Building a Civilization and Raising Cubs in the Beast World – Chapter 144

It wasn’t just the White Bear Tribe orcs—any orc who had once tasted honey could hardly resist its sweetness.

The White Bear Tribe’s approach to food was always straightforward. Bai Tu had noticed this back at the market: every time they encountered a new kind of dish, they were always astonished.

Most of their food was meant for long-term storage. Aside from flavored dried meat, everything was heavily salted or dehydrated to last longer. Those preserved foods could endure the summer heat for more than half a month, but of course, the taste couldn’t compare to freshly cooked meals.

Hot dishes straight from the pot were already mouthwatering, and with the addition of honey—a sweetness orcs rarely experienced—the bears were instantly hooked.

When the group arrived, they had planned to persuade Xiong Liao to return. But halfway through their meal, they completely forgot their original mission and began enthusiastically asking how to join the Snow Rabbit Tribe instead.

Bai An had been hesitant about it. The idea of the White Bear Tribe joining their ranks was no small matter. Although the Snow Rabbit and Blood Wolf tribes now shared a territory, they still handled most affairs separately. Reorganizing everyone took time, and some tasks simply didn’t overlap. In truth, the two tribes hadn’t fully merged yet.

That’s why hearing that several White Bear Tribe members wanted to join was… surprising.

The last tribe that had applied to join was the Cat Tribe, whose lands had been seized. With their home gone and one of their members injured, they had no choice but to seek refuge. The Flower Bear Tribe that came later had only joined because their hunting grounds were barren—so empty that even the bamboo rats had fled. Compared to them, the White Bear Tribe was in excellent shape. Their land was vast, their members strong. And yet now, they wanted to join?

“Tu, do you agree?” Bai An asked, still uncertain.

Bringing in another tribe required careful consideration—accepting new members meant new responsibilities. With so many ongoing projects, Bai An wasn’t sure whether to welcome or refuse them. What if he let them stay and couldn’t find suitable work for them? But what if he turned them away, only for Bai Tu to actually need them later?

After a moment’s thought, he decided it was better to ask Bai Tu directly. It had been fine when Xiong Liao came alone—they could treat it as a joke—but now that several orcs were involved, the decision couldn’t be made so casually. Once he gave an answer, there’d be no taking it back.

“Do they really want to join our tribe?” Bai Tu asked.

“They practically begged me last night,” Bai An sighed. “They showed up at my door—huge, all of them—and blocked the entrance. I thought I’d offended some tribe and they’d come to settle the score.”

The bears were clearly enthusiastic, so Bai Tu thought for a moment before suggesting, “Let’s agree to let them stay for now. Give them some work suited to their skills, and calculate their points according to our tribal standards. Let them try it out for a while. If things don’t work out, they can go back. But if they still insist on staying, then we’ll talk about officially accepting them.”

Their tribe already had members from many different races. One more group wouldn’t make much difference.

Bai An considered the idea and nodded. It made sense—this way, the bears could stay busy, and their status would remain vague. If the White Bear Tribe changed their minds later, they could still leave without issue.

“Alright, let’s do that,” Bai An agreed and began arranging their work. There was always something to do in the tribe, even during the rainy season, and plenty of tasks suited for the bears’ strength.

Even though Bai An had spoken ambiguously—neither confirming nor denying the White Bear orcs’ request—the news of their arrival spread through the tribe in no time.

The leader of the White Bear Tribe had voluntarily joined the Snow Rabbit Tribe, and the orcs who had come to fetch him back had ended up staying themselves.

This rumor rippled quickly through the surrounding lands.

Bai Tu later learned from Shi Su that since their last trip to the market, relations between neighboring tribes had improved greatly. Patrols that once kept their distance now stopped to exchange news about their respective territories.

The White Bear leader leaving his tribe—and taking several clansmen with him—was big news.

Some tribes speculated that the Snow Rabbit Tribe must offer excellent conditions. With its near-complete merger with the Blood Wolf Tribe, it was bound to become a major power soon. Those who joined early would benefit, but once it grew too large, joining would become much harder.

Others whispered that perhaps the Snow Rabbit Tribe was secretly luring members, wondering aloud if it might become another “Black Forest Tribe.”

In short, everyone had their own theory.

Shi Su decided to visit in person—officially to congratulate them on gaining new members, but in truth, he wanted to observe their situation firsthand. The destruction of the Black Forest Tribe had left a deep scar; no one wanted to see such tyranny rise again.

Fortunately, the Snow Rabbit Tribe appeared peaceful as ever. Shi Su even spotted several White Bear Tribe orcs eating and chatting freely—clearly unharmed.

So his worries had been unnecessary, he thought.

“They just liked our food,” Bai Tu explained. The rainy season hadn’t ended yet, and though the bears said they wanted to join, it wasn’t certain they’d actually stay afterward. After all, they’d lived in the White Bear Tribe for years. You couldn’t expect them to abandon it overnight. If they simply wanted better meals, Bai Tu didn’t mind sending a few cooks over to teach them.

Shi Su nodded. He understood. Leaving one’s tribe was never easy. Even if an orc did decide to leave, their family would rarely approve.

Adult orcs might no longer depend on their tribe, but tribes depended on their numbers. Every departure weakened the whole. For the sake of their people’s strength, few tribes would willingly let anyone go. It was the same reason Tu Cheng had struggled to bring others with him when he left before—most had been persuaded to stay.

Unless a tribe was truly in dire straits, ninety percent of orcs who thought about leaving would be convinced to remain.

Neither Bai Tu nor Shi Su realized that the White Bear Tribe was a complete exception.

Shi Su’s understanding of them came mostly from his patrol encounters. After finishing his explanation of Xiong Liao and the others’ arrival, he revealed the true purpose of his visit:

His tribe wanted to begin cultivating herbs, and he hoped to send a few people to learn from the Snow Rabbit Tribe.

When Bai Tu had first received medicinal seeds from the Black Forest Tribe, he had offered to share them. But most tribes didn’t understand herbs, and their medicine men already had connections with Wu Jiu. Instead of bringing the seeds back, it seemed more practical to leave them in Bai Tu’s care.

He had said anyone interested in learning could come to him later, but there were too many types of herbs and they grew in different seasons—it wasn’t something that could be taught all at once.

Among his helpers, the only medicine man he fully trusted was Wu Xi. Back then, he hadn’t known that the sub-beasts were familiar with herbs, but even if he had, he doubted other tribes would have trusted them to return and teach.

In the end, Bai Tu had taken nearly all the seeds himself. Distant tribes would have to wait until he could cultivate and trade the medicines, but the closer ones, who trusted him, were welcome to send students.

This time, Shi Su had sent a few children. Although Bai Tu hadn’t specified an age limit, Shi Su felt that studying medicine required time and patience—sending adults would be inappropriate. The Lion Tribe was known for its strength; sending adult orcs to another tribe could easily be seen as provocation.

Even with good relations, Shi Su dared not take that risk.

There were four Lion Tribe youths—two around twelve or thirteen, and two about ten years old. Bai Tu agreed immediately without consulting Bai An.

Even if they’d sent adults, he wouldn’t have been concerned—the Wolf Tribe was nearby, and everyone trusted Bai Tu’s judgment.

He decided to assign the lion children to Bai Chi’s care. Judging by how the sub-beasts had been handling herbs lately, Bai Tu suspected their earlier claims of only “studying medicine a little” were false modesty. They clearly had extensive experience. Some might even have been full-fledged medicine men in their previous tribes.

As Bai Tu was walking the children toward Bai Chi’s residence, he happened to pass by Ying Mian’s home—and heard a sharp voice from behind the wall.

“I’m saying this for the last time—these cubs are yours,” Ying Mian said through gritted teeth, clearly at the end of his patience. “I told you, I don’t have a new partner, and these cubs aren’t anyone else’s! They’re yours!”

Bai Tu kept walking, eyes fixed on the path ahead, but Xiong Liao’s deep, earnest voice soon followed:

“Mian, I told you—no matter whose cubs they are, I’ll take good care of them. Even if they’re not mine, it doesn’t matter. Don’t say that in front of the cubs; they’ll be sad.”

He genuinely meant it. Though he wanted to defeat his “rival,” he wanted to do it honorably, not at the expense of innocent cubs.

In Xiong Liao’s mind, cubs were fragile and needed protection. One should never discuss “whose cubs belong to whom” in front of them—what if they misunderstood and thought no one wanted them?

He continued earnestly, “I’ll never hurt them, Mian. No matter who their father is, I’ll treat them kindly. Your new partner is your partner, and the cubs are the cubs. I can tell the difference.”

Bai Tu: “…” How many times has this conversation happened now?

Shi Su, who had followed beside him, was equally speechless. “…Wait, Ying Mian is Xiong Liao’s partner, right?”

Bai Tu closed his eyes and nodded.

“And the cubs…?” Shi Su asked cautiously, still trying to make sense of it.

Bai Tu sighed. “…They’re Xiong Liao’s.”

Everyone knew it—except Xiong Liao himself, who was still frantically searching for Ying Mian’s “new partner” that didn’t even exist.

The Bear Tribe members who had previously urged Xiong Liao to find a new mate fell silent once they learned that Ying Mian was staying in the Snow Rabbit Tribe to incubate eggs. They could persuade a mate without cubs to separate—but now that cubs were involved, even if they were still eggs, such arguments felt improper.

They had once opposed Xiong Liao and Ying Mian’s relationship, believing that stronger offspring would better serve the tribe. But now that the cubs were born—eggs or not—they were still Xiong Liao’s cubs. They couldn’t reject them just because they might turn out weaker. Everyone disliked the Feather Tribe, but since these cubs were their leader’s, there was no choice but to accept them.

Some even went so far as to advise Xiong Liao to take good care of his cubs, to ensure every single egg hatched successfully. That way, if any rival tribe dared mock their leader’s children for being “Feather Tribe,” they could use sheer numbers to fight back.

Xiong Liao’s response was much the same as before.

“You can apply to join the Snow Rabbit Tribe if you like—but don’t lie to me.”

He assumed the others were merely pretending to accept Ying Mian so they could follow him into the Snow Rabbit Tribe. In his mind, they were being “forced” into tolerance. He kindly reassured them that he wouldn’t hold a grudge for their earlier objections to his relationship, but they shouldn’t deceive him.

“Then…” Shi Su hesitated. “When will Xiong Liao realize the truth?” It couldn’t go on like this forever.

“Exactly,” Bai Tu echoed, equally curious. The cubs would likely hatch in about two months, but Feather Tribe hatchlings wouldn’t necessarily carry much of their orc father’s scent. Even if Xiong Liao’s scent lingered, he might think Ying Mian had deliberately rubbed it on them.

The two fell silent at that. After a moment, they dropped the topic and went to send the Lion Tribe cubs to the Sub-Beasts.

When Bai Chi heard that the Lion Tribe cubs wanted to learn herb cultivation, he was delighted.
“Of course! Tu, why not let the Rabbit and Wolf cubs learn with them?”

He hadn’t taught young ones in a long time. In his old tribe he’d been too young, and later, in the Black Forest Tribe, teaching was forbidden—everyone wished the cubs would grow up ignorant, just to stay safe.

Bai Tu had worried that Bai Chi might be dissatisfied with the small number of students, but when he saw how happy Bai Chi was, he immediately agreed. “I’ll go back and arrange it.”
He had previously tutored Bai Dong’s children himself, but as tribal duties piled up, he’d had less time. Bai Chi and the other Sub-Beasts had more freedom, and Bai Tu was already considering assigning them the task of teaching writing as well.

Most orcs were impatient learners, but perhaps because of their constant oppression—or their affinity with plants—the Sub-Beasts were gentler and more focused. They needed to master the written language themselves before they could teach it, and their calm nature suited this. Adult orcs, on the other hand, especially males, often stumbled over numbers.

At first, everyone had been eager to learn to write, but once lessons began, their enthusiasm dropped by nearly a third—especially when it came to arithmetic.

For those who truly struggled, Bai Tu limited lessons to numbers and how to write their own names. That alone was enough. Once they’d managed that, they could start recognizing the names of their tribemates and common words.

Writing and herbal studies could even be combined, and Bai Tu took the chance to suggest this to Bai Chi.

Bai Chi already knew about the tribe’s literacy lessons. During the rainy season, there wasn’t much heavy work to do, so the orcs spent their free time learning. Bai Tu had meant to ask Bai Chi about writing the names of herbs anyway, so when Bai Chi eagerly agreed, it fit perfectly.

Still, Bai Chi was surprised.
“Wait—you mean the Black Forest Tribe never taught you writing?”

He suddenly remembered he’d forgotten to ask Wu Xi about that tribe’s so-called script. As for Wu Jiu and the other medicine boys—Wu Jiu had barely survived, and the rest still seemed to hope he’d somehow lead them to freedom. Bai Tu had decided to remain in seclusion for now.

“That’s all Wu Jiu’s deception,” Bai Chi said darkly. “For over ten years, he claimed he’d teach the language passed down by the Beast God, but he never wrote a single word.”

Even without formal lessons from Bai Tu, Bai Chi had already picked up some numbers thanks to the Snow Rabbit and Blood Wolf tribes. In contrast, in the Black Forest Tribe, Wu Jiu had monopolized the teaching and revealed nothing. The orcs there practically worshipped him like a god, yet even they could see he knew nothing.

“They didn’t learn anything?” Bai Tu asked, surprised. He had to admit, Wu Jiu was talented in manipulation. If he’d applied half that cunning toward building his tribe instead of deceiving others, the Black Forest Tribe wouldn’t have fallen so low.

Bai Tu shook his head, baffled by the man’s motives. After arranging a schedule with Bai Chi for the writing lessons, he headed back.

Shi Su had come only to deliver the Lion Tribe cubs; now that they were settled, he took his leave. He didn’t follow Bai Tu back home but slipped out through the nearest exit.

Bai Tu walked back alone. The rain had eased considerably in the past two days, and it was time to start preparing for crops like corn.

The tribe had grown increasingly fond of these new foods—largely thanks to the seasonings. After all, there’s no bad food, only poor cooking.

As Bai Tu pondered this, his stomach growled, and he decided to grab a bite at the dining hall. Halfway there, he spotted two unexpected figures:

Xiong Liao and Ying Mian.

The two had been in the tribe for several days, but rarely went out together—Ying Mian was usually busy caring for the eggs. It was rare to see them side by side. Still, that was a good sign. Maybe they had finally made peace.

Bai Tu intended to pass by quietly, not to disturb them, but as he turned, he noticed Ying Mian’s expression. The two weren’t walking—they were arguing.

Had they still not resolved things?

Sighing, Bai Tu decided to intervene. Remembering how delicate egg incubation could be for the Feather Tribe—similar to orcs carrying cubs—he rubbed his temples. Best not let things escalate again.

When he was close enough, he called softly, “Mian?”

Ying Mian quickly lowered his head, wiped his face, then looked up with a small smile. “Tu.”

“Where’s the cub?” Bai Tu asked.

“At home,” Ying Mian whispered.

“Did you two argue?” Bai Tu asked gently. Ying Mian’s eyes were red, his voice trembling. The last few times, Ying Mian had simply chased Xiong Liao out; that had been anger, but not heartbreak. This time felt different.

“No,” Ying Mian muttered, unwilling to admit that he had just gathered the courage to tell Xiong Liao the cub was his—only for the fool to nearly make him cry again.

Before Bai Tu could press, Xiong Liao spoke first, looking solemn.
“Tu, I’ve told you already—even if the cub isn’t mine, I’ll still treat it well!”

He sounded genuinely indignant, unable to understand why Ying Mian wouldn’t believe his sincerity—or why everyone else kept trying to “trick” him.

Bai Tu: “…” Hadn’t this been cleared up already?

“Xiong Liao,” Bai Tu sighed, “is it not possible that Ying Mian’s cub is actually yours?”

“How could that be!” Xiong Liao frowned, looking appalled. “Mian was born in the Snow Rabbit Tribe!”

Bai Tu stared blankly. “What does that have to do with—?”

Xiong Liao cut him off, face darkening. “We weren’t mates last spring!”

“???”

“Mian’s cubs were born this year,” Bai Tu said, incredulous, “what does last year have to do with anything?” He finally understood why Ying Mian had never managed to explain it properly—no wonder the two kept going in circles. “Wait—are you saying—”

“All orcs are like that,” Xiong Liao said seriously. “Only those who mate in spring can have cubs after winter.”

Bai Tu was silent for a long moment.

“…You’re a bear, and he’s an eagle. How can that be the same?” he finally asked, exasperated. “You’re allowed to have your own customs, but not him?”

The question seemed to strike Xiong Liao like lightning. He froze, lost in thought, as if his entire worldview had been shaken.

Even Ying Mian blinked in stunned realization—he had never imagined this was the reason behind all their misunderstandings.

Bai Tu could only look between them helplessly. Hopefully, Xiong Liao would figure it out soon. Still, he couldn’t entirely blame him. With no formal education, no books, and no science, most orcs only learned from observation. If no one had ever told Xiong Liao otherwise, his mistake almost made sense.

He’d probably seen how orcs in his tribe always mated in spring and had cubs by winter, and assumed it was the same for everyone. If the White Bear Tribe had few sub-beasts, that misunderstanding would only deepen.

Wait—another thought struck Bai Tu.
Xiong Liao always brought Ying Mian food before trying to get close—had he learned that from watching other orcs?

If so, he’d likely observed only public behavior—trading food and favors—without understanding the subtleties of real relationships. He might have thought love required feeding someone, or that persistence equaled affection. That explained his recent insistence that Ying Mian “eat properly.” Ying Mian had once confided that bear-tribe food wasn’t tasty, but thankfully, Xiong Liao’s efforts stopped at cooking; he otherwise respected Ying Mian’s wishes completely. Otherwise, he’d have been kicked out long ago.

Bai Tu met Ying Mian’s eyes, and they shared a long, wordless look—long enough that Xiong Liao began to grow uneasy, wondering if Bai Tu might actually be the cub’s father.

Finally, Bai Tu pulled Ying Mian aside and whispered his new theory.

“Impossible…” Ying Mian gasped, momentarily forgetting his anger. The shock of Xiong Liao’s denial had barely faded, yet now Bai Tu’s revelation left him even more speechless.

So Xiong Liao had been imitating those other orcs all along—it hadn’t even been his own idea to go to bed after offering food?

“You two should go back and talk it through.”
Feeling utterly drained, Bai Tu patted Ying Mian on the shoulder. “Maybe this is our fault.”
None of them had expected Xiong Liao to take things quite so literally.

Bai Tu left with heavy steps, too tired to keep thinking about it.

Ying Mian stood frozen for a long while.
Xiong Liao, meanwhile, was still wondering whether the cub was truly his.

After that whole ordeal, Bai Tu was so exhausted he completely forgot about going to the cafeteria. When he finally made it home, he realized he hadn’t brought a single snack.

Oh well. After a moment’s hesitation, he decided to let Lang Qi handle things for the rest of the evening. He missed the cubs.

Inside, the little ones were playing on the bed. Lang Qi sat nearby, half-watching them while sketching on a wooden board—a new defense map. He was planning to post guards at every key point in the settlement, just in case someone tried to sneak in.

Since both tribes had moved into the shared residential area, life had become much more convenient. Before, everyone had to climb hills to get home, sometimes waiting for others to clear the narrow paths before they could pass. But living on flat land came with its own danger: if the defenses failed, the entire settlement would be exposed.

That was what Lang Qi was arranging now—round-the-clock guards rotating shifts. It wasn’t too demanding; each orc would only have to stand watch about once a month, which was far easier than before.

The cubs on the bed were a blur of fur and energy. Lang Sui and Lang Ying had shifted into their beast forms again, joining the three smaller ones. The five of them tumbled in a heap, a chaotic free-for-all with no clear sides—each cub against four opponents.

Bai Tu stepped inside and called out teasingly,
“Let’s see who’s still awake?”

At the sound of his voice, the wrestling cubs scattered. The older ones rushed toward the bed, while the smallest white cub squeezed his eyes shut and pretended to be asleep.

Lang Qi set his wooden board aside; the map could wait until tomorrow. As long as it was finished before the rainy season ended, it would be fine.

Bai Tu smiled and scooped up the cubs. No matter how tired or anxious he felt, seeing them always lifted his mood. He could finally breathe again.
Ying Mian and Xiong Liao would sort things out, and all those misunderstandings would soon be behind them.

Lang Sui shifted into human form on Bai Tu’s lap, clinging to his arm.
“Daddy!”

Lang Ying immediately grabbed his other arm, ready to transform too.

Bai Tu let them climb all over him like a living jungle gym. Wolves didn’t usually climb trees, but somehow his cubs loved scaling anything tall.

He didn’t want to suppress their instincts. It wasn’t dangerous as long as he was there to watch them—and when he wasn’t, the cubs were remarkably well-behaved. They might be playful, but they weren’t reckless.

Soon, the smaller cubs joined in, clambering up his arms and shoulders. Bai Tu held the little ones with one hand while steadying the two in human form with the other.

Lang Sui and Lang Ying quickly realized it wasn’t as fun in human form and shifted back into wolves, bouncing around happily. Bai Tu braced himself, letting them climb but never quite reach his shoulders. The first white cub to do so planted a wet kiss on his cheek, rubbed its nose against his, then slid down his arm—followed closely by the gray one.

Lang Qi watched coldly as all five cubs clung to Bai Tu in open rebellion. When the last one finished, he calmly grabbed them all and tossed them back onto the bed.
“Go to sleep.”

“Awoo!” the gray cub protested, but Lang Qi simply pinned it down with one finger.

The black cub hesitated, then bravely jumped to help his brother.

The white cub blinked, then decided to lodge a complaint with Bai Tu.

The two older cubs, realizing they were at a disadvantage in human form, shifted into wolves and launched a “counterattack.” But they still couldn’t overcome Lang Qi’s other hand, ending up pinned to the bed like overturned turtles, legs flailing.

Lang Qi easily subdued all four of his sons, then looked up at the smallest one still nestled in Bai Tu’s arms.

The white cub burrowed deeper into Bai Tu’s embrace and gave a tiny, frustrated whine.

“All of them together aren’t even as old as you,” Bai Tu said, giving Lang Qi a helpless look. “Not to mention, if you stacked them up, they’d barely reach your chest.”

Lang Qi released his grip.
The two little wolves immediately bit down on his hand in retaliation.
Lang Sui and Lang Ying followed, each latching onto one of his other fingers, refusing to let go.

Their baby teeth barely left marks, but they tired themselves out quickly, their jaws aching from the effort. The two older cubs bit harder, their teeth sharper with age, but the damage was negligible.

Lang Qi turned to look at Bai Tu.
“What now?” Bai Tu asked suspiciously. There was something odd in that look.

“It hurts more than your bite,” Lang Qi said matter-of-factly.

Bai Tu: “…” Was that really necessary to bring up again? He knew his rabbit form wasn’t built for biting; there was no need to rub it in.

The cubs treated Lang Qi’s hand like prey now, working together like a pack. Four against one. Bai Tu rubbed the little white cub in his arms and set it down on the bed. The moment its paws touched the blanket, the white cub pounced—right onto Lang Qi’s last unbitten finger.

Watching the father and sons roughhousing, Bai Tu’s expression softened. His gaze drifted to the defense map on the table. After a quick glance, he noticed something missing.

“No White Bears on the roster?” he asked. “Aren’t they supposed to take shifts too? They’re eating our food; they should pull their weight.”

“It’s arranged, just not drawn yet,” Lang Qi explained. “If they end up leaving soon, I’ll have to redo the whole map. Better to wait until things are settled.”

Bai Tu nodded. That made sense.
The White Bear orcs were still clamoring to join the Snow Rabbit Tribe, but tribe-switching wasn’t something you could just decide overnight. The other tribes would definitely come looking for them.

And indeed, Bai Tu’s guess proved right.
The very next day, several more orcs from the White Bear Tribe showed up outside the settlement.

Their purpose was simple: to find their leader—and the others who had joined the Snow Rabbit Tribe.

The White Bear Tribe had always gotten along well with them, and since these were orcs personally led by Xiong Liao, the patrol guards didn’t immediately turn them away.

Bai Qi’s attitude was polite enough, so long as Xiong Liao wasn’t present.

After counting their numbers, Bai Qi told his patrolmates to wait and went off to find Bai Tu.

Bai Tu usually handled matters involving missing cubs, but since Xiong Liao had come seeking Ying Mian—whom Bai Tu had brought back—Bai An had delegated Xiong Liao’s case to him. A few days ago, when the first group of White Bears had come looking for Xiong Liao, Bai Qi had already followed Bai Tu’s lead. Now that another group had arrived, he came again for direction.

Bai Tu had expected this from the start.
Seeing that their numbers were small, he nodded. “Let them in. Take them straight to find Xiong Liao and the others.”

There were two patrol teams in total: Bai Qi’s, responsible for the Rabbit Tribe’s sector, and Lang Ze’s, for the Wolf Tribe’s. Their patrol zones didn’t overlap, but guards were stationed at every few blocks. As long as there weren’t too many newcomers, it was safe enough.

Bai Qi returned to the gate, led the White Bear orcs inside, and guided them toward Ying Mian’s quarters.

They passed the cafeteria on the way.

The rain had finally stopped, and the tribe’s work was slowly returning to normal. To keep morale high, Tu Mu had been improving the meals day by day. Around lunchtime, the aroma drifted far and wide.

The White Bear orcs caught the scent and slowed, eyes brightening. One of them swallowed audibly and asked,
“What’s that smell?”

Bai Qi glanced at the drooling bear warriors and felt an ominous chill in his gut.

After lunch—

“Tu, this is bad! They want to stay too!” Bai Qi burst in, panicking. “Weren’t they supposed to take Xiong Liao back?!”

Bai Tu: “???”

Calabash Brothers saving Grandpa?!