Chapter 224

The little snow leopard lay sprawled across the giant wolf’s head. From afar, he could already see the endless tents set up by the banks of the Xishui River. He stretched lazily, fished out his fur cloak from the saddle, and began preparing for the meeting with the other tribes.

At the same time, the orcs from the three tribes—Zhanxiong, Julu, and Yungu—also spotted the approaching Heishan tribe.

During the days Lang Ze had been away from Heishan, Zhanxiong had already met with Julu and Yungu.

In preparation for the coming upheavals, the three tribes hadn’t rushed to claim territories in the north. Instead, they had temporarily camped by the Xishui River.

But even though all of them already knew the Heishan tribe was powerful, and that its horned beastmen were formidable, when they saw the scene before them, they still couldn’t help but blink hard, wondering if their eyes were deceiving them.

What were those things? Wood? How could any tree trunk be that thick? And how were the Heishan horned beastmen able to drag such massive timbers forward so effortlessly?

Before they could get a clear look—

One, two, three… dozens of wagons in an immense convoy advanced toward them in perfect formation, step by steady step.

The beastmen were struck dumb, their mouths hanging open. Several who had been walking forward ran straight into tent poles, dazed, without even noticing.

At this moment, “shocked” was far too weak a word for what they felt.

Only two figures managed to maintain some semblance of composure.

The first was Lu Yan. He had already seen the exquisite saddle Lang Ze carried on his back. Whether it was the bamboo basket or the little wooden nest strapped to it, both had startled him once before. Of course, Lu Yan’s nature was always restrained, so it was natural that he didn’t show much on his face.

The other was Yungu’s chieftain, Yun Tan.

Yun Tan was a mild-looking sub-beastman. Though he was already seventy or eighty years old, he remained spirited, his back straight, carrying a calm steadiness few younger beastmen possessed.

Running his hand across the back of his own, he recalled: with the strength of barely a hundred, the Heishan tribe had chased the Sanghuo tribe’s six hundred. And now, such massive tools again.

Just how much frightening power did the Heishan tribe possess—power they could not even reach?

With this shock, their attitude toward the Heishan tribe grew even more cautious.

This time, the Heishan tribe had sent out seventy wagons. Although only the front ten had actual compartments, the sight was already grand enough.

Ma Ling was quite satisfied with the reaction of the Zhanxiong and other tribes.

This was the first time the Heishan tribe had openly demonstrated their strength before outsiders. They had been low-key for far too long—it was time to show their true power.

Of course, Ma Ling couldn’t deny there was also a personal reason: because of this expedition to meet the other tribes, both he and Hu Qiao had been exempted from the punishment of cleaning latrines.

Ah, who knew what their clansmen ate every day—how could the latrines reek so badly?

When the Heishan beastmen stopped the wagons and shifted back into human form, the northern wasteland tribes were once again stunned.

Because the Heishan tribesmen’s attire was simply too strange—and too strikingly handsome.

Every horned beastman warrior wore matching black leather armor. At their waists hung delicate, compact hand crossbows; in their hands gleamed bone knives that gave off a faint red light.

When they marched forward together, the clashing rhythm of armor and bone blades rose like a storm in the pines, like a howling wind—carrying a fierce aura that made everyone instinctively want to step back.

At this moment, these armored horned beastmen standing opposite the naked northern wasteland beastmen looked as if they belonged to two entirely different eras.

From the moment the Heishan tribe appeared, Xiong Han’s jaw hadn’t closed. Now she immediately recognized those gleaming sets of armor.

It was the hide of the Ding beasts—the very hides the Heishan tribe had traded from them. And yet, the same hides looked so heroic, so magnificent on the bodies of Heishan horned beastmen.

“Bao Bai!”

A clear voice broke the silence.

Qi Bai turned toward the sound and saw Lu Ming waving happily, pulling along a slightly shy Xiong Nuan.

Qi Bai smiled at the two of them. Perhaps it was because Xiong Nuan looked so much like his younger brother back on Blue Star—every time Qi Bai saw the dimple on Xiong Nuan’s left cheek, he felt a particular warmth in his heart.

But the great wolf at Qi Bai’s side didn’t understand the reason. Even if he did, Lang Ze could never accept his sub-beastman smiling so sweetly at others.

Without a word, he subtly stepped in between them. Hmph—even if the other was a sub-beastman, it was not acceptable.

Qi Bai secretly chuckled and twitched his nose. These days, his big puppy had been sticking close to him constantly.

In truth, it was only because the two of them were about to be apart for a long while. Lang Ze simply couldn’t bear it.

Qi Bai himself was reluctant too. He had even planned to go with Lang Ze to Beihuang. After all, his beast form was small—he wouldn’t take up much space.

But in the end, Lang Ze shook his head.

“We don’t want to be apart, and others don’t want to be apart either. If everyone brought along their own sub-beastman, the hunting team’s discipline couldn’t be maintained.”

No wonder everyone trusted Lang Ze so much.

Even though the tribe had no precedent for leadership, a commander like Lang Ze—who always led by example and never claimed privileges for himself—naturally earned the warriors’ respect.

But after deciding to separate, during the days he stayed in the tribe, Lang Ze almost never left Qi Bai’s side. Especially at night—he was so tireless that Qi Bai couldn’t understand where he got the energy.

Back in the present, Qi Bai nudged Lang Ze’s broad frame aside.

“Aren’t you supposed to discuss attacking the Sanghuo tribe with Lu Yan and the others? Go on. I’ll go play with Lu Ming and the rest.”

If Lang Ze were in beast form right now, his big tail would surely be drooping. But even drooping or not, his partner’s words came first—he couldn’t delay business.

Yun Tan and Lu Yan had already been waiting before the largest tent. Seeing Lang Ze approach, they both stepped aside to let him enter first.

Meanwhile, Lu Ming tugged Qi Bai into a smaller tent nearby.

“Bao Bai, it’s really been so long since we last met!”

Xiong Nuan also said happily, “Now that we’ve migrated north, we can see each other often.”

Qi Bai nodded. “Yes. I didn’t go to the trade fair this year, but I had my clansmen bring some unique Heishan gifts for you. Pity you didn’t attend either, so we missed each other. Next time, I’ll just bring them myself.”

Xiong Nuan frowned. “We knew early on that the Sanghuo tribe was taking over the trade fair. Of course we wouldn’t go. Pity we were too far away to get the news to Heishan in time.”

Lu Ming grinned eagerly. “Bao Bai, the woodflower use you taught us last year really came in handy! Now we never leave home without carrying lots of it.”

A year had passed. They had all grown, but seeing each other again felt just the same—especially with Lu Ming, who still chattered endlessly.

As they talked, Qi Bai pulled snacks from his cloak: dried meat, red berries, apricots. After finishing one treat, he could pull out another—his cloak was like a bottomless pouch.

Xiong Nuan’s cheeks flushed red. This was his own tent, yet Qi Bai had come bringing food to feed them—it felt so embarrassing.

In the past, his tent too would have been stocked with food. But this year, their tribe’s stores were low, and with migration underway, food was even scarcer. Even as the chieftain’s younger brother, he only received one portion a day.

Lu Ming, carefree as always, wasn’t bothered. Instead, he was fascinated by Qi Bai’s cloak. “Where do you hide all the food? Show me!”

So Qi Bai undid his cloak, spread it on the tent rug, and explained the way the pockets were made.

The beastmen weren’t ignorant of sewing. They could stitch hides with strips of leather to make crude pouches. When Qi Bai had first arrived in this world, he’d carried such a pouch at his side.

They also sometimes draped entire hides over themselves as cloaks with hoods—though this was mostly the style of wandering beastmen. The first time Qi Bai had seen Hou Su at the trade fair, he’d been dressed just like that.

But anything more intricate than that, they simply didn’t have.

Even the Zhanxiong tribe, who wore hide armor, only used the polished, shiny surface as decoration—it wasn’t really for warmth. In the cold of winter, everyone preferred to shift into beast form and burrow into a thick fur den.

So when they saw Qi Bai’s fine stitching—two hides seemingly fused seamlessly together—they couldn’t put it down.

“What hide is this? It’s so beautiful!” Lu Ming gasped.

Xiong Nuan stroked it with a familiar touch, frowning in thought. “This is Ming beast hide, isn’t it?”

Lu Ming looked up in disbelief at Qi Bai. When Qi Bai nodded, he carefully stroked it again. Indeed—it really was Ming beast hide. He just hadn’t recognized it because it had become so exquisite.

“It really is Ming beast hide. I have some I traded from the Zhanxiong tribe too. I’ll have to make clothes like this for myself.”

At that, Qi Bai asked, “Do you still have spare Ding or Ming beast hides for trade this year? If you do, we’d like to exchange some.”

The Heishan tribe didn’t lack for hides—whether traded at the fair or seized from the Sanghuo tribe. But hides suitable for armor, like Ding beast hide, were still rare. Best to stock up while Zhanxiong had plenty.

Qi Bai then turned to Lu Ming. “How about your tribe? Want to trade with us too? Didn’t the Julu tribe also skip the trade fair this year? Don’t you need salt?”

Lu Ming and Xiong Nuan exchanged a joyful look.

Need? Of course they needed it! Salt was always in short supply.

Recently, they’d traded some from the Xushan tribe, but their salt was both bitter-tasting and outrageously expensive.

They’d been so focused on preparing to attack the Sanghuo tribe, they had nearly forgotten—Heishan had plenty of salt!

Xiong Nuan nodded excitedly, then asked a bit shyly, “How much can you spare? Can we bring the Yungu tribe into this too?”

Qi Bai flashed a dazzling merchant’s smile. “It should be enough. Just tell me how much you need this time, and when I return, I’ll prepare it all.”

“Wow! That’s amazing!”

When Lang Ze finished business in the main tent and lifted the flap of Xiong Nuan’s tent, he was greeted by the sight of three little beast forms huddled together.

Alarm bells went off in his head. He strode in with two steps and scooped up his little snow leopard at once.

His soft, fluffy snow leopard—he would never let anyone else take advantage.

The little deer and little panda looked up at the horned beastman, puzzled. They hadn’t taken advantage at all. They’d only been sprawled on the ground, studying Qi Bai’s cloak and fur clothing.

It was Qi Bai himself who had been secretly stroking the panda’s fur.

The little snow leopard flailed all four paws in the air.

“Meow-aww, meow-aww~” What are you doing? I want to pet the national treasure! Put me down!

Put him down? Not happening. Lang Ze stuffed the little snow leopard into his chest, not too gently gathering up the cloak and fur garments from the ground.

The little snow leopard climbed higher, resting his head on Lang Ze’s armor, and waved hard at his two small companions.

“Meow-aww, meow-aww~” We’ll play together again later!

Outside camp, in the forest, Qi Bai leaned against a tree trunk, his lips completely claimed by the man before him—even his tongue had nowhere left to hide.

Not until Qi Bai was nearly out of breath did Lang Ze finally pull back, his nose pressing against Qi Bai’s.

Qi Bai gasped for air and pinched Lang Ze’s waist fiercely. “You’re way too petty.”

Lang Ze’s back stiffened ever so slightly. Then, shamelessly, he revealed a pair of wolf ears and lowered his head before Qi Bai. “I have furs too.”

Qi Bai’s mock-angry face instantly collapsed. He rubbed the wolf ears, laughter in his voice. “So, everything’s settled?”

“Mm.” Lang Ze nodded. “We set out tonight.”