Building a Civilization and Raising Cubs in the Beast World – CH42

Chapter 42

Hei Yan only remembered halfway down the road that he had forgotten to do something important—he’d completely neglected to throw some harsh words at Bai Tu before leaving! 

As he fumed at himself, he suddenly ran into a group of unfamiliar beastmen.

Since the Hawk Tribe’s arrival, Bai An had taken precautions to ensure that the Rabbit Tribe wouldn’t mistake them for invaders. 

On their first night, Bai An had introduced the Hawk Tribe members to everyone, and the Hawks, in turn, had memorized the faces of the Snow Rabbit Tribe’s beastmen. So when Hei Yan encountered a group of strangers sneaking into Rabbit Tribe territory, whom he clearly didn’t recognize, there was no question that they were up to no good.

Hei Yan’s fiery temper flared instantly. Without saying a word, he led the Hawk Tribe members straight into a fight.

In every tribe, the saying held true: “The leader shapes the followers.” 

Hei Yan was hot-tempered, and so were the Hawk Tribe members who followed him. Their wings proved to be a huge advantage in the fight—they could strike and then quickly dodge out of reach.

The intruders, a group of Lion Tribe members who had snuck into the Snow Rabbit Tribe’s territory after losing contact with Shi Peng, had no idea what hit them. 

Before they could even shift into their beast forms to fight back, Hei Yan had already thrown a bunch of vines at them. “Tie them up!” he barked.

Hei Yan didn’t recognize this group of beastmen, and there was no way he was going to let them go. They had to be tied up—every last one of them. When Hei Yan was in a bad mood, no one got off easy!

Just as energetically as they’d left, the Hawk Tribe members returned, dragging along a group of battered and bruised beastmen. 

Bai An had already gone out with the hunting team, and the beastmen at the base of the mountain didn’t know how to handle the situation. In a panic, they ran to the back mountain to fetch Bai Tu, who was gathering mushrooms.

Bai Tu hadn’t been on the back mountain for long before being called back. The messenger didn’t explain the situation clearly, only saying that Hei Yan had returned. 

It wasn’t until Bai Tu arrived at the front of the mountain that he understood—Hei Yan had encountered a group of intruders trying to sneak into the Rabbit Tribe’s territory.

Looking at the group of beastmen, who were about as bulky as Shi Peng, Bai Tu quickly deduced the truth based on the direction Hei Yan had encountered them. “From the Wild Lion Tribe?” he asked.

The youngest of the intruders widened his eyes in shock. “How did you know?!”

Bai Tu: “…” Does this even need to be asked? 

From the north, sneaking around—it couldn’t possibly be anyone but the Lions. And given that several Lion Tribes were busy negotiating how to divide up the Wild Lion Tribe’s territory, the only ones who’d have the time or reason to infiltrate the Rabbit Tribe right now were from the Wild Lion Tribe.

Ignoring the Lion beastman’s question, Bai Tu said calmly, “Confess, and we’ll go easy on you. Resist, and we’ll be harsh.”

Before the Lions could respond, Hei Yan, who didn’t understand the phrase, asked, “What does that mean?”

Hei Xiao gave him a sharp pinch. “Don’t talk.”

Pouting, Hei Yan shut his mouth but threw a glare at Bai Tu.

Bai Tu glanced at Hei Yan and thoughtfully explained, “It means if they tell the truth, we’ll let them off lightly. If they don’t, we’ll punish them severely.”

Hei Yan scoffed dismissively. “What are you even going to do? If they don’t talk, are you just going to beat them up again? What’s the point of saying all this?”

“In that case, I’d have to use some… methods,” Bai Tu replied, pausing as if in thought. “I’ve heard that Lion claws are quite sharp. Pulling them out to make knife tips might be a good idea. Their teeth are sharp too. Knock them out and tie them to the ends of wooden sticks—they’d work better than sharpened wood…”

Hearing this, the Lion beastmen shuddered, instinctively hiding their hands behind their backs.

Hei Yan, on the other hand, found the topic fascinating. His eyes lit up as he eagerly asked, “Then what? What else can you do?” He started scrutinizing the Lions, seemingly deciding where to start.

Hei Xiao smoothly picked up where Bai Tu left off. “Lion pelts are broad—perfect for making bed covers.”

“Really?” Hei Yan’s face lit up with excitement.

The Rabbit Tribe members nearby had mixed feelings. 

Bai Tu had always presented himself as warm and mild-mannered. Even when Bai An asked him questions, he rarely spoke much. 

They hadn’t expected him to have such a wide array of methods for dealing with others. What was even more shocking was how seamlessly Hei Xiao’s words matched Bai Tu’s. 

For a moment, the Rabbit Tribe members didn’t know whether to be stunned by Bai Tu’s hidden side or ashamed that Hei Xiao seemed to understand Bai Tu better than they did, even though they were fellow rabbits.

As for the Lion beastmen, they were consumed by a single emotion: fear. 

Trespassing into another tribe’s territory without permission was tantamount to a provocation. 

They’d already been terrified when sneaking in, and after being beaten by Hei Yan, they were even more frightened. 

Now, tied up and hearing Bai Tu and Hei Xiao’s words—especially with Hei Yan circling them, looking like he was about to start dismantling them piece by piece—they were on the verge of losing their minds from fear.

The beastmen sent by the Wild Lion Tribe to scout were all of relatively low status. 

This was because their current location was far from the Snow Rabbit Tribe and required crossing the territories of other Lion Tribes—a dangerous endeavor that higher-ranking beastmen were unwilling to risk. 

Despite surviving several battles and escaping death under the claws of rival Lions, nothing they had experienced came close to the terror of today. 

Seeing Hei Yan about to “untie” them—though it clearly looked more like he was about to take their claws off—they were more terrified now than when they had been bound.

The youngest Lion, seeing Hei Yan’s hands about to reach for him, shut his eyes tightly and wailed, “I’ll talk! I’ll talk!”

As soon as one broke, the others scrambled to follow suit. “I’ll talk too! We’ll all talk!” They were desperate, fearing that if they delayed, they’d end up clawless, toothless, or skinned alive. This tribe was too terrifying—what kind of place threatened to pull out claws, yank teeth, and strip pelts at the slightest provocation?

“Go on,” Bai Tu nodded calmly.

The youngest Lion started to speak, with the others jumping in to add details here and there. Bai Tu listened quietly, piecing together the full story.

After Shi Hong retreated with the few remaining beastmen loyal to him, many of the lower-ranking leaders in the Wild Lion Tribe became dissatisfied with him. 

As the tribe leader, Shi Hong had failed to defend their territory, and his influence within the tribe plummeted. 

A lion who couldn’t hunt or even protect the territory was as good as useless. However, most of the sub-leaders didn’t dare openly express their discontent because of Shi Hong’s formidable combat skills.

The rainy season had been particularly harsh for the Wild Lion Tribe due to their lack of food and salt. 

Over half of the injured beastmen had died, leaving only those with relatively minor wounds. These survivors, though, were living miserably. They had little food and were constantly caught in the crossfire of the sub-leaders’ infighting. Life in the tribe was hellish.

Toward the end of the rainy season, Hu Bu stepped in to mediate. He managed to temporarily ease the chaos among the sub-leaders, who outwardly began to comply with Shi Hong’s orders. As food gradually became easier to obtain, life in the tribe improved slightly compared to the rainy season.

After the rainy season ended, Hu Bu claimed to have found a way for the tribe to survive the winter and instructed everyone to follow his plan. 

A few days later, he began organizing the tribe to dig up grass from the surrounding areas. Some beastmen were confused, but Hu Bu assured them that the grass would be useful in the winter.

Hu Bu was a healer and knowledgeable about herbs, so the tribe trusted him when it came to plants. 

They followed his instructions without question. However, after nearly half a month of digging grass and doing little else, the Lions—already weakened from hunger during the rainy season—began to grow resentful. For some reason, Hu Bu had also become increasingly anxious over the past two days.

That morning, Hu Bu approached two of the sub-leaders, asking them to find a way to sneak into the Snow Rabbit Tribe’s territory to locate a Lion beastman. 

The sub-leaders agreed but didn’t want to go themselves, so they passed the task onto their underlings. 

These underlings, who recognized Shi Peng, couldn’t understand why someone of such low status was worth finding. Crossing multiple Lion Tribe territories to look for him was dangerous, and they didn’t want to take on the task either. So, the order was passed down yet again.

After being passed down through several layers, the task finally landed on the group now tied up before Bai Tu. They didn’t know how many times the order had changed hands. All they knew was that Lord Hu Bu wanted them to go to the Snow Rabbit Tribe to find Shi Peng. 

These Lions were of the lowest rank in their tribe, on par with Shi Peng, and they had no authority to push the task onto anyone else. Even though they were scared, they had no choice but to carry it out.

Unlike Shi Peng, who was more cunning and had some sense of how to protect himself, these Lions were straightforward and spilled everything they knew like beans from a pot. 

They even worried that they hadn’t been detailed enough, and seemed ready to recount how many meals the Lions ate each day if Bai Tu asked.

After listening, Bai Tu brought out a pile of grass for them to identify. They pointed out the same type of grass that the Rabbit Tribe had been gathering to prepare for their pigs and cows to eat during the winter, proving they weren’t lying.

In that case… Bai Tu fell into thought. After a moment, he went into the cave and retrieved a bag of medicine. Mixing the powder with water, he handed the concoction to the Lions.

The Lions were filled with dread at the unfamiliar medicine. However, they were even more afraid that if they didn’t drink it, Bai Tu would carry out the threats he’d made earlier. In the end, they gritted their teeth and forced themselves to drink it.

After the Lions finished drinking the medicine, Bai Tu called over Rabbit Wan. “Wan, take them to transport the grass.”

The Rabbit Tribe didn’t tolerate idlers—any beastman capable of taking human form was assigned a task. The five Lion beastmen were no exception; they were a considerable source of labor and might as well be put to use.

“Don’t untie the vines on them,” Bai Tu instructed Rabbit Wan. “Stay with them and keep an eye on them.” 

Then he turned to the Lions and added a warning. “The medicine you just drank was prepared by an Hawk Tribe healer. If you don’t drink a second dose at the same time tomorrow, you’ll vomit blood and die. Feel free to test it if you don’t believe me.”

Hei Xiao chimed in, adding to the intimidation. “If you don’t drink it, no problem.” He glanced at the Lions, his tone calm but chilling. “We can just…” His voice trailed off into a low murmur, too quiet for the beastmen to catch, but the implication alone was enough to terrify them.

These two were absolutely ruthless! The Lions were petrified.

With no fight left in them, the Lions obediently followed Tu Wan to do the work assigned to them. 

They didn’t dare question whether Bai Tu’s words were true or not. 

On the Beast God Continent, healers were known for their seemingly limitless abilities, so it wasn’t unusual for one to have a few unique and dangerous medicines. 

No wonder their sub-leaders hadn’t come themselves. The Lions suddenly realized the truth—they had been sent because everyone else knew how dangerous it was to deal with the Rabbit Tribe!

They had thought that crossing the territories of other Lion Tribes would be the hardest part of their mission, but it turned out the real danger lay in the Rabbit Tribe’s territory. 

Shocked and frightened, the Lions worked diligently, fearing that slacking off might cost them tomorrow’s dose of medicine. They did everything Tu Wan told them to do without hesitation.

Hei Yan had tied them up with vines meant for securing prey. 

The vines were incredibly sturdy, making it impossible for the Lions to escape even in their beast forms. 

Since Tu Wan wasn’t alone and had other Rabbit Tribe members with him, Bai Tu felt confident leaving the task to him. 

The half-bound Lions turned out to be excellent transporters. Watching them get led to the area where they’d be cutting grass, Hei Yan let out a dissatisfied snort. He had been curious to see if Lion pelts were as comfortable as Hei Xiao had claimed.

“What are you thinking? Go catch some prey,” Hei Xiao said. “Didn’t you say you’d catch a whole bunch of animal cubs today?”

Hearing this, Bai Tu glanced behind Hei Yan, as if searching for the cubs. Of course, there was nothing there.

“I’m on it!” Hei Yan barked, embarrassed and determined not to let Bai Tu outdo him. He stormed off toward the prey herds with renewed determination.

The main reason Bai Tu wanted the Hawk Tribe to help capture animal cubs was their unique hunting methods.

Unlike most four-legged beastmen, the Hawks relied more on their wings for hunting. For small prey, a Hawk in its beast form could soar into the air and dive down to snatch up a target before the herd even had time to react.

For larger prey, the Hawks preferred to scatter the herd, isolating their chosen target. Once it was separated, they would use vines to bind it, achieving a high success rate.

Thanks to their natural advantages, capturing animal cubs was no challenge for the Hawk Tribe.

A group of Hawks flew high into the air, scanning for suitable cubs. 

They didn’t immediately swoop down, though, because Bai Tu had given them very specific instructions: try to capture cubs that were isolated from the herd. These were the ones most likely to be abandoned and had almost no chance of surviving on their own.

By the end of the day, Hei Yan and the other Hawks returned to the tribe with an impressive haul: three calves, a fawn, and a litter of piglets.

“You Rabbit Tribe people are so slow,” Hei Yan gloated after showing off their catch. “If we hadn’t wasted time dealing with those Lions, we could’ve caught even more today.” Since the Lions had delayed them until almost noon, they’d had less time to hunt.

“Impressive, very impressive,” Bai Tu said, nodding and praising him. Compliments didn’t cost anything, so he didn’t mind giving them out generously.

As he spoke, a familiar voice interrupted. “Who’s impressive?”

Bai Tu turned in surprise. “Lang Ze?”

“It’s me!” Lang Ze replied, carrying a large basket on his back and followed by about ten beastmen. He shot Hei Yan a dissatisfied look before turning to Bai Tu with a proud grin. “Tu, we caught a lot of cubs!”

Apparently, Lang Ze and his group had spent the entire night catching cubs!