Chapter 44 - 43: The Most Important Thing is to Escape

Feng Qiwu had prepared for a long journey, but after flying for only a moment, he spotted a familiar figure on the ground.

’But who’s that extra person?’

Before he could give it much thought, Chu Liangyu spotted him.

"Feng Qiwu?"

"Female Master, I heard everything from Hu Qiumu." Feng Qiwu swallowed the words he was about to say and said instead, "I was worried you were in danger, so I left the cubs and rushed over."

Chu Liangyu could tell from his rapid blinking that he was spouting nonsense again.

But she couldn’t be bothered to call him out on it and just smiled. "Did you bring the cubs back?"

"I brought them back. They’re all with Hu Qiumu. What’s our next move?"

"The tribe has been destroyed. I plan to find a new place to rebuild." Chu Liangyu watched him, curious about his reaction.

Unexpectedly, he agreed without a moment’s hesitation.

"I’m your Beast Husband. Naturally, I’ll go wherever you go."

Chu Liangyu raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised.

It seemed that ever since the day of the kidnapping, his attitude had become very different.

If his temper hadn’t remained the same—just with a slight change toward her—she would have had reason to suspect he’d been possessed.

"Female Master, who is he?"

After pledging his loyalty, Feng Qiwu finally asked the question that was on his mind.

Chu Liangyu could clearly see the wariness on his face, the kind you see when someone fears their things are about to be stolen.

"He’s a Beastman from the Trenke tribe. His name is Chi Yizhong."

"We were nearly trapped, but we made it out thanks to his help."

’Trenke?’

Feng Qiwu thought for a moment, his mind flashing back to the person who had been following Chu Liangyu and the others that day.

’It all makes sense now,’ he thought. ’Well, well... this should be interesting.’

"I see. So, Female Master, are we going to meet up with Hu Qiumu now?"

"Yes." Chu Liangyu gave him a suspicious look, not understanding why he had suddenly become so excited.

Feng Qiwu hadn’t been gone long. When they returned to the original spot, Hu Qiumu was still there.

But clearly, the situation was not great.

The Mermaid cub, in particular, was being exceptionally rowdy.

It was deliberately splashing water and watching the droplets land on the other cubs.

Then it would flash a triumphant, mischievous smile that made you want to give her a good spanking.

Of course, they were all just little cubs, so getting provoked meant they were bound to retaliate.

And so, the group of little cubs started fighting amongst themselves, creating a scene of utter chaos.

Hu Qiumu wouldn’t interfere in the children’s roughhousing, but he had to watch over them to make sure they didn’t get hurt.

He’d even get caught in the crossfire from time to time. It was, for some reason, mentally exhausting. He’d rather just go fight someone.

"Female Master?"

Hearing footsteps, Hu Qiumu looked up and saw Chu Liangyu and the others not far off.

He breathed a silent sigh of relief and started walking toward them.

"That man was a liar. Are any of you hurt?"

"We’re okay. Just minor injuries."

Among them, Chu Liangyu was the most seriously injured, but her wounds were all internal. At first glance, nothing seemed wrong.

Hu Qiumu knew a little about medicine. One look at her complexion and his brow furrowed. "Give me your wrist."

"Alright." Her attitude toward Hu Qiumu was noticeably better than toward her other Beast Husbands.

The reason was simple: he treated her with sincerity, and she returned it in kind.

If the others had treated her with the same sincerity, she wouldn’t have to feel like she was putting on an act around them.

"Your internal organs have suffered from impact. You need to rest and recuperate."

Fortunately, it wasn’t too serious. Otherwise, it would have surely led to chronic problems down the road.

"I know. I’ll be careful."

Chu Liangyu turned and walked over to the cubs. "Finding a new place for our tribe is urgent," she said. "We’ll rest for two days, then set out."

The others all nodded in agreement.

As she moved, the person standing behind her was revealed. Hu Qiumu caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of his eye and realized there was an extra person.

He stopped in his tracks and began to size up Chi Yizhong.

"And you are?"

"Oh, him? He saved our lives," Xiong Jiaojiao explained this time.

"Then why did he come with you?" In the end, this was the real question he wanted to ask.

Xiong Jiaojiao stammered for a moment, unsure how to answer. She shot a pleading look at Chu Liangyu.

’Chi Yizhong was simply smitten with her at first sight. Or, to put it more bluntly, he was driven by lust.’

’Having dealt with twelve Beast Husbands, how could Chu Liangyu not see through something like this?’

’She was just interested in his power. It was a matter of mutual use.’

’As for cubs, that was something she couldn’t give him.’

’If he chose to leave because of that, she wouldn’t force him to stay.’

Noticing the subtle atmosphere, Chu Liangyu simply said, unconcerned, "Following me is the reward he wanted for helping, so I agreed to it."

’He’s the Ocean Dominator. If he can’t even handle a little conflict, then he has no business following me.’

"Oh." Hu Qiumu’s response was ambiguous, making it impossible to guess his thoughts.

Feng Qiwu’s eyes narrowed. He crossed his arms over his chest, clearly settling in to watch the drama unfold.

Chi Yizhong, however, seemed lost in his own world, his head lowered, oblivious to the shifting mood around him.

Yu He remained as sullen as ever. He had no interest whatsoever in vying for favor.

Knowing this wasn’t the place to linger, Xiong Jiaojiao gave a dry cough and immediately ran after Chu Liangyu, calling out, "Sister Liangyu, wait for me!"

"Right, I haven’t asked you yet," Chu Liangyu said, turning to Xiong Jiaojiao as she came to a stop beside her. "How did you get those cubs out?"

"The men in black appeared so suddenly. Luckily, your Beast Husbands had already finished hunting and were feeding the cubs."

"But the men in black were too powerful, so they all chose to flee. These few little cubs were clever, though. They hid as soon as they sensed something was wrong."

"So, it wasn’t really me who got them out. They saved themselves."

Still, the fact that Xiong Jiaojiao had thought to protect them and find a hiding place was a favor to Chu Liangyu.

For that, Chu Liangyu owed her a favor.

"Do you still have the seeds?"

"Yes, yes! I even managed to grab a bunch of mature ones."

Chu Liangyu was taken aback. ’Even when fleeing for her life, the girl hadn’t forgotten her medicinal herbs.’

Chu Liangyu opened her mouth to say, "Your life is what’s most important. Next time..."

"Alright, alright, I get it, Sister Liangyu!"

Chu Liangyu was cut off mid-sentence. Realizing her nagging was unwelcome, she didn’t say anything more.

"I have some good news for you. I found the other two herbs needed for Body Refining."

"Really?!" Xiong Jiaojiao was both shocked and delighted. Her eyes were fixed on Chu Liangyu’s hands as she said, "We’ve been together this whole time. When did that happen? How did I not know?"

Chu Liangyu raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure about that?"

After a moment of hesitation, Xiong Jiaojiao guessed, "You didn’t take me with you when you went to Qingqiu. Was it then?"

’As expected of a smart person, she catches on quickly,’ Chu Liangyu thought.

Chu Liangyu gave her an appreciative look, then said, "That’s right. So now, we just need you to mature them, and then we can begin Body Refining."

Xiong Jiaojiao rubbed her hands together, her expression a comically greedy and impatient mix. "Maturing them is quick! Should we start right now?"

Chu Liangyu was amused. Suppressing a laugh, she nodded in agreement.

They were so eager to increase their strength mainly because she was afraid something else would cause yet another delay.