Chapter 104
Tu Cheng stared at Bao Duo, but all he saw in his eyes was genuine sincerity.
In that moment, he felt even worse than if he had been captured—at least if he had been caught, he could have explained it away as failing to make contact with the right people. But now, all he was receiving were one bad news after another.
He had thought that even if the Wild Lion Tribe was gone, the Black Lion Tribe would still be reliable. Yet as soon as he stepped outside, the first thing he heard was that the Black Lion Tribe had been beaten back by the Rabbit Tribe.
Bao Duo, however, seemed completely unfazed by Tu Cheng’s intentions to overthrow the Snow Rabbit and Blood Wolf Tribes. Instead, he simply continued urging him to go back.
“If you don’t go back now, it’ll be too late.”
“It’s going to snow soon.”
“I’m going to eat. Are you hungry?”
Tu Cheng, who had been distracted by thoughts of the Black Lion Tribe’s failure, snapped back to reality at the mention of food. He nodded. “Hungry.”
“Oh.” Bao Duo nodded back at him and added, “The Snow Rabbit Tribe recently made a new kind of meat sauce. It’s even better than before.”
Tu Cheng continued to stare at him blankly. So the meat sauce is good, and then what?
Bao Duo, oblivious to Tu Cheng’s frustration, continued, “And their noodles are really good too. But there’s not enough of them. Sigh… but we can’t just fight the Snow Rabbit Tribe for more food, right?”
Tu Cheng had only ever heard people mention noodles while mining, but he had never actually eaten them. Hearing Bao Duo talk about them so casually, he didn’t know how to react.
But Bao Duo didn’t seem to care whether Tu Cheng responded or not. He simply waved at a nearby beastman and called out, “Hurry up and bring the food! Today, we’re eating a big portion!”
Although the Leopard Tribe was small, they still had a communal dining hall—it was just smaller and had fewer food options compared to the Snow Rabbit and Blood Wolf Tribes. But Bao Duo firmly believed that as long as they followed Bai Tu’s example, in a few years, their tribe would enjoy the same kind of life.
The advantage of having a small tribe was that everything was close by. Not long after Bao Duo spoke, another leopard beastman brought over their food.
There were no noodles, just a large portion of braised beef and two small flatbreads. Bai Tu had once called this “roujiamo” (meat-stuffed sandwich), but Bao Duo was convinced Bai Tu had remembered it wrong. Shouldn’t the meat be wrapping the bread instead? However, when he ate it at the Snow Rabbit Tribe, he had been too busy enjoying the taste to bring it up. Next time, he’d make sure to correct Bai Tu.
As he ate, Bao Duo’s urge to share knowledge kicked in. He enthusiastically explained the “proper” way to eat roujiamo, even as he chewed on his food. In between bites, he turned to Tu Cheng and asked, “The meat should be wrapped around the bread, right? What do you think?”
Tu Cheng did not care about the correct way to eat a roujiamo.
The past few days had left him frustrated and desperate. He had been struggling to meet his coal-mining quota, which meant he barely received enough food.
Even if someone wasn’t able to meet their quota, they weren’t completely starved—but the portion they received was pathetically small. Tu Cheng was certain someone had been stealing his share, but he had no proof and nowhere to complain.
Less coal meant less food, and as a result, he had not eaten for an entire day.
The only thing he had eaten that morning was a hard, tasteless roasted corn cob. By the time he escaped, he had already been hungry but didn’t dare stop to eat, fearing he might get caught before reaching the Leopard Tribe. He had traveled cautiously, avoiding any encounters with rabbits or wolves.
Thinking he had successfully escaped, Tu Cheng hadn’t expected to arrive at the Leopard Tribe only to hear that the Black Lion Tribe had been defeated. And now, Bao Duo was eating in front of him without offering a single bite.
As Tu Cheng fumed in silence, Bao Duo suddenly turned to him and asked again, “Are you hungry?”
“Yes.” Tu Cheng gritted his teeth as he answered.
Bao Duo nodded once again and praised his meal, “Braised beef is better than roasted meat.”
“Exactly!” the other leopard beastman agreed enthusiastically.
The two of them then launched into a full-blown discussion about how amazing their food was.
At first, Tu Cheng could still tolerate it, but as their praise continued, his hunger became unbearable. He could even hear his own stomach growling.
“What was that noise?” Bao Duo looked around, then settled his gaze on Tu Cheng. “Was that your stomach?”
Tu Cheng clenched his jaw as he glared at Bao Duo’s completely innocent expression.
Now he understood—Bao Duo was doing this on purpose! He was deliberately messing with him!
But no matter how furious Tu Cheng was, he didn’t dare say anything. He had nowhere else to go.
The Wild Lion Tribe had been defeated by the wolves. The Black Lion Tribe didn’t dare step into the Snow Rabbit Tribe’s territory. The only nearby tribe left was the Leopard Tribe.
Even though the Leopard Tribe had helped the rabbits before, that didn’t matter.
Tu Cheng convinced himself that he could stay here temporarily. Once he gained the trust of the Leopard Tribe, he would persuade them to support him.
The only reason the Rabbit Tribe defeated the Black Lion Tribe was because other tribes had helped them.
If he could turn those allies against them, he could still succeed—it would just take longer.
Hu Bu must wait for him.
Tu Cheng clenched his fists, mentally encouraging himself.
With the Wild Lion Tribe captured, Shi Hong was useless now. If Tu Cheng proved himself, Hu Bu would definitely leave Shi Hong and choose him instead.
Having made up his mind, Tu Cheng decided to suppress his hunger and prepare to convince Bao Duo to let him stay.
Just as he was about to speak, however, a leopard orc ran in, grinning from ear to ear.
“Chief, Captain Bai Qi is here!”
“Let him in quickly, it’s freezing outside,” Bao Duo said, then turned to Tu Cheng again, continuing to urge him, “It’s getting colder outside. You should go back.”
Tu Cheng hadn’t even had time to process his shock that Bai Qi had arrived so soon when Bao Duo’s words infuriated him even more.
What was so special about Bai Qi? Back when Tu Cheng was part of the hunting team, Bai Qi was nothing more than a clueless little brat. And now, Bao Duo treated him like a tribal chief, while treating Tu Cheng like worthless filth by the riverbank.
Tu Cheng wanted to lash out, but remembering that he was still on Leopard Tribe’s territory, he swallowed his anger. Then, it suddenly hit him—Bai Qi was here!
If Bai Qi saw him, he would be taken back immediately.
Panicking, Tu Cheng blurted out, “Can I hide somewhere?”
“Hide? Why?” Bao Duo asked, looking genuinely confused.
Tu Cheng realized there was no time left. He worried that Bai Qi would walk in any second, so he tried to move past Bao Duo and hide behind him.
But he was too slow. Before he could take a step, Bai Qi and his team had already walked in.
“Finally, you’re here,” Bao Duo greeted Bai Qi with a wave.
Tu Cheng froze in place, staring in disbelief at Bao Duo.
But the leopard beastmens’ expression remained as honest and good-natured as ever, making it impossible to tell what he was really thinking.
Bai Qi, however, wasn’t interested in wasting time. He simply waved a hand, and two beastman behind him immediately grabbed Tu Cheng and dragged him away.
*
On the way back, Tu Cheng kept trying to comfort himself—one failed escape didn’t matter. He would find another chance.
Next time, though, he wouldn’t go to the Leopard Tribe. Bao Duo looked simple-minded, but he was actually cunning and devious!
Bai Qi showed no mercy this time, sending Tu Cheng straight to the area with the highest security in the mines.
This section didn’t hold many prisoners, but it was guarded by six beastmen on rotating shifts. They worked in two teams of three, ensuring that someone was always watching—making escape nearly impossible.
Tu Cheng worried Bai Qi might punish him further, but after arriving at the new holding area, he relaxed.
As long as they didn’t beat him, he could still find another chance to escape.
The next day, while working, Tu Cheng noticed a familiar beastman in the mining team—Tu Lei.
Tu Cheng’s heart leapt with joy.
Tu Lei was Tu Bing’s younger brother. Although Tu Cheng had always looked down on him for being lazy and using Tu Bing’s status to slack off, right now, he couldn’t be happier to see him.
He could use Tu Lei to escape!
What Tu Cheng completely overlooked, however, was the most obvious question—if Tu Lei was so capable, why was he stuck here in the first place?
Tu Cheng had been brought back after dinner, and Bai Qi—as well as the other guards—had no intention of making special arrangements for him.
He endured hunger all night, and by the next morning, when he finally went to get food, he was told—he wasn’t getting any.
“Breakfast is given based on yesterday’s work. You didn’t do any.”
The beastman handing out the food didn’t hold back at all. “If you slack off today, you’ll go hungry again.”
His voice was loud, and several of the guards turned their attention toward Tu Cheng.
But when they saw who it was, most of them simply lost interest and looked away.
Tu Cheng clenched his fists tightly.
They were all laughing at him.
After a moment, Tu Cheng silently stepped away, retreating to a corner where Tu Lei was sitting.
His eyes landed on Tu Lei’s food—a bowl of simple rations.
In the past, he would have never even considered eating such low-quality food. Especially when he first arrived at the Wild Lion Tribe, where he had eaten huge chunks of roasted meat.
Back then, Hu Bu had been willing to share food with him.
Thinking of Hu Bu, Tu Cheng took a deep breath. No matter what, he had to escape.
He needed to find a way to free Hu Bu.
With that thought in mind, Tu Cheng leaned in closer to Tu Lei and lowered his voice.
“Do you want to become the most powerful person in the tribe?”
Tu Lei was eating his meal when he suddenly heard Tu Cheng’s words. His chopsticks froze mid-air, and he looked up at Tu Cheng.
“You have a way?”
Of course, he wanted to become the most powerful beastman in the tribe. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so resentful toward Bai Tu. The more high-ranking figures like Bai Chen and Bai An there were, the lower his own status became. But if he could become the leader, who would care about Bai Chen or Tu Bing anymore?
Tu Lei’s eyes lit up with excitement, staring at Tu Cheng eagerly. “You really have a way? Do you?!”
Seeing his enthusiasm, a flash of disdain crossed Tu Cheng’s eyes. Only someone as brainless as Tu Lei would believe a single sentence without question. But that was exactly what made him easy to manipulate.
Tu Cheng responded seriously, “Yes. I’ve already made contact with people outside. As long as you help me escape, I can make you the chief.”
Tu Lei was overjoyed, almost jumping up in excitement. But when he noticed the guards watching them, he quickly sat back down, though he still looked unbelievably eager. “Are you sure? The people you contacted—can they really help me?”
“Of course,” Tu Cheng assured him. “We share the same surname. The Snow Rabbit Tribe’s leader should always come from the Tu family. Bai An and the others are outsiders! I will definitely help you.”
Tu Lei nodded furiously, his excitement growing. “Yes! It was always supposed to be our tribe!”
Tu Lei thought Tu Cheng’s words made perfect sense. The Snow Rabbit Tribe had always belonged to the Tu family, and the Bai family had only joined later.
What Tu Lei conveniently forgot was that the tribes had merged decades ago, long before he was born. They had already become one, but Tu Cheng’s words stirred his resentment, making him desperate to overthrow Bai An and Bai Chen immediately so he could take power.
Seeing how eager Tu Lei was, Tu Cheng felt relieved. As expected—he was an idiot. It barely took any effort to fool him.
Tu Lei, still lost in the fantasy of becoming chief, suddenly felt like he had misjudged Tu Cheng in the past.
He had always thought Tu Cheng was a bad person—someone who had tried to kill Bai Chen and Bai Tu. But now that he thought about it, if Tu Cheng had succeeded, the tribe’s leader would probably be him by now.
Tu Lei reasoned that Bai An was already old and wouldn’t be chief for much longer. If Bai Chen and Bai Tu were gone, the only high-ranking beastman left would be him.
What he didn’t consider was that without Bai Chen and Tu Bing, he would be nothing in the tribe.
Blinded by excitement, Tu Lei didn’t even realize how absurd his thoughts were.
His brain briefly worked properly for a second, though, when he noticed Tu Cheng eyeing his food. Feeling generous, he pushed his bowl forward and said, “You didn’t eat this morning, right? Here, have some.”
Tu Cheng felt disgusted by the poor-quality food—especially since Tu Lei had already eaten from it—but he hadn’t eaten in over a day. Ignoring his usual standards, he grabbed the bowl and began shoveling food into his mouth.
Even as he ate, he didn’t forget his main objective. After swallowing a few bites and filling his stomach just enough, he got straight to the point.
“Find a way to get me out of here.”
“What?” Tu Lei looked at him, surprised.
“Find a way to let me escape,” Tu Cheng repeated, assuming Tu Lei hadn’t heard him clearly the first time.
Tu Lei stared at him, utterly shocked. “I thought YOU were going to get ME out!”
Tu Cheng’s expression darkened. He was now fully convinced that Tu Lei was an idiot.
If he could escape on his own, why would he be wasting time talking to Tu Lei?
Since Tu Lei was the only one who might be able to help him escape, Tu Cheng forced himself to be patient for once and explained, “I’ve made contact with people outside, but I need your help to get out of here.”
“I don’t know how to do that,” Tu Lei replied matter-of-factly. If he could escape, he would’ve done so already—why else would he still be stuck here, doing hard labor?
Tu Cheng’s frown deepened, his irritation growing stronger. Useless. Completely useless. The food was terrible, and now he had wasted his time on someone who couldn’t even help him escape. Finishing the last few bites, he pushed the empty bowl back toward Tu Lei and decided to find someone else to cooperate with.
Seeing that Tu Cheng was about to walk away, Tu Lei quickly blocked his path.
“Wait! When are you going to make me the chief?”
“In your next life.” Tu Cheng shoved him aside without hesitation.
This idiot couldn’t even serve a purpose, yet he still dreamed of becoming the chief? What a joke.
“Hey! How can you be like this?!” Tu Lei shouted angrily, raising his voice. “You ate my food and then went back on your word!”
More agitated by the second, he yelled even louder, “You just tricked me for a meal!”
Tu Cheng immediately panicked. His voice was too loud! If the others started paying attention, they might suspect something. He tried to cover Tu Lei’s mouth, but it was already too late.
“What’s going on over here?”
The only peaceful time in the labor camp was during mealtime. It was also when the guards were the most relaxed, since the prisoners, exhausted from heavy labor and given only small portions, would focus entirely on eating as quickly as possible—some of them even licking their plates clean in fear that someone else might steal their food.
However, stealing food was strictly prohibited. If someone tried to snatch food that wasn’t theirs, the punishment was severe—it was common to go several days without food as a consequence.
In the beginning, some had tried to steal, but after harsh punishments, no one dared to do it anymore.
So while food theft was rare, it seemed like someone had resorted to tricking others out of their food instead.
Two guards approached, their expressions stern, as they asked, “What’s going on? What’s all this yelling about? What food?”
Tu Lei, still furious over being deceived, wasted no time snitching on Tu Cheng, “He ate all my food on purpose! He tricked me into giving it to him!”
Tu Cheng tried to stop him, but the guards wouldn’t let him speak.
After listening to the full story, the two guards exchanged glances, their expressions a mix of disbelief and amusement.
What a pair of fools.
One of them had thought the other could help him escape, while the other had believed he could become chief.
The two guards took a good, hard look at Tu Cheng and Tu Lei, wondering how on earth either of them had believed the other.
The taller of the two guards finally sighed, unwilling to waste more time on such a ridiculous situation. He unfastened two iron chains from his belt and tossed them onto the ground in front of them.
“Enough. Both of you, put these on.”
The guard felt that both Tu Cheng and Tu Lei were troublemakers.
Tu Lei had never been obedient since arriving, and Tu Cheng had been scheming to escape since his first day.
Since both were problematic, it was safer to keep them in chains while they worked.
Tu Cheng’s expression darkened as he stared at the iron chains, but he suppressed his anger and silently locked them around his ankles, complying with the order.
Then, he looked up, taking a long, hard look at the two guards before shifting his gaze to Tu Lei, committing all of their faces to memory.
He would never forgive them.
With the chains on, escaping became even harder. While they didn’t affect his ability to dig, they restricted movement—he could still take a few steps forward while working, but if he tried to run, he wouldn’t get very far before being caught.
So, Tu Cheng kept working, his mind seething with anger, plotting his revenge for when he finally got out.
While Tu Cheng was busy harboring his hatred, the guards nearby were chatting.
Supervising labor seemed like an easy job, but it actually required them to be constantly alert, watching over everyone to prevent slacking or escape attempts.
Staring at one place for too long got boring, so whenever they were sure no one was slacking, they would pass the time by talking.
Their conversation topics were random, and today’s discussion happened to be about Hu Bu.
Before the rainy season, many members of the Blood Wolf Tribe had followed Lang Qi to the Wild Lion Tribe. Back then, they had heard Hu Bu predict that the Snow Rabbit Tribe would eventually swallow up the Blood Wolf Tribe.
Hu Bu had claimed it was a prophecy and that his abilities allowed him to foresee the future.
One of the guards scoffed, “Hu Bu kept running his mouth about being the reincarnation of the Beast God before he died. Do you think he was just high on poison?”
The other beastman nodded in agreement. “Wasn’t Wu Lai’s medicine poisonous? Hu Bu probably ate too much of it.”
Hearing those words, Tu Cheng froze on the spot.
“What did you just say?”
In the past, he would never have dared to confront them, but now, he didn’t care anymore.
His hand trembled as he grabbed his own ear, convincing himself he must have misheard.
“What happened to Hu Bu?” Tu Cheng’s voice was shaky as he grabbed one of the guards’ arms, his face filled with disbelief.
The beastman shoved him off impatiently and snapped, “He’s dead. What else?”
Then, without another glance, he ordered, “Get back to work!”
They despised traitors like Tu Cheng—someone who had tried to harm his own tribe for the sake of the Wild Lion Tribe.
If Tu Cheng’s plans had succeeded, the Snow Rabbit Tribe wouldn’t even exist as it was today.
After forcing him back to work, the guards continued their conversation, casually discussing how: After the Wild Lion Tribe was captured, Shi Hong and Hu Bu had died one after the other. The Blood Wolf Tribe exposed the Red Eagle Tribe’s corruption at the marketplace. Many major events had happened since.
Each piece of news hit Tu Cheng harder than the last, leaving him shocked beyond words.
He already knew that the Wild Lion Tribe had been captured, since many lion beastmen had been forced into labor here.
But getting captured and getting killed were two completely different things.
Hu Bu was dead?
Tu Cheng stood there, his mind blank, unable to tell if he was mourning Hu Bu’s death or mourning the loss of his own future.
His entire plan had been built around Hu Bu’s survival.
Without Hu Bu, he had no excuse to contact the Black Lion Tribe and the Black Lion Tribe had no reason to listen to him.
The series of devastating blows left Tu Cheng lightheaded, nearly losing his balance.
But aside from Tu Lei, who was smirking at his misfortune, no one else even looked at him.
Only then did Tu Cheng finally realize—his escape attempt was a complete joke.
Even if Bao Duo had agreed to help, the Black Lion Tribe would never send their forces to attack the Snow Rabbit Tribe.
Tu Cheng had lost everything.
How did Hu Bu die? How could Hu Bu possibly be dead?
Tu Cheng kept muttering these words under his breath.
Impossible. Hu Bu couldn’t be dead.
He desperately reassured himself—these people must have made up a lie to mess with him after his escape attempt.
Hu Bu had traveled across entire continents without dying—how could he possibly die here in the Eastern Continent?
Then there was the Red Eagle Tribe.
Tu Cheng had never heard Hu Bu mention them, but he had seen him hand over cubs to them. From that, he could guess that their relationship was good.
And yet, even the Red Eagle Tribe had ended up confronting the Rabbit and Wolf Tribes.
A surge of resentment welled up in Tu Cheng.
Why had the beastmen who went to the marketplace gone after the Red Eagle Tribe?
It must have been because they wanted their food.
All that talk about “exposing their evil deeds” was just an excuse—they simply wanted to take their resources!
A bunch of hypocrites.
Tu Cheng clenched his fists, his hatred for the beastmen around him deepening.
And yet, he didn’t even have the courage to fight back against the two guards standing in front of him.
Bai Tu received news that Tu Cheng had been recaptured the next day at noon.
For a moment, he didn’t know what to say.
Tu Cheng had gone through all that trouble just to take a short trip to the Leopard Tribe?
However, his escape wasn’t a complete waste of time—it finally explained why the Black Lion Tribe had attacked the Snow Rabbit Tribe instead of trying to reclaim their missing cubs.
Hu Bu had already been in contact with them.
To confirm this, Bai Tu called over Shi Zhen and asked him whether, during the siege on the Wild Lion Tribe, the Black Lion Tribe had also been one of the attacking forces.
Shi Zhen was even more shocked than Bai Tu when he heard that Hu Bu had connections with the Black Lion Tribe.
The Black Lion Tribe had shown no mercy when they attacked us, Shi Zhen thought.
Countless beastmen were injured or killed.
“How could Hu Bu have had ties with them?”
Shi Zhen still found it hard to believe.
The two tribes were supposed to be enemies—why would Hu Bu have reached out to them?
Bai Tu and Shi Zhen discussed the matter for a while, but they couldn’t figure out Hu Bu’s motives.
Then, a few days later, something unexpected happened—
A disheveled lion beastman stumbled into the Snow Rabbit Tribe’s territory.
The lion beastman wore nothing but a tattered animal hide, her entire body covered in exhaustion and panic.
She had clearly been running for a long time.
The patrol team didn’t know how to handle her at first.
If she had come with a group, they would have driven her back without hesitation.
But beastmen had a common trait—they could be ruthless against strong enemies but were softhearted toward the weak.
Seeing her in such a pitiful state, they couldn’t just attack her.
Instead, they were met with a surprising reaction— The lion beastman dropped to her knees, grabbing at their legs, and begged for help.
But she wouldn’t explain what had happened.
The only thing she kept repeating was that she wanted to see the chief.
In the end, the squad leader decided to continue patrolling with the rest of the team while he and another beastman escorted her back to the tribe.
Since Bai An wasn’t around, they brought her directly to Bai Tu.
The moment Bai Tu saw her, he was startled.
He had seen plenty of weak beastmen before, but this lion beastman wasn’t just thin—she was also pregnant.
That alone was shocking enough.
But what stunned him even more were the first words out of her mouth—
“Shi Wu locked us in caves and forced us to have children. After we gave birth, they took all the cubs away!”
(Author’s Note: We’re about to uncover the missing cubs!)
Thanks for the chapter~~