Chapter 1

Chapter 1

In the frigid far north, the night wind howled fiercely, and snowflakes swirled wildly.

A fluorescent green aurora hung suspended in the night sky, faintly illuminating a trail of footprints left on the snowy ground.

Two large arctic foxes, each two to three meters long, were rushing southward under the glow of the northern lights.

Upon closer inspection, the leading arctic fox was robust and broad-backed, carrying several bundles on his back and a brown fur pouch hanging around his neck.

The other arctic fox, though slightly smaller, possessed a more graceful and streamlined figure.

Close behind them, a small white fox, not even shoulder-height, struggled to keep pace.

In the distance, snow-capped mountains rolled across the horizon, and the vast night sky stretched endlessly above.

Whoo—

After a long cry, the two large arctic foxes gradually slowed, coming to a stop before a stretch of forest.

In the blink of an eye, the arctic foxes suddenly shifted into human form.

The moment they transformed, they were already dressed in simple, neat fur clothing—they were two adult beastmen.

The small white fox behind them also transformed into human form, wearing a thick fur coat. Clearly, the adults had reserved the warmest clothing for the cub.

Though their furry beast forms were beneficial for winter survival, the human form was more agile and better suited for daily life.

As the wind and snow gradually subsided, the arctic fox family decided to rest briefly here to get through the long night.

The more graceful-looking arctic fox was a Subbeastman named Rong Shan. Even in human form, his appearance was strikingly handsome. He walked up to his beastman partner, Feng Yan, and untied the small brown fur pouch.

Inside lay a small child. Though nearly seven years old, the child was exceptionally thin and small, with only his round face and snow-white skin appearing full and healthy.

The little one opened his large, round eyes, which sparkled like the starry sky.

"Xue Tuan is awake." Rong Shan affectionately nuzzled the little one, stroking his soft hair as a gentle smile crossed his face.

The further south they traveled, the more energetic Xue Tuan seemed to become.

"Mmm." The tall and sturdy Feng Yan untied the pouch, kissed his youngest son on the forehead, and passed him to Rong Shan.

Nearby, Bing Qiu, the twelve-year-old white fox, also approached his dad Rong Shan and gently poked his younger brother Xue Tuan on the cheek with his finger.

Bing Qiu had grown used to this journey—they had been traveling for over sixty sunrises and sunsets.

The reason for their migration during the cold season was primarily due to his younger brother’s poor health.

The extreme cold of the far north was no issue for the arctic fox tribe, whose innate cold resistance allowed them to thrive.

However, Xue Tuan had been frail since birth.

Both beastmen and Subbeastmen were born with the ability to shapeshift, a skill they could freely use from childhood. Yet Xue Tuan, despite his age, still couldn’t transform and showed little interest in playing with other children.

Moreover, his eyes often seemed vacant and unresponsive, and he frequently ignored others when spoken to.

His fathers took him to see the tribe’s Priest, but the Priest delivered cold, harsh words.

The Priest claimed that Xue Tuan was unfit for this world, should never have been born, and predicted he wouldn’t live many years. Enraged, Feng Yan nearly came to blows with the Priest and the elders.

Bing Qiu remembered his childhood, when Rong Shan would often hold his younger brother and tell him stories about Feng Yan’s youth—how his father feared nothing, did not believe in the Beast God, but only in his own fists.

But as Xue Tuan grew weaker, Bing Qiu witnessed his towering father praying devoutly to the Beast God, begging for his younger brother’s recovery.

From that moment on, Bing Qiu also began speaking to the Beast God in his heart: *If you truly exist, please don’t take my brother away.*

When the seventh cold season arrived, Xue Tuan’s condition worsened significantly, and he began slipping into prolonged periods of unconsciousness. His fathers made the decisive choice to migrate south, seeking a warmer and more comfortable new home.

"Father, Dad, let me hold him," Bing Qiu offered. Perhaps influenced by his fathers’ loving environment, he had always cherished his fragile yet adorable younger brother. Every day, he hoped Xue Tuan would recover and play with him like other children.

Lately, his brother had been speaking more willingly.

"Brother..."

Bing Qiu took Xue Tuan into his arms and noticed the little one reaching out to grab his hair.

Thinking his brother wanted to play with his beast form, Bing Qiu readily transformed into a small white fox, skillfully cradling his brother in his furry embrace.

Bing Qiu nuzzled Xue Tuan gently with his fluffy cheeks. His brother seemed particularly fond of playing with his fur lately, holding on tightly each time.

Perhaps because Xue Tuan couldn’t transform himself, he especially loved his family’s beast forms.

Bing Qiu pulled Xue Tuan closer, tucking the little one’s outstretched hand into his fur so he could play to his heart’s content.

Meanwhile, buried in the fluff, Xue Tuan—who in his previous life was named Hu Li—had only meant to pluck a fallen leaf from his brother’s head. But since his brother was being so "considerate," he happily seized the opportunity to grab handfuls of the soft fur.

Hu Li buried himself in his brother’s fluff, breathing in contentment. *Fluffy things are truly the best!*

Over two months ago, Hu Li had arrived in this unfamiliar beast world. In his previous life, he was an eleven-year-old Ginseng Spirit who had just been accepted into a special youth program in the demon realm.

He had grown up deep in the mountains and, after shapeshifting, became neighbors with Grandpa Big Tree and his family. His neighbors were kind people who taught him how to live self-sufficiently in the human world.

Before he could report to school, he encountered an evil demon poaching Ginseng Spirits in the demon realm. His last memory was of slipping off a cliff. The thought still filled him with anger!

When he regained consciousness, Hu Li found himself as a small child lying in a cave. His body was extremely weak; even the effort to rise from the straw bedding and lean against the stone wall drained him completely.

When two tall strangers suddenly appeared at the cave entrance and rushed over, speaking a language he couldn’t understand, Hu Li was utterly bewildered.

One of them picked him up excitedly, chattering enthusiastically. Hu Li didn’t resist—the moment he was lifted, a sense of familiarity washed over him, and his mind and body instinctively yearned to be close to this person.

Hu Li guessed that this person must be his father.

Later, as he gradually began to understand their language, he learned that both of them were his biological fathers!

He had transmigrated into a beast world where everyone could transform into animals! They were further divided into beastmen and Subbeastmen—beastmen were typically tall and strong, while Subbeastmen were agile and able to have children.

It didn’t take long for Hu Li to accept this reality. After all, he had been a Ginseng Spirit in his past life—who was he to judge what was fantastical?

He adapted well to this world, though his current body was frail and often left him feeling exhausted.

The civilization here wasn’t highly developed. Based on his extensive "book knowledge," this world seemed to be at a primitive human level, yet not entirely the same.

Though Hu Li spent most of his time asleep in the fur pouch, whenever he was awake, he made sure to observe his surroundings.

During their journey, he often saw flora and fauna that shouldn’t exist in a primitive era—some familiar yet seemingly mutated varieties.

This beast world gave Hu Li a sense of temporal and spatial disorder, but at least there were many recognizable elements, and he felt content.

If there was one thing that brought him joy, it was that his family were all fluffy arctic foxes who adored him deeply.

Hu Li wriggled out from under his brother Bing Qiu's belly and took a deep breath.

Since waking up, their family had been constantly on the move. When they were lucky, they could stay in caves, but often, like now, they had to set up tents.

The good news was that the weakness in his limbs rarely occurred now, especially since he could hold on to his fluffy older brother.

The bad news was that his body's constitution was too weak. He often felt the urge to stand up and move around, but his body remained lazy, as if on strike.

Moreover, from his family's offhand comments, Hu Li had already guessed that it would be difficult for him to transform in this body anytime soon—which was pretty depressing news.

Still, there was no helping it; you can't force these things, Hu Li thought optimistically. The motivational quotes Grandpa Big Tree often had Hu Li recite came in handy at times like this.

"Woo?" Bing Qiu lowered his head, lifted a paw, and tucked his squirming younger brother further under his belly, worried he might not be warm enough.

There was nothing Hu Li could do but peer out with his big eyes, watching his Father and Dad busily working not far away.

Dad Rong Shan had nimble hands; most of the things that needed making or mending were done by Dad. Whenever Father tried to help, he would be refused with the reason: "You’ll just ruin the materials."

In truth, Dad was no slouch at hunting either, but he simply preferred handicrafts.

Father Feng Yan was the strongest warrior in their tribe, mainly responsible for tasks like hunting and construction.

Hu Li watched as Father dug out several bone segments from a large bundle. When fitted together, they clearly formed giant beast fangs. Father lifted each fang, tip downward, and with a sudden burst of strength, slammed them at an angle into the ground.

After securing three fangs this way, he formed a two-meter-high conical frame. Dad then unfurled a large beast hide beside him and, with a rustling sound, swiftly draped it over the frame.

The two of them used various large stones found nearby to anchor the hide, securing it firmly and quickly completing the tent.

"I’ll go gather some branches," Feng Yan said to his partner before turning and heading into the forest.

"If you’re hungry, go ahead and have some dried meat," Rong Shan said, placing Xue Tuan’s special small wooden stump stool nearby so the little one could sit and rest.

Rong Shan glanced back and saw Xue Tuan tucked under his older brother’s belly, only a pair of big eyes visible, looking quite comical. He couldn’t help but laugh.

He was busy spreading dry grass inside the tent, which was still better than sleeping directly on the cold, damp ground.

"Not hungry."

Bing Qiu and Hu Li shook their heads in unison; they would wait to eat together as a family.

Dinner was still a while away. Scooting his brother's soft belly aside, Hu Li wanted to stand up and move around. Nowadays, whenever they stopped to rest on the road, he would make an effort to get some exercise.

Yes, at such a young age, he was already on the path to rehabilitation.

Bing Qiu sensed his brother’s determination and didn’t try to stop him. He obediently stood up and stayed close by, acting as a living crutch for Hu Li.

Whenever Hu Li stumbled, Bing Qiu would promptly grab him by the scruff of his neck to keep him from falling.

Bing Qiu never grew impatient, treating it as a game between him and his brother.

And when Hu Li grew tired from walking, he would lean against his fluffy older brother, take a break, and recharge by stroking his fur.

"Peep—"

Hu Li’s ears twitched, and he tilted his head to the side.

"Brother, a sound," he said, pointing toward the woods after hearing a very faint noise.

Bing Qiu heard it too, but he wasn’t too concerned. In the wild, any kind of noise was normal, especially one that seemed non-threatening.

In this world, there were various evil beasts that would attack beastmen indiscriminately. The fur clothing Xue Tuan wore was made from the longhaired evil beast, which was warmer than ordinary fur clothing.

But evil beasts didn’t appear often, and Bing Qiu was confident in his ability to scoop up his brother and make a run for it at the first sign of any malicious threat.

Xue Tuan stood up and walked toward the source of the sound, with Bing Qiu following right on his heels.

After just a few meters, Xue Tuan spotted a dusty, ball-like object under a tree.

Was it... a little bird? It was about half the length of his arm, with a hooked beak and snow-white belly feathers.

"Chirp—" The little bird showed no fear upon seeing strangers, widening its small eyes and gazing eagerly at Xue Tuan and his brother.

Xue Tuan crouched down and carefully picked up the little bird.

He examined its body carefully but found no wounds. Then he gently felt its belly—could it be weak from hunger?

Xue Tuan carried the bird back, placed it on the small wooden stool, and then rummaged through the baggage for his own supply of thinly sliced dried meat.

He took out a small piece and placed it in front of the bird.

At the sight of food, the bird seemed to come alive instantly, eagerly pecking at the meat.

"What did you find?" Rong Shan asked, busy with his tasks but sparing a glance toward the two youngsters.

Bing Qiu transformed back into human form and also crowded around to get a look at the bird. "Xue Tuan and I found a bird."

Then he added, "Should we roast it?"

Beastmen on this planet could instinctively sense whether another being was an ordinary animal or a transformed beastman.

Ordinary animals were usually considered food, so Bing Qiu’s question came naturally.

The little bird seemed to understand a bit, for upon hearing Bing Qiu’s words, it dropped the piece of meat from its beak with a soft "plop."