Chapter 124

Chapter 124

That day, Snowball stood beneath an ancient tree, wearing a small straw sun hat. He swung a foxtail in his hand, muttering to himself as he paced back and forth around the trunk.

"Snowball—"

Hearing the call, Snowball instantly whirled around: "Shh!"

"We agreed to sneak in—why are you shouting so loudly?!" Snowball glanced left and right; fortunately, this spot was secluded, with few beastmen passing by.

"Oh…" The cubs who’d dashed over clapped their paws over their mouths in unison, nodding vigorously to promise silence next time.

Bing Qiu and his friends had resumed their regular training. The little black lion had been singled out by Grandpa Hui Qiong for special instruction—and even Hui Hui had been taken along. Grandpa truly *was* terrifying.

Snowball decided to ask Sand Tiger and the others to devise a way to sneak him over and check on the house-building team.

These cubs were accustomed to roaming freely across the entire tribe—their physical stamina rivaled that of the working beastmen. It remained a mystery how they possessed such boundless energy. So, asking them for help in visiting the construction site was undoubtedly the right choice.

Sand Tiger held a slender wooden stick, sketching in the dirt, while Little Mouse and the others chimed in beside him.

"Done! That’s it!"

The “map” they drew was one where Snowball’s comprehension mattered little—as long as *they* understood it. Snowball tilted his head, studying it for a moment. He truly couldn’t make sense of it—but remained nonchalant, reasoning that as long as the cubs knew the way, all he needed to do was follow quietly. After all, when it came to matters like this, the cubs were far more experienced than he was.

"If only Snowball were still a little arctic fox…" Little Mouse mused.

Then they could simply tuck the tiny arctic fox into the hat Uncle Rong Shan and the others had made—and stroll over confidently for a peek, couldn’t they?

"Don’t waste time with nonsense!" Sand Tiger waved his hand. "Let’s go!"

Huh? Just like that—they were off? What about the plan? The strategy? The escape route?

Snowball was simply jostled and nudged along as he trailed behind.

The cubs’ logic was straightforward: Since Ye Cong forbade Snowball from approaching the house-building group, they merely needed to send several cubs over to keep Ye Cong occupied.

As for the progress of all the houses—though varying slightly—Snowball simply wanted to see how construction was advancing. So, the cubs decided to escort him to any random site for a quick look. Wasn’t that enough?

Indeed, the cubs were masters of circuitous routes. The scene Snowball had imagined—“sneaking into the house-building zone”—never materialized. Beastmen who spotted them merely offered friendly smiles and made no move to shoo them away.

Snowball had disguised himself slightly: he wasn’t wearing his usual “Junior Priest” cloak, and kept using the taller cubs as human shields.

Thus, the beastmen failed to notice the small cub mingling among them—the very cub Priest Ye Cong had strictly forbidden from approaching the construction site.

Passing the area where wooden posts were treated, Snowball saw numerous posts already stripped of bark, coated in tung oil, and thoroughly dried. Their ends had been carved into flat tenons and stacked neatly in an open yard.

The cubs pressed on. Snowball spotted several bluestone slabs—likely hauled from the caves—intended for flooring or pavilion foundations.

Whichever section needed them first would claim them. The beastmen gave no thought to the fact that they’d likely still be living in caves next year—and would have to relay those bluestone slabs all over again.

In another open area, Snowball watched several beastmen snap ink lines across the foundation, marking column positions according to the planned bay width and depth.

When Snowball and the others were halfway there, a few cubs peeled off on their own—having spotted their target—and dashed over to pester Ye Cong.

The cubs had already agreed upon a secret signal: if Ye Cong approached Snowball’s location, they’d shift into their Beast Forms and emit a warning roar.

"Brother Ye Cong! We’re here again!"

Ye Cong was delighted to see the cubs returning to “learn” once more. It was always beneficial for cubs to absorb knowledge—especially those with a strong “thirst for learning,” a trait Ye Cong particularly admired.

Ye Cong: "Good that you came. It’d be even better if you came every day…"

The cubs’ little scheme was impressively well-organized. Ye Cong was now completely surrounded.

Snowball didn’t dwell on it. He and the remaining cubs darted to another side—already captivated by the structure before him.

"Wow—it’s grown so much since I last saw it…"

The residential district of the Mountain Water Tribe was vast—a distinct, separate zone. Ordinarily, Snowball could glimpse only its outer silhouette from elevated vantage points.

Now, seeing it up close again, he couldn’t help but admire the beastmen’s unwavering perseverance. For such a “high-difficulty” structure, they’d stubbornly, painstakingly, assembled its initial form, piece by piece.

The platform foundation had been laid earlier. The new house rising atop it was already taking shape. Rows of thick wooden posts stood silently, their bases firmly seated in polished stone plinths.

Crossbeams rested atop the column heads, the wooden beams and column tenons fitting together with remarkable precision. A closer look revealed faint ink lines—traces of the beastmen’s tireless labor, day and night.

The entire new house currently resembled a massive, hollow skeleton—yet it was strikingly square and symmetrical. With such a solid foundation, Snowball had no doubt the beastmen’s craftsmanship would yield a durable dwelling.

"It’s so spacious inside—so spacious!" Sand Tiger spun in circles across the open floor. He’d often come here to play before, always imagining his family living in such a grand home.

Sand Tiger stood at the very center—the most open and expansive area. In the future, this space—along with the second floor—would be designed as a “courtyard-in-the-shape-of-the-character-hui” (a traditional enclosed courtyard), allowing one to gaze directly upward at the sky.

Space for the kitchen and bathroom would be reserved on both sides later. Areas for water heating and concealed drainage ditches had already been pre-planned. Once walls rose, the stove could be installed immediately.

Further ahead lay the main hall. Both flanks could be partitioned into bedrooms or storage rooms. A small door would be set on each side, opening directly into the family’s private courtyard. Beside each small door, stairs would ascend straight to the second floor.

The second floor also featured an exceptionally high ceiling—capable of accommodating giant Beast Forms. Its central area would serve as an ideal play space for them. Snowball could already picture countless furry creatures leaping and frolicking together.

Before Snowball and the others could finish exploring, sudden roars erupted—the cubs shifting into their Beast Forms.

"Oh no! Brother Ye Cong and the others are coming this way!" Sand Tiger shouted instantly.

But this structure was originally an “open-framed” building—“wind blowing through from all sides.” What should they do?

The cubs’ sudden transformation and roaring indeed caught Ye Cong’s attention. As he turned, Snowball decisively ordered: "Everyone—hide behind the posts! Stay out of sight!"

Fortunately, the load-bearing posts were tall enough to fully conceal Snowball’s small frame.

Yet Snowball forgot one thing—that *only he* needed to hide. The other cubs could have stepped forward openly to greet Ye Cong.

But the cubs, flustered beyond measure, clearly forgot this too. Following Snowball’s lead, they all scrambled to duck behind posts.

Their hiding skills, however, left much to be desired. When Ye Cong and the other cubs arrived, he immediately spotted a foot protruding from beneath the front-left post—and a small shoulder peeking out from behind the front-right post.

Ye Cong: *What in the world is going on? Are cubs playing hide-and-seek with me?*

His playful side surfaced. His method of catching people was to approach quietly—and startle them.

"Gotcha! Haha!" Ye Cong pulled each cub out, one by one.

Hearing that his little friends had all been caught, Snowball decided the wisest course was to slip away unnoticed.

Unfortunately, the cubs’ laughter drowned out the sound of Ye Cong’s footsteps. Snowball—“sneaking like a cat”—had taken only a few steps when he suddenly tripped, lurched forward, and tumbled straight into someone’s arms.

Ye Cong: "Oh ho—haha—and here’s one who’s *voluntarily surrendering*…?"

Xue Tuan found himself face-to-face with Ye Cong. He immediately played dumb, beaming a goofy smile and saying, "Hehe, hello, Brother Ye Cong!"

Ye Cong frowned, about to give him a talking-to about how dangerous it was for him to be here alone.

At that very moment, they all heard the Howler Monkey Beastmen calling out a message:

"Puffbird Beastmen approaching! Puffbird Beastmen approaching!"

Starting from the Howler Monkey Beastman who first spotted the approaching beastmen, the message was passed along in a relay. Soon, everyone in the tribe knew that Puffbird Beastmen had arrived.

Xue Tuan's eyes darted around, and he quickly wriggled out of Ye Cong's hold. "Brother Ye Cong, I need to go see if someone I know has arrived. Gotta go!"

As soon as Xue Tuan broke free, the cubs quickly transformed into their Beast Forms, carrying Xue Tuan as they ran off.

"Ah, okay." Ye Cong mumbled to himself, watching the rapidly disappearing backs of Xue Tuan and the cubs. "Wait, I haven't finished talking yet..."

The escaped cubs excitedly ran toward the tribe's entrance.

"Haha, Xue Tuan, we made it out!" The cubs charged forward, howling as they ran, as if they'd pulled off a major heist.

"It's your own fault for being so slow! You didn't even hear our warning!" Xiao Shu was one of the cubs who had given the warning. He was surprised they got caught even after the warning.

Sha Hu retorted indignantly, "We heard you! We just couldn't get away!"

"Tuan Tuan!"

The cubs were halfway there, carrying Xue Tuan, when they suddenly heard a certain dark-faced voice. All the cubs instinctively dug their claws into the ground, coming to an abrupt stop.

Xue Tuan turned around and saw that the little black lion, who was 'off class,' had come over.

"Zhong Yan!" Xue Tuan waved in greeting.

The little black lion ran over quickly and asked, "Tuan Tuan, where are you going?"

"We want to go see who came from the Puffbird side," Xue Tuan replied.

"Okay, I'll go with you." The little black lion lowered himself, shifting form so he could carry Xue Tuan himself.

The group of cubs stared blankly at the departing figures of the little black lion and Xue Tuan, silently replaying in their minds how this black lion had managed to take Xue Tuan away without them saying a single word...

There were many people gathered around. From the snippets of conversation and the faint glimpses of figures, Xue Tuan realized that the visitors were actually Luo Ran and Shao Shao!

They had come in person to deliver the message.

Because the Mountain Water Tribe beastmen were so enthusiastic, it took Luo Ran and Shao Shao a good while to make their way to the central cave. Feng Yan and Rong Shan had food ready and waiting for them.

Everyone took their seats. The other beastmen, knowing the leaders had matters to discuss, left first.

They'd moved the meeting table under the shade of a tree. Not far away, a water channel fan provided a breeze, making this little spot not as hot and stuffy.

Xue Tuan and the little black lion first went over to greet Luo Ran and Shao Shao. Afterward, they didn't leave but stayed nearby, eating the fruit Rong Shan handed them.

Judging by the time it took, Luo Ran and Shao Shao must have come in a hurry, probably wanting to reassure their allied tribe as soon as possible.

"You've worked hard. I suppose the Puffbird Tribe has safely weathered the natural disaster?" Rong Shan poured them some iced milk tea, using the last of the tribe's ice.

Luo Ran: "Yes! Thank you all so much!"

Luo Ran briefly described their tribe's situation, especially expressing gratitude to the Mountain Water Tribe. However, the not-so-good news was that some beastmen from the Puffbird Tribe had permanently left them due to the terrifying natural disaster.

When he reached this point, Luo Ran and Shao Shao's eyes reddened again. They must have been through this grief many times already.

Rong Shan patted the back of Luo Ran's hand, silently comforting him. No one wanted to see tribesmen leave. All they could do was pray to the Beast God that these departed tribesmen would have a better life in their next life.

Luo Ran looked at Rong Shan gratefully and said, "I'm okay, I'll be fine in a moment... Fortunately, with your warning, our Puffbird Tribe was able to leave here in time."

Otherwise, who knows how many more tribesmen would have suffered. Just thinking about the situation during the natural disaster still sends a shiver down Luo Ran's spine.

Rong Shan waved his hand, indicating there was no need to keep thanking them; they had only done what they should.

No matter which tribe lived around the Mountain Water Tribe, they were willing to inform them about the natural disaster. Especially with a friendly tribe like the Puffbird Tribe, with whom they had a mutual agreement, it was even more their duty to do so.

Seeing that his father Luo Ran was still wiping his tears, Shao Shao hugged him and continued, "The Sun Moon Tribe also asked us to convey their thanks. They said they must get to know you all when they have the chance."

"Yes." Mentioning this, Luo Ran smiled and said, "The Sun Moon Tribe said that from now on, at any flower market their tribe hosts, they will no longer accept any salt coins from the Mountain Water Tribe!"