Under the orange-red sunset, Ying Fei, with one arm in a sling, was singing and dancing around the fire, occasionally taking a bite of meat.
Lu Xuan felt tired for that mouth of his, but the corners of his own mouth kept rising higher and higher. A gentle breeze blew, making people’s hearts feel at ease.
Hu Er jumped up, shifted into a mixed-breed fox, and ran and jumped alongside Ying Fei.
It was like teasing a dog. Lu Xuan couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
The three cubs plus the two little bear cubs also jumped behind Hu Er. Every time the two chubby little black bears jumped, they landed headfirst on the ground, every time they jumped, they did a big somersault.
Lu Xuan laughed so hard tears almost came out. They were really too cute, too adorable.
“Once my wing is healed, I will immediately fly back and bring my tribesmen here. The Black Howl Tribe is the best tribe I have ever seen.”
The others did not respond to Ying Fei’s impassioned speech. Xiong Yan wanted to say something, raising his eyebrows, but under the dual pressure of Tian Xuan and Xiong Xuan, he backed down.
He smacked his lips, feeling deeply bored for a moment.
Hu Er threw his head back and let out a long howl. After howling, he ran in circles around the fire, shouting as he ran: “The best tribe, the best tribe…”
Xue Rong sat on a grass mat, accepting food fed to him by Xing Chi while clapping happily: “The people are good too. Lu Xuan is good, Xiong Yuan is good, Xiong Yue is good. Everyone is the best.”
Lu Xuan raised both hands and clapped: “Good, good, good. We are all good. Wishing all of us good health, may everything go as you wish, may all your dreams come true.”
A timeless toast. After saying it, Lu Xuan himself got caught up in the emotion. It was just a pity there was no alcohol, otherwise, he would definitely have had a few drinks.
Xiong Yue looked at Lu Xuan with stars in his eyes: “Wow, Lu Xuan, you really know how to talk.”
Xiong Yuan nodded in agreement: “The words you said sound really nice.”
Lu Xuan: …
“Well… well, everyone, eat the meat, drink the soup.”
Too embarrassing.
His gaze inadvertently caught the smile on the face of the person beside him. Lu Xuan felt a bit defensive: “What are you laughing at?”
Really, this black bear’s expressions were becoming more and more abundant. His cold and aloof persona was about to collapse, you know.
Tian Xuan’s brow furrowed, and in an instant he stood up.
Lu Xuan instinctively leaned back. What? Angry? Lost his temper?
He sat on the ground looking up at Tian Xuan. After a few seconds, his neck became sore. When he moved, he realized that all the beastmen had serious expressions. Ying Fei was no longer dancing. Hu Er had changed into human form and squeezed next to Hu Yi, looking very nervous.
Lu Xuan was just about to ask what was wrong, but before he could speak, he saw Tian Xuan was the first to run out, and at the same time shifted into a black bear over four meters tall.
Immediately after, Xiong Qi, Xiong Yan, Hu Yi, and Hu Er also shifted into their beast forms and ran off in different directions.
Xiong Xuan and Xing Chi shifted into their beast forms and stood on alert beside them.
Lu Xuan’s heart instantly leaped to his throat. He, Xiong Yuan, Xiong Yue, Xue Rong, and the five cubs huddled together. Not far away, Tian Xuan and the others had already engaged the dark shadows in combat.
Lu Xuan couldn’t see what type of beastmen they were. His chest was pounding like a drum non-stop.
A strange screeching sound rang out, followed by several dark shadows darting out from the grass. Their common target was the sub-beastmen standing together.
The black bear grabbed a black rat’s neck with one hand and threw it away. The orangutan swung left and right, sending one flying with each punch.
Lu Xuan’s eyes widened: “Rat beastmen from the wasteland forest!”
Back then, if Xiong Qi and Xiong Yan hadn’t arrived in time, he, the cubs, and Tian Xuan would have long become a meal for those rats. He didn’t expect they still hadn’t given up.
“Are these rat beastmen from the same group as those last time?”
Xiong Yuan, holding the two little bear cubs tightly, replied upon hearing this: “These rat-type beastmen reproduce quickly, eat anything, and hold grudges. It seems they are certainly connected to those beastmen from last time.”
Even though Xiong Xuan and Xing Chi were fast and accurate, landing every strike, the number of enemies was too great. The black rats that evaded Xiong Xuan and Xing Chi were swatted away by Ying Fei, who had shifted into a eagle, using one wing.
Xiong Yuan’s mood was heavy: “There are too many of them.”
Lu Xuan looked at the overwhelming mass of black rats, each as big as a ten-year-old child, and his throat moved: “There really are too many.”
Just as Ying Fei’s one wing was about to be overwhelmed by black rats that slipped through, Lu Xuan suddenly had an idea and shouted: “Ying Fei, change back to human form.”
As he spoke, he pulled a burning red firebrand from the fire and handed it to Ying Fei, saying: “Use this. Aim for the eyes. Be careful with your injured hand.”
When the black rat screamed in pain from being burned, Lu Xuan’s heart trembled, and he tightly held the fishing cat cub in his arms.
With one hand, Ying Fei wielded the firebrand with such ferocity that he managed to block the black rats that had evaded Xiong Xuan and Xing Chi.
Tian Xuan and the others also slowly moved toward them. Just as it seemed the black rat beastmen were about to be defeated and flee, a patch of black appeared on the horizon, moving very quickly.
Ying Fei exclaimed in surprise: “It’s the Black Feather Bird beastmen!”
Lu Xuan’s heart sank. Could it be that they came for revenge for that dead Black Feather Bird beastman?
This fleeting thought passed through his mind, but the Black Feather Bird beastmen in the sky were already close at hand. Their sharp claws grabbed a black rat and flew away, not stopping for even a second longer, not even casting an extra glance.
Lu Xuan: …
The black rats lying on the ground, whether dead or unconscious, were already dead beyond death the moment the Black Feather Bird beastmen’s sharp claws pierced their heads.
The Black Feather Bird beastmen who arrived later had no ready-made black rats to grab, so they had to catch live ones. But instead, they were overturned by black rats only one-third their size.
Overturned.
Their wings were still flapping when they were knocked to the ground by a black rat jumping up at them, tumbling over several times. And it wasn’t just one like this, several in a row were the same.
Lu Xuan: …
Really, the timing was inappropriate, otherwise, he would have laughed.
Later, the Black Feather Bird beastmen got smarter: if one couldn’t catch them, they caught them together, two or three at a time. So Lu Xuan watched black rats being grabbed into the air in various poses.
The Black Feather Bird beastmen came quickly and left quickly, also taking away a large group of black rats, like battlefield cleaners.
But thinking that those black rats were beastmen, and the Black Feather Bird beastmen were also beastmen, people eating people—
Lu Xuan felt a chill of disgust.
Ying Fei then said: “I need to return to my tribe as soon as possible. Black Feather Bird beastmen generally don’t fly this far to hunt for food.”
Lu Xuan thought for a moment, then said: “Last time, a single Black Feather Bird beastman came to the tribe to steal food. Could those Black Feather Bird beastmen just now have come because of that one?”
Ying Fei sneered: “In times of food scarcity, they even eat dead members of their own kind. To them, everything is just food to fill their stomachs, including themselves. Savage, cruel, filthy. All flying beastmen around them detest them.”
Lu Xuan clicked his tongue in amazement. This was really completely without any civilization.
Xiong Yue then said worriedly: “Now that they know about our tribe, will they come to rob us in the future?”
Ying Fei smiled and said: “Don’t worry, they wouldn’t dare. Even when it comes to stealing food, they will judge the opponent’s strength before making a move.”
So they also bully the weak and fear the strong. Lu Xuan wanted to say something, but when he saw Tian Xuan approaching with injuries, he immediately stepped forward and asked: “How are you? Are you seriously injured?”
Tian Xuan shook his head: “It’s fine, just minor scratches.”
Lu Xuan said nervously: “Go to my house quickly, I’ll put medicine on you.”
Subconsciously, he still thought rats carried too many germs.
Tian Xuan’s expression relaxed, and there was some amusement in his eyes: “I’m really fine. Let’s wait until Xiong Qi and the others come back to go together.”
Xiong Qi soon joined them, but Xiong Yan and the two foxes came over arguing the whole way.
Hu Er was so angry he was flailing wildly: “Stinky bear, put my Hu Yi down!”
Xiong Yan, carrying Hu Yi on his shoulder, didn’t even give Hu Er a glance. He said impatiently: “Shut up. You’re annoying.”
Hu Yi was upside down on Xiong Yan’s shoulder, shaken back and forth so much that he had lost all his temper.
“What’s wrong with Hu Yi?” Lu Xuan’s heart tightened. Why wasn’t Hu Yi moving at all? Those limply hanging arms, could he be seriously injured and unconscious?
Xiong Yan threw Hu Yi onto the ground and said to Lu Xuan: “A black rat bit his leg a few times. Take a look and see if he’s about to die.”
When Hu Yi was thrown down, Hu Er tried to catch him, but Xiong Yan threw him with too much skill, and Hu Yi landed solidly on the ground.
Now hearing him say that, Hu Er was furious. He glared at Xiong Yan and said: “You’re the one who’s about to die! Hu Yi will never die.”
Xiong Yan crossed his arms over his chest and said sarcastically: “Oh, then you can die together with him.”
Lu Xuan had a headache. Xiong Yan really had a venomous mouth, always picking on the two foxes.
He didn’t want to comment on this kind of elementary school argument. He crouched down to examine Hu Yi’s wounds. The several bleeding holes looked very frightening.
Lu Xuan frowned deeply. He looked up and asked Hu Yi: “Can you still walk?”
Hu Yi nodded: “No problem, I can walk.”
Lu Xuan: “Then let me help you to my house first, and I’ll put medicine on you.”
“No need—”
“I will—”
“Let me help—”
Three voices sounded at the same time. Lu Xuan looked at each one in turn. Xiong Yan was easy to understand, but why did Tian Xuan open his mouth?
Hu Yi gave a light cough: “I’ll walk by myself. No one needs to help.”
Hu Er said pitifully: “What about me? Can I help?”
Hu Yi was weary at heart: “Fine, help if you want, just support me.”
The wounds on Hu Yi’s leg were much better after cleaning. The bites were not very deep, applying the medicinal powder a few more times would be enough.
Lu Xuan also prepared medicinal powder for the other beastmen, all for stopping bleeding and reducing inflammation.
This thrilling battle ended with such a comical result. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured.
At night, Lu Xuan tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Tian Xuan seemed to be getting more and more warm-hearted. Was this the sense of responsibility that came with being the tribe chief?
Ah, those black rats destroyed his land. The fields he had finally cleared and planted were all ruined by them. Tomorrow he would have to repair them.
He would ask Tian Xuan to come help. He was warm-hearted anyway.
Lu Xuan turned over again. The warm-hearted tribe chief should do more.
Just as he was about to fall asleep in a daze, a loud clattering sound startled Lu Xuan awake. He reached out to touch the three cubs in his arms, not one was missing.
So how was the sound in the living room made?
It couldn’t be Xiong Yue. Xiong Yue would make noise and would create firelight.
Then who was it?
Lu Xuan’s heart tightened. Black rats? Or black-feathered birds?
What should he do now?
No matter which one it was, he didn’t seem able to protect himself. Calm down, calm down. He had to find a way to notify Tian Xuan and the others.
Right, wild garlic powder.
There were too many wild garlic to eat, so when he had free time, he tried making powder.
Carrying the wild garlic powder, he held his breath and slowly walked toward the door. The fireplace was still burning, and he could vaguely see an abnormal black shadow on the wall.