Chapter 131
Wu Shi pursed his lips in dissatisfaction. “It’s true, so why can’t I say it?” Those people can’t even fill their own stomachs—if they’re not useless beastmen, then what are they? The tribe already has so many worthless beastmen who do nothing but waste food and medicine every day, yet the shaman still wants to save the useless beastmen from outside.
Wu Shi wished he could drive all the injured beastmen away. In his opinion, the Black Forest Tribe’s beastmen had been too soft—they should have killed all the troublemakers instead. How dare those wretches transform into their beast forms in front of him? Those worthless beastmen deserved to die.
Wu Ming frowned, clearly irritated by Wu Shi’s unreasonable tantrum, but in the end, he suppressed his anger and continued speaking gently. “Just listen to what I’m telling you. Otherwise, the master will be angry.”
Hearing him mention the shaman, Wu Shi became even more upset. “You’re just bossing us around because you’ve been by the master’s side longer!”
They were all disciples of the shaman, with the same status. Wu Ming was only three years older than him and had arrived a year earlier, yet everyone listened to Wu Ming and not him. Even that beastman who cooked the food—when Wu Shi said the food was bad, no one moved, but as soon as Wu Ming said to redo it, they immediately obeyed.
Wu Ming looked at Wu Shi, who was throwing a fit over such a trivial matter, and shook his head helplessly.
The other medicine apprentices nearby couldn’t stand it any longer. Though they were called apprentices, they were not children anymore. They were the ones who had been by the shaman’s side the longest. Wu Shi was the youngest at seventeen, while Wu Ming was the oldest at twenty. The others were somewhere in between. Since they had spent more time with Wu Ming, they naturally disliked the way Wu Shi spoke to him.
“Shi, Ming is just trying to protect you. If the master hears what you said, he’ll definitely be angry.”
“Ming is looking out for you. How could you speak to him like that?”
“He’s doing this for your sake…”
“And besides, the food is still edible even if it’s cold. It’s not winter, and now we have to wait.”
Their words only fanned the flames of Wu Shi’s anger. Enraged, he grabbed a nearby plate of fruit and smashed it to the ground before storming off.
After he left, Wu Ming turned to the others with a disapproving look. “Shi is still young, don’t talk to him like that.”
“Ming, you’re too soft-hearted. It was obviously Shi’s fault, yet he got mad instead.”
“You’re thinking about him, but he doesn’t appreciate it.”
“He just thinks he’s the master’s favorite, so he doesn’t take the rest of us seriously…”
Wu Shi, who hadn’t gone far, heard those words and quickened his pace.
After the others had finished complaining, Wu Ming spoke again. “Cong, go check if the food is ready. I’ll go find Shi.”
“No need to bother with him. He’ll come back when he’s hungry,” the apprentice named Wu Cong replied. “I’ll check the food. We could’ve eaten it earlier anyway…”
The cooking area was a bit far from where they rested. Since it was summer, no one liked being near the fire. As medicine apprentices—second only to the shaman and the tribal chief in status—they had the privilege of resting in a comfortable spot, away from the heat.
When Wu Cong arrived, the cooking beastmen were plating the food. The leader of the group, the same one whose plate Wu Shi had overturned earlier, was visibly nervous. “Master Wu Cong, the food is ready.”
These beastmen were responsible for preparing meals specifically for the apprentices, and they knew that among this group of nearly-adult apprentices, Wu Shi had the worst temper, while Wu Ming had the best. The others weren’t as kind as Wu Ming, but at least they didn’t resort to violence or scolding. Though they were still making amends for earlier, they felt slightly more at ease now.
Sure enough, Wu Cong didn’t scold them for the delay. He just urged them to hurry up. “We’re all starving.”
He grabbed a plate, picked up a piece of meat, and took a bite. As he raised his head, he thought he saw a dark figure flash through the trees. But when he looked again, it was gone.
Must’ve been a trick of the night, Wu Cong thought, before leading the beastmen back to the resting area. Normally, they didn’t have this much to do. They had been busy all afternoon, and now Wu Shi had wasted even more of their time in the evening. Everyone was completely exhausted.
After eating, they all found a place to rest, not caring about where Wu Shi had run off to.
Then, in the middle of the night, a piercing scream shattered the silence.
Several medicine apprentices who had mocked Wu Shi over the past few nights were awakened by the noise. They exchanged glances, all recognizing Wu Shi’s voice.
However, Wu Shi had always been cold and dismissive toward them, and since he was favored by the shaman, he would often mock and ridicule them. They had no fondness for him. Given how late it was, they had no desire to go outside.
Wu Cong glanced at Wu Ming beside him. Wu Ming, still deep in sleep, seemed not to have heard the commotion at all. He simply turned over and continued sleeping soundly.
A quieter apprentice, who usually had a better relationship with Wu Shi than the others, hesitated before suggesting, “Should we go take a look?” Wu Shi’s cries sounded truly miserable, and he was a bit worried.
“You want to go out this late?” Seeing that Wu Ming was still asleep, Wu Cong felt at ease and dismissed the idea. “There are so many beastmen guarding the area—what could possibly be wrong? He’s probably just trying to come back but is too prideful to ask for help, so he’s making a scene to get our attention. If we go, he’ll just throw another tantrum. I’m not going. If you want to, go by yourself.”
After speaking, Wu Cong lay back down to sleep. The other medicine apprentices who were close to him chimed in, “Exactly. We have to distribute medicine tomorrow. If you’re so worried, go ahead.”
They took turns speaking, reinforcing each other’s reasoning. Though their ranks were technically equal, they had been by the shaman’s side for years and held nearly absolute authority in the tribe, second only to the shaman. Since Wu Shi had been throwing fits earlier, none of them were in the mood to concern themselves with him now.
They figured their time would be better spent sleeping, so they all buried their heads back in their bedding.
The apprentice who had spoken up hesitated for a moment, then glanced toward the outside…
*
Meanwhile, Wu Shi found himself surrounded by a group of beastmen.
The beastmen of the Black Forest Tribe varied in size and build. For this expedition to distribute medicine and food, the tribe had deliberately presented only their strongest warriors in public to demonstrate their strength.
The more muscular beastmen held relatively high status in the tribe, at least ranking above the lower-class beastmen. They refused to do menial labor like carrying supplies, so they had brought some lower-class beastmen along for that purpose. These weaker beastmen were kept out of sight during the day, hidden away at a location farther from the marketplace under strict supervision.
Now, however, they had been brought over to transport the food and medicine needed for the next day. The group of frail, sluggish beastmen shuffled about, their movements weak and unsteady, their complexions sickly and ashen. They had been mechanically hauling supplies when they suddenly caught sight of Wu Shi. In an instant, it was as if they had been injected with raw energy—they surged toward him like wild animals.
Wu Shi’s scream came from the shock of their sudden approach. Under the dim moonlight, the sickly beastmen, reeking of decay, looked like corpses crawling out of their graves.
Wu Shi was obsessed with cleanliness—he even disliked handling medicine, let alone interacting with laboring beastmen. Whenever he saw them, he would immediately wave them away, ordering someone else to deal with them. Now, forced into close contact, he was both terrified and furious, shouting for someone to get them away from him.
But the surrounding beastmen didn’t care about his protests. They had already closed in around him, eyes fixed on the beast hide he was wearing. Recognizing him as a medicine apprentice, they grabbed at him, begging for medicine.
The Black Forest Tribe’s rigid hierarchy was evident in everything, including clothing. The shaman wore the most elaborate attire in the tribe, followed by the medicine apprentices—even the tribal chief’s clothing was not as fine as theirs. The lower-class beastmen had always received their medicine from the apprentices, and to them, it didn’t matter whether Wu Shi was the same person who had handed them medicine before. All that mattered was that he was a medicine apprentice, and they couldn’t afford to let him go.
A beastman, weeping bitterly, clung to Wu Shi and pleaded, “Master, please, give us medicine! I beg you, Master, just a little medicine…”
Wu Shi recoiled in disgust, swatting at the beastman who was grabbing him. But compared to these labor-hardened beastmen, he was far weaker. Their grips remained firm, unyielding. It was as if they felt no pain at all.
They clung to him desperately, their voices overlapping in an eerie chant:
“Give us medicine… just a little… we need medicine…”
*
“They all said the same thing?”
Hearing the report from the beastmen who had gone to stir up trouble, Bai Tu fell into deep thought. If he had only suspected something this afternoon, now he was almost certain—the medicine had serious issues.
Several members of the Black Hawk Tribe nodded. As members of the Eagle Tribe, they could fly, and their entire bodies were black in beast form, making them nearly invisible at night. The darkness was their perfect camouflage, allowing them to hide in trees without being noticed. This was precisely why Bai Tu had sent them. If it had been beastmen from other tribes, even if they moved as quietly as possible, the Black Forest Tribe would have noticed. The weight of a beastman alone meant that even the lightest steps would still make noise on the ground.
But for the Hawk Tribe, infiltration was much easier. While the Black Forest Tribe did have winged beastmen guarding the area, there were far fewer avian beastmen on the Eastern Continent compared to other types of beastmen. As a result, those guards had almost never encountered their own kind before and had long since become lax in their duties. They simply shut their eyes and slept through the night, making it easy for the Black Hawk Tribe to slip in undetected.
Bai Tu hadn’t expected that the Black Forest Tribe’s shaman wasn’t just drugging beastmen from other tribes—even their own tribe’s beastmen weren’t spared.
It seemed that Lang Qi had been right. The ruling beastmen of the Black Forest Tribe didn’t care at all about the lives of those who had joined their tribe later. To them, if one batch died, another would take their place. The wounded and starving beastmen currently receiving aid from the Black Forest Tribe were nothing more than the next batch of recruits in waiting.
The Black Hawk Tribe had also noticed another disturbing pattern:
“Those people are extremely obedient—they’re willing to do even the heaviest labor without complaint.”
Beastmen who follow orders exist everywhere. Every tribe leader has the authority to command the beastmen within their tribe, and even squad leaders or minor chiefs have the right to give orders to those under their management. However, the hierarchy among beastmen is not strictly defined. They follow their leader out of trust—because the leader is strong and can bring a better future to them and the tribe. If a leader proves weak, the tribe members will naturally start considering a replacement.
Beastmen respect their leaders, but they do not blindly obey every order. They will also try their best to complete tasks assigned by lower-ranking leaders, such as squad leaders, but only if their own safety is not at risk. Likewise, those giving out tasks will not recklessly send others into danger. For instance, when hunting, the number of participants is adjusted according to the size of the prey—larger prey requires more hunters.
However, the beastmen of the Black Forest Tribe are entirely different. Their leaders genuinely do not care whether their subordinates live or die. Each worker carries a pack taller than themselves, their shoulders nearly collapsing under the weight, yet none of them dare to make a sound. Even when only a handful of overseers are present, these laborers do not resist.
It was well known that the beastmen captured from the Snow Rabbit Tribe and the Blood Wolf Tribe were still shackled to prevent them from transforming and attacking their guards. The chains were designed to limit them without hindering movement, reducing violent incidents as much as possible.
But the Black Forest Tribe was the complete opposite. The work their beastmen did was far heavier than what even the Vulture Tribe or Lion Tribe endured. Yet, despite their extreme exhaustion, none of them seemed to find anything wrong with it, nor did they show any signs of resisting.
This shocked the members of the Black Eagle Tribe. Were these people truly doing such backbreaking labor voluntarily? They were physically capable beastmen—if they didn’t want to fight back, they could at least try to escape together. Anything was better than staying here.
Yet reality was laughable. The Snow Rabbit Tribe and Blood Wolf Tribe took in criminals, assigning them work within their limits, but those beastmen still plotted rebellion. They still schemed to restore the Red Eagle Tribe, the Mad Lion Tribe, and the Black Stag Tribe. Meanwhile, the beastmen of the Black Forest Tribe had no guarantee of food, worked harder than anyone, and yet not a single one even considered running away.
Bai Tu had already figured out the reason:
“It’s because the Black Forest Tribe has something they need.”
Those beastmen probably did think about leaving at some point, but as long as the shamans and medicine boys controlled the supply of medicine, even if someone escaped, they would eventually come crawling back.
And with how ruthless the Black Forest Tribe was, any beastmen who did manage to flee would undoubtedly face a grim fate.
Bai Tu’s guess was entirely correct.
The beastmen now desperately begging Wu Shi for medicine had all had chances to escape—but they didn’t dare. On the way to the market, two beastmen had tried to flee but were caught. As punishment, the entire group was forced to watch them suffer through their withdrawal symptoms.
Without medicine, those beastmen endured unbearable pain. When their suffering finally ended, they were publicly executed before everyone’s eyes.
This wasn’t the first time beastmen had died in the Black Forest Tribe. Since their arrival, people had been dying every day—some from exhaustion, others beaten to death for making mistakes.
But this was the first time they had witnessed an execution up close. The sight of those two beastmen dying in agony was burned into their minds.
That night, many had nightmares.
Yet when morning came, the work continued.
And since two people were gone, their workload only increased.
Of course, they felt exhausted. Carrying heavy loads every day would never become easier, no matter how often they did it. Their bodies had already begun to deform under the strain, their bones shifting unnaturally from prolonged burden—but no one dared to stop.
If they slacked off, withholding food was the lightest punishment. Sometimes, their medicine would be taken away instead.
Without medicine, their bodies would become unbearably uncomfortable, as if ants were crawling all over them, their skin itching and burning with pain.
Perhaps the Black Forest Tribe feared that prolonged suffering would affect productivity, so under normal circumstances, they would let the workers reach a certain level of agony before giving them medicine—just enough to keep them working.
Only the two who had tried to escape never received any.
Watching those two die had made it clear: from the beginning, the tribe never intended to let them live. Medicine would have been a waste on them.
Seeing their gruesome fate, the remaining beastmen were now terrified of losing access to the medicine.
From morning until now, they hadn’t seen a single medicine boy.
So when Wu Shi finally appeared, they refused to let him go.
Wu Shi was furious, but he truly didn’t have any medicine. It was controlled by the shamans, and only Wu Ming was allowed to retrieve it. This was precisely why Wu Shi resented Wu Ming—he was clearly the smarter one, the favored disciple of the shaman, yet he still wasn’t trusted to handle the medicine.
But the beastmen didn’t care whether Wu Shi had medicine or not. All they knew was that every time they suffered, a medicine boy wearing the same robes as Wushi would bring medicine to their overseers, who would then distribute it to them.
It was already time for their dose, yet none had been given.
Their pleading turned to anger.
They became convinced that Wu Shi was deliberately withholding medicine to make them suffer.
Enraged, the beastmen lost control, their grip on Wu Shi tightening.
Wu Shi had initially been disgusted and wanted to drive these people away. However, as he felt the beastmen gripping his arms tighten their hold and pain flare in his legs, his anger turned to panic. He cursed the beastmen grabbing him and those who had yet to pull them away:
“Useless trash! Get lost!!!”
But the group had already lost their sanity—how could they let go just because of a few curses? On the other side, the beastmen who had originally intended to pull them apart hesitated when they heard Wu Shi insult even them, threatening to report everything to the shaman. Their grip instinctively loosened.
These beastmen rarely saw others in the throes of withdrawal, but Wu Shi had seen it countless times. In the later stages, a beastman completely lost reason and could even bite their own companions to death. Since Wu Shi wanted to snitch, they might as well keep him here. If he got out, they’d be punished anyway—so why not just stop him from leaving altogether?
Meanwhile, in the medicine boys’ resting quarters, only one young medicine boy was still awake, staring hesitantly at the empty space beside him. The others were already fast asleep.
The young medicine boy hesitated for a long time before finally deciding to step outside and take a look.
Medicine boys were taken into the tribe at a very young age. He himself didn’t even know when he had entered the Black Forest Tribe. As far back as he could remember, he had always been by the shaman’s side. This was his first time spending a night outside, and he had no idea where Wu Shi could have gone.
The summer night was filled with the constant chirping of small animals. Even though he knew there were beastmen guarding the perimeter, and that outsiders couldn’t get into their enclosed area, he still felt uneasy. Among the medicine boys, he was the most timid. He always followed orders and rarely made decisions for himself. When the others refused to come out, he should have given up as well—but he was worried about Wu Shi, so he had mustered the courage to step outside.
However, now that he was out, he felt not only fear but also uncertainty—he didn’t even know which direction to go.
The area was crisscrossed with paths, one after another. At night, some beastmen had poor vision, and he happened to be one of them. While not completely blind in the dark, his vision was significantly worse than in the daytime.
During the day, beastmen often passed by their quarters, but by now, they had all returned to rest. With no one around, the young boy picked a direction and walked for a while. Fortunately, he soon encountered two patrolling beastmen.
The moon had just been obscured by a thick cloud, making it difficult to see their faces clearly. He could only tell that they were strong and carried a familiar scent—the distinct herbal fragrance that came from prolonged exposure to medicine. That alone marked them as people of some status within the tribe.
The young boy quickly walked up and asked if they had seen Wu Shi.
“I think the shaman called him over,” one of them replied.
“The shaman?” The boy hadn’t expected that answer. He didn’t know why the shaman would summon Wu Shi so late, but one thing was certain—if he was with the shaman, he was safe.
The boy sighed in relief and was about to return to his quarters when the young beastman he had questioned spoke again.
“Medicine Boy, do you know where the shaman keeps the medicine? The chief sent us to deliver more.”
As he spoke, he pointed to the large pack behind him. Worried the boy wouldn’t believe him, the other beastman quickly added, “The chief ordered us to hurry, but we took a wrong turn and got delayed for half a day. We didn’t dare ask others for directions—if the chief found out, we’d definitely be punished.”
The boy thought that explained why he smelled medicine on them. Still, he found it odd. The supplies they had brought this time were already abundant, and they had used even less than what the shaman had estimated on the first day. That was why the shaman had been angry. So why was the chief suddenly sending more medicine?
Though puzzled, he did not doubt their identities. He had poor vision at night, but he wasn’t blind—these two wore the tribe’s clothing, and their scent was unmistakable. Only the Black Forest Tribe had access to such an abundance of medicinal supplies.
He pointed toward the shaman’s residence.
“It’s over there. Go ahead. If the shaman is resting, wait until morning before entering.”
Otherwise, they’d be punished—he added silently in his heart but dared not say it out loud. He was timid. No matter who he was speaking to, he only voiced his thoughts in his head, too afraid to let them be heard.
The two beastmen hurriedly thanked him and then walked in the direction of the shaman’s residence.
After they left, the young medicine boy suddenly realized something—hadn’t they just said they saw Wu Shi being called away by the shaman? If they had already seen that, why would they still ask him where the shaman’s medicine was stored?
Panic surged through him. He turned back quickly, but by then, he could see nothing. There was no one nearby, and he couldn’t see far enough to know if anyone was in the distance.
His heart pounded in fear. With his poor eyesight, he couldn’t tell if someone was there, and even if he did see figures, he wouldn’t be able to confirm whether they were from his own tribe or intruders. Due to certain Black Forest Tribe regulations, he didn’t dare to shout carelessly. If he called out and was wrong, his punishment wouldn’t be too severe, but the beastmen on night watch would definitely be harshly disciplined for failing their duty.
His mind in turmoil, the boy glanced around, then turned and ran back to the resting area. The moment he got inside, he called out anxiously, “Ming! Ming! Someone has entered the tribe!”
“What?” Wu Ming opened his eyes, momentarily startled by the news. His gaze instantly sharpened.
“I ran into two beastmen—they were asking where the shaman lives…” The boy frantically recounted what had happened.
“Xi, what are you doing? Everyone just managed to fall asleep, and now you come rushing in making a fuss.” Wu Cong was displeased with the interruption. Earlier, Wu Shi had woken them up, but since he wasn’t around anymore, they had no one to complain to. They had only just fallen back asleep, and now Wu Xi was disturbing them again.
Wu Xi lowered his voice and apologized, “I’m sorry, but there really are outsiders here.”
Wu Cong scoffed. “Do you think the beastmen guarding outside are dead or something?”
They had come here alongside the shaman. While the Black Forest Tribe had more than one shaman, their shaman was the eldest and thus held the highest authority. With him around, the guards would naturally be extra vigilant. To ensure their safety, the chief had assigned half of the tribe’s warriors to protect them. Under that level of security, how could anyone possibly sneak in?
Wu Xi wanted to argue but couldn’t find a solid point to counter. Listening to Wu Cong’s reasoning, he began to doubt himself. Had he been mistaken? Perhaps those two beastmen really weren’t outsiders. But if they belonged to the tribe, why wouldn’t they know where the shaman lived? And was their claim about Wu Shi being called away by the shaman a lie?
“Enough,” Wu Ming reassured him gently. “Cong is right. The tribe is heavily guarded. Besides, you said those beastmen smelled like herbs, didn’t you? That means they must be from our tribe or medicine boys sent to assist from another tribe.”
“Exactly. If you can’t see well at night, don’t run around scaring people.” Wu Cong added, “Can’t you be more considerate? We’re all exhausted, and yet you and Wu Shi keep running around causing trouble.”
“I…” Wu Xi wanted to explain that he had only gone out because he was worried about Wushi, but before he could finish, Wu Cong had already turned away, covering his ears impatiently and lying back down. The others also looked annoyed.
Only Wu Ming remained patient, offering a comforting smile. “It’s okay. I know you meant well. Wu Shi will be fine. He probably just had a nightmare while at the shaman’s place—that’s why he yelled earlier. See? No one has come to call us for help. There are so many guards outside—if Wu Shi was really in danger, someone would have told us by now.”
Wu Xi was finally convinced by Wu Ming’s words. He nodded and decided to look for Wu Shi in the morning instead.
However, before dawn arrived, disaster struck the Black Forest Tribe.
First, the food storage area caught fire. Because neither the guards nor the workers were present at the time, by the time they noticed the flames, the fire had already spread out of control.
Their chosen location was a considerable distance from the other tribes. Whether it was the shamans, medicine boys, or ordinary beastmen, they all believed their tribe was unique, so they had selected the most spacious area to settle. However, there was one major drawback to this area—it had no water source.
Normally, the lack of water wasn’t a problem. Some people in the tribe lived even farther from water, but they never worried because they had laborers to fetch it for them.
Those who had joined the Black Forest Tribe later naturally had fewer rights and were assigned the hardest, most grueling tasks. If they could work in the tribe, they could work here too. The usual routine dictated that these people would fetch water at night after moving supplies. However, the medicine they were normally given in the evening hadn’t been distributed that night. As a result, some of them began experiencing withdrawal symptoms.
The beastmen guarding them were familiar with this situation—it was a simple matter of getting them medicine. But before they could find someone to fetch it, Wu Shi had emerged from his dwelling. Those suffering from withdrawal immediately spotted him.
Ensuring the safety of a medicine boy was a higher priority than retrieving medicine for these workers. However, the guards underestimated just how desperate the group was. They clung to Wu Shi with a death grip. And then, they didn’t just hold on—they began to tighten their grip with force.
Wu Shi, writhing in pain from their grip, cursed aloud, which made the guards hesitate to intervene. Afraid that their actions would be discovered by the shaman, a few of them imitated various noises to mask the struggle, while someone forcefully dragged Wu Shi to the ground and covered his mouth.
The commotion failed to draw any attention. However, because they were too focused on handling Wu Shi, they neglected their original duty—not just guarding the workers, but also the food supplies. By the time they realized the fire had started, it had already been burning for quite a while.
At first, they dared not report it to the shaman and instead tried their best to put out the fire. But when they went to fetch tools, they discovered that the water that had been stored nearby was gone—both the water buckets and the water itself had disappeared.
As they scrambled to find another way to extinguish the flames, the fire grew larger and larger. At this point, it was already too late to inform the shaman; all they could do was watch in horror as the fire blazed taller than the surrounding trees.
Finally, one of them said, “Blame it on Wu Shi.”
Since the medicine boys held a high status, they figured that as long as they insisted that Wu Shi had insisted on lighting a fire, which accidentally led to the destruction of the food supplies, they could later plead for mercy from the chief and at least avoid the harshest punishments.
The others quickly understood his meaning and nodded in agreement. Then, turning to Wushi, who was now surrounded by the beastmen, one of them pointed at another and ordered, “Kill him.”
Only Wu Shi’s death would ensure their safety.
By this point, Wu Shi had already been beaten and bitten to the point of being unable to speak. The brutality of these beastmen made them no different from rogue beastmen. Just as Wu Shi was about to lose consciousness, he suddenly saw another figure in his blurry vision.
For a moment, he was overwhelmed with joy—someone had finally come to save him! But almost immediately, that joy turned into seething rage. Why had they taken so long? He would tell the shaman everything. He wanted all of these people killed! No—death was too easy for them. They should all be thrown into the beast pits!
Wu Shi knew that in a hidden part of the tribe’s territory, there was a pit where they kept a pack of wild beasts. Unlike beastmen, these creatures understood nothing but violence and spent their days fighting each other. Whenever a beastman in the tribe committed a serious offense, they would be beaten and then thrown into the pit—a fate worse than death, because the beasts only ate their prey while it was still alive.
Imagining the brutal fate that awaited these traitors, Wu Shi felt like his wounds didn’t hurt as much anymore. But just as he reveled in this vengeful fantasy, he felt a hand press against his throat. It was then that true fear finally set in.
But it was too late. With a sickening crack, Wu Shi’s vision darkened, and he unwillingly closed his eyes for the last time.
Believing that Wu Shi’s death had resolved everything, the beastmen quickly sent one of their own to report to the shaman.
However, they hadn’t expected the shaman’s fury to be even greater than usual. The moment the shaman saw the towering flames, he refused to listen to any explanations. He didn’t even spare a glance at Wu Shi’s lifeless body on the ground. Instead, he immediately ordered the surrounding beastmen: “Throw all those sick ones and the incompetent guards into the fire.”
Then, his voice turned even colder. “Where is Wu Ming? Where has he gone? With all this noise outside, he didn’t hear a thing?”
Just as the shaman finished speaking, Wu Ming came running over, wrapped in a beast hide. “Master, I—”
Before he could finish his sentence, the shaman struck him hard across the face. “Useless!”
Wu Ming held his cheek but said nothing.
Wu Cong, who had followed closely behind, saw Wu Ming’s rapidly reddening face and quickly tried to explain, “Master, Wu Shi was being difficult tonight and refused to eat. Ming searched for him for a long time but couldn’t find him. When he finally returned, he was so exhausted that he fell asleep and didn’t hear what was happening outside.”
But Wu Ming only took the blame upon himself. “Master, it was my failure. Wu Shi was just young—it was my responsibility to watch over him. It was also my fault for losing track of time and forgetting to distribute their medicine.”
“That was because you were looking for Wu Shi and got delayed!” Wu Cong protested. He knew that the beastmen who did labor for the tribe needed their medicine daily; otherwise, they would be too weak to work the next day. The fact that Wu Ming had forgotten to give them their medicine tonight was entirely Wu Shi’s fault. If he hadn’t gone searching for Wu Shi, he wouldn’t have neglected such an important task.
Hearing this, the shaman’s anger finally lessened. Then, after listening to Wu Ming’s hoarse voice as he tried to explain further, the shaman let out a long sigh. “It’s not your fault. Wu Shi was too willful.”
As he spoke, he cast a glance at Wu Shi’s lifeless body not far away, his expression devoid of any sorrow.
Wu Ming lowered his head. “Thank you, Master.”
Then, noticing that the surrounding beastmen were about to throw the wrongdoers into the fire, he quickly interjected, “Master, they made mistakes, but if we punish them like this, it’ll be difficult to explain to the chief.”
Though the shaman’s authority was above the chief’s in most matters, when it came to issuing direct commands to beastmen, he was still not as powerful as the chief, who had expanded the tribe through hunting and conquest. If they burned these people alive, it would be hard to justify the decision later. How would they explain it? That the food was destroyed, so they burned the responsible beastmen? Then why weren’t the other medicine boys who had failed to watch over Wu Shi being punished as well?
Hearing Wu Ming mention the chief, the shaman let out a cold laugh. In the end, he waved his hand, signaling for the captured individuals to be released—including those beastmen who were currently ill. After all, there were still tasks that needed to be done, and if they burned everyone, it would be difficult to manage. Calling for another group from the tribe would take time as well.
With the shaman’s permission, Wu Ming set off to retrieve medicine from the shaman’s residence for the beastmen. However, before he even arrived, a sharp scream rang out. He immediately turned around and ran back to the shaman.
“Master! Master! The medicine—” Wu Ming gasped in panic. “The medicine has been completely destroyed!”
“What?!!”
This was an even more serious disaster than the food burning. The shaman, carried on the back of a swift-footed beastman, rushed back to his quarters. When they arrived, they were met with utter chaos. The medicines he had painstakingly crafted had been dumped onto the ground and mixed with filthy sludge from an unknown source.
If they had only been spilled onto the ground, they might still have been salvageable—after all, the wounded beastmen who had already taken the medicine once wouldn’t mind a little dirt mixed in. But now, water, mud, excrement, rotting food, and all sorts of foul-smelling filth had combined into a disgusting mess. The stench was overwhelming even from a distance. Forget about consuming it—no one would even be willing to touch it.
The shaman’s face turned deathly pale. This was far worse than simply wasting his efforts.
He immediately thought of the consequences that would come tomorrow when the beastmen discovered there was no medicine left. Without hesitation, he issued an order: “Quick! Prepare to return to the tribe! Hurry! Go get ready!”
The beastmen, not understanding the urgency, were confused. Although the free medicine and food had been lost, they still had their own supplies. They had come all this way for the market—how could they leave before it had even begun? Return to the tribe just like that?
Despite their confusion, the shaman’s words were law, and they dared not disobey. They hurried off to make preparations for departure.
The beastmen who had just escaped punishment let out a sigh of relief. If Wu Ming’s plea for mercy had spared them from immediate retribution, returning to the tribe meant their safety was now guaranteed.
Unlike the chief, the shaman did not see the beastmen of the tribe as his comrades. In his eyes, they were merely tools for his service.
The chief, however, had grown up within the tribe and shared countless connections with its people. Even if someone made a mistake, the chief would consider their family and lineage before issuing punishment, making it far less severe.
Since the shaman was in such a rush to return to the tribe, he wouldn’t take the time to punish them on the way back. This meant they were completely safe for now. As long as they sent someone ahead to inform the chief and give him time to prepare, the shaman wouldn’t be able to act rashly, and their final punishment would likely be much lighter.
Just as they were contemplating this, Wu Ming happened to pass by. He had been on his way to gather his belongings, but seeing them, he stopped in his tracks. Reaching into his robe, he pulled out a small bamboo tube.
“This is some medicine I made myself,” he said, handing it to them. “Apply it to your wounds. The weather is too hot—if you don’t treat them, they might get worse.”
The lead beastman took the medicine with gratitude. “Thank you, Lord Wu Ming.”
“It’s what I should do. If I had been more careful…” Wu Ming muttered, blaming himself for his mistake.
“How can this be your fault? We all know what kind of person Wu Shi was.” The beastman who received the medicine immediately refuted him. His tone shifted noticeably when he mentioned Wu Shi. “He always looked down on us. A few insults and beatings were one thing, but yesterday he actually set a fire. Lord Wu Ming, you’ve had a hard time keeping him in check.”
Wu Ming shook his head. “He was just a child—he didn’t know any better.”
Hearing this only made the beastman angrier. “Lord Wu Ming, you’re not much older than him! You were already helping the shaman make medicine when you were seventeen!”
The more he spoke, the more he felt that Wu Ming was truly capable. After all, some medicine apprentices remained apprentices for life, never learning anything beyond gathering herbs. But Wu Ming had been studying under the shaman for years and had already learned how to make medicine. At this point, calling him an apprentice was misleading—he was practically a shaman himself.
“If only Wu Ming were our tribe’s shaman,” the beastman thought. Wu Ming was kind; even after seeing their injuries, he still gave them medicine. That was something the current shaman would never do. The shaman never gave out medicine without getting something in return. No one knew why he had given away medicine and food today, but even so, they all understood that they weren’t allowed to touch the medicine meant for others.
The shaman had a terrible temper—far worse than Wu Shi. Wu Shi’s tantrums mostly amounted to words; he rarely acted on them. More importantly, he didn’t have the power to. People would listen to an apprentice’s instructions for daily tasks, but no one would obey an apprentice’s order to kill. Even an apprentice had no authority to decide life and death.
But the shaman’s power was far greater. If Wu Ming hadn’t pleaded for them earlier, they would have been thrown into the fire. At that point, even the chief wouldn’t have been able to protect them. What good is protection when you’re already reduced to ashes?
If Wu Ming were the one making the decisions, he would never punish beastmen like that. In fact, every time the shaman handed out harsh punishments, Wu Ming would always plead for mercy. And almost every time, the punishment would be lessened because of him.
The group exchanged glances, realizing they were all thinking the same thing.
After handing out the medicine and checking on a few more beastmen, Wu Ming finally left.
From the shadows, a Black Hawk tribesman who had been secretly observing everything carefully slipped away to report back to Bai Tu and the others.
Lang Qi, Bai An, and the other chiefs were all present. Xiong He, exhausted, had let Xiong Tuan take his place. Bai Qi, hearing the news, immediately joined the conversation.
After listening to the hawk tribesman’s report, Bao Duo sighed. “Wu Ming is actually a really good person.”
Everyone else turned to look at him in unison.
Thanks for the chapters~~~