Chapter 280: Extra: Chi Yizhong and the Bet

“It’s been months, and you still haven’t finished carving the Beast God Statue. What is going on?”

This was the first time anyone had seen Xiong Jiaojiao look so angry, but they could only listen, not daring to say a word.

After all, they were the ones who had bungled the job, so they couldn’t exactly claim they were blameless.

“Sister Jiaojiao, we can’t be careless with the leader’s statue. We’ve really been putting our hearts into it, but every time we carve one, it just feels like something is missing. That’s why it’s been delayed until now.”

Xiong Jiaojiao’s brow furrowed slightly. “Bring out all the ones you’ve carved recently. Let me see.”

At first, Xiong Jiaojiao didn’t quite understand what they meant by “something was missing.” But after she saw the statues for herself, she began to get it.

The stone carvings were a perfect likeness of Chu Liangyu, so there shouldn’t have been a problem. But the statues just felt like statues. They lacked her unique presence, to say nothing of her spirit, and looked exceptionally wooden.

A statue like this was clearly unacceptable for enshrinement in the Beast God Temple. Even the carvers themselves weren’t satisfied with it, let alone the other members of the tribe.

If they actually put these out, the tribe would tear them to shreds.

“So, have you thought of any good solutions?”

Xiong Jiaojiao shifted her gaze from the statues to the five carvers.

But they all shook their heads in unison, their frustration plain to see.

Things couldn’t be delayed like this forever, but no one had any good ideas.

The reconstruction of the Beast God Temple was complete, and only the statue was missing. Once Chu Liangyu’s statue was installed, she could begin to receive the tribe’s worship, and the Power of Faith she would obtain would be far greater than before.

“Oh, right, I heard the leader’s thirteenth Beast Husband has taken up carving recently, and he often carves things for the leader. Why don’t we ask him to come and help?”

Xiong Jiaojiao’s eyes lit up. “Then go ask him to come over.”

‘Chi Yizhong always prioritized her Sister Liangyu. For such a small matter, he surely wouldn’t refuse.’

“No need. I heard everything you said.”

Chi Yizhong, his expression neutral, walked out from behind the crowd. Following him were Feng Qiwu and Yu Tu.

As it happened, the three of them had been on their way to the training grounds. Seeing a crowd gathered here, they came over to see what the commotion was about, not expecting that Chi Yizhong would be the topic of conversation.

“I assume you heard, then. So, what do you say?”

Chi Yizhong glanced at the nearby statues, silent for a moment. A look of disdain crossed his face. Finally, he looked at Xiong Jiaojiao and nodded. “You can leave this matter to me.”

“Thank you so much! I’ll be sure to tell Sister Liangyu what you’ve done for her. I guarantee your effort won’t be for nothing.”

Hearing this, a flicker appeared in Chi Yizhong’s eyes, but he only gave a soft “Mm.”

“Him? All he carves are crude things that shouldn’t be seen in public. He probably can’t handle something like the Beast God Statue.”

For reasons unknown, Feng Qiwu’s face was clouded with displeasure as he stepped between the two of them.

Xiong Jiaojiao glanced back and forth between Chi Yizhong and Feng Qiwu for a moment. Knowing full well this was just petty jealousy between the Beast Husbands, she stayed out of it.

Chi Yizhong frowned. “Then why don’t you do it?”

“I…”

‘He didn’t know the first thing about carving. He was only saying this because he didn’t want Chi Yizhong to so easily win favor with Chu Liangyu.’

“Anyway, you know full well how unpresentable the things you carve are. I’d advise you not to even try, lest you desecrate the statue.”

Perhaps the shock of seeing the woodcarvings in Chi Yizhong’s courtyard that one time had been too great. After he returned, he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Even now, when the subject came up, the tips of his ears still burned.

“I know what’s at stake. I don’t need you to remind me.”

‘Whether it was because of the woodcarvings or not, this wild pheasant was always jumping in to say something unpleasant. It was truly tiresome.’

“Who’s reminding you? I’m telling you not to take on this job if you don’t have the skill for it.”

“You keep trying to stop me and denying my ability. If I really do carve a statue that satisfies everyone, what will you do then?”

Even someone as good-tempered as Chi Yizhong had his limits. Feng Qiwu always resorted to childish tricks, banking on the fact that Chi Yizhong couldn’t be bothered to argue.

‘Never mind this time; there was another incident. Back when his eyes hadn’t yet recovered, this guy had deliberately run him into a tree while leading him back to the tribe.’

‘He didn’t hold grudges, but that didn’t mean he had forgotten about it.’

“How about we make a bet on this?”

“If I lose, I’ll be at your mercy. But if I win, you have to fly over the tribe and crow like a rooster for a month, acting as everyone’s alarm clock every day.”

Feng Qiwu didn’t want to agree, but the crowd was egging him on. Under the gazes of so many pairs of eyes, his lips opened and closed for a long moment before he finally said, “Who’s afraid of whom? Fine, I accept your bet.”

“But you didn’t say how long it would take you. What if you take decades to carve one statue? That would be pointless.”

“Three days.” Chi Yizhong had known he would say that, so he answered without a shred of hesitation.

With the time and the bet both set, Feng Qiwu had nothing more to say. But seeing Chi Yizhong’s confident expression, he had the faint feeling he’d walked into a trap.

“Alright, it’s about time. The people at the training grounds are waiting for us.”

Yu Tu had been watching from the side and understood everything clearly. But he wasn’t close enough to Feng Qiwu to warn him, so he just let things take their course.

Only after the three of them left did Xiong Jiaojiao finally let out a sigh of relief. She had been so afraid they would come to blows that she had seized a moment when they weren’t paying attention to her to send for Chu Liangyu.

When Chu Liangyu arrived, she only saw the three men’s departing backs. She raised an eyebrow and said, “You called me over in such a hurry. Was it because of those three?”

Xiong Jiaojiao was startled by her sudden voice. After patting her chest to calm herself, she said, “Sister Liangyu, you walk so quietly! I didn’t even hear you.”

“But this matter does have to do with those three. I was afraid they were going to fight, so I sent for you just in case.”

Seeing that things were more or less as she had guessed, Chu Liangyu nodded. “So, what happened?”

“It’s like this: we still haven’t been able to finish your statue. We heard Chi Yizhong also knows how to carve, so we were thinking of asking him to help. But then Feng Qiwu started making some disparaging remarks, and the two of them ended up making a bet over it.”

Hearing this, a look of surprise appeared in Chu Liangyu’s eyes. “Feng Qiwu actually agreed?”

‘It’s not like Feng Qiwu hasn’t seen Chi Yizhong’s woodcarvings. He knows his technique is superb. Although the subjects of his carvings are a bit… indelicate, it’s obvious he’s more than capable of handling this task.’

‘To agree to a bet he was guaranteed to lose… had he lost his mind?’

“Yes… Is there a problem?”

Unaware of the full story, Xiong Jiaojiao was puzzled by her disbelief and couldn’t help but ask.