“Wow, it can be done like this? That’s amazing. But what are these for?” Mu Bai said, clearly seeing this kind of structure for the first time.
Yun Jiao smiled: “You’ll know once they’re finished. No need to stay up late—just do as much as you can today, and continue tomorrow.”
Once these were done, the next step would be building a house. The cave was sturdy, but whenever it rained, it became damp and dusty. Sleeping in it long-term wasn’t good.
At Yun Jiao’s command, the two males immediately got busy.
Mu Bai’s claws were especially sharp—one light swipe could slice through wood.
Yun Jiao occasionally glanced at them, then returned to her own work, her lips curved in a faint smile.
The fire crackled, swaying gently in the breeze, while fireflies flickered in the distance. The scene looked unexpectedly harmonious.
Not far away, A Li saw that Mu Bai had finally blended in, and quietly breathed a sigh of relief. He was happy for his friend, hoping the Sacred Female would soon accept Mu Bai and let him become part of the family. As for himself, it was time to return home and serve the “tigress” waiting there. He had been away for days—when he got back, he’d surely be punished to kneel.
With a bitter laugh, A Li transformed into a leopard cat and ran off.
…
At the same time, Bai Wei, out for a walk, heard that the shaman had chosen Yun Jiao as her successor. She was so furious she nearly exploded. The shaman was her aunt—why choose Yun Jiao instead of her? She had always considered herself the rightful successor. Now Yun Jiao had taken her place—how would others see her?
Sure enough, the whispering females turned to look at Bai Wei, their faces full of schadenfreude.
“Bai Wei, didn’t you say the shaman would choose you as her successor? How did it end up being Yun Jiao instead?”
“Why else? She’s simply not suited to be a shaman.”
“In my opinion, maybe the shaman isn’t Bai Wei’s aunt at all, but Yun Jiao’s aunt instead?”
“Hahaha…”
Bai Wei was fuming, smoke practically coming out of her ears. With a shriek, she rushed forward and slapped the leading female hard across the face.
That female hadn’t expected her to strike and was stunned.
Which female wasn’t raised being pampered? Before mating, their families spoiled them. After mating, their partners spoiled them. Who could tolerate such humiliation?
The slapped female shrieked in return, transforming into a plump tiger cub and charging forward with a roar.
Bai Wei also transformed into a fiery red fox.
In an instant, tiger and fox were tangled in a brawl.
Other females stood around cheering them on, while the males wanted to intervene but didn’t dare approach. They could only shout anxiously from the sidelines: “Stop fighting! Hey, don’t fight anymore!”
Fighting like this wouldn’t kill anyone, after all.
But a tiger was still a tiger—even a chubby one—and it easily overpowered the fox.
Bao Cang saw Bai Wei pinned down, the tiger biting her neck, and finally stepped in. He grabbed them both, one in each hand: “Hu Niu, are you really trying to kill her? Be careful, or Shi Yi will come after you.”
At the mention of Shi Yi’s name, Hu Niu faltered for a second, then quickly straightened her neck and retorted: “She struck first! Even if Shi Yi comes, I’m in the right.” With that, she broke free and bounded off: “I’m going to find the chief and demand justice!”
“Let me go! Let me go!” The fox flailed and struggled, finally finding an opening to bite Bao Cang’s hand hard.
Bao Cang raised an eyebrow, unfazed.
But the fox’s tooth cracked from the bite.
Bai Wei burst into tears: “My tooth! Wuwuwu~”
Bao Cang sneered, then quickly distanced himself: “Hey, you bit me yourself. It’s not my fault—everyone saw it.”
“You’re bullying me! I’m going to tell my aunt!” The fox sobbed and ran off.
One went to find the chief, the other to find the shaman.
About ten minutes later, the shaman and the chief arrived together, both with dark expressions. In front of them stood Hu Niu and Bai Wei, back in human form, crying pitifully.
Before long, Hu Niu’s first husband, Xiang Bi, and Shi Yi also arrived.
“Shi Yi, wuwuwu…” Bai Wei immediately ran over. As soon as she opened her mouth, Shi Yi saw the missing front tooth.
Shi Yi didn’t know what had happened, but seeing Bai Wei missing a tooth, his anger flared. He grabbed Xiang Bi by the throat: “Your mate beat mine like this—do you think I’m dead?”
“How can you be like this? Let go of my husband!” Hu Niu rushed over angrily, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t pry his hand off.
Seeing Xiang Bi nearly strangled, the chief finally spoke sternly: “Shi Yi, let go at once. Do you mean to kill a tribesman?”
Shi Yi reluctantly released him, glaring at the chief: “Chief, you decide how this matter should be handled!”
“What’s there to decide? You and Bai Wei are truly a pair made in heaven. Your Bai Wei struck my Hu Niu without a word, and now you don’t even ask what happened before trying to strangle me!”
Xiang Bi, full of anger and grief, looked to the chief: “Chief, you must stand up for us. Shi Yi and Bai Wei are far too domineering!”
Was that true? Shi Yi looked at Bai Wei suspiciously.
Bai Wei declared boldly: “So what if I hit her? She was spouting nonsense.”
“What nonsense did I say?” Hu Niu retorted indignantly: “I only said Yun Jiao was chosen as the shaman’s successor. Shaman, tell me—was that nonsense?”
The shaman said calmly: “Hu Niu did not lie. I did indeed appoint Yun Jiao as my successor. Bai Wei, you struck her just for that?”
Bai Wei was stunned, staring in disbelief: “No… Aunt, how could you make Yun Jiao your successor? Just because she’s the Sacred Female? I refuse to accept this!”
“Ridiculous!” The shaman slammed her staff heavily, her face cold: “The position of shaman is of great importance. I naturally choose the beastman most suited for it. If it were simply about status, why wouldn’t I have chosen you or Guo Guo instead?”
Others feared the shaman, but Bai Wei did not. She remained defiant: “You say she’s suited, so she is? I think you’re just biased. How am I any worse than Yun Jiao? Why can’t I be the shaman?”
“Fine, fine. Today I’ll make you accept it!” The shaman turned to Xiang Bi and Hu Niu: “Hu Niu, go fetch the herbs I laid outside the cave. Xiang Bi, call Yun Jiao here.”
“Alright!” Xiang Bi and Hu Niu, fed up with Bai Wei, immediately ran off.
Yun Jiao was pregnant, and after going out to gather today, she soon grew drowsy. The vine in her hand slipped to the ground.
Lei Xiao had been watching her closely. Seeing her about to collapse, he rushed over like the wind and caught her just in time, letting Yun Jiao lean against him.
“This pillow is really nice…” Yun Jiao murmured, then fell sound asleep.
Lei Xiao carefully lifted her in his arms and carried her back to the cave. He placed her in the nest, tidied her hair, and only then went back out to continue working.
Mu Bai’s eye twitched: “You’re fast, I’ll give you that.” He had wanted to rush over, too, but he wasn’t as quick as Lei Xiao, who had beaten him to it.
Lei Xiao gave a cold warning: “You’re not her husband yet. Mind your words and actions.”