Chapter 330

Night fell, and the group had just come to a stop.

Xiong Feng dragged a few jiao beastmen by the neck and walked into the middle of the camp. “City Lord, Da Jisi, there are two more today who refused to march properly.”

Beside Xiong Feng, several other senior officers also brought in a few others.

Qi Bai asked, “What is it this time?”

“Daren, we were just too hungry. Please, give us a little more food!”

“Da Jisi, I’m injured too. I can’t walk anymore. Let me sit on one of the wooden boards!”

One of them spoke up, and the others followed with wails and cries. They had all seen Qi Bai at the Le Li camp and knew that this Da Jisi in front of them was known to be gentle. Maybe, just maybe, this Hei Yao Da Jisi would give them more food.

Qi Bai glanced at the beastman claiming to be injured—it was just a small wound on the arm, already treated and no longer bleeding. With the strong self-healing of beastmen, that wound would’ve been closed in a couple more days. And yet here he was, daring to whine in front of him.

“Have you all not realized?” Qi Bai smiled gently at them and asked softly, “The beastmen who previously cried about being tired or hungry… never returned to the team.”

His face wore a soft smile, yet a wave of panic washed over the group.

Qi Bai waved his hand. “Take them to the rear of the group.”

Tun Quan let out a weird chuckle. “Let’s go. I just happen to be short on help.”

The others didn’t understand what it meant to be taken to the rear, but seeing the looks on Tun Quan and the others’ faces, any illusions they had about Hei Yao being generous were instantly shattered.

“D–Da Jisi,” one jiao beastman stammered, “I… I don’t need to go. I’ll return to the group…”

Xi Zhou clicked his tongue. “No rush. If you don’t go to the back for a little ‘training,’ how will you learn your lesson?” With that, he grabbed two of them by the collar and dragged them toward the rear.

The group stumbled away, in stark contrast to the dozen or so quiet individuals already stationed at the back.

Qi Bai glanced at their dark brown skin that almost blended with the night, then turned to look at the ya shou people's group. “It’s about time, right?”

“Mm,” said Lang Ze. “The last of them—sent over today.”

When Xi Zhou and Tun Quan arrived with forty to fifty people at the rear of the convoy, the others were stacking firewood and starting fires—getting ready to cook.

Tun Quan kicked the few beastmen who had screamed the loudest earlier. “Go fetch water with the stone pots from that little creek over there. It’s freezing tonight. You need hot water to warm up.”

“Exactly. After a full day’s march, I’m exhausted,” Xi Zhou stretched, then urged, “What are you waiting for? Go get the water!”

“Daren,” one jiao beastman said with a forced smile, “someone usually brings us water…”

The group had been marching for five days. During this time, the jiao beastmen who carried cargo only had to march during the day and could rest in place afterward. Meanwhile, the ya shou people, who only marched for half the day, were responsible for preparing hot water and food.

“Hot meals and water are a privilege for those up front. Back here, you do it all yourself,” Tun Quan grinned. “Also, those stone pots—starting tomorrow, you’ll carry them.”

The beastmen who had just been sent to the back were now filled with deep regret. If they’d known this was coming, they would’ve behaved properly.

“I’m not tired anymore. I can keep walking. I—”

“What? Don’t want to work?” Xi Zhou’s eyes scanned their necks coldly. “Perfect. That’ll save me from wasting rations on you.”

Qi Bai and Lang Ze had deliberately gathered these disobedient, lazy beastmen together to give them one last chance. If they truly were beyond saving, there’d be no point bringing them back to Bei Zhou.

As the beastmen trembled under Xi Zhou’s cold stare, Diao Lan walked over and placed a basket of food on the ground. “This is tonight’s food for them.”

Cang Xi quickly stood up from the fire and took the vine basket. She said to Tun Quan and Xi Zhou, “Daren, they’re just ignorant. I’ll take them and help them work.”

Xi Zhou responded casually, “You lot aren’t bad. Work hard, and in a few days, you’ll get to return.”

Cang Xi’s gaze flickered. She bowed her head and thanked him, then led the silent cangquan people toward the creek.

Diao Lan glanced in their direction, nodded at Tun Quan and Xi Zhou, and left.

During the journey, everyone in the Le Li group ate the same food: preserved meat from the Le Li warehouses, boiled with Hei Yao’s grain bricks.

Hei Yao’s grain bricks were made from grain scraps like Nutgrass, Glutinous Rice Root, and burdock fruits mixed with minced beast meat. They were steamed, pounded into molds while semi-cooled, then dried completely.

These bricks, resembling compressed biscuits, were dense and stored well. One brick could keep a jiao beastman alive in the wild for ten days—even without hunting. They were Hei Yao’s largest reserve of military rations.

But as military rations, their taste and texture were abysmal. Even just biting into them while marching left a foul aftertaste. And when boiled—especially mixed with Le Li’s mostly spoiled meat—the sour and rancid flavors intensified.

Still, they were incredibly filling. A bowl of it with a big bowl of hot water was enough to quiet the day’s hunger.

After eating, teams of ten huddled together, wrapping themselves in thick beast skin coats and blankets. Even sleeping out in the open under the sky, they could stay warm.

Beastmen were vulnerable in the wild—but only when their numbers were few. With a group this large, even starving wild beasts would avoid them.

And even if there was an attack, Hei Yao warriors patrolled the outer edge, making safety a non-issue.

Soon, the camp fell into peaceful silence. Everyone let their guard down and fell into deep sleep.

Except for those in the rear—many kept their eyes wide open, unmoving, listening intently to every sound around them.

Tiny insects scurried, dead leaves dropped from branches—every faint noise made them tense.

“Hu~”

Suddenly, a sound like a bird call or gust of wind rustling leaves echoed.

The patrolling warriors stopped, alert and scanning their surroundings.

“Clatter!” Another noise—stones tumbling.

“What was that sound?”

“Over there. Come on, let’s check it out.”

A few exchanged words, then footsteps followed as they left.

Only when the sound faded did Cang Xi sit up. Many cangquan people moved with her.

At some point, every cangquan ya shou and cub in the group had quietly gathered at the very back.

Cang Xi didn’t dare breathe loudly. She gestured for everyone to transform into smaller beast forms to reduce their target size.

They left their beast-hide coats under the blankets, keeping the shape raised. She and Cang Chi had tested this for days—even if the patrol returned, they wouldn’t notice the absence.

Under the cover of night, a long line of tiny cangquan quietly slipped through a gap in the defenses and vanished.

Hei Yao warriors were extremely alert. Any disturbance would be investigated—but that made them easier to distract.

And the patrol window was the best time for escape!

The little Cangquans followed faint calls, darting into a grove of short trees.

As soon as they entered the woods, they were lifted—caught by the scruff—and carried into a rapid sprint.

Everyone followed closely behind the largest Cang Quan. He didn’t lead them west back to Chen shui—but northward.

They passed the woods, entered a valley, and finally, Hei Yao’s camp was out of sight.

“Woo-woof~”

The Cang Quan pup in Cang Dun’s mouth flailed its limbs, yipping happily.

“Woo~”

Cang Dun couldn’t open his mouth, but his throat let out a pleased growl.

They had escaped. They had gotten away from the Hei Yao people. Their tribe wouldn’t be enslaved!

By the time morning came and the Hei Yao realized they were gone, they’d be long behind. Even if they chased, they’d never catch up.

Cang Dun laughed to himself—only regretting that he couldn’t witness the furious faces of the Hei Yao soldiers.

“Woof!” “Woof-woo!” “Awoo~”

The group let out joyful howls—but... was something off about the sound?

“Awoo~” “Awoo~” “Awoo~”

Just as Cang Dun wondered if he heard wrong, the entire valley suddenly rang with majestic wolf howls.

With each rising howl, one… two… hundreds of silhouettes silhouetted against the moonlight appeared atop the low hills—howling toward the sky.

A wolf pack?

No… not just wolves. They were… the Silver Moon Wolf Clan!

“Awoo~!”

The wolves on the surrounding hills received the signal and, like a tidal wave, surged toward the cangquan pack.

The path ahead was sealed—there was no way forward.

Cang Xie made a snap decision—turn the group around and flee the way they came.

But just as they neared the valley entrance, two figures—one man, one wolf—appeared, slowly walking toward them. Just the two of them, yet to the cangquan people, it was like facing an entire army.

Qi Bai smiled and waved to the lead cangquan. “Out for a walk this late?”

Behind him, the howls of the wolf pack drew closer. A flicker of death resolve passed through Cang Xie’s eyes.

“Woof!”

He gave a low growl to the Cang Quan beside him. Without waiting for a reply, he charged toward the two in front—willing to die to buy time for the others to flee.

The white wolf’s eyes turned cold—this Cang Quan dared threaten his mate.

With a powerful leap, the giant wolf pounced. In a single move, its razor-sharp fangs pressed against the cangquan’s neck!