Chapter 228
Blood Wolf Tribe, Eastern Continent of the Beast God Land
Winter was usually a dreadful season because everyone was confined to their caves, but this year was different. The tribe had received numerous pieces of good news. In recent years, the birth rate of cubs had increased significantly, and this year was no exception. Even more exciting was that the tribe’s healer had given birth to a second cub.
The healer of the Blood Wolf Tribe was named Bai Luo. He appeared incredibly young, looking the same as he did a few years ago, with no traces of aging on his face. Despite his youthful appearance, no one in the tribe dared to disrespect him. Before reaching adulthood, he had already been capable of treating the wounded independently. Over the years, his medical skills had improved, and he had saved countless beastmen.
Bai Luo had a mysterious mate who only appeared occasionally. Just when the tribe members were about to forget about him, he would show up briefly, only to disappear again. People had grown accustomed to the healer’s mate vanishing for long periods, but when they heard about the birth of a second cub, they were still somewhat surprised.
Everyone was curious about the newborn cub, but newly delivered sub-beasts and female beastmen did not allow others near their caves. In the end, only Lang Shui, the mate of the tribe leader, was permitted to enter Bai Luo’s cave.
Lang Shui brought along his second son, who had yet to shift into human form.
Before joining the Blood Wolf Tribe, Lang Shui was the chief of the White Wolf Tribe. He was stronger than many beastmen, and his mate, Lang Huo, was an elite warrior of the tribe. They had two cubs—one was already seven years old, while the younger one was three. Normally, the younger cub should have undergone its first transformation this year, but even after turning three, it showed no signs of shifting into human form.
In most cases, the earlier a cub transformed, the stronger it would be. This was a widely accepted fact among beastmen. Lang Shui’s first son had successfully shifted at two and a half years old. Though they didn’t set high expectations for the second cub or compare it with the first, they only wished for it to be healthy.
Unfortunately, even such a simple wish had not been fulfilled. As time passed, Lang Shui and Lang Huo became increasingly anxious. Worried that something might be wrong with their cub, Lang Shui had started bringing it everywhere, even when visiting the healer.
Inside the cave, unlike other sub-beasts who had just given birth, Bai Luo had already reverted to his human form and was resting with his eyes closed. Upon hearing footsteps, he opened his eyes, confirming that only Lang Shui and the cub had entered before relaxing. Beside him was the newborn cub—a tiny bundle, barely half the size of Lang Shui’s fist. Unlike most newborns, who were either hairless or had sparse fur, this cub was strikingly beautiful, covered in pure white fluff.
Lang Shui placed his rough-skinned cub on his shoulder before adding more firewood to the cave’s bonfire and preparing food for Bai Luo and his children.
Nearby, Bai Luo’s older cub, Heijian, who was about the same age as Lang Shui’s younger son, had already shifted into human form. He was quietly sitting beside the tiny rabbit cub, protectively pulling it closer upon noticing Lang Shui’s arrival.
Lang Shui glanced at the well-behaved Heijian, then at his own cub, who had yet to shift, and let out a silent sigh.
The little wolf cub on Lang Shui’s shoulder remained still at first, but upon seeing Heijian, it barely reacted. However, when it spotted the small rabbit cub beside Heijian, it paused slightly before struggling to climb down.
Lang Shui, accustomed to his cub’s frequent attempts to jump down, didn’t stop him. More importantly, he knew he couldn’t stop him even if he tried.
At three years old, the cub had already passed its most vulnerable stage. It had grown significantly more agile and physically stronger than before. Last year, Lang Shui had still been able to catch him—this year, however, he was too fast, easily slipping into spots where adults couldn’t reach. As long as the cub remained within sight, Lang Shui generally did not interfere. He simply reminded him not to leave the cave before continuing to prepare food.
Focused on cooking, Lang Shui failed to notice that after landing on the ground, the little wolf cub’s full attention was on the rabbit cub ahead.
Hei Xiao, who had been watching over his sleeping younger brother, immediately sensed something was off. He carefully cradled the tiny rabbit cub in his arms and moved away from the fierce-looking little wolf.
Seeing the rabbit cub being taken away, the wolf cub analyzed Hei Xiao, then looked down at himself. Although he had grown stronger over the past three years, his size hadn’t changed much.
Despite being a sub-beast, Hei Xiao’s human form was about the same size as other cubs’ human forms, making him noticeably taller than the wolf cub. The wolf cub quickly assessed that forcefully snatching the rabbit cub would lead to a disadvantageous outcome, so he took a step back.
This was a common signal among cubs during their playful fights—retreat meant surrender.
Hei Xiao, who was familiar with these signals, understood that the wolf cub had given up on taking his brother. He carefully placed the tiny rabbit cub back into its nest, which was lined with the softest beast pelts, and covered him with another pelt before returning to his original position, making sure not to disturb his exhausted father or his infant brother.
A short distance away, the little wolf cub stealthily adjusted his position, inching closer to the tiny rabbit.
His movements were so light that no one noticed except for the sleeping rabbit cub, whose ears twitched slightly as if he had heard something.
The little wolf cub stared at the rabbit cub intently, opening his mouth slightly as if to test whether he could carry it. Even though the rabbit cub was small, the wolf cub quickly realized he couldn’t pick it up with his current strength. While he was used to dragging around other cubs during play, he hesitated when it came to this rabbit.
There was only one solution left…
The little wolf cub squatted in place, glancing around. Bai Luo was resting with his eyes closed. Lang Shui was preparing food, facing away from them. Hei Jian had just finished checking on the little rabbit and had been distracted by something else.
Seizing the moment when no one was looking at him or the little rabbit, the wolf cub quickly transformed into human form and, with an unexpected burst of speed, dashed over, scooping up both the little rabbit and the animal pelt.
Bai Luo opened his eyes immediately but was still too late to catch the wolf cub’s movements.
By the time Lang Shui realized what was happening, she saw her own child—who was moving with an agility completely uncharacteristic of someone transforming for the first time—stealing the healer’s baby and running outside.
No matter how much she had seen in her life, Lang Shui had never encountered something like this before.
Beastmen never guarded themselves against their own young’s scent, which was often why mischievous cubs went unnoticed by adult beastmen. But in all situations, this had never included stealing someone else’s child!
Lang Shui abandoned the food preparations, tossing aside what she was holding, and immediately gave chase.
If it had just been her own cub, she wouldn’t have been so worried. But now, there was also a newborn rabbit. Lang Shui desperately wished she could hand her child over to her mate for a good scolding.
As if knowing her thoughts, the cub turned back and ran into the cave the moment she reached the entrance.
Right outside Bai Luo’s residence was the sacred site where he worshiped the Beast God. The outer room contained various stone tables, stools, and gifts of food. Bai Luo would normally distribute this food to the tribe’s cubs, but since he had just given birth, he hadn’t had the chance yet, leaving half the room cluttered with supplies.
The little wolf cub, now in human form, used the scattered items as cover, darting around while still holding the rabbit. Seeing Lang Shui closing in, he crawled under a table.
After a few failed attempts, Lang Shui gave up the chase, afraid of scaring the cub into accidentally hurting the healer’s newborn.
“Qi, give me the baby! This is the healer’s child—you can’t just carry it around like that! The baby will get cold!” Lang Shui pleaded anxiously. “Come out, now.”
The addressed cub hugged the little rabbit even tighter and responded fluently, “No! It won’t be cold!” As he spoke, he wrapped the pelt around the baby more securely, holding it firmly.
Lang Shui: “……”
When Lang Qi had grabbed the baby, he had also taken the pelt. Now, one piece was draped over his shoulders while the other was wrapped around the rabbit. The baby certainly wouldn’t be cold—but that wasn’t the point!
“The healer will be worried, Lang Qi,” Lang Shui said sternly. “It’s cold outside the nest. You might not feel it, but the baby will.”
Even though she had seen Lang Qi wrapping the rabbit up, Lang Shui still wasn’t reassured.
But her serious tone had no effect on the little wolf cub. Hugging the rabbit tightly, Lang Qi slipped out from under the table and dashed toward the inner room.
Bai Luo was slowly walking out and, upon seeing this unfamiliar yet somewhat familiar child, instantly understood that it was Lang Qi. His gaze landed on the rabbit in Lang Qi’s arms, and he reached out to take it.
Lang Qi still refused to let go, though his attitude softened slightly. “I will protect the baby!”
“Then sit over there and protect him. Don’t run around—the baby will wake up,” Bai Luo instructed, pointing to the place where the little rabbit had been sleeping earlier.
Hearing that he was being asked to guard rather than give up the baby entirely, Lang Qi hesitated but did not outright refuse this time. He carefully placed the little rabbit back in its sleeping spot, blocking Hei Xiao from approaching while scrutinizing Bai Luo to determine whether he was being truthful.
Bai Luo let him stare as long as he wanted and then reminded him, “The baby will need to eat soon. Will you feed him?”
Lang Qi had never been fed before—he had always eaten on his own. He was about to shake his head but then glanced down at the sleepy little rabbit, who had been woken up by their conversation. The baby looked drowsy and clung to Bai Luo’s finger, rubbing against it affectionately before dozing off again.
Lang Qi reconsidered and changed his answer: “I will!”
Even if he didn’t know how, he could learn.
Bai Luo, hearing this, did not question him. He simply patted the newborn rabbit and said, “Alright, then you’ll feed him later.”
The little rabbit nuzzled his father’s fingers. Newborns were supposed to be unaware of their surroundings, but some could instinctively recognize their parents. Bai Luo’s baby had been carried for four months—longer than most—and was therefore more intelligent. However, he was also a bit lazy. Sensing no danger nearby, he rubbed against Bai Luo twice and went right back to sleep.
Seeing this, Lang Qi adjusted the pelt to make sure the little rabbit was properly covered.
Lang Shui had followed them in, feeling utterly helpless.
From Lang Qi’s agility and speech, it was obvious—this was not a cub transforming for the first time.
Lang Shui finally realized the truth:
Lang Qi had never been unable to transform. He had simply thought turning into human form was boring, so he had never done it.
Now that he had found something he wanted, he had transformed without anyone needing to teach him.
Her son had chosen this moment to take human form, and Lang Shui didn’t know whether to be angry or proud. She felt an overwhelming urge to grab him and give him a good scolding—but at the same time, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
She decided to leave the disciplining to her mate and went back to preparing food for Bai Luo and his children.
After setting aside Bai Luo’s portion, Lang Shui started cooking for the little rabbit.
Unlike female beastmen, who could nurse their young, beastmen who gave birth as sub-beasts had to prepare alternative food for their infants.
On the Beast God Continent, there was a special type of tree that bore fruit about the size of an adult’s palm. The fruit resembled a specific kind from the Southern Continent, but instead of being hard, its interior contained a nutritious liquid ideal for young cubs.
At first, no one thought much of these trees. However, over time, they noticed a pattern: whenever a sub-beast in the tribe gave birth, more of these fruits would grow nearby. If no sub-beasts had newborns, the trees wouldn’t bear fruit at all.
Realizing that these trees were gifts from the Beast God specifically for the nourishment of sub-beast cubs, the tribespeople named the fruit Milk Fruit.
Although quite large, most of the fruit was shell. The good part was that it could be boiled whole, and once heated, it could be opened to feed the baby inside.
Lang Shui prepared the fruit and brought it to where the little rabbit and Lang Qi were. But upon arriving, she hesitated.
Older cubs often tried to take food from younger ones. Since she had no smaller cubs at home, she had never needed to worry about this before. But since Milk Fruit was particularly enticing to young ones, she wasn’t sure if Lang Qi would resist the temptation.
To her surprise, Lang Qi showed no intention of stealing the food. Instead, he proactively picked up the little rabbit and, seeing that Lang Shui was hesitating, urged, “Why aren’t you feeding him?”
His eyes were full of disapproval, as if scolding Lang Shui for being too slow in feeding the baby.
Lang Shui: “……”
