Back when Ru Su left the Xia Wang tribe, it wasn’t a hasty decision. Beforehand, he had met people from a distant, powerful tribe, one protected by a deity, known as the White Bear tribe.
The White Bear tribe lived further to the north. Not only did they have regular hunting teams, but they also sent out trade caravans each year. These caravans traveled for months, exchanging goods, gathering external information, and even absorbing new members from other tribes.
The Xia Wang tribe had been without a deity for a long time, and Ru Su had already been thinking about leaving. When he made contact with the White Bear tribe’s caravan, all that was left was to find the right moment to make his move.
However, before he could leave, a deity descended upon the Xia Wang tribe without any warning! This left Ru Su in a state of fear, wondering if his secret thoughts of departure had been discovered by the gods and if that’s why a deity appeared at such a moment. But that fear disappeared the moment he saw the so-called deity in its true form. He had never heard of any tribe having a mouse as their deity—what a joke!
Ru Su watched mockingly as his fellow tribesmen cheered, thinking they had lost their minds in their desperate longing for a deity. A mere mouse had shown up and they were willing to recognize it as a god, even throwing a grand welcoming ceremony for it.
The appearance of the mouse only solidified Ru Su’s determination to leave and he quickly put his plan into action. If there was any surprise, it was that when he was caught, he thought for sure he was going to die. Yet, to everyone’s shock, the mouse let him go and even allowed him to take some of the tribe’s goods with him.
At that time, Ru Su, like the others, didn’t understand why, but a small sense of hesitation arose in his heart—was leaving truly the right decision?
Still, given the circumstances, he had no real choice but to leave. So, he took his wife and children and left, eventually finding the White Bear tribe’s trade caravan a few days later.
After following the caravan back to the White Bear tribe, Ru Su quickly began to enjoy the benefits of living in a powerful tribe. There was no need to worry about food, no need to fear threats from neighboring tribes, and they had warm tents to live in.
Life in the White Bear tribe made him forget about the Xia Wang tribe entirely. He thought he would never have any connection to the Xia Wang tribe again, but a blizzard changed everything.
The White Bear tribe’s deity was indeed powerful, but that also made it dangerous. During the winter, a massive blizzard wiped out almost all life in the region. The tribe had to rely on their stored food to survive, but it wasn’t enough to last through the harsh winter.
Even worse, they hadn’t managed to feed the White Bear deity before winter set in, so it didn’t go into hibernation. A bear that hasn’t hibernated is incredibly dangerous. After fruitless hunting trips, the White Bear deity began to target the tribe’s people for food.
This led the White Bear tribe into a terrifying cycle of sacrifice. It seemed the bear could never be satisfied, hunting within the tribe every few days. What made things worse was that, after tasting children’s flesh, it seemed to prefer them, shifting its focus to the young ones.
Just as they were dealing with this internal crisis, external threats arose as well. Other tribes had also failed to store enough food for the winter. Once their supplies ran out, inter-tribal conflicts began. Even with the White Bear deity’s fearsome reputation, when faced with a choice between starving to death or dying in battle, some preferred the latter.
Thus, under wave after wave of attacks, the White Bear deity eventually fell. The people of the White Bear tribe didn’t know whether to grieve or celebrate at that moment—they had lost their deity, but they were also rid of the terrifying monster that had been devouring their children.
When the tribe was overrun, they were forced into exile. The White Bear tribe migrated south, but along the way, many froze to death, starved to death, were killed by other tribes, or were captured.
After a month of hellish migration, Ru Su suddenly realized that the surroundings looked familiar—he had returned!
As someone who knew the area well, the tribe consulted him for advice, and they made their way to the Xia Wang tribe in search of a slim chance of survival.
Along their journey, they encountered many tribes, but none were willing to take them in. After all, in a winter like this one, having one more person meant needing more food. Occasionally, they did find tribes that welcomed them, but in the end, those turned out to be cannibal tribes. The identity of the “welcomed” was that of food.
After wandering for so long, the White Bear tribespeople had long given up the hope of joining any tribe. At that point, their greatest wish was simply to beg for a bit of food. When they arrived at the Xia Wang tribe, they hoped that, because Ru Su was once acquainted with them, the tribe might give them some food.
Ru Su knew that the chances were slim. Just because the mouse deity had spared him when he left didn’t mean that it would be so forgiving now. But he had no choice—if they didn’t try, he and his family would starve to death.
The White Bear tribespeople knelt in the snowstorm, peering through the fence at the tribe before them. Through the blur of snow, they could faintly make out tall shadows that seemed to be buildings. They had no idea what they were, but they gazed humbly and desperately at the patrolling guards inside, who were well-clothed and had ruddy faces.
They waited for a long time, full of anticipation. Finally, someone from the tribe came out, and not just one person—a whole group appeared, marching out in force. The White Bear tribespeople immediately tensed up. In the past, such situations often meant a battle was about to begin.
Still, until they were certain of an attack, they couldn’t show any hostility. After all, there was a slim chance that these people had come to bring them food.
Under their watchful eyes, just as Ru Su had described, a furry little mouse appeared at the front of the group. It was small, yet walked with a swagger that was full of authority. The people behind it seemed to hold it in great respect.
Worried that the White Bear tribespeople might not believe what they were seeing, Ru Su quietly emphasized again, “That’s the Xia Wang tribe’s deity!”
With Ru Su’s reminder, the White Bear tribespeople looked at Shu Bao with more astonishment and reverence.
Shu Bao quickly approached the gate. While others were opening the fence, the little mouse squeezed right through a gap in the bars. Its eyes scanned the group of refugees, and then it walked up to one person and wrapped its tiny paws around their frostbitten, red hands. “Hello, Ru Su! Welcome back! I haven’t forgotten you at all, though you’ve gotten much thinner!”
The person felt a warm current flow through their body from the mouse’s touch, and they replied a little sheepishly, “Honorable deity, my name is Man Zhou. That is Ru Su.”
Following the direction of Man Zhou’s finger, Shu Bao saw a much thinner figure nearby. The mouse gave a small cough, pretended nothing had happened, and quickly walked over to the real Ru Su. It grasped his hands warmly. “Hello, Ru Su! Welcome back! I haven’t forgotten you at all, though you’ve gotten much thinner!”
Ru Su: “…” You didn’t change a single word, huh?
The rest of the White Bear tribespeople: “…” It’s warm, it’s casual, and… somehow, it’s harmonious!
After Shu Bao finished his welcome, the high priest and other members of the tribe rushed over as well. These were refugees, after all, but they still had to protect their deity. The high priest stepped forward and shook Ru Su’s hand. “Lusu, welcome back! You’ve lost so much weight!”
Shu Bao poked the high priest’s leg with a paw. “This is Ru Su.”
The high priest laughed heartily, scratched his head awkwardly, then shook the real Ru Su’s hand and repeated the same words.
Ru Su stood there, bewildered by the overwhelming enthusiasm of the Xia Wang tribe. Although it was obvious from their expressions that everyone had mistaken him for someone else at first, their warmth was genuine, as if he hadn’t betrayed the deity, but had instead returned as a hero.
The White Bear tribespeople were equally confused. The cold mockery and condescension they had expected never came, nor did the battle they thought might break out. Instead, they were warmly invited into the tribe and led to an unusually spacious tent.
Everyone in the Xia Wang tribe wore gentle smiles. Shu Bao and the high priest repeatedly reassured them, saying things like, “Don’t be nervous, just treat this place as your home.”
But the warmer their welcome, the more nervous Ru Su became. His past experiences had taught him that such unusual hospitality often signaled extreme danger. As he glanced around, he noticed something unsettling: no one in the Xia Wang tribe wore tattered or thin clothing, nor did anyone look emaciated. Quite the opposite—they all appeared to be in excellent spirits, with a bright gleam in their eyes.
What was even more terrifying was the way they looked at the White Bear tribespeople—the light in their eyes seemed to grow even brighter, as if they were staring at lambs about to be slaughtered, afraid they might escape.
The sight before them sent a chill through Ru Su and the White Bear tribespeople alike. They all began to suspect they had walked into a den of wolves and that the Xia Wang tribe might also be cannibals.
“Is this your child? They’ve grown so much! Looks just like you!”
“Have some hot soup; there’s dried ginger in it to warm you up!”
“We’ll prepare something delicious for you in a bit.”
“It’s freezing outside; why don’t you just stay here?”
“Yeah, stay! We could really use more people in our tribe!”
…
The people of the Xia Wang tribe, remembering the words of their deity, were showing their utmost enthusiasm and doing everything they could to persuade the newcomers to stay.
Shu Bao was even more determined not to let these people leave. The mouse had just counted—there were more than 160 of them! That was almost three times the population of the Xia Wang tribe!
To properly welcome these “guests”, the people of the Xia Wang tribe took out their stored dried fruits, various delicious portions of meat, and warm furs. The high priest even offered free medical checkups for the White Bear tribespeople.
The White Bear tribespeople, however, were nervously exchanging glances, silently discussing how to make a run for it. Still, since their hosts had said they were going to treat them to a meal, they figured they might as well eat before fleeing—they hadn’t eaten in five days!
As for the high priest’s medical checkups, to the White Bear tribespeople, it felt more like he was inspecting them as potential stockpiled food. Everyone was on edge, making the high priest confused, wondering if his skills had worsened since learning potion-making.
Soon, the promised food was served. Looking at the feast before them—full of dishes they’d never even seen before—the White Bear people couldn’t help but start salivating, especially at the sight of the stews and roasted meats. The aroma was overwhelming.
Some of them were nearly brought to tears, convinced that the delicious smell came from human meat. After all, they’d never eaten anything so fragrant before. No wonder so many tribes had turned to cannibalism—apparently human meat was this delicious! This realization made them feel even more trapped, as their chances of escape seemed slimmer.
Though their outlook was grim, their extreme hunger left them unable to think much further. One by one, they started eating, though none of them dared to touch the meat.
This behavior puzzled the Xia Wang tribespeople. They had gone to great lengths to prepare the meal, even using rare spices to enhance the flavor, yet the White Bear tribespeople were only stuffing themselves with rice and vegetables, not touching the meat at all.
After they had eaten their fill, the tension returned. Ru Su, in particular, tried to make an excuse to leave, but before he could even finish his sentence, the little mouse interrupted him.
“The weather is so cold and you have nowhere to go. Why not stay in the tribe? We have plenty of food for everyone,” Shu Bao said. Ru Su instantly went silent, afraid that pressing the matter would bring trouble. It seemed better to maintain the facade of peace for now.
The others shared Ru Su’s sentiment. Along the way, they had learned that confronting their hosts head-on was not a wise move. Though their group outnumbered the Xia Wang tribe, they were all weak and frail, no match for these people, who seemed to thrive on their plentiful food—perhaps even human meat!
The White Bear tribespeople exchanged looks and quickly came to a consensus: they would not directly confront the Xia Wang tribe. Since they had numbers on their side, they would stay vigilant, eat their fill, and wait until they had regained their strength before making a break for it.
And so, the White Bear tribespeople stayed. As newcomers, they remained cautious, investigating the tribe and searching for any opportunity to escape.
On the first night, due to limited space in the tents, some of them were assigned to share other two-person tents. Of course, they were once again treated to a hearty dinner.
Before bed, Shu Bao personally came to say goodnight, and he specifically sought out Ru Su, a familiar face. “Ru Su, don’t worry. Your wife and children are resting comfortably in a warm tent. You should get a good night’s sleep too. Goodnight.”
Ru Su forced a stiff smile. “Thank you, merciful deity!”
“You’re welcome. Just treat this place as your home,” Shu Bao reassured him. After exchanging a few awkward words, Shu Bao finally turned and left.
It wasn’t until long after Shu Bao had left that the White Bear tribespeople began whispering among themselves.
“This tribe’s people are too cunning!”
“They’ve placed the women and children in small tents. If we try to escape together, it’ll be too difficult!”
“I tried to go check out other places this afternoon, but I got carried back. They said my frostbite hadn’t healed and I shouldn’t be moving. Hah! They’re just afraid I’ll snoop around!”
“I found out where their storage is, but I couldn’t get inside. Someone stopped me, saying they didn’t need my help moving things and told me to rest!”
“Why do they forbid us from going out at night?”
…
After much discussion, the White Bear tribespeople came to a unanimous conclusion: they had encountered the most cunning cannibal tribe they had ever faced. Not only was everyone well-armed and equipped, but their defenses were also tight, and the people were all such good actors!
In such a situation, they decided to stay put for now, regain their strength, and aim to escape as soon as possible. Ideally, they’d also counterattack and take over the tribe. They didn’t want to eat human flesh, but those potatoes, sweet potatoes, and dried fruits were quite delicious!
Meanwhile, in the Xia Wang tribe, Shu Bao and the high priest repeatedly emphasized that they must closely monitor the White Bear tribe and ensure they didn’t leave easily. They needed to make their guests feel as welcome as possible.
So, for the next few days, the people of the Xia Wang tribe stopped learning magic and put their work on hold. Everyone transformed into the best hosts possible, offering personalized service to each guest, which included preparing meals, engaging in entertainment activities, and ensuring that the White Bear tribespeople had no chance to leave the tribe.
The White Bear tribespeople were on the verge of madness. They had been in the Xia Wang tribe for almost five days now and still hadn’t found a single opportunity to escape. The Xia Wang people seemed to never sleep, and their presence was everywhere.
“Ru Su, you seem a little unhappy. Is something bothering you? If anything is troubling you, just say it. You know, stress makes you age faster, and you’re still such a fresh, young man! You need to keep a positive attitude,” Shu Bao said, trying to be funny, though his words only caused Ru Su to tremble.
The mention of “fresh, young man” made Ru Su’s hand shake and the roasted potato he was holding fell to the table. The other White Bear tribespeople, who were eating, also froze before lowering their heads even further.
“I… I’m fine. I just feel a little uncomfortable not doing anything in the tribe. Maybe I could help out,” Ru Su quickly explained.
Shu Bao considered his words for a moment and then showed a satisfied expression. As expected of a future worker, his awareness was impressive. Shu Bao happily agreed to Ru Su’s request, saying, “That’s easy to arrange. I’ll have the high priest assign you all some tasks.”
Hearing this, the White Bear tribespeople finally breathed a small sigh of relief. If they could work, they’d have a chance to investigate the tribe and perhaps find an opportunity to escape.
After the meal, the high priest did indeed begin assigning work, and the White Bear tribespeople were finally able to participate in the daily life of the Xia Wang tribe. This gave them a chance to better understand the tribe.
Gradually, they began to notice that this tribe was not quite what they had imagined, and their evening conversations started to change.
“I went into the storage today and there really were a lot of animal furs and animals that hadn’t been processed yet!”
“I spent the whole day carrying logs, but I have no idea what they were building!”
“I went inside that tallest building they call the Magic Academy!”
This last remark immediately caught everyone’s attention. “Is there really magic?”
The person speaking looked excited. “When I delivered food to the sixth floor, I caught a glimpse. There were people holding sticks that emitted all sorts of colorful lights—fireballs, ice spikes, and more!”
“Are you sure you weren’t seeing things?”
“I’m sure!”
At that, everyone fell silent.
“We must continue to investigate. Don’t let your guard down,” said the former high priest of the White Bear tribe.
Everyone nodded. The White Bear high priest spoke again, “Tonight, I plan to sneak out of the tent and check things outside.”
“But there will be guards outside the tent…”
“I know, I’ll be careful,” the high priest of the White Bear tribe said resolutely. Seeing his determination, the others no longer tried to stop him. After all, they were curious too. Ever since they arrived at the Xia Wang tribe, they hadn’t stepped outside their tents at night. Was there something strange about the tribe at night?
That deep night, as the familiar darkness fell, the Xia Wang tribe had already prepared for defense with clearly defined roles. Not only that, but the baby dragon, Feng Shou, and the big white cat, who had been kept hidden or confined to the magical plantation during the day to avoid scaring the guests, came out at night to stretch their legs.
After taking care of the more dangerous magical beasts outside, the baby dragon wandered curiously around the tribe. Yinzi, curious as always, crept toward the tents of the foreign tribe, trying to peek through the gaps in the tent flaps to get a glimpse of what the outsiders looked like. Unfortunately, every attempt ended in failure.
However, tonight seemed different. One of the tent flaps wasn’t properly closed. Excited, Yinzi stuck his large head toward the gap. But just as his head went through, a person suddenly shot out of the tent!
In an instant, both dragon and man were startled. Yinzi instinctively pulled his head back a little, having been hit square on the nose. The White Bear tribe’s high priest, having just emerged, immediately bumped into the unknown creature. When he looked up, he was met with a sight that left him frozen in place—a head much larger than his entire body!
The high priest stood there, dumbfounded, forgetting even to scream. He was pressed against the side of the tent, standing perfectly still like a wooden statue.
Seeing this, Yinzi became curious. Were these outsiders made of stone? Unable to resist, the dragon stuck his head closer, trying to get a whiff of the strange person.
As soon as Yinzi got closer, however, the man snapped out of it. With a terrified scream, he scrambled back into the tent, rolling and crawling all the way.
The high priest’s scream naturally woke everyone inside the tent. They hadn’t been sleeping well, to begin with, and seeing the usually composed high priest so terrified only made them more anxious. They crowded around him, trying to calm him down while asking what he had seen.
It took the high priest a long time to regain his composure. His eyes were wary as he glanced back at the tent flap, but by now, it had been fully closed, leaving no view of the outside. Swallowing hard, he finally spoke, “There’s a dragon in this camp! A huge one! No wonder they want to keep us here—they’re planning to feed us to it!”
After all, the White Bear tribe had resorted to cannibalism in the end because they couldn’t find enough food. A dragon, being even more dangerous than bears, would surely behave the same way.
Upon hearing the truth, the White Bear tribespeople couldn’t sit still. A dragon! Even if their entire tribe were to be eaten, it likely wouldn’t be enough! It made sense now—how could a wealthy tribe like this have a mouse as their deity? The dragon must be the tribe’s true deity, and the mouse was just a decoy to lower others’ guard!
As they debated whether to fight to the death right then and there, Shu Bao and the high priest of the Xia Wang tribe arrived in a hurry.
Seeing the tense expressions of the White Bear tribespeople, Shu Bao sincerely apologized, “I’m terribly sorry. My little one was being mischievous. Despite all our precautions, he still managed to scare you. Since this has happened, why not come and meet him properly? Yinzi would like to apologize.”
The White Bear tribespeople were baffled. What did he mean? They didn’t understand!
Though confused, they were in no position to start a fight with a tribe that had a dragon. Reluctantly, they followed Shu Bao, leaving their tents for the first time at night.
The moment they stepped out of the tent, their eyes were drawn to the enormous creature in front of them. Several White Bear tribespeople cried out in fear, instinctively huddling together. Trembling, they feared that the Xia Wang tribe had decided to stop pretending and were about to feed them to the dragon.
Under their terrified gaze, the dragon opened its massive jaws and let out three loud roars before standing still, staring at them with blinking eyes.
Shu Bao quickly translated, “Yinzi says he’s very sorry for spying on you. He deeply regrets his mistake and sincerely apologizes, hoping for your forgiveness.”
The White Bear tribespeople were even more bewildered. What was going on now? A dragon was apologizing to them? And a mouse was making the dragon apologize?
