Chapter 159
Whether born live or hatched from eggs, cubs share a common trait: they change every day after birth or hatching.
Previously, when the little wolf cubs were born, Bai Tu didn’t feel much of a difference, as they had always been right in front of him. But now, upon seeing the black eagle cubs, Bai Tu could clearly sense the contrast.
On the second day after hatching, the young eagles’ feathers had grown noticeably denser compared to the previous day, making it easier to distinguish the two larger ones from the last one to hatch.
By the third day, the smallest one was already catching up to its two siblings. Its rapid growth was likely due to its enormous appetite.
The diet of eagle cubs is similar to that of wolf clan cubs. Their food consists of finely minced meat, steamed and served to them. Neither Bai Tu nor Hei Xiao expected that the one with the biggest appetite would be the last to hatch. Normally, the last-born or last-hatched in a litter is the weakest and the smallest in size—just like the little white wolf cub, which, even at half a year old, hadn’t changed much in size.
The little fledgling eagle and the small white wolf cub were complete opposites. The young eagle had a voracious appetite, eating nearly half of the food meant for the three cubs.
And that was with controlled portions. If left unchecked, it would likely eat even more.
Young cubs don’t know when they’re full, but adults do. Since food was no longer scarce as it once was, overeating would only make the cubs uncomfortable. After the first day, Hei Xiao followed Bai Tu’s recommended portions when feeding them.
The cubs rejected most adult beastmen, only allowing their two fathers and Bai Tu to get close. Bai Tu speculated that this was because he had been there when they hatched, leading them to see him as “one of their own.”
Eagle cubs couldn’t be raised in the same way as wolf cubs, all grouped together. At the very least, two people had to be present at all times. Whenever they smelled their nestmates, they would enter attack mode, and it took three people to barely manage them in the first few days.
However, accepting Bai Tu didn’t mean they accepted the other cubs. Just as the wolf cubs were hostile toward the fledglings, the three black eagle cubs saw the cubs as their competitors.
Hei Xiao and Hei Yan spent all day in their rooms watching their own cubs. Lang Qi wasn’t interested in looking after others’ cubs. Only Bai Tu had to care for both groups, making him the center of competition among the young ones.
One day, the little eagles would snuggle up against him; the next day, the wolf cubs would do the same. As long as they sensed Bai Tu’s presence, they mostly ignored everyone else.
The first to lose favor was Hei Yan. In the cubs’ minds, he was only useful for feeding them. Aside from mealtime, they either sought out Hei Xiao or Bai Tu.
Just two days ago, Hei Yan had thought that once the cubs grew a little bigger, he could hold one in each arm. But in the blink of an eye, he had already fallen out of favor. Now, the only time he could touch the cubs was during meals; otherwise, he could only watch from a distance.
At first, it was only Bai Tu and Hei Xiao whom the cubs preferred over Hei Yan. But later, even their attitude toward Ying Mian was better than toward Hei Yan. Hei Yan complained to Hei Xiao countless times, but it was useless. The cubs at this stage didn’t understand language—not even Hei Xiao’s words reached them.
Bai Tu noticed that their attitude toward Hei Yan was exactly the same as how the little wolf cubs treated Lang Ze and the others back home.
“Eagle clan cubs usually don’t act like this,” Hei Xiao commented, surprised.
While some cubs avoided male beastmen, and certain species hid their offspring after birth, he had never known the eagle clan to do so. Most eagle clan parents took turns raising their young, only considering a second child after the first had grown enough to leave the nest.
He had seen plenty of cubs raised by their own kind, but he had never seen cubs deliberately shun one of their own biological fathers like this before.
“They just prefer sub-beastmen. It’ll get better as they grow,” Bai Tu said softly.
This wasn’t an isolated case—most cubs behaved this way. Adult male beastmen or feather tribesmen posed too great a threat to them.
The cubs instinctively sought out the one who could take better care of them. This behavior wouldn’t change while they were still so young. At the very least, it would take until they were half a year old—when they would finally understand that no matter how fierce their other father seemed, he wouldn’t actually harm them. Only then would they warm up to Hei Yan.
Realizing that the cubs didn’t want him around, Hei Yan immediately channeled his energy elsewhere, leading the remaining hawk clan members on aerial patrol.
Recently, Bai Tu arranged for the beastmen of the Chiwen Tribe to be deployed, with most of the adult beastmen assigned to patrol teams. Not only now, but even during the summer when prey is abundant, there’s no need to worry about invasions.
The only concern was the airspace. Although the feather tribe on the Eastern Continent is small, the entire Beast God Continent’s feather population makes up about a quarter of the total population. The Chiwen Tribe managed to make their way across from the Northern Continent, so other tribes could easily do the same.
Bai Tu had been thinking about how to convince Hei Yan to leave some of the hawk tribe behind to take care of the tribe’s winter defense, but before Bai Tu could even bring it up, Hei Yan had already taken it upon himself.
Hei Yan’s thinking was straightforward: since the cubs didn’t warm up to him, he couldn’t possibly leave the feeding duties to someone else. What if the cubs didn’t recognize him after missing a meal?
To get closer to the cubs, Hei Yan planned to stay at the Snow Rabbit Tribe for the entire winter.
Since he didn’t intend to return to the Black Hawk Tribe, they would surely have to work. They couldn’t be like the White Bear Tribe, who only thought about coming to the Snow Rabbit Tribe when winter was almost over.
Whatever Hei Yan’s reasoning was, the hawk tribe’s capabilities in the air were unmatched by most tribes. If there had been concerns about surprise attacks before, once the Black Hawk Tribe’s beastmen began patrolling, everyone felt secure. With the Blood Wolf Tribe, Chiwen Tribe, and Black Hawk Tribe patrolling, the enemy could only infiltrate if they came from underground.
Bai Tu naturally felt relieved. Although the tribe’s security had always been good, the misunderstanding that led to the Chiwen Tribe’s beastmen slipping through had been an exception.
More layers of defense were always safer. If digging tunnels underground weren’t so dangerous, he would have added an underground patrol team. However, Bai Tu suddenly realized something: it was difficult to arrange an underground patrol team, but preparing underground passageways could be a feasible option.
Now, when tribes invade other territories or pass through them, they must first reach the boundary of the territory.
Therefore, the boundaries are the hardest places to defend. They carry the scents of the tribe, the neighboring tribes, and any passing beastmen.
These mixed scents require careful attention, and nearly every large patrol requires a scent identification. But this raised a problem: the distances were too vast.
Previously, the wolf tribe’s territory was large enough, but now, with two additional tribes plus the territories of the Wild Lion Tribe and Black Lion Tribe, the territory size had doubled. It would take several days to patrol the entire perimeter of the land.
This made the patrols highly inefficient. Even if Lang Qi divided the patrol teams and assigned each team to a section, the pressure wouldn’t be significantly reduced. After all, it took half a day just to get from the residential area to the edge of the territory. Patrols couldn’t move as quickly as usual, because running at full speed would leave them exhausted if they encountered strong opponents. Ultimately, the issue came down to the sheer size of the territory. Bai Tu looked at the simple map he had drawn and thought, “If that’s the case, why not assign a team of beastmen to each corner of the territory? That way, if anything unusual happens, they can immediately report to the residential area.”
Currently, the tribe’s defense is divided into two main parts. The first is a trench—a deep ditch surrounding the residential area, with only a few designated entry and exit points, making other areas inaccessible. The second part is the patrol teams, which report any suspicious activity back to the residential area.
Bai Tu marked several points on the map, considering that if observation posts, similar to those near the residential area, were placed at these locations, any disturbances outside could be reported back sooner. This would reduce the patrol team’s workload by half.
He had considered this before, and when Lang Qi organized the defenses, he had already stationed some beastmen outside.
The difference was that their initial plan was to build observation posts above ground at the borders, whereas Bai Tu now wanted to establish them underground.
The rabbit tribe was skilled at digging tunnels, and digging all the way from the residential area to the border wouldn’t be an issue. By setting up underground observation posts at the borders, they wouldn’t need to worry about friendly visitors or allied beastmen.
But if hostile forces approached, they wouldn’t even have to go above ground; they could immediately retreat through the underground passage and report back.
This method would be at least twice as fast as waiting for a disturbance at the border, sending a patrol team to investigate, and then returning with information. With no back-and-forth travel needed, beastmen stationed underground could immediately relay the situation at the border. The more Bai Tu thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. However, one major concern remained: the underground passages had to be safe.
Most beastmen weren’t too concerned about tunnel safety since, even if they were buried underground, they could survive until someone dug them out or they clawed their way up themselves. But this tunnel system wouldn’t be a short passage like before. If a collapse occurred midway, it would take at least half a day to locate the problem. Beastmen were resilient, but even they couldn’t endure indefinitely.
Worried that speaking too soon might prompt reckless beastmen to start digging on their own, Bai Tu first discussed the feasibility of the plan with Bai Chen and Lang Qi.
Bai Chen was puzzled. “Isn’t the tribe already very safe?”
The Snow Rabbit Tribe had a long history of hiding. Every time they moved to a new place, the first thing they did was dig tunnels. However, their tunnels were more like labyrinths, with multiple exits beneath each house. Unless an enemy managed to locate and block all the exits in a short time, they wouldn’t be able to capture the rabbit tribe members.
Even now, despite the residential area being paved with cement, the rabbit tribe’s enthusiasm for digging tunnels remained unchanged. Nearly every rabbit’s home had underground passages leading elsewhere.
Having done this for so long, they had developed strong skills in soil management and wouldn’t make the same mistake as Lang Ze, whose tunnel collapsed mid-dig.
Outside, the deep and wide trench filled with water served as another layer of defense. As long as the entry points were closed, intruders had only two options: fly over or fall into the water.
For most beastmen, these defenses were more than sufficient. Tribes that frequently engaged in warfare tended to target weaker tribes, and with such a strong defense and a high number of young warriors in the tribe, no one would pick a fight with them—unless they were as reckless as the Chiwen Tribe.
Bai Chen found it strange that Bai Tu was suddenly bringing this up. In his view, the tribe was already well-protected, and any additional measures would be excessive, wasting manpower and resources.
“This winter might be especially harsh,” Bai Tu said.
This prediction came from the wolverines, and while Bai Tu couldn’t be sure it was true, it was always better to be prepared.
It was the same reasoning behind the tribe’s food storage. Even though they had more than enough food to last for months, Bai Tu still made sure every available plot of land was used for planting crops. This way, even if an unexpected disaster occurred, they would have enough supplies to survive.
The same logic applied to their defenses. While their tribe already had the most fortified defenses in the area, even to the point of slight inconvenience—many visiting tribes had to wait before being allowed entry—Bai Tu had no plans to change the system. Unlike other tribes where visitors could approach their caves directly, outsiders in their tribe had to wait outside the trench unless granted permission.
Despite the inconvenience, Bai Tu refused to relax this rule. He would rather take extra precautions than allow other tribes to move freely in and out. If they loosened security, the patrol teams outside the residential area might develop bad habits.
If the tribe’s members became accustomed to outsiders coming and going freely, then when a real threat arrived, their response would be slower.
It was better to maintain the current system—verify safety first, notify Bai Tu, Bai Chen, or another leader, and only allow entry with permission. If the visitor was unfamiliar or acting strangely, they would be denied entry altogether. This way, any potential threats would be stopped at the outer defenses, giving unfamiliar beastmen no chance to infiltrate.
Since moving to the residential area, the only exception to the strict entry rules had been the White Bear Tribe. During that time, they came every two or three days, and Bai Tu had no choice but to tell Bai Qi that if they arrived alone, there was no need to notify others—just let them in. It was troublesome but safe, which was ultimately in the best interest of the tribe.
The underground passage project was also meant to strengthen their defenses. If the weather truly became as cold as the bear insects predicted, other tribes would struggle more than they were now.
For tribes with sufficient food supplies, colder temperatures might mean they simply couldn’t patrol as often, but at least they wouldn’t starve. However, tribes with inadequate food reserves would have to seek alternatives—either by borrowing food from others or by resorting to raiding, like wandering beastmen.
Bai Tu wasn’t sure whether there would be more tribes asking for food or more tribes choosing to invade. If the latter appeared near their territory, an underground passage system would give them a way to respond quickly and avoid being caught off guard.
Bai Chen was skeptical about the prediction of an exceptionally cold winter. After all, how could anyone predict the future? But since Bai Tu had brought it up, he didn’t outright reject the idea.
“Why don’t we dig two tunnels as a test?” Bai Chen suggested.
For the rabbit tribe, digging tunnels was no issue. As for Bai Tu’s concern about collapses, that wasn’t something they worried about—after all, the rabbit tribe had been digging for years without accidents. The wolf tribe’s tunnels collapsed because they dug them too wide without proper support. Simply put, the wolves lacked the technique, while the rabbits had mastered it.
Bai Tu agreed that two tunnels would be a good start. He entrusted the task to Bai Chen, knowing that he had lived in the tribe long enough to know which rabbits were the fastest and most skilled at digging.
After Bai Chen left to make arrangements, Lang Qi glanced at Bai Tu.
“What’s wrong?” Bai Tu asked, sensing that Lang Qi had something on his mind. “You also think it’s unnecessary to dig?”
He understood Bai Chen’s hesitation—after all, digging such long tunnels specifically for defense seemed excessive. When the rabbits dug tunnels for themselves, they did so after finishing their daily work. But now, they would be digging outward, in secret, and they would need to assign important beastmen to the task.
Lang Qi instead asked, “Do you really believe what the bear insects said?” Though it was posed as a question, he already knew the answer.
Bai Tu nodded. “There’s something odd about Hu Bu.” He had sensed it before—Hu Bu had always been strange, and many of the things he spoke about didn’t belong to this era.
Back then, Hu Bu had been constantly stirring up trouble. If Bai Tu had allowed him to continue, he wasn’t sure whether he would have uncovered the truth first or whether Hu Bu would have caused even greater chaos.
For the safety of the tribe, eliminating him had been the best choice. Even now, Bai Tu has no regrets. If Hu Bu had succeeded in passing information to the Red Eagle Tribe or the Black Forest Tribe, it wouldn’t be the wrongdoers in those tribes doing hard labor now—it would be them.
Some wouldn’t have even had the chance to do hard labor. Bai Tu thought of the beastmen and cubs they had rescued. He knew they had attacked the Red Eagle and Black Forest Tribes slightly earlier than planned, but waiting even one more day would have meant more beastmen and cubs suffering.
The cub they had saved was now nearly in human form. If they had arrived a few days later, the cub might not have survived Wu Lai’s torture.
And it wasn’t just one or two victims—it had been hundreds of cubs, not to mention the adults.
Given the circumstances, cutting off Hu Bu’s connection to Wu Lai had been the only correct choice.
The prediction of a colder-than-usual winter had been something Hu Bu had revealed. Bai Tu wasn’t about to second-guess his past decisions over this. What had happened was already in the past—whether he regretted it or not wouldn’t change anything. The important thing now was ensuring the tribe’s safety.
The less food available, the more wandering beastmen there would be. And the more abundant their own food supplies, the more they would become a target. In Bai Tu’s view, no amount of defensive measures was excessive.
He shared these thoughts with Lang Qi—a habit he had developed since being with him. No matter how much he thought on his own, there were always things he might overlook. Having someone to discuss with, even if Lang Qi rarely gave direct input, was better than figuring everything out alone.
Additionally, he had another reason for bringing it up. If the winter did turn out to be as harsh as predicted, it wouldn’t just affect their tribe—neighboring tribes would suffer as well.
With their help, the surrounding tribes were now in much better condition than before. Most had managed to store some crops and capture young prey animals, especially the latter, as their own tribe had distributed many. Since the end of the rainy season, these tribes had been drying grass and storing corn stalks and other materials, ensuring that the prey animals would have enough to eat for a while.
However, all of this preparation was based on the assumption of a normal winter. If this year’s winter turned out to be colder and lasted longer than expected, then their current reserves would not be enough. Most beastmen could endure a typical three- to four-month winter, but the later stages were always the hardest.
Bai Tu felt that these tribes still hadn’t prepared enough. However, if they were to send large amounts of supplies now, it would give the impression that their tribe had an overabundance of food, more than they could consume.
The surrounding tribes were relatively safe in this regard since they interacted frequently and knew each other well. But even if beastmen didn’t travel much between tribes, helping too many tribes would inevitably spread information about their food reserves.
Bai Tu didn’t mind assisting struggling tribes—so long as it didn’t bring danger to his own. But watching familiar tribes starve, possibly to death, while sitting on an abundance of food wasn’t something he could do either.
This was why he was so eager for Bai Chen to arrange the underground tunnels. If the nearby tribes ran out of food later in the winter, they would need to help while ensuring their own survival. By then, the underground tunnels would prove invaluable.
Bai Tu was constantly balancing two concerns: the safety of his tribe and the food supply of others. At the moment, he couldn’t think of a perfect solution that addressed both.
After listening, Lang Qi pondered for a moment before asking, “How fast can the rabbit tribe dig tunnels?”
“From here to the territory’s edge? Before winter arrives, it should be done.” Bai Tu had seen rabbit beastmen dig traps before—much faster than using human hands with shovels. Digging a tunnel was more complicated than a pit, but with their speed, they could finish before the ground froze. And even if the surface froze, it wouldn’t matter since the tunnels were deep enough to avoid the frost.
“What about the other tribes?” Lang Qi asked slowly. “Should we dig tunnels for them too?”
Bai Tu looked at Lang Qi, surprised. He had assumed Lang Qi was considering the feasibility of digging tunnels for their tribe, but instead, he was thinking about the surrounding tribes.
He had considered it before, but… Bai Tu sighed. “Of course, it would be more convenient if the tribes were connected by a direct underground passage. If the tunnel was large enough, we could even transport materials without needing to navigate rough terrain. If winter turns out to be harsh, we could deliver food directly. Underground tunnels are barely affected by seasonal changes—the temperature remains stable, allowing movement in both scorching summers and freezing winters. If we establish them, we could even continue working through the winter.”
But the issue was clear. A tunnel connecting two tribes required approval from both leaders. On their side, Bai An and Bai Chen might not agree. Likewise, the surrounding tribes’ leaders wouldn’t easily approve either.
Digging tunnels would facilitate communication—but also invasion. If one tribe decided to attack another, using the tunnels would be the fastest way in.
“We can have wolf warriors guard them around the clock,” Lang Qi suggested. “Defense isn’t an issue as long as someone is stationed inside at all times.”
“But the other tribes…” Bai Tu hesitated. If the tunnels were guarded by the wolf tribe, it would only make the other tribes feel more vulnerable. If he put himself in their shoes, they would worry about the wolf tribe using the tunnels to invade them.
“The tribes that agree to the tunnels will get priority in receiving supplies,” Lang Qi said.
Bai Tu was speechless. “How is that any different from forcing them to agree under the pretense of building houses?”
“At least it’s better than starving to death,” Lang Qi replied.
With less than a month until winter, if Bai Tu’s fears were correct, the fastest way to prevent starvation was to start digging tunnels now. If they waited until food shortages hit, it would be too late.
Bai Tu understood what Lang Qi meant and fell into thought. They couldn’t predict the future or confirm whether the winter would be abnormally cold, so they couldn’t justify the tunnels based on that uncertainty. But transporting materials was a reasonable excuse. Tribes that agreed to the tunnels would receive priority in supply distribution and get a head start on post-winter housing construction.
It was a bit forceful, but compared to the potential disaster of a prolonged winter, this plan ensured survival.
Lang Qi, knowing Bai Tu’s personality, took full responsibility for the decision. “I’ll handle it.”
Bai Tu exhaled. For now, this was the best option.
Bai Tu tended to be cautious, while Lang Qi was decisive and bold. The day after their discussion, they began spreading the message to the nearby tribes.
Just as Bai Tu had expected, none of the tribe leaders made an immediate decision. Digging a tunnel that directly connected to their territory was no small matter. With the Snow Rabbit Tribe and Blood Wolf Tribe growing so large, an invasion from them could take only a day or two. Understandably, the other tribes wanted more time to consider their options.
*
White Bear Tribe
Xiong Liao sat in a cave with several beastmen, hesitating. Beside him was the same White Bear tribesman who had previously advised him to cling to Bai Tu and cry for sympathy.
Now, that tribesman was earnestly trying to persuade Xiong Liao and the others: “If they invade, so be it! It would be better if they took all of us away—then we’d become part of the Snow Rabbit Tribe. We wanted to join them before, but they wouldn’t accept us. Wouldn’t it be great if they just captured us instead?”
The other White Bear beastmen: “???”
What was wrong with staying in their own tribe? Why would they want to join another tribe?
These beastmen had never been to the Snow Rabbit Tribe. They were grateful for the Snow Rabbit Tribe’s help in establishing breeding grounds and had tasted their food, but they couldn’t understand their fellow tribesman’s thinking. Since they could already eat the same food in their own tribe, why would they want to leave?
Anyone with common sense knew that joining another tribe meant losing their freedom. Here, in their own tribe, they had priority access to food.
Former members of the Eagle Five Tribe could only choose their portions after the White Bear Tribe had taken theirs. They had grown used to this freedom, and when they thought about the possibility of living under the same restrictions as the eagles in the Snow Rabbit Tribe, they immediately shook their heads.
Impossible. Absolutely not.
“You don’t understand,” the White Bear tribesman who had spoken earlier said, frustrated by their resistance. “You’re letting a golden opportunity slip away!”
What a great chance this was! If the Snow Rabbit Tribe really did invade, he could become one of them! Then, he’d have access to an entire dining hall filled with food, unlimited snacks, all kinds of drinks… Thinking back to his time living in the Snow Rabbit Tribe, the White Bear beastman sighed.
Only those who had been there knew how amazing life was in that tribe, but those who hadn’t been there refused to believe it.
Most of the beastmen in the cave disagreed with him, but Xiong Liao started thinking.
There didn’t seem to be any downside to digging tunnels. If the Snow Rabbit Tribe and the Blood Wolf Tribe weren’t planning to take over their land, the tunnels would be useful for transporting supplies. If those two tribes did intend to invade, they could simply surrender and join the Snow Rabbit Tribe. As long as they didn’t resist or harm anyone from the invading tribes, they would be treated like Shi Zhen.
*
Flower Deer Tribe
Unlike the surrounding tribes, the Flower Deer Tribe was matriarchal, led by female beastmen. Lu Hui was discussing the message from the Snow Rabbit and Blood Wolf Tribes with a few of her sisters.
“This probably isn’t Bai Tu’s idea,” Lu Hui speculated. “If it were, he would have chosen a gentler way to negotiate, striving for a mutually satisfactory solution rather than delivering such a direct demand.”
The message they had received was far too blunt. If it had come from any other tribe, she would have refused immediately. But since it had come from the wolf tribe—and the message implied that Bai Tu was aware of it—she hesitated.
As she was debating what to do, the wolf beastman delivering the message spoke again: “The first tribe to agree will receive priority in food supplies.”
In other words, if they took too long to decide, they could end up at the bottom of the list.
Logically, they should agree right away. However, their tribe had been through many hardships in recent years, making them much more cautious.
Before Lu Hui could figure out how to persuade the others, one of the deer beastwomen asked, “Chief, does the Snow Rabbit Tribe have a lot of sub-beastmen?”
Lu Hui hadn’t expected this question but nodded. “Almost all of the sub-beastmen from the Black Forest Tribe have moved there.”
The tribeswoman who had asked the question had been guarding their tribe the last time they visited the market, so she hadn’t seen it firsthand. But she still remembered clearly—most of the sub-beastmen had gone to the Snow Rabbit Tribe.
Additionally, Lu Hui had recently learned something else: many sub-beastmen from the Western Continent had also migrated there.
Upon hearing the response, the deer beastwoman simply said, “If sub-beastmen can live in the Snow Rabbit Tribe, what do we have to fear?”
As members of the deer tribe, their combat strength was lower than that of other tribes, but they were still far stronger than sub-beastmen. If the Snow Rabbit Tribe treated sub-beastmen well, they certainly wouldn’t go out of their way to oppress them.
With that concern out of the way, there was nothing to worry about. She had heard about the comfortable life of the Snow Rabbit Tribe’s young cubs, and she wanted the same for her own children.
After some final thought, Lu Hui nodded. “Then we dig!” Even in the worst-case scenario—if someone attacked them—the tunnels could serve as an escape route. But she trusted that Bai Tu wouldn’t do something like that.
*
Brown Deer Tribe
Lu Ming watched as the wolf beastman delivering the message left, unable to hide his excitement. He had been wondering how to establish contact with the Snow Rabbit or Blood Wolf Tribe again—he hadn’t expected them to reach out first.
He understood what the tunnels meant. It was a direct underground route between two tribes, meant for transporting supplies. It was far more convenient than traveling on the surface. Of course, he was willing. But just because he was willing didn’t mean the rest of the tribe, especially the more aggressive beastmen, would agree.
Lu Ming stood still for a moment before suddenly calling out to a nearby tribesman: “Go gather everyone from the hunting team.”
Once all the hunters had arrived, Lu Ming cleared his throat and said, “I’ve thought of a great way to attack the Snow Rabbit Tribe.”
Half of the hunting team consisted of aggressive deer warriors. Naturally, they were the strongest fighters in the tribe. Hearing Lu Ming’s words, they were instantly excited.
Since Lu Ming had become chief, they had tried persuading him multiple times to launch an attack. But he seemed determined not to attack any neighboring tribes. No matter how many times they brought it up, he never agreed. Now, he had finally changed his mind—how could they not be thrilled?
Lu Ming gestured for them to quiet down and continued, “Charging in directly is too risky, so my plan is…”
“Dig tunnels?”
“Are you saying… dig a tunnel to sneak into the Snow Rabbit Tribe?”
Hearing Lu Ming’s explanation, the warriors looked at each other in confusion. What kind of strategy was this? They had attacked many tribes before, but this was the first time they had heard of using tunnels to infiltrate another tribe.
They were deer, after all. Digging was incredibly difficult for them. They would rather run in circles around a tribe ten times than start digging.
“The Blood Wolf Tribe outnumbers us. If we attack openly, it’s too dangerous,” Lu Ming insisted. “Either we tunnel in secretly, or we don’t attack at all. You decide.”
The aggressive deer warriors fell silent. What choice did they have? Other than sneaking in, there was no alternative. While this wasn’t the strategy they had imagined, it was still a way to raid for food.
They reassured themselves—fine, we’ll just make sure to steal extra food to make up for the effort.
*
White Lion Tribe
After discussing with several tribal leaders, Shi Lin was urged to head to the Snow Rabbit Tribe to give their response.
“This is a great opportunity! If we miss it now, we won’t get another chance. What are you waiting for? Go already!”
*
Yellow Lion Tribe
A beastman with thinning hair urged Shi Su, “Didn’t we already agree? Why haven’t you gone yet?”
Shi Su remained calm. “I’m picking the best tunnel location before heading over. I’ll also talk to Tu about borrowing some tools.”
The lion tribe was capable in many ways—but digging was not one of them. They would need to borrow the Snow Rabbit Tribe’s sharp digging tools.
*
Brown Lion Tribe
“Chief, should we agree?”
“I heard the White Lion and Yellow Lion Tribes already agreed.”
“Then we should agree too!”
*
Bai Tu had expected that it would take a long time for the tribes to send their responses. So for now, he was focused on overseeing the construction of their own defensive tunnels.
These tunnels were smaller than the ones leading to other tribes, so they were being dug much faster. Even though there were many of them, the work wouldn’t take too long.
Aside from safety concerns, another major issue with digging tunnels was directional accuracy. Once underground, visibility was almost nonexistent. Without proper guidance, the exit could end up far from the intended location.
Unlike some above-ground structures, this tunnel didn’t need to be perfectly precise. Even if it ended up slightly off, they could simply adjust it, and any detours could even help confuse enemies.
Once Bai Tu set the general direction, he let the others dig freely. After all, these were the same people who could carve out labyrinths beneath their own homes.
His only requirement was that the tunnels be safe. As for how many twists and turns they wanted to add or whether they wanted to make it into a full maze, he didn’t interfere. His main concern was security—after all, last time, the little wolves nearly buried themselves while playing underground.
Speak of the devil.
Bai Tu had barely thought about them when Lang Ze suddenly appeared, having somehow heard about the tunnel digging.
“Tu, can we help dig too?” Lang Ze asked eagerly.
Their previous underground living area had long been abandoned. The little wolves always felt it was a shame whenever they played near it, but they remembered Bai Tu’s rule—no playing underground without supervision.
Now that they had heard about a group of beastmen digging tunnels for the tribe, Lang Ze didn’t know the purpose behind it, but it sounded fun—and there was no way they were going to miss out on the fun.
Seeing Lang Ze’s hopeful expression, Bai Tu sighed. Honestly, he was worried the little wolves would only cause trouble. But being stared at with such anticipation, he couldn’t bring himself to reject them outright.
He hesitated for a moment before coming up with an idea.
“Go dig near the edge of the territory. Be careful, and don’t bury yourselves again.”
“Don’t worry, we definitely won’t this time!” Lang Ze promised with full confidence. Last time had only happened because they hadn’t checked the stability of the soil properly. That wouldn’t happen again.
“Go on, then.”
The little wolves, full of energy, rushed off. With winter approaching, prey had become scarce, and even if they wanted to hunt, they wouldn’t find much. Other than their daily patrols, they had nothing else to do.
It wasn’t that there weren’t any tasks for them—they just couldn’t sit still. Making them sit and work in one spot was harder than killing them.
Letting the little wolves dig tunnels was just another way to confuse potential enemies. Whether or not they would ever be used didn’t matter—better to prepare now.
While things were bustling, Bai Qi suddenly arrived with a message.
“Tu, they’ve all arrived.”
“Who?” Bai Tu blinked, confused.
“The tribe leaders from this morning’s message. They’ve all come.”
Bai Qi, as the captain of the residential patrol team, naturally knew about the morning’s diplomatic outreach. As soon as he saw the arriving leaders, he immediately came to inform Bai Tu.
Bai Tu was shocked.
Meanwhile, Bai Chen, who had also just received the news, immediately started to worry.
“Tu, what if they all came together to reject us?” Bai Chen frowned. If all the tribes rejected them at once, their tribe’s reputation would definitely take a hit.
Bai Tu wasn’t as pessimistic. “Let’s go see what they have to say first.” He was always prepared for setbacks. If they refused, then perhaps their tribes weren’t meant to work together.
Since so many leaders had arrived at once, meeting at his house wasn’t an option. Instead, Bai Tu had Bai Qi lead them to the tribe’s designated meeting hall—a rarely used space for major discussions.
When Bai Tu and Bai Chen arrived, they found the tribal leaders already engaged in a heated discussion—about who had arrived first.
“I was here first!” Xiong Liao declared loudly. “I was the first to step onto Snow Rabbit Tribe territory!”
“That doesn’t count.”
The leaders of the Brown Deer Tribe, White Lion Tribe, and Brown Lion Tribe immediately dismissed his claim. Their tribes didn’t share a direct border with the Snow Rabbit Tribe, so they didn’t consider stepping onto the land’s outskirts as “arriving first.”
Shi Su, however, wasn’t interested in the argument. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Bai Tu entering. Without a word, he turned and left, saying casually, “You guys argue. I’m going to borrow something.”
The other leaders, distracted by their dispute, barely reacted. A competitor stepping away? Great news! They wished more beastmen were as considerate as him.
But then—
“Tu, our tribe’s digging speed is slow. We need to borrow some tools.”
A second of silence.
Then—chaos.
“Sneaky bastard!”
The leaders who had just been relieved that one less tribe was competing for resources suddenly realized what Shi Su was actually doing.
He was securing the best tools for digging first!
Now, everyone was in a hurry.
Thank you for the update ???
Thank you for the chapter!