Building a Civilization and Raising Cubs in the Beast World – CH85

Chapter 85

When Lang Ze handed the bundle wrapped in animal hide to Bai Tu, Hu Bu had completely descended into madness. 

His disbelief had morphed into sheer insanity. 

This wasn’t how things were supposed to go. He had gone to such lengths to obtain those drugs. Apart from what he had already smeared on the knife, the rest of it had been hidden here.

According to his plan, whoever retrieved the drugs first would be the first to succumb to the fallen beast transformation. 

A fallen beast, far stronger than any normal beastman, would easily tear through the others. 

All Hu Bu had to do was hide and watch as Lang Ze killed everyone else. 

With the lion tribe captives stirring up tension, the wolves and rabbits would inevitably turn on each other, leading to the destruction of both tribes. Afterward, he could swoop in and take over their territories and food supplies. 

With the resources of two tribes and the lions he had already swayed to his side, Hu Bu could become a tribe leader, even if his personal strength wasn’t enough.

Lang Ze’s unexpected actions had completely derailed his carefully crafted plan. Without the drugs, Lang Qi would recover, and there would be no chaos between the wolf and rabbit tribes. Without that chaos, how could he take them over?

Hu Bu had never intended to coexist peacefully with the surrounding tribes. 

Fertile land was limited, the number of prey was fixed, and the more people there were, the scarcer the resources. 

In his mind, fewer people meant a better quality of life. He had already planned out how to divide up the territories, but Lang Ze had ruined the most critical part of his plan.

“Why? Why does everyone help him?” Hu Bu reached out, trying to grab Lang Ze and demand an explanation, but Lang Ze made a point of walking around him.

“Are you stupid? Why would we help you instead of Tu?” Lang Ze snapped. 

To him, Bai Tu was as close as a brother—closer, even, because Bai Tu was kinder and gentler than his actual siblings. 

Bai Tu made delicious food, never hit him when he made mistakes, and was the ideal older brother in every way.

If it wouldn’t earn him a beating from his real brother, Lang Ze would have happily asked to be “given” to Bai Tu as a younger brother. After all, his brother already had a sister, while Bai Tu had no one. 

If he became Bai Tu’s little brother, they’d both be happier. But for the sake of his life, he kept those thoughts to himself. It was enough to call Bai Tu “big brother” in his heart. Lang Ze felt like he was getting smarter—he was clearly becoming more like Bai Tu.

After snapping at Hu Bu, Lang Ze still wasn’t satisfied. He peeled off the gloves and face covering he’d worn, balled them up, and tossed them disdainfully next to Hu Bu. Then he turned to Bai Tu and urged, “Tu, let’s go.”

Bai Tu raised his hand, signaling him to wait. He glanced down at Hu Bu, who was squirming to avoid the discarded items Lang Ze had tossed. “The lion cubs—where did you take them?”

Hu Bu looked up at Bai Tu, feigning confusion. “What are you talking about? What lion cubs?” 

Internally, Hu Bu sneered. Not a healer, huh? Not interested in the Beast God’s power? And yet here you are, just as desperate to find the cubs and tap into the power as anyone else. He scoffed at Bai Tu’s hypocrisy. Bai Tu had hidden his greed so well that in Hu Bu’s past life, he hadn’t realized it until his death.

Out of the corner of his eye, Hu Bu noticed Hei Xiao watching Bai Tu closely. 

His gaze flickered. In his past life, there had been rumors that Bai Tu and Hei Xiao hadn’t gotten along initially. Seeing that the two weren’t that close yet, Hu Bu felt there was still a chance for him to sow discord.

Bai Tu spoke again, this time more directly. “The Red Eagle Tribe?” It was almost a certainty by now, but Bai Tu wanted to confirm it. Going to another tribe was no trivial matter, and different tribes required different preparations. He needed to be certain.

Hu Bu’s pupils contracted, but he quickly forced himself to appear calm. “What Red Eagle Tribe? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

Despite his injuries, Hu Bu gritted his teeth and clung to his silence. No matter what they did, he wouldn’t confess. As long as he could frustrate Bai Tu, that was victory enough for him.

But Bai Tu had already gotten the answer he needed from Hu Bu’s initial reaction. 

Without saying another word, he gestured to the others, and they all left the cave together. 

The cave was damp and poorly ventilated, making it an uncomfortable place to stay for long. Since Hu Bu clearly had no intention of cooperating, there was no point in lingering. 

Besides, Bai Tu reasoned, Hei Xiao and Hei Yan had traveled a long way to get here and hadn’t rested yet. Even if they didn’t complain, Bai Tu couldn’t let them go on like this.

Outside the cave, Hei Xiao, who had been observing everything from start to finish, finally spoke. “Tu, how did you know Hu Bu had hidden something in the cave?”

Bai Tu hadn’t mentioned Hu Bu’s stash before heading down to the cave, which meant he must have prepared for this possibility beforehand. Hei Xiao couldn’t help but marvel at Bai Tu’s foresight.

“I don’t understand Hu Bu,” Bai Tu sighed, “but I do understand Lang Ze.” He was all too familiar with the combination of unrestrained curiosity and the destructive tendencies of young wolves.

Lang Ze, who was in the middle of a shadow-stomping competition with Hei Yan, immediately turned around when he heard Bai Tu call his name. “Huh? Tu, are you looking for me?”

Taking advantage of his distraction, Hei Yan quickly stomped on Lang Ze’s shadow.

“Nothing, carry on with your game,” Bai Tu waved him off, turning back to Hei Xiao to explain. 

He recounted the events that followed Lang Qi’s near-fall into the beast state. Since then, Bai Tu had noticed that beastmen had a tendency to grab anything they came across, which was a particularly bad habit. 

Given the frequency of Lang Ze’s “treasure hunts,” Bai Tu had decided to take precautions by equipping them with some basic protective gear.

The materials for the gloves and masks were a mix of animal hide and silk fabric. 

The gloves were made from leftover hides after distributing prey. Normally, these hides would be processed lightly and used during winter for warmth. Since they didn’t require bartered materials, most beastmen didn’t mind that self-treated hides were only usable for a short time.

However, some hides weren’t suitable for bedding. 

During times of scarcity, these would be boiled and eaten. But when food was abundant, they were often discarded in storage caves. 

Bai Tu retrieved a batch of these hides, scraped off the fat and fur, and cured them through smoking and other methods. Though the final product wasn’t very soft, it was sufficient for temporary use.

At first, Bai Tu had prepared these items out of concern that Hu Bu might still have some tricks up his sleeve. 

He told Lang Ze and his group to avoid touching unfamiliar objects like knives, potions, or suspicious bamboo tubes and wooden bowls. If they absolutely had to, they were to wear the protective gear.

Unexpectedly, this precaution had proven invaluable today in the cave.

Judging by Hu Bu’s reaction, Bai Tu deduced that the contents of the bamboo tube were dangerous, likely the same type of drug as before. Fortunately, due to technical limitations, the drug Hu Bu produced had weak dispersal properties and only worked in high doses. If Hu Bu had been more skilled, the consequences could have been catastrophic.

After returning the drugs to the main cave, Bai Tu sealed them in a double-layered box. Experience had taught him it was better to store such items securely rather than risk an incident. Unlike the Iron Elephant Tribe, they couldn’t afford to build giant iron cages to contain fallen beasts.

Hei Xiao silently watched Bai Tu work, trying several times to speak but stopping short. 

Ever since learning the truth, Hei Xiao had been rehearsing how to approach the topic. Yet now, standing here with Bai Tu, all the words he had prepared felt like weak excuses. 

As they had questioned Hu Bu and the lions earlier, Hei Xiao had been wrestling with how to broach the subject, but now he found himself unable to say anything at all. 

No matter how he phrased it, it still felt like his fault.

After Bai Tu finished storing the drugs, he turned and went to the washing area to clean his hands. 

All the cleaning supplies were homemade—herbal-based and free from any chemical additives. 

While they were gentle and unlikely to cause allergies, they weren’t very effective and required several washes to get the job done.

After washing his hands for the third time, Bai Tu couldn’t hold back anymore and said, “Xiao, if you don’t say something soon, I’m leaving.”

The mountain cave was spacious, with distinct areas for guests and potion-making. Even the washing area was as large as Bai Tu’s previous life’s bedroom, divided into dry and wet sections. There was even a drying rack, added for convenience since they were caring for cubs.

Hei Xiao, who had followed him in, stood silently by the drying rack, just as quiet and brooding as he had been outside.

Bai Tu had noticed something odd about Hei Xiao all day. 

He seemed conflicted, constantly on the verge of speaking but holding back. 

Bai Tu had hoped Hei Xiao would open up on his own, but it had been far too long. 

While they could technically talk outside, the guest area was close by, with Hei Yan and Lang Qi stationed there. This spot was relatively private, making it a better place for a conversation without interruptions.

Hearing Bai Tu’s words, Hei Xiao felt a flicker of pride. As expected of my brother, so clever. Taking a deep breath, Hei Xiao finally spoke, starting with a seemingly unrelated question. “Tu, do you remember the first time you saw the cat tribe?”

Bai Tu nodded. It had happened right after the rainy season, so of course he remembered.

“The reason the Black Cat Tribe beastmen were so easily driven from their territory is partly because of their size. On the Beast God Continent, small-bodied beastmen aren’t considered to be blessed by the Beast God. There was a time when some tribes would kill their small-bodied members outright.”

“Kill them?” Bai Tu was stunned. He had thought oppression was cruel enough, but the truth was even darker.

“Yes, kill them. Over time, small-bodied beastmen learned to hide their true forms, rarely revealing them in front of others.”

Bai Tu thought about his own beast form, which was so small it didn’t even match the size of Lang Qi’s paw. Was Hei Xiao here to warn him because he somehow knew about it?

As Bai Tu mulled this over, Hei Xiao continued. “Sixteen years ago, the Red Eagle Tribe didn’t just capture cubs. They also took a few beastmen who never revealed their beast forms. One of them was my father, and the other was his younger cub. Both of them had much smaller beast forms compared to other beastmen, which is likely why they were targeted.”

“Half a month ago, while interrogating a member of the Red Eagle Tribe at the Iron Elephant Tribe, I learned that among the small-bodied beastmen taken, only one cub was still alive. But six months ago, that cub suddenly disappeared.”

In that instant, something clicked in Bai Tu’s mind. He remembered the inexplicable sense of familiarity he had felt when he first met Hei Xiao, as well as his appearance, which resembled someone Bai Tu couldn’t quite place at the time. The answer was now glaringly obvious.

“Tu, you’re my brother—my biological brother.” Hei Xiao finally said the words he had been carrying for so long but hadn’t dared to speak. He had thought it would be easy to tell Bai Tu the truth, but now he realized just how much of a coward he was.

Even though he had already suspected it, hearing it outright left Bai Tu completely stunned. He froze in place, his mind blank.

Seeing Bai Tu’s reaction, Hei Xiao’s usual gentle smile faltered. Panic set in. It’s over. Bai Tu doesn’t want to acknowledge me.

Bai Tu’s thoughts were in complete disarray. 

He recalled all the times Hei Xiao had shown him care and the natural sense of trust and connection he felt toward him. Now, a new thought struck him like lightning: I’ve taken over someone else’s body, and now their real brother has shown up.