Chapter 69
The others looked at Lang Ze, unsure whether to feel relieved or exasperated.
How should they put it?
The current situation was not only a little awkward but also completely unexpected. They had assumed that sending Lang Ze to the mining area would keep him occupied until at least midnight, but here he was, back at the tribe well before sundown.
Lang Ze’s sudden and early return caught everyone off guard.
Every wolf present knew Lang Ze all too well—if he discovered their plan, he would definitely oppose it. That’s why they had opted to keep him in the dark and proceed without him.
This was a decision born of necessity.
As the tribe leader, Lang Qi naturally had to lead the charge for such a significant mission.
Among the four hunting squads, Lang Ze’s was the youngest and most inexperienced.
If Lang Qi went, Lang Ze needed to stay behind in the tribe. After all, if something happened to Lang Qi, there would be no one suitable to succeed him.
The former wolf king’s direct descendants were now reduced to Lang Qi, Lang Ya, Lang Ze, and the two pups.
Lang Ya, while capable, was relatively smaller in size and not as physically imposing.
The two pups, of course, were still at an age where they needed care and couldn’t even take on human form yet.
With Lang Qi leading the charge and Lang Ze staying behind, this arrangement was the best possible setup for the mission. But Lang Ze always managed to throw a wrench into their plans. For example, earlier, without knowing anything about their preparations, he had brought the Leopard Tribe beastmen back to the camp. And now, despite no one letting anything slip, Lang Ze had somehow figured out that tonight’s operation wasn’t a mere hunting trip.
“Brother, are you going to fight?!” Lang Ze asked Lang Qi again, his tone laced with suspicion. Lang Qi didn’t answer. He simply looked at Lang Ze, his expression calm but unreadable.
Lang Ze, who had confidently come down to question the others, suddenly felt less sure of himself. But the thought of everyone sneaking off to fight without him made his frustration bubble over. He straightened his back and declared, “I want to go too!”
Lang Qi remained silent for a moment before responding in a flat tone, “Are you sure you want to come along?”
“Of course, I’m sure!” Lang Ze pointed accusingly at everyone else. “If I hadn’t come down, were you all planning to leave me behind and sneak off?”
The other wolves exchanged awkward glances.
As much as they were shocked by Lang Qi’s response, they couldn’t deny Lang Ze’s accusation—because it was true. They had planned to leave quietly, with no intention of informing Lang Ze. His unexpected return had completely disrupted their plans, forcing them to prepare in secrecy, as if they were thieves.
“Fine. You can come along,” Lang Qi said evenly.
Lang Ze let out a triumphant whoop, immediately calling out for his squad to join him.
The young wolves, who had been sulking about being left behind to guard the tribe, lit up with excitement at Lang Ze’s words.
They cheered loudly and dashed down the mountain one after another.
Some of the wolves, who were accustomed to sleeping in their beast forms, didn’t even bother shifting into human form or grabbing their clothes. Instead, they raced to the edge of the mountain path, skipped the steps entirely, and slid down the steep slope beside it. Their descent was fast but reckless, leaving their backsides burning by the time they reached the bottom.
“Leader!” The older wolves were utterly stunned.
No matter how safe this mission was supposed to be, allowing both the wolf king and his successor to join the same operation had never been part of the plan.
The wolf king represented the tribe’s strength and stability, while Lang Ze, as the most likely successor, symbolized its future. Sending both of them on this mission together was far too risky.
To defeat the Mad Lion Tribe once and for all, they had already decided to deploy three hunting squads.
If Lang Ze joined as well, that would make it four hunting squads plus two gathering squads—the strongest and most capable members of the tribe.
If they failed to return, the Blood Wolf Tribe’s territory would undoubtedly attract the attention of other tribes. And without their strongest warriors, the remaining wolves wouldn’t be able to defend such a vast territory.
It wasn’t suitable to leave any other hunting squad behind. Most of the older beastmen were nearing the age where they would retire from the hunting squads—this mission was their last chance to fight for the tribe.
The former wolf king’s hunting squad had been demoralized since losing their leader two years ago.
Aside from hunting, they had almost completely abstained from battle, and if this continued, the squad would be rendered useless. Hence, their participation was essential. The squad led by Lang Qi, as the current wolf king, naturally served as the backbone of the fighting force in any conflict.
Among the four hunting squads, Lang Ze’s was the most suitable to remain behind.
Lang Ze was young, and if the others failed, he could lead his hunting squad along with any returning wolves to protect the tribe.
With a few years of stability, the wolf tribe could regain its current strength, where other tribes dared not provoke them.
When Lang Ze descended and demanded to join, everyone placed their hopes on Lang Qi, expecting him to refuse. No one anticipated that he would agree so easily. A wave of shock washed over the wolf tribesmen.
“Lang Ze hasn’t participated in a real battle before,” Lang Qi said solemnly. “This is a good opportunity for him to gain experience.”
“But…” one of the beastmen hesitated.
The statement was true, but sending all the hunting squads out meant the tribe would be left with only three gathering squads. Aside from Lang Ya’s team, the others weren’t as skilled as the hunting squads.
Lang Qi gave no room for rebuttal. “Lang Ya will stay behind.”
The beastman who had spoken swallowed his words.
When the wolf king called someone by name and issued orders, it wasn’t a discussion—it was an announcement. Still, leaving Lang Ya behind was better than leaving no one at all, and the wolves no longer felt as shocked. If Lang Qi had made the decision, he must have considered everything thoroughly.
Lang Ya opened her mouth to object, but seeing the resolute look on Lang Qi’s face, she reluctantly nodded. Questioning the leader’s decision before departure was not appropriate.
Lang Qi turned and scanned the assembled wolves, pointing out three to four individuals from each squad, including Lang Ze’s team.
*
Before leaving the tribe, Lang Qi took one last look at the home he had lived in for over a decade, then shifted into his beast form and led the way.
A pack of 160 to 170 wolves of varying colors, joined by 20-plus leopards, formed a massive procession of nearly 200 beastmen, departing the wolf tribe in an awe-inspiring march.
At the Snow Rabbit Tribe, Bai Tu, who was inspecting new iron tools, suddenly felt his eyelid twitch. He turned to Bai Hui, who was in charge of iron forging and crafting, and asked, “How many collars have we made so far?”
The collar he held was a defensive tool made of nails and animal hide. It was worn around the neck to effectively prevent attacks on this vulnerable area from both beasts and other beastmen. This tool was particularly useful for protecting against sneak attacks and for safeguarding weaker beastmen.
Whether or not the tribe would go to war with other tribes in the future, it was better to prepare defensive tools in advance.
Bai Tu’s plan was to eventually provide every tribe member with one, but progress had been slow.
Iron nails had to be sharp enough, and production had only started a little over ten days ago.
At most, they could make a dozen or so collars a day. For now, there were just enough for the rabbit tribe, cat tribe, and the wolves stationed at the Snow Rabbit Tribe. Only a small portion had been made for the Blood Wolf Tribe.
Bai Hui flipped through the bamboo tally sheet and replied, “Two hundred and thirty-three.”
“Bring them all out and distribute them to the hunting squads first,” Bai Tu instructed.
His original plan was to wait until all the collars were finished before distributing them, but he couldn’t shake a sense of unease today.
The remaining collars could be completed before the market opened. It was better to distribute some now—just in case. Preparing for the worst never hurt.
“Understood.” Bai Hui agreed and hurried to find Bai Cai to retrieve the collars.
Their team was only responsible for crafting them; once completed, the collars were sent to Bai Cai for safekeeping.
After Bai Hui left, Bai Tu glanced at the uneven iron wires next to him and began sketching a design for a bite stopper on a wooden board. The bite stopper was slightly more complex than the defensive collar. Bai Tu revised the design a few times, pondering the most suitable materials for the buckles and straps.
Suddenly, Bai Hui came running back. “Tu, the wolves aren’t here.”
“They’re not here?” Bai Tu glanced at the sky. It was nearly dark—had they not returned yet, or had they left earlier in the day?
“Did you ask Mu?” Bai Tu inquired.
Mu was known for his sharp memory. Despite the tribe’s growing population—now nearing two hundred people, including the wolves—Mu could remember exactly who had eaten and who hadn’t, even though the beastmen didn’t all eat at the same time.
“I asked. He said they weren’t around at noon either. He went to check, and they haven’t come back yet. The wolves didn’t have dinner, and Leader Lang Qi told him this morning not to prepare food for them today.”
“Alright, then distribute the collars to our hunting squads first,” Bai Tu said.
If the wolves weren’t in the tribe, they’d have to wait until tomorrow. As Bai Tu spoke, his eyelid twitched twice more.
Thinking about how the wolves had been disappearing more frequently lately—especially Lang Qi, who used to spend all day caring for the cubs but now only showed up every couple of days—Bai Tu frowned. He called out to Bai Hui, who was about to leave, “Wait, Hui, help me find Chen and Qi. Quickly.”
“Right away!” Bai Hui dashed off, running so fast that he disappeared around a corner in the blink of an eye.
Bai Tu followed at a more measured pace. By the time he had walked a short distance, Bai Hui had already returned with Bai Chen and Bai Qi in tow.
When Bai Tu saw the group assembled, he quickly gave instructions: “Qi, take two of the fastest people and head to the Blood Wolf Tribe to find Lang Qi. Once you find them, tell them to come back here. Chen, head east.”
The two responded without hesitation.
Bai Qi immediately gathered two beastmen and set off southeast, while Bai Chen led a small group eastward, towards the river on the far side of the Snow Rabbit Tribe.
The wolves were likely heading toward the Lion Tribe’s territory, and if they wanted to save time, this route was the shortest.
If relations between the two tribes were still as neutral as they had been in the past—each minding their own business—the wolves might have avoided crossing the Snow Rabbit Tribe’s territory. But now, the two tribes worked together so closely that they might as well be a single entity, apart only by distance. The wolves likely wouldn’t take a detour.
The wolf pack, originally intending to march straight through rabbit territory to reach the Wild Lion Tribe, had just crossed their own border when they encountered Bai Qi.
Upon hearing Bai Tu’s request for them to come to the Snow Rabbit Tribe, Lang Qi paused briefly, then nodded in agreement.
Bai Qi let out a sigh of relief.
The wolves’ formation was clearly an aggressive one, ready to cause trouble.
He had no idea how Bai Tu had guessed, but this was the first time he’d seen so many wolves together.
Hunting squads usually operated separately, and even when trading salt, the wolves had only sent two hunting squads along with some gathering team members. But this? This was easily over two hundred wolves.
The wolf pack followed Bai Qi to the Snow Rabbit Tribe, only to be greeted by an unusual item: a peculiar-looking collar.
“This is a defensive collar meant to protect your neck,” Bai Tu explained while demonstrating how to wear it. He personally fastened the first collar around Lang Qi’s neck.
Lang Qi lowered his head, quietly observing Bai Tu.
Thinking it might not fit properly, Bai Tu adjusted the collar, explaining, “It might look a little ugly, but it’s safe.”
Lang Qi glanced at the large basket filled with collars nearby and gave a low command: “Everyone, put them on.”
The wolves lined up to retrieve collars from the basket and began fastening them.
A few wolves who hadn’t brought clothing with them awkwardly tried to carry the collars to a corner to put them on but found themselves unable to properly bite down on the item.
Just as Bai Tu was about to step in to help, Lang Qi waved for the other wolves to assist them.
Seeing that the wolves were handling it, Bai Tu shifted his attention back to Lang Qi. After a moment’s hesitation, he simply said, “Stay safe.”
What had initially been a guess was now clear as day.
Seeing such a well-armed wolf formation left no doubt in Bai Tu’s mind: this wasn’t a show of force like last time. This time, they were going to take action against the Wild Lion Tribe.
Lang Qi stared at Bai Tu for a long time before responding, “Take good care of the cubs.”
“Don’t worry,” Bai Tu replied with a nod. The wolves were heading out to deal with a common enemy, and he would ensure all logistical support was ready.
Lang Qi had a brief conversation with Bai An off to the side before returning to pick up the two wolf cubs.
Holding them gently for a moment, he then handed them back to Bai Tu. “I’m off,” he said before shifting into his beast form and walking toward the pack without hesitation.
“Awwoo~” The cubs seemed to sense something unusual for the first time, craning their necks in Bai Tu’s arms to watch the wolves depart.
Bai Tu soothed the uneasy cubs, suppressing his own worries as he pulled out the bite-stopper design he had sketched earlier.
“Hui, use thick iron wire to make a small cage like this,” he instructed.
If they captured anyone, fitting them with a bite stopper would be the safest option. With the potential number of prisoners they might have, Bai Tu didn’t want to risk any danger.
Bai Hui immediately began studying the design. With Bai Tu present, he took the opportunity to ask any questions he had.
Carrying the cubs, Bai Tu patiently answered Hui’s questions, personally overseeing the construction process.
What Bai Tu could never have anticipated, however, was that the first bite stopper they made would end up being used on one of their own.
