Beast World: A Fragile Beauty Blessed with Many Children-Chapter 20 - 19: A Worthy Exchange for Your Safety
Ji Liang scoffed. "Little Shushu, I was already shameless enough to ask you for a thank-you gift before.
Now you’ve turned the unique thank-you gift I’d been dreaming of into something that practically everyone gets. It’s not special at all anymore.
Shouldn’t you be the one racking your brain right now, thinking of how to make it up to me?
That’s how you can show your sincerity.
By the way, I’ll be thinking of you tonight, Little Shushu. I’m sure you’re also looking forward to me keeping you company through the long night, aren’t you?
The thank-you gift will have to be doubled..."
’How did my perfectly reasonable words get so twisted coming out of his mouth?’
Si Shuo yanked her hand back again and mumbled guiltily, "I’ll go home and think about it!"
For lunch, she gnawed on two freshly grilled fish, stewed a clay pot of braised pork and mushroom rice, and drank a cup of homemade fresh fruit tea.
Si Shuo’s appetite had grown, but in everyone else’s eyes, she still ate less than the cubs.
The original plan was to slaughter a long tusked piglet every other day, but seeing that the piglets were adapting well to life in the gully, she changed it to once every five or six days. Moreover, she only kept half of it for herself.
After accepting the piglet meat a male brought her today, Si Shuo set aside a tenth of it to make into cured meat and put the rest in her dimensional space.
This was the third day of her heat. It was only noon, and despite being lightly dressed inside her cave, her forehead was already beaded with sweat.
After taking a bath, she dried her hair and flopped onto the cool fish-skin mat to sleep.
In her dream, a black snake with a red belly and golden stripes coiled around her. Its forked tongue flicked against her skin, making her tremble so violently that she fell out of bed!
Si Shuo lay on the floor for a long moment, rubbing her head in frustration before climbing back into bed. ’Such a sin, such a sin,’ she thought, glancing at the Snow Leopard Beast Mark on her wrist.
She sat cross-legged and began to chant the Heart Clarity Spell. After two repetitions, she groggily flopped back onto the bed and fell asleep again.
This time, she didn’t dream of the black snake. Instead, she dreamt that Zhi Le had come back and was holding her, getting intimate...
Si Shuo got out of bed in a daze, drank some warm water, and went back to the gully to practice her Catalyst Technique.
In the morning, she braided bracelets and mulled over how to weave vines. She decided not to use only thorny plants, but to mix in others with flowers and leaves.
With flowers and leaves for cover, the thorny branches wouldn’t look too conspicuous no matter how she wove them. The irregularity would make them look more like a natural thicket.
’It’d be best to smear their sap onto the thorns,’ she mused. ’That way, when the thorns pierce an opponent’s skin, the poison will be injected directly into their bloodstream.’
Thanks to the botanical encyclopedia from her system, the anesthetic or highly toxic plants she selected were all potent enough that a mere drop would be effective!
Only after completely exhausting her superpower did Si Shuo head back.
She could feel that her superpower had improved a tiny bit from the day before, both in its precision and its reserves.
With her superpower depleted, the hunger in her stomach was especially acute.
Si Shuo made herself a bowl of noodles with shredded pork and cucumber, topping it with refreshing pickles and spicy bean paste. SLURP! She finished the entire large bowl.
The Spring Hunt was a mandatory activity for all the Beastman Tribes surrounding the Dongye Forest.
After the long rainy season and the coldest season, the population of Wild Beasts in the forest would swell. If the tribes didn’t conduct a month-long hunt, they would be faced with an unstoppable Beast Tide.
Zhi Le had been gone for more than half a month, venturing deeper into the forest. The fruits and Beast Skins he sent back were all different from one another.
The fruits were also getting larger, which indicated that the climate was warmer where he was, having entered the warm season—spring—earlier than her region.
After munching on a melon, Si Shuo took a bath and dutifully spread a Beast Skin by the door.
When Ji Liang arrived, he heard soft, restrained panting from behind the door. The air was filled with the sweet fragrance wafting from the little female.
The corners of his lips quirked up, but he didn’t dare tease her. ’Otherwise, the little thing will start clawing at the door in frustration!’
With a wave of his hand, he set up a defensive shield around the area. He chuckled softly. "Little Shushu, I’m here. Have you been waiting long?"
Si Shuo was busy gnawing on and rubbing against the Beast Skin. His words made her freeze. ’Why do the things he says always send my mind into the gutter?’
She snorted softly.
Ji Liang couldn’t bear to watch her suffer and quickly began transferring his Spiritual Power to her.
’The cool Spiritual Power feels like a glass of chilled water on a summer day,’ she thought, ’so refreshing and thirst-quenching. It’s one of life’s greatest pleasures!’
Ji Liang leaned against the wooden door and said slowly, "In the Dark Crow team, You Wei is the captain of the scouting squad. Even though he only has Level 5 Combat Power, he’s rich in practical experience and knows all sorts of environments.
I saved him from an old lion. He was a man of few words in the team, so I never expected he’d up and leave with your sister without a sound.
He owed me a debt of gratitude for saving his life, but his contributions to the team over the last decade have been significant.
Now that he has a female, he’s planning to settle down in the Luoni Tribe.
With your sister in the picture, I’m afraid the bond between us ends here."
Si Shuo listened quietly. "I’m sorry..."
Ji Liang shot her a glare through the wooden door. "I’m not telling you this to hear you apologize.
Besides, you’ve done nothing wrong. Before a male pairs up, he values things like loyalty and camaraderie.
But once a male has a female, her word is law.
I’m the one who should be sorry. I let my guard down and allowed your sister to snag a good helper."
Si Shuo instantly understood what he meant. She smiled and said, "You Wei is very capable, but if he’s staying in the tribe, he has to follow the tribe’s rules.
Beastmen aren’t allowed to harm each other within the tribe. Anyone who breaks that rule gets kicked out.
My sister doesn’t like me. At most, she’ll just try to make my life difficult. As long as I don’t leave the tribe, she can’t do anything to me.
Besides, we’ve been sisters for many years. If she really wanted to do something to me, she wouldn’t have waited until now."
Ji Liang frowned. "Nothing is ever certain... How about this? I see you’re on good terms with the female next door. Why don’t you have her see if there are any males in the Traveling Merchant Team who catch her eye?"
Si Shuo couldn’t help but smile. "A male choosing a mate is a huge deal. You’re the leader of the Dark Crow Trading Team; can you really influence their choices?"
Ji Liang grunted in amusement. "Little Shushu, you still don’t know much about us Dark Crow traders, do you?
I have some things that can help regulate a female’s body, even boost fertility.
Using them to ensure your safety is more than worth it!"
Si Shuo’s heart hammered in her chest. She couldn’t stop herself from pressing her head against the wooden door. "Is it worth it? You could probably find someone better than me."
Ji Liang laughed. "It’s worth it. I’ve traveled to many places and seen many people and things. I know exactly what I want.
If I become your Beast Husband, I’ll only have eyes for you and thoughts of you. How could there possibly be room for any other female?
Do you have some misunderstanding about the Beast Mark, which is forged by the Beast God?"
Si Shuo pursed her lips. "But... I’m not planning on taking a second Beast Husband."
Ji Liang sighed. "Even though Beast Husbands are supposed to be magnanimous with one another, I’m not even your Beast Husband yet, and I’m already impossibly jealous of Zhi Le.
Since you don’t want to leave this place and travel far and wide with me, I’ll just hand over the Dark Crow Trading Team. I’ve been wandering for so many years, and frankly, I’m tired of it. I want a home and a quiet life!
Once I’ve settled my affairs, and after Zhi Le returns... you can finally consider accepting me then, can’t you?"
