Building a Civilization and Raising Cubs in the Beast World – CH51

Chapter 51

This time, the wolf tribe members that appeared were unlike before. Most of them had taken on their beast forms, with only a third in human form. 

Those in human form carried something on their backs and held long poles commonly used by the gathering teams. Regardless of their forms, beast or human, they all shared one noticeable characteristic—they were swollen all over.

The moment the massive wolf leader spotted Bai Tu, it immediately lunged at him, howling pitifully in an attempt to seek comfort.

Within the Blood Wolf Tribe’s territory, there was an area regarded as a forbidden zone. 

Neither the hunting teams nor the gathering teams usually ventured there. It wasn’t that the area lacked prey or fruit. Quite the opposite—it was rich in fruit and even had some unknown but beautiful plants. 

Every summer, there were always a few adventurous beastmen trying to win over a mate by braving the forbidden zone to gather its treasures.

The reason it was considered forbidden was because the area was infested with dangerous insects that could harm the beastmen. 

Most beastmens would avoid it entirely, but a small group, particularly the wolf leader’s squad, took a different approach. A few years ago, these young wolves had discovered something good there.

Their first foray into the forbidden zone wasn’t intentional.

At around ten years old, the young wolves, restless and bored of being confined to the tribe, had slipped out to play. 

Too noisy to be tolerated, they were chased away from the tribe’s main settlement. With nothing better to do, they wandered into the forbidden zone. 

While play-fighting among themselves, one of them tasted a strange substance dripping from a tree and was instantly captivated. The group quickly abandoned their scuffle and gathered around the tree to feast, paying no mind to the buzzing bees around them.

Only when their bellies were round and full did they start feeling pain, suddenly remembering the warnings of the adult orcs back in the tribe. 

The forbidden zone was off-limits because of biting insects. Convinced they were going to die, the young wolves took a few more desperate bites of the sweet substance before retreating to a secluded spot at the base of the mountain to await their demise in silence.

When the tribe gathered for their communal meal, the absence of a group of young wolves caused a commotion. 

The entire tribe searched high and low, eventually finding the young wolves huddled in their beast forms inside the most hidden cave at the mountain’s base. They had resolved to face death together.

The adult beastmen were initially relieved to find the youngsters alive. But their relief turned to alarm when they saw the wolves covered in swollen welts. 

They couldn’t decide whether to scold them or be terrified—some of the insects in that zone could deliver fatal bites! That was precisely why the adults avoided the area. Yet these young wolves had not only wandered into the forbidden zone but lingered there for so long.

Fortunately, they hadn’t encountered any deadly insects. After a thorough scolding and repeated warnings to stay away, the young wolves were docked a meal, and the incident was considered resolved.

At the time, however, the adult wolves clearly underestimated the youngsters’ persistence. 

Missing one meal wasn’t a big deal to them. They’d already eaten their fill of the sweet substance, though their swollen welts still hurt. The group stayed quiet for a while, waiting for their wounds to heal. But as soon as they recovered, the young wolves began scheming again.

The lure of the sweet food was simply too great. The pain from the bites was temporary, but the taste was worth it! 

Steeled by their determination, the mischievous wolves set off once more. Predictably, the adult wolves were met with another group of swollen pups upon their return.

The second offense was not forgiven as easily as the first. 

Every single wolf, from the leader to the last follower, was beaten. But young wolves are notorious for remembering the sweetness of food rather than the pain of punishment. Not long after they recovered from their injuries, their thoughts turned back to the forbidden zone.

This time, they got smarter. 

Instead of eating their fill on-site like before, they quietly stole some tools from the tribe and carried the sweet substance out of the forbidden zone before indulging. 

This reduced their chances of being bitten, and they were punished less frequently. When other wolves in the tribe saw that the young wolves had visited the zone multiple times without serious incidents, they decided not to destroy the insects there as initially planned.

However, the young wolves soon encountered a new problem: there wasn’t enough food left!

The sweet substance they had been consuming had been stockpiled over several years, and their voracious appetites quickly depleted it. 

Although they didn’t fully understand the concept of sustainable harvesting, they realized they couldn’t keep eating like this. So, they made a plan: they would only collect the sweet food twice a year—once before winter and once after the rainy season.

This year, they originally intended to gather some after the rainy season. 

However, Bai Tu’s cooking had been so delicious that the sweet substance had fallen to the back of their minds. 

After all, even the best foods lose their charm when eaten repeatedly, and the tribe’s culinary options had significantly expanded under Bai Tu’s influence. 

Instead of just roasted meat and fruit, there were now pan-fried, stewed, and steamed dishes, each a delightful surprise.

But recently, the young wolves remembered that Bai Tu had never tasted the sweet food before. 

Each type of sweetness was different, and Bai Tu deserved to experience it. Without Lang Qi around to keep them in check, the young wolves quickly decided to collect some for him.

Bai Tu never ate anything without sharing it, so the young wolves were worried he wouldn’t get enough. 

To ensure there was plenty, they gathered a large amount. However, the delay caused them to encounter a swarm of insects on their way back. 

Their pitiful howls echoed through the mountains as they suffered the most severe bites they’d experienced in a long time.

The wolves didn’t know what this sweet food was called, but Bai Tu recognized it immediately: honey.

He hadn’t expected the young wolves to be gathering honey, let alone that there was a source nearby. 

Staring at the group, who had even brought back an entire beehive, Bai Tu sighed deeply. They had even captured the queen bee—was it any wonder they had been stung so badly?

“Put the hive down at the base of the mountain,” Bai Tu instructed. “Everyone else, stay away from it. Head back to the cave and don’t come out.”

After giving his orders, Bai Tu led the injured wolves back up the mountain. Once there, he had them dress, then patiently removed the stingers and applied medicine to each of them.

“Lang Ze, these little ones put their hearts and stomachs into this,” Bai Tu teased with a faint smile. “I’ll figure out a way to honor your mission.”

“Bai Tu! The food we brought back is delicious! Super sweet!” Lang Ze, wincing in pain, still managed to boast to Bai Tu. They’d never brought back this much before—this time, it was especially for Bai Tu!

Bai Tu glanced at the large, swollen welts covering them from head to toe. 

Whatever warmth their thoughtfulness evoked was quickly replaced by exasperation. “If you ever pull a stunt like this again, I’m telling your brother!” 

It was sheer luck they had only been stung by bees with weak venom. If it had been hornets with stronger venom, or worse, if someone had an allergic reaction, the consequences could’ve been disastrous. This kind of reckless behavior had to stop!

If they wanted honey, they should’ve prepared properly, equipped with tools and protective gear—not charged in bare-skinned like this. 

Bai Tu broke out in a cold sweat just imagining the risks they had taken. Fortunately, nothing serious had happened this time, but how would he explain it to Lang Qi if something went wrong?

Lang Ze froze in place.

Bai Tu was in the middle of applying medicine and noticed that Lang Ze had gone unnaturally quiet, not even wincing from the pain. 

Startled, Bai Tu immediately asked, “Are you feeling unwell?!” With so many stings, could it be an allergic reaction? Panic rising, Bai Tu began racking his brain for any herbs that might help.

Lang Ze looked as though he’d been turned to stone. After a long pause, he croaked out, “Bai Tu, can you—” He hesitated. “Can you not tell my brother?”

“What are you trying to say?” came a flat, emotionless voice from the cave entrance.

Lang Qi had arrived.

Behind Lang Qi were several adult wolves with awkward expressions. 

They had sprinted all the way here but had struggled to keep up with Lang Qi’s pace. 

Following the sound of the commotion, they finally found themselves at the rabbit tribe’s mountain. 

Their leader had been standing at the base of the mountain, silently staring at a few baskets left there. Once they got close enough to see what was in the baskets, all of them fell silent. 

They recognized the contents immediately—they were from the forbidden zone. And those anguished howls earlier? It was obvious now: someone had gone to steal food again and been stung by the insects.

Even knowing the likely reason, the adult wolves couldn’t bring themselves to look directly at their swollen, miserable tribe members inside the cave. As grown wolves, and ones who had grown up alongside Lang Qi, they couldn’t fathom it. Was food so good it was worth these injuries?

Lang Ze, speaking from personal experience, would say, Yes, absolutely.

This time, though, no amount of sympathy from Bai Tu could stop Lang Qi. 

He couldn’t hold himself back. Every single participant—Lang Ze, the instigators Lang Zuo and Lang You, and the more than thirty other wolves who blindly followed along—got a beating. Not one was spared.

For once, Bai Tu didn’t plead on their behalf. 

Even he thought the young wolves had gone too far this time. Whether it was hornets or bees, stings could be life-threatening. They had been lucky this time, but luck wouldn’t always be on their side.

Still, seeing the group of dejected wolves after their punishment made Bai Tu’s heartache. He carefully applied medicine to each one of them and asked Bai Qi to help prepare some oral remedies.

By the time the medicine was administered to all the young wolves, the sun had risen. 

Bai Tu went to Tu Cai and requested a pile of wooden boards. Then, he took out some insect-repellent balm and slathered it over himself from head to toe before heading down the mountain to deal with the beehives.

Lang Qi, worried about Bai Tu going alone, insisted on going with him. Bai Tu handed him a bottle of the balm. “Cover yourself completely, or you might get stung.”

The honey the young wolves had worked so hard to bring back couldn’t go to waste. 

Bai Tu intended to make full use of it. However, taking the entire hive, along with the queen bee, was a bit excessive. He planned to separate the queen bee and return her to the wild.

Bai Tu carefully transferred the queen bee and unhatched bee larvae into a beehive, along with part of the honeycomb. 

Once everything was secured, he quickly placed the beehive back in the wild before the worker bees could regroup and find their queen.

“From now on, only take the honey,” Bai Tu said as he dusted off his hands. Hearing the faint buzzing of bees nearby, he tugged on Lang Qi’s arm and hastily urged, “Let’s go before we get stung!”

This area had plenty of locust trees, osmanthus trees, and wildflowers, which explained why the bees had been drawn here to build their hive. The ground still had traces of spilled honey, a testament to just how panicked the wolves had been last night.

Back at the tribe, Bai Tu separated the honey from the beeswax. The beeswax was set aside for making medicine, while the honey was filtered and prepared for cooking.

Bai Tu had long lamented the lack of sugar in the tribe. Though honey wasn’t the same, it could be used to make dishes he hadn’t been able to prepare before, like honey-glazed roast meat or honey-fruit tea. The possibilities were endless!

The gathering team had recently been bringing back a fruit similar to a pomelo, but much larger. 

These fruits weren’t very sweet and were mostly sour, so most of the tribe didn’t like them. Only a few children ate them. 

Bai Tu had been using the fruit like a lemon, adding it to dishes to remove gamey flavors. Now, it was perfect for honey pomelo tea. 

On a hot day like this, a chilled glass of tea was nothing short of heavenly.

The tribe had access to spring water and cool caves, so Bai Tu placed some boiled water in a cave to chill. Once it was cold, drinking a single gulp could make a person feel instantly refreshed.

The honey-glazed roast meat required marinating, so it wasn’t ready until evening. 

By then, Bai Tu divided the portions and had the idle rabbit tribe members deliver the food to the wolves confined in their caves under Lang Qi’s orders. Until their injuries healed, they weren’t allowed to leave except for hunting.

Bai Tu kept the largest portion for himself and headed toward Lang Ze’s cave.

Inside the cave, Lang Ze was sulking. 

He had smelled a tantalizing aroma he’d never encountered before, which meant the others were eating something delicious. But this time, no one had called him to join. 

He had been beaten and excluded from the feast. Feeling utterly wronged, Lang Ze made a vow: the next time he found something delicious, he’d save only a little for Bai Tu and leave none for his brother.

Still, no matter how much he stewed, Lang Ze felt restless. For some reason, he just wanted to see Lang Qi and Bai Tu.

As he was brooding, the sound of footsteps reached his ears. Recognizing Bai Tu’s light tread, Lang Ze’s eyes lit up, but he quickly turned away, facing the wall with his back to the entrance. Took you long enough to check on me!

A moment later, another set of footsteps approached. Lang Ze immediately sat up straight, adjusting his posture. His brother was here, and showing any attitude would only earn him another scolding.

“Ze, time to eat,” Bai Tu said as he entered the cave, carrying a platter of roast meat. Behind him, Lang Qi followed, holding three bamboo tubes filled with honey pomelo tea. The refreshing tea had already won over most of the tribe, with every beastman who tasted it clamoring for a bowl.

“Oh.” Lang Ze glanced at Bai Tu, then at Lang Qi behind him, and responded quietly.

“Eat the roast while it’s hot.” Bai Tu placed the platter of meat on the table, then took the tea from Lang Qi and set the bamboo tubes down as well. “Both the roast meat and the tea are made with the honey you brought back last night. Try it and see how it tastes.”

Hearing that Bai Tu had used the honey they’d gathered, Lang Ze’s mood instantly brightened. 

He darted to the table and sat down to eat. He picked up a piece of roast meat, took a bite, and froze in astonishment.

“Bai Tu, this is amazing!” he exclaimed. It was even better than the roast meat they’d had before!

“Try the pomelo tea,” Bai Tu said, pushing the bamboo tube of tea toward Lang Ze. “It’s chilled.” 

Chilled drinks were much better in the summer, but the cave’s limited size made it tricky to keep the cold water far enough from the meat to avoid contamination. 

As a result, only a small portion had been chilled, with most of it given to the wolf tribe—after all, the young wolves had gotten injured while gathering honey.

“Don’t be so reckless next time,” Bai Tu warned, worried they might impulsively go after another beehive. “I’ve already returned the queen bee. From now on, don’t go there by yourselves. I’ll take you to gather honey on a schedule.” 

Preventing the wolves from ever touching the honey was impossible, so Bai Tu decided to take on the responsibility himself. With his supervision, along with proper tools and precautions, the process would be much safer.

“Mm-hmm—mmph—” Lang Ze was in the middle of happily devouring his food when he caught onto Bai Tu’s words about still being able to gather honey in the future. 

He was just fantasizing about going again in a few days when he noticed his brother’s sharp glare. 

Suddenly freezing, Lang Ze replayed Bai Tu’s words in his head and realized that what he’d actually said was that they couldn’t go by themselves anymore.

Bai Tu, seeing that Lang Ze hadn’t been listening, decided to drop the topic. “Fine, just focus on eating for now,” he said, giving Lang Qi a subtle glance to remind him not to be too intimidating. 

Scolding the young wolves once was enough; there was no need to frighten them every day.

Lang Qi caught Bai Tu’s look and stopped staring daggers at Lang Ze.

Lang ze exhaled in relief. His brother was terrifying! Bai Tu, on the other hand, was the best.

After Lang Ze finished eating, Bai Tu left the drinks behind in the cave. “Get some good sleep. You’ll be allowed out tomorrow.” 

Lang Qi’s order was that the young wolves weren’t allowed to leave the cave for anything other than hunting until their injuries healed. 

None of them dared to disobey. 

Fortunately, Bai Tu had treated their wounds promptly, and thanks to their youth and quick recovery, most of the swelling had gone down after just one day. They’d be free to leave by tomorrow.

Lang Qi didn’t argue with Bai Tu’s words. 

He hadn’t intended to keep the young wolves confined for long anyway. Their pitiful cries from the night before had been heart-wrenching, but if he didn’t punish them properly, they’d continue to act recklessly.

Hearing Bai Tu’s reassurance, Lang Ze instantly perked up. 

He wanted nothing more than to run outside right then and there. 

Staying cooped up in the cave was pure torture for him. Thankfully, it would soon be time to go hunting. Restless, Lang Ze jogged a few laps around the cave, grabbed his bamboo tube, and took another sip of the pomelo tea.

Delicious. He’d definitely be drinking more of this tomorrow.

As he thought about food and drink, a realization dawned on him: they didn’t have enough honey! Quieting down, Lang Ze gazed toward the distant woods.

Lang Qi, who had left with Bai Tu earlier, returned abruptly. “If you mess around again, I’ll send you back to the wolf tribe,” he said coldly.

Lang Ze’s eyes widened in disbelief. “!!!” Are you even my real brother?!

Panicking at the threat, Lang Ze immediately began making promises. “I’ll behave! I swear I’ll behave!” With a deep sigh, he muttered to himself, Fine, I won’t go by myself anymore, okay?

“Hmm,” Lang Qi nodded. “Where else is there honey?”

Lang Ze immediately rattled off several locations in one breath, including the gorge they often snuck into and a small grove that no one usually visited.

Even Lang Qi, the most skilled hunter among them, wasn’t as familiar with the tribe’s territory as Lang Ze’s little squad. 

Their seemingly boundless energy had driven them to explore nearly every corner of the land. 

Anything they saw—whether edible or not—was subjected to at least two bites. If the wolf tribe had the rabbit tribe’s burrowing skills, these young wolves might have turned the entire territory upside down.

Lang Qi had only been fishing for information to see if there was another beehive, but now… “…” Just how much honey had these wolf pups eaten over the years?!