A group of tall, muscular beastmen gathered around.
Jian Mo glanced at them and then at the ground beneath his feet.
The beastmen instantly understood and collectively took a step back, forming a larger encirclement. Despite retreating slightly, they continued to surround Jian Mo, gesturing their eagerness to send their younglings to him for help.
Jian Mo said, “You should discuss this with Wu Jiong. If they have no objections, I won’t either.”
The representatives of the Ice River Tribe said, “Of course, we’ll talk to them. But we wanted to check with you first since you’re the one who proposed setting up these classes.”
Jian Mo replied cheerfully, “I have no objections on my side.”
The Redclaw Tribe representatives exclaimed, “Great! We knew you’d agree, Doctor Jian Mo. Now, we’ll go speak to the He’an Tribe!”
The muscular beastmen turned in unison and swarmed over to Wu Jiong.
Jian Mo, watching from the side, saw Wu Jiong retreating a step in annoyance as he tried to escape the circle that had formed around him. Jian Mo couldn’t help but chuckle.
The beastmen of each tribe were loud and determined, convinced that if the Mengshui Tribe could send their younglings, so should they. After all, following the Mengshui Tribe’s lead rarely resulted in losses.
Naturally, they would also bring the necessary supplies as payment.
If it meant their younglings could attend school, they were even willing to pay tuition with resources.
Jian Mo listened for a while before losing interest.
When he returned home that evening, he inquired about the results of the negotiations.
Wu Jiong explained, “We finally agreed, but on the condition that each tribe selects individuals to serve as teachers to teach useful skills to the younglings. Additionally, the tribes need to filter their younglings—those who are too young or too old should not be sent.”
Jian Mo nodded in agreement. “Especially the really young ones. They wouldn’t be able to sit still in class, so there’s no point.”
Wu Jiong said, “Exactly. Younglings that small will forget what they learn anyway. Better to let them play for another couple of years and join when they’re ready.”
Jian Mo smiled. “Makes sense.”
Wu Jiong added, “We can’t let our tribe become a babysitting service.”
Jian Mo glanced at him with a teasing smile. “Seems like you really don’t like younglings, huh?”
Wu Jiong replied, “I don’t like the overly mischievous ones.”
Jian Mo quipped, “Oh, come on. You don’t seem fond of the well-behaved ones either. I’ve never seen a single youngling in the tribe dare to hug your leg voluntarily.”
Wu Jiong nodded. “I only like you.”
Jian Mo laughed. “That’s sweet of you.”
Although the number of younglings in each tribe wasn’t large, when combining the younglings from the Righteous Valley Tribe, Redclaw Tribe, Xiongying Tribe, Dianxin Tribe, Ice River Tribe, Mengshui Tribe, and He’an Tribe, the total exceeded 170. Adding the He’an Tribe’s younglings, the count surpassed 200.
After filtering out the youngest younglings, the number of students for the classes was reduced to a little over 130.
While this number was still significant, it was manageable for everyone involved.
Originally, Ban Jiu and his peers were supposed to attend class, but with the influx of younger students, their attendance was delayed for two more years.
The younglings were ecstatic, running wild across the tribe.
When they saw Jian Mo, they ran up to hug his legs. “Brother Jian Mo!”
Jian Mo ruffled the fur of a fluffy little cat with one hand and stroked the furry head of a little wolf with the other. “So happy, huh?”
Ban Jiu rubbed his round head against Jian Mo’s leg. “Super happy!”
Jian Mo chuckled. “Alright, go enjoy yourselves for two more years.”
For now, Jian Mo only focused on establishing the classes and had no intention of introducing “examinations.”
As a result, while the younglings grumbled about having to attend class daily, it wasn’t overwhelming enough to cause them stress.
Soon, the younglings from various tribes mingled together and made friends quickly. Both the older and younger ones found their own groups to play with, eliminating the need to blend across age groups.
The younglings were quite pleased with this arrangement.
However, they soon grew impatient with being escorted by adults every day.
The younglings of the Ice River Tribe were the first to protest. “We can walk on our own. There’s no need to escort us! What predator in the forest would dare mess with us?”
The Ice River Tribe’s beast form was that of bears. Even their younglings had formidable combat abilities that deterred any predators.
A group of bear cubs together was even more intimidating—enough to make any predator flee at first sight.
Although their reasoning was sound, the younglings were precious, and their parents refused to take risks. “It’s no trouble to escort you. It’s just along the way. Be good, and let us have peace of mind.”
The younglings of the Ice River Tribe tucked their ears back under their parents’ stern reprimands. “Fine, we were just asking.”
The parents warned, “Don’t even think about sneaking off tomorrow. We won’t let it slide.”
The younglings insisted, “We wouldn’t! We’ve been taught not to run around.”
Despite their failed attempt, their dissatisfaction inspired the Mengshui Tribe’s younglings to speak up.
They approached Yun Long. “Chief, can we walk to school by ourselves? Our tribe isn’t far from the He’an Tribe, and the path is often traveled, so it’s not dangerous. We can manage on our own.”
Yun Long smiled warmly. “Why don’t you want to be escorted anymore?”
The younglings chimed in with various reasons:
“Escorting us every day is too tiring.”
“We’re not that little anymore. We can handle it ourselves.”
“If we go alone, we won’t have to rush as much.”
Yun Long considered their arguments. “Let’s stick with escorts for a while. I’ll monitor the situation and clear any dangerous beasts from the path. Once I’m sure it’s safe, you can go on your own.”
The younglings cheered, “Thank you, Chief! We knew you wouldn’t say no!”
Yun Long ruffled the nearest youngling’s head with a smile. “Go have fun.”
Word spread quickly about Yun Long’s plan to clear the path between the Mengshui Tribe and the He’an Tribe. On their way to class, the younglings even saw adults patrolling and hunting predators near the main path.
The younglings from other tribes were envious of those from the Mengshui Tribe. “Your Chief is the best.”
The younglings of the Mengshui Tribe tilted their heads proudly. “Exactly! Our Chief says everything should be discussed. As long as we can give him a good reason, he won’t refuse.”
The other tribes’ younglings grew even more envious. Most adults weren’t nearly as agreeable.
If younglings annoyed their adults too much, they’d get scolded—or even worse, smacked.
The Ice River Tribe’s younglings huddled together, whispering.
“Do you think the adults don’t realize how strong we are now?”
“I think so too. They still treat us like little ones. If they knew we weren’t just cubs anymore, they wouldn’t refuse us, right?”
“That sounds about right—”
The younglings exchanged knowing glances, smiles spreading across their faces.
With a few little hands clasped together, they quickly reached a consensus.
For the next few days, the younglings behaved unusually calm and quiet.
That was until one day, when the Ice River Tribe adults arrived late to pick them up from the He’an Tribe due to some other matters.
When they got there, they couldn’t find any trace of their younglings.
After searching around the area and still coming up empty, the adults began to panic.
They called over the He’an Tribe’s younglings, who were still playing, and questioned them carefully.
Jiang Xing stepped forward. “They’ve already gone back.”
The adults exchanged startled glances. “When did they leave? Were there any adults with them?”
Jiang Xing shook his head. “We didn’t notice. We just saw them head across the river after class. We thought you were waiting for them on the other side.”
Having recently been told by the younglings that they wanted to walk home on their own, the Ice River Tribe adults immediately pieced it together.
A burly beastman with round eyes slapped his thigh. “They must’ve left ahead of us. Let’s go after them!”
The other two adults quickly echoed, “Let’s go, let’s go! Hurry and catch up!”
After thanking Jiang Xing, the three beastmen transformed into giant bears, dropped to all fours, and charged off at full speed.
The commotion drew the attention of others in the He’an Tribe. After a brief inquiry to confirm there wasn’t an immediate issue, they stopped paying attention.
As dusk began to settle, the Ice River Tribe adults returned in a hurry, looking frantic. “Our younglings still haven’t reached the tribe. We searched along the way but couldn’t find them. Could you ask around to see if anyone overheard them saying anything today?”
Hearing this, the He’an Tribe quickly sent someone to call for Wu Jiong and Jian Mo, while others tried to calm the Ice River Tribe adults.
Jian Mo asked calmly, “Have your younglings had any arguments with you recently? Do you think they were heading home on their own, or could they have run away?”
“If they were heading home on their own, they might just be lost. But if they ran away, it could be harder to say—they might be hiding from you.”
One of the Ice River Tribe adults wiped his brow nervously. “It wasn’t really an argument? Just a few words exchanged. Do you think it’s possible they ran away?”
Jian Mo said, “It’s late, and they haven’t returned yet. Running away is a possibility, but it’s also possible they got chased by a predator and got lost—or maybe they simply lost their way for another reason.”
The Ice River Tribe adults grew more anxious. “The forest is so big and dark. If they’re lost, it’ll be hard to find them, and there might be predators out at night.”
Jian Mo nodded. “That’s why we need to mobilize people to search immediately. I’ll also have someone ride a winged beast to assist. We’ll search both sides of the main path. Since there are so many younglings together, the chance of danger is low. Try not to worry too much.”
The Ice River Tribe adults sighed in relief. “Oh, thank you so much!”
After agreeing to search along the main path connecting the He’an Tribe and the Ice River Tribe, everyone split up to carry out their tasks.
The He’an Tribe mobilized nearly all its members, leaving only a few beastmen and sub-beastmen to look after the younglings still in the tribe. They had recent experience searching for Bai Lu, who had gotten lost outside not long ago, so they approached this search with confidence.
Qing Kuo sighed. “Raising younglings is truly not an easy task.”
Searching for lost younglings was a regular occurrence for tribes, happening at least once or twice a year. As long as it wasn’t their own younglings, most remained relatively composed.
While the wilderness was filled with predators, beastmen and sub-beastmen had a clear advantage. Most predators would flee at their approach, and very few dared to attack.
Jian Mo suggested to Qing Kuo, “I’ll ride Ying Ao with Ye Luo. You and Min Dang take Chirpy. Let’s split up and call out as we search. Maybe the younglings will respond.”
Qing Kuo had no objections. “Got it. Let’s carry torches as well. If they see the light in the sky, they might call out to us.”
Jian Mo nodded. “Good idea. Just be careful with Chirpy—she’s a little timid. If the torch flames scare her and she panics, it could be a problem.”
Chirpy, nearby and seemingly understanding, let out a loud protest. “Chirp!”
Jian Mo patted her neck. “Alright, alright. As long as you don’t panic, just carry Qing Kuo and Min Dang carefully. If we find the younglings, there’ll be an extra treat for you.”
Chirpy chirped enthusiastically, “Chirp!”
Time was of the essence, so Jian Mo didn’t linger. Carrying a torch, he and Ye Luo mounted Ying Ao, who was equipped with reins for easier control.
Ying Ao liked Jian Mo and tolerated Ye Luo riding along because of him.
At Jian Mo’s command, Ying Ao let out a long cry, “Chirp!” before sprinting forward and launching into the air with powerful wingbeats.
Chirpy, watching her companion’s smooth ascent, quickly ran a few steps and took off as well. “Chirp!”
Min Dang held the torch steadily as Qing Kuo patted Chirpy’s neck. “Good job.”
Chirpy chirped proudly, “Chirp!”
