Chapter 101
Tu Bing looked at Tu Lei—her last remaining family member. She just didn’t know when he had turned into this kind of person.
Tu Lei realized that Tu Bing wasn’t just trying to scare him—she truly meant what she said.
Panic surged in his heart. Because of food shortages when he was young, he had always been weaker than other members of the Rabbit Tribe.
He wasn’t even strong enough to join the hunting team. Yet, he also looked down on the gathering team, thinking it was only for those with little ability.
Stuck in this awkward position, the points he earned were never enough to support himself. The only reason he had been able to get by at all was because he was Tu Bing’s biological younger brother. If Tu Bing really abandoned him now, his future would be one of hunger and hardship.
All he had wanted was a slightly better life—how had it come to this?
Panicked, Tu Lei struggled and grabbed onto Tu Bing’s leg, hoping that their sibling bond would make her spare him this time. “Sis, I was wrong! I won’t talk nonsense anymore! I swear I’ll listen to you from now on…”
However, Tu Bing showed no sign of softening.
If he had truly realized his mistake, he wouldn’t be trying to talk his way out of it now. Tu Bing knew that Tu Lei was only saying this out of fear of punishment, not out of any real remorse. The moment he found another opportunity, he would scheme again.
“Tonight, someone will take you to the mines,” Tu Bing said coldly.
The mining area had the harshest work and was far from the tribe. Even if Tu Lei wanted to stir up trouble, he wouldn’t be able to spread any news back to the tribe immediately. As long as he was kept there, the tribe would remain safe.
This kind of mistake could not be repeated.
Tu Bing didn’t dare to imagine what would happen if there was a second time. If there were, would Bai Tu choose to leave the tribe to avoid trouble?
Even if he didn’t go to the Wolf Tribe, the Black Eagle Tribe of the Southern Continent would surely welcome him.
Another concern gnawed at her—right now, only Lang Qi, who hadn’t been back to the tribe much recently, knew about this incident. Lang Ze and the others had only heard the rumors but had no idea who started them. If the wolves ever found out the truth, would they blame the entire tribe…?
Sending Tu Lei away was the best outcome—for both the tribe and themselves.
Tu Lei was terrified.
He had been to the mines before, but only to familiarize himself with the place, never to do actual labor. Yet, he had seen the exhausted faces of those who had been mining all day.
He knew how grueling it was. The Rabbit Tribe was naturally skilled at digging tunnels, but spending an entire day mining stone was one of the hardest jobs of all.
Even the strongest beastmen found it exhausting, let alone someone like him, who had never done heavy labor.
Tears streamed down Tu Lei’s face as he begged Tu Bing to reconsider. But Tu Bing was still shaken by Lang Qi’s invitation. No matter what Tu Lei said, she had no intention of letting him off easily.
The cave was soon filled with Tu Lei’s cries. Bai Tu paused at the entrance for a moment before saying, “Bing, it’s cold here. Let’s go up.”
Because the cave was close to the ground, it was naturally colder than other places. Moreover, this spot was remote and never received sunlight. Even though beast pelts provided good insulation, staying here too long was still uncomfortable.
Bai Tu wasn’t worried about Tu Lei—he was worried about Tu Bing. The tribe had only learned she was pregnant during the rainy season, but the actual pregnancy must have started shortly before Bai Chen was injured. Due to stress and exhaustion at that time, her condition had already been fragile. For the sake of their unborn child, she couldn’t stay in this cold cave for too long.
Hearing Bai Tu’s voice suddenly snapped Tu Bing out of her thoughts. She turned around and saw both Bai Tu and Lang Qi standing there. Her anxiety deepened—would Lang Qi be even angrier after seeing Tu Lei?
The bond between mates was always stronger than that between clan members. There had been beastmen who left their tribes for their mates before. What if Bai Tu was persuaded by Lang Qi to leave the tribe for the Wolf Tribe…?
Fortunately, Bai Tu’s next words dispelled her doubts: “Leave Tu Lei to the chief. Your health is more important—I’m still waiting for our new cub to be born.”
That sentence was like a reassurance pill for Tu Bing, and she finally let out a breath of relief. Sincerely, she apologized to Bai Tu, “Tu, I’m sorry for making you all worry.”
Dealing with the Black Stool Tribe’s provocations was already troublesome enough, and now Tu Lei had stirred up more problems. Because of his single remark, Bai An, Bai Chen, and the others had been investigating for most of the day. If it weren’t for a Rabbit Tribe member—one who was usually close to Tu Lei—accidentally letting something slip, they still wouldn’t have figured out the cause.
Tu Lei, being Tu Bing’s biological younger brother, did have a bit of cunning in him. He knew that if he personally spread the rumor, he would easily be exposed. So instead, he deliberately steered a few other beastmen into mentioning it during night watch. He even specifically instructed them that if anyone asked, they shouldn’t say he was involved.
When those beastmen were questioned today, they insisted that no one had told them to say such things. If Bai An hadn’t asked about their night watch conversations and discovered that someone had accidentally spilled the truth, the ones facing punishment now might have been those unsuspecting beastmen who were used by Tu Lei.
“It’s not your fault,” Bai Tu waved his hand dismissively. Whoever was responsible should bear the consequences. Tu Lei was already over twenty—fully an adult beastman. No matter how closely Tu Bing watched him, she couldn’t possibly control his every action. This incident had nothing to do with her.
Even though Tu Lei had spread rumors based on Bai Chen and Tu Bing’s relationship, troublemakers would always find something to stir up drama over. Even if that excuse didn’t exist, they would have found another. Tu Bing shouldn’t be blamed for his mistakes.
Seeing that Bai Tu truly wasn’t angry, Tu Bing finally relaxed again. She carefully supported her belly—after an entire day of stress and fear, she was feeling even worse than the past few days.
Noticing that Tu Bing didn’t look well, Bai Tu frowned and grabbed Lang Qi’s arm. “Go call Cai over, now.”
He had some knowledge of herbs and knew how to treat cuts and wounds, but when it came to childbirth, he was completely clueless—not only did he lack experience, but he had barely even learned anything theoretical.
Ever since Bai Tu had understood his own orientation, he had known that he would never have children of his own, so he always avoided topics related to it, let alone studying it. Now, though he could tell Tu Bing wasn’t feeling well, he didn’t dare to act recklessly. They needed an expert. More than half of the tribe’s cubs had been delivered by Tu Cai, so she was undoubtedly the best person for the job.
Lang Qi glanced at Tu Lei, confirming that he no longer had the strength to cause trouble. Only then did he turn and leave, heading up the mountain to find Tu Cai.
Lang Qi was fast. Bai Tu had just helped Tu Bing settle onto a suitable rock to rest when Lang Qi returned with Tu Cai.
When Tu Cai arrived at the cave, she was so out of breath that she had to take a moment to steady herself. Seeing Tu Bing sitting there safely, she patted her chest and sighed in relief. “You scared me to death.”
Lang Qi was always a man of few words. If he could say something in one word, he would never use two. So when he had told her that Tu Bing “wasn’t well,” Tu Cai had thought something serious had happened. Fortunately, it was just some mild discomfort.
After catching her breath, Tu Cai reached out and gently felt Tu Bing’s belly. “You’re about to give birth soon. You shouldn’t be coming down the mountain at this stage.”
Any experienced beastman would know better than to run around at a time like this. But this was Tu Bing’s first pregnancy, and she had been so enraged by Tu Lei’s actions that she had come down the mountain herself just to personally punish him.
Tu Cai helped Tu Bing walk back up the mountain slowly. Seeing that Tu Bing was fine, Bai Tu finally relaxed as well. After all, what Tu Lei had done hadn’t really affected him much. The real problem would have been if Tu Bing had been frightened into a premature labor.
“Let’s head back too,” Lang Qi said as he carefully shielded Bai Tu on their way back to the cave.
Since Lang Qi was still carrying food for the cubs, the two of them moved faster than Tu Cai and Tu Bing. Meanwhile, Tu Cai was quietly giving Tu Bing instructions on what to be mindful of in the coming days.
She happened to glance up at Bai Tu’s back and was momentarily stunned.
She hadn’t noticed earlier, but Bai Tu seemed to be wearing a lot of layers. His figure even looked slightly rounder than it had in the summer. But Bai Tu had always been thin—so even if he had gained some weight, he was still much slimmer than most beastmen.
Just as she tried to get a better look, Lang Qi subtly shifted his position, blocking Bai Tu from view.
Tu Cai quickly averted her gaze. Among all the beastmen she had ever met, Lang Qi had the strongest possessiveness by far. It was already rare for him to let Bai Tu out in the first place, and now, he wasn’t even allowing others to look at him?
Bai Tu, of course, had no idea what Tu Cai was thinking. Once he returned to the cave, he simply waited for news from Lang Ze, Bai An, and the others.
Lang Ze was the kind of person who acted immediately once he made a decision—he never wasted time. The moment he got the list, he rushed straight to the Wolf Tribe and brought the people back before nightfall.
Bai Tu estimated the time and figured Lang Ze had probably skipped dinner. He must have shifted into his beast form to run there and back.
In his current state, standing guard at the border was out of the question—there was no sense in making people work on an empty stomach. The Black Stool Tribe wasn’t going to attack right this second, so Bai Tu sent a message to Tu Mu, asking him to prepare extra food. Not only for immediate consumption but also to warm up some snacks that could be carried.
The outside temperature was low, but if they wrapped the food between two layers of beast pelts, it would stay warm for at least a night. By morning, they could take it out and eat it while it was still warm. The next day, they could deliver a second batch.
The enemy was already at their doorstep—there was no reason to hold back now. Bai Tu checked the tribe’s food reserves and, without hesitation, decided to increase everyone’s rations.
Whether they ended up fighting or not, he wanted everyone to eat their fill.
As a result, before the battle even started, the tribe’s meals had improved significantly. The initial fear many beastmen had about the possible fight was gradually fading.
One beastman, who had been so scared earlier that he had hidden in his cave, took a bite of a juicy pork knuckle and exclaimed, “If we could eat like this every day, I’d fight without hesitation!”
After all, which tribe had better food than theirs?
They had such an incredible tribe—how could they back down, even if the Lion Tribe came attacking? If they ran, all this amazing food would end up in someone else’s hands!
Since the recent trips to the market had consumed a lot of food, the tribe’s stored meat supply wasn’t as abundant as before. Recently, Tu Mu had been cooking in a more balanced way—there was enough food to go around, but it wasn’t all meat. Otherwise, people wouldn’t have complained so much about the wheat porridge.
However, with adjustments to their diet, that wheat porridge had been replaced with delicious, fragrant flatbreads. Enthusiasm for mealtime had risen significantly.
That said, each person was only allowed two flatbreads at most, and when it came to meat, they were chewing on bones more often than before.
It wasn’t that Tu Mu was reluctant to give them more meat—it was just that, when they had gone to the market, they had specifically chosen only the best cuts of meat from the hunted animals. Any meat attached to bones, or pieces that were harder to cook, had been left behind entirely.
These foods needed to be eaten gradually. While everyone occasionally enjoyed gnawing on bones, eating only bones every day was far less satisfying than tearing into chunks of meat. Especially when compared to the generous meals they had enjoyed on their trips to the market, the recent meals seemed a little lacking.
The timing, however, worked out perfectly. Over the past few days, they had nearly finished off all the leftover bones from previous hunts. Starting today, they were eating whole hunted animals. This naturally meant a higher meat content in every meal. And with Bai Tu’s orders to increase rations, the difference was immediately noticeable. Compared to the food they had eaten just a few days ago, today’s feast felt overwhelmingly satisfying.
But the thought that these very meals might one day belong to another tribe filled many of them with shame, especially those who had hidden in fear that morning.
The beastmen who hadn’t been frightened by the rumors mocked them. “You weren’t saying that when you were cowering in a cave earlier,” one of them sneered. “In fact, weren’t you the one trying to get everyone else to hide with you?”
The embarrassed beastman let out a foolish chuckle and scratched his head. “I got tricked, okay?”
That morning, he had overheard someone saying that the Black Stool Tribe was about to invade. Panicked, he had immediately hidden his mate and children deep in a cave, afraid that the Lion Tribe would charge in at any moment. He had been so terrified that he hadn’t even dared to step outside and had even convinced others to hide as well. It wasn’t until Bai An and Bai Chen called them out that he realized they had all been deceived.
The Black Stool Tribe hadn’t actually attacked yet—they had only issued a threat the previous day. And besides, the Wolf Tribe reinforcements were already on their way.
Numbers bring confidence. The more people they had, the stronger they felt. With their own tribe standing strong, and the Wolf Tribe backing them up, plus the potential reinforcements from the Leopard Tribe, all their earlier fears faded into reassurance.
Now, eating such a delicious meal, that same beastman deeply regretted his actions that morning. Even if he had hidden his mate and children away, he himself should not have cowered.
His duty was to protect the tribe.
If all of them hid, then who would protect these hard-earned supplies?
The dining hall was lively, filled with beastmen who had regained their fighting spirit. They were no longer afraid—they were eager to defend their home.
In a dark corner of the cave, Tu Lei huddled under a thin layer of beast hide, shivering violently.
He deeply regretted everything he had done that morning.
But it was too late.
Not only was Tu Bing completely ignoring him, but even Bai An and Bai Chen hadn’t spared him a single glance.
As night fell, the wind outside grew stronger. Even within the cave, it felt no different from being outside. The bitter cold seeped into his bones, and Tu Lei felt like he was about to freeze to death.
Just as he was sinking into despair, someone walked in.
A rolled-up stiff, frozen beast hide landed roughly on him.
“Get up. We’re leaving.”
Tu Lei’s eyes fluttered open. When he saw Bai Qi, his heart sank in disappointment.
“Why is it you?” he muttered bitterly.
If it had been Bai An or Bai Chen, he might have had a chance to plead his case. Bai An, being the oldest, was the most soft-hearted among them. Bai Chen was Tu Bing’s mate—perhaps, for Tu Bing’s sake, he would have spared him just this once.
Even if it had been another beastman, he could have tried intimidation. He could have threatened them, forced them to loosen his bindings, and then gone to beg Bai An and Bai Chen for mercy. Anything to avoid being sent to the mines.
But the absolute last person he wanted to see was Bai Qi.
Bai Qi was younger than him, and the two had fought many times over food as children. Every single time, Tu Bing had sided with Bai Qi.
If Tu Lei had to name his two most hated people, they would be Bai Tu and Bai Qi.
Bai Tu had threatened Bai Chen’s position, while Bai Qi had threatened his.
With Bai Qi around, Tu Bing had never treated him like her real little brother.
Yet, in his bitter resentment, Tu Lei completely ignored one crucial truth—back then, Tu Bing hadn’t even been the leader of the gathering team yet.
She hadn’t received enough food to feed two people.
The food Tu Lei had fought over?
It had originally been Bai An’s gift to Bai Qi.
Tu Lei had stolen Bai Qi’s portion.
Of course Tu Bing had sided with Bai Qi.
“Enough with the nonsense. Move it.”
Bai Qi kicked Tu Lei hard.
Although Tu Bing was technically just his brother’s mate, in Bai Qi’s eyes, she was as good as an older sister. When Bai Chen and Tu Bing had become partners, Bai Qi had still been young, and over the years, Tu Bing had taken care of him countless times.
The more Tu Bing cared for him, the less Bai Qi could tolerate Tu Lei—this useless burden who did nothing but cause trouble.
Tu Lei had never contributed anything meaningful, only brought them endless problems. And this time, he had nearly offended Bai Tu and the Wolf Tribe.
Bai Qi was about the same age as Lang Ze, so he knew exactly how highly Bai Tu was regarded among the young wolves. The Wolf Tribe had come to help solely because of Bai Tu. And it was because of Bai Tu that their own tribe had grown stronger.
Yet Tu Lei actually believed Bai Tu was a threat to his position?
What position? The position of a worthless fool?
Tu Lei’s body was tightly bound with vine ropes, making it impossible for him to stand on his own. Bai Qi scoffed in disdain, yanked on the vines to haul Tu Lei to his feet, then tossed a rolled-up beast hide over him before shoving him forward with another kick.
“Hurry up. If we don’t reach the mines before dawn, you won’t get any food tomorrow.”
“You—!”
Tu Lei was absolutely livid. He and Bai Qi had never gotten along since childhood, and now Bai Qi was treating him like this? He was so furious he nearly spat blood, but there was nothing he could do. The ropes binding him were double-layered, completely preventing him from fighting back.
As he was dragged out of the tribe, Tu Lei kept looking back toward the mountain cave where Tu Bing lived.
But from start to finish, Tu Bing never appeared again.
*
Meanwhile, in the dining hall, the beastmen finished their hearty dinner. Stuffing their pockets with snacks, they headed toward the borders of their territory—to keep watch over the other tribes that might have dangerous ideas.
Up on the mountain, Bai Tu was contemplating a better way to record and manage tribal data.
Originally, when the tribe was small and jobs were straightforward, using bamboo slips had worked well. Back then, tasks were rarely reassigned, and squad leaders were fixed, so records only needed minor updates every month or two. The workload had been manageable.
But now that it was winter, everything had changed.
Hunters were being reassigned to patrol teams, blacksmithing, iron refining, construction, and other work crews. Their numbers and workload were constantly shifting, meaning that squad leaders were changing all the time.
At this point, bamboo slips were becoming incredibly inconvenient.
Each roll of bamboo slips contained records for about twenty people—all belonging to the same squad. But now, if one person was reassigned to a different team, Bai Tu had to untie the bamboo roll, remove a single bamboo strip, and reinsert it into a different roll.
Each single job adjustment cost him half a day of work— and that was with Lang Qi helping. The workload was becoming absurd.
Beyond that, the tribe’s population had grown significantly.
At first, integrating the Lion Tribe had been manageable. But now that they had also welcomed the Vulture Tribe, the amount of data to record had more than doubled.
Squad leaders were struggling with their responsibilities, and Bai Tu himself was getting headaches from the sheer volume of work required to compile everything.
For the first time, Bai Tu seriously missed modern digital record-keeping.
Of course, with the tribe’s current technological level, electronic devices were impossible. But paper—that was something he could work on.
He wouldn’t be able to produce the fine, smooth white paper of modern times anytime soon, but coarse paper or even xuan paper could be feasible.
If he could successfully create even the most basic paper, he could gradually refine the process.
The raw materials wouldn’t be an issue—the area around the tribe was full of grass and trees. Bai Tu mentally reviewed the papermaking process. He wouldn’t be able to replicate it exactly, but he could experiment based on his existing knowledge.
There was plenty of time—he could keep testing until he got a workable result.
Just as he finished scribbling down a rough outline of the process and was about to head to bed, Bai Chen suddenly rushed in, looking flustered.
“Tu! Bing gave birth to two cubs!”
Bai Tu’s eyes immediately lit up. “That’s great news!”
But then, he noticed something off about Bai Chen’s expression.
His smile faded slightly. “What’s wrong?”
Bai Chen choked up. “One of the cubs was stillborn.”
He and Tu Bing had been mates for several years now.
Watching others welcome their newborns, he would be lying if he said he didn’t envy them. But year after year, nothing happened for them. And with food shortages plaguing the tribe for most of the year, there was barely any time to dwell on it—only the occasional pang of regret when he saw other beastmen cradling their young.
Earlier this year, after nearly losing his life in an accident, Bai Chen had even thought that not having children might be a blessing.
If he had truly died, raising a cub alone would have been incredibly difficult for Tu Bing. Bai An was already old—he couldn’t protect them forever.
Everyone knew how hard it was for a beastman to raise a cub alone. Even Bai An had struggled to raise both Bai Chen and Bai Qi when they were young. If his hunting skills hadn’t improved later, they might not have survived at all.
Bai Chen had never expected that, despite his severe injuries, Bai Tu would find a way to save him. And soon after he recovered, he received the news that Tu Bing was pregnant.
From that moment on, everything in the tribe had started improving. Food was no longer scarce, and even the Wolf Tribe had come to help them guard their supplies.
Bai Chen had believed that their lives were only going to get better and better.
But before he could even fully enjoy this happiness, disaster struck.
Tu Bing’s health had been fragile lately. Tu Cai had said it was because she had suffered a shock early in the pregnancy. But she had also reassured them that as long as Tu Bing rested properly, the cubs would be born safely.
Wanting to keep her stress-free, Bai Chen had deliberately kept quiet when he discovered that Tu Lei was the one spreading rumors. He had planned to wait until after the birth to tell her.
But somehow, Tu Bing heard the news anyway.
Bai An and Bai Chen had been discussing the situation outside her cave, unaware that she had been in the cave right next door.
By the time Tu Cai arrived to take Tu Bing back up the mountain, she had already gone down to confront Tu Lei herself.
That was when Bai Chen noticed something was wrong. Tu Bing had been anxious and furious, and she had spent too much time standing in the cold at the foot of the mountain. When she returned, her forehead was damp with cold sweat.
Bai Chen had been worried sick. While arranging for extra patrols around the tribe, he had also been anxiously thinking about Tu Bing.
Then, just as he heard that Tu Bing had given birth, before he could even feel relieved—
He learned that one of the cubs had been born lifeless.
The other cub’s cries were weak, and there was a high chance it wouldn’t survive long.
What should have been a moment of pure joy had turned into a devastating blow.
And to make matters worse, Tu Bing had fallen into a coma after giving birth.
Even Tu Cai had never encountered a beastman who lost consciousness after childbirth.
Bai Chen had been so terrified for Tu Bing that he hadn’t even looked at the surviving cub. He had stayed by her bedside, watching over her every second until she finally woke up.
Tu Bing still remembered how Bai Tu had been waiting eagerly to see the cubs. So the moment she woke up, the first thing she did was urge Bai Chen to go and tell Bai Tu.
Bai Chen agreed, but as he stepped out of the cave, his mind was consumed by the thought of the cub that had already passed away.
Becoming a father should have been the happiest moment of his life, but this tragedy had cut that joy in half. He tried his best to act happy, but no matter how hard he tried, it just wasn’t possible.
When Bai Tu heard that one of the cubs didn’t survive, his heart skipped a beat.
Immediately, he asked, “Where is the cub?”
“In the cave,” Bai Chen replied.
Tu Bing had rushed him so urgently that he hadn’t even had a chance to take a proper look at the stillborn cub before coming to find Bai Tu.
Without hesitation, Bai Tu grabbed Lang Qi and hurried toward Tu Bing’s cave.
He might not know much about pregnant mothers, but he did know a lot about cubs and children.
And sometimes—just because a newborn isn’t breathing doesn’t mean it’s beyond saving.
No matter what the outcome would be, he had to at least try.
Thank you!