Chapter 21

Chapter 21

For several days, the beastmen had been diligently transforming the cave into a home.

While the adults were busy, Xue Tuan was equally occupied, befriending the tribe's young cubs. He'd coax the little ones into their animal forms, eager to pet their fur.

"Ah..." Bing Qiu sighed, observing his younger brother's antics over the past few days. He realized he had truly underestimated Xue Tuan. Despite being one of the youngest cubs—only Qing Guo was younger—Xue Tuan had them all under his spell.

His Tuanzai, with his adorable, fair-skinned appearance, was naturally endearing. Moreover, he often devised novel tricks that captivated the cubs for extended periods.

The little cubs were incredibly clingy. Every morning, their first thought upon waking was to go play with Xue Tuan from the arctic fox family.

However, some of the younger cubs were a little wary of the small black lion that constantly shadowed Xue Tuan.

"Zhong Yan is our friend too," Xue Tuan reiterated this sentiment daily.

The little black lion's reputation was known not only among adults but also among the cubs old enough to remember things. Yet, the cubs who used to "bully" him had already departed with the former Deputy Chief.

The remaining cubs had been "re-educated" by their parents: they were not to ostracize Zhong Yan, the little black lion, but to treat him as a companion.

Thus, under this dual "indoctrination," these young cubs, apart from finding the little black lion's appearance somewhat intimidating, did not reject him.

But why did that little black lion have such a dual nature? When with Xue Tuan, he appeared remarkably friendly and docile. However, whenever other cubs attempted to approach Xue Tuan, the little black lion's face would become impassive, intentionally or unintentionally preventing them from touching Xue Tuan.

After numerous such instances, the cubs only dared to whisper among themselves:

"Why does Zhong Yan always get Xue Tuan's 'massage'?"

"Why does his face darken so much the moment I line up behind him?"

"Isn't his face always dark?"

...

Regarding other matters, Zhong Yan typically didn't contend with them. The cubs, having short memories, would still clamor for Xue Tuan's massages the next time.

Bing Qiu also harbored complaints: What was with Zhong Yan? Always glued to Xue Tuan's side—anyone unfamiliar with them would assume Xue Tuan was his younger brother!

Despite his disapproval, Bing Qiu sometimes had to assist his fathers and couldn't constantly supervise Xue Tuan. He had witnessed the little black lion's strength, so entrusting Xue Tuan to him felt relatively reassuring.

Xue Tuan, of course, was oblivious to his brother's concerns. He simply felt immense joy that so many fluffy creatures adored him.

Especially the little black lion, who genuinely enjoyed playing with him. He was like a walking, fluffy cushion that Xue Tuan could pet at any moment.

One day, the cubs were napping at the entrance of one of the newly excavated caves. The other beast-form cubs encircled Xue Tuan, allowing him to lie in utmost comfort.

Not only that, but the restless sleeper Xue Tuan would rotate his little head in circles, taking turns using each fluffy companion as a pillow, "sharing the love" equally. It was a sight that commanded admiration.

The adults found it both amusing and perplexing that the leader of this group of cubs was such a tiny, milky puff. Yet, seeing Xue Tuan genuinely embody the demeanor of a little leader, they found it quite entertaining. Consequently, Xue Tuan had already garnered considerable "fame" among the adults.

Xue Tuan enjoyed a leisurely nap, awakened by a patch of sunlight. Lately, he had been exceptionally happy—not only did he have fluffy companions, but he could also subtly influence the little cubs.

For instance, he made "flossing" sound like an exciting game. The cubs would return home and pester their parents to imitate him, insisting on flossing before bedtime. It truly showed that many habits needed to be instilled from childhood.

Today, his brother had taken Hui Hui and a group of cubs fishing, so Xue Tuan led the others on an "exploration."

Upon hearing the word "exploration," the cubs always found it thrilling. But Xue Tuan's true objective, of course, was to lead them in search of provisions.

Xue Tuan possessed a natural allure for these young cubs—even the tribe's HundredHerb Beast was drawn to him.

The HundredHerb Beast resembled a small pink pig and emitted "puyo puyo" sounds. It was a Spirit Beast capable of discerning whether ingredients were poisonous, and it was only the size of an adult's palm. An indispensable Spirit Beast for any tribe, it was typically entrusted to the Priest.

After borrowing the HundredHerb Beast from Priest Yun Lu, the adults felt at ease allowing the cubs to forage for food freely.

The older cubs carried rattan baskets, while the younger ones emulated Xue Tuan by carrying small animal-skin pouches. The fathers of the younger cubs had specifically consulted Rong Shan on how to sew these shoulder-slung bags.

Naturally, this type of pouch had also been improved by Rong Shan for Xue Tuan.

Xue Tuan sat on the little black lion's back, with the other cubs trailing behind them.

Only a small portion of the pepper had been retrieved last time; most of it was still drying. Given the circumstances then, there hadn't been time to gather everything properly.

So Xue Tuan wanted to search for more pepper and, incidentally, see if anything else useful could be found.

Upon entering the jungle, Xue Tuan proactively slid off the little black lion's back. He first produced his personal small hoe, then placed the HundredHerb Beast on the ground—it would follow Xue Tuan on its own.

When foraging, the cubs would instinctively transform into their human forms, clearly understanding that human forms offered greater flexibility and convenience in such situations.

Their small team consisted of Xue Tuan, the little black lion, Qing Miao, Sha Hu, Xiao Shu, and others. Sha Hu was the child of the chief and the Priest, while Xiao Shu was an adorable chipmunk.

The jungle of this beast world continent was like a colossal blind box forest—anything, whether expected or unexpected, could potentially be discovered, purely by chance.

"Xue Tuan, what are we looking for today?" Although Sha Hu was the child of the chief and the Priest, he displayed none of their calm demeanor, instead being remarkably lively.

This wasn't their first outing with Xue Tuan. Last time, after Xue Tuan led them to gather some herbs, Sha Hu's father had been particularly fond of them, so this time Sha Hu wanted to bring some more back for him.

Xue Tuan said in a laid-back manner: "We'll take whatever we come across."

Their principle was to overlook no ripe, edible food. This area had yet to be "developed" by other beastmen, so there was no shortage of provisions.

Xue Tuan casually dug up some mushrooms with his small hoe: "Go ahead and dig around, but remember to bring what you find to me."

The little cubs cheered and scattered to play on their own. Regardless of what they unearthed, Xue Tuan would always help them sort through and select the best items.

Only the little black lion remained perpetually by Xue Tuan's side.

The little black lion couldn't transform into a human form and was currently serving as Xue Tuan's "mobile storage unit." He carried several small pouches on his body, and anything that didn't fit elsewhere, Xue Tuan would place on him.

The little black lion was quite content with this role. Previously, even when he ran out of space, he would carry things in his mouth for Xue Tuan.

Xue Tuan broke off a piece of the freshly dug mushroom and fed it to the HundredHerb Beast to observe its reaction.

"Puyo." The HundredHerb Beast chewed and swallowed the mushroom.

After making that sound, the mushroom was already consumed—apparently, this reaction indicated that the HundredHerb Beast deemed the item non-poisonous.

Xue Tuan patted its head and rewarded it with the entire mushroom. Then, Xue Tuan's keen eyes finally spotted more pepper. His steps quickened as he hurried over, picking some and placing it in the pouch on the little black lion's chest. He also casually plucked a few peppercorns and fed them to the HundredHerb Beast.

The HundredHerb Beast chewed them but suddenly contorted its face in pain: "Puy... yo..." Then it struggled to swallow the peppercorns.

So, even if it was something it disliked, as long as it was non-poisonous, the HundredHerb Beast would consume it. If it encountered something toxic, the HundredHerb Beast would probably go "pu, pu" and spit it out, right?

"Good job," Xue Tuan stroked the HundredHerb Beast to comfort it. Although fed something unpleasant, the HundredHerb Beast held no grudge and continued to follow Xue Tuan obediently.

Suddenly, Xue Tuan's eyes lit up—he thought he saw radish leaves.

Xue Tuan headed in that direction, then turned back to call the little black lion to join him.

"I... huh...?"

But as soon as Xue Tuan began to speak, he suddenly felt the ground give way beneath his feet. A sensation of weightlessness enveloped him as he plummeted downward.

The little black lion reacted with lightning speed, instantly rushing over and biting onto the back of Xue Tuan's collar. However, the incident was too sudden, and he couldn't steady his feet in time, tumbling down after Xue Tuan with a *whoosh*.

"Tuan Tuan!"

In the fleeting moment before impact, the little black lion wrapped his paws around Xue Tuan and forcefully twisted their positions, allowing Xue Tuan to land on top of him.

With a *thud*, dust billowed from the bottom of the pit.

Xue Tuan was half-sprawled on top of the little black lion, but his mouth still made a very light, intimate contact with the ground.

"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey."

Coughing, Xue Tuan clambered off the little black lion. Aside from getting a mouthful of dirt, he was unharmed. He anxiously patted the little black lion: "Are you okay? Did you get hurt anywhere?"

The little black lion, conversely, scrutinized Xue Tuan with a worried expression, only relaxing after confirming that Xue Tuan was truly fine. He carefully licked the dust off Xue Tuan's face, signaling that he was alright.

The HundredHerb Beast, startled by the sudden disappearance of the little dumpling beside it, had leaped up and frozen in place, thus narrowly escaping the fall.

At that moment, the HundredHerb Beast stood at the edge of the pit, hopping up and down while letting out loud cries of "Poo-yo—Poo-yo—!"

Xue Tuan patted the little black lion's head. It seemed everyone was tough. But just as they were falling, he could have sworn he heard an unfamiliar voice calling him "Tuan Tuan." Had he misheard?

Just as Xue Tuan was about to speak, he worked his mouth a few times. Huh? Why did the dirt taste a bit strange?

"Xue Tuan—!"

Qing Miao's voice echoed from above the pit. The commotion from their fall was loud, and the other little cubs had rushed over upon hearing it.

Xue Tuan immediately responded, "We fell into a trap—"

The sensation under his feet had already felt off, but he hadn't been able to react in time. Fortunately, this trap seemed to be unfinished, with no sharp wooden spikes at the bottom—otherwise, they would have been done for.

Who digs a hole and just leaves it!?