“I…” Hu Li truly had no excuse, so she could only coax him earnestly—after all, he was her Beast Husband.
“Zhuozhuo, don’t be angry anymore. It’s all my fault. You can hit or scold me however you like, just don’t be upset.” As she spoke, she reached out and hooked her arms around his neck, planting a soft kiss on his chin.
It wasn’t that Hu Li was stingy with affection—it was just that Hu Zhuo was too tall, and he wasn’t cooperating by lowering his head, so she had to stand on her tiptoes.
“A-A-A… Li, you… you kissed me.”
“Yes! So don’t be angry anymore, okay?”
Hu Zhuo felt as if he were floating. He had actually been kissed by A Li—A Li had kissed him! Ahhh!!! He was so happy.
“How could I ever be angry with A Li? It’s just that I never expected A Li would keep something from me, not treating me as one of her own. I’m only angry at myself—as your Beast Husband, I haven’t earned my Wife-Master’s trust.”
Hu Li stood on her tiptoes and cupped his face with both hands. “That’s not it. You’ve done very well. I do trust you. It’s just that if I don’t disguise my face, other Males might take notice. This is for safety’s sake.”
“Right, A Li is so clever. I hadn’t even thought of that. A Li can make buckets and basins for holding water, and even that thing called a mirror. I’m the happiest Beastfolk in the world.”
Hu Li grew curious. “Is there anything you’ve kept from me?”
“I…” Hu Zhuo hesitated for a moment. “Actually, we met when we were children.”
“Huh? I remember I only came to the Tribe two years ago. How could we have met as children?”
A flicker of disappointment passed through Hu Zhuo’s eyes, but he quickly returned to normal.
“When I was little, Hu Rong used to bully me with a group of Males. Once, you happened to see it while we were outside. You secretly helped me chase them away and even played with me afterward. But we only played together twice—after that, you never came to find me again. I was really sad back then. But two years ago, when your Father Beast brought you to the Tribe, I recognized you at first glance. It’s just that you didn’t remember me anymore. I mentioned it to you before, but you never recalled.”
“I… I lost my memory because of an injury. I don’t remember anything from before. But it doesn’t matter—our bond is still here, and it even led to you becoming my Beast Husband.”
“Right, we are bound by fate. Thank the Beast God.”
Phew—finally managed to smooth that over. With the System gone, she had no idea who the original owner had known as a child.
“Hu Li, are you there?”
“Who is it?” It was an unfamiliar voice, which immediately put Hu Li on guard.
Hu Zhuo, however, recognized the voice’s owner. Frowning, he was about to tell A Li to stay inside the cave while he went out to handle it, but he never expected the other party to walk right in—an outcome he hadn’t anticipated.
“Hu…” The red-fox Male froze in place the moment he caught sight of Hu Li’s face.
“Who are you?” Hu Li had never seen him in the Tribe before.
Hu Zhuo stepped forward first, shielding Hu Li. “Hu Qingyu, what are you doing here?”
The beautiful vixen disappeared from view, and only then did Hu Qingyu snap out of it. He wore a haughty expression. “Why I’m here is none of your business.”
Hu Zhuo let out a cold laugh, speaking with pride. “I am Hu Li’s Beast Husband now, so of course I have the right to ask.”
“What?” Hu Qingyu took two steps forward, just enough to catch sight of Hu Li again. “You chose him as your Beast Husband?”
His tone sounded as if he had heard something utterly unbelievable.
“What do you mean? Why can’t I be A Li’s Beast Husband?” Hu Zhuo’s face instantly darkened.
“Because you’re weak.” Hu Qingyu looked at Hu Li. “You could consider letting me be your Beast Husband. I’m the strongest warrior in the tribe, far more capable than him.”
“Oh, right. This is what the Chieftain asked me to deliver.” He then placed two pieces of animal hide and several chunks of meat on the ground. Before leaving, Hu Qingyu glanced at the Cub on the bed, then at Hu Zhuo, and left with a cold sneer.
Hu Zhuo was furious. That final sneer was clearly mocking him—as A Li’s Beast Husband, yet the Cub she gave birth to belonged to another Male.
No way. A Li was his. He would never agree to let Hu Qingyu become her Beast Husband.
“Hu Zhuo, he…”
“A Li.” Hu Zhuo held her tightly. “He’s a stranger. Don’t mind him. Pay attention to me instead.”
Alright then! Hu Li was clever as a fox—how could she not tell Hu Zhuo was jealous? Since he was her Beast Husband, of course she had to make him feel secure.
She gently patted his back. “Don’t worry! In my heart, you and our Cub are the most important. Everyone else is just a stranger. Alright, my most important person, I’m hungry.”
“Okay, I’ll go make you something to eat.” So A Li understood him. How fortunate he was to have found a Female Wife-Master who truly understood him! Hmph, everyone looked down on him for being weak, but he was the happiest of all.
Hu Li ate the gamey roasted meat but nearly gagged. Unhappily, she set the meat aside.
“What’s wrong, A Li? Did I not cook it enough?”
“No, it’s just that without salt or seasoning, it doesn’t taste good. It’s too gamey.”
“Ah? You should have said so earlier. The Chieftain has salt, but the pieces are too big, and no Beastfolk ever take any. If you need some, I’ll go ask for a few pieces.”
So there was salt here after all! Probably coarse salt. But that was no problem—back in school, the teacher had taught them how to refine fine salt.
“Yes, yes, yes! Bring back as much as you can. We’ll need it from now on.”
“Alright.” Hu Zhuo was delighted. The more tasks A Li gave him, the more it affirmed his role as her Beast Husband.
After Hu Zhuo left, the tiger cub suddenly woke up. Usually, it was Hu Zhuo who lulled it to sleep, and with someone different now, the tiger cub protested loudly with piercing cries.
The tiger, king of all beasts, cried incessantly. A few neighboring red foxes living close to Hu Li’s home thought a real tiger had come. But realizing it was just a Cub’s cry—definitely from Hu Li’s house—they still found the sound terrifying and reluctantly came over to say a few words.
Hu Li felt quite guilty about this. She knew the neighbors were afraid of the Cub’s cries, but Hu Zhuo hadn’t returned yet, and she didn’t know how to soothe the Cub.
After sending the neighbors away, Hu Zhuo soon returned. Learning what had just happened made Hu Zhuo even happier. As long as A Li relied on him, his status in her heart would remain the highest. Even if she took other Beast Husbands in the future, he would still be the first among them.
While Hu Zhuo soothed the tiger cub, Hu Li began refining fine salt. The tiger cub wasn’t sleepy anymore, staring at its mother with two round, gleaming eyes.
Hu Li suddenly felt that having a Beast Husband, a child, and a warm home was actually quite blissful.
Hu Li asked Hu Zhuo to find a large stone and hollow it out, though not as deep as when carving a wooden bucket. Hu Zhuo’s claws were sharp, and in the blink of an eye, a container was ready.
Afterwards, Hu Li placed the stone bowl over the fire, poured in water, added coarse salt chunks, and heated them. Once it boiled, she let it cool for a while, then filtered out the solid impurities. After repeating this process several times, she obtained concentrated crystals.
Hu Zhuo was very puzzled upon seeing this. “Why has the salt become smaller? And it’s in tiny grains now.”
“In the future, when roasting meat, sprinkle this salt on top. The meat will be especially flavorful and delicious. Also, any leftover vegetables can be preserved by pickling, allowing them to be stored for a long time.”
Although Hu Zhuo didn’t fully understand, when he heard A Li mention storage, he was even more astonished. No Beastfolk in the entire Beast World had ever figured out a way to preserve food, yet A Li knew how.
No, the news that A Li knew how to store food must never reach other Beastfolk, or she would be in danger.