Chapter 53

Chapter 53

“Xue Tuan, hurry up and get on.” The little white fox lay on the ground, waiting for his younger brother.

Meanwhile, a dirty-looking teenager lay on the ground, clutching his leg and crying out in pain.

Just then, two patrolling beastmen arrived at the scene, drawn by the commotion.

It happened to be the brothers Er Hu and San Hu on duty that day.

“What happened?” Er Hu rushed over, paused, startled at the sight of the unfamiliar boy, then quickly crouched down to carefully check on the cubs nearby.

San Hu also nervously inspected each one: “Is everyone alright?” The cubs in the tribe were usually well-behaved, and he didn’t want any of them to get hurt.

“We’re fine!” The cubs, full of energy, all jumped up and down a few times to show they were okay. Even Hui Hui chirped a reply to Er Hu and the others, clearly considering itself a member of the tribe as well.

Seeing that the cubs were unharmed, the brothers’ worry eased considerably, and they quickly turned their attention to the unfamiliar boy.

“How are you?”

Er Hu went over to help the boy up, while San Hu took a clean strip of fur from his bag and wrapped it around the boy’s injured leg.

The boy, perhaps frightened or in too much pain, had tears welling up in his eyes. Xue Tuan suspected that the boy’s vision was probably too blurred by tears to see anything clearly.

The boy tried to speak several times, but was choked by uncontrollable sobs, making it even harder for him to utter a word.

Er Hu and San Hu were understanding and didn’t rush him to explain. Once San Hu finished bandaging the wound, Er Hu picked the boy up and said to his younger brother, “San Hu, go inform the others to capture those escaped beasts. I’ll take him back to the tribe to see the Priest.”

San Hu agreed immediately: “Alright, I’m on it.”

“Wait, Brother San Hu.” Xue Tuan quickly called out to stop San Hu from leaving.

“Tell everyone not to kill those beasts—bring them back alive.”

Although people usually called Xue Tuan “Junior Priest Lord” in a teasing manner, his status in the tribe was not low, and at times like this, San Hu obediently nodded: “Understood.”

Without another word, San Hu transformed into his beast form and swiftly ran off to notify the other beastmen.

The cubs had lost their enthusiasm for exploring. They all transformed into their beast forms and followed Er Hu, preparing to return to the tribe together.

At that moment, the little black lion moved faster than the little white fox and lay down in front of Xue Tuan, offering his back. Xue Tuan didn’t think twice. The little black lion was his regular partner, after all. He climbed on naturally, and they set off back to the tribe.

The little white fox had no choice but to follow helplessly behind the little black lion, watching as he carried his younger brother racing ahead. The little white fox couldn’t help but grumble to himself: Should he warn that lion about who Xue Tuan’s real older brother was?

“What happened?” The group’s hurried return to the central cave startled the people inside who were busy making pottery.

Several elders and Yun Lu were also present, and soon a crowd had gathered.

Er Hu set the boy down and said to the guard on duty, “Please go fetch Priest Ye Cong and tell him someone is injured.”

“Alright.” The guard, initially worried that someone from the tribe had been hurt, saw that the injured person was a stranger. Seeing the injury on the boy’s leg, he immediately transformed into his beast form and went to find Ye Cong.

In this unfamiliar place, surrounded by strangers, the boy had calmed down somewhat but was still too afraid to speak, silently holding his leg as tears streamed down his face.

“What happened? Who’s injured?” Ye Cong arrived in a rush, only to find that the injured person wasn’t from their tribe.

Their tribe didn't have so many members that Ye Cong could have forgotten one, so he glanced at Er Hu and asked, puzzled, “Who is this?”

As he asked, Ye Cong set down the bamboo basket he was carrying and began treating the boy’s injury.

“We found him in the wild,” Tao Tu answered from the side.

Ye Cong chuckled, “You cubs are really something—you even managed to pick up a person, huh?”

“It’s true!” Xiao Shu added. The cubs then eagerly took turns explaining the situation to Ye Cong.

The boy was captivated by the lively cubs. They were talkative and energetic, with rosy cheeks that made them look healthy. He thought about the cubs in his own tribe—most were timid and rarely spoke much around adults...

“What’s your name?” Ye Cong pressed on the boy’s swollen ankle and looked up to ask.

“I... ouch.” The boy flinched as Ye Cong touched a sore spot, instinctively trying to pull his foot back, but Ye Cong held it firmly in place.

Ye Cong said, “Don't move. It'll only hurt more if you do.”

The boy froze immediately at these words, his eyes welling up again: “M-my name is Xiao Er, from the browneared leopard tribe...”

Xue Tuan’s eyes lit up upon hearing this—browneared leopards! A beastman tribe he had never seen before!

Ye Cong said, “Ah, I've heard of your tribe.”

Yun Lu nodded. “I've heard of them, too.” Browneared leopards had light golden fur, with only their ears being brown. Unlike other leopard tribes, they were known for their gentle nature and aversion to conflict with other tribes.

Ye Cong rummaged through his bamboo basket and pulled out several bamboo splints of varying sizes. After comparing them against Xiao Er’s ankle, he selected two smaller ones and put the rest back.

Xiao Er, who had never been injured like this before, could only sit still and let Ye Cong tend to him. He watched Ye Cong’s treatment with curiosity, even forgetting to cry. He couldn’t help but feel that this tribe was unlike any he had encountered.

“Here, have something to eat first.” Yun Lu came over and handed Xiao Er a freshly roasted tuber.

Xiao Er hurriedly accepted it with both hands, his eyes reddening as he said gratefully, “Thank you!”

After thanking him, Xiao Er buried his face in the food, clearly ravenous.

The tuber was large and sweet, one of the key crops the tribe planned to cultivate.

After watching Brother Ye Cong treat the injury for a while, Xue Tuan suddenly remembered something. He walked over to Elder Mushi, tugged on his fur clothing, and said, “Grandpa.”

“Hmm? What is it?” Elder Mushi bent down, leaning closer as Xue Tuan whispered in his ear for a while.

Mu Shi thought for a moment. The thing called a “crutch” sounded quite similar to the walking stick he had used before. Elder Mushi finally nodded and said, “Alright, I understand.”

Seeing Elder Mushi give him a “no problem” look, Xue Tuan knew he could trust his grandfather to handle it.

It wasn’t anything urgent—just that beastmen rarely got injured, but recently two people had hurt their legs. Xue Tuan thought it might be a good idea to have Elder Mushi make a few pairs of crutches for future use. Once the two “injured beastmen” were a bit better, the crutches would come in handy.

Being able to walk on their own with crutches, instead of relying on others for support, would surely be something Uncle Le Hu and Xiao Er would appreciate.

Elder Mushi was quick to act and disliked leaving tasks unfinished. Seeing that there was nothing else for him to do here, he immediately went to find his good brother Bai Xiang for help, hoping to finish making the “crutches” as soon as possible.

After applying the medicine, Ye Cong used fur cloth strips to secure the two bamboo splints firmly around Xiao Er’s ankle.

Once Xiao Er had mostly finished eating, Xue Tuan handed him a cup of water and asked, “How did you end up alone in the wild?”

“I... I got separated from my tribe...” Xiao Er’s eyes welled up again at the memory, his tears nearly returning.

Xiao Er was due to come of age in three years. Eager to join the hunting team, he practiced hunting every day, setting a daily goal of catching at least one prey.

A few days ago, while chasing prey, he strayed beyond his usual hunting grounds. To make matters worse, he hadn’t realized he had a poor sense of direction. The farther he ran, the more lost he became, until he not only lost the prey but also completely lost his way back to his tribe.

After hearing Xiao Er's account, everyone first began to doubt whether the youth was truly a young adult—how could his behavior resemble that of a clueless cub? Secondly, they all felt that Xiao Er and Le Hu could become friends.

Xiao Er: “Along the way, I only managed to find some wild fruits to eat. I was so hungry that I couldn’t even transform into my Beast Form... When I finally came across a few beasts, I ended up twisting my ankle...” After saying this, Xiao Er felt deeply ashamed. How could someone like him ever hope to join the hunting team?

In short, it was a case of a bad start followed by worse luck. Not only did he fail to catch any prey, but he also ended up with a hurt leg in the process.

Xue Tuan looked at Xiao Er and figured that if he were in his Beast Form, his ears would be drooping. Xue Tuan walked over and gently patted Xiao Er’s head, offering silent comfort.

Xiao Er received the comfort from the little cub in front of him. Though his eyebrows were still furrowed in a worried expression, he managed to give Xue Tuan a grateful smile.

After hearing the story, Er Hu felt that the situation was somewhat tricky. This young adult had no sense of direction—how could he possibly find his way home?

Er Hu could only tentatively ask, “Then... do you know which direction your tribe is in?”

Xiao Er lowered his head, looking troubled. After a moment’s thought, he said, “I remember our leader said we moved here from the west.” Their tribe had only arrived at their new settlement just before the cold season.

Xiao Er also knew that he wouldn’t be able to return home anytime soon. Though he felt very sad, he lifted his head and said gratefully: “Thank you! Thank you all! I will repay you!”

Xiao Er looked at Ye Cong with admiration, knowing that he must be the Priest of this tribe—only a Priest knew how to treat injuries. And indeed, after his ankle was immobilized, moving it didn’t hurt as much anymore.

Ye Cong casually waved his hand. Compared to treating injuries, the bigger issue was whether this young adult would ever be able to return home.

“I’m going to check on Le Hu. You all stay with him.” Ye Cong packed up his bamboo basket and left. Having the cubs keep the youth company would likely ease his fears.

The cubs curiously gathered around Xiao Er. Yun Lu was just about to ask him about his tribe when a shout came from outside the cave:

“Xue Tuan! We’re back!”

It was San Hu returning. Xue Tuan got up and went outside, where he indeed saw San Hu and a few beastmen struggling to drive several beasts into an open area and tie them to a tree.

“Ugh, I’m exhausted,” San Hu and the other beastmen nearly collapsed on the ground. In the past, they would simply kill their prey and carry it back. This time, however, they had to bring the animals back alive, which had taken a lot more effort.

Yun Lu gave Xue Tuan a puzzled look: “What did you catch these live yaks for?” If he wasn’t mistaken, among them were pregnant females and young calves.

San Hu, still panting, asked in confusion, “Xue Tuan, I remember the tribe’s rule is not to hunt these two types of beasts, right? I was going to let them go, but after thinking it over, I brought them back for you.”

Xue Tuan: “Good thing you didn’t let them go, otherwise you’d miss out on some delicious treats.”

San Hu stared wide-eyed. He had eaten yak meat as a child, and it didn’t seem all that special to him.

After hearing Uncle Yun Lu call out the names of those beasts, Xue Tuan thought to himself that he had indeed been right. Those animals really did resemble the yaks from his previous life, except they had an extra pair of horns on their heads, and their hooves showed sharp claws—getting scratched by them would be no small matter.

It was fortunate that the starving Xiao Er hadn’t confronted these yaks head-on; otherwise, twisting his ankle would have been the least of his worries.

“Uncle Le Hu, was he injured by these?” Juan Juan, who had never seen a yak before, suddenly spoke up, shaking his head. In his eyes, these beasts were no different from “poisonous beasts.”

A subtle silence fell over the group. No one knew whether Juan Juan had hit upon the truth.

Xue Tuan said to Yun Lu, “Uncle Yun Lu, let’s try raising these yaks.” It was only a few animals—surely they wouldn’t be refused.

“Huh?” Before Yun Lu could respond, the others expressed their surprise.

They had never heard of any tribe raising wild beasts. Weren’t they just meant to be slaughtered fresh for food, unlike Spirit beasts?

Could it be that the Junior Priest wanted to eat them a few days later? In that case, there was no need to raise them—just starve them for a few days.

San Hu thought the same, figuring it was fine if Xue Tuan wanted to wait a few days before eating them. He said, “Alright... sure, eating them a few days later is fine.”

“Oh, I see, that’s acceptable.” Yun Lu had initially been thinking about the idea of “raising” them, but after hearing San Hu’s words, he realized he had misunderstood. Delaying for a few days wasn’t a big deal, so he agreed as well.

Well, it seemed the beastmen had all misunderstood his meaning. But it didn’t matter—if they delayed long enough, they might eventually see no need to slaughter the animals, and then they could be raised. Xue Tuan felt his reasoning was sound.

“Uncle Yun Lu, let’s fence off an area for these yaks.” Xue Tuan didn’t plan to explain further—actions would speak for themselves.

Yun Lu thought for a moment and said, “Alright.” They could simply enclose the trees where the yaks were tied with a fence. So Yun Lu instructed a few beastmen to fetch some spare fences from Wood Lion Elder’s cave and bring them over.

“Make sure the fence is sturdy,” Yun Lu reminded them. Yaks normally didn’t attack beastmen on their own, so they seemed relatively docile for now. As long as the vine ropes and fences were secure, there was no need to worry about the yaks suddenly breaking free and harming anyone.

“No problem, High Priest, don’t worry.” These beastmen were all workers under Elder Grandpa and were extremely familiar with this kind of task. Even without specific instructions, they would do a good job.

The cubs, however, watched Xue Tuan with eager anticipation. Xue Tuan naturally knew that the cubs beside him were still thinking about the “delicious treats” he had mentioned earlier.

Xue Tuan said to them, “You go call Uncle Yuan Luo and bring a few pottery jars.” He wanted to try milking the yaks.

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Author's Note: Thank you, dear readers, for the nutrient solutions. I appreciate your support~ [Heart]