Ah Mo just nodded silently.
Xi Yao shouldered her medicine pack and walked toward Bo Ya’s cave.
Along the way, she ran into many people from the tribe.
They all greeted her with friendly smiles.
It’s hard to be cold to a smiling face, so Xi Yao simply nodded in response.
When she arrived at Bo Ya’s cave, only he was there.
Boen must have gone hunting.
Bo Ya was leaning against the stone bed eating roasted meat.
When he saw Xi Yao come in, a smile appeared on his face.
“Xi Yao, you’re here.
Have you eaten?”
Xi Yao nodded.
“I’ve eaten.
There’s no rush.
Finish your food before we change the dressing.”
Xi Yao walked over to a nearby stone stool and sat down.
After a moment of thought, she offered a suggestion.
“Next time, have Boen make you some meat broth.
You should avoid roasted meat for now.”
“You can also use the bones the tribe discards to make soup.
Drinking more bone broth will help you recover.”
“Okay, I’ll remember that.”
Bo Ya didn’t want Xi Yao to wait too long, so he quickened his pace of eating.
After he finished, Xi Yao stepped forward to check his wound.
His wound was healing better than she had expected, and the swelling had gone down quite a bit.
“It’s recovering well.
Keep it up, and don’t let it get wet.”
Watching Xi Yao check his wound, Bo Ya felt a strange emotion stir within him.
“Xi Yao, once my leg is better, I’ll be sure to repay you properly,” Bo Ya said suddenly, his tone serious.
Xi Yao just smiled and didn’t reply.
After changing the dressing, Xi Yao and Bo Ya chatted for a while longer about things to keep in mind.
Bo Ya told her some things about the tribe and some hunting techniques.
Xi Yao listened intently.
This knowledge about hunting techniques would be helpful for the cubs later on.
Although she knew some basic martial arts, she really didn’t know how Beastmen hunted.
After leaving Bo Ya’s cave, Xi Yao decided to take a walk around the outskirts of the tribe’s territory.
But unexpectedly, she saw three little figures in the forest at the edge of the territory.
“Xi Nan, Xi Bei, Xi Mo, what are you all doing here?”
In truth, she had already seen what the three little ones were doing; the question was just an instinctive reaction.
Hearing her voice, the dry twigs held in the mouths of the three little ones all dropped to the ground at the same time.
Xi Yao: “…”
Xi Bei was the first to react.
He scrambled over to her on all fours and wrapped his two front paws around her leg.
“Mother, the cold season is coming.
My brother and I are gathering firewood.”
Xi Yao crouched down and tweaked his ear.
“Being so good?”
Xi Nan and Xi Mo also walked over and sat down in front of her.
Xi Yao stroked Xi Nan’s head, then caressed Xi Mo’s face.
“Gathering firewood is fine, but you can only do it here on the outskirts.
Don’t run deeper into the forest, understand?”
“We know, Mother!
We’re being very good!” Xi Bei lifted his chin proudly.
Xi Yao was still most worried about Xi Mo.
She picked him up to check his injured leg; although it had healed, it still needed care.
‘Newly grown bone is fragile.’
She used her Healing Technique to go over his entire body, only stopping once she was sure nothing was wrong.
Her hand touched his shortened tail.
The newly grown flesh at the stump was pink and hairless, and the sight made her nose sting.
When she touched his tail, Xi Mo’s whole body went stiff.
He almost lost control and bit her.
His fluffy tail was gone, leaving only an ugly scar.
It was the most unbearable pain deep in his heart.
“Don’t touch it!”
Xi Mo violently flung Xi Yao’s hand away, his voice filled with unprecedented agitation.
Xi Yao was stunned by his vehement reaction.
It was the first time Xi Mo had ever rejected her touch so strongly.
Her hand froze in midair, and her nose began to sting again.
“Ah Mo, I…
I just wanted to help you heal it.”
Xi Yao’s voice was choked with sobs, her heart filled with self-blame.
‘If only I had come one day sooner, he wouldn’t have had to suffer this.’
Xi Mo struggled and jumped out of her arms, running to the side to lie down, hiding his ugly tail beneath his body.
The loss of his tail was a constant reminder of that nightmarish experience.
Whenever he remembered, he couldn’t control the hatred in his heart.
Even though he knew she had changed, he still couldn’t hold it back.
‘If she hadn’t mercilessly thrown me to the Hunting Team, I wouldn’t have been so horribly mauled.’
Xi Yao pulled him into her arms again.
“I’m sorry, Ah Mo.
It’s all Mother’s fault.”
“Don’t worry, Mother will make your tail grow back.”
Xi Mo struggled in her embrace for a moment but couldn’t break free.
His body remained tense.
“Easy for you to say.
So what if my tail grows back?
I’ll never forget the pain.”
His voice held a sob, and all his pent-up grievances came pouring out at once.
Xi Yao held him tighter, tears sliding down her cheeks and dripping onto Xi Mo.
“Mother knows.
The past hurt can’t be erased.
It’s okay if you don’t want to forgive Mother, as long as you don’t hurt yourself.”
She gently stroked Xi Mo’s back, soothing his emotions.
“I’m sorry, Ah Mo.
If you’re still not satisfied, you can hit me!”
Xi Mo’s raised paw froze in the air.
‘How could I actually hit her?’
“What’s the use in hitting you?” ‘My tail still wouldn’t come back.’
He lowered his head, refusing to look at her.
He didn’t believe a severed tail could actually grow back.
Xi Yao gently cupped his face, forcing him to meet her gaze.
Her eyes were filled with guilt.
“Ah Mo, Mother knows that physical wounds might heal, but the wounds in your heart are harder to mend.”
“But Mother will spend the rest of my life making it up to you.
From now on, no matter what happens, I will protect you.”
Xi Mo turned his head away, not wanting to look at her anymore, but his heart stirred at her words.
“Ah Mo, give Mother one more chance.
Let Mother take care of you, okay?”
“With Mother here, no one will ever be able to hurt you again.”
Xi Mo was silent, a storm of emotions churning inside him.
The terror of the past warred with the warmth of the present.
His ears twitched slightly, as if trying to discern the truth in Xi Yao’s words, or perhaps recalling her recent actions.
His tense body slowly relaxed.
He tilted his head up slightly, and as he looked at Xi Yao, the defensiveness in his eyes crumbled away, leaving only relief.
His tail gave a slight wag, and he leaned in on his own.
“Mother, I…”
Xi Mo opened his mouth, but the grievances and pain he had suppressed for so long now left him at a loss for words.
Seeing this, Xi Yao’s eyes grew warm.
She placed a hand on his back and patted it gently, her voice soft.
“Ah Mo, you don’t have to say anything.
Mother understands everything.”
This time, Xi Mo didn’t resist, nestling quietly in Xi Yao’s embrace.
Xi Yao could clearly feel the shift in Xi Mo’s emotions.
He had truly forgiven her this time.
…
Xi Yao helped them bundle the dry branches they had collected and slung them onto their backs.
“You all go home first.
Mother needs to go into the mountains for a bit.”
Hearing Xi Yao’s words, Xi Nan looked up, a flicker of worry in his eyes.
“It’s too dangerous for a female to go alone.
I’ll go with you.”
Xi Yao flicked his forehead.
“You’re underestimating your mother.”
“Hurry back now, and don’t come out again.
When you get back, fill the empty barrels in the cave with water.”
‘If I don’t give them something to do, they’ll definitely sneak out again.’
…
Xi Yao waited until the three little figures had disappeared before turning and heading deeper into the forest.
Now that she had enough salt, she planned to cure some dried meat.
Her goal today was to hunt.
The cold season was approaching, and all the major tribes were hunting frantically to prepare for winter.
To survive, the animals had all fled deeper into the forest.
Xi Yao walked deeper into the forest without realizing it.