Before long, Sam faintly heard the sound of people shouting. He could feel Xuan speeding up his pace, and soon the voices grew clearer and clearer.
"Xuan! You're finally back! Why were you gone so long? We were so worried about you!"
"Yeah, Xuan! Most people only take six or seven days for their coming-of-age hunt, but you've been gone nearly a month! If you hadn't come back today, the clan leader was going to organize a search party!"
"Whoa! What a huge beast! Is this your prey? Xuan, you're amazing!"
"What's in your mouth? Is it something good to eat? Let me have a taste!"
"I can't wait to come of age and go on my hunt too! I'm dying for an adventure!"
Inside the woven sack, Sam heard several youthful voices buzzing around him, full of energy. The voice that had asked for a taste drew closer and closer. He felt Xuan take a step back to dodge, then gently set the sack down on the ground. Xuan's voice rang out, firm and clear.
"Mu, this isn't food. All of you, stand back a little—don't scare him." He dipped his head and nudged the sack with his muzzle. "Sam, do you want to come out?"
Sam had been debating whether to reveal himself and let that snack-obsessed kid know the sack contained a person, not food. At Xuan's question, he stopped overthinking, pushed the sack open, and poked his head out.
Whoa! So many big animals! There was a lion, two leopards, and a black bear—all slightly smaller than Xuan. The one who'd wanted to taste him was the black bear, who'd crowded the closest of all.
The four large beasts, plus Xuan, formed a circle around Sam. Xuan sat there calmly, but the others were absolutely fascinated by him, craning their necks to get a better look, only to be blocked by Xuan every time they tried to get closer.
"It's a sub-beast! Holy stars, Xuan! Where did you find him?" one leopard exclaimed in shock.
"Xuan! Did you sneak into another tribe and steal a sub-beast back? You're insane! And you actually pulled it off!" the other leopard gasped, his imagination clearly running wild.
"Ooh ooh ooh! Our tribe's getting a new sub-beast! Xuan, you're the best! You hunted this giant beast *and* brought a sub-beast back safe and sound!" the black bear cheered, plopping down on his haunches and clapping his paws excitedly.
"Great news! Great news! Xuan's back! He hunted a huge beast and stole a sub-beast from another tribe! Great news! Great news!" the lion yelled, already sprinting toward the tribe to spread the word.
"..." Sam was completely speechless.
Xuan picked up the sack and carried Sam toward the tribe, with the remaining three beasts trailing behind, craning their necks to peek at him every now and then.
Sam felt a little awkward under all their stares and shrank back into the sack. Sensing his discomfort, Xuan shot the curious trio a sharp glare, instantly putting a stop to their nosy antics.
When they reached the tribe entrance, Xuan set the sack down. Sam climbed out and watched in amazement as the four giant beasts shifted back into human form. The youths who'd come to greet Xuan were incredibly tall—all over six feet—with lean, muscular builds and eight-pack abs, looking to be around seventeen or eighteen years old.
A patrol of adult beastmen was already standing at the gate. Seeing Xuan return, the leader—a towering beastman nearly seven feet tall—stepped forward, gave Xuan a once-over from head to toe, clapped him hard on the shoulder, and said with obvious approval,
"Good lad! You're home safe and sound, and you bagged such a massive prey too. Looks like you're the top dog among the younger generation, no contest!"
He then turned to Sam and offered a friendly smile. Though his sharp features made the smile look a little intimidating, Sam assumed it was meant to be kind. He forced a polite smile in return, then quickly ducked behind Xuan—there were way too many strangers here, and his social anxiety was kicking into high gear.
The other beastmen noticed his skittish reaction and exchanged knowing grins with Xuan, especially the three teenage boys who'd followed them back, wiggling their eyebrows suggestively. Unfortunately, Sam was too busy staring at his shoes to notice their teasing—if he had, he would've definitely blown his top. He wasn't hiding because of *that* reason!
Xuan scratched his nose awkwardly, ignoring their teasing glances. He turned to pick up the shadow beast's corpse and said to the teenagers beside him,
"Help me carry this inside. It's too big to handle in human form—don't drag it on the ground and ruin the pelt."
"Just take it straight to the square!" the patrol leader called out. "Dan was yelling so loud when he ran in, the whole tribe must know you're back by now. The clan leader's probably waiting for you at the square. Hurry—your papa's been worried sick. We've got patrol duty to get back to, so we won't stay to chat." With that, he gestured for his patrol team to follow him and left.
Mu took the lead, stepping up to the shadow beast and hoisting one end onto his shoulders. The other two teenage beastmen—Lie and Dong—quickly moved to the opposite end and lifted it up as well.
Xuan took the head end, slinging the massive corpse over his shoulders. Sam tried to step forward to help, but Xuan stopped him with a shake of his head. No way was he letting a sub-beast help carry a giant beast carcass—what would the other beastmen think? It would be a total loss of face.
The beastmen moved quickly, and within minutes, the five of them had reached the square. It was enormous—big enough to fit five or six soccer fields—with a raised platform built of stone and wood in the center. A large crowd had already gathered there, waiting.
Standing at the very front was a beastman who looked to be in his thirties, tall and powerfully built, with light brown hair and a leopard-print hide skirt tied around his waist. Next to him stood a man a head shorter, with black hair and black eyes, his features gentle and handsome. His gaze was fixed firmly on Xuan, filled with concern and affection.
The group carried the shadow beast over to the platform and set it down with a heavy thud. The moment they did, the black-haired man rushed forward, grabbed Xuan's arm, and inspected him from head to toe, a warm smile spreading across his face as he said,
"It's so good to have you home, safe and sound. Why were you gone so long? We were so worried about you." His smile faded instantly when he spotted the still-unhealed wound on Xuan's shoulder, his eyes softening with heartache.
Sensing his gaze, Xuan shifted his shoulder awkwardly.
"I'm fine, Papa. I'm home safe now—don't worry about me." He murmured, trying to reassure his father.
The beastman standing beside Xuan's papa also stepped forward, giving Xuan a thorough once-over with a stern expression, though his eyes betrayed his relief and joy. After confirming Xuan was unharmed, he relaxed his expression and grinned,
"Good lad! You've been gone long enough. Let me see what you hunted down—Dan was yelling from a mile away about some giant beast you bagged."
"Father." Xuan greeted him, then stepped aside to reveal the shadow beast lying behind him.
The beastman's eyes fell on the corpse, and his smile vanished instantly, replaced by pure disbelief. He stared at Xuan, his voice trembling slightly,
"Is that... *that thing*?"
"Yes." Xuan met his gaze steadily.
At his confirmation, the beastman's expression turned grave, even heavy. He turned to one of the nearby beastmen and ordered,
"Li! Go get Yang—bring him here at once."
"Right away."
The beastman nodded and sprinted off, disappearing into the crowd in the blink of an eye.
Sam watched the exchange, thoroughly confused. He wasn't the only one—most of the other beastmen and sub-beasts in the square looked just as puzzled, exchanging confused glances, clearly wondering why the cheerful atmosphere had suddenly turned so somber. Someone finally spoke up, unable to contain their curiosity,
"Clan Leader! What are you talking about? We don't understand!"
"Yeah, Clan Leader! Xuan hunted such a huge beast—why do you look so unhappy about it?"
"Is there something wrong with this beast? Tell us—we can all help figure it out!"
"Clan Leader, why are you suddenly so serious? Is something wrong with Xuan? He looks perfectly fine to me!"
The crowd erupted into a flurry of questions, and the square descended into chaos. Some people even started fretting that Xuan might have hidden injuries they couldn't see.
"Quiet down, everyone! It's nothing to panic about. We'll explain once Yang gets here." Xuan's father raised a hand to calm the crowd. Meanwhile, his papa held onto Xuan tightly, his eyes fixed on the shadow beast's corpse with a look of deep-seated hatred.
Seeing his expression, Sam recalled what the system had said about shadow beasts during the identification process, and a terrible guess began to form in his mind.
It wasn't long before the beastman who'd been sent to fetch Yang returned, accompanied by a tall, lanky beastman with a limp who bore a strong resemblance to Xuan's father. This must be Yang. He was even taller than Xuan's father, with a horrifically jagged scar running down his crippled leg—clearly the cause of his disability. He looked at Xuan's father and asked in a gruff voice,
"Xia. What did you need me for?"
"Yang, whatever you see next, you need to stay calm. Control yourself." Xia said, then turned to Xuan. "Xuan—show your Uncle Yang the prey from your coming-of-age hunt."
At Xia's words, Yang's gaze shifted to Xuan, then slid past him to the shadow behind him.
The moment his eyes landed on the shadow beast's corpse, they snapped wide open, bloodshot red as if they were about to pop out of their sockets. Veins bulged on his forehead, and he let out a deafening roar, lunging at the corpse like a man possessed. His hands morphed into sharp, clawed beast gauntlets, his face contorted into a bestial snarl, and his fangs bared menacingly.
No one in the square was prepared for Yang's violent outburst.
Seeing him lose control, Xia didn't hesitate for a second—he lunged forward and wrapped his arms around Yang's waist, trying to hold him back.
"AAAAHHHH—LET ME GO! LET ME GO! I'M GOING TO KILL IT! I *HAVE* TO KILL IT! I'LL CRUSH ITS BONES TO DUST AND TEAR ITS FLESH APART BIT BY BIT! AAAAAHHHH—LET ME GO!" Yang screamed, thrashing wildly in Xia's grip.
"YANG! CALM DOWN! LOOK AT IT! IT'S ALREADY DEAD!" Xia shouted, struggling to hold him back.
Yang was beyond reason, slashing at Xia with his claws. Xia was so focused on not hurting Yang that he almost lost his grip several times. Luckily, the nearby beastmen, though clueless about what was going on, quickly stepped in to help restrain Yang.
They tackled him to the ground, pinning his arms and legs. Trapped and unable to move, Yang grew even more feral, his bloodshot eyes glistening as if he were about to cry blood.
"LET ME GO! LET ME GO! AAAAAHHHH—WAAAAHHHH!"
His roar turned into a guttural sob as he thrashed against the beastmen holding him down. Though his limbs were pinned, his fingers were still free—he dug them into the dirt, scratching and scraping as he tried to crawl toward the shadow beast's corpse, leaving ten deep furrows in the ground. His beast gauntlets were tough and durable, but his frenzy was so intense that several of his claws snapped clean off, leaving trails of blood in the dirt.
"Lie! Go to your father at once! Don't let him hurt himself anymore!" Xuan shouted, one arm shielding the trembling Sam behind him, the other steadying his own papa. He called out to the teenage boy who'd been frozen stiff with shock.
Lie finally snapped out of his daze, seeing his father's broken state, he scrambled to the ground and threw himself beside Yang,
"Father! Father! Please calm down! Father, don't do this! Father, look at me! It's me—Lie!" His voice was trembling, his words jumbled with fear. Before he knew it, he'd shifted back into his leopard form, nuzzling Yang's face frantically and letting out a high-pitched whimper, the sound only a cub would make to comfort its parent.
Hearing his cub's whimpers, Yang's thrashing paused for a split second. Seizing the opportunity, Xia yelled,
"YANG! LOOK AT THE CHILD IN FRONT OF YOU! THIS IS LIE! HE'S YOUR AND CHIYE'S SON! DO YOU WANT TO WORRY HIM LIKE THIS? IS THIS HOW YOU WANT TO HONOR LIE? HONOR CHIYE? THE SHADOW BEAST IS DEAD! XUAN KILLED IT! CHIYE'S REVENGE HAS BEEN ACHIEVED!"
"Chiye..."
The name was like a switch. Yang went completely still, his body going limp in the beastmen's grip. His eyes stared blankly at the ground, his voice a broken whisper,
"Chiye... Chiye..."
Lie froze at the mention of his papa's name, lifting his head in disbelief to stare at the giant beast he and his friends had carried into the square only moments before. He whispered, his voice hollow,
"Is... is this the beast that killed him?"
No one answered him.
Yang had fallen completely silent, his face streaked with dirt and tears. Xia signaled to the beastmen holding him down to let go. They hesitated for a moment, then slowly released their grip, their eyes never leaving Yang, ready to tackle him again if he snapped.
No one in the square spoke. Some stared at Yang, others at Xuan, and still others at the shadow beast's corpse. The older beastmen had looks of painful recognition on their faces, while the teenagers—except for Lie—looked utterly confused, but none dared to speak, overwhelmed by the heavy, somber atmosphere.
The silence stretched on for what felt like an eternity, until the sound of chaotic voices echoed from the tribe entrance, breaking the stillness. The hunting party had returned.
The hunting party leader—Lan—strode into the square, followed by dozens of beastmen loaded down with prey. From a distance, he spotted the crowd gathered around the platform and the massive corpse lying in the center. He paused, instantly dropping his prey, and sprinted over, his voice trembling with shock,
"Is that... a shadow beast?"
"Yes." A hoarse voice replied. It was Yang.
He'd climbed to his feet, his expression cold and grim once more, the wild ferocity gone without a trace. If it weren't for his broken claws and the smudges of dirt and tears on his face, no one would have guessed this was the same man who'd been screaming and thrashing on the ground just moments ago.
"Clan Leader... what in the world is going on here?"
Finally, someone mustered up the courage to ask the question on everyone's mind.
Some people in the crowd nodded, looking as if they'd finally figured it out. Others wore looks of vague understanding. And the youngest among them—those too young to remember—remained completely lost and confused.