Building a Civilization and Raising Cubs in the Beast World – Chapter 137

If the wandering orcs had truly been mild-tempered, they wouldn’t have slaughtered so many of their own kind in the first place. The only reason they hadn’t killed anyone this time wasn’t because they’d suddenly grown merciful—it was because Bao Ren had ordered them to spare the captives and bring them back to the tribe for labor.

Everything they’d done for the Black Forest Tribe had already left a bitter taste. They did all the work, bore all the blame, while the Black Forest Tribe reaped all the benefits. To make matters worse, the neighboring tribes rescued by the Black Forest Tribe even praised them as kind and generous.

That hypocrisy enraged the wanderers. Now, hearing that the Black Forest Tribe had actually planned to wipe them out, their anger boiled over completely.

They hadn’t even settled their score with Bao Ren yet—and he wanted to kill them first?

In that case, why not kill Bao Ren right now? They’d long coveted the Black Forest Tribe’s territory and stockpiles. Once the high-ranking orcs were dead, all of it—the land, the food, and the lower-ranking orcs—would be theirs for the taking.

For the first time, the scattered wandering orcs united.
“Let’s go! Kill Bao Ren! Kill every orc from the Black Forest Tribe!”

Since the Black Forest Tribe had made the first move, they could hardly be blamed for striking back.

The surrounding wanderers quickly joined in. After years of raiding and killing, fighting was second nature to them—they didn’t need an excuse. And now, hearing that the Black Forest Tribe was planning to slaughter them, they charged forward in a fury.

The messenger who had delivered the news pointed them in the right direction, then immediately backed away.

One of the wandering orcs tried to grab him, but another stopped him. The messenger glanced at the restrainer and muttered, “He’s on our side—he’s the one who brought us the message.”

“So what? He’s still from the Black Forest Tribe. We should kill them all,” the would-be attacker growled. “Lei, what’s wrong with you? You keep stopping us.”

The orc named Lei shook his head. “Killing him is a waste of time. Let’s deal with the Black Forest Tribe first.”

“Fine.” The others reluctantly agreed—settling the score with the Black Forest Tribe came first.

As the young orc named Lei released his grip, he wiped his palm on his hide armor and subtly gestured for the messenger to run while no one was looking.

The messenger took the hint. His legs trembled as he bolted away, clutching the small wooden tag hanging around his neck. He stumbled, steadied himself, and sprinted off.

Lei glanced over his shoulder at the fleeing messenger, then at the mass of orcs charging toward the Black Forest Tribe’s territory. Taking a deep breath, he followed after them.

Once the group had left, the messenger doubled his pace, circling around the Black Forest Tribe’s lands to rendezvous with the main force.

Meanwhile, Hu Wan and his group were contacting the lower-ranking orcs within the tribe. Unlike before, they no longer hesitated—any guard who blocked their way was immediately cut down. Then they asked the oppressed lower orcs whether they wanted to rise up against the Black Forest Tribe or leave.

Some were terrified by the sudden violence. After so many years of submission, they had forgotten what it meant to resist. Seeing Hu Wan attack their overseers, they didn’t flee—they hesitated, uncertain if they would be punished for running.

Others recognized Hu Wan and, remembering their fallen kin and years of abuse, chose to join him, burning with the desire for vengeance.

All around the Black Forest Tribe’s territory, the rebels split into groups and advanced inward. Chaos erupted at the base of the mountain where the Black Forest Tribe lived.

Bao Ren had no idea what had become of those wandering orcs. When Wu Xi had reported that they had attacked the witch doctor’s group earlier, Bao Ren had dismissed it as impossible. But he hadn’t expected their leader to strike without a word—and even turn his blade on Bao Ren himself.

The leader wasn’t alone—every wandering orc had joined in. As the leader of the largest tribe on the Eastern Continent, Bao Ren would never tolerate such insolence. He immediately summoned every orc not out hunting.

The Black Forest Tribe’s warriors were used to throwing their weight around. Though they rarely ventured beyond their borders, other tribes always greeted them with fear and respect. Now that they were facing an open attack, they responded with ruthless aggression.

They didn’t care whether they knew these wanderers or not—anyone who dared challenge them was cut down on sight.

The wandering orcs were fewer in number, but each one was a seasoned killer, hardened by countless battles. The Black Forest Tribe’s orcs, in contrast, were pampered by years of luxury. They had tempers, yes—but not strength.

Bao Ren quickly realized the situation was spiraling out of control. “Call back the lower orcs!” he shouted. “Get them back here, now!”

In the Black Forest Tribe, almost all labor fell to the lower orcs. The higher-ranking ones spent their days lounging around, barking orders, eating well, and bullying the weak. Their long-standing privilege and fame as one of the mightiest tribes on the Beast God Continent had left them complacent—no one had dared to challenge them in years.

Their most frequent exercise was beating the lower orcs.

In their beast forms, they looked enormous—bloated from overfeeding, each one the size of two or three lower orcs. Among orcs, bulk was a sign of strength.

The Black Forest Tribe had taken that belief to heart—but they’d forgotten one crucial truth: real strength came from the hunt. Those who grew large through battle and labor became powerful; those who grew fat from indulgence became slow and weak.

As both sides transformed and clashed, the Black Forest Tribe quickly found themselves outmatched. They had once suppressed the wanderers easily only because of their overwhelming numbers, bolstered by a few orcs who had returned with Wu Xi.

Now, their numerical advantage was gone. Each strike from the wandering orcs tore through their ranks, while their own blows barely grazed their enemies. At this rate, defeat was inevitable.

Bao Ren began to panic. He had always known the wanderers were fierce fighters—but back then, he’d seen it as an opportunity. If he could harness their strength, he thought, he could conquer other tribes and perhaps even become the supreme ruler of the entire Beast God Continent.

But now, watching his warriors fall one after another, Bao Ren bitterly regretted ever allying with the wanderers. Strength was an asset only when it wasn’t turned against you.

As his subordinates faltered, several orcs who hadn’t joined the fight began to flee.

The wanderers, locked in combat, didn’t notice—or perhaps they did and simply didn’t care. Their true target was Bao Ren. If they killed him, they could seize control of the Black Forest Tribe for themselves.

As for the few who ran, they were no threat. Normally, the wanderers would have hunted them down, but right now, with battle raging all around, they let them go.

The wandering orcs fought more fiercely with every moment, while more and more Black Forest Tribe warriors fell. Corpses piled high. Bao Ren grew desperate, ordering every last orc in the tribe to come to his aid.

But amid the chaos, neither Bao Ren nor the wanderers spared a glance for the wounded. Bao Ren’s only thought was to stop them from breaking into the tribe—if that happened, he’d go down in history as the tribe’s greatest failure, and his leadership would be finished.

Not far from the mountain, orcs rallied under Lang Qi and Hu Wan, waiting for their chance to strike.

When panicked reinforcements finally rushed out, Hu Wan and his companions approached.

The newcomers were too flustered to notice how strange it was that so many lower orcs were gathered—and not a single guard among them.

Relieved to see so many subordinates, they puffed up with self-importance. “The wandering orcs are attacking our tribe!” one of them barked. “Follow me!”

Hu Wan agreed smoothly, and the surrounding lower orcs echoed in unison.

The Black Forest Tribe warriors relaxed a little—until suspicion crept in. “Where are your guards?”

Hu Wan was ready for that. “They heard the voices of the wanderers and went to investigate,” he said calmly. “They told us to wait here.”

The warriors thought for a moment, then nodded. It sounded reasonable enough. After all, these low-ranking orcs were far too cowardly to rebel… right?

Confident in their control, they turned and led the lower orcs straight back toward the tribe.

By the time they arrived, the first great battle between the Wandering Orcs and the Black Forest Tribe was already underway.

The wanderers were still outnumbered. For every one of them, four or five Black Forest Tribe orcs surrounded them, limiting their strength. Once the initial panic subsided, the Black Forest Tribe began to adapt and find their footing.

Their tribe was large, formed from the merger of over a dozen smaller ones, each bringing their own species of high-ranking orcs—many of them massive in size.

That bulk, paired with a rich diet, made them sluggish. But they did have one advantage: when they tackled or pinned a wanderer, it took immense effort to break free.

The Black Forest Tribe quickly discovered and exploited this tactic.

No matter how fierce the wanderers were, once restrained, their strength was halved. Slowly, injuries mounted. Deaths followed.

The orc who had guided Hu Wan and the others pointed ahead. “Those are the wanderers! Go fight them!”

He barked the order but didn’t dare move himself, instead shoving the lower orcs forward.

But the lower orcs weren’t fools. They could see how dire the situation was. Charging in now would only mean death, so they hesitated.

Bao Ren spotted the group in the distance and saw their reluctance. He shouted, “Whoever joins the fight, I’ll reward with three bags of medicine!”

A single bag was enough to sustain someone for several days.

Still, no one moved. The lower orcs had already heard Hu Wan’s story—they knew freedom was just within reach. As for the medicine, they all remembered how the guards had withheld it to torment them. It wasn’t a gift—it was a chain.

Seeing their silence, Bao Ren doubled the offer—but not a single one stepped forward.

For the first time, Bao Ren was at a loss. He stared at the lower orcs in disbelief. No matter how he threatened or cajoled, not one of them obeyed.

Just as Bao Ren was about to sweeten his offer with a few more bags of medicine, movement stirred among the crowd.

He exhaled in relief. Finally, he thought. A few more words and these fools will fall in line as always.

But then he noticed—the lower orcs were moving in the wrong direction.
“Not those ones! Not them!” Bao Ren barked. “I didn’t tell you to attack the tribe’s orcs! Go after the wandering orcs!”

No one listened. His shouts only grew louder, but the direction of the lower orcs never changed.

A cold realization crept over him. These orcs weren’t obeying him at all. Since the day he’d begun feeding them medicine, this was the first time he’d ever seen them defy his orders so openly. For a moment, Bao Ren froze in disbelief. Then his gaze fell on Wu Jiu, the witch doctor lying half-dead nearby.

His stomach sank. “Where’s Wu Jiu’s apprentice?” Bao Ren demanded. “And the orcs that followed him inside—where are they?”

The guards protecting him shook their heads. They’d seen those orcs earlier, fighting against the wandering orcs, but at some point, they had vanished.

Bao Ren’s eyes widened. The lower orcs weren’t just refusing to fight the wanderers—they were attacking his own tribe. Outside, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed closer and closer.

There were many of them. Far too many.
Bao Ren’s voice cracked. “Who’s out there?!”

If it was reinforcements from his tribe, it would be a blessing.

But luck had abandoned Bao Ren. The orcs entering from outside were strangers—faces he’d never seen before.

As he watched the tide of unfamiliar orcs approach, Bao Ren’s vision blurred. The tribe had already lost its strongest warriors to the wandering orcs. Now, the lower orcs had risen in rebellion, and outsiders had invaded their territory.

Three disasters—each worse than the last—had struck all at once. There was no time to think, no time to breathe. All Bao Ren could do was scream for his warriors to regroup.

But even among the Black Forest Tribe, there were always a few cowardly souls—those who lacked the courage to fight when the outcome was already written.

By the end of the day, the once-mighty Black Forest Tribe lay in ruins. Its orcs were dead, wounded, or scattered. The survivors cowered in their caves, too terrified to emerge.

The tribe’s numbers had fallen by at least a third. Those who remained were too weak—or too broken—to resist.

The authority Bao Ren and his elite warriors had relied on for so long vanished overnight. Stripped of their prestige, they could no longer hide their misdeeds.

The first to betray Bao Ren were the orcs who had always stood closest to him. They knew the most, and to save their own hides, they laid all the blame squarely at the feet of their leader and the witch doctor.

It wasn’t a new tactic. They’d done the same thing just a few days earlier. Bai Tu, Bai Qi, and the others didn’t buy a word of it, but they gave no sign, merely nodding along as if they believed.

Encouraged by their silence, the Black Forest orcs became bolder, eagerly exposing every crime Bao Ren and Wu Jiu had committed. They fell over one another to speak, desperate to prove their innocence, as if spitting out every secret could wash them clean.

But when they finally finished their confessions, things didn’t go as they expected.

No one released them.
Instead, the captors stuffed gags into their mouths one by one.

The ungagged orcs stared in horror. “We told you everything! Why won’t you let us go?”

The question was echoed by frantic nods from the gagged prisoners.

Bai Qi, who was overseeing the gagging, raised an eyebrow. “When,” he asked flatly, “did we ever say we’d let you go?”

The orcs froze.

Bai Tu had made it clear beforehand: the Black Forest Tribe had committed too many crimes to be spared. Letting them go would only allow them to regroup and become the next band of marauders.

Besides, the battle wasn’t truly over yet—there were still too many loose ends. Releasing anyone now would be suicide.

Bai Qi shot a puzzled look at the orc who’d spoken, then waved a hand. “Gag him too.”

He turned back to his duties. Under his lead, warriors began rounding up the remaining Black Forest orcs who had fled, while Shi Su and his men sealed off the exits to prevent any escapes. Lu Hui took another group to comb through the mountains and search every possible hiding place.

This time, they wouldn’t leave a single one behind.

Meanwhile, Bai An and several of the senior leaders organized how to detain the captives, also taking charge of the surviving wandering orcs.

There weren’t enough ropes to tie everyone, but they couldn’t just let them roam free. So they divided them up—the weaker orcs and their cubs were confined to a cave with no back exit, while the stronger ones were securely bound.

They’d already assigned roles and procedures before attacking the Black Forest Tribe, and even though the number of captives far exceeded expectations, the operation remained orderly and calm.

That efficiency was largely thanks to another group of orcs—those who had been living inside the Black Forest Tribe. Despite enduring constant abuse and beatings, they had continued to hunt and labor faithfully. But behind that obedience lay desperation.

Their mates and cubs had been taken away by the Black Forest orcs about two weeks after they’d joined the tribe. Since then, no one had seen them.

Rumors whispered by sympathetic guards claimed their families were still alive, but no one knew where they were being kept.

That was why these orcs had so readily joined Hu Wan’s uprising—they were driven by the hope of finding their loved ones once the Black Forest Tribe fell.

By now, Bai Tu and Lang Qi had already led their troops up the mountain after learning where the witch doctors were hiding.

Wu Lai, the witch doctor from the Red Eagle Tribe, had always preferred living close to the ground—in caves near the mountain’s base. But the witch doctors of the Black Forest Tribe were the opposite, always choosing the highest caves, a show of superiority and prestige.

Living high above had its advantages—they were safe from immediate attacks, and even if the tribe was assaulted, the heights were easier to defend.

But the disadvantage was fatal: once surrounded, there was no escape.

Bai Tu and Lang Qi didn’t intend to waste time. They opted for a direct strike.

The two witch doctors under Wu Jiu’s command had sent all their guards to hold the mountain path, bravely—or foolishly—trying to block an army with a handful of men. They themselves hid in the uppermost cave with their medicine apprentices, refusing to come out no matter what happened below.

It was a decent plan, but they’d overlooked one crucial detail: the Black Forest Tribe wasn’t being attacked by the Eastern tribes alone.

After Bai Tu quietly confirmed the number of guards stationed on the mountain, he knew that the entire security force was concentrated in one place. With that information, even a small squad of Eagle Tribe warriors was enough.

The Eagles were unbothered by cliffs or steep slopes. No matter how many guards blocked the path, they simply soared over them, scaling the mountain from behind.

While the two witch doctors were congratulating themselves on their cleverness, a dark shape swooped into their cave. Before they could even react, they were seized and dragged out.

As they were hauled down the mountain, the witch doctors and their young apprentices stared in shock, unable to comprehend how they’d been captured so easily.

Then they saw the captors fold their wings.

“The Feather Tribe! It’s the Feather Tribe!” one witch doctor gasped in horror.
No wonder hiding at the summit hadn’t saved them—the attackers could fly.

The Black Forest Tribe did have a few Feather Tribe orcs, but they were treated as the lowest of the low. Wu Jiu loathed anyone with wings, regardless of their origin.

As always, the tribe followed its witch doctor’s example. What the leader and witch doctor despised, everyone else despised too. And because the tribe’s territory was far from the southern continent, they rarely encountered flying races—so no one feared or respected them.

Gradually, that disdain hardened into cruelty. Four-legged orcs mocked the two-legged Feather Tribe, calling them weaker than the enslaved lower orcs. Everyone agreed they were useless.

The two witch doctors had shared that contempt—yet in the end, they were captured by the very race they’d scorned.

The Eagle Tribe, led by Ying Quan, ignored the captives’ protests and dragged them down the mountain. Bai An and his team took custody of them before the Eagles returned skyward, joining Lang Qi’s unit to seize the remaining guards.

With the mountain secured, the next task was clear: find the hidden mates and cubs.

But it wasn’t just the kidnapped orcs they were looking for—the numbers within the Black Forest Tribe itself didn’t add up. The population was heavily skewed. There were far too few females, and even fewer cubs.

In a normal tribe, females made up about a quarter to a third of the population. Here, they barely reached one-fifth.

A chill ran through Bai Tu. Don’t tell me… they didn’t even care for their own young?

The truth turned out to be far worse. In the Black Forest Tribe, genuine partnerships were almost nonexistent.

By the time Bai Tu, Lang Qi, Lang Ya, Ying Quan, and Lu Hui—the one in charge of the search—reached the back of the mountain, faint cries echoed from within the stone.

“It’s the cubs,” Lu Hui said, instantly recognizing the sound. Bai Tu heard it too.

They found a sealed cave. The guards who had been stationed there had long since fled after Bao Ren’s fall. Now, only the muffled cries of cubs and other faint noises could be heard from inside.

Bai Tu’s face hardened. After confirming there were no traps, he gave a curt order.

“Open it.”

The stone sealing the cave was far larger and heavier than the usual paving slabs. It took the combined strength of dozens of orcs to slowly push it aside.

Halfway through, the stench of blood wafted out, and when they finally saw what lay within, everyone froze in shock.

Cubs. Pregnant orcs. Not just females, but sub-orcs too—roughly two to three hundred individuals crammed into a single cave.

Even an empty, sealed cave would feel oppressive, but this one, packed with so many living bodies, reeked of despair. Blood from childbirth smeared the ground and streaked the stone walls, turning the entire space into a vision of living hell.

No one knew how long these orcs had been trapped here. Many were unconscious, unresponsive even to the grating sound of stone shifting or the presence of strangers entering the cave.

The cubs scattered on the ground were all newborns. Bai Tu noticed two of them still had their umbilical cords attached.

He turned sharply and asked, “Does anyone have scissors?”

Since the tribe had learned to forge sharp blades, they had also developed a variety of other tools—scissors among them. A knife could work in a pinch, but scissors were far better for cutting umbilical cords.

“I’ve got some,” said Lang Ya, pulling a pair from a pouch sewn into her animal-hide garment and handing them over.

Bai Tu couldn’t help but wonder, not for the first time, whether she was wearing animal hide—or an entire treasure chest.

Before he could even say anything, Lang Qi had already entered the cave, gently lifting the two newborn cubs with their cords still uncut. The orcs lying nearby didn’t even stir, their eyes vacant, their spirits broken.

The others who entered behind them were equally stunned by the lifelessness of the captives. None moved, none spoke—just hollow shells of what they once were.

“Hui,” Bai Tu said, his voice low but firm, “bring more people over. We need to clean this place up.”

As he spoke, he disinfected the scissors with alcohol that Lang Ya had somehow brought along.

He hadn’t expected that to come in handy. Bai Tu had been distilling alcohol ever since he’d started making soy sauce and vinegar, though his batches had come out a little weaker. After much effort, he’d managed to extract a small amount of pure spirit, which he diluted into several bottles of disinfectant. He’d given one to Lang Ya before the expedition—thankfully, she’d kept it.

Once sterilized, Bai Tu cut the cubs’ umbilical cords and wiped the blood from their tiny bodies with a clean towel. He hesitated briefly before handing them to Lang Ya.

“Hold them for now. I’ll have someone prepare food.”

Newborns, no matter the species, needed to eat—and there were many more cubs here. Fragile and weak, even a short fast could be fatal. Feeding them came before anything else.

As Bai Tu worked, someone outside shouted, “There’s another cave here!”

The Black Forest Tribe, much like the Red Eagle Tribe, had a habit of imprisoning orcs and their cubs in sealed, lightless caves. The boulders blocking these entrances were so huge they could barely be called doors.

But orcs possessed sharp senses—smell and hearing most of all. Even a faint trace of scent escaping through a crack was enough for them to locate another entrance.

The second cave they found was even more remote, its entrance hidden so cleverly that it took several orcs quite some time to uncover it. Another massive stone sealed it shut, and it took a coordinated effort to move it aside.

When the stone was finally removed, everyone immediately understood why there had been no sound from within. Every orc inside was bound and gagged, their mouths stuffed with animal skins.

These orcs were more alert than those in the previous cave—too alert, apparently, for the Black Forest Tribe’s liking. Their bindings were viciously tight, cutting into flesh until blood streaked the vines. One orc’s leg was already turning purple.

Without hesitation, Bai Tu’s group used knives and scissors to cut the vines away.

Freed, the captives remained tense and wary. Some even shifted into beast form, growling softly as they glared at the rescuers.

“Who are you?” one of them demanded.

“We’re from the tribes of the Eastern Continent,” Bai Tu explained calmly. “We came to trade at the market, discovered the Black Forest Tribe’s deception, and joined forces to free everyone.”

“Are there any orcs from the Yellow Tiger Tribe here?” Bai Tu continued after a moment. “Does anyone know Hu Wan?”

He listed several more names before signaling for Yingquan to fetch Hu Wan and the others.

The newly freed orcs exchanged uneasy glances. After a long pause, one rushed forward and asked, “I’m Hu Shen’s mate. What happened to Hu Shen?”

Hu Shen—Hu Wan’s younger brother—was one of the first orcs who’d fled to the market. Seeing a familiar connection, Bai Tu’s expression softened.

“Hu Wan and Hu Shen came to us for help,” Bai Tu explained. “That’s why we’re here. Everyone, take it slow—stretch your arms and legs first. You’ve been bound too long, and it’s dangerous to move too fast.”

The orcs hesitated, but reason eventually won out. Whatever these strangers’ intentions were, they had freed them—unlike the Black Forest Tribe, which had only ever enslaved and tormented them.

By the time Yingquan brought Hu Wan and his group over, Bai Tu quietly withdrew to give them space to reunite.

Soon, they uncovered two more caves. Altogether, four caves had been used as prisons—two large, two smaller ones divided into several chambers.

The total number of captives reached six to seven hundred, not counting the cubs. Including them, the number was even higher.

Most of the captives had been deceived and trapped by the Black Forest Tribe, separated from their tribes soon after joining and imprisoned ever since.

“Many are already dead,” one of the freed orcs said grimly, recounting their experiences. Their stories were hauntingly similar to those of the Red Eagle Tribe’s victims—except there were more sub-orcs here, even outnumbering the females.

The Black Forest Tribe had hoarded a vast supply of goods over the years. Without wasting time, Bai Tu ordered the animal hides distributed among the rescued orcs so they could wash up and change into clean clothing. They could talk about rebuilding and next steps after everyone had rested.

Food was also prepared for the cubs, with the cooking handled by orcs from the Snow Rabbit and Blood Wolf Tribes. The dishes weren’t perfect, but no one complained. The cubs had gone hungry long enough.

Once order was restored, Bai Tu gathered several of the tribal leaders to discuss what came next. With so many rescued orcs, they couldn’t leave them here—but it wasn’t feasible to relocate them all at once either.

Before they could even begin their discussion, a guard hurried in.

“Bao Ren’s asking for whoever’s in charge,” the guard reported. “He’s getting agitated. Even tied up, he’s stirring up the others. If this keeps up, the rest of the prisoners might start rioting.”

Bai Tu frowned. Even after capture, Bao Ren could still cause trouble? The man’s influence ran deep.

“Bring him here,” Bai Tu said after a pause. “Let’s see what he wants.”

The moment Bao Ren was brought in, he fixed his wild eyes on Bai Tu and barked, “Let me go, and I’ll give you twenty beauties!”

Bai Tu: “…”

Bai Qi nearly choked. “Offering Bai Tu beauties? In front of Lang Qi? Does this guy have a death wish?”

Bai Tu, however, heard something different in Bao Ren’s words.

There were still captives—people hidden somewhere—that they hadn’t yet found.