Chapter Five: Reforming Xiao Hei

Chapter 5: Disciplining Little Black

Chu Ye initially felt that his plan was somewhat malicious and might even cost Little Black its life. However, he also believed that as long as he maintained a sense of proportion, there shouldn't be any major issues. If he could survive being stung by those killer bees without any serious trouble, then Little Black should be the same. After all, Little Black’s body was even stronger than his own. Being stung a few times by killer bees shouldn't be a problem.

Thinking it over, Chu Ye concluded that the plan was feasible. He had to discipline Little Black; otherwise, it would continue to bully him. Since he was destined to live in this pride for a long time, he couldn't spend his days being bullied by another young male lion. He just needed to give Little Black a good scare, not end its life. Chu Ye decided to seize this opportunity to teach Little Black a lesson. So, he went through with it, deciding to use the African killer bees to school the cub.

One morning, after the lionesses finished nursing their cubs, they headed out to hunt. The male lion, having seen the females off, led the cubs in some basic hunting practice before sprawling out on a large rock to sleep. This lazy creature spent most of his days sleeping, only patrolling the territory at night. Little Black was busy playing with his siblings.

Chu Ye began his own "training," running back and forth across the nearby grass like a little lunatic. At first, Little Black didn't pay much attention to him, indifferent to his antics. After all, he was used to Chu Ye’s behavior. But after a while, Chu Ye deliberately ran up to Little Black and nipped at its tail, pretending it was just roughhousing.

Little Black was not amused. It immediately turned around and let out an angry roar at Chu Ye. Chu Ye, looking for trouble, roared back. Incensed, Little Black glared at him, raised a paw, and swiped at him. Chu Ye dodged quickly and continued to roar from a distance. Driven by rage, Little Black began to chase him. This was exactly what Chu Ye wanted. As Little Black pursued him, he led the chase toward the bush where the hornets resided.

Little Black chased him relentlessly. Initially, he worried that Chu Ye might scramble up a tree, which would have left him helpless, as he hadn't been trained to climb and was terrified of doing so. Fortunately, Chu Ye didn't climb a tree but kept running into the distance. Little Black was delighted, thinking that if Chu Ye stayed on the ground, he would surely catch him and give him a sound thrashing.

Chu Ye sprinted toward the patch of bushes. As he jumped past them, he intentionally brushed against the branches. He was careful to maintain his "proportionality," only lightly disturbing the foliage so that only a small number of hornets would be provoked. Little Black, oblivious to the intent behind the action, assumed Chu Ye had simply bumped into the branches by accident.

However, as Little Black reached the bushes, dozens of large hornets swarmed out. Little Black, not even two months old, had no idea how dangerous these insects were. He roared at them, trying to scare them away. The hornets, naturally, ignored his cries and launched an attack. Within moments, Little Black had been stung several times. Feeling the sharp, stinging pain all over his body, he finally realized the danger and turned to run. But the hornets pursued him, leaving him no choice but to dive into a nearby thicket. Only then did the hornets retreat.

When Little Black finally emerged, feeling that the coast was clear, he was wobbling and struggling to walk. Chu Ye watched clearly, thinking, "Oh no, Little Black is done for."

Seeing Little Black’s state, Chu Ye realized the toxin from the bees must have taken effect. "What have I done? Did I go too far? Am I going to be the death of him?" Although he resented Little Black, he never wanted to kill him. Chu Ye rushed over to his side. Little Black looked up at him with a helpless expression, seemingly unable to comprehend what had just happened, as if he believed it was his own misfortune, completely unaware of Chu Ye’s scheme.

Little Black took a few unsteady steps, then collapsed to the ground, closing his eyes. Panicked, Chu Ye began to lick the spots where Little Black had been stung. He doubted it would do any good and feared the worst. Yet, to his amazement, after he licked Little Black's body, the cub slowly opened his eyes. Little Black stood up, his energy returning as if nothing had ever happened.

"That is truly incredible. My saliva not only heals wounds but also acts as an antidote. I really am a unique lion," Chu Ye thought, feeling immense relief.

Little Black seemed to realize that Chu Ye had saved him. Once his strength returned, he let out a few soft calls and began to lick Chu Ye in return. In the animal world, mutual licking is a sign of friendship. By doing this, Little Black was signaling that he was ready to be friends and would no longer bully him. Chu Ye responded with his own calls and continued to lick the remaining stings on Little Black. Even at such a young age, Little Black understood that Chu Ye had saved his life, and he felt a newfound respect for him.