Chapter 156
Lang Ze and the others had no idea what had happened after they left. If an unfamiliar scent had appeared within their territory, they would have dug three feet into the ground to track its source. But the situation was different at the border.
The tribe’s territorial border wasn’t just a simple dividing line; it was actually a long, narrow stretch of land where the scents of both tribes mingled. To maintain good relations, the scents weren’t too strong, and since people often passed through this area, unfamiliar scents weren’t uncommon. It could be from a passing beastman or from a neighboring tribe—most often the latter. The patrol teams recognized each other, but they weren’t as familiar with the rest of the neighboring tribe’s members.
If a patrol member got a new partner or got into a fight with another beastman and ended up carrying the other’s scent, it wasn’t unusual for the border to have traces of unfamiliar smells. If it was an unfamiliar tribe, they might issue a warning. But if it was a familiar tribe—like the young wolves and the white bear beastmen—they’d just “retaliate” and move on.
The young wolves: We can’t give them the chance to show off their victories in a fight.
The white bear beastmen: We can’t give them the chance to flaunt having a partner.
With both sides unwilling to let the other have the upper hand, they tacitly chose to ignore the scent.
After all, it was a very faint scent—either from a sub-beast or some weakling. Even if, by some remote chance, it belonged to an enemy, it posed no real threat to them. There was no need to dwell on it.
Back in the tribe, the young wolves deployed their ultimate weapon—acting pitiful.
Lang Ze had learned this trick from a few of his nephews. Throwing a tantrum was useless—completely useless. Only by acting pitiful did they stand a chance.
Seeing the young wolves return so soon, Bai Tu hesitated.
Coming back after just half a day? That meant they truly wanted to eat those canned goods.
But Bai Tu wasn’t willing to open that stash just yet. At the very least, they had to wait until after the next market trip—only then could they eat freely. For now, he decided they could have something else.
Bai Tu instructed the kitchen to prepare several large pots of beef. The meat was sliced evenly, sprinkled with cilantro, and seasoned with salt, chili powder, vinegar, and soy sauce. A dash of fragrant sesame oil was drizzled over the top before it was plated and served to the young wolves.
However, it wasn’t the canned food they had been longing for, so the young wolves were disappointed. But since they were already here, it would be a waste not to eat. More importantly, there was a completely new aroma in the air—one they had never smelled before.
“Boss, this smells kinda good,” one young wolf sniffed the air.
Lately, as the weather cooled, food aromas weren’t as intense as in the summer. Instead, they became richer, deeper, and more enticing.
Just the smell alone made their stomachs rumble.
At first, they had thought canned food was irreplaceable. But now… they weren’t so sure.
With a “might as well try it” attitude, Lang Ze took the lead, grabbing a few plates and finding a table.
After a year of training, the young wolves had improved their table manners significantly. They weren’t exactly refined, but at least they no longer used their paws while walking.
With an abundance of food, the young wolves were all strong and well-built—not overweight like the beastmen from the Black Forest Tribe or the West River Tribe, but in a healthy way.
When tribes from the Western Continent visited, they were shocked. Some even wanted to leave their younger siblings or children here. Unfortunately, none of the young wolves were interested—whenever someone tried to get close, they just assumed it was an attempt to steal their food.
Their love for good food remained unchanged. The moment they sat down, the first thing they did was eat.
The beef was perfectly cooked, then chilled and mixed with seasonings. The texture was entirely different from canned food, yet equally delicious.
So delicious that words couldn’t even describe it.
The young wolves wasted no time devouring their portions, even snatching from each other’s plates before heading back to the window counter for more.
Since this was a new dish, Bai Tu had specifically instructed the kitchen to make extra. Normally, new dishes were prepared in small quantities for testing, but that rule never worked in this tribe. Here, new dishes were the most popular. As long as Bai Tu made it, there was basically no such thing as “bad food.”
Of course, even if someone claimed a dish was bad, everyone would still scramble to try it—just to see how “bad” it really was.
So even if Bai Tu hadn’t said anything, Tu Mu would have made extra. Since Bai Tu did instruct them to make more, that meant they made even more on top of that. Bai Tu had a deep understanding of the tribe’s taste preferences—if he said to make more, it was definitely a dish that everyone would love.
Sure enough, the chilled beef salad received universal praise.
Most of the time, they ate meat simply boiled in water. Once it was cooked, they ate it straight away. Only dried meats underwent additional processing, like being steamed and then air-dried. But this—chilled beef salad—was completely different from anything they’d had before.
“If only we had this during summer,” someone sighed.
Hearing those words, the beastmen couldn’t help but imagine it—on a scorching summer day, having a big bowl of chilled beef salad while finding a cool spot to relax.
Sluuurp. Just the thought of it made their mouths water.
That evening, before everyone had even finished their meals, the chilled beef salad was already completely gone. The latecomers could only listen regretfully as the others raved about how good it was. Just then, Tu Mu suddenly emerged from the kitchen carrying a huge bowl.
“If you haven’t tried it yet, come and get a portion—one plate per person,” Tu Mu called out.
He had already anticipated that some would arrive late, so he had set aside a portion of the new dish just for them.
Beastmen cherished food, and those who came late usually weren’t deliberately dragging their feet—it was because they simply couldn’t abandon their work midway. Normally, since the available dishes didn’t change much, it didn’t matter whether they arrived early or late. The canteen would always prepare something quick for them to fill their stomachs. Their number one rule was that no tribe member should go hungry.
But today’s new dish was different. It needed time to cook, so Tu Mu had specifically set aside a big bowl to let the later arrivals have a taste.
The ones who had already eaten looked on enviously as the latecomers dug in. They had eaten earlier, sure, but not enough to be satisfied. However, since this second batch wasn’t for them, they could only turn to the other available dishes.
“Tu said not to worry—there’ll be more tomorrow,” Tu Mu reassured the still-hungry beastmen. “He also said that eating too much of one thing at once can make you sick of it. So, we’ll keep making it for the next few days—you won’t have to wait long.”
“Alright, I’ll be back first thing tomorrow!”
“I’m just gonna camp out at the canteen so I don’t miss it…”
Some beastmen murmured anxiously, afraid they wouldn’t get any tomorrow.
The young wolves had eaten earlier, and it wasn’t just the chilled beef salad—they had other dishes as well. By the end of the meal, every single one of them was stuffed.
But a full stomach didn’t mean they could sit still. They needed to move around. Even though they had already patrolled earlier that day, they still gathered up and set out again.
A group of twenty or thirty young wolves shifted into their beast forms and charged straight toward the territorial border.
When they reached the spot where they had seen the White Bear Tribe’s patrol team earlier, the young wolves suddenly came to a halt.
Lang Ze shifted back into human form, wrapped himself in his clothes, and sniffed the air, frowning. “There’s a scent. It stinks.”
He couldn’t quite tell which beastman it belonged to—it just smelled awful.
“Someone passed through here?” Lang Zuo and Lang You moved closer, sniffing as well. They, too, caught the unfamiliar scent.
Someone had definitely come through here.
But the smell wasn’t just from a beastman—it was something even more unpleasant. Exactly as Lang Ze had described, it reeked.
The young wolves, who had just finished a satisfying meal, now felt queasy from the stench.
“Boss…” One young wolf covered his nose, mumbling through muffled words. “Can we go back…?”
Lang Ze hated this smell. But clearly, they couldn’t just leave immediately. Shifting back into his beast form, he quickly sent a message back to the tribe.
There’s a foul smell.
At that moment, Lang Qi, who was in the middle of picking up food with his chopsticks, paused.
Behind Bai Tu, two of the older wolf cubs stopped playing, their ears twitching as they tried to decipher the meaning of the distant howl. The three younger cubs also stopped, though they were still too little to fully understand. Hearing the call, their first instinct was to find a safe place.
And right now, the safest place was, of course, their father.
The little wolf cubs began climbing all over Bai Tu.
“What’s going on?” Bai Tu had also vaguely heard the howl.
At this hour, a call like that usually meant something had happened. He couldn’t help but worry—was it something to do with the tribes that had just left for the Western Continent? They had only been gone two days, and if there was trouble, Bai Tu’s first thought was them.
“There’s something… smelly,” Lang Qi frowned.
He had caught the meaning behind Lang Ze’s call, but he couldn’t figure out what the source could be. The tribe always kept waste and anything that could rot in designated pits for composting. As long as the young wolves didn’t go near them, they wouldn’t smell anything bad.
So what else in the tribe could possibly stink?
“I’ll go check it out,” Lang Qi decided, uneasy about leaving the young wolves to investigate alone.
“Be careful.” Bai Tu comforted the little cubs, who were still listening intently for more sounds from outside. Unlike Lang Qi, they couldn’t immediately decipher the meaning behind the distant howls.
Even though Bai Tu knew that, given the current strength of their tribe, an attack wouldn’t pose any real danger, he still couldn’t shake his worry.
“Take all your weapons and gear,” he instructed firmly.
This gear was an upgraded version of their previous collars. It covered all the important areas of the body, using a similar design to the anti-bite collars—thick animal hide lined with dense, sharp spikes on the outside to protect vital areas like the heart from attacks. However, it was a bit heavier to wear, and since beastmen generally disliked feeling restrained, they avoided wearing it unless absolutely necessary.
For routine patrols, Bai Tu didn’t interfere with what they wore. But this was different—no one knew the source of that foul smell. Numbers alone wouldn’t guarantee safety, so he made sure everyone was fully equipped.
Lang Qi responded with a hum, then lowered his head and rubbed against Bai Tu affectionately. “I’ll be back soon.”
“Go on.” No matter how much Bai Tu worried, he couldn’t keep him back just because he was reluctant to let him go. Protecting the tribe was everyone’s responsibility.
With that interruption, Bai Tu had lost his appetite. He put the food away to wait for Lang Qi’s return and focused on settling the cubs for the night.
Not long after Lang Qi left, someone knocked at the door. Bai Tu carefully shifted off the bed, glanced at the cubs—who were still sound asleep—and sighed in relief before heading to the courtyard to open the door.
It was Lang Ya.
Before leaving, Lang Qi had specifically asked someone to bring Lang Ya over. Besides not wanting Bai Tu to handle the cubs alone, he also needed someone who could understand messages if anything happened outside.
By now, most of the wolves in the residential area were awake, listening to the movements outside. Since moving here, this was the first time they had encountered a situation like this. Although Lang Ze’s message hadn’t sounded panicked, everyone still started preparing.
Meanwhile, Lang Qi led his group to find Lang Ze. When they arrived, they found a bunch of young wolves covering their noses, staring at something.
“Brother, you’re finally here!” The moment Lang Ze spotted Lang Qi, he rushed over—only to be stopped halfway.
But Lang Ze didn’t mind. Instead, he pointed at the thing they had been looking at and said, “It’s this!”
The stench was overwhelming. The young wolves had tried their best to endure it, but no matter how long they stayed, they just couldn’t get used to it.
However, as members of the patrol squad, they couldn’t just back down because of something like this. They had to follow the scent and figure out what it was.
When they finally tracked it to its source, the young wolves were stunned. They were so shocked that they even forgot to send a message back to the tribe.
Because what they found… was meat.
Or rather, rotting chunks of meat.
Back in the Blood Wolf Tribe or even here in the residential area, they had never seen food this spoiled. The sight of it disgusted them.
And it wasn’t just these few chunks of meat—the stench trailed further ahead. It seemed as if someone had been dragging rotten meat for quite some distance.
So the young wolves stood guard by the meat, waiting for Lang Qi and the others to arrive.
Lang Qi examined the decaying meat but didn’t say anything. Instead, he turned to look in the direction where the scent continued.
After a moment, he asked, “When was the last time you saw the White Bear Tribe’s patrol team?”
“This morning,” Lang Ze answered immediately. It was an easy question. They had encountered the White Bear Tribe’s patrol team earlier today. The two sides had exchanged some playful jabs before parting ways—both annoyed yet satisfied.
“Brother, the scent was already there this morning!” Lang Ze suddenly remembered the strange smell he had noticed earlier.
At the time, he had assumed it was because one of the White Bear beastmen had won a fight. But now that he thought about it… that wasn’t the case.
Lang Ze lowered his head and sneaked a few guilty glances at Lang Qi.
Did I mess up…?
But Lang Qi wasn’t in the mood to blame him right now. Upon hearing that the White Bear Tribe’s patrol team had been here that morning and that the scent had already existed then, he thought for a moment. Then he turned to the beastmen behind him and said, “We’re heading to the White Bear Tribe.”
Their own tribe was fine for now, but whoever had been carrying that rotten meat had clearly gone toward the White Bear Tribe’s territory.
They needed to see what was going on over there.
The wolves behind Lang Qi responded immediately.
Lang Ze, on the other hand, was itching for action.
“Brother, can we come too?” Lang Ze stretched, flexing his arms and legs. It had been too long since he had a good fight. His hands were starting to itch.
Lang Qi identified the scent in the air, confirming that the targeted tribe was the White Bear Tribe and not his own. He nodded in agreement and allowed Lang Ze to follow him, passing on Bai Tu’s instructions:
“Wear protective clothing.”
“No problem!”
The young wolves usually disliked such cumbersome attire, but when it came to fighting, it was a different story. Excited, they quickly changed on the spot, eager to set off immediately.
Lang Qi and the beastmen he had brought along hesitated to speak but ultimately just turned their gazes elsewhere. The young wolves moved swiftly, urging Lang Qi to depart as soon as they finished changing. Concerned that Bai Tu, who stayed behind in the tribe, might worry, Lang Qi sent a message before setting out.
In the residential area, upon hearing the message, Lang Ya reassured Bai Tu, “Tu, it’s safe.”
Even among the wolf tribe, their ability to convey messages was limited. They couldn’t describe specifics—Lang Ze could only report encountering something foul-smelling, while Lang Qi’s message was simply that everyone was safe but would return later. Bai Tu wasn’t concerned about when they would be back; as long as they were safe, he was relieved.
Even a few cubs seemed to sense his mood, sleeping more soundly than before.
With Bai Tu slightly reassured, another group in the tribe was troubled.
“What are they trying to do???” Xiong Liao was utterly confused. His tribe was doing just fine, yet he suddenly received news that someone had come to offer them rotten meat.
The White Bear beastman delivering the message explained, “They’re offering us ten baskets of meat to attack the Blood Wolf Tribe and the Snow Rabbit Tribe.” The one who promised the meat believed that the Blood Wolf Tribe was stronger than the Snow Rabbit Tribe, so they listed the wolves as the priority target.
“Attack the Snow Rabbit Tribe?”
To the surrounding tribes, the Blood Wolf Tribe and the Snow Rabbit Tribe were practically one, given their frequent interactions with Bai Tu. Since the wolves also followed Bai Tu, it had become common to refer to them collectively as the Snow Rabbit Tribe.
Someone was offering them meat to attack Bai Tu.
Xiong Liao remained silent for a long time.
Which tribe was foolish enough to do this? Did they not understand the consequences of angering Bai Tu? Did they not care about losing access to the livestock farms? The canteen?
Forget ten baskets of rotten meat—even if they were offered ten strong adult cattle, they wouldn’t be tempted!
“Drive them away!” Xiong Liao waved dismissively, utterly disgusted. “What if Tu misunderstands?”
Even though they had no intention of accepting the offer, what if the wolves or other patrols caught wind of strangers entering their territory?
To prevent any misunderstanding, Xiong Liao instructed the White Bear beastman, “Make sure to chase them far away.”
His mate was still with Bai Tu. Their canteen and residential area had only recently been built, and their relationship with the Snow Rabbit Tribe couldn’t be jeopardized by anyone!
Xiong Liao even suspected that another tribe, envious of their livestock farms and canteen, had sent these people to frame them—to stir up conflict between them and the Snow Rabbit Tribe and take their place as Bai Tu’s closest allies.
“Despicable! Vile!” Xiong Liao cursed.
“Don’t drive them away.”
A White Bear beastman beside Xiong Liao suddenly spoke up.
Xiong Liao glared at him. “What are you trying to do?!”
Was he tempted by that disgusting meat? If the other beastman dared to say yes, Xiong Liao swore he would shove all the tribe’s unwanted rotten meat into his mouth!
The White Bear beastman—who was also the one who had once advised Xiong Liao to cry and cling to Bai Tu for favor—remained calm and said, “Chief, I also think something is off about this person. Why not tell Tu directly?”
Xiong Liao thought for a moment and agreed. It was best to inform Bai Tu—maybe, if Bai Tu was pleased, he would allow Xiong Liao to spend the winter in the Snow Rabbit Tribe!
The cubs were about to hatch soon, and Ying Mian had decided to stay in the slightly warmer Snow Rabbit Tribe for the winter before returning to the White Bear Tribe. Yet, as the White Bear chief, Xiong Liao had no such privilege.
He decided to take this opportunity to make a request. Since they had caught someone plotting against the Snow Rabbit Tribe, Bai Tu should reward them! He didn’t need much—just permission to stay in the Snow Rabbit Tribe for the winter. He could bring his own food.
The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. With a wave of his hand, he declared, “Let’s go to the Snow Rabbit Tribe.”
But before they could set out, someone arrived with a report.
“Chief, Chief Lang Qi has arrived.”
“Who?” Xiong Liao was stunned before immediately cursing, “Someone is definitely framing us! It must be!”
He knew it—who would be dumb enough to try and bribe them with ten baskets of rotten meat? Look, it was obviously a setup. The moment the beastman arrived, Lang Qi showed up right after. Enraged, Xiong Liao kicked the unfamiliar beastman. “Speak! Which tribe sent you?!”
It had to be jealousy. Other tribes envied that they were the first to establish a livestock farm and a canteen. Maybe they had even found out about their plans to build a residential area next year. Such a malicious beastman couldn’t be allowed to stay.
“I…” The beastman, dizzy from the kick, was dumbfounded.
No one had told him that the White Bear Tribe and the Blood Wolf Tribe were this close. Just now, they were talking about going to the Snow Rabbit Tribe, but weren’t these two tribes always at odds? He had literally heard them arguing earlier in the morning, nearly coming to blows!
And then there was the food—ten baskets of it! These people weren’t satisfied? Were they starving so badly they’d lost their minds?
Xiong Liao wasn’t tempted in the slightest. The Blood Wolf Tribe’s chief arriving so quickly at the White Bear Tribe? That didn’t fit into any of their plans. He was still pondering when a hard slap landed on the stranger’s back.
“Hurry up! Speak! If you talk, we might spare your life!”
As the interrogation continued, Lang Qi had already arrived.
The White Bear beastmen all knew that their tribe’s canteen and livestock farms were built with the help of the Wolf Tribe and the Rabbit Tribe. Naturally, their attitude toward these two tribes was different, so no one stopped Lang Qi’s approach. Aside from the first beastman who ran to report the news, others either led the way or stood guard at the outskirts with the wolf patrols.
Lang Qi, along with Lang Ze and Lang Yang, entered Xiong Liao’s cave.
Having grown used to spacious, well-lit rooms, the narrow cave—where they had to lower their heads to enter—felt a bit uncomfortable. Still, since they were only here to talk, they could tolerate it.
“Chief Xiong Liao,” Lang Qi greeted first, “we caught the scent of a stranger at the edge of our territory.”
“It’s him!” Xiong Liao immediately pointed. “He came offering ten baskets of rotten meat, trying to bribe us into attacking you! Can you believe how devious that is? Do they think I’m stupid?”
Xiong Liao grumbled, clearly offended that anyone would underestimate his intelligence.
That meat was rotten!
“Ten baskets?!” Lang Ze was shocked. He had nearly passed out from the smell of just a little bit of it—how could anyone endure ten whole baskets of the stuff?
Did someone actually like eating rotten meat? What a bizarre habit.
Their tribe barely touched spoiled meat anymore. Even the captured vultures had stopped demanding it after getting used to fresh food. After all, fresh meat tasted better—only an idiot would refuse it.
These people had gathered such a large amount of rotten meat… Lang Ze looked at the stranger and finally shook his head. They must have been starving to the point of insanity.
However, in the stranger’s ears, Lang Ze’s reaction carried a completely different meaning.
He recognized this beastman! It was the same one from the patrol team who had been whining about not getting enough to eat. No wonder the White Bear Tribe refused—clearly, they had more than enough food.
He had heard that many tribes on the Eastern Continent had been deceived by the Black Forest Tribe before. These people must have assumed he was lying too.
With that in mind, the beastman cleared his throat and started trying to persuade Lang Ze.
“Hello, although you’re from the Wolf Tribe, if you’re willing to join us, I can convince our chief to give you one basket of meat. If your entire team joins, we can offer you three baskets.”
The beastman stared at Lang Ze, waiting for his answer.
Three baskets of meat equaled one-fifth of an entire cow! A small team getting that much food would be thrilled!
But the beastman waited and waited—there was no response. There was also no reaction of shock or excitement from anyone else.
Puzzled, he wondered why these people weren’t amazed by such an offer. Did they think he was lying?
Thinking this, the beastman pulled out a piece of food from his cloak, proudly displaying it. “This is my daily ration!”
Across the entire Beast God Continent, what other tribe could afford to give each person such a large portion of meat every day? No doubt these people had no idea how much food his tribe had in storage.
The moment he revealed it, everyone instinctively stepped back.
Especially Lang Ze, who had suffered the most from the smell—he immediately jumped to the doorway and shouted, “Brother, kill him! Hurry up and kill him!”
He knew it! No one could be stupid enough to say something so ridiculous. This guy had deliberately stalled for time, trying to use his stench to knock them out!
What a sinister beastman!
Lang Ze’s thoughts aligned with Xiong Liao’s.
Lang Qi held his breath and glanced at the beastman. “Which tribe are you from?”
The beastman, thinking Lang Qi was impressed by the food he had just displayed, puffed up with pride. “We are from the Chiwen Tribe!”
“Dumb?” Lang Ze nodded. “Yeah, that sounds about right.”
“It’s Chiwen! ‘Chi’ as in eating, and ‘Wen’ as in smelling meat!” the beastman corrected him, emphasizing, “In our tribe, all you can smell is meat—nothing but the rich aroma of meat! That’s a kind of happiness you can’t even imagine.”
The beastmen in their tribe could even smell meat in their dreams. This was a joy that these patrol beastmen—who didn’t even have enough to eat—could never understand.
Thinking about how his entire body was soaked in the scent of food, the beastman looked intoxicated. “In our tribe, during summer, meat hangs from every tree, and in winter, it fills the caves. Every day, each person gets a huge piece…”
Lang Ze tried to imagine the scene. He couldn’t breathe.
“Ugh—” An entire mountain full of rotten meat? He’d rather die.
Where was Bai Tu? He needed Bai Tu! Lang Ze’s eyes welled up with tears. This was a psychological attack. This was worse than the White Bear Tribe’s usual bragging!
Lang Qi had no interest in watching this fool any longer. The Chiwen Tribe? He had never heard of them. Who knew where they had come from? At first, he thought they were targeting the White Bear Tribe, but it turned out they were just using them to attack the wolves.
In a way, meeting such people was truly a disaster for the White Bear Tribe.
“How many people are in your tribe? How many other tribes are you planning to ally with?”
“A thousand!” The beastman boasted. “I’m in charge of the White Bear Tribe. Others have gone to contact the Flower Deer Tribe, the Yellow Deer Tribe, the Brown Deer Tribe, the White Lion Tribe, the Yellow Lion Tribe, the Brown Lion Tribe…”
As he listed the names, he glanced around, eager to see fear on their faces.
Their tribe had a thousand warriors. With these other tribes, they would have over two thousand! Defeating the Snow Rabbit Tribe and the Blood Wolf Tribe would be a piece of cake!
“Good.” Now that Lang Qi knew their direction, there was nothing else to ask. He glanced at Lang Yang.
Receiving his command, Lang Yang immediately left to gather others and check on the situation in the mentioned tribes.
Lang Qi wasn’t worried about the tribal leaders. The Brown Deer Tribe had already changed leaders, and the new young chief was smart. He was trying to connect with the wolves through the Flower Deer Tribe. The Yellow Deer Tribe was somewhat connected to the Flower Deer Tribe, so their information circulated freely. Once Lu Hui heard about this, she wouldn’t let things escalate.
As for the three lion tribes, they were even less of a concern. The Brown Lion Tribe was far away and would have to pass through the White Lion and Yellow Lion Tribes to reach them. Those two tribes would definitely side with the wolves.
Lang Qi didn’t like seeing these tribal leaders constantly approaching Bai Tu, but he at least acknowledged their capabilities.
What worried him was something Bai Tu had mentioned before—many tribes seemed to obey their chiefs, but there were always troublemakers. These individuals often caused minor disturbances that chiefs couldn’t punish too harshly. However, when major tribal matters were at stake, these individuals could create serious problems.
A single rat could spoil a whole pot of soup.
Bai Tu had used this phrase before to describe the few White Bear beastmen who constantly opposed Xiong Liao. Lang Qi realized that other tribes might have such individuals too. If some fools believed the Chiwen Tribe’s words and attacked them, he wasn’t worried about his own tribe’s safety—he just didn’t want Bai Tu to have to deal with unnecessary trouble.
So, they had to eliminate the threat before it escalated.
The captured beastman was locked up in the White Bear Tribe, and Lang Qi divided his warriors into six teams, each heading to a different tribe. He led the team to the Brown Deer Tribe.
The Brown Deer Tribe had recently undergone a power struggle after the rainy season. The situation was somewhat ridiculous—the new chief, Lu Ming, was the son of the previous chief, Lu Shi.
Lu Shi had many children, far more than just Lu Ji. Unlike Lu Ji, Lu Ming’s mother was older than Lu Shi’s mate. She had grown up with Lu Shi, but later, Lu Shi had married the daughter of the former Brown Deer chief to solidify his leadership. Lu Ming’s mother was abandoned.
After leaving the tribe, she lived in the Yellow Deer Tribe for a while. Only then did she discover she was pregnant with Lu Shi’s child. But she had no desire to return to the Brown Deer Tribe, so she raised Lu Ming in the Yellow Deer Tribe.
The Brown Deer Tribe was notorious for its love of conflict, and Lu Shi was known for raiding neighboring tribes. The Yellow Deer Tribe was one of his targets.
During a raid last year, Lu Shi unexpectedly discovered Lu Ming and his mother. By then, Lu Ming’s mother was gravely ill. For some unknown reason, Lu Shi claimed he wanted to compensate them and took both of them back to the Brown Deer Tribe.
Lu Ming’s mother did not want to see Lu Shi, but the Yellow Deer Tribe was indeed weaker than the Brown Deer Tribe. If they resisted, it would only bring trouble to the Yellow Deer Tribe. So, she made a condition—she would return to the Brown Deer Tribe with Lu Ming, and in exchange, Lu Shi would leave the Yellow Deer Tribe alone.
Lu Shi had felt guilty towards his former partner for over a decade, and upon seeing her gravely ill, his conscience unexpectedly surfaced. Without hesitation, he agreed to the deal.
Lu Ming and his mother followed Lu Shi back to the Brown Deer Tribe. The moment Lu Ming arrived, he was ostracized by Lu Shi’s other children. Lu Shi was the chief, and there was only one position for a leader. Now that Lu Shi was treating Lu Ming so well, the others naturally saw him as a threat.
But mere vigilance wasn’t enough. A group of them plotted to suffocate Lu Ming’s mother while he was away hunting.
They believed that Lu Shi had brought Lu Ming and his mother back only because he still had feelings for her. If she were gone, they could easily drive Lu Ming away.
Fortunately, Lu Ming returned just in time, and the attackers fled in panic.
His mother’s near-death experience changed Lu Ming’s perspective completely. Previously, he had only wanted to live quietly—he hunted his own food and never accepted Lu Shi’s help. But that night, he openly exposed the actions of Lu Shi’s other sons.
However, that was not enough. Lu Ming realized that what he truly needed was power. Some tribe members had seen the attackers sneaking around but chose to turn a blind eye, knowing it wasn’t worth offending the future chief over.
Swallowing his disgust, Lu Ming began addressing Lu Shi as “Father” and quickly gained recognition for his skills in hunting. Lu Shi’s other sons tried to use the same tactics that had driven Lu Ji away to force Lu Ming out. But unlike them—who had spent their entire lives scheming against each other—Lu Ming had grown up in the Yellow Deer Tribe, where he had learned different survival skills.
In less than a year, Lu Shi’s other sons were either dead or severely injured. After the rainy season, Lu Ming fully revealed his fangs and overthrew Lu Shi’s rule.
On one side was a young, strong new chief backed by the Yellow Deer and Flower Deer Tribes. On the other was an aging leader who couldn’t even control his own sons. The choice was obvious.
The more combative members of the tribe fully supported Lu Ming. To them, their former chief was growing too weak to lead successful raids. They needed a strong and powerful leader like Lu Ming.
What they never expected was that after taking power, Lu Ming had no intention of invading other tribes.
The battle-hungry beastmen felt deceived. But in truth, Lu Ming had never made any promises. They had merely assumed his strength meant he was warlike. After all, someone who had eliminated Lu Shi’s other sons and then defeated Lu Shi himself—how could he not be aggressive?
But in reality, Lu Ming wasn’t interested in war. Having spent a long time in the relatively peaceful Yellow Deer Tribe, he believed in steady development, particularly the approach taken by the Flower Deer Tribe. Just last month, the Flower Deer Tribe had begun constructing a livestock farm. Lu Ming had been contemplating when he might be able to visit the Snow Rabbit Tribe and the Blood Wolf Tribe to meet their leaders.
Though he and Lu Ji shared the same father, their personalities were completely different. Lu Hui had agreed to introduce him, but only with Bai Tu’s permission.
Just after finishing that discussion, Lu Ming returned to his tribe—only to be approached by a figure acting secretively.
He instinctively stepped back. He wasn’t close with the battle-hungry faction of the tribe. These beastmen would jump at any rumor and constantly looked for opportunities to raid other tribes. After all, the Yellow Deer Tribe he had once lived in had also been a victim of their raids.
However, since he had only recently taken over as chief, it wasn’t the right time to reject them too bluntly. Every time these beastmen approached, he found ways to brush them off.
“Chief, someone came inviting us to attack the Blood Wolf Tribe and the Snow Rabbit Tribe.”
The warrior’s eyes gleamed with eagerness. They had long heard that these two tribes had an abundance of food. If they could defeat them and take their supplies, they could spend the winter comfortably sleeping in their caves—and maybe even take a month off from hunting.
This was the life they had always dreamed of.
“Attack the Snow Rabbit Tribe and the Blood Wolf Tribe?” Lu Ming repeated the words, his expression unreadable. Who gave this person such audacity? Did they have any idea how many warriors those two tribes had combined?
Not to mention the number of allied tribes willing to help them. Others might not know, but he certainly did—both the Brown Lion Tribe and the Yellow Deer Tribe were actively looking for ways to contact Bai Tu.
Even he was struggling to find an opportunity. If a tribe attempted to attack the wolves and rabbits now, he would step in to stop them—just to use it as a way to connect with Bai Tu.
Of course, he would make sure that the fools marching to their deaths weren’t from his own tribe.
Lu Ming glanced at the eager warrior and simply said, “If you want to die, don’t drag the tribe down with you.”
Even though he had taken the chief’s position primarily to protect his mother, he couldn’t deny that not everyone in the tribe was detestable. There were the non-aggressive beastmen who worked hard hunting and foraging for food every day, and the young cubs growing up in the tribe.
For their sake, he wouldn’t allow reckless warriors to bring disaster upon the entire tribe.
“But we’ll go in secret! They won’t even know it was us!” the battle-hungry beastman insisted.
Just as he finished speaking, a voice suddenly called out from outside—
“Chief Lang Qi is here!”
Thank you for the chapter!