“I’ll take all of your Jiao Silk.”
Hearing this, Su Jin abruptly turned around to find Chu Xuan and her companions already standing behind him.
“Hey! Little fat sheep, we meet again.” Su Jin greeted Chu Xuan with a beaming smile.
“Little fish, what good stuff have you brought this time? Show us.”
Chu Xuan also greeted him politely, but when Su Jin heard how she addressed him, his smile instantly froze on his face.
Little fish???
He wasn’t a fish! He was a noble Jiao, a Jiao!!!
And not just any Jiao, but…
Forget it. Considering how much prey this little fat sheep had brought him, he wouldn’t bother arguing with her.
Mo Jingxing had hunted a lot of game these past few days and exchanged them with Su Jin for many beautiful items. As soon as he got them, he directly handed them to Shen Lingjun, patted his shoulder and said, “You’ve worked hard.” The implication was clear.
Shen Lingjun: “…”
“Sister Xuan.”
Hearing Gui Lianjun’s voice, Chu Xuan looked over to see her carrying a basket, accompanied by her Beast Husband and child, quickly approaching.
“Sister Xuan, thanks to you treating my Yin Lang last time, he’s completely recovered now and can even go out hunting again. This is just a small token of my appreciation – you must accept it.”
Gui Lianjun handed the basket to Chu Xuan. It contained various food items. Since Chu Xuan had saved her Beast Husband, and she had nothing better to repay her with, she could only offer some food to express her gratitude.
Although Chu Xuan had five powerful Beast Husbands at home and certainly didn’t lack food, Gui Lianjun would feel guilty if she didn’t show some appreciation.
Chu Xuan glanced at the food in the basket and said, “Sister Lian, you should keep these things. Winter is coming soon, and food will be hard to find. You should save them for your own family.”
“Sister Xuan, if you don’t accept this, I won’t be able to rest easy!” Gui Lianjun insisted.
Yin Lang chimed in from the side: “Yes, Sister Xuan, if you hadn’t saved me that day, I probably would have died. No matter what, you must accept these things.”
“Brother Yin Lang, your family has always taken good care of me. What I did last time was just a small effort – you don’t need to be so polite.”
“Aunt Xuan, please accept it.” Suddenly, a little Beast Cub hugged Chu Xuan’s leg and said in a milky voice, “If you don’t take it, my mother and father will blame themselves when we go back home.”
The little Beast Cub looked up at Chu Xuan with big, watery eyes, his two animal ears twitching on his head and his wolf tail wagging behind him – utterly adorable.
Chu Xuan’s heart instantly melted. She couldn’t resist reaching out to ruffle his head twice: “You’re so cute! How about Auntie gives you some pastries?”
As she spoke, she took out some previously made pastries from her Storage Ring and offered them to the little Beast Cub.
The sweet aroma wafted to his nose, making the little Beast Cub’s eyes light up. But he didn’t immediately take them to eat, instead looking expectantly at his mother.
Chu Xuan immediately understood. She took the basket from Gui Lianjun’s hands and said, “Well then, I’ll accept these things. And you must accept these pastries for the child!”
Gui Lianjun smiled and said to the little Beast Cub, “Since Aunt Xuan is giving them to you, you can accept them.”
The little Beast Cub hugged the box, picked up a piece of pastry, and put it in his mouth. The next moment, the sweet, soft, and sticky flavor exploded on his tongue, and his eyes widened in astonishment.
“This is so delicious! Mother, Father, you should try it too. I’ve never tasted anything this good before.”
The little Beast Cub lifted the pastry box and offered it to Gui Lianjun and Yin Lang.
When Chu Xuan had opened the box earlier, they had already caught a whiff of the sweet aroma. Now, with the treats right before them, Gui Lianjun picked up a piece and tasted it. The next moment, she exclaimed in amazement:
“Xuan Mei, did you make this? It’s incredibly delicious!”
Chu Xuan smiled and took out some steamed buns and dumplings she had prepared earlier from her Storage Ring, handing them to Gui Lianjun.
“Lian Jie, I made these at home. You can take them back and store them in a cool place—they’ll keep for a long time. These are steamed buns; when you want to eat them, just take them out and steam them until hot. And these are dumplings; boil them for about a quarter of an hour after the water comes to a rolling boil.”
Chu Xuan pulled out two large bags and insisted on stuffing them into Gui Lianjun’s arms.
Gui Lianjun repeatedly refused. How could she accept Chu Xuan’s gifts?
“Xuan Mei, you saved my Yin Lang. That alone is a great kindness to me. I can’t possibly take these things from you.”
“Lian Jie, please just accept them. I have plenty more at home. I brought these especially for you. If you don’t take them, I’ll never speak to you again.”
Chu Xuan put on an angry expression, leaving Gui Lianjun somewhat conflicted. Yin Lang, standing nearby, chimed in, “Since it’s Xuan Mei’s heartfelt gesture, you should just accept it.”
The people at the Mutual Market had long noticed the commotion and recognized Gui Lianjun and her Beast Husband, Yin Lang.
“Hey, isn’t that Yin Lang? Is he alright now? I remember last time at the Mutual Market, Gui Lianjun was weeping and trying to trade for herbs, saying her Yin Lang was on the brink. How could he have recovered so quickly?”
“Exactly! I saw it with my own eyes during the hunt in the mountains—Yin Lang’s leg was bitten by that wild beast and dragged quite a distance. It was a miracle he even survived. Who would have thought that in just a few days, he’d be standing here completely unharmed?”
A few Beastmen approached Yin Lang directly, circling him and examining him closely. Seeing that he had indeed fully recovered, they expressed astonished disbelief.
Gui Lianjun lifted her chin proudly and declared, “My Yin Lang’s recovery is all thanks to Xuan Mei’s Healing Ability. Xuan Mei is our family’s great benefactor.”
Her words fell among the Beastmen like a stone dropped into calm water, stirring up quite a ripple.
“Chu Xuan actually awakened a Healing Ability? How is that possible?”
It wasn’t just that females awakening abilities was already highly improbable; when this already unlikely event happened to Chu Xuan—a female considered even more unlikely—it was simply too hard to believe.
This was largely due to the deep-seated impression everyone had of Chu Xuan’s past behavior: bullying males and females alike, seizing and extorting by force.
If not for her father’s immense contributions to Tianshui City, and their gratitude for Chu Xiao’s dedication to the city, Chu Xuan would have been driven out long ago for all the wicked deeds she had committed.
“How is it impossible? You all know how severely injured my Yin Lang was. Last time, after Xuan Mei came to our home to treat him, he made a full recovery,” Gui Lianjun argued.
Sister Xuan is no longer the same as before. She must clear Sister Xuan’s name in Tianshui City and not let these Beastmen misunderstand Sister Xuan any longer.
“Miss Chu.”
Suddenly, a middle-aged Male Beast approached Chu Xuan, bowed respectfully to her, and said, “I am the steward of the City Lord’s residence, Yao Chun. May I ask Miss Chu to accompany me to the City Lord’s residence to treat my lady?”