Chapter 209
Bai Tu was momentarily speechless. If Lang Ying and Lang Chu hadn’t entered at such a perfectly timed moment, he might have had to think about the situation a little longer. After all, there were many cubs in the house, and while most of the mischief was usually caused by Lang Chu or Lang Ying, it wasn’t impossible for other cubs to be responsible.
But with how eagerly the two of them jumped out to accuse Lang Qi, there was no need to think any further—the culprits were obviously them.
Bai Tu looked at Lang Chu, who was full of anticipation, clearly hoping Lang Qi would be kicked out of bed, then at Lang Ying, who stood beside him in full support of his younger brother.
With a silent sigh, Bai Tu thought to himself: Why is it that these cubs always have endless energy when it comes to dealing with Lang Qi, yet struggle so much over a few homework questions in the afternoon?
Lang Chu and Lang Ying had probably been waiting outside for quite a while, just to catch the moment when Lang Qi went to bed and crushed the toys. Then, they could rush in and accuse him.
But this time, their father’s reaction seemed a little off—he didn’t immediately scold Lang Qi!
The two cubs exchanged a glance. Oh no!
Dad must have noticed them hiding things this afternoon or their younger brothers told him about it!
It definitely wasn’t because they exposed themselves!
Realizing something was wrong, the cubs tried to escape.
But how could they possibly outrun Lang Qi?
*
The Next Day
Lang Ying and Lang Chu each held a torn piece of bedsheet, standing in front of a basin bigger than themselves.
You make the mess, you clean it up.
Not only did they fail to kick their father out of bed, but they were also punished by being forced to wash the sheets.
Lang Chu washed for a bit, sighed, washed again, sighed again. How did Dad figure it out?!
No matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t figure it out.
But the worst part was—after washing the sheets, they still had to do their homework.
Their plan had failed before even getting off the ground, and the more Lang Chu thought about it, the sadder he became.
Next time, he would definitely succeed!
He just couldn’t use this method again—if he failed, he’d have to wash the sheets again!
As the two cubs worked in the yard, Lang Ze, who was about to climb over the wall, was startled.
“What are you two doing?”
Were his brother and Bai Tu mistreating the cubs?!
That wouldn’t do!
Lang Ze jumped over the wall and said heroically, “Who’s bullying you?! Uncle will stand up for—”
Halfway through his sentence, he spotted Lang Qi walking out of the house.
His voice immediately cut off.
Grabbing an umbrella from the side, he quickly changed his words:
“Uncle will hold an umbrella for you! Don’t worry!”
Lang Ying & Lang Chu: “…”
Uncle doesn’t seem very reliable.
Hearing voices outside, Bai Tu finished his last bite of breakfast and walked out.
Sure enough, he saw Lang Ze crouching on the ground, holding an umbrella for the cubs, looking utterly terrified of Lang Qi.
Bai Tu glanced up. Lang Qi had specifically chosen a shady spot for the cubs—so what was Lang Ze even covering with that umbrella?
Not only was he holding the umbrella unnecessarily, but he was also squatting in the sun himself.
Unable to bear watching, Bai Tu spoke up, “Aren’t you hot sitting in the sun like that? How’s Qian doing? How much has he been sleeping lately?”
Lang Qian’s health wasn’t great. The hardships he had endured in his early years were catching up to him, and aside from mealtimes, he spent most of his day resting.
The only comforting thing was that he was doing better than before—adequate sleep and proper food were the best ways to recover, something that applied to most beastmen.
At the mention of this, Lang Ze immediately had something to say.
“He’s not sleeping anymore! But he won’t let me into the room either—might as well go back to sleep!”
Before, Lang Qian slept all day, leaving Lang Ze with nothing to do. Since he didn’t want to go out, he stayed home, watching over him—even counting the strands of fur on his body out of boredom.
Now that Lang Qian was awake for longer, Lang Ze barely had time to celebrate before he was kicked out of the room.
The key point is that it wasn’t just once—Lang Qian was chased out every time he woke up after eating. However, Lang Qian’s time in human form had recently been short, and he spent most of his time in his beast form, which was even smaller than a cub. There was no way Lang Ze could feel at ease leaving him alone in the room. But staying inside wasn’t an option either—if he didn’t go out, Lang Qian would start acting aggressively. Although he wasn’t actually scary when he did, Lang Ze didn’t want to make him angry, so he had no choice but to leave.
Even when he went out, he didn’t want to stray too far. Yesterday, he wandered around the courtyard all day, and today, after breakfast, he was once again chased out. He was already tired of walking around the courtyard, so he decided to check on the cubs. He hadn’t expected that as soon as he climbed up the wall, he would see the cubs working! He originally wanted to question his older brother about it, but he didn’t have the courage.
Bai Tu: “You’re not sleeping, and he’s still chasing you out?”
The more Bai Tu listened, the more familiar this situation sounded—this was a sign of imminent birth.
Bai Tu gave Lang Ze some instructions: “If Qian doesn’t let you in, don’t go in. Oh, and remember to leave some small blankets in the room—not too big, about the size of a pillowcase. Also, when you have free time, pluck some fur from your belly. Don’t pull it out completely, just loosen it. And when you sleep, make sure to be in your beast form.”
Lang Ze covered his belly: “Why do I have to pluck my fur?”
Sure, the wolf cubs used to groom each other and shed a lot of fur, but Bai Tu was telling him to pluck it—forcefully! Lang Ze wrapped himself tighter in his clothes. That had to hurt!
Bai Tu: “…Just do it. You’ll understand tomorrow.”
Bai Tu knew all too well the panic of not having enough fur. Lang Qian was also a sub-beastman, and his beast form was small. It was very likely that he, too, was trying to prepare a bed for the newborn cubs.
Seeing Bai Tu so serious, Lang Ze had no choice but to agree, even if it seemed painful.
That night, Lang Ze followed Bai Tu’s instructions. The next morning, before he was fully awake, he felt Lang Qian tugging at something on his stomach. He looked down and saw that Lang Qian was transferring the fur. The fur he had loosened the night before came off easily with a gentle pull. Lang Qian had already moved a large portion and was still going.
Sensing the big wolf under him stirring, Lang Qian paused.
For once, Lang Ze’s usually slow mind worked quickly—he immediately shut his eyes and pretended to be asleep.
He even mumbled a couple of fake sleep-talk phrases.
Since Lang Ze tended to toss and turn in his sleep, Lang Qian didn’t suspect anything and continued pulling fur until he had gathered all that was loose. After transferring the fur, Lang Qian closed his eyes to rest, and only then did Lang Ze dare to open his eyes and get up.
…
On the third day of washing the bedsheets, Bai Tu learned that Lang Qian had given birth to two cubs, both black little wolf pups. Since they were newborns, there wasn’t a noticeable difference in size, so it was unclear if either of them was a Sub-beastman.
As for how Bai Tu found out…
Since Lang Qian had just given birth, he couldn’t return to human form yet. Lang Ze stared blankly at the sheep’s milk delivered from the cafeteria before decisively bundling up the cubs, the milk, and Lang Qian and delivering them all to Bai Tu.
Coincidentally, Lang Qi was at home. He glanced at his younger brother and began a live demonstration, teaching Lang Ze how to feed the cubs.
Lang Ze’s brain worked well for the second time—he quickly followed along and learned.
Bai Tu didn’t let Lang Ze stay too long. As soon as the cubs were fed, he sent him back home with Lang Qian and the newborns. A sub-beastman that had just given birth was extremely sensitive. If Lang Qian woke up and found himself in a different place, he would definitely be scared.
Because Lang Qi and the cubs were at home, Bai Tu didn’t even dare to look at Lang Qian too much, fearing that he would sense an unfamiliar presence and get startled.
Although Lang Qian was a wolf, all sub-beastmanmen reacted similarly after giving birth, especially with their first litter—they were extra cautious.
As soon as Lang Ze returned home, Lang Qian woke up. Lang Ze placed him and the two cubs together and proudly announced, “Qian, I fed the cubs!”
Lang Qian glanced at him but didn’t say a word.
Lang Ze took it as a compliment and proudly explained how he had fed the cubs.
Next door, after sending Lang Ze off, Bai Tu hesitated for a moment before asking, “Could it be that Qian hasn’t eaten yet?”
Lang Qian had just given birth, and Lang Ze had immediately taken him and the cubs over, leaving no time for him to eat. By now, Qian should be awake, and given what Bai Tu knew about Lang Ze, he was probably too excited to even think about whether Qian had eaten.
Bai Tu quickly prepared some food in the kitchen and handed it over the wall to Lang Qi, who passed it to Lang Ze.
As Lang Ze took the food, he asked Bai Tu, “Tu, Qian keeps ignoring me.”
Lang Qi: “…” He really didn’t want to admit that this was his younger brother.
Bai Tu: “He’s not ignoring you; he just doesn’t have the strength!”
A sub-beastman is extremely weak after giving birth. If they don’t replenish their strength after waking up, it’s no wonder they wouldn’t have the energy to pay attention to Lang Ze. Honestly, the fact that Lang Qian hadn’t clawed at Lang Ze already proved his affection for him.
Hearing that Qian was too weak from hunger, Lang Ze immediately forgot everything else and ran straight to the room with the food.
Newborn cubs grow very quickly. Just like Bai Tu’s white rabbit cubs had quickly caught up to him in size, Lang Qian’s two little wolf cubs soon reached his own beast form’s size.
At this point, it became clear—there were no sub-beastman in this litter.
Among the offspring of sub-beastmanmen, the proportion of sub-beastman cubs ranges from one-third to half. However, the actual number of sub-beastman in a single litter is unpredictable—it could be all, some, or none.
Whether or not there were sub-beastman didn’t make much difference to most people. The only real change was that without a sub-beastman, there was no need for extra caution. Sub-beastman cubs tend to be smaller, so if a litter included a sub-beastman, they would need careful monitoring until they were at least three years old to prevent the larger siblings from accidentally hurting them.
Since Lang Qian’s two cubs weren’t sub-beastman, no special care was needed, and Lang Ze could manage them alone.
However, as the cubs’ appetites grew, Lang Ze found himself spending less time watching over them. They eat so much—they’re sure to grow up strong! Qian is the one who needs more attention!
Thanks to Lang Ze’s care, on the fifteenth day after giving birth, Lang Qian successfully reverted to his human form. But when he looked down at his belly—now noticeably rounder than before the pregnancy—he fell into silence.
Normally, a sub-beastman’s body would return to its previous state after giving birth. However, after being fed by Lang Ze for over ten days, he had actually gained weight. Having never gained weight before in his life, Lang Qian needed half a day just to process this new reality.
Sub-beastman are generally fragile, and it usually takes them between half a month to a month to fully recover after childbirth. Some with stronger constitutions can regain their human form a little earlier.
Lang Qian had always been aware of his body’s condition and had meticulously prepared before giving birth. He had asked Bai Tu to teach Lang Ze how to feed the cubs, informed the cafeteria about the estimated timeframe, and even set aside plenty of points for Lang Ze to use.
Those point cards were meant to ensure that Lang Ze wouldn’t run out of resources while Qian was in his beast form. Ironically, they had all ended up being spent on him instead.
Lang Qian rubbed his belly, scratched his arms a couple of times, and then carefully picked up a cub.
In just fifteen days, the cubs had grown to the same size as his beast form. The two little ones curled up together, sleeping soundly.
Scenes like this were something he had only ever seen at Bai Tu’s place before. But now, he could observe them as much as he wanted—after all, they were his cubs. He would never get tired of looking at them.
Lang Qian lowered his head and kissed the cubs. He had always envied Bai Tu when he saw him kissing his own cubs. No matter how close their relationship was, he couldn’t just kiss Bai Tu’s children. But now, with his own, there was no need to hold back.
He kept alternating between looking at the cubs and glancing at Lang Ze, feeling as if his life was now complete, without any regrets.
Lang Ze, unaware of Qian’s thoughts, noticed him looking over and assumed he was hungry. Nervously, he asked, “Qian, what do you want to eat? Are you thirsty? Do you want some water first?” He fired off several questions in a row.
Lang Qian shook his head. “I’m not hungry. You go eat.” Then, he pointed to the second drawer. “There are still point cards in there.”
Knowing Lang Ze’s habits, Lang Qian had divided the point cards into three portions, placing one in each drawer. That way, when Lang Ze finished the first batch and started searching, he would find the second. And once the second batch ran out, he would discover the third. If all three were used up, then his only option would be to ask Bai Tu for help.
Even though he had spent most of his time in a dazed state while in his beast form, he was still clear-headed from time to time—especially in the days leading up to his transformation back. He knew for a fact that Lang Ze had only eaten breakfast and had yet to eat lunch.
It wasn’t long past his usual lunchtime, but under normal circumstances, Lang Ze would have already snacked multiple times throughout the morning. Recently, however, Qian hadn’t seen him eat any snacks at all.
Lang Ze didn’t notice anything strange. He had spent most of his day watching Qian, the rest tending to the cubs, and hadn’t felt hungry at all. He had even lost track of meal times.
After Lang Ze left, Lang Qian pulled the cubs into his arms, feeling utterly content. This is perfect. Every wish I’ve ever had has come true.
As he looked at the cubs, he noticed that one of them resembled Lang Ze. Not only that, but it also bore a resemblance to two other cubs—Lang Ying and Lang Chu.
Lang Qian fell into deep thought.
Some things were just strange. Lang Sui and Lang Ying were biological brothers, and Lang Yao, Lang Chu, and Bai Ye were born from the same litter. Yet, out of all the cubs, Lang Ying and Lang Chu looked the most alike.
And now, there was another cub that looked like Lang Ying and Lang Chu.
Lang Qian carefully picked up the little one for a closer look.
Suddenly moved to a new environment, the cub wriggled in displeasure. However, upon detecting a familiar scent, it quickly settled down. Sniffing around blindly, the way it searched for someone was almost identical to Lang Ze—there were even hints of resemblance to the other two cubs. Aside from the difference in color, this cub looked like it belonged with Lang Ying and Lang Chu.
Lang Qian slowly set the cub down and let out a long sigh.
Should be easy to raise, right? After all, Bai Tu had raised two of this kind and hadn’t completely lost his mind—at most, he just got frustrated occasionally. At worst, it’ll be like raising a little wolf. As long as I coax it well, everything will be fine.
Convincing himself that everything would be okay, Lang Qian decided to act as if he had noticed nothing and gently placed the cub back into the nest. The cub sniffed around for a moment before finally nestling against its sibling and drifting off to sleep.
As it slept, it started to get a little hungry and shifted slightly—then suddenly, it bit down on its sibling’s paw.
The bitten cub blinked open its eyes in confusion, glancing around as if trying to figure out what had just happened.
Lang Qian: “……”
He continued reassuring himself. It’s fine. Though this cub seemed to be showing early signs of mischief, Lang Ze had matured a little recently. The two of them could surely handle raising the cubs—even if they turned out to be a bit naughty.
Just as he finished this thought, Lang Ze came back carrying a pile of food. “Qian, I’m back!”
Lang Qian stared at the food on the table—it was more than double what Lang Ze usually ate. He fell silent for a moment.
“Why did you buy so much?”
“You always buy a lot!” Lang Ze said as he laid out the food one by one. “I picked up a bunch of the things you usually buy.”
Lang Qian sighed softly. He usually bought a lot of food because most of it was meant for Lang Ze. If he could finish even a tenth of this amount, it would already be impressive. However, considering Lang Ze’s appetite, he wasn’t too worried—Lang Ze would definitely take care of the leftovers before dinner, so they wouldn’t go to waste.
But then, Lang Qian noticed something unusual—Lang Ze was eating much less than before.
Although he still ate more than an average beastman, it was noticeably less than what he used to consume.
Lang Qian had fed the little wolf many times before their relationship changed, and he clearly remembered Lang Ze’s appetite. After they became mates, Lang Ze’s intake decreased slightly, but it wasn’t obvious. However, now, the drop was drastic.
This was a big deal.
Lang Qian didn’t say anything, though. Instead, he simply pushed Lang Ze’s favorite dishes toward him.
“I’m full!” Lang Ze patted his stomach. He really was full and didn’t need to eat anymore. Then, he pushed the food back toward Lang Qian. “Qian, you should eat more!”
“Are you really full?” Lang Qian was skeptical—this was far less than what Lang Ze used to eat.
“Really! I’m full!” Lang Ze nodded seriously. Things were different now. In the past, no matter how much he ate, he never felt satisfied. But now, after finishing his meal, both his stomach and his appetite felt content. While he still craved snacks occasionally, it was nothing like before—he no longer had that endless hunger. Just eating a little was enough.
Even so, Lang Ze still bought the same amount of food as before—because now, he had to feed Lang Qian!
The past few days, Lang Qian had been in his beast form—he was too small, and Lang Ze didn’t dare feed him too much. He could only follow Bai Tu’s advice: small portions, fed frequently. Eventually, he successfully fattened up Lang Qian, which became one of Lang Ze’s proudest achievements.
If Bai Tu knew about this, he would probably be speechless—his advice was meant for feeding cubs, not a mate!
Lang Ze didn’t feel like he had done anything wrong. Seeing that Lang Qian had finished eating, he packed up the leftovers and stored them in the kitchen, planning to feed Lang Qian again later.
Lang Qian, unaware of Lang Ze’s second feeding plan, took the initiative to accept the cubs’ goat milk when the canteen’s beastmen came to deliver it. He wanted to feed them himself.
Lang Ze immediately stepped in, “I’ll do it! I’ll do it!”
He had already learned how, and as long as his older brother was home, he never let Bai Tu handle the feeding. Lang Ze had carefully observed his brother and understood that feeding the cubs was his responsibility—he couldn’t let his mate get tired!
Lang Qian didn’t argue with him and simply handed over the food. “Be careful.” Although the cubs were already half a month old, in Lang Qian’s eyes, they were still as fragile as newborns and needed proper care.
“Don’t worry! I’ve been taking care of them for half a month already!” Lang Ze said proudly. He had successfully taken care of the cubs all by himself for two whole weeks!
Looking at Lang Ze, who was eagerly waiting for praise, Lang Qian felt deeply gratified—Lang Ze had grown up. But whether Lang Ze remained the same as before or became more mature, he liked him all the same.
However, it didn’t take long for Lang Qian to notice that Lang Ze was constantly trying to feed him.
That’s when Lang Qian finally figured out why, instead of losing weight after giving birth, he had gained weight instead. The reason was Lang Ze’s relentless feeding.
“Qian, try this.”
“Qian, this one’s delicious too!”
“Qian…”
Lang Ze held a pile of snacks in his arms, feeding Lang Qian from time to time. Every time Lang Qian ate something, he looked happier than if he had eaten it himself.
Lang Ze didn’t quite know how to describe this feeling. It was even more satisfying than when he used to eat his way through the entire cafeteria. It was a kind of happiness beyond words—he was so excited that he wanted to run laps around the tribe and let out a few loud howls.
But then he thought about the newborn cubs—they might get scared by loud noises. So he swallowed down the urge. It’s fine, I’ll howl when they’re older!
Even though Lang Ze kept insisting that he was already full, Lang Qian wasn’t convinced. As soon as his body recovered, he immediately took Lang Ze to see other Sub-beastmanmen.
Lang Ze thought Lang Qian was taking him somewhere fun. But as they walked, the route became more and more familiar, and soon, he realized—they were heading to the medical center.
Lang Ze felt a little lost.
What’s going on? Why are we going to the medical center?
Is Lang Qian planning to go back to work but doesn’t want to leave the cubs unattended?
Is he just showing me the route so I can bring the cubs over tomorrow?
Just as Lang Ze was overthinking things, they arrived at the medical center. Lang Qian brought him directly to the oldest sub-beastman there.
“Uncle, Ze’s appetite has gotten smaller recently. Can you tell what’s causing it?”
Since they were all familiar with each other, Lang Qian got straight to the point. But just because someone was old didn’t mean they knew everything. The sub-beastman asked about Lang Ze’s past and current appetite, fell silent for a moment, then finally said:
“I can’t diagnose this.”
The only thing he wanted to say was—his past appetite was way too big.
But as for why it had now returned to normal, he couldn’t say. What he was certain of, however, was that Lang Ze’s current appetite was perfectly fine—his body was healthy.
“Just eat however much you feel like eating,” the sub-beastman advised. “As long as there’s no discomfort, there’s nothing to worry about.”
Even after hearing this, Lang Qian was still uneasy. Thinking it over, he decided to consult Bai Tu instead.
After childbirth, sub-beastman typically wouldn’t leave their rooms easily. So when Bai Tu saw Lang Qian arriving in person, he wondered what kind of emergency would make him come all the way instead of just calling out from the neighboring house.
After listening to Lang Qian’s concerns, Bai Tu looked at Lang Qian, then at Lang Ze.
How should he put this…?
Their personalities were completely complementary.
Lang Ze was carefree, never overthinking things, while Lang Qian noticed everything.
As for Lang Ze’s change in appetite, Bai Tu actually had an idea.
He reassured Lang Qian: “It’s fine. He’s just returning to normal. His old appetite was the real problem.”
Bai Tu had known Lang Ze for years and had witnessed firsthand how his appetite had grown over time. Normally, beastmen’s food intake would peak when they reached adulthood, but for the young wolves, it had only kept increasing beyond that.
Back then, Bai Tu and Lang Qi had analyzed the reason behind it, and it was still applicable now.
Bai Tu explained to Lang Qian how Lang Ze’s appetite had changed over the years. He also casually mentioned that each time the young wolves’ food intake increased, it coincided with the other beastmen’s mating season.
The reason was quite simple.
At that age, beastmen would normally be searching for mates. But these young wolves weren’t interested in mating back then. However, the pheromones in the air during the mating season made them restless.
They didn’t know what to do with their agitation, so they just converted it into hunger.
They ate until they were stuffed, then ran laps around the tribe to burn off the extra energy.
Later, when they started going on patrols, their physical exertion was high, so their appetites never decreased.
But recently, Lang Ze had been staying home and not going on patrols. Without the extra physical activity, his food intake naturally returned to normal.
In other words—Lang Ze wasn’t sick. He was just finally back to normal.
“But…” Lang Qian was still unconvinced. The diagnosis from the medical center was too vague, making him worry that there might be some unknown illness.
Hearing Lang Qian’s concern, Bai Tu waved him off.
“Of course, you haven’t heard of this before. Because tell me—have you ever seen another beastman who could eat as much as Lang Ze used to?”
At that moment, Lang Qian suddenly understood.
Apart from the Hundred Beasts Tribe, no other tribe could provide such an abundance of food. Even the tribes that had developed alongside the Hundred Beasts Tribe were now merely at the point of having enough food—they had yet to reach the level where they could supply over ten pounds of meat per meal to beastmen.
The issue of overeating was probably something the old sub-beastman had never encountered before. After all, in the past, no beastman had ever been able to eat so much food—not just in one meal, but every single day.
Now that it was confirmed that Lang Ze wasn’t sick but simply returning to normal, Lang Qian slowly let out a breath of relief. He sent Lang Ze back first, then turned to Bai Tu—he had a question to ask.
“What is it?” Bai Tu noticed Lang Qian’s conflicted expression and took the initiative to ask. Was there anything between them that couldn’t be said?
Lang Qian hesitated for a moment but eventually asked, “Tu, when can I start eating less?”
Bai Tu: “Hmm? Eat less?”
Lang Qian nodded. “Ze says I should eat small portions but frequently. But three meals a day are already enough for me—I really can’t eat any more.”
His appetite had never been large, and after years of habit, it took him at least half a day to fully digest any meal.
Ever since joining the Hundred Beasts Tribe, he had been eating three meals a day on schedule. As soon as he finished digesting one, it was time for the next—the timing was perfect. But now, he had just finished eating when Lang Ze showed up with more food.
Sometimes it was snacks, sometimes fruit, sometimes goat milk—a whole variety of food waiting for him to eat.
But Lang Qian really couldn’t eat anymore. Since he had returned to his human form, his body had slimmed down slightly, but definitely not from hunger!
When Bai Tu heard the phrase ‘small portions, frequent meals,’ he froze.
If he remembered correctly, he had said those words while the cubs were nearby, hadn’t he?
So how did Lang Ze end up applying that advice to Lang Qian instead?
Bai Tu rubbed his face and sighed before explaining, “What I meant was that when feeding cubs, you should give them small portions frequently, because their stomachs are too small. They can only eat a little at a time, and they digest it quickly, so they need to be fed often.”
“Adults, on the other hand, don’t need to eat that way. Our stomachs are already accustomed to three meals a day. Normally, when we feel hungry, it’s just about time for the next meal.”
Lang Qian: “……”
Bai Tu patted him on the shoulder in consolation. “Well, at least he remembers to feed the cubs.”
Although Lang Ze had completely misunderstood who the advice was meant for, the cubs didn’t seem to have gone hungry either. The canteen regularly delivered goat milk to the cubs, and according to Lang Qian, Lang Ze had been feeding them.
Bai Tu once again mentally praised the decision to have the canteen beastmen deliver food to the cubs on a schedule. If not for that, Lang Ze really might have forgotten.
Looking at Lang Qian now, Bai Tu felt a sense of relief. When Lang Qian first arrived in the tribe, he was extremely thin, a clear sign that his treatment in his original tribe had been poor.
Later events confirmed this suspicion. Although he had never lacked food since staying in the tribe, his body didn’t change much—at most, he had gone from extremely frail to just looking a bit lean.
Then, when he had to join the patrol team, he had even less time to rest. But now, he looked much healthier than before.
Bai Tu nodded in satisfaction. While Lang Ze was unreliable most of the time, when it came to taking care of his mate, he had taken it seriously.
After confirming that Lang Ze was completely healthy, Lang Qian finally returned home. Just as he stepped into the courtyard, he heard voices coming from inside the house. He lightened his steps as he entered, only to hear Lang Ze muttering to the cubs.
“I’m only washing this once. Next time, you have to do it yourselves.”
“Lang Chu-ge can already wash bedsheets, so you need to learn too.”
“Awooo—what are you howling for? Just tell me what you want.”
Lang Qian: “……”
This year, many cubs were born after the rainy season, not only in their own tribe but also in others. When their second clutch of eggs hatched, they could once again show off to the other tribes.
However, this time, the envious stares were noticeably fewer. After all, everyone had already heard the news months ago.
Upon hearing that the eggs had successfully hatched once again, everyone had the same thought—Bai Tu’s method really worked! The success rate of the cubs breaking out of their shells had increased significantly.
Once the cubs turned a month old, Bai Tu immediately threw himself back into work.
Over the years, the tribe had developed a structured way of handling things, but many beastmen still struggled to make decisions. Whenever something big happened, they would seek confirmation from Bai Tu, Lang Qi, or Bai Chen rather than handle it themselves.
On top of that, managing communication with the various relay points was Bai Tu’s responsibility, making his workload heavy. Another factor was that Lang Ze and Lang Qian had stayed home this year, so their patrol routes were reassigned to another patrol team. Bai Tu had to review reports from them every few days to stay updated on the state of different areas.
The period before winter was always the busiest. After handling the most urgent matters, Bai Tu’s biggest desire was simply to find a place to sleep.
Since the cubs were still young, he moved all the work he could do at home into the house. After responding to a few new letters, Bai Tu stretched, yawned, and decisively headed to the bedroom—to sleep with the cubs.
The five little wolf cubs and three eagle cubs were all still at school, so only the two rabbit cubs were home.
The moment he saw the cubs, all his exhaustion disappeared. But since he was already here, he might as well rest before going back out.
Bai Tu took off his coat, crawled under the blanket, hugged the two little cubs, and slowly fell asleep.
In the end, he really was too exhausted.
Fast asleep, Bai Tu didn’t realize that at some point, he had once again shifted into his beast form.
After handling things outside, Lang Qi returned home and went to the study first.
Seeing that it was empty, he checked the position of the papers on the desk—from their neat arrangement, it was clear that Bai Tu had finished his work and left.
Lang Qi immediately started searching elsewhere, prioritizing the bedroom where the two youngest cubs stayed.
With the cubs at home, Bai Tu wouldn’t have gone far. If not for the risk of losing important documents in the bedroom, he probably would have moved all his work there.
Approaching the bed, Lang Qi heard the cubs’ steady breathing.
Beneath the covers, there was a small lump.
Lang Qi reached out and carefully pulled the blanket back.
The first thing he saw was a white rabbit cub, followed closely by a black one.
Not stopping there, he continued pulling the blanket aside.
At the very bottom, there was one more little rabbit, sleeping soundly.
Lang Qi’s eyes gleamed as he ignored the other two cubs and directly scooped up the little rabbit, tucking it into his arms.
He had found it—so now it was his.
Lang Sui returned home from school with a group of younger siblings. Seeing only their father cooking in the kitchen, the cubs rushed like a whirlwind into the bedroom.
Inside, they found only two sleeping cubs—but no sign of their papa.
Just as quickly, they dashed back out, storming into the study next.
But the study was spotless and empty.
The cubs ran out again, searching every corner of the house. They even checked under the bed, but still couldn’t find Papa.
They stared at each other in confusion.
Where was he?
Where did their tiny papa go?!
Lang Qi, listening to their frantic voices, glanced down at the little rabbit in his arms and casually tugged at his clothes.
Just then, the kitchen door burst open, and the most energetic cub, Lang Chu, leaped onto Lang Qi, reaching out to snatch Papa back.
Lang Qi blocked him effortlessly, pointing at the pot of food.
“Wash your hands and eat.”
The three little eagle cubs obediently ran off to wash up, but the wolf cubs weren’t fooled by such a weak distraction.
No way—Father was changing the subject!
Which meant… Papa was definitely right here!
“Hand Papa over!” Lang Chu kicked his legs in protest. He knew it—Father had hidden Papa! And ten out of ten times, he was hiding inside his clothes!
But Lang Qi’s arms were as solid as stone, completely unmovable no matter how hard Lang Chu pushed.
Lang Chu glanced at the floor, then suddenly shouted out—
“Papa! Father is going to hit me! Save me, quick!”
Hearing the cub’s distressed call, Bai Tu sleepily opened his eyes.
Even though he knew Lang Qi wouldn’t actually hit the cubs, he instinctively grabbed onto Lang Qi’s clothes and peeked outside just to check.
What he saw was Lang Qi holding up Lang Chu, while the other cubs looked ready to charge in at any moment.
Bai Tu paused in silence—from the looks of it, Lang Qi definitely hadn’t been the one to start this.
Lang Ying was already in position, mid-air, about to latch onto Lang Qi—but he, too, was caught before he could land.
At the same time, Lang Sui lifted the youngest cub, Bai Ye, into the air.
Before either parent could react, Bai Ye reached out, grabbed Papa, and passed him down to the waiting Lang Yao.
Lang Qi, who had let his guard down because Bai Ye was usually the most well-behaved: “……”
Now he had cubs in both hands—catching another one was going to be difficult.
Bai Tu, after suddenly switching locations multiple times: “……”
The triumphant cubs cheered as they ran out the door.
They did it! They finally managed to steal Papa!!!
