Chapter 175
The thunderclap came suddenly, startling Bai Chi as well. The two of them quickly ushered the two cubs outside the door back inside, but after that, nothing else happened. It was as if the thunder had been just an illusion.
Since it didn’t seem like it was going to rain, Bai Tu simply bid farewell to Bai Chi and decided to think things through later.
On the way home, Bai Tu was still contemplating what to paint for the Beast God Temple. If it were just the Blood Wolf Tribe expanding their temple, they could simply replicate the original design or paint a wolf. If it were the Snow Rabbit Tribe, they could paint a rabbit. But now, apart from the Wolf Tribe and Rabbit Tribe, there were also the Cat Tribe, Lion Tribe, Bear Tribe, and many more. And that didn’t even include the further subcategories within these species.
Even if he only considered tribes with large populations or those that had fully joined the Hundred Beasts Tribe, picking a single, universally accepted representation was not going to be easy.
Bai Tu started thinking about who else he could consult on this issue, but after going through his options, it seemed that aside from Hei Xiao and Bai Chi, there wasn’t really anyone else more suitable to discuss it with.
Once he got home, Bai Tu calculated the construction timeline. He wondered if he should wait until the rainy season to make a decision. After all, a whole month would be enough time—even if there were many conflicting opinions, they could still settle on a choice that satisfied everyone.
Just as Bai Tu was deep in thought, a small white wolf cub pounced on him.
The cubs often played this game, so Bai Tu didn’t mind. He easily caught the little one and gave it a quick kiss.
The wolf cub let out a soft whimper, rubbing its tiny pink nose against Bai Tu’s face before climbing further up his body. It crawled up his arm and toward the pocket on his waist.
“Want to go out and play?” Bai Tu asked casually. Usually, when the cubs wanted to go outside, they would snuggle into his pocket since he often carried them around this way.
The little wolf whined twice—which meant “No.” But its actions didn’t stop as it burrowed into his pocket and started pawing at something inside.
It was only then that Bai Tu remembered—the jade rabbit Hei Xiao had given him was in that pocket!
Hurriedly, he took it out.
The tiny white wolf cub immediately wrapped all four paws around the wooden box, refusing to let go. Even though it was smaller than its two older brothers, it had grown quite a bit since birth, and it was actually able to hold onto the box tightly.
Bai Tu sighed helplessly and set both the cub and the box down on the bed.
The little cub immediately started clawing at the opening of the box.
“You’re too smart for your own good,” Bai Tu sighed, worried the cub might hurt its tiny paws, so he helped open it.
Since the cub was still very small, Bai Tu wasn’t worried about it scratching the jade rabbit—he was more concerned that the cub might accidentally drop it and hurt itself.
Bai Tu kept a hand ready to catch it, while the little wolf squeezed into the box and clung tightly to the small jade rabbit.
The jade rabbit’s shape was more irregular than the wooden box, making it easier to hug.
At that moment, the black wolf cub and gray wolf cub, who had been play-fighting nearby, stopped and trotted over.
As soon as they saw the jade rabbit inside the box, they instantly moved twice as fast, climbing on top of the little white wolf.
The box wasn’t very big, and Bai Tu worried that if they kept climbing all over each other, they might tip it over and get hurt. So he simply took the rabbit out and placed it in the center of the bed, laying down a soft cotton cloth underneath to cushion it.
The cubs were satisfied and gathered around the jade rabbit, happily nestling close to it.
Under Normal Circumstances…
Usually, even if they liked something, the cubs would lose interest after a while. But this time, Bai Tu waited and waited, and all three cubs fell asleep still clutching the little rabbit.
Whenever he tried to move the jade rabbit, all three cubs would wake up immediately.
Bai Tu was helpless and softly coaxed them, “Can Daddy put it away? We’ll take it out again next time.”
He didn’t mind letting the cubs hold it, after all, it was a rabbit—it naturally felt familiar and comforting. Not to mention, this rabbit looked incredibly familiar to him. However, this one was made of jade, unlike their wooden or stone toys, which wouldn’t be a big deal if they got scratched. Hei Xiao had preserved this jade rabbit for so many years—he couldn’t let it get damaged the moment it landed in his hands.
It was the only keepsake left behind by his father. No matter what it was made of, even the slightest scratch would be heartbreaking.
But the little wolf cubs whined in protest, refusing to let it be taken away.
Bai Tu sighed and went to the kitchen to grab some food—perhaps he could distract them with a snack.
At their age, he couldn’t bear to scold them, and once they started acting cute, he would forget about everything else.
Just as Bai Tu entered the kitchen, Lang Qi returned home from work.
Normally, Bai Tu and the cubs would all be inside, so Lang Qi didn’t even glance elsewhere—he just walked straight into the house.
But when he stepped into the bedroom, he didn’t see Bai Tu.
Instead, he heard the cubs’ voices and followed the sound into the inner room—only to see the three little wolf cubs surrounding a small rabbit on the bed.
A faint smile appeared in Lang Qi’s eyes—but the next moment, it disappeared completely.
The bed was missing Bai Tu.
To be precise, Bai Tu, as a living person, wasn’t there.
Lang Qi felt his blood run cold.
The cubs were always dependent on Bai Tu. But now, when he looked at the jade rabbit, for an instant, it looked exactly like Bai Tu!
Only after staring closely did he realize—it was just a stone carving.
Where was Bai Tu?
Why had he turned into this?
Lang Qi’s limbs stiffened as he walked toward the bed.
Hearing the sound, the wolf cubs immediately flattened their bodies and bared their tiny fangs in warning—they thought he was trying to take their rabbit away.
Normally, Lang Qi might have humored them and played along. But now, his entire focus was on the jade rabbit on the bed. He was so engrossed that he didn’t even notice the footsteps in the courtyard.
Lang Qi slowly reached out and was just about to touch the rabbit when—
“You’re back?”
Bai Tu’s voice rang out.
He placed the snacks he had brought from the kitchen onto the table, arranging them to attract the cubs over to eat.
Lang Qi froze in place.
“Tu?”
“What’s wrong?” Bai Tu asked in confusion. Why does he sound so off?
“Did something happen?”
Why does he look like he just got scared?
Bai Tu couldn’t figure out why Lang Qi would be frightened.
Lang Qi stared at him for a moment, as if in a daze, before finally snapping back to reality.
And the first thing he did was pull Bai Tu into a tight embrace.
Bai Tu: “???”
He didn’t mind the sudden closeness, but what was going on?
Wasn’t he just scared of something a moment ago?
It took a long while before Lang Qi finally loosened his grip, though he still didn’t let go completely—he simply eased up his hold a little.
“Where did you get this?”
Lang Qi pointed at the jade rabbit on the bed.
It looked too much like Bai Tu.
The moment he walked in, he had thought Bai Tu had transformed into his beast form to play with the cubs.
“The rabbit? My brother gave it to me. It was left behind by my father.” Bai Tu explained. “We’re still debating whether it represents me or my father.”
Bai Tu believed it was Bai Luo, while Hei Xiao insisted it was Bai Tu. Neither of them could agree.
“It’s you.” Lang Qi answered without hesitation. “It looks exactly like you.”
Lang Qi had seen Bai Tu’s beast form more times than Hei Xiao. There was even a time when he barely rested at night, spending all his time watching over the tiny rabbit. He was so familiar with Bai Tu’s appearance that if one of Bai Tu’s fur strands fell off, he could probably tell exactly where it came from.
Even among siblings of the same species, there were always subtle differences in their beast forms.
For example, in their family, the two black wolf cubs weren’t just different in size—if you looked closely, you could see slight differences in their eyes. The gray wolf cubs were also not completely identical.
As for full biological siblings, aside from their color, there were still distinct features that set them apart. It was just that they looked more similar than unrelated individuals.
Even Ying Mian and Hei Xiao’s cubs, who had been impossible to tell apart at birth, had now grown distinct enough that those close to them could recognize them even without looking at the identifying strings on their legs.
Lang Qi was completely certain—this rabbit was Bai Tu.
It couldn’t possibly be Bai Tu’s father.
Even if they were father and son, they couldn’t be this identical.
“But when my father gave this to my brother, I was still very young.” Bai Tu frowned in confusion.
Cubs go through multiple growth phases—and each phase brings changes. Even if facial features stayed the same, size and proportions changed.
How had Bai Luo known so early that Bai Tu would grow to look exactly like this?
“You must not have changed at all.” Lang Qi replied, then gestured with his hands—“You were this small.”
Bai Tu’s beast form was actually a little smaller than the wolf cubs right now. After all, the cubs had grown, but he hadn’t.
Bai Tu: “…”
He suddenly didn’t know whether he should complain about that comment.
“If it really is me…”
Bai Tu glanced at the wolf cubs.
If this rabbit was truly him, then no wonder the cubs were so attached to it— In his dreams, they had clung to him just like this.
Thinking about his dreams, Bai Tu suddenly recalled last night’s dream, and somehow, his thoughts wandered back to the Beast God’s form—which he had spent the entire day failing to figure out.
So, he brought it up to Lang Qi.
“Chi said that the Beast God’s form is based on the different beast forms of each tribe. For your tribe, it’s probably a wolf.”
However, the depiction was so abstract that it barely resembled a wolf. If it weren’t for the presence of claws, Bai Tu would have mistaken it for a snake instead.
“There are so many different beast forms in the tribes now—are we really supposed to draw all of them?” Bai Tu sighed, feeling stuck.
When they were trying to come up with a name, it had already taken them a long time. Now, choosing the Beast God’s form was just as difficult—if not even more complicated. After all, the name “Hundred Beast Tribe” implied a vast variety of beasts. He couldn’t just draw all hundred of them, or else the final image would turn into a shapeless mess.
But… drawing a hundred beasts…
Bai Tu suddenly thought of something.
He couldn’t draw a hundred different beasts, but he could draw something else—
A dragon.
The only issue was… he wasn’t sure if dragons existed in this world. The legendary creature he had heard about in his past life might not fit here.
Still, once the idea took root, Bai Tu couldn’t hold back anymore. He immediately grabbed paper and a brush, then started sketching.
Though he hadn’t studied art professionally, he had followed it as a hobby and had even practiced drawing on his own. Portraits were a bit difficult, but when it came to animals, he was much more comfortable.
Especially with dragons—even though they were mythical, their image was deeply ingrained.
Following the designs he had seen before, Bai Tu outlined a dragon head, a long serpentine body, and a tail. As he drew, he felt an increasing sense of familiarity.
“Is this what we saw this morning?”
Bai Tu grabbed Lang Qi’s sleeve, his expression urgent.
The more he looked at his drawing, the more it resembled the patterns inside the Blood Wolf Tribe’s cave.
At first, he hadn’t made the connection because the cave drawings were simple sketches, and after so many years, details like the dragon’s head and tail had faded.
That was probably why he didn’t recognize it right away.
Lang Qi studied the drawing closely. He had only taken a glance in the morning, but his memory was sharp. After comparing them in his mind, he nodded.
“Yes, it’s the same.”
Bai Tu was shocked.
The Beast God of the Blood Wolf Tribe… was a dragon?!
If it had been any other animal, he could have understood. But why a dragon?
“Do you remember the tribe’s old shamans?” Bai Tu asked.
He had a hunch that this was connected to the Blood Wolf Tribe’s former shamans.
“Anyone who knew about them is long gone.” Lang Qi shook his head.
Most of the surviving wolves in the tribe were younger than his parents and didn’t know much about the past.
Besides, shamans had held a high status, and not everyone had access to them. Only the chiefs or the elder members of the tribe had been qualified to interact with them.
“So there’s no way to find out…?” Bai Tu was a bit disappointed. He had really hoped to learn about the former shamans.
Just as he finished speaking, Lang Qi seemed to recall something and suddenly added:
“There might be someone who knows.”
“Who?”
“Bai Hui.”
“Bai Hui?”
“He’s the oldest sub-beastmen in the tribe.”
Lang Qi didn’t know exactly what happened to the Blood Wolf Tribe’s shamans in the past.
But judging by Bai Hui’s age, he was old enough to have lived through those events.
And if the Blood Wolf Tribe had sent their sub-beastmen to the Black Forest Tribe back then, then Bai Hui would definitely know something.
However, Bai Tu hesitated when he thought about Bai Hui’s current condition.
Bai Hui was indeed old, but ever since he had returned to the tribe, he had shown no signs of recovery.
Neither Bai Tu nor Bai Chi could figure out why Bai Hui remained unchanged despite living in a safe and comfortable environment.
After all, even if he had suffered severe trauma in the past, things were better now. He should have been slowly recovering.
Bai Tu wasn’t sure if Bai Hui could give them any useful information, but it was worth asking.
That night, while Lang Qi prepared food, Bai Tu refined his dragon sketch, making it more detailed and then carefully stored it away.
The next morning, he took the drawing and went to find Bai Chi.
Bai Hui didn’t recognize people anymore, and only Bai Chi could understand him.
If they were going to talk to Bai Hui, Bai Chi had to be there.
Otherwise, even if Bai Hui responded, Bai Tu wouldn’t be able to understand him.
“You’re already done?” Bai Chi was surprised to hear that Bai Tu had already finished designing the Beast God’s form.
When Bai Tu mentioned that he had come to see Bai Hui, Bai Chi led him inside.
Bai Tu didn’t mention the cave paintings in the Blood Wolf Tribe.
He simply said that he wanted to ask Bai Hui if he remembered the old shamans.
And, while they were at it, he also wanted to see if Bai Chi and Bai Hui thought his Beast God drawing was suitable.
Upon hearing Bai Tu mention the Blood Wolf Tribe, Bai Chi paused to think.
“I’ve never heard of the Blood Wolf Tribe’s shaman.”
When they were sent to the Black Forest Tribe, most of them had shared their backgrounds, but Bai Chi didn’t recall anyone mentioning the Blood Wolf Tribe.
Of course, it was also possible that someone had kept it a secret.
“Could it be that they never sent their sub-beastmen away? Maybe they hid them instead?” Bai Chi guessed.
At first, not everyone had believed the shamans’ lies. Some beastmen had seen through the deception, but those people were rare.
Even those who realized something was wrong had been powerless to resist. The only thing they could do was hide their sub-beasts.
However, as Wu Jiu and his followers gained influence on the Beast God Continent, the idea that sub-beasts must be handed over became deeply ingrained in beastmen’s minds.
The living conditions of sub-beasts deteriorated, and fewer and fewer beastmen dared to risk offending society to protect them.
Over the years, countless sub-beasts perished because of this. Many died while fleeing or hiding, and even more passed away in the Black Forest Tribe.
Bai Chi couldn’t remember all their stories at once.
As he spoke, he led Bai Tu inside, and soon they arrived at Bai Hui’s room.
Bai Tu softly called out his name, and Bai Chi followed with another call.
After a moment, Bai Hui slowly reacted, raising his head to look at them.
“Are you calling me?”
“Yes, Hui. Do you remember the Blood Wolf Tribe?” Bai Tu asked.
Bai Hui stared at him.
“Luo is back?”
Bai Tu shook his head.
“No, I’m Bai Tu. Luo is gone. Hui, do you remember the Blood Wolf Tribe’s shaman?”
Bai Hui frowned.
“Why ask? Aren’t you right here?”
Bai Tu froze, eyes widening in shock.
He turned to Bai Chi, who looked just as surprised.
“The Blood Wolf Tribe’s shaman… was Luo?” Bai Chi exclaimed.
Bai Tu was stunned.
His father?
If it hadn’t been for Wu Jiu and his people, Bai Tu and Hei Xiao would have likely grown up in the Blood Wolf Tribe.
Suddenly, Bai Tu remembered something.
Yesterday morning, when he visited the Blood Wolf Tribe, he had noticed a small shape beside the Beast God mural on the wall.
Thinking back now… it looked a bit like a rabbit.
Was that mural depicting Bai Luo worshiping the Beast God?
Bai Tu slowly unfolded the drawing he had brought and handed it to Bai Chi.
He hesitated, debating whether to show it to Bai Hui.
But before he could decide, Bai Hui suddenly stood up.
The moment he saw the drawing in Bai Tu’s hands, his entire body trembled with excitement.
“The Beast God! The Beast God has come! The Beast God is here!”
Just as Bai Tu was about to ask more questions, Bai Hui suddenly let go of his hand, his expression changing.
“…No. It’s not the Beast God. There is no Beast God at all.”
His excitement vanished, and he slowly backed away, sitting back down on the bed.
He returned to the same dazed state as when they had first entered the room.
Bai Tu glanced at Bai Chi, but Bai Chi shook his head.
“He won’t be lucid again for a while.”
Realizing that he wouldn’t get any more answers, Bai Tu sighed and left with his drawing.
“So, should we use this design?”
Judging by Bai Hui’s reaction, he had seen this image before.
And combined with the mural in the Blood Wolf Tribe, Bai Tu was almost certain of the answer.
In fact, the moment he recognized that the small animal in the mural was Bai Luo, all the other questions had already been answered.
“Use it.”
Bai Chi finally looked away from the drawing, his voice steady.
Though this was the first time he had seen such an image, something deep inside him whispered that this was what the true Beast God should look like.
Bai Tu brought the drawing home, still processing everything he had learned today.
Bai Luo had left the Blood Wolf Tribe and arrived at the Black Forest Tribe.
With the help of others, he had then escaped from the Black Forest Tribe.
Somewhere along the way, he had found a mate, given birth to Hei Xiao and Bai Tu, and eventually sought refuge in the Black Hawk Tribe.
But… something felt off.
Bai Tu vaguely remembered Hei Xiao mentioning once that when Bai Luo joined the Black Hawk Tribe, Bai Tu hadn’t been born yet.
Which meant their unknown second father had abandoned a pregnant Bai Luo and a young Hei Xiao before leaving.
Bai Tu had no idea how Bai Luo survived during that time.
He sighed.
Judging by Bai Chi’s words, there weren’t many tribes willing to accept sub-beastmen.
Bai Luo must have wandered through many tribes before finally finding the Black Hawk Tribe.
In the perilous wilderness, being alone with a young cub, unable to hunt yet, was an undeniably difficult situation.
At the end of the day, the real culprit was still Wu Jiu and his people. Thinking of this, Bai Tu left the cub at home and walked to the place where the captives were held.
Over the years, Wu Jiu had gathered many loyal followers in the Black Forest Tribe. Even in his current state, there were still people willing to leave food for him.
After the capture of the Flower Snake Tribe, the prisoners’ living conditions worsened again—everyone had to work, and those who didn’t wouldn’t get any food.
Wu Jiu had been paralyzed since the day he was captured, meaning he received no food. Yet, he had somehow survived all these days, and his condition even seemed better than before. The beastmen guards reported that Wu Jiu had woken up several times recently, though only for short periods.
Bai Tu hadn’t expected him to last this long. However, lying on the ground, unable to do anything, relying entirely on others for food, drink, and even bodily functions—if no one helped him, he would just have to endure it. He deserved this kind of life.
The holding area was extremely cramped, with dozens of people squeezed into a tiny room. The limited opportunities to go outside for work resulted in a mixture of unbearable odors.
Even so, they suffered far less than the sub-beastmen had before. Bai Tu walked around, then pointed at Wu Jiu and ordered someone to bring him out.
“What are you trying to do?!” Wu Cong stepped in front of Wu Jiu. “You are not allowed to approach the shaman! One day, you will all face retribution!”
“The Beast God will surely punish you! Absolutely!”
“The Beast God won’t let you go! Bai Tu, your fate will be the same as Bai Luo’s!”
The people in this room were all medicine apprentices from the Black Forest Tribe. Hearing them mention Bai Luo, Bai Tu looked at them expressionlessly and then turned to a nearby beastman, saying, “Next time they need people for drug testing, send them.”
He was referring to the place where the sub-beastmen lived, those who had received true, formal training in medicine—unlike Wu Jiu and his kind, who only dabbled in superstition and believed that holding onto a few prescriptions could make them rulers of the continent.
In the past, most people only knew the medicinal herbs growing around their own homes, meaning they were unfamiliar with herbs from farther away, especially those from other continents.
Now, with everyone gathered together and Bai Tu in possession of many seeds, they had developed numerous new treatment plans. However, these new prescriptions needed to be tested to see if they were truly better than the old ones.
Sometimes, they tested them on hunted prey, but animals and orcs had physiological differences. This made the best test subjects those orcs guilty of heinous crimes. The experiments weren’t necessarily life-threatening, but they would definitely be unpleasant.
Previously, Bai Tu hadn’t chosen the medicine apprentices or doctors for testing, but now he felt they could be used as well.
As apprentices, they naturally understood what drug testing meant. After all, in the past, they had often tested medicines themselves to prove their abilities.
The Black Forest Tribe determined an apprentice’s skill by cutting them first, then having them apply their own medicine to the wound. Whoever’s treatment worked best was considered the most capable.
Thinking back to those who had writhed in pain before them, the group’s faces were filled with fear—they hadn’t expected to be used for drug testing themselves.
“You can’t do this! If you do, how are you any different from Wu Jiu?!” Wu Ming suddenly shouted. “You keep saying Wu Jiu was wrong, so why are you using the same methods on us?”
Bai Tu looked at Wu Ming. To be honest, he had almost forgotten about him.
According to the information he had learned from Ying Quan, although they were all medicine apprentices, some were smart while others were foolish. The most foolish one had been Wu Shi, who was now dead. Whether or not Wu Shi had done anything bad before was another matter, but his death was definitely related to Wu Ming.
Whether Wu Ming was truly intelligent was debatable, but he was undoubtedly the most cunning—always stirring up conflict, playing both sides, pretending to be good while secretly causing trouble.
Not to mention, that time he “forgot” to give medicine was almost certainly intentional. Wu Cong was reckless and had likely been used by Wu Ming many times. But regardless of whether they had used others or been used themselves, anyone imprisoned here was certainly not a good person.
Wu Ming was indeed clever. Now, he was using such words to question Bai Tu.
Bai Tu chuckled. “The sub-beastmen you imprisoned are still sick—how do you plan to compensate them?”
If drug testing was considered evil, then what about the suffering inflicted on the sub-beastmen?
Their recovery ability was weaker than that of the beastmen, so their injuries caused them prolonged pain. These people had used them for medical experiments many times just to prove their own skills.
Not to mention those who were forced into continuous childbirth—though sub-beastmen had different physiology from other beastmen, being forced to give birth repeatedly had left many of them severely malnourished. Even after being rescued and returning to the tribe for a long time, some had still not fully recovered.
Many, like Bai Hui, had suffered such severe trauma that they had gone mad. Bai Tu hadn’t even begun to hold these shamans and medicine apprentices accountable for all these crimes, yet Wu Ming dared to compare them to Wu Jiu?
Hearing Bai Tu bring up these past events, the people in the room grew fearful. They had committed too many atrocities. As long as Bai Tu remained silent about them, they could continue living as they were. But now that he had spoken, it meant one thing—settling accounts.
Wu Cong was the first to rush up to Wu Ming. “Who told you to speak?!”
Any former respect for Wu Ming had vanished. Since Bai Tu had made his stance clear, it was obvious that the punishment would not fall on just one apprentice—every one of them might be punished. Their daily workload was already exhausting; if they were also forced to undergo drug testing and other punishments…
Despair filled their eyes as deep regret consumed them. In the past, they had relied on their status as followers of the shaman, treating the lives of others as worthless. If debts were truly being settled, the punishment they would receive would be far too severe.
Just as they were drowning in despair, Wu Jiu, who had been surrounded by them, suddenly moved.
“Shaman!” Wu Cong cried out in excitement, throwing himself forward. He had known it—he had known the witch doctor would wake up!
Now that the shaman was awake, he would surely find a way to get them out. After all, the shaman was the only one who could communicate with the Beast God!
Wu Jiu struggled slightly, then slowly opened his eyes. When he saw Bai Tu standing outside the door, his face contorted with fear. Trembling, he raised a hand and pointed at Bai Tu. “Kill—kill him—no, don’t—don’t let him—tell the Beast God—”
It was the first time Wu Cong and the others had heard Wu Jiu speak so many words at once. But even though Wu Jiu had spoken, there was nothing they could do. Bai Tu was outside, while they were locked inside. There were usually several beastmen guarding the place, and today, with Bai Tu here, the number of guards had increased significantly. Even if Bao Ren himself came, he might not be able to kill Bai Tu.
Bai Tu, however, caught a different meaning in Wu Jiu’s words. “So, you can’t contact the Beast God. The Beast God never blessed you—it was Bai Luo. It was another group of shamans.”
This matched what they had previously suspected. Wu Jiu and his followers had seized power from the true shamans by imprisoning all the sub-beastmen and forcing them to give birth. They had even tried drinking the blood of newborns in an attempt to obtain the sub-beastmen’s abilities.
As for why Wu Jiu was so terrified now—after witnessing what had happened to Bai Hui, Bai Tu could guess. Wu Jiu was delirious and had mistaken him for Bai Luo, thinking that Bai Luo had returned.
Now, it made sense why Bai Meng had instinctively shouted for Bai Tu to be captured upon seeing him. When Bai Tu recalled the vague image of Bai Luo from his memory, he realized that they did share some resemblance.
But Bai Luo… was never coming back.
When the construction of the Beast God Temple officially began, someone suggested, “Once the temple is completed, let’s use Wu Jiu as a sacrifice to honor the deceased beastmen and sub-beastmen.”
At these words, everyone turned to look at Bai Tu. They all knew that Bai Tu disliked bloodshed. However, to everyone’s surprise, he didn’t say a word—he simply nodded.
Some people could atone for their sins, but some had committed so many that no amount of atonement would ever be enough.
Lang Qi grasped his hand.
Bai Tu glanced at Lang Qi and signaled that he was fine.
The construction of the Beast God Temple would take at least a month. During this time, Bai Tu began preparing for other matters—some things simply couldn’t wait.
For example, digging ponds. The tribe’s territory already had a few ponds, where they raised fish and planted lotus roots, but the quantity was far from sufficient. Lotus roots and lotus seeds were a rare treat, only eaten a few times a year. Even the lotus root powder that Bai Tu had planned to make was used sparingly, reserved mostly for the young ones.
Now that he had thought of another use for the ponds, it was a good time to dig more. Ideally, they could be cleaned of silt once a year, and in the process, the fish and lotus roots could be harvested—effectively combining aquaculture, agriculture, and land fertilization.
This time, the ponds wouldn’t be as small as before. With thousands of people in the tribe, tiny ponds simply wouldn’t be enough.
Fortunately, the tribe now had better tools, and some of the rabbit people who had gone to the Black Hawk Tribe had returned, so there were enough hands to help.
For the safety of the young ones, Bai Tu planned for the larger ponds to be located outside the residential areas, requiring a short walk to reach. He also designed fences around the ponds so that if someone wandered too close, they would immediately recognize the barrier and know not to enter.
However, Bai Tu knew beastmen too well—some of them had an insatiable curiosity, always wanting to explore forbidden areas. To satisfy their curiosity safely, he decided to build a small pond within the residential area, near the usual play areas. This pond would have a half-human-high wall around it so that people could observe from the outside. He also planned to introduce some visually appealing fish, turning it into a small scenic attraction.
The tribe now had no shortage of food or salt, and unlike last year, there was no need to remind other tribes of their presence. Because of this, they had no plans to attend this year’s trade fair.
However, just because they weren’t going didn’t mean others wouldn’t come to them.
About ten days before the trade fair, the tribe welcomed the first group of beastmen seeking to trade.
For Bai An, this was the first time encountering someone actively coming to trade goods with them, and he was unsure whether they should agree. So, he came to ask Bai Tu.
Bai Tu first asked what the visitors wanted to trade for, since the tribe now had a wide variety of resources.
“Salt, medicine, and canned food,” the visiting beastman listed his desired items.
All of these were abundant in the tribe, especially salt. Bai An had already planned to take more supplies to other tribes after the rainy season, so they were willing to trade salt.
As for medicine, it had been agreed upon during their attack on the Black Forest Tribe—any tribe that didn’t want medicinal plant seeds could come to them for medicine. So, that trade was also acceptable, and Bai Tu simply asked how much they needed.
But what truly surprised both Bai An and Bai Tu was the last request—canned food.
Canning was a bit troublesome to make, but the tribe had a batch of pre-made glass jars, so they would occasionally produce some. Anyone who wanted to eat canned food could exchange it using points.
There were still several shelves of canned food in the tribe’s warehouse. Seeing that the visitors had traveled such a long distance—most likely to get food for their young—Bai Tu agreed to trade some. However, he required that the jars be returned.
Even though the tribe’s technology had become quite advanced, making canning jars still took considerable time. In fact, the cost of the jars was higher than the food inside them. So, while the visitors could take the canned food, they had to return the empty jars when they came back to trade next time.
Hearing this, the beastmen eagerly nodded, unable to hide their excitement.
During their last trip to the market, they had managed to get just one can of food, and ever since tasting it, they couldn’t stop thinking about that flavor. Now that they had successfully traded for more, they were naturally thrilled.
Since they had come solely for trading, they didn’t linger like the other tribes that had other matters to handle. After finishing the exchange, they left in a hurry.
Three days after sending off the first group, the tribe welcomed a second batch of visitors—this time from three different tribes.
Originally, these tribes had planned to arrive at the market on time, but the river they usually crossed was swarming with aggressive, biting fish this year. Unable to pass, they had to take a detour, which added several extra days to their journey. By the time they could have reached the market, they figured most of the good trades would already be gone. Along the way, they heard that the Hundred Beasts Tribe was open for trade, so they decided to come here instead.
The meat they brought was decent. After discussing with Bai An, Bai Tu agreed to trade with them but also suggested that if they wanted to trade in the future, they should bring some plants. Some plant seeds were even more valuable than meat.
Over the next few days, the tribe received scattered groups of beastmen who had arrived too late for the market. In the past, they would have had no choice but to give up trading altogether, but this year, they had a second option.
While trading with these tribes, Bai Tu also kept an eye on the progress of the ponds and the Beast God Temple.
The pond construction and the temple’s construction were progressing at the same pace. By the time the temple was completed, the ponds were also nearly finished. Meanwhile, the season was approaching the rainy period.
Perhaps because winter had lasted longer this year, the rainy season was also delayed. In previous years, rain would already start falling toward the end of the market period. However, this year, even though the market had ended days ago, not a single drop of rain had fallen yet.
On the day the Beast God Temple was completed, Bai Tu handed the pre-designed patterns to Lang Qi, who carved them into the temple walls. In the end, they managed to finish everything just in time before the rainy season arrived.
“If it doesn’t rain soon, we’ll have to arrange for irrigation.” With the temple and the ponds completed, Bai Tu began to worry about the fields.
This year, the tribe had planted far more crops than in previous years. While some had already been harvested, many were still growing in the fields, including newly planted corn. If there wasn’t enough rain, the crops could dry out and die. However, the river water levels were already low, so if necessary, they would have to dig more wells.
Concerned about a possible drought, Bai Tu even postponed the official opening of the Beast God Temple—after all, nothing was more important than food.
Luckily, on the very night he planned to organize an irrigation effort, it started to drizzle outside.
Judging by the weather, it would take some time before the drizzle turned into heavy rain, so there was no need to worry about the fields anymore. With tribal matters finally settled, Bai Tu could now arrange the official opening of the Beast God Temple.
Just as he finished speaking, he faintly heard someone let out a soft snort. Was it just his imagination?
Thank you for the chapter