Chapter 220
Hei Yan had come to help move firewood. Hei Xiao had stopped Bai Tu from carrying it in the morning because there were others to do the labor.
Originally, Hei Yan could have carried the stone pot as well, but he could only appear at night, while Bai Tu wanted to use it at the cave entrance during the day. With no other choice, Hei Xiao had to watch as his younger brother called Bai Qi for help.
Hei Yan was thrilled to be in the cave all day, but as soon as night fell, Hei Jian assigned him tasks before he could even do anything else.
After nightfall, he had to help Bai Tu move a pile of branches and fetch a few buckets of water to place at Bai Tu’s cave entrance… Hei Yan didn’t like doing work for anyone other than Hei Xiao, but he had no choice but to obey Hei Jian. He lingered inside the cave, stalling until Hei Jian was on the verge of getting angry, then finally came out.
Hei Xiao had instructed him not to be discovered by anyone in the tribe, especially not by Bai Tu. So, Hei Yan did his best to move quietly. To make things easier, he directly transformed into his eagle form and flew up—after all, no one would be paying attention to this area in the middle of the night.
He just didn’t expect to run into someone.
Lang Qi hadn’t expected that someone else would be sneaking around at this hour, just like him.
Glancing at Hei Yan, Lang Qi immediately recognized him—he had seen him before, sticking close to Hei Jian on their way back from the market.
If Hei Yan was appearing at this time, he clearly wasn’t entering openly. Lang Qi remained silent, first circling around the cave to check for any threats. Even though this was Bai Tu’s tribe, Lang Qi was still highly vigilant.
Seeing that Lang Qi was ignoring him, Hei Yan simply transformed back into his human form.
The animal pelt on his body conveniently draped over him as he walked forward, asking, “Hey, what’s your deal? When did you get here? How long have you been secretly staying in Bai Tu’s cave?”
Since Lang Qi had walked out of Bai Tu’s cave, Hei Yan assumed he had sneaked into the Snow Rabbit Tribe just like himself. Hei Yan didn’t think it was a big deal to visit a partner before the snow season, but Hei Jian didn’t want anyone in the tribe to know. He had insisted on waiting until later to tell Bai Tu they were mates, which Hei Yan found extremely frustrating.
But his complaints had been useless.
Now, however, all his frustration vanished.
Someone else was in the same situation as him!
They were both sneaking around—neither of them had the moral high ground.
Lang Qi glanced at Hei Yan but didn’t respond. After confirming there was no danger nearby, he decided to return to the cave.
Hei Yan, seeing that Lang Qi was leaving, immediately refused to let him go.
“No way! I’m moving firewood, so you go fetch water.” Hei Yan felt that doing all this work alone was unfair. Since Lang Qi was in the same position as him, they should split the labor evenly.
Lang Qi looked at him as if considering something. Just as Hei Yan was about to say more, Lang Qi nodded.
Satisfied, Hei Yan said, “Hurry up and shift into human form.”
Lang Qi stepped into the cave. A short while later, he emerged in human form. Due to his recent forced transformation back into an adult beast form, his body was somewhat weakened.
Seeing him in this condition, Hei Yan felt smug—sickly and weak, clearly not as strong as himself. Pleased with this realization, Hei Yan decided to be generous. “You get to choose first.”
“I can do anything,” Lang Qi replied, then coughed twice.
Hei Yan eyed him suspiciously. “You’re not going to deliberately slack off and drag me down, are you?” If Hei Xiao came to inspect their work and found it unfinished, he’d get punished too!
Hei Yan was on high alert.
“I won’t,” Lang Qi replied. “I’ll fetch the water.”
Watching Lang Qi walk off with the buckets, Hei Yan suddenly had an odd feeling—like he had been tricked.
But after thinking about it for a while, he couldn’t figure out why.
It was just fetching some water. What could be the problem?
When Lang Qi returned with the buckets, Hei Yan snapped out of his thoughts and went down the mountain to collect branches.
One fetched water, the other moved firewood. They didn’t speak to each other again.
…
As usual, Bai Tu opened his eyes in the morning—only to feel that something in his hands didn’t feel quite right.
Recalling the time he had fallen asleep holding Lang Qi’s tail, he hurriedly looked down at his hands.
Fortunately, It Was Just an Animal Pelt. But soon, Bai Tu realized something was off.
Where was Lang Qi?
In his adult beast form, Lang Qi was no longer as easy to hide as when he was a cub—he would be noticed no matter where he was. Bai Tu looked around but didn’t see him, so he went straight to the outer cave.
He wasn’t there either. Had he gone back to the wolf tribe?
Bai Tu frowned. Given Lang Qi’s personality, even if he were leaving, he would have told him first. Slipping away without a word wasn’t like him.
Worried that Lang Qi had run into trouble outside, Bai Tu hurried out of the cave.
The next moment, he froze at the cave entrance and slowly stepped back.
Never mind, never mind. He hadn’t seen anything.
Hei Xiao, seeing his brother’s reaction: “…”
At a time like this, was he really trying to deceive himself? With so many people outside, did he think avoiding the situation would solve anything?
Lang Qi, standing to the side, noticed Bai Tu’s little retreat and a faint smile flickered in his eyes. But it was so brief that no one caught it.
Hei Yan, on the other hand, was completely confused and had no idea what was going on.
Just as Bai Tu was about to retreat all the way back into the cave, Lang Qi, standing outside, suddenly coughed twice.
Bai Tu immediately remembered that Lang Qi had just recovered—not long ago, he couldn’t even shift into human form. Who knew how long he had been standing outside? Even though his brother was out there as well, Bai Tu could only grab an animal pelt and brace himself to step forward.
He noticed that Lang Qi was wearing a pelt that seemed to be the one he had left outside. It was thin and not big enough. The weather was already cold, and at night, he would surely freeze wearing so little.
Seeing his brother walk out holding the pelt, Hei Xiao instantly felt a sense of doom.
It was over.
Concern was often a sign of affection. His little brother had probably already fallen for Lang Qi.
Bai Tu didn’t notice his brother’s despair. He handed the pelt to Lang Qi and said, “The wind is strong outside.”
After speaking, he suddenly noticed something unusual—the nearby water buckets were all full, and there was a massive pile of firewood stacked outside the cave, enough to last at least ten days or more.
“Thank you.” Lang Qi reached out to take the pelt, and in doing so, he casually revealed the red marks on his hands.
As the leader of the wolf tribe, his body rarely retained scars, but he had deliberately worn those marks into his skin over the course of the night. If not for the sheer number of water buckets outside, he wouldn’t have been able to create such an effect.
Bai Tu immediately noticed the red marks, which looked exactly like those left by carrying heavy water buckets. He glanced at the pile of full buckets and was shocked. “You carried all this? Why did you do so much work right after recovering? Are you trying to kill yourself?”
He had never imagined that Lang Qi, having just returned to human form, would immediately start doing such strenuous labor.
“It’s fine. I’m not tired,” Lang Qi replied.
Hei Yan looked between Bai Tu and Lang Qi, sensing that something was off.
Just as he was trying to figure it out, Hei Xiao suddenly turned to him with a serious expression. “Didn’t I tell you to do these tasks? Why did you let Lang Qi do them?”
Hei Xiao had specifically assigned the work to Hei Yan, yet somehow, Hei Yan had pushed half of it onto Lang Qi? Hei Xiao didn’t even know what to say. The point of assigning the work to Hei Yan was that only their own people should be doing these tasks. Now that Lang Qi had done it, Hei Xiao couldn’t even find a legitimate excuse to keep him away from Bai Tu anymore.
Bai Tu disapprovingly glanced at Hei Yan. “I could’ve carried the water myself. Lang Qi isn’t in good health.”
In the past, he had always fetched his own water or traded food for the help of older cubs in the tribe. It was a little troublesome, but it was manageable.
Lang Qi suddenly grasped Bai Tu’s wrist and said, “I wanted to do it myself.”
Hei Yan: “…?”
Hei Yan: “…?”
Hei Yan: “…?”
How did things turn out like this?
Even after all three of them had finished eating, Hei Yan still didn’t understand. Both he and Lang Qi had done the work, but Bai Tu was now fussing over Lang Qi, making sure he was comfortable—while Hei Yan had ended up getting scolded by Hei Xiao instead.
Hei Xiao looked at the still-clueless Hei Yan, then at Lang Qi, who was still holding onto his younger brother’s wrist, and sighed.
Hei Yan couldn’t possibly understand Lang Qi’s thinking. Hei Xiao had originally wanted Hei Yan to do something useful in front of Bai Tu, to earn some goodwill so Bai Tu wouldn’t dislike Hei Yan. But now, not only had Hei Yan dragged a sickly, recently recovered Lang Qi into the work, but it had completely backfired.
If things had gone differently, Hei Xiao could have questioned why Lang Qi was in the tribe at all. He could have even used the excuse that Lang Qi had ulterior motives to keep him away from Bai Tu.
But now, regardless of Lang Qi’s true intentions, the fact that he had helped Bai Tu while still injured had put them in a difficult position.
…
Since he hadn’t fully recovered and had spent the whole night exposed to the cold wind, Lang Qi was forbidden from staying outside. He was forced to return to the cave to rest.
That left only Bai Tu, Hei Xiao, and Hei Yan outside.
“You should go back first,” Hei Xiao said to Hei Yan.
“Why?” Hei Yan frowned at him. The way he phrased it clearly meant he had to leave while Hei Xiao stayed behind. That wasn’t fair!
“We’ll talk when you get back. I need to discuss something with Bai Tu,” Hei Xiao said, then looked at Hei Yan. “You don’t want to leave?”
“I do! I do!” Hei Yan immediately agreed. If he didn’t, Hei Xiao would get mad. And if Hei Xiao got mad, it could mean he wouldn’t be allowed to stay in the Snow Rabbit Tribe for the winter. He had worked hard to secure the right to stay—he couldn’t risk being sent away.
Seeing that Hei Yan had finally behaved, Hei Xiao turned to Bai Tu and gestured toward the cave. “What’s going on? Didn’t Lang Qi leave the tribe? Why is he here?”
Actually, what he really wanted to ask was how long Lang Qi had been here. But his instincts told him that the answer would only frustrate him.
For the sake of his own sanity, he decided to skip that question.
Upon hearing this, Bai Tu glanced toward the cave.
Lang Qi, who was just beyond the entrance, noticed Bai Tu’s questioning look and immediately understood what he wanted to ask. He nodded in response.
Hei Xiao was Bai Tu’s older brother, and since Lang Qi had now recovered, it was acceptable to let Hei Xiao know about certain things—as long as he didn’t spread the information.
With Lang Qi’s confirmation, Bai Tu finally began explaining. “The wolf cub I picked up before was actually Lang Qi. His health wasn’t good, and for some reason, he reverted to a cub state. At the time, even he didn’t know it and behaved just like a real cub.”
Hei Xiao had expected that Lang Qi had been around for a while, but he hadn’t realized it had been that long. So, Lang Qi had been by his brother’s side for months—right under his nose!
During these past months, his little brother had taken that “cub” with him everywhere.
Hei Xiao took a deep breath, feeling the need to compose himself. But there were still things he needed to clarify. “Last time, you said Lang Ze took the cub away, but later you changed your story and said it was Lang Qi…”
Bai Tu nodded. “Yes, that’s right. After Lang Qi recovered, he left. But a few days later, he reverted to a cub again and was sent back by Lang Ze.”
Hei Xiao: “……”
He suddenly recalled how he had once thought that having a wolf cub around Bai Tu would help keep other beastmen at a distance. Now, he just wanted to go back and strangle his past self.
It had kept others away—but in hindsight, that had turned out to be the worst possible outcome.
He had spent so much effort guarding against the “big bad wolf” outside, only to realize that the wolf had been inside the tribe all along, and he hadn’t even noticed.
It took Hei Xiao quite a while to come to terms with this reality. But on the bright side, this also confirmed one thing—his brother’s concern for Lang Qi was because Lang Qi was sick, not for the reason he had feared.
A small relief, at least. Hei Xiao let out a sigh.
But while he was done asking questions, Bai Tu wasn’t.
“Brother, when did Hei Yan arrive?” Bai Tu glanced at the red marks on Hei Xiao’s neck and asked seriously, “What’s your relationship with him?”
Bai Tu wasn’t a clueless child—there was no way he would mistake those marks for simple scratches. The thought of it made him a little angry. He had no idea when Hei Yan had arrived, and the fact that he hadn’t noticed really frustrated him. Bai Tu regretted not paying more attention to his brother. If he had, he would have noticed something was off sooner.
Hei Xiao: “……”
Hei Yan had arrived two days ago. After settling the winter preparations for the Black Hawk Tribe, he had come straight here—alone, without bringing anyone with him, in a hurry.
Seeing how Hei Yan had flown for days without stopping, Hei Xiao hadn’t had the heart to send him away. But if they openly admitted Hei Yan’s arrival, others would immediately figure out why he was here. So, they had kept it quiet, planning to explain it to Bai Tu later, once the other eagles arrived.
Now that they had questioned each other, it was time to figure out how to deal with the issue of having one extra person to support through the winter.
First, there was Hei Yan—who would likely be staying in the Snow Rabbit Tribe for the season.
Hei Xiao had known all along that he would have to tell Bai Tu sooner or later. But before Bai Tu found out on his own, he had wanted to ease him into the idea first.
Otherwise, judging from Bai Tu’s previous attitude toward Hei Yan, his little brother probably wouldn’t be too pleased.
However, the attempt to gain favor failed on the very first day, and in the process, Lang Qi even managed to gain some sympathy. Hei Xiao didn’t know what to say about it—he could only blame himself for not emphasizing things clearly enough last night, which made Hei Yan think his purpose here was to work.
Thinking about this, Hei Xiao quickly forced himself to stop. If he kept dwelling on it, he probably wouldn’t be able to eat breakfast.
Bai Tu sighed. In truth, he didn’t have a strong impression of Hei Yan. His main concern was that Hei Yan was still young—would he take their relationship seriously? Moreover, the two tribes were so far apart that if anything happened, the Snow Rabbit Tribe wouldn’t even hear about it.
Bai Tu wasn’t trying to be pessimistic—he had simply seen too many situations like this before. Even in modern times, with advanced transportation and communication, long-distance relationships often faced problems. Let alone Hei Xiao and Hei Yan, who could go months without any news from each other. If something really went wrong… Bai Tu was genuinely worried about his brother getting hurt.
But Hei Xiao truly liked Hei Yan. Bai Tu was silent for a while, though he had already made up his mind. What else could he do? His brother was in love—he couldn’t be the villain who stood in the way. If Hei Xiao was unhappy, he himself wouldn’t feel good either.
So when it came to Hei Xiao and Hei Yan’s relationship, Bai Tu decided not to interfere too much—except for one condition.
“Brother, even if you have a partner, it should be your partner who comes to the Snow Rabbit Tribe, not you leaving with him.” The Snow Rabbit Tribe was their home, their people. If Hei Yan ever wronged Hei Xiao, they could back him up. But if Hei Xiao moved to the Black Hawk Tribe, it would be a different story. The two tribes were so far apart—if anything happened, there would be no way for them to support him.
“Of course!” Hei Xiao agreed immediately. He had no intention of leaving the Snow Rabbit Tribe, let alone leaving his brother behind.
He and Hei Yan had already discussed this before making their relationship official—he would not follow Hei Yan to the Black Hawk Tribe. Their arrangement was that things would remain as they were now: each staying in their own tribe most of the time. When the rainy or snowy season approached, Hei Yan would come over. During those times, the tribe usually had little to do, so even if the leader was away, it wouldn’t cause any major issues. As long as Hei Yan returned to his tribe before the season ended, it would be fine.
After hearing this, Bai Tu nodded. If that was really how it would be, he had no reason to object. He trusted that Hei Xiao would handle his relationship well. As long as Hei Xiao didn’t leave the Snow Rabbit Tribe, everything else was fine.
After settling the issue of Hei Xiao and Hei Yan’s future plans, the conversation shifted to someone else.
“When is Lang Qi leaving?” Hei Xiao asked seriously. Since his brother had no romantic interest in Lang Qi, and Lang Qi had come to their tribe only to recover from his injuries, now that he was healed, shouldn’t he be leaving?
“Once Lang—” Bai Tu was about to say that Lang Qi would leave once Lang Ze arrived when a sudden coughing fit echoed from the cave.
Although Lang Qi had coughed a little earlier, it was nothing compared to this violent, gut-wrenching cough. Bai Tu was startled and rushed inside.
“Lang Qi? Are you feeling unwell?” Bai Tu asked anxiously.
When Lang Qi had first transformed back from a cub into his adult form, Bai Tu had already sensed that something was off. Normally, recovery should follow a gradual process: from cub to human form, and then from human to full beast form. But Lang Qi had skipped a step—going straight from a cub to his adult beast form. It seemed more like a struggle between two poisons in his body, with one finally overpowering the other.
Now, he had finally reverted to his human form, but he looked sickly and fragile.
Beastmen rarely got sick due to their strong constitutions, but Lang Qi’s case was different. He had been carrying two types of poison in his body since childhood—there was no way he could be in good health.
His body was already weak, and on top of that, he had been through so much recently. Bai Tu was deeply worried. If Lang Qi could turn back into a cub again, at least he could recover slowly. But if he transformed into a cub while still sick, how would they care for him then?
Seeing Lang Qi’s face turn pale from coughing, Bai Tu grew even more alarmed.
“Sit down and rest. I’ll get you some hot water,” Bai Tu said. He still didn’t know what kind of poison was in Lang Qi’s body, nor did he have a way to cure it. The only thing he could do for now was try to ease his symptoms.
“I’m fine, I just choked a little,” Lang Qi shook his head. “No need to boil water.”
He knew that Bai Tu usually drank boiled water in the cave. Since there was no water ready, Bai Tu would have to fetch and heat some, which would be a hassle. Not wanting to trouble him, Lang Qi suppressed his urge to cough, took a moment to steady himself, and continued, “I’m already feeling much better. No need to go through the trouble. I’ll help you with cooking instead.”
With that, he stood up. While he had been in his cub or beast form, he hadn’t been able to do much to help. Now that he was back in human form, he wanted to contribute in some way.
“No, no need.” Bai Tu quickly shook his head and pressed Lang Qi back onto the stool. “Just rest properly. My brother and I will handle the food.”
With both him and Hei Xiao there—plus Hei Yan, who was lively and energetic in the neighboring cave—there was no reason to let a sick Lang Qi do the cooking. He wasn’t Hei Yan, after all.
Hei Xiao glanced at Lang Qi, then at his worried-looking younger brother, and sighed inwardly.
His brother had never said he liked Lang Qi, and Lang Qi’s presence here was solely for recovering from his injuries. This had reassured Hei Xiao, making him think he had been overthinking things. But looking at Bai Tu’s behavior now, this didn’t seem like a normal friendship at all.
When others were sick, Bai Tu would show concern and find the right medicine for them—but he had never been this anxious before. Now, he was bringing water, making meals, afraid that Lang Qi might be hungry or thirsty. It was exactly the way he had treated the little wolf cub before.
Thinking about how much Bai Tu had liked that cub—and how he had known since the rainy season that the cub was actually Lang Qi—Hei Xiao suddenly understood. Some things didn’t need to be spelled out. Bai Tu was just short of openly confirming their relationship. Even if they weren’t partners now, it was only a matter of time.
If Hei Yan weren’t in the tribe, Hei Xiao could still use Bai Tu’s young age as an excuse to intervene. But Hei Yan and Bai Tu were the same age—so he couldn’t justify stopping them based on that. The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became.
Without another word, Hei Xiao went straight to Bai An and requested a separate cave for Hei Yan.
Hei Yan felt like this was his unluckiest day. Not only was Hei Xiao inexplicably angry at him, but now he was being forced to move into another cave.
Hearing this news, Hei Yan felt like the sky was falling. He had hurried to the Snow Rabbit Tribe as soon as possible just to spend more time with Hei Xiao—only for this to happen. Now, he had to live separately, which was no different from not being in the tribe at all!
Things hadn’t been like this just yesterday!
But Hei Yan’s protests were useless.
Thinking about how his younger brother was about to be “carried off by the big-tailed wolf,” Hei Xiao grew even more frustrated and firmly decided that Hei Yan had to have his own separate cave.
—
Originally, Bai Tu had planned to let Lang Qi leave with Lang Ze once he arrived in the next couple of days. But after Lang Qi’s severe coughing fit earlier in the day, Bai Tu got scared.
After discussing it with Lang Qi, he decided it would be best for him to stay in the Snow Rabbit Tribe a little longer.
After all, the snowy season was about to begin. Even if he returned to his own tribe, there wouldn’t be much to do—so it didn’t matter where he stayed.
When Lang Qi heard this, he hesitated for a moment but then nodded in agreement.
Only then did Bai Tu feel relieved. His biggest worry was that Lang Qi wouldn’t take his own health seriously. Fortunately, Lang Qi wasn’t that kind of person—he was obedient and did whatever he was told.
Bai Tu was pleased, but at the same time, a bit concerned. Lang Qi was too self-sacrificing.
Take the morning, for example—Hei Yan had made him work, and even though Lang Qi could have explained that he wasn’t feeling well, he said nothing.
Not only did he work, but he also insisted on filling every single water bucket. Bai Tu had brought so many tools just for convenience—yet Lang Qi hadn’t left a single bucket empty. He carried all that water from the foot of the mountain to the top. The workload was heavy for anyone, let alone someone who was still recovering.
Bai Tu sighed. Why was Lang Qi so stubborn? If he had just explained that he wasn’t feeling well or taken a small break, he wouldn’t be suffering now.
Seeing Lang Qi cough every now and then, Bai Tu rummaged through the tribe’s supplies and found a few pears. He cut them into pieces, planning to make some pear soup for Lang Qi.
A little rock sugar would make it even better—but never mind rock sugar, even mildly sweet things were rare in the tribe. Only some ripe fruits had a bit of natural sweetness. But right now, Lang Qi couldn’t eat just anything.
Hei Xiao wasn’t surprised to hear that Lang Qi would be staying in the Snow Rabbit Tribe longer—he had already guessed this outcome in the morning.
However, staying in the tribe was one thing—but did they have to live together?
Bai Tu suddenly realized that since his brother had figured it out, there was no point in hiding anything anymore.
Previously, Lang Qi had been staying in his cave, unable to go out during the day. Thinking about it, that must have been frustrating.
At first, they had shared a cave because they were afraid others would discover Lang Qi’s identity. But now that that concern was gone, they didn’t have to keep squeezing into the same space.
Bai Tu didn’t mind much—after all, he had been sleeping in his bed, while Lang Qi had been sleeping on the floor the whole time.
Thinking of the cave Hei Xiao had arranged for Hei Yan, Bai Tu asked, “Why don’t you move into Hei Yan’s cave?”
The small caves in the tribe had long been taken. Caves like the ones Hei Xiao and Bai Tu lived in were usually only big enough for one or two people, making them popular among unmated beastmen.
Slightly larger caves were typically assigned to beastmen with cubs. As it happened, the only two remaining caves in the tribe were of that larger type. Bai An picked one close to Hei Xiao and gave it to Hei Yan. The layout of this cave was similar to Bai Tu’s, but both the outer chamber and the bedroom were more spacious. Even if Lang Qi transformed into his beast form, he wouldn’t feel cramped inside.
There were still a few empty caves in the tribe, but since Hei Jian had just spoken to the chief that morning, asking again so soon would seem excessive. If the two brothers took four caves while some beastmen families of five or six had to share just one, wouldn’t that be unfair?
Bai Tu thought about it. If it didn’t work out, he could move in with Hei Xiao and let Lang Qi stay in his cave instead. That way, they wouldn’t have to trouble Bai An. Bai An was easygoing, but they couldn’t take advantage of that. They should use as few of the tribe’s resources as possible.
After Bai Tu voiced this idea, Hei Jian immediately nodded. “That works. He can move into that cave.”
This arrangement had another benefit—Hei Yan could keep an eye on Lang Qi. Hei Xiao thought to himself that his younger brother was still too young. He couldn’t let him suffer a loss.
Hei Yan had just come to terms with the fact that he might have to live alone in a cave—only to be hit with another shocking piece of news.
Lang Qi was moving into his cave!!!
Hei Yan was completely stunned. Didn’t this mean he wouldn’t be able to sneak out at night anymore?
He had originally planned to return to the cave at night and then quietly slip out to find Hei Xiao. But now, with someone else there, how could he do that?
Hei Yan wanted to refuse, but his opinion didn’t matter. Of the three people present, not one of them cared what he thought.
He glared at Lang Qi. Last night, Lang Qi hadn’t acted like this at all!
Now he realized—Lang Qi behaved completely differently when dealing with him versus Bai Tu. He was just playing the victim!
Hei Yan had never been at such a disadvantage before, and he felt utterly wronged. But Hei Xiao also believed that sneaking out in the middle of the night was wrong, leaving Hei Yan with no one to complain to.
Lang Qi agreed, and Hei Yan’s objections were ignored.
If he had been in his own tribe, he could have barged into Hei Jian’s cave and refused to accept this arrangement. But this was the Snow Rabbit Tribe. If he angered Hei Jian too much, he might end up single for the next three months.
That thought alone sent a chill down his spine.
No way. Absolutely not.
He would just have to endure for a few days.
Once Lang Qi left, he would be free again, Hei Yan thought.
—
Late at night, Lang Qi and Hei Yan were both inside the cave, each leaning against opposite stone walls, leaving the largest space in the middle.
Lang Qi glanced at Hei Yan, then closed his eyes to rest, planning to slip out once Hei Yan fell asleep.
Hei Yan, on the other hand, was staring at Lang Qi, intending to sneak out to find Hei Xiao once Lang Qi was asleep.
Neither wanted to fall asleep first.
And so, the two of them stubbornly stayed awake—until dawn.
As the faint morning light seeped in and the sounds of movement outside reached them, Lang Qi snapped back to reality and began questioning himself.
Why had he insisted on staying up all night over something so trivial?
Lang Qi wondered if his simple-minded thinking from his time as a cub was still affecting him.
Shaking off the thought, he got up to wash up.
Since his eyes had been closed most of the night, he was only a little tired. But Hei Yan, who had stared at him the whole time, had red-rimmed eyes from staying up all night.
The moment Lang Qi got up, Hei Yan immediately followed.
He had to put on a good performance and convince Hei Xiao to let him move back in as soon as possible!
No way could he let Lang Qi outdo him.
After washing his face, Lang Qi felt a little more awake and less competitive than before.
Seeing Hei Yan so fired up, he remained silent.
But Hei Yan, having suffered two recent setbacks, was on high alert. “What are you thinking now?”
He had a strong feeling that no matter what Lang Qi did—or didn’t do—he would somehow end up at a disadvantage.
Like the other night.
All he had done was ask Lang Qi to fetch some water—something Lang Qi had agreed to voluntarily.
Yet somehow, he had been scolded by both Hei Xiao and Bai Tu, and on top of that, he had been kicked out to live in this cave.
The happy life he had enjoyed just days ago was completely gone.
For example, just last night—everything had been fine. He had been living comfortably in the spacious cave all by himself. But for some reason, Lang Qi suddenly moved in!
Because of that, he couldn’t sneak out the whole night. After all, Hei Jian had told him to keep an eye on Lang Qi. Since Lang Qi wasn’t sleeping, he didn’t dare to rest either. He had no choice but to stay up until dawn.
Hei Yan decided he needed to tell Hei Xiao about this. Lang Qi had stayed awake all night—he must have been up to something. As for what exactly, judging from his own habits, Hei Yan was convinced that Lang Qi had wanted to go see Bai Tu.
He had to report this and, at the same time, take credit for himself. If he hadn’t kept watch all night, Lang Qi would have definitely snuck out.
Once Lang Qi returned to the Blood Wolf Tribe, he would go to Hei Jian and demand a reward. Hei Yan was already making plans in his head—Hei Xiao owed him big for this.
Lost in his daydreams, Hei Yan walked out of the cave and headed toward the cooking area. That was when he saw Bai Tu helping Lang Qi fill his bowl with food.
Meanwhile, his own bowl sat there all alone—because Hei Xiao had already served himself and started eating.
At that moment, Hei Yan felt the injustice of life.
He and Lang Qi were in similar positions, yet Lang Qi was treated far better. Was this the benefit of being sick?
Maybe he should fall ill too.
If he got sick, would Hei Jian take care of him like this? Would he speak to him gently, show concern for his well-being, and not refuse any of his requests?
The more he thought about it, the more he started feeling aches in his back and legs.
Recalling Lang Qi from yesterday, Hei Yan adjusted his expression and weakly leaned against a nearby rock.
Hei Xiao was eating when he heard a noise behind him. He turned around and saw Hei Yan—but something was off about him. Immediately, he asked, “Yan, what’s wrong?”
Bai Tu, who was serving food, and Lang Qi, who was watching him, both followed Hei Xiao’s gaze and saw Hei Yan’s pale expression—one puzzled, the other concerned.
Lang Qi clearly remembered that when he came out earlier, Hei Yan had looked perfectly fine. What had happened in just a short time?
Meanwhile, Bai Tu recalled that Hei Yan hadn’t seemed very happy when he was forced to move into the new cave yesterday. Could he have gotten sick from anger?
He had heard that some birds could actually fall ill from stress, and certain bad-tempered ones could even die from it.
Hei Yan belonged to the Feather Tribe. He wasn’t exactly a bird, but beastmen often had instincts similar to their beast forms—like how Rabbit Tribe members loved digging burrows. So, maybe the Feather Tribe had some bird-like traits too?
With this thought in mind, Bai Tu walked over to check on him.
Tears welled up in Hei Yan’s eyes.
“Probably got exhausted from carrying wood yesterday,” Hei Yan said, hoping to earn sympathy from the two brothers.
He really had it rough. He had flown for days to get from the Black Hawk Tribe to the Snow Rabbit Tribe. After arriving, he had only spent two days being close to Hei Jian before getting kicked out. Then, last night, he had stayed up all night supervising Lang Qi. It was truly a heartbreaking story!
Hei Xiao, who had gotten there first, carefully examined him. Then, he let go of the hand he had placed on Hei Yan, gave a cold “Oh, then you’re fine,” and turned back to his meal without another word.
“…Huh?” Bai Tu looked at the tall, muscular Hei Yan and suddenly worried about his brother’s future happiness. How could someone so strong be this weak?
Hei Yan: “???”
This… this wasn’t how it was supposed to go!
