Hu Zhuo carried Hu Li across half the mountain, and by the time they reached the waterfall, Hu Li was dizzy from the bumpy ride.
“Sorry, Hu Li. I forgot you’re weak and injured right now,” he said, his little face looking pitiful, as if he had done something he would regret for the rest of his life.
Wow, this is way too fragile! Hu Li quickly reassured him, “It’s fine, it’s fine. It’s just a few scratches.” Thankfully, the System had protected her when she fell off the cliff, or she really would have had to lie in bed for ten days to half a month.
“I… I’m sorry.”
The little fox looked so pitiful, and Hu Li had no idea how to comfort a fox, so she could only divert his attention.
“Hu Zhuo, is this the place you said we could find thick logs? But there aren’t any here!”
Hu Zhuo looked excited. “Hu Li, just wait. I’ll make one for you right now.”
With that, he stopped in front of a sturdy tree, his hands transforming into fox claws. In just a few swipes, the tree fell.
Hu Zhuo eagerly lifted the tree to show off, his fiery red ears happily twitching. “Do you like it, Hu Li?”
“Yes, I like it.” Hu Li marveled at the Beastfolk’s strength—being able to lift a large tree without even using his Beast Form was amazing. At the same time, she worried about how to hollow out the tree.
Noticing Hu Li’s furrowed brow, Hu Zhuo was puzzled and immediately voiced his confusion.
“Hu Li, aren’t you satisfied?”
“Hu Zhuo, could you help cut this log into a piece as tall as me? And also hollow out a hole inside.” As she spoke, Hu Li gestured with her hands to show the thickness to leave at the bottom and around the edges.
Hu Zhuo caught on quickly and immediately understood what Hu Li meant. However, this time it took a bit longer. Hollowing out a solid log by hand sounded painful, but for Hu Zhuo, it was no different from sharpening his claws.
In human time, the wooden bucket had taken shape in about five minutes. Ten minutes later, the bucket was smooth and refined, clearly crafted with care.
Hu Zhuo effortlessly grabbed the bucket with one hand and placed it beside Hu Li. “Hu Li, it’s done.”
Uh… Hu Li was stunned. The bucket was as tall as she was! And he handled it as easily as if it were a toy.
“You… just put it by the waterfall. I’ll fill it with water.”
“Fill it with water? Easy. Just wait.” Hu Zhuo took the bucket and jumped directly into the waterfall. Half a minute later, he emerged with a full bucket of water.
Hu Li: “…” Holy cow!
Hu Zhuo transformed into his Beast Form, carried Hu Li on his back, and held the wooden bucket in his mouth as they returned to the Red Fox Tribe.
As soon as they reached the cave, they saw the Priest approaching from afar.
“Hu Li, how could you go out! And you, Hu Zhuo, you’re not as strong as the other Males in the tribe. You can’t protect a Female. How could you take Hu Li out alone? This is unacceptable!”
Hu Li was still reeling from the thrill of racing through the forest and had no energy to explain to the Priest. “Priest, is there something you need?”
The Priest then remembered his real purpose. “The Chieftain sent me to check on you. It seems you can walk now, so you should be fine. But a basic check is still necessary, especially since you’re carrying a Cub in your belly.”
Hu Li immediately placed a hand on her lower abdomen. She had almost forgotten there was a little one inside her, and she still didn’t know what it was.
The three of them entered the cave together, only to find Hu Rong standing inside with her hands on her hips, looking disgusted, surrounded by a mess.
Hu Li immediately flared up with anger. That was the result of her entire afternoon’s effort, and now it had been destroyed just like that.
“Hu Rong, what are you doing? Why are you wrecking my home?”
A cold sneer curled at the corner of Hu Rong’s lips as she spread her hands. “I was just helping you check for bugs. After all, you’re injured. Once a Beastfolk gets hurt, it can attract bugs over time and lead to death. I was helping you. Instead of thanking me, you’re questioning me. Hu Li, you’re really cold-blooded toward your own kind, no different from those wandering cold-blooded Beastfolk outside.”
“You’re the cold-blooded one! Hu Li is the best.” Hu Zhuo couldn’t stand others bullying Hu Li. It was this nasty Female who always picked on Hu Li before.
“Well, well, if it isn’t Hu Zhuo! A Male no one wants. I kindly offered to take you as my Beast Husband, but not only did you refuse, you’re also hanging around with the ugliest Female in the tribe. Then again, a weak Male like you couldn’t find a pretty Female anyway. Just wait to be laughed at by all the Males in the tribe!”
“Who I Bond with is none of your business. If you have time, you should keep a closer eye on your own bad Cub! Stop meddling in other people’s affairs all the time.”
“Who are you calling a bad Cub, huh?”
Hu Rong loved her Cubs the most. Usually, if anyone dared to say a single negative thing about any of her Cubs, her fiery temper would reduce them to tears. Now, hearing unfavorable words about her Cubs again, her temper flared up instantly. She rolled up her sleeves, ready to fight. Fortunately, the Priest was there to intervene, preventing a brawl.
Hu Li also pulled Hu Zhuo back, advising her not to argue with the unreasonable. Hitting a Female was a serious crime, and it could even cost her life.
Hu Zhuo snorted coldly. “Hu Li, I’ll listen to you.”
After confirming that the two wouldn’t clash again, the Priest focused entirely on examining Hu Li. Seeing that the scrapes on her body had already scabbed over, she prepared some new herbal medicine before leaving.
In contrast, Hu Rong looked utterly dejected.
“Hu Li, are you just going to let Hu Rong bully you like that?”
This little fox—others always called him weak, but instead of worrying about himself, he was worrying about her.
“I’m injured, and I have a Cub in my belly. She has so many Beast Husbands. If we clash, I definitely won’t have the advantage. Let her be arrogant for a few days. Once the Cub is born, we’ll settle old and new scores together.”
Hu Li thought Hu Zhuo would say something to pledge his loyalty, like how he would definitely protect her and keep her from harm. She was even prepared to hear such mushy words, but unexpectedly, he remained silent.
Turning around in confusion, she saw Hu Zhuo hanging his head, fidgeting as if making some kind of decision. No need to guess—the innocent little fox was definitely blushing again.
“Hu Zhuo, is something on your mind?” In the end, she was the one to break the silence.
“I… Hu Li, please consider what I said yesterday. I don’t just want to mate with you; I want to stay by your side forever and protect you. Like just now, if I were your Beast Husband, I’d have the right to chase Hu Rong away. But I’m not yours, so I don’t have that right.” As he spoke, his eyes reddened again.
Oh, great, he’s a crybaby too.
“Alright, don’t be sad for now. I’ll consider it. But for now, don’t think about mating. Please forget about it immediately.”
“Okay, you must consider it. I’ll go find food for you.” With that, Hu Zhuo fled as if escaping.
Sigh, Hu Li felt helpless too. With a Cub still in her belly, why think about taking on a Beast Husband? But Hu Zhuo is quite handsome.
[Ding! Host has triggered the childbirth topic.]
The familiar sound of the System rang out.
【In my opinion, Host, you should just take him in! Your tasks aren’t limited to guiding the Daughter of Heavenly Fortune and the Son of Heavenly Fortune, you know! Having children is also one of the tasks to return home.】
“Wha—at?”
Before I’ve even given birth to the one in my belly, you’re already picking out the next one for me. Birth, birth, birth—I’ll birth your damn *.
【Detected that the Host’s emotions are relatively agitated. Activating the Emotional Stabilization Function now.】
The next second, Hu Li felt a jolt of electricity in her fingers, and then… the voltage grew stronger and stronger.
Hu Li straightened her posture, slowly exhaling a puff of smoke from her mouth. So this “stabilization” is violent stabilization!
250, you’re unethical.