Chapter 368 – Extra 2: Hei Yao Life

The day after the notice was posted, the entrance to the Yi Si (administrative office) was already crowded with beastmen. Yet of all those gathered, only a few dozen were actually waiting in line.

Still, just those few dozen nearly blocked the whole Yi Si gates.

Each person waiting carried a piece of their life—furniture, utensils, bowls and pots, tables and stools. One giant deer beastman hefted a small wooden stool, intending to place it at the table before Qi Bai—but a hand blocked him.

Lang Ze’s brow furrowed.

“Be careful walking.”

The giant deer beastman didn’t understand why the City Lord suddenly showed such concern. He felt goosebumps across his fur but held steady and quietly explained,

“I heard the notice said needed: small wooden stools. This is my own handiwork.”

Qi Bai took the little stool from Lang Ze’s hand, examined it, and asked,

“How much for this one? And how many can you make in a month?”

The deer beastman had been watching from behind and knew exactly what the Great Priest was asking—so he instantly brightened and quoted a fair price:

“Great Priest, I have a stall in the trading street. I’ve got six beastmen apprentices there learning carpentry. We can make six or seven of these small tables a day.”

Truly, businessmen think differently! The price was very reasonable, nearly perfect: many in the city still didn’t understand the value of their labor. With simple materials easily found, many undervalued their own work and, intimidated by the Great Priest’s presence, widely underpriced themselves.

They forgot: time, effort, and skill are far more valuable than raw materials.

Qi Bai nodded and found the small stool category in his ledger. He wrote down the beastman’s name and, for quantity, entered 150:

“Let’s do it as you say. You make 150 this month for inspection. If all is well, I’ll issue further orders next month.”

He tore off a request slip and filled in the details again. He stamped it and said,

“Take this to the Household Office (Hu Si) and collect half the materials now. The rest you’ll get when delivering the completed stools.”

As the giant deer beastman stepped out of the Yi Si gate, several other horned beastmen—likely in their twenties—gathered around him expectantly.

Holding the slip aloft, the deer beastman beamed,

“Our goods have been approved by the Great Priest!”

The others squeezed in around him:

“Brilliant! Finally a real order!”

Some other beastmen waiting outside approached.

“Need wood for making tables?”

“We can chop whatever kind you need!”

Not everyone in the city had a craft. Many Yi Di beastmen arrived later and still hadn’t learned handicraft skills.

But even without skills, they had strength. To fill these orders, raw materials were needed—and that’s what they could provide.

“Yes, we do need wood.” The deer beastman thought for a moment, then detailed the types, diameters, and quantities required. “Be sure—if the wood isn’t right, I won’t accept it.”

The horned beastmen patted their chests, grinning confidently,

“Understood—won’t be a problem!”

With official orders in hand, they each fetched carts and hurried home. Since snow hadn’t yet fallen, they wanted to cut as much wood as possible before travel became harder.

Within an hour, several batches had formed—each beastman now equipped with an order slip and in negotiations at the gate.

Sensing Lang Ze’s watching eyes, She Li seized a break in Qi Bai’s attention and coughed lightly:

“Great Priest, I’ve learned the process. Why not assign the next tasks to me?”

“Done.” Qi Bai didn’t hesitate and handed her the position.

If anyone understood city pricing best, it was She Li. She was perfect for it—and already familiar with the standard prices.

Previously, caravans simply placed orders with street shops. This was the first time Qi Bai attempted competitive offers with scattered craft workers—and She Li was first to model it.

That didn’t mean Qi Bai could relax. He called the workshop heads and Yun An into the adjacent meeting room.

The room was more orderly; Qi Bai didn’t need to help take notes. As responsible heads of Hei Yao’s workshops, they were all adept at writing and calculations.

“Although the parts are divided among your workshops,” Qi Bai said, “remember: you are producing one complete product. All parts must be inspected strictly according to the sample we issued.”

Hei Yao had received many orders at the Sacred Mountain Market, but the bulk were tents—what Qi Bai needed them to craft now.

Tents weren’t intricate items—they needed easy assembly and durability. Too many small parts would make them fragile or difficult to set up.

But this didn’t make them easy. On the contrary: if parts needed to be replaceable, they required uniform standards—just like manufacturing on Lan Xing.

So even though Qi Bai split the tents into parts, each part had a fixed workshop lead.

Everyone nodded and took thorough notes.

Qi Bai reminded Yun An:

“Felting is something everyone can do. Work with the village heads to assign more work there.”

“Understood.” Yun An nodded.

“I’ll head out to the outskirts this afternoon.”

With everything organized, Qi Bai realized he’d forgotten something… and looked back to see Lang Ze’s tight lips and the swirling dark aura filling the room.

Oops. He had planned to bring Lang Ze along to divert attention—but had become so engrossed he almost forgot the most important thing.

He padded over to Lang Ze and winked—but Lang Ze looked even more unsettled.

Qi Bai’s instincts were right—Lang Ze didn’t realize how strong his possessiveness had become. He wanted to keep Qi Bai encircled in his beast form, with no one else near.

But he knew that wasn’t right: Qi Bai was his partner, yes—but also Hei Yao’s Great Priest. He couldn’t hide Qi Bai from view.

Under Qi Bai’s pleadingly shining eyes, Lang Ze had to admit—Qi Bai was right. He was indeed a little unwell.

His self-reflection wasn’t finished, though—because the eyes looking at him were quietly glinting… in a… predatory manner.

Qi Bai let out a soft laugh and covered his mouth.

“This is… kinda embarrassing.”

In that moment, Lang Ze’s tempest vanished. Smiling, he asked, “What were you thinking?”

Qi Bai shook his head mischievously.

“I would never say… but seeing your… eyes, my mind wandered from a nursery to… impossible places.” He caught himself. “No, that’s not for talking about.”

Although he had teased things up, Qi Bai had realized: trying to divert Lang Ze’s attention using Yi Si tasks wasn’t realistic—it risked getting real.

Luckily, Qi Bai had a backup.

When they returned home, they found bamboo stacked by the door—the gift of Bao Yue and Zhu Ya.

Lang Ze asked,

“What are you doing with that?”

That bamboo was Qi Bai’s backup—a diversion within their household.

He sat on the living-room carpet, hands miming:

“A long tall basket on top, a sturdy base at the bottom—strong enough to hold it, yet gentle enough to rock.”

Lang Ze’s instinct clicked:

“For the cub’s crib?”

Correct. Qi Bai planned to build a baby cradle.

Though a beastman cub was sturdy—and might soon outgrow it—having a crib would let Qi Bai safely sleep with the cub without fear of accidentally crushing it.

Lang Ze retrieved his bone knife.

“These bamboo poles are heavy—I’ll handle splitting them.” He sliced them into fine strips.

Qi Bai didn’t touch the bone knife—but busied himself with needle and thread and fabrics, working right alongside him.

Besides the crib, they had many tasks: bedding, clothes, feeding bowl—simple but requiring great patience.

Miraculously, Wolf Ze’s mood calmed with that task. Qi Bai too grew accustomed to carrying a little life within.

After Yi Si work was assigned each month, only a few days saw busy deliveries. Once She Li and her team were efficient, Qi Bai and Lang Ze could drop it from their plate.

They focused on this, and after half a month of work, created a satisfactory crib.

They covered it with soft padding and sat face-to-face before the little bed, watching it sway gently.

Qi Bai tenderly rubbed his belly. In that moment, he felt the truth: soon, he would truly be a father.

Time flew—and before they knew it, the year-end came.

That afternoon, the City Lord’s Mansion buzzed with life.

Fifty-four people from the Black Mountain tribe came—but none arrived empty-handed. Some carried meat, others sacks of flour. Even the youngest, a small deer named Xia, carried a bag of sugar-coated apricots—her favorite snack, to share with companions.

It was Hei Yao’s Winter Festival. If the Autumn Festival celebrated harvest city-wide, Winter Festival was families closed indoors celebrating together.

Each year, the Black Mountain folk gathered for a hearty New Year’s feast.

Of course, more than the original fifty-four came. There were over ten more cubs along, and with spouses included—more than seventy people in total.

Wolf Ze, along with Hu Qiao and Xi Zhou, dismantled the four doors of the reception hall. They opened up space connecting the guest hall to the kitchen and living room—making one wide space.

Fireplaces blazed. Cublets ran barefoot in the room while adults set up long boards, facing each other to make dumplings.

Qi Bai, as the only “pregnant husband” this year, was playfully shooed by Hu Xue:

“Go play—making dumplings is no work!”

Now Qi Bai understood why pregnant beastmen never seemed idle—because they didn’t really suffer like human pregnancy. He’d eaten and slept well these months; unlike others, he hadn’t thrown up once.

He even wondered if his small belly was from the cub—or from too many delicious meals from Wolf Ze.

Seeing he had nothing else to do, Qi Bai sat on the sofa. He waved sweets at the cubs, who came running, short paws bouncing.

But when they dashed to the coffee table—the sofa Qi Bai vanished.

The little snow leopard felt a strange flutter in his chest.

My big boy… I shouldn’t doubt you. You sure pick the best timing.

Author’s Note:

Still not born! Still not born!