Werebeast Gongs CH 146 Becoming A Legend

After more than four years, Lei Jin found himself pregnant again. Once the initial shock and anger passed, he quickly accepted reality. He knew full well that he bore a large share of the responsibility for this. Accustomed to being pampered in bed, he rarely took the initiative to top unless particularly aroused, usually indulging the other three's whims. Believing himself infertile, he had been reckless every time, never stopping until thoroughly satisfied. Now, here he was—two little tenants had taken up residence without his notice, and these new occupants were anything but well-behaved.  

At just over three months along, he vomited everything he ate, as if trying to expel his very organs. Fortunately, years of travel had toughened his body, so the relentless nausea didn’t break him. Still, gallivanting across the land was out of the question now.  

The werebeasts who usually accompanied Lei Jin on his journeys found themselves disinterested this year without him. Lei Jin had always been their leader—they simply followed orders. Without him, they felt rudderless. Besides, after years of exploration, their wanderlust had dulled somewhat.  

"Boss, how are you holding up?" Taking advantage of a free day, five or six werebeasts came to visit, bearing gifts—including a large jar of yogurt made from their own cattle. Milk, whether from cows, goats, or deer, had been unknown to the tribe until recent domestication efforts. Though less sweet than fruit juices, dairy products had a richer texture. Roger had taught them to make yogurt, milk tablets, and cheese for preservation. While many still disliked the taste, Lei Jin, craving sour foods during pregnancy, enjoyed it.  

"What’s the big deal? It’s just pregnancy. Not like it’s my first time." Lei Jin’s tone was breezy, earning silent admiration from his visitors. That’s our boss—unflappable as ever. Their initial discomfort at the news had stemmed from the cognitive dissonance: they knew Lei Jin was female, but his fierce personality made it hard to reconcile him with the image of a delicate, sheltered mate. The pregnancy announcement had been a stark reminder: Oh right, boss is actually a female.

Unbeknownst to them, Lei Jin had just finished vomiting his breakfast before their arrival, lying limp as a wilted weed until Mingya helped him sit up and feign composure.  

Mindful of Lei Jin’s fatigue, Mingya soon ushered the group out to admire their newly built waterwheel. Many of these werebeasts were around Mingya’s age, some even sharing his birth year. Having eaten Lei Jin’s cooking often, they held him in high regard and obligingly followed Mingya’s lead.  

Xiya returned with a fresh meal to find Lei Jin slumped in a chair, listless. He tucked a cushion behind Lei Jin’s back and prepared to feed him.  

"Don’t. I can manage." Lei Jin straightened slightly.  

"You said you wanted chestnut chicken and lamb yesterday. It’s still warm—try it." Xiya handed him chopsticks. The table held generous portions of carrot-lamb stew, chestnut chicken, pickled beans, quail eggs, and a pot of vegetable porridge. Xiya ladled some out, blowing on it to cool.  

"There’s too much. Eat with me."  

Xiya pushed the porridge toward him. "It’s barely midmorning—I’m not hungry yet. Have some porridge first. Plenty of veggies in it." Though early spring limited fresh produce, last year’s stores—potatoes, onions, cabbage, celery, peppers, cilantro, and more—kept the porridge hearty.  

"Daddy." Grapes entered, setting down his medicine kit.  

"Perfect. Join me."  

Grapes washed his hands and sat beside Lei Jin.  

Xiya asked about his studies while serving him porridge.  

Lei Jin peeled quail eggs into Grapes’ bowl. At nine, Grapes already reached his chest but remained slender.  

"Daddy, that’s enough." Grapes pouted, basking in rare paternal affection—his brothers certainly didn’t get such treatment. He adored his daddy, who, unlike typical homemakers, taught them far more and he hoped to become someone like him when he grew up—even if his daddy could be a bit irresponsible and ridiculous at times (a sentiment from Uncle Chunji and Grandpa, not him).  

"What’s so funny?" Lei Jin eyed his smirking son.  

"Daddy, I miss Bubbles." The Berg-Lan family had visited last spring—almost a year ago now.  

"Good timing. Roger mentioned visiting the Tiger Tribe after the market. Let’s all go—see Berg and the others." Berg and Lan Qi now had three children, though Lei Jin still favored Bubbles.  

"No. You’ll be heavily pregnant by then—possibly due. It’s too far." Xiya vetoed firmly. This matter could not be left to Lei Jin's whims.

"Idleness is worse. I want to see Roger’s project—his years-long endeavor." Lei Jin compromised, “We can split the group, some leaving early, others after the market.”

Reluctantly, Xiya yielded—he too was curious about Roger’s work.  

The plan was finalized: An Bu, An Sen, Roger, Xiya, and Lei Jin would depart with the children in early spring; Moya and Mingya would follow later. By then, Lei Jin’s pregnancy would be stable at five months, his debilitating nausea having subsided around the fourth month.  

Spring buds dotted the grasslands, but lingering cold brought light snows. Well-bundled, they traveled leisurely for Lei Jin’s sake.  

A month and a half later, they reached the Tiger Tribe without incident—save for Apple’s heart-stopping disappearance.  

At four and a half, Apple was still a milk-toothed cub. One rest stop, he insisted on napping in a tree. With An Sen and An Luo hunting, Roger and Xiya cleaning the cave, Lei Jin followed Apples, worried about leaving him alone. He had just dozed a bit below, only to wake and find him gone. Panic set in—this was wild territory. An Luo eventually retrieved him alongside two mauled saber-tooth beasts. A furious Lei Jin thrashed the filthy cub and no one was able to stop him.  

Sobbing, Apple clung to Lei Jin’s leg, his ruby eye wet with grievance. "Daddy, their eyes kept moving—I couldn’t sleep!"  

What the hell, I don't see you open your eyes at home other than during meal times. And since when were you so light-sensitive? Lei Jin fumed. Wild beasts’ eyes glowed at night—should they shut them for your comfort?  

Roger interceded, "Some werebeasts are hyper-alert to even distant gazes—a survival trait. Apple’s too young to control it."  

Lei Jin relented but warned against future escapades—or else he’d prop Apple’s eyelids open with sticks. The threat worked wonders.  

In the Tiger Tribe, Kun Ge’s family was packing for the Leopard Tribe's market when news of Lei Jin’s arrival spread.  

Thanks to Lei Jin, intertribe relations had flourished. They entered unchallenged, greeted warmly. Someone even went ahead to relay his arrival.

Jing Ping, now bonded and moved out, had freed up three rooms: Roger and the dads took one; Lei Jin and Grapes another; Xiya roomed with the three furballs.  

Dinner brought Jing Ping and Jing Yue’s expanded family. Jing Yue had a new cub and Jing Ping had a new female child.

Lei Jin even came across a subdued Rong Chuan, who’d adopted a three-legged orphaned tiger cub with Jing Tang. The family of three were also doing well.

Moya and the others had also handled the tribal affairs and rushed over at the end of April. By then, Roger’s rock paintings were already underway, the pigments freshly red. Everyone had divided the tasks, aiming only to convey meaning rather than achieve perfect likeness. Besides, even if they had wanted meticulous detail, none of them had the skill for it. Berg and Lan Qi, visiting for the first time, found it all novel and joined in. Berg, now carrying his fourth child, had a slightly rounded belly. When he and Lei Jin met, they exchanged taunts, though in their current states, neither could claim to be more imposing than the other.  

Roger took the opportunity to add some information about the Merfolk Tribe. Lei Jin overheard him muttering that the merfolks of the sea were vastly different from the land-dwelling werebeasts, both in social structure and species evolution, though the reason for this was unclear.  

“If only that crystal space sealed in the forbidden land hadn’t been destroyed,” Roger sighed again. Had it remained intact, many mysteries might have been traced to their origins.  

“You’re still hung up on that?” That space had been accidentally destroyed by the four of them, sinking forever to the bottom of the lake. Roger had searched but found no clues.  

“There were so many things inside—you could’ve at least brought something out.” But it was too late now. Roger mixed the pigments and resumed painting.  

“Out with the old, in with the new,” Lei Jin patted his shoulder in consolation, though his expression betrayed a lack of sincerity.  

Roger felt a sudden clarity. Perhaps it was true—wasn’t the essence of life simply birth, death, and rebirth? This world had been reborn, so why cling to what had already been destroyed? They were now creating another history, one they were actively part of. He had lost himself in the maze of the past. Often, the simplest truths were the closest to reality, and in this regard, he had to admit Lei Jin surpassed him.  

But he would never say that out loud—otherwise, this man’s arrogance would know no bounds.  

After nearly two months of work, they finally completed the paintings Roger had outlined.  

Surveying the half-valley of rock art, Roger felt something was still missing. He turned to Lei Jin. “Why don’t you leave something for modern people?”  

“You mean… people in the future could see this?” Lei Jin found it hard to believe.  

“Most likely.” He was eighty to ninety percent certain these paintings would survive into the modern era.  

A mischievous grin spread across Lei Jin’s face. “How about we leave them a doomsday prophecy?”  

“Brilliant idea.” Roger, also a playful type, brightened at the suggestion. “We’ll start with a few things that have already happened, then end with the prophecy. That’ll make it more convincing.”  

Lei Jin eyed him in surprise before slinging an arm over his shoulder, laughing. “Roger, you’ve been hiding your devious side well. I never realized you had such a knack for trouble.”  

Roger rolled his eyes, refusing to engage in banter.  

Once they’d settled on the plan, Lei Jin called over Pomelo and Orange to give them a chance to contribute. “Come here, boys. I’ll dictate, and you write.”  

When they finished, Lei Jin’s face darkened. These were no proper characters—just crooked, illegible scribbles.  

“Daddy, paws aren’t good for writing,” Orange waved his ink-stained, furry paw.  

Roger, however, burst out laughing. “Perfect! Let future people struggle to decipher these mysterious writings.”  

In the modern era, the three-year archaeological excavation was nearing its end. Joey clutched a pocket watch—this was where Roger had vanished over two years ago. The watch had been retrieved from a Chinese man, and it was unmistakably the one he had given Roger years ago, engraved with Roger’s initials. But where had Roger gone? Later, when he tried to track down the Chinese man for more details, he learned the man had gone missing at sea.  

A wave of unrestrained exclamations erupted from the depths of the cave.  

“What happened?” Joey stopped a young man emerging from the site.  

The young man, still buzzing with excitement, exclaimed, “A major discovery! We found a stone slab with inscriptions—proof that those werebeasts had developed their own writing! This could help us understand their history and maybe solve the mystery of their disappearance. This could rewrite history as we know it!”  

“That day will never come,” Joey said coolly.  

True to his words, the findings were classified for reasons unknown in the following years. Only a handful of people knew the truth, and it was never disclosed to the public. Yet, the doomsday prophecy gradually leaked out.  

Meanwhile, in the Leopard Tribe.  

“Why aren’t you asleep yet?” Tian Qi draped a coat over his shoulders and found Chunji still sitting in the yard.  

“Master… Roger and Lei Jin went to that place, didn’t they?” Chunji’s eyes were hidden beneath his long bangs.  

“Timing-wise, it should be about right. Stop overthinking it. Go to bed—we’ve got herbs to dry tomorrow.” Tian Qi yawned and turned to leave.  

“Master?” Chunji called after him.  

“Damn kid, can’t it wait till morning?” Tian Qi feigned annoyance.  

“Master… To put it nicely, we’re the guardians of the new world. But really, we’re just the ones left behind, aren’t we?” Burdened with an eternal secret.  

“I despise this bloodline. I hope it ends with me.” It should have perished long ago.  

“Is that why you refuse to modify your body or bear children with werebeasts?”  

“Yes.” In the dark, it was easier to face one’s heart.  

“If that’s your choice, I won’t stop you.”  

Xiya took the three little ones to the lake for a bath. Mingya splashed in after them, while Grapes sat in a corner whispering to Bubbles.  

Moya pulled Lei Jin away from Roger and guided him to a sun-warmed rock by the lake. Kissing the corner of his mouth, he asked, “Any discomfort in your belly today?” Given Lei Jin’s eight-month pregnancy, it was natural to be cautious.  

“It’s not that punctual.” Aside from the weight, he felt nothing unusual.  

No sooner had he spoken than Lei Jin clutched his stomach, face paling as he slumped against Moya.  

“Lei Jin! What’s wrong?”  

“This time… seems right on schedule,” Lei Jin managed a weak joke.  

Moya wasn’t laughing. Shouting for the others, he scooped Lei Jin into his arms and hurried off.  

“Daddy—!”  

“Lei Jin—!”  

A whole crowd followed behind.  

What a lively family.

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TN: And that's the end of Lei Jin's story! There are still 12 side story chapters (Roger) left which I might or might not finish translating. Depends on if anyone is interested? Let me know in the comments! Andddd Werebeast Gong is finally completed!!! 🎉🍾 It did take a while and several hiatus but it's done!! I can finally add it to the list of complete works!🎆🎇

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