I Transmigrated as a Villainess to Raise Babies, and My Beast Husbands Are Fighting Madly Over Me!-Chapter 37: Captured

Qiao Xixi showed them the Salt Crystals she had extracted.

Hong Xi had tasted salt before. He had previously bought some from a traveling merchant, and it had cost him quite a few beast hides.

To think there was a ready supply on the mountain behind their tribe, and they never even knew.

Hong Xi’s gaze on Qiao Xixi grew more fervent.

"I’ll tell the Chieftain about this. I’m going to search again and see if there are more Grass Fruits on the surrounding mountains."

Qiao Xixi nodded. ’It would be great if they could find more.’

"Okay, thank you all for your hard work."

Eager to tell the tribe’s Priest the news, Hong Xi grabbed a few Grass Fruits and left with the other male beastmen.

As Qiao Xixi closed her courtyard gate, a figure stepped out from behind a large tree.

Mi Li’s eyes were filled with rage. ’To think she was the one who discovered the Salt Crystals in the Grass Fruits.’

’At this rate, it’ll be even harder to shake Qiao Xixi’s position in the tribe.’

’The outstanding males will have no eyes for me anymore!’

Seething with frustration, Mi Li walked to the stream, snatched a stone from the ground, and hurled it into the water.

She was completely unaware that she was already being watched.

She walked further and further, and by the time she came to her senses, she realized she had followed the stream almost out of the tribe’s territory.

There wasn’t another beastman in sight.

She grew a little scared and quickly started walking back.

But the moment she turned around, a hand clamped over her mouth and she was dragged into the thick vegetation.

"MMMPH, MMMPH!"

The Long-armed Ape Beast shifted into his human form, took out a vine, and tied Mi Li up.

The Green Snake Beast stood to the side, his forked tongue flicking out so close it nearly touched her face.

Mi Li was so scared she was on the verge of tears.

"You... you damn Wandering Beasts! Let me go!"

"We weren’t planning on grabbing you, but you served yourself up on a platter. It’s perfect—we can take you back and complete our mission."

"No, don’t! MMMPH!"

The Long-armed Ape Beast threw Mi Li over his shoulder and quickly headed up the mountain.

Jin Ling was eyeing a Deer Beast. Just as he was preparing to head down the mountain, he heard a strange noise up ahead.

He set down his prey, hid behind a large tree, and observed the movement ahead.

In the distance, he saw two male Wandering Beasts carrying a female, running in his direction.

Jin Ling saw the female’s pointed white ears. The Black Stone Tribe was the only one nearby, so it was highly likely the Wandering Beasts had captured her from there. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

At this thought, Jin Ling’s expression darkened. He leaped out and punched the Green Snake Beast in the back.

The Long-armed Ape Beast turned his head, but before he could even get a clear look at Jin Ling, he too was knocked to the ground with a single punch.

Jin Ling’s face was cold.

"Let the female go."

The Long-armed Ape Beast’s face was grim. They had been lying in wait for so long and had finally managed to catch a female. If they let her go, returning empty-handed would be a death sentence. Those guys—the ones who’d devour a beastman, bones and all—would never let them off the hook.

"Impossible."

The Green Snake Beast blocked Jin Ling’s path.

"You take the female and go first."

The Long-armed Ape Beast hoisted Mi Li from the ground and ran.

Jin Ling shifted into his beast form and began to fight the Green Snake Beast.

As they were running, Mi Li managed to spit out the bundle of weeds stuffed in her mouth.

She began to plead.

"Please, let me go! I... I can tell you about a very capable female in our tribe. She can not only cure illnesses, but she’s also extremely fertile. She’s even our tribe’s Priest."

The Long-armed Ape Beast stopped running. "What did you say?"

"I’m not lying! Her name is Qiao Xixi. There was a cub in the tribe whose leg was torn off, and she healed him completely."

The Long-armed Ape Beast stared at Mi Li in surprise.

"Is she really that amazing?"

"Yes! If you... if you let me go, I’ll help you capture her."

A calculating glint flashed in the Long-armed Ape Beast’s eyes.

’The female Mi Li described is far too tempting for me.’

’If I could capture her and take her back, would I ever have to wander around outside again?’

With this in mind, the Long-armed Ape Beast put Mi Li down and bit her on the hand.

"Female, I’ve left my scent on you now. If you dare to deceive me, I’ll be able to find you no matter where you go."

Mi Li nodded hastily.

"Okay! I... I definitely won’t lie to you."

The Long-armed Ape Beast cut the vines binding her and let her go back.

Mi Li hadn’t walked far before she saw Jin Ling running toward her.

She ran up to Jin Ling, choking back sobs.

"Jin Ling, you came to save me!"

Jin Ling stopped in his tracks and swiftly sidestepped Mi Li’s advance.

"It’s you?"

Mi Li wiped her tears, looking pitiful.

"Yes, it’s me... Thank you for saving me. I have nothing to repay you with, so... let me make you my mate. Would you be willing?"

Jin Ling frowned, his face a mask of annoyance.

He hadn’t seen that it was Mi Li who had been captured.

Males had a responsibility to protect females, but for a female he detested, he could choose to look the other way.

Jin Ling turned and started walking down the mountain.

"Hey, Jin Ling, wait for me! You saved me, but you haven’t said how I should thank you yet."

"No need."

Jin Ling’s pace was fast. After finding the prey he had dropped, he vanished into the mountains in the blink of an eye.

Terrified the Long-armed Ape Beast would go back on his word, Mi Li scurried after Jin Ling in a frightened jog.

She only slowed her pace when the tribe came into view.

The moment she returned to the tribe, her anger flared up again.

’If it weren’t for Qiao Xixi, I wouldn’t have been captured by those Wandering Beasts! She must have been the one who led them here!’

Mi Li spun on her heel and went to go tattle to the tribe’s Priest.

But after the Priest learned about Qiao Xixi’s discovery of the Salt Crystals, he couldn’t hear a word of anything else.

He was completely focused on finding more Grass Fruits as quickly as possible.

Qiao Xixi was oblivious to all of this.

The cubs had been taking turns helping to stir the liquid in the pot.

Her own job was to extract the juice from the Grass Fruits.

When Jin Ling returned carrying his prey, Qiao Xixi was just taking a break with the cubs on a stone bench.

Jin Ling was equally astonished to see the jar of Salt Crystals on the table.

"This all came from the Grass Fruits?"

"That’s right. I plan to give some to the beastmen in the tribe who helped once it’s all processed. We should have enough of the rest to last us a long time."

Jin Ling smiled and nodded. "Xixi, you know so much."

Qiao Xixi gave an embarrassed smile.

"Now that we have salt, our dinner tonight will definitely be even more delicious."

"Good. I’ll go prepare the prey first."

When Jin Ling went to the back of the courtyard, he called Qiao Lie and Qiao Ang over.

"Pay close attention. I’m going to show you how to prepare the prey. Just watch the whole process first."

Qiao Xixi glanced toward the backyard.

’Jin Ling is really like a good father. He takes care of the cubs so meticulously, teaching them so many things that no one would have ever told them.’

Qiao Lie and Qiao Ang were learning very diligently, and the way they looked at Jin Ling had subtly changed.

Qiao Xixi started cooking. Jin Ling had said the deer blood was very nourishing and good for strengthening the body, so she used it to make a pot of soup.

After making a Yellow Earth Fruit and braised Deer Beast stew, dinner was just about ready.

Qiao Xixi had just finished setting out the bowls and chopsticks and was about to call them to eat when there was a knock on the courtyard gate.