Chapter 71
Lang Ze had intended to check on Lang Qi’s injuries, but Lang Qi headbutted him aside.
Any beastman blocking his path, regardless of their height, weight, or appearance, was effortlessly tossed aside as Lang Qi forged ahead.
He didn’t know where he was, only that something he sought was in a certain direction. Following that instinct, he sprinted at full speed to the base of a mountain.
He heard voices, seemingly from the Lion Tribe, though something about them felt off.
Lang Qi halted and tried to discern the figures ahead. A familiar dizziness washed over him, and when he opened his eyes again, all he could hear were snatches of conversation.
The sounds inexplicably irritated him, and he felt an urge to tear apart the creatures making the noise. Just as he was about to move forward, an image flashed in his mind.
A group of youths was being urged by another young boy, who was about their age, to go bathe. The memory was of this very place.
“Dirty… must wash… wash clean before coming over. Filthy like this will scare the others.”
Those words made Lang Qi pause. Without disturbing the group of talking individuals, he moved past them and headed toward the river.
“Wash clean…” He plunged into the river and washed off the blood on his body.
Once he was thoroughly cleaned, he leapt back onto the shore, shook off the water droplets on his fur, and retraced his steps to the place he’d come from.
“Find someone…” This was the only thought in his mind as he made his way straight to the mountainside.
“Don’t scare people…” The youth’s words echoed in his mind again. Lang Qi skirted around the strangers and leapt up from behind them.
*
After Bai Tu tucked the two cubs in, he lay down to rest, though tonight’s sleep was clearly not as peaceful as usual.
He hadn’t dreamed in ages, but now he found himself in a nightmare. In the dream, a massive black monster was chasing him. He ran down a flight of stairs but suddenly missed a step.
The abrupt sensation of falling jolted Bai Tu awake. The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was a pair of glowing green eyes staring back at him.
If this were his first time seeing such a sight, Bai Tu would undoubtedly have screamed.
But by now, he had undergone countless midnight drills and was somewhat accustomed to waking up to a wolf staring at him. Although shocked, he managed to calm himself quickly. Judging by the size of the figure in the dim light, he asked tentatively, “Qi?”
He had a tendency to confuse faces when it came to beastmen and could only distinguish them by physical characteristics like body size or fur color. In contrast, the beastmen could easily recognize one another even if they shared similar features.
Among the wolf tribe, their physiques were generally larger than any wolves Bai Tu had ever encountered. Lang Ze, for example, was a full size larger than the rest, while Lang Qi was even bigger than Lang Ze, making the brothers relatively easy to identify.
When Lang Qi saw Bai Tu wake, he took a few steps forward. But upon noticing the two cubs beside Bai Tu, his gaze instantly turned cold. These were not his cubs.
Bai Tu, though confident in his ability to distinguish between wolves, noticed that something was off with Lang Qi tonight.
He was unusually silent—more so than usual.
In his beast form, communication was already a challenge, but today, his demeanor seemed especially abnormal.
Bai Tu caught a faint whiff of blood and guessed that Lang Qi might be injured. By the dim light of the moon, he saw Lang Qi staring intently at the two cubs, which caused Bai Tu to break out in a cold sweat.
“They’re sleeping. You can check on them tomorrow,” Bai Tu said cautiously.
Young cubs needed over twenty hours of sleep a day.
After the wolf tribe had left that afternoon, the cubs had hardly napped.
Once they returned to the cave, they’d woken several times before finally falling asleep again.
There was no rush to bond with them now; Lang Qi’s injuries were more important. Bai Tu wrapped the two cubs in his fur blanket, which carried his scent. The cubs smacked their lips, rolled over, and continued to sleep soundly.
Bai Tu moved the cubs to the innermost part of the bed to prevent them from falling out. He also deliberately positioned himself slightly farther away from Lang Qi. The wolves in their beast form were massive, and the cubs were barely the size of Lang Qi’s paw. Bai Tu worried that an accidental swipe might harm them.
Lang Qi noticed Bai Tu’s protective actions and hesitated for a moment. Should he kill these two cubs? Would Bai Tu feel sad?
Lang Qi leaned closer to Bai Tu, carefully observing his every move. If Bai Tu tried to escape, he would kill the cubs.
After ensuring the cubs were secure, Bai Tu got out of bed, put on his shoes, and lit a torch. Lang Qi glanced at the cubs one last time before shifting his gaze back to Bai Tu, staring at him unblinkingly. Even when the torchlight was brought closer, he didn’t flinch.
“Are you feeling unwell? Where’s the injury?” Bai Tu moved the torch closer to Lang Qi, trying to examine his wounds. He couldn’t help but sigh. Communication with someone in beast form was impossible, and someone like Lang Qi, who already spoke sparingly, might as well be mute now. If it were Lang Ze in this situation, he would’ve howled a dozen times already by now.
Are you trying to burn me? Lang Qi glanced at the torch, then fixed his gaze back on Bai Tu.
The fire was large enough that he could easily dodge it, but the other party was so weak. If he moved, it would frighten him.
Bai Tu felt a shiver run down his spine under Lang Qi’s intense stare.
Injured animals, regardless of species, always seemed more aggressive than usual, which added to his unease. Finally, he spotted the wound on Lang Qi’s shoulder.
The injury was severe—it had clearly been strained from intense movement and even soaked in water. Bai Tu couldn’t help but suck in a breath of air at the sight.
Did I scare him? Lang Qi thought suddenly, recalling the words, “Wash clean before coming over.” He shifted his posture slightly, angling himself so the bloodstain was out of view.
Bai Tu, however, was too focused on the wound to care about Lang Qi’s change in position. Without hesitation, he rushed to fetch some medicine.
When Bai Tu turned to leave, Lang Qi immediately followed, not even sparing a glance at the two cubs behind them.
“This might sting a bit—bear with it,” Bai Tu said as he prepared a bottle of diluted saline solution. By this point, he was certain something was off about Lang Qi, but there was no indication of any violent intent.
The wound was on Lang Qi’s shoulder, which meant Bai Tu had to lift his hands high to clean it properly. The wolf, towering nearly as tall as a small mountain, made the task difficult. The bottle of saline solution wasn’t particularly heavy, but holding it up with both hands for an extended period was cumbersome. “Can you sit down?” Bai Tu asked.
He doubted the other party understood him; Lang Qi hadn’t responded to anything since entering the cave.
Not only did he remain silent, but he hadn’t even let Bai Tu examine the wound until he discovered it on his own.
Bai Tu sighed at the thought. Injured beastmen usually reverted to their beast forms, but he’d only ever seen this happen with unconscious individuals like Bai Chen or a few cat tribe members. Lang Qi’s conscious state in his current condition was a first for him.
Lang Qi, however, wasn’t listening to Bai Tu’s words.
His attention was fixed on Bai Tu’s lips, watching them move as he spoke. A flash of memory stirred in his mind as he caught a glimpse of Bai Tu’s actions in his peripheral vision. Without a word, he walked over to the side of the bamboo mat and lay down on it.
Though his prone form was still massive, it lowered him enough that Bai Tu could sit on a stool to work, sparing himself the strain of holding the bottle aloft.
He let out a breath of relief and quickly shaved the fur around the wound before cleaning it thoroughly. Up close, he realized that Lang Qi must have washed himself earlier—his fur was still damp underneath.
The daytime heat had been scorching recently, but the nighttime temperatures had dropped sharply.
Bai Tu had even set up a bed for the cubs to avoid them catching a chill. Now, with the wind blowing into the cave, Bai Tu worried that Lang Qi might catch cold as well. He fetched a fur pelt and draped it over Lang Qi’s body.
Lang Qi remained silent, lying quietly under the same type of fur blanket that covered the cubs, allowing Bai Tu to do as he pleased.
Bai Tu sprinkled medicinal powder onto the wound and covered it with a thin cloth, primarily to prevent debris from entering. Lang Qi turned his head to glance at the bandage, puzzled as to why Bai Tu had covered it. Licking it would’ve been enough for it to heal, he thought.
By the time Bai Tu finished treating the wound, the sky had already begun to brighten. Smoke was rising from the kitchen area in the distance. He looked at Lang Qi and asked, “Why don’t you rest here for a bit? I’ll go grab some food.”
Lang Qi’s unwavering gaze stayed locked on Bai Tu as he spoke, his eyes not blinking once, as though afraid Bai Tu might vanish if he looked away for even a second.
When there was no reply, Bai Tu interpreted it as agreement.
After all, this kind of silent treatment wasn’t unusual.
The cave’s food supplies were running low, so he planned to head to the kitchen to pick up more and also figure out what had happened.
Since Lang Qi had arrived, there hadn’t been a sound from any of the other beastmen. Where had they gone? With Lang Qi’s current state, Bai Tu couldn’t expect any answers from him. His only hope was to ask someone else.
As soon as Bai Tu stood up, Lang Qi rose to his feet and followed right beside him.
Though Lang Qi often followed him in human form, it was different in beast form.
A massive wolf shadowing his every step was enough to create a palpable sense of pressure. This wasn’t just any wolf—it was Max-sized.
Even Bai Tu, who was accustomed to seeing wolf beastmen in their animal forms, couldn’t shake the tension, so he could only imagine how intimidating it must be for others. “How about you wait in the cave?” Bai Tu tried negotiating with him.
Sensing the rejection in Bai Tu’s tone, Lang Qi’s eyes grew dangerous, his gaze darkening.
The familiar restlessness flared up within him again. He wanted to bite something. The one in front of him couldn’t be bitten, so his eyes turned to the base of the mountain.
At the same time, a group of Rabbit Tribe members heading out early felt a sudden chill. Overwhelmed by an inexplicable sense of danger, they quickened their pace without looking back.
Even Bai Tu could sense that something was off with Lang Qi’s expression—it was as though he had transformed from a domesticated animal into a completely wild one.
Uneasy, Bai Tu gently tried to calm him. “I won’t go down. How about we just stay in the cave?” His warm, soothing voice drifted softly, like a balm that smoothed over Lang Qi’s inner turmoil. The agitation in Lang Qi’s eyes gradually faded, and his gaze shifted away from the base of the mountain.
Just as Bai Tu began to relax, a group of wolf beastmen suddenly charged into the tribe, led by Lang Ze. As he shifted back into human form, Lang Ze hurriedly grabbed a nearby wolf to cover himself and shouted, “Tu, my brother turned into a Fallen Beast and ran—”
His words came to an abrupt halt when he caught sight of the black wolf standing behind Bai Tu as he emerged from the cave. Lang Ze’s expression twisted in alarm, and his voice cracked with panic: “Tu, get away!!!” His scream was so sharp it seemed to pierce through the entire tribe.
Lang Qi, stepping out of the cave behind Bai Tu, grew even more irritable at the sight of so many people. A dangerous impulse stirred within him—a desire to destroy everything in his path.
Bai Tu instantly noticed the shift in Lang Qi’s demeanor.
The moment the wolf tribe arrived, his unease had flared. Combining that with Lang Ze’s shouted warning, Bai Tu quickly realized the cause of Lang Qi’s strange behavior.
Although he didn’t know what had happened during the battle with the Lion Tribe to make Lang Qi become a Fallen Beast, it was clear that his current state was a result of beastification.
Fallen Beasts were notorious for attacking indiscriminately, showing no distinction between friend or foe, and growing stronger the longer they fought. Bai Tu sucked in a cold breath, raising his hand to block Lang Qi’s movement. He called out to Lang Ze and the others below, “Go to the kitchen and rest for now!”
Whatever was affecting Lang Qi, at least he hadn’t shown any aggression toward people while he was at the cave. In fact, it was only after the others appeared that his fighting intent seemed to stir.
Bai Tu wasn’t willing to gamble on what would happen if Lang Qi went down the mountain. He couldn’t help but feel a surge of relief that he hadn’t gone down earlier. Separating the two sides was now his priority.
The moment Lang Ze mentioned that Lang Qi had turned into a Fallen Beast, the non-combatant beastmen erupted into chaos. When they finally saw Lang Qi in person, their expressions turned to a mix of shock and terror.
It was well-known that beastmen who became Fallen Beasts grew exponentially stronger.
Lang Qi had already defeated Shi Hong before his transformation, and now, as a Fallen Beast, even without using his jaws, he had injured numerous lions and wolves with just his strikes.
His appearance here at the Snow Rabbit Tribe painted a grim picture in everyone’s minds—they could already imagine the river of blood that would flow.
Lang Ze barely caught Bai Tu’s warning amid his panic but still took action. “Go to the kitchen! Hurry to the kitchen!” he barked at the others, shooing them away.
Once they were gone, he shifted back into beast form, preparing to intercept Lang Qi. With his size, he knew he might not be able to win, but he could at least hold out for a while.
As Lang Ze began climbing toward the cave, he suddenly remembered something.
He’d forgotten to tell Bai Tu to save him a bone. Don’t wait until after my brother eats everything before thinking about burying me, he thought darkly. But then his mood soured further. Bai Tu was so weak that he would likely be the first one Lang Qi ate.
Lang Ze felt a pang of sorrow at the thought. Next time I see everyone, it’ll probably be from inside my brother’s stomach.
