Chapter 92
Seeing that the little rabbit seemed startled, Lang Qi pulled the beast hide tighter around Bai Tu, shielding him from the other three’s view.
The wolf cubs immediately started whimpering. The bolder of the two, the little gray wolf, scrambled onto Lang Ze’s hand before launching itself toward Lang Qi. Without hesitation, it dove straight into Lang Qi’s arms, hugging Bai Tu before Lang Qi could react.
Being hugged by the soft, fluffy wolf cub, Bai Tu’s eyes lit up. He had never seen the cubs from this perspective before. Unable to resist, he reached out a tiny paw and rubbed the cub’s little belly.
Cubs recognized people by their scent, and since this was their familiar, beautiful uncle, they refused to let go once they had latched on.
Lang Qi wanted to toss the cub away, but its tiny claws were still a potential danger to Bai Tu in rabbit form. Worried about accidentally hurting Bai Tu, he frowned and decided to tolerate the cub’s presence—for now.
The little black wolf was more composed and didn’t charge forward like its younger sibling. It remained still until Lang Ze, trying to get another glimpse of Bai Tu, moved closer to Lang Qi. Only then did the little black cub spring into action.
With both cubs now clinging to Bai Tu, Lang Qi’s face darkened even more.
Lang Ze, noticing that Lang Qi’s attention was focused on the wolf cubs, took the chance to steal a few more glances. However, as soon as Lang Qi’s sharp gaze turned toward him, he bolted.
When Hei Xiao arrived with the prepared breakfast, Lang Qi was still trying to pry the little rabbit out of the cubs’ grasp. Unfortunately, while the cubs weren’t very strong, they had more than enough strength to hold onto a rabbit even smaller than themselves. They were clinging to Bai Tu with all their might.
Bai Tu, on the other hand, was playing dead in Lang Qi’s arms.
He had genuinely been exhausted after sleeping on Lang Qi’s back all day yesterday. Getting dragged down the mountain so early in the morning? Only someone as oblivious as Lang Ze wouldn’t think too much about it.
Bai Tu figured he just had to wait until Lang Qi brought him back to the tent before he could shift back to human form.
But before that could happen, Hei Xiao arrived first.
Seeing the food Hei Xiao had brought, Bai Tu suddenly realized he was starving. Hunger quickly pushed aside all other thoughts. At this moment, eating was the most important thing.
Bai Tu patted Lang Qi, signaling him to hurry up and take him back to the tent so he could transform. If not the tent, at least put him down.
Lang Qi said nothing, simply wrapped the beast hide even tighter around Bai Tu—completely blocking his view of the outside world—then picked up a bowl from Hei Xiao’s tray and strode off in another direction.
Bai Tu: “???”
Hei Jian: “???”
By the time Lang Ze came to his senses, his brother, Bai Tu, and the cubs were all gone. He raised the bowl in his hands. “But the cubs haven’t eaten enough yet.”
Although he had been stripped of his cooking privileges, Lang Ze had seen Bai Tu and Lang Qi feed the cubs before. He knew that two cubs could easily finish a whole bowl of egg custard. This time, they had eaten less than half.
Hei Xiao glanced at the bowl—where the lower half was egg custard and the upper half was just murky water.
“This is for the cubs?”
Lang Ze nodded.
Hei Jian: “……”
“No wonder.”
If he were a cub, he wouldn’t want to go back to the wolf tribe either. They might be young, but they weren’t stupid—they could tell what tasted good and what didn’t.
——
Meanwhile, Bai Tu had been taken back to the tent. After shifting back into human form and changing his clothes, he was about to go wash up when he noticed that Lang Qi had already brought all the washing supplies into the tent.
“Wash here.” Lang Qi said.
Bai Tu had originally planned to step outside, but after glancing down at himself, he rolled his sleeves back down and silently started washing his face and brushing his teeth.
Lang Qi was basically a dog. He wasn’t joking. He really was one.
Hei Xiao knew Bai Tu’s tastes well, so the soup he brought was much lighter than what the other beastmen usually had for breakfast. It had grains and vegetables mixed in. After taking a sip, Bai Tu sighed in satisfaction.
The two cubs, smelling the familiar and long-missed aroma, pawed at Bai Tu’s beast hide, trying to climb up to him. But before they could reach him, Lang Qi grabbed them and pulled them back.
Only then did Bai Tu recall the faint sounds he had heard in his sleep. He reached out and rubbed the cubs’ bellies. They didn’t feel overly full, but they weren’t starving either.
Then he remembered seeing Lang Ze holding a bowl earlier.
“The cubs’ breakfast was with Lang Ze?”
“Mm, I’ll take them to eat.” Lang Qi scooped up the cubs into his arms.
Even though his embrace still carried Bai Tu’s familiar scent, the cubs were extremely displeased about being taken away from Bai Tu. They wriggled about energetically in protest.
Bai Tu was a little surprised. “Aren’t they stronger than before?” He remembered that just a few days ago, they weren’t this agile.
“Mm.” Lang Qi replied absentmindedly. To be honest, he didn’t notice any difference—after all, while the cubs were a little stronger than Bai Tu in beast form, their strength was still nowhere near enough to scratch him. He had completely ignored it. Compared to the cubs, he was far more interested in carrying Bai Tu instead.
But since Bai Tu said they had gotten stronger, then they must have.
Receiving Lang Qi’s affirmation, Bai Tu was pleased. Since the cubs still hadn’t eaten enough, he waved his hand and urged Lang Qi to hurry up. “It’ll get cold soon. Go feed them. What did you make?”
Now that the weather was cooling down, food didn’t stay warm as long as before. If it got cold, reheating it would take extra effort, and it wouldn’t taste as good as when it was freshly made.
“Steamed eggs.” Lang Qi’s voice drifted in from outside the tent.
Steamed eggs were simple and easy to eat, so Bai Tu nodded in approval. Knowing that departure time was approaching, he quickly finished the rest of his meal.
After downing a bowl of porridge, Bai Tu rubbed his stomach, feeling satisfied.
Hei Xiao’s cooking is really good, he thought. The vegetable porridge was rich and flavorful, making for a comforting breakfast.
He had smelled the aroma the moment Hei Xiao brought it over, and the taste exceeded his expectations. I should learn how to make this tonight.
Different cooking techniques resulted in different flavors.
Bai Tu already knew quite a few methods, but when it came to cooking porridge, Hei Xiao was undoubtedly better. Bai Tu’s own method was too simple—his porridge rarely had the kind of aroma that made people eager to dig in.
No wonder Hei Yan always saved the porridge for last when eating in the tribe. After getting used to this, it’s understandable that he wouldn’t want plain, single-ingredient porridge.
As he was thinking this, a sudden realization hit him—Lang Qi said he made steamed eggs this morning, but why didn’t I smell anything?
Bai Tu decided to check on the cubs’ food.
——
Outside, Lang Qi was feeding the cubs the last few bites. Bai Tu had been eating while the cubs were halfway through their meal, but unfortunately, their food tasted terrible—especially after smelling something much more appetizing nearby.
Compared to Bai Tu’s cooking, what Lang Qi made was practically inedible.
The cubs resorted to passive resistance—they simply refused to eat. But under Lang Qi’s firm watch, they had no choice but to open their mouths. Even so, they were chewing at a glacial pace, their expressions filled with the sorrow of someone enduring great suffering.
By the time Bai Tu stepped outside, there was still a thin layer of food left at the bottom of the bowl. Lang Qi instinctively tried to hide it, but it was already too late.
Seeing the soupy, unimpressive mess in the bowl, Bai Tu fell silent for a moment.
“I’ll handle the cubs’ food from now on.” Bai Tu declared.
Once could be excused as a rushed meal due to time constraints.
Twice was straight-up neglect.
“It’ll be better next time.” Lang Qi defended himself. “This was the first attempt.”
“It’ll be the same next time.” Bai Tu shook his head.
Yesterday, he had taught Lang Qi the simplest possible method—beating eggs, adding a little water, and steaming them. Other than boiling eggs in water, this was probably the easiest dish to make. The fact that Lang Qi still managed to botch it meant he just wasn’t suited for cooking.
Lang Qi had no argument—he remained silent.
Just then, Lang Ze popped up eagerly. “Tu, let me cook for the cubs!”
His grilled meat was the best! Last time was just an accident—if he got another chance, he would definitely do it right!
Bai Tu recalled the mysterious, pitch-black substance he had seen in the cave last time. He seriously doubted Lang Ze’s claim.
But Lang Ze remained enthusiastic. “Tu, let me handle the cubs’ food tonight, okay?”
Bai Tu glanced at Lang Qi, who had remained silent, then turned to Lang Ze. “You both make a portion tonight.”
He wanted to see exactly how these two managed to turn food into something inedible.
That evening, while Bai Tu and Hei Xiao were preparing dinner, the Lang brothers were in charge of making food for the cubs.
Lang Qi followed the same process as he had in the morning—cracking the eggs, adding water. Bai Tu observed and nodded approvingly; the steps were correct.
Then, he watched as Lang Qi, without so much as stirring the mixture, prepared to place it directly into the pot.
At that moment, Bai Tu finally figured out what the problem was.
He rushed over to rescue the dish—after all, they had used two eggs. Even if it wasn’t fit for the cubs, at least the adults could eat it. But if they steamed it like this, it would be completely unpalatable.
Meanwhile, Lang Ze was going through the correct steps, but he decided to get creative.
Feeling that Bai Tu’s seasoning was too plain, he started improvising.
First, he grabbed a jar of honey, but Hei Xiao stopped him.
Next, he reached for some lard, but was blocked again.
Refusing to give up, he secretly sprinkled a handful of chopped scallions over the eggs.
“You’re eating that one yourself.” Bai Tu finally understood what was happening.
These bizarre food experiments were better off not being inflicted on the cubs. Let them eat it themselves.
Cooking required precision—random “creative” additions were the worst mistakes to make.
These two didn’t just improvise—they did it repeatedly.
Especially Lang Ze. Eggs with honey, salt, and scallions—what was he thinking?
Lang Ze, however, remained confident. “Grilled meat tastes great this way!”
Bai Tu: “…”
Bai Tu: “Forget it. Do whatever you want. Just remember—that bowl is yours.”
Since Hei Xiao had stopped him from adding honey, a little scallion wasn’t the worst thing in the world. The cubs wouldn’t like the taste, but Lang Ze could eat it himself.
“Got it!”
Hearing that Bai Tu wasn’t going to interfere anymore, Lang Ze immediately unleashed his creativity—adding some meat, tossing in some vegetables, and finally deciding that steaming was too much trouble. He switched to boiling instead.
However, while the eggs in the pot quickly solidified, the meat was still raw. Lang Ze stood nearby, waiting, and waited so long that Bai Tu eventually smelled something burning.
At that moment, Bai Tu was scooping out porridge for the cubs.
Hei Jian’s porridge from the morning had been so delicious that he had asked for the recipe and made some adjustments. He minced the vegetables and meat finely so that it would be easier for the cubs to eat.
The method was similar to the previous supplementary foods, but using Hei Jian’s technique gave the porridge a much richer aroma.
What Hei Jian hadn’t mentioned was that he had perfected this porridge recipe over years of taking care of Hei Yan. Seeing that Bai Tu liked it, Hei Xiao wished he could make it for him every day.
Of course, making it daily wasn’t realistic, but Bai Tu decided he would have it every other day. This batch was for the cubs who hadn’t tasted it before.
Just as he was about to start feeding them, a burnt smell filled the air.
Bai Tu instinctively glanced at his own bowl, wondering if he had accidentally burned the porridge. But the source of the smell was clearly not from their side.
“Ze, your eggs are burning!” Bai Tu sighed in exasperation. How did he even manage to burn steamed eggs?
Lang Qi had already finished his portion and, seeing that Bai Tu was done preparing food for the cubs, naturally took over the feeding duties. He smoothly scooped up the two little ones, who had been clinging to Bai Tu, and carried them off.
Bai Tu had assumed that Lang Ze had let the pot run dry, causing the burning smell. But when Lang Ze opened the lid, Bai Tu was shocked to see—
There was no water at all.
Not only was there no water, there wasn’t even oil.
Lang Ze had just thrown all the ingredients directly into the pot without any cooking medium whatsoever. No wonder the burning smell had so many layers to it.
The meat was half-raw, the eggs were burnt, and the vegetables stuck to the bottom of the pot had turned into charred remains.
This meal was definitely inedible.
And the worst part? Bai Tu and the others had been watching over Lang Ze for most of the process!
It had only been a moment when they turned away to handle something else, and in that brief window, Lang Ze had managed to create this disaster.
To prevent Lang Ze from wasting any more food, Bai Tu sternly warned him: “From now on, you can only touch your own portion of the ingredients.”
He had finally figured it out—Lang Ze was only capable of handling food that had already been prepped for him. Ideally, all seasonings and extra ingredients should be kept far away from him to prevent any “creative” decisions.
Bai Tu, who had felt a little sympathy for them earlier when they were rejected from cooking, now had zero sympathy left. He emphasized firmly:
“From now on, neither of you are allowed to touch the cubs’ food. Not even a little bit. Understood?”
The two brothers obediently went off to eat their own meals.
Bai Tu sighed. “They seem smart… so why is making food for cubs so impossible for them?”
Every mistake they made was completely outside his expectations. No wonder the porridge in the morning had tasted like plain water mixed with eggs, and Lang Ze’s attempt at cooking was pure culinary horror.
What was even scarier was that if you hadn’t witnessed their process firsthand, you would never be able to imagine how they managed to mess it up.
And in their minds, every step they followed was perfectly correct.
Bai Tu had to admit—the Lang brothers were only suited to cooking for themselves.
If there was no one tasting their food along the way, the final product would definitely be a disaster.
Meanwhile, Hei Xiao glanced over at Lang Qi, who was feeding the cubs not far away.
He couldn’t shake the feeling that the way Lang Qi looked at the cubs wasn’t quite the way an uncle looked at his nephews.
It carried a certain impatience—the kind of irritation one might have when looking at the children of a romantic rival.
Hei Xiao shook his head, thinking he was overanalyzing things.
Everyone in the wolf tribe knew that the two cubs were the former Wolf King and Queen’s children.
Even if Lang Qi didn’t like his nephews, there was no way he would take random cubs, pretend they were his brother’s, and send them to Bai Tu.
His unfamiliarity with them was probably just a side effect of his memory loss—when framed that way, it made perfect sense.
Bai Tu, unaware of Hei Xiao’s suspicions, would have definitely wanted to vent to him if he knew. Lang Qi’s attitude toward the cubs was far from that of an uncle. Bai Tu even suspected that Lang Qi saw them as his own children.
Skipping midday rest was exhausting, but it also helped them move faster.
Bai Tu had only walked on the first day—after that, he was carried by Lang Qi the whole way.
At first, it felt awkward, but later, he just gave up resisting entirely. There was no way he was going to pull all-nighters and then walk during the day. Lang Qi had brought this upon himself—carrying Bai Tu was only fair!
The market was just as bustling as last time, but with winter approaching, even more beastmen had come to trade for supplies. Food prices were noticeably higher than before.
One reason was that winter provisions could be stored long-term, and the season would last for several months. The second reason was that games had become significantly scarcer.
During the rainy season, a month’s worth of food was usually sufficient. Even when some noticed fewer animals around, it wasn’t a major concern because they still had enough to eat.
But in the snow season, tribes needed at least three months’ worth of supplies—and suddenly, the drop in available prey became a serious problem.
Most tribes could still gather enough food for their own survival, but they also needed to trade some for salt—which meant far less food was available for bartering than before.
Previously, a tribe might be willing to trade for two full baskets of salt, but now they could only afford one.
Both salt and food were necessities, and they couldn’t sacrifice all their food just to stockpile salt. The only solution was to reduce their salt consumption.
*
On their first day at the market, they prioritized trading for salt. Bai Tu, Bai An, Lang Ze, and a few others sought out Tagu, the same trader from last time.
Since their group was larger this time, they had brought more food to trade. However, instead of the usual large slabs of roasted meat, they had prepared a selection of smaller, high-quality snacks.
“Jerky, cured meat, shredded meat floss, meatballs…”
Because they were already familiar with each other, Bai Tu didn’t bring an entire basket of each item. Instead, he had carefully packed an assortment of samples into a single basket.
Out of goodwill for an old business partner, Bai Tu was generous—offering one full package of each sample for tasting. If Tagu was satisfied, they could then discuss a larger deal.
Tagu had already tried the jerky and braised meat from their previous trade. At first, when he returned to his tribe, many beastmen complained about the high prices.
After all, their salt supply was fixed, and salt production was exhausting work. Food might have been abundant, but paying such a steep price for snacks was shocking.
That was until they actually tasted the products.
Only then did they realize Tagu had been completely justified in the trade.
The flavors were far beyond anything they had imagined.
In fact, the snacks were so well-received that they even became rewards—boosting morale and motivating tribe members to work even harder at harvesting salt.
The Tata tribe had also tried to replicate the snacks themselves.
However, no matter what they did, the results never tasted as good as what Bai Tu had traded. The difference in quality was undeniable.
Once they had experienced these delicious snacks, their old, plain versions just didn’t satisfy them anymore.
Ever since the temperature started dropping, the tribe members had constantly reminded Tagu:
“This time, make sure to get more!”
While harvesting salt was grueling work, the Tata Tribe had a distinct advantage—they controlled the salt supply, making their quality of life better than most other tribes.
Even though many tribes couldn’t afford to trade food for high-end snacks, the Tata Tribe could.
This year, while prey numbers had dwindled, their salt production remained stable.
In fact, thanks to increased motivation from the last trade, they had even managed to produce extra salt.
With more salt to trade, they could obtain more meat than before—which meant there was no issue with bartering for extra snacks this time.
Tagu had been waiting for Bai Tu and his group since yesterday. After searching the marketplace without success, he had been restless all morning after setting up his stall.
That was until he finally spotted Bai Tu and the beastmen with him.
It was them, no doubt.
Seeing the sample packs Bai Tu brought out, Tagu tried to appear composed, but his eyes were glued to the basket and the way he subtly swallowed his saliva completely exposed his true feelings.
Taking the samples, Tagu cleared his throat as if he wanted to refuse, but in the end, he couldn’t bring himself to say it.
What if he said no and they really took them back?
Faced with so many choices, Tagu hesitated, unsure which one to try first—they all looked delicious.
Bai Tu began explaining, “We’ve added two new flavors of jerky this time. The ones from before are still available, but now we also have Five-Spice and Mild-Spicy varieties.
These two flavors are best suited for adult beastmen and older cubs. For cubs under five, they should stick to the original low-salt version. The new flavors can be given occasionally as a treat, but they shouldn’t be eaten too often.”
If the jerky was simply a snack, it wouldn’t be an issue.
However, many beastmen treated it as a staple food.
The new Five-Spice and Mild-Spicy flavors contained a lot more seasoning, especially the spicy version, which had chili peppers.
Beast cubs had delicate stomachs, and since most beastmen weren’t used to eating spicy food, they had little experience with it.
This was even truer for cubs, who had never eaten spicy foods before. It was best for them to wait until they were older before trying it.
Bai Tu knew how careless beastmen could be when raising cubs.
It wasn’t intentional neglect—to most beastmen, feeding a cub simply meant giving them food.
Even those who deeply doted on their young rarely thought about which foods were suitable for them.
They might easily hand over these new flavors to cubs without realizing it could cause stomach issues.
Last time, because salt had been scarce, almost everything Bai Tu provided had been low-salt and safe for cubs to eat.
Even the tougher jerky had simply acted as a teething chew for them.
This time, however, things were different.
He had to warn them properly—otherwise, cubs might end up with digestive issues.
Tagu nodded in understanding, then grabbed a piece of each new jerky flavor to try.
The moment he bit into them, his eyes lit up.
Especially the spicy one.
“This one is delicious!”
Tagu had tried many different foods before, so he immediately recognized the taste of fire fruit.
However, unlike the usual unpleasant burning sensation from eating fire fruit raw, this jerky had a mild spiciness that perfectly balanced the meat’s natural flavors.
The layered spices combined with the umami of the meat made the taste incredibly rich.
After finishing one piece, his tongue tingled slightly, but instead of stopping, he wanted more.
However, there were still many other foods to sample, so Tagu forced himself to stop.
Instead, he carefully placed the sample bag into the safest spot in his basket.
Since the braised meat’s flavor hadn’t changed much from last time, Bai Tu didn’t go into much detail about it.
Instead, he focused on explaining the new meat floss.
“There are two flavors—salty and sweet. The sweet version contains honey, so it’s more expensive.”
Bai Tu made sure to state this upfront.
Honey was incredibly valuable.
His wolf cubs had risked their lives to find it, so there was no way he was selling it cheaply.
If no one bought it, he would happily keep it for himself.
“Of course, of course!”
After hearing Bai Tu’s explanation about honey, Tagu immediately understood why it was expensive.
They had seen beehives before, but harvesting honey was incredibly difficult.
Not only did they have to drive away the swarm of insects, but those stings hurt like hell!
Sweet foods were highly valued in every tribe, yet few were willing to trade honey for salt.
Why? Because it was so difficult to obtain—most of the time, it was eaten up long before it ever made it to the market.
People had zero resistance to such a rare delicacy.
After tasting the honey-glazed meat jerky, Tagu didn’t even bother asking the price.
He decided on the spot—he wanted it.
The remaining foods weren’t as stunningly unique as the honey jerky, but they were still incredibly delicious.
Tagu, completely entranced by the aroma, waved his hand and declared:
“We’ll take everything. Our tribe wants all of it!”
Their tribe had plenty of salt—this was no problem at all. However, this time, Bai Tu wasn’t planning to sell everything.
He kept half for his own tribe’s use and sold the rest to Tagu.
But there was no need to explain that in detail—he simply informed Tagu of the total quantity available.
This time, both tribes had brought far more food than before. Even selling only half was still an astonishingly large amount.
Due to the scarcity of food and the newly introduced flavors, the overall price was even higher than last time.
In total, they traded over a hundred baskets of food for thirty baskets of salt.
Even if only a third of that salt went to each tribe, it was more than enough to sustain them.
In fact, even if they traded some for other supplies, they still wouldn’t run out anytime soon.
Bai An, recalling the remaining salt from last time, was now fully convinced that processing food the way Bai Tu did was a fantastic idea.
Their tribe had never had this much surplus before!
Even though not all of this belonged solely to their tribe, it was still something to celebrate.
At first, Bai An had been hesitant about Bai Tu’s decision to take a detour to Bald Head Tribe (Red Eagle Tribe).
But after seeing the results of today’s trade, he completely dropped all objections.
It was the right decision.
No matter where Bai Tu wanted to go, Bai An fully supported it.
Even if he wanted to cross mountains and rivers, he would still agree!
Since their next destination was Red Eagle Tribe, they didn’t linger at the market like last time.
They quickly exchanged all the supplies the tribes needed, making sure to stock up extra just in case.
Why? Because they had plenty of salt to spare.
Bai Tu wanted to trade for grains, but he couldn’t scour the entire market in a single day.
So, he simply recruited several beastmen, handed them baskets, and instructed them to trade for unfamiliar goods in exchange for snacks.
Once they brought everything back, Bai Tu would evaluate the items—if he found something useful, they’d go back and trade for more.
This method greatly improved efficiency. Before nightfall, Bai Tu had already obtained a variety of valuable crops: Rice, Soybeans, Sesame seeds, Peanuts, Sweet potatoes.
The beastmen trading sweet potatoes clearly didn’t know their full potential.
They treated them as fruit, selling them raw.
Since sweet potatoes didn’t have much juice, they were less popular than other fruits and priced even lower.
Bai Tu had no intention of exploiting them.
After confirming their location wasn’t far away, he went directly to their stall and purchased all the sweet potatoes at a price slightly lower than grains like wheat and rice.
At the same time, he taught them multiple ways to cook sweet potatoes and explained how to cultivate them.
By saving so much time on food trades, the group managed to complete all their exchanges that very day.
That night, everyone rested well, and the next morning, they set out immediately.
Bai Qi, Lang Ze, and the others didn’t even have time to say goodbye to their friends from other tribes.
Why? Because time was too tight.
If they delayed by even a day, they might end up freezing on the road.
Although snow hadn’t started falling yet, the land was already turning to ice.
Traveling in such conditions would be absolute misery.
So, they pushed forward without hesitation.
Besides, they had something far more important to do.
This time, they weren’t taking the same route back.
Instead, they turned toward the direction of the Red Eagle Tribe.
It would take four days to travel from the market to the Red Eagle Tribe.
Even with Hei Xiao and a few beastmen from the Black Hawk Tribe leading the way, everyone remained extremely cautious.
Unlike the familiar route they took to and from the market, this was entirely unfamiliar territory.
Some of the tribes here were only known to them by name—they had never actually seen them before.
Entering an unfamiliar territory was dangerous for both sides.
The territory’s owners would be wary of incoming beastmen, fearing an invasion or an attempt to seize their land.
Meanwhile, the traveling beastmen worried about being mistaken for intruders. It was a precarious situation, but given the frequent territorial disputes caused by food shortages, vigilance was inevitable.
Just like the Snow Rabbit Tribe, the Blood Wolf Tribe, and the newly settled Leopard Tribe near the Blood Wolves’ territory, they too would be on high alert if they spotted unfamiliar beastmen wandering near their lands.
This was where Hei Xiao’s experience proved invaluable.
Having traveled extensively, coupled with the Black Hawk’s natural advantage in flight, Hei Xiao was acquainted with many tribal leaders. While not exactly on friendly terms with all of them, at least he wouldn’t be immediately seen as a hostile invader.
On the fourth night, they finally arrived at their destination. At the same time, another group was also nearing their objective.
Hei Yan had not rested for days.
It had taken him six to seven days just to return to the Black Hawk Tribe from the Snow Rabbit Tribe.
The original plan was to regroup at the market, but shortly after reaching the tribe, two other hawks arrived at night, bringing news of Hei Xiao’s revised plan.
Upon hearing the details, Hei Yan immediately did a headcount and set out for the Red Eagle Tribe. Along the way, they had to avoid detection, as both tribes preferred to travel by air, making it easy to spot each other.
To stay hidden, Hei Yan and his hawks only moved at night as they neared the Red Eagle Tribe.
During the day, they would find a place to hide, rest, and take care of their hunger.
Even in hiding, they couldn’t let their guard down—after all, the Red Eagle Tribe had large numbers.
If this were just a battle, things would be simpler; they could fight and leave without worrying about being discovered.
However, Hei Yan knew that Bai Tu’s objective was to take the young ones, and since Hei Xiao obeyed Bai Tu’s orders, he had no choice but to follow Hei Xiao’s instructions without complaint. So far, they had managed to avoid detection by the Red Eagle Tribe.
Hei Jian knew Hei Yan well. Even back in the Snow Rabbit Tribe, before finalizing his decision to move early, he had warned Hei Yan to stay cautious.
His advice had clearly paid off. With the additional messages relayed by the hawks en route, Hei Yan remained meticulous in his approach. Not only did the Red Eagle Tribe fail to detect them, but no other beastmen sensed their battle-ready presence either.
The Black Hawk Tribe had about the same numbers as the Blood Wolf Tribe—around five hundred members.
This time, over two hundred of them had come. The Wolf, Rabbit, and Leopard Tribes combined had more than three hundred, bringing their total force to over six hundred.
The Red Eagle Tribe had two thousand members, but that included the young and the elderly.
Even in a direct confrontation, their chances of victory were decent. The Eagle, Wolf, and Lion Tribes could easily handle a one-against-two battle with the Vultures.
However, Bai Tu still wanted to avoid casualties. Once everyone had gathered, he formulated a two-step plan. The first group would enter the tribe under the pretense of seeking a shaman for medical aid, bringing food as a gesture. Once most of the Vultures had eaten, the second group would take action.
The plan was solid, but the selection of infiltrators posed a challenge.
Bai Tu had spent considerable time in the Red Eagle Tribe.
Though he had left six months ago, there was no guarantee that no one would recognize him.
Hei Yan and Hei Xiao had never been there, but their presence as hawks alone would be enough to raise suspicion.
Meanwhile, Bai An clearly couldn’t go alone—not only was he unfamiliar with many details of Bai Tu’s plan, but the sudden appearance of an old beastmen in a tribe with no prior connection would also raise questions.
As Bai Tu was pondering this dilemma, his gaze landed on Hei Xiao’s hair, and an idea struck him. “I’ve got it!”
“What?” The others turned to look at him.
Bai Tu didn’t explain. Instead, he started searching for plants, picking a few before handing them to the beastmen in the gathering team, instructing them to find more.
Among beastmen, hair color in human form matched their beast form’s fur. For example, Lang Qi had black hair, while his fur was silver. Most lions had golden or brown hair. To the majority of beastmen, hair color was an immutable trait. This meant that if someone’s hair color changed, even if they bore some resemblance to another, no one would suspect they were the same person—at most, they would assume a blood relation.
So Bai Tu planned to dye his hair.
The other beastmen had no idea what he was up to. Watching him toil away for half the night, only to end up with a pile of water and no further action, their confusion gradually turned into doubt.
Was he trying something but failed to pull it off?
That seemed like a likely explanation. The group averted their gazes, pretending not to notice.
Bai Tu had accomplished so many things—one failure wasn’t a big deal. In fact, it was a bit refreshing.
Even Hei Yan, who was always critical of Bai Tu, refrained from mocking him this time. After all, Bai Tu was Hei Xiao’s biological younger brother.
Hei Yan understood just how highly Hei Xiao valued him. Though Hei Yan was confident he was the most important person in Hei Xiao’s heart, he also knew better than to provoke Bai Tu.
Besides, Lang Qi was watching him warily from the side. Hei Yan had no interest in picking a fight with the Wolf King. He might be proud, but he wasn’t stupid.
Smugly, Hei Yan thought to himself: I’m not an idiot, after all.
Hei Xiao, noticing Hei Yan’s sudden good mood, immediately assumed he was up to something. He shot him a disapproving look.
Hei Yan suddenly leaned in and planted a kiss on Hei Xiao’s face.
Lang Qi, having noticed Hei Yan’s movement, shifted his gaze to Bai Tu, who was busy mixing different-colored dyes. No one knew what was running through his mind.
Once Bai Tu was done, he set the dyed water aside and came over to discuss the plan for the next day. The best excuse they could use revolved around Lang Qi.
“Qi was poisoned. We’ll use that as a reason to seek out Wu Lai, offering food as payment,” Bai Tu explained.
Based on the information Hei Jian had gathered, Wu Lai and Hu Bu weren’t particularly close.
Their relationship was more of a mutually beneficial arrangement—Hu Bu provided cubs, and Wu Lai gave him support in return.
Hu Bu had actually intended to secretly take Wu Lai back to the Lion Tribe while he was unaware, but later, it was said that Wu Lai flew into a rage upon discovering the plan.
Since their relationship was purely transactional, that made things much easier.
Even if Wu Lai learned that Hu Bu had been taken away by the Wolf Tribe, he would still weigh his options—between the declining Mad Lion Tribe and the rising Blood Wolf Tribe, he would naturally choose the one that offered him the greatest advantage.
Bai Tu understood the greed that ran deep in Wu Jiu’s lineage. He knew Wu Lai would make the choice that best served his interests. All they had to do was exploit that greed to their advantage.
After finalizing their cover story, everyone seized the chance to rest.
Early the next morning, before the others even started preparing food, Bai Tu was already awake. He instructed Lang Qi to watch over the cubs while he went out to take care of something.
The dye he had made from plants wasn’t as fast-acting or as long-lasting as the refined products he had seen in his past life, but he didn’t need the effect to last long.
He only needed it to hold up for a day—just long enough to fool Wu Lai and the others. For that purpose, it was more than sufficient.
Rather than dyeing his hair bit by bit, Bai Tu simply transformed into his beast form and rolled around in the dye. When he shifted back into human form, his hair had turned a reddish-brown—just as he had hoped, resembling Hu Bu’s hair color.
But changing his hair wasn’t enough.
Bai Tu used charcoal pencils and other tools to apply a simple disguise. Though the tools and his skills were mediocre, he didn’t need to completely alter his appearance—just enough to fool beastmen who hadn’t seen him in half a year.
With the hair color changed, more than half the deception was already complete. Everything else was just supplementary.
Satisfied with his disguise, Bai Tu returned to the tent.
Lang Qi, who had been assigned to watch the cubs, instinctively prepared to attack upon seeing an unfamiliar hair color enter the tent. But the moment he recognized who it was, he found himself momentarily dazed.
Had he lost his memory again? Lang Qi frowned. He clearly remembered that his mate’s hair was white.
For the first time, Lang Qi began to doubt himself.
