Li Zhu handed Li Heng over to the tribe members and stood up, walking toward the man in white.
He wasn’t wearing the rough, crude animal-skin skirts common in the Beast Continent. Instead, he wore a finely crafted garment, the white hem swaying lightly with each step.
Her father had once said that only ninth- or tenth-rank male strongholds could, when taking human form, change their clothing at will—and what seemed like delicate clothing was actually the ultimate refinement of their own fur and hide.
Li Zhu took a deep breath and walked into Ze Yu’s gaze.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, glinting off his silver hair with tiny shards of gold. His figure was slim yet upright, with a calm, almost divine aura. His hair was pure silver, long and bound with a jade-colored hairpin, a few stray strands framing his face. His features were refined, his eyes dark as ink, and the golden “知” character on his forehead shimmered subtly in the light.
Even though it was the first time she’d met him, her heart beat faster for no reason.
Oh, this is sinful… he was beautiful like a god, and yet, she couldn’t help but feel a spark of attraction.
No matter—brave people enjoy first!
“Please wait.”
She stopped and tried to keep her voice steady.
“Thank you for saving us just now, and for saving my brother too.”
Ze Yu raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised that she had called out to him.
“It was nothing.”
His voice remained cool and distant, but he didn’t turn to leave.
Li Zhu pressed her lips together, quickly running through her words in her mind.
Saying outright, “You’re so handsome; I want you to be my beast mate” sounded a little too forward. Saying, “Our tribe needs protection” made it seem like she was just trying to use him.
She glanced at the dead Land-Splitting Bear lying on the ground—the blue crystal on its forehead gleamed in the sunlight.
Seventh-rank energy was enough to boost the tribe’s strength significantly, but compared to this man’s power, it was almost trivial.
“You don’t seem to be a northern-continent beastman, do you?”
Li Zhu decided to probe first.
“Our rabbit tribe has lived in this valley for decades, and we’ve never seen you before.”
Ze Yu was silent for a moment, weighing whether to answer.
“Hmm, my name is Ze Yu. I’m from the west.”
He spoke simply, giving no mention of his race or his exact tribe.
“Ze Yu.”
Li Zhu remembered the name and continued.
“Then why have you traveled so far here? Perhaps we can help you—it would be a way to repay your life-saving act.”
She said it calmly, trying to appear as though she had no ulterior motive.
“Help you? And what do you think I came here for?”
Ze Yu raised an eyebrow.
Li Zhu thought: How should I know what he’s here for? I’m not a parasite in his stomach.
Though she thought that, she didn’t dare say it out loud.
“Then… shall I guess?”
“Come… for sightseeing?” If not, then surely it must be for offspring!?
Ze Yu shook his head, obviously not expecting that answer.
Though he’d never heard the phrase “sightseeing,” he could roughly guess its meaning.
On the Beast Continent, beastmen never traveled just for leisure—they only traveled to hunt.
Male beastmen’s days revolved almost entirely around their mates.
Li Zhu, seeing his reaction, made up her mind.
“Well… I don’t know exactly why you came here, but that doesn’t matter! Because what I want to say is—can you become my beast mate?”
Between shallow desire and utilitarian calculation, Li Zhu chose the former.
Yes! She was shallow! So what!?
She retracted what she had previously said about not wanting a mate who was only interested in her for reproduction.
Love might be unreliable, but strength and looks? Always reliable!
Having a man like this by her side—even sleeping next to him—she would wake up smiling!
Truly, one’s perspective should never be too narrow!
After spending so much time in the rabbit burrow, the most handsome male she’d seen was still her brother.
But the one in front of her now couldn’t simply be called handsome.
Heavens… his combat power alone was intimidating, but on top of that, he was 1.9 meters tall, broad-shouldered and narrow-waisted, and…
Li Zhu thought: This kind of top-tier specimen… I really, really can’t afford to miss out. Would you, if it were you, let him go?
No sooner had she thought that than she realized the surroundings had gone eerily silent.
She turned around and saw seven or eight pairs of round, wide eyes staring at her, faces full of disbelief.
Everyone thought: Wow… is Li Zhu really that brave?
“What are you all staring at me for?”
Li Zhu touched her face, confused.
Had she done something wrong? Wasn’t this just like how other females in the tribe openly expressed which male beastmen they liked?
In fact, this kind of behavior was quite common in the Beast Continent—but seeing a divine, godlike figure like Ze Yu and… Li Zhu in her animal-skin skirt…
It looked strange no matter how you looked at it.
Although Li Zhu was also very pretty.
Alright, fine, it seemed there really wasn’t a problem.
The others were just surprised at first hearing her words, but no one thought Li Zhu was being ridiculous.
Li Zhu had always been the smartest in the tribe—if she acted this way, she must have a reason.
Even Li Heng, after hearing his sister, chose to remain silent.
Not to mention Ze Yu—his face, at this moment, was full of astonishment as well.
“I want to know… why do you want me to be your beast mate?”
“Because you’re good-looking.” Li Zhu said, completely serious.
…
That reason was… simple and straightforward.
“Heh.”
Ze Yu let out a quiet chuckle.
It was the first time someone had ever spoken to him so plainly and sincerely, telling him he was good-looking.
From the moment he first noticed them until now, this female before him seemed truly different.
If she had reproductive capability, becoming her beast mate didn’t seem like a bad idea at all.
Ze Yu scrutinized the tiny female in front of him.
She was a full head shorter than him. Standing beside him, she looked so delicate and frail, it was as if a gust of wind could blow her over.
Standing in the morning light, she looked like a dew-covered white grass stalk—soft and gentle, almost like she could be petted.
Her ears were pointed, the tips tinged pink.
Most striking were her eyes—the irises a very light amber, with slightly upturned corners. The whites were clean as porcelain, and her gaze carried a hint of innocence, round like a frightened young rabbit, yet with an adorable spark hidden within.
“You… have reproductive ability?”
Though he knew the question was delicate, the responsibility on his shoulders didn’t allow him to be reckless.
Many petite and fragile females in the Beast Continent had no fertility, and no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t bear offspring.
So he had to ask.
Li Zhu, hearing the question, immediately understood and gained confidence.
As expected, he was asking for offspring.
Ze Yu, seeing her expression change, thought she might be angry and immediately tensed.
“You… don’t take it the wrong way… I just—”
“I’m fertile, and I don’t have a beast mate yet. If you’re willing, you can be my first beast mate, and I’ll bear your offspring.”
Li Zhu quickly interrupted him.
He seemed to have misunderstood.
She understood why he asked—the rules of the Beast Continent meant males sought mates almost exclusively for reproduction. That was the way of legacy and inheritance in their world.
Producing offspring, continuing the bloodline—that was duty and responsibility for them.
And for a mate, they were always loyal, obedient, and protective.
Once bonded, the contract could never be broken unless the mate initiated it. There were ways to forcibly break it, but the cost was immense.