What?
Everyone was shocked. Xiong Yue was incoherent: “I didn’t prepare extra animal hide. No, wait, how are there two?”
It was not easy for sub-beastmen to carry cubs. Two at once?
Oh my!
Xiong Yue said admiringly: “Xiong Yuan is so amazing.”
Xiong Yuan snapped out of his shock. Before he could even feel happy, his belly hurt again, and then something came out of his body.
It felt just like before. So he really had given birth to two cubs?
The two babies were placed together and in the blink of an eye turned into two little black bear cubs.
“Oh! Both little beastmen!” Xiong Yue clapped his hands happily.
In the harsh environment near the Wasteland Forest, beastman cubs had a better chance of survival.
Xiong Xuan held one cub in each arm. The big black bear standing in the orange sunset glow looked very dazed.
Xiong Yuan had long hair down to his waist. The stray hairs at his temples were damp with sweat, and his whole body radiated exhaustion.
But his eyes sparkled like diamonds. He took one little bear cub from Xiong Xuan’s arms and stood beside him.
Each of them held a little bear cub in their arms. For a moment, Lu Xuan found the scene especially heartwarming.
He slowly let out a breath. Just… amazing.
Xiong Yuan smiled broadly and joyfully. He said to Lu Xuan: “Could you please check my little bear cubs?”
Lu Xuan composed himself and stepped forward with a smile: “Of course.”
After a thorough examination, he said to the couple: “Congratulations on your two little bear cubs. They are both very healthy.”
Xiong Yuan’s bright eyes were full of curiosity: “How did you know there was still one more inside me?”
After giving birth to the first little bear cub, he had been so tired that he felt he couldn’t straighten his back. He never imagined it was because there was still another little bear cub waiting to come out.
Lu Xuan: “Observing, listening, asking, and feeling the pulse.”
The others didn’t understand, but they thought it was incredibly impressive.
Lu Xuan: Successfully showing off, adding another weight to his credibility.
In fact, it was because the pregnancy was far enough along that he could tell from the pulse.
Only a trace of orange sunset remained at the edge of the sky. The figures in the distance had grown even more blurry.
Xiong Xuan suppressed his surging emotions and said in a deep voice: “It’s getting dark. Let’s go.”
Nearly an hour later, a depression in the land appeared before Lu Xuan’s eyes.
A stream ran through the depression. On both sides were hide shelters, showing clear signs of activity.
Xiong Yue excitedly introduced the place to Lu Xuan: “Look! That’s where we live.”
There were only two hide shelters, not enough for everyone to stay in, Lu Xuan thought with confusion.
Xiong Yue pointed in another direction and continued: “There’s also an underground cave over there. Inside we store dried meat and some other things. Usually Tian Xuan, Xiong Yan, and Xiong Qi take turns living in there to guard it.”
Lu Xuan asked: “Is the underground cave close by?”
Xiong Yue nodded: “Very close.”
While they were talking, Xiong Yuan suddenly gasped in surprise.
“Tian Xuan, you’re awake?”
Tian Xuan had already gotten down from Xiong Yan’s back. He stood on the ground, with Xiong Yan supporting him at his side.
Xiong Yue ran over, felt him all over, and then said in surprise: “Tian Xuan, your body isn’t hot anymore.”
Then he looked at Lu Xuan and said excitedly: “Thank you for curing Tian Xuan.”
“It’s just that the fever has come down. His other injuries haven’t healed yet. No need to thank me.”
Lu Xuan walked over and said with a smile: “Tian Xuan saved me and my three cubs. As repayment, it’s only right that I save him.”
Then he said to everyone: “I’ll stay with Tian Xuan tonight. That way I can look after his injuries.”
Comparing the two options, he still felt more familiar with this black bear.
Tian Xuan looked at Lu Xuan with a flicker of complexity in his eyes.
“Fine.” His voice was no longer hoarse, but it was very deep.
Xiong Xuan then spoke: “Let’s go to the hide shelter first and eat something.”
No one objected. Xiong Yan and Xiong Qi turned and went to the underground cave to fetch supplies. Xiong Xuan handed the little bear cubs over to Xiong Yue, then helped Tian Xuan walk into one of the hide shelters.
The entrance was very small, one had to bend down to enter, but the space inside was not small at all. The shelter had a triangular roof, and a burly man over two meters tall could stand upright with room to spare.
Xiong Xuan lit a fire, and the group sat around it.
Tian Xuan’s gaze swept over the two little bear cubs, a trace of tenderness in his eyes. He said to Xiong Xuan: “Congratulations.”
Xiong Xuan’s eyes were heavy: “The Beast God has not abandoned the bear tribe.”
Tian Xuan’s eyes turned cold, and he said nothing.
The atmosphere fell silent. Lu Xuan didn’t know what riddle they were speaking in, but it seemed to be about the bear tribe.
As an outsider, he didn’t feel it was his place to speak. Holding the three cubs, the warmth of the fire made the exhaustion wash over him in waves. To avoid dozing off and tumbling into the fire with the cubs, he forced himself to stay alert, waiting for his pre-sleep meal.
Before long, Xiong Yan and Xiong Qi returned with food, along with pots, bowls, and ladles.
A pot?
An iron pot?
There was actually an iron pot here?
Lu Xuan’s eyes followed the iron pot. His gaze was so direct and intense that it was impossible not to notice.
Xiong Yue asked curiously: “Doesn’t your tribe have iron pots?”
Lu Xuan shook his head: “No.”
The original owner’s memories contained only stone pots, stone bowls, wooden utensils, and the like, very much matching Lu Xuan’s impression of this place.
If they had iron pots, then iron weapons would certainly not be scarce.
He was now extremely curious about what level of production technology the beastman continent had reached.
“Your tribe is so backward,” Xiong Yue said, his tone straightforward and tinged with pity.
Lu Xuan: … Actually, everything here is backward to me.
At that thought, he suddenly found it amusing. He smiled and nodded: “Yes, it’s backward.”
“Your tribe may be small, but the priest’s ability is very impressive. He taught you well.”
Tian Xuan’s voice was deep, but his tone was unusually earnest. Lu Xuan smiled and didn’t respond, this was also his shield, after all.
The meat soup in the iron pot bubbled and churned. The aroma of roasting meat wafted through the air.
The three cubs sat alertly in Lu Xuan’s arms, staring intently at the meat roasting on the rack over the fire. They flicked their tails from time to time and twitched their ear tips.
They were just too cute.
Lu Xuan stroked each one in turn, petting their fur.
After eating, the others left. Only Tian Xuan and Lu Xuan with his three cubs remained inside the hide shelter.
Lu Xuan took a wooden basin and went outside. Soon he came back with half a basin of water.
After washing himself and the three cubs, he lay down on the ground to sleep.
“Good night.”
Yawning, Lu Xuan mumbled to Tian Xuan and then fell asleep.
He was really too tired.
Tian Xuan: …
Never mind. Being fond of cleanliness was a good thing.
He slept through the night without dreaming. It wasn’t until the sunlight shone through the hide shelter, making it brightly lit, that Lu Xuan woke up to the cubs washing his face with their tongues.
He squinted, randomly grabbed one cub to use as a towel, and rubbed it all over his face. The leopard cat cub squirmed and cried out from the kneading.
The soft, young cries melted Lu Xuan’s heart. He scooped up all three cubs and played with them for a good while. Only when the cubs softly cried out in hunger did he regain his senses as the head of the family.
“Let’s go. Daddy will take you to find some food.”
Just as he lifted the hide covering and stepped outside, he ran into Tian Xuan, who was returning.
“Perfect timing. Come to the river with me. I’ll change your dressing first, then I’ll catch some fish for us to eat.”
Tian Xuan held up two rabbits from behind his back. Lu Xuan found them very familiar, rabbits with fangs. Once seen, never forgotten.
His eyes widened in disbelief: “You went hunting?”
Tian Xuan shook his head: “Xiong Qi and the others caught them.”
Lu Xuan let out a breath of relief: “Your leg isn’t healed yet, so don’t push yourself. If the bone heals crooked, you’ll really be crippled.”
Tian Xuan lowered his eyes: “I know my limits.”
You’d better know your limits, Lu Xuan thought to himself.
He took the rabbits and headed to the river, moving so fast that the three little cubs had to run to keep up.
Tian Xuan watched his back, a bit confused. Was he angry? Excited?
He ducked into the hide shelter to pick up the herbs, then went out. Lu Xuan had said he would change his dressing, but he had forgotten even the medicine.
The aroma of roasted rabbit was far richer than that of roasted fish. The three cubs cried out impatiently.
Lu Xuan found it very amusing: “All right, stop jumping around. I’ve just set it up. If you keep jumping, you’ll fall into the fire, instead of eating rabbit meat, you’ll roast yourselves.”
When Tian Xuan arrived with the herbs, a flicker of surprise passed through his eyes. He had already cleaned and prepared both rabbits so quickly?
He glanced at the scattered, torn rabbit fur not far away, then sat down next to Lu Xuan.
“Rabbit fur is soft and can be used to keep warm.”
Lu Xuan nodded: “I know.”
He looked at Tian Xuan leaning on the wooden stick, feeling satisfied inside: “Using the wooden stick for support, very good.”
Tian Xuan watched Lu Xuan portioning out meat to the three cubs. He felt that Lu Xuan didn’t really understand the implication behind his words.
Lu Xuan looked around and asked: “Where are the others?”
Tian Xuan withdrew his gaze: “Xiong Yuan is in the hide shelter taking care of the two bear cubs. Xiong Xuan and Xiong Yan went hunting. Xiong Qi and Xiong Yue are gathering nearby.”
A clear division of labor.
Lu Xuan handed a rabbit leg to Tian Xuan: “Are you all from the same tribe?”
“I’ve already eaten. You eat it.”
After declining, Tian Xuan added: “Yes, we are from the same tribe. Our tribe is called the Bear Tribe.”
Lu Xuan nodded. The Bear Tribe, all bears. Easy to understand.
His expression was so easy to read that a hint of a smile tugged at the corner of Tian Xuan’s mouth.
“Not all the beastmen in our tribe are bears. There are also other beastmen, foxes, leopards, even snake tribe members. They joined later.”
Lu Xuan was curious: “Is your tribe very large?”
Tian Xuan was silent for a moment, then said: “In terms of the number of beastmen, it’s not large. But there are many fierce warriors, and the overall strength is close to that of a large tribe.”
Thinking about what Xiong Yue had said earlier, Lu Xuan wasn’t sure whether he should press further, but he wanted to understand the social structure of the beastman continent. He was quite torn.
Tian Xuan let out a soft laugh: “If you want to ask something, just ask directly.”
Lu Xuan placed the prepared herbs in front of Tian Xuan and smiled: “I don’t really have anything in particular to ask. Since you’re sitting here with nothing to do, just crush these herbs into a paste and drink the juice.”
“But, I am a little curious.” He pinched a tiny gap between his thumb and index finger: “Really, just a little.”
Tian Xuan looked up at him: “You want to know why my tribe is gone?”
Lu Xuan quickly shook his head: “Of course not. You know my tribe is in a remote, backward place. A lot of things from the outside world never reached us.”
The original owner’s priest grandfather had taught him everything he knew, but he never talked about what tribes outside were like. Now that he thought about it, the “large tribes” the original owner had imagined might not actually be large at all.
“For example, what’s the name of the largest tribe on the beastman continent? What are they best at?”
Tian Xuan’s gaze turned somewhat subtle: “Have you heard of the Lakeside Tribe?”
Lu Xuan nodded eagerly: “I’ve heard of it, I’ve heard of it. They say it’s a very large tribe.”
Tian Xuan: “The Lakeside Tribe has more than thirty beastmen just guarding its city gate alone.”
Lu Xuan’s eyes lit up: “Wow, they even have a city gate?”
That sounds just like an ancient dynasty!
“I really want to go see it.”
A bustling beastman city, would the architectural style be rough and rugged or refined and delicate?
A coldness settled in Tian Xuan’s eyes, and a hint of sarcasm curved his lips.
He pointed in a direction: “Head out that way, and you’ll step onto the Lakeside Tribe’s territory.”
Lu Xuan was surprised: “That close?”
Tian Xuan: “If you want to reach the city you’re thinking of, at your speed, prepare to walk for at least half a year first.”
Lu Xuan blinked. The Lakeside Tribe’s territory really was enormous.
Tian Xuan continued: “That forest in the distance is called the Wasteland Forest because it’s close to the wasteland. It’s the border between the wasteland and Riverside territory. Walk out of this forest, and in less than half a day you’ll run into border guards. They will inspect every beastman who passes through, one by one, and anyone they find suspicious will be executed on the spot.”
Lu Xuan was deeply shaken. There were even borders. This beastman continent was not as primitive as he had imagined.
The original owner’s tribe was indeed small, he had never even heard of such things.