Building a Civilization and Raising Cubs in the Beast World – CH120

Chapter 120

Bai Tu genuinely believed that Hei Xiao had simply found the egg.

If Hei Xiao had taken the egg from somewhere else, Bai Tu might have suspected he was joking. But since the egg had come from the secondary bedroom, he didn’t think twice about it. Ever since the three little wolf cubs were born, the other two older cubs had been staying with them, leaving the secondary bedroom mostly unused. The only times it was occupied were when Lang Ze came to visit.

With the warmer weather, the wolf cubs had become even more energetic, running around all over the place as if they had endless reserves of energy. Occasionally, they would bring back small prey or fruit that had been hanging on the trees all winter.

Small amounts of food usually weren’t given to the tribe. The cubs would either roast and eat it themselves if they were hungry or bring it back if they couldn’t cook it outside. Sometimes, they took it to the communal kitchen; other times, they brought it straight home. Most of the time, they would hand everything over, but occasionally, for reasons Bai Tu couldn’t understand, they would hide food away. Bai Tu had already caught them doing it more than once.

So, when Hei Xiao walked out of the secondary bedroom holding an egg, Bai Tu’s first thought was that Lang Ze must have hidden it. Coincidentally, Bai Tu had already planned to boil some eggs in the evening. This one looked slightly larger than a regular chicken egg, probably due to a different species.

Hei Xiao remained silent for a moment, unsure whether Bai Tu truly hadn’t noticed or simply didn’t care. Hesitantly, he asked, “Should we keep it?”

After all, this was his own egg. Even if it hadn’t hatched yet, Hei Xiao was certain he would keep it.

“Sure,” Bai Tu answered easily. He had no objections. There was plenty of food in the tribe, and this egg wasn’t essential. There were plenty of chicken eggs in the storage.

Hei Xiao let out a quiet sigh of relief. That was good.

Bai Tu was more concerned about Hei Xiao’s health. He only felt reassured after confirming that there were no lingering discomforts. Still, he brought over a cup of warm water and had Hei Xiao sit back and relax. “You don’t need to do anything. Just watch.”

“What are you doing?” Hei Xiao asked. It was already afternoon—had Bai Tu not eaten yet?

“I’m making you porridge. Just need to heat it up.” Bai Tu had already prepared food for Hei Xiao at lunchtime, but since they didn’t know the cause of his stomach pain, he had made something light and easy to digest. Afraid that Hei Xiao might not like it, he explained, “You haven’t eaten all day. Have some first to soothe your throat, then you can eat other things later.”

Hei Xiao wasn’t picky about food—especially when it was made by his younger brother. Whether it was porridge or just plain water, he would find it satisfying.

While Hei Xiao ate, Bai Tu played with the cubs. Newborn cubs were always fluffy, but these particular ones, thanks to their chubby bodies, were especially nice to touch. Bai Tu’s newest source of entertainment was hugging them like stress-relief toys. They were even warm, like little hand warmers.

Maybe it was because he had seen them so many times, but Hei Xiao started finding the cubs somewhat more agreeable. Since they were Bai Tu’s, whether they were big or small, they were undeniably cuter than any wolf cubs he had seen before.

Hei Xiao glanced down at the egg, which had been placed back in its original spot. He hesitated for a moment before deciding to deal with it later. Hawk eggs were difficult to hatch—it wasn’t unusual for eggs to incubate for months, only to turn out lifeless in the end. Until the hatchling emerged, no one could say for sure whether it was alive or not.

Bai Tu wasn’t aware of Hei Xiao’s worries, but he could tell that something was weighing on his mind. Just as he was about to say something, he heard a familiar set of footsteps approaching the entrance.

A moment later, Hei Yan’s excited voice rang out.

“Xiao, I’m back!” Hei Yan called out excitedly as he stepped into the cave.

This morning, Hei Xiao had sent Hei Yan to discuss arrangements with Bai An regarding the reunion of the cubs with their relatives. Since the cubs were still very young, they needed time to adjust to any unfamiliar environment. The ones rescued from the Red Eagle Tribe required even more care, so instead of sending them away, they decided to bring their relatives here.

However, this posed a challenge—if all the relatives arrived at once, the Snow Rabbit Tribe wouldn’t be able to accommodate such a large number of unfamiliar beastmen. Additionally, many of them wouldn’t travel alone; crossing such vast, unfamiliar territory in small groups was too dangerous.

The final decision was to have them come in batches. Bai Tu would be in charge of handling the cubs, while Bai An would arrange defenses for the arrival of adult beastmen. Hei Xiao wanted to stay by Bai Tu’s side, so he had simply sent Hei Yan to inform Bai An about the upcoming visitors. Normally, such matters would require a group discussion, but the two brothers hadn’t seen each other in months. Wanting to spend more time together, they divided their responsibilities and tackled them separately.

While Hei Xiao stayed with Bai Tu, Hei Yan had rushed through his tasks, eager to return and see Hei Xiao. He had managed to negotiate with Bai An, make the necessary arrangements for the Eagle Tribe, and complete what should have been a full day’s work in just over half a day—all without stopping for lunch. As soon as he was done, he hurried back to the cave to find Hei Xiao.

However, the moment he stepped inside, his footsteps slowed.

Something was off about the cave.

He couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was, but among the familiar scents, there was one that felt both foreign and strangely familiar.

Hei Yan looked around, scanning Bai Tu and the cubs before his eyes settled on Hei Xiao. “Did someone come by just now?”

“No,” Hei Xiao replied, shaking his head. Apart from the four adults and five cubs in the cave, no one else had been in or out. If a cave housed cubs, others would generally avoid visiting until the cubs were older.

Hei Yan narrowed his eyes, sniffing the air suspiciously, especially around Hei Xiao. He moved closer, inhaling deeply—then his gaze locked onto Hei Xiao’s waist.

“What’s that?” he demanded.

Hei Xiao hesitated for a moment, then silently pulled out the egg.

“Our cub!!” Hei Yan’s eyes lit up with excitement.

Unlike Bai Tu, who had never seen a Hawk beastman give birth to cubs, Hei Yan had grown up in the tribe and immediately recognized what the egg was the moment he saw it—it was their child!

No wonder the scent had felt both familiar and unfamiliar. It carried their bloodline, yet cubs in egg form always had slight differences from their parents.

Just yesterday, he had been envious of others having wolf cubs. And now, today, he had his own!

Still caught up in his excitement, Hei Yan quickly asked the next important question: “Where do we incubate it?”

Hawk beastmen’s cubs were different from regular beast cubs. When beastmen gave birth, their young were alive and breathing from the start. But Eagle beastmen laid eggs, which required incubation before hatching.

Hei Xiao’s beast form was a small rabbit, so there was no way he could keep the egg warm properly. They had to figure out a solution. Hei Yan was determined to take good care of it.

“Pa—”

The toy Bai Tu had been using to play with the cubs slipped from his hand and fell to the ground.

“…What is that?” Bai Tu asked, completely ignoring the fallen toy. He didn’t even look at the little wolf cubs clinging to his clothes—his entire mind was occupied by two of Hei Yan’s words.

Cub… incubation.

“Tu?” Hei Xiao called cautiously. He had expected Bai Tu to be surprised, but Bai Tu seemed even more stunned than he had been.

Bai Tu’s mind was blank. It took Hei Xiao calling his name twice more before he snapped out of it.

Right—right, the egg. The cub.

Slowly, Bai Tu’s thoughts caught up with reality as his gaze landed on the egg—the one he had nearly boiled and eaten.

After a long pause, he muttered, “Hawk beastmen… lay eggs.”

Bai Tu’s understanding of reproduction had been shaken once again. First, he had been shocked to learn that beastmen could give birth. Now, he realized that eggs were also an option.

“Technically, it’s not a cub yet,” Hei Xiao coughed lightly and explained. “For Hawk beastmen, the egg isn’t considered a cub until it hatches.”

Another crucial detail was that Eagle beastmen didn’t immediately begin incubation after laying an egg. They typically waited until they had accumulated a certain number of eggs before starting the incubation process.

In the Black Hawk Tribe, it was common practice to incubate five eggs at a time. Usually, only one or two eggs would successfully hatch—three or more was considered extremely rare, almost unheard of.

So whether this egg would actually hatch into a wolf cub could only be known when it finally broke out of its shell.

There was nothing more shocking than discovering that rabbit beastmen could lay eggs. Compared to that, everything else seemed relatively easy to accept. Bai Tu remained silent for a while, then stood up with a wolf cub in his arms. “I’ll go make you some food.”

Whether it was a cub or an egg, eating more was always a good idea.

Bai Tu’s ability to accept the situation was slightly better than Hei Xiao’s, probably because his own three wolf cubs were right beside him. The more he thought about it, the easier it was to come to terms with. But one thing still puzzled him—why had the egg turned out to be an egg and not a small rabbit? Bai Tu lowered his head and looked at his three little wolf cubs. He wanted to ask—why are they all wolves?

To his surprise, that very night, Hei Xiao answered this question and also explained the size difference.

Originally, Hei Xiao hadn’t thought to explain this at all since it was common knowledge in Beast God Continent. But when he saw Bai Tu’s obvious shock, he slowly realized—Bai Tu had no idea that he could lay eggs.

Hei Xiao finally put some things together and, without caring what Hei Yan or Lang Qi thought, he pulled Bai Tu aside into a private room and began explaining ancient history.

A long time ago, beastmen with unusually small beast forms were not uncommon. In some tribes, they made up one-fourth or even one-third of the population. These individuals had a specific designation: sub-beastmen.

Sub-beastmen were biologically male but could give birth like female beastmen. However, because their beast forms were small and they weren’t useful in combat or hunting, they usually joined the gathering teams instead.

But around twenty years ago, the major tribes in the Beast God Continent started spreading the belief that sub-beastmen were bad omens. Any tribe that had sub-beastmen was forced to either drive them away or kill them.

Sub-beastmen were typically weaker in physique, their beast forms were much smaller than others, and they were often even weaker than female beastmen. The result was a one-sided massacre. In just a few years, their population dropped to less than one-tenth of what it had been.

The small size of sub-beastmen was different from naturally small species like the feline tribes. Those feline tribes were simply born that way and were caught up in this disaster by pure misfortune. At first, only sub-beastmen were labeled as bad omens, but as the rumors spread, any beastman with a small beast form became suspect. This led to small-sized beastmen being bullied and having their food stolen by other tribes, unable to resist or fight back.

If they did resist, the consequences were severe. At best, they were killed. At worst, entire tribes were wiped out.

The few sub-beastmen who survived either hid their identities and moved to unfamiliar tribes or found safe places to live where they wouldn’t be persecuted. But no matter what they chose, the ones who managed to survive all came to the same conclusion—deny their identity as sub-beastmen.

Even if someone asked, they would simply say, “I’m just small.” They rarely, if ever, revealed their beast form in public.

For a long time after that, “sub-beastman” became a forbidden term in many tribes. Even if a particular tribe didn’t believe in the bad omen superstition, discussing the topic openly could still bring trouble from other tribes.

In recent years, fewer tribes believed that sub-beastmen were unlucky. But by then, too many had already been killed. Even though the superstition had faded, their numbers were still far fewer than those of other beastmen. Many tribes, like the Snow Rabbit Tribe, didn’t have a single sub-beastman left.

“There shouldn’t be any sub-beastmen in the Snow Rabbit Tribe,” Hei Xiao added. He had been visiting the tribe regularly since the market started. Over the combined half a month he had spent here, he had met almost all the beastmen and had never seen another sub-beastman. Sub-beastmen could recognize each other easily, just as he had immediately sensed something different about Bai Tu when they first met.

“I don’t know enough beastmen in the Blood Wolf Tribe to say for sure if they have any,” Hei Xiao continued. He had only visited the wolf tribe a few times, and they had a large population. It was impossible to be certain.

After finishing his explanation, Hei Xiao finally asked the question that had been on his mind from the start. “Tu, do you… not know what a sub-beastman is?”

Bai Tu: “…”

Bai Tu responded with the exact same words Hei Xiao had used the night before: “Give me a moment to process this.”

He absentmindedly stroked the sleeping wolf cub lying on his lap, as if drawing strength from its soft fur.

He was completely stunned.

Every single word Hei Xiao had said made perfect sense. But when put together—what did it mean?

He was a sub-beastman. Everyone knew sub-beastmen could give birth. So in other words… everyone knew he could give birth.

Suddenly, Bai Tu remembered something Bai Qi had casually told him a long time ago.

“If you want cubs, just find a mate and have them yourself.”

At the time, Bai Tu had interpreted it as “If you want cubs, find a female beastman and have them give birth.”

So, of course, he had firmly rejected the idea.

But now, looking back, Bai Qi’s true meaning was probably—

“If you want cubs, find a mate and give birth to them yourself.”

So…

What was all the anxiety he had been feeling up until now for?

And Lang Qi—

Had he spent all this time wondering why Bai Tu was trying so hard to hide something that wasn’t a secret while still helping him cover it up anyway?

So whether this egg would hatch into a wolf cub could only be known when the time came.

Nothing was more shocking than learning that rabbit beastmen could also lay eggs. Compared to that, everything else suddenly seemed much easier to accept. After listening in silence for a while, Bai Tu stood up with a wolf cub in his arms and said, “I’m going to make you some food.”

Whether it was a cub or an egg, eating more was never a bad idea.

Bai Tu was able to process things a bit better than Hei Xiao, probably because his own three wolf cubs were right beside him. Thinking about it that way made it easier to understand. However, what still puzzled him was—why had it been an egg instead of a small rabbit? Bai Tu looked down at his three little wolf cubs. He had wanted to ask—why are they all wolves?

To his surprise, that very night, Hei Xiao explained the reason, along with the size differences between species.

At first, Hei Xiao hadn’t thought of explaining this—after all, it was common knowledge to everyone in the Beast God Continent. But when he saw Bai Tu’s shocked expression, he slowly realized something—Bai Tu had no idea that he could lay eggs.

Hei Xiao finally put everything together, and without caring about Hei Yan or Lang Qi’s reactions, he pulled Bai Tu aside into a private room and began explaining ancient history.

Meanwhile, Tu Cai and the others had a different mindset: “I don’t know why you won’t admit it, but if you say you’re not, then you’re not.”

Silence.

Still silence.

Endless silence.

Bai Tu remained silent for what felt like a century before finally managing to speak. “So… us having wolf cubs is normal?”

It wasn’t some bizarre aftereffect of a soul transmigration. It wasn’t some strange supernatural event. It wasn’t that he and Lang Qi were somehow unique. In reality, there were many others just like them out there. They just didn’t openly talk about it because of past persecution.

There were probably sub-beastmen in other tribes. There might even be sub-beastmen-born cubs living in this very cave. Some of those cubs might even be sub-beastmen themselves. Yet, Bai Tu had no idea. He had thought he was the only one, had once feared being treated as a freak, and had worried about being exposed.

In the end, all that fear had been for nothing.

“Yes, it’s completely normal.” Hei Xiao confirmed. “Most tribes don’t openly discuss whether they have sub-beastmen. They also won’t introduce anyone as a sub-beastman.”

While most tribes no longer believed in the old superstitions, they still protected their sub-beastmen cautiously, making sure that hostile tribes wouldn’t find out about them.

Adult sub-beastmen were generally slimmer and smaller than other beastmen, often appearing as if they had just reached maturity. Unless someone spent a long time around them, they wouldn’t notice anything unusual. Because of this, as long as sub-beastmen didn’t go around announcing their identity, they were usually safe.

When Hei Xiao had warned Bai Tu not to let the Vulture Tribe find out about the three cubs, it was because he was worried the Vultures might spread the news to other tribes. Most tribes wouldn’t harm sub-beastmen, but the Red Eagle Tribe had once exterminated both sub-beastmen and all beastmen with small beast forms.

Bai Tu looked at Hei Xiao and asked, “Then why were you so shocked yesterday…?”

Hei Xiao sighed. “I just didn’t expect you to agree to have cubs for Lang Qi so soon… and to have three all at once.”

He had always thought Bai Tu and Lang Qi’s relationship was just a temporary mating bond—many beastmen formed temporary bonds, and if either party changed their mind or found someone else, they would simply separate.

Bai Tu was still so young. Hei Xiao had figured that if he wanted to have some fun, it was fine.

But reality was different.

In the few months he had been gone, Bai Tu had already given birth to three wolf cubs. Three.

Even though Hei Xiao wasn’t a wolf beastman, he knew exactly how possessive wolves could be.

Just imagining his little rabbit brother—who he had always wanted to protect—being bullied by a wolf when he wasn’t around made Hei Xiao furious. The more he thought about it, the more he disliked Lang Qi. And even though he knew it was irrational, he even felt a little resentful toward the cubs themselves.

One sentence had sent him spiraling into anger all over again. Meanwhile, Bai Tu had fallen into deep thought once more.

He had assumed that Hei Xiao was shocked by the fact that he could give birth.

But no—Hei Xiao was shocked that he had given birth to wolf cubs. And even more so, that he had given birth to three of them.

And when Bai Tu had casually suggested boiling the egg earlier today, Hei Xiao had actually thought that meant he didn’t like the unborn cub.

Realizing this, Bai Tu suddenly felt like he really needed a moment to process everything.

The shock was too much.

It took Bai Tu an entire night to recover from it.

The next morning, barely having come to terms with everything, Bai Tu immediately went to find Hei Xiao.

Even though the cub hadn’t hatched yet, he needed to apologize.

After all, he had nearly cooked the egg yesterday.

But just thinking about his nephew being an egg left Bai Tu at a loss for words.

Apologizing to an egg felt so bizarre.

Hei Xiao, seeing Bai Tu’s serious expression, sighed. “You’re the only one who would say something like this.”

“I have to say it,” Bai Tu insisted. “What if the cub has memories from inside the shell? Or if they remember being in the egg later?”

Bai Tu thought it wasn’t impossible.

After all, he had dreamed of past events before. Not just childhood memories, but ever since he had been pregnant, he had dreamed of the cubs multiple times.

All the signs pointed to the possibility that cub consciousness existed before birth.

He wasn’t sure if the cubs would remember those dreams in the future. And he definitely wasn’t sure if this Black Eagle cub would remember nearly being eaten.

So an apology was necessary.

Hei Xiao rubbed Bai Tu’s head and, seeing how serious he was, decided to just go along with it. “Alright, fine.”

Then, he reached into the blankets and felt around the middle of the bed, pulling out two eggs.

After comparing their sizes, he frowned. “Which one was from yesterday?”

Bai Tu: “???”

Bai Tu stared at the two eggs in Hei Xiao’s hands and hesitantly said, “I… remember there was only one yesterday.”

“Yes, there was one yesterday.”

Now that everything was out in the open, Hei Xiao didn’t bother hiding anything anymore. “Hawk beastmen usually incubate multiple eggs together.”

Since hatching success rates were low, the more eggs there were, the better the chances. If they only incubated one or two eggs, they might end up with nothing after months of effort.

Most eagle beastmen incubated five eggs at a time. Some, fearing they wouldn’t be able to care for all of them, chose to hatch only three. Others, determined to increase their chances, incubated seven or eight at once—after all, their beast forms were big enough to cover them all.

Bai Tu: “……”

He had thought that yesterday’s shock was enough, but he hadn’t expected last night to be just a transition—today would be even more intense.

Bai Tu looked at the two eggs that appeared almost identical and asked, “How many can hatch at most?”

Hei Xiao thought for a moment. “Let’s hatch three this time. If it doesn’t work out, we’ll try again next year.” He knew that the more eggs they incubated, the higher the chances of a chick hatching, but like other hawk clans who preferred fewer eggs, they also had to consider their ability to care for them.

Hei Xiao was a sub-beastman, and his beast form was small—barely larger than the eggs themselves—making it nearly impossible to incubate them in that form. Meanwhile, in human form, he couldn’t provide enough warmth for the eggs. The responsibility of incubation could only fall on Hei Yan.

However, Hei Yan was the leader of the Black Hawk Tribe. Now that Bai Tu was willing to teach the Black Hawk Tribe new technologies, he and Hei Yan needed to quickly discuss candidates for training, hunting arrangements, and the next shipment of iron ores… Just like today, when Hei Yan had left before dawn, there were too many things that needed to be done.

Even though Hei Yan loved younglings and had been longing for them since last year, Hei Xiao always understood that their chances of successfully hatching wolf cubs were very low. Even with two of them taking turns incubating, the hatching rate for cubs was less than half—let alone now, when they only had one person. More eggs would only exhaust Hei Yan further. Three should be enough, and when Hei Yan had to leave, Hei Xiao could help for a while.

Ultimately, the closest person to Hei Xiao was Bai Tu. He wouldn’t share these thoughts with anyone else, nor would he tell Hei Yan, who was eagerly anticipating the birth of their young. He could only confide in Bai Tu. What Hei Xiao hadn’t mentioned was his growing sense of unease—he had a feeling that this clutch of wolf cubs might not have the chance to be born at all. Despite Hei Yan constantly talking about younglings, the truth was that he had only just come of age. He and Hei Xiao had only confirmed their relationship last year.

Although they had become mates last year, Hei Xiao had watched Hei Yan grow up and knew his personality well—he was still somewhat immature. In the tribe, many eggs had been accidentally crushed mid-incubation due to inexperienced parents. Every year, newly adult hawks would fail even before most chicks hatched. The chances of a newly matured eagle successfully hatching its first clutch of cubs were close to zero.

Eggs were not yet considered living beings, but Hei Xiao didn’t want to keep hearing the sound of cracking eggs every few days. Three would be enough.

But Bai Tu was focused on something else. “Low hatching rate… Incubating alone is difficult… Brother, how about trying artificial incubation?”

Hei Xiao slowly repeated the term, not understanding. “What do you mean by artificial incubation?”

“It means solving the problem in human form without relying on beast form.” In the natural world, most birds incubated their eggs themselves—whether eagles, hawks, chickens, ducks, or geese. Beastmen had inherited this trait as well.

However, from Bai Tu’s perspective, using beast form for incubation had its drawbacks. For instance, if the parent bird left the nest for too long, the egg’s temperature would drop, which was problematic. At the same time, the incubation environment couldn’t be too hot either—while warmth was necessary, excessive heat could accelerate embryonic development and lead to death, whereas too low a temperature could slow development, causing the egg to spoil before hatching.

Humidity also had to be carefully controlled—too high or too low could affect the hatching rate. If either humidity or temperature was inadequate, it would impact the chances of successful hatching.

Incubation was even more troublesome for the feathered tribes than for natural birds. They had large appetites, meaning they couldn’t go an entire incubation period without hunting. The non-incubating mate had to share food for two, which was often insufficient. Even with the tribe’s support, and extra food given to those incubating, there were still times when they had to leave the nest.

Even with two beastmen incubating cubs, there were occasions when they couldn’t manage it properly, or the chosen location didn’t provide the right humidity, leading to failed hatching. Now, with only Hei Yan available for incubation, Bai Tu could already guess that their chances of success would be even lower.

These two unhatched eaglets were related to him by blood, so Bai Tu naturally wanted to help however he could.

Artificial incubation was based on the principle of an incubator, using warm water to create an environment suitable for hatching, mimicking the conditions in which the feathered tribes incubated wolf cubs. Since it only required temperature and humidity control and didn’t need constant supervision, it saved time. The parents of the eggs wouldn’t have to stay in the nest motionless—so long as they didn’t leave for too long or had someone help with adding or changing the water, it would be fine.

To give a more direct demonstration, Bai Tu led Hei Xiao to see the incubator he had made. Fortunately, there was already a setup in the cave—it was originally prepared for three small wolf cubs, but with some modifications, it could be used for the two eggs.

“Thirty-seven to thirty-eight degrees should be about right…” Bai Tu adjusted the water while explaining to Hei Xiao. “This is a thermometer—the scale shows the temperature. The higher it goes, the hotter it is.”

These incubators had been made during the winter, and Bai Tu hadn’t had the chance to show Hei Xiao yet.

Hei Xiao listened to Bai Tu’s explanation while examining the incubator. Even though he had never used one before, he trusted Bai Tu to make it work. More importantly, the temperature inside felt just right when he touched it. Perhaps due to developing a new talent after laying eggs, he could now instinctively sense what kind of environment was best for the young to hatch.

“Can it be a little more humid?” Hei Xiao asked. The warmth was sufficient, but it felt a bit dry.

“Sure.” Bai Tu placed a slightly warm, damp towel inside. “Give it a moment.” The incubator was semi-enclosed, so any excess moisture would evaporate inside, raising the humidity level soon.

“If you need it drier, just open it for a bit and then cover it again,” Bai Tu demonstrated. If the humidity got too high, they could let some of the moisture escape. Overall, it was much more convenient than painstakingly selecting a nest site, worrying about rain soaking the eggs or the sun overheating them.

Hei Xiao was satisfied with the incubator as a hatching box. Without hesitation, he placed the two eggs inside. The next morning, he added a third.

Since this was his first time using an incubator, even though he had learned how to operate it, he wasn’t confident enough to manage it alone. So, he left it at Bai Tu’s place for now.

That night, Lang Qi noticed a faint, unfamiliar scent from the incubator. However, since the eggs hadn’t hatched yet, their scent was weak and didn’t bother him, so he ignored it. He usually didn’t interfere with Bai Tu’s work. Even if he couldn’t help, he wouldn’t hold him back—when he could, he would assist; when he couldn’t, he would learn. After all, he wanted to be a good mate.

Hei Xiao was very pleased, Bai Tu was excited, Lang Qi didn’t mind, but Hei Yan… after one, two, three days, he finally realized something was off.

“Where are my eggs? Where are they?”

It had been five days since the first egg was laid, and Hei Yan had been waiting for Hei Xiao to give him the eggs, as that would mean it was time for him to start incubating them.

He had been receiving one egg per day. Yesterday made five, but today, he hadn’t received any. Suspicious, he decided to check for himself. However, when he lifted his blanket, he found… nothing. Not only were his eggs gone, but even half of his blanket was missing.

“They’re being incubated,” Hei Xiao explained.

“Who’s incubating them???” Hei Yan was deeply shaken. His eggs—his eggs!—were being incubated by someone else?!

“Bai Tu has been watching them for the past couple of days, but you’ll get them back today,” Hei Xiao said. He had been using this time to rest—partly because his beast form was from the feathered tribe, and adapting to the reproductive characteristics of another species had drained a lot of his energy. The other reason was that he was adjusting his schedule so he could take over caring for the eggs himself.

“He can incubate eggs???” Hei Yan was struck again. Bai Tu was from the rabbit tribe, wasn’t he? How could he incubate eggs? How did he seem to know everything?

The first time Hei Yan met Bai Tu, he had worried that Bai Tu would steal Hei Xiao’s attention. In the end, he was right—no matter how much he had guarded against it, Bai Tu had still taken a lot of Hei Xiao’s focus. After Hei Xiao found out Bai Tu was his younger brother, it became even worse. To maintain his position, Hei Yan had no choice but to listen to Hei Xiao and help Bai Tu more.

Helping was one thing, but now even his own younglings were being given to Bai Tu?

“Bai Tu made an incubator. I’ll take you to see it,” Hei Xiao said, deciding it was about time to show him.

No matter the weather outside, the temperature in the cave remained stable at around twenty degrees. Under such conditions, maintaining the right incubation temperature wasn’t difficult. The incubator had also been improved from its first version—the insulation was better, and the water temperature dropped more slowly. Generally, adding water twice a night was sufficient.

Coincidentally, the three small wolf cubs also needed to be fed twice during the night, so the addition of the incubator didn’t increase Bai Tu’s workload.

Even so, now that he had rested enough, Hei Xiao moved the incubator back to the secondary bedroom. It would take three months for the eaglets to hatch—he couldn’t leave the eggs with Bai Tu the entire time.

Bai Tu was still a bit uneasy, so he gave Hei Xiao a few more instructions. Seeing Hei Yan there, he brought up a suggestion: “Why not keep them here until they hatch and then take them back?”

He had only learned from Hei Xiao that hawk clans had such a long incubation period. No wonder their hatching rate was low—most animals in nature incubated their eggs for around 40 to 50 days, but for the hawk tribe, it took twice as long.

This wasn’t just a simple “one plus one equals two” situation. The longer a task took, the harder it became to sustain it, especially in the later stages. It was like carrying 25 kilos—manageable at first, but adding another 25 kilos made it significantly more difficult.

For hawk clans who had to stay in their nests for three months to incubate eggs, the challenge was immense. Who could guarantee that the tribe would always have enough food during that period? If prey became scarce, hungry hawks wouldn’t be able to stay in their nests and would have to leave, exposing the eggs to fluctuating temperatures. This could slow their development or even cause them to become non-viable.

Bai Tu hoped that Hei Xiao and Hei Yan would agree to hatch the eggs in the Snow Rabbit Tribe. Not only could he help watch over them, but they also wouldn’t need to be moved, ensuring a stable incubation process. After all, the journey from here to the Black Hawk Tribe took at least seven days. Providing a comfortable environment for the eggs during travel would be difficult, and delaying their incubation even by a few days could impact the wolf cubs’ chances of hatching.

While Hei Yan was still considering, Hei Xiao agreed immediately: “Alright, I’ll stay in the Snow Rabbit Tribe.”

The incubator was Bai Tu’s creation, and he knew best how to use it. Hei Xiao had learned how to operate it, but only under normal conditions. What if the incubator or thermometer broke? The Black Hawk Tribe was too far away—traveling back and forth would take at least half a month. Staying here was simply more convenient.

Since Hei Xiao agreed, Hei Yan had no choice but to hold back his objections.

While the two of them were talking, Hei Yan quietly reached out to touch the eggs inside the incubator. He didn’t believe anyone could hatch them better than he could. However, the moment he placed his hand inside, he realized… the conditions inside were actually quite good.

Originally, he had planned to persuade Hei Xiao to let him incubate the eggs once they returned to their room. But now, he completely abandoned the idea. Thank goodness he hadn’t spoken up—otherwise, the eggs would have lost this incubator! Hei Yan thought, completely forgetting that even if he had spoken, Hei Xiao wouldn’t necessarily have listened.

At first, only the four of them knew about the incubator. However, hawk clans frequently visited the Snow Rabbit Tribe to find Hei Yan. One day, a hawk accidentally discovered the incubator, and the tribe was immediately fascinated by this tool that could replace their traditional incubation methods.

“Chief, can we trade with the Rabbit Tribe for an incubator?” a beastman who had a mate currently incubating eggs in the tribe asked.

While others marveled at how convenient the incubator was, he was eager to start using one himself. He had been away transporting supplies, leaving only his mate in the cave. Though his mate’s sisters were helping, he still felt uneasy. What if they got lazy and didn’t bring food on time?

Meanwhile, the chief had been using an incubator and still managed to carry out his daily tasks without affecting the incubation process. That was something to be jealous of.

Bai Tu was in the next room when he overheard the hawk tribe’s conversation. After considering the feasibility, he discussed it with Hei Xiao that very day. They decided to select a few beastmen to start learning pottery and woodworking techniques.

While the hawk tribe began their training, Bai Tu also instructed the tribe to speed up the production of incubators. Since winter had just ended, many younglings that previously needed incubators no longer required them. Instead of letting them go to waste, he repurposed them into hatching boxes.

Even incubators with minor defects weren’t discarded. Bai Tu repaired and modified them so they could be used to hatch chicken eggs. This allowed them to test the best temperature and humidity settings before using larger kiln rooms for mass chicken hatching—much faster than waiting for hens to hatch eggs naturally.

Coincidentally, a mother hen that had been incubating eggs midway through suddenly fell ill. Normally, they would have replaced her with another hen, but Bai Tu simply swapped in an incubator instead.

The first batch of modified incubators was immediately taken back to the hawk tribe, prioritized for hawk pairs where one mate had to leave the tribe to transport supplies.

Since the hawks were heading back to their tribe, Hei Yan naturally had to lead them, meaning another separation from Hei Xiao. This put him in a miserable mood—he wished time could fast-forward by half a month or, better yet, that he didn’t have to care for the eggs at all.

Of course, that was just wishful thinking.

Hei Xiao simply lifted the animal hide covering the incubator and turned the eggs over. “Weren’t you the one who kept saying you wanted younglings? And now you’re complaining?” This person had been talking about wanting cubs since before winter, and now he suddenly found caring for them troublesome?

“I’m not complaining!” Hei Yan quickly denied it, glancing cautiously at the three eggs, afraid that the unhatched younglings might have heard him and felt wronged. He scooted closer to Hei Xiao, looking pitiful. “Half a month… I’ll miss you.”

“Be more mature. How will you set a good example for the younglings?”

Hei Yan flopped onto Hei Xiao, refusing to budge. He didn’t want to be a role model—he just wanted Hei Xiao.

Hei Xiao: “…”