Chapter 179
Although it didn’t look very impressive, it was certainly useful. At least Bai Tu no longer had to worry about the cubs suddenly dashing out. If there were only a few cubs, it wouldn’t be too much of a problem, but with so many running around at the same time, Bai Tu simply couldn’t catch them all by himself.
Before long, Bai Tu realized that this method was truly effective. He no longer had to wait for Lang Qi to come back or for him to be nearby before taking the cubs out of the room.
Previously, because the cubs were too lively, Bai Tu hardly dared to let them out of his sight. But now, he no longer had to worry about that.
Since it worked so well, Bai Tu reinforced the original design, making it more comfortable for the cubs. He also adjusted the tightness to ensure it was both secure and snug without causing discomfort.
At first, he only used it when watching the rain, but soon, he started using it all the time. It was especially convenient when the cubs were on the bed or in the small cart, as he no longer had to worry about them climbing up and down and falling to the ground. It worked just like a safety harness.
After discovering multiple ways to use it, Bai Tu simply made a few more in different colors, switching them out daily.
When Shi Su came to discuss whether his tribe could have a fixed spot in the market after the rainy season, he saw Bai Tu’s setup and fell into deep thought. As soon as he left, he went straight to the textile team of the Hundred Beasts Tribe and borrowed two bolts of fabric on credit. The next day, he returned with a few beastmen from his tribe who were skilled at sewing.
At first, Bai Tu thought that Shi Su had come back to negotiate the market arrangements. But as soon as Shi Su spoke, he asked to learn how to make the cub harness.
Bai Tu was momentarily silent before pulling out a new one and handing it to the beastmen Shi Su had brought.
These beastmen were truly skilled in sewing. They carefully examined the harness a few times and quickly grasped how it was made. Then, they asked Bai Tu if they could sew one right there.
“I’m afraid I might make a mistake,” one of the lion beastwomen said softly.
It looked simple enough, but she worried about making an error halfway through. If she went back to the tribe and needed to return, it wouldn’t be easy.
“Go ahead and sew it here,” Bai Tu agreed.
Since Shi Su was already here, Bai Tu also took out the plans he had drawn up the night before.
In fact, even if Shi Su hadn’t brought it up, Bai Tu had already been considering the issue of market spots. The market was being built by their tribe, so of course, their people would be allocated a dedicated space for stalls. Not only that, but they would get the best locations—such as near the entrances.
Directly adjacent to their tribe would be permanent stalls, reserved for nearby tribes. Since those tribes were only half a day to a day’s travel away, and even less if they used the underground passage outside the rainy season, it was much more convenient for them to have fixed spots. These tribes came to trade daily, so it wouldn’t make sense for them to find a new stall each time.
However, Bai Tu made one thing clear: the stalls would not be provided for free. There would be a small service fee for having a fixed spot, ranging from 1/30 to 1/20 of the total transactions, or about 3% to 5%. This wasn’t just for the space itself but also related to the transaction method Bai Tu was implementing—using point cards.
Beastmen who found it inconvenient to barter directly could hand over their goods to the Hundred Beasts Tribe, which would issue them an equivalent value in points. They could then use these point cards to trade for whatever they needed.
Beastmen who received point cards could either use them at the market to buy what they needed or exchange them directly with the Hundred Beasts Tribe.
In short, there would be multiple ways to trade. The Hundred Beasts Tribe would assign a dedicated team to handle these transactions, as well as maintain market security. Naturally, that meant a service fee was necessary.
The transaction fees varied based on location—the closer to the front, the higher the cost; the farther back, the lower. Fixed stalls had higher fees, while tribes that only set up shop for a day or two were charged a lower rate of 1% to 2% of their total transactions. However, these temporary traders didn’t have guaranteed spots. If too many tribes arrived and they were placed at the back, they would have to either wait or directly exchange goods with the Hundred Beasts Tribe.
Bai Tu allocated a maximum of one stall per product category for each surrounding tribe, with a total cap of five stalls per tribe.
For example, the Yellow Lion Tribe, being large in number, could have one stall each for meat, grains, and woven goods. Since they didn’t cultivate herbs, they didn’t need a stall for that. That left them with two available slots, which Shi Su could apply for later.
Smaller tribes were only allowed one or two fixed stalls due to the limited space. At the very least, Bai Tu wanted to ensure that the front stalls were never left empty when the market was active.
Shi Su, of course, chose the best location. Naturally, the cost was higher—every time his tribe traded twenty baskets of food, they had to give one basket to the Hundred Beasts Tribe as a fee. However, this was negligible compared to the amount of food they would need if they had to travel to a distant market.
Once Shi Su confirmed his stalls, Bai Tu marked them on the market layout behind the Hundred Beasts Tribe’s designated area. The remaining spots were still open, but given what Bai Tu knew about the surrounding tribes, he estimated that the others would arrive within three days at most.
The other tribes arrived even faster than Bai Tu expected. The very next morning, Shi Lin and his people showed up.
Despite the heavy rain, it didn’t deter them. Knowing Shi Su, they were certain he wouldn’t travel in this weather unless it was for something important. Since he had already visited Bai Tu two days in a row, they worried they’d miss out if they didn’t act quickly.
None of the tribal leaders knew exactly why Shi Su had come to Bai Tu, but they braved the storm anyway. Whatever it was could be figured out later—the priority was securing a stall.
Bai Tu was quite impressed by their quick reactions. Shi Su’s information network was shockingly efficient. Although Bai Tu had mentioned his plans for a trading market to Lang Qi, Bai Chen, and the construction team, it had only been a few days since the initial discussion. Yet Shi Su not only found out but also realized the benefits of securing a fixed stall and traveled through the rain to negotiate.
The other tribes weren’t as well-informed as Shi Su’s, but they weren’t far behind. Seeing how quickly they followed, Bai Tu suspected they had informants within each other’s tribes. Otherwise, how else could they have arrived almost simultaneously?
Bai Tu repeated the same information to the new arrivals, emphasizing two key points: transaction fees and the higher cost of front-row stalls.
No one objected to the Hundred Beasts Tribe charging a fee. After all, they were the ones building the market, and it was constructed even better than some of the residential areas in other tribes. Trading there was undoubtedly more convenient than traveling to distant markets. Not only was it safer, but the food saved on the journey alone was worth several times the transaction fee.
Even though front-row spots were pricier, most still opted for them. The increased visibility meant more customers, making the higher cost worthwhile.
After discussing these terms, Bai Tu also set a rule: tribes closer to the market were not allowed to take advantage of those who had traveled from farther away.
The tribal leaders agreed, and as they prepared to leave, Lu Hui suddenly asked, “Tu, did Shi Su bring someone with him yesterday?”
If it was something that could be settled in one visit, Shi Su wouldn’t have needed to return a second day with extra people. Since they had wrapped up all the market arrangements in less than half a day, Lu Hui suspected Shi Su had also discussed something else with Bai Tu.
Bai Tu: “……”
After a brief silence, Bai Tu sighed lightly and went back inside. Moments later, he returned carrying several wolf cubs.
The little wolf cubs had been playing on the bed earlier. Bai Tu had secured them with his newly improved harness, which was now even more convenient. This time, he had added a metal ring, attaching all the cubs’ harnesses to it—allowing him to hold onto all five at once.
Lu Hui and the others hadn’t expected the second matter to be about this.
“I taught Cai last night. If your tribe wants to learn, just send someone to Cai,” Bai Tu replied. After Shi Su had brought members of the Lion Tribe to learn yesterday, Bai Tu realized that other tribes might also find it useful—especially for children under three, who had no fear and wanted to explore everything. Having a harness would help a lot. Of course, it wasn’t meant to be worn all the time, but rather used when adults needed to step out briefly to prevent young children from running off and getting lost.
Young cubs were small and could easily hide in random places, making them hard to find. By extending the leash a bit, it wouldn’t restrict their movement too much, and adults could simply follow the rope to locate them. It worked similarly to the tether used by Eagle Tribe children. Since the method was practical, Bai Tu decided to teach it directly to Tu Cai, so that anyone interested could learn from her instead of constantly coming to him.
This turned out to be a wise decision—otherwise, more and more people would have come to him for lessons.
Once the group confirmed that Shi Su hadn’t discussed any other matters yesterday, they left, relieved. Before departing, they all expressed their intent to send people over to learn.
Bai Tu agreed. Teaching one person or teaching a group made no difference to him. Plus, since many tribes lacked suitable fabric, they would need to trade for materials from Bai Tu’s tribe, which also contributed to the tribe’s economy.
The popularity of the child harness spread much faster than Bai Tu had anticipated. Before the rainy season even ended, Tu Cai’s orders had already been booked for the next half-month. If there had been more young children in the tribes, the waiting period would have been even longer.
The reasoning was simple—trading a few points for a child harness saved a lot of time. Parents no longer had to block off areas every time they left or constantly worry about their child crawling into hidden corners. A simple rope solved many problems and made daily life much easier.
While nearly every caregiver in the tribe was waiting in line for a harness, Bai Tu was busy discussing cold medicine preparations with Lang Qian.
Most beastmen disliked the rainy season. The continuous downpour made hunting impossible, and even stored food spoiled quickly.
Although their new residential area solved the issue of food preservation, people still disliked the rain—it was too heavy, often flooding crops that had taken great effort to grow. By the tenth day of the rainy season, everyone was already eagerly awaiting its end.
The only ones who enjoyed the rain were the young children and the cubs—both of which Bai Tu’s household had.
The children could be kept indoors and allowed to watch the rain from a safe distance without getting wet. But the wolf cubs were another story. Bai Tu had no choice but to ask Lang Qian to prepare more medicinal herbs for injuries and cold prevention.
The end of the rainy season was when illnesses were most common—not just for the wolf cubs who played in the water but for everyone. With experience from the past two years, Bai Tu planned ahead this time.
Lang Qian agreed readily. Back in the West River Tribe, he often prepared medicine, and while the plants differed, the knowledge was transferable. He quickly packed several sets of medicine—some for Bai Tu to take with him, and others for the communal dining hall, the school, and Tu Cai’s place.
Bai Tu handed Lang Qian a list. “Let me know if anything is missing.”
“Alright,” Lang Qian replied, then asked, “Should I prepare some for Lang Ze’s team as well?”
“Prepare a bit more,” Bai Tu nodded.
In fact, the medicine he had on hand was meant for the wolf cubs, but since their playtime was unpredictable, and sometimes he and Lang Qi weren’t home, they would likely come over to grab medicine. It was better to prepare in advance just in case. Besides, other members of the tribe might also need it. “It’s fine to make extra; other tribes might want some as well.”
It wasn’t just their tribe—beastmen and feathered tribes alike were prone to illness during this season. However, most of them relied on the most primitive method of treatment: sleep. If they woke up feeling better, it meant the illness wasn’t serious. If they woke up feeling worse, they knew they had to take further action.
Colds and fevers were especially common during this season, mostly due to temperature fluctuations and improper clothing adjustments. With the recent intermittent rain, some people would see a break in the weather and head outside, only to get caught in another downpour shortly after. Once drenched, they found it too troublesome to change clothes and simply continued working while wet. As the cold set in, they ignored it—until they started feeling sick, by which time it was already too late.
This kind of situation was frequent. Some beastmen could endure it on their own, while others took several days to recover, making it necessary to prepare extra medicine.
Fortunately, before the rainy season, their tribe had planted a large number of medicinal herbs. Since they didn’t need to hunt, injuries were rare, leaving them with plenty of surplus herbs—especially the commonly used ones, which could quickly resolve minor issues.
Bai Tu had another reason for coming over today. After the rainy season, they needed to prepare for a new round of planting. Many annual medicinal herbs had to be sown right after the rainy season; otherwise, they wouldn’t grow big enough before winter. Tasks like digging pits didn’t require sub-beastmen, but planting the seeds needed supervision, so either sub-beastmen had to oversee it, or they had to do it themselves.
After arranging the pharmacy’s upcoming tasks, Bai Tu took a few bags of medicine and headed home. He hadn’t walked far when he saw someone outside playing with their child.
Or rather, walking their child.
They weren’t holding hands—the child was attached to a harness leash.
A child harness.
Bai Tu paused in silence. The thing he had been worried about the most had finally happened.
Many young children liked running around on their own, and the person had simply taken their child outside—it wasn’t exactly wrong. But the scene… it looked too much like… Bai Tu quietly walked away.
When he got home, he was met with an even more absurd sight—Lang Ze was walking several cubs.
The sun had come out a little, making the room feel stuffy, but the corridor was just right. Lang Ze was happily holding the leash’s circular handle, with multiple cubs attached.
Seeing Bai Tu, Lang Ze quickly handed him the leash. “Tu, I’m just playing with the cubs.”
Bai Tu: “……”
Fine. If you say it’s playing, then it’s playing. At least the corridor was clean.
“This is cold medicine.” Bai Tu handed the medicine to Lang Ze. “If someone gets sick, they should take one bowl. Only if they’re sick. It’s not ‘one bowl per person.’”
“Oh.” Lang Ze accepted it but sounded slightly disappointed.
Bai Tu immediately knew what he was thinking. With a sigh, he added, “There’s no honey in it this time.” So there was no point in looking forward to it.
“Oh!” Lang Ze instantly changed his attitude.
A few days ago, a wolf beastman had a sore throat, so Bai Tu had given them some honey. It was supposed to last half a month, but it was gone in one night. Bai Tu had said, “One spoonful of honey per bowl of water,” and that night, all the wolf cubs got to enjoy honey water—except for the one actually suffering from a sore throat, who could only stare at the empty bottle in despair.
To prevent a repeat of that situation, Bai Tu specifically added, only for sick people, and emphasized no honey—as expected, Lang Ze immediately lost interest in the medicine.
Bai Tu knew how much the wolf cubs loved honey. Actually, it wasn’t just the cubs—both adults and children had a strong preference for sweet flavors. The problem was that there were too few naturally sweet foods available.
“When that batch of sweet fruit ripens, I’ll make sugar for you,” Bai Tu promised.
The sweet fruit he referred to was a plant Bai An had traded from other tribes, later supplemented by more from a tribe they had helped. It was similar to sweet potatoes and somewhat resembled sugar beets, though its color was completely different. The tribe that first discovered it had multiple names for it—sweet fruit, sweet ball, sweet big-head, and so on. Bai Tu preferred to simply call it sweet fruit. It grew like sweet potatoes but took longer to mature. The longer it grew, the sweeter it became, so it hadn’t been harvested before the rainy season.
Lang Ze knew that Bai Tu always followed through on his promises. Relieved, he took the medicine and left, already looking forward to the future taste of sweet sugar.
Watching him leave, Bai Tu glanced at the remaining cubs and suddenly thought of another type of snack.
He couldn’t make white sugar or brown sugar yet—but he could make malt sugar!
Malt sugar mainly requires glutinous rice and wheat, both of which the tribe already had. They had an abundant supply of wheat—enough to use as needed. However, they didn’t cultivate glutinous rice themselves; instead, they traded for it from the same tribe that had exchanged rice with them before. That tribe had more water resources, and using the same planting methods, their yields were much higher.
Since glutinous rice was in limited supply, Bai Tu hadn’t decided how to use it. There wasn’t enough to make even one bowl per person for meals, but it was just the right amount for making malt sugar—after all, no one ate sugar as a staple food.
As for the production process, Bai Tu still remembered the general steps.
Once the rainy season ended, he found an opportunity to begin.
He soaked wheat grains in water and placed them in a clean bamboo basket to sprout. With the warm weather, the wheat seedlings grew long within two to three days. Then, he soaked the glutinous rice. After steaming it, he let it cool until it was no longer too hot to handle. He chopped up the wheat sprouts, mixed them thoroughly with the rice, and set the mixture aside for fermentation.
Fermenting it overnight, he filtered it the next morning, extracting the sugary liquid. He then heated the liquid in a pot.
Using a small pot, Bai Tu boiled it over high heat before reducing it to a slow simmer. Finally, he poured the thickened syrup into clean glass jars. Once it cooled, it looked exactly like the malt sugar he had seen before. Bai Tu scooped out a little and tasted it.
Very sweet.
The method was correct. Bai Tu gathered a bunch of clean straw, tied it together, and used chopsticks to portion out half of the malt sugar, sticking them into the bundle—just like how street vendors used to sell candied hawthorn skewers.
Once everything was ready, he placed them in the dining area. The kitchen was too warm, and he worried the malt sugar might melt. Even so, he didn’t dare leave them out for too long. He chose the evening—right before the wolf cubs were due to return to the tribe.
Sure enough, it wasn’t long before Lang Ze’s voice sounded outside the door, accompanied by Lang Qi.
“I want to see the cubs!” Lang Ze shouted. He hadn’t seen them for two days.
“Wash up first,” Lang Qi replied disdainfully.
The wolf cubs had spent the whole day outside and were covered in dirt.
Lang Ze grumbled about how heartless his brother was before sulking back home to bathe.
Lang Qi mercilessly shut the door in his face.
Hearing the commotion, Bai Tu stepped out: “……” Yep, definitely brothers.
Bai Tu handed Lang Qi some malt sugar first. “Try it—see if it’s sweet.” Since he made it himself, he thought it was good, but he needed others to confirm.
“It’s sticky, so eat it slowly,” Bai Tu reminded him.
Lang Qi took a bite and asked, “Honey?” But after a moment, he realized it tasted different. Glancing toward the kitchen, he understood. “So, this is what you’ve been making these past few days?”
“It’s not honey; it’s malt sugar. Yeah, I used wheat and glutinous rice to make it.”
“It’s delicious,” Lang Qi nodded. “Very good—very sweet.” He thought it might even be sweeter than honey.
“There’s still some glutinous rice left in the tribe. I plan to have the kitchen make more later so the cubs can try it.” By “cubs,” Bai Tu meant all the young ones in the tribe. As for the wolf cubs in their home, he only let them taste a little.
Too much sugar wasn’t good for very young children, but a small taste now and then was fine.
“Sounds good. We should have An trade for more glutinous rice,” Lang Qi suggested. The malt sugar would likely get consumed quickly.
“That’s what I was thinking too.” Bai Tu nodded. They could trade their surplus crops or food for glutinous rice, then use it to make malt sugar. This could serve as both a treat and an incentive for the tribe’s cubs and beastmen.
Sweetness always brought joy—Bai Tu believed the others would love it too.
As the two were talking, Lang Ze suddenly flipped over the wall and landed inside. Could the main gate stop him? Of course not! Besides the gate, he had countless ways to get in—climbing the wall was just one of them.
The moment he entered, he overheard Bai Tu mentioning food, with words like “sweet” mixed in. Without hesitation, he pushed open the dining room door and, sure enough, saw his brother eating something.
I knew it! If they won’t let me in, there must be something delicious!
Seeing that Lang Ze was about to speak, Bai Tu swiftly pulled out a stick of malt sugar and shoved it into his hand. “Eat it slowly—it’s sticky,” he warned.
Still glaring at Lang Qi, Lang Ze wasn’t really listening. The moment Bai Tu handed him food, his hands reacted faster than his brain, and he stuffed it straight into his mouth.
Bai Tu: “……” What did I just say?
Lang Qi: “……” Completely expected.
Lang Ze: “!!!”
Lang Ze: “Mmmph!!” His mouth wouldn’t open!
Bai Tu: “I told you to eat it slowly!”
There was nothing Bai Tu could do now. Fortunately, he hadn’t wrapped too much malt sugar around the chopstick. If Lang Ze ate it little by little, he could finish it before bedtime. Lang Ze remained frozen in the same position until mealtime, when he was finally able to open his mouth again. Though the malt sugar was still stuck to his teeth, at least he could eat normally.
Despite the sticky mishap, the sweetness didn’t stop Lang Ze from eating his meal. After dinner, he left a few sticks for Bai Tu but took the rest with him.
That night, for the first time, the Beast Tribe experienced an unusually quiet sleep. The next morning, during breakfast, the main topic of conversation was the eerie silence of the previous night.
“My ears must be acting up. I woke up in the middle of the night and didn’t hear a single sound. I should go to the medical hut later to get checked.”
“Same here, same here! I usually go to sleep when the wolves start howling. But last night, there was nothing—I couldn’t sleep at all! I ended up lying awake until dawn. I figured since I was already up, I might as well eat before trying to sleep again. When are you going to get your ears checked? Take me with you.”
“You’re not going to sleep first?”
“No way! Ear problems are serious! How can I sleep when something might be wrong?”
Hearing their conversation, another beastman chimed in, “I didn’t hear anything either. What’s going on? Did someone mess with our ears?”
“Are they trying to make us all deaf? Who would do such a terrible thing?”
“We have to tell Lord Bai Tu immediately!”
For beastmen, hearing was crucial. The White Cat Tribe had suffered bullying from neighboring tribes in the past because some of their members had hearing issues. And that was just a few individuals—if an entire tribe lost their hearing…
The group of beastmen exchanged uneasy glances.
Someone is trying to harm our tribe!!!
That morning, Lang Qian had just opened the pharmacy door when he was suddenly surrounded by a crowd of anxious beastmen.
Seeing so many people gathered, Lang Qian’s heart skipped a beat. His first instinct was to find a way to escape.
If this had happened back when he was in the West River Tribe, Lang Qian wouldn’t have cared about the people around him. Back then, his relationships were purely based on self-interest, and sometimes, he was even betrayed by those around him. But now…
Thinking about Bai Tu’s attitude towards them and recalling his daily interactions with the sub-beastmen, Lang Qian took a deep breath and tried to maintain his usual tone, ensuring that the beastmen outside wouldn’t sense anything unusual. “Do you need something?” he asked.
At the same time, he gestured for the other sub-beastmen to move behind him.
Lang Qian was responsible for preparing medicine and rarely interacted with beastmen. Most of his interactions were with sub-beastmen who came to collect medicine, while the front of the medical hall handled direct contact with beastmen. The sub-beastmen working in the pharmacy were timid, and seeing such a large crowd outside frightened them. However, after noticing Lang Qian’s gesture, they didn’t back away. There were too many people outside—if they retreated, what if Lang Qian got bullied by the beastmen?
Inside the pharmacy, the sub-beastmen were panicking, while outside, the beastmen were growing increasingly anxious.
“Lord Lang Qian, my ears are broken!”
“Mine too! I can’t hear properly!”
“I couldn’t hear anything last night.”
“I stayed up all night because of it.”
“Check me first! I didn’t hear a thing all night.”
“We all went deaf last night! I was here first—check me first!”
One by one, they shouted over each other, and before long, an argument was about to break out.
Lang Qian looked at the crowd. If he weren’t familiar with the Hundred Beast Tribe’s people, he might have thought they were deliberately causing trouble. Couldn’t hear anything all night? Deaf for a whole night? But aren’t they all fine now?
Seeing that a fight was about to break out, Lang Qian momentarily forgot his usual caution around beastmen and ordered, “No fighting! Go line up outside!”
The beastmen were already accustomed to lining up—whether it was for food in the cafeteria, receiving supplies, or collecting work point cards. Earlier, they had panicked because they rarely got sick, and since there were many skilled healers in the tribe, they had never needed to queue for medical treatment. But upon hearing Lang Qian’s order, they immediately formed an orderly line.
Whether this was intentional or not, as long as they could communicate properly, it was fine. Lang Qian sent a fast-footed sub-beastman to fetch Bai Tu while he began examining the patients.
The sub-beastmen’s living quarters weren’t far from Bai Tu’s home, so by the time Lang Qian had checked the fifth person, Bai Tu had arrived.
“What’s going on?” Bai Tu asked as soon as he stepped in. On his way over, he had run into a sub-beastman who mentioned that the medical hall was in chaos. Something felt off today. But the food was fine—his entire family of seven had eaten it and were completely fine—so what could be the cause?
His expression turned serious. It was rare for something of this scale to happen in the tribe.
“Lord Bai Tu, someone poisoned our ears and made us deaf!” one beastman exclaimed. They had initially wanted to report the issue to Bai Tu but were afraid they might lose their hearing mid-conversation, so they decided to get checked first before seeking him out.
As for why they had come to Lang Qian—one reason was that the medical hall was already full, and they would have had to wait a long time. The other reason was that they remembered Lang Qian had studied poisons under the West River Tribe’s shaman. Their reasoning was simple: If he knows how to make poisons, he must know how to cure them too. Even if it wasn’t the exact same poison, he would surely have an idea.
Some had briefly suspected that Lang Qian might be the culprit, but the majority dismissed the idea. Lang Qian only prepared medicine, and none of them had been sick recently or taken any medicine. Besides, he wasn’t the only one working in the pharmacy—he wouldn’t have had the opportunity to poison them. It had to be someone else who secretly drugged them.
Now that Bai Tu had arrived, the beastmen quickly explained everything that had happened and urged him to find the culprit.
“Lord Bai Tu, the one who poisoned us is too sinister! We must not let them get away with this!”
“Exactly!”
Bai Tu silenced the crowd and turned to Lang Qian. “Did you find anything wrong?” He had just arrived and knew nothing about the situation, but Lang Qian had already examined a few beastmen and should have some insight.
“No.” This was the first time Lang Qian had encountered such a situation. “Right now, they can all hear fine, and there’s no issue with communication.” He didn’t believe they were actually sick, but the beastmen insisted they were, claiming it was serious. Soon, they started questioning his medical skills, saying he had only learned how to make poisons but not how to cure them.
Lang Qian had never seen an illness where people went deaf at night but recovered in the morning—especially not so many at once. Could this be some new poison developed by those fake shamans? Or was it a toxin with a short duration, only affecting them for one night? But those fake witch doctors were long dead, and he had never heard of such a poison.
Bai Tu asked a few more questions. Since Lang Qian hadn’t found anything, Bai Tu also started to feel that something was off. The beastmen didn’t seem to be lying, so he asked, “When did you first notice you couldn’t hear?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t hear anything all night.”
“I couldn’t hear since last night, and it only got better this morning.”
“I only started hearing again at dawn.”
Deaf at night, fine in the morning—if it were just one or two people, it could be temporary hearing loss caused by some external factor. But this many people? Bai Tu thought for a moment before asking again, “Are you sure you didn’t hear anything last night?”
“Absolutely! Not even a single wolf howl!”
“Yeah, not a single sound!”
“Wait—” Bai Tu raised a hand, stopping those about to speak. “What did you say you didn’t hear?”
“Wolf howls,” a beastman replied, looking at Bai Tu in shock. “Lord Bai Tu… you didn’t hear them either?” Did that mean Bai Tu was poisoned too? If even he was affected, then the culprit must be even more powerful than Bai Tu! If their strongest leader couldn’t detect the villain, wouldn’t they continue to harm the tribe?
The more they thought about it, the more terrified they became.
Bai Tu rubbed his temples. He had already guessed what had happened. Looking at the beastmen in front of him, he sighed helplessly. “So, you’re saying you determined your hearing was damaged just because you didn’t hear any wolf howls?”
The entire group nodded in unison.
Lang Qian silently stepped over to stand beside Bai Tu.
Bai Tu was at a loss for words. He let out a long, exhausted sigh and said, “Has it ever occurred to you that… maybe there just weren’t any wolf howls last night?” The night had been completely quiet—wasn’t it normal to not hear anything? Why were these people so convinced they had gone deaf? Were they really so willing to believe that the entire tribe had suffered mass hearing loss rather than consider the possibility that Lang Ze’s team simply hadn’t howled?
“Impossible!” The beastmen shook their heads vigorously. “They’ve howled every night for two years!”
No matter the season—winter or summer, rain or snow—the nighttime wolf howls had never ceased. They deterred threats from nearby tribes, allowing the Hundred Beasts Tribe’s people to sleep peacefully. Even if some tribe members stayed up late, they always heard the howls eventually. That was why they felt safe enough to sleep.
Bai Tu: “……”
Bai Tu: “Everyone, go back to work. If you don’t have any tasks, go home and rest. Lang Ze’s squad really didn’t howl last night, I promise. I’ll have them explain it to you later.”
He had also noticed how unusually quiet the wolf squad had been the previous night. But considering the pile of malt sugar Lang Ze had taken, he could already guess the reason. Once they finished eating the candy, everything would be fine.
After sending away the beastmen gathered outside the pharmacy, Bai Tu went to the medical center and cleared out the crowd there as well.
A group of sub-beastmen, who had been surrounded since early morning with panicked questions about sudden deafness, all breathed a collective sigh of relief. How were they supposed to know what was wrong? No one had any scars or wounds, and their ears, noses, and eyes were all perfectly fine. Yet, they all kept insisting they were sick and had gone deaf.
At first, the sub-beastmen thought it was real, but when they spoke to the supposed patients and got immediate responses, they realized the “deafness” had only happened at night. That was why they had all rushed over for a check-up.
Ever since Bai Tu had rescued them, the sub-beastmen hadn’t encountered such a baffling issue. Fortunately, Bai Tu had resolved it quickly.
As the beastmen gradually dispersed, Bai Chi happened to arrive. “Tu, what’s going on?”
The sub-beastmen’s residential area was close to Bai Tu’s home, while the medical center was farther away. On his way to the pharmacy, Bai Tu had run into a sub-beastman who had come looking for him and told them he’d head to the medical center soon. However, since the crowd there was too large, that sub-beastman had gone to find someone else who could take charge—Bai Chi.
Since Bai Tu needed a little more time, it was good that Bai Chi arrived first. No one else had known what to do.
Bai Tu explained, “Lang Ze’s squad was quiet last night, so they thought they had gone deaf.”
Upon hearing the reason, the sub-beastmen felt like their entire morning had been meaningless. So all their conspiracy theories, their fears about the tribe’s future, and their urgent worries… were completely unnecessary?
Bai Tu patted one of the sub-beastmen on the shoulder. “I know it sounds ridiculous, but that’s really all it was.”
He had to admit, though—everyone really did trust the little wolves.
Looking around the room, Bai Tu felt a bit more at ease. Though a lot of people had gathered, no one had messed with the medical supplies. “I made some snacks. I’ll have the cafeteria prepare a batch and distribute them to you all later.”
“What kind of snacks?” A young sub-beastman, still in his learning phase, asked curiously.
Bai Tu: “Sticky candy.” The kind that could turn a chatterbox into a mute.
“What?” Bai Chi hadn’t heard him clearly.
Bai Tu: “Malt sugar. It’s sweet.”
Bai Chi had never heard of it before, but since it was sweet, it had to taste good.
The young sub-beastman who had asked the question looked puzzled. “Why does it have two names? That’s not what I just heard.”
Bai Tu sighed, feeling exhausted. “You’ll understand in the future.”
