Lin Xi didn’t dwell on Hu Mei’s appearance.
What mattered more to her now was taking advantage of Xue Ying’s presence—being a herbivorous beastman—to learn about more edible wild fruits and vegetables.
Male beasts could be stolen away, but survival skills could not!
Fortunately, Xue Ying had an enthusiastic personality. The two spent nearly half a day searching through the forest until a giant eagle landed on a tree in front of them and spoke to stop them:
“Xue Ying, Female Beast Lin Xi, don’t go any further! Ahead is beyond the tribe’s warning line!”
Lin Xi was startled by the sudden appearance of the giant eagle.
She had thought it was some fierce beast until the eagle spoke.
Xue Ying, however, looked apologetically at the eagle and said, “Ah! Sorry, Cang Ju, I forgot! We’ll head back right away!”
“Hmm.”
After hearing Xue Ying’s words, Cang Ju merely grunted in response before spreading his wings and taking flight.
However, he circled above Lin Xi and Xue Ying until they returned within the safe boundary before flying back toward the tribe, finally landing on the tall wooden shed outside the tribe.
Lin Xi recalled that on her first day when Wu Chen brought her to the tribe, the beastman she saw flying down from the wooden shed outside the tribe must have been Cang Ju.
Not long after Lin Xi and Xue Ying started heading back, they picked just a few more Black bug fruits before returning to the tribe.
Her backpack was simply too full to carry more.
Lin Xi thought she should look for suitable branches or vines to weave some baskets, which could hold more than her backpack.
She asked Xue Ying if there were any flexible branches that weren’t easily broken.
However, the beastmen hadn’t paid much attention to such things. Although they had encountered them before, they couldn’t recall where to find them when needed.
With no other choice, Lin Xi could only wait and hope to come across some herself during future outings.
After returning to the tribe, Lin Xi and Xue Ying didn’t go out again for the rest of the afternoon. Nor did Lin Xi return to the cave she shared with Wu Chen. Instead, she obediently stayed at Xue Ying’s home, waiting for Wu Chen to come back and fetch her.
Yet this wait lasted until the moon rose above the treetops.
The sky had turned dusky, and Xue Tian Ama lit a fire, starting to prepare the evening meal.
She followed the method Lin Xi had taught her, roasting Black bug fruits.
There was also a curly-haired sheep that Wu Chen had left behind when he came by in the morning to ask Ama to look after Lin Xi.
Lin Xi cleaned all the Black bug fruits she had gathered, skewered them on branches, and set them aside to roast.
Then, she asked Xue Ying to accompany her to Wu Chen’s cave to fetch a Yellow-haired Pig that Wu Chen had hunted and cleaned the previous day but hadn’t eaten.
She cut it open with a knife and fried it on a stone slab along with various small wild fruits they had gathered that day, intending to prepare the evening meal for Wu Chen when he returned.
As she cooked the fried meat, Lin Xi explained to Xue Tian Ama the method and benefits of adding other wild fruits and vegetables to the fried meat.
Xue Tian Ama was indeed pleasantly surprised upon hearing this; altering the flavor of roasted meat was something they had never considered.
After listening to Lin Xi’s explanation, Xue Ying crouched by the fire, unable to wait to taste the roasted meat—or rather, the fried meat—that Lin Xi was preparing!
While waiting for the Black bug fruits to cook thoroughly, Lin Xi couldn’t help but keep glancing outside the shed.
The night grew deeper, and scattered fires began to light up in front of other beastmen’s huts outside, their numbers gradually increasing.
Yet, up on the slope, the direction of her and Wu Chen’s cave remained quiet and still.
Lin Xi couldn’t help but step out of Xue Tian Ama’s shack, taking a few steps before gazing toward the direction beyond the tribe.
She was somewhat worried about Wu Chen.
After all, according to Xue Ying, today Wu Chen was going to hunt a Giant Beast from the depths of the forest!
And Giant Beast meant a wild animal with an extremely massive body.
As Xue Ying put it, the brown bear Wu Chen killed that day was considered a small one among Giant Beasts.
But today, Wu Chen had to kill an even larger Giant Beast to have enough to distribute among the tribe’s Beastmen during the Mate-bond ceremony.
And since it was a hunt, there was no guarantee of no casualties.
“Waiting for Wu Chen?”
A somewhat familiar male voice sounded behind her, startling Lin Xi!
She quickly turned around and saw a dark figure standing behind her. Only when the figure moved closer did she recognize the Beastman before her by the distant firelight.
“Hu Cong?”
Lin Xi called out the Beastman’s name, still remembering this handsome fox tribe male beast.
Hearing Lin Xi say his name, a glimmer flashed in Hu Cong’s eyes. He held a piece of charred roasted meat in his hand and raised it toward Lin Xi:
“Looks like Wu Chen won’t be back tonight. Little Female beast, take this roasted meat and go back to the cave to sleep. Maybe he’ll return by tomorrow morning?”
Hearing Hu Cong’s words, Lin Xi was slightly taken aback.
His words seemed reasonable enough, but they made her uncomfortable!
“Thank you, but no.”
Lin Xi frowned slightly and stepped back, keeping her distance from the roasted meat Hu Cong offered, refusing firmly:
“Wu Chen left food for me.”
After a pause, she added: “I’ll wait for him to return tonight.”
Lin Xi was well aware of this fox’s intentions toward her and could see his discord with Wu Chen.
But precisely because she understood, to avoid unnecessary trouble, she had to cut off his hopes from the very beginning.
Upon clearly hearing Lin Xi’s words, the smile on Hu Cong’s face instantly faded.
In the tribe, the fox tribe’s appearance was second only to the bird and rabbit tribes. Since adulthood, so many Female beasts had wanted to form Mate-bonds with him – this was the first time he’d been so mercilessly rejected, and repeatedly by the same Female beast!
Most importantly, she kept rejecting him because of that Crippled beast Wu Chen!
His heart felt sour and blocked – he was very unhappy!
Thinking this, Hu Cong’s expression grew even uglier. His hand loosened, and the roasted meat he’d offered Lin Xi fell to the ground, immediately covered in dirt.
Lin Xi was startled by his sudden action!
She was about to speak, but remembering it was his own food, she swallowed her words!
If he wanted to waste it, so be it – it had nothing to do with her.
And see! Someone with such unstable emotions definitely shouldn’t be trusted with his sweet talk.
Unaware that he’d already been judged in Lin Xi’s mind, Hu Cong’s expression turned extremely gloomy the moment he discarded that specially prepared roasted meat for Lin Xi.
Instantly, his entire demeanor changed. Like a docile kitten suddenly running into darkness, raising glowing green pupils!
Any Female beast who would fancy Wu Chen couldn’t be that smart anyway.
He didn’t want to pursue this Female beast anymore!
“Fine!”
Hu Cong shrugged, looking down at Lin Xi from his superior position. The feigned approachability had vanished, and the previously gentle character had now become arrogant:
“I hope you can persist in this. There aren’t many females in the tribe who spend their lives with only one male beast. I hope that by the time you regret it, you haven’t starved to death.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Hu Cong’s body suddenly stiffened.
His gaze turned toward the outskirts of the tribe. In the darkness, the Beastmen’s powerful night vision allowed him to vaguely make out a massive black figure charging out of the forest and rushing toward the tribe!
Its speed was astonishing!
He’s actually back?
Hu Cong couldn’t help but let out a scornful laugh, thinking both Wu Chen and this little Female beast were terribly naive.
The winter in the beast world wasn’t something to be taken lightly. This Female beast clearly lacked the ability to hunt alongside a male beast!
Relying solely on Wu Chen, a Crippled beast, to hunt for prey—he couldn’t understand what the two of them were so stubbornly holding onto.