Chapter 171
Bai Tu felt that something wasn’t quite right. Based on Xiong Liao’s words, the person involved wasn’t from their tribe. Xiong Liao had been very secretive about sending the cubs away—Bai Tu had almost been fooled himself. Since that was the case, how did outsiders find out?
Moreover, while the White Bear Tribe’s cubs were indeed doing well in their tribe, they hadn’t altered any of their plans because of them. There shouldn’t have been any impact on others. So why was Xiong Liao being threatened?
Hearing Bai Tu’s question, Xiong Liao suddenly had a realization:
“Yeah! How did they know?” And why were they threatening him?
Recalling Xiong Liao’s unusual way of thinking, Bai Tu said, “Tell me exactly what that person said.”
Perhaps there was some misunderstanding.
Seeing that Bai Tu didn’t seem angry, Xiong Liao felt slightly relieved. He scooted a little closer to Ying Mian before recounting the events of the past two days.
Yesterday, a member of the Feathered Tribe had visited White Bear Tribe to find Ying Qin. Since Ying Qin had more connections with the Feathered Tribe and was known to have access to the Hundred Beasts Tribe, many people had been seeking him out throughout the winter. The beastmen of the White Bear Tribe and the Feathered Tribe hadn’t thought much of it.
That Feathered Tribe member stayed in the White Bear Tribe for a day. Early this morning, he secretly approached Xiong Liao, claiming to have something important to discuss.
Xiong Liao had assumed it was good news. But as soon as he got there, the other person spoke a single sentence:
“I know all the White Bear Tribe’s cubs are in the Hundred Beasts Tribe.”
That one sentence nearly scared Xiong Liao to death. He had spent almost a month secretly transporting the cubs—how had he been exposed?!
As he was frantically thinking of ways to cover it up, the other person spoke again:
“I can bring all the cubs back.”
Two sentences—and Xiong Liao almost dropped dead on the spot. He didn’t say a word, didn’t even say goodbye, and bolted straight to the Hundred Beasts Tribe. He hadn’t even figured out how to confess his mistake when Bai Tu overheard his panicked ramblings.
His voice had simply been too loud.
“That was the exact wording of the Feathered Tribe member?” Bai Tu pondered over the two sentences. No matter how he thought about it, they didn’t sound like threats. If anything, it seemed more like the person was showing off their capabilities.
Ying Mian, who understood Xiong Liao best, no longer got misled by his odd way of thinking. He glanced at Bai Tu and suggested, “Should we ask again?”
Before Bai Tu could respond, Lang Qi had already shaken his head. “No need.”
“They believed the rumors.” Lang Qi reminded Bai Tu.
With just that one sentence, the rest of the story instantly pieced itself together.
Someone had believed the outside rumor that cubs could be exchanged for food. They assumed the missing White Bear Tribe cubs had all been sent to the Hundred Beasts Tribe in exchange for supplies. That person had secretly approached Xiong Liao, offering to bring the cubs back—not to threaten him, but to tell him that if he wanted the cubs returned, they could do it.
But because of Xiong Liao’s peculiar way of thinking, he had automatically interpreted it as a threat and feared that Bai Tu would send all the White Bear Tribe’s cubs back.
Realizing the misunderstanding, the three of them fell silent for a moment.
“That person has probably left by now,” Bai Tu sighed.
Although they had guessed wrong about why the White Bear Tribe’s cubs were in the Hundred Beasts Tribe, Xiong Liao had reacted so strongly and had rushed over immediately—there was no way the person would have stayed behind.
“Since they came to the White Bear Tribe… what about the other tribes?” Bai Tu pondered.
The White Bear Tribe was just one of the surrounding tribes. If someone had approached Xiong Liao with this information, then what about the Lion and Deer Tribes?
*
At the same time, Shi Su was hosting an uncle he hadn’t seen in decades.
Although he called the man “uncle,” Shi Su had no memory of him at all—the title was chosen by the visitor himself.
Shi Su had lost all his close family. His parents had died a few years ago in a battle against the Wild Lion Tribe, just like many of the elderly lions in their tribe. There weren’t many older lions left alive, and the few that remained were heavily involved in tribal affairs.
When they saw Shi Hu, the self-proclaimed uncle, their expressions changed slightly. But when they noticed how warmly Shi Su treated him, they exchanged glances and sighed inwardly.
Shi Su, seemingly unaware of the hesitant expressions of his fellow tribesmen, was extremely friendly to his newfound uncle.
“Uncle, where have you been all these years? How did you find the next tribe after you got lost? Were they good to you? Do you have a mate? Any cubs? How many? How old are they? How many boys and how many girls…?”
At first, Shi Hu was delighted by Shi Su’s enthusiasm, but as the questions continued, his expression gradually stiffened.
He managed to answer at the beginning, but Shi Su’s curiosity seemed endless. His questions became increasingly trivial—whether any of the cubs were disobedient, if boys were more mischievous than girls, if Shi Hu had seen any sub-beastmen recently, whether his cubs had mates…
Shi Hu couldn’t understand how a tribal leader could be so talkative. Most leaders were reserved, as their behavior represented the entire tribe. He had never met a leader who spoke this much, and yet, strangely, no one around them stepped in to interrupt.
Cold sweat began to form on Shi Hu’s forehead. He had to think carefully before answering each question.
It wasn’t until someone outside announced that it was time to eat that Shi Su finally stopped his enthusiastic questioning. Instead, he led Shi Hu to the meal, saying cheerfully:
“Uncle, our tribe still has food! Many other tribes have run out, but I’ve kept some reserves. This is food that other tribes don’t have.”
Shi Hu was relieved that the endless questioning had finally stopped. Upon hearing the mention of food, a gleam of excitement flashed in his eyes. “Really? That’s great. You’ve done well.”
Even though this uncle was a stranger, Shi Su couldn’t help but smile at the praise. “I’ll take you to eat right away.”
As long as he didn’t have to answer any more strange questions, anything was fine. Shi Hu nodded eagerly. “Yes, let’s eat. Let’s go eat.”
“Uncle, wait in the cave. I’ll go get the food,” Shi Su said.
Shi Hu quickly nodded and stayed inside the cave.
A moment later, he overheard Shi Su outside, still chatting with the other lions, asking more questions. With that, Shi Hu finally dismissed his last bit of suspicion—Shi Su was simply a talkative leader, not someone deliberately trying to pry information out of him.
Shi Hu had expected the meal to be roasted meat, or at the very least, boiled meat or bones. However, he waited in the cave for a long time and never smelled any food.
Normally, whether meat was roasted or boiled, its aroma would travel far. Yet, Shi Hu smelled nothing.
For a moment, he wondered if something was wrong with his nose—because Shi Su had already brought the food.
Winter had just ended, and not many tribes had food. Shi Hu’s eyes were filled with greed, though he concealed it well, pretending to be an ordinary elder as he inquired about Shi Su’s tribe.
“Su, how many people are left in the Yellow Lion Tribe?”
Shi Su, fully focused on arranging the bowls, ignored the question. He carefully placed two bowls at the exact center of the table, stepping back to check for symmetry. If they weren’t perfectly aligned, he adjusted them again.
Seeing that Shi Su hadn’t heard him at all, Shi Hu asked again, “Su, how many people are in the Yellow Lion Tribe?”
“People? Oh, Uncle, you mean the number of people? Well, how should I put it… It’s just the population of the tribe, you know. I can only say that. The number, hmm… it’s not too much, but not too little either. After all, our tribe has been around for many years, so as for the population issue, I think it’s alright. The number is already pretty decent…”
Shi Su rambled on absentmindedly, his eyes never leaving the tableware as he fussed over its placement. He seemed completely unaware that the man behind him, Shi Hu, was on the verge of murder.
After what felt like an eternity, Shi Su finally arranged the two covered bowls to his satisfaction and called out cheerfully, “Uncle, come, let’s eat!”
Seeing him move, Shi Hu quickly concealed his murderous intent and replied, “Alright, let’s eat.” I’ll deal with this nephew after the meal, he thought.
Just as he finished that thought, his expression darkened again when he saw the food on the table.
“What is this?”
“Food, of course! Something to eat. Other tribes don’t have this,” Shi Su answered proudly. He picked up his bowl, quickly finished the contents, set down his utensils, and let out a satisfied burp.
“Uncle, hurry up and eat. It won’t taste as good if it gets cold.”
Though winter had ended, the temperature was nowhere near summer’s warmth. Food left out too long would lose its flavor.
Shi Hu soon realized that there was no noticeable aroma coming from his bowl. There was only a faint scent of meat lingering in the air, yet it didn’t seem to come from his dish. He eyed Shi Su’s empty bowl, trying to determine if they had eaten the same thing, but Shi Su had already finished his meal. Since the food had been sitting out for a while, he had downed it all in one go, leaving no trace behind.
Shi Hu vaguely recalled that both bowls had looked similar when first uncovered. Since Shi Su could eat it without issue, there shouldn’t be a problem. He lifted his bowl and took a sip—only to nearly spit it out.
What kind of taste is this?!
Shi Su remained oblivious to Shi Hu’s reaction, happily chattering away.
“I knew if I could eat it, Uncle could eat it too! Some people even said Uncle wouldn’t be able to stomach it, but look! You’re just like me, not picky at all. The tribespeople worked hard to cook this meal. Uncle, isn’t it delicious? Do you want more? I can ask someone to make more for you!”
Shi Hu had been on the verge of spitting the food out, but when he heard some people said, a cold sweat broke out on his forehead again.
No! I can’t let Shi Su go out again. What if those people say something else…
Looking at Shi Su, who seemed as clueless as ever, Shi Hu waved his hand and forced out a response, “No problem, I can eat it.”
With that, he shut his eyes tightly and dumped all the food into his mouth.
The taste was indescribably awful. Shi Hu couldn’t fathom how Shi Su had managed to swallow it so easily. For a tribal leader to eat food this terrible… the Yellow Lion Tribe must really be struggling.
Thinking back to the meal, Shi Hu stood up and placed an arm around Shi Su’s shoulder. “Su, I have something to tell you. You’ll be happy when you hear it.”
Shi Su, still looking as foolishly trusting as ever, asked, “What does Uncle want to say?”
Shi Hu paused for a moment before finally speaking. “I can help you bring the cubs back and even give you some food. All you have to do is listen to me.”
Shi Su fell silent.
“…Bring the cubs back?”
Was he talking about the cubs that Shi Su had worked so hard to send to the Hundred Beasts Tribe?
Even though their tribe had been following in the footsteps of the Hundred Beasts Tribe, there was still a huge gap between them. After all, they had only made contact with the Hundred Beasts Tribe after it had already developed for some time. This one-year difference might not seem long, but in reality, the Hundred Beasts Tribe had far surpassed them in both defense and food storage.
That, however, was secondary. What truly moved Shi Su was the education the cubs in the Hundred Beasts Tribe were receiving. Even though they were only learning simple numbers now, in the past, their tribe’s children would only grasp such knowledge at a much older age. But in the Hundred Beasts Tribe, even four- or five-year-old cubs had already learned a lot. Naturally, Shi Su wanted his own tribe’s cubs to learn as well. He had planned to discuss it with Bai Tu after the cubs he had already sent over had settled in.
While he was worrying about how to send more cubs over, Shi Hu was talking about bringing them back…
Following Shi Hu’s words, Shi Su asked, “What kind of food are you offering? How much? What exactly do you want, Uncle?”
“That’s right. I can bring all your cubs back,” Shi Hu said, pleased with Shi Su’s shocked reaction. At that moment, even the awful food he had just eaten seemed slightly more tolerable. He continued, “The amount of food I give you depends on your performance. The better you behave, the more food you’ll receive.”
“Can I see the food now?” Shi Su asked. Compared to other tribes, Shi Hu’s approach was far inferior. The Black Forest Tribe, for example, had provided food and medicine for free, while Shi Hu immediately started making demands. This confirmed to Shi Su that Shi Hu’s tribe was even worse than the Black Forest Tribe.
With this realization, Shi Su was no longer as tense as he had been at the beginning. He simply stared at Shi Hu.
Shi Hu shook his head. “Not yet. You need to send four hundred strong beastmen with me. Once I take care of some trouble, I will naturally bring the cubs back for you, along with the food.”
Shi Su hesitated. “Let me think about it.”
Hesitation meant that he was tempted. Shi Hu hadn’t expected the matter to be resolved so easily. Thinking back on his earlier worries, he couldn’t help but laugh at himself for being so cautious. See? Everything is going so smoothly!
Excited, Shi Hu rubbed his hands together. “Good nephew, you’d better decide quickly. There isn’t much food left. If you agree too late, there might not be any left. I have some things to take care of, but I’ll be back tomorrow! In a few days, we’ll set off.”
Shi Su nodded and looked at Shi Hu with a worried expression. “There are a lot of people outside, Uncle. It’s too dangerous for you to go alone. I’ll send a team to escort you. As for what you said… I’ll think about it. If it works out, I’ll have people ready by tomorrow morning.”
“Good, good, good.” Shi Hu grew even more satisfied. He had chosen correctly. Looking around the area, he nodded to himself. Once he took care of the trouble, this tribe would be his.
After Shi Su left, he had his mate assemble a team of lion beastmen to accompany Shi Hu. Then, without hesitation, he shifted into his beast form and fled toward the Hundred Beasts Tribe through an underground passage.
The underground passage was usually used for transporting goods or traveling to other tribes. Some beastmen were working inside when they suddenly felt a strong gust of wind rush past. Upon closer inspection, they realized it was their chief.
Their chief seemed to be in a great hurry—his mane was completely blown back by the wind.
Shi Su ran as fast as he could. Normally, this journey would take half a day, but he arrived in the time it took to eat a meal. Along the way, he ignored anyone calling out to him. The moment he reached the Hundred Beasts Tribe, he went straight to Bai Tu.
Bai Tu was slightly surprised to see him come alone. Huh, lately so many tribes have been bringing cubs here that I’ve almost gotten used to it. Now that there’s no cub with him, it actually feels a little strange.
“Tu, someone is trying to use the cubs to lure our tribe out.”
Shi Su was careful not to ask too many questions, fearing that Shi Hu would grow suspicious. But judging by the number of people involved and Shi Hu’s excited expression, it was obvious that something big was being planned.
The cubs were merely bait. But those people had no idea that Shi Su had sent the cubs away voluntarily. That alone told him that they had never been to a tribe that had received aid from the Hundred Beasts Tribe before.
Shi Hu had rattled off a list of tribes he had supposedly lived in over the years, but Shi Su didn’t believe a single word. Shi Hu hadn’t even realized that his own statements contradicted each other—first saying there were two cubs, then saying one of them had a mate, and later claiming that the two cubs had only recently shifted into their beast forms. The timeline didn’t match up at all.
From this alone, Shi Su could tell that Shi Hu was lying. Moreover, Shi Hu took time to think before answering many of his questions. When it came to himself or his own relatives, any normal beastman would answer instinctively. Only a few, like Shi Hu, would hesitate before speaking.
As for the food he had given Shi Hu, it wasn’t anything decent—it was bran, the leftover husks from grinding grain. He had done it on purpose to make Shi Hu believe that their tribe had no food.
Sure enough, after eating it, Shi Hu couldn’t hold back any longer. Seeing that even the tribe’s chief was eating such terrible food, he immediately assumed that the Yellow Lion Tribe was in desperate need and revealed his true intentions.
Shi Su recounted everything that had happened that day to Bai Tu, without leaving out a single detail.
Bai Tu poured him a cup of water. “If you had come any later, the beastmen I sent to warn you would have arrived first.”
After hearing what Xiong Liao had said earlier, Bai Tu had immediately dispatched a few people to check the surrounding tribes. While it was unlikely that any of them would act recklessly—especially after the recent trouble caused by the Chi Wen Tribe—it was better to be safe than sorry. If those people failed to lure the Hundred Beasts Tribe out, who knew what other methods they might resort to?
To prevent the situation from escalating, Bai Tu had sent out only the fastest beastmen. Judging by the time it took for Shi Su to get here, they had probably run into each other in the underground passage.
Shi Su “……”
Shi Su, “No wonder I kept hearing people calling my name.”
Bai Tu: “Just as I thought.” It turned out they really had encountered each other, but Shi Su had been in such a hurry that he ignored it.
Shi Su’s situation was relatively easy to handle. He reacted quickly and had already instructed the lion beastmen to follow Shi Hu before coming here. If the opportunity arose, they could find out where exactly Shi Hu had come from.
Bai Tu shook his head when he heard this. “It won’t be that easy.” He doubted that Shi Hu would return to his original base, but keeping people close to him might still reveal some useful information.
Not long after Shi Su finished speaking, leaders from several other tribes arrived in person, or they sent beastmen who regularly interacted with the Hundred Beasts Tribe. They all reported similar occurrences in their own tribes.
The pattern was nearly identical to what the White Bear Tribe and the Yellow Lion Tribe had encountered—first, the outsiders would try to build a rapport, then they would observe the tribe’s situation, and finally, they would make two claims: one, that they had food; and two, that they could rescue the cubs.
But no matter how persuasive these outsiders tried to be, not a single surrounding tribe was tempted. What a joke! They were all desperately trying to send their cubs away—who would believe that bringing them back would make them obedient?
Everyone who heard about this found it strange and reported it to Bai Tu.
At first, Bai Tu wasn’t entirely sure when he heard from Xiong Liao and Shi Su. But after learning that people had approached all the nearby tribes, he could basically confirm it—this so-called “big plan” was an attempt to attack the Hundred Beasts Tribe.
All the tribes that reported the situation mentioned that these outsiders had come through the underground passages. Apart from the White Bear Tribe, none of the other tribes had raised any suspicions. Shi Su and the others, after “deliberately hesitating,” had all decided to go along with the outsiders’ plan, sending people as they were asked to.
Those with the same goal as Shi Hu were ecstatic. After a brief discussion among themselves, Shi Hu found an excuse to send away the guards that Shi Su had assigned to him.
Following Shi Su’s instructions, the beastmen remained obedient to Shi Hu’s commands—if he told them to rest, they rested.
While those outsiders were busy planning, the Hundred Beasts Tribe was also making its own preparations.
In a secluded part of the tribe, Hei Yan, the Eagle Tribe, and Bai An led teams to scout the area by air.
Bai Tu had assigned the beastmen from the Black Hawk Tribe to the caves previously occupied by the Wolf Tribe. Given their large numbers, there weren’t enough houses for them. Although the caves had been vacant for over half a year, the winged tribes weren’t picky. They had already expected rejection along the way, so the fact that Bai Tu was willing to take them in—thanks to Hei Xiao’s connection—was already a great relief.
The Black Hawk Tribe hadn’t arrived empty-handed. They had brought nearly all the portable food from their tribe, even carrying young livestock. If not for the difficulty of transporting large bundles of hay, they probably would have brought that too.
Aside from needing some pots, bowls, and utensils from the Hundred Beasts Tribe, they didn’t trouble Bai Tu for much else. Anything they were unsure about, Hei Xiao took care of.
Bai Tu instructed Tu Mu to arrange for some seasonings and pre-prepared food to be sent over. The Eagle Tribe had traveled in a rush, barely resting along the way, and needed proper nourishment. The ones accompanying Hei Yan on the scouting mission were the strongest and fastest fliers of the Eagle Tribe, while the others—having flown for several days straight—needed at least two days to recover.
While part of the Eagle Tribe rested, others flew out to scout various tribes. As a group that had aided many small tribes before, they had a much clearer understanding of the situation than those who jumped to conclusions based on rumors.
As for the Hundred Beasts Tribe’s beastmen, since there were still outsiders in the neighboring tribes, their construction work had to be postponed. Instead, they focused on preparations.
For example, Bai Tu’s planned crop planting needed to start now—seeds had to be taken out, sorted, soaked, and certain plants requiring early cultivation had to be prepared immediately.
Many plants, such as chili peppers and certain gourds, need to be spaced apart when planted. Direct seeding doesn’t always result in uniform sprouting, so Bai Tu had always used the method of growing seedlings first before transplanting them. Once the seedlings were ready, they were distributed to other tribes, which was usually much more effective than just handing out seeds.
Everyone had done this once the previous year, but this time, Bai Tu had brought out an unusually large number of seeds. Mao Lin, who was helping, looked puzzled. “Tu, did you miscalculate? Do we really need to plant this much?” There were so many seeds that Mao Lin suspected Bai Tu had taken out all of them. Feeling a bit worried, he asked, “Will we have time to transplant them all later? The land isn’t even prepared yet.”
Bai Tu had previously mentioned that transplanting should be done when the seedlings had grown a few leaves—too early or too late wouldn’t be ideal. Mao Lin remembered this clearly and was concerned that if the land wasn’t ready in time, it would disrupt the transplanting process. If they couldn’t use all the seedlings, wouldn’t that be a huge waste?
“They’re for the other tribes,” Bai Tu explained. “We’ll have extra hands to help when the time comes, so it’ll be fine.”
“Extra hands?” Mao Lin was even more confused. But since Bai Tu didn’t seem inclined to elaborate, Mao Lin sighed and continued planting. Maybe there really will be helpers later… but with this many plants, just how many helpers would it take?
Spring was much shorter than winter or summer, so Bai Tu didn’t waste a single day. Every evening, he planned the next day’s tasks, keeping the entire tribe busy.
But the more they worked, the more everyone realized just how much Bai Tu intended to plant this year. It even made them wonder if they’d have to pause all other tasks to care for the crops. After all, planting wasn’t just about putting seeds in the ground—it required watering, pest control, and weeding, all of which were labor-intensive.
Some beastmen began to worry. Is this really okay? Can we afford to stop making bricks and cement?
Just as concerns were mounting, teams began approaching the outer perimeter of the Hundred Beasts Tribe’s territory. The patrol squads, following Bai Tu’s prior instructions, hid and used the nearest underground passage to return to the tribe.
As the outsiders neared the tribe’s borders, beastmen from several surrounding tribes emerged, led by a few unfamiliar individuals. Meanwhile, Shi Su was still arguing with his uncle, Shi Hu.
“Uncle, how can you attack the Hundred Beasts Tribe? They were the ones who lent us food!” Shi Su protested.
“But they imprisoned your cubs!” Shi Hu’s voice was even louder. “They locked up your cubs and ordered you around! One day, they’ll destroy your tribe, and then they’ll target the rest of us. If you don’t resist now, if you don’t defeat the Hundred Beasts Tribe, you’ll end up just like those tribes that were swallowed by the Black Forest Tribe—reduced to lowly beastmen, forced to work for them!”
A beastman dressed similarly to Shi Hu nodded in agreement. “That’s right! If you don’t fight them, they’ll fight you! Just look at the Vulture Clan from the Red Eagle Tribe—they’re nothing more than pack animals for the Hundred Beasts Tribe now!”
As the two spoke, a group of vulture beastmen flew by in the distance, each carrying a load of supplies. Behind them, two human-shaped figures—Bai An and Bai Qi—were being carried on their backs.
Shi Hu seized the moment, pointing at the departing figures. “See? That’s what will happen to you if you don’t resist! You’ll end up just like them!”
The gathered beastmen followed his gaze but instead thought to themselves: Well, vultures are slower than eagles. The eagles already flew past earlier…
Meanwhile, the two men, oblivious to how their words were being perceived, continued their passionate speech about the “future dangers” of the Hundred Beasts Tribe.
“They will steal your mates! They will take your cubs! No, they already took your cubs! Next, they’ll steal your food!”
At this, the crowd silently thought: They didn’t take our cubs—we sent them there ourselves. And it wasn’t easy! We had to sneak them over!
“If you wait until it’s too late, you’ll regret it! Some tribes were deceived by the Hundred Beasts Tribe, thinking they were only borrowing food. Don’t be fooled! Those tribes were stupid for not listening to the truth, and they’ll regret it in the future!”
Beastmen who had been aided by the Hundred Beasts Tribe and had received direct instructions from Bai An and the others exchanged glances. Which tribe was foolish enough to fall for that? Didn’t they know how to play along? Well, to be fair, if the eagle beastmen had arrived late, they might have believed it too. But that didn’t stop them from looking down on those who had failed to assist.
“If you listen to us, we’ll help you take back your cubs! Our leader is kind—we came to save you!”
The persuasion continued, but the ones being “saved” were more interested in knowing just who was foolish enough to walk into a trap.
After a long period of back-and-forth, a figure draped in black beast hides stepped forward, supported by the two speakers.
“Master,” Shi Hu and the other beastman who had been speaking instantly bowed in respect to the black-clad figure.
The black-clad beastman raised a hand and pointed forward.
“The Master has spoken—attack immediately!” Shi Hu was nearly bursting with excitement. The Hundred Beasts Tribe would never expect someone to use their own strategy—the one they had used against the Black Forest Tribe—against them. The Master truly lived up to his title, coming up with such a brilliant plan.
Shi Hu looked at the massive crowd of beastmen behind him, feeling immensely satisfied. Even though not every tribe had agreed to join them, their numbers still far exceeded those of the Hundred Beasts Tribe. They were fully prepared, while the enemy was completely unprepared. There was no doubt who would win this battle.
As the one who had instigated the large and powerful Yellow Lion Tribe to take action, Shi Hu was certain that he would receive a generous share of the spoils once the battle was over.
This thought made him even more excited. He glanced at Shi Su standing beside him and nodded. Although he disliked his older brother, this nephew of his might still be useful. He could keep him around to work for him, and maybe even mock him from time to time. After all, Shi Su’s parents had refused to join the Wild Lion Tribe when he had suggested it. But now, the Yellow Lion Tribe was completely under his control.
Just imagining the reaction of Shi Su’s parents if they were still alive filled Shi Hu with smug satisfaction.
See? Choosing the right leader is crucial. Just like his leader…
Shi Su, however, was focused on something else. He glanced at the figure wrapped from head to toe in thick coverings and asked, “Uncle, why is the Master dressed like that? What species is he?”
“Shut up! Keep your voice down!” Shi Hu snapped. “The Master is the reincarnation of the Beast God! He has come to save us, and as the Beast God’s reincarnation, he cannot reveal his true form!”
“Oh.” Shi Su withdrew his gaze, unconvinced. Only someone like Shi Hu would actually believe that nonsense.
Shi Su’s skepticism was too obvious. Shi Hu, now both embarrassed and angry, retorted, “What do you know?! The Master can survive an entire month without eating! Any ordinary person would have starved to death by now, but the Master remains perfectly fine!”
Beastmen nearby gasped in astonishment upon hearing this.
Shi Su finally wavered a little. “He can really go a whole month without food?”
“Of course!” Seeing that Shi Su was no longer wearing the same doubtful expression, Shi Hu was pleased. “You’re still young; there are many things you don’t understand. You should listen to me more in the future, got it? If your parents had listened to me back then, they wouldn’t have died.”
Shi Hu showed not a shred of sympathy for Shi Su’s parents, whom the Wild Lion Tribe had killed. He had been fed up with their constant meddling long ago.
Hearing his parents mentioned, Shi Su lowered his head and said nothing.
Shi Hu was about to lecture him further, but then he saw the Master raising his hand again. Deciding to deal with Shi Su later, he turned back to the crowd and shouted excitedly, “Everyone, charge! Defeat the Hundred Beasts Tribe!”
“Attack—!”
The deafening battle cry filled the air, and Shi Hu was immensely satisfied.
But before he could even break into a triumphant grin, he felt a hand clamp down on his arm.
Startled, he turned around—only to find his own nephew grabbing him.
Furious, he snapped, “What do you think you’re doing?! Let go of me!” As expected, he’s useless. I should’ve dealt with him sooner.
“You’re exactly the one I wanted to catch,” Shi Su said calmly, pulling out a rope and binding Shi Hu on the spot.
“You’re insane!” Shi Hu roared. “I’ll kill you!”
He hadn’t even had time to shift into his beast form. Now, with Shi Su pinning down his limbs and head, he couldn’t transform even if he wanted to.
Shi Hu tried to call for help from his allies, but when he turned his head, he realized that every single one of them was in the same predicament as he was.
Their own forces only numbered around five hundred. The rest were either warriors from surrounding tribes or those who had lost their young to the Hundred Beasts Tribe. But now, those very people had suddenly turned against them. Not only were the untransformed fighters captured, but even those who had shifted into beast form were unable to escape.
At the center of the group, the mysterious figure draped in black beast hides was also under attack. In desperation, the figure bit a nearby beastman and tried to slip away, but after taking just two steps, they were captured again.
Panicked, the figure immediately transformed into their true form.
“So it’s a snake beastman,” Shi Su remarked, pulling out a small bottle and tossing its contents in the snake’s path.
The snake beastman, now slithering frantically, suddenly lost its sense of direction and slowed down for a brief moment. But that moment was all it took. Several lion beastmen, already in their beast forms, lunged at the snake, biting and pinning them down.
The entire confrontation ended much sooner than Shi Hu had planned—though the outcome was nothing like he had imagined.
Even after being captured and taken to the Hundred Beasts Tribe, Shi Hu still couldn’t understand how their plan had been exposed.
Meanwhile, Shi Su was already dragging the unconscious snake beastman to Bai Tu.
“It’s a snake beastman!” Shi Su announced, tossing the tightly bound snake onto the ground.
The impact jolted the snake beastman awake. As their vision adjusted, they instinctively sniffed the air and lunged to bite.
Before they could fully open their mouth, they were met with a swift kick.
Shi Su then poured the remaining contents of the bottle—realgar wine—over the snake beastman’s head. “Try biting now.”
“Tu, he claimed to be the reincarnation of the Beast God, and those idiots like Shi Hu actually believed him.”
“The reincarnation of the Beast God?” Bai Tu was momentarily speechless. He hadn’t expected someone on the Beast God Continent to pull off such a ridiculous scam—and even more absurd, people actually believed it!
The so-called “Beast God’s reincarnation” had been duped by the fabricated rumor about the Hundred Beasts Tribe “exchanging young ones for food.” If he were truly divine, he wouldn’t have fallen for such a blatant lie.
“Shi Hu fell for it completely,” Shi Su added sarcastically. Even after capturing the snake beastman, Shi Hu and his deluded followers were still out there shouting to “rescue the Beast God.” They had been utterly deceived.
Bai Tu: “…”
The ulterior motives of this group couldn’t be more obvious.
Their plan was simple—use the very tribes that the Hundred Beasts Tribe had helped to destroy them, then pretend to be magnanimous by “returning the young ones” afterward. Once the other tribes dispersed, leaving only their little band of schemers, they could claim the Hundred Beasts Tribe’s territory for themselves.
For a moment, Bai Tu didn’t know what to say.
Calling them stupid didn’t seem quite right—they had, after all, copied his own strategy of using the Black Forest Tribe’s tactics against them. But calling them clever felt like an overstatement, considering their actions were as laughable as those of the Chiwen Tribe.
They hadn’t even bothered to properly investigate before forming alliances, and they had specifically sought out tribes that had already been aided by the Hundred Beasts Tribe. It was as if they were actively trying not to find a real ally.
Thinking of the Chiwen Tribe suddenly reminded Bai Tu of something.
He turned to Bai Qi and called out, “Qi, go find Xiong Chong!”
He had a feeling that this snake beastman and Xiong Chong might have something in common—it was worth asking if they knew each other.
Xiong Chong was currently learning about breeding from the Rabbit Tribe nearby, so he arrived quickly.
As soon as he entered the room, before anyone could ask him anything, Xiong Chong shouted excitedly, “She Sa! You’re here too?”
So they really did know each other. That would make things much easier.
Bai Tu turned to Xiong Chong and asked, “Which tribe is he from?”
She Sa glanced at Xiong Chong and tried to signal him with his eyes. But in his snake form, his expressions were nearly impossible for a normal person to interpret—let alone Xiong Chong.
“The Flower Snake Tribe!” Xiong Chong answered quickly, completely missing She Sa’s attempt at a hint. “It’s the same tribe that Hu Bu wanted to recruit, but they disappeared after that.”
Bai Tu nodded—this finally connected the dots.
Back then, Hu Bu had tried to persuade the Flower Snake Tribe by warning them about the harsh winter. Xiong Chong had overheard that conversation, and in the end, both Xiong Chong and She Sa had chosen the same course of action. It seemed they really had a fated connection. No wonder Xiong Chong had been so excited upon seeing She Sa.
“Where are the rest of the Flower Snake Tribe?” Bai Tu motioned for Shi Su to untie She Sa. With the way he was tightly bound, he couldn’t shift into human form, making it impossible to answer questions.
Though, Bai Tu noted, their method of catching a snake was rather… unique.
Dazed from being beaten, She Sa was terrified of being tied up again. The moment he was freed, he immediately transformed into his human form—but he had no intention of answering Bai Tu’s question.
“Even if you kill me, I won’t say a word!” He would never betray his mate!
Just as he finished speaking, Lang Ze entered and kicked him. “So this is the snake beastman? He’s pretty aggressive. Why didn’t you tie him up?”
Recently, Lang Ze had discovered an excellent method for capturing snakes—tying them up so they couldn’t bite or even move. He was determined to teach everyone this technique, ensuring that anyone who learned it would have to call him teacher—including his own brother!
Bai Tu: “…”
So this was where Shi Su had learned that trick.
Thanks for the chapter!