The next day.
At the first light of dawn, while the mountain mist still lingered, Ze Yu was already fully geared and ready to go.
He bent down to glance at Li Zhu, still sleeping among the pile of furs. Her brows were slightly furrowed, as if caught in a dream. He gently smoothed her brow, placed a light kiss on her forehead, then turned silently and slipped out of the cave.
The morning mist of the Dark Forest carried a biting chill. Towering ancient trees cast long shadows over the path, leaving it dim, broken only by the occasional roar of beasts.
Ze Yu reined in his aura, shifted into his beast form, and sped deep into the forest.
As he passed through a thicket of brambles, a sudden, unusual scent hit his nose.
A ninth-rank beastman? And an eighth-rank Ironclad Bear?
Interesting.
Ze Yu’s gaze sharpened. He reverted to human form and melted into the cover of a tree.
On a clearing not far away, a massive crimson fox confronted a huge Ironclad Bear.
The giant fox’s nine bushy tails burned with golden-red flames, each flick sending out waves of heat. Its claws scraped the ground, leaving scorched trails that hissed with smoke. The Ironclad Bear roared and swung its massive paws; the hard strikes shattered rocks, sending debris flying.
“Roar—!” The bear howled in pain as one of the fox’s claws sliced its side. It tried to flee, but the fox was instantly upon it. The nine tails surged simultaneously, cascading flames like a waterfall, trapping the bear in a ring of fire.
Just as the fox prepared its final strike, a cold male voice cut through the air.
“That beast is mine.”
Feng Mian froze mid-motion, then whipped his head around, golden slit pupils locking onto Ze Yu perched in the tree.
The flames of the nine tails suddenly surged several feet higher, the surrounding temperature spiking.
He couldn’t even tell what rank this silver-haired beastman was.
“Who dares to steal my prey?”
Before his words had even faded, Feng Mian’s form blurred and shifted into human shape.
Golden-red hair slightly curled, sharp and alluring eyes, and a tuft of deep red fox fur flickering at his ear tips.
He leaned casually against a rock, twirling a small flame between his fingers, voice dripping with unmasked provocation.
“Be smart and leave. I’m not in the mood to play today.”
Ze Yu stepped slowly out of the shadows. His silver hair gleamed in the mist, and his dark pupils were utterly calm.
“It blocked my path.”
“Just because it blocked your path, it belongs to you?”
Feng Mian scoffed and vanished from sight.
Although he didn’t think much of this eighth-rank beast, this was a matter of pride. If other beastmen saw, wouldn’t he lose face?
The next instant, Feng Mian appeared behind Ze Yu, his hand, radiating the heat of flames, aimed straight for his back.
“Then let’s see if you’ve got the skill to take it!”
Ze Yu didn’t even turn. He merely sidestepped slightly, his fingertips condensing energy into an invisible blade that sliced precisely across Feng Mian’s wrist.
Feng Mian felt his wrist go numb; the force dissipated instantly, and he staggered back two steps, his eyes now tinged with caution.
He could feel that this silver-haired beastman was stronger than him—and Ze Yu hadn’t even used his special abilities yet!
Feng Mian raised an eyebrow, his golden eyes burning with even greater fighting intent.
“Interesting. Let’s go again!”
He formed hand seals, and flames surged around him, forming the burning illusion of a fiery fox, leaping toward Ze Yu.
The temperature of the air shot up so high that it seemed capable of igniting the trees, even heating the rocks beneath.
Ze Yu, however, remained unmoving. The overwhelming presence of a tenth-rank beastman radiated like a tsunami, and the invisible shockwave instantly shattered the fiery fox illusion.
Step by step, Ze Yu advanced toward Feng Mian. With each step, the ground trembled slightly, as if a colossal beast were about to awaken.
“Still want to fight?”
Feng Mian’s blood boiled under the oppressive pressure, his legs trembling.
He had always considered his ninth-rank power to be the peak among the younger generation and had never imagined someone could immobilize him with sheer presence.
“You… you’re tenth-rank?”
His voice tightened, golden pupils wide with disbelief.
“The rumors… were true?”
He had always assumed the so-called “tenth-rank beastmen” were exaggerated tales—no one had ever actually seen one. Yet today, he had encountered one.
Ze Yu didn’t answer, merely glancing at the barely-breathing Ironclad Bear on the ground.
“It’s mine. Any objections?”
Feng Mian: …
And still so polite.
“N-no objections.”
Could he possibly object?
Between pride and life, life clearly came first.
“Now, go help me hunt.”
Feng Mian: !!!
“You’re unbelievable. First you steal my prey, and now you want me to hunt for you too!”
Ze Yu cast him a light glance.
Feng Mian immediately felt the oppressive presence wash over him again. He gritted his teeth; proud as he was, he had never been intimidated like this before.
But he knew clearly that he was no match for the person before him—resisting would only bring him humiliation.
He snorted and turned to leave.
“Fine! I’ll hunt! I’m going right now!”
Only then did Ze Yu retract his oppressive aura.
The next half day in the Dark Forest played out like a strange scene.
Tenth-rank Ze Yu sat cross-legged on a rock, holding a bowl and eating the pan-fried meat he had taken from his spatial storage—prepared at home specifically for convenience during the hunt.
Meanwhile, ninth-rank Feng Mian rushed around, using his fire abilities to strike fleeing birds, teleporting through space to chase leaping Mie Mie Beasts, all the while muttering under his breath.
“Hey, white-haired one, is this enough? If not, I’ll go get a bigger one!”
Ze Yu watched Feng Mian’s nimble movements as he caught prey, his golden-red figure flitting through the forest like a leaping flame.
Suddenly, Ze Yu thought of Li Zhu.
She only had him as her beast-husband—maybe he should help her find another one. That way, when he went out, he could feel more at ease…
Feng Mian, though flamboyant, was undeniably strong. Ninth-rank in the Beast World was already among the elite. His abilities were practical, and he was excellent at hunting.
Most importantly, from his solitary appearance, he probably didn’t have a mate.
Ze Yu’s eyes flickered. When Feng Mian returned dragging a fully grown Rock-Clad Beast, he asked lightly,
“Do you have a mate?”
Feng Mian, wiping blood from his claws, paused, then looked at Ze Yu with guarded suspicion.
“What? Planning something again?”
“Just curious.”
Ze Yu replied calmly.
“A mate? Which female would even be worthy of me?”
Feng Mian proudly ran his hand through his golden-red hair.
Ze Yu: …
There’s a language called speechless.
If it weren’t for the fact that this fool was ninth-rank, he wouldn’t even consider setting Li Zhu up with him.
But he thought of Li Zhu, already over a month pregnant. The remaining month would pass in the blink of an eye. By the third month, her need for food and rest would increase dramatically.
If he waited until then to find her another beast-husband, it would be too late—and he might not even find one of the same rank as this fool.
Better to let them interact now. If Li Zhu likes him, then…
He had a gut feeling that Li Zhu would like him…
He knew Li Zhu loved handsome male beastmen.
He really didn’t want to admit it, but this fool… was actually not bad-looking…
Ze Yu hadn’t considered Feng Mian’s thoughts at all.
“Want some?”
With that thought, Ze Yu already felt a sense that they would eventually be one family. He pulled a bowl of steaming pan-fried meat from his spatial storage and handed it over.
“What’s this?”
Feng Mian looked at the strange wooden thing in Ze Yu’s hand. The meat inside smelled delicious, and watching Ze Yu eat had made him unconsciously swallow.
“This is pan-fried meat, a food from our tribe. You can try it—very delicious.”
The moment Feng Mian heard the words “very delicious,” he eagerly took the bowl and tried a bite.
!!!
Just the first taste widened his eyes!
How had he lived twenty years without ever eating this?!
So flavorful! So tempting!
In no time, the bowl in his hands was empty.
Then his eyes sparkled as he looked at Ze Yu, the meaning in them glaringly obvious.
“Uh… considering how well I’ve been performing, can I have a bit more?”
Feng Mian: What’s pride? I don’t have any.
Ze Yu twitched at the corner of his mouth. Though he had been shocked the first time he tried this food, this… this was excessive.
Feng Mian: Excessive! Really excessive!
“Sorry…”
Ze Yu had just started to speak when the eager look on Feng Mian’s face visibly vanished.
“Oh… then I’ll go. Until we meet again.”
Feng Mian turned, leaving this place that had broken his beastly heart T﹏T
“Wait. I don’t have any more here, but I can invite you to my home to eat. There are plenty of other delicious things there.”
If Li Zhu were here, she would definitely roll her eyes—he had packed so much pan-fried meat for the journey.
He had only eaten half so far.
“Really? Really? Would it be inappropriate if I went? What? Appropriate? Okay, okay! I’ll go hunt more beasts right now!”
When Ze Yu looked up, he only saw the fading figure of Feng Mian.
He didn’t say a word…