Chapter 308

On top of the city wall, the warriors leaned against the edges, their heavy bows and crossbows resting on their bodies. Many of their faces were visibly pale.

This battle wasn't just a test of physical endurance for the Hei Yao warriors—it was a mental strain as well.

The beastmen believed in gods. They thought anything unexplainable was a sign from the Beast God.

Then today’s strange beast tide—could it be a warning from the Beast God? A warning not to live so close to the Black Mountain, the Beast God’s dwelling?

This thought surfaced in many warriors’ minds. If it hadn't been for Lang Ze's calm and composed command, many of them might not have held out until the end.

Ma Ling walked up behind Lang Ze and Qi Bai and asked in a low voice, “What should we do with these beasts?”

In the past, this question might’ve seemed unnecessary—beast meat from a hunt would naturally be collected as food. But now, it had become a thorny issue that had to be decided by Lang Ze and Qi Bai, and it needed to be resolved quickly. Otherwise, panic inside the city would not subside easily.

Qi Bai, of course, didn’t believe this was a divine punishment from the Beast God. “These beasts are very likely sick.”

Ma Ling looked up, eyes filled with hope. “What kind of sickness?”

Though Qi Bai wasn’t an expert on animal diseases, any person from Blue Star would be familiar with illnesses like mad cow disease or rabies—diseases that could spread rapidly among animals and even jump to humans. The most terrifying part of these diseases was their ability to spread between species.

Hei Yao didn’t yet have the means to resist a plague. Qi Bai couldn't take that risk. He’d rather be overly cautious than let something slip through.

His words made several priests and elders nearby visibly tense. If Qi Bai was right, the beasts outside the gate not only couldn’t be eaten—they needed to be disposed of immediately.

Lang Ze asked, “Is it possible this disease was caused intentionally?”

Qi Bai nodded. “Of course it’s possible.”

He looked toward the distant forest, a chill suddenly creeping up his back. If someone really had used this method to harm Hei Yao, then their intent was truly sinister.

Upon hearing their conversation, one of the five priests, Lu Jian, seemed to recall something. She suddenly stepped forward to the edge of the wall.

Lu Jian closed her eyes and took a deep sniff, then opened them again. “Grand Priest, City Lord—I smell a familiar scent.”

Lang Ze asked, “Priest Lu Jian, have you seen symptoms like this before?”

Lu Jian was already quite old. After standing on the cold wall for so long, her voice was hoarse. “I once came across a herb called Wu Wang. It has the effect of driving beasts into madness.”

Qi Bai’s eyes lit up. “You call it a herb? Does that mean it’s not poisonous?”

Lu Jian couldn’t help but smile. Though the Grand Priest wasn’t well-versed in medicine, he was extremely clever. She had to respect that. Even her own disciple, Lu Teng, hadn’t caught on as quickly.

“That’s right. Wu Wang isn’t a poison—it’s a hunting herb. When I was young, I traveled for a few years and once came across a tribe. They would toss Wu Wang into beast herds. Beasts that consumed it would quickly lose their sanity. Then, they’d just follow behind the maddened animals and hunt them once they collapsed from exhaustion or injury.”

“Wu Wang is very similar to a herb we Linglu use in our ‘living medicine’, so I memorized its scent and appearance. I won’t mistake it if I see it again.”

Qi Bai took a sniff but could only smell burnt fur and blood. “Are you sure?”

Lu Jian stared at the beast corpses below and didn’t immediately nod. “I need to get closer to be certain.”

Qi Bai hesitated. It was dangerous. Who knew if close contact could lead to infection?

Seeing his concern, Lu Jian smiled. “No need to worry, Grand Priest. I’m already this old. Even if I catch the disease you mentioned, it’s no big deal.”

“But if these beasts were truly driven by Wu Wang, it means the meat is safe to eat. There’s so much meat here—it could save the warriors from many future hunts.”

She didn’t finish her thought, but everyone understood the implication: every hunt brought injuries and death. Trading one old beastwoman’s life for the safety of many young warriors—it was worth it.

The heavy city gate opened just wide enough for one person to pass.

Lu Jian shook her head at Lu Teng, who was gritting his teeth. She forcefully pried his hand away, leaned on her bone staff, and walked out with determination.

She stepped onto the blood-soaked snow and moved between the massive beasts. Their bodies were so large that her shuffling figure seemed both tiny and dignified.

After a long while—or perhaps just a few minutes—Lu Jian turned and nodded to Qi Bai and Lang Ze.

Qi Bai let out a heavy breath of relief. Thank goodness.

Lu Teng, who had been standing at the gate, collapsed to the ground in relief. The tall antlered beastman couldn’t hold back his tears. Lu Ming had never seen his older brother like this. He stepped forward and patted Lu Teng on the shoulder. “Let’s go bring teacher back.”

Lu Teng sniffled hard and quickly stood up—but someone moved faster.

Qi Bai and Lang Ze personally helped Lu Jian back through the gate. Lang Ze frowned slightly, then finally said, “If the beasts are fine, then we can’t waste the meat. Priest Lu Jian, before we bring the animals into the city, we need you to inspect them one by one.”

Lu Jian nodded, her spirit undampened. “Don’t worry, City Lord. I’ll stay at the gate all day and inspect every single beast.”

“Thank you.”

Lang Ze turned to give new orders. “Ma Ling!”

“Here!”

“From now on, increase the wall defense fivefold. Patrol warriors rotate in three shifts—day and night without pause. If anything unusual happens, light the beacon and blow the horn immediately.”

“Yes!”

Ma Ling left. Lang Ze continued, “Hei Yao Army!”

“Here!”

Niu Shuo, Wei, Lang Ji, Xiong Han, and Lu Yan stepped forward in unison. These five were the commanders of the Hei Yao legion, representing the entire force behind them.

“You five—organize all the warriors in the city. Stay on standby.”

Though the inner city wall hadn’t been completed yet, the temporary camp beneath it was already established—ideal for assembly.

“Yes!”

“Lang Ji, take a small team out to transport the beasts. No carts allowed,” Lang Ze paused, “Only volunteers may go. The city will award them a second-class merit.”

“City Lord, we don’t want rewards!”

“This is our duty!”

Hei Yao had five levels of merit awards. Second-class was highly valuable. But if Priest Lu Jian wasn’t afraid of danger, neither were they. They couldn’t accept such a reward.

“This is an order!” Lang Ze said. “Are you disobeying?”

The beastmen stood upright and fell silent. Perhaps they felt some dissatisfaction, but obeying military orders came first.

Lang Ze waved his hand. “Move out!”

He had completed the city’s defense arrangements in record time. On the other side, Qi Bai was also issuing urgent instructions.

He said to Hu Xue, “Send someone to bring Priest Lu Jian a thick cloak and brazier.”

Though it was late March, the snow outside hadn’t melted. The wind was still bitter. Qi Bai worried that Lu Jian couldn’t endure the cold while sitting in the shaded gate tunnel.

Hearing this, Dai, who had been standing nearby, quickly said, “Big brother Grand Priest, I’ll go! I’ll take good care of Priest Lu Jian!” With that, she ran off into the city.

Qi Bai reached out to stop her. Dai was just a half-grown child—how could she take care of someone?

Hu Xue said, “After such a big event in the city, Dai probably wants to help in some way. Just let her go.”

Qi Bai shook his head and continued, “Citywide lockdown. Food supply is our top priority. Take people and start preparing meals. Aside from portable roast meat and flatbread, send others to each camp to stew broth for warmth.”

“Alright, got it! I’ll go now.”

Don’t underestimate food prep. Nearly all beastmen were now on high alert. Hu Xue only had youth to rely on. Feeding nearly 15,000 people was no easy task.

Finally, Qi Bai turned to Hu Huo and Hou Su. “How many arrows do we have in the warehouse?”

“Bamboo and wood arrows—100,000. Iron arrows—10,000.”

It sounded like a lot, but arrows were consumables. They couldn’t be recovered during battles, so the supply was still tight.

“Count all the remaining arrows—those in the warehouse, those collected from outside, and those used with ballistae and crossbows. Report the numbers to me and the City Lord regularly.”

Hu Huo said, “There’s still a lot of bamboo in the warehouse. We can start making more now.”

Qi Bai shook his head. “The most important thing now is morale. Don’t make a big show. Just ready what we already have.”

Give Hei Yao another two or three years, and they’d have enough weapons to fear no one. But danger never waits

for preparation. What they had to do was face it head-on.

Qi Bai returned to the wall. Lang Ze stood alone in the cold wind. Qi Bai walked to his side. “Any movement?”

Lu Jian had confirmed the scent of Wu Wang in the beast herd—validating Lang Ze’s theory.

This beast tide had been triggered by humans.

And to drive thousands of beasts, the enemy’s numbers had to be significant.

Lang Ze shook his head. Though he’d deduced the possible hiding spots based on the direction of the tide and the terrain, they were still in the open, while the enemy was in the dark. They couldn’t afford to let their guard down in any direction.

“Who would attack us?”

Lang Ze said, “Not a normal tribe.”

No ordinary tribe had this kind of power. It was likely the work of a city.

Of all the cities in the north, the closest to Hei Yao was Luori City in the west. But according to intel from the Xu Shan tribe, Luori was still struggling to rebuild. How could they spare resources to attack Hei Yao?

Lang Ze said quietly, “In one or two months, our agreement with Qingchi City will expire.”

“You suspect Qingchi?”

Seeing Qi Bai frown, Lang Ze took his hand. “I’m only guessing. Doesn’t mean it’s them. Whoever it is—we will defeat them.”

Qi Bai nodded. Qingchi, Songwu, and Shengling—he hoped none of them, the first to accept Hei Yao’s invitation, would betray them.

What they didn’t know was that less than a day’s distance from Hei Yao, Shu, the young lord of Qingchi, was crouched on a hillside with several beastmen, cursing his luck.

After returning from Hei Yao last year, Shu had spent time convincing his father to let him travel for trade. That’s right—those supplies he borrowed from Qi Bai weren’t just for gifts. Most of them were for trade.

The idea came from Qi Bai. Since Qi Bai profited off him, why couldn’t he profit off others? Shu, an experienced traveler, knew full well the price gap between Hei Yao goods and the upper cities.

After finally getting his father’s approval, Shu braved the winter to transport goods to Qi City—a top-tier city and Qingchi’s patron.

Sure enough, Shu made a fortune. Not only could he repay Qi Bai with interest, he had enough capital for the next round. It was a textbook zero-cost deal.

Tempted by this, Shu pushed his schedule and returned to Hei Yao early, hoping to do another trade run this year. But just as he entered the plains, he saw the military encampment.

Climbing down the hill, Shu cursed, “Who the hell’s attacking Hei Yao now? Our goods are stuck!”

At the foot of the hill were three carts and a hundred-camel caravan.

One beastman muttered, “The goods aren’t the worst part. What if Hei Yao thinks it’s us attacking them?”

Had Ma Ling been there, he would’ve recognized the speaker instantly—it was Luo Rong, who once drank with him.

After a moment of silence, Ren asked, “Young Lord, what do we do now? Those guys in the forest don’t look friendly. They might be upper city beastmen. If we get involved in their war, we’ll end up pleasing no one.”

He pointed uphill, clearly implying it was the upper cities.

Shu cursed again. They’d already left tracks. They couldn’t leave now. He gritted his teeth and slapped the side of the cart. “We’ve already been here. No backing out. We’ll find a place to hide, observe the battle, and then decide what to do.”