“…” That really was hard to refuse.
Although the shaman didn’t like her, she had never deliberately made things difficult for her.
Yun Jiao didn’t hate her enough to wish for her death.
If the Beast God hadn’t mentioned it, Yun Jiao wouldn’t have thought of it. But once it was said, she couldn’t help but compare the shaman to those modern elders who clung desperately to their traditions, yet could find no successors.
Most importantly, Yun Jiao herself was a practitioner of traditional medicine—this was her profession!
Thinking of all this, Yun Jiao agreed. She stepped back and bent at a ninety-degree angle toward the shaman: “Master above, please accept your disciple’s bow.”
Shaman: “??”
Guo Guo: “??”
The scene fell silent once again.
In her sea of consciousness, the Beast God burst out laughing.
Lei Xiao lowered his voice: “What master, what disciple? What are you doing?”
“…” She had gotten used to the modern way of formally apprenticing herself to teachers, forgetting that this world had no such terms.
Yun Jiao straightened up, a little embarrassed: “Um, ‘master’ means the beastman who teaches, and ‘disciple’ means the beastman who learns. Once someone is your teacher, they are like a mother for life. Since the witch doctor is willing to teach me, she is my master, and I must respect her as I would my own mother.”
“Good! Very good!” The shaman nodded in satisfaction. Now she found Yun Jiao pleasing to the eye: “From now on, call me Master. You don’t need to join the daily gathering anymore. Come to my dwelling and study the art of witch doctors.”
“Yes!”
Yun Jiao instantly became the witch doctor’s disciple—meaning she was the next shaman.
The females all fell silent, forcing smiles uglier than tears.
A tribe could survive without a chief, but never without a shaman. Without a shaman, a tribe was no tribe at all. Not to mention, when they gave birth, they had to rely on the shaman.
Yun Jiao was now the tribe’s future shaman. No female wanted to offend her anymore.
Yun Jiao had gathered three large bundles of wood ear fungus, and Bao Cang returned with the beastmen.
At noon, during rest, Bao Cang killed an antelope for the females to eat, and even Yun Jiao received a portion.
The bloody lamb meat hadn’t been processed at all, and its strong gamey odor nearly made Yun Jiao vomit again.
Seeing her pale face, Lei Xiao quickly took the meat away: “I’ll wash it and cook it for you.”
“Cooked lamb still smells too strong. Let’s roast it instead—I’ll make a fire,” Yun Jiao said, heading off to find wood.
“I’ll do it.” Mu Bai immediately pulled out the firewood he had already prepared and began drilling wood to start a flame.
Yun Jiao: “…”
Lei Xiao glanced at him, then, with difficulty, moved aside, carrying the meat to the stream to wash, leaving space for the two of them.
“Lei Xiao, we still need to wash the wood ear fungus. I’ll go with you.” Yun Jiao knew perfectly well what he was thinking, but for now, she really couldn’t accept it. She was also a little angry at his acting on his own.
Mu Bai watched her back silently and sighed.
The other three males looked at him with sympathy.
Hua Duo, on the other hand, was filled with envy. If only a male would pair with her. She wasn’t picky—anyone would do, any race, even a cold-blooded beastman. Unfortunately, not a single male was willing to become her mate.
Hua Duo pouted, on the verge of tears again, as she tied up the beast-hide bag full of wood ear fungus. She tried to lift it, but couldn’t, and had to drag it bit by bit toward Yun Jiao’s resting place.
“I’ll help!” One of Yun Jiao’s “guards,” a wolf beastman, couldn’t bear to watch her struggle. He stepped forward and lifted the bag effortlessly.
The beast-hide bag that Hua Duo could barely drag was like a chick in his hand—light and easy.
“Th-thank you…” Hua Duo blushed, sneaking glances at his back. Broad shoulders, narrow waist, healthy bronze skin, handsome features—and he was a skilled hunter of the wolf tribe.
Right, his name was Lang Ya, wasn’t it? Why was he helping her?
Could it be that he wanted to become her mate?
At that thought, Hua Duo’s heart began pounding uncontrollably.
By the stream.
“What do you mean by this? You’re so eager to push me toward Mu Bai? If you regret becoming my mate, just say so—you don’t have to act like this.”
Yun Jiao was truly angry now, even beginning to suspect that Lei Xiao didn’t actually like her.
“I don’t regret it…” Lei Xiao blurted out quickly.
Looking at Yun Jiao’s furious little face, his heart was full of bitterness: “I’ve never regretted becoming your mate. I feel lucky. But Yun Jiao, I alone really can’t protect you. Rather than waiting until you face danger and then regretting it, I’d rather you find more beast husbands. As long as you’re safe, that’s more important than anything.”
[This first husband of yours is quite good. He’s a snake beastman, yet he’s willing to think from your perspective. You shouldn’t be angry at him.]
[What’s wrong with snake beastmen?] Yun Jiao asked, puzzled.
The Beast God explained: [Snake beastmen are the most narrow-minded. They’re jealous, domineering, and vengeful—they even get jealous of their own offspring. That’s their nature. But right now, he’s suppressing that nature for your sake.]
Suppressing his nature? Yun Jiao’s gaze softened, her anger disappearing instantly. Her tone grew gentler: “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have lost my temper at you. I know you’re thinking of me. But I really feel resistant to the idea of finding a second husband. Please give me some time to adjust, okay?”
Lei Xiao nodded, pulling her into his arms: “No need to apologize. It’s my fault—I should have asked you first. If you don’t like Mu Bai, we can look at other males.”
Yun Jiao laughed: “Doesn’t that make you feel bad?”
“Of course it does. It hurts terribly. But you said your favorite will always be me. As long as I remember that, I don’t feel bad anymore.”
“…” He really was easy to satisfy.
Women’s words could spin men around until they lost all sense—hadn’t she heard that before?
The Beast God spoke again: [He’s right. You really do need to find other husbands. The mountain range where your tribe lives is just a small place. Once your title as Sacred Female spreads to the Central Forest, those great tribes won’t let you go.]
Yun Jiao retorted irritably: [And what could they do to me? Force me to bear offspring? Once they sleep with me, they become my husband. The initiative is in my hands. Don’t they fear I’ll settle accounts later?]
Beastmen abandoned by their mates—or those whose mates had died—would lose their reason and become fallen beasts.
Who would dare force her? She could simply dissolve the mate contract, turning them into fallen beasts—hmph!
[You’re thinking too simply. There are countless ways to coerce a defenseless female. They could capture the beastman you care about most and use him as leverage. They could seize your offspring to threaten you. They could even endanger the entire tribe. At that point, do you really think you wouldn’t obey?]
[…] Yun Jiao’s hair stood on end, instantly silenced.
[The mate contract is absolute, but beastmen have brains. They’re not any less clever than the humans of your world. They can always find ways to achieve their goals without breaking the rules. Don’t underestimate them.]
[Uh…] Yun Jiao’s focus shifted again: [Lord Beast God, you know I’m not the original person, right?]
[I am the Beast God. What could I possibly not know?]
[Then you…]
[I’m so sleepy. I’m going back to rest. Hurry and find yourself a second husband. Be good, obedient!]
[…]