Building a Civilization and Raising Cubs in the Beast World – Chapter 150

As soon as Lang Ze barked the order, the young wolves moved instantly—snatching up their weapons to chase the strangers away. Now that the tribe had grown richer in iron, everyone owned far more weapons than before. The young wolves hadn’t needed weapons originally, but once they discovered they could use them to skewer meat, each one insisted on carrying one. And since they had just finished roasting meat, they were fully energized and ready for a fight.

The handsome youth who had cautiously asked for food froze, and the boys and girls behind him stared in shock.

Food was among the most precious resources on the Beast God Continent—and also a symbol of courtship.

When an unattached orc asked another for food, it usually carried deeper meaning.

A request for food was often a hint at desire for partnership.

With far fewer sub-beasts and female orcs than male orcs, at least eight out of ten males would eagerly share their food in response.

Some might even run back to their tribe to fetch more—creating an excuse for the suitor to follow them home.

So although they expected acceptance, they also expected the possibility of refusal. But being driven away?

None of them had anticipated that.

The handsome youth recovered quickly and attempted to mend the situation. “We’ll trade supplies for a bit of food. We’re sub-beasts, too weak to starve for long…”

His tone was pitiful, and the people behind him looked equally miserable—it would’ve been difficult for most orcs to refuse them.

But the young wolves didn’t spare them a glance. Their eyes were locked onto the sizzling meat over the fire. When the wolf tending the spit called out, “It’s done!” the entire pack rushed to it, blowing on the meat and devouring it immediately.

Mmm. Delicious. Bai Tu’s seasoning was always so good.

Bai Tu knew the young wolves had been roaming and eating outside lately. Although he urged them to return early each day, he still requested extra seasoning from the warehouse so the wolves wouldn’t have to endure bland meals.

The difference between being cared for and not being cared for was obvious. The wolves ate with more joy today than usual. A few days ago, they’d been willing to eat anything they could grab—now, they were spoiled.

The wolf cubs ate happily, glancing every so often at the unfamiliar orcs with wary, territorial eyes.

The strangers: “…”

After Lang Ze’s cold rejection, none of them dared mention food again. They could only sit aside and wait quietly.

When the wolves finally finished eating, the leading youth spoke timidly, “May we go see Lord Bai Tu now?”

Lang Ze, remembering the distant calls from the tribe before encountering this group, nodded. “I’ll take you.” They were returning to the settlement anyway.

Relief washed over the young man’s face.

They waited for the wolves to depart… but long minutes passed, and only two wolves remained.

“They… aren’t leaving?” he asked. The wolves behind Lang Ze clearly had no intention of moving. Their plan had been to befriend the wolves on the road, drawing them away from their posts.

The first step had failed. They could not afford for the second step to fail as well.

Lang Ze answered bluntly, “Of course not. They’re staying here.” If they were guarding the tribe, they had to guard everything. Lang Ze decided to keep his team stationed here; no matter what danger appeared, no one else would be allowed into the settlement.

The boy froze. Their mission was twofold: befriend the young wolves of the Snow Rabbit and Blood Wolf tribes, and lure away the orcs guarding the outskirts. And now Lang Ze was casually leading them alone?

“Hurry up! Don’t you want to see Bai Tu?” Lang Ze snapped impatiently. “If not, go by yourselves.”

“W-we’re coming,” the youth said quickly, afraid Lang Ze would leave them behind. Two parts of their plan were already ruined—if they couldn’t get inside the tribe, everything would fail. But… the two wolves were dangerous. They couldn’t touch them.

The boy lowered his head, thinking hard.

The young wolves had no sympathy left. After eating, they sprawled out to rest before searching for a new place to play. So in the end, only Lang Ze and Lang You escorted the strangers back.

As they walked, the group began probing with questions.

“I heard Lord Bai Tu’s medical skill is extraordinary—better than any witchdoctor on the continent?”

“Lord Bai Tu will heal us, right?”

“Lord Bai Tu is truly admirable…”

They praised Bai Tu repeatedly, watching Lang Ze’s reaction closely.

Unfortunately for them, Lang Ze’s reaction was the opposite of what they hoped. He looked… pleased. Very pleased.

Even Lang You, walking beside him, seemed delighted.

The group was baffled. They were complimenting Bai Tu—why were these two wolves acting as though they were being praised?

Still, they exchanged glances, encouraging the leader to try a different angle.

“On the way, we heard people say Lord Bai Tu is even more capable than the tribe’s chiefs.”

“And that your tribe has changed its name to the Snow Rabbit Tribe?”

Lang Ze stopped walking and turned slowly to face them.

The strangers held their breath, secretly thrilled—Yes! Yes! Get angry! That’s right! Let’s see you break formation!

Only the leading youth worried Lang Ze wouldn’t react the way they wanted.

Sure enough, Lang Ze only said:

“Why are you talking so much?”

Lang You added, “Is that why you got beaten by stray orcs?”

“That’s right,” Lang Ze agreed, nodding seriously. “You talk too much, and none of it gets to the point.”

They were already halfway there, and these people were still repeating the same empty praises. Lang Ze didn’t mind praise—he loved hearing people compliment Bai Tu—but these orcs were recycling the same lines over and over. It was boring.

Lang Ze was about to complain more when he realized none of them had even introduced themselves. He muttered, “We’ve walked so long and they haven’t even said their names.”

The group flushed red. Their earlier chatter had been attempts to sow discord between the wolves and Bai Tu, but now they looked foolish.

Forced, they began introducing themselves.

The leading youth was indeed a wolf—like Lang Ze—but smaller, a sub-beast. His name was Lang Qian.

The younger boy behind him was from the Fox Tribe. Following him were youths from the Cat Tribe, Deer Tribe, and several others. Ten or so people in total, representing six or seven races.

“Our tribe has all kinds of orcs,” Lang Qian added, pointing at his companions. “There are many groups like ours.”

Lang Ze stared.
What was that supposed to mean?
Was he implying his tribe was stronger than theirs?
Did he want to fight?

Lang Ze curled his lip. Even if all of these people fought together, they wouldn’t beat him.

Once they reached the settlement, he dropped the strangers off directly with Bai Qi, who was in charge of such matters, and ran off to find Lang Qi and Bai Tu.

The abandoned orcs froze. “You’re not taking us to see him?” They took two steps toward the exit but were stopped immediately.

“You’re outsiders,” Bai Qi said, baffled. “You can’t just walk straight to Bai Tu.” He gestured for guards to contain them and escort them elsewhere.

The group glanced at Bai Qi—who seemed genuinely puzzled—then at Lang Ze and Lang You disappearing into the distance. Unable to risk exposing themselves, they reluctantly followed Bai Qi to a room where food and water were provided.

Once Bai Qi left, someone whispered, “Qian… can we eat it?”

To maintain their disguise, they hadn’t eaten for days. They had expected that hunger would help them win sympathy, but Lang Ze hadn’t fallen for it at all.

After the guards left, Lang Qian eyed the food and nodded. “Eat half. We’ll find another chance to eat later.” He pulled out a small hide pouch containing two packets of powdered medicine. Opening the leaf-wrapped one, he divided the smaller doses inside.

“Later, mix these into their food,” he instructed. This was their true purpose.

“Didn’t the Snake Tribe say they’d create a chance for us to escape indoors? We haven’t heard anything from them,” someone grumbled. Nothing had gone according to plan. The wolves weren’t angry with Bai Tu—in fact, they adored him—and the snakes who promised to meet them had vanished.

Their earlier inspection showed that this settlement was excellent, enviable even. They couldn’t help imagining what it would be like once it became theirs.

But first, they needed to regroup with the Snake Tribe. They didn’t know the layout.

Seeing the wolves eat so well on the way in made their own rations taste all the more bland.

Remembering their instructions, a companion reminded Lang Qian, “Use as much medicine as possible. Once they’re drugged, taking the tribe will be easy.”

So they waited for Bai Qi—planning to trick him into taking them to the canteen.

But no matter how long they waited…

No one came.

The orc behind Lang Qian suddenly stood and walked to the door, intending to open it and peek outside. But no matter how hard he pushed, the door wouldn’t move. It was wooden, yet inexplicably sturdy—no matter how he shoved, it refused to budge.

“What’s wrong with this door?” he muttered, annoyed. People always praised the Snow Rabbit Tribe and the Blood Wolf Tribe, but why would a tribe build a door like this?

Lang Qian suddenly asked, “Did they lock us in?”

The youth shook the door again. Still nothing. Through the tiny gap between the wooden panels, they could faintly make out a figure standing guard a short distance away.

The guards clearly heard the noise—yet no one came to open the door.

Everyone immediately understood: they’d been locked in on purpose.

Had the tribe noticed something was wrong?
The intruders exchanged worried looks. How did these people figure it out? They hadn’t done anything yet!

On the other side of the settlement, Lang Ze was busy complaining to Bai Tu.

“They tried to eat our food. How shameless.”

“On the way here, they kept praising you, like they memorized the lines from other tribes. It didn’t sound sincere at all!”

“And they didn’t even tell me their names and still wanted to trick me. Do I look stupid to them?”

“Trick?”
Bai Tu and Lang Qi exchanged a startled look. Lang Ze actually noticed someone was trying to trick him?

“That’s right,” Lang Ze said, becoming even more indignant. “They kept asking where the tribe’s food was kept, how much food we had—obvious they came here to steal our food!” So naturally, when they returned to the tribe, he’d ordered Bai Qi to arrest all of them.

Bai Tu: “…”

Lang Qi: “…”

Bai Tu paused. He hadn’t expected Lang Ze to interpret the intruders’ motives entirely through the lens of food.

As always, Lang Ze didn’t judge motives—he judged outcomes.
And in this case, the outcome was excellent.

“Tomorrow, I’ll cook anything you want,” Bai Tu promised, unable to stop himself from feeling pleased.

The escaped snake was still missing, so Bai Tu planned not to leave the house tomorrow. The weaker orcs in the tribe had also been told to stay indoors.

The orc who had infiltrated the tribe was captured, but they still didn’t know what the next step of the Snake Tribe’s plan might be.

“I want to eat—”
Lang Ze immediately imagined dozens of dishes. But one glance at Lang Qi told him that if he dared request something complicated, he’d probably get smacked.

“Forget it, just eat whatever,” Lang Ze muttered with regret. If only his brother weren’t here—he’d order the most complicated things.

“I’ll make it,” Bai Tu said with a nod. There were a few new dishes he’d been meaning to try.

He had long thought eating meat here was too monotonous. Even with improvements, most dishes still tasted the same. After so long, he was tired of it. Fortunately, he had a small amount of sweet-potato starch—just enough to make crispy fried pork and stuffed fried lotus-root sandwiches.

“How many did you capture?” Bai Tu asked.

“I didn’t count—maybe fourteen or fifteen?” Lang Ze answered. He’d been too busy rolling his eyes to bother counting before dumping them on Bai Qi.

“But they definitely didn’t escape!” he added, puffing his chest out. “I watched them the whole time.”

“Good work,” Bai Tu praised.

While Bai Tu was cooking Lang Ze’s reward, Lang Qian and his group were still struggling to escape. A moment ago, they had been complaining about how “poorly” the tribe maintained their doors—only to now realize the door was the greatest obstacle in their plan.

It simply wouldn’t open. The wood cracked under repeated ramming—even from someone in beast form—but the door remained unshaken.

Had any of them been from the Snow Rabbit Tribe, they would know the truth: the “wooden” door actually had a steel plate sandwiched inside. The outer wood might break, but the inner layer was solid iron.

Meanwhile, though the intruders were caught, the missing snake still hadn’t been found. After searching all night, Bai Qi, Bai Chen, and the others returned to ask Bai Tu what to do next.

They feared the snake might attack someone, but they couldn’t search endlessly—they all had duties to attend to.
Yet stopping the search wasn’t an option either. Who knew where the snake would strike next? Worse, the drug Bai Tu had given them earlier wouldn’t last long; once it wore off, everyone would be in even more danger.

“Search north,” Bai Tu instructed. The captured orcs had come from the north. If the snakes were trying to retrieve them, they would head that way.

The group agreed and immediately set off northward.

Lang Ze, meanwhile, was torn between eating more food and holding back.

Bai Tu had worked through the night—unable to sleep—and started preparing dishes before dawn. Lang Ze had eaten crispy fried meat and lotus-root sandwiches the moment they came out of the pot, continuing until all were cooked. He’d even eaten extra food from the canteen in between; otherwise, Bai Tu wouldn’t have been able to finish cooking a full batch.

Lang Ze thought of the wolf cubs, who had never tasted such dishes. After Bai Tu, Lang Qi, and the cubs finished eating, he packed the remaining plates.

“I’ll take these to them,” Lang Ze announced confidently.

But halfway through the journey, he began wavering. Maybe he should eat a little more…?

In the end, his affection for the cubs won. He resisted temptation and brought the food to share.

“I told the warehouse to pick out a few bags of good sweet potatoes for roasting,” Bai Tu reminded him. He already knew the cubs never picked sweet potatoes based on size or quality. The warehouse guards did a better job selecting them—and they often picked the biggest and plumpest ones for the cubs.

The cubs were impatient by nature; asking them to carefully select sweet potatoes would be impossible. The fact they even avoided choosing the largest ones was progress.

Bai Tu didn’t expect much from them, so he had the warehouse orcs handle it.

The warehouse guards refused extra points—they said they had too much free time anyway, and sorting the sweet potatoes for the cubs helped everyone.

The wolf cubs, who usually went out at night, didn’t mind packing sweet potatoes during the day—it saved time.

Lang Ze agreed, called Lang You, gathered a few cubs who hadn’t left the tribe yet, and led them north.

Halfway there, they spotted the cubs lingering near a shallow pit—one they had dug themselves. Part of it had collapsed, but most was still intact. Thanks to Bai Tu’s warning, no one had gone inside.

“Boss, there’s something in there,” one cub complained the moment Lang Ze walked over. “Tu won’t let us go in, but it’s been inside forever.”

Whatever it was hid deeper than they could reach—even with their small size, the cubs couldn’t see anything.

“Someone’s inside?” Lang Ze crouched and sniffed. He couldn’t see anyone, but he did smell… snake.

“Tu said a snake was missing. Looks like it’s hiding here!” Lang Ze immediately guessed it belonged to the Snake Tribe.

But they were stuck. Whoever it was, they were buried deep inside. How were they supposed to get him out?

“Should we sneak in and look?” a cub asked eagerly.

“Aren’t you afraid Tu will find out?” Lang Ze retorted.

The cubs instantly fell quiet. Having lived in the tribe so long, they knew there was no one they feared more than Bai Tu.

If Bai Tu forbade something, doing it meant punishment from him—and then another punishment from Lang Qi.

Even if Lang Qi seemed gentle around Bai Tu, no one underestimated his temper.

Thus: the cave was absolutely off limits.

“What do we do then?”
The cubs were frustrated. The snake wouldn’t come out, and they couldn’t go in. How were they supposed to capture him?

Lang Ze inspected all the visible exits and, confirming the snake couldn’t escape for now, made a decision.

“Forget it—let’s eat first.”

He’d eaten a ton earlier, but after walking so far, he was hungry again. His pack held lotus-root sandwiches, crispy fried pork, and snacks from the canteen—all freshly made by Bai Tu.

They needed to be eaten soon or they’d spoil.

Hearing there was food—food made by Bai Tu, no less—the cubs lit up with excitement. They dumped out their sweet potatoes and immediately began searching for firewood.

It was summer, so dry branches and leaves were scattered everywhere. They gathered them to build cooking fires.

To prevent the snake from escaping, the cubs guarded all the cave’s exits—two or three wolves per spot. When one left to check something, another took over.

After pulling together enough branches and leaves, they started a fire. Summer heat made the cooking unbearable—the cubs’ faces turned red from the heat.

“Fan! We need a fan!”

The message passed instantly among the cubs: who had a fan today?

Bai Tu had taught them to make the fans themselves using a plant from the southern continent. Each leaf was several times larger than a person’s face. Once trimmed, it became a large but feather-light fan. A dozen could fit in a single backpack without adding noticeable weight. To prevent them from getting lost, someone collected all the fans after each meal and distributed them again at the next.

Each wolf fanned the fire vigorously. To keep an eye on the cave, they sat facing the entrance, their fans angled straight toward it.

Before the meat was even done roasting, the wolves heard a cough from below. A moment later, a soot-covered snake crawled out of the tunnel, smoke still drifting off its scales.

“How ugly,” one of the wolf cubs commented bluntly. They could accept feathered folk—at least those still had soft fuzz. But snakes were completely bare. The cubs shook their heads, deeply unimpressed. Bald creatures were simply unacceptable.

The snake, nearly choking on smoke, almost retreated back down the tunnel—but the smoke inside was even worse. No matter where he hid, he couldn’t escape it. He had no choice but to climb out.

He never expected that the first thing he’d hear upon surfacing was a group of wolf cubs calling him ugly.

The snake—who had been praised for his beauty since childhood—was furious. Unable to tolerate the insult, he immediately switched to his humanoid form.

The wolf cubs instantly slapped their hands over their eyes. They freely shifted between forms themselves, but only around their own people. Unlike this shameless snake transforming into human form right in front of everyone!

The cubs muttered complaints under their breath.

The snake, still halfway through transforming, snapped completely. With a burst of anger, he lashed his powerful tail at the nearest wolf.

The moment he attacked, the cubs stopped complaining—and pounced.
Lang Ze was the fastest. He transformed instantly, lunged forward, and clamped his jaws around the snake’s heart.

The snake froze in terror, certain the wolf would kill him.

But Lang Ze didn’t finish the job. Instead, he shifted back into human form while the wolf cubs swarmed forward, tying up the snake from head to tail. They bound his hands and feet, then coiled his long tail several times over to ensure he couldn’t escape in either form.

Only after securing him did the cubs dust off their hands—then immediately returned to eating.

Some of the roasted meat had burnt during the scuffle, but it was still edible. Sweet potatoes were even simpler—just peel the charred skin and eat.

After finishing the meal, Lang Ze hauled the runaway snake back toward the tribe.

“So annoying,” he grumbled. They could’ve relaxed here until sunset, but now they had to deliver the snake back. They couldn’t ignore it—everyone in the tribe would worry if they didn’t return.

The wolf cubs returned in a mighty procession, dragging a captive with them. This time, however, it wasn’t one of the earlier intruders—but the missing snake.

When the guards compared him against the prisoners, they confirmed he was the escapee.
In less than two days, the entire problem had been solved by the wolf cubs—accidentally.

Bai Tu rewarded the cubs with a special two-day holiday so they could play to their hearts’ content. At the same time, he became certain of one thing:

These wolf cubs absolutely had zero interest in finding mates.

After interrogating both sides, Bai Tu fully understood the situation. Lang Qian and the others had come planning to use seduction as a first step—lure a few orcs close, then slip poison into the tribe’s food.

He had long noticed that the Beast God Continent had far more male orcs than sub-beasts and female orcs. After generations of persecution, the number of sub-beasts had dwindled dramatically; female orcs were only a third of the male population, sometimes even fewer.

As a result, male orcs often had to pursue their mates proactively.

Lang Qian’s group consisted of handsome males, sub-beasts, and female orcs—a combination strong enough to tempt most tribes. With their beauty, vulnerability, and pitiful cries, they only needed to ask for food or a bit of help and someone would take the bait.

But with the wolf cubs?
They were completely immune.

Not only immune—they were suspicious. They guarded their food like treasure, staring at the newcomers as if they’d come to steal dinner.

Lang Qian’s group regretted their choice deeply. If they’d approached any other orcs, their plan might have worked. Instead, they were caught immediately and had no time to react.

These intruders were from the Western Continent. Their leader had heard that the Black Forest Tribe had been destroyed by a coalition of tribes and sent them to gather intelligence—and ideally eliminate the leading tribes in one sweeping strike.

Bai Tu’s guess had been correct: the rumors had indeed been spread by witch doctors from multiple continents, who used them as justification to seize nearly all sub-beasts.

“In the Western Continent, hiding sub-beasts means extermination,” Lang Qian said. Since he’d already been captured and couldn’t escape, he confessed everything without hesitation. He had no choice.

Another team was following behind them, and if that group was captured as well, none of the infiltrators would be useful anymore. Their witch doctors would eliminate useless subordinates first.

Lang Qian didn’t want to die. He’d heard enough about Bai Tu to know the Snow Rabbit Tribe didn’t kill captives—even Black Forest Tribe orcs were still alive. So he chose to trade information for survival.

Bai Tu hadn’t expected the interrogation to go so smoothly. After separating the intruders, their testimonies generally aligned—though all of them knew little.

Which witch doctors were involved?
How many?
What the ultimate goal was?

Most shook their heads, clueless.

Lang Qian knew the most—but only the rough number of witch doctors participating. Their purpose was unclear, though they knew the “sub-beasts bring disaster” rumor was fabricated. Their own leaders secretly kept sub-beasts alive—including them.

“You used to pretend to be pitiful to lure tribes in? The Snake Tribe also did this?” Bai Tu asked.

Lang Qian nodded. “There are fewer sub-beasts in the West. Orcs there are easier to deceive.”
Punishment for hiding sub-beasts was severe, so many tribes dared not shelter them. Sub-beasts like Lang Qian used this fear to lure tribes into submission.

They pretended to be wandering orcs seeking food or trade, not membership. Many tribes, thinking it harmless, would extend help.
In tribes led by female orcs—like the Deer Tribe—they would instead send strong young males to act the part. The tactics were the same; only the faces changed.

Lang Qian’s group came from the Xihe Tribe, the largest tribe in the Western Continent—comparable in size to the Black Forest Tribe, but even more oppressive. Its leader and witch doctor were tightly bound, like brothers—far closer than Wu Jiu and Bao Ren.

But this unity was used to suppress others.
Unlike the Black Forest Tribe, which allowed orcs to join if they paid tribute, the Xihe Tribe demanded food from all smaller tribes annually. If they refused, the Xihe witch doctors would “withhold blessings.”

Tribes that resisted suffered disasters—dead children, sudden illness, calamities.

Witch doctors gained enormous trust, and under their long rule, very few tribes dared rebel.

After Lang Qian finished his explanation, Bai Tu couldn’t help but ask:

“Why tell me so much?”

“I want to live,” Lang Qian said simply.

Bai Tu frowned. “Why didn’t you wait for your witch doctor to rescue you?”

The Black Forest Tribe orcs had been imprisoned for so long yet still clung to hope, believing reinforcements would come. They even risked exposure trying to meet Lang Qian once they heard help was near.

But Lang Qian had only been caught for two or three days—and had already spilled everything, even information Bai Tu hadn’t asked about yet.

It was the first time Bai Tu had met such… cooperative captives.

Lang Qian shrugged. “Because they’re liars.”

Though raised in the Xihe Tribe and taught since childhood that witch doctors were sacred, he’d long realized their “divine authority” was built on manipulation.

“He gave us two types of medicine. One kills cubs; the other makes adults sick,” Lang Qian said, referring to the powder confiscated on their first day. “I only ever used the one that sickened adults.”
No matter how ruthless the Xihe Tribe was, he couldn’t bring himself to harm cubs.

“I’ve made mistakes—but none deserving of death here.”

Bai Tu stared at him. “You thought all this through before coming here?”

“No,” Lang Qian admitted. “I only think through my escape route every time I get new orders.”
He never intended to serve the Xihe Tribe forever.

That was why, when others targeted cubs to save time, he always chose the lesser option—only making adults ill.

“You’re very clever,” Bai Tu said honestly.

“Of course. I’m a sub-beast,” Lang Qian replied, a hint of pride in his voice.

“Sub-beast?” Bai Tu looked at him—not because of the identity, but because his tone had suddenly changed.

What did one have to do with the other?