Gradually, Xiong Xianhui’s head grew muddled, and his eyelids felt as heavy as lead.
At this, the others no longer concealed their gazes. They set down what they were holding and stared straight at him.
A dull thud sounded as his head slumped forward. They all breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief.
The Black Snake Beastman, Number Two, said, "This guy’s a freak. After eating so much, he’s only just passing out now."
The Snow Wolf Beastman, the leader, said, "It just means he’s strong. All the better for us."
The Golden Eagle Beastman, Number Three, cut in, "Enough talk. It’s a waste of time. Let’s get started."
The leader coughed, stopping them. "Hold on. We haven’t called the other brothers yet."
There was a reason they were called Wandering Beasts.
They violated the rules set down by the Beast God—preying on other Beastmen, and forcing, even abusing, females.
Number Three’s tone was dismissive. "Why call them? It’s not like they were much help."
"They might be weak, but they’re still useful to have around." The leader waved his hand. "Alright, go on."
Number Two glanced at Xiong Xianhui, a flicker of worry in his eyes. "Look at him. What if he wakes up before the others get here?"
"That’s possible. Looks like we’ll have to kill him first to prevent any surprises."
A flash of killing intent crossed their eyes as they moved toward Xiong Xianhui together.
By this point, Xiong Xianhui was completely unconscious, his body limp. He had no strength left to resist.
But his instincts screamed that he was in danger.
He fought with all his might to regain consciousness, but only managed a twitch of his fingers.
Xiong Jiaojiao watched in horror. This was the first time she had seen them kill another Beastman.
She couldn’t help but think of her own fate.
’If I can’t bear them cubs, will I be eaten too?’
The answer was obvious. Xiong Jiaojiao pressed her lips together as the fear in her heart deepened.
She knew staying here wasn’t a long-term solution. ’I have to run!’
But she couldn’t just run for it; her last failed attempt was a harsh lesson.
"Wait, wait! I just remembered—there’s another Beastman."
"And she’s a female!"
Both men froze. The leader’s brow furrowed. "Are you sure?"
"You’re not just making this up because you don’t want to see him die, are you?"
Number Two watched her warily, afraid this was a lie she’d concocted to escape.
"Of course not! There really is another female—he told me so himself." She pointed at Xiong Xianhui and continued, "When I first tried to lure him here, he was reluctant to come, precisely because he was looking for her."
The two men’s eyes lit up, their minds instantly abuzz with new ideas.
’Xiong Jiaojiao has been here for some time now and still hasn’t borne any cubs. Maybe a new female will work.’
Their attention was instantly captivated by the prospect of a new female. "Where is she?" they demanded.
"I’m not sure, but she has to be nearby. If you move fast, you can still find her."
The leader was the first to speak. "You watch these two. I’ll go look for her."
"Why do I have to watch? You always get to go first when something good comes up. It’s my turn!"
"Because I’m your leader!"
"So what if you’re the leader? If it comes to it, I’ll just stop following you."
The two argued heatedly, but in the end, they decided to go together.
Before leaving, they bound both of them tightly. Still not feeling secure, they hoisted them high up into a tree.
If the ropes broke, the fall alone would be enough to incapacitate them.
Only then did they feel at ease and rush headlong into the woods.
’It’s been so hard to find another female. We can’t let another group beat us to her.’
After a short while, when Xiong Jiaojiao guessed the men were far enough away, she wriggled free from her ropes.
Just before she fell, she grabbed onto the nearby Xiong Xianhui. Once she had steadied herself, she slowly began to climb the tree.
After climbing down the thick trunk, Xiong Jiaojiao set him on the ground.
She patted his face, calling out softly, "Are you okay? Wake up!"
But... no matter how she called, Xiong Xianhui didn’t wake.
Xiong Jiaojiao hesitated. ’This is a good chance to escape. Maybe I should just...’
’No. Even if I get away, without anyone to protect me, I’ll just be captured again.’
’So what do I do?’
’That’s it! I have to wake him up!’
Xiong Jiaojiao recalled something she had once overheard: the Wandering Beasts mentioning how to sober up someone who had eaten drunk fruit.
’Something about water... They said if you soak in a stream for a while, the effects of the drunk fruit will disappear.’
’In that case, I have to get him to the stream first.’
But even the nearest stream would take some time to reach. She had to hurry.
’Otherwise, it’ll be too late by the time they realize they’ve been tricked!’
Draping Xiong Xianhui’s arm over her shoulder, Xiong Jiaojiao hurried away with him.
To avoid running into Number Three and his men should they suddenly return, Xiong Jiaojiao deliberately took a little-used path.
However, a path that was rarely traveled meant it was overgrown with weeds and thorns. It was extremely difficult to walk, and she wasted a considerable amount of time.
Anxiety gripped Xiong Jiaojiao. She paid no mind to her wretched appearance; all she could think was, ’Faster, I have to go faster!’
Meanwhile, the two men, having failed to find the female, realized they had been tricked. They rushed back, happening to run into Number Three, who was returning with five others.
"Fuck! That little bitch dared to trick us! Just wait until we find her, we’ll make her regret it!"
"Hurry up! Everyone, find them for me!"
The group exchanged glances but said nothing, and dispersed to begin their search.
Number Three asked, "Weren’t you supposed to be watching them? How did you let them trick you into leaving?"
"It was that little bitch! She tricked us, said there was another female. We figured we had to find her quick, before another group beat us to it. In our haste... we just didn’t think," Number Two explained, his expression grim.
But Number Three sensed something was off. "Then why did you both go? Why not leave one person behind to watch them?"
"Number Two wouldn’t have it," the leader said. "He threw a fit and insisted on coming, so I had no choice."
"But we tied them up and hung them from a tree before we left. I have no idea how they managed to escape."
Number Three now understood what had happened. ’It was nothing more than this: they finally had a lead on a new female, and both of them wanted to be the first to have a taste.’
His face darkened, and he remained silent.
’Sooner or later, these two are going to be the death of me!’
"Look, Number Three, don’t be angry yet," the leader said. "The most important thing now is to find those two."
For once, the leader softened his tone in an attempt to appease him.
Number Three sighed and finally nodded. "Yes, you’re right, Leader."
"Leader! Get over here! There are tracks. Looks like they took the small path."
The two exchanged a glance and hurried over.
Number Three said, "This path is hard to travel. They can’t have gotten far. Let’s hurry and catch them!"
They weren’t carrying any dead weight, so even on a difficult path, they were still faster than Xiong Jiaojiao.
Before long, they caught sight of the two figures.
Number Two, in particular, was grinding his teeth with hatred for Xiong Jiaojiao.
’That female is just too cunning!’
The last time, it was because he’d been tricked that Xiong Jiaojiao had managed to escape.
How could he not be furious after being bested by this same female time and time again?
"When I catch her, the first thing I’ll do is bite off a few chunks of her flesh to vent this hatred!"
Number Three glanced at his crazed expression and frowned.
’To get this worked up over a single female...’
’And the leader is no better. Neither of them is fit to accomplish anything great.’
’Perhaps it’s time I considered leaving this crew.’
In the bushes, Chu Liangyu caressed the Carp Essence in their hand.
’So many of them,’ they thought with a silent sigh. ’It’s a good thing this little trinket can conceal my presence.’