Looking for Them (continued)

Jian Mo raised her voice. "No, what's wrong? Haven't they gone home yet?"

The visitor said anxiously, "They haven't returned. I've searched the entire tribe, but I can't find the cubs."

Broken.

Jian Mo straightened up abruptly and exchanged a glance with Wu Jiong.

Something terrible has happened! It seems that Jiujiu has gone missing along with the little ones.

The cub going missing is a big deal.

Wu Jiong immediately summoned people to inquire.

"When I came back in the afternoon, the kids were still playing in the open space outside, so I didn't pay much attention."

"I saw them in the afternoon too. It seems they were gone around the time the sunset came out. I was thinking to myself, 'Why is it so quiet today? I should have come out to check back then.'"

"I came back around sunset, and I haven't seen the little ones since."

"Did they go to the back mountain? I saw them there when I came back."

Wu Jiong then found A Da, the orc on patrol that day.

A Da said regretfully, "I saw the cubs playing in the back mountain this afternoon. Everyone had returned by then, and there was no danger nearby, so I went to patrol the front. When I didn't see them in the back mountain, I assumed they had all gone home."

Wu Jiong: "Let's take stock first and see which little ones are missing."

Wu Jiong remained relatively calm, and the parents, influenced by his attitude, gradually calmed down as well.

Everyone counted, and they finally discovered that there were a total of twenty-three cubs in the tribe. Except for the little orc Wan Ling and Li Chen, who were playing house in the tribe and hadn't gone out, all the other cubs were missing.

The adults asked Wan Ling and Li Chen, and learned that the children had gone out to explore the tribe.

Because Wan Ling's father was on patrol today, Wan Ling was too afraid to run out in front of him, so she played house with her friends in the village.

Qing Kuo asked, "Did they say where they were going to explore?"

Wan Ling and Li Chen shook their heads, looking terrified.

Wu Jiong squatted down and asked the two little ones, "Where do you usually go on adventures?"

Wan Ling whispered, "Outside the tribe, we'll explore around it."

Li Chen whispered back, "When we went outside, we could hear the voices of people from inside the tribe. Someone called us, so we came back."

The two little ones were also worried about their companions' situation. Although they were scared, they still made their point clear.

Qing Kuo's Banjiu has also gone missing. He muttered under his breath, worried and annoyed, "When that guy comes back, I'll give him a good spanking."

Wu Jiong: "Scatter the people and search around the tribe."

The disappearance of the tribe's cubs was a major event. The entire Riverside Tribe mobilized, with sub-beastmen carrying torches and beastmen transforming back into their animal forms as they searched outwards from the tribe.

They walked and shouted, hoping to get a response from the little ones.

Jian Mo and Wu Jiong returned home, mounted Ying'ao, and planned to search from the air.

They made such a commotion that if the cubs were nearby, they should have heard it and responded.

However, after searching around, they still couldn't get any movement from the cubs, nor did any of them respond.

Everyone's heart was heavy, filled with a bad premonition, and they chanted "Beast God above" countless times.

The parents, who were originally planning to beat the little brat, now just hope they can come back safely.

Jian Mo said to Wu Jiong, "Jiujiu is definitely with the cubs, but I don't know if Jiujiu is calling the cubs out, or if the cubs are calling Jiujiu out?"

The thought that this trouble might have been caused by Jiujiu sent chills down Jian Mo's spine.

However, compared to the trouble that Jiujiu has caused, Jian Mo is now more worried about Jiujiu's safety.

Jiujiu is also part of their family, and the thought of Jiujiu possibly getting hurt sent chills down Jian Mo's spine.

Wu Jiong said softly, "It shouldn't be that bad. Jiujiu is so big, ordinary beasts can't do anything to it. The cubs also have some fighting ability. If they really encountered danger, they would definitely shout. I'm more inclined to believe that they caused the trouble and are hiding somewhere, too scared to come out."

"I hope it's as you guessed," Jian Mo said sadly. "As long as they're safe, I can accept any trouble they cause."

I suspect the other parents in the tribe think the same way.

Wu Jiong patted Ying'ao on the back and said in a deep voice, "Ying'ao, look for Jiujiu first, see if you can find it."

Ying'ao had been searching for so long that he roughly understood that they were looking for Jiujiu. He let out a long cry to indicate that he was responding.

The cubs aren't very big, and if they hide in the forest, they're quite difficult to find under the cover of night.

Jiujiu are different; Jiujiu large and have a strong smell, so they're relatively easy to find if you look carefully.

Jian Mo sat on Ying'ao's back, being carried by Ying'ao as they circled above the forest. She felt a surge of relief, thankful that the little ones had brought Jiujiu along.

With Jiujiu around, the little ones are safer and have a greater chance of being found.

Rather than assigning responsibility, Jian Mo's greatest wish is for all the little ones to be safe and sound.

After circling for an unknown amount of time, Ying'ao suddenly let out a long cry, "Jie--"

The sound was loud and clear in the sky, echoing throughout the forest.

It seems it has found Jiujiu!

Jian Mo perked up and craned her neck to look down.

After a while, amidst the echo, a small voice responded, "Chirp."

Jian Mo was overjoyed and turned sharply to look at Wu Jiong: "I think I heard Jiujiu sound!"

Wu Jiong: "It is indeed Jiujiu sound. Ying'ao, let's go down."

Ying'ao let out another long cry and led them down to the ground.

This time, a clearer "chirp" sound came from the forest; it was indeed Jiujiu sound.

Ying'ao swooped down, skimming over the branches, and landed in a clearing in the forest.

Jian Mo looked ahead and immediately saw Jiujiu, as well as the little cubs surrounding Jiujiu.

Both Jiujiu and the little ones looked terrified, and many of the little ones had tears streaming down their faces.

Jiujiu and the little ones also saw Jian Mo and Wu Jiong.