Building a Civilization and Raising Cubs in the Beast World – CH82

Chapter 82

Being touched by Hu Bu was undoubtedly one of the most terrifying events in Lang Ze’s life, rivaling the time when he wandered outside the tribe’s territory as a child and was nearly captured by beastmen from another tribe. 

When he returned, he received a brutal beating from his older brother, and yet this incident felt even more horrifying. 

Clutching his leg, Lang Ze tearfully complained to Lang Qi and Bai Tu. 

When the young wolves ran into something they couldn’t handle, they went to their leader, Lang Ze. As their leader, if Lang Ze couldn’t solve the problem, he naturally turned to his older brother.

In his mind, touching people inappropriately was just as insane as biting people—it was all madness. 

Lang Ze had initially thought of shifting into his wolf form to snuggle into his brother’s arms for comfort, but when he remembered the possible consequences of such behavior, he decisively changed his target to Bai Tu instead.

Bai Tu gave the wolf, who was taller than him, a reassuring pat. “It’s okay, it’s okay. Don’t be scared. I’ll figure something out.”

Lang Qi glanced at Lang Ze but said nothing.

What Lang Ze didn’t know was that if he had been an adult wolf, he might not have survived this encounter. 

Years of instinct, however, told Lang Ze it was best not to linger. After getting his comfort from Bai Tu, he prepared to leave but not before confirming one last thing: “Tu, you have to do something about this!”

“Alright, alright,” Bai Tu nodded, soothing the frightened wolf. “Don’t worry, tomorrow I won’t make you handle deliveries anymore.”

“What deliveries?” A familiar voice rang out from outside the cave, and Lang Qi immediately tensed, his guard up.

Bai Tu turned to look and saw Hei Xiao dismounting from Hei Yan’s back. This time, Hei Yan hadn’t gotten lost and had managed to fly directly to the mountain, even landing right at the entrance to Bai Tu’s cave.

This was an accomplishment worth bragging about. Hei Yan folded his wings and gave Lang Ze a smug look, which startled Lang Ze. “What are you doing?”

“None of your business!” Hei Yan snapped back. Lang Ze, embarrassed by the encounter, quickly pulled his hand away from his leg.

Hei Yan smirked. “What’s the matter? Someone took advantage of you?”

“I’ll beat you up!” Lang Ze exploded with anger.

“Who’s afraid of you?” Hei Yan snorted.

“Alright, that’s enough. Stop fighting,” Bai Tu interjected, cutting the argument short. 

With their personalities, a fight could break out at any moment, so it was better to intervene early. Both Lang Ze and Hei Yan huffed in unison and promptly ignored each other.

Hei Xiao, who had been silent until now, seemed pleased upon arrival. However, his expression froze when he noticed the scene inside the cave. 

His eyes flicked between Lang Ze and Bai Tu, then Bai Tu and Lang Qi, before finally settling on Lang Qi’s sharp, hostile gaze. He seemed to pick up on a possibility and said in a low voice, “Tu, come here for a moment. I need to talk to you.”

Lang Qi’s defensive posture grew more intense, his gaze on Hei Xiao practically solidifying into something tangible, as though he were ready to strike at any moment.

Sensing the rising tension, Hei Yan stepped protectively in front of Hei Xiao. “What are you doing?!”

Bai Tu reached out to press down on Lang Qi’s arm. “This is Hei Xiao and Hei Yan. Do you remember them? They’re our partners, not enemies.”

Thanks to recent interactions with the two tribes and Bai Tu’s reminders, Lang Qi could now associate beastmen with memories or impressions in his mind. 

While his expression remained as cold as ever toward others, his initial hostility had lessened. However, he was still extremely cautious around unfamiliar beastmen, especially adult strangers, whom he regarded with even greater wariness.

A flicker of light passed through Hei Xiao’s eyes, but he suppressed the urge to reveal another matter to Bai Tu. 

Masking his inner turmoil with a look of concern, he asked, “What’s wrong?” 

Years of experience had taught Hei Xiao that trying to assert authority as an elder in situations like this could backfire. 

Approaching as a friend, however, made it easier for the other party to let down their guard. Even though he was deeply agitated, Hei Xiao restrained himself, deciding to address the issue at hand before bringing up his own matter. After all, what he had to share was complex.

Hei Xiao couldn’t bear to see Bai Tu so troubled and offered thoughtfully, “Why don’t you tell me about it? Maybe we can help.”

This was going to be a long story, and even if Hei Xiao hadn’t asked, Bai Tu would have explained. 

He had been meaning to inquire about the Iron Elephant Tribe’s beastman anyway. Bai Tu recounted the events of that day: “I suspect there’s something wrong with that knife, but I don’t dare examine it further.”

The lion beastman who used the knife had died, and Lang Yang, who had handled the knife, still occasionally lost control and transformed into his beast form. Meanwhile, Lang Qi and Bai Tu were now shifting into their beast forms every night at midnight and reverting back to human form in the morning. Bai Tu didn’t know how long the drug’s effects would last and wasn’t willing to gamble.

“What happened to that fallen beast from the Iron Elephant Tribe?” Bai Tu asked. 

This was critical to him. If the cause was the same, the other beastman’s condition might provide clues about the duration of the drug’s effects.

Hearing that Lang Qi had been injured and was nearly reduced to a fallen beast, Hei Xiao grew even more resolute in his thoughts. 

Though he didn’t want Bai Tu and Lang Qi to become mates, he had no intention of exploiting this situation for personal gain. He truthfully reported, “He didn’t recover. However, the Iron Elephant Tribe’s previous fallen beasts usually recovered after about six months.”

“There were others?” Bai Tu was startled. The destructive potential of a single fallen beast was already horrifying. The idea that this wasn’t the first was shocking.

“Yes,” Hei Xiao replied, unsurprised by Bai Tu’s reaction—he had been just as shocked when he first heard. “The beastman from the Iron Elephant Tribe was the sixth to succumb to the condition. Starting three years ago, beastmen in their tribe began experiencing uncontrollable transformations. The first fallen beast appeared two years ago. The tribe’s leader used iron cages to confine them, feeding them sparingly. The first one recovered in the seventh month.”

“Last year, two beastmen fell to the condition, and they both recovered after six to seven months. This year, three beastmen became fallen beasts. Two were captured, but due to a lack of manpower, one escaped.”

The one who escaped had fled into the Black Hawk Tribe’s territory. In gratitude for their help, the Iron Elephant Tribe had sent the Black Hawk Tribe a significant amount of resources. 

Those items, particularly the iron tools, were now highly prized because the Iron Elephant Tribe no longer traded iron weapons externally. If Bai Tu hadn’t been well-supplied, Hei Xiao would have already sent them over.

“Has the Iron Elephant Tribe ever interacted with the Red Eagle Tribe?” Bai Tu asked. 

Due to the geography, traveling from here to the Southern Continent required a long journey, crossing the territories of various tribes, which was extremely dangerous. 

Feathered beast tribes, on the other hand, weren’t restricted by terrain—they could simply fly, resting wherever they found suitable spots. If the Iron Elephant Tribe’s fallen beasts were related to Hu Bu, it was highly likely that Hu Bu had to pass through the Red Eagle Tribe to implement his plans.

Hei Jian was caught off guard by the question. “Are you looking for beastmen from the Red Eagle Tribe?”

“Yes, I want to investigate some past events,” Bai Tu nodded, though he couldn’t help but feel a bit worried. “I don’t know if it’s possible to trace something that happened sixteen years ago.”

Bai Tu suspected that Hu Bu’s actions after leaving the Red Fox Tribe were connected to these events and wanted to investigate that entire time period. However, he wasn’t sure if they could uncover anything after so many years. 

Still, he felt uneasy leaving things unresolved. He wanted to eliminate the root cause entirely, so he wouldn’t deal with one problem only to have another resurface later.

Hei Xiao’s expression changed sharply when he heard the number “sixteen.” He looked at Bai Tu in astonishment. “You know?!”

“Huh?” Bai Tu stared at him, puzzled. “Know what? I’m just speculating that Hu Bu’s troublemaking is connected to the Red Eagle Tribe. Why are you so shocked?”

But Hei Xiao didn’t register Bai Tu’s confusion. His mind was in complete disarray, with a little voice in his head—normally calm and rational—now panicking and muttering incoherently.

What do I do? What do I do? What do I do now…