Chapter 115
From the moment Bai Tu first laid eyes on Lu Ji, he felt something was off. The man’s presence was entirely different from that of the other deer. The rest of the Flower Deer Tribe followed behind Lu Hui with a sense of obedience, whereas Lu Ji was observing his surroundings, as if assessing the Snow Rabbit Tribe’s situation. His barely concealed greed was evident in his gaze.
Later, when Bai Tu asked about the details of the cubs’ disappearance, Lu Ji’s reaction became even more suspicious. Perhaps being outside his tribe had made him more relaxed—so much so that he had even forgotten to fake his grief. Even if he hadn’t seen the vulture chief’s face clearly in the chaos, shouldn’t he at least remember their age or gender? Yet, all he said was that he “didn’t remember.”
It had only been a year—any beastman, even an older one, should recall such a traumatic event. How could a father forget the details of his own cubs being taken so easily?
Bai Tu also remembered that when he had said they hadn’t found any deer cubs, Lu Ji’s expression had been one of relief, not concern. Even if they were just fellow tribe members, such a reaction was abnormal. His attitude seemed more like someone afraid that the cubs would be found. What kind of father would react that way?
Not to mention his own cubs—even if one of the rescued cubs here accidentally got a small scrape, the beastmen caring for them were immediately distressed. Any normal parent would be devastated by a missing child and desperate to find them. Lu Ji’s reaction was completely unnatural.
And Bai Tu had already seen firsthand how some so-called fathers willingly gave away their own cubs. How could he not be suspicious?
Lu Hui’s earlier words made Lu Ji seem even more questionable. He had been “targeted” in his own tribe and suffered severe injuries, only to “coincidentally” be rescued by Lu Hui while she was out hunting? Then, during his recovery, they developed a relationship. Everything had seemed fine—until their cubs suddenly disappeared.
What’s more, Lu Ji had been the only one present when the cubs were taken.
Brown deer were physically stronger than flower deer. If he had fought back, the vultures would have had second thoughts. A normal, healthy young beastman should not have been so easily overpowered while someone stole his cubs right in front of him.
Bai Tu could tell that Lu Hui hadn’t told him everything. But since they had only just met, it was her choice whether to confide in him or not, as long as it didn’t put the cubs in danger.
His only concern was ensuring the safety of the cubs.
Lu Hui could take them back—but only if the Flower Deer Tribe was a safe environment. Right now, there were too many uncertainties.
Because she was their mother, Bai Tu was willing to give her a warning. But that was all he could do—the rest was up to her.
The deer tribe was different from the wolves. The rabbits had a close relationship with the wolves, so interfering in their internal matters wasn’t a big deal. But with the deer, their tribes were merely friendly neighbors. It was one thing to offer help in matters unrelated to internal affairs, but this situation involved the tribe’s chief and her mate. There was likely political maneuvering involved, and meddling could impact both their tribes.
If they overstepped and the Flower Deer Tribe began to suspect ulterior motives, that would be the lesser issue. The bigger problem was if someone used this as an opportunity to undermine Lu Hui’s position. In that case, their interference would have done more harm than good.
Ultimately, this was Lu Hui’s battle to fight.
Bai Tu simply pointed out the suspicious person, leaving the decision to her. His only condition was that until this matter was resolved, the cubs could not leave. He had to ensure their future environment was safe.
Lu Hui was indeed a capable chief. Though she was young, she didn’t lack decisiveness. Just moments ago, she had been overwhelmed with emotion at reuniting with her cubs, but upon hearing Bai Tu’s words, she immediately pieced together several things.
“I will deal with Lu Ji as soon as possible,” she said. “Once it’s settled, I’ll come back for the cubs.”
She looked down at them in her arms. Several months had passed, and their scars had nearly faded, but she could still see the traces of past suffering. If their disappearance had anything to do with Lu Ji, then he would be held accountable for every bit of it.
Bai Tu continued, “We don’t have much food left in the tribe, but we can spare some for you. However, don’t let Lu Ji find out.”
In truth, their food supplies were still ample. But this wasn’t something he could reveal to a tribe they weren’t closely connected to. The principle of never showing one’s wealth applied at all times. They weren’t worried about thieves stealing from them—they were worried about thieves who kept them in mind. And with Lu Ji being an unknown factor, they had to be cautious.
Even if they were going to lend food, it couldn’t seem too easy. Playing the “we’re struggling too” card was an effective deterrent.
Lu Hui hadn’t expected this additional favor beyond reuniting with her cubs. She expressed her gratitude repeatedly, promising to return the food by the rainy season.
“At most, by the rainy season—I will pay back everything,” she vowed.
“The food isn’t a priority,” Bai Tu replied. “Just focus on settling your tribe’s internal affairs first.”
Food was a minor issue. His real concern was Lu Ji. If this involved a power struggle, things could become far more complicated.
Lu Hui agreed, already determined to resolve the matter quickly. Otherwise, she’d only be able to visit her cubs under the pretense of other excuses, unable to spend real time with them.
Urgent to see this matter through—and still remembering how Lu Ji had nearly offended the rabbit tribe with his words—Lu Hui wasted no time once she returned to her tribe.
She immediately gathered her trusted followers and had Lu Ji seized and thrown into the cave where only criminals were sent.
“Hui, what are you doing?”
Lu Ji had already been irritated that Lu Hui had gone with Bai Tu to see the cubs without bringing him along. This morning, when he heard she was heading back to the tribe instead of going to another tribe to request food, he had grown even more suspicious.
Even while being dragged away, he had been wondering—had Lu Hui taken a liking to someone in the rabbit tribe? Had that Bai Tu said something to her yesterday?
It wasn’t until he was shoved into that cave that true fear set in.
The deer tribe appeared gentle on the surface, and at first glance, Lu Hui seemed like nothing more than a young, inexperienced chief. But only those who interacted with her truly understood how ruthless she could be.
Lu Ji had witnessed it firsthand—how she had personally ordered the execution of her own sister, who had attempted to conspire with other beastmen to seize power and divide the tribe in two.
That had happened three years ago, but the memory was still vivid in Lu Ji’s mind. It was why he never dared to show the slightest sign of disloyalty in front of Lu Hui.
His mind was in chaos, but he quickly forced himself to calm down. He had hidden his actions well—Lu Hui couldn’t possibly know the truth. That left only one explanation: she was still angry at him for losing the cubs last year.
As the thought took hold, Lu Ji silently cursed the Snow Rabbit Tribe. If those rabbits hadn’t brought up the cubs, Lu Hui would never have gone this far.
“Hui, the cubs are gone. There’s nothing we can do about it. We can just have another one,” Lu Ji said, his hands and feet bound but his voice steady. He started recounting their shared past, hoping that their years together would soften her rage.
Lu Hui stared at him and spoke only one sentence: “You should know that I can’t have cubs anymore.”
When the cubs had first gone missing, she had considered the possibility that Lu Ji had played a part in it. But at the time, she had dismissed the thought—after all, he was their father. Why would he want them gone?
Besides, Lu Ji had been heartbroken after the cubs disappeared, and seeing his grief had been enough for Lu Hui to suppress her suspicions.
But now, looking at him so casually suggesting they “just have another,” Lu Hui felt an overwhelming sense of unfamiliarity.
From the moment the cubs were taken until yesterday, Lu Ji had always reacted with intense sorrow whenever they were mentioned. Why was he suddenly fine now?
“If you can’t have cubs, there are still other ways!” Lu Ji realized he had been too hasty, but his only hope now was to shift Lu Hui’s focus back to having children.
Since joining the Flower Deer Tribe, Lu Ji had seen firsthand that no beastman who had been thrown into this cave had ever walked out alive. He refused to be the exception.
He knew exactly why Lu Hui was so fixated on the cubs. Unlike other deer tribes, where leadership was passed down through male warriors, the Flower Deer Tribe’s chief position was only inherited by the previous chief’s daughter or sister.
To Lu Hui, the cubs weren’t just her children—they were the next leader of the tribe.
If he could convince her to have another child, he might still have a chance.
Lu Hui’s gaze lingered on him. “And how exactly would we do that?”
Her tone was eerily calm, devoid of emotion.
But Lu Ji saw it as a good sign. Normally, whenever their cubs were mentioned, Lu Hui reacted with raw emotion—anger, grief, even desperation. The fact that she was speaking so neutrally meant she was listening.
Feeling reassured, he confidently presented the plan he had already thought through.
“I’ll find someone in the tribe to carry a cub for us,” he said. “Once the cub is born, we’ll take it in as our own and raise it together. This way, you won’t have to go through the burden of pregnancy.”
Lu Hui’s lips curled into a cold smile. “You’ll find someone else to have a cub and expect me to raise it?”
She walked around him in a slow, deliberate circle before pausing to ask, “Do you know why I chose you as my mate?”
“Of course I do,” Lu Ji said, confidently listing his supposed strengths. “I’m stronger than the beastmen in the Flower Deer Tribe. You wanted a powerful cub.”
“I wanted a strong cub—my cub—to inherit my position,” Lu Hui corrected him, emphasizing the word my.
Did he really think he could just bring in a random child and have them succeed as chief?
Yes, the Flower Deer Tribe traditionally chose its leader from the previous chief’s immediate family. But it wasn’t as simple as just being her child—if necessary, she could pass the position to her sisters instead. There was no way she would allow Lu Ji to bring in another beastman’s child and expect them to lead her tribe.
She regretted it now—when she had first met him, she had been impressed by his resilience, by how he had managed to survive despite being nearly beaten to death. She had thought such physical strength would be a great asset for her future child.
But she had forgotten one crucial thing.
A child would also inherit the father’s mind.
And an idiot could never be chief.
Lu Ji still didn’t understand. He looked at her pleadingly. “What difference does it make? My cub, your cub—they’re both our cubs! If we raise them well, how would they be any different?”
After all these years together, was their bond really worth less to her than a single cub?
Lu Hui didn’t answer his question.
Instead, she walked to the side, picked up a bone knife, and turned back toward him.
The moment Lu Ji saw the weapon, a sharp terror gripped him. He instinctively tried to move away—but Lu Hui did not give him the chance.
*
Five days later, Bai Tu saw Lu Hui again. This time, she looked even thinner than before, and some of the beastmen accompanying her had changed. Upon arriving at the Snow Rabbit Tribe, she went straight to Bai Tu instead of looking for Bai An. Bai Tu had previously instructed the guards at the foot of the mountain that if the chief of the Flower Deer Tribe arrived, she could be brought directly up.
When Lu Hui arrived, Bai Tu was in the middle of teaching two of the cubs to say “uncle.” But for some reason, no matter how many times he repeated it, the cubs only called him “dad.” It wasn’t that they didn’t know how to say it—whenever they saw Lang Qi or Lang Ze, they addressed them correctly. Yet, ever since the day they first shifted into human form and called him “dad,” they hadn’t changed it, even after several days.
At first, Lang Qi hadn’t been particularly concerned about the issue. But a few days ago, after Bai Tu explained that “dad” was another way of saying “father,” he started taking the matter much more seriously.
Bai Tu had planned to continue teaching them, but since Lu Hui had arrived, he had to put it aside for now—it wasn’t something that could be resolved in a short time anyway. He ruffled the hair of the two cubs who had shifted into human form and were currently playing by grabbing each other’s fingers. Then, he kissed them and the three sleeping cubs before going to meet Lu Hui.
“Lord Bai Tu, I have taken care of Lu Ji. Can I take the cubs home now?” Lu Hui asked, her tone slightly tense.
In truth, she had dealt with Lu Ji the very day she returned. However, during his time in the Flower Deer Tribe, Lu Ji had managed to build up a significant influence. It took her several days to investigate all those closely associated with him—some were imprisoned, others were given a beating, and even those who had done nothing wrong received a stern warning. Only after settling the internal affairs of her tribe did she come back to retrieve the cubs.
“Of course,” Bai Tu nodded. If the cubs’ real family wanted to take them back, he had no reason to refuse. However, he still needed to clarify something. “Is Lu Ji still in the tribe?”
“He lost a leg and can only lie in a cave now,” Lu Hui explained. “I won’t let him anywhere near the cubs.”
In just a few days, she had uncovered everything. Lu Ji’s entire backstory had been a lie—his injury and encounter with her had been deliberately staged. He was never some mistreated outcast of his tribe. Instead, he was the son of the Brown Deer Tribe’s chief, Lu Shi, born to another beastman outside of his formal mate.
No beastman would complain about having more members in their tribe. Children born outside of official mates weren’t cast out but were only raised by their mother. However, Lu Ji’s life had been much harder than most. Not only did he lack the same resources as the legitimate children, but he also had to guard against the revenge of Lu Shi’s mate. To her, Lu Ji was just another rival who could one day compete with her own children for power.
Lu Shi, despite fathering Lu Ji, didn’t think much of him at first. He had a formal mate and three other children, and his attention remained on them. It wasn’t until Lu Ji grew up and displayed formidable combat skills that Lu Shi finally acknowledged his value.
But there was only one position for a chief.
Lu Shi’s other children were legitimate heirs, raised by their mother to be cautious and defensive. Even if Lu Shi valued Lu Ji, his other children were just as capable—and older. They had been by his side much longer, making them more trusted than Lu Ji.
With three siblings against him, Lu Ji knew his chances of winning a direct power struggle were slim. On top of that, Lu Shi was still in excellent health and wouldn’t be stepping down for another decade or more.
Lu Ji couldn’t wait that long. But he also didn’t dare imagine what would happen to him if he lost Lu Shi’s protection. So, he devised a plan—he faked a serious injury and infiltrated the Flower Deer Tribe.
His goal? To father a cub within the Flower Deer Tribe.
Once a child was born, Lu Shi would lead the Brown Deer Tribe in an attack against the Flower Deer Tribe. Lu Ji would then “mediate” the conflict, negotiating peace under the condition that either he or his child would become the next chief.
No matter which option was chosen, Lu Hui would be removed from power, and the one in control would be Lu Ji.
It was a near-flawless plan.
The Brown Deer Tribe was known for its strength in battle. The Flower Deer Tribe rarely interacted with them, and there was even a stretch of land separating the two. Few outside the Brown Deer Tribe even knew that Lu Ji was Lu Shi’s son, making it nearly impossible for outsiders to uncover the scheme.
Everything had gone smoothly.
Lu Shi even provided Lu Ji with medicine that prevented pregnancy. This ensured that Lu Hui wouldn’t have more cubs, making it easier to control the selection of the next chief. Additionally, it undermined Lu Hui’s standing in the tribe. Among beastmen, misfortune was often seen as a sign of the Beast God’s disfavor, and who would they blame? Their chief, of course.
If the tribe’s numbers dwindled, it would be seen as a failure of Lu Hui’s leadership.
The only thing that hadn’t gone according to plan… was the cubs’ appearance.
Lu Ji had expected the cubs to inherit his Brown Deer traits. Instead, both of them were pure Flower Deer.
That alone had infuriated him.
So, he led the cubs to the borders of the territory, waiting for an opportunity.
Eventually, he found it. The Red Eagle Tribe’s beastmen appeared.
He did nothing to stop them.
He let them take the cubs.
And when Bai Tu had asked him about the appearance of the vulture beastmen, he intentionally refused to describe them. If Bai Tu managed to track them down, there was a chance that Lu Hui would learn the truth.
And if that happened—Lu Ji knew he would be doomed.
Lu Ji had done well to keep his secret, but he overestimated his importance to Lu Hui. While she had chosen him as her mate and admired his strong physique, her admiration stemmed from a practical purpose—to produce stronger offspring who could lead the tribe to greater heights.
In the Flower Deer Tribe, the chiefs were always female, and the tribe followed a particular structure—after a female deer gave birth, the role of the male deer was reduced to hunting. With females being the majority in the tribe, they formed stronger bonds and controlled most of the power.
The tribe’s hierarchy was clear: female deer came first, followed by the young, and then the male deer.
Lu Ji, having spent too long in the Brown Deer Tribe, assumed that all tribes operated like his, where the males ruled. He believed that by becoming Lu Hui’s mate, he could easily replace her as the leader.
To some extent, he did manage to gather supporters—mostly among the lower-ranking male deer. These were beastmen who had lived in the Flower Deer Tribe for decades, and part of the reason they accepted their lower status was the hope of raising their own offspring.
Lu Ji painted an appealing picture of the future, promising that once he became chief, every male would be assigned a mate.
However, his downfall came too quickly. The moment he failed, none of those males dared to risk angering Lu Hui. It didn’t take much effort for her to extract confessions about Lu Ji’s schemes.
As for crippling Lu Ji by taking his leg—it wasn’t mercy, but a calculated decision.
She was waiting for the Brown Deer Tribe to bring supplies in exchange for him.
After all, the Flower Deer Tribe had taken care of Lu Ji for years, yet he had tried to steal the leadership position.
Even worse, he had planned to orchestrate an attack on their tribe.
Such actions could not be tolerated.
Keeping Lu Ji alive was simply a warning to the Brown Deer Tribe. Only after making all the necessary arrangements did Lu Hui come to retrieve the cubs.
After hearing her explanation, Bai Tu didn’t say much. As long as she could guarantee the cubs’ safety, that was all that mattered.
Without delay, he led her to the two young fawns.
Several days had passed since their last meeting, but the cubs still remembered her.
The moment they saw Lu Hui, they stood up from the group of cubs.
Their long legs made them stand out even more than the others.
Lu Hui hurried over and gathered them into her arms. She looked at one, then the other, as if she could never get enough of them.
Finally, she lifted her gaze to Bai Tu. “I… I can take them with me now?”
Even though she had only seen them briefly last time, she had dreamt of them every night since returning to her tribe.
Now that her wish had come true, it felt unreal.
Was the Snow Rabbit Tribe really willing to return the cubs so easily?
But as it turned out, there were still more surprises.
Not only did Bai Tu return the cubs to her, but he had also prepared food and snacks for them.
The weather was still bitterly cold—daytime temperatures barely reached zero degrees, while nighttime temperatures could drop to minus ten.
In such conditions, the food could be stored for a while.
Since it had already been partially cooked, it would last until springtime, when hunting would be easier.
Then, Bai Tu handed over two additional batches of food to Lu Hui.
“This is for your tribe,” he said.
The amount wasn’t excessive, but if rationed carefully, it would last a month.
Since Lu Hui had made the effort to come all this way and had asked for food, Bai Tu wasn’t about to send her back empty-handed.
Not to mention—according to Bai An, their tribe had once borrowed food from the Flower Deer Tribe before.
After all, they were not fierce animals. Among beastmen with weaker beast forms, relationships were generally more harmonious, and mutual assistance was more common.
Even though Bai Tu had already agreed to lend food that day, Lu Hui never expected him to give so much.
She no longer needed to visit any other tribes to borrow more!
After Lu Hui left, Bai Tu spent more time with the cubs.
No matter how well things were arranged, being raised here was not the same as being taken home by their own parents.
Even cubs with parents, though sent to the communal cave, were only there temporarily.
Every few days, their parents would come to take them home.
But these cubs had stayed in this cave from the very beginning—never leaving.
Since the start of winter, for fear of illness, no one had dared to take them outside, even briefly.
Instead, beastmen who already had cubs, as well as younger beastmen, were encouraged to visit them often.
Any other beastman had to first ask Tu Cai for permission.
Beastmen like Lang Ze—young, impulsive wolves—were outright forbidden from entering, as they might accidentally harm the cubs.
Even with so many caretakers, the cubs still preferred the ones who cared for them regularly.
Bai Tu could feel that the cubs had already started to see them as their parents.
What he had told Lu Hui before wasn’t entirely just to scare her—the longer they stayed here, the more obvious this change would become.
So after winter, helping these cubs find their real families needed to become a priority.
Bai Tu hadn’t been visiting as often recently, yet the cubs still adored him.
Strangely enough, in the past two visits, they had become even more excited upon seeing him—climbing all over him as if they couldn’t get enough.
The largest cubs—from the bear and ox tribes—weighed no more than a dozen kilos. The others were even lighter, some weighing less than a single pound.
Even when they all piled onto him, it wasn’t tiring at all.
Each heated bed held only a few dozen cubs, so Bai Tu made sure to touch, nuzzle, and check on each one before moving to the next group.
Beast-form cubs couldn’t speak, but they expressed their emotions through different tones and movements.
Bai Tu carefully checked each of them.
As the weather slowly warmed, this was actually the time when cubs were most prone to illness.
With nearly two hundred cubs, even if they behaved well, checking them one by one took a significant amount of time.
Some cubs were also incredibly mischievous, making the process even longer.
Even with help, Bai Tu still spent half a day completing the task.
*
Stepping outside, Bai Tu stretched lazily and slowly made his way back to his cave.
However, as he approached the entrance, he suddenly stopped.
From inside the cave, he could faintly hear the voices of the cubs and Lang Qi.
Ever since the cubs were born, Bai Tu had rarely left the cave for long.
Even when he did, he was usually gone for no more than half an hour to an hour.
The cubs must have been unsettled by his long absence, their voices sounding unusually urgent—which wasn’t surprising.
What puzzled Bai Tu was Lang Qi’s words.
“Daddy will be back soon. Now say ‘Father’…”
Bai Tu fell silent for two seconds.
Then, he slowly walked into the cave.
So after all this time, the reason the two cubs still called him ‘Daddy’ wasn’t because he had failed to teach them properly.
It wasn’t because they weren’t smart enough.
Someone had been secretly undoing all his work.
Thank you for the chapter~~