The shaman clattered around the stage with her cane, jumping wildly and making strange, ugly movements.
Finally, with a thud, she knelt before the full moon, prostrating herself in a grand ritual, and shouted: “Beast God, we call upon you!”
As soon as her voice fell, the moonlight intensified. Thirteen soft beams of light streaked across the night sky like meteors, each enveloping one of the thirteen females on stage. Some beams were bright, others dim. The deeper the color, the stronger the female’s fertility.
Yun Jiao clearly saw that the two females covered by faint, weak beams were stunned, their eyes gradually reddening. These two females, barring surprises, were only slightly better than her—a useless female—classified as inferior females.
Sure enough, the shaman began to announce:
“Hua Duo, inferior female.”
“Xiang Xiang, inferior female.”
The two females, Hua Duo and Xiang Xiang, walked aside, their eyes red-rimmed, silently shedding tears.
Seeing this, Yun Jiao felt deeply uncomfortable. Was a female’s value really limited only to her fertility? Were these orcs sick in the head? Why should females be ranked into classes just because of reproductive ability? Was it simply because females weren’t as strong as males?
In the modern world of advanced technology, most women’s strength and speed couldn’t compare to men’s, yet few men looked down on women.
Compared to men, women had more delicate thoughts. They had their own jobs, could achieve financial independence, and each woman had her own unique charm and personality.
Women had things they could do, and men had things they could do.
Mutual respect and progress together—that was the right way.
This beast world, this so-called Beast God, was truly disgusting.
While Yun Jiao was furiously ranting in her heart, the shaman had already finished announcing the fertility levels of all the females.
Among them, two were classified as *inferior females*, nine as *good females*, while Guo Guo and another chicken-tribe female named A Xue were actually deemed *excellent females*.
The shaman was overjoyed, and not far away, the chief looked at his daughter, glowing brilliantly under the light, clearly satisfied.
The males in the crowd were nearly going mad, their eyes shining as they stared at Guo Guo and A Xue, waiting only for the shaman’s command to begin the husband-selection stage.
Just then, the moon seemed to be awakened by some mysterious force, suddenly bursting forth with unprecedented dazzling white light.
A pure white beam, condensed from the essence of moonlight, shot straight down and enveloped Yun Jiao.
Yun Jiao: “??”
Lei Xiao beside her: “??”
Everyone: “??”
The world seemed to fall silent.
All eyes widened in shock, staring at Yun Jiao in disbelief.
Being stared at by so many eyes made Yun Jiao’s scalp tingle. She quietly leaned closer to Lei Xiao: “What’s going on? Did the moon go crazy?”
Lei Xiao’s expression was extremely complicated. He opened his mouth, but before he could speak, the chief’s sharp voice rang out: “Sacred Female—it’s a Sacred Female!”
The crowd erupted.
“A Sacred Female, a Sacred Female has appeared!”
“How could Yun Jiao be a Sacred Female? She attended the festival last year and was clearly a useless female!”
“Hey, brother, I’m from the Cat Tribe. Who is this female? Why do you say she’s useless?”
“She’s called Yun Jiao, famous in our Mountain Tribe as a useless female. Last year, she attended the festival, but the Beast God’s holy light didn’t fall on her.”
“What? There’s such a thing?”
“Exactly. I don’t know why she was useless last year, but this year she’s suddenly a Sacred Female. If I’d known, I would’ve treated her better. Now it’s over—I’ve lost all chance.”
“Am I seeing things? Let me check again—ahhh, why did Yun Jiao become a Sacred Female? I even insulted her before.”
“I’m worse off. I used to pursue her, but when she became useless, I ignored her.”
“But the most pitiful one must be Shi Yi. Yun Jiao used to like him so much, but he went and bonded with Bai Wei, a good female. Now he has no chance at all.”
“Hahaha… now that you put it that way, I suddenly feel balanced.”
…
A huge crowd of orcs was in an uproar, voices clashing with all kinds of comments.
Shi Yi’s face looked darker than ever before. Bai Wei, forgetting to play her usual coquettish act, muttered in disbelief: “Why? Why did a useless female suddenly become a Sacred Female? Where did things go wrong?”
She was curious, and so was the shaman. The shaman beckoned to Yun Jiao: “Yun Jiao, come up.”
Yun Jiao also wanted to know what was going on with this body, so she obediently stepped onto the altar.
The shaman had her sit down, drew a circle around her with water, and then continued her ritual dance.
The chief stood nearby, scratching his ears and cheeks, anxious beyond measure.
The Mountain Tribe was only a wandering tribe, formed of various races, far less united and powerful than other single-race tribes. But if a Sacred Female appeared, powerful orcs from everywhere would come. With their addition, the Mountain Tribe would grow stronger and stronger.
As the shaman knelt to listen to the Beast God’s words, the chief urged impatiently: “Well? What’s going on? What did the Beast God say?”
The shaman sighed, slowly opened her eyes, and stood trembling, her gaze at Yun Jiao complicated: “I just communicated with the Beast God. The Beast God said Yun Jiao’s constitution is special. Last year, she hadn’t truly reached adulthood, so naturally, the holy light did not fall upon her.”
Yun Jiao suddenly understood—so that was it!
On the Beast World continent, a female’s first menstruation meant she was considered an adult. But Yun Jiao, as a modern practitioner of Chinese medicine, knew that a girl’s first period didn’t mean adulthood—it only meant puberty, and she would continue to develop.
So it was just a mistake? The poor original host had been depressed over this, and it had led to her untimely death.
The chief’s face lit up with excitement: “So Yun Jiao is a Sacred Female, right?”
The shaman nodded: “Yun Jiao is indeed a Sacred Female.”
The crowd erupted. The males who had just been staring at Guo Guo and A Xue now all turned their eyes toward Yun Jiao.
Yun Jiao felt a little afraid and instinctively looked toward Lei Xiao. But Lei Xiao lowered his eyes, looking strangely dejected.
Before Yun Jiao could think further, the shaman declared: “Yun Jiao, as a Sacred Female, you may choose your First Beast Husband first!”
Then she turned to the crowd: “Those who wish to be Yun Jiao’s First Beast Husband, raise your hands and let her choose.”
Swish, swish, swish…
From below the stage, countless hands shot up—nearly half the crowd.
Yun Jiao swallowed nervously, feeling as though the gazes of all those males wanted to devour her alive: “Um… can I not choose?”
The shaman sneered: “Are you sure you don’t want to choose?”
“How could you not choose!” The chief pulled the shaman behind him and spoke earnestly: “Yun Jiao, do you know what happens to a female without a First Beast Husband? And you’re a Sacred Female—there will only be more males who want to mate with you.”
Yun Jiao recalled what Lei Xiao had just explained about female slaves, and she shivered violently. She had to choose—otherwise she’d become a public bus.