The two of them scoured the other caves in the tribe and found quite a few things that Xiong Jiaojiao had previously stolen, such as the clothes and skirts the original owner had brought, along with a few blankets and fur coats. In short, Shen Yue took back everything that was hers.
When they left, Xiong Jiaojiao and the black bear male were still entangled, having rolled out of the cave.
Coincidentally, over there was a spear-shovel that the original owner had brought with her.
"Si Muye, see that shovel over there? That’s mine too. Go get it, quickly!"
Si Muye glanced over and happened to see the two of them changing positions.
His face flushed crimson, and his neck was so red it looked like it might bleed.
He took a deep breath, not daring to let his eyes wander, and steeled himself to walk over.
Watching him take tiny, mincing steps, Shen Yue quietly cheered him on:
"You can do it, Si Muye! My innocent little bear, don’t be afraid of a little hardship!"
Si Muye: "..."
’Innocent little bear?’
He was the strongest and most ferocious warrior of the Ancient Bear Family, the oldest of all.
...
After grabbing everything, the two returned to their cave.
But just as they reached the entrance, Si Muye stopped in his tracks.
"Wait!"
His expression sharpened as he vigilantly sensed his surroundings.
Shen Yue also detected a faint, unfamiliar aura.
She was instantly alarmed.
"Someone’s been here!"
’This is bad.’
’My Dabao and the other cubs!’
She instantly dashed inside, running to the soft grass mat. One look, and she froze on the spot.
Dabao was still there!
But...
One of the eggs was gone!
Si Muye rushed in as well, freezing for a second, his eyes wide.
Then, he turned and headed straight back out.
"I’ll go after them!"
The aura hadn’t dissipated yet, which meant the person had just left!
Shen Yue’s breathing grew tight.
She had lost an egg!
Who would be so shameless as to steal someone else’s egg in this Beast World, where females were precious and fertility rates were low?
She searched the original owner’s memories in her mind. Across the entire Beast World, it was rare for anyone to steal a cub.
After all, a cub’s aura and bloodline were connected to its biological female mother and male father. Even if stolen, it would be easily recognized by its birth parents. A stolen cub could never be properly raised in another’s home.
Furthermore, cubs were precious and protected throughout the Beast World, just like females. Very few would do such a thing.
She trembled with anger and rushed out of the cave after Si Muye.
Right now, she wasn’t afraid of anything else, only that her cub might be in danger. What if it had been taken by some deviant from a Beast Clan? Or worse, one of those legendary, irredeemably evil Evil Beasts with corrupted spiritual power. It was said they devoured cubs to replenish their own spiritual power.
Si Muye saw her follow him out.
"A Yue, don’t worry. Stay in the cave and wait, I’ll go after them."
"I will definitely bring the child back for you."
Listening to him, Shen Yue’s eyes grew red with worry.
"I can sense the child’s aura."
As she spoke, she began to concentrate, attempting to use the innate auric connection between a mother and child in the Beast World to pinpoint the direction her child had vanished.
Si Muye watched her, just about to speak.
"What’s that?"
Shen Yue’s sharp eyes suddenly spotted a rustling in the tall grass not far away.
Si Muye immediately looked over. There was indeed something there.
The two of them moved cautiously in that direction.
Shen Yue grew tense. She clutched a silver needle in her hand, her eyes fixed warily on the patch of grass.
Si Muye radiated the aura of a powerful expert and his spiritual power, causing the surrounding air to stir invisibly.
He narrowed his eyes and threatened:
"Come out! You can’t escape."
Both of them held their breath. If the child-snatcher was hiding back there, they had to take them down with a single, fatal blow to rescue the child.
"Return the child, and I might let you live! Otherwise, you die."
He continued to threaten.
The two slowly approached.
One second!
Two seconds!
Three seconds!
Shen Yue held the silver needle tightly, ready to pounce at any moment.
Si Muye was also prepared.
Suddenly, a small, dark, and grubby thing shot out from behind the grass.
Shen Yue was about to stab at it, but she stopped abruptly mid-motion.
She grabbed Si Muye, who was also about to strike.
"Wait!"
Si Muye also paused.
Only then did they see that the little thing that had shot out had half an eggshell perched on its head.
Because the eggshell was blocking its view, the little thing stumbled and fell to the ground after running out.
Its jet-black, glossy fur shone like black silk in the sunlight. A closer look revealed faint, hidden leopard spots. Its delicate and tiny body looked just like a small, fluffy ball.
Just then, it struggled to push the eggshell off its head with its little paws, revealing a pair of large, round eyes like two sparkling, translucent gems. Its pale green pupils slowly reflected Shen Yue’s image.
It blinked its eyes, sniffed with its tiny black nose, and with a twitch of its small, shell-shaped ears, it toddled towards Shen Yue.
"Female mother, you’re Er Bao’s female mother!"
The sweet, milky voice made Shen Yue’s heart tremble.
Her taut nerves relaxed, and she couldn’t help but crouch down.
Her eyes widened. "Er Bao?"
Looking at the Little Black Panther before her, Shen Yue found it incredible.
This aura was definitely her cub’s.
’But why is it different from Dabao?’
’Shouldn’t it be a Little Golden Lion, just like Dabao?’
Si Muye was also shocked as he watched.
He had never seen a situation like this. Logically, no matter how many cubs were born, they should all be the same species. But here, the eldest was a Golden Lion, yet the second was a Black Panther?
’A Yue managed to conceive two different species in one litter?’
’Could it be that two different males impregnated A Yue?’
’Does that mean A Yue mated with two males at the same time and got pregnant by both??’
As Si Muye thought this, the tips of his ears turned red. ’A Yue is too... fierce!’
This was something that had never happened in the entire Beast World Continent!
The Little Black Panther rubbed its fluffy little head against Shen Yue’s knee.
"Female mother, Er Bao smelled your sweet scent even inside the eggshell. Female mother smells so good!"
"Er Bao loves how female mother smells! Er Bao wants a hug! Female mother, hug me!"
Shen Yue couldn’t bother with other thoughts.
Hearing the little fluffball’s soft voice, she reached out and pulled him into her arms.
"Er Bao, you scared your female mother to death. Did you run out of the cave by yourself just now?"
As she spoke, she stroked its fluffy head.
"Your female mother thought a bad person had run off with you! Thank goodness you’re okay."
Er Bao snuggled into her embrace and nuzzled against her.
"Er Bao doesn’t know. It felt like someone carried Er Bao out and sent a very warm aura into Er Bao. Then Er Bao hatched all of a sudden!"
Hearing this, Shen Yue instantly grew tense again.
She immediately exchanged a look with Si Muye. So, someone really had been here!
Si Muye turned, vigilantly scanning the surroundings with his spiritual power, but he couldn’t trace the direction of the unfamiliar aura at all.
He frowned. His spiritual power had mostly recovered and was now approaching S Class. But if even his current spiritual power couldn’t track the person, it meant the other party was stronger than him and had deliberately hidden their aura.
He couldn’t help but look at the Little Black Panther in Shen Yue’s arms. This person had appeared only to carry Er Bao out of the cave. They hadn’t harmed it; on the contrary, they had used spiritual power to help it hatch early.
He recalled that in the entire K Empire, there was only one Black Panther Clan with the purest bloodline. The royal family within the Black Panther Clan, in particular, possessed extraordinary spiritual power.
Rumor had it that the current Great General of the Black Panther Royal Family, Mu Silin, was the strongest of the new generation of the royal family. He simply kept to himself year-round, living in seclusion in Muxue City.
As Si Muye was speculating...
At that very moment, a tall man dressed in a black robe, hidden in the shadows, was gazing down at the scene of Shen Yue and her son snuggling together.