Chapter 159

Chapter 159

Ma Liang’s mother-father was the old sub-beastman Ma Qian. He lifted his eyelids slightly. “Why are you asking about that?

Ma Liang forced a smile. “Well, I need to know in advance whether Chong will be used, so I can make preparations.”

Ma Chong was Ma Liang’s partner. They had been together since their time in the Xishui tribe, and even after arriving in Heishan, they hadn’t separated.

But before Ma Liang could say much more, Ma Qian grabbed an empty bamboo cup nearby and threw it at Ma Liang’s back.

Ma Liang was stunned. “Mother-father, why did you hit me?”

“Why?” Ma Qian glared at him. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking.”

Not all beastmen were blunt and straightforward—some were quite cunning.

Take Ma Liang for example. Instead of staying at his own house, he came to his mother-father’s to fish for information.

And what information was he trying to get? Of course, he wanted to know how the horned beastmen would be selected for the upcoming expedition.

Although the Xishui tribe didn’t organize major hunts, Ma Liang had observed the daily ones.

No matter when, the old tribal chief Ma Sheng never took all the horned beastmen away; someone always had to stay behind to guard the tribe. Otherwise, if only sub-beastmen and young cubs were left and a wild beast attacked, they’d become its food.

So Ma Liang actually understood that some horned beastmen would be left behind for this hunt. His question was really a way to find out how to ensure Chong stayed behind.

As for why he asked his mother-father—it was because Ma Qian was older and couldn’t do heavy labor. He often worked beside the priest Yang Luo doing lighter tasks.

So Ma Qian might’ve overheard something from Yang Luo or Zhu Zhu about the hunting team.

Ma Liang didn’t dodge the issue anymore and spoke directly: “Do you have any reliable info? Please don’t let Chong go with the hunting team. You know what happened last year—Ma Song and Ma Tian barely made it back alive. And with weather like this, if Chong goes out, he might not return.”

Ma Qian pointed at Ma Liang’s nose and angrily asked, “Have you said this to anyone else?”

Seeing his mother-father genuinely angry, Ma Liang softened his tone. “Of course not. I’m only saying this to you because you’re my mother-father.”

Ma Qian sighed in relief. At least he wasn’t completely stupid.

The Ma clan had over a hundred people. Though they all lived in Heishan now, they weren’t fully accepted as members of the Heishan tribe yet. Ma Qian saw Yang Luo recording everyone’s work points every day, so he hadn’t forgotten: when they first arrived, the priest and tribal chief made it clear that one had to earn 100 work points to officially join the tribe.

And 100 points wasn’t the only requirement. Just look at pig-tooth and Niu Lu’s kids. They were originally from the Heishan tribe but were still punished for mistakes. So for outsiders like them, there was even less tolerance.

Any sub-beastman who didn’t work properly, or horned beastman who refused to hunt—by spring, they might be denied entry into the tribe. That would truly be a dead end.

Ma Qian didn’t know what it meant to sacrifice long-term benefits for short-term comfort. He just thought his child was foolish—choosing to stir up trouble instead of enjoying this rare stable life.

That hunting captain, Lang Ze, didn’t seem easy to deal with. If he found out a horned beastman was trying to avoid the hunt, Ma Qian feared the consequences.

He glanced at the foal in Ma Liang’s arms. Ma Liang offered the baby to him.

Ma Qian rubbed the foal’s neck and said coldly, “Don’t ever say that again, not even to me. Don’t let anyone else hear you. Why can everyone else go hunting, but Ma Chong can’t?”

Ma Liang grew anxious. Tears fell. “It’s not that he can’t go. But if he does, what will happen to me and the baby? If he dies, how can I raise the child alone?”

Ma Qian rolled his eyes. “There are many sub-beastmen in the tribe raising children alone. Why can’t you?”

“I’m afraid,” Ma Liang sobbed harder. “Our first child was taken by wolves, the second died in an earthquake. This is our third. I want him to grow up. Only if his father survives can he bring back meat to feed him. Otherwise, how can he grow strong? Even if I take another partner, they won’t feed my child.”

Ma Qian liked Ma Liang’s baby, but he would never promise to help raise it.

Beastmen didn’t have strong family ties. Most cubs left their parents after reaching adulthood to live independently. After that, they had to find their own food.

Even if they were starving, their parents had no obligation to help. In a place where even adults struggled to survive, raising a child to adulthood was already a feat—especially if they had younger siblings to feed too.

Ma Liang was nearly thirty, and Ma Qian still looked after him from time to time. That was rare in the tribe and showed how close they were.

Ma Qian only had Ma Liang as a grown child. He couldn’t even remember Ma Liang’s father’s face. They’d only spent one winter together. When Ma Qian gave birth, that horned beastman brought him a freshly calved cow. He seemed tall and strong, but he died soon after in a hunt.

Looking at Ma Liang’s thin, long face, Ma Qian thought he resembled that man.

Softening a little, he sighed. “I found out about the spring hunt the same time you did. Priest Yang Luo never mentioned it before.”

Not only that—just the day before, Yang Luo had seemed completely relaxed, even chatting on the babies’ bed.

Ma Qian thought: This is what it means to be a priest. Even with something this serious, he wasn’t worried at all. If it were me, I’d be freaking out days ago.

But what Ma Qian didn’t know was that Yang Luo didn’t look calm because he was in control. He had only learned the news himself yesterday morning and didn’t even realize he’d caused trouble.

Compared to Ma Liang, Ma Qian saw things more clearly: “You have to let Ma Chong go hunting. Not only go, but perform well. The more food he brings back, the bigger his share when they return.”

Ma Liang muttered unwillingly, “Why do they have to hunt now? Why not wait until spring?”

Ma Qian sighed and explained, “Let me put it this way. I’ve lived many years, and I’ve never seen snowfall like this or a winter this long. When we lived in Xishui, we always got less food than now, and even then we went hungry at the end of winter. I bet the tribe is running low on food.”

“So don’t think about avoiding the hunt. If you wait until there’s no food left, you might not find prey at all, even if you’re desperate.”

Meanwhile…

After Niu Shuo and the others left, Qi Bai began helping Lang Ze pack. This wasn’t Lang Ze’s first winter expedition, and the two worked in sync, quickly securing the baskets to the saddles.

Even though Qi Bai thought the conditions outside were harsh, he believed Lang Ze could protect himself. He bumped Lang Ze’s shoulder. “Check if we forgot anything.”

Lang Ze half-shook his head, then whispered something in Qi Bai’s ear.

Qi Bai’s ears turned red. “What’s wrong with you? You’re leaving tomorrow and still thinking about that?”

Lang Ze looked innocent. “Yeah, I am thinking about that.”

And not just thinking—he acted on it.

Lang Ze picked up Qi Bai half-lifting him. Qi Bai instinctively wrapped his legs around Lang Ze’s waist.

Qi Bai was exasperated. He was nearly six feet tall, and Lang Ze handled him like a toy. It really opened Qi Bai’s eyes—so many things he hadn’t even dared to imagine… were actually possible.

Next Morning

No matter how wild the night had been, Qi Bai still had to wake up early and help Lang Ze prepare for the hunt.

He and Hu Huo dismantled the sled boards.

Yes, dismantled them. There were over 50 sleds in the tribe, but they couldn’t take them all as-is. That would slow the team and stretch them too thin in the snow.

So they had to take the boards apart, tie them to other sleds, and reassemble them later once they caught prey.

Qi Bai also supervised the loading and tying down of food supplies.

Lang Ze was in charge of gathering the hunters.

The team was made up of 100 horned beastmen that Lang Ze had hand-picked. The rest stayed behind to guard the tribe.

The selected warriors rushed home, grabbed their gear and baskets, and assembled quickly in the central square.

And not just them—everyone in Heishan tribe showed up. Even the newborn cubs were there, peeking out from fur coats, wide-eyed at the excitement.

Every hunter in the center wore expressions of excitement.

It had been too long since a proper hunt. Their hands itched for combat. Especially the wolf warriors—ten years of suppressed aggression was ready to burst forth in this expedition.

They bumped elbows, clapped shoulders, their expressions more like travelers heading to a feast than a dangerous snowfield.

They weren’t going anywhere pleasant—but that didn’t stop others from envying them.

Ma Shu stood at the edge with other clan members.

Eyes red, he pounded his chest angrily. He blamed himself for being weak—falling into an icy pit and getting sick, missing out on the hunt. It frustrated him to no end.

Beside him, Ma Ling also watched the team with envy. He hadn’t gotten sick, but Lang Ze had personally asked him to stay behind.

Why? Because Ma Ling was sharp and reliable. Lang Ze wanted him to assist Qi Bai with tribe matters while the team was gone.

Nearby stood the hunters’ partners and children.

Yang Ling gazed tearfully at Huan Ping, while Shu Lin waved a carefree fist to cheer on Xiong Feng. This wasn’t the first time their mates went out, and it wouldn’t be the last. They believed they’d return safely.

Even though Ma Liang was still worried after talking to his mother-father, he kept a calm face, holding his baby quietly by Ma Qian’s side.

Once everyone gathered, Priest Yang Luo, wearing a feather crown, slowly walked to the raised platform before the hunting party.

Only Qi Bai and three others knew about the food shortage. So when Yang Luo appeared, the crowd fell silent, trusting him completely.

Tribe leader Hou Yan stepped forward to the front of the hunters.

Yang Luo closed his eyes, lifted his chin, and raised both hands above his head.

His chant wasn’t loud, but the slightly hoarse voice reached every beastman’s ears.

As all fell into the priest’s rhythm, the light snow that had been falling since the night before gradually stopped, and sunlight pierced through the clouds.

It felt like even nature was responding to Yang Luo’s blessing. Qi Bai heard the people around him gasp in awe.

Then Yang Luo shouted: “Beast God bless Heishan Tribe!”

“Beast God bless Heishan Tribe!”

“Beast God bless!” “Heishan Tribe!”

Their roaring voices shook snow from the treetops and broke apart the last cloud covering the sun.

With awe-inspiring momentum, the hundred-man hunting team, pulling twenty sleds, surged out of the main gate.

Qi Bai, Niu Xi, and others heaved the wooden gate shut behind them.

Now, there was no more time to worry about the hunting team.

They had their own work to do.