Moya clicked his tongue, impatient yet helpless: "How many times do I have to say it? I stopped being Lin Xi's protector long ago, and I don't mind Shoupan being her first beast husband at all."
"If you really don't care about Lin Xi, why not consider Han Lin instead?"
Seeing his attitude, Hefeng Lü finally started to believe him a little, and eagerly tried to play matchmaker. "She's been pestering me for a long time. She really hopes you'll be her first beast husband. Why not think it over? She's an excellent female too, and our tribe doesn't have many excellent females—why not just settle for her?"
Moya closed his eyes lazily and said nothing.
Hefeng Lü repeated himself: "Why not just give in to her?"
Moya: "Get lost."
Unwilling to give up, Hefeng Lü tried persuading him a few more times, but seeing his unchanged, indifferent expression, he knew Han Lin had no chance. He started to get a headache.
He patted his shoulder and said earnestly, "Brother, your tier is high, and the beast energy backlash hits you harder than it does me. No matter how reluctant you are, you need to find a female soon. We can't drag this out for many more years."
He figured Moya probably said one thing and meant another—claiming not to care about Lin Xi, but in truth wanting no one but her.
He sighed. "Honestly, it wouldn't be out of the question for you to kill Shoupan. I don't think Lin Xi truly wants to hand the position of first beast husband to someone else, either."
"Not to criticize you, but you really were too cold toward her before."
"Look at any protector—which one isn't just doing whatever the female wants? Take that Qingqing from earlier—so unreasonable, yet that whole pack of her protectors went along with it, dancing that embarrassing dance without a shred of shame."
"Not like you, never staying by Lin Xi's side. Isn't it only natural she'd sulk? You don't even act like a protector."
Moya scoffed lightly, eyes still closed: "That's because I never was one."
Hefeng Lü: "What?"
He hadn't caught it clearly.
Inside the log cabin, the brown-haired elderly man finally turned to Gao Yue. "You may go now."
"Thank you, grandfather."
She understood that the old man had just kindly spared her from wandering into a battlefield of drama.
That courtship dance had been far too awkward—thank goodness she hadn't gone out there.
She had no idea what that handsome man with the emerald-green hair had been discussing with Moya. The distance was too great, and she'd only caught fragments—something about Moya having once been some kind of protector to Lin Xi, and the other person wanting someone else to become her first beast husband? And then Moya was no longer her protector.
Several of the terms had gone right over her head.
After thanking him, she seized the moment when the old man wasn't paying attention to press the Blue Beast Crystal into his hand, then hurried out with quick steps, giving him no chance to push it back.
Under the tree, Moya, who had kept his eyes closed the whole time, finally opened them.
Hefeng Lü also noticed Gao Yue running this way, his gentle eyes widening slightly.
He had heard the voices from inside the cabin earlier but hadn't paid it any mind, assuming it was just another female with feelings for Moya lying in wait. He hadn't expected it to turn out to be an unfamiliar female cub.
And... so plump!
How could there be such a round, plump female cub!
Gao Yue had already been plump to begin with—five foot three, one hundred sixty pounds—and now, bundled up in fluffy Beast Skin Clothing, she looked even more like a little round ball.
Her skin was fair, and now dressed in light-colored Beast Skin Clothing, she looked just like a puffed-up ball of cotton candy, staring wide-eyed enough to make Hefeng Lü's own eyes go straight.
Gao Yue quickly trotted over to stand before them.
Facing Moya, her expression turned slightly unnatural, faintly twisted—having just been forced to witness such an absurd courtship scene, she had to work hard to keep herself from breaking into a grin.
To distract herself, she politely greeted Hefeng Lü.
"Hello."
The sound landed soft in Hefeng Lü's ears, and his ears twitched.
Gao Yue's voice had a soothing, gentle quality to it, like the fluffy tail of a rabbit beast cub brushing lightly against one's heart, or fresh honey warmed by sunlight, wrapped in warmth and sweetness.
Because of her lovely voice, someone had once tried to scout her as a voice actress, but she'd declined since it wasn't something she was familiar with.
At the moment, Gao Yue held her dirty sleeping robe—the one she'd just changed out of—in one hand, with a clean set of Beast Skin Skirt tucked under her elbow.
As she greeted him, she tilted her head up to look at him—he too was a tall, handsome man, well over six feet, with broad shoulders and long legs. Modern people were always hunching their necks forward; here, at least, was rather kind to one's cervical spine.
Watching such an adorable, round little cub greet him, Hefeng Lü unconsciously pitched his voice higher, much softer than usual.
"Hello, hello, which tribe are you from? Are you here visiting our tribe?"
Before Gao Yue could answer, the dirty sleeping robe and clean robe in her hands had already been taken by Moya—and then, without warning, he bent down and scooped her entirely up into his arms.
She nearly bristled on the spot.
Wait, no—her underwear was wrapped up inside that sleeping robe!
Wearing wet underwear had been truly unbearable, and she'd also worried that underwear soaked by floodwater might give her a gynecological infection, so after much hesitation she'd taken it off.
Too embarrassed to just carry it out in the open, she'd wrapped it inside the sleeping robe—though it could easily slip out.
Who would have thought Moya would just take it! And without a word, scoop her up into his arms besides!
She was completely bare underneath right now. Even though the Beast Skin Skirt was long enough, it still felt chilly and far from secure.
"You don't need to carry me, I'll walk with you," she said hastily.
Moya glanced to the side and spotted yet another female heading this way with a group of protectors in tow. His expression turned two degrees colder. "Walking on your own, who knows how long that would take. Do you want us surrounded by onlookers?"
He turned to speak to Hefeng Lü, who stood beside them looking stunned.
"See that horse?"
Hefeng Lü turned to look and only then noticed a strange, black-and-white little horse lying weakly in the distance, barely breathing, with a giant python standing guard beside it.
Moya: "That horse belongs to this cub. It's yours now—get it healed for me."
Hefeng Lü: "Wait—"
Before the word had even finished leaving his mouth, Moya had already vanished with her in his arms.
He couldn't help but stand there dumbfounded.
This was the first time he'd ever seen Moya carry a female. Sure, she was still an underage little female, but even with Lin Xi, Moya had never once shown such intimacy—rumor had it the two of them had never even held hands.
If that whole crowd of females infatuated with Moya ever found out about this, it would truly cause an uproar.
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