Chapter 188 - (Part 3)

Qi Bai caught up with Ma Ling. The hunting squad had been back for half a day already, and he still hadn’t had the chance to ask about Red Bird Island.

When he finally asked, Ma Ling said, “There were fewer of them. We had to work really hard just to catch enough for two carts. The island barely has any birds left now.”

Qi Bai’s eyes lit up. Good. Less is better.

Early the next morning, the Ju Feng Tribe arrived at the tribal gates, carrying over a dozen large beasts on their backs.

It was the third day since Qi Bai and Lang Ze had confirmed their trade agreement with Ju Feng. Clearly, the Ju Feng clanspeople had been itching to seal the deal and couldn’t wait to start.

Qi Bai tilted his head back, looking up at the towering giants. Even though he’d seen beast-shaped giant beastmen before, it was still awe-inspiring.

Honestly? You couldn’t blame the Ju Feng people for not making tools — their beast forms were so efficient they barely needed them.

Qi Bai and Lang Ze handed over the salt to the female lead of the Ju Feng party, just as they’d agreed. After sending the giants on their way, they immediately began planning the next stage of their operations.

First, they assembled a mining team to head toward the Crimson Mountains. This group would be led by Niu Xi and Niu Cheng, and included 30 horned beastmen selected from the tribe. Their goal? To dig up at least 20 cartloads of iron ore.

After that, Qi Bai and Lang Ze returned to the tribe and gathered the young cubs at the entrance of the stone sheep pen.

“Is everyone ready?” Qi Bai asked, looking back at the bunch of eager little faces.

“Awooo!” “We’re ready!”

The horned beast cubs had shifted into their animal forms, while the sub-beast cubs were waving miniature bamboo bows. Everyone was seriously excited about what was coming next: their new job — herding sheep.

Honestly, if the cubs stayed idle much longer, they’d start climbing the walls. They needed structure, and Qi Bai decided this was the perfect job for them.

The four-eared sheep in the pen had mellowed out significantly after being penned up for so long. Most of their wild instincts had faded. And with Chuan Chuan — their head sheep — leading them, Qi Bai was confident the cubs could manage them.

The vast green meadow stretched out like an endless ocean.

The four-eared sheep scattered across it like drifting clouds — clustering and dispersing, constantly shifting in shape.

If the sheep could talk, they’d probably be screaming, “Do you know what we’ve been through this past year?! We’re finally free to run again!”

Qi Bai reached out and rubbed Chuan Chuan’s big fluffy head. “Go on — have fun.”

“Baaa~” Chuan Chuan let out a soft bleat and, in true drama-king fashion, flopped against Qi Bai affectionately with his oversized body.

But before he ran off, he nudged a pregnant little ewe toward Qi Bai, almost like he was asking him to watch her.

Qi Bai chuckled. “Alright, alright. I’ll keep an eye on your wife.”

Just then, two strong four-eared sheep suddenly broke through the invisible boundary the cubs had drawn with their presence and made a run for it.

“Baaa~!” Chuan Chuan reared up on his hind legs and tore off in that direction.

But even faster than Chuan Chuan, a flash of white shot past him — Lang Ze in his beast form.

In the blink of an eye, Lang Ze was already in front of the rogue sheep, effortlessly herding them back into place.

Qi Bai stood on the slope, laughing so hard he nearly cried.

What did I say? A shepherd wolf is better than a shepherd dog!