Tang Hongluan was furious, glaring fiercely at Xiao Shuo.
If she hadn’t been forced to treat his leg, would she be this exhausted and hungry? If he hadn’t deliberately jolted her around, would her insides be churning like a stormy sea?
“Ugh…” She couldn’t hold it back any longer, she vomited.
The surrounding beastmen were stunned. Was she really this fragile?
“Look at her state, how can we keep traveling like this?” Xiao Shuo suddenly became considerate. “We should rest for a while and get her something to eat.”
No one was fooled by Xiao Shuo’s little scheme. Yan Chen was so angry he could only glare, but he had no good way to counter it. In the end, he shot furious looks at both Xiao Shuo and Tang Hongluan.
This bastard had never planned to obediently go and kowtow in the first place. Of course, dragging this woman along was nothing but trouble.
Noticing Yan Chen’s expression, Tang Hongluan cursed inwardly as well, both of them were bastards.
Qing Yuan and Bi Ze refused to get involved no matter what. They moved when told to move and stopped when told to stop, voicing no complaints, acting like mere tools, clearly afraid of getting tangled in any drama.
“I really am hungry…” Tang Hongluan bit her lip, her gaze shifting between her four beastmen husbands. Not a single one met her eyes, they all pretended not to see.
She had already expended a lot of energy using her powers to heal her face last night. She hadn’t had time to eat in the morning, then Xiao Shuo forced her to use her powers again, and now she’d been jolted until she felt like her organs were scrambled, wasn’t she suffering enough?
“I’m exhausted and starving!” She raised her voice and simply lay down on the ground. “I need to rest!”
Xiao Shuo smirked. This suited him just fine.
“Tang Hongluan, don’t push it!” Yan Chen couldn’t take it anymore. Was this woman getting too bold? He wasn’t blind, Xiao Shuo had definitely jolted her on purpose, but did she have to exaggerate it this much?
Tang Hongluan was just as furious. She hadn’t wanted Xiao Shuo to carry her in the first place, but Yan Chen had pretended not to see. If she was suffering now, Yan Chen was an accomplice! “If we’re going to keep moving, then switch carriers!”
“Then pick between Bi Ze and Qing Yuan…”
The two beastmen who were suddenly named darkened their expressions. What was Yan Chen thinking, making decisions for them? Who did he think he was?
“Neither of them!” Tang Hongluan refused without hesitation. “I’m scared of heights, and I’m afraid of snakes!”
Their expressions immediately returned to normal. They were content to just watch the show.
Remembering how Tang Hongluan had volunteered to have him carry her yesterday, Yan Chen’s face darkened. This damn woman, first she rode Xiao Shuo, and now she was seizing the chance to ride him, huh?
She was clearly doing this on purpose. Scared of heights? Afraid of snakes? Ha!
“Let’s hunt for food!” Yan Chen roared before vanishing in a flash.
“Jiang Cheng, let’s rest for a bit. We won’t make it back today anyway…” The old priest was also tired, he wasn’t as young as he used to be, but he hadn’t wanted to be the one to call for a stop.
“Fine.” Jiang Cheng was in a foul mood, but stuck between two top-tier tiger beastmen like Yan Chen and Xiao Shuo, he had no say in the matter. So, he also wandered off to hunt, though he left two beastmen behind, ostensibly to keep an eye on Xiao Shuo and Tang Hongluan.
“Since we’re resting anyway, why don’t you treat my leg some more?” Xiao Shuo said casually, his silver eyes fixed on the sky as if he hadn’t spoken at all.
If she weren’t afraid of getting beaten, Tang Hongluan would have told him to piss off.
But she was at their mercy. She rolled over, pretending not to hear. Treat his leg? She’d rather sleep!
The old priest wasn’t sleepy. Sitting there, he surveyed the surroundings, his aged eyes lighting up when he spotted a wild plum tree laden with fruit.
Leaning on his cane, he slowly plucked a few plums.
Glancing at the prone Tang Hongluan, he picked a few more. Young beastmen didn’t care for such things, but girls usually liked these colorful fruits. He placed several beside Tang Hongluan.
Before long, a deafening tiger’s roar jolted Tang Hongluan awake, it was the signal to regroup.
They only needed to hunt enough game to eat; there was no need to take more.
Two chunks of raw, bloody meat dropped in front of Tang Hongluan and Xiao Shuo.
“Eat!” Xiao Shuo picked one up and started gnawing.
Tang Hongluan’s lips twitched. “Shouldn’t we cook it first?”
“Yeah, we should cook it!” Xiao Shuo raised his voice. “Yan Chen, light a fire!”
Tang Hongluan seriously considered kicking this bastard into oblivion. Was he deliberately stirring up trouble for her?
She was starving, but she’d sooner die than eat raw meat, she couldn’t stomach it! Spotting the wild plums the old priest had left for her, she picked them up resentfully and began eating.
Yan Chen was already furious, and now his temper flared even hotter. Without bothering to shift back to human form, he lunged at Xiao Shuo, roaring with his jaws wide open, looking as if he wanted to swallow him whole.
Tang Hongluan, used to this, wisely scooted back. What if he actually lost it and started eating people?
“She’s the one who said to cook it!” Xiao Shuo continued fanning the flames, clearly determined to escalate things.
Yan Chen’s tiger eyes narrowed, and he roared at Tang Hongluan again.
“It won’t hurt to take a moment and cook it,” the old priest interjected reluctantly. If left to these hotheaded youngsters, they’d probably tear each other apart…
Tang Hongluan shot the old priest a sidelong glance. Thank goodness for this peacemaking old man… No wonder tribes always needed elders to mediate. There was a reason for it. In critical moments, you had to rely on these old-timers to smooth things over.
“You light the fire!” Yan Chen shifted back to human form, glaring at Xiao Shuo.
“I’m already injured, I had to carry her, and I still have to kowtow thirty times to the Mountain God. Is it really fair to make me light the fire too?” Xiao Shuo retorted. “You’ve been lazing around doing nothing, of course you should light it.”
Yan Chen had no comeback. Fuming, he started the fire.
Finally able to eat roasted meat and a few wild fruits, Tang Hongluan felt her energy returning.
The group set off again.
Now that they were fed and rested, Xiao Shuo eagerly offered to carry her again. With no choice, Tang Hongluan climbed onto his back in despair.
Yan Chen followed close behind.
The journey was, of course, just as bumpy as before.
Gritting her teeth, Tang Hongluan vented her frustration by yanking at Xiao Shuo’s tiger fur.
“My leg hurts!” Xiao Shuo abruptly slowed to a stop, dropping the statement like a bomb.
This time, they had traveled quite a distance, about two-thirds of the way, but the sky was already darkening.
The other beastmen halted as well. Jiang Cheng shot Xiao Shuo a displeased look. “So troublesome!”
“If I’m such a bother, go on ahead without me!” Xiao Shuo dumped Tang Hongluan unceremoniously and shifted back to human form. “My leg hurts. I can’t walk anymore.”
Jiang Cheng was left speechless. Could someone else kowtow to the Mountain God in his place? And who’d even want to do that for him?
“Fix his leg!” Yan Chen snapped impatiently. Mostly, he was annoyed because Xiao Shuo kept making excuses, and he couldn’t argue his way out of them. Infuriating!
“I won’t!” Tang Hongluan refused outright. Why should she treat Xiao Shuo’s leg just because he told her to?
Yan Chen’s fur bristled with rage! His fiery red eyes seemed ready to spit flames as he glared at Xiao Shuo. Of course, he also wanted to punch Tang Hongluan, but after all, a fifth-tier beastman hitting a woman would be shameful, so it was better to hit Xiao Shuo!
In an instant, it was like lightning striking, a clash of fire and ice.
With a furious roar, flames erupted beneath Yan Chen’s feet as his figure shot toward Xiao Shuo like a streak of crimson fire. His fist, wreathed in blazing flames, seemed capable of shattering the entire forest with a single strike.
Xiao Shuo remained expressionless and unmoving, but a cold glint flashed in the corners of his eyes. His silver, ice-cold gaze seemed capable of freezing the flames solid.
The next second, two forces collided mid-air,
BOOM!!
A deafening explosion erupted as fire and frigid air violently intertwined. The shockwave from the blast swept through the entire mountain forest, sending massive gusts of wind that hurled dust and fallen leaves into the air!
Tang Hongluan, caught off guard, was violently thrown backward. Just as she was about to crash into an ancient tree,
A white figure flashed past. A cold, large hand precisely caught her by the waist, and a familiar chill instantly enveloped her.
A sharp, icy face pressed close to her ear, his breath warm against her neck as he murmured, “Afraid of dying?”