Chapter 179: Chapter 178: I’ve Got Your Back

The Beast World had no shortage of delicacies. After all, they had already begun cultivating fruits, vegetables, and grains. Floating Wheat and rice alone offered countless cooking methods, and when paired with various seasonings, the possibilities were endless.

Following her nose, Si Shuo stopped dead in front of a fishball soup stall and refused to move.

She tilted her head to look at Ji Liang, and before she could even say a word, he smiled and said, “Sir, we’ll have three bowls of fishball soup!”

The young man at the stall had just agreed when Wei Ce had already found a spot and sat Si Shuo down.

Wei Ce rubbed his hands together, whispering anxiously, “Um, White Fox Cub, I came out in such a hurry I forgot to bring any Crystal Stones. Could I… could I pay you back after I get my pay from the Beast Soldier Camp?”

Si Shuo smiled and nodded. “Of course!” ’The last one who owed me Crystal Stones is now at home taking care of the kids for me,’ she thought. ’He’s paying off his debt with his body.’

Relieved by her answer, Wei Ce asked a bit sheepishly, “I, uh… I have a pretty big appetite. One bowl probably won’t be enough.”

’Of course not. He’s a national treasure, after all,’ she mused. ’When they’re on display at the zoo, they can eat from dawn till dusk. They’re not just big eaters, they’re picky, too. Many countries don’t even qualify to lease giant pandas because they can’t afford to keep them.’

She pursed her lips, pondering. ’No matter how much he eats, he won’t be chewing on Crystal Stones, right? Once the school and stationery shop are up and running at home, the Crystal Stones will come rolling in. I should be able to afford to keep one Iron eating Beast, right?’

“Only two or three bowls,” Si Shuo said with another smiling nod. “We’re going to eat other things later, so you need to save some room.”

Overjoyed, Wei Ce immediately threw his arm up. “Sir, two more bowls of fishball soup!”

Ji Liang glanced at Wei Ce’s formidable physique, then at the red mark on Si Shuo’s forehead. He sighed silently, feeling the weight on his shoulders grow a little heavier.

The fishball soup was made from a type of freshwater fish from the moat, which wasn’t very fishy to begin with and had neatly arranged bones. The fish meat was marinated with salt, wild ginger, and pepper, then mixed with starch and rolled into balls. These were dropped into a pot of boiling water along with wide noodles. A handful of greens were added, and when served, it was garnished with wild scallions and fresh peppers for flavor. The balls were springy and savory, the wide noodles were smooth, and the broth was delicious—perfectly suited to the palate of Cat Beastmen.

Watching Si Shuo eat with gusto, Wei Ce couldn’t help but feel his Adam’s apple bob. He stared at her lips, and for a fleeting moment, he wished she would nibble on his fingers as if they were bamboo shoots.

’It must be the air outside the walls. It’s filled with the taste of freedom, and my thoughts are getting out of control, growing wings and flying about wildly!’

Si Shuo’s appetite was good these days, but the Beastmen who ran businesses were incredibly honest. The ceramic bowl was filled to the brim, bigger than her face. If she hadn’t brought her Beast Husbands with her, she wouldn’t have dared to order a whole bowl for herself.

After eating about a third of it, she started to push the bowl toward Ji Liang.

“Finished already, White Fox Cub?” Wei Ce intercepted the bowl with a grin. “The fishball soup is delicious, but after three bowls, I’m barely getting started.”

Si Shuo could only watch, wide-eyed, as he finished off the rest of her fishball soup in just a few bites…

’Does he have no sense of propriety?!’

Wei Ce blushed under her gaze and cleared his throat. “Actually, I’m not normally like this when I’m with other Beastmen. I’m very aloof. This is just my way of showing that we hit it off right away, White Fox Cub. Like cubs from the same litter, there are no boundaries between us, so there’s no need for so many rules…”

’Him? Aloof? I can’t even imagine it!’

Si Shuo pursed her lips to hide a smile, then grabbed Ji Liang’s hand and stood up, heading for the next food stall.

She wanted to try a little of everything, and while she didn’t eat much, the Combat Power of the two males with her was astonishing. They accompanied her from one end of the street to the other.

Toward the end, even Ji Liang wasn’t eating much. Si Shuo would just take a taste, and the rest would all go into Wei Ce’s stomach.

It was so satisfying. The entire bear was radiating a blissful contentment, his eyes curving into crescents.

Having witnessed his huge appetite, Si Shuo asked curiously, “Wei Ce, what do you usually eat at home? How much do you have at each meal?”

Wei Ce’s body stiffened. He forced a smile and explained, “Oh, I just chew on bamboo and eat meat. Not too much. It’s just that everything I had today was delicious stuff I’ve rarely tried before. I couldn’t help myself and ate a tiny bit more than usual. Don’t worry, White Fox Cub, I’ll pay back the Crystal Stones as soon as I get my monthly salary from the Beast Soldier Camp!”

Si Shuo looked at the sky, which was already getting dark, and smiled. “Wei Ce, we’ve finished our stroll and it’s time to go home. You should head back soon, too. Running away won’t solve anything. If there’s a conflict, everyone should lay it all out and talk. You can’t just wander around outside forever because you don’t want to get coupled, can you? Just waiting for someone to capture you and trade you for Crystal Stones, or force you into a coupling?”

Ji Liang also nodded in agreement. “Wei Ce, you’ve never been to the Beast Fighting Arena. Many of the Male Slaves in there are ones who got separated from their families and tribes. Your Combat Power is high, but there are a thousand, no, ten thousand ways for people to take you down without using force. Your family has protected you so well that you have no idea how dangerous the outside world really is!”

Wei Ce frowned slightly, wanting to argue, but it was true that apart from living and being on duty according to his clan’s arrangements, he knew very little about the outside world. Many of these things sounded alarmist to him, but it was very possible they had already happened or were currently happening.

He turned his head to look at Si Shuo, a pitiful expression on his face. “White Fox Cub, can’t I stay at your place for a couple of nights?”

After spending the better part of the day with him, she found this Iron eating Beast to be quite lively, cheerful, and quick to warm up to people. Like Xiao Cheng, he was the type who had been coddled by his family his whole life, had never truly suffered, and didn’t understand the rules of survival in the outside world, thus retaining a pure and kind heart.

Si Shuo’s lips curled into a smile. “Are you sure? My home isn’t so easy to get into. It might be a one-way trip!”

As she spoke, she put on a fierce act, baring her teeth at him and letting out a couple of little growls.

Wei Ce stared, a bit dazed. He also felt worried for ’him.’ A White Fox Cub who looked so soft even when trying to be fierce—once ’he’ got coupled, wouldn’t ’he’ be bullied to death by the other Couple Brothers?

He suddenly clapped her on the shoulder and said resolutely, “White Fox Cub, you’re right. Sooner or later, I have to be coupled with some Female Saint and have Iron Beast Cubs. It doesn’t really matter who I choose, does it? But… I won’t choose your sister!”

Si Shuo was completely confused. ’Did he get the wrong idea somehow?’

Indeed, his next sentence made Si Shuo’s face darken.

“White Fox Cub, I’m going back to talk to the elders right now. I’ll let them choose a Female Saint for me, but I have one condition: after the Female Saint chooses me, she also has to take you in once you come of age and get your mark. She’ll have fox cubs for you, too. From now on, we’ll be Couple Brothers. With me looking out for you, no one will dare bully you!”

Si Shuo’s cheeks puffed out. ’Great,’ she thought. ’I was considering him as a potential partner, and he just wants to be Couple Brothers with me?’

Ji Liang couldn’t help but turn his head and chuckle quietly. He couldn’t do anything about it; his little female was just too charming. After just a few meals, someone was already scrambling to be her Couple Brother and protect her.

Annoyed, Si Shuo pointed at Ji Liang and shot back, “That won’t work! I’ve already promised my good buddy here that we’d choose a female together!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep