Chapter 106
Lately, their mealtime routine had been that Bai Tu would start eating first while Lang Qi fed the two cubs.
Once the cubs finished, Lang Qi would eat. He was a fast eater, so they would end up finishing at the same time.
Today was no different, except Lang Qi seemed somewhat distracted while feeding the cubs, as if lost in thought.
His spoon nearly touched one of the cubs’ heads. Bai Tu wondered if he was too exhausted from cooking and offered to help, “I’ll feed them today, or we can each take one?”
Hearing his voice, Lang Qi’s hand trembled, almost spilling the porridge on the cub. However, his face remained calm. “I got it. You eat first.”
Bai Tu noticed his insistence, but Lang Qi’s slightly unsteady movements still concerned him. Could he be overworked from both cooking and handling tribe affairs?
With that thought, Bai Tu decided to lighten Lang Qi’s workload the next day.
Lang Qi was always around, so Bai Tu had developed the habit of asking him for help with everything—it saved time calling for others, and he trusted Lang Qi to handle things well.
Determined, Bai Tu quickened his eating pace and resolved to help with the dishes today. He felt a bit guilty—tribal matters had kept him busy, and Lang Qi had been the one taking care of these chores. He coughed awkwardly.
Lang Qi had just finished feeding the cubs and was about to pick up his chopsticks when he hesitated, glancing sideways. Seeing that Bai Tu wasn’t looking at him, he finally relaxed.
Still thinking about Lang Qi’s exhaustion, Bai Tu picked up a small fish and placed it in Lang Qi’s bowl. “Eat more. You’ve been working hard lately.”
Hearing the words working hard, Lang Qi, who had just begun to relax, tensed up again.
Fortunately, Bai Tu didn’t say anything more. Lang Qi finished his meal absentmindedly and, moving faster than usual, scooped up the two cubs and shoved them into Bai Tu’s arms before swiftly clearing the table.
Bai Tu had just swallowed his last bite and was about to offer to clean up when he found himself staring into the cubs’ expectant eyes.
Faced with the tough choice between caring for the cubs and cleaning the table, he chose to look after the cubs.
Seeing Bai Tu occupied, Lang Qi sped up his cleaning. Throughout the rest of the day, he barely took a break. Every time Bai Tu thought about calling someone else for help, Lang Qi had already taken care of it.
Bai Tu initially planned to let him rest, but somehow, Lang Qi ended up doing even more than usual.
Finally, when they both had a moment of free time, Bai Tu immediately asked, “Do you have something to say?”
Lang Qi had been acting too strangely today, completely different from before.
At first, Bai Tu suspected he might have regained his memory and felt too awkward to bring it up, so he was compensating through actions. But after observing him all day, he realized Lang Qi’s behavior toward others hadn’t changed at all—it was exactly the same as after his amnesia. So, it wasn’t about regaining memories.
Bai Tu thought hard but couldn’t figure it out. Sure, it was nice to have someone more diligent, but Lang Qi was already doing enough. Now he was taking on even more, and Bai Tu wasn’t some ruthless taskmaster—he couldn’t just ignore it.
“If you need something, just tell me. No need to act like this.”
The only explanation Bai Tu could come up with was that Lang Qi wanted something or had a favor to ask, so he got straight to the point.
However, Lang Qi’s reaction surprised him—he didn’t answer immediately, which was rare.
Not wanting to put him on the spot, Bai Tu waved his hand dismissively.”Never mind.”
There weren’t many things that could make Lang Qi hesitate. If he didn’t want to say it, it was probably something personal. Bai Tu decided to wait until he was ready.
Soon, Bai Tu didn’t have time to dwell on Lang Qi’s odd behavior anymore.
Shi Ning had given birth.
The cub was born in the Yellow Lion Tribe, but due to immense stress during pregnancy, constant efforts to uncover the whereabouts of the previous cub, excessive worry, and malnutrition, the newborn was incredibly weak. It was noticeably smaller than the other lion cubs.
The Yellow Lion Tribe looked at the tiny cub, its cries barely audible, then at Shi Ning, who lay on the bed refusing to let anyone near her baby. They were at a loss.
If it were just about keeping people away from the cub, that wouldn’t be too bad—after all, some beastmen were naturally extremely protective of their young.
There were even cases where one parent raised a cub alone until it turned three, refusing to let the other partner see it. Others, on the other hand, would co-parent as soon as the cub was born. But Shi Ning’s behavior wasn’t just ordinary parental protectiveness.
Due to her past experience and her weakened state after childbirth, she was overly vigilant toward everyone. Over the past two days, she had barely eaten anything, only drinking a little water.
Shi Ning had always been physically weaker than others, and she didn’t have enough milk to feed her cub.
With her refusing to eat, it wasn’t just the cub that was in danger—even she wouldn’t last much longer at this rate. The tribe had no way to persuade her, yet they couldn’t just stand by and watch the little lion cub grow weaker. With no other choice, they turned to Bai Tu for help.
After confirming the situation, particularly that the newborn cub had barely eaten anything since birth, Bai Tu immediately gave Shi Su a calming medicine and asked Shi Jia to accompany him to the dining hall to fetch the food Shi Ning had enjoyed while she stayed there.
Shi Ning’s current condition was largely due to Shi Ken.
The trauma of having her last cub taken from her right after birth had been devastating, making her fiercely protective this time. As for her refusal to eat, Bai Tu suspected it was due to a combination of postpartum effects, her beast form interfering with rational thinking, and the stress of suddenly giving birth in an unfamiliar environment. She likely felt unsafe, making her unwilling to eat or drink.
When she had stayed in the Snow Rabbit Tribe, she had been relatively stable.
Bai Tu hoped that familiar food might help her relax. Since the calming medicine contained sleep-inducing ingredients and considering the cub’s weak condition, Bai Tu decided to discuss with Shi Su about bringing Shi Ning back to the Snow Rabbit Tribe.
“I’ll send Shi Ken to the Leopard Tribe,” Bai Tu said.
When Shi Su had first brought Shi Ken and his group over, Shi Ning had been terrified of staying in the same environment as him.
Since all the other pregnant lionesses were going to the Yellow Lion Tribe, Shi Ning had hesitated between the two tribes before ultimately choosing to stay far away from Shi Ken.
She probably hadn’t expected her postpartum state to be this bad, but now it was clear that bringing her back was the better option.
In the Snow Rabbit Tribe, Bai Tu could keep a close watch on her. Between the two, Shi Ning was undoubtedly the priority, so sending Shi Ken far away was the best course of action.
The Leopard Tribe was an ideal choice—far from the Snow Rabbit Tribe, but not entirely lacking in work to keep Shi Ken occupied.
Unlike the Snow Rabbit Tribe, which had heavy workloads in winter, the Leopard Tribe still had tasks such as breaking large chunks of coal into smaller pieces.
While Shi Su returned to try and convince Shi Ning to take the medicine and eat, Bai Tu arranged for the patrol team to escort Shi Ken away, ensuring both actions happened simultaneously.
Once the patrol team left, Bai Tu couldn’t help but curse Shi Ken again—he was undoubtedly the most shameless person he had ever met.
Shi Ken had been in the Snow Rabbit Tribe for several days, still putting on a deeply affectionate act, asking around for Shi Ning’s whereabouts as if he had done nothing wrong and the others were heartless villains keeping them apart.
He had even gone on a hunger strike after being unable to see Shi Ning. However, the Rabbit Tribe had never liked him to begin with, so not only did they refuse to persuade him to eat, but they also quickly took the food away.
In their tribe, every portion of food was a valuable resource—even if they had plenty, they wouldn’t tolerate waste. If Shi Ken wasn’t going to eat, they certainly wouldn’t let the food sit there and spoil.
Shi Ken’s act fooled no one but himself. Almost everyone had either seen or heard about Shi Ning’s suffering. Even though they were from different tribes, abandoning one’s own cub was something that all decent people found utterly reprehensible.
Lang Qi silently listened to Bai Tu’s complaints from beginning to end without saying a word. After a while, as Bai Tu continued venting, Lang Qi quietly handed him a cup of warm water at just the right temperature.
“Good thing you’re not that kind of person,” Bai Tu remarked casually as he accepted the water.
Lang Qi stiffened slightly.
Shi Su soon brought Shi Ning over, but she was tied up. She had eaten some of the food they brought back, but she refused to drink even a sip of the medicine.
The beastmen in the Yellow Lion Tribe responsible for caring for cubs knew this couldn’t go on.
The cub was already weak, and if they waited for Shi Ning to take the medicine voluntarily, it might be too late. With no other option, they decided to take drastic action—they tied her up and forcibly fed her the medicine while she struggled.
Shi Ning tried to resist, but she hadn’t rested properly since giving birth. Struggling drained what little energy she had left, and soon after drinking the medicine, she fell into a deep sleep. Shi Su took advantage of this and quickly brought her over.
Bai Tu checked on the cub first.
It was, without a doubt, the smallest lion cub he had ever seen.
Some of the beastmen rescued from the Wild Lion Tribe had also given birth recently, and Bai Tu had seen their cubs. Because their parents’ beast forms were larger, those cubs were already bigger at birth than the rabbit tribe’s young. But the one in his hands was barely the size of a rabbit cub.
The smaller the cub, the harder it was to keep alive. And this one had barely eaten since birth.
None of this was Shi Ning’s fault—she was in a confused state, convinced that everyone was trying to take her cub away, which made her so defensive.
When Bai Tu had seen Shi Ning in human form, he could tell she was thin, but since she was wearing animal skins, he could only see her face and arms.
Now, seeing her in beast form, he realized she was even thinner than they had imagined. Her ribs were clearly visible, her fur was tangled and dull. If the mother was in such poor condition, the cub’s state could only be worse. Aside from being small, it was extremely underweight.
Bai Tu sighed. Since Shi Ning was still unconscious, he had Tu Mu prepare some milk to feed the cub first, while also cooking easy-to-digest, nutritious food for Shi Ning.
“It’s very well-behaved. It didn’t make a sound the entire way,” Shi Su commented as he watched the little cub drink milk from Bai Tu’s hands. Many cubs he had seen were noisy, but this one was exceptionally quiet.
Bai Tu looked up at him, momentarily unsure how to respond.
Newborn cubs needed to be fed every few hours. This cub hadn’t made a sound not because it was naturally quiet—but because it had been starving for so long that it had passed out.
Bai Tu explained this to Shi Su and took the opportunity to instruct him: if any cub in the tribe slept for half a day without waking up, they needed to be fed.
Most beastmen raised their cubs in a more instinctive manner.
Many didn’t know the proper way to care for young ones. They let the cubs eat as much or as little as they wanted, assuming that if a cub didn’t ask for food, it wasn’t hungry. In reality, some cubs were so malnourished they had lost the strength to seek food.
Not just Shi Su—several others nearby, especially those who had never cared for cubs before, were surprised to hear this. They had always assumed that all hungry cubs would instinctively cry out for food.
“Take a few hourglasses back with you,” Bai Tu said, still remembering the dozen or so beastmen in the Yellow Lion Tribe, most of whom were pregnant.
Since their due dates varied, and given that cubs would definitely be born this winter, Bai Tu wanted to help reduce the number of starving young ones. He didn’t even ask for any resources in return—he simply gave them the hourglasses.
“If the hourglass runs out and there are still cubs who haven’t eaten, make sure to feed them,” he instructed.
The hourglasses he gave Shi Su measured roughly four hours. The ‘roughly’ part was because hourglasses measuring over an hour were never entirely accurate. But since cubs needed feeding every four to five hours, this method worked well enough.
Shi Su had seen the Snow Rabbit Tribe’s glass before, but to protect privacy and prevent breakage, all their glass windows were placed high up. He had never had the chance to touch them. Now, seeing Bai Tu hand him a smooth, transparent hourglass, he carefully accepted it and solemnly promised to use it for the cubs.
Shi Su was a decent person. The fact that he had not only saved his sister but also rescued the imprisoned lion beastmen showed his character. Not to mention, he had made two trips just for Shi Ning’s sake.
Bai Tu didn’t feel any reluctance in giving away the hourglasses. After all, their value mainly came from the craftsmanship involved.
Once they had developed the formula, making them wasn’t difficult. Plus, the Snow Rabbit Tribe had plenty of resources nearby, so gathering the materials hadn’t been too hard, keeping the costs low.
The journey from the Yellow Lion Tribe to the Snow Rabbit Tribe took more than half a day, and with the Black Lion Tribe—whom they had recently clashed with—nearby, Shi Su didn’t stay long. Once he saw that the little lion cub had finished drinking its milk, he prepared to leave, taking two sheep with him.
“When winter ends, we’ll send a cow over,” Shi Su said.
A single cow was much heavier than two sheep, but since their tribe needed sheep’s milk to feed the cubs, they were willing to hunt extra in the spring to trade for more sheep.
Bai Tu understood he was doing this for the rescued beastmen. Those people were just as malnourished as Shi Ning, meaning they likely couldn’t produce enough milk to feed their cubs.
After Shi Su left, Bai Tu stayed to watch over the little lion cub. It was so tiny that it needed to be kept warm at all times. The moment it was taken out of his arms, it started trembling.
To help, Bai Tu set up an incubator for the cub and borrowed a beastman named Tu Ca from the rabbit tribe to help care for it. He had too many other responsibilities to be available at all times.
As for Shi Ning, Shi Jia took over her care. Firstly, because she had recently cared for her own newborn and had experience. Secondly, because Shi Ning had spent time with Shi Jia while staying in the Snow Rabbit Tribe, making her less resistant to her presence.
What surprised Bai Tu was that when Shi Ning woke up, she didn’t struggle as much as Shi Su had warned. Though she remained in her beast form, she seemed to have regained some clarity and wasn’t as openly hostile toward everyone. Her first instinct, however, was to search for her cub.
Anticipating her anxiety, Bai Tu placed the incubator right next to her bed so she could see the cub the moment she woke up. He pulled back the animal skin covering the incubator so it was in plain sight.
The moment Shi Ning saw her cub, she seemed to regain a bit of strength, though she still didn’t have the energy to shift back into human form.
Bai Tu had food brought over, and Shi Ning ate quickly, as if desperate to restore her strength. Every few bites, she would lift her head to check on the cub before continuing.
She seemed to understand the purpose of the incubator because she didn’t take the cub out. Instead, she curled her body around it, forming a protective barrier.
With the incubator keeping both the cub and the surrounding air warm, she could finally sleep peacefully. Bai Tu told Shi Jia not to interfere.
Returning to his cave, Bai Tu sighed. “Shi Ken really is a disaster.”
Hearing about what Shi Ken had done filled him with anger, but seeing Shi Ning’s current state—frail, weak, looking as though she could collapse at any moment after childbirth—alongside the tiny lion cub whose cries were far softer than normal newborns, added a sense of sorrow.
“Shi Ning was truly cursed to have ended up with him,” he muttered.
Lang Qi didn’t say anything. He simply raised his arms and pulled Bai Tu into his embrace, lowering his head to nuzzle against his cheek.
Even though Bai Tu knew Lang Qi liked to do this whenever he had free time, he was still momentarily stunned—something about Lang Qi’s mood felt off today.
“What’s wrong?” He remembered that Lang Qi had already recovered in the past couple of days. So why was he acting strange again today?
Guilt and unease were practically tangible in Lang Qi’s eyes. He placed a light kiss on Bai Tu’s head, but no matter what he did, he couldn’t shake the deep-rooted fear inside him.
Bai Tu looked up, wrapping his arms around Lang Qi’s neck. He gently stroked Lang Qi’s hair, as if soothing him. “Are you feeling unwell? How about resting tomorrow?” he asked worriedly.
Lang Qi responded with a soft hum. As he felt Bai Tu’s gentle touch, the faint red in his eyes flickered and struggled for a moment before gradually fading away.
Lowering his head, he rubbed against Bai Tu just as he always did, yet his chest was a tangled mess of emotions—far more unbearable than his usual irritability.
The bloodshot veins in his eyes would surface, then fade, only to reappear again.
The familiar, soft voice in his ears and the person he cherished most standing before him clashed against the turbulent chaos inside his heart. It was as if he was being torn into two halves—one reveling in Bai Tu’s comforting presence, while the other was drowning in painful turmoil. Lang Qi closed his eyes.
Bai Tu asked him a couple more questions, but when he got no response and noticed that something was truly wrong, he reached up to check Lang Qi’s forehead—only to be shocked.
Even though Lang Qi usually had a slightly higher body temperature than him, today it was scorching hot—at least over 40 degrees. This wasn’t just natural body heat; it was definitely a fever.
“Go rest in bed,” Bai Tu said, pushing Lang Qi toward the bed.
But before he could see Lang Qi obediently walk over, he was met with the sight of a familiar giant wolf.
Bai Tu froze.
Lang Qi did have a tendency to shift into his beast form after being affected by the drug, but ever since they returned from the marketplace, he had rarely done so during the day—only at night when they rested together.
The enormous wolf seemed to be in visible distress, its eyes now a deep, blood-red hue.
Bai Tu recognized this state. Lang Qi had looked the same when he had first been affected by the drug, but back then, he had quickly returned to human form. Even now, Bai Tu still hadn’t figured out the exact cause.
He frowned. A beastman shifting into beast form was always a tricky situation—after all, in that state, they couldn’t speak, and could only communicate through their gaze and actions, leaving Bai Tu to rely entirely on guesswork.
Fortunately, he understood Lang Qi well enough to recognize that he was in discomfort. But that was all he could determine—he had no way of solving the issue.
Bai Tu reached out and rubbed Lang Qi’s head. He thought about going outside to call for one of the wolf tribe members to see if there had been similar cases involving traditional medicine in the past. After all, Lang Qi’s fever was much higher than before.
But just as he was about to step out, Lang Qi pulled him back.
Bai Tu immediately stopped in his tracks.
Normally, when beastmen shifted forms, their thoughts and behaviors didn’t change much. They still acted like their usual selves, aside from occasionally displaying stronger instincts tied to their species.
However, when beastmen transformed due to an abnormal condition, communication often became difficult, and they could become more stubborn and fixated on certain behaviors.
For example, when Shi Ning had just given birth, her mind convinced her that all beastmen were threats to her cub, making her excessively defensive.
Now, Lang Qi’s refusal to let him leave was also a deeply ingrained response.
Recalling their previous experience with this, Bai Tu quickly stepped back, gently stroking Lang Qi’s back to soothe him while coaxing him back into the cave.
Bai Tu was worried that Lang Qi’s condition this time might be the same as before, where he would become hostile toward everyone. Fortunately, though his mind seemed a little unclear, he was still relatively easy to communicate with. Seeing Bai Tu walk back into the cave, Lang Qi didn’t resist or act out—he simply followed.
Bai Tu immediately let out a sigh of relief. As they returned to the inner chamber, the red in Lang Qi’s eyes faded slightly.
Bai Tu knew that once the red completely disappeared, Lang Qi would be fully conscious again. With that in mind, he quickened his movements, gently stroking Lang Qi’s back to comfort him.
Lang Qi nuzzled his face against Bai Tu’s a few times, seeming to enjoy the sensation. A brief moment of clarity flashed in his eyes.
As Bai Tu continued soothing him, he occasionally touched Lang Qi’s head and noticed that his temperature seemed a bit lower than before. Realizing this method was working, he felt relieved.
It didn’t matter whether he could leave the cave or not—what mattered most was that Lang Qi’s condition was improving.
This was probably a lingering effect of the drug. The Iron Elephant Tribe had reported similar symptoms in a few cases, but their understanding of the condition was limited. All they could do was make educated guesses about Lang Qi’s situation.
Bai Tu continued rubbing Lang Qi’s back until night had completely fallen.
Feeling that the large wolf in his arms had somewhat recovered, Bai Tu finally lifted his hand to stretch his sore wrist. Even rubbing a cub for this long would have been exhausting, let alone Lang Qi, who was much bigger. His arms were almost too sore to lift.
Lang Qi lowered his head, watching Bai Tu’s movements. Guilt and unease flickered in his eyes as he gently nuzzled Bai Tu’s hand.
Bai Tu chuckled and reassured him, “It’s fine, don’t worry.”
Compared to the cases in the Iron Elephant Tribe, Lang Qi’s condition was much better. As long as it was just physical exhaustion, it wasn’t a big deal.
Lang Qi lowered his head and rubbed against Bai Tu’s arm in response.
By now, Bai Tu was both exhausted and sleepy. He hadn’t eaten dinner, but he didn’t have an appetite anyway. Closing his eyes, he hugged Lang Qi and fell asleep.
When he woke up, something felt off. The texture under his hand wasn’t quite right. Opening his eyes, he realized that he was in his beast form, curled up in Lang Qi’s human embrace. He was instantly surprised and delighted.
“If you’re back in human form, that means you’re feeling much better,” Bai Tu said.
Climbing up a little, he planted a kiss on Lang Qi’s cheek before shifting back into human form himself.
“Hurry up and make breakfast—I’m starving.” He was truly hungry. He hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday afternoon.
“Mm.” Lang Qi nodded, gently rubbing his face against Bai Tu’s before getting up to dress.
Bai Tu also began putting on his animal skin clothing. After fastening the buttons, he unconsciously patted his waist and muttered, “I think I’ve gained weight.” The animal hide felt tighter than before.
Lang Qi’s movements froze. For a brief moment, it felt like all the blood in his body had stopped flowing.
Thank you for the chapter ???