Underworld App (1): Is it okay to pay a ghost for a job?

Desolate wilderness, a mass grave.

Under the moonlight, the withered forest appeared like a crowd of decaying corpses standing still, casting dense and chaotic black shadows onto the ground.

A cold wind howled through, dead leaves rustling and falling. The heavy shadows on the ground twisted wildly, stirring a chilling wail of sorrow and cries.

Scattered across the clearing were chunks of fresh animal flesh, reeking of thick blood. Entrails and severed limbs were laid out like dishes on white jade plates. Seven burning white candles flickered in the wind, each flame the size of a bean, placed at the corners of a formation drawn in blood.

A crimson light, faint and pulsating like breathing, shimmered between light and dark, brewing, waiting for something.

A sinister and eerie ritual was underway.

A man stood outside the formation, murmuring a strange chant. Suddenly, he flung the blood in his hand. As it touched the center of the formation, it evaporated into red smoke as if hitting a scorching surface, disappearing into the air.

A sharp light flashed in the man’s eyes. As he reached the final part of the incantation, he shouted: “Appear!”

With his command, a whoosh echoed, and the area instantly fell into dead silence. Not even the chirp of insects could be heard.

The temperature dropped sharply, as if even breathing would freeze one’s lungs. A shiver ran down the spine, and people trembled uncontrollably.

Pitch-black fog swept across the entire field of vision. Even the moonlight turned to ink, not a trace of brightness left.

The roars of evil spirits, the cries of infants, venomous curses, and wails of despair all converged into a cacophony that crashed into the mind, nearly tearing one’s sanity apart!

When awareness returned, the moonlight fell like frost on the surroundings. The air returned to its former icy stillness. A man in a black robe with pale skin stood silently in the center of the formation like a snow-covered pine. His expressionless face blended perfectly with the cold and terrifying world behind him.

Seeing this, the summoner thought excitedly: The ancient texts said this formation could summon the most terrifying fierce ghost in the world, and the power of the ghost before him was indeed unimaginably immense!

—The blood he went through great lengths to obtain really worked!

The man in the formation slowly raised his head, blood-red eyes cold and unreadable, silently staring at the summoner, like a demon evaluating a piece of fresh meat.

The summoner was so overwhelmed by the gaze that fear crept into his heart, almost making him back away. After a moment, he recalled the records from the ancient book and his past experiences summoning spirits. He straightened up and shouted, “Listen! Fierce Ghost! I am your master! From now on, you must obey my commands, fulfill all my wishes, and help me conquer the world!”

The ghost stared at him indifferently for a moment, then slowly opened his mouth.

“Why?”

His voice was as cold as snow, sending a chill through the listener.

But the words themselves left one confused.

The summoner reflexively replied, “What do you mean why? I summoned you, so you have to follow my orders!”

The man in the black robe remained expressionless. “You think this is a game? You summon a spirit and it just automatically joins your team? And helps you conquer the world? Just for that tiny bit of blood you gave me? If I had that kind of power, why wouldn’t I conquer the world myself instead of letting you get in the way? Instead of all that, why not just tell me what compensation you can offer?”

The summoner was dumbfounded. He hadn’t expected that after summoning a fierce ghost, the ghost would hit him back with such strict logic — weren’t ghosts supposed to be mindless and muddled?

He paused, then said, “No problem on the compensation. One live chicken every week, and at the end of every month, I’ll burn you some coins and ten incense sticks. That’s a top-tier offer — no other household treats spirits this well!”

He recalled the previous ghosts he’d summoned — each of them weeping with joy while devouring freshly offered food like they hadn’t eaten in eight lifetimes. He thought this offer was more than generous.

Ghosts that had been dead too long couldn’t resist these kinds of offerings.

But to his surprise, the pale-faced ghost before him rolled his eyes in a perfectly elegant arc and said, “You think you can summon the world’s most powerful ghost to do your bidding for just three hundred yuan a month? You’re dreaming.”

The summoner: “…………”

He had long wanted to say — what’s with this ghost’s personality? It was completely different from what he imagined!

Flustered and blushing with embarrassment, the summoner snapped, “Then what do you want?”

“Thirty million a year. I get 20% commission for each job completed. Two days off per week, and three months of paid vacation per year. All tasks must be approved by me before proceeding. I won’t do anything I dislike,” the man said casually. “Work hours are 7 PM to 3 AM. Outside of that, do not summon me. If you do… let me think… I’ll eat one of your hands.”

That wasn’t all. The man continued, “You must cover all my living expenses. A house and car are standard — give me at least a few dozen properties. As for clothing, every season of the year, my wardrobe must be stocked wall-to-wall with new outfits and shoes, no repeats. Replaced yearly.”

“Company-funded travel—”

“Stop, stop, stop!” The summoner couldn’t take it anymore, yelling in frustration, “I only have a few hundred thousand in savings! You want a 30-million salary, dozens of properties? Are you delusional? Ridiculous!”

“I am a ghost,” the man replied seriously.

“…………” The summoner was fuming, shouting, “Impossible! You wish!”

Other ghosts would gratefully worship him just for fresh blood. But this ghost — he was sharp, demanding, and nothing like a ghost at all.

Seeing the summoner refuse, the man gave him a look of disdain, turned around, and started walking away. “Then there’s nothing more to talk about.”

“Hey, hey!” Seeing the man leave, the summoner panicked. “Where are you going? I summoned you, so you must obey me!!”

Whoosh—

A chilling wind swept the summoner up and flung him far away, slamming him hard into the ground.

The man’s cold voice drifted through the wind into his ear: “Know your place. I came through the summoning circle to interview you. But you — as the hiring party — are clearly unqualified. Didn’t you learn that summoning me requires a great price? Trying to brush me off with a few chickens and candles — laughable!”

The summoner’s face turned red and green by turns. Climbing up awkwardly from the ground, he mumbled, “I thought the price meant blood or lifespan or something…”

So he’d gone out of his way to obtain blood from someone with extremely strong luck — something fierce ghosts craved. Even if the ghost wanted revenge, it would go after the original owner of the blood, not him. He even offered expensive livestock to make up for it — fresh meat that even thousand-year-old spirits would enjoy…

But who would have guessed that, after all that effort, the “great price” so sternly emphasized in the ancient texts turned out to be… a modern salary package?! That’s absurd!!

Before inheriting the ancient texts, he was just a broken little summoner. Now, he shed tears of grief over his poverty.

“Even though I’m broke, you won’t find another summoner like me!” the summoner shouted. “Humans and ghosts are natural enemies! If you don’t become my subordinate, I, as a Taoist, will eventually destroy you — cleanse evil for the people! Turn you to dust, never to reincarnate, I’ll—”

The man in the robe vanished like smoke and, in the blink of an eye, reappeared right in front of the summoner. His cold, pale fingers gripped the summoner’s throat like iron claws. He spoke lazily:

“Since you say you’ll kill me one day, I might as well deal with you now while you’re still weak…”

“No, no!” The summoner was terrified to his core, wishing he could travel back in time to slap himself a hundred times for what he’d said just ten seconds ago. His eyes bulged as he shouted, “I was talking nonsense! I don’t have the ability to kill you! I was just putting on a front! Saving face, that’s all!! Please let me go, I’m willing to apologize! I’ll pay you!!!”

That last line seemed to strike a chord with the man. He curled his lips and said in a tone like teasing a small pet, “Oh? How much are you willing to pay for your life? A few hundred thousand isn’t enough…”

The summoner turned pale with rage. Not only had his attempt to summon a fierce ghost failed, now the ghost was extorting him. Trembling, he said, “A-a few hundred thousand is enough to buy you dozens of cows! Isn’t that enough?!”

“Hm?” The man’s tone sounded rude, and his stunning face gave the summoner a sideways glance. The summoner trembled all over, his eyes darting around nervously. Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he looked up and said, “I get it! That blood — the blood that summoned you! Do you like it?!”

The robed man recalled that sweet, rich taste — like the ultimate nightmare — and couldn’t help but lick his pale pink lips, saying with deliberate restraint, “It’s acceptable.”

Acceptable? That expression practically screamed that you were addicted!

Having learned occult arts, the summoner considered himself somewhat knowledgeable about spirits. Of course he knew how much fierce ghosts craved the blood of those with immense virtue.

Without hesitation, he sold the person out: “I know where that person is! I’ll take you! He’s just an ordinary human, has no idea how to defend against ghosts — you can eat him however you want!”

As he spoke, he sneered inwardly: Heh, people of great virtue are protected by the heavens. If a ghost dares to approach or harm them maliciously, heavenly thunder will strike instantly — no room for negotiation.

Best case, this ghost and that person of great virtue end up wounding each other, and he reaps the reward — kills the ghost for merit, and takes the blood to summon the next ghost…

The robed man let go of his throat and said indifferently, “Oh? And who is this person?”

The summoner quickly replied, “Chu Feng!”

Bang!

A long sleeve swept through the air — an invisible barrier slammed into the summoner’s body with even more force than before.

Blood sprayed from his mouth, and his body was flung over ten meters away, crashing to the ground like he’d been hit by a heavy truck. His bones ached with pain.

“Ugh… ugh… you… why…?!” The summoner thought he was going to die, asking in despair and fear, “Why?!”

The man — Si Qi — walked up to the summoner and looked down at him like a corpse, his voice ice-cold: “How did you get that person’s blood?”

Could it be that Chu Feng was harmed because he didn’t know ghosts existed…

Tears ran down the summoner’s face as he cried out in despair, “I just saw him go for a medical exam and snuck into the lab to steal the blood sample they drew!!”

His underlings were small fry — they couldn’t possibly extract blood from a person of great virtue. They were already terrified lightning might strike them for being involved.

Si Qi: “…………”

He truly hadn’t expected that this world’s Child of the World would be this useless.

According to the world’s will, this guy was supposed to eventually pacify all evil spirits, be revered by humanity, become the founding master of a spiritual sect, and be honored by the nation. But now… this is what he’d become?

He glanced at the man who had been scared out of his wits and casually said, “Tell me his address.”

The Child of the World choked and reported a location, even swearing to the heavens that he’d burn all his savings into paper money offerings. Only then, after hearing Si Qi’s warning — “Don’t ever bother me again” — did he watch helplessly as Si Qi floated away, leaving him with nothing but despair and financial ruin.

He even suspected that if Si Qi weren’t still eyeing his stash of savings, he might already be dead.

The ancient text had been right — never summon this fierce ghost unless you were truly desperate… He never should have tried to approach the ghost just because he was born lucky! Not only did he fail to gain a powerful ally, he went bankrupt and nearly lost his life!!!

He regretted it so much!!!

…

Actually, the Child of the World didn’t need to regret it.

Because in the original timeline, the Child of the World did summon the most powerful ghost king in the world at this exact moment — albeit by sheer accident — and eventually subdued him.

The difference was, in that version, the ghost king was mindless and lost in bloodlust, with only the desire to kill and devour. The Child of the World “failed” to convince him and was hunted down instead. With nowhere else to turn, he sought out Chu Feng, the man with immense virtue.

He knew Chu Feng’s blood was fatally attractive to fierce ghosts and that he was deeply favored by heaven, immune to all evil. And it just so happened that the ghost king, having lost his mind, had forgotten the existence of heaven’s rules — he no longer held any fear.

Once drawn to Chu Feng’s neighborhood by the Child of the World, the ghost king, upon smelling his scent, immediately abandoned the summoner and went to kill Chu Feng.

In the end, the result was exactly as the Child of the World had anticipated. Chu Feng was killed by the fierce ghost. The Ghost King, after devouring Chu Feng, experienced a massive increase in power, but before he could fully absorb this strength, he was struck down by the heavenly will—lightning rained from the skies, leaving him with less than one percent of his original power.

The Child of the World reaped the benefits. Using a forbidden spell, he forcibly enslaved the Ghost King, imprinting a soul-binding mark upon him. Even after the Ghost King recovered rapidly by absorbing Chu Feng’s blood and regained his former strength, he was still bound and unable to resist.

With the Ghost King at his side, the Child of the World became unstoppable in future ghost battles, slaying countless spirits with ease. Effortlessly, he became a Taoist master praised by prestigious families, a white knight in the hearts of young women, and a mysterious figure even national organizations treated with utmost respect.

From the perspective of the Heavenly Dao—also known as the world’s consciousness—humanity’s rapid scientific advancement and population explosion had resulted in an overwhelming increase in the number of wandering spirits. Ghostly energy now overflowed in almost every corner of the human realm.

If no action was taken to control these fierce spirits, the order of the human world would soon collapse. No one knew when a deranged ghost might suddenly kill a train driver, a high-ranking official, or a brilliant scientist…

No matter who the victim was, every death was a loss to the world.

How to control the rising number of ghosts, how to equip humanity with the means to protect itself from them, and how to stop the Child of the World from abusing his powers—these were the problems Si Qi now needed to solve.

Xiu Xiu, while watching through surveillance as the Child of the World staggered away, keeping track of his latest movements, noticed Si Qi deep in thought and cleverly offered a suggestion:

“Master, do you remember that world you once visited—the one with a ‘Underworld’ system? Why don’t we learn from that and create a reincarnation system here?”

Si Qi raised an eyebrow. “You know how to make one?”

Xiu Xiu scratched its head. “No… Didn’t you learn it when you were in that world?”

Xiu Xiu had always thought its master was the best in the world and capable of anything!

Si Qi responded helplessly, “That might be something only the Heavenly Dao or the Lord God can do.”

Xiu Xiu replied, “But I think you’re amazing, Master. Maybe if you study it, you’ll figure it out?”

Si Qi couldn’t help but laugh and tapped the little creature on the head with a conjured finger. “You believe in me that much? Alright, I’ll give it some thought.”

He considered how he could use world energy—something other quick-travel agents struggled to control—with the ease of breathing. Si Qi believed he had always been a genius. Maybe he really could accomplish something no one else could: creating a reincarnation system.

Xiu Xiu covered its head and giggled. “Master will always be the best!!”

Xiu Xiu loved its master the most~~

As master and servant chatted, Si Qi left the mass grave in the wilderness and arrived at a modern city under the night sky.

In Si Qi’s vision, streams of black-gray smoke drifted through the air like tangible ink, smeared across the surroundings, constantly shifting and growing.

It felt to Si Qi like he was standing not in the human world but in a hell full of fierce spirits—or some fantasy realm of undead phantoms.

Ghosts in this place would feel at home, and fierce spirits would grow stronger and bloodthirstier. But humans would never endure such an environment. They would suffer from mental fatigue, become irritable and impulsive, and society’s crime rate would skyrocket.

He saw hundreds of people walking past, chatting and laughing casually, appearing as if they were all alive. Only their pale skin and faint bloodstains on their clothes gave them away.

Looking up at the pitch-black sky, Si Qi noted it was already 3 a.m.

He was certain—these were all ghosts.

Some of them noticed Si Qi. Seeing his rare traditional robe and stunningly beautiful face, a few smiled at him kindly.

One young girl even blushed when she met his gaze.

Their reactions were completely human-like…

A teenage boy walking past noticed his outfit and cheerfully struck up a conversation: “Hey man, did you die while cosplaying or shooting a costume drama, or are you an actual ancient ghost?”

Si Qi thought for a moment and replied, “Probably from ancient times. It’s been so long I can’t remember.”

“Yeah, it happens,” the teen said, scratching his head with a naive smile. “I don’t remember how long I’ve been dead either. Just that I hadn’t become a singer yet, and hadn’t written a song I was proud of… So I can’t just disappear.”

The more Si Qi observed, the more he felt that the ghosts here were completely different from those he’d seen in other worlds. He asked, “Why do we become ghosts? Does everyone who dies become one?”

“Nope,” the boy replied casually, without any of the creepiness typical of horror-movie ghosts. “Only people who die with unfinished desires in their heart can become ghosts.”

Si Qi suspected that after these people died and became ghosts, they completely let go of their worldly attachments—fame, money, power, reputation—all became meaningless. The only thing that still mattered was the obsession they carried, just as the boy described.

So when Si Qi asked, the pure-hearted boy who seemed to care about nothing else immediately shared everything he knew without hesitation.

“As long as we fulfill that obsession, we can disappear,” the boy said cheerfully. “I want to become an amazing singer—write songs, hold concerts, be loved by everyone! When that day comes, you have to come listen, okay? If I perform well and you’re all satisfied, maybe I’ll achieve my dream and finally vanish!”

Si Qi smiled faintly, but his heart grew heavy.

A wave of killing intent surged from him, startling Xiu Xiu, who couldn’t help but ask, “M-Master, what’s wrong?”

Could it be that his master hated this ghost boy?

But the boy looked so harmless and even a little cute with that cheerful smile. Xiu Xiu couldn’t understand why Si Qi was suddenly angry.

Si Qi restrained his emotions. While listening to the boy happily fantasizing about his wish coming true, he quietly said to Xiu Xiu,

 “I’ve realized—these ghosts are just like ordinary humans. They’re not dangerous. In fact, their minds are even purer and kinder than the living.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Xiu Xiu grew more confused. “Then…?”

Si Qi frowned. “Did you forget what the world consciousness and the Child of the World are planning to do next?”

Xiu Xiu thought carefully. Moments later, its body tensed up, its face filled with shock.

In the original timeline, under the protection of the world consciousness, the Child of the World would grow stronger and more famous. Then, for the sake of “protecting” humans from ghosts, he would slaughter tens of millions of spirits across the country in one go. He would earn great merit in the world of the living and be eternally celebrated.

Even if that fame came at the cost of countless ghosts begging for mercy and weeping in despair, the living wouldn’t see what he truly did, nor who he actually killed. The Child of the World would face no psychological burden during the massacre.

This was exactly what stirred Si Qi’s sudden, intense killing intent toward the Child of the World—he was a true executioner, a bloodthirsty maniac. He gained wealth and glory by stepping over the bones of others, without ever revealing to people that what they asked him to kill were actually their loved ones, still holding onto emotions and memories.

What made it worse was that the Child of the World had no idea what consequences a high number of ghosts might bring to the human world. No one stood at a high enough level to tell him. He simply killed ghosts for personal gain. He even viewed himself as godlike, believing he had the right to take the lives of intelligent beings.

That was what made him truly vile.

From the perspective of the world consciousness, intangible ghosts couldn’t contribute to society. Worse, once their numbers grew too large, they might threaten human lives. So even if they had no harmful intentions, the world consciousness had to eliminate them—like weeds draining nutrients from flowers. Otherwise, how unjust would it be to the living?

If Si Qi hadn’t shown up, these ghosts were doomed to die.

But now, he was here.

Watching the boy eagerly talking to him and getting ready to pull out the guitar strapped to his back for a live performance, Si Qi smiled and said,

“You have a very pleasant voice. You’ll definitely be twice as effective at singing.”

“Right?!” The boy beamed brightly. Under the curious gazes of nearby ghosts, he walked to a slightly elevated spot, sat down, and lightly strummed a chord. Soothing, beautiful music filled the air.

Many ghosts smiled and gathered around, quietly listening to the boy’s performance. His singing was cheerful and clear, the melody pure and completely free of distractions. It was music that could touch the soul.

Just by listening, Si Qi felt as though his spirit had been cleansed.

He even recalled a distant world long ago, where a race treated music as life itself and devoted everything to the most beautiful melodies. The songs he heard then were just like this—clean, pure, and deeply moving.

Si Qi pressed his lips together, his gaze gradually deepening.

He earnestly listened to the entire performance. When the boy waved his arms to thank the crowd, Si Qi smiled and clapped with the others, then slowly turned and walked away from the gathering.

As he left, he heard the sound of a child crying in a nearby apartment building. A girl, overwhelmed by the heavy yin energy, trembled under her blanket, tearfully speaking to her parents on the phone. Her voice was panicked as she said she once again heard a strange sound—this time, it was a boy singing outside…

But outside, there was clearly no one.

Her parents reassured her, saying it was all in her head.

But the girl stubbornly insisted she really heard it.

Her parents, having been woken in the middle of the night by her too many times recently, had grown impatient. They couldn’t understand what she was experiencing and assumed she was just being irrational or possibly mentally unwell.

The girl, receiving no proper comfort or understanding, was left scared and wronged. After arguing with her parents, she hung up in a breakdown and cried helplessly under her blanket.

Hearing the girl’s sobs and seeing the joyful expression on the boy’s face behind him, Si Qi lowered his gaze slightly.

Neither side was wrong.

They were simply missing a proper solution.

The Primitive Tribe is about to rise (14): Later

Both the enemies and the lion tribe beastmen were completely stunned. Having grown up under the protection of the Beast God and harboring deep reverence and worship for Him, they found themselves utterly unable to summon even the slightest thought of resistance after witnessing his descent with their own eyes.

Weapons clattered to the ground. Everyone instinctively dropped to their knees, exposing their necks in surrender, as if offering themselves to the god without resistance.

Only the chieftain of the great tribe stood there in shock, his eyes filled with undeniable terror. Just moments ago, he had seen with his own eyes the young man coldly snap the neck of one of his tribesmen, then calmly withdraw his hand. After surveying the battlefield, the youth suddenly transformed into his beast form, revealing gleaming golden scales.

Then, his body grew larger and larger, glowing with dazzling golden light as he soared into the sky, becoming an exact replica of the stone-carved deity that the shamans worshipped every day!

So… he had actually invaded the tribe of the Beast God and even killed members of the Beast God’s own people?!

That meant he—and his tribe—would be abandoned by the Beast God and ruthlessly destroyed without mercy!

The chieftain’s teeth began to chatter uncontrollably. He could not allow such a fate to befall them. Unlike his tribesmen who had surrendered, his bloodshot eyes filled with fury. Letting out one last desperate roar, he transformed into a ferocious tiger and lunged at Chu Feng, the strongest of the lion tribe warriors. If he had to die, then he would at least take the strongest with him—not die in vain!

Chu Feng stood frozen, staring at the golden dragon above. Every memory he had of Si Qi flashed rapidly through his mind. Shock and fear flooded his heart, and he even forgot that an enemy was still attacking him.

When he heard the tiger’s roar rushing toward him, he instinctively raised his weapon in a panic to defend himself. Just then, a burst of golden light fell from his collar, transforming into a small golden dragon.

Like an unstoppable force of nature, the little golden dragon effortlessly slammed the huge tiger aside. It circled Chu Feng like a guardian spirit, not allowing any danger to come near him.

The Grand Shamans who had just stepped out from the house shuddered at the sight, and shouted in unison, “That’s it! That’s the form!”

“That’s the exact form of the shadow that delivered the Beast God’s will to us before!”

“So it was you! You’re the Beast God’s emissary! You were the one who gave us His divine decree!”

Chu Feng stared blankly at the shamans, who were now crying and dancing with joy, utterly confused about what was happening.

Si Qi glanced at the ecstatic shamans, then looked toward the lion tribe warriors lying on the ground, on the brink of death, their eyes still filled with admiration and longing as they struggled to look at him.

Waves of demonic power flowed from his body, descending onto each wounded lion tribe warrior below.

A warm current swept through every corner of their bodies. Bloodied wounds began to heal, and their exhausted bodies were suddenly filled with limitless strength. The beastmen, who just moments ago felt themselves slipping into darkness, were stunned to find the pain and cold vanishing from their bodies. They slowly got up from the ground, discovering that they were completely unharmed—there wasn’t a single fatal wound left!

This had to be a miracle—a divine miracle!

The giant dragon in the sky was the great Beast God, the protector of all beastmen. Only the Beast God could perform such wonders!

Many beastmen couldn’t help but shed tears the size of beans, weeping as they looked up at the dragon with wild reverence and devotion. They were overwhelmed with gratitude that their god had appeared before them, giving them this unforgettable, awe-inspiring experience.

Si Qi slowly descended to the ground. His golden vertical pupils swept over the crowd, still calm and indifferent as always, and he said, “Stand up.”

The beastmen from the great tribe were trembling, overwhelmed with guilt and fear, not daring to rise.

The lion tribe, however, couldn’t wait to stand up. Their eyes were burning with fervor as they stared at Si Qi, wishing they could rush forward and get closer, to bask in more of the Beast God’s presence.

Near the entrance to the tribe, a rabbit tribe sub-beastman, who had run over after hearing the commotion, fell to his knees in despair. Shaking his head uncontrollably, he sobbed and cried out in agony, making sounds no outsider could possibly understand.

“Impossible, it’s impossible! How could Si Qi be the Beast God? How could that be!!”

“Then what on earth have I done? What did I do!!!”

“I actually… I actually treated the Beast God like that—sob sob—I deserve to die, I deserve to die!!!”

In an instant, the rabbit man suddenly recalled many things he had never understood before.

Why was it that Elvin from the past life always recovered so quickly from his injuries?

Because just like the scene before him now, Si Qi—Elvin’s mate and the Beast God—had blessed Elvin and helped him recover rapidly!

Why did Elvin, who didn’t seem much different from other beastmen, suddenly become the Beast God’s emissary?

Because just like Chu Feng now being regarded as the Beast God’s emissary, Elvin had always been by Si Qi’s side, and naturally had more qualifications than anyone else to take on that role!

Why, after becoming the exalted Beast God’s emissary, did the unfaithful and flirtatious Elvin suddenly lose all his guts, obeying Si Qi’s every word just because Si Qi disapproved?

Because even as the Beast God’s emissary, he couldn’t go against the will of the Beast God. No matter how glorious or revered he was outside, there was always a god above him. Everything he had came from Si Qi! Of course he didn’t dare cross the line!!

All that talk of loyalty and lifelong devotion to Si Qi was utter nonsense!

It wasn’t that Si Qi was overly jealous and possessive, unwilling to let go of Elvin. The truth was, Elvin was simply incredibly lucky—to become the Beast God’s mate and enjoy such immense glory!

Yet even with such a blessed life, Elvin was still unsatisfied. He constantly sought to take advantage of other sub-beastmen and, in many public settings, failed to show proper respect and consideration toward the great and noble Beast God. He led sub-beastmen like the rabbit man himself to misunderstand or even look down on the Beast God!!

The rabbit man regretted everything to his very core!

What pushed him even closer to collapse was that he suddenly realized the real reason the Beast God had allowed him to be reborn!

It was because the Beast God had seen through his scheming—his intention to seduce Elvin—and had grown tired of Elvin’s fickleness and unfaithfulness. So, He sent this twisted-minded rabbit man back in time, allowing him to forcibly take Elvin away before Si Qi and Elvin could even become a couple, breaking them apart before their relationship could begin.

In doing so, the Beast God could then meet someone even better, stronger, more resilient and faithful—Chu Feng—no longer being dragged down by that damned Elvin, and finally able to fully use his powers to lead the tribe toward a better future!

Everything that had changed so drastically in the tribe recently was undeniable proof of this!

The more the rabbit man thought, the more overwhelmed he felt. His reverence for the Beast God and his jealousy toward Si Qi collided, making it impossible for him to face his own shameful and pitiful self. He had betrayed and hurt the Beast God, and now he wished he could bite Elvin to death on the spot!

It was this useless piece of trash who had once possessed the Beast God yet wasn’t content—how could he show such disrespect to the Beast God? He deserved to die!!

Elvin stared in disbelief at everything happening in the distance and yelled at the rabbit man in desperation, “Why is Si Qi the Beast God? Why is Chu Feng being treated as the Beast God’s emissary? Why!!!”

“Because only the Beast God’s mate can be considered the Beast God’s emissary…” the rabbit man growled, eyes bloodshot as if ready to tear Elvin apart. “You broke up with the Beast God in this life—of course you can’t be the emissary!”

“What did you say?! You—!” Elvin snapped. He grabbed the rabbit man’s throat with both hands and roared, “You knew all this, and still you seduced me—made me break up with Si Qi—why would you do this to me? Why!!!”

If it hadn’t been for this guy, he would have stayed with Si Qi. He would be the one now who was the Beast God’s emissary, the one destined to spend a lifetime by the Beast God’s side—not that Chu Feng!

“Why?” The rabbit man threw his head back and burst into wild laughter. His crazed expression sent a chill down Elvin’s spine. He released his grip and staggered backward a few steps, feeling that the rabbit man looked utterly terrifying.

The rabbit man growled through clenched teeth, “Because you were unfaithful to the Beast God—any random sub-beastman could make you cheat! Because you abandoned the Beast God just to become his emissary and ran off to live in another tribe! Because when your own life was on the line, you stood by and watched as the Beast God was killed by another beastman! You ask me why?”

“What right do you have to be with the Beast God?”

“Your relationship with the Beast God from the very beginning was built on lies! You’ve hurt him again and again, and now you even dream of tying the Beast God to you for life through a bond contract? Keep dreaming!!!”

The more the rabbit man spoke, the more frenzied he became. He looked completely deranged, like a madman ready to risk everything despite his weakness. He lunged at Elvin, clawing at him with his short claws like a wild animal, all while crying uncontrollably. “So this is why I was reborn… In the eyes of the Beast God, I’m such a filthy, wretched existence! I should be dead—I should’ve died long ago! I’ll kill you and then take my own life! Sob sob sob sob…”

Elvin’s face was scratched and bloodied. Shocked and furious, he grabbed the rabbit man and hurled him against a nearby wall, roaring, “You seduced me on purpose and made me leave Si Qi! If it weren’t for you, I’d be the Beast God’s emissary—just one rank below him, above everyone else! You’re the reason I’ve ended up like this, the reason I lost everything!! You should die!!”

On the plaza, everyone was still silently gazing at Si Qi with reverence and awe. Not a single sound could be heard, as they were all immersed in this dreamlike reality, unwilling to miss even a second.

Thus, the shouting and scuffling between the rabbit man and Elvin stood out in the quiet night, quickly drawing Si Qi’s attention as he witnessed and heard every word of their exchange.

Si Qi: “…………”

Xiu Xiu murmured in Si Qi’s consciousness: [Why does it feel like these beastmen love Master even more than I do now… But Xiu Xiu is the one who loves Master the most…]

[Still, it looks like that guy’s going to lose his mind even if Master doesn’t do anything to him…]

The rabbit man really did look completely insane at this point.

They say even a rabbit bites when it’s cornered—at this moment, he wouldn’t just bite a person, he’d charge at a lion if he had to.

Si Qi raised a claw and pointed from a distance at the two shouting figures. Instantly, both their bodies froze in midair, and no sound could escape their lips. Their red eyes stared at each other, filled with shock and fear.

Si Qi slowly descended to the ground. A flash of golden light passed over him, and he returned to his human form.

The beastmen, seeing with their own eyes that the Beast God was indeed the familiar Si Qi, were overtaken with even greater fervor. Their entire beings radiated boundless worship and adoration.

The Grand Shamans saw the golden dragon behind Si Qi, now even clearer and more distinct than before. All their suspicions were confirmed. They wiped away tears of gratitude, knowing their instincts had been right all along.

Si Qi wasn’t just someone beloved by the Beast God or closely connected to Him—he was the Beast God Himself! And not only that, He had humbled Himself to protect their safety, even warning them in advance of the coming disaster!

How could they not revere such a great Beast God? How could they not be completely, madly devoted to Him?!

A few of them hurried forward and dropped to their knees, wanting nothing more than to kiss Si Qi’s toes as they said, “Great Beast God!”

“Thank You for descending among us! For shielding us from disaster, for protecting our peace!”

Si Qi didn’t particularly enjoy this kind of devotion. He avoided the elders’ kneeling bows and said in a calm and distant tone, “That’s enough. Get up.”

The Grand Shamans were reluctant to rise, but since Si Qi had spoken, they could only do so with regret. They stood with utmost respect and admiration, eyes still fixed on him with silent reverence.

The overwhelming reaction made Si Qi’s scalp tingle.

The original owner’s leftover emotions rose to the surface—it was clear that, based on his personality, he absolutely disliked standing in front of others, attracting attention wherever he went.

Just imagine saying a random sentence to someone and having them blush and almost faint from excitement—who could stand living like that?

So he said, “As long as you all know about this, that’s enough. Don’t spread it.”

Everyone present, upon hearing the decree of the Beast God, immediately nodded solemnly and declared, “We swear to uphold your will with our lives!”

Even if their closest loved ones asked, they wouldn’t reveal a single word! This secret would leave the world with them, buried within their skin and decaying with their bodies.

After speaking, Si Qi recalled the mission in this world and realized that a suitable person needed to stand in front of the public to manage the various tribes for the sake of easier governance. He said, “You may tell others that Chu Feng is the Beast God’s emissary. Act according to his orders.”

Those nearby accepted this without issue and quickly nodded in understanding. The rabbit Man and Elvin, upon hearing this, looked as if their eyes would pop from rage. It was at this moment that Rabbit Man finally, fully understood the truth he never knew in his past life—why, even until his death, he had never heard anyone mention Si Qi’s true identity. Elvin, having lost the title of emissary, was overwhelmed with regret, struggling desperately to make a sound, to scream and protest, but no voice would come.

He was furious—so furious it could kill him!

But no matter how much he hated, it was useless. The people of the Great Tribe were all easily captured. Even without shackles, none dared escape. Elvin and Rabbit Man were also detained—those from the Beast God’s tribe exposed their betrayal right away.

Even if they hadn’t been reported, they would’ve received no kindness within the tribe—one was the scumbag who betrayed the Beast God not long ago, the other a backstabber who stole the Beast God’s partner. And now, the two of them even teamed up with the Great Tribe to cause trouble.

If it weren’t for Si Qi appearing, the tribe might have suffered heavy casualties or vanished entirely into the cold night.

Even though Rabbit Man and Elvin were only captured and not executed, they couldn’t feel happy at all.

One of them persistently tried to pester Si Qi, constantly shouting, “I am the real Beast God’s emissary!” only to be beaten over and over again by beastmen and sub-beastmen who heard him—he never even got close to Si Qi.

The other was completely unhinged—laughing and crying, sometimes claiming he’d completed the Beast God’s mission, other times saying he’d betrayed the Beast God and now had to drag Elvin to die with him.

They were locked up for a few years, but people soon realized keeping them imprisoned was pointless. So they let them go.

Rabbit Man, when lucid, would sometimes sneak near Si Qi just to silently watch him.

He noticed the affectionate interactions between Chu Feng and Si Qi. He saw how newcomers to the tribe, unaware of Si Qi’s true identity, treated him with extra respect simply because of how lovingly Chu Feng treated him. Rabbit Man would smile a contented smile that others couldn’t understand, murmuring things like “No wonder,” and “That’s how it should be.”

Once, he refused to admit that Chu Feng was more suitable than Elvin to be a partner. He couldn’t admit that Si Qi had chosen someone who brought him more happiness. But now, he no longer thought that way.

While still lucid, he joined the beastmen who had once invaded the tribe in doing voluntary labor to atone for his past wrongs.

Sometimes he tilled the fields, sometimes gathered grass for the penned wild boars, sometimes delivered coal to the brick kiln, and sometimes wove beautiful flower garlands to place along the paths Si Qi would walk, hoping to bring a little joy to him.

At first, the tribe’s people ignored his busy movements. Over time, though, some began speaking with him, feeling complicated emotions when they saw how surprised and grateful he looked.

Later on, a newcomer beastman fell for the hardworking, shy Rabbit Man, completely unbothered by his occasional muttering or nervous habits. After some time together, Rabbit Man was finally moved by his persistence. They pledged a lifelong bond before the Beast God’s statue, and the Beast God blessed them just like any other couple.

From then on, when Rabbit Man saw Si Qi again, he could smile sheepishly at him instead of lowering his head and running away.

Xiu Xiu noticed the change in Rabbit Man and suddenly remembered the long-forgotten Child of the World. He asked Si Qi, “Master, where did the Child of the World go?”

Si Qi recalled his face, looked around, and spotted a beastman trudging by with a hoe, utterly dejected. “That one.”

Xiu Xiu blinked and stared closely, unable to see what made this beastman special. He lacked the usual flair of a Child of the World—he seemed even more lifeless than the others.

“What happened to him?”

Given the tribe’s values, they weren’t the type to kick a man while he was down. At most, they’d just ignore him. So how did the Child of the World end up like this?

Si Qi: “Because he blames everyone but himself.”

When the Child of the World realized he’d never become the Beast God’s emissary and would live his whole life as an ordinary beastman, he had to watch as Chu Feng basked in glory and was respected and flattered by visitors from other tribes. The disappointment and jealousy tortured him endlessly.

He kept thinking, if only he hadn’t made that one mistake and angered Si Qi, then he’d be the one standing in Chu Feng’s place. He remembered how well Si Qi had treated him, how he had once been the recipient of the Beast God’s greatest love. But now, no one even looked at him as he walked through the tribe. He couldn’t accept why Chu Feng got to enjoy so much while he had to obey orders as a mere hunter—it felt like a personal insult.

He found fault with everything. Unless he could become the Beast God’s emissary and replace Chu Feng, he would spend his life mired in regret and resentment.

He began having sleepless nights, spaced out during the day, and started making mistakes while hunting. Eventually, due to his lack of ability, he was kicked out of the hunting team and had to look for something else.

There were plenty of things to do in the tribe. It was developing rapidly, changing every day. Countless newcomers had joined and built fulfilling, energetic lives. But no matter what job he tried, he never lasted long—he refused to “lower himself” and do real work. In the end, he was replaced by newcomers and lost even those decent opportunities.

Eventually, in the prime of his life, he became a washed-up youth who relied on farming to survive, practically invisible in the tribe.

Even Xiu Xiu almost forgot he existed.

Xiu Xiu clicked his tongue and sighed. This guy had dreams bigger than the sky but didn’t know how to appreciate what he had. Watching Si Qi chat and laugh with the Lord God, he quickly forgot all about the Child of the World.

By the time he remembered again, who knows how many years would have passed?

By then, the tribe would likely have developed into an even more prosperous and thriving place than it was now.

The Primitive Tribe is about to rise (13): “Si Qi is the Lord Beast God!!!”

Si Qi raised an eyebrow, and Chu Feng said something with an expressionless face. After a long while, a rabbit tribe sub-beastman—dressed in thin clothes, looking disheveled, and with a faint look of shock on his face—pushed the door open and walked in from the wind and snow outside.

The rabbit man couldn’t help being shocked.

He remembered clearly that when he left the tribe, it was nothing like this. There were no stone walls towering taller than people, no miraculous-looking flat-roofed brick houses—nothing of the sort. At most, thanks to Si Qi’s guidance, the tribe had learned pottery-making and farming. Those might have been impressive for a small tribe, but to someone from a large tribe, they were nothing out of the ordinary. Having lived another lifetime and seen many things, the rabbit man had never taken Si Qi’s little tricks seriously.

But now?

Whether it was the clean bluestone roads, the large red lanterns hanging from rooftops, the cozy fireplaces burning in the corners, or the steaming, bubbling dual-flavored hot pots—none of it was anything the rabbit man had seen before.

Even after living for years in the same tribe as the Beast God’s messenger and having witnessed the best and most precious tributes from across the continent, he had never imagined something so magical could exist—and now all of it was appearing before him at once.

Had he really only left the tribe for a few months? Not several decades?

If all of this came from Si Qi, then why had the Si Qi from his past life never said a word about it?

No, actually… Si Qi had said things. But all the credit had been stolen by Elvin…

Come to think of it—was Si Qi really just an ordinary person? Why did he seem more like a true messenger of the Beast God than Elvin, who merely possessed great strength?

The rabbit man’s thoughts were in chaos. He heard the surrounding tribespeople greeting him, asking how he had been, why he came back alone, whether he had suffered a lot… He only nodded blankly in response.

Seeing his weather-beaten, dazed appearance, everyone pitied his ordeal and stopped asking questions, afraid to touch on painful memories. They handed him a bowl and chopsticks and filled his bowl with fresh lamb slices and vegetables from the hot pot, urging him to eat.

The rabbit man looked at the clearly just-cooked meat slices and the fresh green vegetables—which were impossible to find in winter—and was completely stunned.

He even suspected that maybe the cold had made him delirious and he’d accidentally fallen asleep and started dreaming. Otherwise, how could he have encountered so many strange things and seen so much that defied logic?

In a daze, he tossed aside the two wooden sticks—still unsure what they were for—and reached into the bowl with his hand to grab the meat and vegetables.

The food was still hot from the pot, but it didn’t matter. In this primitive world, beastmen had thick skin and tough bodies—they were long used to eating like this.

He lowered his head and devoured the indescribably delicious food, slurping so hard his head nearly buried into the bowl. He completely failed to notice the way the surrounding tribespeople were staring at him—visibly uncomfortable.

Watching him, covered in travel grime and dirt under his fingernails, using his bare hands to touch the clean food, they looked away in silent dismay.

The newly arrived beastmen—who had only been in the tribe for a few days but had already gotten used to regular bathing, wearing nice clothes and shoes, and eating with utensils—were baffled by what they were seeing.

They had just heard the lion tribe beastmen say that this guy was one of their own, but how could he seem even cruder and less civilized than they, the outsiders?

The rabbit man finished off his bowl of hotpot ingredients and looked up contentedly, about to reach for more—when he suddenly noticed the strange looks people were giving him.

Being a perceptive person—his combined age across two lifetimes nearly as old as the Grand Shaman—he immediately understood what those simple-minded beastmen were thinking, their faces displaying their thoughts as clearly as words. His face flushed red, and a surge of embarrassed anger rose in his chest.

Damn it, these ignorant, rough country bumpkins actually dared to look at him with such eyes. Clearly, he was the one who lived in a grand tribe, knowledgeable and cultured—a man of high status!

Instinctively, he straightened up his appearance, smoothing down his messy hair and wiping the dirt off his grimy face. Then he saw Si Qi sitting across from him, dignified and elegant in his seat. The surrounding people’s gazes naturally fell upon Si Qi, as if he were born to be the center of attention.

Clad in a neatly tailored, beautiful cashmere outfit, he looked extraordinarily noble and graceful. The golden thread embroidery was so intricate and stunning it surpassed what the orcs could even imagine. Sitting like that with a ceramic bowl in his hands before the bubbling hotpot, the rising steam didn’t make him look disheveled—instead, it added a rare touch of earthly charm to a being who seemed almost celestial, making others cherish him even more.

Chu Feng, sitting next to him, placed the sliced fish fillets into the hotpot, letting them swirl briefly in the broth. The snow-white, springy fish meat was scooped out, and just the sight of it was enough to imagine the tender, bouncy texture and rich flavor.

The other orcs instinctively piled all the best food in front of Si Qi: crystal-clear honey-preserved fruits, snow-white pastries sprinkled with dried osmanthus, tea brewed with fresh flowers and roasted barley, and soft white napkins for wiping his mouth…

Even in his past life, Elvin had never received such luxurious treatment, yet now, everyone was eager to serve Si Qi, to pamper him, to ensure he had the best of everything…

It was laughable that in his past life, the rabbit man had actually been jealous of Si Qi because of his role as the Beast God’s emissary’s partner. He thought Si Qi didn’t deserve to live in such a fine house, and didn’t deserve to enjoy such refined and luxurious living.

But in this life, after Si Qi left Elvin, he was living even better than before. Without the “burden” of Elvin, many people were willing to give Si Qi a good life, one he could enjoy freely and without worry.

This wasn’t about Si Qi being indulgent or greedy for wealth—it was entirely because of his capabilities. He naturally deserved the finest things in the world and the most perfect life.

Being with Elvin had actually been a step down for him!

Especially when the rabbit man saw with his own eyes how Chu Feng, the highest-ranking orc in the tribe, stayed loyally by Si Qi’s side, attending to his every need—even skipping his own meals just to prepare and deliver food to Si Qi.

That level of devotion to Si Qi was something Elvin had never shown in his past life.

Sometimes, Si Qi had even been forced to sit alone in a corner of the banquet hall because of Elvin’s exalted status, silently tasting the food on the table, utterly forgotten by Elvin, who basked in the spotlight.

For a brief moment, the rabbit man almost thought that the person Si Qi found after leaving Elvin was actually better than Elvin!

If Elvin weren’t the Beast God’s emissary, he wouldn’t even qualify to be a partner…

And he had cheated repeatedly, too.

The more the rabbit man thought about it, the more bitter he felt. He didn’t want to admit he had made the wrong choice, so he could only keep going down this path, convincing himself that no matter how good Chu Feng seemed, it didn’t matter—they were all going to die soon.

To prevent Si Qi from rising again, from stealing Elvin away and once again becoming his partner… To ensure Elvin, just like in the past life, would become the chieftain of the great tribe and the supreme Beast God’s emissary…

He had to destroy this threatening tribe—to eliminate every obstacle for Elvin and for himself!

With this in mind, the rabbit man quickly refilled his bowl and ate fast. Then, using the excuse of going to the bathroom, he slipped out the door and ran quietly to the well. Feeling around his waist, he pulled out the hidden pouch of powder and, braving the cold wind outside, carefully took it out and prepared to pour it into the well.

Just as he opened the pouch wrapped in beast hide and was about to dump the contents, a rock suddenly flew out of nowhere, carried by the wind, and smashed hard into his wrist, sending the pouch flying.

Immediately after, several angry shouts rang out from nearby. A group of figures quickly closed in and pinned him to the ground, rendering him completely immobile.

The rabbit man’s heart leapt into his throat. Then, someone forcefully yanked him up, locked his arms behind him, grabbed his head by the hair, and made him look at the approaching orc standing not far in front of him.

Chu Feng said coldly, “So you really are a spy who came back to frame us.”

The orcs restraining the rabbit man were furious. “You’ve gone too far! We treated you as one of our own, welcomed you back into the tribe, gave you a warm place to shelter from the snow, offered you the best food to fill your belly—and this is how you repay us!”

“The chief said a major tribe from the north is coming to attack us, and you just happened to have been to that very northern tribe. There’s no way you suddenly appeared here for no reason—you actually want to kill us for the sake of those outsiders you’ve only known for a few months!”

“What were you trying to throw into the well just now? Was it poison?! You’re evil!!”

The rabbit man was a mess of panic. His thin arms were pinned down by a group of tall, strong orcs, as if they might snap at any moment. Tears streamed down his face as he instinctively lied, “No! I didn’t! I was forced! I didn’t want to do this!”

“It wasn’t poison, just a sleeping drug. Elvin has been captured by those people—if I don’t cooperate, they’ll kill him! I had no choice, sob sob sob…”

He cried miserably, his face exposed to the freezing winter night as snowflakes struck him, and his tears quickly turned to ice. On top of that, he looked convincingly pitiful, ragged and worn from his trek through the forest.

The orc warriors looked at each other, unsure what to do with this fragile, sobbing sub-beastman. Chu Feng remained silent, his face dark as he bent down to pick up the pouch that had fallen nearby and gave a command: “Bring him over.”

So the group dragged him back into the main hall where everyone was having dinner. Several orcs looked at the rabbit man, now sobbing and wailing, and couldn’t help but ask, “What’s going on?”

“Why are you bullying him?”

Chu Feng replied in a cold voice, “He colluded with an outside tribe and tried to poison our well!”

As soon as those words were spoken, the orcs who had just been feeling sympathy for the rabbit man fell silent. Their gazes instantly turned fierce.

“Why would you do such a thing?”

“I really misjudged you!”

The hall erupted with angry shouting. The visiting Grand Shaman, who had been quietly eating hotpot on the side, set down his bowl and stood up. He took the pouch from Chu Feng, inspected it, and quickly concluded, “It’s a sleeping drug meant to knock people out quickly!”

With the evidence confirmed, everyone grew even more furious.

“Quiet,” Chu Feng shouted, and the angry crowd instinctively fell silent. Chu Feng then said to the rabbit man, “Since you chose to use sleeping drugs to knock us all out, you clearly didn’t intend to fight hundreds of us alone—so where are the people you’re working with?”

“I’m innocent! I didn’t mean to work with them—I was threatened!” the rabbit man cried, his eyes red, “I’ve lived with you all for so many years—how could I betray you for outsiders—”

“I’ve considered that,” Chu Feng interrupted, “which is why I kept giving you chances, waiting for you to come clean. But instead, you said nothing and secretly went to poison the well!” His cold, piercing gaze bore into the rabbit man, making him tremble all over. Under that stare, he felt completely exposed, as if he were stripped bare with nowhere to hide.

“This is your final chance. Tell me where they are!” Chu Feng drew a long blade from his waist. The sharp tip, glinting with cold light, pressed against the rabbit man’s neck, drawing a thin line of blood.

The rabbit man didn’t know what this silver-gray, ornament-like object was, but the cold metal pressing into his skin sent waves of pain through him—his instincts screamed danger.

His body trembled uncontrollably with fear. Tears poured down his cheeks. Seeing the cold faces staring back at him, a deep helplessness overwhelmed him. He could only stammer, “I… I’ll talk… just don’t hurt me!”

Chu Feng remained unmoved by the tears. The rabbit man could only choke out, “They… they’re outside the tribe, waiting—waiting for me to put the sleeping drug into the well and serve it to you all. Then they’ll sneak into the tribe at midnight.”

As he spoke, he wiped his tears and pleaded with everyone, “Elvin and I are innocent! We were suddenly captured by them and didn’t know anything! Yesterday they came to me out of nowhere and forced me to follow their orders, or else they’d kill Elvin! If you don’t believe me, you can go ask him. Elvin must be just as clueless as I am!”

“They must have picked me because I’m a sub-beastman—less threatening than orcs and more convenient for handing out water! It’s true! Please, you have to believe me—sob sob sob…”

The rabbit man trailed off, unable to continue speaking. He cupped his face in his hands, tears falling through his fingers as he slumped weakly to the ground, kneeling in a pitiful heap.

Chu Feng frowned in displeasure and pressed on, “They’re outside? When did they arrive? Exactly where are they? How many of them?”

Hidden behind his hands, the rabbit man’s eyes flickered, but he sobbed, “I don’t know! I really don’t know anything! I was held captive the entire time—how would I get the chance to learn any of that? Sob sob sob…”

Many of the orcs and sub-beastmen were simple-hearted and not prone to suspicion. Seeing how hard he was crying, they immediately believed he had been forced into it and was left with no other choice. Some of them, softhearted, said, “Alright, don’t cry. We understand.”

“You’ve been through a lot. Don’t worry—now that you’re back in the tribe, you’ll be safe. We’ll protect you.”

The rabbit man had been crying with great intensity, but upon hearing those words, his wailing faltered and his expression went blank.

Some things can’t bear to be thought through in detail. Once you do, even the most selfish and self-serving person will start to break down.

He didn’t dare to think about the fact that the very people he’d intended to kill were now showing him concern and comforting him. He lowered his head and said through tears, “I… I understand. Thank you…”

Chu Feng remained cold, forbidding anyone from touching the rabbit man or helping him up. He ordered the orc warriors nearby, “Lock him up. Don’t let him come into contact with anyone, and don’t allow him to do anything suspicious!”

Then, frowning, Chu Feng turned to the visiting Grand Shamans and said, “Have a few of your people detain him.”

He couldn’t risk having members of the tribe do it. The crafty rabbit man might sweet-talk his way into tricking them.

The visiting orcs didn’t know the rabbit man and would only follow the orders of the Grand Shamans—surely, they’d handle things more firmly and decisively.

The Grand Shamans nodded. “No problem.”

They each pointed out one or two orcs to seize the rabbit man.

Seeing this, the rabbit man grew anxious but didn’t dare show it. He could only look at Chu Feng with a face full of grievance, as if he were suffering a great injustice.

Just then, Si Qi suddenly said, “Let him go.”

Chu Feng was stunned. “What?”

The rabbit man stared at Si Qi in disbelief, watching him calmly sip tea where he sat, and thought to himself—could Si Qi still have feelings for Elvin? Maybe after hearing that Elvin would be killed if the mission failed, he now wanted to let him go?

Si Qi said, “Whether or not we were affected by the drug, those people hiding outside the tribe will confront us eventually. Since that’s the case, why not go along with it—let them think we’ve already been knocked out, stroll right into the tribe, and walk straight into our ambush.”

It took a while for the orcs to fully understand what Si Qi meant, but once they did, their eyes lit up. One of them said excitedly, “So that’s an option too!”

“Si Qi is just too clever!”

“I couldn’t have thought of such a brilliant idea!!”

Si Qi: “……”

Si Qi couldn’t help but laugh in exasperation. “Let him go. Whether or not he warns the enemy, the moment they see the gate open, they’ll have a brief lapse in vigilance.”

He glanced at the rabbit man standing off to the side, trying to make himself invisible, and said with a half-smile, “When the time comes, whether you choose to betray us and alert them, or keep your mouth shut, that’s up to you.”

But once the choice was made, the consequences would be his alone to bear.

If he still stubbornly chose to harm everyone, then no one would feel sorry for him. The only fate waiting for him will be death.

The rabbit man understood what Si Qi meant. He lowered his head to hide his expression and quietly said, “Of course I won’t betray you. I’m a part of this tribe.”

Since Si Qi had already made the arrangement, no one around—whether orcs, sub-beastmen, or even the Grand Shamans—raised any objection.

Everyone quickly finished off the remaining food and began preparing at a fast pace.

The elders, children, and sub-beastmen ran to the storage to get bows and arrows to support the fight. The strong young orcs lifted their weapons and donned their stone-plate armor to get ready for battle. Chu Feng stood among the crowd, picking suitable warriors to act as squad leaders and instructing them to follow orders during the fight and coordinate with each other rather than fight alone.

Si Qi used Xiu Xiu to calculate the number of enemies guarding outside the tribe—over six hundred, all strong and battle-ready orcs. That was three times the total population of their tribe.

If not for the powerful weapons they now had for support, even if Chu Feng and the rest of the lion clan orcs were incredibly skilled, the tribe would likely have faced annihilation.

Si Qi reminded Chu Feng, “The moon is dark, and the wind is strong—during the chaos of battle, it’ll be easy to mistake allies for enemies. Have everyone tie a red string around their arm to avoid friendly fire.”

Chu Feng thought that was a good idea and added, “But what if they shift into their beast forms…”

Si Qi replied, “That’ll make them even easier to recognize.”

Chu Feng thought about it and agreed.

Lions were quite distinct from other animals, so the chance of friendly fire was still low.

He hadn’t fought other races in beast form very often before, so he’d almost overlooked this detail.

“I’ll tell everyone to pay attention to the beast forms of the visiting orcs too—so we don’t end up attacking them by mistake,” Chu Feng said, then quickly went off to give instructions. The tribe only had so many combatants, so briefing them all didn’t take much time.

Once everyone was prepared, the once-noisy tribe gradually fell silent.

The orcs lying in wait outside heard the quiet settle over the tribe and assumed everyone inside had finally gone to sleep. They stomped their feet, numb from the cold, rubbed their stiffened fingers, and asked the person beside them, “What did the eagle clan’s orc say? Are the people inside asleep?”

After a while, someone came back to answer, “That eagle guy fell asleep at some point! He didn’t see anything!”

“That birdbrain!” the man cursed, muttering, “I knew those birds were useless in the winter. Stand in a tree all night and they start whining they’re freezing to death!”

“Send someone from the monkey clan to climb up and take a look.”

“The monkeys can’t see as far at night as the eagle tribe!”

“As long as they can see, it’s fine. Didn’t the eagles say that the group inside was still lighting fires late at night?”

“Yeah, those glowing things hanging from the rooftops! No idea how they made those…”

“Doesn’t matter, as long as we can see what’s going on inside!”

As they spoke, the monkey tribe’s orc nimbly climbed a snow-covered tree and stood at the top, carefully surveying the village below. He suddenly said, “I don’t see many people. Aside from the lit-up area, the rest is completely dark. They must’ve gone inside to sleep.”

A while later, he added, “A sub-beastman with long ears just came out—it’s the rabbit!”

He continued reporting to the people below, speaking quickly: “He’s headed toward the stone wall—he opened the gate!”

Just as he said that, the tall, thick stone wall in front of them—one that even an elephant tribe orc would have to ram multiple times to bring down—quietly swung open, revealing the open and undefended village within.

The rabbit sub-beastman jogged through the wind and snow and stopped in front of the serious-faced chief. After a brief pause, he said vaguely, “The gate’s open.”

The chief showed a trace of satisfaction and ordered the others, “Keep an eye on him.”

Rabbit man: “Where’s Elvin?”

The chief replied casually, “In the back. If you want to see him, you can stay with him.”

After all, they were both being held under watch.

The rabbit man nodded and followed the orcs step by step until he reached Elvin.

Elvin could feel the smell of gunpowder in the air—he knew this feeling. It was the same atmosphere that surrounded an impending massacre of another tribe. But this was clearly the place he had lived in for more than ten years. It had once been his home!

Elvin was anxious and restless, unable to sleep. When he saw the rabbit man appear, he immediately ran over and asked, “What’s going on? Why are they here in our tribe? And, and…!”

And there were so many of them—far more than the total population of their own tribe. If they really intended to massacre his former home, what was he supposed to do? It felt like there was nothing he could do at all!

And then, what did they bring him here for? Were they planning to kill him too, along with his former tribe?!

In a panic, Elvin said, “Didn’t we already join a new tribe? We have nothing to do with them anymore! Why did they bring us here? I helped them kill so many people, I…”

The rabbit man looked at Elvin with a complicated expression. He didn’t have much hope for a tribe of barely over a hundred people. He could only say, “Don’t worry, they just want us to help guide the way. They won’t kill us.”

“Guide the way?” Elvin stared at the rabbit in disbelief, and in a flash, many details suddenly made sense: “So those times you kept disappearing—was it to tell them how to get to our tribe? And just now, did you go back into the tribe? I saw you heading in that direction! What were you doing? Don’t tell me…”

The rabbit man pushed down the shame welling up inside him and explained, “You’re part of the hunting team, so you should know better than anyone—they always target small tribes to invade. Even if I didn’t guide them and resisted to the death, the result wouldn’t change. I could only choose to save myself.”

Eleven opened his mouth slightly and looked at the rabbit-man, whose face didn’t look too good, but in the end, he didn’t say anything mocking.

After all, if he were in the rabbit-man’s position, he would’ve done the same.

Betray your own kind, guide the way, and trade it all for a sliver of survival.

The rabbit-man found a place to sit and said in a calm tone, “It’ll be over once the battle ends. Until then, let’s just wait here.”

Eleven couldn’t help but glance in the direction of the tribe. That side was silent and peaceful, with no sign that soon it would be covered in severed limbs and blood-curdling screams…

And the people who would die were all once the most familiar faces to him…

Elvin lowered his head, not daring to think any further.

This was something that couldn’t be helped. The weak were destined to be devoured. The fact that he and the rabbit-man were lucky enough to survive was already a blessing. Even if it was for the continuation of the lion tribe’s bloodline, he couldn’t die here. No—he couldn’t throw his life away for nothing…

Thinking this, Elvin also found a place to sit down quietly and wait in silence.

Far away from them, an insect-shaped probe recorded everything and projected it into Si Qi’s mind.

Si Qi wasn’t surprised by their choice—if anything, his already low opinion of them worsened. Watching the orcs from the large tribe on the surveillance feed sneaking into the settlement with weapons in hand and light footsteps, Si Qi waved to the clansmen beside him. Everyone held their breath and hid in the shadows by the eaves.

When those enemies entered the central square, a good place for combat, Chu Feng raised his arm and made a signal.

The tribesmen who had long been waiting immediately raised their bows, drew them fully, and aimed the arrowheads toward the slanted moonlight. The tight bowstrings emitted soft sounds.

Some orcs, more sensitive by nature, stood under the moonlight and looked around with suspicion. They felt that under this calm night sky, some deadly danger was lurking, baring its fangs at them.

The next second, Chu Feng’s arm dropped sharply. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—arrows shot out like a swarm of locusts, suddenly filling the sky and flooding the orcs’ vision. In the blink of an eye, they fell like blades from the heavens.

Thud, thud—sharp arrows pierced into flesh. One after another, the arrows stabbed mercilessly into their bodies, piercing through muscle and bone.

“Aaah—!!”

Screams tore through the night sky, echoing far and wide.

The defenseless orcs standing in the center of the tribe were turned into pin cushions by the arrows. Clutching the shafts sticking out of their bodies, they fled in panic, completely unaware of where this sudden attack had come from.

Some of the braver orcs yanked out the arrows lodged in their arms, unaware that this only worsened their injuries. Blood gushed from gaping wounds, the warmth quickly freezing in the cold night, turning to icy clots stuck to their skin. Just moving brought sharp, unbearable pain.

The team leader and several other leaders quickly realized something was wrong—they had fallen into an ambush! They shouted fiercely, “The enemy is hiding nearby! Kill—!!”

“Kill—!!” The orcs, furious from the ambush, their eyes bloodshot, stepped over the unlucky corpses of those pierced fatally by arrows and charged blindly into the surrounding shadows.

But the moment they rushed out of the square, what greeted them was a massive blade flying straight at them—

Bang! A stone axe and a metal blade collided midair, bursting into a shower of golden sparks. When narrow paths meet, the brave win. This was a game for warriors.

The sub-beastmen, elderly beastmen, and young beastmen all hurried into their homes, locking the doors tightly behind them, holding weapons with fierce expressions in case any enemies broke in.

Outside, the roars and sounds of battle were endless. By now, both sides were seeing red, and there was no chance for reconciliation.

Not long after, a beastly roar suddenly rang out—some orcs had been driven to the brink and could no longer maintain their human forms in battle. They could only rely on their beast forms to fight with everything they had.

“Let’s hope it’s not one of ours,” a sub-beastman murmured in prayer.

In the very back, shielded by everyone else, a little beastman said with a look of frustration, “I can fight too!”

An old beastman comforted him, “You’re still too young.”

“I’m already five!”

The old beastman patted the little one’s head. “Outside, we have the chief and Si Qi. They will definitely kill the enemies and protect us.”

The little one gritted his teeth, pulling a dagger from his clothes. He said slowly and clearly, “I want to grow up fast, so I can protect Lord Si Qi and the Grand Shaman too!”

“Of course, you will,” the old beastman smiled, pulling the little one behind him as he stood by the window, coldly observing the situation outside.

The enemy outnumbered them many times over, and each one was a seasoned orc warrior. Even though they had taken some losses in the ambush at first, now they had regrouped and were fighting together. The lion tribe’s orcs were struggling to hold the line.

Many lions were being so heavily suppressed that their weapon advantage couldn’t be used. They were forced to shift into beast form, relying on their fangs and claws to fight the enemy with all they had.

The battle fell into a deadlock. As time dragged on, even if they managed to kill all the enemies at the cost of their own lives, who could say more enemies wouldn’t come afterward? By then, the only ones left in the lion tribe would be the elderly, women, and children—like a candle flame in the winter wind, one breath and it would be snuffed out.

Si Qi looked at everything happening before him. He couldn’t just stand by and watch his people die. Slowly, he began to draw on the demonic power within him.

The old beastman furrowed his brows tightly, his expression stern. He turned his gaze to the Grand Shamans from the other tribes who were hiding indoors. They were being cautiously protected by their accompanying beastmen, and some beastman warriors had already begun suggesting they flee—no matter what happened to the lion tribe, their own tribes couldn’t afford to lose their Grand Shamans.

But the Grand Shamans’ attitudes were strangely unified. With very serious tones, they said, “Running won’t help. If even a powerful tribe like the lion tribe falls, how can we guarantee our own tribes will survive the great tribe’s attacks in the future?”

“More importantly, we must protect Si Qi. He is closely connected to the Beast God. He is the light sent by the Beast God to guide us. He is the hope of us all.”

“You must go and protect Si Qi. Even if everyone else dies in battle, as long as Si Qi survives, he will find a way to lead the tribe’s people to rise again and defeat that great tribe!”

The beastman warriors were deeply conflicted. Since childhood, they had been taught to obey the Grand Shamans above all else and to protect them with their lives. Now the two principles were in conflict, and they didn’t know what to do.

Just then, the Grand Shamans standing inside the room all suddenly turned their heads to look outside in the same direction. As if they saw something unbelievable, their eyes widened in shock, and they rushed toward the door.

The beastman warriors were startled and immediately ran out to protect them, completely unaware of why the Grand Shamans would risk their lives to go outside.

The moment they opened the door, a brilliant light suddenly exploded before their eyes. The pitch-black night became as bright as midday in an instant. Golden light lit up the sky, and a deafening dragon’s roar shattered their hearts with fear.

They stood dumbfounded at the doorway, staring at the massive golden dragon coiling through the night sky like a living mountain. In their minds, the ancient myths passed down through generations suddenly resurfaced—this was exactly the awe-inspiring form their ancestors had described, the form of the great Beast God that made everyone want to fall to their knees in worship.

The Beast God had descended!

Their weapons fell from their hands instinctively. Their knees buckled, ready to kneel down.

Then, from nearby, the frightened and astonished voices of the lion tribe’s beastmen rang out:

“It’s Si Qi!!!”

“I saw Si Qi turn into the Beast God and fly into the sky!!”

“Si Qi is the Beast God!!!!”

The Primitive Tribe is about to rise (12): Have a hot pot meal before the battle

After the misunderstanding was resolved, the lion tribe beastmen, who had been fiercely guarding Si Qi and nearly fought with the foreign beastmen, felt quite embarrassed.

As an apology for the misunderstanding, the lion tribe generously gave each of the foreign beastmen—who had been traveling all day and hadn’t had a proper meal—two freshly made steamed buns.

The beastmen, smelling the rich aroma and looking at the snow-white, soft, and springy buns, couldn’t resist the temptation and carefully took a small bite.

The moment they tasted it, the soft and warm texture made their eyes widen. They chewed slowly, savoring each bite. The starch in the buns mixed with their saliva, turning into a sweet maltose. These beastmen, who normally only had bland, salty meat to eat, were utterly astonished. The miraculous and delightful taste nearly moved them to tears—what kind of divine flavor was this? They had never eaten anything so delicious in their entire lives!

Some of the more reckless beastmen, panicked by the idea that others might take their food, devoured the buns in just a few hurried bites.

Others took one bite and couldn’t bear to finish it, carefully hiding the soft and fragrant bun in their clothing, intending to take it home and share it with their families and Grand Shaman.

This precious reaction made the lion tribe feel extremely happy. They quickly reassured the visitors, saying there was no need to be so cautious—they had plenty of such food in the tribe, and if they liked it, more could be given to them to try.

They even habitually started praising their most beloved Si Qi, loudly saying: “This stuff was also taught to us by Si Qi! He took something bland and tasteless that no one would touch—flour—and just added water, worked it a bit, steamed it, waited for a while for the Beast God to work his miracle, and out came this delicious, filling food!”

Upon hearing this, the foreign beastmen looked at Si Qi with even more fiery admiration.

—This beautiful beastman was truly incredible!

He could not only make food grow from the earth, but had also thought of keeping prey confined and regularly supplying meat, knew how to make ceramics that only the largest tribes understood, and now could even turn something unwanted into such a delicacy!

He was even more learned than a Grand Shaman, and just like the Beast God Himself—able to perform miracles!

Surrounded by a group of tall, burly, straightforward beastmen staring at him with such intense, fiery gazes—like a man trapped in a den of predators eyeing their prey—Si Qi remained calm as ever.

He was long used to being looked at this way and didn’t feel anything at all.

In contrast, the surrounding beastmen were even more convinced by Si Qi’s calm reaction, believing him to be unfathomably wise and undoubtedly a powerful, intelligent being.

The beastmen made up their minds: once they returned home, they would tell their chief and Grand Shaman about every single thing they had seen in this tribe. They would bring their own people here to learn, so their tribe could also enjoy such a happy and beautiful life.

They stayed for a few days and enjoyed a life that felt like paradise. They ate rich, varied meals; walked on smooth, solid roads free of pits and mud; and even slept on thick, soft blankets, surrounded by tightly constructed and well-designed stone houses.

Having grown used to this life, they suddenly realized—with some reluctance—that they would soon have to return to their original tribe.

If only they could live here forever…

Here, the beastmen were brave and strong, the sub-beastmen were clean and gentle, there was a dignified chief and a kind Grand Shaman—and there was Si Qi, deeply loved by the Beast God!

They truly wished they could live in the place where Si Qi was. As long as they stayed by Si Qi’s side, they believed they would definitely live a good life!

So, on the day everyone reluctantly bid farewell to the lion tribe, Si Qi saw them off before their departure and casually mentioned, “Actually, you don’t have to just send a few people over to learn—your entire tribe can move here to live if you want.”

A few of the beastmen opened their mouths in surprise, unable to believe that such a good thing could be real.

Si Qi smiled gently and said, “The lion tribe will always welcome friendly newcomers.”

The group of beastmen walked dazedly out of the tribe, stepping onto the moist, soft earth. As they entered the forest, someone suddenly murmured, “I want to join this place.”

That sentence seemed to ignite a signal. The whole group was slightly shaken and responded in unison, “Me too!”

Having actually experienced such a dream-like, wonderful life, none of them were willing to give it up.

After speaking, they instinctively quickened their pace, using the trees and the position of the sun to determine the direction of their tribe—they had to hurry back and report everything they’d seen to their chief and Grand Shaman, so everyone could come live here!

…

After sending off a group of guests, another unexpected visitor arrived.

Si Qi reclined on a beauty couch, savoring the food Chu Feng had brought him that day. By now, he was used to going in and out of Chu Feng’s home, often staying overnight. The surrounding beastmen and sub-beastmen were both envious and jealous of Chu Feng, yet could do nothing about it.

Considering how much Chu Feng had cared for Si Qi recently, along with his reputation and capabilities in the tribe, even if others were unwilling to accept it, they had to admit—if even Chu Feng wasn’t worthy of Si Qi’s favor, then no other beastman stood a chance.

Si Qi lowered his head, tasting Chu Feng’s increasingly refined cooking. The soup had a rich, lingering flavor—hard to imagine it came from a primitive society. Just as he was about to praise his beloved’s culinary skill, a sneaky figure suddenly appeared in a projection from Xiu Xiu’s surveillance of an area outside the tribe.

It was a beastman from the eagle tribe.

Xiu Xiu said: “Master, should we notify the tribe to shoot him down with arrows?”

The fellow had suspiciously landed just outside the tribe, his sharp eagle eyes staring fixedly in their direction. Taking advantage of the terrain, he was overlooking the entire village, observing their population and military setup—a truly annoying sight.

Si Qi thought about how, in saying that, Xiu Xiu didn’t seem to realize that what it was doing now was essentially the same thing, and replied with a laugh, “It’s fine, let him watch.”

He had always welcomed members of other tribes to come and observe—he had no intention of keeping anything secret. If they insisted on sneaking around, so be it. But if they dared to cause trouble, Si Qi would make sure to chop off any paw they dared extend.

Since Si Qi said so, Xiu Xiu didn’t argue further. But for the next few days while the eagle tribe beastman was investigating, it stayed nearby, closely monitoring him.

It observed that the eagle beastman maintained his animal form the entire time, staying hidden in the forest with great vigilance. He only hunted small animals like field mice or rabbits, eating them raw to preserve his beast form and never exposing himself. Judging from that alone, he was quite professional.

On the fourth day, no one knew what he had concluded, but during dusk, he suddenly flew off and headed straight north.

Xiu Xiu quietly followed. Disguised as a dragonfly, it navigated the winding forest routes with a speed no slower than an eagle in the sky. On the morning of the sixth day, it arrived back at the great tribe.

He heard the eagle tribe beastman’s report to the chieftains.

“The number of people exceeds twenty pairs of hands (more than 200 fingers). There are a few old and young beastmen, and the ratio of sub-beastmen to beastmen is roughly equal… almost all are from the lion tribe.”

“…They have extremely terrifying weapons. Anyone can easily hit distant prey using them. Even beastmen can remain in human form and kill a wild boar with a single axe strike…”

“Their farming and animal husbandry are already taking shape, and they’re rapidly advancing in other areas as well… They’re in no way weaker than us.”

“It doesn’t seem like a small tribe at all. Their buildings are better than ours, and they have some very strange houses that I can’t even figure out the purpose of… Beastmen often go in and out of them.”

“We absolutely can’t let them continue to grow stronger, or it won’t be long before they become a major threat. We must wipe them out completely while their numbers are still small!”

“……”

After carefully listening to the eagle tribe beastman’s serious tone, the expressions of the chieftains turned grim, and the atmosphere grew heavy and oppressive.

After a long pause, the tribe leader said, “If that’s the case, starting tomorrow, organize the available manpower. Send out all the young and strong fighters we can spare, and bring every weapon we’ve got.”

“What about that lion and the rabbit…”

The tribe leader thought for a moment, then said, “Capture the lion to prevent him from sending a warning.”

“As for the rabbit…” The chief leader’s brow furrowed. He couldn’t quite figure out the sub-beastman rabbit’s true intentions. Something about his earlier approach felt too deliberate.

The chieftain who was first approached by the rabbit man said, “I’ve been talking to him frequently these past few days. I get the feeling he’s vaguely figured out the real reason we’ve been sending out so many raiding parties lately…”

Another chieftain said in surprise, “He knows? If he knows, why would he still bring up his own tribe now?”

“Could it be that he actually wants us to attack his tribe?” another chieftain said in disbelief.

The one who had been in contact with the rabbit man said in confusion, “That’s honestly how it seems to me…”

“Maybe he has a grudge against his former tribe? Was he cast out by them?” a chieftain speculated.

“That could be it.”

A leopard tribe chieftain, growing impatient, said, “Instead of guessing blindly here, why don’t we just bring him in and ask him directly? You think he won’t talk in front of us?”

“…Good point.”

With that, the chieftain who knew the rabbit man went out to find him. Not long after, he returned with the man.

As they opened the door, the chieftain could be heard muttering to the rabbit man, “What’s up with that beastman partner of yours? Smells like he’s been with other sub-beastmen too. You sure like minding things that aren’t your business. I tell you to come out for a bit, and you’re still whining about it…”

The rabbit man wore a bitter smile. When he stepped inside and saw a group of stern-faced chieftains waiting for him, he didn’t seem surprised or feel deceived. Instead, a look of realization appeared on his face.

His boldness earned him a bit more respect from the chieftains. The tribe leader said coldly, “You approached us on your own earlier. What was your purpose?”

The rabbit man’s thoughts stirred. He quickly organized his words and replied bitterly, “Sigh, it’s just that our previous tribe went too far. The Grand Shaman’s student took a liking to the beastman I was about to form a bond with and deliberately targeted the two of us…”

“We really had no choice but to travel all this way… I heard this place welcomes all capable beastmen and sub-beastmen. It’s a wonderful place.”

“I like this tribe now, so I’m willing to offer what little help I can…”

As they listened to the rabbit man’s subtle flattery and attempts to curry favor, the chieftains unconsciously began to view him more favorably. Once they understood why he had said those things and confirmed that he was willing to help them, they were quite satisfied and said, “You’re clever. You know what the right thing to do is.”

“Since you, like us, want to see that tribe destroyed, it’s time for you to contribute.”

The chieftains smiled sinisterly. “You know what to do, don’t you?”

“Don’t worry—once this is done, your reward won’t be small.”

…

[So] Si Qi concluded, [the rabbit tribe’s sub-beastman plans to return to the tribe and secretly cooperate with those beastmen—opening the outer stone gate at night to let them in and launch a surprise attack?]

[And he also plans to secretly add sleep-inducing herbs to the food, so that all the beastmen will fall into a deep sleep at night, unable to fight back] Xiu Xiu added, face full of contempt. That idea was actually proposed by the rabbit himself, and even the chieftains were shocked by how cunning he was.

Si Qi curved his lips, lazily resting his cheek on one hand—a rare laid-back expression that Chu Feng, watching nearby, couldn’t take his eyes off.

Seeing his lover reveal that look he liked, Si Qi reached out and tugged Chu Feng’s tail. The tall beastman immediately followed his instincts and leaned over obediently, like a loyal big dog.

Si Qi gently hooked a finger around the collar on Chu Feng’s neck, leaned in, and kissed the corner of his lover’s mouth. Then he said to Xiu Xiu, [Alright, keep monitoring their movements. I’ve got something else to do.]

[Okay.] Xiu Xiu obediently picked up the snacks and game consoles scattered in the consciousness space and flew back to his little black room, door clicking shut behind him.

To Xiu Xiu, no matter what big events were happening outside, nothing was more important than making sure his master was having fun!

…

Si Qi didn’t end up waiting for the scheming rabbit man to come near. Instead, what came first was a second visit from the nearby small tribes.

Now that the temperature was dropping and winter was just around the corner, a group of beastmen arrived, escorting their tribes’ Grand Shamans. This scene stunned the beastmen of the lion tribe.

How noble were the Grand Shamans—each one the core of their respective tribes, the guiding light for their survival.

And yet they had come all this way accompanied by only a dozen or so beastmen? Wasn’t that too risky?

But the moment the Grand Shamans saw Si Qi, all such doubts vanished.

Their gazes locked onto Si Qi in unison, and expressions of shock appeared on their faces—as if they had witnessed something otherworldly. Their eyes were fixed on a certain spot behind Si Qi, growing wider and wider, as though they had seen a miracle too incredible to believe.

After quite a while, the silence was finally broken by the collective exhale of held breaths. A group of people subconsciously stepped quickly toward Si Qi, like devout followers trying to approach their deity. Their expressions were excited as they said, “You… Are you the one mentioned in the Beast God’s guidance?!”

Si Qi, completely unaware of what was happening: “…?”

The Beast God’s guidance… Was that referring to when he had Xiu Xiu put on the guise of the Beast God to speak with the elders?

And the “existence mentioned in the guidance”… What was that supposed to mean? Did Xiu Xiu say something unnecessary?

He glanced at Xiu Xiu instinctively, and Xiu Xiu replied with an especially innocent look: [Xiu Xiu didn’t mention you at all! I just honestly repeated everything you told me…]

Si Qi: “……”

Looking at Xiu Xiu’s confused yet affectionate expression, Si Qi could easily imagine how, even without naming him directly, Xiu Xiu must have inadvertently revealed his admiration and longing while repeating Si Qi’s words.

Whatever Xiu Xiu had said, the group of Grand Shamans before him now looked exactly like followers seeing a divine emissary, showing a natural reverence for Si Qi.

Si Qi was speechless on the inside but remained composed on the outside as he received this group of important guests.

Originally, it would have been more fitting for Chu Feng or a Grand Shaman to host them—it would have seemed more formal. But this group clearly preferred to be received by Si Qi himself, making them feel honored. So Si Qi temporarily took on the role.

He had already told the tribe before that in the spring, many new beastmen might join. So the tribe had prepared plenty of vacant houses ahead of time, enough to accommodate even more guests.

After settling the group, Si Qi was just about to excuse himself and hand over the reception and tour duties to other beastmen—after all, playing tour guide for nearly a hundred people was a bit much for one person.

But the Grand Shamans were unwilling to leave his side. They looked at him with eager eyes and insisted, “We don’t need to tour. Let others do that. We’ll just follow behind you.”

The beastmen who had accompanied them for protection were panicking. Their job was to protect their Grand Shamans, and now those shamans were about to follow some other beastman around—they couldn’t possibly accept that!

So in the end, nearly a hundred people refused to leave, all crowding around Si Qi. He was at a loss and curiously asked, “When you were looking at me, you kept focusing on the air around me. What exactly did you see?”

The Grand Shamans responded in unison, “We saw a light more dazzling than sunlight, and a massive dragon circling in the air, guarding you!”

Si Qi: “……”

What the heck?

Si Qi: “Do you see things like that when you look at others?”

The Grand Shamans casually glanced around and locked their eyes on Chu Feng, who stood not far from Si Qi. They said, “Behind him is a mighty, hulking creature with thick fur and terrifying fangs…”

Si Qi thought, Are they seeing the beastmen’s true forms?

Since he had cultivated a demon race technique—and had even shared some demon energy with Chu Feng during dual cultivation—their strength far surpassed that of ordinary beastmen. That must be why the Grand Shamans could see their power sources so clearly.

As for the golden light…

Maybe it was his scales?

Or perhaps it was merit?

Si Qi couldn’t say for sure.

Still, if the Grand Shamans wanted to misunderstand and were now treating him with such reverence and awe, it did save him a lot of trouble.

Si Qi said, “You all seem very curious about me. Why don’t you stay in the tribe a while longer? We can discuss the matter of merging our tribes.”

Hearing such a major topic brought up, the beastmen from the visiting tribes immediately looked nervous. Clearly, they hadn’t expected things to progress this far and were anxious that their centuries-old way of life might suddenly be upended.

The Grand Shamans, however, were overjoyed and responded in unison without a trace of hesitation, “Of course! There’s absolutely no problem!!”

It was as if the fact that Si Qi was even willing to bring it up meant they had just gained a huge advantage.

Their unanimous response surprised the visiting beastmen nearby. A moment later, as they realized what this situation implied, their faces lit up with joy and excitement, as if they could already see the hopeful and beautiful life that awaited them…

Unwilling to part ways with Si Qi, the Grand Shamans decided to settle in the tribe for the time being. They only sent a few beastmen with gifts and news of the Grand Shamans’ words back to their respective tribes, to inform them to prepare for relocation in the coming spring.

Just like that, everything continued to progress steadily and smoothly.

Forty days later, on an early winter morning—

Heavy snow blanketed the vast land. In this freezing, icy season, the animals in the forest had hidden away, waiting for the harsh winter to pass. Within the Lion Tribe’s settlement, the tribespeople gathered together, happily enjoying hotpot. Steam billowed up from the pots, filling the well-insulated rooms with a cozy warmth, like the most comfortable spring or autumn day.

In a brick-red ceramic pot, the boiling broth bubbled loudly. The pot’s carved handle had a curved line down the center dividing it: on one side was a creamy white broth, rich and fragrant; on the other, a fiery red spicy broth, full of intense flavor.

Everyone held bowls almost the size of half their heads in one hand, while the other hand clumsily maneuvered chopsticks made from whittled wood, eating so vigorously that they were sweating all over.

Some sub-beastmen who couldn’t really handle spicy food yet couldn’t resist reaching their chopsticks into the spicy side were left sniffling and tearing up, their fair cheeks flushed bright red—an irresistibly adorable sight.

But the beastmen, who normally would sneak glances at them during this time, had no time at all to look over. Each one was fiercely fighting over food with their chopsticks, mouths covered in glistening oil.

—It was just too delicious!!

One beastman, mouth full of food, mumbled, “Where’s the lamb slices? I cut a whole big plate of lamb, how come it’s all gone?!”

“Because you snatched it all earlier and ate it! I barely had a few slices!!”

“Slurp slurp… The radish is so good… Slurp slurp… The potatoes too…”

“…(quietly eating, not talking)”

“Ahhhh! That’s my rice cake you took!! Give it back!!”

Smack smack… gulp… “I already ate it.”

“Ughhhhhhh!!! I challenge you to a duel!!”

“Alright, no fighting during meals!” the Grand Shaman scolded with a stern face—while snatching the last piece of rice cake and dropping it into his own bowl.

“……” The beastman stared at the Grand Shaman with grief and rage, but didn’t dare say anything.

As the Grand Shaman enjoyed the soft, fragrant rice cake in his mouth, his gaze swept the room, looking for that familiar cold and aloof figure. Suddenly, he saw someone enter through the wind and snow, lean down to speak with Si Qi and Chu Feng.

Si Qi raised an eyebrow, and Chu Feng responded expressionlessly.

Not long after, a rabbit tribe sub-beastman—dressed in thin clothing, looking battered and worn, with a face faintly marked by shock—pushed open the door and stepped into the room from the snowy storm outside.

The Primitive Tribe is about to rise (11): Visit the tribe

Elvin was once again enlisted in the expedition team.

As a warrior, his pride wouldn’t allow him to refuse, but the moment he thought of the severed heads and the blood spurting from them, his stomach churned, his face turned pale and ashen, and a chill seeped through his entire body.

He numbly walked back home. The interior of the house was lavishly and warmly decorated. These were things he never would’ve imagined having in the past—things he could have proudly shown off to his former tribesmen. But the thought that all of it had been obtained through killing and plundering made him feel as though everything was stained with blood and screams, leaving him unable to accept it peacefully.

Moreover…

When he had been with Si Qi, he had already experienced a life not too different from this.

He never felt it was particularly luxurious or enjoyable—wasn’t it just like this?

Back then, he didn’t have to go out hunting so frequently or endure long journeys of raiding and hardship like he did now.

All he had to do was bring back a little more meat for Si Qi, and he’d be able to enjoy salted meat stew, grilled skewers, fresh fruits, sleep on soft blankets, and see the most handsome beastmen in the entire tribe.

Si Qi would even secretly add his own blood into Elvin’s food, helping him grow stronger and stronger to compete for the position of tribe chief…

Not to mention things like ceramics, which would normally require a large amount of meat or salt to trade for in the main tribe. Didn’t Si Qi already start teaching the nearby sub-beastmen pottery-making when Elvin left the tribe? Those weren’t anything special anymore.

Unlike this current rabbit sub-beastman, who only knew how to take the meat he worked so hard to earn and spend it on this and that every day, always brushing off his exhaustion with, “You’ll get used to it, isn’t this how it always is?”—as if his complaints were unreasonable, like he was making a fuss over nothing.

Even when he came back covered in wounds and soaked in blood, the rabbit sub-beastman never thought to find herbs to treat him. It was as if Elvin were some kind of indestructible being, incapable of pain or fear, and it was only natural to assume that nothing would ever happen to him.

—Why?

Just because he was destined to become the Beast God’s chosen one, was it a given that he’d be safe no matter what?

Elvin had encountered countless dangers, big and small, in this time. Which one didn’t make his heart race with fear when he looked back on it? That rabbit man had no right to speak so lightly—he didn’t care at all whether Elvin lived or died!

If it had been Si Qi—Si Qi, with that cold face and warm heart—even if he didn’t say anything tender or caring, he would’ve remembered every little detail about Elvin. He would’ve taken care of him seriously through food or herbs, made sure he felt better, and maybe even secretly fed him his own blood again.

If it were Si Qi, Elvin knew better than anyone—Si Qi would have done all of that.

Thinking about how his life had changed now, Elvin sat sadly by the doorway, reflecting on his life.

He felt that he wasn’t happy at all. The rabbit man who came with him wasn’t nearly as gentle and considerate as he had imagined. Unlike the tender affection he had expected, the reality was far from it. Even though Si Qi had never let him touch him before, he had only appeared cold on the outside but was warm inside—maybe if he had held on longer, he could have melted that coldness. But the rabbit man had been gentle and obedient at the start, only to later reveal his true, selfish and self-centered nature. He had always treated Elvin as nothing more than a tool to be used.

Elvin didn’t want to give up his current life and return to the old tribe in shame, failing the trial given to him by the Beast God. But continuing to live this repressed and frustrating life—he didn’t like that either.

Thinking about how in the next few days he would once again have to pick up his weapons and go kill, Elvin grew increasingly irritated. He scratched his head, grabbed a ceramic jar that had been placed by the door, and headed to the “nice place” his teammates often mentioned, intending to spend some time there to forget his troubles.

At first, he hadn’t really planned on doing anything.

But in that “nice place,” he encountered a group of sub-beastmen with sweet and delicate appearances. After being coaxed into drinking a few sips of dizzying fruit wine, his emotions suddenly became harder to control.

He couldn’t help but pour his heart out to the sub-beastmen, telling them how hard things had been for him lately. One after another, they all showed understanding, admiration, and comforted him with pleasant voices…

Elvin felt he had come to the right place—he’d found kindred spirits—and completely fell in love with this wonderful place.

On the second and third day, he brought things from home to gift the sub-beastmen, since they had said they liked how beautiful ceramics were.

If they liked them, then giving them away shouldn’t be a big deal, right?

They were just sitting at home unused anyway.

That day, when Elvin arrived at the “nice place,” he suddenly saw a sub-beastman from the snake tribe.

This person had a cool and distant aura, quietly sitting in a corner, tending to a fruit platter in front of him. His calm demeanor instantly reminded Elvin of the one who had once moved his heart so deeply.

He couldn’t help but walk over. Seeing the sub-beastman’s eyes widen slightly in surprise, Elvin found himself liking him more the longer he looked.

He sat beside the sub-beastman, naturally draped an arm around him, and said, “New face? How come I haven’t seen you before?”

The sub-beastman, sensing Elvin’s direct gaze that practically screamed desire, blushed and lowered his head. “I…”

Elvin leaned down and kissed his forehead. The coolness, that unique cold-blooded animal temperature, only fueled Elvin’s burning desire.

It was the same feeling he had back when he touched that person.

Elvin couldn’t hold back anymore and said in a low, husky voice, “This is for you. Come with me tonight.”

The snake sub-beastman was handed an expensive piece of porcelain. He glanced down at it and pressed his lips together in a delighted smile.

He said shyly, “Be gentle with me…”

Elvin burst out laughing and scooped him up into his arms.

“Let’s go, come home with me.”

When the rabbit man returned after a long day of hard work, the scene that greeted him shattered his heart.

He let out a sharp, piercing scream of despair and rushed forward, striking the snake sub-beastman on the head and grabbing a nearby weapon, ready to fight to the death.

Elvin quickly blocked the two of them, and after taking a couple of stray blows from the struggling rabbit man, he angrily shoved him away. He protectively shielded the frightened snake sub-beastman who was cowering in the corner and shouted, “Are you insane?!”

The rabbit man collapsed on the ground, tears streaming down his face. He tilted his head back and screamed, “Elvin, how could you do this to me?! How could you treat me like this?!

“I work so hard every day, out from dawn till dark, running around for you, building connections for you—everything I do, I do for you! And this is how you betray me?!”

Seeing the rabbit man so utterly heartbroken, the snake sub-beastman assumed they must be bonded partners. With a flick of his eyes, he seized the initiative and clung to Elvin’s arm, sobbing, “Is he… is he your mate? I’m sorry, I didn’t know… I just really, really like you…”

Elvin immediately responded, “He’s not my mate!”

The snake sub-beastman paused for a moment, surprised. He glanced at the rabbit man, then said instinctively, “Then why is he acting like this… no, why are you letting him treat you like this?”

The rabbit man had seen plenty of fake innocent types before. Back when Elvin was the Beast God’s chosen one, plenty of people had tried to seduce him in front of Si Qi just like this. Now, with just one glance, the rabbit man could see through the snake sub-beastman’s little act. His front teeth bared in fury, he let out a warning growl and shouted, “You say you like Elvin? What you really like is his wealth! All those missing ceramics from our house—Elvin gave them to you, didn’t he? You shameless little thief! Stealing tramp!!”

The snake sub-beastman began to “tremble” all over in fear, his cold body pressing tightly against Elvin from behind. His pitiful, delicate appearance stirred Elvin’s sympathy.

With a frown, Elvin said to the rabbit man, “Those were my things. I can give them to whoever I want!”

The rabbit man stomped his foot in anger. “That’s our shared property! I picked out and bought those piece by piece!”

More importantly—

The rabbit man couldn’t hold back his tears anymore. His eyes turned red as he choked on his sobs. “How could you find someone else? Did you ever consider how I’d feel? I love you so much. I’ve only ever had you! And you brought someone else into the home I carefully decorated—to do something like this! How could you treat me this way!”

Especially when he stared hard at the snake sub-beastman’s face and saw, in the cold lines and sharp contours, a faint resemblance to Si Qi. His heart completely broke.

Why? Why was it that even after everything Si Qi did to Elvin, Elvin still couldn’t forget him? Was he really destined to live in Si Qi’s shadow for the rest of his life, never able to rise above it?

Elvin looked at the rabbit man’s hysterical, crazed expression with a surge of disgust in his heart.

He couldn’t help but say, “What’s so wrong with what I’m doing? Didn’t you do the same back then—lying with me in the house Si Qi prepared, on the blankets Si Qi brought, messing around with me? Weren’t you the one who said there was nothing wrong with that, even calling Si Qi petty for wanting to keep me to himself? That’s what you said!”

Seeing the rabbit man’s face turn pale in stunned silence, Elvin felt even more justified. With righteous indignation, he continued, “At that time, Si Qi was about to form a bond with me—he was going to be my mate. If he beat me, I couldn’t complain. But you? You’re nobody to me. Why should I be responsible for you?”

The rabbit man trembled all over in fury, wanting to retort but unable to get a single word out. Elvin didn’t care how devastated he was—he just kept going, mercilessly, “If you want to stay, then stay. If you don’t, I won’t stop you! I’d like to see how a sub-beastman like you plans to survive here without me! In the end, you’ll still have to rely on me!”

Just like Elvin once accused Si Qi of living off him, he now said the same about the rabbit man who had given everything for him. He scoffed, “I didn’t even blame you for wasting the meat I brought home on those flashy decorations. And now you have the nerve to blame me? What’s wrong with bringing some gifts to see other sub-beastmen? What unmarried beastman doesn’t do that? If you’re so sick of me, then just leave! I never begged you to stay.”

Behind Elvin, the snake sub-beastman watched coldly, curling his lips in a sneer, clearly disgusted by Elvin’s behavior.

He glanced again at the rabbit sub-beastman, who looked sharp and quick-witted on the surface but was constantly pushed down and unable to even say “fine, I’ll leave.” It was baffling.

—In this day and age, sub-beastmen were highly sought after. They were the ones who picked beastmen, not the other way around. Why did this one insist on staying stuck with just one tree?

It was just bizarre.

The rabbit man spoke in a trembling voice through clenched teeth: “If it weren’t for the Beast God’s…”

“Heh!” Elvin laughed mockingly. “So in the end, you were after my status, after the glory and riches that are coming my way! You clung to me for those benefits, did everything you could to break me and Si Qi apart—and now you want to tie me down with so-called ‘love,’ as if everything I have should belong only to you! You’re the most shameless of all!”

Having his true intentions exposed in one sentence, the rabbit man felt like everything covering his soul had been stripped away. His darkest thoughts were laid bare in the light, and the shame overwhelmed him. He lowered his head, unable to say a word in return.

“I finally understand,” Elvin said coldly, glaring at the rabbit man with pure disgust. “Only Si Qi—whether I was weak or poor—only he ever treated me sincerely. You made me lose him, made me suffer so much. You have to pay it all back in full! Otherwise, I will never—ever—give you anything again!”

The rabbit man stared at Elvin in despair, at the face twisted with loathing. His body gave out, and he collapsed to his knees, sobbing uncontrollably.

“You’re going too far!”

Elvin remained indifferent. “I’ve always been like this—you know that better than anyone, don’t you?”

The rabbit man, in the middle of sobbing, suddenly fell silent. He stared at Elvin in disbelief, the anguish on his face growing even stronger.

…

When Xiu Xiu recounted the whole event to Si Qi, Si Qi seemed puzzled.

Seeing his master’s serious expression, Xiu Xiu asked in confusion: [What’s wrong, Master?]

Si Qi thought for a couple of seconds and asked: [In that rabbit sub-beastman’s past life memories, did the Child of the World never cheat?]

Xiu Xiu froze for a moment.

Si Qi: [If the Child of the World was also this fickle and flirtatious back then, with a whole harem of beauties, the rabbit guy shouldn’t be this devastated.]

Xiu Xiu considered it, then responded: [That’s true.]

If the Child of the World had been that type—falling for anyone he met, constantly teasing sub-beastmen, and keeping ambiguous relationships with many of them—the rabbit man wouldn’t be so shocked and heartbroken now.

Si Qi said with suspicion: [Could it be that, in his memory, the Child of the World really had the kind of exclusive relationship he claims—where the original owner monopolized the Child of the World and kept all the other sub-beastmen away?]

Xiu Xiu replied uncertainly: [No way, right? That doesn’t match the original owner’s personality at all.]

The original owner had a cold and distant nature, disliked competition, and would let go immediately if he lost interest—he wouldn’t cling or beg. If the Child of the World had ever betrayed him even once, the original host would probably have emotionally withdrawn and stopped caring altogether.

Besides…

The Child of the World didn’t seem like the kind who, after becoming the Beast God’s chosen messenger and gaining near-unparalleled status, would still stay loyal for decades just because of a little bond contract.

Xiu Xiu looked baffled: [Master, now that you mention it, this whole thing really is strange.]

Si Qi thought for a moment, then muttered uncertainly: [Could it be that…]

Xiu Xiu waited silently for Si Qi to finish the thought, but Si Qi never completed the sentence, even after a long while.

Xiu Xiu finally couldn’t help asking: [Master?]

Si Qi stayed silent for a bit, then shook his head. [Let’s just keep watching.]

Xiu Xiu had no choice but to reply obediently: [Okay, Master.]

Still, he couldn’t stop thinking about it, scratching his head in confusion.

Seeing Xiu Xiu like that, Si Qi gently guided him: [Why did the world consciousness arrange for the Child of the World to enter the great tribe and become the Beast God’s emissary? What was the purpose?]

Xiu Xiu pondered and said, [In order to expand the tribe and help it become the most powerful tribe nearby… or even a city, perhaps?]

Si Qi added, [More precisely, it should be about unifying the scattered tribes across the forest into a stronger one, to promote the development of civilization, commerce, society… and all aspects of life.]

Xiuxiu agreed and said, [Yeah, in a primitive world, that’s about all you can do.]

Si Qi said, [And the identity of the Beast God’s Emissary is like that of an emperor—able to suppress the rebellious chieftains of various tribes and make everyone obey him.]

Xiu Xiu nodded, [Exactly]

Si Qi continued analyzing step by step, [So then, such an incredible Beast God’s Envoy—why would he be so cautious, never daring to fool around, and spend his whole life only with the cold and stern original owner?]

[And why would the world’s consciousness go out of its way to reincarnate that rabbit beastman, specifically to break up the Child of the World and the original owner, even stripping the original owner of the Beast God’s bloodline?]

Xiu Xiu vaguely sensed that possibility, just like Si Qi, uncertainly said, [No way… right?]

Si Qi shrugged, [Whatever the truth is, only that rabbit beastman would know.]

Everything that had once happened had already turned into fleeting memories, completely disappearing from this world. Si Qi couldn’t be sure what the future, which could only be deduced through imagination, would really be like.

He only said, [In any case, since the world’s consciousness wishes for the tribes to unify and for civilization to progress, then we’ll follow that path.]

Whether or not the so-called Beast God actually existed, and whether the Beast God’s Emissary would ever appear, Si Qi was already walking the path that should have belonged to them.

Through peaceful methods of absorption and merging, he aimed to attract the other tribes to join.

Not through bloody and brutal war.

…

While the scout sent by the large tribe was still on his way, Si Qi was the first to receive many beastmen from other tribes who had come along with their own people.

At first, only the beastman from the Elephant Tribe planned to come. Later, other tribal members who were also heading east saw a tall, dark-skinned (not bathed much), grass-skirt-wearing fellow among the group of exceptionally fair-skinned, beautiful, and clearly wealthy beastmen, and curiously asked about it.

After learning that the Elephant Tribe’s beastman was going to visit the tribe of these powerful beastmen, many of them felt envious and intrigued.

Beastmen heading in other directions, carrying valuable items, didn’t dare to take detours and could only give up on the idea, eager to return home quickly.

But the beastmen who were heading in the same direction as the Lion Tribe’s territory all wanted to tag along and broaden their horizons.

They split into two groups. One transported their valuables (like white sugar, chili peppers, daggers, etc.) back to their tribe as fast as possible. The other followed the Lion Tribe group to visit the Lion Tribe’s territory, planning to take a slight detour before heading home.

So, before Si Qi faced any trouble from the large tribe—though he had already learned of their movements and was waiting calmly—he first encountered a group of wide-eyed, completely stunned beastmen and sub-beastmen from other tribes, who were in a constant state of awe.

These honest and simple-looking beastmen showed no restraint at all when they saw something astonishing. They didn’t feel shy in the slightest. The whole time they were saying things like, “Wow,” “Oh my god,” and “Look over there!”

The surrounding members of the Lion Tribe looked at them curiously, with no trace of mockery or disdain in their eyes. They smiled and cheerfully ran over to greet them and ask questions.

Si Qi learned about the situation from a sub-beastman who ran over to inform him. When he followed the sub-beastman to the entrance of the tribe, what he saw was a group of stunningly beautiful people and a group of adorable ones having an incredibly harmonious discussion about the stone wall fence.

The adorable ones said, “Your walls are really sturdy! They’re so smooth, it’s like a miracle granted by the Beast God!”

“Sleeping at night inside such tall and solid fences means we don’t have to worry about wolves suddenly sneaking in to bite our butts anymore!”

“Oh my god, even your houses are made of this kind of stone—you’re amazing!”

“It’s not easy to chop stones into such uniform shapes with an axe!”

The beautiful ones proudly puffed out their chests and said, “We built these walls with our own hands—wasn’t hard at all!”

“The beastmen of the Lion Tribe are brave and fierce. When wolves come, all they can do is run away. They wouldn’t dare set foot on our land! We’d eat them!”

“The houses were built together, and then everyone freely chooses the one they like to live in! As long as you’re part of our tribe, everyone can live in such beautiful homes!”

“Hahaha, the stones weren’t carved with axes! Want to know the secret? When we go to the brick houses, I’ll tell you how it’s done!”

The beastmen who had just arrived and already had their worldview shaken at the entrance looked amazed and kept saying how great everything was.

But the elephant tribe beastman, who clearly wasn’t lacking in intelligence and came from a mid-tier tribe, showed a subtle change in expression. He cautiously asked, “Something this important—are you sure it’s okay to tell us just like that? Do your chief and Grand Shaman know?”

He was worried these warm and enthusiastic folks might accidentally reveal tribal secrets, and if the chieftain or high priest later held them accountable, the ones who knew the secrets might be in trouble.

The tribespeople looked at the elephant beastman blankly, unsure how to respond. Just then, they spotted Si Qi approaching from a distance. Immediately, they became excited and shouted, “Just ask Si Qi! Si Qi knows everything! If he says it’s fine, then it’s fine!”

The elephant beastman tilted his head in confusion and looked over. On the other side stood a crowd of beastmen and sub-beastmen watching the commotion. He wasn’t supposed to be able to pick out the one whose name he had heard countless times.

But he recognized him at a glance.

Even though everyone in the tribe wore roughly similar clothes and had the same clean appearance, it was still obvious who was merely imitating and who was naturally like that inside and out. The difference couldn’t have been clearer.

The young man across from him was like a clean and pure pine tree dusted with the season’s first snow—upright, clean, and resilient. No matter how harsh the world around him might be, he carried his own dignity and strength.

That was the first impression Si Qi gave.

The elephant tribe beastman’s expression grew increasingly serious as he looked on. After a moment, he stepped forward and performed a respectful gesture typically reserved for meeting a tribal chief or Grand Shaman.

“Greetings, are you Lord Si Qi?”

Since arriving in this world, it was the first time Si Qi had seen such a polite beastman.

He nodded and replied, “Hello.”

The elephant tribe beastman politely introduced himself, explained his purpose for visiting, and sincerely praised the excellence of the tribe. His words made the surrounding lion tribe beastmen beam with pride, their expressions kind and warm as they looked at him.

After making everyone happy with his compliments, the elephant tribe beastman finally got to the point: “I heard that your tribe’s high priest also received guidance from the Beast God?”

As he mentioned the Beast God, he carefully observed Si Qi’s expression, trying to see if this person, said to be favored by the Beast God, truly had a close and special connection with the deity.

But he found that this man’s eyes didn’t change in the slightest upon hearing those words. His gaze remained calm and indifferent, his expression unshaken—like someone who had just heard that a flower was blooming by the roadside. There was no surprise, but also no disrespect—he had simply listened as if it were any other question.

—That was not the reaction one would expect from a beastman upon hearing mention of the Beast God.

Especially from a young beastman like him, who clearly possessed vast knowledge and was said to be favored by the Beast God—shouldn’t he be even more reverent?

The elephant tribe beastman was puzzled.

Still carrying that doubt, he followed Si Qi into the tribe. What he witnessed inside shocked him like a modern-day man entering a high-tech city from an Interstellar civilization. He completely let go of his earlier skepticism—someone with such rich knowledge who could turn the impossible into reality had to be blessed and protected by the Beast God. No ordinary beastman could accomplish all this.

When he saw the ceramics workshop, the brick kiln, and the windmill, he was impressed by their sophistication, though he didn’t fully grasp the technology behind them. He merely thought they were advanced and assumed other large tribes might also manage something similar.

But when he reached the vast expanse of farmland and saw the efficient irrigation ditches, the incredibly fertile soil, the advanced farming tools casually placed nearby, and countless small, thoughtful details worthy of emulation, he finally noticed the key differences.

Because his own tribe also practiced agriculture. The elephant tribe, known for their gentle temperament and great strength, had claimed a large stretch of flat, fertile land for farming.

They prided themselves on knowing more about farming than any other tribe.

But in recent years, their once-fertile soil had become increasingly dry and barren. The food they grew had become smaller and blander.

Their Grand Shaman had sighed and said that the blessings of the Beast God upon the land were fading with time. To maintain the land’s “life,” they had to put in more effort to transport fertile soil from elsewhere.

The elephant tribe beastmen had devoted significant labor to hauling what they believed to be fertile soil to their fields in hopes of restoring vitality—but the results were disappointing. The crops never regained their former strength.

This left the elephant tribe beastmen frustrated and helpless.

Only now, looking at the rich, black earth before him, teeming with life, did he realize just how deeply this tribe was favored by the Beast God. The god had actually given them such bountiful land!

And those effortless irrigation streams… the strange-looking but efficient tools that could turn the soil with a light touch…

The elephant tribe beastman’s face showed undisguised longing, his envy written all over it. Si Qi noticed and slowly said, “Want to learn?”

The elephant tribe beastman was slightly startled and didn’t react right away. “Pardon?”

Si Qi pointed to the farmland before them. “All of this—everything you see.”

The elephant tribe beastman’s breath caught. A flash of astonishment crossed his eyes. He flushed with excitement and nervously rubbed his hands together.

“This… is it really okay?”

Si Qi replied calmly, “Of course it is. Everything in our tribe—if you’re willing to learn, I’m willing to teach.”

As he spoke, he looked at the foreign beastmen behind him, who were still in a daze, overwhelmed by everything they’d seen. When they met Si Qi’s steady gaze, they understood what he meant. Just like the elephant tribe beastman, they all trembled with excitement, bursting with joy as if they were having an episode.

They shouted excitedly, “Yes! We want to learn!”

Si Qi smiled slightly. “Then send your people to come and learn. We’re ready to teach you anytime.”

When the beastmen realized Si Qi wasn’t joking, they became so overwhelmed with emotion they let out beastly roars. The lion tribe beastmen, startled, rushed over in alarm, shouting:

“What’s going on?”

“What are you trying to do?”

“Protect Si Qi!!”

Surrounded by a crowd of beastmen and sub-beastmen, Si Qi was caught between laughter and frustration. He said helplessly, “It’s fine, calm down, let me through.”

He was about to get crushed!

The Primitive Tribe is about to rise (10): The Great Tribe in the North

This event, called a trade fair, was actually more of a showcase and presentation. The process went on for quite a while, all the way until the sun was nearly setting. Only then did the tribesman, his voice hoarse, take a sip of water and finish explaining each and every treasure from their tribe.

By this time, almost everyone in the entire marketplace had gathered around. They stared without blinking, not even stopping to eat lunch. The sound of growling stomachs echoed from the crowd now and then, but no one was willing to leave.

The tribesman smiled and said, “Now we’ll begin trading. If there’s anything you’d like to buy…”

Before he could finish speaking, the crowd erupted with a roar like a tidal wave: “I want that bow! And lots of arrows! I have salt, I want to buy!” 

“Give me chili peppers! These things make you sweat even in winter—I must have them!” 

“Give me sugar, I want to taste what sugar is like, hurry and give me sugar!”

 “Ahhh, don’t fight me for it, I was here first! I want the dagger, hurry, give me the dagger!” 

“…”

There were six beastmen from the tribe handling the trading, but even with all six stepping up, they couldn’t keep up with the demand. The beastman warriors watched closely, eyes locked on the swarming crowd, afraid someone might try to steal or cause trouble. They held their knives as a warning to anyone with bad intentions.

Meanwhile, the older beastmen who had been cooking for the tribe in the back saw what was happening. Without a word, they rolled up their sleeves and rushed over to join the sales. They were the oldest, but also the sharpest. Before coming, they had specially studied arithmetic with Si Qi for quite a while. Not only could they count to one hundred, they had even learned addition and subtraction. They said proudly: “One arrow for two fingertip-sized pieces of salt. Seven arrows makes fourteen pieces.”

“You gave fifteen—our tribe values honesty the most. We won’t overcharge you. Take this piece of salt back.”

“One bow, ten arrows, two ceramic bowls, one wool blanket—that totals twenty-three pieces of salt.”

“I’m fast at calculating? Not really. The amazing one is Si Qi from our tribe—he can even count all the stars in the sky! He’s our teacher, and we admire him so much!”

Some of the beastmen chatted while trading, slipping in comments like:

“Oh, more meat again? We have so much meat in our tribe we can’t finish it—we’re sick of seeing it!”

“It’s not just because our weapons are good that hunting is easy. We also raise dozens of wild boars waiting to be eaten! Freshly slaughtered is the best. Even in winter, we can still eat the tastiest meat in our tribe!”

“Jealous? It’s actually not that big of a deal. If you’re willing to join our tribe, you could live like this too!”

“Everyone in our tribe is really nice. Once you join, you’re family! And we don’t keep things to ourselves. If you want to learn, you can! Whether it’s animal husbandry, farming, or making pottery—no problem at all!”

 “Really, really! We would never lie! I swear on the Beast God, everything I said is true!”

That last line was more convincing than a thousand firm promises.

A group of beastmen and sub-beastmen were moved to the core, practically dying to blurt out on the spot, “I want to join you!!”

The idea of joining the tribe took root like a tiny seed buried in their hearts, sprouting and growing. These people, who had never even considered switching tribes before, could no longer forget about it.

A swarm of people charged in, sweeping through everything. The large stall, once piled high like little mountains with goods, was emptied in the blink of an eye. The beastmen stuck at the back, unable to push their way through, were so anxious they jumped up and down in frustration, shouting as they cursed themselves for not being able to fly.

By the time they finally managed to push past the beaming beastmen carrying armfuls of goods, and reached the stall, there were only a few scattered items left. They were so angry they could’ve fought those who had already left—how could they not have left anything behind for others?! So selfish!

Without a word, they pulled out handfuls of salt chunks and said to the sub-beastman behind the stall, “Quick, quick, give me those arrows—no more bows? Even without a bow, I still want them! Those arrowheads are sharp! I can tell they’re made from the same stuff as that dagger!”

This sharp beastman used salt blocks to snatch up the last batch of arrows and sugar, but still left with a look of regret, clearly unsatisfied. Before leaving, he asked, “Are you bringing more stuff to trade tomorrow? If so, I’ll come back!”

“No? Alright then… Tell me how to get to your tribe. Once this winter is over, I’ll definitely come visit!”

Only a few dozen tribe members were left behind, having exchanged everything except the straw mats on the ground—not a single strand of fur remained unsold. They looked at each other for several seconds before all throwing their heads back and bursting into laughter.

“Hahahahaha! That felt amazing!!!”

After laughing to their hearts’ content, they started packing up the straw mats. Just then, someone from another tribe came over and asked, “Will you come again next time the market opens?”

Someone nearby overheard and responded instinctively, “Yeah! Your tribe is so strong and big now—why don’t you just open a market next to your own tribe? That way you don’t have to travel so far, and we could trade for even more things from you.”

The tribe members froze for a moment. They really hadn’t expected that, in just half a year, they had gone from being seen as an ordinary, unremarkable little tribe to one that everyone admired and envied.

Each tribe usually only attended one gathering per year, and it was typically held near a large tribe.

First, because big tribes had more and better things to trade, everyone was happy to go there.

Second, smaller tribes only had so much to trade in a year—after attending one market, they usually didn’t have anything left for a second.

Who would have thought that, without even realizing it, they had reached a point where they could host a market right outside their own homes?

And judging by the excited looks on the surrounding beastmen’s faces when they heard the suggestion, it seemed like everyone was really looking forward to it.

This made the tribe members, who were used to thinking of themselves as people from a small tribe, feel a little self-conscious but also slightly proud. They forced themselves to hold back their laughter and, almost instinctively, imitated the demeanor of the person they admired most—the powerful beastman, Si Qi. In perfect unison, they revealed a composed and relaxed smile, and said slowly and calmly, “I will return and consult with our chief about this matter.”

“Wow, he actually said ‘consult’!”

“I’ve never heard such a refined word before!”

“I think I heard our chief say it once!”

“As expected of someone from a big tribe!”

The tribe members blushed slightly, thinking to themselves that they had actually learned that word from Si Qi.

That handsome and intelligent beastman always spoke with words that were both elegant and precise. The beastmen around him loved nothing more than imitating him and learning by staying close to him. Because of that, whether it was clothing, food, housing, or even speech, traces of Si Qi could be seen throughout the entire tribe.

And sure enough, with just a small display, they had completely impressed the surrounding beastmen.

Trying not to laugh, they maintained polite expressions while repeatedly describing their tribe’s location, its beauty, and their tribe’s intention to invite more beastmen and sub-beastmen to join them.

Many faces showed hopeful anticipation. It wasn’t hard to imagine that once these visitors returned to their own tribes and spread the word, when spring came and all life began to revive, countless beastmen and sub-beastmen would come seeking out their tribe…

Just then, a large, heavily built beastman with a very gentle presence walked over. His voice and tone were incredibly soft as he asked, “Are you the ones from the Lion Tribe?”

This beastman had already noticed the commotion here earlier and had been quietly observing them from a distance. He only approached once the members of the Lion Tribe finally had some breathing room.

One of the sub-beastmen from the tribe looked up with effort, eyes fixed on the towering figure before him—at least three times his size. The silent pressure made him tense up instinctively. “W-what is it?”

The lion tribe warrior next to him, who had more battle experience, only lazily lifted his eyelids, completely unfazed—they could sense the gentleness in this stranger’s demeanor, and more importantly, they could tell from instinct that this was a herbivorous beastman. There wasn’t the slightest trace of blood on him.

Besides, lions were proud and fearless, never intimidated by any race—unless, perhaps, the opponent was something like an elephant that could snap a tree trunk with its trunk…

They didn’t even have time to fully recall what that massive creature looked like when the large man across from them gave a simple, good-natured smile and said, “I’m a beastman from the Elephant Tribe. I—”

Several big cats suddenly jumped in shock, visibly startled. The elephant tribe beastman had to pause mid-sentence, blinking his large, dark, harmless eyes in confusion, innocent and kind.

“What’s wrong?” he asked with a smile.

The big cats arched their backs, fur bristling, speechless. Finally, one of the older beastmen, who had seen much over the years, stepped forward and asked, “Is there something you need?”

The elephant tribe beastman looked at the small, stooped elder before him. Out of habit, he bent down and half-knelt to speak respectfully, his tone kind: “I’ve come following the guidance of our grand shaman, looking for you.”

The old beastman asked in confusion, “Your grand shaman?”

Elephant Tribe Beastman: “Our grand shaman received guidance from the Beast God, foreseeing an approaching danger and a path of hope pointing eastward.”

The old beastman pointed at his group and asked, “Do you think this hope in the east refers to us?”

The nearby Lion Tribe beastmen, suppressing their inner wariness, leaned in and said, “Your grand shaman also foresaw danger? So did we!”

The elephant beastman smiled honestly and said, “The grand shaman sent me to evaluate your tribe, to see if you’re qualified for us to join you. If you’re just a small tribe that we’d have to protect in times of danger, then we might as well bring you to live in our tribe instead.”

The speaker was straightforward, and the listeners were just as simple-minded. With curious and obedient faces, they asked, “So what’s the result of the evaluation? Are we okay?”

Only one of them, a prideful beastman, huffed and mumbled, “Our tribe is amazing—we should be the ones evaluating you!”

But none of the others paid him any mind, which made him a bit annoyed. He raised his voice and said, “We have endless food and more pottery than we could ever use! We’re the best tribe!”

That finally got a reaction from the others nearby. They all nodded in agreement, faces full of certainty.

Seeing this, the elephant tribe beastman chuckled and said, “I see that your tribe is quite capable. Even though many of the things you have aren’t useful to our tribe, the fact that you know how to farm means you’re definitely a good tribe.”

“Hmph!” the prideful beastman snorted again, but before he could continue bragging, the others eagerly spilled the details: “We just learned this during the warm season!”

“Si Qi taught us!”

“He can do everything!!”

“Si Qi?” the elephant tribe beastman recalled hearing that name. When the grand shaman had repeated the prophecy from the Beast God, it seemed like the Beast God was subtly hinting at a powerful individual. Even though the name wasn’t explicitly mentioned, the implications were clear: this person was one-of-a-kind, a once-in-a-lifetime figure, and just meeting him was considered a blessing for any beastman.

Someone so highly praised and revered by the Beast God must be truly extraordinary.

The elephant tribe beastman couldn’t help showing an expression of admiration and longing. He said to the Lion Tribe, “May I meet this Lord Si Qi? The grand shaman instructed me that evaluating the size and strength of the tribe is also part of the mission.”

“Of course!” The Lion Tribe beastmen responded excitedly. “Our tribe is super amazing! We have huge houses that block the wind and the rain can’t get in either! All the lions love them!”

With limited vocabulary, the beastmen did their best to praise their tribe, pulling out every good word they could think of. Even then, they felt it wasn’t enough.

In the end, they proudly concluded, “You’ll understand once you see it!”

The elephant tribe beastman nodded. “Then I’ll return with you when the time comes.”

“No problem!” The Lion Tribe beastmen quickly packed their mountain of salt blocks into crates, hoisted them onto their backs, and headed off together to rest at the camp they had prepared the night before.

Turning to the elephant tribe beastman, he asked, “Where are your tribe members?”

Elephant tribe beastman: “They went to other markets to look for you, and also to investigate the source of the crisis.”

The lion tribe members naturally said, “The source is in the north!”

“Our grand shaman saw it!”

“Si Qi also said we will definitely overcome this crisis!”

“Yes, yes!” All the beastmen nodded in agreement, completely forgetting that Si Qi had only smiled.

“The north…” the elephant tribe beastman murmured to himself, quickly recalling a massive northern tribe made up of many different races.

At the same time, in the northern tribe.

The annual late autumn market was being held. During the day, leaders from the large northern tribe had been observing and identifying which small tribes had the richest resources and were the easiest targets for invasion. Now, they were discussing it around a flickering fire.

“That southern tribe is full of deer beastmen. Although there’s not much decent food to take, they have a lot of sub-beastmen.”

“That’s probably because most of their beastmen were killed by wild beasts nearby. Weak tribes are like that. It’d be better for them to join our tribe early and give birth to more cubs, so they can live a life without worry.”

“Add that tribe in. After the market ends, follow them and find their exact location. Then bring all their sub-beastmen back.” The chief made the decision. “Next?”

“The turtle tribe in the west. They have abundant aquatic resources and know how to produce salt…”

“Turtles are easy to kill. Even if they transform into beast form and hide, one fire will burn them all to death,” one beastman said loudly, visibly excited. “Let me lead the team this time!”

“Enough. We can’t kill too many this time. If we end up killing the only one who knows how to make salt like last time, it’ll all be for nothing.”

“Last time it was because that guy was stubborn and fought me to protect his mate. I accidentally—”

“Alright, stop with the nonsense.” The chief impatiently glanced at him. The bloodthirsty beastman froze at once, shivering and not daring to argue further.

“The turtle tribe is in too. Who else?”

“The elephant tribe in the east…” someone said with a frown, “Only two of them came this time. They didn’t bring anything and have just been wandering around the market. Looks suspicious.”

Because they themselves had also been wandering the market all day, scouting the smaller tribes’ situations and strength, they immediately recognized “their own kind.”

A few leaders nearby said in confusion, “The elephant tribe? Aren’t they usually peaceful? Why are they thinking about invading too?” And coming to their market to gather information—were they trying to snatch food from a tiger’s mouth?

“Don’t they only eat grass? That huge prairie should be more than enough for them to live on, right? Even if they seize land from other tribes, it’s useless to them, isn’t it?”

“Strange…”

A group of chieftains were completely puzzled. The tribe leader frowned and asked, “Besides investigating, did they say or do anything?”

The chieftain who first mentioned the elephant tribe replied, “They seemed to linger around the stalls of some relatively strong tribes, asking where they came from. They also asked about their grand shamans, and whether they had received guidance from the Beast God…”

The expressions of the surrounding chieftains grew even more confused, but the tribe leader suddenly raised his head sharply, his gaze like lightning: “Keep a close eye on those two elephant tribe members. Report to me immediately if anything unusual happens!”

“Uh… okay.” That chieftain nodded, agreeing with a blank look. The tribe leader, irritated by his underling’s stupidity, reminded him, “He kept asking about grand shamans and guidance — maybe he foresaw something!”

The reason they began expanding and invading this autumn was precisely because their grand shaman foresaw the right timing and a prosperous future.

If their grand shaman could foresee such things, then other shamans might have too!

But maybe what those other shamans saw was the opposite — not prosperity, but decline. Wouldn’t that drive them to act quickly?

The slow-witted chieftain finally understood and nodded. “Got it. I’ll keep an eye on them.”

Then another chieftain suddenly said, “Today a rabbit sub-beastman came to me.”

Everyone turned to look at him, and he said, “He claimed that the tribe he came from has already started planting crops and raising livestock. They even know how to make pottery and have very powerful weapons.”

The expressions of the others instantly turned grim. The chieftain continued, “Worse still, the main members of this tribe are all lions. Fierce and strong lions!”

Everyone’s faces became even more unpleasant as the beastman described in a dark tone: “They’re only about thirty days’ journey from us. If they’re allowed to grow stronger…”

Instinctively, everyone bared their fangs, growling threateningly from their throats.

The tribe leader said coldly, “Find out exactly where that rabbit sub-beastman’s tribe is! We must wipe them out before they grow strong and become alert — this winter!”

When those lions are hiding inside their homes, peacefully waiting for the cold to pass, we’ll storm in and catch them off guard! Bury them forever in this eternal winter…

Upon hearing this, that chieftain chuckled, his tone tinged with disbelief.

“We already have the location — after bragging about how amazing his tribe was, that rabbit told me the exact coordinates without me even needing to ask… Truly stupid.”

A few nearby chieftains breathed a sigh of relief and laughed heartily, mocking how foolish the rabbit was, completely unaware that his words would bring such a terrifying catastrophe to his former tribe.

Only the shrewd tribe leader, upon hearing “lion” and “rabbit,” suddenly recalled a certain lion-rabbit pair he had seen not long ago.

A strong but dopey lion, and a small but clever rabbit — they had left a strong impression on him.

He remembered that the rabbit had been dressed well, and everything he said and did had come off as experienced and sophisticated — not at all like a naive sub-beastman from a small tribe, but more like an elder who had lived in a large tribe for many years.

Because he’d been impressed by the rabbit, he had generously allowed the lion to join a hunting party that not just anyone could join… and later observations showed that the lion performed very well, while the rabbit integrated smoothly into the tribe and lived a vibrant life.

Would such a rabbit really be stupid enough to accidentally leak critical secrets and bring doom to his tribe?

The tribe leader furrowed his brows deeply.

After weighing everything carefully, he said in a serious tone, “Send scouts to observe the lion tribe. If it’s truly as that rabbit described — a tribe on the brink of major development…”

“Then we must send a force twice — no, four times — larger than our usual war parties!” His face was grave, and his voice harsh: “Make sure every single one of them is slaughtered in their tribe! Leave no survivors!!”

The Primitive Tribe is about to rise (9): Crazy market

The tribe where the Child of the World resided was about to go to war.

This might be something new for the Child of the World, but for the others in the tribe—and especially for the rabbit man—it was nothing unusual.

In fact, the rabbit man knew about this long before any of the beastmen in the tribe did, because his original tribe had been defeated in this very war, which could only be described as an invasion. Many of his people were either killed or wounded. The sub-beastmen fared slightly better, but the beastmen were all reduced to slaves, forced to sell their labor, stripped of freedom and dignity. Fewer than one in ten survived.

He knew very well what kind of disaster this war would bring to his former tribe, but he had no intention of warning his old tribesmen in advance—nor would he tell Elvin.

Deep down, he remained wary of what had happened in his previous life, constantly fearing that Si Qi might somehow become entangled with Elvin.

It would be best if Si Qi died in that battle and never appeared again.

Only then would he be able to feel at ease.

As for the other beastmen and sub-beastmen…

To be honest, before his rebirth, the rabbit man had long stopped interacting with those people, most of whom had died early on. He didn’t even remember their names or what sort of relationship he had with them.

It had all happened over ten years ago.

On the other hand, he was now much more familiar with the people living in the big tribe. He knew them well.

He considered these people his true kin, the home where he had lived for many years.

Whether that small tribe survived or perished no longer mattered to him. It was of no importance.

And so, he watched silently as Elvin’s hunting party launched an invasion during the depths of autumn—striking while the other tribes were busy stockpiling food for the winter, completely unaware that disaster was on the way. They stormed into the tribe, killed any beastmen who resisted, captured the sub-beastmen, slaughtered the elderly and children, and especially targeted the beloved shaman of the tribe. They looted cartloads of food and returned home with the spoils of war.

When Elvin returned, his face was deathly pale.

He collapsed to the ground as soon as he stepped inside, his legs giving out. Bracing himself against the floor, he vomited uncontrollably.

It was as if the screams and cries of the beastmen still echoed in his ears. Many of the beastmen’s children had cried and begged him for mercy. He hadn’t dared to bring down his blade, but in the next moment, another beastman from his tribe rushed forward and decapitated the child.

Elvin trembled all over, feeling as though he were in hell. It wasn’t until a sub-beastman from the small tribe went mad with grief and charged at him in beast form—fighting to the death for the sake of his child—that Elvin regained a sliver of clarity. And then…

That was the first time he had personally killed a living sub-beastman.

That feeling—he knew he would never forget it for the rest of his life.

It was terrifying.

No matter how many wild beasts he had killed before, nothing compared to the feeling of that single axe blow…

Elvin’s stomach kept churning, and he couldn’t help but dry heave again.

The rabbit man looked at the filthy mess on the floor with a hint of breakdown, yelling at Elvin, “It was just a war! Is this really necessary?!”

“You’ll get used to it. Don’t take it so personally.”

“You’re the Beast God’s chosen one—how could something this small defeat you?!”

As Elvin vomited until his vision blurred, he stared dazedly at the rabbit man’s calm face. He only felt an overwhelming coldness and cruelty from him.

If it were Si Qi—the Si Qi he had first known—Si Qi would definitely have understood him, cared for him, comforted him. He would have gently bandaged his wounds, even cut his own wrist to bleed and heal him, been mindful of his emotions, never forced him to hunt, and would have thought and felt the same way about the things happening around them. Unlike this cold-hearted sub-beastman in front of him, who always forced him, always demanded he get used to things, made him do what he didn’t want to do.

Elvin wiped the sour vomit from the corner of his mouth and looked at the rabbit man with undisguised disgust. “Is that all you know how to say?!”

The rabbit man was clearly hurt by the look in Elvin’s eyes—how could Elvin look at him like that?

He replied with a face full of grievance, “But that’s just how it is…”

“Si Qi would never say something like that!” Elvin couldn’t help comparing his past and present partners.

The rabbit man hated—more than anything—hearing that line. His face twisted in anger as he shouted, jumping up in a frenzy, “All you ever do is talk about Si Qi! You never stop mentioning him! You still can’t let him go! What’s so great about that guy anyway? He never even liked you!!”

Elvin said coldly, “And do you like me? What do you like about me?”

The rabbit man blurted out, “Of course I like how outstanding you are!”

“Heh.” Elvin let out a mocking laugh. “Outstanding? In what way? Like the Grand Shaman, who’s so knowledgeable? Or like the team leader, who’s so strong? Or maybe like those sub-beastmen who earn plenty of food with little effort through their skills?”

After living in the big tribe for months, he had finally learned the things the rabbit man used to say he would be able to do someday. He had become, as the rabbit man once put it, “smart.”

He continued, “What you value is just the title of Beast God’s emissary. If it hadn’t been me in the last life, but someone else who received that title, you would’ve followed them and ignored me completely.”

The rabbit man’s face went blank for a moment, then twisted into a hysterical rage as he screamed, “How can you say that about me?! I like the Beast God’s emissary., so of course I like you—it’s always been you! I’ve done so much for you, cleaned up so many messes for you, thought only about you in everything I did, it was all for your sake—and you say this to me?!”

Elvin wore a sullen expression and said nothing. The rabbit man’s tears fell one after another as he cupped his face and sobbed, “You’re being too cruel…”

Elvin, irritated by the crying, tried to stay patient and said, “Alright, stop crying…”

He was the one who had felt sick and disgusted by the bloodshed and needed comfort. Yet after returning, it turned into arguments and crying, and now he had to be the one offering comfort instead—what kind of mess was this…

Xiu Xiu took everything in and concisely reported the situation to Si Qi. Si Qi frowned: [You’re saying they’re systematically slaughtering people from the surrounding small tribes?]

Xiu Xiu: [Yeah. It looks like they think their tribe is doing well and can keep expanding, so they’ve set their sights on sub-beastmen from other tribes…]

Sub-beastmen were kept to bear children, beastmen were turned into laborers, and on top of that, they plundered enough food reserves from the tribes to last an entire winter. It was an incredibly profitable “deal.”

Based on Xiu Xiu’s description, Si Qi sketched a rough map and quickly noticed something off: [At this rate, they’ll bring the war to our area by winter…]

So then…

Si Qi raised an eyebrow: [That sub-beastman was reborn, so he probably knows a lot about the big tribe. That must be why he deliberately took the Child of the World there.]

But how exactly was he connected to the big tribe? And why did he have to rush over there at this particular moment?

Wasn’t it most likely because of this upcoming invasion…

Si Qi found it all absurd: [He just ran off with the Child of the World and didn’t even warn the tribe ahead of time, didn’t tell them to prepare?]

A beastman tribe of thousands, with members from various races, versus a small self-sufficient tribe of just over two hundred people—it was obvious who would win and who would be crushed.

And yet, that place was where the rabbit man had been raised. All he could see now was the Child of the World, the one who would become the next Beast God’s messenger. He didn’t even care if his old tribe died?

Si Qi let out a cold laugh, roughly calculated the invasion route of the big tribe, and told Xiu Xiu: [Keep an eye on where they’re heading next. Try to warn the grand shamans of the smaller tribes in advance so they can prepare.]

Xiu Xiu hesitated: [But how should I warn them?]

Si Qi responded as if it were obvious: [Use the name of the Beast God. The people around here trust that the most.]

With that, he pulled out a miniature 3D projector from a World Tree leaf. It could project Xiu Xiu’s appearance and voice into the air. He handed it to Xiu Xiu: [Since your form is a golden dragon, just speak to them directly.]

Xiu Xiu suddenly understood and showered Si Qi with exaggerated praise: [Master, you’re amazing! Truly worthy of being my master—you even thought of this!]

Si Qi chuckled: [Alright, go.]

“Alright!” After saying that, Xiu Xiu immediately controlled the second external scout drone, carrying the projector as it flew into the air, heading straight toward the next small tribe.

After Xiu Xiu left, Si Qi tapped his thigh near his palm with his fingers, pondered for a moment, and then walked over to find the Grand Shaman.

The Grand Shaman was grinding herbs inside his hut. As soon as Si Qi entered, the shaman seemed to sense something and turned his head, glancing at Si Qi—or rather, at something behind Si Qi.

He always habitually focused on a spot Si Qi couldn’t see, as if he had a spiritual eye capable of perceiving things invisible to ordinary people.

This time, what the Grand Shaman saw was slightly different from usual. He looked at it for a long time before speaking to Si Qi: “What happened?”

Si Qi wasn’t surprised at all and countered, “What did you see?”

The Grand Shaman’s face, full of wrinkles like tree bark, twitched as he stared with difficulty into the void, then said to the young man before him, “I saw life… and also death.”

Si Qi nodded slightly and shamelessly borrowed the same line: “So did I.”

The Grand Shaman nodded with great acceptance—he always felt that this man before him was deeply favored by the Beast God, so it was perfectly normal that he could see what the shaman saw.

Si Qi followed up smoothly, “We should start preparing in advance.”

The Grand Shaman agreed, “Go tell the chief what you saw and let him figure out a plan.”

He had great trust in the strength of the new chief and was confident that Si Qi could handle it well.

With the token given by the Grand Shaman in hand, Si Qi went directly to Chu Feng and said openly, “The Grand Shaman has foreseen the future. A large tribe is about to invade us. We need to prepare in advance.”

Chu Feng’s expression turned serious as he asked, “What kind of large tribe? Where are they?”

Si Qi replied, “It’s a large tribe of two to three thousand people, in the north. They’ve already slaughtered and looted a small tribe, and they’ll gradually make their way toward us next.”

Without hesitation, Chu Feng stood up and summoned the tribe, announcing the news.

The tribesmen were shocked, but not panicked. For them, battle was part of everyday life—there was no such thing as fleeing without a fight.

Beastmen had always respected the strong, not cowards.

Si Qi said, “We still have nearly a hundred sunsets before the large tribe arrives. Until then, everyone can continue living as usual, just with more time dedicated to training.”

Chu Feng agreed without hesitation. “Leave the training to me. I’ll turn them into brave and powerful warriors.”

“That would be perfect,” Si Qi said with a smile. “I believe in your strength.”

Seeing Si Qi’s confident smile, Chu Feng couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief.

Perhaps because so many of Si Qi’s predictions had come true in the past, everyone had developed this subconscious belief: if Si Qi looked confident and said everything would be fine, then things really would go smoothly—just as he said.

Many of the beastmen saw Si Qi’s reaction and, one after another, broke into excited smiles, rubbing their fists and saying, “We’ll make sure that tribe never comes back alive!”

“Our tribe isn’t to be messed with!”

“Let them see just how powerful our warriors are!”

The sub-beastmen stood nearby, watching the hot-blooded, courageous beastmen; their cheeks were slightly flushed, their faces full of admiration.

The young beastmen hopped and skipped around, declaring that they, too, would join the fight—that they were powerful warriors as well.

The elder beastmen calmly inspected the weapons set to one side, thinking that even if their bodies were no longer what they once were, they could still use the fine bows, arrows, and axes Si Qi had made to take down a few fools who dared intrude on their tribe.

Everyone’s spirits ran high—so high that even Si Qi felt a little surprised.

It seemed this time they would not repeat the tragedy from the rabbit man’s memories.

After a long discussion about the coming battle, Si Qi suddenly remembered something and quietly sought out Chu Feng. “Would you be willing to sell some of our tribe’s weapons to other tribes?”

Chu Feng’s mind worked quickly. “You mean those smaller tribes, like ours, that might be invaded by the large tribe?”

“Right,” Si Qi nodded. “And it’s not just about the weapons themselves—there are many benefits to selling them.”

Chu Feng, who had grown up in a primitive society and lacked formal knowledge yet always thought clearly, grasped the idea at once. “You mean influence?”

Si Qi nodded again, smiling. “Our tribe can’t stay this small forever. If we want to grow stronger, we need to spread the word and attract more tribes to join us.”

Chu Feng weighed the pros and cons, then agreed. “We can give it a try.”

Si Qi said, “Every year in late autumn there’s a market where all the major tribes trade supplies for the winter. We can showcase our tribe’s special products there, demonstrate our strength, and make it known that we’re looking to expand and welcome more beastmen and sub-beastmen. Those who want to join will notice us.”

Chu Feng thought the idea was excellent and nodded. “I’ll get people ready right away.”

Usually, those who go to the market are experienced elder beastmen and sub-beastmen familiar with daily necessities. Since the tribe planned to transport many valuable goods and weapons this time, they would need plenty of warriors along to guard those elders and sub-beastmen.

Having settled the plan, Chu Feng hurried off to rally the clanspeople. Meanwhile, Si Qi messaged Xiu Xiu: “When you talk with the Grand Shamans, mention our tribe’s name outright—hint that they’re welcome to join us.”

Xiu Xiu grinned mischievously and said, “Master… you’re really good at waving that tiger’s banner~”

Using the beastmen’s absolute reverence for the Beast God to push forward his own goals—wasn’t that just a recipe for unstoppable success?

As soon as those Grand Shamans heard that the Beast God wanted them to join a certain tribe to prepare in advance for an incoming war, wouldn’t they drop everything and rush over without a moment’s hesitation?

Si Qi smiled slightly. “It’d be a waste not to use a ready-made tiger skin.”

…

Time flew by, and soon it was time for the market. The tribe had to arrive before the first snowfall, exchange their goods, and bring everything back.

This time, they were taking more items than in any previous year—not just meat, but all sorts of things the tribesmen had never even dared to imagine: ceramic pots, wool blankets, metal weapons, and even sweet, sugary treats!

The first two items, the sub-beastmen in the tribe had at least seen before, even if they couldn’t afford them. But sugar, chili, and those terrifyingly sharp metal weapons—those were things they had never even dreamed of. It was certain these would draw the attention of countless beastmen and sub-beastmen at the market, making quite the impression.

With so many goods to transport, the number of people traveling was three to four times more than in previous years. The journey would take at least half again as long, so they departed earlier than usual.

Si Qi, Chu Feng, and the Grand Shaman, of course, wouldn’t leave the tribe for long at such a critical time. The task was entrusted to another strong beastman from Chu Feng’s trusted hunting team.

Si Qi had his reliable multitasker Xiu Xiu tail the group, scouting constantly to monitor the situation and ensure any problems could be addressed in time.

Half a month after the team set off, Xiu Xiu reported that the tribesmen had finally arrived at the market located near a large tribe in the west.

After a day of rest and purchasing, they found an empty spot and laid out piles of exquisite, beautiful, and clearly expensive specialty goods from their tribe. In just a few minutes, a crowd had gathered around their stall.

beastmen and sub-beastmen in simple animal-skin clothes stared wide-eyed at the tribesmen, who wore clean and neat outfits, were groomed from head to toe, had grass shoes on their feet, and metal daggers hanging from their waists. Their eyes sparkled with envy.

They didn’t know what many of these items were—spices, and oddly shaped weapons glinting in the sunlight—but they recognized the ceramics and wool blankets. Such rare and valuable things were casually placed off to the side, while the most prominent spots were reserved for spices and weapons. Clearly, these unfamiliar items were even more precious than the ceramics!

A timid, sweet-looking young deer sub-beastmen carefully asked one of the tribe members, “Excuse me… what is this snowflake-like thing?”

He instinctively felt that these refined and well-dressed beastmen and sub-beastmen must come from a remarkable, powerful tribe. Only in such a place could people look this good and bring out so many rare items.

He worried that the people from this great tribe would be just like the ones in his imagination—arrogant, hard to talk to, and might look down on him, sneer at him, and mock him for not even knowing what something like that was.

But the sub-beastmen in front of him showed a warm and gentle smile, and replied kindly, “This is called ‘sugar.’ It’s a type of seasoning made by our tribe. It’s great whether you eat it as a snack or add it to food. It’s even sweeter than honey and makes you feel incredibly, incredibly happy when you eat it.”

The little deer sub-beastmen looked at him with wide, round, shiny eyes full of curiosity and envy. With a pure smile, he said, “That sounds amazing… how much meat would it take to trade for some?”

The tribesman replied, “It’s not expensive. You can trade it for the same amount of salt.”

The little deer’s eyes filled with longing as he looked pleadingly at the tribesman beside him. That tribesman hesitated for a long moment before pulling out a fingernail-sized piece of salt from his animal hide and said, “Let’s buy one piece to try.”

The little deer’s eyes lit up instantly. He watched happily as the tribesman traded for a piece of sugar, then carefully cupped it in both hands. He took a tiny bit with his fingertip, stretched out his tongue, and gently licked it, cherishing every bit.

Then—

His eyes flew wide open!

The little guy jumped up in excitement, his face flushed red with joy as he shouted, “Yah! Yah! Yah!! So delicious! So delicious!! Brother Aman, I’ve never tasted anything this good before!!! It’s even better than the red fruits we had last year!!!”

The tribesman, hearing that, was tempted as well. He cautiously took a bit of sugar on his fingertip and tasted it. His eyes widened too, and he couldn’t stop nodding in agreement.

It was so delicious!

How could something be this sweet?!

It really did make you feel happy after eating it!!

The surrounding sub-beastmen, watching the scene, looked on with envy and asked, “Then what’s that red thing?”

A tribesman explained, “That’s called chili. It’s also a seasoning. It makes your whole body feel warm after eating it—perfect for the winter! The seeds inside can even be planted—do you know what planting is?”

A group of wide-eyed beastmen all shook their heads in unison. Seeing this, the tribesman smiled modestly, with a mischievous glint in their eye. “Planting means you can grow big patches of food from the earth, enough to eat forever. It’s a miracle granted to our tribe by the Beast God—it’s something truly amazing!”

A collective “Wow!” of amazement echoed from the beastmen, clearly enchanted by the dreamlike vision the tribesman painted.

Puffing up their chest proudly, the tribesman said, “We’re from a tribe in the eastern forest. If you want to learn how to plant, you can come to our tribe. We are all children of the Beast God, and we’re happy to share this miracle with you!”

“You’re all so kind!” the simple beastmen couldn’t help but say. “I really like you all, and I really like the things from your tribe!”

The tribesman beamed. “Thank you for liking us. Do you want to see more things? I can tell you what each one does and how to use them!”

Seeing how friendly and approachable the tribesmen were, and how beautiful their smiles looked, more and more beastmen and sub-beastmen gathered around. One by one, they tiptoed closer, their hearts pounding rapidly with excitement.

A tribesman took out the weapon placed in the most eye-catching spot at the center—a dagger sheathed in beast hide.

The dark silver blade reflected a chilling gleam under the sunlight. Thin as a cicada’s wing, its surface was smooth and neat. It was a treasured weapon forged by the tribe’s strongest beastmen, tempered and refined countless times in the heat of the forge.

Casually, the tribesman reached into a box behind them and pulled out a piece of dried cured meat. This was a food every beastmen was familiar with—a staple for surviving winter.

Hard, dry, and tough as stone, it lacked any of the elasticity or texture of fresh meat. Cutting it was no easy task. If they didn’t want to cook it and chose to eat it raw, they would have to shift into their beast form and gnaw on it patiently.

Before everyone’s eyes, the sub-beastmen held up the meat to show it off, then took out the dagger. Everyone could see how thin and delicate the blade was—so thin it looked like it might snap with a flick. The tribesman brought the dagger straight down onto the meat with a soft motion, seemingly without applying any pressure, making only a light “chop.”

And just like that, the sharp dagger sliced through the cured meat as if it were water, splitting it cleanly in two. The cut was flat and polished like a mirror. The surrounding beastmen were stunned for a long moment before they snapped out of it and gasped in disbelief.

“Oh my god!”

“How did it cut through?!”

“I didn’t even see it clearly!!”

The tribesman smiled lightly without further explanation and made three quick slicing motions on the meat with the dagger. Even the slowest beastmen could now clearly see the process: that gray blade would split the rock-hard cured meat in half the moment it touched it—so easily that even a sub-beastmen with the smallest strength could do it!

This weapon was simply incredible! Far superior to even the sharpest stone blade ever crafted!

It felt like a miracle gifted by the Beast God!

The crowd collectively gulped, eyes reddening with excitement, and they rushed to pull every bit of salt from their pouches to trade.

“What do I need to trade for this treasure?! I have salt blocks the size of two fingers!”

“I have salt too! Lots of it! Don’t sell it to anyone else—I’ll bring mine right away to trade with you!!”

“Salt is nothing! I have ceramics, I have glowing gems—I’ll trade those with you!!”

To the beastmen, weapons were even more desirable than meat or blankets. Even if it meant dedicating their lives in service to others, if they could obtain such an indestructible weapon, they would consider it an honor—something to proudly boast of for life. To them, this was no different than a modern person seeing a magic wand or a railgun.

The tribesman was a little overwhelmed by the sudden fervor of the beastmen. A tall, strong lion-beastmen who had been standing behind him immediately stepped forward, straightening his muscular chest and casting a fierce glare at the frenzied crowd. He unsheathed the long, silver-gray sword at his waist.

The crowd jumped back in fright, afraid the weapon that could slice anything might come near them. Their expressions quickly changed from wild and aggressive to cautious and careful.

Some poor beastmen who had nearly revealed their claws—intending to fight for the weapon no matter what—had to swallow their impulse. They looked with deep envy at the wealthier beastmen who could bring out piles of salt blocks. Never before had they so bitterly regretted being so poor.

Once the scene finally quieted down, the well-guarded tribesman composed himself, flashed a bright and clean smile again, and said to the crowd, “Don’t worry. We brought a lot of weapons. Almost everyone who wants one will be able to buy one. And even if you miss out today, don’t worry—our tribe is in the east. You can come to our tribe any time to buy weapons. We’re always happy to sell!”

As soon as he said that, the nervous expressions on the beastmen’s faces relaxed a little. They had truly feared that this treasure would be something they could only encounter once in a lifetime—something they’d regret missing forever and tell their children and grandchildren about when old: how they once came across a miraculous treasure but never got to hold it…

But if there were many of these weapons, then it was okay! Even if they couldn’t afford one now, if they saved up salt over a few winters, they’d still have a chance to get one!

Then they saw the exceptionally beautiful sub-beastmen set down the delicate weapon in his hand and pick up another oddly shaped item, preparing to demonstrate it just like before.

With a particularly proud tone, he said, “The next weapon is called a bow.”

The Primitive Tribe is about to rise (8): The joy of farming~~

Xiu Xiu, through the dragonfly scout device, saw this scene and projected the image into Si Qi’s mind.

Si Qi chuckled and said: [A rural villager from primitive society arrives in the big city?]

The sense of déjà vu was overwhelming!

Xiu Xiu suddenly understood: [Xiu Xiu was wondering why it looked so strange, I really wanted to make a comment but didn’t know how. Now that you’ve said it, Master, Xiu Xiu gets it!]

Si Qi wasn’t particularly concerned about what was happening with Elvin. He told Xiu Xiu to keep an eye on things and then went back to busying himself with his great farming endeavor.

Lately, there were tons of things that needed doing in the tribe. Si Qi watched the environment around him improve bit by bit, and all he had to do was stand there and say a few words. A group of people would then follow his instructions and get things done. It really felt like playing a simulation game, and he quite enjoyed it.

So while Si Qi focused on his work here, Xiu Xiu wholeheartedly followed the Child of the World around, watching the ongoing drama of “a country boy trying to fit into the big city.” Every so often, he’d see the Child of the World suffer setbacks in this large tribe, watching with great delight.

From time to time, he would even chat with Si Qi about his feelings while watching the “show,” ranting about the World Consciousness constantly protecting Elvin and assigning him hardship after hardship.

Xiu Xiu: [I don’t see anyone else going through as much trouble as the Child of the World. He’s always running into all kinds of dangers—he’s seriously busy!]

Si Qi replied bluntly: [Without the original owner’s golden finger, the World Consciousness will naturally arrange other opportunities for him. It’s normal.]

Xiu Xiu, discouraged: [Sigh, yeah… Even though the Child of the World is always in trouble, he always manages to come out okay in the end~]

Unlike TV viewers who loved seeing the protagonist overcome setbacks and gain rewards, Xiu Xiu preferred watching the protagonist suffer, get targeted, and fail. Just seeing the Child of the World’s darkened face when things went badly was enough to make Xiu Xiu happily snack on several more bags of junk food.

So every time Xiu Xiu reported to Si Qi, it was always about the Child of the World’s misfortunes.

[Xiu Xiu reporting: The competition in the big tribe is especially intense. If you don’t catch any prey, or if your contribution during the hunt isn’t significant, the team leader will scold you like crazy.]

Xiu Xiu said gleefully: [Because the Child of the World offended that wolf tribe member, he was excluded by the wolf beastmen. During the hunt, they kept intentionally or unintentionally getting in his way. He didn’t manage to accomplish anything with the team and got yelled at by the captain for a long time, things like “And you call yourself a lion? I’ve seen cats do better,” or “Are your claws just for scratching itches? You couldn’t even touch a boar’s tail.” It made the Child of the World furious, and all the team members were laughing at him.]

Si Qi: [So? What benefit did the Child of the World get afterward?]

Xiu Xiu looked frustrated as he sighed: [Sigh, afterward the Child of the World stormed off on his own in anger, ran into a pack of wild wolves. After a long fight, he killed over a dozen of them. When he brought them back to the tribe, the team was shocked. The captain acknowledged his strength and no longer let the wolf tribe beastmen target him.]

At the time, that wolf tribe beastman saw the Child of the World kill so many wolves and thought he was deliberately mocking him. Considering the strength the Child of the World had displayed, along with the captain’s warning, he could only swallow his anger and endure it for the time being, waiting for the next opportunity to go after him again.

Xiu Xiu continued with some schadenfreude: [Then, although the Child of the World made it through this trouble, he ended up pretty badly injured. Going up against that many wolves alone, he had bite and claw wounds all over him, his whole body was covered in blood.]

[He wanted to go to the Grand Shaman to ask for some healing herbs, but he didn’t even have the qualifications to meet the Grand Shaman. One of the Shaman’s students told him he had to trade something for the herbs—he needed to “pay.” The Child of the World didn’t know there was such a rule in the big tribe, and thought he was being targeted, that they were deliberately trying to let him die by refusing to give him medicine. He got so angry he started an argument, and it was only when the rabbit came out to smooth things over that it was settled.]

[The rabbit told him that the big tribe was different from the small one he came from. Injuries didn’t entitle you to free herbs anymore. He also said Elvin’s wounds weren’t serious enough to need herbs and would heal on their own.]

[The Child of the World, already frustrated, got even angrier hearing that and thought the rabbit man didn’t care about him at all.]

Xiu Xiu chuckled at this point: [I really don’t know what the rabbit was thinking. I saw the Child of the World was covered in bite marks and wounds—there’s no way he’d recover in less than ten days or two weeks. But the rabbit actually thought it was no big deal.]

This made the Child of the World furious. Despite the rabbit man’s distressed attempts to stop him, he ended up selling part of the fur and fresh meat he earned from the hunt to the Grand Shaman’s student in exchange for some herbs. Only then did he bandage up his wounds.

Xiu Xiu said: [Doesn’t that rabbit really like the Child of the World? Why is he so stingy about a little thing like this?]

Si Qi’s tone turned a bit cold as he said casually: [Because in that rabbit’s memory, the Child of the World always had exceptional recovery abilities. He could heal quickly without herbs.]

Xiu Xiu paused for a moment before replying: [So that’s how it is…]

In the rabbit man’s memories from his past life, no matter how badly Elvin was injured, he would always recover quickly. He assumed Elvin in this life was the same, which is why he thought buying herbs was unnecessary and didn’t take those “minor injuries” seriously at all.

But in reality, Elvin was just an ordinary beastman. His healing ability was no different from anyone else’s.

The only reason he had recovered so quickly in his past life was because he drank the original owner’s blood each time…

But if Elvin truly cared about the original owner, how could he have stomached doing something like that? If it were Chu Feng, he absolutely wouldn’t have done such a thing.

Si Qi’s expression turned a little cold, which made Chu Feng beside him a bit nervous. He wondered if maybe the flowers he picked this time weren’t pretty enough and Si Qi didn’t like them?

He said cautiously, “Then… next time I’ll pick a different flower to give you…”

Please don’t be mad…

Si Qi came back to his senses, his gaze falling on his lover, and he smiled. Taking the bright red “flower” from Chu Feng, he said, “No, I really like this. And… it’s not a flower.”

Chu Feng was surprised. “It’s not? No wonder…” No wonder Si Qi’s expression had looked a little off earlier—he had given the wrong gift.

Si Qi shook his head. “I wasn’t upset. Even though it’s not a flower, it’s more useful than one—this is a chili pepper.”

Chu Feng tilted his head and repeated the unfamiliar word: “Chili pepper?”

“Mm, it’s an edible seasoning. It stimulates the appetite, aids digestion, helps with sweating and relieving the exterior. When cooked with food, it tastes really good.” Si Qi smiled. “Where did you find it? You can ask the tribe to bring some back and start growing them.”

Chu Feng’s eyes lit up, and for who-knows-how-many times, he said to Si Qi, “You really know so much!”

He was falling more and more in love with Si Qi—every single day he found himself loving him even more than the day before!

Si Qi always answered modestly, “I just happen to know a little.”

Chu Feng shook his head, completely disagreeing with that. He felt proud that the person he loved was so amazing. Holding the flower—or rather, the chili pepper—in his hand, he waved to a beastman passing by and said, “Si Qi found a new plant! Come with me to collect some of them!”

The beastman’s eyes lit up instantly, just like Chu Feng’s. His gaze toward Si Qi was overflowing with admiration. “Si Qi, you’re amazing! You discovered a new plant again!!”

Was there anything Si Qi didn’t know?

It felt like he could even predict whether it would rain or be windy tomorrow—how incredible was that!!

Si Qi couldn’t help but laugh and simply nodded in response.

And actually…

He really could know whether it would rain or be windy tomorrow.

A small climate monitor from the interstellar era was more than enough to solve that problem.

But if he said it out loud, these beastmen would probably think the Beast God had descended to give him prophecies about the future.

When science appears before people who are still ignorant and unaware, it truly can seem indistinguishable from magic—or divine miracles.

Si Qi thought to himself, maybe he could even get himself a title as a “prophet” in this era.

Would that be stealing the Grand Shaman’s job?

While his mind wandered with these ridiculous thoughts, Xiu Xiu came bouncing back to share more joy with Si Qi: [ hehe~ Master, the Child of the World just went into the forest to pick some fruit to eat, but got scolded by a nearby sub-beastman who said he was stealing fruit from his home—and told him to pay with meat!]

[The Child of the World felt completely wronged, thinking that the sub-beastman was falsely accusing him, and he absolutely refused to admit fault. Then the sub-beastman called his family over, and the two sides nearly got into a fight.]

[The rabbit guy had to come and clean up the mess for the Child of the World yet again. hehehe…]

Xiu Xiu always laughed like a broken bellows—it was oddly amusing. Covering his mouth, he told Si Qi, [In the end, the Child of the World had to hand over a large amount of meat to the sub-beastman. After a whole day of running around and getting himself injured, all he ended up with were two fruits and a pile of herbs. Xiu XiuXiu Xiu… He even complained that the bunny was too soft and shouldn’t have agreed to compensate them. The rabbit guy was so annoyed he laughed in disbelief, but still had to hold back his temper and smile while trying to appease the Child of the World. The two ended up having a bit of a falling out.]

Si Qi couldn’t help but laugh and shake his head. [Their daily lives sure are lively.]

Xiu Xiu said seriously, [I just love seeing the Child of the World get unlucky.]

Watching someone you dislike stumble—that’s more entertaining than any comedy film.

Even though under the arrangement of the world’s consciousness the Child of the World always ended up getting some kind of benefit, the process still mattered. Some people get their “rewards” only after a pile of frustration—and in the end, those rewards might not even bring them real joy!

Right now, the Child of the World was exactly that kind of person.

Since arriving at the big tribe, he had been struggling to adapt—this place didn’t feel right, that rule made no sense. Every day felt heavy. Even though he now had better food, a more comfortable home, and higher quality items than before, his face was constantly dark, and he was never happy.

The rabbit guy didn’t understand this at all. From his perspective, the Child of the World’s current situation was hundreds of times better than in their past life as a slave—so why was he still full of complaints and bitterness, always finding fault with the big tribe, always saying it was restrictive and unfair?

But the rabbit guy remembered: in their past life, Elvin had to go hunting every single day and spent his free time digging rocks and building houses. He had no rest except during sleep, and yet he never complained.

So now, when he only had to go hunting every other day, how could he still have so much to say? It was baffling!

Elvin saw the bunny guy’s confused face and exploded in anger: “In the past, I only had to hunt once every three or four days. No matter how much I caught, I still got my share of meat. Even if I didn’t go, it didn’t matter. But now? Every time I skip hunting, people criticize me. If I don’t contribute enough, I get scolded. I can’t even sleep in anymore!”

“I’m a lion! A lazy, sun-loving, nap-taking lion! If I want to eat, I’ll go catch something. I’ve never gone hungry, so why should I make my life so hard now? This life isn’t what I like at all. It’s stressful—I feel like I’m going to get depressed!”

The rabbit guy tried his best to comfort him: “But you’re also earning more than before. Look at all the salt blocks and blankets at home—they’re things you earned through your own labor. Don’t you remember how the deerman from next door mocked us recently, saying our house looked empty and poor? As long as you keep working hard, you’ll definitely live better than him. He’ll never dare look down on you again!”

Elvin gritted his teeth. “I just don’t get it…”

He had never encountered these kinds of problems in his old tribe. The atmosphere in this big tribe was completely different from the warm and harmonious feeling of his previous one. Everyone here seemed cold and difficult to talk to, and Elvin didn’t like it at all.

The rabbit guy just repeated the same thing again: “That’s just how it is. You’ll get used to it.”

Wasn’t that how Elvin made it through his past life too? Didn’t he eventually adapt? Once he became the great emissary of the Beast God in the future, this current atmosphere of flattery and hierarchy would completely flip. It wouldn’t be like in his old tribe, where even the chief was on equal footing with others. Instead, he’d be respected, echoed, and catered to by everyone.

The greater the gap between the high and the low, the more benefits Elvin would gain. The rabbit guy didn’t see anything wrong with that—in fact, he was even somewhat pleased by it.

Seeing that indifferent, “this is just how things are” expression on the rabbit guy’s face once again made Elvin feel more and more stifled.

He felt completely out of place here. He wanted some comfort from his companion, but ironically, it was that very companion who made him feel the most frustrated.

…

Time passed slowly—peaceful and productive for Si Qi, full of resentment and frustration for the Child of the World.

The weather gradually cooled down, and summer slowly gave way to the fruitful season of autumn.

The first batch of crops that had been planted was now nearly ready to harvest. Looking at the endless fields of golden wheat swaying in the distance, Si Qi said to the beastman beside him, “Tell everyone in the tribe to help tomorrow. We should be able to get it all harvested in one day. Once the grain is threshed, keep the straw—it can be used for making fertilizer and also turned into paper.”

The beastman looked expectantly at the beautiful, dreamlike sea of gold before him. In all his decades of life, he had never seen such a lovely shade of gold. He said to Si Qi, “Is that the ‘fertilizer’ you mentioned before—the thing that helps plants grow taller and stronger?”

“And what’s ‘paper’? Is that the stuff you taught us to use after going to the toilet?”

“How do we eat these ‘grains’? I picked one and tried it yesterday, but it was hard and tasteless.”

A series of questions made Si Qi want to laugh. He answered with a calm smile, “You’ll find out soon enough.”

The next morning, the entire village turned out to harvest the wheat and thresh the grain.

The beastmen and sub-beastmen were unbelievably strong, and not a single one of them showed signs of fatigue. They worked in sync, and in no time, the vast rice fields were cleared—fast and fierce, like a swarm of locusts sweeping through.

Si Qi stood to the side, giving them brief instructions on how to separate the grain from the stalks. The beastmen eagerly rolled up their sleeves and rushed to work. The rhythmic sounds of grain heads slapping against wooden boards echoed through the air. Grains dropped into the wooden buckets below, and before long, they had piled up into a small hill.

—Their energy was really off the charts, and their strength was incredible too.

Si Qi stood to the side watching everyone work with great enthusiasm. They didn’t even need a whole day before the beastmen had cleaned up all the harvested rice. The grains and stalks were separated into two neat piles in front of him, and they all looked at him obediently, waiting for the next instructions.

Si Qi found it funny and began assigning tasks in groups. One group went to learn papermaking—chopping up straw, trees, and grass, then steaming it to a pulp in large pots, followed by pulping, filtering, bleaching, rinsing, removing residue, forming sheets, pressing, and drying… The other group followed him to build a windmill.

With this group’s enthusiasm and seemingly endless energy, Si Qi figured even something as complicated as a windmill could be built in just a few days.

He already had the blueprint in his mind. The beastmen chopped trees and used their newly-forged metal axes—tools they were all excited about—to shape the wood into the specific sizes and forms Si Qi described.

Three days later, after the rice had been properly dried, Si Qi led the excited beastmen to use the windmill to hull the grains.

When the clean, plump white rice fell from the husks and appeared before the curious crowd of beastmen, they gasped in amazement, chatting excitedly about how beautiful the grains looked—like little gems.

Someone even grabbed a small handful to taste. Under everyone’s expectant gaze, the beastman hesitated and said, “It tastes weird…”

Si Qi replied, “You have to cook it before eating.”

He bent down, wanting to lift a small bucket of freshly hulled rice, but a nearby beastman quickly stepped in to take over, not letting Si Qi exert himself.

Now, they treated Si Qi like a grand shaman—caring for him attentively and not letting him do any heavy work. Even though Si Qi was stronger and more capable than any of them, they still wouldn’t let him lift a finger.

A curious sub-beastman asked, “Aren’t we going to finish hulling the rest of the rice?”

Si Qi replied, “If you leave it for a while, it’ll taste better. Today is just to let you try it. Save the rest for winter.”

At the mention of winter, the beastmen’s faces lit up with excitement.

“There’ll be so much food to eat in winter.”

“There are dozens of wild boars in the greenhouse,” said one beastman—now they could count up to a hundred.

“There’s a bunch of corn and potatoes too…”

“Si Qi said we can grow vegetables even in winter—as long as we build something called a greenhouse.”

“The persimmons on the trees are ripe too. If we dry them out, they’ll last a long time and taste super sweet.”

“This is the first time I’ve ever known there could be so much to eat in winter!”

The beastmen chatted joyfully, hopping along behind Si Qi like they were ready to break into dance.

Xiu Xiu was curious—how could it be that these beastmen came from the same tribe, yet while the Child of the World lived uncomfortably in the so-called better-developed big tribe, everyone around Si Qi worked even harder but seemed genuinely happy, eager to do everything?

Maybe this was the kind of joy that only comes from building something from nothing, step by step. Or maybe it was Si Qi’s personal charm—people liked him, trusted him, thought everything he did was right, got excited over anything new he introduced, and eagerly learned whatever he taught because they knew it would be good.

Xiu Xiu had personally witnessed this once rundown and primitive tribe slowly grow into something that now resembled a large tribe—even cleaner and more orderly than those “big tribes.”

The wooden huts had been replaced with brick and tile houses, skipping the stone-building stage entirely. Roads were paved with flat, even stones, so even on rainy days there was no mud and no trudging through puddles.

The sub-beastmen who learned pottery from Si Qi were overjoyed. Even during the hot summer, they’d stay by the kilns all day shaping ceramics. Now in autumn, their skills had visibly improved.

Batch after batch of ceramic bowls and pots were made, with several delivered to each household. There were even extras that could be taken to trade at the market with other tribes, and if nothing else, each could be exchanged for a fist-sized chunk of salt.

The sub-beastmen who stayed home to look after children had a lot of free time. Other than occasional fruit-picking outside the tribe, they could now learn to weave useful items—like straw sandals, bamboo baskets, and woven fans.

Some beastmen thought Si Qi looked especially handsome wearing shoes. Secretly, they wanted shoes too, so they brought meat from their hunts and asked the sub-beastmen to make a pair of straw sandals in exchange.

The sub-beastmen were happy to trade a few woven grass strands for a big hunk of meat, so they agreed. After the first beastman showed off his new shoes around the tribe, by the second and third days—and no more than a month later—everyone in the tribe, young and old, was wearing clean and stylish shoes. They looked polished and well-put-together.

Food had become abundant, buildings neat and tidy, and the people visibly more energetic and full of life. Even though the tribe was still small, just over two hundred people, Xiu Xiu looked at their progress and then at the larger tribe’s condition, and couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride.

He felt that the tribe his master belonged to was in no way inferior to those larger, seemingly bustling but chaotic tribes. His master was truly amazing!

Everyone followed Si Qi, happily enjoying a warm, fragrant meal of rice and beef stew. The days passed with one harvest after another.

As early autumn gradually shifted into late autumn, the stockpiles of food for winter kept growing—so much that one warehouse was nearly full.

Xiu Xiu noticed something unusual happening with the Child of the World and quickly rushed to report to Si Qi: “Master, master, the Child of the World is about to cause trouble!”

Si Qi raised an eyebrow and set down a basket of fresh fruit that the villagers had just brought him. “What kind of trouble?”

Xiu Xiu shouted, “War!”

The Primitive Tribe is about to rise (7): The Test of the Beast God

Elvin stood at Chu Feng’s door for quite a while. The cold night wind whistled past, making a wooing sound. Under the moonlight, he stood with a lonely shadow at his feet, looking just like a fool.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought of rushing up to drag Si Qi out— It was just that, given Si Qi’s attitude toward him lately, and Chu Feng’s personality, he figured the most likely outcome would be him walking in on something he really didn’t want to see… And then getting kicked out by the two beastmen working together.

Elvin turned away in defeat, a despondent look on his face. He felt as if something was missing from his chest, like he had lost something important.

Was it Si Qi? Or was it something even more precious—something he’d vaguely sensed, but failed to grasp in time?

Back home, Elvin lay awake deep in thought until the middle of the night. Just as the sky was beginning to lighten with the first signs of dawn, he finally dozed off in a groggy half-sleep—only to have the rabbit man arrive uninvited at his house.

The rabbit man’s soft body lay gently against his shoulder, his voice low as he called out to him.

Elvin opened his eyes with a frown. Seeing it was the rabbit man, his tone wasn’t particularly pleasant: “What is it now?”

The rabbit man didn’t mind Elvin’s attitude at all. In his heart, no matter how the Beast God’s chosen emissary behaved, it was all good. The very fact that Elvin accepted him, let him get close, and spoke to him—he considered it an immense honor.

However—he didn’t want Elvin to keep having contact with Si Qi.

He’d heard that after sleeping with him yesterday, Elvin had immediately gone looking for Si Qi— Only to be harshly rejected and cursed out by him.

The rabbit man was deeply worried that Elvin might repeat the same mistakes from his past life. He wanted to take Elvin away as soon as possible— The farther from Si Qi, the better.

Especially since…

In his memories, that great tribe— The one that would eventually conquer the entire forest and become the strongest tribe of all— Would, come winter, set its beast claws on this very land.

He needed to take Elvin and leave in advance, to join that tribe— And enter it as a member, not as a slave.

And the sooner, the better.

The rabbit man said to Elvin, “Elvin, listen to me.”

Elvin opened his tired eyes and squeezed out a syllable from his throat: “Mm.”

The rabbit man spoke seriously: “I came to find you under the orders of Lord Beast God.”

Elvin’s body jolted violently, his drowsiness instantly vanishing. He stared at the sub-beastman in front of him, unable to believe what he was hearing.

His voice was tense: “What did you say? You—”

That the Beast God!

At that moment, he didn’t even dare to entertain the idea that the rabbit man might be lying.

In this world, no beastman would ever dare joke about matters concerning the Beast God—not even in thought!

The rabbit man said very seriously, “I came to find you under the will of the Beast God. I am from fifteen years in the future.”

Elvin’s mind was in chaos—he didn’t even know how to respond for a moment.

The rabbit man spoke gently, with a serene and blissful smile on his face: “Fifteen years from now, you will become the Beast God’s Emissary. And I am here to guide you, to help you.”

Elvin perked up instantly, his face alight with disbelief and joy: “What?! The Beast God’s Emissary? Me?!”

“Yes.” The rabbit man’s tone was firm: “I saw it with my own eyes—behind you, the Beast God’s totem floated in the sky. Its massive form coiled like a river, its golden light more dazzling than the sun—that was the presence of the Beast God Himself, in the form of a Dragon God!”

Elvin trembled with excitement, his face full of eager anticipation: “Then—how do I become the Beast God’s Emissary? What am I like fifteen years from now?!”

The rabbit man’s eyes dimmed slightly, his tone absolutely decisive: “You become the most respected king among all beastmen across this land. Countless sub-beastmen worship you, adore you. Your home is as grand as a palace. By your side, warriors from every major tribe follow your lead at all times…”

A vivid image of that scene appeared in Elvin’s mind, and his heart pounded wildly, his face flushing with excitement!

The rabbit man never once mentioned Si Qi’s existence. He said to Elvin, “Elvin, you will later travel to the great northern tribe and become one of them. You should come with me as soon as possible.”

As a chosen member— Not as a severely wounded slave taken captive…

Elvin instinctively wanted to nod. He was desperate to become the legendary Beast God’s Emissary, surrounded by countless beautiful sub-beastmen, standing tall at the peak of all beastmen…

Until suddenly, the image of Si Qi— The one who had kept him up, tossing and turning all night—came to mind.

He asked, “What about Si Qi?”

The rabbit man deliberately feigned confusion, looking at Elvin: “What about him?”

Elvin hesitated: “In the future… is there something between us?”

The rabbit man shook his head, a flash of malice crossing his eyes: “In the future I know, your relationship with Si Qi is very bad. He doesn’t love you at all. He doesn’t care about you. He betrayed your feelings—broke your heart. Otherwise, why else would I have hated him so much the other day?”

Elvin’s face instantly turned grim.

Because those words—betray your feelings— By sheer coincidence, hit right where it hurt, making him think of what he saw last night.

And because of that, he became even more certain that the rabbit man knew the future, and understood many things.

Otherwise, how could he have known about something that had just happened last night?

Perhaps in the future the rabbit man saw, Si Qi had also been with him while keeping an ambiguous relationship with Chu Feng at the same time…

It was just too disgusting.

Si Qi was actually that kind of beastman!

Elvin was fuming with anger. He turned to the rabbit man and said, “You just said—I’m going to the northern tribe?”

The rabbit man nodded. “You need to join them and become one of their top warriors. Only then will the Beast God see your strength and recognize your greatness.”

In his memory, after Si Qi and Elvin were captured by the tribe, they both suffered a great deal. But due to Elvin’s immense strength, he miraculously recovered quickly even from serious injuries. It was as if he had been blessed by the Beast God himself—he became stronger and more powerful by the day. Within just two winters, he shed his slave status and became an official member of that tribe.

So the rabbit man was certain: As long as Elvin entered that tribe, he would retrace the same path from his past life—transforming rapidly into a warrior countless times stronger than he was now, cutting down enemies and conquering lands—until one day, he would officially become the Beast God’s Emissary!

The rabbit man could hardly wait for that day to arrive. He pushed Elvin eagerly, hoping he could avoid unnecessary suffering and step onto the right path sooner.

He spoke with such conviction that Elvin couldn’t help but believe every word. Excited to become the extraordinary figure the rabbit man described, he said enthusiastically, “I’ll go get ready right away!”

The rabbit man smiled with joy and said happily, “That’s wonderful! Elvin, you’re destined to become a hero!”

Elvin was deeply encouraged by his words. He unconsciously puffed out his chest, pulled the rabbit man in, and gave him a strong kiss.

With an exhilarated tone, he said, “Of course I will!”

…

Si Qi was a little surprised: [They’re planning to leave?]

Last night, Si Qi had noticed the Son of the World sneaking around near his house in the middle of the night, looking like he was up to something. Thinking he couldn’t let this guy keep running around unchecked, Si Qi deployed the mech’s external recon drone and handed control over to Xiu Xiu.

Xiu Xiu, through the dragonfly-shaped mobile surveillance unit, saw the two people on the other end of the feed and said to Si Qi: [Yeah, that rabbit talked a bunch of nonsense to the Son of the World, and now that guy’s all excited and ready to follow him like a puppy.]

Si Qi recalled the things the rabbit man had said, as relayed by Xiu Xiu, and thought to himself: [So… in that sub-beastman’s past life, the original owner and the Son of the World once lived together in that great tribe for a long time.]

As for what the rabbit man said—that the original owner betrayed the Son of the World and had nothing to do with him afterward… Si Qi didn’t believe a single word of it.

With the world’s will pulling the strings, the Son of the World would definitely extract enormous benefits from the original owner— like a vampire, endlessly feeding off him. There was no way they would separate.

Given the original owner’s stubborn and forbearing personality, once he recognized someone and made a pact under the gaze of the Beast God, he was destined to follow that person for life.

Perhaps it was because he had experienced a soul-crushing betrayal and was nearly killed by his own people that he developed an obsession with loyalty beyond imagination.

Si Qi lowered his head in contemplation: [Then… in that great tribe, what kind of event does the World Consciousness wish to witness?]

The decisions made by the Child of the World generally determine the final direction of this world.

And what influences the Child of the World’s decisions is often the environment they are in at the time.

Si Qi said to Xiu Xiu: [Continue to monitor the Child of the World’s movements. Let me know immediately if anything happens.]

Xiu Xiu patted his little chest with confidence and said to Si Qi: [Rest assured! Xiu Xiu guarantees to complete the mission!!]

Just as he finished speaking, someone hugged Si Qi’s waist from behind. A fluffy head buried itself against Si Qi’s back. Chu Feng, just woken and still with a slightly hoarse voice, spoke from behind—sexy and tinged with a lazy satisfaction: “You’re awake?”

“Mm.” Si Qi reached out to rub Chu Feng’s hair, then touched the collar on his neck. The presence of that item gave Si Qi a strange kind of pleasure, fully satisfying his possessive nature.

Chu Feng noticed this emotion in Si Qi. Yesterday, when he was holding Si Qi, he could feel Si Qi frequently glancing at that thing, his face showing the smug expression of a little fox who had just pulled off a trick.

Also, Si Qi seemed to love touching his ears and tail, as if they were some kind of fascinating novelty—he couldn’t keep his hands off them…

Because of this, Chu Feng was happy to wear that thing on his neck, wag his tail, twitch his ears, just to attract more of Si Qi’s gaze and attention.

Indeed, Si Qi’s eyes kept drifting toward Chu Feng, lingering longer and longer without him realizing it.

Chu Feng in his beastman form was truly delicious…

Strong, majestic, easy to fool. Wearing a collar, with animal ears and a tail…

Just thinking about how this easily manipulated creature was actually the lofty, all-powerful Lord God—this contrast of ascetic dominance was simply too hot.

Si Qi couldn’t help but press his lips together and lean down to kiss his beloved Lord God, whispering: “It’s still early… do you want to…”

Chu Feng understood instantly. His arms around Si Qi’s waist tightened instinctively as he pressed his body against Si Qi: “—I want to!”

Beastmen had plenty of stamina!!

…

Elvin’s departure sparked a wave of gossip in the tribe.

Everyone knew how difficult it was for a beastman to live alone outside the tribe—whether it was hunting, defending against wild animals at night, or getting medical help when sick. Without companions or the aid of the Grand Shaman, survival was very hard.

Especially now, thanks to Si Qi’s presence, life in the tribe had visibly improved. Everyone had high hopes for the future, endless energy each day, and new things they wanted to do. They didn’t even want to go far away, let alone leave entirely.

Many people tried to persuade Elvin and the rabbit man to stay, saying that good days were surely ahead, so why leave now?

Elvin felt a bit smug hearing this. He really wanted to say that he was going to become the future Beast God’s emissary, and that this journey was to undergo a trial left behind by the great Beast God.

But he was stopped by the rabbit man.

He absolutely didn’t want Elvin to reveal his identity, only to end up being entangled by someone like Si Qi.

What if Si Qi took a liking to Elvin’s status and approached him on purpose, and Elvin agreed?

Even if not Si Qi, they’d still have to constantly guard against other sub-beastmen.

He hoped that before Elvin became the Beast God’s emissary, he alone would be the one who stood by him through thick and thin. That way, with Elvin’s deeply affectionate and loyal personality, even after becoming the Beast God’s emissary and spending his life with only one person, he would always remember him, respect him, and love him.

The way Si Qi had once stayed with Elvin, the way they had weathered the storms together—he wanted to repeat that same experience. That way, he could replace Si Qi and become the one and only, supremely honored companion of the emissary.

To enjoy a lifetime of glory and wealth…

So the rabbit man said to Elvin very seriously: “This is a trial given to you by the great Beast God, even the Grand Shaman didn’t know about it. If word gets out and others imitate you, what if they pass the trial and gain the Beast God’s attention? Better to keep it a secret.”

Elvin suddenly understood and nodded, agreeing that what he said made sense.

So when everyone tried to persuade Elvin not to leave, to stay and enjoy the good life together, Elvin wore a self-satisfied expression and remained silent. The rabbit man lifted his chin proudly and said: “What’s this little bit that our tribe has? The big tribes have had this kind of thing for ages! With Elvin’s abilities, he can go anywhere—why stay here toiling away in the fields when he can immediately enjoy the most comfortable life?”

The beastmen weren’t the sensitive type. After hearing that, they didn’t say that Elvin and the rabbit man were too snobbish or roll their eyes at them. They had only tried to kindly persuade them to stay and enjoy a good life together, but were rejected so arrogantly—it left them feeling a bit down.

Especially after hearing that Elvin and the rabbit man weren’t moving out to live alone, but going to join a larger tribe, even the remaining worries faded. Seeing that neither the Grand Shaman nor the chief objected, they simply let them leave.

Watching the two of them carry their luggage, walking farther and farther without looking back, the tribe members discussed:

“Is the big tribe really that great?”

“Even if it’s better than ours, we’ve lived together for so many years. I couldn’t bear to leave you all just for some soft blankets.”

“Exactly. You can buy that stuff at the market anyway. Besides, Si Qi knows so much. He said that as long as we want to learn, we can learn from him. Maybe we’ll be able to make those things ourselves, just like the big tribes, without having to buy them!”

“Maybe one day, we’ll become a powerful big tribe too!”

“Yeah, exactly!”

The simple-hearted beastmen didn’t even realize that a bit of competitive spirit had been stirred in their hearts. They just felt that the rabbit man’s words earlier made them a little uncomfortable, and they wanted to do something—to prove that the place they loved wasn’t inferior at all. The thought quietly took root in their minds and stayed there.

Whether it was sending them to far-off places to explore and search for new plants, or spending a long time digging wells in the tribe, building sturdier brick houses and defensive walls, or teaching them how to make pottery and forge iron weapons—whatever Si Qi said, they would do without hesitation, not a single thought of slacking off or cutting corners.

It wasn’t until much later that Si Qi noticed—these lazy big cats, who were always inclined to follow their nature and find a spot to nap, had suddenly become especially motivated and hardworking.

After understanding the reason behind it, he was happy to see everyone making a change, and so didn’t tell them that the so-called “happy and comfortable big tribe” wasn’t quite as great as they imagined.

Si Qi had heard about this from Xiu Xiu.

In Xiu Xiu’s occasional reports, Si Qi learned that Elvin and the rabbit man, after more than a month of long-distance travel, had finally reached that big tribe.

The big tribe was indeed larger than the lion tribe Si Qi was currently in—whether in terms of basic land area or the distribution of races among the tribe, it far exceeded anything the lion tribe could compare to.

Over there, they had already grasped basic concepts of farming and animal husbandry. Ceramics, blankets, and stone houses were everywhere—prosperity visible to the naked eye.

Beastmen skilled at hunting formed specialized hunting teams; those good at farming worked the land generation after generation; families who understood how to make pottery spent their lives figuring out how to craft better and more beautiful pieces. Currency had begun to take a rudimentary form here. With everyone focused on their specialized fields, how could the tribe not thrive, becoming stronger than all the rest?

The moment Elvin arrived, he was overwhelmed. Dressed in animal skins, everything he saw felt fresh and novel. After more than a month of dusty, hard travel, he looked like a rough beast suddenly dropped into a civilized society—completely out of place. For quite a long time, he was met with eye-rolls and cold treatment from the other beastmen and sub-beastmen.

He even tried to cut down some trees nearby to build himself a house, only to be shouted at and scolded by the nearby beastmen. The other party didn’t say anything extremely offensive, just accused him of lacking common sense—how could he cut down someone else’s trees so casually, and how could he be so barbaric as to live in a wooden house? While the words themselves weren’t explicitly aggressive, the mocking and condescending tone made Elvin feel deeply uncomfortable, clearly aware that he was being “bullied.”

He was extremely unhappy about it and wanted to fight the guy to blow off some steam, but the rabbit man held him back tightly.

The rabbit man smiled apologetically to the guy, explaining that they had just arrived and weren’t familiar with the rules. The surrounding beastmen, who had been watching the show, laughed loudly, mocking them as country bumpkins with no experience. Surprisingly, the rabbit man humbly admitted to it without a trace of pride, and then, as if unintentionally, mentioned: “Elvin is a lion.” Only then did the ridicule around them subtly die down.

Seeing that the group was now intimidated, the rabbit man seized the opportunity, smiling and casually asking if they knew where the tribe leader was and how the two of them might join.

Thanks to the rabbit man’s tactful and measured handling, the onlookers, sensing the shift, wisely stopped mocking them and very cooperatively pointed them to the location of the tribe leader. The conflict was resolved, and under the rabbit man’s maneuvering, the next step proceeded smoothly.

Because Elvin’s race was extremely powerful, the tribe leader didn’t even ask them for any payment to join the tribe, and even assigned them a free temporary residence—a stone house.

The rabbit man was very proud of how he had handled things in front of Elvin. He believed his maneuvering was hundreds of times better than in his past life, when Elvin had been forcibly taken away as a slave and subjected to endless abuse. Surely Elvin would appreciate how capable he was.

But instead, Elvin wore a dark expression the whole time, and his attitude toward the rabbit man didn’t improve much either. The moment they stepped into the house, and the rabbit man hugged him to curry favor, Elvin resisted and pushed him away, saying: “Why did you stop me? I could’ve knocked that guy out with a single punch.”

The rabbit man said with a chuckle, “You just got here, how can you go around fighting people from the tribe? That’ll make everyone dislike you, think you’re hard to get along with. Even the tribe leader might think you’re unruly and refuse to let you in.”

Elvin sulked with a scowl, clearly upset: “How is that fair? That guy was so annoying. I wouldn’t feel right without beating him up! And the tribe leader and those other guys were all so stingy—just because I’m new, they treated me like that. When Si Qi beat me up before, no one in the tribe said a word against him!”

Those people even thought Si Qi was impressive, thought he had good reason to do so—that he was the one at fault!

The rabbit man said, half laughing, half crying: “That’s because the people in the previous tribe were too dumb and too naïve! They didn’t even know how to be exclusionary…”

Elvin frowned, feeling that sentence sounded a bit off.

That previous tribe was small and broken down, and the people weren’t very smart—he admitted that.

But was exclusion something to be proud of?

Having been excluded once himself, and knowing how awful it felt, he just couldn’t wrap his head around it.

Still, no matter what, with the rabbit man’s help, Elvin eventually did manage to join this wealthy and powerful tribe.

At the rabbit man’s suggestion, Elvin joined a hunting team. Because he was wearing animal skins and looked like a total bumpkin who had just arrived, the others in the team mocked, isolated, and tested him all morning. It was only after proving his strength that Elvin managed to officially join the team.

Then, during that process, Elvin almost got into a real fight with one of the wolf tribe members. Ever since then, whenever he saw that guy, his face would immediately sour.

“That guy mocked me for being an outsider and said I smelled disgusting and filthy from head to toe!” Elvin was furious. “I did take a bath just like you told me—he was just provoking me on purpose! During the trial he even aimed a stone spear at my throat—he was trying to hurt me, trying to kill me! And when I caught him, he wouldn’t even admit it! Everyone around sided with him, telling me not to cause trouble—how is that me causing trouble? He clearly started it!”

The rabbit man helplessly watched Elvin come home and explode with curses. He couldn’t help thinking that this life’s Elvin—who hadn’t experienced the hardships of being a slave—had become so much harder to manage.

In their past life, he had seen firsthand how the beastmen in their old tribe were bullied and mistreated, how they endured humiliation and stayed in the tribe anyway. Even worse things had happened back then, and yet he had never seen Elvin say anything like this in front of Si Qi. Whatever Si Qi said, Elvin had obediently followed. He used a long time, step by step, to earn merit, build favor, lower their suspicions, and gradually blend into the tribe.

Why was it that back then, when Si Qi gave the orders, Elvin could swallow his pride and obey—but now, when he was giving Elvin a better life, Elvin kept complaining?

He couldn’t help but feel a little indignant inside, but still held back his dissatisfaction and gently comforted Elvin: “That’s because you’re new. They treat all newcomers this way. Once they get to know you, and you show them your strength and earn their respect, they won’t act like this anymore.”

Elvin looked unhappily at the rabbit man and accused, “Why do you always say things like that? Those guys were clearly in the wrong, but you’re not even mad for me—you keep telling me to keep the peace, not to cause trouble… You’re just like them.”

The rabbit man said with a bitter smile, “Isn’t that a good thing? You’ll have to become like that too if you want to fit in.”

Elvin looked resistant and muttered, “I don’t want to be like that…”

The rabbit man shook his head, thinking this Elvin was far too naïve.

The Primitive Tribe is about to rise (6): The second appearance of the little dinosaur pajamas

Chu Feng’s expression went blank for a moment.

When he came back to his senses, his face showed a mixture of regret and inner conflict, as if he didn’t know how to explain.

Si Qi had still been somewhat unsure, but upon seeing this expression on Chu Feng’s face, he understood everything completely.

Then he lowered his head like all strength had left him, and with a helpless, bitter smile, placed one hand on his forehead and let out two low chuckles.

Seeing Si Qi’s reaction, Chu Feng felt worse, and said apologetically, “I’m sorry…”

“I…”

“I didn’t mean to…”

Si Qi silently looked up at him. Chu Feng hesitated, then explained, “After I brought you back, I was injured too and needed to recover, so I couldn’t take proper care of you… Just then, Elvin happened to pass by, so I asked him to temporarily tend to your injuries. I gave him enough healing herbs and compensation.”

“Later, when I had mostly recovered, I heard that you had also woken up. I wanted to go see you.”

“But Elvin found me first and said you confessed to him, and that you thought it was him who saved you, and you admired him a lot. In the moment, he admitted it. Then he said since the matter was already set, he was afraid if he told you the truth, you’d get mad and leave him. So he asked me to cover for him and not expose the lie…”

“I saw that you two seemed to be getting along really well, and I didn’t want this kind of thing to cause problems between you, so I agreed…”

The more Chu Feng spoke, the softer his voice became, full of guilt and remorse. Especially when he recalled what Si Qi had said earlier — “If it wasn’t you who saved me, how could I have fallen for you?” — his eyes turned red with jealousy.

If… if he had known that Si Qi had only agreed to be with Elvin because of a debt of gratitude, if he had known that Elvin was that kind of bastard who, even while having Si Qi, still flirted with other sub-beastmen — then no matter what, he would never have agreed to Elvin’s request.

The only thing he could feel thankful for was that Si Qi had already broken up with Elvin. Otherwise, wouldn’t he have ruined Si Qi’s whole life?

Because of this guilt, even after Chu Feng realized that he liked Si Qi, even after he knew the real reason Si Qi had fallen for Elvin back then, Chu Feng never once thought of using that information to win Si Qi’s favor. He felt that he’d done wrong, and was afraid that speaking up would backfire and only upset Si Qi, so he had never dared to say anything.

Si Qi was, indeed, somewhat upset.

He frowned slightly as he looked at his guilty lover, rubbed the space between his brows, and sighed.

This really was…

What was there to even say?

“This isn’t your fault,” Si Qi said helplessly. “You saved someone and didn’t want to take credit — that’s fine. You didn’t want to break up a couple — that’s also fine… The one at fault is that guy who had bad intentions from the start.”

Si Qi looked at Chu Feng and comforted him, saying, “The only thing you really did wrong was not seeing through Elvin’s malicious intentions… But ‘I’ didn’t see it either back then — no one did, really — so the two of us are about even. Neither of us has room to judge the other.”

After speaking, Si Qi shook his head, feeling a bit sorry for the original owner.

What a mess this all was. Turned out even the Son of the World’s only redeeming qualities were stolen from someone else.

The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that the Son of the World was a complete scumbag.

He couldn’t help but recall the memories left behind by the original owner — the scene where the original owner, covered in wounds and being hunted by his own kind, had fallen into complete despair, when someone suddenly found him and, without hesitation, saved him, fighting against so many enemies for his sake.

That feeling of being rescued had been deeply etched into the original owner’s heart for a lifetime.

Especially in that moment when he was bleeding out, freezing cold, and slipping into unconsciousness — he had been carefully held in someone’s arms, constantly encouraged, as that person tried to share their warmth and keep him from losing consciousness due to his injuries.

Anyone in the original owner’s position would have been moved by such an experience.

So, naturally, the original owner couldn’t help but develop feelings for his savior. From the very first moment he opened his eyes, he liked that person, and wanted to repay the life-saving kindness he’d received.

And yet, the Son of the World had shamelessly “admitted” to the misunderstanding. Not only did he fail to tell the truth, he even privately found the real savior, Chu Feng, and persuaded him to help cover up the lie — just so he could continue accepting the original owner’s gratitude and affections without guilt, all while deceiving him.

Si Qi ground his teeth as he chewed the meat in his mouth with extra force, as if he were chewing up that damned man himself.

Seeing that Si Qi wasn’t angry at him, Chu Feng relaxed a little.

Then, glancing at the bowl of meat soup in front of him — which he absolutely wasn’t going to drink now — he said seriously, “I admitted to the wrong I did. But you also did something wrong, and you haven’t apologized to me yet.”

Si Qi froze, staring at Chu Feng in disbelief, his expression saying, “What did you just say?”

Chu Feng, perfectly justified, declared, “You can’t put your blood into my food again — no, actually, you can’t put it into anyone’s food!”

Si Qi was speechless. With a disgruntled tone, he said, “I wouldn’t even give it to others if they begged for it! You’re just too delicate!”

Chu Feng selectively heard only the part he liked and cheerfully asked, “Then why do you only give it to me?”

Si Qi: “…………”

Damn. Since when did the honest guy turn cheeky?

He gave Chu Feng a look, half-smiling, half-smirking: “What do you think?”

Chu Feng’s face flushed red. His eyes locked silently onto Si Qi, too embarrassed to say it out loud — but anxious inside nonetheless, his gaze carrying a faint trace of grievance.

Si Qi chuckled inwardly, smugly thinking: I’ll let you look but not taste. When the time finally comes that you can eat, won’t I make sure to completely devour you, serve you until you’re perfectly satisfied? A fine dish needs to be slow-cooked — that’s what makes it all the more delicious.

Chu Feng looked pitifully at Si Qi, moved his bowl aside, and filled a new one. He sighed — why was the person he liked so dense? With such a good beastman right in front of him, and he still hadn’t noticed…

After finishing the meal with Si Qi, Chu Feng took it upon himself to clear the dishes, wash them clean, and then took Si Qi’s bow and arrows to go speak with the Grand Shaman.

Soon, in addition to the planting and breeding teams, a new archery team was formed in the tribe. The sub-beastmen skilled in crafting eagerly began making weapons. The beastmen, young and old alike, scrambled to try out the feel of the bows. Every time they saw an arrow soar through the air, a collective gasp of amazement echoed.

“Tch, what a bunch of country bumpkins,” Rabbit Man muttered snidely as he passed by the excited crowd. He arrogantly thought: it’s just a bow and arrow. When Elvin becomes the Beast God’s Messenger in the future, and the major tribes all fight to win him over, what kind of treasures won’t be offered? What haven’t they seen before?

Just a stick of wood was enough to make this bunch hoot and holler — clearly, only he, the reincarnated one who had seen countless grand scenes, possessed true wisdom.

As for why he didn’t bring these things out earlier…

Ahem. Rabbit Man knew these things existed in his mind, sure, but as a sub-beastman in his past life, how would he have ever come into contact with weapons? He certainly didn’t know how to actually make a bow and arrow — what material to use for the string, how to attach feathers to the arrow shaft…

He didn’t even understand the “cutting-edge” method for making clay pots. Just because one could afford to use something didn’t mean the craftsmen were willing to teach you how to make it…

Rabbit Man felt these things weren’t such a big deal — just common items in future tribes. But when it came to making them himself, he couldn’t, so he subconsciously avoided this embarrassing reality.

With great disdain, he turned away from the crowd clamoring to use the bows, and knocked on Elvin’s door, walking in without waiting to be invited.

Elvin was in beast form, lounging in a sunbeam near the hole that had been kicked open by Si Qi and still hadn’t been repaired.

Big cats, when they had nothing pressing to do, generally preferred to spend their free time lazing around.

As for all the lively activity in the tribe that Si Qi had initiated, due to a small, lingering grudge in his heart, Elvin wasn’t particularly interested in participating.

After all, he was strong and never short on food or clothing. Even in winter, he wouldn’t go hungry. He didn’t have a sub-beastman to support either — so why bother working so hard?

Rabbit Man came in carrying some fruit, plopped down beside the large lion like he owned the place, and leaned against him.

With soft arms wrapping around that large, muscular frame, he said to Elvin, “Elvin, do you want to go to a more powerful tribe and live a more luxurious life?”

Elvin lazily flicked his tail, his tone slow and drowsy, like he was about to fall asleep: “Why are you bringing this up again?”

Rabbit Man spoke in a gentle and considerate tone — a tenderness and sweetness few beastmen could probably resist.

“In those large tribes, there are plenty of good things. Like the farmland, breeding pens, even ceramics and stone houses that are just now appearing in our tribe — they have all of that over there already…”

“You’re a lion, the king of beasts, and so strong. No matter which tribe you go to, you’d become the mightiest warrior and receive the best treatment.”

Rabbit Man continued in a voice full of temptation: “Don’t you want to be worshipped by everyone, feared and respected by all?”

“Instead of what you have now…”

Everyone, because of Si Qi, either disliked him on purpose or avoided him, unwilling to speak with him.

Elvin’s tail stopped swishing. He seemed to be taking it in.

After a moment, he hesitantly said, “But Si Qi…”

Still bringing up Si Qi at a time like this — Rabbit Man’s expression instantly darkened. He gritted his teeth, then forced a gentle tone as he said, “There are so many people in the tribe now who like Si Qi. No matter how hard you try, you won’t be able to win him back.”

Seeing that Elvin remained silent, Rabbit Man let out a quiet, mocking laugh and continued, “Why not go stay in another tribe for a while? When you return with countless riches and a supreme status, even Si Qi will have no choice but to fear your strength and lower his head before you…”

Even as he said this, Rabbit Man couldn’t help but think back to what had happened in his previous life—

Becoming the Beast God’s emissary was never going to be smooth sailing.

Back then, a sudden catastrophe struck the tribe, and Elvin nearly died. Less than a tenth of the tribe survived — only a handful of sub-beastmen were spared…

If they stayed here, the Lion Tribe would eventually suffer that same devastating disaster. And with Si Qi’s identity now different — as the student of the Grand Shaman — he would be killed off first, unlike last time. He wouldn’t even live long enough to meet Elvin again.

Letting Elvin stay here wouldn’t just endanger him — what if he still couldn’t forget about Si Qi? What if Si Qi had a change of heart and fell in love with Elvin again? Elvin, who still held feelings for Si Qi, would definitely accept his advances. He had to separate them as soon as possible!

At that thought, Rabbit Man slowly climbed onto Elvin’s body, his breath warm and sweet as he whispered to him, “Let’s not talk about that anymore. Elvin, I brought you food… Can I stay with you tonight? I want to give you a baby.”

Elvin shifted his head slightly, his golden eyes fixed on the sub-beastman whose cheeks were flushed red. As the other continued to caress him, his body gradually grew hot, and his breathing unconsciously turned heavy.

…

After the intimacy with Rabbit Man, Elvin felt a bit of regret.

He wanted to win Si Qi back, and he knew that Si Qi hated it when he had contact with Rabbit Man. But just now, he had still given in to instinct and failed to reject him.

The more he thought about it, the more irritated he became. Elvin got up, wrapped himself in beast hide, and wanted to head out to take a distant look at Si Qi. It seemed like as long as he could confirm that Si Qi didn’t know what he had just done, the guilt in his heart might lessen a little.

He walked to the open ground where the tribespeople liked to gather during leisure time. At first glance, he didn’t see Si Qi — but instead saw a crowd surrounding some strange object, eagerly fighting over the chance to use it.

Lately, he’d heard some news about Si Qi. Elvin, knowing Si Qi’s capabilities, was well aware of how different he was from the rest. Only Si Qi could create something so wildly popular. His emotions became a bit tangled.

He had thought that although Si Qi came from an extraordinary background, he was weak and powerless — that after leaving him, Si Qi’s life would surely be miserable.

He had thought that with Si Qi’s personality, no one but himself would even be able to hold a proper conversation with him.

He had thought Si Qi couldn’t even cook decent food and would always have to rely on others — never realizing Si Qi possessed so many skills…

Or rather, maybe he had known — but he had never asked. And deliberately chose not to ask.

Subconsciously, he had wanted Si Qi to be someone who could only survive by relying on him. That way, no matter what he did, he wouldn’t need to care about Si Qi’s feelings and could act however he pleased.

Just like how he had always pretended not to know that Si Qi came from a distinguished background, or that he had extraordinary bloodline powers — pretending that the food didn’t contain Si Qi’s fresh blood.

He had feared that if he ever asked, if he learned just how incredible Si Qi was, then his superior position in front of Si Qi would be diminished.

Elvin had refused to face that kind of reality.

He had only thought: since he had saved Si Qi’s life, and since Si Qi liked him so much — confessed the moment he opened his eyes — then Si Qi must still have feelings for him. If he was willing to sincerely apologize and settle down to live a proper life with Si Qi, maybe Si Qi would change his mind.

By then, he would go hunting, Si Qi would stay home cooking, and the two of them would live together lovingly — how wonderful that would be.

Thinking of this, Elvin was filled with confidence. While fantasizing about their future life together, he turned around the large tree at the corner and arrived in front of Si Qi’s house—

Only to see, right at the doorway, a tall and strapping man with short golden hair.

His expression instantly darkened.

A sub-beastman stood beside Chu Feng, the two standing very close together. Yet strangely, there wasn’t a trace of intimacy in the air between them.

Probably because the way they looked at each other — was like they were staring at a rival in love.

The sub-beastman’s voice drifted over on the wind, landing in Elvin’s ears from behind the tree.

“Chief, why are you pounding that meat over and over?”

Chu Feng answered seriously, “Si Qi said that if you mince the meat and then pound it countless times, the meatballs will be super bouncy. Even just boiling them casually will make them taste amazing.”

The sub-beastman’s tone was full of jealousy: “Si Qi won’t eat the food you make.”

“How do you know he won’t? He just ate it,” Chu Feng replied proudly. “I specifically made the ‘hot pot lamb’ he once mentioned. Do you even know how to make hot pot lamb? Every slice of meat has to be cut thinner than snow. Can you do that?”

The sub-beastman puffed his cheeks angrily at Chu Feng, watching him tirelessly pound the meat paste in front of him. Just the physical effort and patience required for this alone were enough to exhaust any sub-beastman. Not to mention the skill needed to slice meat so thin — usually, they just cooked meat in chunks and ate it once done. Who would ever go that far?

Frustrated by the strength of his rival, the sub-beastman grumbled, “You spend half a day just preparing food for Si Qi every time, and there’s no guarantee he’ll even eat it. Is it really worth it to go this far?”

Chu Feng thought seriously for a moment, then asked in return, “Why wouldn’t it be worth it?”

“I like Si Qi. I want to give him everything. Isn’t that completely normal?”

“I’m even worried he won’t want what I offer!”

The sub-beastman mulled over his words, then suddenly became a bit disheartened: “You’re going too far. What could I possibly offer that could compete with you? I like Si Qi — can’t you just let me have some time with him? I promise I’ll only be with him for a while. Once I have a baby, I’ll give him back to you.”

Chu Feng wasn’t pleased. “Don’t even think about it. Si Qi would never agree. He wants someone who can form a true bond with him. He hates people who mess around. Just look at Elvin.”

The sub-beastman scoffed, “That idiot Elvin. We try to give food to Si Qi, and Si Qi barely touches it. But then Si Qi cooks for Elvin, and Elvin still wants to get food from someone else. Who even knows what Si Qi saw in him in the first place — letting him get such a huge advantage for nothing.”

Chu Feng said nothing, just lowered his head and continued pounding the meat. But Elvin, having overheard this far, looked absolutely furious. Afraid that Chu Feng might spill the truth, he burst out with a face full of anger and shouted, “What bad things are you saying about me behind my back?!”

The sub-beastman let out a startled squeak — he hadn’t expected Elvin to appear so suddenly.

Still, he didn’t feel guilty at all. Puffing out his chest, he declared, “We weren’t saying bad things about you — we were complimenting you! Saying it’s a good thing you and Si Qi broke up, or else none of us would even have a chance to pursue him!”

“You!” Elvin was fuming, shouting, “Si Qi and I didn’t break up! We’re just not living together for the time being, that’s all!”

“Si Qi already said he wants to bond with me! He loves me the most!”

The sub-beastman lifted his chin in disdain, completely unfazed. “He’d never bond with you — you’ve already crawled into another sub-beastman’s bed. Only a sub-beastman like me can give Si Qi a baby. None of you stand a chance!”

Especially that rotten Chu Feng! Always coming up with delicious food to give to Si Qi, tricking him into eating it — so devious!!

Elvin ignored the sub-beastman’s words, his attention entirely on Chu Feng.

He was terrified that Chu Feng would tell Si Qi the truth — especially after hearing that Chu Feng had brought food to Si Qi. Thinking of how Si Qi had once said he fell in love with Elvin because he had “saved” his life, Elvin felt a fire blazing in his chest. His eyes locked onto Chu Feng as he angrily said, “You said you wouldn’t fight me for Si Qi — what do you think you’re doing now?!”

Chu Feng frowned: “When did I ever say something like that?”

Elvin’s lips moved, but it wasn’t convenient to explain openly. Instead, he said, “It was before— you promised! You said you wouldn’t say anything you shouldn’t to Si Qi, you backed off! With someone like you backing off, what right do you have to compete with me for Si Qi! Si Qi clearly loves me, and it should be me!”

Chu Feng looked at Elvin with dissatisfaction. He already regretted his previous choice, and now the person involved had come right to his door, provoking him again and again. If he backed down any further, he wouldn’t be Chu Feng. His face cold, he said, “I don’t have the right— and you do? Where do you get your right from? From your past lies? Or the betrayal afterward? Any beastman or sub-beastman in this tribe is more qualified than someone like you!”

Seeing Elvin jumping in anger and about to speak again, Chu Feng cut him off: “What do you think I was doing when I helped you hide the truth back then? You and Si Qi are separated now— what reason do I have to keep covering for you? Say one more word to me and I’ll go straight to Si Qi and tell him everything!”

Elvin was both furious and scared, wishing he could rush up and fight Chu Feng right then. But Chu Feng said coldly, “Get lost. Now. Next time you bother me, I won’t show you any mercy.”

It was all because of this bastard that he missed his chance with Si Qi for so long. Months ago, it should have been him whom Si Qi confessed to, him Si Qi wanted to bond with. He could’ve met the one he liked much earlier, instead of now having to cautiously pursue and test the waters.

The fact that Chu Feng didn’t already hate Elvin was proof of his self-restraint— he certainly wasn’t going to show him any kindness now.

Elvin was left speechless from being scolded. He wanted to keep provoking Chu Feng, but feared he really would tell the truth. Yet thinking of Chu Feng trying to pursue Si Qi, he was so furious he just wanted to do something.

And right at that moment, Si Qi walked out from the house, having heard the noise. At a glance, he saw the “Child of the World” causing trouble for his beloved, and his expression darkened.

He stood in the doorway, arms crossed, exuding a cold aura that pushed others away. He said to Elvin, “What are you doing here?”

Elvin quickly adjusted his emotions, putting on a smiling face, and said to Si Qi, “I came to apologize. I was wrong before. Truly, I was wrong. You— you should come back with me. From now on, I’ll love only you and no one else.”

Si Qi’s expression was indifferent: “Oh? So what?”

Elvin stared at him in surprise, as if unable to believe that after he said all that, Si Qi didn’t react at all, not even softening his stance a little.

Si Qi’s tone was distant: “There are plenty of people who are willing to be devoted to me. Why should I choose you?”

Elvin blurted out: “Because I took care of you!”

Si Qi: “And I have already repaid that with prey and salt.”

Elvin was heartbroken: “Are you really going to ignore all our time together over the past few months?”

Si Qi: “You ended that bond yourself when you cheated.”

Elvin: “…………”

Elvin could still smell the lingering scent of the rabbit on his own body. For a moment, he felt guilty and didn’t dare say much more on that topic. Subconsciously, he blurted out, “But I saved your life!!”

Si Qi almost burst out laughing.

He glanced at Chu Feng, who was sitting beside him, then looked at Elvin with a half-smile and said, “Come to think of it, I always forgot to ask—those people who were chasing me back then, what did they look like? What race of beastmen were they? How many were there?”

Elvin was dumbfounded.

Si Qi said lazily, “I’ve been thinking about it carefully lately. Based on your personality, if you saw someone severely injured and on the verge of death being hunted by a group of beastmen, would you really have rushed in to save him? Is your moral compass really that noble? Doesn’t seem like it.”

Elvin’s lips trembled. He wanted to lie and make a promise, but Chu Feng was sitting right next to them, quietly watching. He was terrified that even if he managed to fool Si Qi, Chu Feng would expose him the very next second, and then Si Qi would absolutely hate him.

Si Qi continued, “And besides, when I was with you, it was always me bending over backward. I used to have a high status and was waited on hand and foot. But when I was with you, I had to drag my injured body to take care of you—washing your clothes, cooking for you, picking fruit to help you relax. And now?”

He lowered his head to glance at Chu Feng, who was carefully preparing ingredients, then looked at the nearby sub-beastman trying every possible way to please him without even getting a foot in the door. He said to Elvin, “Can you prepare three meals a day for me with that much care? Think of me constantly? Put me first in everything?”

Elvin’s face turned ashen. He had already realized Si Qi’s rejection, and also the harsh reality—among all of Si Qi’s suitors, he held absolutely no advantage.

Strength? He couldn’t compare to Chu Feng. Sincerity? Still couldn’t compare to Chu Feng. On top of that, he had two pieces of damning history and a fake “lifesaving hero” identity that could blow up on him any time.

After repeatedly hitting walls with Si Qi and still being mocked, Elvin, who always thought himself a catch, couldn’t tolerate the humiliation any longer. He snapped bitterly, “Si Qi, don’t go too far! I’ve already come here so humbly to apologize—why do you have to keep holding on to that one thing? Don’t tell me you’ve never made a mistake?”

Si Qi gave a cold, fake laugh: “Then you can wait till I make a mistake before coming after me. Let’s see if you’d be okay being cheated on.”

Elvin blurted out in a furious roar: “Then why would I want someone like you, damaged goods?!”

Si Qi’s face darkened completely at those words.

He sneered, “Damaged goods? Then why on earth would I want someone like you, also damaged goods?”

He was absolutely disgusted by the person in front of him—this guy was rotten to the core, inside and out.

The nearby sub-beastman didn’t understand their conversation and asked with childlike curiosity, “What does ‘damaged goods’ mean?”

Si Qi turned to look at the sub-beastman, his tone suddenly gentle: “It doesn’t mean anything. He’s just not right in the head. Don’t worry about him.”

The sub-beastman obediently gave an “oh” and didn’t ask again. Instead, he showed Si Qi a lovely smile and said, “Si Qi, don’t pay attention to Elvin anymore. I’ve noticed you always get angry when you talk to him. Pay attention to me instead—I’ll only make you happy.”

Si Qi’s brows relaxed slightly as he gave him a faint smile. Then he glanced at Chu Feng, who was sneakily peeking over, and his expression softened even more. Turning back to the sub-beastman, he shook his head.

Although nothing was said, it felt as if everything had been said.

The sub-beastman lowered his head in disappointment, sensing something, looking a little pitiful.

Standing at a distance, Elvin, after being repeatedly shut down by Si Qi and watching him exchange flirtatious glances with another sub-beastman, was burning with anger inside.

He didn’t want to argue with Si Qi, but every time Si Qi would intentionally go against him—refusing to let him properly apologize, refusing to forgive him.

It left him feeling frustrated and wronged.

He gave Si Qi a long, intense look, then turned around with clenched fists and walked off in anger, wanting to cool himself down.

By the time he had calmed down, night had already fallen. Elvin looked up at the full moon in the sky through a hole in the roof, and with his sharp hearing, he could hear the sounds of beastmen and sub-beastmen “fooling around” in the nearby houses—not far away. The more he heard, the more irritated he became.

For a moment, he suddenly thought—if Si Qi didn’t like him being with other sub-beastmen, wouldn’t it be best if he just got together with Si Qi? If Si Qi helped him solve that problem, he wouldn’t even be tempted by others!

If Si Qi only wanted to be with one person for life, then as long as he could secure that spot, he wouldn’t have to worry about Si Qi being with anyone else!

Even if Si Qi refused him and didn’t want to form a bond again, he still wouldn’t be at a loss. Maybe, since it would be Si Qi’s first time, he’d leave a deep impression on Si Qi’s heart?

Imagining that scene, Elvin’s whole body began to heat up, and he couldn’t sleep at all. He got up, walked out of his house, and strode quickly toward Si Qi’s place again.

Meanwhile, over on Si Qi’s side—

He was lying on a carpet with his eyes closed, cultivating. His spread-out divine sense basked in the faint moonlight of the night—lazy and relaxed, very comfortable.

Suddenly, his divine sense picked up someone sneaking around near Chu Feng’s house. Si Qi slowly opened his eyes.

He recognized the person. That sub-beastman had been secretly in love with Chu Feng for a long time, relentlessly following him around every day, trying to bring him food. He was a fairly good-looking sub-beastman.

In the original owner’s memories, the original Si Qi, disheartened by the betrayal of those two scheming people, had decided to quietly leave the tribe. This sub-beastman, worried that Si Qi leaving alone would be dangerous, had specifically brought him some useful items—like a stone dagger, insect-repelling herbs, and so on.

Si Qi actually had a pretty good impression of him.

But still, one thing had nothing to do with another—no matter how kind the sub-beastman was, he couldn’t be allowed to steal his lover.

Thinking about how casual beastmen in this world were about those kinds of things, Si Qi started to panic a little. He sat up quickly from the carpet, reverted from his beast form to his original form—completely naked—and casually pulled out his beloved dinosaur onesie, which had accompanied him through many worlds, from between the World Tree’s leaves. He pushed open the door and pitter-pattered his way outside.

Before the hesitant sub-beastman could gather the courage to knock on the door, someone else had already arrived at Chu Feng’s doorstep.

That was when Elvin showed up near Si Qi’s place.

Together with the sub-beastman hiding in the corner, eyes wide with shock, he witnessed Si Qi knocking on Chu Feng’s door in the dead of night.

Neither of them had time to notice the strange outfit Si Qi was wearing—like, how could an animal’s fur possibly be dark green?

All they saw was a fair-faced young man, dressed in a silly and cute little dinosaur pajama set. His cool voice, gentle and soothing like the moonlight above, politely asked the person inside the house: “Chu Feng, are you asleep?”

Hearing this, Elvin suddenly realized what Si Qi was about to do. It hit him like a lightning strike. He stood there, eyes nearly bulging out in rage.

A surge of anger flared up. Elvin lifted his foot, wanting to rush forward and drag Si Qi back inside.

But before he could move, a clatter of chaotic footsteps sounded from inside Chu Feng’s house. The door was suddenly flung open, and Chu Feng stood there in disbelief, staring at Si Qi.

Si Qi cleared his throat lightly and said to Chu Feng, “I came to give you something.”

Chu Feng’s heart pounded wildly, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he looked at Si Qi with anticipation. “What is it?”

Was it food? It must be food!!!

Si Qi spread his divine sense and saw the nervous sub-beastman hiding in the corner, as well as the Child of the World who had somehow run over at some point.

He was puzzled as to why the Child of the World had suddenly appeared here—but hey, perfect. Time to chop off both love rivals at once. Efficient and convenient.

He said, “Let’s talk inside.”

After pulling Chu Feng inside, Si Qi used his divine sense to observe when the two outsiders would leave. When he turned his head, he found the person he had known for tens of thousands of years staring at him with flushed cheeks.

The surroundings were silent, making the sound of the man’s increasingly heavy breathing across from him very clear. Si Qi blinked. He suddenly realized—he hadn’t actually thought about what to do next after bringing him inside.

In the silence, it was Chu Feng who finally spoke first, his voice hoarse, nervous yet full of anticipation: “What are you going to give me?”

Si Qi curved his lips slightly and reached out to stroke Chu Feng’s cheek.

That soft touch, as if it could reach directly into one’s soul, made Chu Feng’s thoughts drift elsewhere.

It was the first time he realized he had feelings for this person in front of him.

Back then, they were out hunting together. A leopard lunged at Si Qi, and Chu Feng had rushed forward in panic, trying to block the attack.

But to his surprise, Si Qi calmly stared down the charging beast. With a swift movement—like a lightning-fast snake—he snaked his arm around the leopard’s neck, twisted, and threw it to the ground with a crash.

A shrill cry, followed by a crisp snap—the beast instantly fell silent.

Si Qi released his grip and stood up lazily, only to see the large lion beside him. Perhaps finding the lion’s demeanor tame and harmless, he reached out with the same hand that had just dispatched a predator and gently touched the lion’s thick, soft fur. The motion was unhurried, the pressure tender—completely devoid of aggression. It felt so soothing that Chu Feng couldn’t bear to pull away.

He stared unblinkingly at the stunningly beautiful young man in front of him. Those clear eyes were no longer cold. Though he radiated an intense sense of danger—charming and icy, like the most potent poison, terrifyingly powerful—he still somehow felt like a soft spring flowing straight into Chu Feng’s heart, dragging him into a boundless land of tenderness, filling him with comfort and tranquility, making him wish time could stop in this very moment.

He had no idea how many times he had replayed this scene in his dreams—each time leaving his blood racing. And after that, things would usually…

Chu Feng’s ears flushed red. He didn’t dare recall what came next in his dreams—not in front of Si Qi.

Si Qi, on the other hand, boldly and openly teased Chu Feng for a while. But seeing Chu Feng’s current state, he began to feel a little guilty.

He cleared his throat twice and made a motion like he was searching his pockets.

—Since Chu Feng had refused to drink his blood to increase his self-defense abilities, he’d just have to use another method.

Si Qi reached into the World Tree’s leaves and took something out. Step by step, he approached Chu Feng and lifted his hand toward his neck.

Just when Chu Feng thought Si Qi was going to embrace him, Si Qi instead slipped a collar around his neck.

Chu Feng didn’t resist at all. He just silently watched Si Qi.

Si Qi smiled at him—not the cold, reserved smile of the original owner, but a brilliant one, like a clear moon illuminating the world after the storm clouds had passed.

Chu Feng stared blankly, his breath catching.

Then he heard the young man before him, as enchanting as a fae, say in a low voice: “Little lion, now that I’ve put this collar on you, you belong to someone. Got it?”

Chu Feng nodded instinctively.

His eyes were full of expectation as he looked at the other collar in Si Qi’s hand.

Si Qi chuckled teasingly: “You want to put a collar on me… and make me yours forever?”

Chu Feng didn’t answer, but his actions said everything. As if enchanted, he reached out and took the uniquely textured black accessory. Just like exchanging rings in a church under the eyes of the gods, he solemnly and carefully fastened it around Si Qi’s neck.

Watching Si Qi wear a symbol of belonging in such a critical spot on his body made Chu Feng’s entire body heat up. He instinctively wanted to touch him but couldn’t bring himself to do so without Si Qi’s permission.

His gaze was so loving, so reverent, that even Si Qi—who had only intended to tease and leave—started feeling a little awkward.

The problem was… he was starting to feel a little overwhelmed himself.

He had been in this world for over a month now, and he still hadn’t done anything with Chu Feng… ahem.

A faint blush crept across Si Qi’s pale face. His eyes shy, he looked at Chu Feng. A moment later, he stepped closer on his own.

Standing on tiptoe, he whispered in his lover’s ear: “You know what? Under this outfit… I’m not wearing anything at all…”

Chu Feng stopped breathing instantly.