Building a Civilization and Raising Cubs in the Beast World – CH5

Chapter 5

To prevent the group of children from asking any more difficult questions, Bai Tu assigned them a new task: digging soil.

Bai Tu designated a small plot of about ten square meters on the open ground at the base of the mountain. He loosened the soil and made small planting mounds. The seedlings he had brought back in the morning had been kept in the cool cave during the midday heat. Now that it had cooled down, it was time to plant them.

Living off foraged food wasn’t sustainable. Growing their own crops was the fastest way to increase their food supply.

Bai Tu and the children had just finished planting the seedlings and were organizing a watering schedule when the hunting team returned to the tribe earlier than expected.

There were two reasons the hunting team might return early. One was if they had caught a large enough animal and didn’t need to hunt any further, bringing back an abundant haul. The other was if someone had been injured, forcing them to cut their hunt short.

Yesterday, the wild boar had given everyone the false impression that it was easy to return with plentiful game. Today, however, it was clear that things were different. The hunting team returned with only two chickens and a snake. The tribespeople staying behind in the village needed only one look to know that it was the second scenario: someone had been injured.

It was Tu Cheng, the young man who was always by Bai An’s side, who had gotten hurt. Thankfully, it was only a shallow cut on his arm, and the wound wasn’t large enough to prevent him from maintaining his human form.

Bai Tu instructed someone to boil water and then pointed to a spot nearby. “Sit there and rest. I’ll go prepare the medicine.”

This time, Bai An didn’t even need to issue orders. The tribespeople eagerly volunteered to stoke the fire and boil water. Someone even remembered that salt had been used the day before and took the initiative to fetch some from Tu Cheng’s cave.

However, Tu Cheng, who had been sitting quietly and lost in thought, immediately objected when he saw someone take his salt. “Don’t use the salt!” he said firmly. Even as a member of the hunting team, he couldn’t help but feel distressed at the thought of using up more than half of his supply.

“It’s harder to prevent infections without salt. Are you sure you don’t want to use it?” Bai Tu asked.

Tu Cheng hesitated for a moment but then doubled down. “I’m sure.”

Bai Tu preferred to rinse wounds with a saline solution, but he understood how precious salt was to beastmen. Since Tu Cheng insisted, there was no need to force the issue. Once the boiled water had cooled down, Bai Tu used it to clean the dirt and plant debris from Tu Cheng’s wound before applying the medicine.

Throughout the entire process, Tu Cheng watched Bai Tu intently, as if he didn’t trust him. His sharp gaze followed every movement, scrutinizing every action.

Bai Tu frowned slightly. Although he didn’t plan to hide his methods, being stared at like this felt unsettling—almost like being monitored.

Fortunately, the ointment he had prepared earlier was still sufficient, so he didn’t need to make a fresh batch. Bai Tu quickly applied the medicine to Tu Cheng’s wound. “All done. For the next few days, avoid getting the wound wet and try not to make any large movements to prevent tearing the wound open. Come back tomorrow evening so I can change the dressing.”

“That’s it?” Tu Cheng looked at the ointment on his arm, his expression one of dissatisfaction. “That’s all the medicine you’re using?”

“This amount is enough. Using more won’t make it more effective,” Bai Tu replied flatly.

Tu Cheng’s expression remained doubtful.

“Cheng, if Tu says it’s done, then stop sitting around,” Bai An chimed in, a bit confused. He had been standing nearby, checking on Bai Chen, but now he looked at Tu Cheng curiously. “What’s gotten into you today? I’ve called your name several times, and you didn’t respond.”

Just then, Bai Qi entered, carrying a cleaned chicken. He overheard Bai An’s comment and immediately shot Tu Cheng a displeased look. “Today, we almost caught that bull…”

Large prey like wild boars, deer, or bulls could feed the entire tribe for several days. Missing out on such opportunities was a big deal. Bulls were particularly difficult to catch, as they often traveled in herds. Whether alone or in a group, they were formidable prey, requiring the hunting team to carefully select a target and work together to take it down.

Capturing large prey required the cooperation of the entire hunting team. However, during today’s hunt, Tu Cheng had zoned out at a critical moment. When the team had surrounded the bull, Tu Cheng failed to strike its neck with his pointed spear. Instead, his spear nearly hit Bai An.

To avoid getting hit, Bai An had to move out of the way, causing the spear to pierce the bull’s front leg instead. The wounded bull, now agitated, broke free from the encirclement. Tu Cheng, still dazed, had to be pulled aside by Bai An, but he ended up with an injured arm. Had the others not reacted quickly, more people could have been hurt.

Not only had they failed to catch the bull, but the whole team had been put in danger. Bai Qi was furious at Tu Cheng’s performance today. His brother, Bai Chen, would never have made such a mistake. And yet, Tu Cheng dared to compete with his brother for the position of tribe leader!

Tu Cheng raised his voice defensively. “You’re the ones who didn’t surround it properly! If the tribe leader hadn’t moved, the bull wouldn’t have escaped!”

Hearing this, Bai Qi’s anger flared even hotter. “Your spear nearly hit my father! If he hadn’t dodged, he would’ve been injured!”

Tu Cheng instinctively retorted, “You’re lying! I didn’t even touch the tribe leader!”

“If he didn’t dodge, the spear would’ve stabbed him!” Bai Qi said angrily. He had seen it all clearly—Tu Cheng’s spear had been aimed directly at his father.

Bai An, his face dark, interrupted the argument between the two. “Enough! Stop fighting! Look around—do you even realize where you are?” Bai Tu might have a good temper, but that didn’t mean the tribe’s rules could be ignored in his cave. Bai An, reluctant to reprimand an injured Tu Cheng further, patted Bai Qi on the shoulder and said, “Go help Tu with the cooking!”

Tu Cheng scoffed and stormed out of the cave, clearly displeased.

Bai Qi wanted to retort but stopped when he saw Bai Tu shaking his head at him from behind Tu Cheng. Swallowing the words on the tip of his tongue, he kept quiet, though his unhappiness was obvious. He stomped off to fetch water, looking like he was fuming.

As Bai Qi worked in silence, his frustration only grew. He was helping Bai Tu with the cooking, but Bai Tu wasn’t helping him! And now, his father was siding with someone else! The more he thought about it, the more wronged he felt. Sulking, he buried himself in his tasks without a word.

Bai Tu hadn’t involved himself in the argument, but from the conversation between Bai Qi and Tu Cheng, he had pieced together the general situation. Judging by Tu Cheng’s attitude, it was clear he was dissatisfied with Bai An and his son.

Since both Tu Cheng and Bai Chen were members of the hunting team, any potential conflict between them likely stemmed from the question of who would succeed Bai An as tribe leader. Bai An was no longer young, and most of the tribe’s beastmen assumed Bai Chen would take over as leader. However, there were still those who supported other strong members of the hunting team, and Tu Cheng’s supporters were second only to Bai Chen’s.

At this point, it didn’t matter who was responsible for the failed hunt. Tu Cheng’s attitude made it clear that he would never admit the fault was his. But Bai Tu was more concerned with something else. Once Tu Cheng was out of earshot, Bai Tu turned to Bai Qi and asked, “How did Chen get injured yesterday?”

If the near-attack on Bai An was deliberate, could Bai Chen’s injury have also been more than an accident?

Bai Qi was still visibly upset and didn’t answer right away.

Bai Tu frowned and called again, “Qi?”

After taking a couple of deep breaths to calm himself, Bai Qi finally responded, “Everyone was surrounding the wild boar when it suddenly charged at him.”

The tribe had always operated on the principle that the strongest beastman held the most important responsibilities. Previously, that position had been Bai An’s. As Bai An’s physical strength declined, it had passed to Bai Chen. While Bai Chen hadn’t officially taken on the title of tribe leader, he was already handling most of the leader’s duties during hunts. That was why so many people in the tribe trusted him.

Bai Tu continued to probe, “Do you remember everyone’s positions at the time?”

Bai Qi shook his head and answered sullenly, “No. We assign ambush positions before the hunt, but as soon as the prey starts running, everyone moves to chase it, and the positions get all mixed up. There’s no way to return to the original formation after that. Chen was at the front because he needed to land the finishing blow on the wild boar. Only he could do it. If anyone else tried, they’d either lack the strength or fail to hit the right spot. Look at what happened today with Tu Cheng—that’s a perfect example.”

He explained further, “When we caught up with the boar, everything was chaotic. We surrounded it, waiting for Chen to strike. But then the boar suddenly charged at him. Chen didn’t dodge because he was afraid its tusks would hurt someone else. Instead, he struck it with his staff before it reached him, but the force of its tusks still managed to cut his leg.”

Bai Tu’s expression grew thoughtful as he reflected on Tu Cheng’s behavior yesterday. Before treating Bai Chen’s injury, Tu Cheng had displayed a poor attitude. At the time, Bai Tu hadn’t paid much attention to it, as most of the tribe had been skeptical of him. Tu Cheng had only said a few words, which didn’t stand out. But now, looking back, Bai Tu realized that Tu Cheng’s behavior wasn’t just distrustful—it was as if he didn’t want Bai Tu to intervene at all.

Other tribe members had dismissed the herbs Bai Tu brought as weeds because they were common and unappetizing. But Tu Cheng had gone further, insisting they were outright poisonous. That claim stood out. Even the tribe’s eldest members, who had lived in the area their whole lives, couldn’t confidently identify which plants were poisonous and which weren’t. This lack of knowledge was why the beastmen were so cautious about eating plants.

Tu Cheng, however, had spoken with absolute certainty. If Bai An had taken his words to heart, Bai Tu wouldn’t have been allowed to treat Bai Chen. If that had happened, no matter how effective the herbs were, Bai Chen wouldn’t have survived.

Bai Tu’s expression darkened. Tu Cheng wasn’t just skeptical—he might have had other motives altogether.

Tu Cheng’s attitude earlier had been strange. He seemed convinced that salt water was useless but placed immense trust in the ointment, insisting Bai Tu apply an excessive amount—even when the wound was fully covered, he still found it insufficient.

Other tribe members, having witnessed Bai Tu’s treatment of Bai Chen the day before, believed that both the salt water and ointment were equally important. Today, they had immediately boiled water and fetched salt, determined to repeat every single step from yesterday. Since they didn’t understand the underlying principles, they feared that any deviation might impact the treatment’s effectiveness. Tu Cheng, however, had dismissed the use of salt water and instead focused all his attention on the ointment.

Connecting this to Tu Cheng’s earlier behavior, Bai Tu could only guess one thing: Tu Cheng had either seen someone else use herbal medicine to treat wounds or had been treated himself. And in that treatment, salt water hadn’t been used—either clean water had been used to rinse the wound, or the wound hadn’t been rinsed at all.

Bai Tu turned to Bai Qi, who was crouched near the fire. “Qi, has Tu Cheng been injured before?”

Bai Qi, who had just been reminded of how angry he was, suddenly replaced his frustration with surprise and admiration. “How did you know?! Cheng was injured during a hunt last year!” Could the stories be true? Did witch doctors have the ability to see through beastmen?

Although Bai Qi’s tone was a little odd, it confirmed Bai Tu’s suspicions. He continued to probe, “After he got injured, did he have any contact with someone from the Wild Lion Tribe?”

Bai Qi’s shock grew even deeper, completely erasing his earlier anger. “How do you know that too?!”

Bai Tu sighed. “I guessed.”

Still reeling from his surprise, Bai Qi’s mouth worked faster than his brain, and he blurted out the entire story. “When Cheng got injured, he couldn’t go out with the hunting team, so he joined the gathering team instead. That day, Zhou’s sister saw Cheng talking to Hu Bu.”

Bai Tu listened carefully. It wasn’t a difficult guess. The tribe wouldn’t have sent an injured person on a trade mission, so any help Tu Cheng received had to come from someone nearby. The closest tribe to their territory was the Wild Lion Tribe, and Bai An had mentioned yesterday that no witch doctors were willing to come to this area because of past events.

That left only one possibility: Hu Bu had treated Tu Cheng.

If the tribe’s concern for Bai Tu could be divided into ten parts, nine of those parts stemmed from his successful treatment of Bai Chen. The remaining one part was from their repeated reminders for him to avoid conflict with the Wild Lion Tribe.

It seemed like everyone, regardless of age, had warned him to stay away from the Wild Lions. Having heard so much, Bai Tu naturally learned a lot about them and Hu Bu.

The Wild Lion Tribe retained many of the traits of the lion clans, which differed greatly from other tribes. Hu Bu had lived in a major tribe before and knew how to make medicine, which made him highly valued by Shi Hong, the leader of the Wild Lions. Shi Hong favored Hu Bu so much that he ignored his previously favorite mates entirely. Hu Bu had even helped Shi Hong secure his position as tribe leader. In the Wild Lion Tribe, Hu Bu’s status was nearly equal to Shi Hong’s, and he frequently roamed near the edges of their territory.

Bai Tu asked, “What was Tu Cheng’s attitude toward the tribe leader before?”

Bai Qi thought for a moment. “He used to be really respectful. Cheng’s father died from an injury before Cheng was born. His mother had to take care of two other children, so she sent Cheng to the communal cave. It was my father who gave him food—without that, Cheng wouldn’t have survived.”

For beastmen, hunting injuries were common. If one parent was injured and the other couldn’t support all their children, the youngest child would often be sent to the communal cave to increase the older siblings’ chances of survival.

The communal cave was home to the elderly, who couldn’t join the gathering team, and abandoned children. They received the worst and smallest portions of food.

Bai An often shared his own food with those in the communal cave and would sometimes even divide the small prey he caught outside. The food Bai Tu had eaten after waking up had been provided by Bai An, and the cave he was living in now had been made available thanks to Bai An asking Bai Qi to move aside.

As Bai Tu mulled over his thoughts, Bai Qi frowned and added, “But Cheng’s attitude has been getting worse. Last time, he even refused to follow Father’s orders.”

Bai Tu asked, “Did his change in behavior start after he got injured?”

Bai Qi thought back carefully. “It seems so…” The incident had been so long ago that Bai Qi couldn’t recall the exact dates, but it had definitely been around that time.

Hearing this, Bai Tu’s suspicion deepened. He set down the herbs in his hands and said firmly, “Qi, go find the tribe leader. I need to talk to him.”

It was the first time Bai Tu had spoken so seriously. Bai Qi, startled, forgot all about his earlier anger and nodded quickly. He ran off to find Bai An.

Bai An, who was busy cutting up the remaining half of yesterday’s wild boar, dropped his stone knife the moment he heard Bai Tu wasn’t in a good mood. He hurried to the cave, asking nervously, “Tu, what’s wrong?” A witch doctor being dissatisfied with the tribe was no small matter.

Bai Tu gestured for Bai Qi to stand guard outside and keep others from coming near. Then he asked Bai An, “Tribe leader, who’s on watch duty tonight?”

Bai An replied, “Zhou and Cheng.”

Bai Tu shook his head, disapproving. “Cheng is injured. Have Qi replace him and add two more people you trust. Keep a close watch tonight. If there’s any unusual activity, don’t let them know you’ve noticed. Either follow quietly or hide and observe what they’re up to.”

“That small wound…” Bai An started to protest that Tu Cheng’s injury wouldn’t interfere with night watch, but one look at Bai Tu’s serious expression made him swallow his words. Reluctantly, he agreed, “Alright.”

“Don’t let Cheng know about the extra guards,” Bai Tu warned.

Although Bai An felt uneasy, Bai Tu’s demeanor made it clear that he didn’t want to say more. Respecting the witch doctor’s supposed taboos, Bai An went to make the necessary arrangements.

*

That night was destined to be sleepless.

Bai Tu was woken up by Bai Qi. The area outside the cave was pitch black, but the Rabbit Tribe’s night vision, while not as strong as that of felines, was better than a human’s. Bai Tu could clearly see the expressions on everyone’s faces.

The flickering firelight illuminated the clearing, where Tu Cheng was tied up and bound tightly. His eyes burned with resentment as he glared at everyone.

Bai Tu sighed inwardly. So it was true.