Chapter 189
Lang Qi recalled Lang Ze’s childhood—he was almost identical to the gray wolf cub. Every time he ran around outside, he would come back injured, but no matter how bad the wound was, after a good sleep, he would be back to his lively self in just half a day.
Watching the mischievous gray cub, who looked more and more familiar, Lang Qi fell into deep thought.
The cubs were never quiet when they were awake. Just now, they had been watching the snow, but now that Bai Tu was home, even the heaviest snowfall couldn’t hold their attention anymore. They just wanted to play with him.
Bai Tu had been busy lately, planning the transit hub’s school. This morning, he had hosted Xiang Wu, and now, he wanted to spend more time with the cubs.
However, he also didn’t want to leave Lang Qi alone in the kitchen, so he simply brought all the cubs with him to watch Lang Qi cook.
Lang Qi’s cooking skills had greatly improved, and he had become even more attuned to everyone’s tastes. During winter, he was the one who cooked most of the meals.
The cubs loved watching Lang Qi cook—because once the food was done, that meant it was time to eat.
The fresh ingredient available in the tribe today was beef.
Lang Qi glanced at the cubs climbing all over Bai Tu’s clothes, hesitated for a moment, then cut the beef into chunks.
Next, he picked up the already peeled potatoes that had been washed beforehand and cut them into cubes as well.
In the tribe, beastmen usually didn’t peel potatoes or sweet potatoes when cooking, and the communal kitchen didn’t either.
However, Lang Qi had noticed that Bai Tu didn’t like eating the skins, so he made sure to peel them every time. The discarded potato skins weren’t wasted either—they were sent to the livestock area, where they were mixed with other food scraps and used as chicken feed.
“Potato stew with beef.” Bai Tu recognized the dish immediately.
If the beef was cooked until tender, the cubs could have a little bit.
Of course, their main dish today was steamed egg custard—they could only sample the adults’ food.
Lang Qi nodded and started preparing the second dish as the beef simmered in the pot.
The variety of food in the tribe had been steadily increasing.
Even in winter, everyone had plenty of options and no longer had to eat the same thing for every meal.
The communal kitchen offered multiple dishes daily, and Lang Qi himself always prepared several different dishes.
Since only Bai Tu and Lang Qi were eating, the portions of each dish were smaller—too much food would go to waste, and leftovers never tasted as good as freshly cooked meals.
The delicious smell of food woke up the two older cubs.
Realizing that they were the only ones left in the room, they shifted into human form and started dressing themselves.
The scene Bai Tu walked in on was two cubs struggling to pull clothes over their heads—regardless of whether it was the collar or the sleeves, they just kept forcing it on.
Unfortunately, clothes weren’t made to withstand such rough handling.
Bai Tu quickly intervened to rescue the soon-to-be-ruined garments.
Hearing his familiar voice, the cubs stopped their frantic tugging, held out their hands, and waited for Dad to help them dress.
Since the room was warm, they only needed two layers—though one layer would have sufficed, they were about to eat, so an extra, easy-to-clean outer layer was needed.
Bai Tu skillfully dressed both cubs, then carried one in each arm to the next room.
By the time all the cubs were seated on their little stools, Lang Qi had already finished plating the food.
Lang Sui and Lang Ying had long since learned to feed themselves.
At first, they often got food all over themselves, but now, they could finish a meal while staying mostly clean—only occasionally making a mess.
The three younger cubs still needed to be fed, and Lang Qi took charge of that himself.
Once Bai Tu and the cubs were done eating, Lang Qi finished off the rest.
The cubs loved the snow, so while Lang Qi cleaned up the dishes, Bai Tu wrapped them up in warm blankets and brought them to the window to watch the snowfall.
The temperature inside and outside was drastically different, and Lang Sui and Lang Ying rarely got the chance to go outside in winter.
They knew that playing in the snow wasn’t an option today, so they obediently shifted into wolf cub form.
At least in beast form, they could snuggle with Dad, while in human form, they could only sit beside him.
Bai Tu also wanted to hold them in human form, but at this stage, their weight was increasing rapidly—since learning to shift, their weight had already more than doubled.
Holding one cub at a time was fine, but holding two was a bit of a struggle.
So whenever all five cubs were around, Lang Sui and Lang Ying stayed in beast form—this way, Bai Tu could easily carry all five of them at once.
As all the cubs once again leaned on the windowsill, one thing became especially obvious—
The white wolf cub was noticeably smaller than its siblings.
It wasn’t just smaller than Lang Sui and Lang Ying, its two older brothers—it was even smaller than its littermates.
When newborn cubs first hatch or are born, there’s usually some variation in size, but if their food intake is similar, they quickly catch up.
This is especially true for cubs under the age of three, as their growth is relatively slow—after a few months, most of them even out in size.
Bai Tu was familiar with this pattern from watching Ying Mian’s and Hei Xiao’s cubs, who had all grown to similar sizes.
Even now, the gray wolf cub and the black wolf cub were identical in size—if not for their fur color, it would be impossible to tell which one was older.
Yet, the white wolf cub remained the same size as when it was first born.
Bai Tu rubbed the white cub’s fur, and with this, he was almost certain— This cub was a sub-beastman.
Not only that, but it seemed to have natural talent—long ago, during their trip to the marketplace, the white cub had been the first to sense something was off.
Bai Tu felt immensely relieved.
The cub would grow up in an environment where sub-beastmen weren’t oppressed—its childhood would be happy and carefree.
The snowfall was beautiful, but cub-like attention spans were short-lived.
After watching for a while, they grew bored and turned to Bai Tu for attention.
Since he had nothing else to do in the afternoon, Bai Tu had plenty of time to spend with them, so he didn’t turn them away.
“Will you play with us tomorrow too?” he asked.
Now that the school planning was done, he would be able to stay with them until winter ended.
The cubs understood his words and, one by one, climbed onto his shoulders—the closest spot to his head, where they could cuddle.
Bai Tu held out his hand in a supporting gesture, guiding each cub to his shoulder, letting them nuzzle him before switching to the next.
For over two years, the cubs had never tired of this game—every time they were happy, they wanted to play it.
And Bai Tu loved it when the cubs showed affection.
Since he hadn’t had time to properly play with them for the past few days, he decided to let them do whatever they wanted—as long as it wasn’t dangerous, they were free to play.
Once again, the gray wolf cub’s healing ability surprised Bai Tu.
By bedtime, the bump on its head had already shrunk significantly, looking much smaller than it had during the day.
Bai Tu didn’t have the heart to touch the injured spot, so he carefully wiped the rest of the cub’s face instead.
The little wolf lay sprawled out in all directions, seemingly dreaming about food, as its tiny mouth moved in its sleep.
Bai Tu gently tucked in all five cubs, making sure they were snug under the blankets.
Every night, the five little wolves would start off sleeping neatly in a row—but every morning, the scene would be completely different.
After making sure the cubs were comfortable, Bai Tu finally got ready to rest.
Right before bed, he mentally calculated the time—Their birthday was coming up soon.
For the past two years, they had simply eaten a meal to celebrate.
But this year, the cubs would be turning three— Maybe it was time to give them a proper birthday celebration.
“What are you thinking about?”
Lang Qi had just returned to the bedroom and immediately noticed Bai Tu staring at the cubs, deep in thought.
“The cubs’ birthday is coming soon.”
Bai Tu turned to Lang Qi. “I want to invite Ya and Ze over.”
Then he suddenly remembered something.
“I haven’t seen Ze lately… He should be back in the next few days, right?”
The transit hubs weren’t just guarded by eagle and horse tribes—they also needed people to watch over the supplies.
Many warriors from the Hundred Beasts Tribe and nearby clans had been sent out on assignments.
However, Lang Ze’s task was different from the others.
His official role was to supervise, but in truth, he wasn’t the only one on the job.
Lang Qian had been secretly following him the entire time.
Since sub-beastmen had weak energy signatures, most people couldn’t even detect his presence.
Since the transit hubs were located outside the territory and housed large amounts of supplies, Bai Tu only felt secure sending someone he could trust to oversee them.
Lang Ze’s presence also made people lower their guard, making it easier to expose their true intentions.
Meanwhile, Lang Qian, with his keen senses, could detect any suspicious movement immediately, ensuring that Lang Ze wouldn’t suffer any losses.
Although Lang Ze was assigned to patrol and oversee the hubs, he and his pack still preferred staying in the tribe.
So, they usually only stayed out for about a week, then returned for a day before heading to the next hub.
Bai Tu estimated that Lang Ze should be back soon—This time, he could stay longer since winter meant fewer responsibilities at the transit points, meaning he didn’t need to constantly be on the move.
Hearing Bai Tu’s thoughts, Lang Qi paused slightly before answering casually:
“He’s coming back today.”
Bai Tu was a bit surprised. “Today?”
The wolves were moving faster than he had expected.
“Then tell him to stay for the cubs’ birthday before heading out again.”
Lang Qi fell silent for a moment, then replied, “…Too late.”
Bai Tu looked up. “Hmm?”
Lang Qi remained expressionless. “He already left.”
Bai Tu: “…”
That was way too fast.
He was genuinely shocked. “They left so soon?”
He had expected them to stay for a few more days before heading back out.
“Yes,” Lang Qi’s voice remained flat. “He was in a hurry to inspect the next transit point. The report is in the study.”
Since the inspection report had already been delivered, and Lang Ze hadn’t mentioned any issues, Bai Tu assumed everything was fine.
With nothing urgent to handle, he slept especially well that night.
The next morning, Lang Qi was the first to wake up—And immediately locked eyes with two already-awake cubs.
Lang Sui and Lang Ying had slept longer than their younger siblings the day before, so they were the first to wake up—But they knew better than to wake up their father.
So, instead of moving around, they had shifted into human form and lay quietly under the blankets.
Lang Qi silently dressed them, then hoisted them onto his shoulders before heading out.
At the door, the two cubs instinctively bent their heads down—a clear sign they’d been bumped a few times before.
Lang Qi thought of his foolish younger brother, who liked carrying cubs the same way—Then put the cubs down, tucking them under his arms instead.
Now that the head-bumping risk was gone, the cubs let out a relieved sigh.
Father is so much better!
If Uncle were here, we’d be hitting our heads again for sure.
With the cubs securely in tow, Lang Qi quietly closed the bedroom door, letting Bai Tu rest in peace.
Bai Tu dreamed—In the dream, the cubs were playing on a vast grassland, all in their human forms, while he watched from the side.
But just as he was enjoying the sight, they all suddenly disappeared—Leaving behind only echoes of their voices calling “Daddy! Daddy!”
Dream-Bai Tu panicked—And then—A huge rock suddenly crushed down on him, knocking the air out of his lungs.
Bai Tu’s eyes snapped open.
And he immediately saw the culprit.
A strange yet familiar child was sprawled on top of him.
Upon seeing Bai Tu wake up, the child grinned happily, his mouth moving nonstop— “Dad—Papa—Baba—Dad—Papa—”
Bai Tu: “…”
So that’s why he’d been hearing “Daddy” over and over in his dream.
“Daddy’s here, Daddy’s here.” Bai Tu reassured him, picking up the excited cub.
Then, he turned to the small bed beside him—There were two more cubs in human form, one helping the other get dressed.
Though human form made their size differences less obvious, Bai Tu could still immediately tell who was who.
The one who hadn’t stopped shouting “Daddy” since he woke up?
That was the gray cub.
The one helping his little brother get dressed?
The black-furred Cub.
And the one being dressed?
The white-furred Cub.
“Daddy’s right here.” Bai Tu sighed, knowing he was in for a day full of endless ‘Daddy’ calls.
He grabbed the winter clothes he had prepared long ago. “Let’s get dressed first, okay?”
“Daddy! Daddy!” The gray wolf cub still didn’t stop—absolutely thrilled that he could finally say the word “Daddy.”
“I’m here, I’m here.”
For every “Daddy” the cub said, Bai Tu answered.
Then, he simply scooped up all three cubs and pulled them into his blanket.
As for clothes?
He just assumed they weren’t going to resist and quickly dressed them all before finally pulling the blankets away.
“Let Daddy check your head.”
Bai Tu carefully examined the gray cub’s forehead—Not a single mark was left.
Satisfied, he planted a light kiss on his forehead. “No more headbutting things, alright?”
If the cub had been any stronger, the glass window might’ve shattered—And Bai Tu wasn’t worried about the glass, but about it injuring the cubs.
“Daddy!”
The cub had already forgotten about yesterday’s incident—All that mattered was that Daddy kissed him!
Bai Tu: “…”
This was their first time in human form, so why did this feel so familiar?
Then, First Cub, with a serious expression, pointed at his own forehead.
He wanted a kiss too.
“B-Baba.”
Youngest Cub looked expectantly at him, his speech slightly slower than his older brothers, but still clear.
Bai Tu sighed, then kissed each of them in turn.
“Happy now?”
First Cub nodded—one kiss was enough.
Youngest Cub didn’t move—his bright eyes still staring at Bai Tu, clearly wanting another one.
Meanwhile, Second Cub was still endlessly chanting “Daddy”, like he was making up for three years of silence all at once.
Bai Tu finally understood—This one’s a chatterbox.
