cave to discuss important matters.
The other women and the elderly, infirm, and weak who could help began to busy themselves. Some went to find wild vegetables, others to till the land. They could plant some less valuable wild greens. Another group was sent up the mountain to gather grass seeds.
Lu Daniang and two young men who hadn't fully recovered from their illnesses were processing the venison. Everyone's mouths were wide with delight.
"The chief really has an eye for talent. The moment he saw Brother Meng's bow, I knew he was extraordinary."
"Indeed. Our brothers are not bad either, having hunted a few wild rabbits."
"Tsk... these swords and shields, Gou Bao, take them and sharpen them on the rocks."
"Sure thing."
"I have them," Cai Lihua couldn't sleep before noon. After speaking, she opened her ever-present treasure bundle. With a click, more than ten knives of different uses and shapes emerged.
The few people present were instantly stunned: "So many knives?"
Only the expert Lu Huifen, upon seeing this set of knives, excitedly opened her mouth and after a long pause said,
"Tungsten steel? Sister, these are excellent knives you have..."
To possess such an expensive set of knives in this era was priceless, and to have so many, it was clear there was more to this person than met the eye.
"Yes, tungsten steel. I treasure this set of knives; I usually don't bear to use them."
Cai Lihua drew out a double-edged pointed knife:
"Everyone, today I, Cai Lihua, will show my humble skills."
With the tip of the knife, she directly opened the belly of the deer. Her wrists rotated back and forth, and in less than ten seconds, the entire hide was peeled off at a visible speed.
"Whoa! So fast."
The onlookers were astonished by this first display.
Then Cai Lihua put down the skinned deer and picked up a boning knife. Her movements were dazzling as she expertly found the joints. With a crack, a thin layer of meat, like a cicada's wing, remained on the bone, while the rest was expertly separated.
"Good knife skills," Lu Daniang said, her eyes wide with astonishment, praising her word by word.
In the eyes of the men, it conjured an image of someone dissecting a body, making their scalps tingle. How extraordinary were these knife skills?
News of this matter immediately reached the chief's cave.
They were in the midst of discussing recruiting soldiers and buying horses. After all, they needed ample provisions and to accumulate funds, at the very least, to acquire horses and weapons.
As for weapons, in this era, they were state-owned armaments, so they would have to find a way to acquire them from the government later.
As for recruiting talent, they also needed to attract heroes from all walks of life and build a powerful force.
Upon hearing that a woman possessed excellent knife skills, Meng Shaode, who was listening with great excitement, suddenly narrowed his pupils.
"Women are not allowed on the battlefield; at most, they can cook at home." Meng Shaode knew immediately it was his wife.
The chief chuckled heartily, "Hahaha, Brother Meng is right. However, that is also talent. We are currently short of talent. As long as it's talent, we value it. By the way, our team has also gained a divine physician from beyond the heavens."
As soon as these words were spoken, many people guessed who it was, especially among the patients who had been cured.
"Is the chief referring to Miss Meng Jiuer, Meng Jiuer?"
"Yes, yes, I think the chief is talking about her."
The chief, hearing this, was amused and slapped the stone table: "Precisely."
Meng Shaode swallowed hard. Why was the wind blowing in this direction? His entire family had become popular?
Over at Jiuer's side, she was cutting grass in the field. She had decided to weave a mat and another one that could be hung in the cave to block the wind.
Coincidentally, her father's arrows could be used to chisel holes, and it wouldn't be a problem to insert a row of wooden wedges.
"Girl, look, I've been busy all morning. Tell me, how do you cultivate?"
This was Peng Chao's question. How could someone so young possess such cultivation as their quasi-master had described?