Chapter 221
Reality taught Hei Yan that life would never go completely smoothly. After pretending to be sick, not only did he fail to gain any sympathy, but Bai Tu even made him drink bitter medicine!
Bai Tu felt that as a younger brother, he should support his older brother. Since Hei Jian liked Hei Yan and had liked him for such a long time, there was no way he would break things off just because Hei Yan was a little weak. There wasn’t much Bai Tu could do, so he decided to at least help improve Hei Yan’s health. Thus, while preparing medicine for Lang Qi, he casually made a portion for Hei Yan as well.
Lang Qi wasn’t exactly sick, but his body felt weaker than usual. Bai Tu wasn’t sure what those two toxins in his system were, so he didn’t dare use strong medicine—he could only provide some mild nourishment. The same medicine could be safely consumed by others as well. Since Bai Tu and Hei Xiao were both perfectly healthy, they had no need to drink it, which left only Hei Yan, who had been pretending to be weak.
Even if a healthy person drank this tonic, it wouldn’t have any real side effects—the only downside was that it tasted incredibly bitter. At first, Hei Xiao was worried about making Hei Yan take medicine, but upon hearing that it had no harmful effects, he immediately helped feed it to him.
Hei Yan hadn’t wanted to drink it, but since Hei Jian was personally feeding him, he had no choice. Even if it had been poison instead of medicine, he probably would have swallowed it without hesitation.
After taking the medicine, he missed Hei Xiao even more. But lately, Hei Jian had been extremely strict—every night as soon as it got dark, he would force Hei Yan to return to the cave next door. Hei Yan tried to find excuses to stay, but none of them worked. In the end, he could only walk back reluctantly, turning back every few steps.
This torturous routine finally came to an end when Lang Ze arrived.
Hei Yan had never really liked Lang Ze before, but this time, for the first time ever, he felt that Lang Ze wasn’t such a bad person after all. He even took the initiative to greet him when he saw him.
However, in Lang Ze’s eyes, Hei Yan’s attempt at friendliness was nothing but suspicious.
Just as Hei Yan greeted him, Lang Ze instinctively wanted to back away as far as possible. “If you have something to say, say it properly. Why are you standing so close to me?” Given their relationship, it was unlikely Hei Yan wanted to whisper secrets to him—it was far more likely that he was looking for an opportunity to attack! Lang Ze stared at Hei Yan with a wary expression, as if to say, I see right through you. Don’t even think about pulling any tricks.
Hei Yan snorted. “Who wants to be close to you? Hurry up and take your brother away!” He couldn’t stand another day of this life!
“…My brother? My brother came back? Where is he?!” Lang Ze was stunned. He hadn’t expected Hei Yan to be talking about that. His brother had gone off to drive away the wolves and hadn’t returned yet. So he hadn’t gone back to their tribe—he had come straight to the Snow Rabbit Tribe instead? But if he was here, why hadn’t he come back home?
Just as Lang Ze was puzzling over this, he spotted a familiar figure descending from the mountain. When he got a clear look, he was instantly overjoyed. “Brother!”
Hei Yan wasn’t lying—his brother really had returned! The excitement completely clouded Lang Ze’s mind. But his brother didn’t seem particularly happy about his arrival.
Lang Qi glanced at his younger brother, thought for a moment, then said, “Go back to the tribe first. I’m staying in the Snow Rabbit Tribe for a while.”
“…Huh?” Lang Ze was dumbfounded. Everything seemed fine—why was his brother staying here? Was he staying to take care of the cub? But… where was the cub?
Lang Ze looked around. He spotted Bai Tu not far behind Lang Qi, but he didn’t see any sign of the cub. That was strange. Bai Tu always kept the cub close by, and whenever he had to leave the cub behind, he would rush back anxiously. But today, he didn’t seem worried at all. He was acting completely different from before.
“What?!” Lang Ze was confused, but Hei Yan was outright shocked.
He had been waiting for days, hoping that when the wolf clan arrived, Lang Qi—being their leader—would return with them. But now, after all that excitement, he had been happy for nothing. Lang Qi was staying in the Snow Rabbit Tribe after all. That meant Hei Yan would still have to watch over him every night, leaving him no chance to go see Hei Xiao.
Hei Yan fell into utter despair. He had a mate, yet he couldn’t even visit him—was there anything more miserable than this?
Lang Ze, unaware of Hei Yan’s suffering, looked around once more. Still no sign of the cub. He couldn’t help but ask, “Brother, where’s the cub?” He had no problem with Lang Qi staying here, but where was the little one?
Lang Qi fell silent for a moment. Bai Tu, who had been making his way down the mountain, also paused.
Over the past few days, they hadn’t really thought about how to explain the missing cub. The Snow Rabbit Tribe would be easy to fool—they could simply say the wolves had taken the cub, and no one here would go to the wolf tribe to confirm.
But Lang Ze was different. Even though he was young, he was still an adult beastman. He wouldn’t be so easily fooled. He had seen Lang Qi in his cub form many times before. If they tried to use another cub as a stand-in, Lang Ze would definitely notice.
“…I sent it away,” Lang Qi finally said, glancing at Bai Tu before adding, “Don’t bring it up again.”
Lang Ze was completely stunned. His brother had sent the cub away? And he didn’t want it mentioned ever again?
He looked at Lang Qi, then at Bai Tu. It felt like there was something between them that he didn’t understand. What could it be? And how did it relate to the cub?
Suddenly, an idea struck him.
When beastmen pursued a new mate, they would often send away their previous cubs. Some would place them in the tribe’s communal nursery, while others, more ruthless, would abandon them outside the tribe altogether.
Could it be that his brother wanted to become Bai Tu’s mate and had sent the cub away first?
The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became. He looked at his brother disapprovingly. “Tu really likes little wolf cubs!”
If a new mate didn’t like a beastman’s previous cubs, it made sense to send them away. But if the new mate did like cubs, then there was no need to get rid of them—they could raise the cub together. Bai Tu was such a good person, he would definitely take good care of a cub.
Lang Ze thought his brother was being an idiot. This was such a simple concept—why couldn’t he figure it out? Bai Tu loved little wolf cubs so much. There was no way he would refuse to be his brother’s mate just because of a cub.
“…What?” Lang Qi didn’t understand his brother’s reasoning at all. His frown deepened. He, of course, knew how much Bai Tu had liked him in his cub form. But he couldn’t stay in that form forever—that would only cause more problems.
A little distance away, Bai Tu overheard their conversation and sighed. He had liked little wolf cubs… but that cub had changed.
Lang Qi heard the sigh behind him, then turned back to his brother. Suddenly, he said, “Go back to the tribe. Bring the cub here.”
“…What cub?” Lang Ze was confused. Hadn’t his brother already sent the cub away?
“The two cubs with Ya,” Lang Qi said, looking at his brother. “Hurry up and bring them over.”
Their older brother and his mate had two cubs, but when the cubs were still very young, the couple passed away due to an accident. Since then, Lang Qi and his younger sister, Lang Ya, had taken turns raising them. Recently, he had been recovering from his injuries, so the cubs were likely with Lang Ya at the moment.
When it came to the cubs’ upbringing, Lang Ze was always left out of the discussion—he could barely take care of himself, let alone raise cubs properly.
As for why Lang Qi was sending Lang Ze to retrieve the cubs instead of going himself, he had his reasons. If he returned to the tribe now, leaving again would be difficult. He had been away for over half a year, and once back, it would take at least a few days before he could get out again. A few days might not seem long, but in that time, Bai Tu could meet other beastmen, and Hei Xiao would surely take every opportunity to tell Bai Tu about other beastmen’s cubs.
Everywhere he looked, there were threats. Lang Qi had to be cautious.
As for why he wanted to bring the cubs here—he knew exactly how much Bai Tu loved young cubs. Winning over Bai Tu alone was challenging, but with two little helpers, things would be different.
Lang Ze looked at his brother in disbelief. He sent away his own cub, only to bring their nephews here instead? He knows Bai Tu likes cubs but doesn’t want him to know about his own? Lang Ze could think of only one possible explanation.
“Brother, a mate you deceive will eventually leave,” Lang Ze warned him seriously.
A northern lion tribe had done something similar before—one of their beastmen told someone he liked that he was single, then brought that person back to the tribe. Only after arriving did the new mate realize that not only did the lion beastman already have a mate, but he also had several cubs. That same night, the deceived mate left and returned to his own tribe.
If Lang Qi deliberately hid the truth and tried to trick Bai Tu, then even if Bai Tu stayed with him because of his love for cubs, once he found out the truth, he would leave without hesitation.
Lang Qi’s gaze grew increasingly dangerous as he stared at his rambling younger brother.
But Lang Ze, ever fearless, stood his ground. “I won’t help you lie to Tu!” There was no way he would get involved in something like this.
“Brother, just tell Tu the truth,” Lang Ze urged sincerely. “What if he finds out later and ends up hating our whole tribe?”
Lang Ze wasn’t worried about his brother—he was worried about himself. If Bai Tu ended up resenting their tribe, that would mean no more delicious food for him!
Lang Qi: “……”
What should I do? My hands are itching to beat my brother up… but we’re in the Snow Rabbit Tribe, and Bai Tu is right here.
Suppressing the urge to discipline his younger brother, Lang Qi took a deep breath. “Tu already knows everything. Just go back and bring the cubs.”
The only useful thing Lang Ze had done today was remind him of the value of cubs. Right now, he couldn’t turn into a cub himself—not until their relationship changed. But he could bring the tribe’s other cubs over. Bai Tu loved cubs so much that he wouldn’t just kick Lang Qi out if he had them around.
With the cubs helping him keep Bai Tu’s attention, things would go much more smoothly.
The snowy season was long, and the tribe had few pressing matters—it was the perfect time to pursue a mate.
Bai Tu was unaware of the vastly different thoughts running through the brothers’ minds. His focus was entirely on their conversation about the cubs.
Was Lang Qi saying he was bringing new little wolf cubs here?
Seeing Bai Tu’s confused expression, Lang Qi explained, “They’re my brother’s cubs. They have no parents and are not yet three years old. One of them is frequently sick, so they haven’t shifted into human form yet and remain in their beast forms.”
Young beastmen usually shifted into their human forms around the age of three. However, if they were weak or malnourished, the process could take longer—some cubs didn’t shift until they were five or six. The later a cub shifted, the weaker their body tended to be.
Hearing that the cubs had lost their parents, Bai Tu felt a pang of sympathy. He had been about to refuse, but now, the words wouldn’t come.
If the cubs had living parents, Bai Tu would never have considered taking them in just because he liked young ones. However, these two were different—they had no parents and were usually taken care of by their uncle and aunt. From what Lang Qi and Lang Ze had said, it seemed the cubs hadn’t received the best care.
Piecing everything together, Bai Tu felt an overwhelming urge to bring the little wolf cubs over immediately and raise them properly.
Lang Ze, reassured after learning that Bai Tu already knew everything, returned to the tribe and brought the two cubs over.
When Bai Tu saw them, he was shocked. They were much smaller than he had imagined.
He had only seen a limited number of wolf cubs before, and the one that left the deepest impression on him was little Lang Qi. Though small at first, after Bai Tu had cared for him for a while, he had become chubby. Due to certain restrictions, Lang Qi had remained the same size as when they first met, but these two cubs were completely different.
To be fair, they didn’t look mistreated. Their fur was clean, their paws spotless—clear signs that they were bathed frequently or constantly carried around instead of crawling on the ground.
However, they looked weak. They weren’t skin and bones, but they lacked energy.
The weather was cold, so Bai Tu quickly wrapped the cubs in soft animal hides and held them close, asking Lang Ze, “Are they sick?”
It would have been more reliable to ask Lang Qi, but he had been away for a long time, whereas Lang Ze had just returned from the tribe, making him the better choice for this question.
Unexpectedly, Lang Qi was the one who answered.
After glancing at the cubs, he shook his head. “No, they’ve always been like this.”
Even before he had fallen ill, the cubs had been like this. In fact, they had been the same way even earlier, except that now they were slightly plumper than two years ago—though only just a little. When they did fall sick, any weight they had gained would quickly disappear, and it would take a long time to regain it.
Hei Xiao was somewhat displeased with the wolf tribe’s habit of casually sending cubs over, but since they were already here, there was no way he could send them back. Hearing Bai Tu’s concern, he explained, “They lost their parents at a very young age, so they might have trouble adjusting to their surroundings.”
The closest bonds a cub had were with their parents. If both parents passed away in a short period, the cubs would become extremely cautious. Even if other relatives took over their care, some cubs would still reject them.
However, this wasn’t common. Most cubs quickly became familiar with their new caretakers, and some even bonded with them at first sight. But these two seemed naturally wary.
Cubs like them often made excellent scouts when they grew up.
But looking at the tiny cubs curled up in his brother’s arms, Hei Xiao sighed. They were so small, nowhere near the size of typical two- or three-year-olds. If someone claimed they had just turned a month old, it wouldn’t seem unbelievable.
Would raising them properly help them grow to a normal size?
“The tribe was in chaos when they were little,” Lang Qi explained briefly. Back then, they had been tied up with various matters, so the cubs had been left with other beastmen for a while. By the time they had brought them back, they had already become like this.
For the past two years, Lang Qi and his sister had taken turns caring for the cubs. Despite all this time, the little ones remained timid, only showing a bit of liveliness when eating. Most of the time, they either hid in corners or watched them warily, as if afraid of being harmed rather than treating them as family.
“Are you sure it’s okay for me to take care of them?” Bai Tu, hearing all this, grew even more concerned. The cubs had already struggled with adjusting to new caretakers. Would sending them to him make them even more frightened?
“You can raise them,” Hei Xiao replied.
Though he didn’t like the wolves getting too close to his brother, the cubs were innocent in all this.
As for why the cubs were still so skittish, Hei Xiao suspected it was because they hadn’t yet adapted to their relatives’ scents. The wolf tribe was naturally aggressive, so the cubs, driven by instinct, avoided danger. Even if they didn’t recognize their surroundings, they could still sense the wolves’ threatening presence, which naturally made them afraid.
But with Bai Tu, things would be different. The cubs would undoubtedly feel safe.
Bai Tu trusted his brother’s judgment. Hearing Hei Xiao’s words, and feeling pity for the little cubs, he glanced at Lang Qi and made his decision.
“I’ll take care of them for now. If it doesn’t work out, we’ll find another solution.”
After all, their biological uncle was right here. If anything went wrong, he could always turn to Lang Qi.
With that thought, Bai Tu lowered his head to look at the two cubs in his arms. They had no idea what was happening outside. All they knew was that this embrace felt warm and comfortable, and they snuggled together, fast asleep.
Not wanting to disturb them, Bai Tu gently covered them with the animal hide again and got up to prepare food.
Hei Xiao watched Bai Tu carefully cradling the cubs, then shifted his gaze to Lang Qi, who was following closely beside him.
For a moment, he was speechless.
Why did this scene look so much like a family of four?
Lang Qi must have planned this all along.
As expected, the wolf tribe’s leader was full of schemes.
Hei Yan followed closely beside Hei Xiao. After Bai Tu and Lang Qi left, he asked, “Xiao, when will Lang Qi return to the wolf tribe?”
He really didn’t want to keep sleeping in the cave next to Hei Xiao’s—he wanted to move in with him.
Hei Xiao: “……”
How could there be such a huge difference between two mates?
With a sigh, Hei Xiao said, “You can move back tomorrow.”
Better to have him close than risk him getting bullied outside. Even ten of him combined wouldn’t be a match for Lang Qi.
Hei Xiao wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but every time he saw Lang Qi near his younger brother, he had a feeling that wolf was up to something.
Unaware of his mate’s thoughts, Hei Yan was completely focused on those three words—move back tomorrow. Afraid that if he hesitated, Hei Xiao might change his mind, he immediately agreed.
“Got it!”
Without wasting any time, he rushed to his temporary cave, gathered all his animal hides, and moved everything over to Hei Xiao’s place.
That evening, Bai Tu was feeding the cubs when Lang Qi suddenly said, “Hei Yan has moved out. The Eagle Tribe should be arriving soon. I’ll move out to make room for them.”
“Hm?” Bai Tu slowly processed those three statements.
First, Hei Yan had actually returned to his brother’s place.
Second, the Eagle Tribe’s arrival meant the tribe needed to provide a few caves for them.
And third, if Lang Qi moved out of his cave, where would he go?
Before Bai Tu could think it through, Lang Qi spoke again.
“I can just sleep in the outer room,” he said. “It’ll be convenient for protecting the cubs.”
Bai Tu didn’t doubt Lang Qi’s reasoning. After all, these were wolf cubs—specifically, the cubs of Lang Qi’s own older brother. Neither Lang Qi, Lang Ze, nor Lang Ya had mates, which meant these two little ones were the only next-generation cubs among them.
Protecting young ones was an instinct for beastmen. It was natural for Lang Qi to worry about the cubs’ safety and want to stay close.
After considering it for a moment, Bai Tu didn’t refuse the offer.
However, making Lang Qi sleep in the outer room seemed a bit too harsh. The entrance to the cave was mostly blocked off, but with the recent drop in temperature, the difference between inside and outside was like two different seasons.
“I’ll have someone make another bed,” Bai Tu decided.
The beds he had commissioned from the beastmen in the tribe were similar to wooden beds, with empty space underneath where he stored boxes filled with rarely used items.
The cave’s space was limited. If Lang Qi continued sleeping on the ground, not only would it be uncomfortable, but it would also make movement within the room difficult.
By adding another bed and storing animal hides underneath it, the available space in the room would remain about the same while giving Lang Qi a proper place to sleep.
But hearing Bai Tu’s plan, Lang Qi hesitated. “Would that be… inappropriate?”
Bai Tu waved a hand dismissively. “What’s so bad about it?”
Hei Yan had already moved back in with his brother, so Lang Qi didn’t need to stay around just to keep an eye on him.
Since that was the case, Lang Qi could live anywhere. Initially, Bai Tu had felt that making Lang Qi share a cave with him was unfair to the wolf, but with the Eagle Tribe arriving, the number of people in the caves would only increase. Compared to that, staying here seemed like the better option.
Bai Tu was a man of action. The next morning, he went straight to find some beastmen in the tribe to help make another wooden bed.
Hei Xiao, upon hearing this, was utterly speechless.
Hei Yan had just moved out, and Lang Qi was already moving openly into his younger brother’s cave?
He didn’t even know how to describe his feelings at that moment—he just found Lang Qi increasingly irritating.
Bai Tu, however, remained completely unaware of all this. As the weather grew colder, he was busy planning some renovations for the cave.
Previously, he had warned everyone against lighting fires inside the caves out of concern for ventilation issues. If the air couldn’t circulate properly, there was a risk of poisoning.
However, as the weather grew colder, more and more people came to ask Bai Tu for advice. Cooking outside in the freezing cold made their hands numb, and strong winds sometimes blew out their fires.
In the past, a few people had mysteriously passed away in their caves during winter, but the number was too small to raise major concern. If the cold wasn’t so severe, everyone would have willingly followed Bai Tu’s advice. But now, with the bitter wind piercing through their animal hides, they would rather risk a bit of danger than endure the freezing temperatures without fire inside their caves.
Bai Tu came up with a solution that balanced both safety and warmth: building a stove near the cave entrance with a chimney to vent the smoke outside. This way, they could cook indoors without the risk of suffocation.
However, this was not a task he could complete alone. Fortunately, he had a helper now.
Lang Qi followed Bai Tu’s instructions without question. When Bai Tu asked him to find suitable soil, he dug up several types and let Bai Tu choose. When Bai Tu explained how he wanted the stove to be built, Lang Qi immediately started working.
While Lang Qi was stacking stones to form the stove, Bai Tu began considering another idea—what if the tribe started making bricks?
Winters were long and harsh, with little to do besides raising young ones. After successfully introducing stoves to the tribe, Bai Tu began thinking about brick-making. Since bricks couldn’t be made in just a day or two, he first designed a kiln and decided to take a group of beastmen to a warmer spot to experiment.
Most beastmen spent their winters huddled in caves, sleeping most of the day with little to do. The moment Bai Tu mentioned needing a few volunteers, half the tribe showed up.
He didn’t actually need that many people, but the idle beastmen were unwilling to leave. The rainy season only lasted a month, and they barely had time to rest before it passed. However, winter lasted three months.
In previous years, they had spent half the winter worrying about food, constantly searching for ways to gather enough to eat. This year, their hunting had been abundant, and they even had animals in captivity. There was no fear of running out of food, so the tribe members felt at ease.
With their hunger satisfied, they began looking for other things to do. The first few days of rest were enjoyable, a well-earned break after months of hard work. But soon, boredom set in. When Bai Tu needed help, everyone rushed to volunteer.
It wasn’t just that they enjoyed working—there was another major reason.
Every time Bai Tu asked for help, he would prepare a feast afterward.
With an ample food supply, the tribe was no longer worried about starving. This made them more particular about their meals. The large, flavorless chunks of roasted meat they used to eat no longer appealed to them. They preferred the cooking methods Bai Tu had introduced—slicing meat into thin pieces and grilling them on hot stones, or cutting it into small cubes and skewering them on sharpened branches. With the seasonings Bai Tu provided, the flavors were far better than before.
Bai Tu’s culinary skills extended beyond just those few dishes, but he had been too busy raising a wolf cub. Now that the cub was gone, he had taken in two more young ones. With cubs to care for, Bai Tu rarely had the time to prepare large quantities of food unless, like now, he needed to reward the tribe for their work.
Even if there were no other incentives, the promise of food alone was enough to motivate them. Everyone wanted to secure a good spot, work hard, and earn the best meal possible.
Bai Tu was unaware of the impact his food innovations had on the beastmen. He was focused on choosing the right location.
Since Bai Tu wanted to get things done, Hei Xiao naturally supported him unconditionally—and even brought along an extra helper.
Hei Yan was slightly displeased that Hei Xiao had volunteered him to help Bai Tu, but he could only grumble to himself. He didn’t even dare say it out loud. When it was time to work, he had no choice but to do his part obediently. He even found himself competing with Lang Qi, comparing how much work he had done versus Lang Qi.
However, while helping out at the base of the mountain, Hei Yan soon noticed something odd—Lang Qi was deliberately showing off his relationship with Bai Tu, but Bai Tu never mentioned it at all!
Even with his not-so-bright mind, Hei Yan sensed that something wasn’t right. He quietly reported this to Hei Xiao.
After listening, Hei Xiao thought for a moment about Bai Tu’s attitude toward Lang Qi. They were very close, but if Bai Tu had publicly acknowledged Lang Qi as his mate, that had never happened.
Hei Xiao fell into deep thought. Had he misunderstood? Could it be that Bai Tu hadn’t actually accepted Lang Qi’s courtship? But if that were the case, why were they living in the same cave?
After pondering for a while, Hei Xiao decided to ask directly. If they weren’t truly mates, then he had guessed wrong. Rather than making assumptions, it was better to get a clear answer. Regardless of their relationship, it was frustrating to keep speculating.
At that moment, Bai Tu was inside the cave preparing food.
There were many beastmen working outside, and he couldn’t cook for all of them, but he could at least prepare some snacks. Besides, he still had to watch over the young cubs. Since Lang Qi had taken charge of the outside work, Bai Tu didn’t need to leave the cave.
When Hei Xiao entered the cave, the first thing he saw was a piece of animal hide draped over a stool in the outer chamber—it was obviously Lang Qi’s.
Back when Lang Qi had shared a cave with Hei Yan, he had been unwilling to let even a single piece of his fur touch someone else’s scent, going so far as to wrap himself completely in his own hides. But now, he had casually left his animal hide here—right in plain sight as soon as someone entered the cave.
More importantly, aside from this one piece of animal hide, everything else in the cave was meticulously arranged.
Staring at it, Hei Xiao couldn’t help but overthink things.
His instincts told him that Lang Qi had done this on purpose—to stake his claim and warn other beastmen.
Looking at his oblivious younger brother, who remained completely unaware of the situation, Hei Xiao felt exhausted. He sighed and asked directly, “Tu, be honest with me. You and Lang Qi—are you two mates or not?”
Bai Tu found the question amusing and replied, “No, of course not. Brother, why would you think that?”
Just as the words left his mouth, a heavy thud came from outside.
