"Why so slow?" Kureha asked as she noticed Moses squatting on the ground doing something peculiar, and walked over. "Hmm?"
"How unusual."
Kureha's eyes narrowed slightly as she spotted the animal cub cradled in Moses' palm. "A Cat Bear? No, wait—a Panda."
The fur patterns of Cat Bears and Pandas were exact opposites.
Cat Bears had heads covered in black fur resembling a robber's mask, making them somewhat ugly, while Pandas sported what looked like two black eye circles, giving them an endearingly dopey appearance.
Though bearing different names, they were actually the same species—except Pandas were far rarer. Among hundreds or thousands of Cat Bears, perhaps only one Panda might be born.
Just like that famous clothing brand in East Blue, DOSKOI PANDA, their branded Panda represented rarity. Rumor had it even their cheapest T-shirt cost at least ten thousand Belly.
Moses lifted his head, raising the cub toward Kureha. "Can you save it?"
Kureha pressed a finger against the Panda cub's chest, feeling its faint, faltering heartbeat. "What? You want this defective reject abandoned by its mother?"
Indeed, when Cat Bears gave birth to multiple cubs, they would often nurture only the strongest one, abandoning the rest.
These abandoned cubs usually met one of two fates: death, becoming fertilizer for nature, or ending up as a light snack for other creatures.
"Doctorine, you can save it, right?" Hope flickered in Moses' eyes. "I want this bear."
Kureha normally wouldn't interfere with nature's survival of the fittest, but seeing Moses' hopeful gaze softened her resolve.
Despite his young age, Moses had always been mature. This was the first time since he could remember that he'd made a request of her.
With a chuckle, Kureha said, "If you want to raise it, you'll be responsible for everything—feeding, cleaning, the works. I won't lift a finger."
After all,
this little thing couldn't possibly pay any medical bills.
Moses blinked and nodded gently, agreeing for now. Once they bonded, he was confident no one could resist a Panda's cuteness.
Taking the cub in her left hand, Kureha somehow produced a hair-thin needle with her right and deftly inserted it into the Panda's navel.
Using a specialized technique, she gently rotated the needle, explaining, "The physiology of mammals isn't much different from humans—their acupuncture points align similarly."
"Stimulating this navel point with proper acupuncture can awaken latent vitality in living creatures. Like so."
In under a minute, even Moses could sense through Observation Haki how the cub's heartbeat grew stronger. Soon after, sharp, lively cries erupted—it had revived.
Withdrawing the needle,
Kureha tossed the now-living cub back to Moses with a light laugh. "Tuck it inside your coat to keep warm. There's leftover goat milk powder at home—feed it that later."
Moses hurriedly caught it, ignoring the cold as he stuffed the cub against his chest. Through the fabric, he could hear its weak but spirited cries.
Seeing Moses' attention fully diverted, Kureha walked off to prepare the rabbits. Seconds later, as if struck by a sudden thought, her expression darkened.
Her face clouded with uncertainty.
But in the end, she just glanced at Moses and sighed softly, "What a sin."
She could already imagine that for the next six months, her nights might once again be anything but peaceful.
'Maybe I should just toss Moses and the little panda cub out together at night?'
She immediately shook her head, dismissing the negative thoughts that had arisen.
For the rest of the time, Kureha silently gathered and processed herbs. When she felt it was enough, she took Moses home.
That night, as expected, a sharp "ghostly wail" woke both of them in the middle of the night. In his sleep, Moses abruptly sat up, dazed, then flopped back down heavily to continue sleeping.
From then on, without fail, the cub's persistent howling left Kureha no choice but to get up and deal with it. Watching Moses sleeping so soundly, her eye twitched uncontrollably.
"That old bastard grandfather, and now his equally bastard grandson—always causing trouble for others. Just you wait, Moses, you little brat. I'll teach you a lesson tomorrow."
The next day, she still didn't punish Moses, though her face remained sour.
Having some recollection of the previous night's events, Moses secretly breathed a sigh of relief—it seemed Doctorine still loved him after all. He immediately became much more well-behaved.
Life was like a play!
Amidst the cub's howls, Kureha coldly continued teaching Moses. From that day on, Moses' daily nutritional meals became even more unpalatable. The ordinary days passed one after another.
Though there was one more mouth to feed at home, nothing much changed otherwise. Moses grew day by day, and the little panda, which had once been the size of a mouse, grew as big as a basketball.
Thanks to Moses' good fortune, his milk was also laced with various "ingredients" suitable for growth by Kureha. As a medical expert, such trivial tasks were effortless for her.
As the cub grew bigger day by day, the miserable days of being woken up at night gradually lessened after three months. It had to be said—the animals in this world were exceptionally intelligent and remarkably human-like.
From its first time opening its eyes, to its first time defecating, to its first time playing—through many, many firsts, it grew bigger and bigger.
Animals always grew quickly. Its nickname was Bear Cub, while its formal name was Winter—a homophone for "winter," taken from the winter of Winter Island.
Sea Calendar, Year 1502, January 1st.
Merit Points: [730]
Moses was now two years old, and the little panda was six months old. On this day, Moses carried a basket on his back with Bear Cub inside, following Kureha once again to the Purple Bamboo Forest—after all, bamboo was a panda's staple food.
However, in this world, though cat bears remained omnivorous creatures, their digestive systems had become extraordinary. Their hunting abilities had greatly improved, allowing them to consume more meat.
The snow was heavy today. Pure white snowflakes fell into the basket as Bear Cub poked its head out, its front paws gripping the rim. Watching the snowflakes drift down from the sky, it opened its mouth and stuck out its pink tongue to lick them.
It whimpered softly, occasionally nudging the back of Moses' neck with its head or licking him with its tongue.
Tickled by the licks, Moses couldn't help laughing. "Be patient. You can eat as much as you want once we reach the bamboo forest. For now, stay quiet."
He reached back with his right hand, pushing Bear Cub's head back while ruffling its fur and pinching its chubby cheeks.
Ying~
Bear Cub let out a contented whimper.
...
Two-year-old Moses stood nearly a meter tall, carrying a black-and-white panda in the bamboo basket on his back. Despite the fifteen-pound "burden," he moved with agile ease as he followed Kureha over mountains and through valleys.
In his hand, he held an iron axe that looked like a simple wood-splitting tool.
The axe was unusual—the hammer-like head on one side had been replaced with a sharp, pick-like point, serving the function of an ice axe.
The blade was razor-sharp, the pick needle-pointed.
The axe had three cutting edges, functioning as a sickle, axe, and shovel, while the pick was double-edged as well. The handle had been given a sanded finish to prevent slipping.
A multi-functional axe.
Just then, Kureha's voice came from ahead, "Another first today. If you want meat, you'll have to hunt it yourself."
"How about bamboo rats?" Moses grinned. "I've never tried them before."
Kureha paused, then explained, "The bamboo rats on this island aren't very plump—they're tough and stringy. If you catch one, you can eat it yourself."
That was a lie!
Moses had seen them in the Purple Bamboo Forest—those white-furred bamboo rats were big and fat, the largest at least the size of rabbits.
It was obvious.
Some people just didn't like eating them.
Seeing this, Moses wisely changed the subject. "Alright then, how about reindeer?"
This time, Kureha didn't object. After all, venison was highly nutritious.
Stewed venison shank with wild yam, antler bone broth, braised deer kidney, stir-fried deer heart—Chopper had definitely never tasted any of these.
Chopper?
That kid might still be deoxyribose at this point.
As for hunting—or killing—Moses didn't feel any moral burden. Over the past six months, he hadn't just been studying; Kureha had also made him butcher the game she caught.
After handling enough prey, it stopped bothering him. Humans were adaptable like that—bipedal creatures were omnivorous by nature.
Crunching through the snow, accompanied by the sound of Kureha gulping liquor and the occasional "ying ying" from the basket on his back, Moses walked through the familiar snowy woods, the icy wind biting at his face. With time, Drum Mountain came into view, and at its base, vast stretches of bamboo groves stretched before them.
Rustle, rustle!
Moving through the bamboo forest, Moses swung his axe and severed a tender bamboo shoot as thick as a little finger.
As the shoot fell, he caught it with his left hand and passed it backward. Bear Cub reached out with his right paw, grabbed it, and eagerly stuffed it into his mouth.
The sound of bamboo snapping continued as he chewed, swallowed, and let out muffled "wu wu" noises.
This was a fine meal.
Kureha watched the scene, long since accustomed to it. Two months ago, Bear Cub had been brought here to feast on tender bamboo shoots, and their delicious taste had left him yearning for more ever since.
Bear Cub wasn't one to hold back.
Once he finished his snack, he tumbled out of Moses' basket with a "plop," landing in the snow and sending up a spray of flakes. Sniffing with his black nose, he waddled forward, rolling every few steps.
Moses followed cheerfully, and within seconds, he saw Bear Cub start digging into the snow. A few pawfuls later, the tip of a bamboo shoot emerged.
Finding food by digging in the snow—it was an instinct awakened.
Even if he got lost someday, at least he wouldn't starve.
The little creature didn't stand on ceremony either. Opening its mouth to reveal tiny snow-white milk teeth, it crunched away happily, devouring the bamboo shoot tips in a few bites, cheeks bulging as it chewed with relish.
Kureha walked aside to gather herbs while Moses observed their surroundings—be it droppings, footprints, or irregular broken stems and leaves.
All things leave traces!
In the wild, only careful observation ensures better survival. The environment reveals what creatures have passed through—lessons Moses had learned through Kureha's teachings.
Of course, Moses had an even more convenient method.
His breathing slowed, faint white mist appearing with each exhale as his mind grew calm. Observation Haki emanated from his body.
Various surrounding scents flowed into his perception with the howling cold wind—each living being carried distinct signatures.
Soon, Moses drew his arm back, twisting his torso slightly as his right leg stepped backward. Whoosh! Spinning his body, he hurled the axe gripped in his hands diagonally forward.
A silver disc flashed through the air before embedding itself with a solid "thunk"—the blade striking true at the base of a thigh-thick purple bamboo over ten meters away.
"Swish!" A snow-white shadow darted out from a snow hole directly ahead of the bamboo. Moses' face fell—he'd missed his target.
Hehehe!
Kureha's teasing laughter carried over. "Little fool, Observation Haki helps detect presences, but it won't increase your throwing power."
"Moreover, you've only copied the surface of my throwing technique—the posture, power application, hand movements, and pivoting remain unlearned. Drawing a tiger but producing a cat."
Rubbing his nose and shaking his right arm, Moses went to retrieve his axe, muttering as he walked: "I learned it through my own skill. Besides, Doctorine, you'd have to teach me properly first."
Wrenching the axe from the bamboo, he packed snow into a ball before approaching Kureha and offering it to her.
Meeting Moses' blinking expectant gaze, Kureha pursed her lips and accepted the snowball, weighing it in her palm.
It wasn't as if there were secrets reserved only for female disciples.
"Throwing fundamentally involves eyesight, grip, stance, and strength—but also body mechanics. The sole objective is accuracy."
"I withheld instruction earlier because your body wasn't fully developed. The human form is complex machinery, and power application is easily learned yet hard to master."
"Now, though you're still half-fledged, you can begin foundational training."
Noticing Moses' attentive listening—even using Observation Haki to sense her body—Kureha first rapped his head with a bamboo stick before systematically tapping key power nodes:
Toes, feet, legs, pelvis, hips, waist, spine, shoulders, neck, arms, wrists, palms, fingers.
Each muscle group.
Every joint.
From static throws involving breathing, stance, sight alignment, and arm swings with wrist rotation, to dynamic throws incorporating footwork—she meticulously explained throwing techniques through biomechanics and medical principles, progressing from basic to advanced.
One taught with precision; the other learned with focus.
With the aid of Observation Haki and Moses' familiarity with both human anatomy and his own body, Kureha didn't need to explain many of the finer details in their movements.
They got it right on the first try.
Soon, they moved on to the practical session. At Kureha's warning of "Watch out," she assumed a perfectly standard throwing stance.
In the next instant, under Moses' attentive gaze, a snowball struck precisely where Bear Cub's front paw was about to land.
Mid-step, the snowball appeared beneath his foot, hitting it dead-on. Bear Cub face-planted into the snow, his round muzzle plowing a shallow furrow through the powder from sheer momentum.
A second later, a heart-wrenching "Eeep!" erupted from the bear's throat. Howling dramatically, Bear Cub scrambled toward the two of them on his stubby legs, thoroughly spooked.
Moses couldn't help but glance at Kureha, who scoffed. "I didn't even throw it hard. That little brat's faking it. Got more tricks up his sleeve than sense."
As she spoke, Bear Cub stumbled his way over, stood up on his hind legs, and wrapped his front paws around Moses' calf, hiding his entire body behind him.
He kept up the dry sobbing all the while.
Moses grabbed him by the scruff and lifted him into his arms. Immediately, Bear Cub stopped wailing—though he still buried his face tightly against Moses' neck, whimpering softly in his throat.
Kureha sighed and reached out to ruffle Bear Cub's chubby ears. "What a bear you are."
In the end, Moses' first hunting attempt ended in failure.
Well.
Mainly because there weren't any reindeer in the bamboo grove.
He did manage to chop up a bamboo rat as a substitute, but Kureha tossed it away.
New book, new journey, folks! Keep up with the chapters—early readership is crucial. Thanks, everyone!
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