Towering trees, with trunks so thick it would take seven or eight people to encircle them. The base of the tree rises fifty meters without a single branch, only dark green vines winding around it. The canopy gathers at the top, as if competing for more sunlight, resembling a giant umbrella that blocks out the sky.
And these giant trees are not alone. As far as the eye can see, there's no end in sight. The canopies are connected, and only a few beams of sunlight manage to filter through the dense foliage to the ground below.
The ground is covered with a thick layer of fallen leaves that seem to have accumulated over countless years, with the lower layers already decomposed, forming rich soil that nourishes other plants. Even a mushroom can grow to a height of thirty centimeters, and right in front of her was a cluster of mushrooms big enough to serve as small umbrellas.
Sure, there might be towering trees in the depths of Shennongjia that need seven or eight people to hug them, but is there such a massive forest of giant trees? And these mushrooms that seem like they were grown from space spores… What's more, what are these unfamiliar memories in her head?
Was it wrong for her to go on a trip to Shennongjia? Was it wrong to help search for someone who got lost in the group? Was it wrong to not watch her step and get tripped by a vine? How did all that lead to her transmigrating into the body of a solitary "cavewoman"?!
The original owner of this body was truly something. Why did she have to taste-test a new species of plant by herself? Couldn't she have caught a rabbit or something to test it first? What did she think she was, Shennong tasting hundreds of herbs? As a result, after eating a bit of this mushroom in front of her, she passed out, and when she woke up, the person inside had been replaced by her—Ji Mo Ling.
"Sigh, if only one could buy foresight with a thousand gold coins. I should have checked the almanac before going on this trip." Complaining to herself, Ji Mo Ling dusted herself off and stood up, only to start coughing. "Cough, cough, cough… Ugh, this robe—how long has it been since it was washed? It's so dusty."
She raised her arm and sniffed, a strange smell assaulting her senses. She had no idea how long it had been since this body last had a bath. She hadn't noticed earlier, probably because the original owner had gotten used to it, and her body's five senses hadn't fully adapted yet.
Following the memories in her mind, she headed toward the cave where the original owner lived. She sorted through the original owner's life story as she walked:
She had lived in this primitive forest with a woman called "Wei" since she was a child. The woman had named her "Ling." Since both were second-tone words in Chinese, Ji Mo Ling decided to use the character "唯" for Wei and gave the original owner the same "菱" (Ling) character as her own name.
Wei had taught Ling everything about survival in the forest, such as hunting, identifying plants, making tools, and tracking the seasons. But Wei seemed to be quite old and passed away when Ling was thirteen. Ling had cried in front of her grave for an entire night and had lived alone ever since.
Before she died, Wei had diverted water from a distant river to create a small pond for convenience. The two of them used to bathe there regularly, but it seemed Ling wasn't very fond of bathing. After her guardian's death, in the past four years, apart from getting rained on occasionally, she had only actively bathed three times.
At this point in her recollection, Ji Mo Ling no longer felt like sorting through the original owner's life and knowledge. Relying on her body's instincts, she clumsily climbed the vines of a tree, sprinting like a daredevil towards the pond. Forget about a hot bath for now—she needed a cold one, and a thorough scrubbing, at least eight or ten times over!
After spending half a day, Ji Mo Ling finally managed to clean herself up and transform from a savage into a civilized person. She carefully examined her current appearance through the water's reflection: thick eyebrows, almond-shaped eyes, long and curled lashes, with slightly upturned brows and eyes. A high-bridged nose, lips of moderate thickness, and both her hair and eyes were pitch black. Her skin was a healthy tan, and overall, she looked energetic and lively, though squinting her eyes and pouting would give her a bit of a sensual charm.
"A vibrant seventeen-year-old body," Ji Mo Ling sighed, picking up a stone. She clenched her fist and then released it, letting a pile of stone dust fall, "and superhuman strength." These were probably the only two benefits she could feel comforted by.
It had been morning when she woke up, and by the time she finished all this, it was already noon. Using the vines, she climbed back up to the cave, found some leftover wild boar meat in the storage room, and cut off a leg to make soup.
Ji Mo Ling suspected she had traveled back to the Stone Age. Almost everything in the cave was made from stone. The cave itself wasn't just a hole in the mountainside either; it was more like three stone chambers expanded from a natural cave. One large room for cooking and sleeping, one small room for storage, and an even smaller room that could be considered a bathroom. There was a small hole that led somewhere unknown, which the original owner used for relieving herself and throwing away trash on rainy or snowy days.
After eating lunch and resting for a while, Ji Mo Ling followed the original owner's schedule to check the traps. There were six traps in different locations, spread quite far apart. When food wasn't scarce, she could relax and only check three a day.
Old traps needed to be filled in, and new ones set in different places. If a trap's prey was stolen by another predator, the trap had to be abandoned and filled in as well.
Today, the traps didn't yield any results, but there was still food stored at home, so it wasn't a big deal. As Ji Mo Ling followed the route, she matched her surroundings with the memories in her mind, adapting to the strange ecosystem. The plants were larger than those she was familiar with, but at least she could recognize the flowers, grass, and trees. However, the animals—horned rabbits, four-legged chickens, and green goats—were fantastical in appearance, though fortunately still edible.
Along the way, feeling the urge to practice her skills, Ji Mo Ling hunted a wild chicken with her bare hands. Like a leopard, she stealthily approached her target before pouncing at lightning speed, grabbing the chicken and breaking its neck in one swift motion.
This violent display of skill… She had to sweat a bit herself. =_＝!
Also, she preferred eating chicken wings. Why couldn't these chickens have an extra pair of wings?
There were thirty hours in a day here. After five or six days, Ji Mo Ling had fully adapted to her body and could live just as the original owner had in this primitive forest. She even considered venturing out to see the world. She tried eating the mushroom that had caused the original owner to fall unconscious, but when she woke up, she was still in this world. It seemed like there was no hope of returning; she could only focus on how to live better here.
The beasts in this forest each had their own territories, and the area around her cave, spanning twenty kilometers, was hers. Last month, a black bear with six claws had intruded, but the original owner had killed it. Currently, there were no dangerous beasts in her territory, making it quite safe. If she wanted to leave, though, she would have to cross into other beasts' or even ferocious creatures' territories. Without proper preparation, Ji Mo Ling dared not venture recklessly.
Hunting, eating, sleeping, patrolling the territory… A month passed by in this routine. One day, while checking a trap to the northeast, she heard the roar of a three-eyed tiger nearby. That kind of roar wasn't a friendly greeting.
She quickly rushed to the edge of her territory, hiding in the branches to observe. The tiger seemed to be chasing something, but the thick underbrush blocked her view, making it impossible to see what it was. All she knew was that it was heading in her direction.
After a while, the bushes parted, and two figures tumbled out, rolling a few times before falling into her territory. It was two people!
The three-eyed tiger roared menacingly, creating a small path through the underbrush, but it couldn't make the final pounce to catch its prey. They had escaped into another's territory. The tiger, unwilling to give up, lingered at the border, considering whether it could sneak in and snatch the exhausted prey.
"It's not chasing us anymore." One of the figures, a woman with long, dark brown hair, said. She had an impressive figure, clad only in a crude cloth wrapped around her chest and a short skirt. Her exposed skin was covered in injuries.
The other figure, a tall man wearing nothing but an animal skin around his waist, was more seriously injured. A tiger claw mark on his right shoulder was so deep the bone was visible, and his back and stomach bore large wounds. "We must have entered another beast's territory."
As the two spoke, the three-eyed tiger sniffed around, growled a few times in frustration, and finally turned and left.
The "fierce beast" on the tree, Jimo Ling, put away her bow and arrows that were ready to strike at any moment and swiftly jumped down in front of a man and woman who were discussing how to avoid the "fierce beast" and find a place to heal their wounds.
"Hey, who are you, and where are you from?" Surprisingly, they spoke Mandarin, though the two had a slightly strange accent. Luckily, communication was not an issue.
Faced with the sudden appearance of a fellow human, the two were both surprised and happy, but since they didn't know if she was a friend or foe, the woman stepped forward to negotiate, positioning the severely injured man behind her. "We are from the Green Tribe. I'm Chen Lan, and he's Li. Who are you?"
"My name is Jimo Ling. I'm probably the 'fierce beast' you were talking about, the owner of this territory."
Upon hearing this, Chen Lan and Li were taken aback, feeling a bit awkward. Then they both sighed in relief.
"Recluse, I'm Chen Lan from the Green Tribe, and I request your assistance." She made a formal gesture, placing her right fist over her left shoulder and bowing at a 45-degree angle, holding the position.
Seeing Chen Lan's ceremonial act, Li was surprised, "Lan…"
"Hello, Chen Lan. Relax, just call me Jimo or Ling." Being addressed so formally and asked for help suddenly made Jimo Ling feel a bit uncomfortable, as she had already planned to help them. "Follow me."
Seeing Jimo Ling so down-to-earth, Chen Lan was a bit surprised, but there was no time to think further. The person had already started leading the way, so she quickly supported Li and followed.
The original owner of the cave had stored quite a few herbs, so Jimo Ling picked out some for treating external wounds and gave them to Chen Lan and Li. She then witnessed what it meant to have extraordinary healing abilities.
Chen Lan's injuries were minor and didn't warrant much attention, but Li, who had been severely injured, only needed four days to recover. On the fifth morning, Jimo Ling stood at the entrance of the cave, watching Li, who was exercising his muscles on the ground below. She felt a bit bewildered. Shouldn't these kinds of injuries take a month or so to heal? Then, as Li, growing more excited, let out a loud roar and instantly transformed into a "gorilla," beating his chest towards the cave entrance, Jimo Ling was completely at a loss for words.
"Haha, Li has recovered very well. Thank you, Ling!" Chen Lan, who was also standing at the entrance of the cave, was delighted and thanked Jimo Ling.
Jimo Ling snapped out of her daze, realizing she needed to learn more about this world from the locals. "You're welcome. So, Chen Lan, as you know, I've never left this forest and don't know much about the outside world." Actually, she had no concept of it at all. "Could you tell me more, like about the relationship between humans and animals?" She pointed down at Li, who had turned back into a human and was now completely naked. She averted her gaze →_→.
Though surprised that Jimo Ling's elders hadn't even taught her such basic knowledge, Chen Lan didn't comment and instead took on the role of a serious science explainer.
In this world, all males are beastmen, capable of transforming into a specific type of animal with extraordinary combat power.
Females, on the other hand, are pure humans. However, they are not weak; many females possess powers stronger than untransformed males. Additionally, due to their rarity, females hold a high status within their communities, occupying leadership roles.
In short, this is a beastman world with a matriarchal society.
This unique world also has special systems of marriage and reproduction.
Most women reach adulthood at around eighteen, after which they establish their own households and choose partners to form a new family. The number of husbands is not limited.
To ensure the continuation of their species, most women have multiple beastmen partners. However, some women choose to have only one husband, and as long as they give birth to a daughter within ten years, they can live in a monogamous relationship.
When a woman becomes pregnant, a small, fingernail-sized pink mark appears below her left eye. If she gives birth within ten months, the child is typically a beastman baby; if it takes twelve months, the child will be a girl, though the chances of the latter are much lower. Daughters inherit their mother's surname, while beastman sons only have a first name.
Due to the drastic gender imbalance, many beastmen who cannot find wives seek out female animals to reproduce. Transforming into their animal form and mating with a female beast allows them to produce beastman offspring.
A beastman only has one chance in his life to successfully impregnate a female beast. Whether the offspring is a single child or multiples depends on fate. However, beastmen with human female partners do not have this limitation.
If bloodline continuation is not a concern, there are also cases of beastmen forming male-male pairings based on mutual love or multiple partners, but this is rare. After all, passing on their genes is an instinct for every male.
All three forms of unions involve specific ceremonies and are irreversible. Therefore, it's not uncommon to see many families in the tribes where the father is raising his son alone.