Chapter 157
Hearing those words, not only did the battle-hungry beastmen react, but even Lu Ming was surprised.
He had visited the Flower Deer Tribe after his afternoon hunt since it was a time when both he and Lu Hui were free. By the time he returned to his own tribe, it was already late. That was when the war-hungry beastmen came to report that someone was trying to incite them to attack the Blood Wolf Tribe and the Snow Rabbit Tribe.
Lu Ming did a quick calculation—it had been less than half a day since the message spread.
Yet, in that short time, not only had the news reached them, but the wolves had also managed to travel from their territory to his tribe.
A chill ran down Lu Ming’s spine. Did that mean the wolves had been watching them all along?
If he had followed the battle-hungry beastmen’ plan, they might have barely started preparing before the Blood Wolf Tribe warriors arrived.
The Brown Deer Tribe had some skilled fighters, but they usually only fought other deer tribes. As for wolves and lions? Lu Ming wasn’t underestimating his own tribe—he simply knew they stood no chance.
The other beastmen in his tribe didn’t realize this, but Lu Ming had learned a lot from Lu Hui. For example, he knew the real number of warriors in the Blood Wolf Tribe and the Snow Rabbit Tribe. Lu Hui hadn’t given exact numbers, but Lu Ming had pieced it together—it was far more than it appeared.
Fearing that any delay would make the wolves less willing to negotiate, Lu Ming didn’t even send someone to invite them—he went to meet them himself.
Stepping outside, he exhaled in relief. Lang Qi had only brought about a dozen wolves with him. That meant he wasn’t here to fight—at least, not yet.
As long as there was no fighting, there was room for negotiation. Lu Ming spoke up.
“Chief Lang Qi, is there something you need from me?”
Lang Qi glanced at the beastmen around Lu Ming and got straight to the point. “Someone claiming to be from the Chiwen Tribe offered ten baskets of meat to convince other tribes to attack the Blood Wolf Tribe and the Snow Rabbit Tribe.” He then looked directly at Lu Ming. “I wonder if Chief Lu Ming is tempted?”
“Not at all, not at all!” Lu Ming immediately shook his head, afraid of being misunderstood. There was no way he would agree to something like that—he wanted to protect his tribe.
Lang Qi’s gaze shifted to the beastman standing next to Lu Ming. That beastman’s eyes had been gleaming with a different kind of thought ever since Lang Qi arrived.
Following Lang Qi’s line of sight, Lu Ming almost wanted to cover the battle-hungry beastman’s mouth immediately.
Normally, he could keep them under control when they talked about raiding other tribes. But now Lang Qi was right here. If this fool said something reckless, their entire tribe would suffer for it.
Even though the wolves had only brought a dozen warriors, Lu Ming had no doubt that more were waiting nearby. If they made a single wrong move, the rest of the wolves would arrive in an instant.
For the safety of his tribe, Lu Ming desperately signaled the beastman with his eyes, praying he would have the sense to stay silent.
The battle-hungry beastman opened his mouth. “Well, actually…”
He was a little tempted.
But it wasn’t the ten baskets of meat that tempted him—the stranger had reeked of rot, clearly lacking food himself. What tempted him was the idea of multiple tribes raiding the Blood Wolf and Snow Rabbit Tribes together.
Rumors said that the Snow Rabbit Tribe ate only the finest parts of their hunts. A tribe that wealthy? Of course, they wanted to plunder it.
If Lu Shi were still chief, he would have probably agreed the moment the war-hungry beastmen suggested it.
But Lu Ming was in charge now. The moment he sensed that this fool was about to say something dangerous, he didn’t hesitate to clamp a hand over his mouth and order others to drag him away.
That still wasn’t enough. Lu Ming quickly turned back to Lang Qi and explained, “Chief Lang Qi, this man is sick. He’s been talking nonsense lately. Please don’t take him seriously.”
Lang Qi nodded. He didn’t care. He simply looked at Lu Ming and said, “Make sure to keep a close watch on people like that.”
“Understood.” Lu Ming immediately agreed. He understood exactly what Lang Qi meant.
Once Lang Qi left, he planned to lock that beastman up. He wasn’t going to let this situation happen again.
This time, he had been there in person. And Lang Qi had shown up, preventing a battle before it started.
But what if next time he wasn’t around?
Or what if the battle-hungry beastmen actually went through with their reckless plan and secretly attacked the wolves?
Even thinking about it made Lu Ming’s scalp tingle.
Many in the Brown Deer Tribe were used to bullying the smaller neighboring tribes. They assumed all tribes were weak and easy targets.
But they had no idea. The combined forces of the Blood Wolf Tribe and the Snow Rabbit Tribe outnumbered the Brown Deer Tribe by several times.
These battle-hungry beastmen had followed Lu Shi in plundering other tribes for years, ruining relationships with all their neighbors. That was exactly why Lu Ming hadn’t brought any of his warriors when visiting the Flower Deer Tribe—his tribe had a terrible reputation there.
Lu Ming had worked hard to mend those broken relationships. He wasn’t going to let his efforts go to waste.
Seeing that Lang Qi was still here, Lu Ming made a bold move.
“Chief Lang Qi, would your tribe’s construction team be willing to come here and build a livestock farm for us?”
The Flower Deer Tribe’s livestock farm was nearly complete. Lu Ming had seen it and felt envious.
Just imagining how comfortably their prey would grow in such a well-constructed farm—how much better the meat would be—was enough to convince him.
His frequent visits to the Flower Deer Tribe lately had also been for this reason. He had been hoping Lu Hui would introduce him to the Snow Rabbit Tribe’s leadership.
Directly asking Lang Qi was a risky move.
But it was definitely the most efficient one.
Lang Qi did not immediately agree to Lu Ming’s request. Instead, he glanced at the surrounding deer beastmen and gave a vague response:
“We’ll talk after winter.”
Lu Ming felt a little relieved by this answer. Lang Qi hadn’t agreed, but he also hadn’t outright refused.
That meant there was still room for negotiation. Lu Ming decided that he needed to perform well in the coming months and earn the approval of the Snow Rabbit Tribe and the Blood Wolf Tribe.
“Chief Lang Qi, the beastman who offered us food is still in our tribe.” Lu Ming took the initiative to report.
He assumed that since he was the one making decisions, the beastman had chosen to stay after making the offer, waiting for his response. Lu Ming hadn’t even had the chance to meet the stranger yet—Lang Qi had arrived first. That meant the beastman likely didn’t know that the wolves were already here.
Lang Qi frowned. He had no interest in dealing with the beastmen from the Chiwen Tribe.
These people weren’t even as aware as the frog at the bottom of the well from Bai Tu’s bedtime stories for the wolf pups. All they did was brag about their food.
Since this beastman was from the same tribe as the one they had already captured—and was sent on the same mission—he was probably just as foolish. Lang Qi waved a hand dismissively.
“No need to meet him. Just watch your own people carefully.”
“If you need help, send word directly.”
Lang Qi knew that Bai Tu had a good opinion of Lu Ming as the new chief of the Brown Deer Tribe. But that didn’t mean their past wrongdoings were forgiven.
Waiting until after winter to discuss the livestock farm wasn’t just about resources. They didn’t have enough free builders or spare materials right now, but there was another reason—they needed to see how Lu Ming handled his tribe.
He had only been chief for a short time. They had to be sure he could truly lead before deciding whether to help build a livestock farm for them. Bai Tu had already made that decision, but they hadn’t announced it yet. Lang Qi also didn’t like discussing his private conversations with Bai Tu, so this was the response he gave.
Lu Ming was already very satisfied with this answer. He understood that the final decision depended on the Blood Wolf Tribe and the Snow Rabbit Tribe as a whole, not just Lang Qi. So he didn’t push further and instead explained everything that had happened in his tribe since he returned from the Flower Deer Tribe.
Lang Qi nodded and, seeing that there was nothing urgent, prepared to leave.
Before he left, he scanned the area. His gaze lingered on a few eager-looking deer beastmen who seemed ready to ambush them.
The battle-hungry deer immediately looked down, their previous thoughts of a sneak attack disappearing.
If the wolves had already noticed them before they even made a move, how could they launch a surprise attack?
Only after confirming that all the deer had calmed down did Lang Qi finally leave, following the scent trail.
At the same time, the other wolf teams, who had just finished gathering information, also began tracking the foul-smelling odor.
The Chiwen Tribe truly lived up to their name. They didn’t even need to get close—the stench was overpowering from a distance.
All they had to do was follow the source of the smell, and they would find their targets.
Even though they were still far away, the wolves could already smell the rotten meat and something even worse— a stench that was stronger than even the dirtiest beastmen in their own tribe.
After being steamed or boiled, the smell had intensified, rivaling the fermentation pits back home.
The young wolves immediately shifted to their human forms, pinching their noses as they walked.
This was rare—normally, they loved staying in their wolf forms all day long. The fact that they changed voluntarily without orders from Lang Qi proved just how unbearable the stench was.
The others didn’t react as dramatically, but judging by their expressions, they were struggling too.
However, this confirmed one thing: they were getting close.
The stronger the smell, the closer they were to the enemy’s camp.
Sure enough, they hadn’t walked much farther before they heard voices ahead.
The Chiwen Tribe had sent a total of over 200 beastmen. Some had been dispatched to recruit nearby tribes, while the rest were having dinner.
“Boss, why aren’t they back yet? You don’t think those tribes refused, do you?”
“Impossible!” The leader of the Chiwen beastmen said confidently. “We offered them so much food! Of course they’ll agree!”
Lang Qi: “……”
Other wolves: “……”
Lang Ze looked at Lang Qi in disbelief. “They… they can’t be serious.”
Did they actually think any tribe would be tempted by ten baskets of rotten meat?
Lang Ze’s expression gradually froze. Did they really think ten baskets of rotten meat would convince other tribes to attack them?
That was ridiculous.
The quantity was small, and worse, it was rotten.
Lang Ze pinched his nose, deciding that if anyone was actually dumb enough to believe the Chiwen Tribe’s promise and attack them, he wouldn’t hold back!
Lang Qi didn’t immediately answer Lang Ze’s question. Instead, he motioned for everyone to look at the speaking beastman.
“Do you recognize him?” Lang Qi asked.
Everyone behind him shook their heads. None of them had ever seen this beastman before.
“They didn’t go to the market.” Lang Qi was able to confirm it almost instantly.
At the last market gathering, their tribe had worked together with many others. Even if Lang Qi personally didn’t remember this beastman, someone else would have.
Now, with fifty or sixty wolves here and not a single one recognizing him, it meant only a few possibilities:
- The Chiwen beastmen had been wandering beasts before forming a tribe.
- Their tribe had enough food and salt that they never needed to trade.
- They deliberately avoided the market.
There were too many of them to be wandering beasts. They had elders and cubs, which meant they had been settled for a while.
Lang Qi’s gaze landed on the small bamboo container in the leader’s hand. He was carefully sprinkling salt while cooking, using it sparingly.
That alone proved that their resources weren’t plentiful.
That left only one explanation. They had avoided the market on purpose.
Lang Qi suddenly recalled something from a while back—the Black Hawk Tribe’s investigation.
They had discovered that some tribes on the Eastern Continent had been stockpiling vast amounts of food, drying all their hunted meat into jerky.
When the hawks returned, they had mentioned one tribe in particular with an unbearably foul stench.
Lang Qi sniffed the air.
It had to be them.
After all, this level of stench was hard to replicate.
Even Lang Qi felt a moment of confusion.
These beastmen had spent so much effort hoarding meat, only to let it rot and use it to bribe others?
For what?
To annoy them?
Yes—to annoy them.
Lang Qi didn’t even consider these people real threats. His wolves could wipe them out in less than half a day.
What actually needed to be dealt with was the unbearable stench.
If left unattended, it could attract stray beastmen or worse—wild beasts.
They had already captured one group of stray beastmen near the Black Forest Tribe, but that was only a fraction of the nomads on the Eastern Continent. There were still many others.
And wild beasts were even more dangerous than stray beastmen.
Most had been driven away from the wolf territory, but that didn’t mean they had disappeared.
Winter was coming.
When food became scarce, starving animals would be drawn to the smell of rotten meat.
And once they got close, they’d pick up the scent of beastmen—and attack.
The Blood Wolf Tribe didn’t have to worry about this, but there were other tribes nearby.
The deer tribes. The small White Lion Tribe.
Lang Qi knew Bai Tu would be upset if anything happened to them—even the Brown Deer Tribe, despite their limited interactions.
To save Bai Tu the trouble, Lang Qi decided to deal with the problem immediately.
Since they were already here, there was no need to make a second trip.
Lang Qi remained hidden, patiently waiting.
The stench of the meat was overwhelming.
Even though the wolves were incredibly close, the Chiwen Tribe was so absorbed in their meal that no one noticed.
Lang Ze rolled his eyes again.
Were they really this dumb?
Did they actually think they could attack them?
Were they daydreaming in broad daylight?
The temperature dropped as the night deepened.
Lang Ze grew more and more restless.
He really wanted to go out and punch them.
But with Lang Qi here, he had no choice but to hold back.
Finally, just as the young wolves were starting to lose patience, the Chiwen chief finished his speech.
The tribe members began heading off to rest.
And the chief moved to a separate, cleaner area.
This was the moment they had been waiting for.
In an instant, Lang Qi pounced.
The other wolves followed immediately.
They were outnumbered four to one.
But in terms of strength, each of them could easily take on three opponents.
Not to mention—they had been waiting.
And the Chiwen Tribe was completely unprepared.
After being forced to endure this unbearable stench for so long, the young wolves fought harder than ever—fueled by pure frustration.
Sometimes, having more people doesn’t necessarily mean having an advantage. Take now, for example—while the Chiwen Tribe had numbers on their side, most of them were only making things worse.
The sudden appearance of the Wolf Tribe had thrown them into chaos; they had no idea which way to run and ended up crashing into each other in their panic. In less than two hours, Lang Qi and his wolves had taken care of them. By the time they finished tying everyone up, the sky had yet to brighten.
“Bury all the rotten meat on the spot,” Lang Qi ordered. It wasn’t just the young wolves who couldn’t stand the stench—he himself had endured it long enough.
Hearing that their food was going to be buried, the captured beastmen instantly became agitated, but aside from getting a few extra kicks, their protest was completely useless.
The young wolves despised the pile of rotten meat. After spending half the night in this place, they felt like their noses were about to rot off. As he dug a pit in his beast form, Lang Ze was already scheming—he was definitely going to complain to Bai Tu when they got back. His brother had clearly made them stay here on purpose, just to ruin his sense of smell so he wouldn’t be able to sniff out food later.
Lang Qi glanced back while doing a headcount. Although Lang Ze didn’t make a move, based on what he knew of him, Lang Ze had definitely come up with something again.
The Wolf Tribe had been out all night, and when they returned, they brought back over two hundred beastmen. That wasn’t the main point, though—the real issue was that these people reeked so badly that even Bai Qi’s patrol squad was stunned.
“Did they fall into a cesspit or something?” Bai Qi asked, covering his nose. They had just finished eating, and this stench was unbearable.
“They’re a bunch of beastmen who enjoy communicating with rotten meat,” Lang Ze said with disdain, completely unable to understand them. “They even tried to bribe Xiong Liao’s group with rotten meat to get those tribes to attack us.”
Bai Qi was shocked. The tribes they were familiar with all knew that food left out for too long could cause illness. Of all things, these people chose rotten meat? Were they trying to make enemies out of the surrounding tribes?
The Chiwen Tribe’s leader, who was tied up tightly, felt deeply offended as he listened to the conversation about his tribe’s food. However, all he could do was glare in frustration.
What was wrong with their food? They had worked hard to hunt all those animals! These people were just jealous of their stockpile! One day, they would escape and dig up their buried food.
The thought of all their painstakingly gathered food being buried in the dirt filled the captured beastmen with both anger and heartbreak.
But the Wolf Tribe clearly had no intention of caring about their feelings. After handing them over to the patrol squad, they each went back to their rooms to rest.
Rest, however, would have to wait. The first thing on everyone’s agenda was scrubbing themselves clean to wash off the awful smell.
Lang Qi didn’t plan on lingering outside either. As he headed back, he glanced at Lang Ze. From the moment they had captured the Chiwen Tribe’s beastmen, he had a feeling Lang Ze was up to something. And sure enough, Lang Qi understood his brother all too well—upon returning to the tribe, Lang Ze didn’t go home. Instead, he ran straight toward Lang Qi and Bai Tu’s residence.
Just as he was about to knock, Lang Qi blocked him. “Go take a bath.”
Did he seriously think he could get near Bai Tu and the cubs smelling like that? Did he have a death wish?
Lang Ze understood the warning in his brother’s gaze and shuddered before immediately turning around to head back to his own place.
Lang Qi didn’t return home right away either. He first went to a temporary residence to wash himself thoroughly several times before finally going to find Bai Tu.
Bai Tu had already sensed movement outside and knew the Wolf Tribe was back. Though his sense of smell wasn’t as sharp as theirs, he could still detect a faint strange odor lingering in the air. Hearing that their first priority upon returning was bathing, Bai Tu immediately knew that something unusual had happened last night.
And sure enough, it was unusual. When Lang Qi told him that the entire Chiwen Tribe’s food supply was rotten, Bai Tu’s expression stiffened.
“Rotten???” What kind of bizarre habit was that?
Bai Tu had always believed that wasting food was a sin. While anything edible could fill a stomach, there was a world of difference between eating good food and eating something that was merely digestible.
Since last year, he had been coming up with different ways to preserve food. The Chiwen Tribe, however, was a special case. Despite being unable to consume so much, they still insisted on hoarding an excessive amount.
The Hawk Tribe was the first to go verify the situation, confirming that these were indeed the beastmen they had encountered before—the ones who had been recklessly overhunting, causing food shortages for many other tribes.
Bai Tu was speechless. Normally, tribes only hunted enough to last through winter or the rainy season, but these people had caught so much game that they couldn’t even eat it all, letting the meat rot instead. And now, the food they were offering was even more putrid than carrion—if that wasn’t wasteful, what was?
As for their attempt to use this meat as a bribe to rally other tribes against them, Bai Tu didn’t even know what to say anymore.
Not to mention that the nearby tribes had already started building livestock enclosures. But even if they hadn’t, not everyone could stomach the stench of rotting meat.
To date, the only ones Bai Tu knew who could eat carrion were the vultures of the Red Eagle Tribe. But that was in the past—now, even their diet had changed under his influence. After all, the tribe’s cooks didn’t have the time or patience to wait for meat to rot before preparing it.
Before the war, the Black Lion Tribe had feasted on excessive amounts of rotten meat, resulting in widespread food poisoning. This didn’t just affect their tribe—neighboring tribes also became wary of consuming rotten meat. If food was truly scarce, they would rather grit their teeth and borrow from a nearby tribe than risk eating something unsafe.
Given this history, it was practically impossible for the Chiwen Tribe to find reinforcements in the area.
But after hearing all this, Bai Tu still couldn’t suppress his curiosity. What kind of beastmen were they, to have such bizarre eating habits? “Where are they?” he asked.
“Qi took them to wash up,” Lang Qi replied. The Chiwen beastmen reeked far too much. They had originally thought that the one they met earlier in the White Bear Tribe was already peculiar—at least that guy had some sense of hygiene, merely wrapping the meat up and stuffing it into his clothes. But the ones they encountered later? Those were the real oddballs.
There was no way they could bring such foul-smelling beastmen directly into the residential area—otherwise, no one would have the appetite to eat. So Lang Qi had Bai Qi take them to the river first. Only after they had thoroughly cleaned themselves would they be brought back.
Hearing that it would take a while before they arrived, Bai Tu wasn’t in a rush. Instead, he went to fetch some food for Lang Qi—not just for him, but also for the other wolves who had gone with him.
The dining hall had already prepared a meal: freshly made spicy cold beef, and the daily morning staples—meat-filled flatbreads and stuffed pancakes. The latter two were especially convenient for slow risers who still wanted breakfast; they could grab a couple, eat on the go, and finish by the time they reached their workplace.
Bai Tu packed a portion of everything for Lang Qi. When he heard that Lang Ze hadn’t arrived yet, he also set aside a share for him.
The first thing Lang Ze did after cleaning up was rush to find Bai Tu to complain. But the moment he stepped inside and saw that Bai Tu wasn’t there—only his brother was—his fur practically stood on end in alarm.
Fortunately, Bai Tu returned just in time. Spotting the food in Bai Tu’s hands, Lang Ze instantly knew it was meant for two people.
“Eat first. Whatever you have to say, take your time,” Bai Tu said. Lang Qi had already shared the key details with him, and the rest could wait. After working all night, the most important thing for the brothers right now was eating.
Lang Ze was indeed starving. Back at the Chiwen Tribe, all he could think about was the awful stench, leaving him no appetite whatsoever. Then, having to walk alongside those beastmen all the way back only further killed his desire to eat.
Now, faced with the sight and smell of fresh, fragrant food, he suddenly felt alive again. Without hesitation, he grabbed a pancake and started eating.
After wolfing down two pancakes, Lang Ze finally felt like he had something in his stomach—enough to stop it from growling at least. Only then did he start his complaint.
“Tu, my brother made us stay there for half the day! I almost died from the stench!”
Lang Qi glanced at the food. “Not hungry anymore?”
“I’m eating, I’m eating!” Lang Ze quickly backtracked, slapping himself on the mouth. Why was he bringing this up while eating? He almost lost his appetite. He immediately picked up the rest of the food and chomped down furiously. Oddly enough, the more he ate, the more delicious it tasted. Only after he had devoured more than half of what Bai Tu had brought did he finally feel satisfied. Seeing that Lang Qi was nearly done eating too, he continued his complaints.
“My nose almost stopped working!” Luckily, it didn’t. Otherwise, he would have definitely clung to Bai Tu’s leg and wailed for compensation—this kind of trauma couldn’t be resolved with anything less than ten cans of food.
Thinking about canned food, Lang Ze felt a faint sense of regret. If his nose really had given out, he could’ve used it to blackmail his brother into getting him some. But now that he was fine, he had no excuse to make demands.
Also… maybe he had eaten a little too much just now. He was feeling a bit stuffed.
“Hic—” Lang Ze burped, just as he was about to speak. Before he could say anything, Bai Qi’s voice came from outside.
“Tu, is Qi here? The Chiwen Tribe’s beastmen are all cleaned up now.”
Hearing Bai Qi’s words, the beastmen he had brought over couldn’t help but shudder. What did he mean by ‘washing them clean and bringing them over’? No wonder these people had looked down on their food and even complained about their smell!
So that was it—these people weren’t after their food. They were after them!
Panic flashed through the eyes of the Chiwen Tribe’s beastmen. They had encountered many tribes before, but the Snow Rabbit Tribe and the Blood Wolf Tribe were the first ones to insist on making them bathe first!
They had heard stories—some beastmen liked to eat their prey raw, starting from the thighs while it was still alive. Horrified, they thought, Are these people planning to eat us alive?
They had also heard that the prey of those cannibalistic beastmen didn’t die immediately; they only perished halfway through being eaten. Just the thought of it made one of them go weak in the knees.
Outside, Bai Qi, having received no response, suddenly caught a familiar yet ominous stench in the air. It smelled exactly like before they had bathed.
“Who?! Who did this?!!” Bai Qi was on the verge of breaking down. These beastmen are the filthiest creatures I’ve ever met!
One beastman, his legs having turned to jelly, collapsed on the spot, shaking his head wildly.
I was wrong! I won’t try to take other people’s territory again! Just let me go, please!
The others didn’t react as dramatically, but they were equally terrified.
Beastmen weren’t afraid of fighting—but being eaten alive? That was their worst nightmare.
The idea that this house was filled with beastmen who liked eating others raw made them desperately wish they could turn back time and flee home overnight. They never should have done this.
Inside the house, Bai Tu had been waiting, but when Bai Qi didn’t bring anyone in, he vaguely overheard the commotion outside. Since the captives were already clean, he decided to step out and check. “What’s going on?”
The terrified beastmen flinched at the sound of his voice and slowly lifted their heads, wanting to see what kind of person was about to eat them.
…Huh?
As they took in Bai Tu’s appearance, a look of confusion crossed their faces.
Is someone planning to eat us… but they look this good?
He doesn’t even seem that fierce. A group of them thought silently.
“What species are they?” Bai Tu asked Bai Qi.
“I don’t recognize them.” Bai Qi had already seen their beast forms while washing them. They likely lived far away, as he had never encountered this type before. “They look a little like the Xiong (Bear) Tribe, but they’re much smaller.”
Bai Tu glanced at the number of beastmen Bai Qi had brought. Since there were quite a few, he decided to question them outside instead of going back into the house. This wasn’t a confidential matter, so there was no need to avoid the other beastmen in the tribe.
He gestured for Bai Qi to take them to a nearby pavilion and then pointed at one of the younger ones, a child around twelve or thirteen years old. “Untie this one first.”
A young beastman wouldn’t pose much of a threat—even if they resisted, Bai Tu could easily subdue them.
Bai Qi nodded and walked over, first removing the beast hide gag from the child’s mouth before moving to untie the ropes.
As soon as the child was freed, the first thing he did was burst into tears.
Bai Tu: “???” Am I that scary?
“D-Don’t eat me…” The child sobbed, wailing, “I’m too young… I won’t taste good…”
At first, the other Chiwen beastmen felt a pang of sympathy hearing the child cry. But after his last sentence, their eyes widened in shock.
What do you mean ‘you won’t taste good’? Are you saying we will?!
Bai Tu immediately understood the misunderstanding from those two sentences. He raised a hand as if to smack the kid but, remembering what Lang Qi and Lang Ze had told him, ultimately held back. Instead, he reassured him, “We don’t eat people. Turn into your beast form and let me take a look.”
Descriptions alone weren’t enough to determine their species. Beastmen often struggled to describe other beastmen properly. Just earlier, Lang Ze had simply said they were ‘weaker than us,’ and Bai Qi had compared them to the Bear Tribe. Those vague statements weren’t enough for Bai Tu to figure it out.
The child, however, started crying even harder.
Annoyed, Lang Ze finally snapped, “Cry one more time, and I will eat you.”
The child hiccupped in fear and, trembling, finally shifted into his beast form.
A raccoon-like creature appeared before Bai Tu.
However, Bai Tu was fairly certain it wasn’t actually a raccoon. He glanced at the group of beastmen huddled together nearby. Since there were so many of them, releasing one more wouldn’t be an issue. He motioned for Lang Ze to grab an adult.
An adult beastman would be easier to identify.
Once the chosen one transformed, Bai Tu studied him for a moment. Suddenly, realization dawned on his face.
“Ah?”
All eyes instantly turned to Bai Tu.
Lang Ze was the most excited. “Tu, do you recognize them?”
I knew it! There’s nothing Bai Tu doesn’t know!
“They’re wolverines,” Bai Tu said, circling the two beastmen to confirm. “They mask their scent with strong odors and even cover their food with urine to hide it.”
This seemed to be a trait of their entire species—no wonder Lang Qi and Lang Ze had been emphasizing the stench ever since they returned.
Speaking of which, Bai Tu glanced at the group of beastmen again before looking around at the others. “Do any of you smell something?” It seemed like the stench was returning.
Only then did Bai Qi remember what had happened earlier. “I do! I don’t know who did it, but it’s infuriating!” He had just finished scrubbing these people clean, and now they’d already managed to stink again.
“Fear can trigger it too…” Bai Tu waved a hand dismissively. “Forget it. Stop scaring them. Lock them up in a cave for now—we’ll interrogate the leader separately.”
Now that they had identified their species, it was time to investigate another matter: Why had they brought such a massive stockpile of food to attack the Blood Wolf Tribe and the Snow Rabbit Tribe?
And why had they been hunting so aggressively in a season already short on prey? Was it just a coincidence, or had someone planted the idea in their heads?
The leader of the Chiwen Tribe was named Xiong Chong. He had originally been incredibly proud of his tribe’s abundant food stores, certain that they would easily conquer the Blood Wolf and Snow Rabbit Tribes. But his grand ambitions had barely taken off before being crushed completely—he hadn’t even managed to wound a single beastman from the opposing tribes.
Not only had the others mistaken their tribe for raw meat eaters, but even Xiong Chong now believed that Bai Tu had summoned him alone just to eat him.
Bai Tu’s earlier statement—“We don’t eat raw meat”—was met with utter disbelief. Yeah, right! If you don’t eat raw meat, why bother scrubbing us so clean? Who are you trying to fool?!
Certain that he wouldn’t survive till morning, Xiong Chong instinctively tried to release his stench. However, before he could even start, he felt the cold press of a blade against his throat.
“If I smell anything, I’ll kill you,” Lang Ze growled menacingly.
Xiong Chong immediately held back. Better to die later than to die now.
“Why did your tribe capture so much prey?” Bai Tu asked.
Xiong Chong hadn’t expected this question and hesitated instantly.
Lang Ze helpfully shook the knife in his hand.
Xiong Chong quickly blurted out, “It was Lord Hu Bu! Lord Hu Bu said that this year would bring an exceptionally heavy snowfall, and when that happens, all the prey will freeze to death. If we don’t take over a large tribe before the snow falls, we won’t survive!”
“Hm?” Bai Tu hadn’t expected to hear that name after all this time. A whole year had passed, and yet Hu Bu was still lurking like a ghost that wouldn’t fade.
Lang Qi was equally surprised. He fixed Xiong Chong with a sharp gaze. “When did you hear this?”
“L-Last year.” Xiong Chong was terrified of Lang Qi, and with Lang Ze’s knife so close, he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Trembling, he continued, “I overheard Lord Hu Bu talking to another lord outside a cave. He said… he could communicate with the Beast God and knew what would happen in the future…”
Of course, Hu Bu’s intended allies weren’t them—Xiong Chong had simply overheard the conversation by chance.
At first, Xiong Chong hadn’t believed it. But everything Hu Bu predicted had come true. Later, when he could no longer contact Hu Bu, he decided to act according to Hu Bu’s instructions.
His original targets had been the Black Forest Tribe and the West River Tribe, but both had mysteriously disappeared. In the end, they had set their sights on the vast territories of the Snow Rabbit and Blood Wolf Tribes.
Hearing this, Bai Tu had only one thought:
No wonder Hu Bu didn’t work with him.
Hu Bu hadn’t even bothered to do the bare minimum of research before launching a war.
But… could Hu Bu really predict the future?
Was that even possible?
Thanks for the chapter!