Building a Civilization and Raising Cubs in the Beast World – CH6

Chapter 6

The moment Bai Tu saw Tu Cheng tied up, he knew his suspicions were correct.

In the book, the Snow Rabbit Tribe was nothing more than an insignificant backdrop, a detail so minor that even its name went unnoticed. However, once immersed in the tribe, Bai Tu quickly realized that the Rabbit Clan was a species that appeared weak but was, in fact, incredibly resilient. For such a tribe—one that had endured peacefully for decades—to face near annihilation at the onset of winter was far too unreasonable. With limited information at hand, Bai Tu could only deduce what had transpired based on the clues available.

Originally, he had no leads. But Tu Cheng’s abnormal behavior struck him as odd. Adding to that, Bai Tu discovered that Tu Cheng had been in contact with Hu Bu of the Wild Lion Tribe. When paired with that cryptic remark about the Grim Reaper, Bai Tu could basically conclude that the Snow Rabbit Tribe’s decline was connected to the Wild Lion Tribe.

In the book, the Snow Rabbit Tribe was absorbed into the Wild Lion Tribe just before the heavy snow arrived. On the Beast God Continent, during the period from early summer to the heavy snows, there were three primary causes of death for beastmen: battle, injury, and starvation.

The first possibility—battle—was quickly ruled out. The Rabbit Clan was not a warlike tribe and would rarely initiate conflict with other tribes. Even in the extremely unlikely event that they decided to fight, their first target would undoubtedly be the Wild Lion Tribe, which had been trying to seize their territory for years. As for the other two causes—injury and starvation—these were challenges the tribe had endured for generations. Even if food shortages caused some casualties, it would never be to the extent of a near extinction. However, things would be entirely different if someone were deliberately sabotaging them.

If one beastman were injured, it might not have a significant impact. But if multiple beastmen were wounded in succession, and the food reserves for the year were insufficient, the tribe wouldn’t even need to wait for winter—many would starve to death during the rainy season.

As for Bai Chen’s injury, whether it was a coincidence or premeditated was still uncertain. But the fact that Tu Cheng almost injured Bai An today was indisputable. Tu Cheng’s attitude was also enough to raise suspicions that he had other plans in motion. The Rabbit Clan was generally simple and kind-hearted, and it was highly unusual for a beastman who had always respected the tribe leader to suddenly behave so differently. Nine times out of ten, this meant someone had been stirring up trouble behind the scenes.

Bai Tu suspected that Tu Cheng had made some sort of arrangement with the Wild Lion Tribe. However, without solid evidence, he couldn’t openly accuse him. The only way to expose the truth was to catch Tu Cheng in the act of contacting the Wild Lion Tribe. For now, he could only have people keep a close watch on the area around the tribe, waiting for Tu Cheng or the Wild Lion Tribe to make a mistake and reveal their hand.

Pulling his thoughts back to the present, Bai Tu glanced around. Most of the beastmen who had been summoned here looked confused, while a small number had expressions of anger. The latter group was clearly aware of what was going on.

Other than the infants too young to leave the caves and the beastmen caring for the children, everyone had gathered at the foot of the mountain.

Bai An stood in the middle of the gathered tribesmen, his gaze moving from the crowd filling the open space to Tu Cheng, who stood tied up at the center. Taking a deep breath, he began, “Earlier tonight, Tu Cheng sneaked out to meet Hu Bu from the Wild Lion Tribe. He was discovered by Zhou and Qi, who were on night watch, and they found some items on him.”

Under normal circumstances, members of the same tribe would refer to each other by their first names only. Adding a surname was rare and typically reserved for interactions between beastmen of different tribes. Within a tribe, calling someone by their full name carried two significant implications: either something important had happened, or the person was no longer considered part of the tribe.

As soon as Bai An’s words fell, all the tribesmen stared in shock at both Bai An and Tu Cheng. Some of the more impatient ones couldn’t help but cry out in alarm.

“Why was he looking for Hu Bu?”

“Why did you go to the Wild Lion Tribe?”

“What did you find?”

The Snow Rabbit Tribe and the Wild Lion Tribe had been at odds for as long as anyone could remember. The two tribes were neighbors, and the borderland between their territories was a constant source of conflict. Aside from the youngest children who were too naive to understand, everyone else knew to stay far away from the Wild Lion Tribe. Tribe members who had quarreled with or been attacked by the Wild Lions in the past harbored an even deeper hatred for them. For Tu Cheng to sneak off in the middle of the night to meet Hu Bu, in everyone’s eyes, was nothing short of treason.

Bai An didn’t immediately answer the crowd’s questions. Instead, he handed two yellow-flowered branches to Bai Tu and asked, “Tu, do you recognize this?”

Bai Tu froze slightly at the sight of the plant, which resembled honeysuckle. Bai An had asked the right person—Bai Tu did, in fact, recognize it.

Gelsemium. Deadly poisonous. It was more commonly known as “Heartbreak Grass.” Because it closely resembled commonly used honeysuckle, it was often highlighted in warnings and medical guides. Even in medicinal use, the dosage of Gelsemium had to be strictly controlled. A tiny amount too much could kill rather than heal.

The beastmen in the tribe didn’t recognize plants like this. Bai Tu could easily imagine how dangerous it would be if anyone accidentally ingested it. His brow furrowed as he explained, “Heartbreak Grass. Eating too much of it causes severe abdominal pain, difficulty breathing, and eventually death by poisoning.”

Fearing the others might underestimate the danger of this poison and accidentally consume it in the future, Bai Tu added, “We can catch a field mouse to demonstrate.”

Normally, the animals the tribe kept in the caves were treated like treasures, but the situation now left no room for hesitation. Bai An gave a low command: “Qi, catch a mouse.”

Bai Qi shot Tu Cheng a furious glare before turning and heading into the cave to retrieve a field mouse.

When Bai Qi returned, Bai Tu took a discreet step back and instructed, “Chief, break off a few tender shoots and feed them to it.”

Bai An did as instructed. The mouse, having been raised by the tribe and fed for so long, was docile and didn’t resist as it swallowed the shoots.

Everyone stared at the mouse unblinkingly, but at first, there were no visible changes.

Just as some were growing impatient, the mouse suddenly began to thrash, retching violently as if in great distress. The beastmen watching the scene erupted into murmurs of alarm, casting fearful looks at the Heartbreak Grass in Bai An’s hand.

The mouse convulsed a few more times, let out a final pained squeak, then stiffened, its legs kicking out straight as it died. The sight made the observing beastmen shiver involuntarily.

Someone in the crowd asked, “Chief, was this poisonous grass really found on Tu Cheng?”

Bai An nodded gravely. “Yes. Tu Cheng betrayed the tribe. Qi overheard Tu Cheng and Hu Bu discussing a plan to mix this poisonous grass into Tu’s medicinal herbs. That way, Tu would inadvertently poison Chen to death. Then the tribe would burn Tu alive out of rage. Afterward, Tu Cheng would find an opportunity to injure me. Once I was incapacitated, Tu Cheng would take over as chief and lead the tribe to join the Wild Lion Tribe.”

“I did it for the tribe!” Tu Cheng, who had been silent until now, suddenly shouted. “A truly powerful tribe should be led by the strong, not a bunch of useless old and weak fools!” He glared at Bai Tu, his heart filled with resentment. If Bai Tu hadn’t saved Bai Chen, he would already have become chief by now. How could he end up tied up here, judged by a crowd of people he considered far weaker than himself? To him, the Wild Lion Tribe represented the kind of large and powerful tribe they should aspire to be.

The crowd erupted into chaos.

For most of the beastmen, this was the first time they had heard of something so heinous. Poisoning or deliberately harming one’s own tribesmen was an unforgivable crime. And to make matters worse, Tu Cheng had planned to lead them to the Wild Lion Tribe. Only landless beastmen without a home would seek refuge with another tribe. Those who did so were treated as the lowest of the low, forced to do the hardest work while receiving the smallest share of food. Only someone as inexperienced as Tu Cheng—who had never traveled far—could believe that joining a larger tribe would be a good thing.

Not to mention, the Snow Rabbit Tribe already had a long-standing feud with the Wild Lion Tribe. Thinking of the treatment they would face if they submitted to them, the crowd grew increasingly resentful toward Tu Cheng.

“He’s too vicious! Our tribe has no place for someone like him!”

“The Wild Lion Tribe is full of thieves! Hu Bu wanted to kill Chen and Tu, yet Tu Cheng called him kindhearted? Hah! Hypocritical beastman!”

“Chief, banish Tu Cheng! We won’t join any other tribe!”

“Banish him? No way! A beastman who betrays his tribe deserves to be burned alive!”

Bai An turned to Bai Tu and asked, “Tu, how should we punish Tu Cheng?”

In tribes without a witch doctor, the chieftain was responsible for all decisions. However, in tribes with a witch doctor, major decisions were often left to them. Although Bai Tu had repeatedly denied being a witch doctor, the tribe still looked to him for guidance. After all, he had saved Bai Chen’s life, and in their eyes, his status was already equivalent to that of a witch doctor.

Hearing Bai An’s question, Bai Tu shook his head. “Chief, you decide.” Bai Tu didn’t know many of the unspoken rules that the beastmen followed, so it was better for Bai An to make the decision. 

Today’s events had left Bai Tu shocked. He had assumed that Tu Cheng was merely scheming to take the position of tribe leader, but he hadn’t expected that Tu Cheng’s goal from the very beginning had been to defect to the Wild Lion Tribe.

After hearing Bai Tu’s response, Bai An discussed the matter with several older beastmen. In the end, they decided to exile Tu Cheng from the tribe.

The Rabbit Clan was known for being kind and friendly to their own, but betrayal of the tribe was something that could not be tolerated anywhere. On the Beast God Continent, there were two main punishments for betraying one’s tribe: execution by fire or exile, the latter also being referred to as banishment. For the gentle-natured Rabbit Clan, killing one of their own was something they couldn’t bring themselves to do. Driving someone out and leaving them to fend for themselves was seen as the best option.

Beastmen who were exiled rarely had a good fate. On the Beast God Continent, everyone knew that only those who had committed unforgivable acts against their tribe would face banishment. Exiled beastmen carried too many risks, and no tribe dared to take them in. After all, if they had betrayed one tribe, who was to say they wouldn’t betray the next?

For an exiled beastman, the best-case scenario was surviving the winter and traveling far enough to find a tribe unaware of their past willing to accept them. Most, however, would never leave the perilous jungles alive. Without the help of tribe members to hunt, the chances of a Rabbit Clan beastman making it through the wilderness were close to zero.

No one felt sympathy for Tu Cheng. Everyone knew that if today’s plot hadn’t been uncovered, their fate would have been far worse than Tu Cheng’s. The Wild Lion Tribe was full of leaders so cruel that they were willing to kill their own offspring. The Rabbit Clan, with their vastly different nature, would have had no future in such a place.

Bai Qi stepped forward to untie the vines binding Tu Cheng, then gave him a hard kick. “Get out!”

As Tu Cheng stood up, Bai An scanned the remaining tribesmen, paying particular attention to those who had been close to Tu Cheng. “If anyone wants to go with him, leave now.”

Within a tribe, beastmen were typically united, but there were always closer and more distant relationships. This was why there were factions supporting different candidates for the position of chieftain. Those close to Bai An would never defy his orders for Tu Cheng, but the beastmen who had good relationships with Tu Cheng were less loyal to Bai An.

A larger tribe was generally a safer tribe, but if certain individuals were likely to cause trouble in the future, it was better to let them decide their stance now.

Among the crowd, a few younger beastmen glanced at one another. For beastmen who had spent their entire lives in the tribe, the tribe was everything to them. Their reliance on the tribe from a young age had become second nature, and the world outside was filled with dangers.

But if they stayed, their close relationship with Tu Cheng would make them unpopular among the other tribesmen. On the other hand, Tu Cheng’s previous promises weren’t easily forgotten. He had spoken often about how, once he became chief, they would have unlimited meat to eat and their choice of mates. Those who lacked strong willpower hesitated.

Tu Cheng, aware of what his companions were thinking, stepped forward and promised, “Don’t worry. If you follow me to the Wild Lion Tribe, I’ll make sure you live better than you ever have here!”

Bai Qi, who had always disliked Tu Cheng, couldn’t stand his arrogance. Having grown up listening to stories about the outside world, Bai Qi knew all too well what would happen if they sought refuge with the Wild Lion Tribe. He scoffed, “Keep dreaming. The Lion Tribe isn’t nearly as kindhearted as you think.”

Tu Cheng shot back, “Just because you can’t do it doesn’t mean I can’t!” His confidence in the favorable treatment he believed he would receive remained unshaken.

In the end, out of the five hesitant beastmen, three stepped forward to follow Tu Cheng. One of the remaining two glanced at Bai An and decided to stay, while the other was stopped by his older brother.

Tu Cheng sneered at the wary looks the surrounding beastmen gave him. Turning to his three companions, he declared, “Let’s go! I’ll take you to live the life a hunting party deserves!”

When someone had suggested earlier that Tu Cheng be burned alive, he had been genuinely terrified. But upon hearing the final decision to exile him, he felt completely relieved. While others feared banishment, Tu Cheng did not. He believed he had a strong backer in the Wild Lion Tribe, and he saw no reason to stay in a tribe that, in his eyes, coddled the weak. To him, the Wild Lion Tribe, where strength ruled, was where he truly belonged.

The Snow Rabbit Tribe allowed only one mate per beastman. Tu Cheng had long been dissatisfied with this rule. He was the strongest beastman in the tribe, yet he couldn’t have multiple mates. No one in the tribe, he felt, was worthy of him. His mate should be someone like Hu Bu—strong, intelligent, and beautiful.

Initially, he had been willing to lead the tribe to greatness out of loyalty to his people. But instead of appreciating his efforts, they had blamed him for contacting Hu Bu. What was so valuable about a beastman lying unconscious in a cave and a useless fool who couldn’t heal injuries or do anything other than waste food, even if they were good-looking? And he hadn’t even acted yet! Yet here they were, blindly following Bai An and driving him out for the sake of two such people.

Although Tu Cheng didn’t become the tribe leader and was instead exiled from the Snow Rabbit Tribe, the outcome wasn’t far from what he had ultimately wanted. After all, his goal was always to join the Wild Lion Tribe. Leading three young beastmen, he left the Snow Rabbit Tribe and headed east. Hu Bu had told him before: the strong deserved the treatment befitting the strong. There was no reason for him to stay in a hunting party and take orders from a chieftain who was far inferior to him, all to hunt and feed a group of weaklings who contributed nothing to the tribe.

Tu Cheng looked up at the glowing moon in the sky, his heart brimming with satisfaction. To him, Hu Bu was that moon. In the past, all he could do was look up at it from the ground. But now, by joining the Wild Lion Tribe, he would finally become like a star, able to stand beside the moon and protect it.

Watching Tu Cheng’s proud and smug figure as he left, the elders in the tribe could only sigh. “He’s too naïve.”

The Rabbit Clan may have been simple-minded, but they were not fools. The older beastmen, with more life experience and knowledge of the rise and fall of various tribes, understood that Tu Cheng’s lofty promises were nothing more than empty illusions, like clouds in the sky—visible but impossible to grasp. Joining another tribe wasn’t as simple as he thought. Beastmen who betrayed their own tribe only realized the harsh truth after they joined a new one: the life awaiting them was nothing like the one they imagined.

This thought left the tribespeople feeling a mixture of regret and pity.

Bai Tu, however, didn’t share these sentiments. Unlike the others, he hadn’t lived with Tu Cheng for long and had few impressions of him, other than Tu Cheng refusing to let him treat Bai Chen and complaining about the quantity of herbs he used. There wasn’t much worth remembering. As soon as Tu Cheng and his group left, Bai Tu went straight to Bai An and asked for the remaining branches of Heartbreak Grass.

“Tu, what do you want with the poison grass?” Bai An was still unsure how to handle the plant. After seeing it poison the mouse, everyone was terrified of it. Hearing Bai Tu’s request, Bai An felt a slight sense of relief but was quickly overtaken by concern—it was a deadly poison, after all, and even a small amount could kill.

“This is poison, yes, but it’s also medicine,” Bai Tu explained. “Many plants work this way—they can be used as medicine to treat illnesses, but eating them recklessly causes poisoning.” This was also why Bai Tu didn’t dare let anyone else handle herb collection. Even in the modern world, where there were medical instructions and professional guidance, plenty of people ignored advice and self-medicated improperly. Here, in a primitive time without books or written explanations, where many medicinal herbs were poisonous, it was a task only he could take on.

As for why he wanted the Heartbreak Grass, aside from its medicinal uses, Bai Tu had another reason. “If fed to chickens in small amounts, it can increase their appetite and help them grow faster. But only I can handle this—it’s dangerous, and no one else should try it.”

This was the first time Bai An had heard of such a miraculous use for the plant. He handed the Heartbreak Grass to Bai Tu and asked, “Are there other plants like this?”

Bai Tu shook his head. “Every plant has different effects, and you absolutely can’t eat them randomly. From now on, if you plan to eat any wild vegetables, bring them to me first so I can take a look.” Especially in an area with so many toxic plants, it was better to be cautious, even if it meant extra work.

Carefully wrapping the Heartbreak Grass to keep it separate and ensure it wouldn’t be used accidentally, Bai Tu then went to check on his precious seedlings. These plants would be the future source of food for the tribe, and he couldn’t afford to neglect them. As expected of the flora of the Beast God Continent, their vitality was as strong as ever. The few plants that had been drooping and withered the day before were now standing tall and brimming with energy after being watered and tended to overnight.

As dawn broke, Bai Tu called out to the gathering team, “Gathering team, come here and learn about new plants!” He had originally planned to teach them yesterday, but the events of the day had delayed it. Still, it wasn’t too late now. Learning just before heading out would make the information stick in their minds better.

Hearing his call, a group of beastmen quickly crowded around him. Behind them, the morning sun slowly rose, its warm light spilling over their shoulders and dispelling the lingering shadows in their hearts.