“Many of you have probably already heard about the tribe’s plan to relocate.”
Upon hearing this, many gasped.
“The priest had discussed this with me long ago. It was my negligence that prevented us from announcing this before the earthquake,” Shi Hu’s voice was filled with self-reproach.
His unspoken message was that if they had moved earlier, they might have avoided the earthquake. He was taking the blame for the disaster.
Shi Hu took a deep breath before continuing, “The extent of the damage to our tribe is still unclear, but the priest and I have decided to find a new base. The deputy chief will lead those who wish to return to the tribe.”
His voice trembled as he finished speaking. Yun Lu stepped forward and gently patted his back.
This announcement caught many off guard. Some wept quietly, saddened. Their tribe was ultimately going to disintegrate. This was common in the beastman world, but no one expected it to happen to them. And after staying in one place for a long time, everyone develops some degree of attachment.
However, several beastmen who already wanted to return to the tribe quickly packed up their tents, preparing to go back with the deputy chief.
It was common knowledge that resources were scarce around the tribe’s territory, and those who insisted on returning could only have their choices respected.
A gentle breeze stirred, raising dust and carrying an atmosphere of reluctance.
More and more people went to bid farewell to the chief, priest, and elders, thanking them for their years of service to the tribe.
The priest blessed each person who came to say goodbye.
“Chief, Priest, please come with us,” a beastman who wanted to return to the tribe but didn’t want the chief and priest to leave couldn’t help but plead.
Yun Lu smiled faintly, shook his head, and said in a low but firm voice, “Go, be careful on your journey.”
Knowing that no amount of persuasion would change his mind, the beastman turned and left with reddened eyes.
This time, Yun Lu’s apprentice also returned with the deputy chief. Yun Lu didn’t say anything more, it was his own decision. This was for the best, at least they wouldn’t lack a priest, and perhaps the deputy chieftain would lead those beastmen to find another stronghold later.
The deputy chieftain and his family had already packed their belongings, and his men were directing the crowd.
One of his men asked in a low voice, “Sir, everything in the tribe has been distributed. Should we go and persuade them again…?”
“No need,” the deputy chieftain said decisively.
“A useless chieftain, a priest expelled by his own people, and a few old and weak elders,” the deputy chieftain said disdainfully. “Just wait and see, they won’t last long.” Besides, once back in the tribe, he would be the rightful and sole chieftain.
“Is everything ready? Prepare to depart!” The deputy chieftain was the first to transform into his beast form, unable to contain his eagerness to return.
Watching his former companions leave, those left behind were overwhelmed with mixed emotions.
But they didn’t have time for grief as finding a new place to settle down was the priority.
The Snow Fox family naturally chose to go with the chief, Shi Hu, and An Tu. They had always wanted to settle further south, and having familiar and trusted people traveling with them seemed like a good idea, ideally in a resource-rich area.
In the end, only twenty or thirty families of beastmen remained with Shi Hu and Yun Lu while most went back with the deputy chief.
Gray sat on Xue Tuan’s shoulder, half-asleep.
Xue Tuan counted and found that the Qing Miao’s family and the tiger weasels had stayed while the families of the cubs who had bullied the little black lion had gone back with the deputy leader. This was great.
Without them, there would be fewer rumors, and the little black lion’s reputation as a jinx might disappear without them even realizing it.
Bing Qiu held Xue Tuan’s hand, and was a little puzzled as to why Xue Tuan was suddenly so happy. What had made him so cheerful? Just as he was about to ask, he felt Xue Tuan try to let go of his hand. Bing Qiu tightened his grip, and pulled Xue Tuan back: “Where are you going?”
Xue Tuan pointed to the little black lion that’s always in its beast form.
Chong Yan seemed to sense the others’ gazes, and turned his head to see the little ball of fur.
Xue Tuan smiled and waved to the little black lion.
“We’re about to leave, don’t wander off,” Bing Qiu cleverly turned to block Xue Tuan’s view while still holding his hand to prevent him from moving.
Little Gray darted back and forth, glancing between Xue Tuan and Bing Qiu, seemingly trying to figure out if Bing Qiu was bullying Xue Tuan.
“Oh.”
Xue Tuan wilted slightly, but quickly realized he was already quite familiar with the little black lion so he could wait until next time.
Bing Qiu narrowed his eyes, wondering if he hadn’t been transforming into his beast form enough, and why his little brother was eyeing someone else’s fur.
Shi Hu was still immersed in self-reproach. Few people followed him as if it meant he had failed as the chief for so many years.
“Shi Hu, don’t be sad. You still have us,” An Tu comforted the leader, patting his shoulder with his large hand.
“That’s right, chief, we still have a lot to do,” the other beastmen who had stayed behind also came to console Shi Hu.
Shi Hu forced a smile and said, “I understand. Everyone, pack your belongings, it’s time for us to go.”
The remaining beastmen, however, were mostly optimistic, and filled with anticipation for their new life. After all, their situation couldn’t be worse than staying in their old tribe.
These families had lived in the tribe for a long time and knew each other.
An Tu and Shu Yi led everyone to greet the snow fox family, and the others also wanted to befriend this remarkable family.
Everyone knew that the snow fox family had come all the way from the north and possessed rich survival experience. Moreover, the snow fox family had hunted down all the beasts the tribe considered invincible, so they already held Xue Hu’s family in utter admiration.
After a brief, friendly exchange, the remaining people packed their things and continued on their way.
Xue Tuan remained obediently in the pack, being carried by Feng Yan and Rong Shan in turns.
A new journey had begun.
On the way, Xue Tuan silently calculated: to find a relatively good base, it couldn’t be too far from a water source. Secondly, their main food source was hunting and gathering, so these resources were essential, and in the future, they should ideally be able to solve the problem of cultivating crops.
However, Xue Tuan clearly underestimated the beastmen’ experience in choosing a habitat. Watching the chief and elders discuss and select locations at each stop, persistently leading everyone to find suitable territory step by step, Xue Tuan was deeply moved.
After many days of trekking, they arrived at a vast plain nestled between mountains and water.
In the distance were dense forests, on the other side, a river waiting for the ice to melt meandered, its banks lined with rolling stone mountains. Within the plain was a patch of wasteland, a few lakes, and several low-lying areas.
It was indeed a good choice for a campsite.
“Even the air feels fresher!”
“Look over there! I see so many tusked boars!” The tusked boars somewhat resembled wild boars from his previous life, but they had much larger heads and long, protruding tusks.
“I love it here!” Everyone was very satisfied. Even though they didn’t know how long this resource would last, everyone was overjoyed.
However, Shi Hu wasn’t in a hurry to make a decision. He still had many things to confirm. First, were there any other beastmen settled here, and were there any packs of ferocious beasts living nearby?
Shi Hu decided to stay on the hill for a few more days to investigate the land further.
Xue Tuan, on the other hand, felt that this world was vast and sparsely populated with no transportation, so it was normal that this place hadn’t been discovered by other beastmen.
In the following days, Shi Hu’s mood improved considerably. He and his men carefully surveyed the area and discovered that it had indeed not yet been occupied by other beastmen, meaning their long period of wandering was finally coming to an end.
Without any objection, it was unanimously agreed that they would settle here.
“You’ve all worked hard,” Shi Hu said, his voice choked with emotion. He felt a little ashamed that such a tall, strong beastman had become so emotional lately.
While he had also felt sadness when they parted several days ago, it hadn’t been as overwhelming as this. Now, having found a new tribal base, he couldn’t hold back his emotions.
Leading the hunting party for several days without a catch had already put him under immense pressure. Then came the earthquake, and after leading everyone on this long journey, he couldn’t find peace of mind until they found a suitable place.
Every member who remained trusted him so much, and he truly didn’t want to disappoint them again.
The other beastmen knew that Shi Hu must have endured a lot during this time, and they all comforted him understandingly:
“Chief, you should be happy! We’ve finally found a new home!”
“Yes, it’s something to be happy about. The past is the past.”
The beastmen gathered around Shi Hu. Unlike the deputy chief, who had many rules and emphasized hierarchy, the chief was often more like a brother to the beastmen.
Shi Hu wiped his eyes, trying to compose himself: “For now, everyone should stay in tents or caves. Once the tribe’s territory is demarcated and new wooden houses are built, we can move into our new home.”
Caves were decent shelters, but since there were no winged beastmen in their tribe, climbing up and down them wouldn’t be convenient. The low caves weren’t enough, and they’d probably have to carve out a few more.
Having said all this, he only had one last thing to do.
“I have something to announce to everyone.”
Shi Hu faced the crowd and solemnly declared:
“I have decided to step down from the position of chief.”
This announcement sent shockwaves through the crowd. Everyone was startled.
“What!”
“Why!”
“Chief! We can’t live without you!”