This Is My Primitive Tribe-Chapter 42 - 39: The Insect Breeder_2

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Vine Tribe.

After eliminating the Mosquito Tribe’s Hunting Team, Jiang Xuan took people to set up numerous traps in the forest around the tribe to survive.

These traps not only served as warnings and barriers but also captured some prey, providing additional food for the Vine Tribe.

Another tunnel was also excavated in a few days with everyone’s effort, now only widening and deepening remain.

In the future, Jiang Xuan plans to dig more tunnels during free time.

For instance, in winter, when the ground is frozen and hard, making digging difficult, underground areas are relatively warm and dry, ideal for tunnel digging.

These tunnels can not only serve as life-saving shelters in critical moments but can even be expanded into cellar-like structures for storing tuberous foods during winter.

Jiang Xuan walked through the newly excavated tunnel with a torch in hand, noting places prone to collapse, reminding those digging the tunnel to reinforce them.

After emerging from the tunnel, Jiang Xuan muttered with a strange look, "This decent Vine Tribe is digging so many tunnels, soon it will become the Bamboo Rat Tribe..."

But there’s no choice; the Vine Tribe is too weak.

It’s not aesthetically pleasing to constantly hide in tunnels, but survival is what matters.

Once the tribe becomes strong, there’ll be no need to hide all the time.

Until the tribe becomes powerful, better to be a bit cowardly than to be exterminated.

After inspecting the tunnel, Jiang Xuan walked outside the bamboo house and noticed someone digging a hole on the hillside nearby. He walked over curiously.

"What are you busy with?"

Jiang Xuan knew this person, named Da Jiao, a young man in his twenties with ordinary looks, usually quiet but very diligent in work.

Da Jiao heard Jiang Xuan’s voice, quickly turned around, and said nervously, "Leader, I’m not being lazy, I just finished eating, and everyone hasn’t started working yet."

Jiang Xuan waved his hand and said, "Don’t be nervous, I didn’t say you were lazy. I’m just here to see what you’re doing."

Da Jiao felt slightly relieved, pointed at a half-meter deep earth hole, and said, "I want to dig a big hole here."

"Why dig a hole?"

Da Jiao hesitated for a moment, gathered courage, and said, "I want to use it to raise insects."

"Raise insects?"

Jiang Xuan was quite surprised by Da Jiao’s idea.

"Yes, I want to raise some edible insects. After work, I can feed them some leaves and tender grass."

As Da Jiao spoke, he became more excited, his voice trembling slightly: "I observed that some insects prefer damp places, so I plan to dig a large hole to raise them inside."

"Insects are easy to rear and don’t require much time and attention. If all goes well, the tribe will soon be able to eat the insects I’ve raised."

Jiang Xuan’s eyes lit up after hearing Da Jiao’s words; this guy’s idea is quite good!

Actually, Jiang Xuan’s plan has always been to expand farming once successful, to have more food for the tribe, then commence livestock breeding.

Even raising rabbits requires a lot of plants daily.

Just cutting grass around the tribe can’t sustain many animals.

Only by large-scale farming, using the leafy vegetables, roots, etc., unconsumed parts, besides mountains’ plants, can supply the breeding needs.

However, Da Jiao provided Jiang Xuan with a new idea, raising insects.

Insects are omnivorous, endure hunger well, and are easy to rear.

The crucial point is, this world’s insects are large, meaty, and proliferate rapidly.

If successful, the Vine Tribe will quickly have a large number of edible meat insects!

Thinking about this, Jiang Xuan’s face already wore a gleaming smile.

"Da Jiao, your idea is excellent, really excellent!"

"Really?" Da Jiao, normally silent, was still a bit uneasy.

"Of course, it’s true."

Jiang Xuan thought for a moment, said, "How about this, from now on, you work for half a day in the morning, and specialize in insect-raising in the afternoon. Feel free to raise them boldly; I’ll even assign others to assist if needed."

Da Jiao felt as though he were dreaming upon hearing Jiang Xuan’s words.

He originally thought that his insect-raising idea would be scolded by the leader.

After all, hunting and gathering were seen by the tribe as the best ways to obtain food, along with some planting in the Vine Tribe.

Raising insects seemed somewhat unserious.

He never imagined that Jiang Xuan not only agreed to his insect-raising idea but even allowed him to spend half a day each day for it.

"Leader, I... I..."

Da Jiao, overwhelmed, couldn’t speak; the feeling of being recognized was precious.

Jiang Xuan patted Da Jiao’s shoulder and said, "Do well, since you’ve decided to raise insects, raise them well. If you can truly make the whole tribe eat your insects, I’ll reward you greatly."

"Mm!" Da Jiao nodded heavily, instinctively clenched his fist, silently vowed to raise the insects well, not to let down the leader’s trust.

"Come, let me help you dig the hole."

Without a word, Jiang Xuan returned to the bamboo house, fetched a Bone Plow, and started helping Da Jiao dig.

Soon, news of Da Jiao raising insects spread throughout the tribe.

Especially upon learning the leader assigned Da Jiao to specialize in insect-raising, they felt incredulous.

The tribe members had simple thoughts; if the leader supports it, it surely isn’t a bad thing.

With this idea, no one mocked Da Jiao. Some younger teens even found it novel, often helping Da Jiao dig holes and catch insects.

Soon, the hillside of the Vine Tribe had several large earth holes, filled with many insects caught from the mountains.

Due to lack of experience, under Jiang Xuan’s advice, Da Jiao separated several suitable types of insects into different caves, trying them one at a time to find the most suitable species for breeding.

Jiang Xuan even asked him to try raising small bugs like earthworms to feed those carnivorous big insects.

Carnivorous big insects have larger bodies, more meat, and higher breeding value.

During this period, the Mosquito Tribe appeared once.

They brought Bird-beaked Mosquitos, attempting to probe the Vine Tribe’s vulnerabilities.

But when they approached the Vine Tribe, they first encountered numerous traps and saw over fifty skulls hanging from trees.

Soon after, they encountered giant dragonflies in search of food, losing several Bird-beaked Mosquitos, fleeing in panic.

Coincidentally, at that moment, the Mosquito Tribe had significant conflicts with two other tribes in the Great Swamp, temporarily unable to focus on the Vine Tribe and didn’t send people to continue probing.

Time passed one day at a time, and before long, it was midsummer.

By June, after a month of exploration, Da Jiao had initial success in breeding insects!

June 18, sunny.

Outside, the sun was blazing; inside the cave, it was cooler.

"Splash..."

Da Jiao carried a load of grass and scattered it into the cave.

"Rustle..."

Soon, large insects crawled out from the corners, starting to devour the grass.

These big insects had white bodies, resembling oversized silkworms, mature ones almost half a meter long, plump and white from Da Jiao’s nurturing.

Da Jiao looked at these plump insects, showing a simple smile: "Eat up, eat more, grow more meat."

He tried taming over a dozen types of insects, this kind of white big bug being one of the successful ones, with good meat quality, currently with no issues.

After leaving this cave, Da Jiao went to another cave.

This cave had thick, moist soil, housing earthworms and other burrowing insects.

Da Jiao used the Bone Plow to turn the soil; many insects wriggled upon seeing light, desperately trying to dig back into the earth.

Da Jiao quickly packed these small insects into two large bamboo tubes he carried, then re-covered them with soil.

He took the two tubes of small insects to the third earth hole.

This earth hole had many stones and bamboo leaves, seemingly empty at first glance.

But upon pouring in the two tubes of small insects, many carnivorous black-shelled insects quickly emerged from under the stones and leaves, competing to eat the small insects.

These black-backed carnivorous insects resembled centipedes, but were not poisonous, and were Da Jiao’s second successful breeding species. Many other types had been eliminated.

Da Jiao looked at these insects, muttering to himself, "Someday, I will make the entire tribe eat the insects I raise!"

Da Jiao had strong confidence in it!