Hu Zhuo couldn’t help but find it amusing. “Little one, your teeth aren’t even fully grown yet, and you already want to eat Beastfolk?”
The cub pouted. “Hmph, it’s your fault for not letting me drink milk.”
“You’re too old for milk now. Aren’t you ashamed? Other cubs your age have already started eating meat.”
“Really?” The cub seemed doubtful, but he didn’t want to embarrass himself or upset his mother.
“Of course. You also need to take good care of your mother and make her happy every day.”
“Okay, I’ll definitely make Mother happy every day,” the cub promised, sounding like a little adult.
Hu Li watched from the side, wanting to laugh. Suddenly, she realized the cub still didn’t have a name, which was quite a dilemma for her.
Ever since arriving here, she had noticed that surnames generally followed their species. For example, she was from the fox tribe, so she was called Hu Li. Since the cub was from the tiger tribe, should his surname be Tiger?
No, she wanted to break away from that way of thinking.
Just then, she noticed a flickering light on the cub’s forehead. Hu Zhuo noticed it too.
“Hu Zhuo, what’s happening to the cub?”
Hu Zhuo raised a hand to stop her. “Shh. We’ll know the cub’s Cultivation level in a moment.”
The two held their breath as the blue crystal on the cub’s forehead gradually deepened in color.
Hu Zhuo was stunned. “How is this possible? A blue crystal? I’ve never seen a Beastfolk with a blue crystal before.”
Hu Li was equally shocked. She had only used one Advancement Pill. Without it, the cub would still have been at the green crystal level, which was already impressive. For a moment, she couldn’t tell whether this was good or bad—especially since he was only a month old!
“Maybe… maybe it’s because his Father Beast’s genes are strong, which is why the cub is so powerful!” Hu Li could only come to this conclusion, as she had no idea who the cub’s Father Beast was.
Sometimes, she wondered if the cub’s Father Beast might be someone powerful. If that were the case, could she just lie back and live a carefree life?
Hu Li searched through the System Store for a long time and finally, with the System’s guidance, chose an artifact that could conceal one’s true strength.
【Sun-Moon: On the front is the sun, and on the back is the moon. When the wearer displays the sun side, their true strength is revealed; when they display the moon side, a false strength is shown.】
【Host, do you understand how to use this artifact?】
“No problem.”
Hu Li placed the Sun-Moon around the cub’s neck. “Little one, you must never take this off. Then, hold it and silently think ‘Red Rank’ in your mind.”
The cub never doubted his mother, so he did exactly as Hu Li instructed. Sure enough, the Beast Crystal on his forehead turned red.
Hu Li explained the pros and cons to him, and the cub understood everything, vowing earnestly that he would never reveal his true strength.
With the weight off her mind, Hu Li breathed a sigh of relief. Turning around, she saw Hu Zhuo staring at her with a deep, thoughtful expression. She instinctively touched her face. “Is there… something dirty on my face?”
Hu Zhuo shook his head. “A Li, you can always trust me.”
Hu Li understood what he meant and gave him a bright smile. “Okay.”
Hu Zhuo was mesmerized. “A Li, you smell so good!”
Help, here we go again.
Hu Zhuo sent the cub out to play and then pulled Hu Li away to cultivate.
At noon, the scorching sun beat down on the earth, and the temperature gradually rose.
Hu Li sat up, supporting her sore waist, and wanted to go look for the cub. However, Hu Zhuo stopped her.
“Lie down and rest. I’ll go find the cub. He’s probably having fun playing with the other cubs in the tribe and forgot to come home.”
Hu Li nodded and lay back down to rest.
It must be said that foxes are naturally seductive, and Hu Zhuo had completely captivated Hu Li, leading to the current situation where she felt her waist was about to break.
“Hu Li, are you home?”
A male voice echoed from outside the cave.
Hu Li didn’t recognize the voice, so she went out to check.
She saw Hu Qingyu standing outside, holding five clean animal hides. As he was about to step forward to give them to her for making a new hide skirt, he caught the scent of Hu Zhuo.
“You mated with him?”
Hu Li’s face flushed with heat, as if she had been caught in the act.
“I told you he’s too weak for you. Only I am worthy of you. I want to be your Beast Husband.” Hu Qingyu spoke without a hint of timidity, instead carrying a trace of pride.
Of course, he was the tribe’s warrior, the strongest, but he was not the warrior who belonged to her, Hu Li.
“Sorry, I don’t need another Beast Husband for now.”
“Why? Is he able to satisfy you? I’m more robust and stronger than him. I should be the one who can satisfy you.”
He spoke with such seriousness that Hu Li felt like digging a castle out of the ground with her toes right then and there.
To prevent him from continuing his “bold declarations,” Hu Li quickly changed the subject. “These hides are really nice. Where did you hunt them? I’ll have Hu Zhuo hunt a few in a couple of days.”
Hu Qingyu tossed the hides to her. “These were meant for you.”
“They’re too valuable. I can’t accept them.” Hu Li quickly shoved them back into his arms. “Goodbye, I’m tired and need to rest.”
With that, she dashed back into the cave.
Hu Qingyu narrowed his eyes. A Female who wasn’t easily tempted—she truly was the mate he had been searching for, intelligent, rational, and not greedy, unlike any other Female.
Hu Qingyu became even more determined to win her over.
“Cub, little tiger cub, where are you?” Hu Zhuo searched frantically, sweating profusely. He had been careless; he shouldn’t have let the tiger cub go play with the other cubs in the tribe.
Recently, Beastfolk from other tribes had been lurking around the tribe to see the things A Li had invented. He feared the cub might be tricked away, especially since tiger cubs were precious, particularly their bodies… He didn’t dare think further.
To find the cub quickly, Hu Zhuo transformed into his True Form, swiftly left the tribe, and expanded his search range.
Deep in the forest, the cub was being dragged further into the woods by the tail of a Snake Beastman.
“Let me go! My mother and Father Beast won’t let you get away with this!” The cub struggled desperately.
The Snake Beastman flicked his tongue with a sinister grin. “There’s never been a tiger clan here. You must be an abandoned tiger cub. I hear tiger cubs are the most delicious in the world. I can’t miss out.”
“You wretched, stinky snake!”
“Heh, little brat, stop struggling. No one’s coming to save you.”
“Is that so?”
A dark figure stood tall in the sky, golden eyes instantly locking onto the small cub in the Snake Beastman’s grasp. That was… his cub.
With a mere wave of his hand, the Snake Beastman gasped for breath, clutching his throat desperately. “Spare… me.”
“You dared harm my cub. Too late.”
In his final moments, the Snake Beastman deeply regretted his greed, having provoked a race he shouldn’t have. He had truly kicked an iron plate.
The little cub sat on the ground, both aggrieved and frightened, his small voice trembling with anger as he asked, “Am I your cub?”
The man nodded.
“Then are you my Father Beast?”
The man frowned. “You look like me.”
“Where do I look like him?” The little cub had never seen his own reflection, unaware of his appearance. He was very curious—how could two beastfolk look exactly the same?
He felt a bit panicked. He didn’t want such a cold, frightening face. He wanted to find his mother.
The man sensed his intention and, with a wave of his large hand, brought the little cub into his arms. The moment their bodies touched, the surge of primal energy within him grew even stronger.
Suddenly, the man’s brow furrowed. “Someone’s coming. Come with me.”
“I don’t… want…”
The next second, a red fox emerged through the dense forest and arrived at the spot.