Heh

The number of snake horns is sufficient. We don’t have to waste any more time here according to the plan. We need to arrive at the next campsite before sunset tomorrow, and collect as many medals as possible along the way.” Derrick is a talented leader, more authoritative than Ryan’s mild demeanor, “Fan Lanting, do you know their ambush plan?”

Fan Lanting shrugged. “I’m a lone ranger. I came over here to try my luck, when I heard they were planning to ambush Ryan at Yiyi lake.”

Derrick frowned, “We’ve been vigilant for nearly a day, but we haven’t even seen a single person. Could they have changed their strategy?”

For example, Avoiding Ryan, so that he won’t get more medals and lose this competition.

It’s very likely.

Harriet diverted her thoughts, “Should I throw Ryan out, let him take a walk outside, catch some fish and come back?”

“No,” objected Ryan. It’s not that he doesn’t want to put in more effort, but it’s simply not practical. The grassland is so vast that it’s impossible to predict where those people are scattered. It’s a waste of time. “I suggest we go to the designated entry point next to Moon Bay, and ambush them near the entrance or along the way. It will be much easier to get the medals than wandering around aimlessly.”

“Go to the vicinity of Moon Bay a day earlier?” Derrick rubbing his chin, he thought that this method is feasible. “But we are definitely not the only team thinking of this method. Be careful then, protect yourselves and trap them at the same time.”

The few of them looked at each other and their eyes revealed a strong fighting spirit. Silently, in tacit understanding, they almost simultaneously removed their badges. The four badges approached each other and collided under Auston’s gaze. A stream of light flashed through the camp color blocks. The embedded chips inside had automatically activated, and now they were a team.

Finally unable to hold back, Fan Lanting asked, “Isn’t this person joining us?” He had not asked the name of Ryan’s partner all day.

Ryan’s eyes flashed with a smile. After holding back for a day, Fan Lanting finally asked, “Auston has a special situation, so he’s not participating in the competition.”

Auston…

Fan Lanting chewed on the name, smiling. “It’s the same as the general’s name. You’re so lucky to have this honor. Why are you all laughing? I’m not wrong, am I?”

Derrick and Harriet burst out laughing, not bothering to explain. Harriet felt secretly pleased; she finally experienced what it was like to have kept others in the dark about something, it felt great.

“Hey, hey, hey, stop laughing.” Fan Lanting was aggrieved. It was obvious that his little partners had a secret that he didn’t know about, and he asked to share it. But the truth was already in front of him, and he just didn’t want to believe it.

He squinted his eyes and looked at Ryan, but Ryan’s gaze was not on the three of them at all. His gentle and warm eyes always followed his lover when he was not focused on the mission. Hmm, his lover didn’t have much of a reaction. No, wait, Fan Lanting looked closely and saw that the guy with the same name as the general would occasionally have an uneasy flicker in his eyes. It’s not he wasn’t unresponsive, he just didn’t know how to react.

Why be so hesitant? Just make eye contact!

If you lack experience, watch some videos to learn, and read more of Connor’s novels that are always full of tips for flirting with girls and guys.

Footsteps appeared around them, and the person they had been waiting for finally arrived, but unlike what they had imagined, only one person came. It was Jack Kipling, one of General Dalton’s most powerful mecha warriors. In the military tournament held every three years, his and Derrick’s performance was equally impressive, and they both earned the title of “King of Soldiers”. That year, only ten people in the entire Golden Crusade Legion earned this title.

Jack carried a bulging backpack that was no less impressive than Ryan’s, with a piece of grass in his mouth, walking slowly against the setting sun in the west.

When he approached the group, he looked down at them sitting there, and finally his gaze fell on Ryan. He sneered and said, “Come on, Let’s fight. If you win, everything in my backpack, including the snake horns and badges, and this one of mine, are yours. If you lose, I want you to admit in front of all members of the mecha combat and engineering departments that you are not as good as me, and I won’t ask for your medal. You can continue to participate in the competition.”

Ryan tripped him with a kick and he had been brooding ever since. Word had spread that he was not as good as a rookie in the mecha engineering department, and he felt worthless. He was determined to regain his face.

Ryan stood up, smiled at his teammates and Auston, and walked towards Jack’s provocative eyes, “There are only a few of us here. If you win, it’s just me admitting in person that I’m not as good as you. Who would believe it without seeing it with their own eyes? They might even suspect that you bribed me with money.”

Jack’s face cracked a little with a strategic emphasis and verbal contempt. He gritted his teeth and said, “So what should I do? You’ve been avoiding me every time I asked you to fight. I’m desperate too.”

Ryan said, “Let’s fight in the ring openly and fairly when we get back, and let everyone witness it.”

Jack’s eyes lit up. This was a very good idea. “Okay, it’s a deal!”

“A deal it is.” With that sorted out, Ryan had something else to discuss with Jack. “Let’s be teammates. We’re short of one person.”

“What?!” Jack suspected he had misheard.

He pointed to the badge on his collar and then to Ryan’s, “You’re mistaken, we’re from different camps.”

“The rules don’t say that different camps can’t team up.”

“That’s true, but…” Jack hesitated, he had challenged Ryan, but now that he was here, things had taken a different turn.

“What’s there to hesitate? Jack, come and touch the badge.” Fan Lanting waved his hand, finally finding someone on the same camp as him so that he wouldn’t stand out too much. “I’m also in the red camp.”

“If you’re a man, be more bold. What’s with all the dilly-dallying?” Harriet yawned and moved faster, hoping to get to the next camping spot to sleep sooner.

Fan Lanting echoed, “Exactly.”

In a moment of absent-mindedness, Jack walked over, “Oh.” Before he figured it out, he had already agreed, and he was at a loss for words.

They touched their badges and the five-person team was finally formed.

The five of them stood in a circle, Harriet gave a creepy smile, and her rose-like beauty became even more stunning. Derrick nodded, thinking that the method suggested earlier was very good. Jack and Fan Lanting looked at each other, feeling fortunate that they got on this boat.

Ryan sighed helplessly, thinking in his mind how to proceed, “Tactically, it’s settled. Let’s not delay any further, we’re leaving now.”

“Ha! Just wait, they won’t make it out of the pit alive,” Harriet gave a sly laugh.

Amid Harriet’s laughter, the group set off for the next camping spot. On the way, Jack looked at the person next to Ryan with suspicion. The figure was familiar, very familiar, to the point where he couldn’t possibly be mistaken… He closed his eyes and quickly calmed down, pretending to casually ask Fan Lanting, “There were already five people, why do they need to add me?”

“Oh, Auston said the situation is special, so we couldn’t form teams,” Fan Lanting shrugged and bluntly criticized, “I think it’s just a ploy to trick people. Now, there are two people from the red camp in the team.”

“Auston?” Jack felt a chill run down his back.

“Yeah, the same name as the general. It’s pretty amazing, I was startled when I first heard it.”

Jack swallowed hard and looked at Auston’s back. He really wanted to hit Fan Lanting on the head. How could you be so clueless?!

The long-distance run without the aid of equipment is a course that all soldiers, especially close-combat soldiers, must practice. Long-distance running with heavy loads is the best exercise for physical strength, endurance, willpower, and more. The seven-day confrontation tests the soldiers’ abilities in many ways, and the person who persists to the end and wins is the king of the soldiers.

The predetermined camping spot is a small mound, near which is the territory of the Long haired Takin. The Long haired Takin is tall and covered in thick, long hair, with an average weight of about 2 tons and a maximum shoulder height of 4 meters and a weight of up to 3 tons. The Long haired Takin lives in groups, is herbivorous, and has a gentle nature, but once provoked, it will fight to the death. Its two pairs of spiral long horns can easily pierce through the body of the overlord griffin beast on the icy grassland, and no carnivorous animal without eyes would dare provoke the Long haired Takins.

The Long haired Takins, the size of small hills, stand in groups on the grassland, forming one circle after another. They huddle together, surrounding the young children in the herd, jointly resisting the severe cold. From time to time, the mooing sound rises and falls. A group of six people moved quickly and lightly. The alert Long haired Takins watched them pass by indifferently, its long tail swaying slowly, and the mosquitoes on the tail rising and falling were the only active and annoying small creatures in the cold night.

“That Jack, Bring over some dry cow dung”, Harriet made a circle with a few stones, put the collected dried cow dung and hay in it, and could light it up for smudging, driving away the ubiquitous bugs. She waved and drove away the bugs that came flying towards her.

Jack handed over the dried cow dung he had been carrying all the way, looking at his dirty gloves and feeling frustrated. This team was sick, there was no adaptation and adjustment period for accepting new teammates. They were just naturally directing him, as if they had known each other for a long time and were longtime partners.

“Jack, come and help,” Fan Lanting shouted.

Jack’s hands and feet moved involuntarily, and with a dark face, he and Fan Lanting stacked up dead branches and grass to cover up in front of the bonfire, to block the light. There were birds in the sky attracted to the light, and they had to be careful even with the dim light.

A slight gust of wind flowed through, and Ryan and Auston, who had walked around nearby, passed by Jack. Jack looked up and stared at Auston’s back, frowning and raising a small bump on his forehead.

“Don’t stare, friend’s wife must not be violated,” Fan Lanting whispered in Jack’s ear.

Jack glanced at Fan Lanting and laughed in his heart. He was still too young and naive, thinking that there were so many people with the same name and similar physique and momentum in the world.

“I’ve checked,  there’s no sign of anyone nearby.”

Ryan raised the thing in his hand, “And I found these too, potato roots. Buried in the fire pit, they can add some variety to tomorrow’s breakfast.”

Auston also held two potato roots. Potato roots were a kind of root vegetable that looked similar to sweet potatoes. They were high in starch and had a slightly sweet taste, making them a favorite food for hunters and adventurers entering the Ice grasslands (not everyone could afford nutritional supplements).

“When buried in the heap of cow dung, can we eat them!’ Jack instinctively stopped bickering with Ryan and, feeling a bit remorseful, glanced at Auston and decided to change his tone, “Can we really eat them after burying them in there?”

“Yes, we can. The cow dung won’t have too strong a smell after being smoldered. The surface of the roots is thick, and I checked that they’re intact, so we don’t have to worry about contamination.” Ryan didn’t care at all. He poked the burning cow dung and put the potato roots in. “Oh, one more thing, Jack, the roots will be cooked in about an hour.”

“Oh”, Jack said dejectedly.

He couldn’t understand why he suddenly became nice to Ryan. He couldn’t wrap his head around it.

It was getting late and everyone had been busy all day. Now that they had a safe and comfortable place to rest, they talked about their plans for tomorrow before going to sleep.

The mooing of the cattle was the safest sound tonight, and the faint smoke from the burning cow dung kept the annoying mosquitoes away on this cold winter night. The crimson moonlight shone on everything, and in its glow, packs of hyenas moved around, drawn by the scent of blood, gathering near the lake and digging up piles of two-horned snakes with their sharp front paws. They howled with excitement and began their midnight revelry.

The people who had been watching Ryan also discovered their secret actions and were as excited as a group of children weighing over a hundred pounds each. They imitated the search for snake lair and harvested large amounts of snake horns.

That winter, the two-horned snakes suffered heavy losses.

Translator has something to say:

Ah, What a dense guy Fan Lanting is!!

More actions are coming!!

Chapter 368 – Extra 2: Hei Yao Life

The day after the notice was posted, the entrance to the Yi Si (administrative office) was already crowded with beastmen. Yet of all those gathered, only a few dozen were actually waiting in line.

Still, just those few dozen nearly blocked the whole Yi Si gates.

Each person waiting carried a piece of their life—furniture, utensils, bowls and pots, tables and stools. One giant deer beastman hefted a small wooden stool, intending to place it at the table before Qi Bai—but a hand blocked him.

Lang Ze’s brow furrowed.

“Be careful walking.”

The giant deer beastman didn’t understand why the City Lord suddenly showed such concern. He felt goosebumps across his fur but held steady and quietly explained,

“I heard the notice said needed: small wooden stools. This is my own handiwork.”

Qi Bai took the little stool from Lang Ze’s hand, examined it, and asked,

“How much for this one? And how many can you make in a month?”

The deer beastman had been watching from behind and knew exactly what the Great Priest was asking—so he instantly brightened and quoted a fair price:

“Great Priest, I have a stall in the trading street. I’ve got six beastmen apprentices there learning carpentry. We can make six or seven of these small tables a day.”

Truly, businessmen think differently! The price was very reasonable, nearly perfect: many in the city still didn’t understand the value of their labor. With simple materials easily found, many undervalued their own work and, intimidated by the Great Priest’s presence, widely underpriced themselves.

They forgot: time, effort, and skill are far more valuable than raw materials.

Qi Bai nodded and found the small stool category in his ledger. He wrote down the beastman’s name and, for quantity, entered 150:

“Let’s do it as you say. You make 150 this month for inspection. If all is well, I’ll issue further orders next month.”

He tore off a request slip and filled in the details again. He stamped it and said,

“Take this to the Household Office (Hu Si) and collect half the materials now. The rest you’ll get when delivering the completed stools.”

As the giant deer beastman stepped out of the Yi Si gate, several other horned beastmen—likely in their twenties—gathered around him expectantly.

Holding the slip aloft, the deer beastman beamed,

“Our goods have been approved by the Great Priest!”

The others squeezed in around him:

“Brilliant! Finally a real order!”

Some other beastmen waiting outside approached.

“Need wood for making tables?”

“We can chop whatever kind you need!”

Not everyone in the city had a craft. Many Yi Di beastmen arrived later and still hadn’t learned handicraft skills.

But even without skills, they had strength. To fill these orders, raw materials were needed—and that’s what they could provide.

“Yes, we do need wood.” The deer beastman thought for a moment, then detailed the types, diameters, and quantities required. “Be sure—if the wood isn’t right, I won’t accept it.”

The horned beastmen patted their chests, grinning confidently,

“Understood—won’t be a problem!”

With official orders in hand, they each fetched carts and hurried home. Since snow hadn’t yet fallen, they wanted to cut as much wood as possible before travel became harder.

Within an hour, several batches had formed—each beastman now equipped with an order slip and in negotiations at the gate.

Sensing Lang Ze’s watching eyes, She Li seized a break in Qi Bai’s attention and coughed lightly:

“Great Priest, I’ve learned the process. Why not assign the next tasks to me?”

“Done.” Qi Bai didn’t hesitate and handed her the position.

If anyone understood city pricing best, it was She Li. She was perfect for it—and already familiar with the standard prices.

Previously, caravans simply placed orders with street shops. This was the first time Qi Bai attempted competitive offers with scattered craft workers—and She Li was first to model it.

That didn’t mean Qi Bai could relax. He called the workshop heads and Yun An into the adjacent meeting room.

The room was more orderly; Qi Bai didn’t need to help take notes. As responsible heads of Hei Yao’s workshops, they were all adept at writing and calculations.

“Although the parts are divided among your workshops,” Qi Bai said, “remember: you are producing one complete product. All parts must be inspected strictly according to the sample we issued.”

Hei Yao had received many orders at the Sacred Mountain Market, but the bulk were tents—what Qi Bai needed them to craft now.

Tents weren’t intricate items—they needed easy assembly and durability. Too many small parts would make them fragile or difficult to set up.

But this didn’t make them easy. On the contrary: if parts needed to be replaceable, they required uniform standards—just like manufacturing on Lan Xing.

So even though Qi Bai split the tents into parts, each part had a fixed workshop lead.

Everyone nodded and took thorough notes.

Qi Bai reminded Yun An:

“Felting is something everyone can do. Work with the village heads to assign more work there.”

“Understood.” Yun An nodded.

“I’ll head out to the outskirts this afternoon.”

With everything organized, Qi Bai realized he’d forgotten something… and looked back to see Lang Ze’s tight lips and the swirling dark aura filling the room.

Oops. He had planned to bring Lang Ze along to divert attention—but had become so engrossed he almost forgot the most important thing.

He padded over to Lang Ze and winked—but Lang Ze looked even more unsettled.

Qi Bai’s instincts were right—Lang Ze didn’t realize how strong his possessiveness had become. He wanted to keep Qi Bai encircled in his beast form, with no one else near.

But he knew that wasn’t right: Qi Bai was his partner, yes—but also Hei Yao’s Great Priest. He couldn’t hide Qi Bai from view.

Under Qi Bai’s pleadingly shining eyes, Lang Ze had to admit—Qi Bai was right. He was indeed a little unwell.

His self-reflection wasn’t finished, though—because the eyes looking at him were quietly glinting… in a… predatory manner.

Qi Bai let out a soft laugh and covered his mouth.

“This is… kinda embarrassing.”

In that moment, Lang Ze’s tempest vanished. Smiling, he asked, “What were you thinking?”

Qi Bai shook his head mischievously.

“I would never say… but seeing your… eyes, my mind wandered from a nursery to… impossible places.” He caught himself. “No, that’s not for talking about.”

Although he had teased things up, Qi Bai had realized: trying to divert Lang Ze’s attention using Yi Si tasks wasn’t realistic—it risked getting real.

Luckily, Qi Bai had a backup.

When they returned home, they found bamboo stacked by the door—the gift of Bao Yue and Zhu Ya.

Lang Ze asked,

“What are you doing with that?”

That bamboo was Qi Bai’s backup—a diversion within their household.

He sat on the living-room carpet, hands miming:

“A long tall basket on top, a sturdy base at the bottom—strong enough to hold it, yet gentle enough to rock.”

Lang Ze’s instinct clicked:

“For the cub’s crib?”

Correct. Qi Bai planned to build a baby cradle.

Though a beastman cub was sturdy—and might soon outgrow it—having a crib would let Qi Bai safely sleep with the cub without fear of accidentally crushing it.

Lang Ze retrieved his bone knife.

“These bamboo poles are heavy—I’ll handle splitting them.” He sliced them into fine strips.

Qi Bai didn’t touch the bone knife—but busied himself with needle and thread and fabrics, working right alongside him.

Besides the crib, they had many tasks: bedding, clothes, feeding bowl—simple but requiring great patience.

Miraculously, Wolf Ze’s mood calmed with that task. Qi Bai too grew accustomed to carrying a little life within.

After Yi Si work was assigned each month, only a few days saw busy deliveries. Once She Li and her team were efficient, Qi Bai and Lang Ze could drop it from their plate.

They focused on this, and after half a month of work, created a satisfactory crib.

They covered it with soft padding and sat face-to-face before the little bed, watching it sway gently.

Qi Bai tenderly rubbed his belly. In that moment, he felt the truth: soon, he would truly be a father.

Time flew—and before they knew it, the year-end came.

That afternoon, the City Lord’s Mansion buzzed with life.

Fifty-four people from the Black Mountain tribe came—but none arrived empty-handed. Some carried meat, others sacks of flour. Even the youngest, a small deer named Xia, carried a bag of sugar-coated apricots—her favorite snack, to share with companions.

It was Hei Yao’s Winter Festival. If the Autumn Festival celebrated harvest city-wide, Winter Festival was families closed indoors celebrating together.

Each year, the Black Mountain folk gathered for a hearty New Year’s feast.

Of course, more than the original fifty-four came. There were over ten more cubs along, and with spouses included—more than seventy people in total.

Wolf Ze, along with Hu Qiao and Xi Zhou, dismantled the four doors of the reception hall. They opened up space connecting the guest hall to the kitchen and living room—making one wide space.

Fireplaces blazed. Cublets ran barefoot in the room while adults set up long boards, facing each other to make dumplings.

Qi Bai, as the only “pregnant husband” this year, was playfully shooed by Hu Xue:

“Go play—making dumplings is no work!”

Now Qi Bai understood why pregnant beastmen never seemed idle—because they didn’t really suffer like human pregnancy. He’d eaten and slept well these months; unlike others, he hadn’t thrown up once.

He even wondered if his small belly was from the cub—or from too many delicious meals from Wolf Ze.

Seeing he had nothing else to do, Qi Bai sat on the sofa. He waved sweets at the cubs, who came running, short paws bouncing.

But when they dashed to the coffee table—the sofa Qi Bai vanished.

The little snow leopard felt a strange flutter in his chest.

My big boy… I shouldn’t doubt you. You sure pick the best timing.

Author’s Note:

Still not born! Still not born!

Chapter 367 – Extra 1: Life in Hei Yao

Qi Bai felt a flutter of nervousness—this was, after all, his first time carrying offspring.

But he quickly noticed someone else in his household was even more on edge.

After they returned from the cave, Lang Ze vividly demonstrated what it meant to “be too fragile to touch.” Qi Bai woke in the morning to find Lang Ze trailing him like an overgrown pup. When Qi Bai sat up, Lang Ze handed him clothes. When Qi Bai brushed his teeth, Lang Ze stood guard outside the door. When Qi Bai cooked… well, Lang Ze took over the household’s three daily meals entirely. Even Su Jian and the others were politely “rejected” when they offered to help.

In short: aside from eating—Qi Bai had to chew himself—Lang Ze would’ve done everything for him if he could.

At first, Qi Bai simply thought Lang Ze was nervous about becoming a father too. But after three or four days of this, things began to seem off.

Watching Lang Ze’s calm expression—which seemed utterly unchanged—a phrase suddenly popped up in Qi Bai’s mind:

Could it be prenatal depression?

“No.”

Qi Bai was stunned by this self-diagnosis of prenatal depression, but Lang Ze shook his head firmly.

His partner was about to give birth. It was a time when he shouldn’t be bumping into things or catching colds. Giving birth was dangerous enough—how could he be ill at such a crucial time?

…Diagnosis confirmed: it was prenatal depression.

Qi Bai’s mind raced. Why was Lang Ze so anxious?

He thought it through: Hei Yao now had an obstetric ward, something never seen in the beast world before. Not only were there healers, but priests took turns blessing the newborns. As Hei Yao’s Great Priest, Qi Bai naturally helped at the temple.

From Qi Bai’s perspective, even with medical resources lower than on Lan Xing, giving birth among beastmen was already much safer now. Most half-beastwomen could deliver on their own; the real challenge was raising the offspring. That said, danger remained: dystocia (difficult birth) could still occur—even though rare, among immobilized populations over time it became a frightening statistic. Lang Ze had seen such cases firsthand—he understood how difficult birth could be and how high the stakes.

No matter what the medical label was—prenatal depression or not—the bottom line was that Lang Ze was in no condition to handle stress, and needed something to shift his focus.

Qi Bai curled up on the sofa and tried to reason with him:

“You see? Everyone else gave birth so casually. When Shu Lin had her cub, she transformed back into human right after and went to work!”

Lang Ze expertly seized on the wrong point:

“You can’t work before or after giving birth.”

To make sure Qi Bai took it seriously, Lang Ze added:

“That was your policy.”

…Yes. That policy was indeed from Qi Bai himself.

“No—what I’m saying is not can you work before giving birth. The point is giving birth is easy.” Qi Bai said indignantly.

“I’m a half-beastman. Birth is natural for me.”

Lang Ze chuckled.

“Yeah, yeah. You’re the best.”

Qi Bai raised his chin.

“So stop watching over me every day! What about affairs in the city—are you going to manage those or not?”

Lang Ze answered coolly:

“Nothing major happened in the city recently. City defense and the martial bureau’s daily tasks are handled by Ma Ling and Lang Ji; the rest are managed by Monkey Yan and Deer Yan. They can handle everything themselves.”

Qi Bai raised an eyebrow—until he glanced at the fur rug and slapped his thigh:

“You’re fine, but I have work to do!”

“We accepted so many orders from Beast God City, but haven’t started any production. If we don’t get moving, we’ll miss the delivery date.”

Qi Bai grabbed Lang Ze’s hand and whined:

“It takes three months before the cub is born. I can’t just stay at home three months, I’ll go stir-crazy.”

“All right,” Lang Ze acquiesced.

“I’ll go with you.”

That was exactly Qi Bai’s plan. He sprang up, rummaged through the study, and found the bookkeeping ledgers he’d used at the Sacred Mountain Market.

Just as he reached out, he inadvertently transformed into his beast form again.

Lang Ze rescued the little snow leopard from the fur coat, frowning at the squirming cub:

“It’s inconvenient to keep switching forms. Keep the beast form for the trip to Yi Si—when we arrive, you’ll change back.”

Temperatures changed throughout the week following the autumn festival, and soon everyone switched to winter clothing.

Outside the Sacrificial Hall timer sat a small table, beside a brazier of boiling water. Passing beastmen greeted respectfully:

“Yang Luo Jisi.”

Yang Luo’s ears poked through his fur, reddened, but his expression was unusually upbeat:

“On your way to work?”

The Sacrificial Hall sat at the center of the plaza. People walking to workshops—east and west—passed by regularly.

A half-beastman chuckled:

“Yes.”

Yang Luo nodded:

“Thanks to the Great Priest, you still have work this winter. Don’t let him worry about you.”

“That’s right,” another said quickly, “especially since the Great Priest is still carrying a cub. We mustn’t let him overthink things.”

At last, Yang Luo said slowly:

“You fools. It’s been seven years—these two couple only now have a cub. Everyone thought you couldn’t have kids. So naturally, everyone must know—and celebrate. Only then can the cub grow strong.”

He threw a look at Lang Ze, half in teasing, half in respect.

Indeed, Yang Luo had set up tea out front today just to spread word. Otherwise he wouldn’t have been out there freezing.

“Meow! Meow!” the cub complained—not a fan of public praise.

Though it couldn’t understand beast tongue, Yang Luo understood Qi Bai’s meaning instantly:

Qi Bai may be educated, but clueless about pregnancy. And in the beast world, not conceiving meant being devoid of divine blessing.

Qi Bai, losing in the cultural clash, turned and stuck his backside out in protest.

“Those two are a pair,” Qi Bai thought; “no wonder Wolf Ze said it’s inconvenient to go out in beast form.”

Lang Ze scratched his nose. He wasn’t in cahoots with Yang Luo—though who could resist subtle bragging about their mate and cub?

But Lang Ze did understand Yang Luo’s intention: on this continent where fertility was glory, a childless couple could be seen as unblessed. He didn’t care, but better avoid that misconception.

At that moment, several beastmen strolled past, and Yang Luo turned his attention to them—and the cub’s wagging tail distracted Lang Ze enough that he didn’t continue teasing.

Lang Ze led the cub to the Yi Si (administrative house). There, Qi Bai hurried to the next room and changed into his robes. He nudged Lang Ze with his nose—“No tricks. This is my civil form.”

Yun An and Sun Qing were there too. After a brief discussion, they decided to start work tomorrow. Yun An and Sun Qing grabbed some paper and quickly posted recruitment notices.

Just as Qi Bai and Lang Ze got ready to head home, Zhu Ya and Bao Yue pulled up two carts loaded with bamboo.

Qi Bai approached:

“Do you have trade goods?”

“Yes,” Yun An joked. “They’ve been busy earning supplies. I’m guessing they’re close to coming of age—hoping to find a partner soon.”

Bao Yue ignored Yun An. She shifted to human form, tapped the cart, and said matter-of-factly:

“We’re picking up the bamboo ordered by the weaver’s workshop. They’ll come to collect soon. If you want some, Bao Bai-gege, we can chop more tomorrow.”

Qi Bai grinned:

“Sure. But I don’t need much—just half a cart is enough.”

Author’s Note:

Bad news: Someone has prenatal depression.

Good news: It’s not the pregnant husband.