Watching Xuan Mo’s retreating figure, Shu Ning felt a strange sadness well up inside her.
‘It’s as if I’ve done something to wrong him.’
But seeing how well he was recovering also brought her a sliver of relief.
“It’s my turn.”
A deep, magnetic male voice suddenly sounded by her ear, and then someone took her hand, leading her toward the center of the platform.
“Let the ceremony begin!” the High Priest shouted.
She looked up at Xiao Chong beside her.
His handsome face was completely expressionless.
Her own expression was complicated.
…
“The rites are complete.
The ceremony is over.”
The ceremony ended just as quickly as before.
It was still morning.
After it was over, Shu Ning began to wonder how she could get to the Salt Lake.
The meat she’d eaten these past few days had no salt, and it was utterly bland and tasteless.
‘The weather is good right now.
I have to seize this chance to stock up on some salt.’
She could cure any meat they couldn’t finish in the summer.
Hunting was difficult in the winter, so she could also make preserved meat in advance as a food reserve.
‘I wonder if any other Beastmen have discovered that place, or if it’s already been claimed.’
Shu Ning wanted to find a Beast Husband to take her there.
But she hadn’t succeeded in losing weight yet.
She still weighed over three hundred jin, at least.
Which Beast Husband would be willing to carry her?
Her gaze fell upon the tall man beside her, and her eyes suddenly lit up.
‘How could I not have thought of him?
I almost forgot about my old partner in crime.’
“Brother Xiao Chong, are you busy today?”
Shu Ning said, mimicking Fang Ling’s tone as she batted her eyes at him.
“What is it?” Xiao Chong frowned.
He used to be allergic to that form of address.
But now that someone else was calling him that, he didn’t find it repulsive.
“I want to go out for a bit.
Can you come with me?”
She couldn’t mention the place directly, nor could she say she was looking for salt.
Otherwise, how would she explain how she knew there was salt there?
She’d have to bring up the “revered gods” again.
“Where do you want to go?” A flash of surprise crossed Xiao Chong’s eyes.
It had been a while since she’d last asked him to go out.
“Are you brave enough for a little thrill?” Shu Ning asked expectantly.
“Oh?” The corners of the man’s lips curled up as he watched her with great interest.
“A few days ago, I was attacked by a Black Bear.
Thankfully, Xuan Mo was nearby, or I would have been killed.”
Shu Ning put on a pitiful act, playing the victim.
“I just can’t let it go, thinking about it now.
How can they just wander around our Wolf Clan territory as they please!”
“You want to go to the Black Bear Clan’s territory?”
“Mhm!” Shu Ning nodded.
“Alright.”
Seeing him agree, Shu Ning broke into a happy smile.
“I don’t agree!”
Mu Xia, who had appeared behind them at some point, suddenly spoke up.
“Mother…” Shu Ning turned around, her face a mask of grievance.
“Ningning, be good.
We’re not going.
It’s too dangerous there.”
“Fine, we won’t go there.
We’ll go somewhere else,” Shu Ning said, knowing Mu Xia wouldn’t give in easily.
She had to change her tune.
With that, she took Xiao Chong’s hand and made to leave.
“Wait.
Take Xuan Lin with you.”
“Mother, what do we need him for?”
Shu Ning really didn’t want that block of ice, Xuan Lin, to come along.
He was the one among all her Beast Husbands who detested her the most.
“You don’t have to go with Xuan Lin.
But if you don’t, then no one is going anywhere today,” Mu Xia said sternly.
She knew Shu Ning would feign compliance, agreeing on the surface but still sneaking off in secret.
Xuan Lin was the strongest top-tier male in the Wolf Clan Tribe.
One more person meant one more layer of safety.
“Fine.
I’ll go find Xuan Lin right now.”
Shu Ning knew she couldn’t fool her, so she could only obediently go find Xuan Lin.
Along the way, she realized she was still holding Xiao Chong’s hand.
Embarrassed, she let go, a blush creeping onto her face.
The corner of Xiao Chong’s mouth lifted in a slight smile, and he took her hand again.
Shu Ning was surprised.
‘Isn’t he repulsed by the way I am now?’
「Xuan Lin’s Cave」
Xuan Lin saw the two of them from a distance.
‘Looks like she really has drugged Xiao Chong.
He’s a lost cause.’
“Xuan Lin, hello!” Shu Ning greeted him reluctantly.
She could see the disgust in his eyes.
‘This damned man.
He doesn’t even bother to hide it.’
“Come with me somewhere!” Shu Ning said with a forced smile.
“No,” Xuan Lin refused without hesitation, his tone as cold as ice in the dead of winter.
‘I knew it!’
“My mother told you to come with us.”
She had no choice but to play the ‘mother’ card.
…
“Where are we going?” Xuan Lin asked impatiently.
Shu Ning looked around, and seeing no one else besides Xiao Chong, she whispered, “The Black Bear Clan’s territory.”
“You’re insane.”
Xuan Lin’s tone was glacial.
He took a deep breath.
“Which Black Bear have you set your sights on now?”
“You’re the one who’s set your sights on a Black Bear!” Shu Ning shot back.
“What are we going there for?”
‘What is this fat female up to now?
So much damn trouble, day in and day out.’
“Don’t ask so many questions.
Just come with us.”
Shu Ning didn’t give him a pleasant look either.
Xuan Lin was about to explode with anger at her words, but he managed to suppress his fury.
‘This damn fat female.
If I’d known, I wouldn’t have come back just now.’
Afterward, the three of them set off in the direction of the Black Bear Clan’s territory.
Naturally, Shu Ning couldn’t keep up with their pace, so she had no choice but to inconvenience her dear “Brother Xiao Chong” again.
The two males ran side-by-side, their speeds perfectly matched.
The Black Bear Clan’s territory was quite far, and it was too strange for the three of them to travel the whole way in silence.
Shu Ning wanted to break the awkward atmosphere.
Shu Ning: “Brother Xiao Chong, am I very heavy?”
Xiao Chong: “Not heavy.”
Shu Ning: “Brother Xiao Chong, don’t lie to me.
If you’re tired, we can rest for a bit.”
Xiao Chong: “I’m fine.”
Xuan Lin: …
As her first Beast Husband, he currently felt like a third wheel.
“If you’re tired, we should rest,” he said, feeling a second of pity for Xiao Chong for having to carry that damn fat female.
Xiao Chong didn’t answer him.
This time, he could clearly feel that the female on his back was much lighter than last time.
‘Yiyuan has never skimped on bringing her food.
What’s been going on lately?
Could it be that he’s already…
‘
‘Looks like I’ll have to be the one in charge of her diet from now on.’
“The place where the Black Bear Clan lives should be just ahead!” Shu Ning said, seeing a mountain that looked exactly like the one in her encyclopedia.
“That’s right,” Xiao Chong replied.
“How do you want to explore this time?”
They had gone to other clans’ territories before—sometimes in disguise, other times making secret visits in the middle of the night.
“This time, we’re not going inside to play.
We’re going to go around it,” Shu Ning answered.
Xiao Chong didn’t understand, but he did as she said.
Shu Ning recalled the general location of the Salt Lake from the encyclopedia.
They still had to cross several more mountains to get there.
“Brother Xiao Chong, I heard there’s a beautiful lake behind the Black Bear Clan’s mountain.
I want to go see it!”
“Who did you hear that from?” Xiao Chong was puzzled.
Where had she heard that?
He’d never heard of such a thing.
“I don’t remember,” Shu Ning said, feeling a little guilty.
“Alright, then let’s go see that beautiful lake today,” Xiao Chong said.
Xuan Lin, at their side, remained silent, merely pressing forward.
He just hadn’t expected the journey to this so-called lake to be much farther than he had imagined.
The sun was already about to set.
“Are you messing with us!?” Xuan Lin’s eyes were dark as he asked impatiently.
Seeing that it was about to get dark, Shu Ning was starting to feel uncertain herself.
“We should be almost there,” she said, her expression a little flustered.
“Don’t panic.
If it’s not there, we’ll just treat this as an adventure,” Xiao Chong said gently, sensing the tension in the female on his back.
Hearing Xiao Chong’s words, Shu Ning relaxed a little.