Chapter 43
Lang Yan returned to the tribe with the hunting party. While they were still quite far from the foot of the mountain, he heard a burst of noise. His first instinct was that the sub-adults in the tribe were causing trouble again.
He was thinking that the beating from a few days ago had still been too light when he reached the foot of the mountain and heard even worse news.
It was not the sub-adults who had gone missing. It was the cubs who had not yet transformed into human form.
This might as well have been the sub-adults getting lost!
At least sub-adults could run. If they encountered danger, they could avoid it. Cubs, especially cubs who had not yet learned to transform into human form, had no skills aside from being a little better at hiding their presence.
But outside, hiding their presence was not enough to guarantee safety. Prey ran everywhere. Any random prey could kill a cub with one stomp. If prey discovered them, they were even more certain to die. Prey were not clever, but they still knew what their natural enemies were. When seeing a beastman cub, any prey would think of how to kill the other party. This was survival instinct. The fewer natural enemies there were, the greater their chance of living.
The tribe was filled with anxious calls everywhere. The cubs’ relatives were even more despairing. During the day, the cubs stayed in the collective cave. At night, they stayed with their families. If they still had not appeared when called by their family, then they definitely were not nearby.
Seeing Lang Yan return, the group seemed to have found their pillar and gathered around to ask what they should do.
Lang Yan looked at the three beastmen responsible for taking care of the cubs. “What did you do today?”
Color was somewhat connected to personality. Black cubs had been naughtier than other colors since childhood. In other tribes, leaving one or two members to care for twenty-some cubs was about enough. They only needed to give the cubs food every day. Their tribe, however, directly assigned three people.
Lang Yan’s expression did not look good. Three people failed to watch over a group of cubs. He did not believe there was no problem here.
The three heard the irritation in Lang Yan’s tone, but at a time like this, they could not care about fear. Finding the cubs was the most important. The oldest member took the initiative to speak. “After feeding the cubs in the morning, we took them out once. After coming back, the cubs slept. We ate the food Lan had the priest send over, and then we suddenly became especially sleepy. We fell asleep beside the cubs. When we woke up and saw the cubs had not woken, we went out first to get food. We didn’t expect that when we came back, all the cubs were gone. There was only an animal hide over there, with dry grass covered underneath.”
At first, they had thought that mischievous sub-adults in the tribe had secretly taken the cubs out to play. After all, the sub-adults often did this kind of thing before. After informing the other members, they first looked for the sub-adults. In the end, they discovered that the naughtiest ones were lying in the cave howling about their aching backsides, while the other sub-adults were also present. Realizing the cubs had not been taken out to play, the group of members instantly panicked.
“Wait…” Not far from the three of them, a young girl who looked somewhat similar to Lang Yan suddenly interrupted. “I didn’t have the priest send you food.”
After saying this, Lang Lan looked at another member. “Why did you give the food to the priest?”
Lang Lan was the daughter of Lang Yan’s father’s younger sister. She was mainly responsible for food distribution throughout the tribe, including delivering food to members who found it inconvenient to leave their caves. She was also responsible for that, so she knew more information. Recently, the tribe’s priest seemed to have thoughts of leaving the tribe, so they tried their best not to let the priest come into contact with everyone’s food. The food sent to the priest was also only just enough for him alone. Even if there were no one else, she would not have let the priest deliver food to members.
The member being questioned had only just reached adulthood not long ago. Seeing everyone’s gaze on him, he nervously explained, “Halfway there, my stomach suddenly hurt. The priest happened to pass by and said he would pass that cave on his way back, so he helped me deliver it.”
The more he spoke, the more nervous he became, so frightened he was about to cry.
Lang Yan said, “Go find Hu Yun directly.”
The members taking care of the cubs were all selected by him. Worried that they would raise another group with the same personality as Lang Yong and the others, he had chosen extremely steady members. One of them was his mother’s older sister, who was very cautious when doing things. She was just rather soft-hearted and never thought of people as bad. Therefore, Lang Yan had not told her about Hu Yun’s matter.
Now the problem lay with Hu Yun. During breeding season, it was easy to become sleepy, but no one would be so sleepy that they slept from after breakfast until afternoon. There was probably something wrong with the food.
Recently, his unwillingness to treat the tribe members was likely also because he was thinking of a way to leave. Lang Yan simply had not expected the other party to be stupid to this extent. If Hu Yun had merely left on his own, then he could leave. They would not even bother looking for him. Yet he had to take the cubs away. He had probably only been thinking about how to demand supplies from the tribe and had not used his brain for anything else. Or perhaps he had grown accustomed to throwing his weight around in the tribe and had forgotten the Black Wolf Race’s temperament.
Lang Yan asked the patrolling members, “What did Hu Yun bring when he left? Which direction did he go?”
The patrolling members recalled and stated the time and location. Hu Yun had set out very early, carrying two back baskets. He said he wanted to pick more medicinal herbs and bring them back. The patrol members saw that one basket was empty, while the other did not hold much, so they had not suspected him.
Lang Yan looked in the direction they pointed. Walking that way, after leaving the tribe’s territory, one would enter the territories of the Gray Wolf Tribe and the White Lion Tribe.
“The direction is fake. Members with good noses, go smell Hu Yun’s cave and remember the scent, then go search. The other members temporarily don’t leave. Follow them out afterward.”
After Lang Yan finished speaking, several members immediately ran out and headed straight for Hu Yun’s cave.
Lang Yan watched their backs disappear into the cave entrance and emptied his exhausted mind for a moment, working hard to infer the cubs’ whereabouts. He did not want to think toward the worst possible outcome.
Every beastman carried a different scent. Beastmen of the same race had subtle differences, while beastmen of different races were easier to distinguish by scent. If more people went out now, the scents outside would only become more chaotic, making it harder and harder to search.
Hu Yun had not directly killed the cubs in the tribe. Instead, he had unnecessarily taken the cubs away, so he definitely had some purpose. He could not have acted near the tribe. That would be too dangerous and would not be as convenient as doing it inside the tribe. Therefore, searching nearby now would only waste time and confuse scents, making it impossible to judge the true direction Hu Yun had left in.
Lang Yan was very certain Hu Yun could not have gone in the direction he had left. The Gray Wolf Tribe’s relationship with their tribe was average, and the White Lion Tribe could not be considered friendly toward wolf races either. In the eyes of these two tribes, Hu Yun was the Black Wolf Tribe’s priest. If he appeared in their territory, he would only die miserably. Hu Yun was very clever and definitely knew this.
Whether Hu Yun died or not was not worth regretting. Lang Yan was only worried that if Hu Yun sought death himself, he would bring the cubs along, or directly abandon the cubs in another tribe’s territory.
Their tribe was the largest tribe nearby, but they still could not casually go into another tribe’s territory to search for cubs. Asking other tribes to help search was even more of a joke. Few tribes liked seeing surrounding tribes develop and grow stronger. The bigger a neighboring tribe was, the higher the chance of their own tribe being annexed. If they knew the cubs of his tribe were missing, it would already be good if they did not celebrate. The probability of them helping search was not high.
Lang Yan was very familiar with the surrounding tribes. Precisely because he was familiar, he understood even more clearly that the cubs’ situation was grim.
Lang Yan thought for a long time. Only when several members came out of Hu Yun’s cave did he have them search in different directions.
However, Hu Yun had already been gone for a day. Tribe members had also gone back and forth many times. Added to the strong bloody smell from the prey the hunting party had brought back in the evening, even those with the best noses could not be sure. They kept feeling that this side seemed right, and that side also seemed right.
Among the group, Lang Yong was the youngest. He truly had no experience finding people, so he searched using the same method he usually used to find prey, lowering his head to distinguish various scents.
After circling once, Lang Yong felt that the scent in one direction was relatively strong and ran without hesitation.
Lang Qi, who was following behind him, hurriedly chased after him. Seeing that it was the direction of the Snow Wolf Tribe, he immediately said, “Yong, finding the cubs is important right now. Don’t run around. Once we find the cubs, I’ll personally catch two prey and go to the Snow Wolf Tribe to exchange food for you. Today, first find the cubs.”
Lang Qi was truly anxious and not joking. Among the missing cubs, one was his.
“It’s this way.” Lang Yong in beast form was extremely certain. It had to be this direction.
The other wolves hesitated, because there were scents in other directions too. They were not as certain as Lang Yong.
Lang Yan heard the conversation and said to Lang Qi, “You follow the others. I’ll follow Yong.”
Lang Qi agreed. If it really was this direction, the chief following was even more useful than him.
…
In the Gray Wolf Tribe, one tribe away from the Snow Wolf Tribe, Hu Yun lay in a comfortable, spacious cave, extremely satisfied.
Even though, as a priest, he usually ate well, after growing old, his speed was still much slower than when he was young. When he thought of the scene Lang Yan would see after returning to the tribe, Hu Yun felt he was no longer tired.
Recently, Lang Yan’s suspicion of him had grown heavier and heavier, almost to the point of saying it openly. Hu Yun knew his plan was probably going to fail. Even if Lang Yan brought people to the market, he likely would not find a chance to leave with the supplies.
Since he could not take away the supplies, he at least had to take revenge.
The cubs in the tribe were easiest to act against. Drugging the people who watched the cubs so they fell asleep, then carrying away the sleeping cubs, was simply easy.
The simplest method was to directly kill the cubs, but there were many cubs. Smothering them one by one would take time. Poison acted slowly, and the cubs might not be willing to eat it. Directly taking the cubs out of the tribe was the easiest. He only had to pass the patrol team.
After leaving the patrol team’s line of sight, he specially took a detour. Originally, he had planned to throw the cubs in a place where prey often appeared, but once he reached the place, he changed his mind.
He wanted to take revenge on Lang Yan. Merely killing these cubs was not enough.
In the end, among the surrounding tribes, he chose the Snow Wolf Tribe. He used medicinal herbs to cover his scent, ensuring that even if Lang Yan discovered he was missing, he would not be able to find where he had gone. The Snow Wolf Tribe would also not discover there were extra cubs in their territory. When cubs arrived in an unfamiliar environment, they would hide. Without someone close approaching, they would not come out until hunger became unbearable.
The injuries on the sub-adults in the tribe were almost healed. At that time, they would inevitably go to the Snow Wolf Tribe. If they discovered the corpses of their own tribe’s cubs in the Snow Wolf Tribe’s territory… then things would be lively.
If the two tribes fought, Lang Yan, the chief who had tacitly allowed the Snow Wolf Tribe to stay nearby, was destined to be blamed by the members.
Hu Yun thought of the endless conflict between the two tribes in the future and felt that today’s painstaking efforts had not gone to waste. He slowly laughed aloud.
As long as he could take revenge on Lang Yan and the Black Wolf Tribe, even being mocked by the Gray Wolf Tribe’s chief was something he was willing to endure.
As a priest, he treated the members of the Black Wolf Tribe. Yet when he asked for a little more supplies, even Lang Yan’s father had been unwilling to give them to him, causing him to be unable to find a way to please the high priest.
After Lang Yan became chief, he became even more excessive. He refused to give the tribe’s food to him, but when giving it to the Snow Wolf Tribe, he was generous.
He wanted Lang Yan and all the black wolves in the tribe to regret it.
And that group of sub-adults too. Once the Snow Wolf Tribe and the Black Wolf Tribe fought, they would not have a good ending either. The Snow Wolf Tribe would not spare this group of sub-adults who had caused trouble.
It would be best if the fight became more severe. The more tragic the casualties, the better.
After the two tribes fought, the Gray Wolf Tribe could just occupy both tribes. It was precisely by relying on this information that he had obtained favorable treatment from the Gray Wolf Tribe.
Lang Yan definitely thought he had already run far away. Wrong. How could he possibly leave? He had to see the Black Wolf Tribe occupied and the entire tribe with nowhere to go before he could feel at ease and go find the high priest. As long as Lang Yan was alive, he could not sleep peacefully.
The more Hu Yun thought, the more beautiful it seemed. The only regret was that he had not obtained the food made by the Snow Wolf Tribe. Otherwise, for the sake of the food, the Gray Wolf Tribe’s attitude toward him would have been even better.
But there was no rush. Once the Gray Wolf Tribe destroyed the Black Wolf Tribe and Snow Wolf Tribe, what would he not have? At that time, he would bring food to the Beast God Temple, and the high priest would definitely be willing to share the elixir of immortality with him.
…
The Gray Wolf Tribe chief’s cave.
“Chief, are we really keeping him?” Gray wolf Hui Shan asked the chief, Hui Xing.
Hui Xing was eating. Today, the Black Wolf Tribe’s priest had suddenly come over and rambled on and on. He had not even eaten.
At this moment, hearing Hui Shan’s words, Hui Xing swallowed the roasted meat in his mouth. In the end, the meat was too dry and got stuck in his throat, unable to go down. He stretched his neck and swallowed with great difficulty for a long while.
Before he could speak, Hui Shan suddenly understood. “Chief, I understand!”
Hui Xing finally swallowed that piece of meat. Hearing this, he found it strange. “What do you understand?”
Hui Shan rubbed his fists, eager to try. “Chief means the Black Wolf Tribe is too far away, so we have to fight slowly!”
Just like the chief eating meat. A big piece of meat had to be swallowed slowly.
Hui Xing said, “Understand my ass! Can you beat Lang Yan?”
Hui Shan honestly shook his head. “No.”
He was not as strong as the chief, and their chief was precisely because he had lost a fight against Lang Yan that their entire tribe had changed its surname to Hui.
Hui Xing said, “Then what’s there to say?”
“Are we going to waste such a good opportunity?” Hu Yun had told them that the Black Wolf Tribe and the Snow Wolf Tribe would definitely fight and told them to prepare. Such a good opportunity—wasting it for nothing would be too much of a pity.
Hui Xing cut another piece of meat. Remembering the lesson from just now, he only cut a small piece. “Wait.”
Hui Shan asked, “Wait for what?”
Hui Xing said, “Wait until they finish fighting. Then we’ll take Hu Yun and exchange him with the Black Wolf Tribe for food.”
A benefit delivered to their door—why not take it?
…
At the same time, in the Snow Wolf Tribe.
Lang Shuo arranged the black wolf cubs on his other side. This way, no matter which direction he opened his eyes in tomorrow, he would see cubs.
The black wolf cubs nested in the large basket, covered with the animal hide Lang Shuo had previously used. Accompanied by the warm and comforting scent, the cubs quickly fell asleep.
No one knew what they dreamed of, but several cubs licked the corners of their mouths with their eyes closed.
Delicious. Eat more.
![After Waking Up I Inherited the Earth [Interstellar]](https://i1.wp.com/panda-translations.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/20220822190944_300_420.jpg?resize=151,215 "After Waking Up I Inherited the Earth [Interstellar]")
