Chapter 218
Although everything seemed fine, the fact that someone had secretly entered the cave in the middle of the night served as a warning to Bai Tu.
This time, they were lucky—the intruder didn’t do anything. But what if, one day, someone with ill intentions managed to get in? The cub was still so small that an adult beastman could easily harm him with just one hand. Bai Tu had to take precautions.
Afraid of the dark and worried about alerting the intruder, Bai Tu didn’t immediately tell Hei Xiao about the mysterious presence in the cave. Instead, he simply mentioned that he felt cold at night and wanted to block off the cave entrance.
No one doubted his reasoning. Everyone knew that Bai Tu was more delicate than the rest of them. Although the rainy season was in summer, the damp air made the nights chilly. Hei Jian found Bai Tu’s sudden complaint about the cold a bit odd, but he didn’t question his younger brother’s words. Instead, he brought a large animal hide from his own cave and gave it to Bai Tu.
Bai Tu stared at the thick hide his brother had brought over, one that was suitable for winter use, and made up his mind—if he discovered anything unusual, he would immediately tell Hei Jian.
Wait a minute!
Bai Tu lifted the hide and immediately noticed something off. From its thickness alone, he could tell that this wasn’t one of the furs they had traded for at the market.
At the market, furs came in various price ranges—the larger the hide, the more expensive it was. Among hides of the same size, the softer and thicker ones were pricier. This particular hide was thick enough to be used as a mattress, and Bai Tu was certain they hadn’t traded for anything this luxurious!
According to Bai An, in past years, the tribe’s traded supplies were just barely enough to get by, meaning they wouldn’t have had extra to spare from before.
That left only one possibility—Hei Yan must have given it to them!
Bai Tu had lived in the tribe long enough to understand exactly what it meant when someone gifted an animal hide, especially one of this size.
His brother had been claimed.
Feeling troubled, Bai Tu sighed.
Since this hide was most likely from Hei Yan, he definitely couldn’t use it. He decided he would return it to Hei Jian in a few days. To avoid suspicion, he placed two other animal hides beside his bed. If Hei Xiao asked why he wasn’t using the new one, he would just say it was too warm.
Bai An acted quickly. That very night, a massive stone was placed outside Bai Tu’s cave, leaving only a narrow entrance wide enough for a single person.
As soon as night fell, Bai Tu followed his usual routine—heading up the mountain early to rest in his cave.
At midnight, the little wolf cub on the bed opened his eyes, his gaze clear and alert in a way that was different from during the day. A quiet, safe place made it easier for him to recover.
The cub glanced at Bai Tu beside him but didn’t disturb him. Instead, he transformed into his human form, pulled the animal hide over his shoulders, and carefully climbed out of bed.
The moment his feet touched the ground, his entire body tensed.
At the same time, Bai Tu, lying in bed, opened his eyes and froze at the scene before him.
He had heard the cub shifting earlier and thought nothing of it. But then—he had heard a sound on the ground.
Even though the cave entrance was blocked, Bai Tu was still a bit uneasy. To be safe, he had scattered some dried fruit shells on the floor. If anyone stepped on them, he would hear it immediately.
What he hadn’t expected was that the person making the noise… had appeared from inside the cave.
The little wolf cub was gone.
In his place stood a young man who bore a striking resemblance to Lang Ze.
Bai Tu fell silent.
The cub had disappeared, and a stranger had appeared instead. Thinking back to the day he had found the cub—when Lang Ze and the others had been searching for someone—Bai Tu had a bold suspicion.
He hesitated for a moment before testing his theory.
“Lang Qi?” Bai Tu called out cautiously.
The wolf tribe’s leader was indeed called by that name. From before the rainy season up until the market opened, Lang Ze had frequently brought up the search for Lang Qi, and waves of wolf tribe members had gone out one after another to look for him.
Lang Qi, who had remained motionless since Bai Tu woke up, was silent for a moment before nodding. “That’s me.”
He wasn’t surprised that Bai Tu had guessed his identity. While in his cub form, he had retained memories from his beast form, so he was well aware of Bai Tu’s personality. Holding his breath, Lang Qi stared at Bai Tu—only he knew how nervous he felt at this moment.
Bai Tu: “……”
Bai Tu didn’t know how to describe his feelings. This wasn’t just a case of raising a cabbage only to have it taken away by a pig—it was worse. His cute little cub had suddenly grown taller than him…
He struggled to connect the youth standing before him with the tiny wolf cub he had carried around every day.
Seeing Bai Tu remain silent, Lang Qi’s last glimmer of hope gradually faded.
“I have a question,” Bai Tu finally said seriously.
Lang Qi snapped back to attention. “Go ahead.”
“Can you still turn into a cub?” Bai Tu asked. After raising a cub for two months, only for it to suddenly transform into an adult, he felt like he’d been shortchanged.
Lang Qi: “……”
“…You can’t?” Bai Tu looked disappointed. If he had known earlier, he would have squeezed and cuddled the cub more over the past few days. Now, he had lost his chance. Who knew if he would ever find another cub again? But then again, he wasn’t sure if he dared to pick one up anymore—what if the next one turned into an adult beastman too?
After a brief silence, Lang Qi replied, “I can. Until I fully recover, I’ll keep shifting between forms.”
Not only could he still transform into his beast form, but he actually spent more time in that state than in human form. Lang Qi briefly explained his current situation.
As a child, he had been fed a certain drug that would have caused him to turn into a corrupted beast upon reaching adulthood. To save him, the tribe’s healer used another drug to suppress the toxin. However, this new medication had an unexpected side effect.
As a result, ever since reaching adulthood, his beast form had fluctuated unpredictably—sometimes he would become his cub form, other times his adult form. While it wasn’t life-threatening, the sudden transformations caused many inconveniences. Because of this, he rarely left the tribe’s territory, leading other tribes to assume that the entire wolf tribe was extremely reclusive.
Of course, any beastman who knew Lang Ze would immediately dismiss that theory.
On the way to the market, Lang Qi had sensed something was off. Unsure what form he would shift into, he had warned his tribe members before finding a place to hide. He hadn’t expected the transformation to last so long this time, nor for it to be different from before—he had not only turned into a cub but had also lost all his memories, retaining only his instincts.
Bai Tu’s eyes sparkled. “So the cub was a real cub?”
Lang Qi: “…Yes.”
“Are you going back to the wolf tribe now? When will you turn into a cub again?” Bai Tu asked. The wolf tribe had been searching desperately for their leader, so now that Lang Qi had regained his form, he would definitely have to return. As for Bai Tu, he could wait until Lang Qi turned back into a cub before visiting. Cub form Lang Qi was adorable; the adult version wasn’t worth seeing.
It was the first time someone had anticipated his transformation into a cub so eagerly, and Lang Qi felt a bit conflicted.
“I can only stay in human form for half a day right now,” Lang Qi explained. He hadn’t fully recovered yet and would revert to his beast form by dawn.
Bai Tu did some quick calculations. “So it was you who ate the dried meat yesterday?”
No wonder Bai Qi had mentioned that someone was still awake when it was nearly morning—it had been Lang Qi eating.
Lang Qi coughed lightly and nodded. “I digest food faster in human form compared to my cub form.”
Even at his most gluttonous, he had still been a cub until recently. Compared to a cub, he ate much more, but he still consumed far less than an adult beastman. Any food he ate in beast form would be digested quickly once he turned human. Last night, he hadn’t been able to resist and had eaten all the dried meat outside.
In reality, due to hunger and his impending shift back to beast form, his mind had already been in a strange state. But the food had indeed been eaten by him—his mental state at the time didn’t change that fact. Even if he had been in cub form when he ate it, it was still him.
Bai Tu didn’t mind the food. Strictly speaking, the ingredients had originally come from the wolf tribe, so as their leader, it wasn’t wrong for Lang Qi to eat some dried meat.
However… Bai Tu glanced at Lang Qi and pointed to the outer room. “Why don’t you go rest over there?”
There was only one bed, and it was a single bed he had someone make after arriving here. It was just the right size for one person, and it could still fit a cub, but accommodating an adult beastman would be too much.
If the bed broke, he wouldn’t know how to explain it. Besides, Lang Qi would revert to a cub before dawn and couldn’t go outside yet—after all, his ability to maintain human form until dawn only applied while he was inside the cave. If he went out and exerted himself, he’d shift into a cub even faster.
Now that Bai Tu understood Lang Qi’s condition, he found it easiest to compare it to a game. The cub form was like a “weakened state,” human form was “normal mode,” and intense physical activity was like using a powerful skill. Given his poor health, he was constantly draining energy—remaining in the weakened state allowed him to “stay alive,” but forcing himself into human or adult beast form would burn through his energy quickly and make him even weaker.
The Snow Rabbit Tribe and the Blood Wolf Tribe had a good relationship, and Bai Tu wasn’t the type to ignore someone in need. Even the wolf tribe itself didn’t know their leader could turn into a cub, so he naturally wouldn’t spread the news either. Since Lang Qi was so weak right now, Bai Tu figured he should at least help out for Lang Ze’s sake and for the sake of the little cub he had raised. Until Lang Qi recovered or Lang Ze arrived, he would just have to stay in cub form as before.
“Tomorrow, the wolf tribe is coming to pick up food. Should I keep them here so you can talk to them?” Bai Tu asked. Lang Qi could only turn into his human form at night, so Bai Tu wanted to take this opportunity to clear everything up.
To his surprise, Lang Qi shook his head. “Don’t tell Ze. I’ll go back once I recover.”
“Huh?” Bai Tu was surprised. Was he really planning to stay here instead of returning to his own tribe to heal?
“I won’t go back for now,” Lang Qi repeated. “I’ll make up for the food I’ve taken.”
“No need, no need,” Bai Tu quickly waved his hand. “Ze gave it to me.”
Honestly, the little cub hadn’t eaten that much of their tribe’s food. On the contrary, Lang Ze had outright gifted them three cows—two large and one small—which had even benefited the other cubs in the tribe. If anything, it seemed like their tribe owed Lang Qi instead.
Bai Tu wasn’t surprised about the food; what puzzled him was why Lang Qi didn’t want to return to his tribe. For most beastmen, their tribe was the safest place, and very few willingly chose to leave.
Seeing Bai Tu’s confusion, Lang Qi hesitated but ultimately said nothing.
The rabbit tribe is timid. If I tell him, I might scare him, Lang Qi thought.
“I’ll head out. You should rest early,” Lang Qi said before walking toward the outer room.
“Wait,” Bai Tu called after him and handed him two pieces of animal hide. “It’s a bit cold outside.”
Logically, Bai Tu knew Lang Qi was a grown beastman, but he still instinctively treated him like the little cub from before. However, since Lang Qi was currently even weaker than a cub, it made sense to take extra care of him.
Thinking this way, Bai Tu no longer found his actions strange—it was just taking care of a sick person, after all. This patient just happened to be a bit special.
Lang Qi noticed Bai Tu’s thoughts but didn’t refuse his kindness. He took the animal hides and went to the outer room.
The next morning, when Bai Tu stepped outside, he saw that Lang Qi had indeed turned back into a small wolf cub.
Even though he knew it was still Lang Qi, Bai Tu couldn’t help but feel a pang of pity at the sight of the tiny cub curled up alone outside.
After raising him for two months, there was no way he didn’t feel attached. But thinking about Lang Qi’s situation, Bai Tu felt conflicted. In human form, Lang Qi would remember everything from his time as a cub, which meant Bai Tu could no longer freely cuddle and squeeze him like before.
In cub form, Lang Qi was just like a real cub and needed plenty of sleep. Bai Tu carefully moved the little wolf into the inner room, placed him on the bed, covered him with the animal hides, and then headed down the mountain.
“Tu, you didn’t bring the cub today?” Bai Qi asked in surprise. Ever since Bai Tu had found the cub, he had taken it everywhere with him. It was strange that he had left it behind today.
Bai Tu sighed and waved a hand. “I left him in the cave. I’ll bring him down later.”
Now that he knew the cub was actually Lang Qi, he obviously couldn’t just carry him around carelessly anymore. Last night, he hadn’t been fully awake and had only thought about how he could still see the cub in the future. But now that he was thinking clearly, he realized—so what if Lang Qi could turn into a cub? Could he still just pet and cuddle him like before?
Bai Tu felt frustrated. But since this involved Lang Qi’s privacy, he couldn’t tell anyone. He could only keep his frustration to himself.
Still, Bai Tu’s worries didn’t last long. After a meal, he had already come to terms with it. He’d just consider it as helping out for Lang Ze’s and cub-form Lang Qi’s sake. He would cover for Lang Qi for a while—once he recovered, everything would go back to normal.
The only downside was that he probably wouldn’t get to see the cub anymore. Maybe he could visit the wolf tribe and see other cubs instead, Bai Tu thought.
“If I had known the little cub was Lang Qi, I would have given him a name,” Bai Tu muttered as he carried a pot of freshly heated milk up the mountain.
Regardless of whether Lang Qi would turn into a human at night, during the day, he was still incredibly weak. No matter what, Bai Tu had to take care of him.
Carrying the milk, Bai Tu stepped into the inner chamber of the cave.
The little wolf cub had already woken up. Not seeing anyone in the room, it felt an emptiness in its heart. Since being brought here, it had never been alone like this before. Staring blankly around, it seemed unable to understand why Bai Tu had left.
Upon hearing familiar footsteps, the cub immediately turned toward the corner. As soon as the familiar figure appeared, its eyes lit up with excitement, and it dashed forward. However, since it was on the bed, after just two steps, it reached the edge and tumbled straight to the floor.
The little cub quickly got back up and ran straight to Bai Tu.
Seeing the cub’s expression, Bai Tu forgot all about rationality and adulthood. He set the milk aside and quickly strode over to pick up the cub. “Does it hurt? Where did you hit yourself?”
The cub and Lang Qi were not the same. In its cub form, Lang Qi didn’t remember what happened when he was grown. Bai Tu couldn’t just ignore the little cub’s feelings just because Lang Qi would remember everything once he shifted back.
Now that it was back in Bai Tu’s arms, the little cub no longer seemed so anxious. It simply clung to his clothes tightly, as if afraid he would leave again. Bai Tu immediately stroked the cub’s fur and reassured it, “I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”
Bai Tu couldn’t bring himself to put the cub back on the bed. Instead, he sat down on a chair, holding the cub in one arm while feeding it milk with the other.
Later, when he went down the mountain again, Bai Tu decided to take the little cub with him. He was worried that if he left Lang Qi alone up there, he might end up falling again. Earlier, he had been lucky—the bed wasn’t very high, so he hadn’t gotten hurt. But what if Lang Qi woke up, found the cave empty, and decided to go looking for him? The mountain was full of rocks. With how small Lang Qi was, if he slipped and fell… Bai Tu shook his head. Absolutely not.
Bai Tu had agreed to meet Lang Ze in the afternoon. Since the wolf tribe was coming to pick up food, he figured they could take the freshly made jerky back with them. However, he had underestimated just how much Lang Ze and the others loved dried meat. They arrived before noon.
Lang Ze refused to admit he was impatient. “We left at the usual time, but the road was too hot, so we ran a little faster.”
Bai Tu: “…” If it was really that hot, they could have just waited until the sun set to come over. In the end, they just wanted to eat sooner.
Knowing how much the wolf tribe ate, Bai Tu had people pack up the dried meat that had been prepared earlier. These had already been steamed and air-dried, making them ready to eat. The flavor was even better than the batch the wolves had taken last time.
Bai Tu also mentioned something else to Lang Ze. “If you come across chickens, ducks, or geese, you can bring them over.”
“What do you want those for?” Lang Ze asked. The wolves didn’t like eating chickens, ducks, or geese. They were too small, required plucking before eating, and all that effort only yielded a few bites of meat—not even enough for one person. Flying creatures and fish were the least favorite foods of young wolves.
Whenever they encountered chickens, ducks, or geese in their territory, their first instinct wasn’t to catch them but to chase them for fun. In other tribes, such animals were hunted until none remained, but in their own lands, they were simply scared away.
“If we raise enough of them, they can lay eggs. Plus, we can make smoked chicken, roast duck, and braised goose,” Bai Tu explained.
Chickens, ducks, and geese could provide eggs as well as meat. Right now, their tribe didn’t have enough of them. If the wolf tribe helped out, their numbers would grow much faster. By the time the first batch matured, they wouldn’t have to worry about a shortage of eggs in winter. Even if the cold weather caused a drop in egg production, there would still be enough for the cubs.
Most of the poultry in the tribe had been caught before the rainy season, but the hatching results hadn’t been great. Since Bai Tu hadn’t emphasized it before, people weren’t careful when collecting eggs, leading to many yolks being scrambled inside the shells, making them difficult to hatch. The second batch of eggs had only recently been set up for incubation, and it would take more than half a month for them to hatch. That was too slow. They needed the wolf tribe’s help.
Hearing about the eggs, Lang Ze didn’t think much of it. Roasted eggs were tasty enough, so if Bai Tu wanted some, he could help catch a few birds. But when he heard about the smoked chicken, roast duck, and braised goose, he had a strong feeling—whatever Bai Tu made would definitely be delicious.
Hearing this, Lang Ze immediately said, “I’ll catch them as soon as I get back—a whole bunch of them!”
Grilled meat made by Bai Tu always tasted much better than what they usually cooked, so the other foods would surely be just as delicious. Completely trusting Bai Tu’s cooking skills, Lang Ze vowed to catch plenty of chickens and ducks.
After finalizing the plan with Lang Ze, Bai Tu looked down at the little wolf cub beside him, who was staring at him intently. He sighed inwardly.
That morning, when he left the cave without taking the little cub, the cub had worried the whole time that he would leave again. Normally, after eating, it would nap, but today it kept watching him instead.
Following Bai Tu’s gaze, Lang Ze saw the cub but quickly noticed that it wasn’t looking at him. Instantly, he felt smug. Other than his brother, he was the most formidable wolf in the tribe! No one could scare him—no one!
Just as he finished that thought, the little cub suddenly glanced his way, freezing Lang Ze in place. Wait… wasn’t he ignoring me?
The cub looked at Lang Ze for a moment before turning away with a slight expression of disdain.
Bai Tu noticed that the little cub was different from ordinary wolf pups. Ever since he had found him, he had always been colder toward Lang Ze compared to others.
At first, Bai Tu hadn’t paid much attention to such small details…
—
Lang Ze had only come to pick up snacks. Once he got the jerky, he couldn’t wait to leave. Before heading off, he promised, “I’ll bring the food over tomorrow!”
Not just the food Bai Tu had asked for, but also ingredients for more snacks. It was an unspoken rule between the wolves and the rabbits—wolves hunted, rabbits processed the food, and the wolves took the larger share while the rabbits got the smaller portion. It worked out perfectly.
The larger cuts of beef, which were easier to make into jerky, had already been taken. The remaining meat was irregularly shaped, making it hard to cut into palm-sized slices, but it could still be made into beef chunks or grilled.
Bai Tu didn’t take any of the beef. Instead, he chose a few beef bones for making soup.
Since they were meant for cooking, the bones still had quite a bit of meat on them. Bai Tu had Bai Qi help split the bones, clean them thoroughly, and blanch them before putting them into a pot to simmer slowly.
Along the way, he added some seasonings he had gathered earlier.
The Beast God Continent had a variety of seasonings, and since most were wild, they had an especially strong aroma. For example, Sichuan peppercorns could be smelled from far away.
Because the seasonings were so potent, Bai Tu used them sparingly. He had planted some of each kind at the base of the mountain. The annual herbs could be harvested before winter, while the perennials would be transplanted next spring.
The bone soup turned out incredibly rich and fragrant. Bai Tu served a bowl to Hei Jian, half a bowl to the little cub, and kept one for himself. The rest, he took back to the cave.
Hei Xiao, who had been cleaning up the dishes, paused when he saw this. “Why are you taking it up the mountain?”
“I’ve been getting hungry at night, so I’ll have something to eat if I wake up,” Bai Tu replied casually. Of course, that wasn’t the real reason—the one who actually needed the food was the little cub beside him, whose real appetite was impossible to gauge.
From a short distance away, Bai Qi overheard and nodded knowingly. “I knew it! That night before dawn, you were still eating.”
Bai Tu: “…Yeah, I was hungry.”
What else could he do? He was the one raising the cub, so he might as well take the blame.
Although Bai Tu’s sudden increase in appetite seemed odd, Hei Xiao didn’t stop him from taking the soup and meat. In fact, he even asked, “Is that enough? Should I bring some more jerky?”
“No, no, this is plenty,” Bai Tu quickly reassured him. Taking too much at once might raise suspicions. Two bowls of leftover food at a time were fine—after all, Lang Qi wasn’t going to recover overnight. He needed to be nourished little by little.
—
That night, Lang Qi reverted to human form. Remembering the foolish things he had done during the day, he remained silent for a long time.
Half-asleep, Bai Tu heard movement and assumed Lang Qi had returned. Having gone two nights without proper rest, he was too tired to get up. Yawning, he said, “There’s food outside for you. Eat it quickly.”
Although the temperature at night was lower than during the day, food left out too long could still spoil. It was best to eat it sooner rather than later.
Bai Tu’s voice pulled Lang Qi from his thoughts. He responded softly and walked outside. Seeing the food on the table, he quietly picked it up and began eating.
After a while, Bai Tu fully woke up, got up, and walked out. “What do you want to eat tomorrow? I’ll try to bring you more.”
Even though Lang Qi hadn’t said anything the night before, Bai Tu could tell that he must have been a little hungry when he went to rest outside.
But there had been no food in the cave, and Bai Tu didn’t have any either. It wasn’t practical to go down the mountain in the middle of the night just to get snacks, so Lang Qi had to endure it for the night.
That day, as Bai Tu looked at the food supplies, he decided to make bone broth—bone broth with meat. After eating and resting, Lang Qi could return to his cub form.
This should speed up his recovery, Bai Tu thought.
Under Bai Tu’s care, Lang Qi finished his meal. When Bai Tu asked what he wanted for the next day, Lang Qi shook his head. “Anything is fine.”
He could eat anything, or even go without food if necessary.
But while Lang Qi didn’t care, Bai Tu couldn’t be that careless. He started thinking about what else he could make with the remaining beef. This was food left over by the wolves, far more valuable than the processing fees they paid. Giving some to Lang Qi wasn’t an issue—at worst, once Lang Qi recovered, he could discuss compensation with Bai An.
—
After the rainy season ended, the tribe was much busier than before. Previously, only the hunting and gathering teams were occupied, but now the entire tribe was bustling, with hardly anyone idle.
After Lang Ze brought over two batches of Li creatures, Bai Tu decided to make some wooden cages to store them. This would make management easier and prevent the same problem as before—when they were kept in the cave, the place quickly filled with an unbearable stench.
Although the number of prey caught this year was about the same as in previous years, everyone knew that this winter, they wouldn’t have to endure hunger in the later months as they had before.
—
Bai Tu had been taking care of Lang Qi for over ten days, but Lang Qi still only transformed into human form at night and could only maintain it for about half a day at most.
It wasn’t until a month after the rainy season ended that Lang Qi fully recovered. He was no longer limited in how long he could stay in human form, and his beast form was no longer that of a newborn cub—it was that of a fully grown wolf.
The first time Bai Tu saw Lang Qi’s beast form, he felt like the entire cave had suddenly shrunk.
Even though he had seen other wolves in their beast forms before, he hadn’t expected Lang Qi to be so much larger—he was several sizes bigger than the others.
Although Lang Qi had recovered during the day, he chose to leave at night. The darkness provided better cover, making it easier to move unseen. As he walked alone outside his dwelling, the night concealed him well.
After Lang Qi left, Bai Tu felt slightly unaccustomed to it.
Even though Lang Qi had been in human form at night, during the day, he had been an obedient and sensible cub. Usually serious, he sometimes showed a playful side and even acted clingy. Thinking about this made Bai Tu feel a little down. If only Lang Qi had truly been a cub…
But that was just a fleeting thought. Lang Qi could never truly become a cub—at most, he could only experience it temporarily.
—
The sudden disappearance of Bai Tu’s little wolf cub confused the other beastmen in the tribe.
After all, just a short while ago, the cub had been lively and energetic. It couldn’t have fallen ill, so how had it suddenly vanished?
Bai Tu had already prepared an explanation when Lang Qi left.
“Lang Ze just found out that the cub belonged to a beastman he knew. The cub’s parents had been searching for him for a long time but hadn’t found him. When I picked him up, they were searching southward and missed him. Now, they’ve returned from the Southern Continent.”
Bai Tu didn’t say anything more, but the others quickly filled in the gaps—his parents had returned and taken him away.
Still, the whole thing seemed rather sudden.
“Tu, you didn’t even tell us in advance!” Some of them had wanted to play with the cub, but now he was already gone.
Even Hei Xiao was surprised. “When did you decide to send him away? You never mentioned it.”
“Just recently,” Bai Tu gave a vague response. “I didn’t know either until yesterday when Lang Ze came by, so I handed the cub over to him.”
In truth, Lang Qi had only fully recovered after Lang Ze left. Otherwise, he could have left with him.
Knowing that his younger brother was especially fond of cubs, Hei Jian guessed that Bai Tu might miss the one that had been taken away. He took the initiative to suggest, “How about raising another cub? I can have Hei Yan find one.”
Many tribes abandoned weak or excess cubs outside their settlements. Since the cubs within their own tribe all had families, it might be better to find one from another tribe instead.
“No need.” Bai Tu quickly refused, afraid that if he hesitated, his brother would immediately contact Hei Yan. “I just need some time to adjust. I’ll be fine in a couple of days.”
After all, he had spent months with the little cub. Even though Lang Qi had taken human form at night, his daytime cuteness couldn’t be ignored. Of course, Bai Tu would miss him—but he also understood that this feeling was only temporary.
However, the next day, Bai Tu had no time to think about Lang Qi, as the second and third batches of chicken and duck eggs he had incubated began hatching one after another.
During the rainy season, his first attempt at incubation had failed. Bai Tu carefully analyzed the reasons, made improvements, and then set up a second batch—this time with even more eggs than before. Ever since he had placed them inside, he had been closely monitoring them. Now that they were finally hatching, he was thrilled. Even though it was only the first day, the hatching success rate was already much higher than the previous attempt.
The other beastmen in the tribe were excited as well. This was the first time they had ever raised young prey animals. The few cows Lang Ze had brought before were already large, except for one calf that hadn’t been weaned yet. Those just needed some grass to feed on. But these newly hatched chicks and ducklings were different—the tribe members began discussing ways to gather grass seeds and fresh greens for them to eat.
—
As Bai Tu basked in his excitement, he noticed something unusual—Lang Ze hadn’t come by for three days.
Based on what he knew about Lang Ze, two days was just enough time for him to finish off his snacks, and by the third day, he would be back for more. Normally, he would have come yesterday, but now an extra day had passed, and he still hadn’t shown up.
Bai Tu couldn’t help but feel worried. Did something happen in the wolf tribe after Lang Qi returned? Could that be why Lang Ze hasn’t come?
What made him even more uneasy was that someone in the tribe had overheard sounds coming from the wolf tribe’s direction. However, since they were from different species and the distance was far, they couldn’t understand what those sounds meant.
The two tribes were quite far apart. Before, it had always been Lang Ze coming to the Snow Rabbit Tribe, but if they wanted to go to the Blood Wolf Tribe, it would take about a day’s journey. Staying that long in their own territory was fine, but being in another tribe’s land—even if they were familiar with Lang Ze—was still dangerous.
While they knew many wolves, not every wolf would recognize them. If they ran into one with a bad temper who attacked on sight, what would they do? Fighting back wouldn’t be appropriate, but not fighting back would mean getting hurt.
Just as everyone was hesitating about whether they should go check on the wolf tribe, Lang Ze finally arrived—bringing with him an injured wolf cub.
Bai Tu froze in shock. When he came to his senses, he quickly led Lang Ze and the injured cub into the cave, retrieving the medicine he had prepared over the past few days.
Hei Jian had forbidden him from telling others that he knew how to make medicine, so Bai Tu had never mentioned it. However, he had found it wasteful to let so many herbs rot away, so he had gathered a lot under the excuse of picking plants for seasoning. Since most beastmen didn’t recognize plants, it was easy enough to make up an excuse.
“What happened?” Bai Tu asked Lang Ze. “Lang Qi left just two or three days ago. How did he end up injured so soon?”
“Someone attacked our tribe,” Lang Ze explained briefly. “This cub was injured in the attack. Tu, can you take care of him for a while?”
His older brother had gone after the attackers, but before leaving, he had specifically told Lang Ze to bring the injured cub to Bai Tu.
Lang Ze had found this request strange, but in times like these, he knew he had to follow his brother’s instructions. So after Lang Qi left, he went to the place his brother had mentioned to look for a cub. At first, he thought he had gone to the wrong location since there was no cub in sight. But just as he was about to leave, the wounded cub stubbornly dragged itself to him—only then did Lang Ze realize he was in the right place.
As Bai Tu selected the medicine, he observed Lang Ze carefully and realized that he didn’t seem to recognize the injured cub as Lang Qi.
Bai Tu’s heart ached for Lang Qi, but at the same time, he felt uneasy about what had happened just days before. He had casually made up an excuse, telling everyone that Lang Ze had taken the cub away.
But now, Lang Ze had returned—with an injured wolf cub.
If someone in the tribe starts asking questions…
Fortunately, Lang Ze had already come to his own conclusion. “Tu, why did you give the cub to my brother? He’s the least reliable person! Look, the cub’s injured now.”
Lang Ze recognized the cub and knew it was his brother’s child. The cub had been doing fine while staying with Bai Tu, but then his brother had suddenly taken it back to the Blood Wolf Tribe, and now look what happened—it got hurt. Lang Ze muttered to himself, convinced that his brother was the most unqualified father ever. Worse yet, he was an even worse mate—he couldn’t even protect his own child properly.
Since they were the only two in the cave, Bai Tu had been about to respond when he suddenly heard Lang Ze’s criticism of Lang Qi. When Lang Ze mentioned “unqualified father,” Bai Tu paused for a moment.
Even though Lang Ze hadn’t said it outright, Bai Tu now understood—Lang Ze had mistaken the cub for Lang Qi’s child.
The good news was that this explanation actually fit with the story Bai Tu had told others earlier. Now he could simply say that Lang Qi had taken the cub, and that he hadn’t actually seen Lang Qi himself—just some other wolves who had come to pick up the cub. He had assumed it was arranged by Lang Ze, but in reality, it was Lang Qi all along.
The bad news was that, for as long as it took for Lang Qi’s wounds to heal, he would have to keep pretending to be his own son.
Bai Tu wondered how Lang Qi would explain his absence in the future. This is exactly why lying is a bad idea—one lie always leads to another.
While Bai Tu was lost in thought, Lang Ze circled the cub twice, then turned to him and said, “Tu, you should keep the cub here. You take much better care of him. If he stays with my brother, he’ll end up dead. Please, never give him back to my brother.” Lang Ze even swore on food to prove his point—his brother was not fit to raise a cub.
Bai Tu: “…”
The problem was, he couldn’t exactly not give the cub back… because, well, the cub was Lang Qi himself.
Bai Tu glanced at Lang Qi, who had already woken up, then back at Lang Ze, who was still badmouthing him. With a sigh, he decided to intervene—for the sake of Lang Ze’s survival.
“There’s food prepared in the tribe. Go grab some to eat and fill your stomach. I’ll ask the chief to have someone cook for you all.”
There were over a dozen wolves who had come this time, and they weren’t here just for snacks. Bai Tu guessed they had arrived right after a fight, meaning they were all probably starving. He couldn’t just let them go hungry.
After confirming that the cub’s injuries weren’t life-threatening—just that his body was unusually weak—Bai Tu finally felt some relief and was able to think about other matters.
Lang Ze agreed to go, but his complaints didn’t stop. After all, if he didn’t take this chance to rant, he might not get another one!
“It’s fine. My brother can’t hear me anyway.” Lang Ze declared confidently.
“The cub is still here,” Bai Tu reminded him. He really wanted to tell Lang Ze: Not only can your brother hear you, but he’s hearing everything loud and clear.
“He’s just a little kid. He won’t tattle on me.” Lang Ze said smugly, seizing the opportunity to keep grumbling.
Bai Tu: “…”
