The next day.
The noon sun shone just right, streaming through the treetops and warming the open space of the Rabbit Tribe village.
By the same big tree, Li Zhu was playing mahjong heatedly with A Tang, A Ning, and Li Heng. The wooden tiles clattered on the stone table, while a small pile of bamboo shoots—the stakes for today—sat nearby.
“Hu! Pure suit!”
A Tang pushed over her tiles, proudly sliding a bamboo shoot toward herself.
“Ah Zhu, your luck isn’t good today—you’ve already lost almost ten!”
Li Zhu pouted, touching her tiles, but her mind drifted elsewhere.
She had waited for Ze Yu all day yesterday, but he hadn’t returned by nightfall. Even knowing his strength, she couldn’t help but miss him.
Fingertips grazing the smooth tiles, they felt less fun than usual.
“Ah Ze isn’t here… no one to give me tips.”
She murmured, about to make a move, when out of the corner of her eye she noticed two figures approaching.
The one in front was the man she had been thinking about non-stop—Ze Yu. But… the unfamiliar golden-red-haired beastman behind him… who was that?
Feng Mian was busy looking around, eyes wide with curiosity.
“Ah Ze!”
Li Zhu’s eyes lit up. She forgot about her tiles entirely and ran toward him.
“You’re back!”
“Slow down.”
Ze Yu reached out to catch her, his fingertips brushing her slightly cool hands as he said softly,
“Some incidents happened yesterday, but I’ve returned. Don’t worry.”
“Just glad you’re back.”
Li Zhu shook his hand slightly, a hint of grievance in her tone.
“When you’re not here, I can’t beat them—I lost so many bamboo shoots.”
In truth, she had been distracted and kept making mistakes, but in front of Ze Yu, she couldn’t resist acting a little spoiled.
Ze Yu looked down and smiled.
“It’s fine. We’ll win them back together another day.”
“Ah Ze is the best~”
Suddenly, Li Zhu noticed the figure behind him—Feng Mian—and tilted her head in curiosity.
“But… Ah Ze, who’s this?”
Feng Mian had long been attracted by the wooden tiles on the stone table. Hearing the question, he finally snapped out of it and sized Li Zhu up.
The female before him was not very tall, with narrow shoulders and a slender waist. But what caught his attention most were her eyes—large, like twin pools of clear spring water, slightly upturned at the corners, giving her an innocent charm.
Her irises were a translucent amber, seeming to hold a thin layer of mist, and her long, dense eyelashes cast faint shadows on her eyelids, like butterfly wings at rest.
Her skin was fair from years without strong sun, with a subtle pinkness, and her nose was small and delicate. Her lips were naturally pink, moving slightly when she spoke, as if she were holding an unripe candy.
Feng Mian suddenly felt his face heat up.
Damn it—what was he doing?!
He couldn’t take his eyes off this small female, while the tenth-rank beast before him… would it kill him?
Feeling guilty, he secretly glanced at Ze Yu, relieved to see no displeasure on his face.
“Well… um… I’m Feng Mian, the Nine-Tailed Crimson Flame Spirit Fox.”
“Hello, I’m Li Zhu.”
Li Zhu smiled and nodded, then looked at Ze Yu.
“Have you eaten? Father just made some soup.”
“Not yet,” Ze Yu replied.
“Perfect, perfect!”
Hearing the commotion, Li Cheng came out of the house. Seeing Feng Mian behind Ze Yu, he didn’t ask further, simply calling out,
“Ah Heng, heat up the bamboo shoot soup and roast a few pieces of meat!”
Li Heng, sulking after losing at mahjong, muttered a reply and reluctantly walked to the stove. Passing by Feng Mian, he couldn’t help but steal a glance.
This beastman was so… flashy. His golden-red hair dazzled the eyes.
Feng Mian, however, had long since been drawn to the mahjong on the stone table. He squatted beside it, pointing at the carved wooden tiles and asking Sui Yan,
“What is this? What are you doing?”
“It’s mahjong, a game for entertainment,” A Tang said proudly, holding up her winning hand.
“You can win bamboo shoots.”
“Bamboo shoots?”
Feng Mian paused—what was a bamboo shoot? He had never heard of it.
No wonder he hadn’t—after all, this continent didn’t even have pandas!
Even Li Zhu had been surprised at first when she saw them. At the time, she had thought that if she could find a “national treasure” beast-husband, it would be really cool!
In the end… there really wasn’t any hesitation!
At that moment, Ming Yuan came out carrying a large basin of steaming soup, the rich aroma instantly filling the air.
The milky-white broth floated tender yellow bamboo slices and a few pieces of slowly braised beast bones—just looking at it made one’s mouth water.
“Come, drink the soup!”
Ming Yuan smiled as she called them over.
“Xiao Ze, and… you can come sit too.”
Ming Yuan didn’t know how to address Feng Mian; he had been helping Li Cheng just moments ago.
Feng Mian was already drawn forward by the smell, following Ze Yu to the wooden table.
Soon, the table was filled with dishes:
Bamboo shoot and beast bone soup, pan-seared tusked beast meat, steamed sweet potatoes soft and fluffy, and a plate of cold wild vegetables sprinkled with salt and chili, their colors bright and inviting.
Li Cheng handed Feng Mian a pair of wooden chopsticks.
“Try it, it’s all home-cooked food.”
Unable to resist, Feng Mian grabbed a piece of bamboo shoot and popped it into his mouth.
The crisp, tender texture mingled with the rich meaty aroma, making even the tip of his tail twitch in delight.
Though in human form, his excitement could no longer be contained.
He then tried the sweet potato—soft, sticky, and sweet—more delicious than anything he had ever tasted.
“This… this is divine food?”
Feng Mian’s golden eyes widened in shock.
“You… you eat this every day?”
And to think it was considered “home-cooked.”
In the twenty years he had spent with his own tribe, meals were either raw meat or charred beast meat—he had never seen food so refined.
Ze Yu calmly served himself a bowl of soup, speaking in his usual measured tone,
“More or less.”
Feng Mian, utterly focused on the food, devoured two bowls of soup, three pieces of pan-seared meat, and a large sweet potato in record time.
Only after his belly was full did he slump back on the wooden bench, sighing with contentment.
“So delicious… this is the best food I’ve ever eaten in my life!”
“That’s nothing yet, there are even better foods to try,” Li Zhu said, watching him enjoy it so much, feeling a strange sort of delight at his approval.
It was gratifying to see the food she had brought appreciated and loved.
“Better food? What kind?”
Feng Mian’s eyes sparkled as he turned to Li Zhu. Who could resist? Tasty food really did make a beast happy!
“Like hotpot, barbecue… though right now we don’t have Moo-Moo beasts or Baa-Baa beasts. Their meat makes the best hotpot and barbecue.”
Just hearing Li Zhu mention it made him impatient to try.
“Can… can I stay in your tribe for a while? I won’t freeload! I’ll go hunting too!”
Feng Mian looked at Li Zhu with sparkling eyes, like a little beast begging to be adopted.
He had already realized that Li Zhu held some sway in this tribe.
Following this tribe meant not only delicious food, but also finally figuring out what this “mahjong” thing was—far better than his own fox tribe!
At home, he had to constantly listen to his parents nag, be looked down on, and eat terrible food! He couldn’t stand it!
Especially his father, who was always scheming to find him a female mate to get him “married” early.
Ze Yu glanced at Li Zhu. Seeing her didn’t object, seeming somewhat interested in Feng Mian, he casually said,
“Stay… the tribe still has empty caves, and food is just a matter of extra chopsticks. Besides, he can hunt for himself.”
Hearing this, Feng Mian instantly cheered.
Nine illusory fox tails flickered behind him in excitement, almost knocking over a nearby wooden water bucket.
“Great! I’m officially part of your tribe! Li Zhu, don’t worry—anyone dares bully our tribe, I’ll burn them to ashes with fire!”
Li Zhu: “…”
Ze Yu: “…”
Everyone else: “…”
Is this what they mean by our tribe?
Only Li Heng, fiddling with the firewood by the stove, rolled his eyes and muttered,
“‘Our tribe’ my foot. Cooking is already hard enough, and now we have a freeloading beast joining…”
Sunlight poured over the bustling cave, mixing with the aroma of food and Feng Mian’s excited chatter, creating an oddly warm and lively atmosphere.
Li Zhu looked at Ze Yu smiling beside her, then at Feng Mian gesturing wildly across the table.
She suddenly felt… something wasn’t quite right.