The early morning light pierced through the clouds, casting a soft glow over the cave, where the atmosphere was already bustling with activity.
Led by Huxue and Lynx, the sub-orcs busied themselves collecting rainwater and preparing breakfast.
Today’s meal still consisted of a mix of meat and vegetables, but the meat was primarily the offal from the wild rabbits and gophers that had been cleaned the day before. Since the fire under the stone pot had been kept burning overnight, breakfast was ready in no time.
At this moment, Luguo and his team, who had gone out in search of large rocks, had yet to return.
Everyone quickly finished their breakfast, setting aside some rations for Luguo and the others before heading off to their respective tasks.
Houyan had already led the horned orcs to the Man-Eating River, bringing along several rattan baskets that Langze and his men had woven the previous night.
Meanwhile, the gathering teams also needed to set out. Once Foxfire and a few half-grown cubs finished collecting green vines, Qi Bai was the only one left behind in the cave to tend the fire.
Even Yang Luo had gone to the Man-Eating River.
The Man-Eating River was an extremely dangerous place—any orc who fell into its waters would be stripped to the bone by flesh-eating fish in mere moments.
Though Qi Bai had explained the fishing technique in detail the day before, and Langze was fully capable of demonstrating it today, Yang Luo was still uneasy. In the end, he decided to personally oversee the process.
Qi Bai remained behind, teaching Foxfire how to weave rattan baskets for the young ones who were unable to hunt.
He assigned a seven- or eight-year-old cub to keep an eye on the fire while he and the others sat at the cave entrance, weaving wicker baskets.
The little orc left to tend the fire was curious about what they were doing, but he understood that his task was important. Still, he couldn’t help but glance toward the entrance now and then, scratching his ears anxiously.
Everything seemed peaceful—until danger struck.
Foxfire, who was sitting at the cave entrance, suddenly twitched his nose, his expression shifting dramatically as he shouted, “Get inside the cave, now!”
The words had barely left his mouth when—
“ROAR!”
A deafening roar exploded through the forest like thunder crashing against the earth.
The seven or eight cubs surrounding Qi Bai and Foxfire had developed lightning-fast reflexes through their harsh survival experiences. At Foxfire’s command, they instantly dropped the vines in their hands and bolted toward the cave.
The only sounds echoing through the forest were the snapping of branches under heavy footsteps and the occasional tremor of the ground.
Then, a massive creature pushed through the dense underbrush, revealing itself in the daylight.
A black bear—nearly three meters tall!
The beast reared up at the cave entrance, letting out a resounding roar, its breath thick with a nauseating stench that made Qi Bai’s stomach turn.
Qi Bai sucked in a sharp breath, but before he could react, a shadow loomed over him.
A huge red fox, with a single horn on its forehead, had suddenly appeared.
The massive fox planted itself firmly in front of the cave entrance, its entire body acting as a shield, and let out a fierce, threatening growl at the black bear.
It was Foxfire!
For a brief moment, the black bear hesitated, startled by Foxfire’s intimidating presence. But it quickly regained its aggression—after all, its massive body was far larger than the red fox blocking its path.
Yet, it did not attack immediately. Instead, it prowled back and forth, testing the waters.
After a few tense moments, the black bear began to realize something—it wasn’t that the red fox was looking for an opening to attack.
No, Foxfire was merely standing guard, refusing to move away from the cave entrance.
And behind him… were the cubs.
This realization sent an excited shudder through the black bear. Days of relentless rain had hindered its hunting, leaving it famished. Now, faced with so much prey, how could it possibly hold back?
As the black bear continued to test Foxfire’s resolve, it quickly picked up on the fox’s weakness—
His hind legs.
“ROAR!”
The black bear stood up on its hind legs, pounding its chest violently before letting out a furious bellow.
Foxfire knew he could not retreat.
The cubs in the cave were the future of the tribe. No orc would ever abandon the young.
Even if his legs were crippled, he was still an orc warrior. As long as he was alive, this black bear would not harm a single cub!
With unwavering determination, Foxfire made his choice.
He no longer stood his ground—he charged straight toward the black bear!
The battle began!
At that very moment, no one noticed a small leopard darting out from the cave’s edge, disappearing into the dense forest in the blink of an eye.
—
Unlike the black bear’s raw power, the fox relied on agility and precision.
Foxfire’s teeth could hardly pierce the thick fur of the black bear, while each swipe of the bear’s massive claws was a potential death blow.
His injured hind legs limited his movements. No matter how skilled he once was, he had to admit—he could no longer fight like the other orc warriors.
But he was not afraid.
Orc warriors are never afraid of death!
Even if he perished in this battle today, he would die protecting the cubs behind him.
This was his honor as an orc warrior!
The tribe forbade disabled orcs from joining hunting teams, believing they would bring misfortune to the hunt.
Yet at this very moment—
Foxfire was proving them wrong.
Ever since Foxfire had been injured, he hadn’t fought with such intensity in a long time. He knew he couldn’t defeat the black bear before him, but that didn’t mean he would admit defeat!
Foxfire let out a piercing cry—a battle cry filled with determination, the unyielding resolve to perish together with the black bear!
The sudden ferocity of Foxfire’s assault forced the black bear to retreat slightly.
At that moment, a streak of white flashed through the air like a shooting star, instantly entering the fray between fox and bear.
The small snow leopard bared its razor-sharp claws, tiny but deadly, emerging from its soft pink pads. It dug deep into the black bear’s thick fur, its hind legs kicking off with all its might, and latched itself tightly onto the beast’s back.
“Ah!!!” Foxfire roared in alarm, urging Qi Bai to get off the black bear immediately.
But Qi Bai did not retreat. Instead, he climbed higher, scaling the black bear’s back with surprising agility.
The black bear, now aware of Qi Bai’s presence, thrashed violently, twisting and shaking its body in an attempt to throw him off.
Seeing this, Foxfire seized the opportunity—he raised his front paws and lunged at the black bear once more.
As expected, the black bear’s attention snapped back to Foxfire. Qi Bai took advantage of this distraction, using all his strength to scramble up to the beast’s neck.
Then, in the next breath, Qi Bai shifted into his human form.
With his legs wrapped tightly around the black bear’s neck, he used one hand to grip its fur while the other reached for a small bone knife, which he had been holding between his teeth.
Without hesitation, he drove the blade deep into the black bear’s left eye!
“ROAR!!!”
Blood gushed from the wound as the black bear let out a gut-wrenching, pain-filled scream.
But Qi Bai didn’t stop.
Before the beast could recover, he ripped the knife out and, with precision, stabbed the other eye!
The black bear howled in agony, its pained roars shaking the very earth.
Now completely blinded, it thrashed wildly, its massive claws flailing in all directions.
Qi Bai had no time to react—before he could secure his grip, he was violently flung off the black bear’s body, sent hurtling through the air like a cannonball.
At this speed, if he hit the ground directly, he would be gravely injured—if not killed outright.
Qi Bai acted instinctively.
Midair, he shifted back into his snow leopard form, his small, agile body curling into a tight ball of white fur.
His mind raced. Snow leopards are supposed to be national-level cliff jumpers…
I really hope my animal instincts live up to that reputation.
But the expected impact never came.
Instead, he landed into warmth.
Qi Bai blinked in shock. When he looked up, he was met with Langze’s red eyes.
Langze was back!
Behind him, the rest of the hunting team had arrived. It turned out that Leopard Star had witnessed the black bear’s attack and had rushed to the Man-Eating River to report the situation.
The giant wolf gently set the snow leopard down on the ground. Then, turning to face the black bear once more, his gaze turned icy cold.
The horned orcs, towering and battle-hardened, surged forward like a tide.
The battle’s momentum shifted instantly.
Langze’s razor-sharp fangs finally sank deep into the black bear’s throat.
The beast, now at its limit, let out a final, desperate struggle, shaking off the orc warriors around it.
Then—blinded, dying, and overwhelmed by pain—the black bear turned toward the one scent it could still remember clearly.
Qi Bai.
Fueled by its last burst of strength, the black bear charged straight at him!
“Owwwoooo!” Langze let out a sharp warning howl.
Qi Bai’s heart leapt as he saw the massive creature hurtling toward him.
Without a second thought, he dug his claws into the earth and sprang onto a high ledge along the stone wall.
The black bear, still locked onto his scent, continued its charge—only to slam headfirst into the stone wall.
The impact sent a resounding boom through the air.
The black stone wall was instantly stained red with blood.
The black bear’s huge body slowly slid lifelessly to the ground.
A long, eerie silence filled the cave.
And then—
A deafening cheer erupted!
The orcs surrounded Foxfire, their voices echoing with triumph and admiration.
Up on the stone wall, Qi Bai finally felt the weight of exhaustion hit him. His limbs trembled, and for a brief moment, he couldn’t even stand.
He simply lay there, gazing down at the celebration below, his heart pounding with exhilaration.
A faint rustling sound came from beside him.
Qi Bai turned his head—
Langze.
The giant wolf, moving with effortless grace, had leapt onto the platform with him.
Langze’s beast form was tall and lean, his gray fur ruffling gently in the wind.
The lingering warmth from when he had caught Qi Bai still seemed to linger in the air.
Qi Bai blinked, feeling a slight urge—his fur must be really soft.
…Of course, that was just a thought. Langze had a notoriously cold personality, and Qi Bai had no intention of testing his patience.
Langze took a few steps forward and, in the next moment, shifted back into his human form.
He said nothing at first.
Instead, he simply sat down beside Qi Bai.
A long silence stretched between them.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, Langze reached out—
And placed a bone knife in front of Qi Bai.
Qi Bai recognized it instantly.
It was the same bone knife he had stabbed into the black bear’s eyes—the one he hadn’t had time to retrieve.
Langze’s voice, slightly rough and deep, broke the quiet:
“Legend has it that a bone knife made from the spine of a Black Bird is the strongest blade in the world.”
“Only the most powerful orcs are worthy of wielding it.”
Langze turned his gaze toward Qi Bai, his red eyes dark and unreadable.
“You have lived up to this blade.”
With the successful hunt of the black bear, the entire tribe’s spirits lifted.
The fear and tension the black bear had brought were now completely swept away. But this was just another day in the life of an orc—they faced unknown dangers every single day, yet no hardship could shake their unyielding hearts.
Afterward, the orcs returned to the Man-Eating River, carrying back the captured piranhas in woven rattan baskets. In just half a morning, they had already filled three entire baskets with fish.
Meanwhile, the gathering team led by Tuya had set out again, hoping to collect more red fruits, while Luguo’s group continued smashing stone pots to create more cooking and storage vessels.
The rest of the tribe was split between two major tasks—processing the black bear and handling the piranhas.
Beneath the stone wall platform, Houyan had already led the horned orcs to butcher the black bear on-site.
Due to its massive size, it was impractical to carry it back whole—the best option was to process it immediately.
Their top priority was to preserve the bear’s hide as intact as possible.
Houyan pointed to the black bear’s sharp teeth and remarked,
“This one’s teeth haven’t fully developed yet—it’s just reached adulthood. If it had lived a few more years, it would’ve grown even larger. Black bears aren’t a primary target for our hunting teams. Just avoid them in the future. As long as you don’t provoke them first, there’s nothing to be afraid of, even if you encounter one in the wild. They’re slower than most orcs.”
Hearing this, Qi Bai couldn’t help but feel a bit amazed.
A three-meter-tall black bear… and this is just an adult?
If this thing were brought to Blue Star (Earth), it could probably become the legendary “Black Bear King.”
But after considering the size of the orcs, this actually wasn’t that surprising.
Unlike orcs, the beast forms of sub-orcs weren’t directly related to their humanoid size. Most adult sub-orcs had beast forms that were only around half a meter long.
By contrast, horned orcs had an entirely different growth pattern.
Aside from the extra horn on their foreheads, their body size would gradually increase as their strength grew.
For example, Langze, who had just reached adulthood, was already nearly two and a half meters tall in his beast form.
Of course, size wasn’t everything.
Despite their smaller beast forms, sub-orcs with fertility abilities were highly respected within the tribe.
While Qi Bai was still processing all this information, Hu Meng suddenly chuckled beside him and cheerfully commented,
“Well, we didn’t go looking for trouble—it’s the one that delivered the meat straight to us!”
Qi Bai almost choked on his own breath.
This guy… was an idiot.
How is this NOT provoking it?!
They had invaded the black bear’s territory, taken over its cave, and now they were about to feast on its flesh.
If the black bear had a spirit in the afterlife, it would surely come back just to haunt them.
