After the Human Clan Chief issued the decree, the Human Clan lost a significant source of food. They had to increase their hunting efforts to ensure the clan's food supply remained stable!
However, the Human Clan's hunting expeditions resulted in heavy losses!
Those who went hunting were either injured by venomous snakes and ferocious beasts or met their demise in the mouths of beasts. Fuxi had not anticipated that the decree he had requested from the Chief for the prosperity of the Water Clan would lead to such devastating losses for the Human Clan. He was filled with remorse!
For the future of the Human Clan, he had no choice but to ask the Chief to issue the decree. Yet, because of him, many of his kin had perished. Fuxi found himself in a dilemma, unsure whether he had done right or wrong!
After days of melancholy, Fuxi concluded that he had not erred. The decree was for the future of the Human Clan, and his conscience was clear!
As for the present members of the Human Clan, though he felt guilt, it was an unavoidable circumstance!
Fuxi decided that he must forge a new path for the Human Clan, a path on land, distinct from the waterways!
With his decision made, Fuxi took his spear and ventured alone into the mountains. Fuxi reasoned that if these mountains could sustain the meat the Human Clan needed, why couldn't the Human Clan nurture its own meat supply?
Upon entering the mountains, Fuxi wandered aimlessly.
He discovered numerous beasts in the mountains that survived by grazing, which piqued his curiosity. He mused, "If only humans could also fill their bellies by eating grass, how wonderful that would be!"
These mountains were covered in grasslands, and there would be no need to risk their lives hunting ferocious beasts.
Fuxi shook his head, dismissing the impractical thought. Humans could indeed eat grass, but only tender shoots and leaves. Unlike the beasts before him, who grew plump and strong solely on grass, humans could not.
Fuxi gazed at the fluffy white beast before him, and a thought struck him. What if the Human Clan could domesticate these beasts? Let them eat the grass that humans couldn't consume, and then humans could eat them?
Wouldn't that be a roundabout way for humans to thrive by eating grass?
The more Fuxi thought about it, the more excited he became, to the point where he didn't even react when the fluffy white beast before him walked away.
Tong Tian, upon seeing the fluffy white beast in front of Fuxi, froze on the spot. "Isn't this the kind of delicacy I caught back then? I think Big Brother called it 'meow meow meow,' or was it 'sheep'?"
This thought reminded Tong Tian of the skewers of meat Taishang had roasted for them. The taste was utterly intoxicating, and his mouth began to water.
Tong Tian snapped back to reality, realizing his unusual state. He quickly wiped his mouth and scanned his surroundings, checking if anyone had noticed. After all, he was now a Saint and needed to maintain his image!
However, Tong Tian was determined to bring back a few of them himself later and have his Big Brother roast them for him.
Fuxi, having regained his senses, saw the departing sheep and quickly lunged, tackling it to the ground. Startled, the sheep frantically kicked Fuxi several times.
Tong Tian, watching from the shadows, burst into laughter, thinking how foolish this kid was. He himself had simply carried them back then.
After subduing the sheep, Fuxi casually tore a vine and tied the animal up securely. He then captured another sheep, bundled them together, and carried them both back to the tribe.
Once tied up, the two sheep began to bleat incessantly. Fuxi's head pounded from the noise, but to test his theory, he grudgingly carried them back to the tribe.
Seeing Fuxi carrying strange objects, the tribespeople assumed he had found something good. Upon closer inspection, they realized they were just foolish mountain creatures and lost interest.
They had seen these beasts in the mountains before; they would only bleat when humans approached and sometimes even wander near people. Normally, they hunted large prey like tigers and black bears, so these creatures held no appeal.
Moreover, their small heads suggested they weren't very bright. Seeing them not flee from humans indicated they were likely dim-witted creatures!
Fuxi ignored the crowd and found an open space in the tribe, placing the two sheep on the ground.
Fuxi was about to untie them but feared they might run off. He found sturdy wooden stakes and drove them into the ground, creating an enclosure before finally releasing them.
After securing them, Fuxi spent his days preparing grass for them, feeding them diligently.
One day, Fuxi awoke and, as usual, went to feed them grass. He suddenly discovered an additional little lamb inside the enclosure. Fuxi rejoiced, knowing his idea was indeed viable!
From then on, Fuxi continued to feed them grass daily. He also ventured into the mountains and captured more herbivores to raise.
These animals, besides being herbivores, shared another common trait: they were exceptionally vocal, especially when hungry. Fuxi endured much hardship daily to feed them.
"Moo! Moo! Moo!"
"Oink! Oink! Oink!"
Fuxi named these animals. Those that mooed were called cattle, those that oinked were called pigs, and the ones that bleated were called sheep!
Hearing these sounds, Fuxi knew his captive animals were hungry.
The tribespeople, seeing Fuxi raising wild animals, assumed he liked keeping pets. Thus, when hunters returned, they would bring him young wild animals.
They also felt it was normal for children to have peculiar hobbies, so no one objected to Fuxi raising wild animals.
Today, the hunting party returned and brought Fuxi three special younglings. The one who presented them to Fuxi said:
"Little Fuxi, here's a special wild animal we brought for you on this expedition. Be careful, they are quite fierce! We went to considerable effort to kill this herd. However, these three little ones were too young, and we couldn't bring ourselves to harm them, so we brought them back for you to play with!"
After speaking, the person handed three small, grey, adorable creatures to Fuxi. Fuxi instantly fell in love with them. Hearing the tribesman say they were fierce, Fuxi had another bold idea.
If these three little ones could help him hunt when they grew up, wouldn't that make things much easier for him?
Fuxi grew excited at the thought. In the future, when they went hunting, everyone would go together, and he would have helpers – wouldn't that be cool?
From then on, Fuxi not only weeded and cared for his pigs, cattle, and sheep but also set aside a portion of his own meat to feed the three little ones, whom he named dogs.
The tribespeople, seeing Fuxi share his own portion of meat with these three little ones, secretly cursed him for being a spendthrift, yet they generously added more meat for Fuxi.
A year passed quickly, and winter arrived. The number of wild beasts in the mountains dwindled. Those who went hunting often returned empty-handed. Fuxi, looking at the hungry tribespeople, slaughtered all the pigs, sheep, and cattle he had raised for them to enjoy.
The tribespeople were surprised that the animals Fuxi had raised for amusement proved so useful at this critical juncture, and their taste was also good!
Tong Tian, watching from the shadows as the Human Clan ate raw meat, felt a pang of sympathy. He looked at Fuxi, thinking, "This clever boy, wouldn't he be able to devise a way for the Human Clan to start a fire?"
After enduring the winter, the tribespeople, following Fuxi's example, also began raising pigs, cattle, and sheep.
When Fuxi and the others went hunting, they discovered that Fuxi's three "xiu gou" (修勾, doggy) played a significant role. Everyone emulated Fuxi, and as the Human Clan raised livestock, their strength grew considerably.
Just as the Human Clan was following Fuxi's lead, the voice of the Heavenly Dao once again resounded throughout the heavens and earth:
"Fuxi raises livestock to fill the kitchen! This has great significance for the development of the Human Clan. Therefore, Heavenly Dao merit is bestowed!"
As soon as the voice of the Heavenly Dao faded, a golden light of merit filled Shouyang Mountain, and Fuxi successfully advanced to the late stage of Taiyi Golden Immortal. The fence Fuxi had used to prevent the cattle, sheep, and pigs from escaping transformed into a meritorious spiritual treasure, no less potent than a fishing net!
Fuxi named it "Quan" (圈, enclosure).