Hu Li inwardly grumbled, Seriously, City Lord, could you finish your sentence? I’m not a mind reader—how am I supposed to know what you’re thinking?
“City Lord, what kind of Beastfolk are you talking about?”
The City Lord pulled her thoughts back. “I’ll tell you only if you agree to become Wanshou City’s Sage.”
“Are you threatening me?”
Their gazes met. After all, the City Lord was an experienced black wolf, exuding an overwhelming pressure. Even Hu Li couldn’t help but feel a flicker of fear when locking eyes with her and quickly looked away.
“This isn’t a threat—it’s an exchange.”
“No, I refuse. I can find my cub on my own. I absolutely won’t trap myself here.”
“Are you truly refusing? I’ve heard those Beastfolk are cruel, even more brutal than cold-blooded Snake Beastmen. Every day your cub spends in their hands means another day of torment. As his mother, can you really bear to let your cub suffer?”
Hu Li thought: Sorry, but I can bear it. What kind of father would torment his own son? I’m not falling for your tricks.
Outwardly, Hu Li remained calm. “No, I don’t believe it, and I still refuse.”
“Did you call me here just for this? My Beast Husband is waiting for me to return. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.” With that, she turned to go.
“Wait. You really are a different kind of Female. Fine! Before you arrived, I was betting with Xi’er—whether you’d agree to become Wanshou City’s Sage, and if not, whether you could withstand my threats. It seems I’ve lost.”
Lang Xi happily took Hu Li’s hand. “Hu Li, don’t be angry. It’s not that we don’t trust you—we just wanted to test how long your convictions would hold. Wanshou City lacks someone like you. Even the Females outside can’t compare to you. Please stay here! If only to keep me company.”
Hu Li still refused. “I’ve said I must go find my cub. But I’ve also promised the Sage that while I’m in Wanshou City, he can come to me with anything he doesn’t understand.”
“Really? Then you must stay in Wanshou City a few more days, Hu Li. I haven’t spent enough time with you yet.”
Hu Li readily agreed. Her mission wasn’t complete yet, so of course she couldn’t leave. As for the tiger cub—with his real father by his side, what danger could there possibly be? He was probably living even better than his mother.
Hu Li wasn’t wrong to think this way, because far away in another region, the tiger cub had Beastfolk to lull him to sleep, waited on hand and foot, and was even taught how to hunt by the Father Beast he didn’t yet acknowledge. His life was comfortable and fulfilling. The only downside was that he often missed his mother and his other Father Beast, and sometimes cried in his dreams while sleeping.
“City Lord, you still haven’t told me what kind of Beastfolk you were talking about.”
The City Lord waved her hand. “That’s a place we cannot set foot in. Telling you would be useless. I’ll tell you on the day you leave Wanshou City, so you don’t worry needlessly.”
Hu Li wanted to press further, but the City Lord excused herself on some urgent matter and left her in the hall.
Lang Xi greatly admired Hu Li’s personality and her roasted meat, sticking close to her often and gradually distancing herself from the sisters she usually played with.
As Hu Li neared home, she saw the house surrounded by a group of Beastfolk. Upon asking, she learned they had come to trade for roasted meat. She initially had no intention of making more, but with Lang Xi—the “traitor” by her side—whispering persuasively in her ear, her heart softened.
However, she had conditions: she would be in charge of directing, while the Beastfolk would handle the actual work.
A group of Beastfolk cheered, knowing that Hu Li was also teaching them how to roast meat. They were immensely grateful and promised that if she ever faced any difficulties in the future, she could come to them, and they would spare no effort to help.
Hu Zhuo brought over a small stone stool for Hu Li to sit on. Following Hu Li’s instructions, the Beastfolk divided into several groups and asked the Priest for the Sacred Fire to light their fires. At first, they were hesitant, afraid of being burned by the Sacred Fire, but after watching Hu Zhuo’s demonstration, they gradually grew accustomed to it.
Among the groups, two were responsible for roasting the meat, while the others handled cutting and skewering it. The division of labor was clear. Hu Zhuo distributed the ground spices to everyone, and so it continued until nightfall. Even in the darkness, Wanshou City remained brightly lit, with some Beastfolk even competing to see who could shout the loudest and most powerfully.
When a few groups ran out of firewood and were about to go pull down trees to burn, Hu Li promptly stopped them, teaching them that they could burn dry grass instead. The Beastfolk obediently went to find some.
Darkness posed no hindrance to these nocturnal Beastfolk; in fact, it even aided their hunting. Before long, they returned with a bountiful haul.
“Hu Li, here’s some rabbit meat we just hunted, for you,” one Beastfolk said, handing the rabbit to Hu Zhuo as a token of their gratitude.
With sharp eyes, Hu Li noticed a Beastfolk about to throw a handful of grass into the Sacred Fire and quickly stopped him. Only when the lush green “grass” was placed in her hands did Hu Li dare confirm that it was indeed wheat. She hadn’t expected the Beast World Continent to have wheat. Now she could grow rice to eat, adding another option to her meals.
She placed the wheat into her Spirit Spring Space and, while she was at it, picked a large amount of beans. Hu Li decided to make something different for everyone—stir-fried meat with beans.
The Beastfolk had never heard of stir-fried meat and didn’t understand how to make it. Hu Li had taught Hu Zhuo before, and they had already extracted oil last time. Hu Zhuo brought over the stone jar containing the oil, added a bit of lard, heated it, then added the pork, followed by the chopped beans. After seasoning with fine salt and spices, the fragrant stir-fry was ready.
Hu Li had originally intended for Hu Zhuo to make a small amount, fearing that the Beastfolk might have different tastes and find it unpalatable. But Hu Zhuo, drawing from his experience, felt after taking the first bite that it was like eating something divine. Confident that the Beastfolk would also enjoy it, he took the initiative to make a larger portion.
The Beastfolk, holding their stone bowls, eagerly gathered around the stone pot. Lang Xi, leveraging her status as both the city lord’s daughter and Hu Li’s good friend, was the first to serve herself some meat. She picked up a piece with her claws and tossed it into her mouth, her face instantly turning red.
The Beastfolk were startled, thinking something had happened to Lang Xi, and nearly went to fetch the Tribe Shaman. But when they saw Lang Xi grinning foolishly and saying she had just been burned by the hot food, they sighed in relief.
Learning from Lang Xi’s lesson, the Beastfolk grew wiser, knowing to blow on the food before eating it.
Sure enough, Hu Zhuo felt immense pride when he saw the expressions of bliss on the Beastfolk’s faces after their first taste of the stir-fry.
“Hu Zhuo, did your Wife-Master teach you how to make this?”
Hu Zhuo nodded.
“I want to learn how to make this for my Wife-Master too. Can you teach me?”
“That would require my A Li’s permission,” he said, turning to look at Hu Li.
“Hu Zhuo, once you’ve learned it, it becomes your skill. You can decide for yourself,” Hu Li said, leaving the decision to Hu Zhuo. After all, spreading knowledge was a virtuous act, and everyone could progress together.
At the city lord’s residence, a subordinate of the Black Wolf brought half a bowl of stir-fried meat to the city lord. “City Lord, why don’t we go join the roasting? It would save us all this trouble.”
The city lord naturally refused, as it would compromise his dignity; he had to maintain an aloof demeanor to command the respect and fear of the Beastfolk.
After taking the first bite, the city lord devoured the rest ravenously. Once finished, he complained it wasn’t enough and ordered his subordinates to fetch more.
The subordinate replied, “There’s none left. We only managed to seize this much.”
Soon after, the faint sound of the city lord’s muffled roar could be heard. He regretted putting on airs earlier—with his status, he could have been the first to secure a large portion.