Chapter 581 - 578: The Growing Team

Chapter 581: Chapter 578: The Growing Team

Over the next two days, the Fox Clan was consumed by fierce debate and struggle.

In the end, most of the clan—especially the elders and females accustomed to a peaceful life—couldn’t bear to leave the home of their ancestors. They believed the outside world was too dangerous and refused to migrate.

Only a small number of young, adventurous Beastmen expressed their willingness to follow Bai Wanwan and her group to the Tiger Clan to see how things were.

When Hua Yu delivered the final news, she took Bai Wanwan’s hand, her voice a mixture of gratitude and resignation. "Wanwan, Mother knows you’re doing this for our good. But it’s just too hard to ask everyone to leave their homeland."

Bai Wanwan was mainly concerned about Hua Han’s feelings, which was why she had offered to help them.

But if they had their own reasons, she wouldn’t force the issue.

This place was remote. Perhaps they really could escape the disaster.

She squeezed Hua Yu’s hand reassuringly. "It’s alright, Mother. I understand. Let those who wish to stay, stay. I hope we’re just overthinking things. But you and Father Beast, and all our close relatives, must leave with us. Hua Han wouldn’t want to see you in danger."

Hua Yu nodded. "Alright! We’ll go with you. It’ll be good to see the Tiger Clan, and it will keep you from worrying."

And so, the matter was settled.

Bai Wanwan and her companions began packing, preparing to set off for the Tiger Clan at first light the next day.

When Bai Wanwan woke up, hundreds of people from the Fox Clan had already gathered, ready to depart with their group.

Seeing the assembly outside, she turned to Xin Feng. "Is everyone ready?"

"Yes. They’re the ones who intend to leave with us."

"Then I’d better get up and get ready."

"There’s no rush. It’s alright if we’re a little late."

Xin Feng came over and helped her wash up and eat.

On the journey back, Yin Ze and Yan Lie took the lead, while Zhu Xiu and Xin Feng watched over Bai Wanwan and Hua Han. The rest of the Fox Clan Beastmen followed closely behind.

Not long after they left the peaceful maple forest of the Fox Clan, the scenes along their path made everyone’s hearts sink.

What were once hunting grounds and migration routes were now scarred and devastated.

They saw the ruins of small, plundered tribes, with wisps of black smoke still rising from the wreckage. Tattered hide tents flapped mournfully in the wind.

Every so often, they saw the corpses of Beastmen lying by the roadside. Some were already decomposing, attracting flocks of vultures and scavenger beasts. A heavy stench of blood and rot filled the air.

They even witnessed a small-scale massacre firsthand.

A pack of Wandering Beastmen, their eyes glazed over and clearly under some form of control, were attacking a small group of refugees. The group consisted of only seven or eight Beastmen, and they had cubs with them.

"Help! Save us!" Desperate cries for help ripped through the oppressive silence.

Seeing the cubs, the male Fox Clan Beastmen were the first to charge forward.

The Fox Clan males were furious, their attacks intended to kill, but Yan Lie stopped them. "Wait! Don’t kill them. They’re just Beastmen who are being controlled."

The fight was over quickly. The controlled Beastmen were all bound by vines.

Having survived the ordeal, the rescued group collapsed to the ground, their eyes filled with gratitude as they looked at Yan Lie and his companions.

There were males and females among them, as well as two terrified, trembling cubs who clung tightly to their mother’s leg.

The female’s eyes were numb with despair, while the male’s face was etched with exhaustion and trauma.

"Thank you!" The older male who seemed to be their leader struggled to his feet and bowed to Yan Lie and Zhu Xiu, his voice hoarse.

The Fox Clan Beastmen, having witnessed this brutal scene firsthand, were now filled with a profound mix of lingering fear and relief.

’If the Fox Clan had been attacked like this,’ they thought, ’we probably wouldn’t have fared any better than these poor souls.’

The group pressed on. Along the way, they encountered more and more scattered Beastmen. Perhaps feeling a sense of security in numbers, these stragglers began to follow the large company, keeping a safe distance.

"It’s getting late. We should find a place to rest," Xin Feng said, seeing the sky darken. He knew they shouldn’t travel any further.

The party made camp in a mountain hollow, sheltered from the wind. They lit a bonfire, which drove away some of the chill and darkness.

Yan Lie approached and squatted beside Bai Wanwan. "All the Beastmen who’ve been following us are outside."

From inside the cave, Bai Wanwan could see them in the woods across the way. The scarred, exhausted Beastmen were wary, sitting or lying on the ground, not daring to come too close.

Bai Wanwan watched the Beastmen huddled in the cold wind, their eyes filled with terror. Her gaze fell on the cubs nestled in their mothers’ arms, too scared to even cry out loud.

She sighed and said to Yin Ze, "Yin Ze, take some meat over to those little ones."

Yin Ze acknowledged her with a sound and, following her instructions, dragged a Deer Beast over. He gave a piece of meat to every cub.

The Beastmen accepted the food with profuse thanks. One of the braver ones, an elderly male, walked unsteadily to the edge of the camp. Keeping a safe distance, he called out to Bai Wanwan, "Respected Holy Female... thank you for the food and for saving our lives. We... we truly have nowhere left to go. We heard that only the super-tribes might still be safe, but with females and cubs, we can’t possibly travel that far..."

Before approaching, he had already inquired with the Fox Clan Beastmen and learned they were also following a Holy Female named Bai Wanwan to a place of safety.

He paused, then gathered his courage. A final glimmer of hope appeared in his cloudy eyes as he asked, "Please... may we travel with you? We’re willing to work, willing to pay any price, just to find a place where our females and cubs can survive!"

As his voice faded, all the Beastmen on the periphery held their breath, tensely awaiting judgment.

Bai Wanwan was silent for a moment, then turned to look at her Beast Husbands.

They were all looking back at her.

"Wanwan, it’s your decision. It just means building a few more houses, that’s all," Yan Lie spoke up.

The other males nodded in agreement.

Bai Wanwan considered this for a moment, then looked at the elderly male outside. Her voice carried clearly across the distance. "We are from the Tiger Clan. If you wish, you can follow us there. But I must be clear: the Tiger Clan is not absolutely safe, either. We can only promise to offer you temporary shelter, to the best of our ability."

Hearing this, the Beastmen wept with joy. Their lives were already so precarious; their cubs and females could be killed at any moment.

They had a place to go. They were in no position to be picky.

They all scrambled to their feet, bowing gratefully in Bai Wanwan’s direction and crying out, "Thank you! Thank you, Holy Female!"

And so, the returning party grew larger still.

With Yin Ze by her side, Bai Wanwan lay down on a bed of animal hides.

The road ahead was long, and the Tiger Clan would be their shared destination—their final bastion.

All she could do was her best to light a faint flame of hope for these desperate souls.

"Go to sleep. We have another full day of travel tomorrow," Yin Ze said softly, gently patting her back.

Bai Wanwan murmured in agreement, closed her eyes, and leaned into his embrace...