Chapter 181

Maybe because of the two previous failed pursuits, Qi Bai wasn’t all that surprised that Lang Ze and Hu Qiao didn’t find any trace of the Gale Tribe.

That evening, when everyone returned to the tribe, Yang Luo immediately became alert upon hearing the news.

“Did you guys make too much noise and alert them?”

The tribe members had just come back from the fields and were about to eat. When they heard Yang Luo’s question, Hu Qiao ran over to him with his bowl in hand and shook his head:

“Priest Yang Luo, I’m the best tracker in the tribe. Even if it wasn’t me, Lang Ze was with me. How could he let me make noise?”

It really was undeniable—some people are born with talent. Hu Qiao was one of those gifted types. Even many wolf tribe beastmen who’d been trained since childhood weren’t learning as fast as he was in just a year.

Because of this, Hu Qiao was actually a bit excited. Didn’t this prove how good the enemy was at hiding? He’d never encountered an opponent like this before. Instead of fear, he was looking forward to the next encounter.

With a face full of excitement, Hu Qiao said, “I wonder when they’ll come again. Next time, I’ll definitely find them!”

Yang Luo’s eyebrows shot up in frustration. He grabbed his bear bone staff and started chasing after Hu Qiao to beat him.

“You want them to come? Don’t we already have enough problems in the tribe? You’re asking for a beating!”

Hu Qiao ran while shielding his bowl and pleaded, “I didn’t mean it like that! Stop hitting me! Stop!”

The fact that Hu Qiao could joke around with the priest, and that the other tribe members cheered from the sidelines, was proof that the relationships among them had grown closer.

Compared to when they first arrived at Heishan, Hu Qiao wouldn’t even dare speak to Qi Bai, let alone the priest. Qi Bai actually thought it was a good thing he had the guts to play around now.

While watching the lively scene, Qi Bai shoveled a couple bites of food into his mouth and said,

“After we eat, let’s go check in on Hou Su’s place.”

Lang Ze, holding a giant bamboo bowl that could almost be called a basin, had just refilled it with wild vegetables. He asked,

“Hou Su’s ballista is done?”

“Should be close. A few days ago, Ci Yi came looking for me about it, but we were busy farming then, so I didn’t get a chance to go check.”

Regardless of how the Gale Tribe felt about them, one thing was certain: there were indeed other tribes nearby. The Heishan Tribe had lived here for over a year and never noticed them.

That was unsettling to think about. But now that Hou Su’s ballista was finished, Qi Bai figured it was a good time to strengthen the tribe’s defenses.

When Qi Bai and Lang Ze arrived at Hou Su’s home, they saw a small table set on the heated bed platform.

Hot food was served in small ceramic dishes, paired with a round ceramic cup. Hou Su sat there with squinted eyes, clearly enjoying his dinner.

Ever since the tribe began eating communal meals, there were no more resource distributions every ten days. Ci Yi had been picking up their meals at the scheduled times, so the food on Hou Su’s table was the same as everyone else’s.

But just as people rely on clothing, food benefits from presentation too. The same food looked much tastier when served in fine dishes. Hou Su, sitting behind the little table, looked like a pampered landlord.

Seeing Qi Bai and Lang Ze enter, Hou Su raised his eyebrows smugly. “You’re here.”

Lang Ze glanced at him without a word and walked straight toward the ballista in the center of the room.

Thanks to Qi Bai’s pig bladder glue, many of the mechanical ideas Hou Su had previously considered impossible could now be tested. The ballista was already in a very complete form.

Lang Ze lightly tested the mechanisms. It was obvious the ballista felt far better crafted than the wood furniture Hu Huo made—just the feel of it was leagues ahead.

Qi Bai sat down at the edge of the kang and looked at the now plumper Hou Su.

“Have you tested the ballista? How far can it shoot?”

Hou Su paused. “Shooting distance”? Should he know what that is?

It was only now that Hou Su realized—he’d been so focused on making the ballista big and beautiful (also because it was too heavy for just him and Ci Yi to move, and he didn’t want others in his house), that he had never actually tested it outside.

Not wanting to admit this, Hou Su cleared his throat and said,

“My ballista isn’t something just anyone can look at.”

“Oh,” Qi Bai replied casually. “So it might not actually work.”

Hou Su straightened up. “How could it not? I’ve checked every mechanism. They all work perfectly.”

Qi Bai tilted his head, “But a ballista isn’t just for show. If it can’t shoot far, then it’s useless.”

Hou Su put down his chopsticks, now understanding the point.

“My ballista can definitely shoot far. Let’s test it now if you don’t believe me!”

Even after sunset, the Heishan tribe remained lively.

Many sub-beastmen sat along the walls of the main road with large vine baskets, chatting while processing food gathered earlier that day.

Some peeled bamboo shoots to be dried and stored. Others sorted fresh greens for tomorrow’s breakfast.

No one was idle—some helped Xiong Feng build the new kitchen, while others chopped wood with Hu Huo, the sound of axes echoing in the distance.

When Lang Ze and a few horned beastmen carried the man-sized ballista down the road, everyone turned to look.

“What is that? It’s beautiful!”

“I don’t know. Oh wait, look—it’s that beastman who lives on the edge of the village.”

“Oh! That’s the one who only eats and doesn’t work. First time I’ve seen his face!”

Hou Su initially felt proud hearing people talk about him, but that quickly turned sour.

“Only eats and doesn’t work”? He was doing important work! Could any of them make a ballista like this?

He slowed his pace and loudly said,

“My ballista is extremely powerful! Make sure to find a spacious spot or someone might get hurt!”

Qi Bai had been thinking the same. He guessed the shooting range might be under 500 meters, but range wasn’t the only issue—accuracy mattered more.

The tribe was full of people and houses. One misfire at night could be disastrous.

So Qi Bai gave up on testing it along the main road and had Lang Ze shift directions.

Lu Guo and Niu Xu were shaping clay in the pottery house when they saw people with torches heading toward the kiln area.

Lu Guo wiped his hands. “What are they up to?”

Because of the larger stoves in the new kitchen, they needed bigger clay pots. Lu Guo and Niu Xu had opted to mold pots at night, working by torchlight after finishing the day’s farming and gathering.

Some kids—Bao Xing and the others—saw the light from the pottery house and came running.

“There’s a new weapon! Brother Bao Bai and them are going to test it by the stone goat pens!”

Qi Bai’s precautions made sense—those kids were basically the tribe’s broadcasters. Within moments, everyone not already working knew something big was going on.

The stone goat pens near the kiln were far from the pottery and ironworks, making them a safe place to test the weapon. If the shot missed, it would just hit the stone wall—no big deal.

Hu Qiao scratched his ear. “How do you use this thing?”

Ci Yi emerged from the shadows holding a few thick arrows. “I’ll show you.”

He tightened the bowstring into the groove and placed the arrow into the preset firing track.

Hu Qiao’s eyes widened. “That’s it?”

Ci Yi nodded. It was his first time using the full-size ballista too, but he understood how it worked. He’d even made small crossbows himself and had hunted wild rabbits and rats with them outside the tribe.

But hitting prey was never easy, even with sights. Often the noise from the arrow scared them off, and the results weren’t worth the effort. Shape-shifting to beast form was more efficient.

So he fully supported Qi Bai’s choice of a secluded test site—he knew the ballista was dangerous.

Ci Yi pointed to a mechanism at the back.

“Once I lower this wooden piece, the arrow will fly out.”

Lang Ze raised a hand to signal everyone to retreat. Once they were all safely behind the stone pens, he nodded to Ci Yi: “Go ahead.”

Night had fallen. Even with torches raised high, only the outline of the ballista could be seen—no one could track the arrow.

But everyone felt the tension and power.

With a click, Ci Yi released the mechanism.

A second later—thud! A muffled boom.

As Yang Luo hesitated about stepping forward, Hu Qiao shouted,

“It’s stuck in the wood!”

Everyone rushed to the big tree and saw a long wooden arrow buried deep in the trunk.

Yang Luo instinctively clutched his chest. If that hit a beastman, even one in beast form, he wasn’t sure he could save them.

Lang Ze stepped forward, gripped the arrow with one hand, and had to use considerable strength to pull it out.

And this wasn’t even a modified arrowhead. If barbs were added, the power would be terrifying.

“That’s incredible!”

“Let me see!”

Tribe members gathered around the ballista, touching it like it was sacred.

Even the strong Xiong Feng couldn’t guarantee he could drive a wooden arrow that deep and still have it intact afterward.

Everyone understood the weapon’s potential—especially Lang Ze.

Under the tree, only Lang Ze, Hou Su, and a few others remained.

Lang Ze toyed with the arrow and said,

“From today onward, every fifteen days, you’ll submit one of these weapons to the tribe. Each one will earn you food for the next fifteen days.”

The ballista was great—but just one wasn’t enough.

Lang Ze had already envisioned them lining the tribe walls. When that day came, Heishan would be an iron fortress—no one would dare approach.

Hou Su, previously smug, was stunned. “That’s not fair! You recruited me and already promised my rewards!”

“We agreed that you’d make weapons, and we’d give you food, support, and rewards,” Qi Bai said with a smile. “But you’ve been here 200 days and made just one weapon. Heishan doesn’t keep useless beastmen. If you want to stay and be treated well, prove your worth.”

Though Qi Bai was smiling, Hou Su felt a chill behind it.

He swallowed hard. Qi Bai was right. He’d gotten complacent, assuming the tribe needed his weapons, so he hadn’t put in full effort.

Ever since finishing the ballista, he just circled it every day instead of working on new weapons.

After all, he was well-fed and housed. Why suffer?

“Oh, and one more thing,” Qi Bai added.

“You’ve seen the tribe’s carts, right? Find a way to put wheels on the bottom of that ballista.”