Building a Civilization and Raising Cubs in the Beast World – CH41

Chapter 41

Hei Xiao quickly realized that the Snow Rabbit Tribe’s appeal wasn’t limited to their caves—their food was even more exceptional. 

Yesterday’s dried meat and mushroom soup were just appetizers. Today, he was introduced to a whole array of novel cooking methods.

Since heavy, greasy food wasn’t suitable for breakfast, Bai Tu made a light vegetable and meatball soup. 

Meatballs were tedious to prepare, and aside from when he had extra hands helping during travel, Bai Tu had only made them once two days ago. 

Most of the batch was reserved for the cubs, with Bai Tu keeping only a small portion for himself. He stored them in the cool area behind the mountain to preserve them, and Hei Xiao’s visit just happened to coincide with their availability—if he had come two days later, there likely wouldn’t have been any left.

Although the main ingredient was still meat, the flavor was entirely different due to the cooking method. 

Meatballs, with their more intricate preparation, had a unique appeal. After tasting them, Hei Xiao felt invigorated.

“I really want to stay here—or better yet, take you back with me,” Hei Xiao said while eating. “I’ve been to so many places, but your food is by far the best.”

“I knew it!” Hei Yan suddenly stormed into the room, full of indignation. 

He was just about to accuse Bai Tu of trying to steal Hei Xiao away when a meatball was stuffed into his mouth mid-sentence. Now, he was caught in an awkward dilemma—he couldn’t decide whether to keep speaking or stop.

“Eat up,” Hei Xiao urged. “Once you’re done, get to work.” 

They had only brought enough food for their journey to the Rabbit Tribe, so they needed to hunt for the trip back. This had already been decided the night before—today, Hei Yan and the others would join the Rabbit Tribe’s hunting team.

Hei Yan obediently swallowed the meatball. 

By the time he wanted to say something, his earlier momentum had dissipated. Hei Xiao handed him the half-eaten bowl of soup and said, “You might as well finish this too.”

Bai Tu strongly suspected that Hei Yan had overheard their earlier conversation. 

From breakfast until the hunting team’s departure, Hei Yan barely left Hei Xiao’s side, clinging to him like a shadow to prove just how attached he was.

Hei Yan also kept a vigilant eye on Bai Tu, still full of suspicion. 

In his mind, the Rabbit Tribe was too cunning—they were clearly trying to lure Hei Xiao with their delicious food. Even he had nearly succumbed! 

He swore to himself that next time, he absolutely wouldn’t eat anything from the Rabbit Tribe. Today, he would catch some prey and make Hei Xiao eat his cooking tonight!

Not wanting to bother with a child who hadn’t fully grown up yet, Bai Tu turned his attention to the defense plan after breakfast. 

Yesterday, he had only briefly discussed the general idea with Bai An. 

By this morning, most of the tribe had agreed to the trench-digging plan. 

After all, among the surrounding tribes, the Rabbit Tribe’s burrowing abilities were unmatched. 

Once the trench was complete, it would be nearly impossible for other beastmen to sneak in without alerting them. The defense system would be incredibly effective.

With the decision made, the next step was to determine the trench’s layout—where to dig, how large an area to include, and which parts to include within the defensive perimeter. 

Bai An, feeling unqualified to handle this, directly handed the task over to Bai Tu. This was essentially the blueprint for the entire project, and the final result depended on it. If there were mistakes in the design, redoing the trench would result in an enormous amount of additional work.

Hei Xiao, who only knew Bai Tu among the Rabbit Tribe and wasn’t interested in mingling with the others, simply followed Bai Tu around. 

Since the trench wasn’t a secret project, Bai Tu naturally didn’t mind having him along. Besides, it would be boring to work alone. Bai Tu grabbed two thin wooden boards and led Hei Xiao on a walk around the mountain.

The Rabbit Tribe’s love and skill for digging were on full display in their caves. 

After circling the area, Bai Tu estimated that there were at least a hundred caves—this didn’t even include the more hidden ones that couldn’t be seen from the base of the mountain. 

Fortunately, the mountain was large and solid, or else it might have collapsed long ago from all the digging.

After gaining a general understanding of the surrounding terrain and vegetation, Bai Tu finalized his plan. 

The entrance and exit would be on the southern side, as the south was where the Rabbit Tribe often went hunting. That area connected to the Wolf Tribe’s territory, which was relatively safe and the most frequently traveled path. It made sense to keep it accessible.

The eastern side had a patch of corn, and beyond that was also part of the Wolf Tribe’s territory. 

The west, north, and southwest were bordered by the Bear Tribe, Lion Tribe, and Deer Tribe, respectively. 

Bai Tu made a few marks on the wooden board, planning to set the trench’s perimeter just beyond the tree line. This way, even if other tribes approached the trench, they wouldn’t be able to see the true layout of the Rabbit Tribe’s settlement.

After marking the approximate boundary, Bai Tu and Hei Xiao returned to the settlement. On the way, Bai Tu took the opportunity to ask about the Fallen Beasts.

“What species were the Fallen Beasts you encountered near your tribe?”

Hei Xiao replied, “One was from the Elephant Tribe, one from the Lion Tribe, and the last from the Rhino Tribe.”

Bai Tu nodded. 

The Rhino Tribe was essentially the same as a one-horned ox. 

Both the Elephant Tribe and Rhino Tribe were large-bodied, and one could only imagine the destruction they could cause in a frenzy. 

While the Lion Tribe wasn’t as large, their biting strength and clawing abilities were formidable. Any one of these Fallen Beasts was dangerous enough on its own, let alone three of them together.

“Were you able to figure out which tribes they came from?” Bai Tu asked. 

The three species had nothing in common, and to figure out what caused beastification, they’d likely have to investigate where the Fallen Beasts had lived before fully transforming. After all, Fallen Beasts were almost indistinguishable from wild animals and couldn’t communicate.

Hei Xiao shook his head. “We were lucky just to discover them.” 

If they could trace the Fallen Beasts back to their tribes, they could demand those tribes take responsibility for dealing with them. But the tribes behind the Fallen Beasts were deeply hidden. 

The three Fallen Beasts bore no identifying marks, and the Black Eagle Tribe couldn’t simply target every tribe with the same beast forms. 

After all, many tribes shared similar beast forms, and some tribes were even mixed, with beastmen of ten or more different forms living together. Tracking them was nearly impossible.

“When we left, the Lion Tribe and Rhino Tribe Fallen Beasts had already been captured, but the Elephant Tribe one was still at large,” Hei Xiao added. 

The Elephant Tribe beast was much larger than the Eagle Tribe members, and they hadn’t been able to find its weak point yet. Instead, it had injured quite a few of their people. 

Its destructive power was immense—wherever it passed, entire swaths of trees were felled. Even though it was still some distance from the Eagle Tribe’s settlement, they couldn’t allow it to continue rampaging unchecked.

After thinking for a moment, Bai Tu handed Hei Xiao a package of medicine upon their return to the settlement. “Take this back with you and mix it into some edible food. Then toss the food to it.”

The package contained an anesthetic that could render someone completely unconscious. 

The more they consumed, the longer the effect lasted. 

When Shi Peng had stayed with their tribe, Bai Tu had used this exact method to save himself trouble—he had mixed small amounts of the anesthetic into Shi Peng’s food every night. 

After all, with a lion beastman sleeping in the cave next to his, Bai Tu wasn’t about to let his guard down. Drugging him to sleep meant they didn’t have to assign extra guards to watch him all night.

Fallen Beasts had almost no human consciousness, but they still needed to eat. 

Food remained a strong lure for them. Using food as bait laced with the anesthetic would entice the beast to consume it, allowing the Eagle Tribe to capture it safely.

After handing over the medicine, Bai Tu added, “Don’t let anyone else know about this, and don’t show it to anyone.” 

While the anesthetic was highly effective, if it fell into the wrong hands, it could be disastrous. Bai Tu didn’t want the Hawk Tribe to continue suffering from Fallen Beast attacks, but he also didn’t want this medicine to become widely known.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone,” Hei Xiao promised, deciding to keep it a secret even from Hei Yan. 

The fewer people who knew about it, the safer Bai Tu would be. After all, even healers didn’t possess medicine like this.

If these medicines had truly been taught to Bai Tu by a traveling healer, that healer’s status and abilities must have been incredibly high. 

Hei Xiao briefly wondered why he hadn’t heard of such a figure before, but he quickly dismissed the thought. 

Since Bai Tu hadn’t mentioned the healer’s name, it was likely due to some concerns on the healer’s part. Hei Xiao decided not to probe further.

That evening, Bai Qi and Hei Yan returned with the hunting team. They had made a decent haul, catching two large prey animals.

Bai Qi eagerly shared his experience with Bai Tu. “It’s so much easier to hunt with the Hawk Tribe’s help!” 

After just one day of collaboration, Bai Qi realized how useful beastmen with wings could be. 

The Hawk Tribe didn’t need to search for prey from the ground. 

They simply flew above the treetops, scouting for prey from above. Although most areas were covered by dense vegetation, the Eagles’ keen eyesight allowed them to spot traces of prey quickly. 

With their help, the Rabbit Tribe didn’t have to wander around aimlessly. Once the Eagles located the prey, the Rabbits could drive it into their traps.

Hei Yan proudly reported to Hei Xiao, “I spotted several herds of prey today!”

“Impressive,” Hei Xiao praised him perfunctorily. Hei Yan, however, didn’t seem to notice the lack of sincerity. He was happy as long as he was praised. With a smug glance at Bai Tu, he leaned over to Hei Xiao and whispered, “I’m better than him.”

Hei Xiao: “…” You’re a winged beastman comparing yourself to a rabbit? Seriously?

“He can make medicine,” Hei Xiao replied flatly. “And not just any medicine—things no one else has even heard of.” Of course, Hei Xiao couldn’t say this out loud.

Hei Yan immediately deflated. He couldn’t compete with that. If he could, their tribe wouldn’t need to travel to trade for medicines.

“Enough. You’re covered in sweat. Go wash up,” Hei Xiao said.

Hei Yan’s eyes lit up. “Come with me!”

“Shut up!” Hei Xiao hissed, scolding him in a low voice. He quickly looked around and was relieved to find that everyone else was busy discussing how to handle the prey.

Bai Tu couldn’t help but step a few paces away. 

He had had more than enough of their “public displays of affection.” Hei Xiao’s earlier complaints about Hei Yan being clingy were clearly not an exaggeration.

The task of butchering the prey was handled by Bai Chen and the other younger members of the tribe, with Bai An supervising. Bai Tu took the opportunity to ask about the dwindling prey.

“How many herds did you find today?” he asked.

Bai An’s expression grew serious. “Hei Yan spotted a few herds, but they were much farther away than usual. He scouted the surrounding area as well—it’s definitely less than before.” 

In previous years, they could find prey herds after half a morning’s walk. But this year, it took an entire morning just to locate them. 

After analyzing the herd locations, Bai An concluded that the total amount of prey had decreased by about a third.

“Did you check with the Wolf Tribe?” Bai Tu asked.

“Yes, Tu Xun went there this morning. They’re seeing fewer prey as well.” Bai An and Bai Tu’s suspicions were confirmed. 

The issue wasn’t limited to their territory—prey was also declining in the Wolf Tribe’s lands. 

While this time of year was usually ideal for hunting, prey was now harder to find, and the hunters had to travel farther to catch anything. However, since the Wolf Tribe’s territory was vast, they could simply move to another area, so the impact on them wasn’t as severe.

Bai An was deeply worried. The Wolf Tribe could adapt by changing their hunting grounds, but the Rabbit Tribe didn’t have that luxury. 

The northern area near the Lion Tribe’s territory already had very little prey, and most of their hunting relied on the eastern and southern areas. If prey numbers continued to drop, they would soon run out of places to hunt.

What concerned Bai An even more was that this decline didn’t seem temporary. If things were already this bad now, what would happen after the snow season? And what about next year’s rainy season?

Bai Tu, however, thought of something else.

The same issue had occurred in the Leopard Tribe, but it had started earlier there. 

Two years ago, their prey began to decrease, and last year, the numbers dropped sharply. At its core, the problem was the rapid growth of the beastman population. The environment couldn’t keep up with the demand for resources. 

Relying solely on hunting was unsustainable—it was like eating away at the land with no way to replenish it.

Knowing that this trend was inevitable, Bai Tu was less pessimistic than Bai An. 

He understood the potential of corn and knew that after the corn harvest, they could immediately plant wheat. 

With these two staple crops, even if they couldn’t find other grains at the next market, the tribe could still make it through the year.

The key task now was to expand their efforts in raising animals. 

Domesticated animals had much higher survival rates. For example, the chickens raised by the tribe had a survival rate of over 95% for each batch. 

Piglets and calves had even higher survival rates, with almost no losses. Domesticated animals had the advantage of being fed during the winter, sparing them from starvation and cold. As a result, their survival rates were naturally much higher.

Wild animals born in the wild face a multitude of challenges from the moment they are born. 

Beastmen often prefer to hunt adult animals, and during migration, animals must pass through the territories of various wild beasts. 

Many young animals are abandoned by their tribes because they lack the protection of their mothers. Some animals that aren’t suited to migration freeze to death in the winter, while others starve due to lack of food. The actual survival rate of wild-born animals is less than 20%, and for some species, it’s as low as 10%.

Judging by the ratio of cubs, children, youth, and elderly beastmen in the tribe, it was clear that the population of the tribe was growing year by year. Only domestication and agriculture could meet the increasing demand for food. The problem, however, was how to capture more young animals for domestication.

Bai Tu’s gaze shifted to Hei Yan, who was currently pestering Hei Xiao. Now here’s a ready-made helper, he thought. Might as well use him.

Hei Yan noticed Bai Tu’s gaze almost immediately and became so alarmed he nearly jumped out of his seat. Warily, he asked, “What are you thinking?”

Bai Tu stared at him for a moment before sighing and shaking his head. “Forget it. You’re not up to the task.”

Hei Yan’s temper flared. “Who says I’m not up to the task?! What are you planning? Tell me! Say it now!”

“I want to catch live animal cubs. You’ve probably never done that before, have you?” Bai Tu sighed again. “Forget it. I’ll contact Lang Ze and his group—”

If Bai Tu’s earlier words were a spark, this was gasoline on the fire. 

Hei Yan knew exactly who Lang Ze was—the beastman at the market who annoyed him the most. Bai Tu’s words implied that the things Hei Yan couldn’t do, those beastmen could handle!

Furious, Hei Yan shouted, “Who says I can’t catch them?! I’ll catch some for you right now!” Catching a few animal cubs? That was nothing! He’d catch ten or eight of them just to show this foolish rabbit who the stronger beastman was! Then Bai Tu would finally stop trying to steal Hei Xiao away from him.

Hei Xiao, watching from the side, sighed and looked elsewhere, feeling a bit helpless. He’s way too easy to manipulate.

Knowing that Hei Yan was the type to follow through on his words and might really rush off into the night to catch animal cubs, Hei Xiao grabbed his arm. “You can go tomorrow. Let’s eat first.” 

Most of the Hawk Tribe hunted during the day. Their night vision wasn’t as good as that of some nocturnal beastmen, and even if Hei Yan wanted to prove himself, he’d have to wait until tomorrow.

Hei Yan, disgruntled at the idea of letting Bai Tu look down on him for another day, channeled his frustration into his appetite and devoured two large bowls of meat before finally feeling better.

Hei Xiao’s portion was usually about the same as Bai Tu’s, but tonight he couldn’t resist eating a little more. As he ate, he pointed at the red ingredient in the dish and asked curiously, “Is this fire fruit?”

“Yes, but I prefer to call it chili pepper,” Bai Tu nodded. “Tasty, isn’t it? I planted some, and they’re just starting to grow. By the time you visit next, they should be ready for harvest.” 

The chili peppers were still small and unripe, and it would take a few more days for them to fully mature. If he wanted to preserve them long-term, he’d have to wait for them to turn red. Dried red chili peppers could be stored for a long time.

At first, Bai Tu had been reluctant to use too many of them and had only eaten the chili skins, saving all the seeds for planting. After the first batch of chili plants bloomed, he finally felt at ease and started experimenting with recipes like chili sauce.

That night, Bai Tu served stir-fried pork belly, a dish made from fatty pork sliced thin after being boiled with green onions and ginger. 

Since he didn’t have fermented bean paste, Bai Tu used chili sauce for seasoning. He stir-fried the chili sauce until fragrant, then added the pork slices. Although the dish lacked green peppers for garnish, the flavor was still rich and satisfying. The meat was aromatic but not greasy, salty and spicy yet well-balanced.

Despite his earlier vow not to eat anything Bai Tu cooked, Hei Yan couldn’t resist. 

He ended up eating two large bowls of the dish. Afterward, he sulked at the thought that he’d just indulged in food made by the Rabbit Tribe. Setting his bowl aside, he resolved, This time, I gave in. But next time, I won’t. If I can’t even resist this little temptation, how can I take Hei Xiao back to our tribe?

The Rabbit Tribe is way too cunning! Hei Yan thought indignantly. Tomorrow, I’ll catch all the animal cubs around here and show Bai Tu what the Eagle Tribe is capable of! Then he’ll know better than to try to compete with us!

Hei Xiao pushed the ever-clingy Hei Yan away. On such a hot day, Hei Yan felt like a walking bonfire, yet he still wanted to stick close.

“Are chili peppers easy to grow?” Hei Xiao asked. 

He quite liked food with a bit of spice. He’d seen fire fruits (chili peppers) before, but most beastmen ate them raw, and those who traded them for salt never mentioned other ways of using them. 

He hadn’t expected that adding them to food would make them so delicious. Hei Xiao was already considering planting some himself.

“They’re easy to grow. I still have some chili seedlings. I’ll bring you some in a few days,” Bai Tu replied. 

Chili peppers had a long fruiting period. The seedlings Bai Tu had recently cultivated were actually prepared for the Wolf Tribe, but sharing some with Hei Xiao wasn’t an issue. 

Since both tribes were partners, Bai Tu had no reason to favor one over the other. He helped the Wolf Tribe with planting, and he’d do the same for the Eagle Tribe. A single tribe could only focus on so much, and it wasn’t necessary to monopolize every task.

“Thanks,” Hei Xiao said, not refusing the offer. He genuinely wanted to try planting them.

“Do you want melon seeds too? If you plant them now, they’ll mature before the snow season,” Bai Tu added. 

Annual fruits like melons had a short fruiting period, so there was still time to grow them. 

Bai Tu had collected a lot of seeds from the melons he’d bought earlier and had used less than a third of them. Outside the cave, many places were already covered with melon vines, some of which had begun to flower. It wouldn’t be long before they bore fruit.

“Yes, I’ll take some,” Hei Xiao agreed without hesitation.

Watching from the side, Hei Yan was nearly spinning in circles with frustration. Too cunning, too cunning! First, the Rabbit Tribe seduced them with delicious food, and now they were giving Hei Xiao seeds! The Rabbit Tribe is way too sly!

Bai Tu, meanwhile, was lamenting the fact that he had no more corn seeds left. If he did, he would’ve given some to Hei Xiao as well. 

The Black Hawk Tribe, though technically part of the Southern Continent, had a similar climate to the Eastern Continent. With three or four months left until winter, there was still enough time to harvest one round of crops.

As it turned out, provocation was an effective strategy, especially for someone like Hei Yan, a young beastman who couldn’t stand losing. 

After pestering Hei Xiao the night before, Hei Yan spent the night brainstorming eighteen different ways to threaten Bai Tu into staying away from Hei Xiao. 

The next morning, before the other Hawk Tribe members were even ready, Hei Yan was already urging them to hurry.

“So slow! Is eating all you know how to do?” Hei Yan snapped, glancing at Hei Xiao. 

He looked like he wanted to loudly declare that he was the strongest and that someone as weak as Bai Tu was completely unfit to be anyone’s mate.

Hei Xiao didn’t respond. Instead, he calmly picked up one of the egg pancakes Bai Tu had made and took a bite.

The egg pancake was as simple as it sounded—just eggs, wild vegetables, and a bit of salt, fried in lard on a stone slab until both sides were golden brown. The result was a fragrant pancake that smelled of rich eggs from the outside in. 

Breakfast that morning was eggs with more eggs, paired with half a bowl of egg drop soup. After eating two bites of the pancake, Hei Xiao remembered Bai Tu mentioning new dishes. 

He leisurely drank half of the egg drop soup, then, as usual, handed the remaining half to Hei Yan with a gentle smile. “Work hard. I’ll be here waiting for you to come back.”

Hei Yan, re-energized by the encouragement, enthusiastically led the other Hawk Tribe members out. Even as they left the Rabbit Tribe’s settlement, he completely forgot about the harsh words he had spent half the night planning to say to Bai Tu.

Watching Hei Yan leave, Hei Xiao discreetly rubbed his waist. His thoughts wandered to the young wolf beastman who had accompanied Bai Tu on their last journey. His brows furrowed, and he turned to Bai Tu, who had just entered the cave, and seriously advised, “Whatever you do, don’t choose a mate who’s too young.” He spoke from experience—he had learned the hard way, and he didn’t want Bai Tu making the same mistake.

Bai Tu, who had just returned with a jar of meat sauce: “???” What is this, a daily quest update? Yesterday it was “don’t choose a mate too soon,” and today it’s “don’t choose a mate who’s too young.” What’s tomorrow’s advice going to be?

Seeing Bai Tu’s confused expression, Hei Xiao sighed lightly. “Never mind, you don’t need to worry about these things right now. You’re still too young—wait a few years before considering it.”

Bai Tu: “…” 

He couldn’t even argue with that. What could he do? His current body looked like it hadn’t even finished growing. In his beast form, he wasn’t much bigger than a palm. No matter how hard he thought about it, he couldn’t come up with a way to prove he was already an adult.

Fortunately, Hei Xiao didn’t linger on the topic for long. The two finished the remaining egg pancakes with some meat sauce before Bai Tu took him to gather mushrooms.

There were still plenty of mushrooms on the back mountain. 

Some beastmen had been impatient to gather them yesterday, but mapping out the terrain had been more important. By the time they finished, it was evening, so they had only picked a few. Now was the perfect time to show Hei Xiao around and familiarize him with the area.

While the two were leisurely picking mushrooms in the back mountain, Hei Yan ran into a group of unfamiliar beastmen trying to sneak into the Rabbit Tribe’s territory.

With a sweep of his wings, Hei Yan yelled, “Attack!”