Building a Civilization and Raising Cubs in the Beast World – CH162

Chapter 162

Bai Tu had taken care of Hei Xiao’s eaglets before, and none of the three had ever eaten and fallen asleep as quickly as this one.

The speed at which Ying Xiao Wu dozed off made Bai Tu wonder if it had lost consciousness.

Newly hatched eagle chicks kept their eyes closed, so he couldn’t judge its condition by looking at its eyes. Bai Tu gently shook Ying Xiao Wu, and the chick barely kicked its leg before going completely still again.

On the bedside cabinet, the wolf cubs couldn’t climb down.

All they could do was stretch their heads forward and watch.

The new cub died.

The new cub is alive!

The new cub died again…

The rapid changes left the wolf cubs feeling like their eyes weren’t keeping up.

Bai Tu placed Ying Xiao Wu back into the incubator.

Ordinarily, this wouldn’t have been necessary.

But with so many wolf cubs in the house and Ying Xiao Wu unable to fly yet, it would have no choice but to take a beating if a fight broke out.

They had to be raised separately.

Soon, Bai Tu made another discovery—

This had to be the easiest hatchling he had ever taken care of.

Eat, sleep. Eat, sleep.

The chick barely made a sound all afternoon.

As for Bai Tu’s concern that it might reject the incubator because of other scents?

It never happened.

Thinking about Ying Xiao Wu’s personality, Bai Tu turned to Lang Qi and slowly said, “Could it just… be too lazy to fight?”

A Buddha-like chick.

If there’s food, eat.

If there’s no food, sleep.

If other cubs try to steal food? Not my problem.

Lang Qi observed the chick, silently nodded, and then asked, “When are you taking it over?“

“I’ll send it after this meal,” Bai Tu replied while feeding Ying Xiao Wu.

He also reminded Lang Qi to keep the other cubs from ambushing it during feeding time.

Ying Xiao Wu didn’t seem to mind the presence of other cubs, but the wolf cubs clearly minded it.

After half a year of living together, suddenly having a new rival for attention was… unsettling.

At first, the wolf cubs were just surprised.

Then, they wanted to fight it.

But no matter how much they growled and huffed, Ying Xiao Wu simply sprawled out in the incubator and slept, unmoving like a mountain.

After yipping at it all afternoon with zero response, the wolf cubs once again started to suspect that this new cub wasn’t actually alive.

But just as they finally let their guard down—

The new cub came back to life!

(Reality: Ying Xiao Wu had simply woken up hungry.)

Bai Tu fed it a second meal, did a final check-up, and made up his mind.

It was time to send it to Ying Mian.

Keeping it too long could make it reject its birth father.

Plus, judging by the cubs’ reaction—a mix of rejection and curiosity—Bai Tu suspected that if he wasn’t careful, one of them would eventually sneak into the incubator to investigate.

He and Lang Qi still hadn’t figured out how Lang Sui and Lang Ying had climbed out of the fence, opened the cabinet, and pulled Ying Xiao Wu out.

No matter how they calculated it, the height didn’t match.

Clearly, the two had used every trick in the book to escape.

Now that they had set a precedent, the rest of the cubs would soon figure it out too.

Bai Tu had spent the entire day keeping Ying Xiao Wu within his sight, fearing one of the cubs might accidentally hurt it.

From every angle, sending it to Ying Mian sooner was the best choice.

The incubator was large and heavy, even without water inside.

Instead of using it, Bai Tu switched to a windproof basket.

Inside, he lined it with a thick layer of beast fur, covered it with a soft blanket, and placed cotton padding where the chick would rest.

To the eaglet, it would feel like a warm and cozy nest.

With the basket in hand, Bai Tu made his way to Ying Mian’s home.

On the way, several beastmen saw him heading in that direction and couldn’t help but comment.

“Four eaglets in one clutch… unbelievable.”

Even among beastmen with small litters, this was rare.

For feather beastmen who laid dozens of eggs at a time?

It was unthinkable.

They might lay a lot of eggs, but they never hatched this many!

Bai Tu’s legendary status in the tribe only deepened.

After all, Ying Mian had hatched his eaglets under Bai Tu’s guidance.

And before that, Hei Xiao had successfully hatched three chicks—all with Bai Tu’s help.

Adding it all up…

Two clutches, eight eggs…

Seven successful hatches.

That hatching rate was unprecedented.

Even among eagles, it was unheard of!

And not just among eagles—no other feather tribe had ever seen this success rate!

If it were possible, the feather beastmen would have rushed to hand over their eggs to Bai Tu on the spot.

But unfortunately…

Aside from the sub-beastmen, none of the feather beastmen’s mates lived in this tribe.

Which meant…

Their eggs weren’t here either.

So all they could do was sigh in regret.

As for beastmen like the Wolf Tribe and the Rabbit Tribe, though they aren’t of the Feather Tribe, everyone still wants their young to be healthy. In the past, they could only pray to the Beast God, but now, there’s no need—they can just go to Bai Tu.

So regardless of whether they currently have young or not, beastmen have grown even more respectful toward Bai Tu. Just because they don’t have young now doesn’t mean they won’t in the future, so they must maintain a good relationship with him!

Bai Tu was unaware of these complicated thoughts. When he arrived at Ying Mian’s residence, the first thing he saw was Xiong Liao in the courtyard.

 “Did you bring food over too, Tu?” Xiong Liao rubbed his hands together and added, “A lot of people came by just now.”

They claimed it was just a coincidence that they had food to share, but everyone knew they were really here for the young ones—after all, there were four cubs!

Xiong Liao remembered Bai Tu’s instructions and didn’t let anyone inside to prevent the cubs from getting sick. But that didn’t stop him from showing off. So, the beastmen and Feather Tribe members who came, seeing no cubs, could only leave with envious expressions.

Bai Tu: “…?”

“Tu?” Xiong Liao, not getting a response, looked at Bai Tu in confusion. Did he guess wrong?

“You’ll see in a bit,” Bai Tu replied. It would be better to wait and see before taking a beating.

Xiong Liao inexplicably shivered, feeling that something bad was about to happen.

Bai Tu walked into the room, placed the basket on the central table, and said to Ying Mian, “Mian, I have something to tell you.”

Upon hearing this, Ying Mian even put down the cub in his arms. Bai Tu rarely spoke to him in such a serious tone.

In that instant, countless possibilities ran through Ying Mian’s mind.

Could it be that one of the cubs was unhealthy? Or that the dead egg from yesterday had been broken by someone? Or perhaps someone who liked eating dead eggs had taken it? After all, he had heard before that some beastmen enjoyed eating failed Feather Tribe hatchlings…

Ying Mian thought of all these possibilities, but Bai Tu’s words were nothing like what he had imagined. In fact, they were the complete opposite.

Outside, he heard Xiong Liao asking about food. Was this some kind of compensation?

In an instant, Ying Mian thought of the egg from yesterday. Though it had no life, it was still his child. The thought of someone eating his young nearly brought him to tears.

Everyone else was celebrating his successful hatching of four cubs, but only he was mourning the one that didn’t make it.

Bai Tu, of course, had no idea how many thoughts had flashed through the other’s mind in just a moment.

“This is Ying Xiao Wu,” he said.

Ying Mian’s heart instantly sank to rock bottom. So it was true—the young ones had been turned into food.

Bai Tu reached out and gently picked up the still-sleeping Ying Xiao Wu. Seeing that Ying Mian had no reaction at all, he was quite surprised.

“You’re not happy?”

The revival of a cub would be a cause for celebration in any tribe. Just yesterday, Ying Mian was heartbroken over this little one, so why wasn’t he showing any joy upon learning that the cub was still alive? Of course, Bai Tu wasn’t blaming Ying Mian—he just found it odd. Was he so overjoyed that he hadn’t reacted yet?

Bai Tu glanced at the other two people in the room.

Bai Chi and Bai Nuo had already suspected something when Lang Qi came to retrieve the incubation box this morning. So while they were pleasantly surprised, they weren’t particularly shocked.

It all came down to their trust in Bai Tu’s abilities. When Lang Qi came for the incubation box, they had almost already assumed that the cub was alive and had gotten excited in advance. Now, they were just genuinely happy.

Bai Tu let out a breath of relief. That was the normal reaction. Who wouldn’t be happy to hear that a cub had survived?

But Xiong Liao and Ying Mian… Bai Tu looked at Ying Mian, who had been silent this whole time, and started to suspect that living with Xiong Liao for too long had slowed down his reactions as well.

Still lost in sorrow, Ying Mian let out a soft sigh.

“If it was eaten, then so be it…”

He had been foolish to hope. They had already done everything they could to keep the cub alive. Even though he grieved deeply, he couldn’t blame Bai Tu—Bai Tu had done his best. If anyone was at fault, it was the beastman who turned the cub into food.

Bai Tu was silent for a moment.

“…What do you mean, eaten?”

“The cub—” Ying Mian began, but when he lifted his head, he saw Bai Tu cradling a tiny cub in his hands. His words abruptly stopped.

Wait… Didn’t they say it had been made into a dish?

Bai Tu: “…”

What was wrong with this couple? So it was true—two people sleeping under the same blanket couldn’t possibly think differently. One treated the cub as food, and the other just accepted that it had been eaten.

Bai Tu said dryly, “Xiao Wu might be a little lazy, but that doesn’t mean you can eat him, does it?”

Sure, Ying Xiao Wu was a little lazy—he didn’t even make a sound when he was about to hatch. He spent the whole night lying motionless in his egg, only kicking it open when he was nearly suffocating. Even after breaking out halfway, he refused to move again until hunger finally forced him to crawl out.

Yes, he was lazy, but he was still a good baby! And yet, these two fathers were talking about eating him?

“He… he’s alive?” Ying Mian stared intently at the cub’s tiny belly. The little one was so small that its breathing was barely noticeable, but Ying Mian was sure he wasn’t mistaken—the cub was alive.

“Of course he’s alive. Why else would I bring him to you?”

Bai Tu sighed. Pregnancy truly made one lose their wits. Ying Mian used to be quite smart, but now that the cub had hatched, he had become so slow. Carefully, Bai Tu placed Ying Xiao Wu in Ying Mian’s arms.

“Here, your cub. Hold him.”

Ying Mian looked down at the little one in his arms, but before he could even feel happy, the cub suddenly kicked out with force, trying to escape from his embrace.

Bai Tu nearly had a heart attack.

“Careful!”

Both Ying Mian and Xiong Liao had experience taking care of cubs, so their reflexes were quick. They managed to catch the little one before he fell.

Bai Tu let out a deep breath.

“He’s been so lazy at home—I thought he wouldn’t even move.”

From morning till now, except for two mealtimes, the cub had done nothing but sleep. Bai Tu suspected that if he hadn’t felt suffocated in the egg, he might not have even bothered to hatch today.

Such extreme laziness was rare. Even his instincts seemed to be overridden. Other cubs, even if they weren’t in the same nest, were already scrambling around trying to find their rivals. But this one? It didn’t matter whether he was with wolf cubs or Feather Tribe hatchlings—he showed no reaction at all.

That is, until just now, when he suddenly kicked out and scared the entire room.

Guess it was true—still waters run deep.

The cub was once again nestled in Ying Mian’s arms, but this time it wouldn’t stay still. Unlike its earlier calmness, its wings flared up as it kicked its legs, trying to escape.

“What’s going on?” Bai Chi was also puzzled. Earlier, the cub was unusually quiet, but now it suddenly became so lively.

Bai Tu was just as confused, and everyone else looked equally bewildered.

Ying Mian carefully cradled the cub, trying to make sure it wouldn’t fall while also being cautious not to hold it too tightly and accidentally hurt it.

In contrast to his cautiousness, the cub was fearless, struggling wildly to break free.

Ying Mian was skilled at taking care of cubs. Even though these hatchlings were only a day old, he had been taking care of the others and none of them acted like this one, which seemed desperate to run away as soon as it was held.

“Let’s put it back in the basket for now,” Bai Tu suggested. The cub was tiny but difficult to control, and they didn’t want it to fall or get hurt.

Ying Mian placed the cub back in the basket.

Once inside, the cub opened its mouth and began calling out desperately in Bai Tu’s direction. Everyone exchanged puzzled looks.

They had all taken care of plenty of cubs before, and this reaction was very familiar—it was the way cubs behaved when they sensed a parent nearby.

Bai Chi took another look and concluded, “It’s treating you like its father.”

Bai Tu was stunned.

“…Isn’t it said that cubs recognize the first person they see as family? But it hasn’t even opened its eyes yet.”

“It’s probably recognizing you by scent,” Bai Chi speculated.

Bai Tu was even more surprised.

“Ying Mian has been with it for months. How did it end up recognizing me?”

Hei Xiao’s cubs were extremely close to him. Even though Ying Mian’s other cubs were hatched under the watchful eyes of everyone, they were more excited when they saw Ying Mian, so Bai Tu always assumed that Feather Tribe hatchlings had memories from inside their eggs or at least could sense their surroundings in the last few days before hatching.

Yet here was Ying Xiao Wu, defying all expectations once again.

“So, what do we do now?”

Bai Tu started to feel a little regretful. If he’d known the cub was healthy, he would have brought it to Ying Mian right away. Then it wouldn’t have ended up recognizing the wrong parent.

“Maybe we should let it get used to things first?” Bai Chi suggested tentatively. But he wasn’t sure either, as they’d never encountered this situation before. Feather Tribe beastmen often helped each other with hatching, yet the cubs always recognized their true parents after breaking out of their shells.

This egg had been away from Ying Mian for less than a day. How did it forget its own father so quickly?

“Could its sense of smell be weak?” Bai Nuo asked. Normally, a cub wouldn’t mistake its parent unless it couldn’t distinguish scents properly.

“No, look at it. It’s crawling towards Bai Tu—it can definitely smell him.”

Since the cub could follow Bai Tu’s scent, its sense of smell was clearly fine.

The two of them went through a range of theories, from the cub only being able to remember one scent to the possibility of it simply being not too bright.

Bai Tu didn’t join in on their discussion. But as they continued debating whether the cub was just plain dumb, Bai Tu suddenly spoke up.

“Could it be… because it’s just too lazy? Too lazy to tell who’s who?”

Everyone fell silent. They looked at the cub, who was now hugging Bai Tu’s hand and sleeping soundly, and collectively fell into deep thought.

If it were any other cub, this idea would sound absurd. But with this one, it actually seemed… plausible.

Ying Mian’s gaze never left the cub. Hearing that it might not recognize him didn’t make him sad. After all, just having the cub alive was the best news he could have hoped for.

If the cub didn’t recognize him, then so be it. It was alive and healthy—not a dead egg, and that was enough for him.

Bai Tu gently stroked the cub.

“Have Liao go to my house and bring my pillow here.”

Bai Tu couldn’t possibly take the cub away just because it mistook him for its father. The cub definitely needed to stay with Ying Mian.

Since Ying Mian discovered that the cub was alive, his eyes had never left it. Even though he didn’t say much, Bai Tu could feel his emotions. In this situation, there was no way Bai Tu could take the cub back with him.

As for the issue of mistaken identity, Bai Tu thought it would be best to handle it gradually. Since the cub was now familiar with his scent, leaving an item covered in his scent would help the cub feel more secure. That way, the cub wouldn’t resist others approaching.

Then, Ying Mian could slowly get closer to the cub. After feeding it a few times, the cub would get used to Ying Mian’s scent and wouldn’t be as resistant as it was now.

“Don’t worry. This cub is so lazy, it’ll definitely forget about me in no time,” Bai Tu reassured him.

“It’s okay even if it doesn’t forget,” Ying Mian said, his eyes fixed on the sleeping cub as if he could never get enough of looking at it.

Yesterday, this little one had been declared a dead egg by everyone, and now it was alive and breathing right in front of him. So what if it wasn’t close to him? Even if the cub wanted to follow Bai Tu and leave, Ying Mian wouldn’t mind. As long as the cub was healthy, he was content.

When Xiong Liao finally brought back Bai Tu’s pillow, Bai Tu was able to free his hand. The cub sniffed the pillow, recognized the scent, and slowly let go of Bai Tu.

Everyone watched the cub’s behavior and couldn’t help but marvel, “So that’s it.”

Though it was a bit troublesome, they successfully managed to leave the cub with Ying Mian. Bai Tu took out the nest from the basket and made a comfortable bed for the cub before getting ready to go home.

If he didn’t go back soon, the other cubs at his place would start to wonder if he had run away from home with this new little one.

Ying Mian was overjoyed, and Bai Chi and Bai Nuo were happy for him too.

Only Xiong Liao was completely clueless about what had happened. He looked at the extra cub on the bed in confusion and asked, “Whose cub is this?”

Their family already had four cubs. Why was another one delivered here?

Xiong Liao liked cubs, but he loved his own cubs more. If he had fewer cubs, he’d be thrilled to have someone bring over a new one. But with four already, he didn’t think they needed any more.

After all, the more cubs there were, the fewer chances he had to get into the room.

When Xiong Liao said this, everyone in the room instinctively looked at Ying Mian.

It was then that Ying Mian remembered something: if Xiong Liao hadn’t been shouting about food in the courtyard earlier, he never would have misunderstood and thought someone had turned the cub into food.

Looking at Xiong Liao, who always managed to mess things up, Ying Mian hardened his heart and said, “You should go back to the tribe tomorrow.”

“What?!” Xiong Liao was stunned.

He had expected that Ying Mian might not let him sleep in the room before the cubs could transform, but he didn’t think he’d be kicked back to the White Bear Tribe on just the second day!

It was true—the more cubs there were, the lower the father’s status became.

He had heard stories of some sub-beastmen or female beastmen who, once they thought they had enough cubs, would drive the cubs’ fathers away.

Xiong Liao felt like the sky was falling.

“No way!” Xiong Liao suddenly regained his composure and shook his head. “They’re all my cubs. I have to take care of them too!”

No way was he going to be kicked out just because there were cubs now—no way!

Ying Mian: “…”

“There’s no need for you to take care of them here right now,” Ying Mian explained. He wasn’t planning on letting Xiong Liao handle the cubs until they were at least three years old. Watching from a distance was fine, but actual caregiving was out of the question.

“That’s not fair! I’m their father. You can’t just kick me out!”

Bai Tu / Bai Chi / Bai Nuo: “…”

They suddenly started to feel a little sorry for Ying Mian.

Ying Mian sighed, “I’m only asking you to go back to the tribe to work. Chi and Nuo are here to help take care of the cubs, and Bai Tu will come by often. You being here would actually be inconvenient. Besides, with you around, more people will come to visit.”

Most beastmen knew better than to disturb newborn cubs. The only reason people were visiting now was because they knew Xiong Liao was home.

If Xiong Liao went back to the White Bear Tribe, fewer people would come to visit, giving Ying Mian and the cubs a quieter environment to rest.

Besides, the White Bear Tribe needed Xiong Liao right now. Ying Mian was aware of the tribe’s situation and knew they were cooperating with the Snow Rabbit Tribe. He never agreed with Xiong Liao staying over for so long, as it was delaying a lot of important work.

Originally, both of them were working, but now Ying Mian had to focus on taking care of the cubs. If Xiong Liao didn’t work hard for the tribe, they wouldn’t be able to provide for so many cubs.

The White Bear Tribe was learning a lot from the Snow Rabbit Tribe, which was a good sign, but it also meant they’d have to work harder. After all, they had five cubs, not just one or two. They couldn’t possibly rely on borrowing tribe points for food in the future.

“Go back and choose a location for the residential area as soon as possible,” Bai Tu reminded him. “You can start preparing once winter is over.”

Right now, several tribes were working hard to dig underground tunnels. Once those were completed, they’d be able to transport supplies.

Even if each tribe sent only a small group to transport building materials, they would have accumulated quite a bit by the end of winter.

The White Bear Tribe was close to their tribe, and many of their beastmen had already learned construction skills. Naturally, they would be the first to build the residential area.

Although the construction wouldn’t begin until after winter, they needed to decide on the location before winter started. This was because one of the underground tunnel exits needed to be hidden around the residential area. That way, whether they were transporting building materials now or food later on, it would be more convenient.

When Xiong Liao heard that they were sending him back to the White Bear Tribe not to kick him out but because there was work to be done, the panic on his face finally faded.

He had been scared out of his wits, thinking that Ying Mian was planning to follow the trend of “keeping the cubs and kicking out the father”!

The group of sub-beastmen had no idea why Xiong Liao was suddenly looking so happy, and they quickly went back to their own tasks.

Some of the cubs had woken up and needed care, while others were still sleeping. And then there were the cubs back home, eagerly waiting for their father to return.

Five little wolf cubs were anxiously waiting, wishing their dad would take them out. But they weren’t allowed to go, so they could only wait by the door.

After waiting for what felt like forever, they finally saw their dad coming back.

The first thing the cubs did was check Bai Tu’s hands. They saw that the new cub he had taken away wasn’t there, and they instantly became excited.

Dad threw away the new cub!

As Bai Tu walked closer, the little cubs excitedly pounced on him, trying to climb all over him.

The little white wolf cub hugged Bai Tu’s hand tightly, catching the scent of the new cub and immediately started rubbing against it, trying to cover the scent with its own.

This wasn’t the first time—they had done this countless times before. Whenever Bai Tu came back smelling like other cubs, even after washing his hands, the wolf cubs would react the same way. Some scents could only be detected by cubs.

“Alright, Daddy loves you the most,” Bai Tu said as he picked up the cub and held it close.

Now that both nests of cubs had successfully hatched, he could start bringing them out with him for work.

The cubs loved getting kisses from their dad and quickly forgot about their earlier displeasure.

But after finishing their meal and preparing to rest, one of the cubs looked out at the empty spot outside the railing and suddenly became quiet.

Would the new cub have enough to eat?
Would the new cub be bullied by other cubs?
Would the new cub have a dad as good as theirs?

The cubs stared at that empty spot for a long time. Finally, the smallest white wolf cub suddenly cried out to Bai Tu.

“What’s wrong?” Bai Tu asked, rushing over.

His cubs only ever called for him when they were hungry, uncomfortable, or needed help. Otherwise, they were always very quiet.

Since three of the smaller cubs hadn’t yet transformed into human form, they couldn’t express themselves in words. But the two older cubs, Lang Sui and Lang Ying, could—albeit in broken speech, word by word.

“Cub… Cub… Come… Back!” Lang Sui said slowly.

“Huh?” Bai Tu was puzzled, not immediately understanding. He looked at his cubs with concern. “What do you want, babies?”

“Cub… Cub,” Lang Sui repeated word by word.

“The cub?” Bai Tu looked around. “Aren’t all of you here?”

Lang Ying pointed outside the railing.

Bai Tu followed his gaze and realized that it was the spot where Ying Xiao Wu had hatched that morning. He immediately understood what his cubs meant.

“You want the new cub to come back?”

Lang Sui and Lang Ying nodded.

The other three cubs didn’t nod but continued to stare at Bai Tu with worried eyes.

“Xiao Wu also has a dad and a father,” Bai Tu explained as he gently patted the cubs. “Just like how you have me and your father, Xiao Wu has his own dad and father who will take good care of him.”

The two older cubs understood, but the three younger ones were confused. In the end, Lang Sui and Lang Ying transformed into their beast forms and cuddled up with the three smaller ones.

Cubs had their own way of communicating, and eventually, they managed to convey Bai Tu’s words to the younger ones, who stopped worrying about the new cub that had left.

Meanwhile, the new cub they were worried about—Ying Xiao Wu—was furiously tearing apart his nest.

“Chi, what do we do?” Ying Mian asked, feeling helpless.

All the other cubs were so obedient, but this one was different.

The first time it realized Ying Mian was feeding it, it flipped the bowl over. The second time, it finished the food but then destroyed its nest and fell asleep clutching a pillow.

Bai Chi was also stunned; he’d never seen such a temperamental cub before.

Bai Nuo looked at the cub stubbornly holding the pillow and hesitantly suggested, “Should we send it to Bai Tu? It looks like it’s looking for him.”

Bai Chi shook his head, disagreeing with the idea.

“Bai Tu already has his own cubs to care for, and he’s busy with tribal matters. Besides, Bai Tu isn’t of the Feather Tribe.”

It was easier for members of the Feather Tribe to take care of Feather Tribe cubs, and while they could also look after non-Feather Tribe cubs, it was more difficult the other way around.

Feather Tribe cubs had different habits, dietary needs, and schedules. Bai Tu’s cubs were from the Wolf Tribe, while this one was from the Eagle Tribe, and they were not even the same age, so their food requirements were entirely different.

If they sent Ying Xiao Wu to Bai Tu, his workload would increase by much more than just one-fifth—it would practically double.

They definitely couldn’t let Bai Tu handle it. If the three of them couldn’t even manage five cubs without burdening Bai Tu further, they would be utterly useless.

Ying Mian looked at the sleeping cub, feeling helpless.

He knew that if he sent the cub to Bai Tu, it would only increase Bai Tu’s workload. But seeing the cub in this state, he felt powerless to do anything other than feel sorry for it.

Ying Mian spent the entire night feeling distressed, barely closing his eyes. He kept thinking about how to make the cub more comfortable without adding to Bai Tu’s burden.

Since he didn’t sleep at all, Ying Mian decided to prepare the food himself the next morning. The cubs hadn’t eaten much during the night, so breakfast was especially important.

Bai Chi and Bai Nuo helped feed the other four cubs while Ying Mian brought the food to Ying Xiao Wu.

He expected the same rejection as yesterday, but to his surprise, the moment Ying Xiao Wu smelled the food, he immediately opened his mouth.

After eating, Ying Xiao Wu closed his mouth, tilted his head, and went right back to sleep.

The sub-beastmen stared at each other in disbelief. Was this the same Ying Xiao Wu who had kicked over his food bowl yesterday?

They wondered if he had somehow switched places with one of the other cubs when they weren’t looking. But the white thread on his foot confirmed his identity—this was definitely Ying Xiao Wu.

“Yesterday, Bai Tu said that this one is too lazy to remember unfamiliar scents…”

It turned out Bai Tu wasn’t lying. Ying Xiao Wu was just that lazy—he had completely forgotten the scent from the day before.

Ying Mian, who had spent a sleepless night worrying about how to comfort the cub, suddenly remembered something.

Back when he and Xiong Liao had just started living together, they once had an argument over a small misunderstanding. Ying Mian was so upset that he stayed up all night. But the next morning, Xiong Liao casually asked him if he wanted beef or pork for breakfast, acting like nothing had happened.

His feelings that morning were exactly the same as what he was experiencing now.

*

When Bai Tu heard that Ying Xiao Wu had finally accepted food from Ying Mian, he was genuinely happy for him—after all, Ying Mian was the cub’s real father.

Although both he and his cubs missed Ying Xiao Wu, Bai Tu decided to give them a few days to get used to each other. That way, Ying Xiao Wu wouldn’t get confused by the scents again.

Bai Tu spent the next two days at home with his cubs, then checked on the progress of the underground tunnels. After adjusting the manpower accordingly, he started preparing for his next big project.

The bamboo he had soaked earlier had gone through repeated washing, and now it was finally ready for large-scale paper production.

He had already run out of the paper from his last experiment and had been forced to go back to using bamboo slips and wooden boards. Even though the homemade paper sometimes smudged, Bai Tu still preferred writing on paper.

Since the leaves and grass outside were starting to turn yellow and the tools for autumn were already made, the woodworkers now had some free time.

It would be a waste not to start making paper now. Last time was just a simple test, and he had only experimented with the proportions. He still didn’t have an optimal formula.

This time, he wouldn’t rush into large-scale production. Instead, he planned to divide the process into several test groups. Whichever group produced the best-quality paper would be the method they’d use moving forward.

They needed time to prepare, and Bai Tu aimed to finalize the best production method before winter. Then, once winter arrived and the beastmen were free from other duties, they could scale up production.

By spring next year, Bai Tu wouldn’t have to write on wooden boards or bamboo slips anymore. The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.

Excited by his plan, Bai Tu took his cubs to the woodworking workshop.

The cubs were very familiar with the place. Their toys were made there, and Bai Tu often brought them along to pick up new toys!

Thinking they were about to get new toys, the cubs were bursting with excitement.

Bai Tu pointed at the three overly excited cubs and said, “There are no new toys this time.”

“There are! There are!” a beastman who made toys for the cubs quickly replied, “Bai Tu, these are the toys made for the cubs.”

Bai Tu looked over.

“A slide?” Bai Tu was stunned, not expecting the other person to have made a slide.

“This was something you taught us before. I saw how much the cubs at Cai’s place loved it, so I made a few more.”

“That slide is still there?” Bai Tu was surprised. By his calculations, those toys had been in use for a year and a half—he didn’t expect them to still be intact.

He had never seen the toys whenever he visited the cubs or went to Cai’s place. Were they stored away and only recently brought out again?

“No, Cai takes great care of them. She only lets the cubs play for a short time each day before putting them away,” explained the woodworker.

Some of the popular toys required adult supervision, not because they were dangerous, but because the cubs tended to get into fights while playing. Someone had to be present to separate them before any scuffles broke out.

The slide didn’t cause fights, unlike bell toys that the cubs would fight to hold. The slide just stood there—anyone could climb up and slide down.

But the slide had a different safety concern: preventing pile-ups.

The cubs climbed up quickly, and if they didn’t get out of the way fast enough after sliding down, they could get piled on by the next one. It didn’t take long before they ended up in a heap.

Bai Tu looked at the three cubs in his arms. Even if they crashed into each other, it wouldn’t be dangerous since there were only three of them. Including Lang Sui and Lang Ying, there were just five in total—no risk of a stampede.

He decisively spent his tribe points to get them a slide.

Seeing how much the cubs loved the toy, and with Bai Tu looking so pleased, the woodworker immediately picked up his tools and started making the next one.

Bai Tu went inside to discuss the paper-making project with the team leader. This time, it wasn’t just a small test run—they needed to prepare all the tools in advance.

Even if they started planning now, it would take at least half a month before they could truly begin.

After finishing the discussion, Bai Tu took the slide and the three cubs back home. On the way, they ran into Bai Qi, who was rushing over in a panic.

“Bai Tu, someone’s here… huff…” Bai Qi was out of breath, leaning on his knees. He had run around the residential area two or three times, checking every work site before finally hearing at the woodshop that Bai Tu had just left.

He was exhausted.

“Who came?” Bai Tu wondered who would be looking for him at this hour.

“The Black Hawk Tribe… dozens of them… they’re outside the residential area!” Bai Qi emphasized.

“That many? Did Yan arrange for them to deliver supplies? Why didn’t you let them in?” Bai Tu was puzzled.

The two tribes had been exchanging supplies for a long time, so why were they being kept outside this time?

Bai Qi shook his head. “They all came with eggs!”

The two tribes traded goods, but they never exchanged eggs!

Bai Tu: “…?”

Delivering cubs to his doorstep?

What kind of move was this?