Jian Mo and Ye Luo soared through the air on Ying Ao’s back.
With his transformation toward a sub-beastman physique, Jian Mo’s eyesight had improved significantly.
Even so, as he scanned the forest below, he could not spot any trace of the missing younglings.
Down below, the beastmen were shifting into their beast forms, sniffing for the younglings’ scent.
Yet they too seemed to be going in circles, finding nothing.
No one realized that the younglings had already strayed far from the main road.
While the search parties scoured the forest, the younglings huddled together, deep in conversation.
Drawing from the knowledge they had learned in class, the bear cubs formed a protective circle around their humanoid friends to guard against a potential sneak attack by predators.
The younglings leaned against one another, looking despondent.
“I think we’ve wandered too far from the main road. They won’t find us. What do we do now?”
“Let’s hide for now. The adults are the angriest right now. If they catch us, they’ll definitely hit us.”
“If we’d known this would happen, we wouldn’t have run off.”
“Running off wasn’t the problem. If we hadn’t played on the way and just gone straight home, the adults wouldn’t be angry.”
“What’s the point of saying that now? We’re definitely going to get a huge scolding when we go back.”
The younglings grew increasingly disheartened as the conversation went on.
They now fully understood the meaning of one misstep leading to another. Having made a mistake at the start, they no longer dared to go back.
Not only had they delayed their return, but they had also used the lessons from class to cover their tracks with predator droppings, erasing any scent trail that the adults could follow.
The adults had not anticipated that after just a few days of lessons, the younglings would not only learn well but apply the knowledge so effectively—effectively enough to block all search efforts.
The adults soon noticed traces of the younglings’ intentional evasions, including the freshly smeared predator droppings on the paths.
Kang Ying, the Ice River Tribe’s chief, burst out laughing in exasperation. “These little ones are really something.”
Wu Jiong examined the signs closely. “For now, they don’t seem to be in danger. If they were, they wouldn’t have taken the time to apply these droppings so calmly.”
Kang Ying nodded. “That’s a relief. But these younglings are far too mischievous. You He’an Tribe folks have gone through a lot of trouble helping us search.”
Wu Jiong replied, “It’s no trouble. Consider it a drill with the younglings. Don’t be too angry. If you get mad now, they’ll be even less likely to come to you next time something happens.”
Kang Ying, understanding the wisdom in those words, chuckled. “I was a bit angry earlier, but seeing how well they’ve applied their lessons, I feel reassured about our tribe’s future generations. I can’t stay mad.”
Wu Jiong used a term he’d learned from Jian Mo. “The legacy continues.”
Kang Ying mulled over the phrase and laughed. “Exactly, exactly! That’s the feeling. Sending them to school was the right choice. You’ve been so patient with them despite their antics—it’s truly appreciated.”
This misadventure was entirely due to the younglings’ mischievousness and had nothing to do with the He’an Tribe.
Still, Kang Ying made a mental note to bring gifts tomorrow to express his apologies. Otherwise, if the He’an Tribe decided teaching such unruly younglings wasn’t worth the trouble, it would spell disaster.
But the apologies would have to wait. It was already dark, and the younglings were still out in the wild. They needed to be found quickly.
The search parties tried to anticipate the younglings’ movements as they pressed deeper into the wilderness.
Even as younglings, they were beastmen and sub-beastmen through and through. If they wanted to hide, it wouldn’t be easy for adults to find them.
While the younglings continued hiding, the adults searched high and low without success.
Frustrated and amused, the adults began brainstorming ways to discipline the younglings once they were caught.
When one group of adults came particularly close to the younglings’ hiding spot, the younglings hurriedly whispered to each other:
“Quick, quick! The adults are coming this way. Let’s head to the river.”
“Wait, move slowly. Ah Cui, carry Yi Re. Let’s go quietly.”
“Alright. Yi Re, climb on my back.”
The bear cubs carried the humanoid younglings on their backs, carefully and silently inching toward the river.
The humanoid younglings clung tightly to the bear cubs’ necks, their wide eyes shining with fear as they dared not make a sound.
Before long, they reached the riverbank.
The lead bear cub peered into the water and recoiled in shock.
“There’s something in the river! It’s huge!”
“Keep your voice down!”
“What is it? Let me see.”
“It looks like a scale-less fish!”
“Forget it. Let’s just cross the river quickly.”
The bear cubs clumped together, clumsily preparing to leap across the river.
But one cub paused mid-leap and turned back to his companions. “Hey, what if we catch the scale-less fish and bring it back? If the adults see we caught prey, maybe they won’t be angry anymore!”
The younglings exchanged glances, their eyes lighting up.
“That might work!”
“Let’s catch it then! Yi Re, you all stay on the bank. We’ll handle it.”
After ensuring the humanoid younglings were safely settled, the bear cubs leaped into the water to catch the scale-less fish.
The fish, slick and slimy with a layer of mucus, proved to be a challenging target. One cub managed to grab it with both front paws, but the fish flicked its tail powerfully, slipping free and slapping the cub across the face as it darted away.
Stunned, the cub looked down at his empty paws and lunged forward again, chasing after the fish.
The scale-less fish darted quickly through the water, even bumping into another cub’s behind.
The startled cub let out a yelp and leaped onto the riverbank as if he’d taken flight.
The lead cub was caught between checking the water and trying to muffle his panicked companion, flailing his short paws in frustration.
Meanwhile, the commotion sent ripples through the water, rousing the large, numerous scale-less fish below. The tables turned in an instant—the hunters became the hunted. The bear cubs, now splashing in terror, were being chased and prodded by the fish.
The lead cub, overwhelmed and panting heavily, tried to calm everyone but quickly gave up, utterly frazzled.
Amid the chaos and splashing, the distant adults heard the commotion and rushed toward the sound.
The younglings abandoned their hiding plans, crying out for help.
Before long, the giant bears of the Ice River Tribe arrived. Seeing the cubs scrambling out of the water, they shelved their plans to scold them and instead hurriedly picked them up, asking, “What happened? Did something bite you? Are you hurt?”
The cubs cried out all at once:
“The scale-less fish! There are scale-less fish in the water!”
“Father, there are so many scale-less fish! Hurry up and catch them!”
The giant bears held the cubs in their mouths as they turned them over, checking each one thoroughly before moving on to the humanoid younglings. Once they confirmed no one was hurt, they let out sighs of relief.
Seeing the adults’ slow pace, the bear cubs grew impatient and began pawing at their mouths. “Hurry! The scale-less fish!”
The giant bear that Ice River’s chief, Kang Ying, had transformed into rumbled, “At a time like this, and you’re still thinking about fish?”
The cubs replied earnestly, “The scale-less fish are delicious! And they bit us!”
Soon, more members of the Ice River Tribe arrived, followed by those from the He’an Tribe.
Relieved to see the younglings safe and sound, the adults relaxed.
At the younglings’ insistence, the adults finally waded into the river to start catching scale-less fish.
When Jian Mo and Ye Luo arrived on Ying Ao’s back, they found everyone already submerged, fishing in the riverbed.
One giant bear had just hauled up a scale-less fish.
The fish was thicker than a person’s thigh, wriggling violently in the bear’s mouth. The sight made Jian Mo’s scalp tingle.
He instinctively took a step back, nearly tripping over Ye Luo’s foot.
Ye Luo caught him with one hand. “You’re scared of this?”
Jian Mo couldn’t help but retort, “Aren’t you? It’s enormous!”
Ye Luo’s gaze flickered. “Nope. Scale-less fish are delicious. They’re just rare to catch.”
Jian Mo rubbed his goosebump-covered arms. “Delicious?”
Ye Luo nodded. “Yes. The meat is tender with no fishy smell. Deep-fried and then grilled on a stone slab—it’s amazing.”
With that, Jian Mo’s curiosity got the better of him, and he took another look.
The scale-less fish had a brown back and a yellow belly. Upon closer inspection, it resembled an oversized eel.
But at that size, it was genuinely terrifying!
As Jian Mo continued observing, he noticed how eagerly the beastmen were catching the fish.
That settled it—the fish must indeed be delicious. Otherwise, the beastmen wouldn’t be so enthusiastic.
Overcoming his initial fear, Jian Mo pushed closer to watch.
Wu Jiong, in his giant wolf form, paused in his pursuit of the fish to nudge Jian Mo’s chest gently with his snout. “Step back a bit. You don’t want to get splattered with mud.”
Jian Mo obediently retreated while keeping his eyes fixed on a massive fish swimming below. “Don’t chat with me—focus on the fish! It’s about to get away.”
The giant wolf replied calmly, “It won’t escape.”
Taking a few deliberate steps forward, Wu Jiong quickly pinned the scale-less fish with a paw.
Ban Ming, in his form as a massive long-haired gray cat, shoved his way forward. “Chief, why don’t you just grab it? Let me do it!”
Lowering his head, the gray cat bit into the fish at its critical spot. He hauled it up, but the fish thrashed furiously in his mouth, its cold tail slapping his face repeatedly.
Before Ban Ming could finish his sentence, he had already been hit several times, his eyes widening as he huffed in frustration.
Di Ya, now a white wolf, approached and tapped his son’s ear with sympathy. “Now you understand why Wu Jiong didn’t grab it with his mouth, huh?”
The gray cat whimpered, “Father, help me hold the fish! I can’t bite through it!”
The white wolf snorted. “Pathetic.”
Passing the fish to his father, Ban Ming pointed out the two sharp, bloody holes on the fish’s critical spot. “I bit it, but it won’t die! Ugh! Hold it while I bite it a few more times for revenge!”
The white wolf pushed him aside with a paw. “Don’t bother. Just eat more later. If you keep biting it to shreds, we won’t be able to eat it at all.”
By now, the giant beasts from both tribes were scouring the river for more scale-less fish.
Soon after, Qing Kuo and Min Dang arrived on Chirpy.
Qing Kuo remarked, “So scale-less fish come out at night. No wonder we rarely found them before.”
Jian Mo, now intrigued, said, “With this many fish, let’s have a feast back at the tribe!”
Everyone had skipped dinner in their rush to find the younglings, and hunger was setting in.
Qing Kuo agreed. “Sure. Let’s get ready. Tonight, we’ll feast on scale-less fish.”
Jian Mo quickly added, “Let’s use the two big metal pots from our house. It’s much easier than frying in clay pots.”
With their plans set, they gathered the fish and headed toward the He’an Tribe.
The Ice River Tribe sent someone ahead to report to their village, deciding it was fine to return later.
The bear cubs and humanoid younglings rode on the backs of the giant bears. Hearing no reprimands from the adults, they wore expressions of pure relief.
At first, the younglings still looked a little fearful. But as the adults chatted and laughed, the younglings relaxed and started grinning, some even giggling with their faces scrunched into double chins.
Riding on Wu Jiong’s giant wolf form, Jian Mo turned to glance sympathetically at the younglings.
After causing so much trouble for both tribes’ adults today, there was no way they’d escape unscathed. The younglings were definitely in for it.
When they arrived at the tribe, the giant bears set the cubs and humanoid younglings down, issuing orders: “Go squat at the edge of the clearing. No slacking! Anyone who slacks will hold a water basin while squatting!”
The horse stance squat was something Jian Mo had taught them. The younglings, still wearing their relieved smiles, froze in stunned confusion.
Kang Ying, in his bear form, nudged the nearest cub’s rear with a massive paw. “Doctor Jian Mo pleaded for you, saying not to hit you—unless you’d prefer to be hit?”
Not wanting to be spanked, the younglings reluctantly shuffled to the clearing to squat in horse stance.
The bear cubs squatted in their bear forms, and the humanoid younglings squatted in theirs. There was no escape for any of them.
Meanwhile, the adults busied themselves cleaning the scale-less fish, preparing to fry and feast.
