Ashi was at home preparing new medicinal herbs.
He had used up quite a bit of powdered herbs before; that time had almost drained all the herbs he had on hand.
There was a purpose to his gathering of these herbs, and every time he picked them, he only took the fully grown ones, leaving the younger herbs to mature.
He would occasionally scatter seeds nearby to continue harvesting herbs sustainably.
To ensure continued growth, he was especially cautious.
There was no herbalist in the tribe, and some of the elder Beastmen only recognized a small portion of the herbs; most were unfamiliar to them.
Ashi carefully washed the herbs clean and laid them aside to dry under the sun. In the distance, a tall, dark-skinned Tiger Tribe Beastman was approaching slowly.
“Ashi, you’re living the good life, huh?” San Hu smiled as he strode over to Ashi, disregarding any respect for Ashi’s face as he sized up the interior of the cave.
He looked at the simple surroundings and then at the three cubs running around inside, his malice plain.
Ashi’s stiffened body was broken by his concern for the cubs. He stepped in front of San Hu, trying to resist the habitual fear gripping him. “What do you want?!”
San Hu, a Tiger Tribe Beastman from the Shi City Tribe, was one of those who often bullied Ashi.
San Hu’s family managed the Merchant Caravan of the Shi City Tribe; they frequently accompanied the caravan as guards.
The incident with the poisonous insects was very likely ordered by him.
San Hu’s appearance here today was definitely no accident.
San Hu sneered, “Ashi, life in this backwater tribe suits you well, huh? It made us search for you for so long. Today, a caravan just happened to pass nearby, so I specially made them take a detour to come visit you.”
Memories of past sufferings flooded Ashi’s mind. His hand trembled slightly at his side as the soft cubs kept bumping into his ankles one after another.
The painful recollections were interrupted, replaced by the joyful moments he had always cherished. His dark eyes filled with courage as he said, “I don’t need your ‘visit.’”
Rongrong quietly poked out a small head, curiously watching the Beastman in front of her. She tried hard to remember his appearance and seethed inwardly—this person was a bad man!
Taking advantage of their mother’s absence to bully their father.
“This is your cubs with Ayue? What are their names?” San Hu completely ignored Ashi’s resistance and looked at him with full malice.
Rongrong glared fiercely at San Hu, then grabbed Damao and Ermao to run back and hide where he couldn’t see them.
Damao and Ermao sensed the tense atmosphere. They said nothing, sticking close to Rongrong silently as they watched the scene before them. Rongrong and Father seemed different from usual.
Damao and Ermao felt a bit puzzled but knew it wasn’t the time to speak. They quietly followed Rongrong.
Ashi noticed the cubs had gone to hide and let out a slight breath of relief, though he showed nothing. “You’re not welcome here. Please leave immediately.”
San Hu laughed, “I’m just here to ‘check in’ on my old friend. It’s broad daylight—I’m not going to do anything. Why are you reacting so much?”
The cubs hid. Rongrong peeked her head out, and Damao and Ermao did the same, watching carefully. If things went bad, they would protect their home alongside Father!
Ashi’s anger surged into laughter. San Hu had ill intentions toward the cubs. Imagining the hardships his cubs might endure as he had from childhood, his rage broke through his former fear, and he faced San Hu without stepping back.
“Visit me? More like checking if I’m dead or not. Too bad for you—we’re doing great now. Far away from disgusting Beastmen like you, I don’t know how much better life can get. I’ve told you before, I don’t want to fight you. I’ve already run all the way here—why do you still come chasing after me?!”
Nearby Beastmen noticed something was off and peeked over cautiously.
San Hu was not angry at Ashi’s fury; he even laughed. “I hope you can keep being this tough going forward, hahaha… truly interesting.”
With that, San Hu laughed heartily and left.
Ashi moved forward to close the gate of the cave’s entrance.
He found the cubs and immediately held them, lowering his head to kiss them. He did his best to soothe them, concern in his voice: “Are you all right? Were you scared? It’s all Father’s fault for not closing the door when he went out.”
The cubs weren’t scared at all and instead comforted Ashi. Rongrong widened her eyes and said seriously, “Father, don’t be afraid. We’ll always stand by your side. When we grow up, we’ll beat him up real bad!”
Damao pushed past Rongrong and stood before Ashi, showing off his strength boldly. “I eat a lot and have lots of strength. I’ll protect you all!”
Ermao nervously said, “I can help by throwing sand to distract him and then knock him down when he’s off guard!”
The cubs were brave, strong, and especially thoughtful. Hearing their words, Ashi looked at the three little ones and smiled, “Alright, I’ll wait for you to grow up fast. We’ll chase away the bad guys together.”
Ashi carefully placed the cubs on his lap, wrapped in his fur cloak. Recalling what had just happened, his body still felt weak from the fright.
The cubs chattered on, doing their best to comfort him; they were most sensitive to the emotions of those around them.
Rongrong gradually quieted down, firmly etching the face of that man into her memory. She would get him back if she had the chance!
She lay beside the bird’s nest, looking a little conflicted. Father seemed to be from a tribe of some standing, but he appeared to have been bullied since childhood.
These people were no good.
San Hu returned to the Merchant Caravan.
Months had passed since he last saw Ashi, the weak and useless man he once knew.
Now, looking at Ashi daring to resist was a surprise. Before, Ashi would have been so scared at his presence that he couldn’t speak, trembling like a sieve.
That was perfect. San Hu was bored lately—what fun was there in prey that didn’t fight back?
The caravan resumed its planned route, with many Beastmen forced to take a longer detour. They looked at San Hu’s cheerful expression, their anger held back.
Despite his simple and honest appearance, San Hu was actually devious.
He would attack at the slightest provocation, but fights ended quickly. Behind the scenes, he used many underhanded tactics.
Moreover, among the younger generation of Tiger Tribe Beastmen, San Hu was one of the top experts. Most Beastmen were no match for him.
The others silently carried on with the supplies, planning to rest in the shade once the temperature rose.
Not long after San Hu left, Ayue returned carrying a half-grown wild boar. She struggled with the prey, exhausted but excited—she hadn’t eaten pork in a long time. The fat game was plump and delicious.
As soon as she got home, Ayue sensed the tense atmosphere. She set down the boar and asked with concern, “What happened?”
After hearing Ashi’s account, Ayue tensed, her feathers bristling.
Even though they had hidden in the Mountain Ring Tribe, they still wouldn’t let Ashi be?
Fortunately, this place was remote enough.
San Hu must have deviated from the caravan’s route to come here.
Not long ago, the Beastmen had attacked; San Hu probably wanted to check the results, but he failed.
They had left the Shi City Tribe’s territory and fled here.
Those people likely thought they were out of control and planned to quickly eliminate the whole family.
“Did those Beastmen attack you?” Ayue asked the cubs.
They all shook their heads. Damao began tattling, “That man looked like he was going to hit Father.”
Ermao followed, “Yeah, and he even threatened Father with us.”
Rongrong added, “Today Father bravely stood in front of us and chased that bad man away! Father is so amazing!”
Ayue exhaled and said, “Ashi, how do you feel now? If you want, we can move again—go somewhere even farther.”
“No.” Ashi cut her off, his tone resolute and unwilling. “No matter where we run, it will be the same. I don’t want to keep running anymore. We finally established a foothold here, and the environment suits us.”
Moving further north meant harsh cold and little game—the truly bitter lands. Going there would only make life worse.
“We stay here. Their means are limited. We can handle it. For every one they send, we send one back. They can’t buy off all the Beastmen.”
Ayue nodded, “Alright, I’ll follow your lead.”
The cubs didn’t understand the adults’ conversation.
They jumped down from Ashi’s knees and gathered around the wild boar. Damao was the first to jump onto it, pretending it was his catch. Ermao and Rongrong followed, trying to climb up.
Ayue and Ashi sat nearby, whispering as the cubs made a ruckus.
They discussed quietly, glancing occasionally at the cubs. Their original plan for adventure was scrapped—they had to accompany the cubs as they grew up. Too reckless a plan was out of the question.
The cubs played around the prey for a while. After finishing their discussion, Ayue and Ashi called the cubs over and asked, “Do you want to eat wild boar meat?”
“Yes!” the cubs shouted in unison.
The last shadow of gloom in the cave was completely swept away.
Ayue stepped forward, standing before the boar, instructing the cubs, “When handling prey, it’s best to drain the blood first. Then start from the belly to remove all the entrails.
Be careful with this step—don’t break the intestines or other organs. If you do, they’ll contaminate other parts, wasting a lot of food…” She moved to a different spot so the cubs could see her better.
The cubs listened, confused but fascinated by Ayue’s fluid and precise movements. In their hearts, they admired the grace in their mother’s swift, sharp actions.
When she finished the lengthy explanation, she asked, “Did you remember everything?”
Seeing the cubs’ blank eyes, she tapped their heads with her wings and smiled helplessly, “I forgot you’re still little cubs. It’s too much to remember all at once.”
Damao jumped up, protesting, “Mother, we’re big cubs now!”
Ayue looked at the not-yet-grown cubs who fit in one hand and smiled silently.