Chapter 77
Lang Qi glanced at Lang Ze, then at Bai Tu, remaining silent.
Bai Tu chose to ignore Lang Ze’s earlier question.
His eyes caught sight of the food in Lang Qi’s hand, and he froze. “Is that the cubs’ food? Who made it?”
The black, lumpy mess looked worse than medicine. It was impossible to tell what ingredients had been used, and the color alone made it look completely inedible.
Lang Ze, unfazed by Lang Qi’s silence, proudly announced, “I made it!”
He had boiled it for a long time, worried it might not be cooked through, and only took it off the heat once it started smoking.
Bai Tu rubbed his forehead. “Go get more ingredients. I’ll make it.”
It was as he suspected—Lang Ze was only good at cooking food he liked to eat.
When it came to anything that couldn’t be eaten immediately, the results were always disastrous. Bai Tu decided to spare the ingredients from further torment and handle the cooking himself.
Lang Ze was about to agree when Lang Qi interjected, “No.”
Bai Tu attempted to reason with him. “The cubs are still too young. They need proper care. If you don’t want me to make their food, how about letting Ze take them out and have someone else look after them?”
Either solution would work, but leaving the cubs in the cave to eat that sludge wasn’t an option.
Besides, Lang Qi had been a bit hostile toward the cubs over the past two days—sending them away temporarily might not be a bad idea. They could bring the cubs back once Lang Qi recovered.
Lang Qi frowned, meeting Bai Tu’s determined gaze. After a moment, he looked away and said, “Have someone else make it and send it here.”
This way, the cubs could stay in the cave, and Bai Tu wouldn’t have to do the cooking.
As for cooking it himself? Remembering the meal he’d prepared for the cubs yesterday, Lang Qi wisely chose not to suggest that idea. He could cook, but Bai Tu would almost certainly disapprove of the results.
Bai Tu considered the compromise and decided it was reasonable. He didn’t argue further. Instead, he listed a few ingredients and explained the cooking method to Lang Ze. “Have Cai or Mu prepare it.”
Both Tu Cai and Tu Mu had experience making cub food.
Tu Cai, in particular, often cooked for her children, and the results were far better than this mess. Tu Mu didn’t cook cub food as often, but he was skilled in the kitchen. As long as Bai Tu gave clear instructions, the food would turn out fine.
“Alright…” Lang Ze agreed reluctantly, his spirits deflating. Not only was his cooking not praised, but now someone else would have to redo it.
Lang Qi silently placed the blackened bowl back down.
Lang Ze picked it up and started to leave, but then hesitated. It seemed like a waste to throw it out, considering it contained meat, goat milk, walnuts, and vegetables from Bai Tu’s garden. His meal earlier hadn’t been that long ago, but he wasn’t completely full yet.
While others might find it disgusting, Lang Ze didn’t. He raised the bowl to his lips and downed the whole thing in one go.
“Urk—”
Lang Ze froze, stunned by how terrible it tasted. He had never eaten anything so revolting in his life.
Bai Tu, hearing the faint sound of retching, glanced toward the cave entrance with concern. However, the entrance was still tightly sealed, and he couldn’t see anything.
Lang Qi said nothing and simply stared at Bai Tu.
Bai Tu cautiously suggested, “How about opening the door? It’s too dark in here.”
The large stone slab blocked almost the entire entrance, leaving only a narrow 20-centimeter gap at the top for light.
While it wasn’t an issue for short periods, staying in such a dim space for too long could be stifling.
They’d originally blocked the entrance to prevent Lang Qi from going on a rampage and hurting others. But now that he was in human form, the danger had significantly decreased—even if he wasn’t fully lucid, there was no need for such extreme precautions.
Lang Qi cast a deep, contemplative look at the cave entrance. Out there, other people were waiting. Out there, Bai Tu wouldn’t belong to him alone.
Sensing Lang Qi’s silent refusal, Bai Tu sighed. “The tribe still has things that need tending to. I can’t just stay in the cave forever.”
While most of the inter-tribal matters were running smoothly, Bai Tu still felt uneasy leaving everything unchecked. For instance, he wanted to ensure no one had been injured during yesterday’s events. He also needed to follow up on the team working on fire-heated kang beds for the tribe.
The seasons in the Beast God Continent weren’t evenly divided, nor did temperatures gradually change. Instead, they shifted abruptly.
Summer was the longest season, lasting five to six months.
The early summer months were marked by drought, the middle months by rain, and the later months by mild weather.
Spring and autumn were brief, barely lasting over a month each, during which temperatures rose or fell rapidly. Winter, lasting about three months, brought extreme cold and heavy snow, covering the land until spring’s arrival.
Surviving three months of extreme cold required proper preparation.
Even the strongest young beastmen couldn’t endure prolonged exposure to the harsh winter conditions. Proper insulation in caves and shelters was essential.
While large-scale central heating systems were impractical due to high maintenance demands and limited resources, building heated kang beds was a simple and effective solution.
The tribe’s construction team had previously built kang beds near the iron refining site, and they were now helping the two tribes install them in their homes.
Bai Tu planned to have the kang beds for the salt trade team finished before their departure, sparing them the inconvenience of finding temporary accommodations in other places. However, he hadn’t had the chance to discuss this with the construction team yet.
In addition to building heated kang beds, there were countless other tasks to address: selecting the salt trade team members, preparing trade goods, stockpiling food for winter, watering the corn, preparing the wheat fields, and selecting seeds for the spring planting. There was no shortage of work to do.
Lang Qi, uninterested in the affairs of others, noticed Bai Tu frowning.
He reached out to smooth Bai Tu’s brow and planted a light kiss there. Only then did he feel at ease. He nuzzled Bai Tu’s cheek, the faint restlessness in his heart gradually subsiding.
Despite Lang Qi’s clinginess—hugging and cuddling at every turn—Bai Tu didn’t push him away this time.
Letting him nuzzle as he pleased, Bai Tu focused on more important matters. “How about I go out with you? Would that be okay?” Bai Tu asked, trying to reason with him.
After all, Lang Qi had been following him around constantly these past few days, so it wouldn’t make a difference if he followed Bai Tu while checking on things outside.
“Where I go, you go. You can’t run away,” Bai Tu continued to persuade. “It’s stuffy in the cave—how about getting some fresh air?”
Lang Qi hesitated for a moment before nodding. The cubs were here, so Bai Tu couldn’t escape.
Unaware of the thoughts running through Lang Qi’s mind, Bai Tu exhaled in relief when he saw him nod in agreement. As soon as Lang Qi opened the cave door, Bai Tu stepped outside, his first stop being the injured beastmen.
The wolves standing guard nearby were shocked to see the two of them emerge from the cave, one following the other. Excitement flashed across their faces, and they nearly howled in delight. However, Lang Qi’s cold gaze—colder than usual—immediately silenced them.
Though they refrained from howling, their joy was evident in their expressions.
They exchanged excited glances, some wishing they could shift into their beast forms and run laps to vent their exhilaration. But after their initial enthusiasm faded, confusion crept in.
“Why isn’t the chief speaking?” one of the wolves whispered.
While Lang Qi often wore a cold expression, he still acknowledged people when addressed. Today, however, he was completely silent.
Hoping to preserve Lang Qi’s dignity, Bai Tu grabbed his hand and explained to the wolves, “Qi isn’t feeling well. If you have any issues, go to Ze for now.”
Hearing that their chief was unwell, the wolves’ previously excited gazes turned to concern. They began bombarding him with questions.
“Chief, what’s wrong? Where are you hurt?”
“Is it your wounds? You should let Tu help you apply some medicine—his treatments are amazing! Last time, my injury stopped hurting immediately after he treated it!”
“Chief, by the way, that lion you bit—Shi Hong—is barely clinging to life! Big Brother Ze said he’s going to lock him up with Hu Bu!”
“Chief…”
Unfortunately, the group guarding this area happened to be from Lang Ze’s talkative squad.
They were notorious for their chatter, and their endless questions quickly wore on Lang Qi’s patience.
Noticing his expression darkened, Bai Tu stepped in to interrupt them. “Alright, back to work, all of you. Qi and I are going to check on the injured.”
After being attacked by other lion clans and enduring an entire rainy season without enough food, the beastmen of the Wild Lion Tribe had lost all will to fight.
Many of them even felt that being captured was better than starving while hunting and risking injury.
Some lions, afraid that fighting back would only lead to resentment from the wolves, hadn’t even joined the battle. Others, aware of Hu Bu’s plans, had deliberately avoided serious injuries, choosing to fight halfheartedly while retreating.
The lion tribe was scattered and demoralized, a stark contrast to the wolves, whose rage remained unquenched.
Two older wolves had been killed trying to protect younger members of their group, their bodies left behind on the battlefield.
Most of the other injured wolves had non-lethal wounds, which Bai Tu had treated with the medicine he distributed yesterday.
The injuries among the leopard and rabbit tribes were even lighter, as they had faced weaker lions during the battle.
All of the injured had been gathered in a large cave a few caverns away from Bai Tu’s.
Even the wounded wolves were there, as traveling back to the Blood Wolf Tribe would take half a day—staying here made it much easier to provide food and medical care.
The injured ones were arranged based on the severity of their wounds, and Tu Bing, who had been learning about herbs from Bai Tu, was assisting with treatments alongside a few others.
Having spent a lot of time working with Bai Tu, many beastmen had picked up on his methods of organizing tasks.
Tu Bing, in particular, was exceptionally quick-witted—she often handled things well without needing direct instructions.
Apart from restocking some medicines, Bai Tu found that there was little he needed to worry about. He made a mental note of a few herbs that needed replenishing.
Though Lang Qi didn’t seem to remember any of these people, his patience for the injured was noticeably better.
He allowed Bai Tu to lead him around as they checked on the wounded beastmen. Even when someone called out to him, he suppressed his irritation.
After finishing their rounds with the injured, Bai Tu tugged on Lang Qi’s hand and led him to check on the cubs’ food.
By this time, the cubs had already eaten. Tu Mu was in charge of their meal today.
Standing outside the kitchen, Lang Ze held a massive bowl filled with water. After taking a sip, he swished it around in his mouth and spat it into the drainage ditch.
Bai Tu, watching from a distance, silently moved farther away to avoid any stray splashes. Casually, he said to Lang Qi, “Let’s go this way.”
Lang Qi’s gaze flickered. Remembering the two cubs in the cave, he quickly calmed down again.
Hearing Bai Tu’s voice, Lang Ze whipped his head around and immediately lit up with excitement. “Big Brother! Tu! You came down?!”
Lang Qi frowned slightly. This one voice alone was already as noisy as all those wolves back on the mountain combined. As expected, all beastmen other than Bai Tu were irritating.
“Mm, we came down,” Bai Tu replied, nodding.
He glanced at the two bowls beside Lang Ze and was surprised. “What did you eat? What could make you need that much water to rinse your mouth?”
“I ate—urk—” Lang Ze had barely gotten two words out when he was reminded of the taste of that awful bowl of food.
He had gulped it down too quickly, swallowing an entire bowl in one go.
To make things worse, his first priority after that had been finding Tu Mu to cook for the cubs, so he hadn’t rinsed his mouth until much later. Now, no matter how much he rinsed, the strange taste lingered in his mouth.
Bai Tu: “…”
“Forget it. Don’t say anything else. Just keep rinsing,” Bai Tu sighed and decided to go find Tu Mu instead.
Tu Mu was busy ladling out the freshly prepared food.
Bai Tu rarely let anyone else handle the cubs’ meals, so being entrusted with the task this time made Tu Mu feel honored.
He immediately felt like he could cook a dozen dishes in one go, though of course, the cubs wouldn’t need that much. Even the two smallest pots weren’t filled to the brim.
The dishes Bai Tu had requested were goat milk and minced meat.
The two little wolves were just shy of three years old, and their teeth weren’t strong enough to handle large pieces of meat.
The meat had to be finely chopped and cooked until soft. Goat milk was one of their favorite foods, and Bai Tu felt a bit guilty about how neglected they’d been these past two days, so he wanted to make it up to them.
The food was just about ready to be served when Lang Qi took the tray in one hand without waiting for Bai Tu to lift a finger. His other hand reached out and grabbed Bai Tu’s.
Tu Mu’s eyes immediately lit up.
Bai Tu couldn’t understand why Tu Mu looked so excited and tried to explain the situation. “Lang Qi hasn’t fully recovered yet, and I probably won’t have time to cook for the cubs myself. I’ll need to trouble you with it for now.”
“It’s no trouble! No trouble at all!” Tu Mu waved his hands eagerly. “I’ll make sure everything is ready. Don’t worry, Tu, I’ve got it covered!”
To reassure Bai Tu, Tu Mu rattled off a list of over a dozen cub-friendly dishes he could prepare. “Just leave it to me! You should get some rest, Tu.” His tone was filled with excitement and delight.
Bai Tu: “???”
He suspected that Lang Qi’s strange behavior was contagious—everyone seemed a little off today.
Who gets excited about having more work to do? Still, having Tu Mu’s help would save him time, so Bai Tu thanked him before letting Lang Qi lead him away by the hand.
Tu Mu cheerfully escorted them out of the kitchen, a wide grin on his face. As he returned to the room where ingredients were being prepared, his voice rang out before he even entered. “Let me tell you all something…”
