Chapter 76
When Bai Tu opened his eyes, he was greeted by an up-close view of Lang Qi’s face.
Memories of the previous night rushed back to him, and he raised a paw to push the man aside. But Lang Qi didn’t budge. Instead, a small white paw suddenly appeared in his view. Realizing what had happened, Bai Tu’s fur bristled instantly.
Lang Qi, however, was over the moon. The soft slap of the tiny paw against his face made his entire world light up. Gently, he pressed a kiss to the paw.
Feeling the dampness on his paw, Bai Tu froze.
His already muddled thoughts—which had been foggy since yesterday—became an utter whirlwind. Just as he was starting to regain clarity, the realization that he had transformed into his beast form threw everything into chaos again.
“Tu… Tu.” Lang Qi called Bai Tu’s name repeatedly, his voice carrying a tone of possessiveness as he planted kisses on Bai Tu’s face and paw.
The sudden display of affection stunned Bai Tu, making him temporarily forget his indignation. But as soon as he felt Lang Qi grabbing his other paw, he snapped out of it and began to struggle.
Lang Qi managed to kiss two paws before Bai Tu squirmed free. Disappointed, he leaned down and nuzzled Bai Tu’s round, soft belly instead. The warm, fluffy sensation in his hands made his heart melt completely.
Bai Tu glared at Lang Qi warily, trying to climb down from his hand. However, when he glanced at the height to the ground, he hesitated and eventually curled back up in Lang Qi’s palm.
Lang Qi, who had been at a loss for what to do, lit up with excitement. Seeing Bai Tu take a few steps away only to return to his hand made him so happy he bent down and kissed him again.
Bai Tu, meanwhile, tried to process his current predicament. Lang Qi still hadn’t fully recovered; he was in human form but just as out of it as he had been yesterday afternoon. That meant all of Bai Tu’s earlier sacrifices had been for nothing! And as for himself, he had inexplicably transformed into his beast form—a phenomenon that had never occurred since arriving in this world.
With too many problems to worry about, Bai Tu sighed internally and slumped down in defeat.
The tiny bunny, who had been so lively just moments ago, suddenly went still.
Lang Qi panicked, unsure if he had done something wrong. Tentatively, he used his other hand to gently stroke Bai Tu’s head, mimicking how Bai Tu had comforted him in his beast form.
Bai Tu looked up and met Lang Qi’s worried gaze.
After a moment of calm, he resigned himself to the situation. Things were already bad enough—worrying wouldn’t help. Deciding to go with the flow, Bai Tu extended a paw to point at a nearby fur blanket, signaling that he wanted to get down.
Lang Qi hesitated briefly before carefully placing Bai Tu onto the fur. Reluctantly, he pulled his hand away. In his beast form, Bai Tu was small enough for Lang Qi to hold and hide entirely in his hand, shielding him from everyone else.
Once on solid ground, Bai Tu focused on trying to revert to his human form.
A second passed. Ten seconds passed.
Although there was no clock, Bai Tu felt as though a quarter of an hour had gone by, yet nothing had changed. The fur beneath his paws remained the same, and his perspective stayed low. Even Lang Qi hadn’t moved.
“Tu?” Lang Qi called out uncertainly, unable to understand what Bai Tu was doing but growing increasingly worried by his stiff expression.
Bai Tu sighed, lifting his paw to rub his face in frustration. It seemed clear he wouldn’t be returning to human form anytime soon.
Seeing Bai Tu use both front paws to “wash” his face, Lang Qi felt as though his heart might melt completely.
He wanted to shift back into his beast form, grab Bai Tu in his mouth, and proudly parade him around to declare his ownership.
Hearing the cubs’ voices from outside, Bai Tu hopped onto Lang Qi’s arm and patted his hand, gesturing toward the outer room.
Still enchanted by the fluffy white bunny in his care, Lang Qi reluctantly remembered the two cubs waiting outside.
Sighing, he stood up, wrapped himself in a fur pelt, and headed out. Before reaching the entrance, he paused, turned back, and scooped Bai Tu up, placing him against his chest.
As his view suddenly rose higher, Bai Tu froze for a moment before realizing that Lang Qi had carried him up. Annoyed, he gave Lang Qi a light slap with his paw.
The playful hit didn’t hurt at all—if anything, it felt sweet. Lang Qi secretly hoped for a few more slaps.
But when he stepped into the outer room and saw the two cubs, the warmth in his heart quickly turned cold, like a bucket of icy water had been poured over it. His joy froze solid.
To Lang Qi, Bai Tu’s tenderness was all for the sake of the cubs.
Lowering his gaze, Lang Qi looked down at the little bunny nestled against his chest, then back at the two cubs he had once used to threaten Bai Tu. His heart ached. Leaning down, he pressed a gentle kiss to Bai Tu’s head.
Bai Tu, who had been examining the cubs, was startled by the unexpected kiss.
Feeling the sadness radiating from Lang Qi, he was thoroughly confused. What kind of drug is this? Bai Tu wondered. Not only is it keeping him dazed in human form, but his emotions are flipping back and forth like crazy.
When Bai Tu froze at the kiss, Lang Qi shot a cold glare at the two whimpering cubs. In a low, detached voice, he said, “I won’t kill them.”
He wouldn’t harm the cubs—even if they weren’t his own, even if they were nothing more than tools he had once used to threaten Bai Tu.
Bai Tu: “…”
He was certain now—yesterday’s efforts were a complete waste.
Lang Qi hadn’t regained a shred of clarity. So much for the idea that sleeping off the drug would fix everything. So much for waking up fully recovered—it was all just wishful thinking on his part.
Stuck in his beast form and unable to speak, Bai Tu could only curse silently in his head.
When he did try to make a sound, it came out as a soft, high-pitched noise, like that of a young cub. Embarrassed, Bai Tu immediately stopped—better to stay silent than sound like that.
The cubs, who had never seen Bai Tu in his beast form, didn’t recognize him by sight. But beastman cubs relied more on scent than appearance to identify people.
Even though Bai Tu’s form had changed, they could still sense it was him. They stretched out their tiny paws, trying to reach him, but the distance was too far.
The little black wolf clung to the edge of the bed, attempting to climb over. Meanwhile, the gray wolf, looking pitiful, whimpered softly.
When their cries went unanswered, the gray wolf lay down, his big eyes sneaking cautious glances at Lang Qi.
After letting Bai Tu glance at the cubs for a moment, Lang Qi tucked him back into his arms and carried him off to fetch food.
The cubs stopped whining as they watched Lang Qi leave, the gray wolf sniffling softly while the black wolf gave up his climbing attempt and hugged his brother. Together, they stared quietly at Lang Qi’s retreating figure.
The wolves had been thoughtful enough to leave food on the stone slab early that morning. Lang Ze, craning his neck, was peering through the gap, trying to see inside.
When he finally spotted Lang Qi, his face lit up, and he forgot all about Lang Qi’s attitude yesterday. “Big Brother! Big Brother!” he called excitedly, practically shoving his head into the gap as he looked around.
But no matter how hard Lang Ze searched, he couldn’t find Bai Tu. Confused, he asked, “Big Brother, where’s Tu?”
Lang Qi hadn’t answered this question the previous night, but Lang Ze had heard Bai Tu’s voice and assumed everything was fine. Now, though, Bai Tu was still nowhere to be seen.
Lang Qi didn’t respond to Lang Ze’s question. Instead, he raised his hand and carefully shielded the small rabbit nestled in his arms, making sure Lang Ze couldn’t catch even a glimpse.
Bai Tu, who already didn’t want to be seen in this form, simply stayed hidden in Lang Qi’s embrace.
The cubs had whined earlier, but it hadn’t been the cries of extreme hunger, which meant they had eaten last night.
While Lang Qi wasn’t in his right mind, his instincts were still intact, including his familiarity with cooking and using the items in the cave.
For now, Bai Tu wasn’t worried about safety.
If Lang Qi said he wouldn’t harm the cubs, he would keep that promise—Bai Tu trusted him on that point.
As for Lang Qi’s overly affectionate behavior toward him over the past two days, Bai Tu didn’t feel like dwelling on it.
The way Lang Qi was acting now was clearly a result of the drug’s influence. Once he recovered, things would go back to normal—what was private would stay private, and their personal matters wouldn’t interfere with the tribe’s affairs.
Bai Tu had no intention of overthinking it. Feelings are the most unreliable thing of all. Lang Qi has always been someone who keeps his personal and professional life separate. As long as our partnership between tribes isn’t affected, that’s all that matters. Everything else can be ignored.
Thinking deeply about things was exhausting, so Bai Tu yawned, rolled over, and drifted back to sleep. He had only slept half the night and hadn’t gotten enough rest.
Surprisingly, being in his beast form and cradled securely felt incredibly comforting—like being nestled inside an eggshell. It was warm, safe, and removed all his worries.
For the first time since arriving in this world, Bai Tu felt a rare sense of peace and security, so much so that he didn’t want to waste time thinking about anything else.
Take it one step at a time, Bai Tu thought as he nestled into Lang Qi’s arms and fell into a deep, tranquil sleep.
Lang Qi noticed his movement and softened visibly.
Lang Ze, who had been watching from the gap, thought this change was directed at him and grew excited. But before he could say anything, Lang Qi coldly grabbed the food and walked off with it, leaving the cubs’ food untouched.
He shot Lang Ze a frosty glare. “Prepare it and bring it over.”
Lang Ze: “???”
Lang Ze, though skilled at eating, was terrible at cooking—especially for anyone other than himself.
When it came to cubs’ food, only Tu Mu, Tu Cai, or Bai Tu could do it properly, and Bai Tu’s cooking was the best by far! But Bai Tu was right there in the cave, so why did the food need to be prepared elsewhere?
Lang Qi clearly wasn’t interested in answering any of these questions.
He carried the food back into the cave, making sure no one could see inside before carefully pulling Bai Tu out of his embrace. He kissed Bai Tu’s soft, floppy ears.
Bai Tu’s ears twitched, and in a flash, he reverted to his human form.
Realizing something was off, Bai Tu opened his eyes and found himself cradled in Lang Qi’s arms.
The awkwardness of the position hit him immediately, and his face flushed red as he tried to climb down.
Lang Qi didn’t stop him, silently watching as Bai Tu dressed himself.
After Bai Tu was clothed, Lang Qi picked up a bowl of porridge, scooped a spoonful, and brought it to Bai Tu’s mouth.
Remembering the lesson from yesterday, Bai Tu didn’t bother insisting he could feed himself. Having someone else do it saved effort, after all.
Once Bai Tu had finished eating, Lang Qi finally started on his own meal.
Rubbing his now overly full stomach, Bai Tu sighed. I hope Lang Qi recovers soon. If I keep sitting around doing nothing but eating in this cave, I’m going to put on weight.
Leaving the cave wasn’t an option.
Whenever Bai Tu brought up the topic, Lang Qi’s gaze would darken dangerously, and Bai Tu didn’t want to risk testing him further. Instead, he moved to the other side of the cave to sort through his medicines.
There were still a few types of herbs that hadn’t been processed, and even though the weather had cooled, leaving them too long would cause them to spoil.
Lang Qi, seeing him head toward the medicine cabinet, glanced back at the cubs without saying a word.
Bai Tu caught the look and explained helplessly, “These are just medicines for treating injuries. They’re for the tribe.”
Initially, Bai Tu had planned to use the medicine to help Lang Qi recover, but after one attempt, he abandoned the idea.
Lang Qi was a person, not a test subject. Bai Tu didn’t want to repeatedly experiment on him. Even if the ingredients were harmless on their own, overuse could strain the kidneys.
Even so, Bai Tu couldn’t help but wonder why Lang Qi seemed so keen on using the cubs to threaten him. Is it because they’re easier to control since they can’t move around much?
Lang Qi gave him an unreadable look, one that could be interpreted as belief or doubt.
Bai Tu: “…”
Here we go again, he thought, exasperated. It was the same inexplicable yet threatening stare that Lang Qi had been giving him since the night before last. Sometimes it involved the beastmen outside, but more often than not, it was about the cubs.
At first, Bai Tu couldn’t understand it, but now he could only feel resigned. Is this really necessary? Using your own nephews to threaten me over and over again? Only Lang Qi could come up with something like this.
It seemed Lang Ze had some similarities to his brother after all—one was restrained and reserved, while the other let his nature run wild.
Speak of the devil, Bai Tu thought as Lang Ze appeared at the cave entrance, carrying a bowl of something black and unidentifiable. “Big Brother, the cubs’ food is ready!” Lang Ze shouted proudly. I made it myself!
Lang Qi, who had been on alert since hearing the approaching footsteps, kept a close eye on Bai Tu. Only after confirming that Bai Tu had no intention of running did he move to take the food.
Lang Ze craned his neck to peer into the cave. When he spotted Bai Tu, his face lit up with joy. “Tu, you’re awake!”
The sudden greeting caught Bai Tu off guard, and he felt a bit awkward. He nodded lightly. “Mm.”
“What happened to your voice?” Lang Ze asked, recalling the faint, muffled sounds he had heard the night before. His tone grew worried. “Did my brother bully you?”
Bai Tu: “…”
