Chapter 255: "He" Has Arrived

Chapter 255: Chapter 255: "He" Has Arrived

Hearing the sound, Bai Wanwan turned her head, the corners of her lips lifting slightly as she called out softly toward the cave entrance, "Zhu Xiu..."

Zhu Xiu was carrying a freshly hunted snow deer on his shoulder, which he casually tossed down in front of Yan Lie.

The still-wet blood on the animal hide spread into a dark red stain on the ground.

Hearing his name, he didn’t pause his steps, but strode into the stone house.

"Zhu Xiu, I need to talk to you."

Bai Wanwan raised her sauce-covered hands and waved them at him.

Zhu Xiu walked over to her in a few strides, reaching out to wipe away a smear of sauce on her cheek with his thumb.

The rough pad of his thumb brushed against her soft skin. His lips parted slightly. "Good. I have something to say as well."

Bai Wanwan blinked at him, a sly curve playing on her lips. "Maybe... we’re about to say the same thing?"

Zhu Xiu’s cool, stern expression softened, and the corner of his mouth curved up. "Yes. That female from the Black Dog Tribe... the male with her perfectly matches the description of the one who blocked your path that day."

’So it really is her...’

"I ran into her outside today. I tried to probe a little, but she deliberately changed the subject. She seemed to have a guilty conscience."

’It must be Zhuo Ling, then!’

’Come to think of it, she’s the one with the strongest motive to come after me.’

The other females had just had a taste of suffering. Even if they had the idea, they probably wouldn’t have the guts to act on it.

"What do you want to do?"

Zhu Xiu went to the side, washed his hands, then came back over to help her tenderize the meat slices.

If it were up to Zhu Xiu, at this point, he wouldn’t even need to be one hundred percent certain the other party was responsible; he would have already retaliated.

But he knew his little female had her own ideas and plans, so he had returned to tell her the news.

He wanted to see what she wanted to do first.

"First, I’ll play with her for a bit..."

Zhuo Ling had wanted to kill her. Of course Bai Wanwan wasn’t going to let it go with just a slap or two.

She was already used to the law of the jungle in this world. She would return an eye for an eye.

But before that, she wanted to collect some interest. Whatever Zhuo Ling cared about, she would destroy.

Mentioning Zhuo Ling dampened her mood somewhat, so after a few more words, Bai Wanwan dropped the subject.

With the help of her Beast Husbands, she quickly finished all the prep work.

She turned and shouted to Yan Lie, who was skinning the deer outside, "Yan Lie, go get your older brother."

Yan Lie answered. After deftly peeling off the entire hide, he tossed his Stone Knife aside.

He wiped the blood from his hands. "Alright, I’m heading over now."

After Yan Lie left, Bai Wanwan started to heat oil in the pot. She threw in a small amount of hot pot base along with scallions, ginger, and garlic to stir-fry, then added water to boil.

The males in her home could all handle spicy food by now, but Yan Chi definitely couldn’t yet.

So she only added a little, basically just enough to give their taste buds a tiny bit of stimulation.

When the two brothers, Yan Lie and Yan Chi, arrived, Bai Wanwan was just putting all the vegetables into the pot.

The moment Yan Chi stepped inside, he let out a loud sneeze.

"Brother, the smell in here is a bit strong. Why don’t you and Yan Lie sit outside for a bit?" Bai Wanwan said with a smile, gesturing to him.

Yan Chi was very surprised to see the female busy in the kitchen as he entered the house.

Hearing her words, and since the smell in the house was indeed quite pungent, he followed Yan Lie to a stone bench outside and sat down.

"Yan Lie, since you are mated now, you must take on the responsibility of caring for a female..."

At this, Yan Chi frowned in disapproval. "You are her Beast Husbands. You should cherish and care for her. How can you let a little female do the work herself?"

Yan Lie wanted to cry foul. They couldn’t bear to let Wanwan get too tired, either.

But Wanwan always said she’d be bored if they didn’t let her do anything. So when she got a whim to cook, they couldn’t stop her and could only assist from the side.

"Brother, we know..."

"You know, and yet you still let a little female work by herself."

Yan Lie opened his mouth but realized that anything he said would sound like an excuse.

"Brother, you’re right. We need to cherish our Wife more."

As soon as he said that, he felt a kick to his leg. "Then what are you still doing sitting here? Get in there and help your female."

This was Yan Lie and his female’s home. It wasn’t appropriate for him to go help, so he could only send Yan Lie.

Yan Lie had no choice but to accept the blame, though in his heart, he’d wanted to go help Wanwan all along.

So he turned and ducked back into the house.

"Wanwan, is there anything left to do? Let me help."

"No need, just keep your brother company. The food is almost ready anyway. The smell in here is a bit strong, so we’ll bring the pot outside in a minute..."

******

The twilight was deep as a large caravan of Traveling Merchants slowly passed through the massive stone archway of the Golden Lion Tribe, treading on the last rays of the setting sun.

Heavy, hide-wrapped wheels rumbled over the gravel road, the dull sound startling a few night owls perched on the walls.

Jin Yue walked at the head of the procession. He said to the male beside him, "The Clan Leader has instructed me to show you to your lodgings first. I will take you to see him tomorrow."

"Thank you," the other male replied curtly, his voice like grinding stones.

After traversing a few winding stone-paved paths, Jin Yue led the group to a secluded cluster of stone houses.

The rough stone walls were covered in glowing night-vines, which emitted a faint blue light in the twilight.

"You can rest here for now." Jin Yue pushed open a heavy wooden door. "Someone will bring food and fresh water shortly."

After Jin Yue’s footsteps faded into the distance, the male who had been speaking with him immediately turned and spoke respectfully to an inconspicuous, shadowy figure in the crowd. "Captain, we can only see the Golden Lion Tribe’s Clan Leader tomorrow..."

"Mm, no rush."

"It just so happens the Harvest Festival is in a few days. Captain, could we perhaps..."

Before he could finish, the shadowy figure stepped out.

"Yes. We’ll stay a few extra days."

A tall figure emerged from the darkness. His face was dark, as if smeared with something, making his original features impossible to discern.

As his words fell, the group of Traveling Merchants erupted in cheers.

The mating rituals of the Harvest Festival were a rare opportunity for these wandering males.

They might be able to find a female they liked and start a family here.

The male watched their joyful expressions without joining in, simply instructing, "You all get some rest."

Then he turned and walked off into the dusk.

"Is the Captain going searching again?"

Everyone was used to the Captain’s behavior. He would walk through every corner of every tribe.

The streets of the Golden Lion Tribe stretched out in the twilight.

The male walked aimlessly. Every time he encountered a female, his gaze would linger for a moment before quickly moving on.

’None of them are her.’

This was the eleventh tribe.

For nearly a year, his travels had taken him to every tribe, large and small, in the vicinity, yet he had never found that figure.

’She was taken by Wandering Beasts. She’s so clever, maybe she managed to survive at their hands.’

’But I saw that great fire!’

Even knowing hope was slim, he always wished she was alive, just living in some corner of the world he didn’t know about.

He was just about to turn and head back when his gaze suddenly froze on a certain spot.

His pupils contracted violently, and the world itself seemed to stop at that moment.