"You’re compensating them with coins because you scammed other Beastmen with your food. That has nothing to do with me. If you have a problem with it, you should go find the Beastmen who took your coins."
"You’re coming after me today because I have no family here to help me. Following this pattern of yours, does this mean you’ll just rob people weaker than you whenever you’re short on coins?"
Feng Si spoke in a rapid-fire burst, giving them no chance to interject. She laid it all out in one breath, framing them as unreasonable thugs preying on the weak.
The nearby White Mouse Beastman, aware of his status, kept silent to avoid looking like they were bullying a sub-female. He let his own sub-female speak for them.
Bai Dan wasn’t afraid since she had numbers on her side. She said sharply, "So what if we rob you? If you hadn’t opened your mouth, I wouldn’t have had to pay compensation!"
Bai Qi chimed in, "You earn so many coins from your stall. It’s generous of me not to demand ten thousand coins back from you."
Hearing their outrageous demands, the surrounding crowd grew displeased. They were in Nantong City; the South Desolate Empire had laws, you know?
Did they think this place was some den for vagrant Beastmen?
The shop owner, Hui Yu, who was standing behind Feng Si, spoke up. "Get lost! You brought this on yourselves by making disgusting food and offending the male beasts. What does that have to do with Feng Si?"
A sub-female who had just bought Feng Si’s Green Potato looked at the pup in her arms, which was happily licking it.
She also spoke up. "My male beast is on the patrol team. So you want to steal coins? Why don’t you take a good look at yourselves? Do you even act like sub-females? If you dare, I’ll have my beast-husband arrest you immediately."
"So annoying. You think you can commit robbery just because you have twenty-odd people with you?"
"Robbery is something vagrant Beastmen do! Such terrifying Beastmen can’t be allowed to stay in the Thirteen Mountains! We should have the Mountain Lord report this to the Lord and have them kicked out!"
"My beast-husband earns tens of thousands of coins every day selling fresh fish. Are you saying I’m going to be the next one robbed? This business of demanding coins from people... that’s not how things are done here!"
...
The rebukes from the crowd, coupled with the stares from their own acquaintances, made Bai Dan and Bai Qi’s faces stiffen. They were being assailed from all sides.
’What’s happening? Why is everyone speaking up for Feng Si?’
’And this isn’t how I expected it to go! Feng Si has only been here for a few days, right? Since when did she get so popular? People used to just watch from the sidelines. Even though we all know each other here, most people wouldn’t speak up for a stranger.’
Bai Dan was shocked. "We’ve known each other for so long! How can you misunderstand my character like this?"
Bai Qi pointed at Feng Si. "Don’t be fooled by her! It’s her fault! She’s the one who won’t let us sell cooked meat!"
Feng Si was also a little surprised. She hadn’t expected people to speak up for her just because of some delicious food.
But she wasn’t about to let such a great advantage go to waste.
Her gaze swept over the two of them, and a wronged expression appeared on her face.
"I don’t live in the Wild Forest, so how could I have any say in matters so far-reaching? What you sell is your own business. You yourselves were the ones who agreed to the compensation that day. If you don’t believe me, why don’t you call back the male beasts who took your coins? Let’s hear what they have to say."
Just then, an authoritative voice rang out from behind the crowd. "Bai Dan, Bai Qi. We don’t allow the bullying of new sub-females here. What do you think you’re doing, blocking this area?"
The newcomer stood with his hands behind his back, the muscles on his arms still prominent. When Bai Dan saw him, she gritted her teeth, unwilling to give up. "Mountain Chief... we just came to get back the coins that belong to us."
Feng Si looked up and saw it was the yellow-haired Beastman who had come to buy five pieces of white-cut meat that morning. He stood there lazily, yet he was hard to ignore.
’This is someone in charge.’
Feng Si’s gaze darkened slightly. She stood to the side without a word, playing the part of a poor, helpless, bullied, and lonely sub-female.
Then, Bai Dan and Bai Qi recounted everything that had happened a few days ago.
As the General Mountain Chief of the Thirteen Mountains, ever since he had tasted Feng Si’s white-cut meat, his heart had become as biased as his stomach.
"I understand what you’re saying. This is a matter between you and Xiong Neng’s group, and it has nothing to do with this Little Sub-female. If you’re not convinced, I can call Xiong Neng over to discuss it with you."
At the thought of the ferocious male beast, the nearby White Mouse Beastman immediately tugged at his sub-female. Bai Dan and Bai Qi were scared too, and upon hearing the suggestion, they shook their heads frantically.
’The Mountain Chief is on Feng Si’s side now. For some reason, the other sub-females are on her side too. And the male beast who’s coming will also be on her side...’
’Thinking about it this way, there’s no way we’re getting those coins today.’
Bai Dan and Bai Qi exchanged a glance, and both could see the angry helplessness in each other’s eyes.
’We came here for nothing today.’
The two of them said no more about Feng Si compensating them. They shot Feng Si a glare and prepared to leave with their family.
"Wait—"
Feng Si, who now had the upper hand, suddenly spoke out. Everyone couldn’t help but stop and look over, confused.
Honestly, if this sub-female didn’t have such good cooking skills, which had allowed everyone to accept her in such a short time, she, as an outsider, would have been forced to suffer in silence this time.
Now that the matter was finally over, why was she speaking up again?
Of course Feng Si had to speak up. She had made enemies of these two sub-females, and neither of them was the forgiving type.
She swept her gaze over the group of people whose eyes were filled with malice toward her and declared loudly:
"While everyone is here, I want to make something clear. If one day I suddenly get injured or disappear, it will definitely be their doing. If that happens, my property will be transferred to whoever helps the patrol team find the real culprits."
Her words caused a new wave of shock among the crowd. They hadn’t expected this sub-female to be so clever. Now, Bai Dan’s big family could forget about trying to do anything to her in secret.
As for the sub-female’s assets, powerful male beasts wouldn’t care for them—they were far more interested in Feng Si’s cooking skills. Weaker sub-females were naturally timid and wouldn’t dare to kill another for an unknown sum of coins.
The laws of the South Desolate Empire were very strict. Although sub-females had the lowest status, they were still child-bearing sub-females. If a sub-female died for no reason, the patrol team would definitely send people to investigate.
Once the investigation was complete, the perpetrator would have to pay with their life. Who would dare to kill a Beastman when their own life was going just fine?
Feng Si only dared to face the siege of several dozen people and engage in a war of words because she had spent the last few days personally experiencing and understanding her current environment.
If she had been among a crowd of savage and fierce Beastmen, she would never have dared to run her mouth and would have handed over the coins long ago.
The crowd dispersed, and Mao Qiu finally squeezed through, saying angrily, "In their dreams! Trying to extort you just because they have more people!"
Mao Ge sidled over too. His small, fluffy face looked at the cloth pouch on Feng Si’s waist, his big eyes filled with longing. "Meow~" ’Feed me.’
Feng Si smiled, took out a Green Potato, and handed it to the little cat cub. She watched as the little cat contentedly hugged the Green Potato and nibbled away.
Her mood improved a bit. She’d read online before that one should maintain a happy mood during pregnancy, as it would make the resulting cub more beautiful.
An image of the cub’s extraordinarily handsome father flashed through her mind. The egg in her belly... ’Could its father be one of those flashy male birds from the natural world?’