Chapter 254: Rubbing Salt in the Wound

Chapter 254: Chapter 254: Rubbing Salt in the Wound

A few male figures appeared on the small path not far away, one of whom was particularly eye-catching.

His extraordinarily handsome face and distinguished air made him stand out from the group of males.

Bai Wanwan could see that he was in much better condition than a few days ago; his injuries had clearly taken a turn for the better.

Seeing that he had no intention of approaching, Bai Wanwan simply gave him a nod in greeting.

The other females grew excited upon seeing Jin Yi, all of them tidying their Beast Skin Skirts and hair.

There wasn’t a single female in the entire tribe who didn’t want Jin Yi as her Beast Husband.

As the Young Clan Leader and one of the tribe’s most powerful warriors, Jin Yi was very popular among the females, but his cold personality meant he rarely interacted with them much.

Still, the females all held onto a sliver of hope. ’What if one day Jin Yi agrees to be my Beast Husband?’

To make that happen, they had to leave a good impression on him from the start.

"Jin Yi!"

Zhuo Ling’s gentle voice carried a hint of intimacy. "Are you all going out to hunt?"

These next few days were the perfect time for hunting. Before the Harvest Festival arrived, the males would be incredibly busy, storing as much food as they possibly could.

"Yes."

Jin Yi had no choice but to continue forward, and the females were right in his path.

Jin Yi seemed unwilling to stop, his gaze fixed forward as he prepared to walk past them.

But Zhuo Ling suddenly reached out, linking her arm with his and leaning her body against him.

"The Harvest Festival is almost here..."

Just as Zhuo Ling was about to declare her claim over him in front of Bai Wanwan and the other females, Jin Yi unhesitatingly pulled his arm free and took two steps to the side.

As it happened, this brought him right next to Bai Wanwan.

His tall figure cast a shadow over Bai Wanwan, blocking out the increasingly scorching sun.

She could smell the faint scent of pinewood on him, mixed with the smell of the sun.

But he didn’t look at Bai Wanwan, only leaving them with a, "It’s getting late. I have things to do."

With that, he led the group of males away under the watchful eyes of the many females.

The facade on Zhuo Ling’s face was about to crumble.

She could feel the suspicious and scrutinizing gazes of the other females landing on her.

Then, Bai Wanwan’s voice rang out at the most inopportune moment. "Well, looks like the show’s over. We should head back."

Bai Wanwan’s words were undoubtedly fanning the flames, as if Zhuo Ling’s situation wasn’t already embarrassing enough.

After speaking, she watched Zhuo Ling’s back with a smirk, waiting to see if Zhuo Ling could stomach it.

’She was most likely the one who plotted against me during the beast tide.’

’And even if it wasn’t, based on Zhuo Ling’s past actions, what’s wrong with rubbing a little salt in her wound?’

’It’s not like I’m trying to kill her.’

Anger raged in Zhuo Ling’s heart, but she knew she couldn’t show it. She couldn’t openly offend Bai Wanwan. She didn’t want to be humiliated like the other females, who had to apologize to her and drink manure water.

Seeing Zhuo Ling trying to endure it all like a turtle retreating into its shell, the amusement in Bai Wanwan’s eyes slowly faded.

She stared at Zhuo Ling’s back for a while before turning to Shi Hua beside her. "Shi Hua, let’s go back."

"Okay."

Shi Hua called over her cubs, and she and Bai Wanwan walked further and further away, chatting as they went.

The other females also found the atmosphere deeply uncomfortable. Some began to pack up the beast hides in front of them, while others simply picked up their stone basins.

"I just remembered I have something to do at home, so I’m heading back."

"Me too, I’ll go with you..."

In the blink of an eye, of the dozen or so females, only a few remained in scattered pairs.

Jin Yuan walked over to Zhuo Ling’s side. "Zhuo Ling, I think you need to make your move. The Young Clan Leader is getting a bit close to that Bai Wanwan. I heard from my Beast Husband that during the days of the beast tide attack, the Young Clan Leader was with Bai Wanwan the whole time."

As Jin Yuan spoke, she watched Bai Wanwan’s receding figure.

They were both females, but Bai Wanwan was beautiful. Her skin was snow-white, her limbs were slender, and she was curvy in all the right places.

When she walked, her slender waist swayed gently. Even Jin Yuan, a fellow female, found it hard to look away.

"Look how beautiful she is. What will you do if the Young Clan Leader falls for her?"

Jin Yuan was only trying to help, but with every word she said, Zhuo Ling’s expression darkened a little more.

Zhuo Ling also stared at Bai Wanwan’s receding back.

’I have to find a way to drive Bai Wanwan out of the Golden Lion Tribe!’

There was nothing to block the scorching sun on the way home from the Central Square.

Bai Wanwan pulled Shi Hua by the hand, calling for the cubs to hurry inside with them.

In an instant, a refreshing coolness washed over them.

"Ah, that feels so good..."

"Sister, I’ll take the cubs and head back first then."

Shi Hua said her goodbyes and led her two cubs further inside.

Bai Wanwan called after her, "Tonight, after Mu Feng gets back, don’t eat at home! Come over here. I’m cooking today."

"Okay!" Shi Hua never stood on ceremony with her; she loved eating Sister Wanwan’s cooking.

Of course, whenever Shi Hua had something good, she would always bring it to Sister Wanwan right away.

After telling the cubs to go back to their dens, Yan Lie walked over to her side.

"Wanwan, whatever you want to make, I’ll help."

’It’s still early...’

"No need, we can prep this afternoon. Let’s rest for a while this morning."

She was a little tired from last night and had gone out for a walk this morning, so sleepiness was starting to catch up with her.

Yawning, she went into the courtyard, planning to cool off and rest for a bit on the lounge chair.

As she was about to wake from her nap, she groggily felt a cool breeze blowing over her.

Consciousness slowly returned. She opened her eyes, looked up, and met Xin Feng’s gentle gaze.

"Go back to sleep for a bit. I’ll fan you."

A smile graced Bai Wanwan’s lips as she closed her eyes, turning over to snuggle into his embrace.

Xin Feng brushed aside a few slightly damp strands of her hair, gently waving a large leaf to ease the stuffy heat for her.

Bai Wanwan reached up and took the hand he had lowered, her eyes still closed. "Is everyone back?"

"Zhu Xiu isn’t back yet."

Bai Wanwan rested for a moment until the last of her sleepiness faded, then propped herself up on her arms and sat up.

"Not sleeping anymore?"

Xin Feng reached out to steady her.

"Mhm, it’s getting late. I need to start prepping the ingredients. I asked Yan Lie to go get his older brother. We’ll all eat together tonight."

"Then you rest, I’ll get it ready."

"No need, I’ve slept enough. I’ll do it. You can just help me on the side."

They had a wide variety of meat these days, but most of it had already been cured.

Only her personal space held some fresh cuts.

"I want to make hot pot, and maybe a stew."

She figured that if she made dishes the other males liked, Yan Chi would probably like them too.

No sooner said than done. The males, after all, were satisfied as long as there was meat.

But Bai Wanwan preferred vegetables, so after preparing seven or eight types of meat, she also bought some vegetable side dishes from her space.

"How should this meat be prepared?"

"The meat from these two animals is best sliced thin, and this one should be minced."

To enhance the flavor, Bai Wanwan also pre-marinated some of the meat slices in different flavors.

With Xin Feng’s help, the prep work proceeded in a very orderly fashion.

"Alright, I’ll leave this to you. I’m going to make some iced drinks."

Just as she said that, there was a sound from outside the door.