Chapter 544 - 541: They Can Hear

Chapter 544: Chapter 541: They Can Hear

The tiger cub and cat cub, whose hearing was sharp, twitched their ears. The corners of their mouths twitched slightly. They desperately wanted to tell their Mother that they could hear everything.

’SOB... But we’ve been so good!’

Chou Rong’s large palm reached out, enveloping her cool fingers. "They haven’t caused any trouble," he said in a deep voice. "The cubs from the first two litters have grown up. According to tradition, the males must leave the tribe to go on their trial."

"A trial?" Bai Wanwan asked, confused. "Haven’t they been learning to hunt with the Hunting Team all this time?"

"The trial only truly begins after their time with the Hunting Team is over. They must leave the tribe and venture out on their own," Chou Rong explained.

Chou Rong, and indeed nearly all of Wanwan’s Beast Husbands, had gone through the same experience.

Bai Wanwan’s eyes widened slightly. "You mean... you want them to leave the tribe now, to venture out into the world all by themselves?"

Although she knew that males in the Beastman World matured early, and that her own cubs were exceptionally talented, she never thought this day would come so soon.

In her eyes, they were still just half-grown cubs.

The beastman growth cycle was different from that of humans. They grew rapidly during their cubhood, reaching the size of a human teenager in just a few years. But their subsequent adolescence would last for more than a decade, with their bodies changing slowly until they were fully mature.

Once they took on the appearance of a young man, it meant they needed to start facing the world’s hardships on their own.

An ordinary beastman male might only need to participate in hunts, but the cubs of Chou Rong and Zhu Xiu were destined to become future leaders. Their path to maturity was bound to be far more demanding.

True strength had to be forged in the crucible of danger and life-or-death combat.

She understood the logic, of course. But the thought of her children leaving the safety of their nest to face the unknown dangers outside sent a wave of motherly panic seizing her heart.

"Can’t we... wait a few more years? For them to get a little older?" Her voice was laced with hesitation and worry.

"They should have gone long ago," Chou Rong said, his gaze steady as he looked at her. "We just wanted to wait for you to return to tell you in person."

Before Bai Wanwan could even speak, the adolescent cubs at her side could no longer sit still.

The eldest, the tiger cub, spoke first. His voice had already shed its boyishness, carrying a hint of maturity. "Mom, I want to become a powerful male like our Father Beasts, to protect you and the tribe. Please don’t worry. We brothers will stick together and look after one another. We all have strong Talents; if we run into trouble, we can handle most things by working together. And if we face a danger we can’t possibly beat, we’ll run. We won’t fight a losing battle."

"Yeah, Mom, we’re not afraid!" the other young men chimed in, their handsome faces, bright as the morning sun, filled with a craving for growth and a yearning for power.

Looking at her children’s determined and eager eyes, Bai Wanwan’s heart felt a bittersweet pang. She was so reluctant to let them go. "You’ve all decided, then? Do you really have to go?"

The young men nodded vigorously, their eyes clear and resolute.

Bai Wanwan sighed. "Let your Mother and Father Beasts discuss this a little more, alright?"

The cubs looked to their Father Beasts.

Chou Rong spoke up. "It’s getting late. Go back and get some rest. We’ll talk it over with your Mother."

Only then did the young men obediently get up. Though full of anticipation, they were sensible enough to head back to their rooms, glancing back every few steps.

The moment her children’s figures vanished down the hall, Bai Wanwan immediately turned to her Beast Husbands, her tone urgent. "I know it’s tradition, but things are different now. It’s probably more dangerous out there than we think. I just have this feeling that a storm is brewing. I’m really not comfortable with them leaving at a time like this!"

"Wanwan," Chou Rong said, taking her hand and looking deep into her eyes. "They’re my cubs, too. I’m every bit as worried as you are."

He paused before continuing, "But that’s precisely why they must learn how to survive danger and protect themselves. That is the true path of survival a male must learn, and it is the foundation for the responsibilities they will shoulder in the future."

Seeing her brow still furrowed with worry, he added, "I know you’re concerned. I’ll secretly arrange for four Orange Rank males to follow them from a distance. They won’t interfere unless it’s a matter of life and death. This will ensure their safety without compromising their trial."

Zhu Xiu also spoke up from the side, his voice low and persuasive. "My snake cubs have grown up as well. I’ll have them go with their older brothers. Their Talents for stealth and poison will provide powerful support. With all the brothers working together, they’d have a fighting chance—or at least be able to escape—even if they ran into several Orange Rank enemies."

As for Red Rank warriors, there weren’t many on the continent to begin with. If the boys couldn’t win, they could at least run; it was unlikely they’d be completely wiped out.

Bai Wan listened in silence. It seemed her Beast Husbands and cubs had already thought this through and made thorough preparations.

She took a deep breath and finally relented. "Alright, I agree."

"But," she added, "they have to wait a few days."

She raised a hand to gently stroke her rounded belly, her eyes firming with resolve. "Wait until I’ve given birth. I need some time... to prepare a few things for them."

’She would have to redeem some life-saving medicine from the system, things that could be used in a critical moment. Only by being fully prepared could she feel even a little bit of peace about letting her little eagles leave the nest.’

Zhu Xiu and Chou Rong exchanged a look, a flash of understanding in their eyes.

Chou Rong nodded. "Alright. There’s no rush. They can go after you give birth."

With the important matter settled, the atmosphere in the living room eased.

Bai Wanwan leaned back against the soft fur cushions, her mind already calculating what to put in the children’s ’going-away care packages’.

「A few days passed in the blink of an eye.」

Every day, Bai Wanwan would find some spare time to take a group of fluffy, lively cubs to visit Shuang Hua.

The boisterous cubs filled Shuang Hua’s cold, temporary stone house with laughter and cheer, washing away the sense of alienation and anxiety she felt as a newcomer.

But whenever the commotion died down, Bai Wanwan’s worry for Hua Han would quietly surface, like a tiny thorn pricking at her heart.

’What happened to him?’

’Was he captured, or did he manage to escape?’

’Or... did something terrible happen to him?’

She forced herself to stop these frightening speculations. Letting her imagination run wild was pointless.

All she could do was steady her nerves and wait for the birth of her next child.

’Acquiring Points, increasing her Beast Husbands’ strength, redeeming a Tracking Bird... those were the most practical and important things to focus on right now.’

"How are you feeling? Is anything particularly uncomfortable?"

Shuang Hua’s voice broke Bai Wanwan out of her anxious thoughts.

She looked at Bai Wanwan’s belly, which was growing at an alarming rate, her brow furrowed with concern.