Clumsy Beast, Keep Your Paws Off - Chapter 195

Chapter 195: Chapter 195: The Priest’s Identity?
Outside, the world had turned chaotic.

The warm calm inside Hu Yan’s cave was a sharp contrast to the storm shaking the tribe grounds. Rain poured down in long silver sheets, soaking everything in sight. The mud was already forming, puddles widening, and water rushing between the trees.

And right in the middle of the storm, the tribe leader stood completely drenched.

Su Mingxuan didn’t even blink as rain streamed down his sharp face. His eyes were fixed on the gray sky, unreadable but heavy.

The priest beside him, in comparison, was trying very hard to keep himself dry; he was holding two enormous leaves folded together like a makeshift umbrella over his head.

It wasn’t helping much.

Rain dripped steadily off the leaf edges, splashing on the priest’s shoulders. But he stood there calmly, as if none of it bothered him.

A group of beastmen gathered behind them, some soaking wet, others using hides to cover their heads. All of them looked uneasy.

Su Mingxuan finally lowered his gaze.

“The heavens have changed,” he said quietly, but his voice carried over the storm. “Something has definitely happened… This rain is early. Far too early.”

The priest nodded slowly, expression composed and strangely serene.

“It has arrived,” he murmured. “And it will not stop. It will only increase from here.”

His voice felt calm, but every word fell like a warning. Beastmen exchanged tense glances. A ripple of dread moved through the crowd.

They had prepared for the rainy season.

But they hadn’t finished moving yet. Their new home had been built, yes, but the houses were still empty, many houses were still not polished, and the storage area was not fully sealed.

Everyone had assumed they still had three or four days left.

But heaven had given them no time at all.

Su Mingxuan straightened with a tight jaw. He looked at the beastmen behind him. They were strong warriors, seasoned hunters, males who rarely feared anything.

Even they looked unsettled.

“Start shifting your families immediately,” Su Mingxuan ordered. “Do not wait another moment.”

A murmur rolled through the group. One beastman stepped forward.

“Tribe leader… The rain will only get heavier. Won’t we risk the females catching cold if we move them now?”

Su Mingxuan shook his head firmly.

“They’ll fall sick if they stay in the cave as the rain grows. At least the new homes are farther from the flooding areas. Move them. Carry them if you must. Keep them dry.”

Another beastman raised his voice over the storm.

“What about the rations? The dried fruits and smoked meat? It’ll be ruined if the water reaches the caves!”

The priest finally spoke again, calm as ever.

“Use the stone bowls. Seal everything inside. Move it one trip at a time, but quickly. If the rain continues like this… we may not get a second chance.”

A heavy silence spread across the tribe as the reality sank in.

They couldn’t delay.

Su Mingxuan’s voice cut through the sound of rain.

“And remember…our witch doctor has gone to Beast City and hasn’t returned yet. We cannot risk anyone falling sick. Protect the females. Protect the young cubs well.”

A chorus of determined voices answered him.

“Yes, tribe leader!”

Rong Ye stood toward the back, leaning under a thick tree, hair plastered to his forehead. He exchanged a grim look with Han Jue beside him.

“This rain…” Rong Ye muttered.

Han Jue’s jaw tightened. “Something’s wrong. I feel it.”

“Do you think…”

“It doesn’t matter what I think,” Han Jue cut him off. “We have to move fast.”

All around them, the beastmen sprang into action.

Mated males picked up their females at once…some cradling them close and completely covering them with hides and leaves, determined not to let even a drop touch them. They hurried toward the new living area, shouting to each other over the storm.

“Bring the hides!”

“Cover the little ones!”

“Watch the mud…don’t slip!”

Single beastmen rushed toward the storage caves, hauling enormous stone bowls filled with dried rations. Another group sealed lids with clay, making sure not a single drop of rain could seep inside.

“Careful! Don’t tilt it!”

“Hurry…this bowl alone carries enough food for two females!”

The entire tribe moved like a stirred ant nest…tense but organized, frightened but determined.

Su Mingxuan watched his people, rain dripping from his hair, expression hard and unreadable.

He leaned in toward the priest, lowering his voice until it was almost lost in the storm’s roar.

“Priest,” he whispered with his intense gaze fixed on the priest’s composed face. “Do you think… this rain… is it because of them?”

He looked at the priest with a questioning gaze, the meaning of ‘them’ hanging heavy between them, unspoken but understood.

The priest’s expression remained serene, untouched by the downpour or the tribe’s panic. He sighed softly, the sound barely audible over the rush of water.

“Who are we to know about them?” he murmured, his voice calm yet carrying an infinite weight of resignation. “Even if it was because of them, we can do nothing but silently bear the brunt.”

His gaze shifted to the stormy sky, distant and profound.

“One move of them can wipe out countless of us,” he said, and sighed deeply, a sound of profound weariness.

Su Mingxuan’s heart tightened with a familiar knot of dread. He stared at the priest, his own weariness showing in his sharp, rain-streaked face.

“Priest,” he said, the words strained, “is there really no way to escape from this endless torment?”

He hesitated, then plunged forward with a question he had always feared to ask.

“Are you not from there…?”

The air around the priest changed instantly. His calm expression turned solemn as his calm and serene tone took on a slightly angry tone.

“Tribe leader,” he stated firmly, turning his intense gaze on Su Mingxuan. “I have no relation with them.”

With that, he turned sharply away, his makeshift leaf umbrella swaying slightly.

“Spare me,” he said in a flat voice, concluding the tense conversation. “I have work to do.”

And he left, walking away from the tribe leader and toward the gathering of beastmen, his figure disappearing quickly into the silver sheets of rain.

Su Mingxuan could only sigh, a gust of breath that seemed to carry all the tribe’s anxieties. He looked at the departing figure of the priest with pity in his eyes.

But suddenly, he realized who he was to judge him… when his status couldn’t even compare to the toenail of the priest.