Chapter 260: Chapter 259: A Full Armful

Mi Xing’s tent was set up right across from Si Shuo’s house, separated by a thirty-foot-wide path! Right now, her group was facing them, roasting a half-grown piglet over a bonfire, the savory aroma drifting over on the wind.

An ordinary Beastman would have been drooling, but Si Shuo was particular about her food. Meat that wasn’t properly cleaned and marinated before roasting always had a slightly gamey odor.

As a Cat Beastman, she was exceptionally sensitive to smells. She enjoyed the subtle, fishy aroma of fish, shrimp, and crab, but she couldn’t stand this!

Before she could even say anything, her brow furrowed, and Xiao Cheng erected a protective barrier, perfectly blocking the breeze from their direction.

Si Shuo recalled Mi Xing’s strange confidence and couldn’t help but grab Xiao Cheng to ask, “Xiao Cheng, do you know what Mi Xing’s superpower is?”

All Female Saints possessed a superpower granted by the Beast God, but they usually kept it as hidden as possible, using it as a trump card to make others wary of them.

The superpowers of some Female Saints, however, were accidentally exposed and became common knowledge.

Xiao Cheng shook his head. “She’s very calculating; I’ve never heard anyone mention her superpower. However,” he narrowed his eyes, “it must be something that bewitches people. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to catch the eye of the Vermilion Bird Gui Family and then Ni Chang.”

There were many Female Saints on the Beast World Continent, so for her to stand out among them, the superpower Mi Xing had chosen must be impressive.

Si Shuo hummed in acknowledgment. The Beast Forms of the males behind Mi Xing flashed through her mind, sparking a flicker of doubt. ’It’s not unheard of for a female to accept brothers as mates, but the number of brother-pairs among Mi Xing’s Beast Husbands seems a bit high.’

She didn’t dwell on it, instead turning to chat with her friends about their little ones.

Man Gu, the mate of the Golden Lion Beastman Jin Hao, was also there. “I’m so envious that when you’re pregnant with your little ones, you can pray to the Beast God for them to have better potential.”

“We Cuckoo Beastmen just hope the little ones in our bellies take after their Father—at least, we hope they aren’t male Cuckoo cubs. If they don’t have the instinct to incubate eggs, it’ll be very hard for them to find a young female in the future!”

“Besides, I have a Flying Beast Husband. I can’t have him incubating clutch after clutch, can I? Especially when they’re not even his own hatchlings. In any case, I’m too lazy to do it myself…”

Jin Pan laughed. “It’s not just you. Don’t all your Cuckoo Beast males disappear for a month or so as soon as they have an egg?”

“You’re telling me! And your eggs all have different patterns, so it’s impossible to tell them apart. A lot of male Flying Beasts end up incubating them and are suddenly tricked into becoming a Father!” Li Hui chimed in, amused.

Man Gu pursed her lips in a faint smile. “What can we do? The instinct to incubate isn’t in our heritage. Those willing to spend Crystal Stones find good foster parents for their little ones. The stingy ones either find the nests of wild Flying Fierce Beasts or just swap out an egg in some poor Flying Beast’s nest.”

Si Shuo listened with amusement. ’There are so many fascinating things in the Beast World. It’s really nice to get out and chat with friends every now and then.’

Just before lunch, Wei Ce popped out of nowhere with a whole string of bamboo rats. He’d probably raided an entire family’s burrow!

“Shuo, an extra dish for you all! Remember to save some to make minced meat congee for the little ones at home.” He handed the bamboo rats to Zhi Zhan to handle and sat down next to Si Shuo to rest.

Seeing his face was flushed from the sun, Si Shuo took out a handkerchief to wipe away his sweat, then gave him a cooling mung bean shaved ice.

Wei Ce grabbed her hand for a quick kiss, then dashed into the tent and chewed on a Dust Cleaning Talisman. After he was feeling refreshed, he ran back out and nuzzled against her cheek while happily eating his cold treat.

Si Shuo’s heart melted watching him. ’How does he manage to act so cute and disarming, even in human form with such a manly appearance?’

Not long after, Yin Jiang and Gong You arrived side-by-side, carrying five wild rabbits and two fish that were each half as tall as a person!

Si Shuo couldn’t help but scramble to her feet and run over. “Gong You, Yin Jiang, weren’t you supposed to be on patrol? Where did these rabbits and fish come from?”

Not the least bit squeamish, she gathered one of the fish into a tight hug, holding the thrashing creature firmly. If Gong You hadn’t been grabbing her with one hand and the fish with the other, she might have started dancing a passionate prairie rumba with it!

’Ah, smelling that fresh, sweet fishy scent… I feel so blissful! Being controlled by my Cat Beastman instincts once in a while is pretty nice, too.’

“This grassland is pretty big. The Winged Dragon Clan keeps a lot of herbivorous Fierce Beasts penned up here, and they hunt a few from time to time. Now that the area has been requisitioned for the Female Saint Conference, they’ve herded the Fierce Beasts into the neighboring enclosure. A few slipped through the cracks, so I snagged them while I was on patrol in the air,” Yin Jiang whispered with a smile into Si Shuo’s ear.

Gong You also lowered his voice, murmuring into her other ear, “The lake is full of fish, shrimp, and crab, too. I found a discreet spot to get in the water and stretch out a little. I happened to ’accidentally’ catch a lot of snacks for you.”

’His “a lot” was definitely no small number. For a Big Fish Beast, this must be at least half a meal, right?’

“Xu Chi is on duty this afternoon, so he’ll come by later,” Yin Jiang said with a smile, ruffling Si Shuo’s hair when he saw her standing on her tiptoes to peek behind them.

At Si Shuo’s house, a row of bonfires was blazing, laden with bamboo rats, wild rabbits, and whole giant fish! The meat was cleaned, marinated, and set over the flames to roast. Basted from time to time with sauce and oil, the aroma was enough to make anyone’s mouth water.

Xiao Cheng tended the fires, vigorously fanning them with a large banana leaf and sending fragrant clouds of smoke billowing across the path toward the opposite camp.

Suddenly, the pig trotter Mi Xing was gnawing on didn’t seem so appetizing anymore!

To make matters worse, Si Shuo ate as if she were dashing between food stalls at a festival. She would run to one fire for a few bites of bamboo rat, her eyes crinkling in a delicious smile, then bounce over to another, holding a leaf piled high with fish and purring with delight as she ate. The next moment, she’d be gnawing on a rabbit leg. Everything looked exceptionally tasty. Wei Ce followed right behind her, sometimes letting out a happy bleat or two.

And not only that, they were even trading food with the people around them.

Mi Xing had only just arrived in Guangshou City; she didn’t know anyone. What should have been a great feast became an awkward and uncomfortable meal!

However, a Golden Python Beastman approached with a large platter of fresh beef, saying with a smile, “Lady Mi Xing, Lord Ni Chang instructed me to deliver this to you. Please eat. If it isn’t enough, you may send for more.”

Mi Xing smiled and thanked him, then had one of her Beast Husbands give the man a piece of roast piglet in return. She raised her voice slightly to say, “…Cook the beef to medium-rare for me. It’s more tender that way…”

She received a number of envious glances from those around her, but from Si Shuo’s group, all she got was the back of their heads!

At that moment, Si Shuo paused. Xu Chi hadn’t arrived, but a bucket of fresh milk had just appeared in their shared space, along with a note:

“A shuo, this is camel milk. I heard it’s very nutritious and has a nourishing and calming effect on young females and our little ones. There are still plenty of camel Wild Beasts here, so I’ll stock up some more for you and them!”

The Winged Dragon Clan was quite domineering. When the Water Buffalo Beastmen had lived here, this area was public land. Everyone could come to camp, swim, and hunt small game in the nearby woods.

But after the Winged Dragon Clan drove the Water Buffalo Beastmen away, they expanded their territory every so often. Hundreds of years later, this place had effectively become their private domain.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep