Chapter 65
Bai Tu had no idea how yesterday’s undecided debate about whether the wolves should use their beast forms for travel had, after a night’s sleep, transformed into a discussion about who would carry him.
Lang Ze was deeply unhappy that Lang Qi had stolen his chance to redeem himself, but he could only glare at his older brother in silent protest.
Lang Qi, unfazed by Lang Ze’s complaints, treated his dissatisfaction as nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
To ensure they could return by evening, everyone prepared to depart immediately after breakfast.
Unlike the young wolves, who transformed and dashed off as soon as they left the tribe, Bai Tu’s first priority was to pack food. Thankfully, they didn’t need to carry much this time, and the wolves could manage the load even in their beast forms.
It wasn’t Bai Tu’s first time seeing Lang Qi’s beast form, but every time he did, it left him awestruck.
This time, however, it was slightly less shocking since he had grown accustomed to seeing the young wolves in their beast forms. Lang Qi’s beast form was noticeably larger than Lang Ze’s, making him easy to spot even in a crowd.
Since they were heading out together, the wolf cubs were left in the tribe under Rabbit Cai’s care.
Before departing, Bai Tu reassured them, “We’ll be back tonight, okay? I’ll bring you something delicious.”
The cubs clung tightly to his fingers, reluctant to let him go, until Lang Qi tapped each of them on the head. Only then did they release their grip, staring at Bai Tu with longing eyes.
“Be good. I’ll be back soon.” Although he could have taken the cubs with him, this trip wasn’t the same as their usual short excursions around the tribe.
Digging for lotus roots near the ponds would involve moving around slippery, muddy areas, which wasn’t safe for the cubs.
The cubs let out soft whimpers in response, as if agreeing.
*
After leaving the tribe, Bai Tu finally understood why Lang Ze had insisted on using their beast forms.
The wolves’ speed was at least four to five times faster than traveling on foot in human form.
In their beast forms, the wolves could run at speeds of up to 60 kilometers per hour, though it was clear they weren’t pushing their limits. Even so, they still took longer than the young wolves had the previous day to reach the ponds.
The day before, Bai Tu had asked Lang Ze and the others about the ponds.
While playing in the water, the wolves had indeed noticed lotus roots, though they didn’t know what they were at the time. They had found it amusing to snap the roots apart and toss them around.
After a night of settling, the ponds were in slightly better condition than Bai Tu had anticipated. However, as soon as the young wolves jumped in, the water quickly turned muddy again.
Watching the young wolves wrestling and splashing in the pond, Bai Tu suspected they had completely forgotten the purpose of their trip. Concerned that the lotus roots would be damaged by their rough play, he called out, “Stop playing around and start digging for lotus roots.”
Hearing Bai Tu’s voice, the wolves immediately halted their antics. They found a secluded spot, reverted to their human forms, and held their breath as they began searching for lotus roots in the mud.
“Tu, is this one?” Lang Ze asked, holding up a battered lotus root that had clearly been used as a weapon, with only three sections remaining.
Bai Tu took it to a spot where the water was clearer and washed it off.
His eyes lit up with excitement. “Yes, this is it! Dig up the roots, but leave a small section behind,” he instructed. “What’s left will grow into new plants next year. We can’t harvest everything at once.”
Digging for lotus roots turned out to be far more enjoyable than other tasks.
The young wolves competed to see who could dig up the most, taking only a short break at midday when the sun was at its hottest. The rest of the time, they were fully focused on the task.
Bai Tu had brought three baskets of food, worried that the wolves might exhaust themselves and run out of energy.
He had even considered bringing more, but Lang Qi had assured him it wasn’t necessary. Now, he realized that he had overprepared.
The wolves barely touched the food—not because they weren’t hungry, but because eating required washing their hands, and none of them wanted to bother with the extra step.
“They could go two days without eating and still be fine,” Lang Qi told Bai Tu, reassuring him that he didn’t need to worry.
Wolves could go ten days or more on a single meal. Skipping a day of eating wasn’t a big deal for them. The young wolves had even forgotten to return to the tribe countless times while playing, and only Bai Tu ever seemed concerned about their mealtimes.
After a day of digging, the young wolves had completely cleared out the pond’s lotus roots.
Since there was no nearby water source for washing off, they had no choice but to head back to the tribe still covered in mud.
Their boundless energy was evident—they had eaten well, slept soundly, and spent the entire day digging. By the end of it, they were as muddy as ever, but the pond was empty of lotus roots.
The harvested lotus roots filled over ten baskets, weighing a total of at least 1,000 kilos. The seed pods were fewer in number, taking up just one basket.
Although 1,000 kilos of lotus roots sounded like a lot. Making lotus root starch was out of the question—at least not this year. Bai Tu, along with the kitchen staff, washed the lotus roots and taught everyone how to stir-fry them.
Cold lotus root salad was also a good option, but without vinegar, the flavor wouldn’t be quite as satisfying. Stir-frying was a safer bet, as the lack of certain seasonings didn’t make as much of a difference.
New ingredients always brought a sense of novelty and excitement, and the young wolves were especially proud of their efforts.
Each of them finished a bowl of stir-fried lotus root, and if Bai Tu hadn’t limited them to one bowl each, they would have happily eaten more.
It wasn’t that Bai Tu was stingy—adjusting one’s diet required a gradual process.
Beastmen had eaten mostly meat for years, with only occasional fruit.
A sudden switch to an all-vegetarian diet wouldn’t just risk digestive issues; it would also fail to provide proper nutrition. The same principle applied to lotus root—it couldn’t be their sole food source.
For the cubs, Bai Tu prepared their food himself.
He diced the lotus root, mixed it into minced meat, flattened the mixture on a plate, and steamed it.
The lotus roots they had harvested were particularly starchy, and once steamed, the combined aroma of the lotus and meat was incredibly enticing. Before the dish was even served, the two wolf cubs were already trying to climb down from the bed.
Bai Tu carefully wiped their paws and faces before feeding them.
At Tu Cai’s place, the cubs were each kept in a separate bamboo basket.
Despite their slightly larger size and lack of numbers compared to the rabbit cubs, they always managed to terrify the little rabbits into retreating to the corners of the cave.
The wolf cubs had recently managed to climb out of their baskets—a feat that startled the young beastmen helping Tu Cai.
By the time they were caught, the cubs were covered in dust and dirt from who-knows-where.
Bai Tu had already washed them once when they came back but still felt they weren’t clean enough, so he wiped them down again before feeding them.
As he cleaned them, Bai Tu remarked, “Why are you two acting so much like Lang Ze?”
At the tribe, the cubs were relatively quiet and obedient, apart from being a little clingy. But at Tu Cai’s, they were downright mischievous.
Lang Qi, who was adding coal to the stove, paused when he heard this comment. After finishing, he glanced at the two cubs and said, “I’ll be back in a bit.”
“Alright,” Bai Tu replied, wondering why Lang Qi felt the need to announce it.
He didn’t dwell on it, though, and focused on feeding the cubs. “Is it good? Does it taste good? If you’re good, I’ll make more delicious food for you next time.”
“Awwooo~” The little black wolf let out a soft howl, while the little gray wolf clung to Bai Tu’s arm and took a big bite of the food.
Lang Qi returned soon after, and Bai Tu didn’t think much of it—until the next morning, when he noticed Lang Ze looking particularly deflated.
“Are you feeling unwell, Ze?” Bai Tu asked with concern.
Lang Ze shivered at the sound of Bai Tu’s voice, immediately perking up. “No, no, I’m fine!”
Teenagers always seemed to be like this.
Since Lang Ze only seemed slightly off, Bai Tu assumed it was from being overworked.
Recently, the young wolves had been busy with more than just hunting, so he considered heading to the kitchen to plan a new dish for the coming days to make their meals more enjoyable.
As soon as Bai Tu left, Lang Ze slumped again.
He wasn’t actually unwell—he just didn’t feel like playing anymore. Last night, after being caught and scolded by his older brother, Lang Qi, he’d lost all his enthusiasm.
Lang Ze still couldn’t figure out how Lang Qi had found out about his antics.
He had always been careful to sneak into the nursery to steal the cubs only when both Lang Qi and Bai Tu were away.
Each time, he would play with them for a bit and then return them without anyone noticing. So how had his brother discovered what he was up to?
Unable to figure out where he’d slipped up, Lang Ze, for the first time, avoided playing or causing trouble.
After breakfast, he obediently returned to the cave to sleep.
As he lay down, he muttered under his breath about how Lang Qi must be some kind of scheming wolf who always managed to uncover his tricks. In his dreams, Lang Ze spent the entire morning beating up his older brother.
By the time he woke up, he’d completely forgotten about it.
At lunch, Lang Ze was as radiant and energetic as ever.
Seeing this, Bai Tu finally felt reassured.
Young wolves had an almost magical ability to bounce back from anything.
Their boundless energy seemed endless, and while their moments of sadness were equally intense—spreading an almost tangible air of gloom for dozens of meters around them—they always disappeared as quickly as they came. Bai Tu definitely preferred seeing the wolves full of life and vigor.
Just as Bai Tu was feeling relieved, Lang Zuo and Lang You sidled up to Lang Ze, one on each side.
“So, where are we going to play today?” they asked in unison.
Lang Ze: “Where do you guys want to go?”
He hadn’t decided yet. After being scolded by his brother yesterday, he had gone straight to bed after returning from the hunt and spent the morning sulking, leaving no time to plan.
The energetic young wolves knew that even if they wanted to cause mischief, they couldn’t do it near the tribe, or they’d be chased away.
Lang Zuo glanced around to make sure Bai Tu and Lang Qi weren’t nearby, then whispered to Lang Ze, “A Cat Tribe member said they saw the Lion Tribe near the northern border…”
The Cat Tribe, with their superior stealth, were better at reconnaissance than 90% of beastmen. Most of the Cat Tribe worked under Mao Lin to prepare hay for the winter, while others followed Bai Qi, taking on patrol and scouting duties.
Places like the border between the two tribes, which were prone to conflict, were perfect for the Cats.
They could avoid being detected while keeping tabs on the other side.
During yesterday’s patrol, one of the Cats had spotted the Lion Tribe nearing Snow Rabbit territory. Lang Zuo had overheard this when he went to find Lang Qi.
Lang Ze immediately perked up, his previous gloom vanishing as he transformed into his usual overconfident self, ready to take on ten opponents at once. “We’re going north!”
*
The Wolf Tribe typically hunted after dinner, and almost no wolves missed that meal.
Skipping breakfast or lunch only meant being hungry for half the day, but missing dinner meant going without food all night.
While the wolves could go one or two days without eating, they preferred not to if they could avoid it—especially when Bai Tu always prepared a hearty evening meal for the young wolves, knowing they’d be heading out to hunt later. Dinner was often more generous than the other two meals combined.
Dinner was a big event, with nearly all the beastmen participating.
The cooks usually started preparations in the afternoon.
By the time the food was ready, the Wolf Tribe would gather around the kitchen, ready to eat. Other beastmen, knowing the wolves would head out to hunt after dinner, gave them priority and came down a bit later.
But today, things were different.
The cooks had carried out trays of braised meat, roasted meat, and freshly washed fruit, but instead of the usual crowd of wolves, the dining hall was nearly empty, with only a few scattered Rabbit and Cat Tribe members present.
“Where are the wolves? Where’s the whole pack?”
For beastmen, mealtime was no small matter. By the time the food had cooled from its fresh-out-of-the-pot warmth, the wolves still hadn’t shown up.
Alarmed, the kitchen manager rushed to find Bai Tu. “Tu! Something terrible has happened—the Wolf Tribe is going on a hunger strike!”
Bai Tu: “???” Why would they go on a hunger strike?
He had seen them earlier in the day, and they had seemed fine. Dinner even included extra portions—was there something they didn’t like?
“Which dish are they unhappy with?” Bai Tu asked, already thinking he might need to buy more ingredients at the next market gathering.
“They’re not eating anything! None of them have come down at all!” The kitchen manager slapped his thigh in frustration. “They won’t say what’s wrong or what they don’t like! Watching people enjoy the food I cook is my favorite thing, and now the wolves are boycotting dinner without a word. It’s heartbreaking!”
Bai Tu: “…”
After a pause, Bai Tu asked, “Is there a chance… they just haven’t come back yet?”
