Building a Civilization and Raising Cubs in the Beast World – CH16

Chapter 16

The two groups were separated by only a few dozen meters.

Bai Tu stared at the suddenly appearing group of people with a look of disbelief. To be honest, with ambush skills like theirs, if the other side had been intent on attacking, the Snow Rabbit Tribe would’ve likely ended up either dead or severely injured.

Bai An, however, quickly regained his composure, proving why he had held the position of chief for years. “Chief Lang Qi, what brings you here?”

Hearing the name, Bai Tu felt slightly relieved. The intruders were wolves, not lions. It was a small comfort amidst the tension.

The Snow Rabbit Tribe had no direct feud with the Blood Wolf Tribe. While both were powerful, one was openly hostile, while the other tended to keep to themselves. No previous conflict meant the situation was at least somewhat less dire.

Lang Qi didn’t immediately answer Bai An’s question. He stepped forward slowly, scanning the group. His gaze eventually landed on Bai Tu and lingered there.

Behind Lang Qi, the other wolves watched the rabbits intently, their sharp eyes taking in every reaction. When they noticed Bai Tu, a flicker of surprise crossed their faces. The Snow Rabbit Tribe’s healer didn’t seem to match the description given by the lions.

Seeing Lang Qi’s gaze fixed on Bai Tu, the Snow Rabbit Tribe’s already fragile sense of relief dissipated. Bai Qi subtly shifted his position to block Lang Qi’s line of sight. Everyone in the area knew that wolves were not fond of witch doctors.

Bai Tu, sensing the growing tension, kept his eyes trained on the wolves while his right hand moved silently toward his waist. Bai An, standing firm, gripped his long staff tightly. The Snow Rabbit Tribe wasn’t as strong as the Blood Wolf Tribe, but they weren’t going to roll over and let themselves be slaughtered either.

Lang Qi noticed the rabbits’ unease and frowned. Such a weak tribe—how can they protect their healer? A beastfolk standing closest to Lang Qi whispered quietly, “Chief… weren’t we here to warn the rabbits? Why are you just staring at him?”

Lang Qi finally averted his gaze from Bai Tu and turned to Bai An. “The salt trade team departs tomorrow. Chief Bai An, you should prepare early.”

Hearing that the visit was related to the salt trade, Bai An relaxed, putting away his wariness and replacing it with a polite smile. “Thank you for the notice, Chief Lang Qi.”

Everyone in the region knew that the Snow Rabbit Tribe was weak in combat, making it dangerous for them to trade for supplies alone. They always traveled with other tribes for safety. 

Usually, the rabbits had to approach other tribes and ask about their salt trade departure plans. This was the first time anyone had come directly to inform them.

Although both tribes were leaving on the same day, this felt different from the usual arrangement where the Snow Rabbit Tribe merely followed behind others, relying on the deterrence of the stronger tribe ahead. 

In those cases, it was never guaranteed that the lead tribe would intervene in the event of danger. Lang Qi’s initiative to inform them suggested a willingness to travel together as a unified group. Tribes traveling together typically helped each other, significantly increasing overall safety.

In the past, the Snow Rabbit Tribe had only traveled like this with the Flower Deer Tribe, but the speed difference between the two tribes was too great, forcing the rabbits to give up and settle for trailing behind a mix of other tribes instead.

Even more surprising was the reaction of the beastfolk behind Lang Qi. The fierce and hostile expressions they’d worn earlier melted away the moment they heard the words “salt trade.” 

Now, they exchanged confused glances with one another, silently asking: So… are we still fighting? Or are we just waiting here for no reason?

Lang Qi glanced at Bai Tu again, as if wanting to say something, but stopped himself when he noticed Bai Tu seemed startled and uneasy. 

In the end, he decided against it. This healer is too timid. If we scare him now, he might not recover. With that thought, Lang Qi abandoned whatever he’d planned to say, waved his hand, and called to his group, “Back to the tribe.”

Before his voice had fully faded, Lang Qi shifted into his beast form and bolted away. The towering black wolf, sleek and muscular, leapt several meters in a single bound, disappearing into the grass in moments. The rest of the wolves, bewildered by their leader’s sudden change in attitude, quickly transformed and followed.

As the wolf pack vanished into the distance, Bai Tu discreetly slid the bone knife he’d been gripping back into his pocket. Even though the wolves hadn’t made a move, their sheer presence had demanded vigilance.

Bai Tu’s movements were subtle enough that even Bai Qi, who was standing closest to him, didn’t notice. Bai Qi, still reeling from the encounter, said in shock, “Lang Qi’s speed… it’s faster than before…”

Bai An nodded in agreement. “He hasn’t reached adulthood yet. He’s still growing stronger.” He sighed faintly. As beastfolk approached adulthood, their combat abilities would increase dramatically. Lang Qi becoming stronger could be both a good thing and a bad thing.

On one hand, having a tribe that could stand against the Mad Lion Tribe was undoubtedly beneficial for the region. On the other hand, powerful beastfolk often became more aggressive. If the lions and wolves started fighting, the Snow Rabbit Tribe, caught between the two, would be in serious trouble.

Although Lang Qi’s sudden visit raised many questions, he had done nothing beyond staring at Bai Tu for a little longer than usual. It left everyone puzzled.

“Could he really have come just to tell us the departure time?” Bai Qi speculated, still doubtful.

Bai An shook his head. “It doesn’t seem likely.” The expressions on the wolves’ faces earlier had been far from friendly. Still, whatever their original intent, their change in attitude was good news. 

If the wolves had wanted to attack, they wouldn’t have bothered with pretense. The fact that they’d left peacefully was proof they had no intention of starting a fight.

Bai Tu, meanwhile, glanced toward the north. “The fighting at the Mad Lion Tribe… that wasn’t the wolves, was it?”

The Snow Rabbit Tribe’s territory was considered small compared to the surrounding tribes, but it was still a significant area. It took half a day to travel to the Mad Lion Tribe’s land. 

The fighting on that side had just stopped, and no matter how fast Lang Qi was, it was impossible for him to arrive here immediately after the battle ended. Moreover, none of the wolves in Lang Qi’s group had any visible injuries. In a fight between two equally powerful tribes, it was highly unlikely that anyone would come out unscathed.

Bai Zhou nodded, confirming what he and Bai An had just been discussing. “At first, I heard Lang Qi’s voice, but later it was only the lions.”

“So… the lions ended up fighting each other?” Bai Qi asked, confused. The rest of the group looked equally puzzled. Being naturally non-combative, they had no way of guessing what was happening on the Mad Lion Tribe’s side.

Bai Tu thought about the usual behavior of the lions and found the idea of them turning on each other entirely plausible. After all, in a society where the highest-ranking individuals enjoyed the best resources and treatment, it was only natural for others to fight for a chance at the top.

As if to confirm their suspicions, distant lion roars sounded again. This time, Bai Zhou identified that the voice did not belong to Shi Hong. What exactly was going on would have to wait until the scouts returned with news.

Having been stirred up so much, no one felt like sleeping anymore. They lit a fire, began preparing breakfast, and waited for the scouts to return.

“Good thing we have food,” Bai Qi muttered under his breath. “Nothing good ever happens when the Mad Lion Tribe gets involved.” 

A few days ago, they had already lost a day of hunting because of Tu Cheng’s betrayal. Now, with the people on watch duty still out, they wouldn’t be able to hunt far today, even after the scouts returned. Whenever the Mad Lion Tribe was involved, trouble always seemed to follow.

Leaving a day later meant returning a day later, and the tribe’s food stores were limited. Once the salt trade team left, most of those remaining in the tribe would be unable to hunt, and the less food they had left behind, the longer everyone would have to endure hunger.

“It’s fine,” Bai Tu reassured him. “Even if we leave in the afternoon, we’ll still make it back quickly. The tribe has enough food for now.” The tribe had been consciously rationing their supplies lately. 

They still had a pig that had been caught two days ago, along with eggs, fish, wild vegetables, and fruit. That should last at least ten days.

After considering this, Bai Qi finally relaxed a bit.

With Bai Qi calmed down, Bai Tu quickly prepared something simple to eat and went to the cave to check on the chickens and their eggs. 

One nest of eggs had started hatching the previous day, and since the team had originally planned to leave in the morning, Bai Tu had thought he wouldn’t get to see the chicks hatch. Now, however, he could take the opportunity to teach everyone how to care for the chicks.

The newly hatched chicks were tiny. Fortunately, the weather was warm, so there was no risk of them catching a chill. 

Bai Tu placed the chicks in a bamboo basket and fed them grass seeds mixed with warm water. The mother hen watched closely, her sharp eyes fixed on the movements around her. 

If it weren’t for the fact that the people nearby were the ones who had been feeding her recently, she probably would have lunged at them already.

Bai Tu felt reassured by the hen’s aggressiveness—it meant she’d protect the chicks well. Although the area around the tribe had been cleared of most dangerous creatures, it still wasn’t entirely safe. Snakes and rats weren’t uncommon, so having a protective hen was important.

*

Though they had an extra day, no one sat idle. Some continued weaving bamboo baskets, while others dug traps. Since discovering the benefits of traps, the hunting team had made it a habit to dig a new one every one or two days, hoping that prey might stumble into them.

By noon, the scouts finally returned with news. As they arrived at the base of the mountain, one of them immediately shared the situation: “The Yellow Lion Tribe, the White Lion Tribe, and the Black Mane Tribe have all joined forces to fight the Mad Lion Tribe!”

“So many tribes?” Bai Tu was surprised. He knew the Mad Lion Tribe had made plenty of enemies, but he hadn’t expected three or four tribes to gang up on them all at once.

Intervening in another tribe’s conflict wasn’t common, even among allied tribes. Alliances generally extended only as far as mutual benefit, and fighting was a different matter altogether. 

Injuries sustained in battle could hinder hunting, which was vital for a tribe’s survival. Most tribes would rather avoid risking themselves, adopting an attitude of “better you than me.”

Yet now, several tribes that had previously endured the Mad Lion Tribe’s bullying had united in resistance. At the same time, Lang Qi, who also had grievances with Shi Hong and Hu Bu, had chosen to stay out of the fighting and even taken the opportunity to stop by and inform the Snow Rabbit Tribe of the salt trade departure time.

Bai Tu couldn’t help but admire Lang Qi’s strategy. It was a classic case of “using another’s knife to kill.” Without losing a single soldier, the Blood Wolf Tribe had managed to incite other tribes to fight their battle for them. If luck was on their side, this might even result in the Mad Lion Tribe being completely scattered.

Tu Xun reported, “Aside from the Yellow Lion Tribe, there were also some from within the Mad Lion Tribe itself who turned against Shi Hong. At first, it was the different tribes fighting, but eventually, everything descended into chaos. Shi Hong has been driven to the western side by the other leaders.”

At first, it had been inter-tribal fighting, but soon even members of the same tribe began fighting each other. Tu Xun and the others hadn’t dared to get too close to the battlefield. Once they confirmed that the fighting had nothing to do with them, they hid quickly. 

Only after the dust settled and they were certain that Shi Hong and the others weren’t heading toward their territory did they finally feel safe enough to return.

Bai An asked, “Did you encounter any wolves?”

Tu Xun shook his head. “By the time we arrived, the wolves had already left. We heard that before they left, they looked for Hu Bu but didn’t find him.”

Bai An nodded and dismissed everyone to eat. “Lang Qi came by this morning to tell us the salt trade team is leaving tomorrow. Make sure everyone gets a good rest today.” The wolves had already turned back before Tu Xun’s group reached the edge of the territory. Since they had intentionally kept their movements hidden, it was no surprise Tu Xun hadn’t noticed them.

*

After such a tense experience, the beastfolk in the tribe became even more cautious. Bai An arranged for the remaining food to be turned into jerky and stored in underground caches. 

While the caves in the back mountain could preserve the food for a few extra days, waiting until danger arrived to hide the food would be too late. Bai An was worried that once the salt trade team left, their tribe might become a target for other tribes.

The Mad Lion Tribe’s territory was the largest and most desirable among the lion tribes. Now that several lion tribes had joined forces with some of the smaller leaders from within the Mad Lion Tribe to drive Shi Hong out, there would inevitably be disputes over dividing the land. 

Preparing early was the safest course of action, ensuring that if anyone came to their territory, they could hide immediately.

As for the feud between the wolves and lions, the Snow Rabbit Tribe decided it was best to stay out of it entirely.

Still, the situation wasn’t entirely bad news. No matter which lion tribe ended up being their neighbor, it would be better than the antagonistic relationship they had with the Mad Lion Tribe under Shi Hong’s leadership. 

Even if the Mad Lion Tribe remained intact, a change in leadership would still be an improvement. While lions were naturally combative, very few were as eager to stir up trouble as Shi Hong. Compared to him, almost anyone else would be a welcome change.

The contrast with Shi Hong was so stark that it made everyone else seem tolerable by comparison.