Lin Qiu was ravenous; he’d finished the half-piece of meat left over from yesterday afternoon that very morning. If he’d just lain around all morning, he might have managed, but after a busy morning’s work, the familiar burning sensation in his stomach returned.

The afternoons were his free time.

As he left the old priest’s cave, the beastmen at the foot of the mountain turned to watch him again.

Most of them remained in wolf form; some lay motionless on the ground, their fur dull and coarse. Others, like him, wore animal skins, their hands busy polishing stones or grinding berries.

Lin Qiu looked around, hoping to find Lang Mo to ask where the tribe foraged for food, but he didn’t see anyone. With the beastmen’s unflinching gazes fixed on him, Lin Qiu headed east.

On his way from the cave, he had noticed a clear stream running alongside Wolf Mountain.

At this time of year, there should be some edible wild plants by the stream; it would be even better if he could catch a few fish.

The beastmen watched Lin Qiu; seeing that he had crouched by the stream and hadn’t wandered far, they finally withdrew their heads and let them rest limply on their forelimbs.

They were the beastmen left behind to guard Wolf Mountain. Early that morning, the Wolf King had led several hunting parties out to hunt, and the gathering party had also left early. There weren’t many beastmen left in the tribe—just a dozen or so adults; the rest were elderly beastmen and cubs.

Before the King left, he had instructed them to keep a close watch on Lang Qiu.

Though the crouching wolf-beastmen had their eyes closed, their ears remained pricked, listening for any sound Lin Qiu might make.

The edible wild greens by the stream had clearly been picked clean. Lin Qiu searched for a while and managed to find just a handful. He rinsed the greens in the stream water and had no choice but to shove them into his mouth.

The beastmen watched from a distance, a hint of derision in their hearts.

Now he knows what hunger feels like—what was he thinking when he stole food from the tribe? Lin Qiu sensed the contempt in the beastmen’s eyes but chose to ignore it.

He was Lin Qiu, not “Lang Qiu.”

Wild greens weren’t enough to fill him up, but at least they would tide him over for a while. Lin Qiu wanted to catch a fish, but after crouching by the stream for a long time, he didn’t see a single one. If he kept moving, the wild greens he’d just eaten would be gone before long.

Lin Qiu simply found a patch of grass, lay down, basked in the sunlight, and tried to fall asleep. He didn’t know how long he’d slept, but his skin had grown slightly itchy from the sun.

Lin Qiu heard the sound of running—not very distinct, but his hearing seemed unusually sharp right now. A large group of beastmen was approaching.

Realizing it was the returning group of beastmen, Lin Qiu sat up and watched the direction they were coming from. Lang Yan led the way at the front. As soon as he reached Wolf Mountain, he noticed the sub-beastman sitting on the grass.

As if completely unconcerned about his past deeds, he stared back at Lin Qiu with wide eyes. Seeing that the sub-beastman was behaving himself, Lang Yan didn’t linger on the sight but called the beastmen to come and share the meat.

Their luck on this outing had been fairly good; they’d managed to take down a full-grown curved-horn beast.

Curved horn beasts were large and had good meat; they used to hunt them often. But now they were rarely encountered. Cheers rang out from Wolf Mountain as the beastmen lit a bonfire, instantly illuminating half the sky.

Lin Qiu recognized the beastman who had been watching him outside the cave earlier as Lang Yan.

Among the pack of wolves, he was notably larger. Long black fur covered his entire body, without a single speck of another color. His eyes were gray, and his large tail hung behind him like a feather duster; his mere presence was intimidating.

The other beastmen cheered, jostling for a larger share of the meat, but not a single one dared to approach Lang Yan. The hunting party returned, followed by the gathering party.

The meat had arrived, and the vegetables were all ready.

Lin Qiu watched as the beastmen singed the fur of the beast—which resembled a bison but was more robust—over the fire, then began to cut it up. He sat a good distance away from them and was given a piece of meat.

It was about the same size as before. Lin Qiu took a look and noticed that, apart from the beastmen who had gone out to gather and hunt—who received slightly larger portions—everyone else’s share was roughly the same as his.

With the ingredients in hand, Lin Qiu quickly set to work. It was simple enough: he just cut the meat, skewered it on sticks, and roasted it. He built a small fire by himself, rather than joining the beastmen around the main campfire.

With his stomach finally satisfied, only a few stragglers of the beastmen remained outside Wolf Mountain. The campfire burned out, and faint light from the fire could be seen inside the great cave. It was time to sleep.

No one assigned him a spot, so Lin Qiu trailed behind the last few beastmen, following them into the great cavern.

It was a natural cave, its walls marked with claw marks; the wolf-beastmen had expanded it in later times. The cave cut deep into the mountain, over ten meters high, with a narrow entrance but extremely spacious inside.

Scattered throughout the cave were grass nests of various sizes—some rough, some finely crafted, some high, some low—all built by the beastmen themselves. The few wolf beastmen behind him had already entered the cave and, with practiced ease, found their nests and lay down.

After a long day of work, everyone was so exhausted they could fall asleep the moment their eyes closed.

“Where should I sleep?”

A sudden voice rang out in the cave.

The cave was too quiet; the sound was like a pebble tossed into a still lake, making a splash that drew the attention of the wolf-beastmen lying in their nests.

Most, however, merely glanced up before lazily closing their eyes again.

One beastman replied, “If you’re not afraid of freezing to death, you can sleep outside.”

It wasn’t exactly a friendly tone, but Lin Qiu nodded and said, “Thank you.” 

Lang Yan closed his eyes quietly, listening for any sound from the sub-beastman.

His grass nest was near the center of the cave, not far from the fire.

His head rested on the edge of the grass nest, his limbs curled up, and his tail lay quietly across his chest. Though he appeared relaxed, his ears remained alert, standing atop his head.

Lin Qiu observed the cave entrance for a moment. Most of the grass nests inside were built against the walls, leaving a path in the middle for walking. The further he went into the cave, the more spacious it became. It was somewhat like an upside-down water bag.

He was cold and had no grass nest of his own, so he set his sights on the fire. Lin Qiu walked inside.

Along the path, pairs of black, white, and gray wolf ears perked up one after another, and their tails stopped wagging.

Lin Qiu pretended not to notice and headed straight for the empty spot against the wall next to the fire. He crouched down there; across the fire, Lang Yan loomed directly opposite. Further inside the cave, there seemed to be a bend, and Lin Qiu heard the whimpering of a cub.

Whether human or beastman, all were exceptionally protective of their young. “He”—a beastman who had done wrong—could not show the slightest concern for the cubs; otherwise, the icy glare fixed upon him would instantly turn into sharp wolf claws.

There was a rustling inside the cave for a moment, then silence returned.

The beastmen gradually fell asleep. Most slept alone in their own grass nests, while those with mates shared a nest as a family. Lin Qiu saw no nest with more than three wolves in it, nor a single beastman with graying whiskers. The Old Priest did not sleep here, nor was Lang Gu present.

He roughly counted them; there were about a hundred or so beastmen. He didn’t know if that was a large or small number for a tribe in this area. Lost in random thoughts, he gradually grew drowsy. Lin Qiu hugged his knees and closed his eyes in that position.

A chill seeped into his skin, and Lin Qiu thought to himself that he would definitely have to finish building his grass nest tomorrow. After he had fallen into a deep sleep, Lang Yan, across from him, opened his eyes and stared intently at him for a long time.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

The next day, Lin Qiu awoke to the sound of rustling.

It was the first time since arriving here that things had been so lively around him.

The beastmen had all risen, shifting into human form. Each was broad-shouldered, long-legged, and towering, though none of them had much flesh on their bones.

The beastmen jostled their way toward the cave entrance; Lin Qiu lagged behind, feeling as though the light had been blocked from him.

Lin Qiu wasn’t short—he was nearly 1.8 meters tall—but standing among these 1.9- and 2-meter-tall beastmen, he still looked somewhat frail. Fortunately, there were a few among the crowd who were about his size, so his stature was probably considered normal.

Outside Wolf Mountain that morning, a thick fog hung in the air.

The trees were shrouded in milky-white mist; the morning sun pierced through the clouds, casting a sliver of light, and the air was fresh and invigorating. It was still cold outside; as the chilly wind brushed past Lin Qiu, goosebumps rose on his arms.

He watched as the beastmen went to the stream to wash their faces and drink water; he waited until they were nearly finished before heading over himself.

By now, the beastmen had gathered and divided into two groups.

Lang Yan led the hunting party away, while a middle-aged female beastman at the rear led the gathering party, who were carrying rattan baskets, off in the other direction.

This was the tribe’s main gathering and hunting party. In addition to them, there were two groups of young beastmen, divided into gathering and hunting teams. These young beastmen were much livelier than the adult beastmen up ahead.

When they saw Lin Qiu looking their way, they snorted, tilted their heads back, and walked off.

Clearly, he was an unwelcome presence.

Lin Qiu lowered his eyelids and paid them no mind.

He ate a bit of the food left over from last night, tucked away the last piece of meat—about a finger-joint thick and the size of a small palm—and then headed to the old priest’s cave.

The area he had just tidied up yesterday morning was once again piled with plants, and Lin Qiu got to work as soon as he entered the cave. By the time the sun was directly overhead, his hands slowed down.

The old priest was busy brewing potions in a clay cooking pot; he glanced over briefly. “Don’t slack off.” 

Lin Qiu: “I’m hungry.”

Since arriving here, the overwhelming feeling he’d experienced was hunger.

Lin Qiu hung his head, his long hair covering half his face, but his hands never stopped moving.

A young sub-beastman who had only recently come of age, he was thin and pale, looking rather pitiful.

The old priest’s tone grew harsher. “If you know you’re hungry, why did you steal the tribe’s food?” 

Lin Qiu: “I didn’t steal it.”

With a sharp clang, the old priest tossed the wooden stick he was holding into a clay pot. His sagging eyelids lifted slightly as he fixed his gaze on him. Lin Qiu made no attempt to hide his actions, continuing to process the plants at a leisurely pace.

Starting over, Lin Qiu didn’t care whether the beastmen could tell the difference between the real him and the imposter. He had no deep ties to the Wolf Tribe; if he couldn’t stay here, then he would simply have to leave.

As for what lay ahead, he preferred not to think about it.

No matter how bad things got—even now, going hungry every day—he still felt it was better than before. The plants around him hadn’t been cleared away yet; the old priest gave him a sidelong glance but said nothing more. Lin Qiu’s stomach growled; he pressed his hand against his stomach, his eyes still cold and distant.

Actually, the feeling of hunger wasn’t all that pleasant.

After a while, the old priest said, “Come back tomorrow.” 

Lin Qiu: “I haven’t finished.”

The old priest remained silent again. This old beastman had a strange temperament.

Lin Qiu pushed himself up on his knees and rose slowly, feeling dizzy and lightheaded. He staggered and had to steady himself against a nearby wooden rack before regaining his balance. His legs were weak from hunger, so he didn’t linger and hurried out of the cave.

He retrieved the uneaten food, but he didn’t plan to roast it right away. There wasn’t much meat—it would be gone in a few bites—so he decided to boil it instead to make some broth.

He wandered around the area again and found only a few wild greens growing close to the ground. Lin Qiu washed them and piled them together with the meat. He didn’t have a clay pot, but the priest did.

“What are you back here for?” The old priest was still sitting in the same spot, his voice low, as if he disapproved of him. Lin Qiu: “To borrow a clay cooking pot.”

Only then did the priest look up, his gaze fixed on him.

This time, he stared for a long while, still saying nothing.

Lin Qiu was starving and promised, “I won’t break it. If I do, I’ll pay for it.”

The clay cooking pot was precious; the round-bellied one in the priest’s hands had been passed down to him by the previous priest. He rarely used it even when it was here; he only took it out to brew medicine for the beastmen.

The old priest looked at the young man. “If it gets ruined, I’ll roast you.”

A faint smile touched Lin Qiu’s lips—his first here.

It was a faint smile, ripples shimmering in his moist eyes, more beautiful than a jade-green lake bathed in sunlight.