Chapter 57
After Lang Yan finished speaking, his gaze did not leave Lang Shuo.
Lang Shuo let him look. He could guess that Lang Yan would be angry, but he also understood that the benefits brought by coal could completely make up for that bit of anger. So Lang Yan would at most only be angry for a while. As chief, Lang Yan would weigh the pros and cons. Several times, Lang Yu wanted to speak, but Lang Shuo stopped him with his eyes.
Although he had not interacted with Lang Yan many times, Lang Shuo understood him fairly well. Under the premise that he could not beat the other party, if there was some conflict between them, the most Lang Yan would do was get angry. He would not make a move. But if it was Lang Yu, whose strength was about the same, things would be different. The two of them seemed more patient than each other, but if they really started fighting, neither would be vague about it.
Even though fights between beastmen were common, and there were cases where they fought today and cooperated tomorrow, Lang Shuo still did not want this matter to rise to the level of physical combat.
Beastmen who did not belong to the same tribe would inevitably have knots in their hearts once they fought.
Lang Shuo drew all the anger onto himself because he did not want Lang Yan and Lang Yu to clash.
Lang Qi had originally been quite relaxed. After all, Lang Shuo’s proposal truly sounded good. But he had followed Lang Yan for a long time and was more cautious than the other members. Hearing that Lang Yan’s tone was wrong, his heart thumped, and he sensed that something was off.
If it were truly a good thing, the chief absolutely would not have this attitude right now. There was a problem with the Snow Wolf Tribe’s proposal.
Lang Qi, who was familiar with Lang Yan, knew very clearly that the chief was genuinely angry this time, and not lightly either.
After hesitating for a moment, Lang Qi moved slightly in Lang Shuo’s direction. Even though he knew Lang Yan could keep his composure, looking at Lang Yan’s current reaction, he was truly afraid that he would become so angry he would disregard everything.
This was the Snow Wolf Tribe. They absolutely could not make a move.
From the corner of his eye, Lang Yan saw Lang Qi’s movement, but he ignored it.
Of course he would not make a move. It was normal for Lang Shuo to have some small intentions for the sake of his tribe. He was angry, but it was far from reaching that point.
After staring at Lang Shuo for a long time, Lang Yan calmed himself down and spoke again. “How do you want to cooperate?”
Since the Snow Wolf Tribe had prepared in advance, Lang Yan was too lazy to think further. He was already tired enough usually. Since he had already jumped into the pit, it no longer mattered how many ditches were inside it. He might as well rest for a while.
Another reason was that he wanted to see what other secretly bad ideas Lang Shuo had.
Hearing this, Lang Shuo exchanged a look with Lang Yu and answered, “The sub-adults come over to help dig coal. We exchange it with meat at a ratio of ten to one.”
The coal mine resource was enough to use, and they did not need their own tribe’s members to dig it. Calculated this way, it was almost a business with no cost. The price Lang Shuo and Lang Yu had discussed was not expensive.
“Only sub-adults?” Lang Yan asked.
Lang Shuo nodded. “Yes. Only sub-adults are fine.” Sub-adults had simple minds, were easy to coax, and would not have other thoughts.
Lang Yan glanced at the black wolves around him, who were clearly disappointed, and agreed. “All right. I’ll send the sub-adults over this afternoon.”
Lang Shuo then brought up issues such as working hours and work meals.
No matter which tribe’s members they were, Lang Shuo had no intention of letting people exhaust themselves. Working an entire day was even more impossible. Yesterday was only because they had discovered it for the first time and dug more to use. Later work arrangements would be half a day of work and half a day off.
During the half day when they did not need to dig coal, they could move freely. Otherwise, staying inside all the time would be stifling, and sub-adults did not have that kind of patience. Rather than wait until they grew tired and thought of ways to rest or simply slack off, it was better to set the requirements more loosely from the beginning.
Moreover, although digging coal was physical work, it did not help much with hunting. The sub-adults still needed to practice hunting skills. They could not forget the ability to obtain food.
As for food, it would naturally be prepared by the Snow Wolf Tribe. But like when they processed food before, the Snow Wolf Tribe was only responsible for processing. The ingredients and seasonings would all be provided by the Black Wolf Tribe.
Housing also needed to be considered. The Snow Wolf Tribe still only had one cave used for resting, so they would not provide lodging. After finishing work each day, the sub-adults would return to the Black Wolf Tribe and could also transport that day’s coal back with them, saving other members the time of running back and forth and preventing the news from leaking.
To the Snow Wolf Tribe, it was best if only this group of members beside them and the sub-adults knew about this matter. The fewer other members knew, the better.
Lang Yan listened to Lang Shuo’s proposal, his gaze remaining on the other party’s face the whole time.
Compared with needing their help while also making them take the initiative to conceal this matter, these later requirements were very reasonable. They were truly considering the sub-adults, either providing food or reducing their workload.
He did not find any handle to continue holding a grudge, but Lang Yan’s mood was not much better than before. For some reason, he felt a little displeased and did not immediately agree to these requirements.
Lang Shuo had not expected to get stuck here and was somewhat puzzled. He turned back to look at Lang Yu.
Could Lang Yan want the sub-adults to work continuously? That did not seem right. He was a chief, not a black-hearted capitalist.
Lang Yan clearly saw the confusion in Lang Shuo’s eyes.
After appreciating the puzzled Lang Shuo for a while, Lang Yan felt much better and nodded in agreement. “That works. Arrange it according to what you said.”
Hearing him agree, Lang Shuo no longer cared why he had hesitated just now and completely relaxed.
The results of these matters were all within his plan. With the Black Wolf Tribe as a shield, their tribe was safe.
After solving a major problem, Lang Shuo completely relaxed, and a little smile appeared in his eyes.
Lang Yan clearly judged that this time, he was truly happy, different from that crafty smile just now.
Clearly a wolf, yet like a little fox, Lang Yan thought.
In the next instant, seeing the black wolf members on the outside still looking disappointed, his good mood disappeared again.
Lang Yan could not understand. They were clearly two or three years older than Lang Shuo. Why had Lang Shuo already learned how to trick people, while these black wolf members were tricked and still felt the other side had not tricked them enough?
He could not think about it. Thinking too much would affect his lifespan. Sooner or later, he would be driven crazy by this group.
Why had he not noticed when he was little that all his companions were this easy to fool?
Lang Yan thought for a while and finally attributed the reason to the Black Wolf Tribe having too many people.
The Black Wolf Tribe had many people, and added to the black wolves’ famous temperament, there were basically no blind fools nearby who dared to make trouble for the Black Wolf Tribe. This caused the tribe members to fear neither heaven nor earth every day, never considering that they might suffer a loss.
In addition, the surrounding tribes feared they would come looking for trouble, so unless necessary, they would not contact their tribe at all. The members only came into contact with people from their own tribe. In the end, one group was dumber than the next.
The group beside him had become adults two years ago. Their advantage was that they were obedient, and this was also why Lang Yan had brought them over.
As for their shortcomings, aside from being obedient, everything else was a shortcoming. Even now, they were still thinking of competing with sub-adults for work. They did not even think about how the Snow Wolf Tribe could feel at ease letting a team of adult black wolves stay here for long periods.
Lang Yan did not give the group of black wolves any more time to feel regretful. He stood up. “I’ll go call the sub-adults.”
Seeing that the matter had come to a temporary end and his younger brother was finally no longer stopping him from speaking, Lang Yu immediately said, “No need to send them. The sub-adults know the way.”
After saying this, he thought about the temperament of the black wolf sub-adults and added, “If they don’t know it, we can go pick them up.”
In short, adult wolves did not need to come over again. The matter had already been discussed, so there was no need for them to come.
Lang Yan: “…”
Very good. The familiar treatment had returned.
This was not the first time he had heard such words, but today, they sounded especially unpleasant. Lang Yan said, “I need to make sure the sub-adults aren’t being tricked.”
This was false. After all, if Lang Shuo and Lang Yu really had other intentions, they could completely find a reason to call the sub-adults over, make the sub-adults work for free, and not tell them the value of coal. The fact that they could let him come over proved that the Snow Wolf Tribe did not have such vicious thoughts. They only wanted the Black Wolf Tribe to suffer a little loss, and it was even a loss that came with benefits. Overall, there were still more advantages.
Lang Yan said this only because he wanted to find an excuse to come over again.
He expected that Lang Shuo would not refuse.
Lang Yan guessed correctly. Once he spoke, Lang Yu was just about to shake his head when Lang Shuo took his brother’s hand first and agreed. “That’s fine. But only you and the sub-adults can go to the coal mine area. The other members can’t go.”
Aside from the first two words, the rest could not be heard by others. Lang Shuo’s voice was very soft. In order for Lang Yan to hear, he even took one step forward and said it only after getting closer to him.
Lang Yan’s body stiffened. Only after the other person withdrew did he relax and nod. “All right.”
The tone of this sentence was completely different from when he had agreed to cooperate before.
Lang Qi did not hear what Lang Shuo had said in a low voice. He only saw Lang Yan, who had looked like he was almost gritting his teeth when agreeing to cooperate, become happier and happier as Lang Shuo spoke.
Now his tone had no trace of unwillingness.
Lang Qi grabbed a handful of his hair, extremely confused. How had these changes happened?
He looked left and right, wanting to find someone to help, only to find the black wolves on either side were even more bewildered than him.
Lang Qi: “…”
If he had known, he would have called Lang Lan over. As Lang Yan’s younger sister, although not a blood-related one, Lang Lan was somewhat similar to Lang Yan. She could understand Lang Yan’s thoughts and help analyze things.
Now there was no one to discuss it with. But thinking of Lang Lan’s personality, he gave up on that thought. Lang Lan only listened to Lang Yan. He could not call her out.
He suspected that Lang Yan had deliberately chosen these members to come over. Aside from Lang Yan, only he had noticed something was wrong, but he could not say it.
How could Lang Yan care about Lang Qi’s thoughts? After receiving Lang Shuo’s final promise, he was now in a good mood. He felt the anger he had held in for the whole morning had smoothed out. Looking at the surrounding black wolf members no longer annoyed him either. He called the members to go back.
…
Lang Yu watched the backs of the group. After all the black wolf members left, he asked his younger brother, “What did you say at the end?”
“I said he could go look at the coal mine,” Lang Shuo said. After speaking, he added, “Only him.”
Lang Yu frowned. Was this little thing worth being so happy about?
Lang Shuo thought he was dissatisfied with his method and explained, “Even if we don’t say it, he can guess. It’s better to tell the truth.” With Lang Yan’s intelligence, he could definitely guess that the amount of coal in the mine was considerable. Otherwise, their tribe would have secretly used it themselves and would not have needed to tell others. Letting Lang Yan go look was merely showing him their sincerity.
As for why the other members were not allowed to follow, of course it was because of what they had said earlier. Their previous explanation was that they were worried other tribes would covet the coal, so they needed the Black Wolf Tribe to help conceal it. If the black wolf members saw the true amount of the coal mine, the false excuse from before would collapse on its own. After all, although the other members of the Black Wolf Tribe did not have that many schemes, they were still not as easy to fool as the sub-adults.
On the contrary, Lang Yan had known from the beginning that those were only excuses. He had already seen through them, so knowing the true capacity did not matter.
Lang Yu naturally knew this, but he still felt something was off. Putting himself in Lang Yan’s place, if he heard that he could go see the coal mine, at most, he would be satisfied. His mood would absolutely not change so obviously.
Seeing him remain still, Lang Shuo reminded him, “Brother, don’t think too much. Let’s first clear the path behind the mountain.”
Before this, everyone had rarely gone to the area behind the mountain. Otherwise, Lang Shuo would not have wanted to use the small hill to dig a cellar. Because they did not go there often, there was no road there at all. These past two days, the tribe members had just been stepping randomly back and forth, stepping wherever the grass was lower.
They could make do with this for short-term movement, but in the future, when they mined in large quantities and came and went often, they could not keep doing this.
Even if they did not pave the road now, they should first pull out the weeds. Otherwise, with the Black Wolf Tribe sub-adults’ tendency to get lost, they might very well circle around behind the mountain.
Hearing his younger brother’s words, Lang Yu gave up thinking about the earlier problem. “All right.”
In any case, even if he kept thinking, he could not find the reason. The thoughts of the other black wolves were simple and could be seen through at a glance. That Lang Qi, who often followed Lang Yan over, was a little smarter, but his thoughts could also be roughly guessed. Only Lang Yan’s mind was hard to figure out.
Lang Yu had known from the first time he met Lang Yan that this person had deep thoughts, completely unlike the members of the Black Wolf Race. After several interactions, he felt even more that this kind of person was unfathomable. If not for the fact that their own tribe having coal was unsafe, Lang Yu would never cooperate with the other party no matter what.
Lang Yu pondered inwardly, but his hands did not stop. He called several members to go behind the mountain and dig up those weeds that were more than half a person tall.
No one had managed this side before, so the stretches of weeds were especially messy. Some grass grew like saplings, and clearing it was not easy.
Fortunately, they only needed to open up a small path. After more people walked there, the road would slowly be trampled flat.
…
While the Snow Wolf Tribe was clearing weeds, Lang Yan led a group of members back toward the tribe.
Lang Qi became even more certain that the chief was in a good mood right now. His traveling speed was faster than before. He did not know whether it was an illusion, but he felt Lang Yan was a little impatient.
On the road, Lang Yan instructed the group of members not to reveal what they had heard in the Snow Wolf Tribe.
In truth, the members of the tribe who had other intentions had already all been rooted out by them. Some of those who had contacted other tribes had been directly dealt with, while the rest were thrown down Beast Mountain and completely cut off from the tribe. Even so, Lang Yan still instructed them not to speak recklessly.
The group of members nodded. Although it was a pity they could not go help, they also knew the importance of this matter. They absolutely could not speak of it, even if they died.
At this moment, Lang Yan was once again glad that these members were obedient.
As for Lang Qi, who seemed to have noticed something, Lang Yan shifted his gaze toward him.
Lang Qi was startled and immediately said, “Boss, I absolutely won’t say anything either.” His tone was sincere, only lacking pointing at the sky and swearing an oath.
Seeing him like this, Lang Yan thought of Lang Shuo, who had clearly been far weaker but had not retreated in the slightest. He sighed, closed his eyes, and softly answered, “Mm.”
Lang Qi could be considered one of the smarter ones in their generation. Lang Yan’s original idea had been to cultivate him to take over from himself. If he went out or if an accident happened, Lang Qi could take over the tribe and manage it well together with Lang Lan.
However, after observing for so long, he discovered that Lang Qi was indeed smarter than the other black wolves, but he was overly cautious. If someone held him up, it was fine. But if the entire tribe was handed to him, even with Lang Lan’s help, it would still be difficult to support the entire tribe. Moreover, with Lang Lan’s personality, Lang Qi probably could not manage her.
Lang Yan thought of the two brothers he had just seen. Lang Yu’s strength was not weaker than his, and he had been able to bring a small tribe across such a long distance to migrate here. His ability naturally went without saying. Lang Shuo was a sub-beastman, but the Snow Wolf Tribe’s hunting party members clearly listened to him too, let alone the other members in the tribe. Even some members of their tribe would not refuse Lang Shuo’s instructions.
Lang Yan took a deep breath. His plan to cultivate a temporary successor and then go search for his missing father and the other members was impossible to achieve in the short term.
Having a younger brother was truly good. If he had a younger brother like Lang Yu did, who could help manage the tribe and spare him from worrying about every big and small matter, he could set out at any time, Lang Yan thought with no small amount of regret.
When they reached the foot of the tribe’s mountain, Lang Yan suppressed those chaotic thoughts in his heart and said to Lang Qi, “Call the sub-adults out.”
Lang Qi agreed and immediately went to call people.
While waiting, Lang Yan looked toward the other side.
Over there, Lang Lan was watching members prepare food.
Sensing the gaze from this side, Lang Lan looked over, her eyes carrying a question.
Lang Yan shook his head, indicating it was nothing.
Lang Lan immediately withdrew her gaze and no longer cared about this side.
Lang Yan watched her move without the slightest hesitation, and his heart felt blocked.
Lang Lan’s style of doing things was extremely decisive. It was just that she was too decisive. She feared trouble, and the slightest trouble made her impatient. If she led the hunting party, she would only be more irritable than the other members.
Originally, one cautious person and one impulsive person could manage the tribe well, but the cautious one could not stop the impulsive one and was not even as smart as the latter. It would be strange if Lang Yan could feel at ease.
The more Lang Yan thought about it, the more he felt that the days when he could rest were far out of reach. He comforted himself inwardly. Forget it. He had already been used to this for so many years.
Staying outside for one year was staying. Staying for ten years was also staying. Let them wait outside a little longer.
After comforting himself, Lang Yan saw a group of people appear in front of him.
The sub-adults had already been bored staying in the tribe. Before, they had run around randomly. Today, Lang Lan had not let them go out and had not let them wander around casually either. They could only stay in the cave. But there was nothing fun inside the cave. There was roasted jerky, but the key was that it did not taste good. Today, they had not gone anywhere, had not consumed any energy, and were not hungry at all. They simply did not want to eat.
They had nearly gone moldy from staying in the cave. Suddenly hearing Lang Qi say that the chief was looking for them, the group of sub-adults immediately cared about nothing else. They were especially excited and ran down one after another.
“Chief, what did you call us for?”
“Are we going hunting?”
“Can we go out now?”
Actually, if Lang Yan had not said they had to stay in the tribe and not go out, the group of sub-adults might not necessarily have gone out. Sometimes, they also spent a day in the tribe. But for some reason, after hearing the words “not allowed to go out,” the outside suddenly became especially attractive. They wished they could immediately go out and play for a while. Even the firewood-gathering work they usually disliked had become interesting now.
Lang Yan listened to the sub-adults’ questions one after another and did not answer. He coughed once to make them quiet down. “There is something I need you to do. Who wants to go?”
“Me, me, me.”
“I’ll go, I’ll go.”
The sub-adults, who had been cooped up for half a morning, rushed to be first, wishing they could jump up to show they wanted to go.
Lang Yan looked at them one by one and found that not a single one was unenthusiastic. He emphasized again, “This matter is very tiring. You have to go every day. You can’t rest, and you can’t slack off. Are you sure you want to go?”
“Go, go, go.”
The sub-adults still gave the same answer. So what if it was tiring? They could chase curved-horned beasts until they could no longer run. Everything else was a small matter.
After confirming for the third time that they all wanted to go, Lang Yan nodded. “Let’s go. Bring your rice bowls and cups.”
“Ah?” The sub-adults were shocked. They even had to bring rice bowls. Where were they going?
“We found something good and need you to dig it. In the future, you’ll eat there and return at night.” Seeing their confusion, Lang Yan rarely had patience as he explained. “Your cooking skills are too poor, so I’ll exchange food with the Snow Wolf Tribe for you…”
Before Lang Yan could finish speaking, the sub-adults who had been puzzled about why they needed to bring bowls had already disappeared from in front of him.
Lang Yan: “…”
Other members who heard the commotion came over to join the excitement. “Chief, do you still need people?”
“Can we go dig? I eat relatively little, only half as much as the sub-adults.”
“Go away, go away. Who doesn’t know you slack off when working? Chief, let me go. I’m more diligent than them.”
Lang Yan coldly looked at the members who had become excited after hearing him say he would exchange food with the Snow Wolf Tribe and said, “The Snow Wolf Tribe only agreed to exchange a portion of food. If you go work, there will be no meals.”
“Then forget it.”
The members joining the excitement scattered all at once.
Black wolves had great strength, but they also slacked off. When they could rest, no one wanted to do extra work. They were not like the sub-adults, who had energy all day long. Usually, they were already tired enough after returning from hunting. If doing more work could be exchanged for food, of course they were willing. If there was not even food, they did not want to participate. Better to let the sub-adults go.
The adult black wolves had just left when the sub-adults who had gone into the cave to get bowls returned one after another. The bowls in their hands were each larger than the last.
Lang Yan was too lazy to even comment on them.
“Make way, make way.” Lang Yong’s voice came from behind the many sub-adults.
The sub-adults collectively turned their heads and opened a path.
Lang Yong held a large stone bowl bigger than his head and walked to the front of the group, placing the stone bowl in his hands on the ground.
It was called a stone bowl, but in reality, it could be called a stone pot. It was too large, and the rim was especially thick. Even for a strong sub-adult, moving it alone was somewhat strenuous. In truth, the weight was still fine. The main thing was that this stone bowl had been polished relatively smooth and was somewhat slippery. Lang Yong was worried he would not grip it firmly and drop it. Otherwise, he would not get to eat.
Lang Yan: “…”
Lang Yan asked, “What are you bringing this for?”
“To eat,” Lang Yong said as if it were perfectly natural, as if taking such a large stone bowl was the most normal thing in the world.
The other sub-adults compared the bowls in their hands with the bowl in Lang Yong’s hands, their gazes somewhat hesitant. They wanted to go search again in the cave Hu Yun had previously lived in.
Seeing that they were eager to move, Lang Yan immediately said, “Put the stone bowl back. You can only take bamboo bowls or wooden bowls.”
Lang Yong said, “Why?!” He had spent so much effort carrying it out! Besides, he could completely finish one bowl of food. They could not refuse to let him eat just because his bowl was big.
Lang Yan said, “If you don’t eat enough, you can serve a second bowl. How are you going to eat with this? Change into beast form and lie on the ground gnawing?”
Lang Yong: “…”
Lang Yong imagined that scene and immediately shook his head. “I’ll go change it.”
Although he really wanted to use the stone bowl, changing into beast form and lying on the ground to eat was too damaging to his image. It was better to change it.
Lang Yan let out a breath of relief.
They had almost lost face all the way to the Snow Wolf Tribe.
However, before Lang Yan could fully breathe out, another sub-adult said, “Chief, I can change into beast form. Can I take the stone bowl?”
He could do without his image. He only wanted to eat more.
Lang Yan said, “No.” You may not care about your image, but I do.
