Leisurely Life in the Beast World - Chapter 231

Ji Nuan’s face was filled with lingering fear. “The Liangshan Tribe’s settlement had massive, deep cracks after the ground shook. Many beastmen fell in and never came back out, leading to the tribe’s decline over time.”

After speaking, she glanced at Ge Xing and Ji Nuan. “Before that earthquake, it was just as you said—prey disappeared, even birds and insects were nowhere to be seen. Then, that terrifying disaster struck.”

Ji Nuan’s heart clenched tightly. Was a natural disaster looming over them?

“Chief, there are a few unfamiliar beastmen outside requesting to see you,” a voice called from outside the tent.

Ge Xing wiped his face, sighing. “I’ll go see who they are. We’ll discuss this and prepare later.” He left, his figure vanishing into the distance.

“Do they look familiar?” Ge Xing asked as he walked.

One of the beastmen tilted his head thoughtfully before his eyes lit up. “Ah, yes! There’s one from the Grizzly Tribe. He’s the one who said you shouldn’t show your beast face last time—”

Ge Xing’s expression darkened, cutting him off. “Do I look like that kind of beast to you?”

The beastman’s scalp tingled as he hastily replied, “Of course not!” Yet inwardly, he muttered, Who wouldn’t think that?

Satisfied with the response, Ge Xing strode toward the tribe’s entrance, curious if that “dumb bear” had really come.

At the entrance, the chief of the Grizzly Tribe, Xiong Dan, stood with a group of young cubs, gazing in awe at the Watson Tribe’s towering green clay structures. The sunlight reflected off the smooth, jade-like surface, far more beautiful than any beast’s fangs. Xiong Dan thought, If I bring some of these back to the tribe’s females, they’ll be thrilled.

“Haha, it really is you, dumb bear! I never thought we’d meet again!” Ge Xing called out with laughter.

Xiong Dan snorted, standing tall. “I waited ages for you to visit, but you never came. So, I had to come myself!”

Ge Xing laughed heartily, rushing forward to give his old friend a bear hug. Although Xiong Dan pretended to dislike it, the genuine joy in his eyes was unmistakable.

“Perfect timing. I’ve got something to ask you, native beastman,” Ge Xing said, slinging an arm around Xiong Dan’s shoulders as he led him into the tribe.

Xiong Dan tilted his head, puzzled. “What could trouble someone like you?”

Ge Xing bared his teeth in a grin. “I’m not the Beast God, you know. Haha!” But then his expression turned serious. “Our hunting team went out today and found the forest completely devoid of wild beasts. Have you ever encountered something like this?”

Xiong Dan nodded. “Our tribe has. Once, when I was a cub, it happened before a major earthquake. Another time, it preceded a massive beast tide. That one was only recorded by the elder beastmen and passed down through stories. I’ve never seen it myself.”

“Beast tide?” Ge Xing was surprised. This was the first time he’d heard of such a thing.

Xiong Dan nodded again. “The elders said it happens when the cold season is unusually harsh, or when the rainy season stretches too long, leaving food scarce. Predators from the Ainilu Mountains pour out, attacking beastmen tribes en masse. During the last recorded beast tide, many tribes were wiped out entirely.”

Ge Xing’s gaze darkened, his mind racing. The prolonged cold season and the restless predators upstream in the forest… His heart tightened. “It looks like a beast tide is coming our way. And it’s not far off. We must prepare immediately.”