Chapter 289: Chapter 288: Everyone on Guard

Mi Xing watched another male from the Iron-eating Beast Clan spot her from about ten or fifteen yards away and flee in a panic. She stomped her foot in fury. “Si Shuo! I’ll never forgive you!

“Why is it that you get to have an Iron-eating Beast Husband, yet you go around bad-mouthing me? We’re both Female Saints from the Southern Continent. You get to settle in Guangshou City, live in a big courtyard with countless fields and shops, and you won’t even leave me the scraps?”

It wasn’t just her. The males by her side were also included in the group that the Iron-eating Beast Clan would flee from on sight.

Catching a glimpse of something from the corner of her eye, Mi Xing’s lips curled into a cold sneer. ’You were cruel first, so don’t blame me for being ruthless. Heh, I’d love to see what happens when those Beast Husbands you’re so proud of betray you. I wonder if it’ll be a death for both mother and child?’

After the Iron-eating Beast Clan’s harvest festival, everyone began the frantic preparations of stockpiling supplies before the long rainy season and the coldest season arrived.

Once Ji Liang returned from his latest trade run, Zhi Le and Wei Ce would be heading out to hunt in the vast, deep mountains of the northwestern Central Continent. As a Flying Beast, Yin Jiang had to help transport supplies. Meanwhile, Gong You had signed up to travel to the eastern coast to trade with the Mermaids for large quantities of sea salt. While he was there, and before the weather grew too cold, he planned to stockpile seafood for his young female and the cubs to last them through the next six months!

They were all leaving at the same time, and on the night before their departure, Si Shuo was already feeling heartbroken. At the dinner table, she reminded each of them in turn:

“You all must be careful. Xu Chi, Ji Liang, and Xiao Cheng will be here with me. The cubs are sensible, too, so don’t worry about us at home.

“You don’t have to write every day… I’ve put milk, eggs, and fruit for each day into storage for you all. Remember to eat…”

Seeing their young female’s eyes rimmed with red, their hearts felt as if they were being squeezed, aching unbearably. It wasn’t just that she couldn’t bear for them to leave; they would miss her just as much.

“Kitty, this will be hard on you,” Zhi Le said, pulling her into a tight hug. He should have stayed by her side for the birth, but precisely because he was the Father of the cub in her womb, he had an even greater duty to undertake the heavy responsibility of stockpiling food for their small family. He gently caressed her belly, telling the cub inside to be obedient and learn to dote on its Mother.

“I’ll stock up on lots of tasty meat and beautiful furs for our kitty. We’ll be passing through a fairly large desert with lots of wild camels, so I’ll get plenty of camel milk for you all… We’ll also cross the grasslands…”

Wei Ce nodded eagerly. “We’ll gather some on the way there and on the way back. Let’s make sure Shuo and the cubs have milk to drink for the next six months.”

Hearing this, Tuanzi nodded again and again. “Father, milk!”

Wei Ce laughed and scooped him into his arms. “I know Tuanzi loves his milk.” He then looked at Si Shuo. “Mother likes the meat of Horn-Fighting Bulls and Curled Horned Sheep, so let’s stock up on a lot of that, too. When the weather turns bad, we can roast it at home.”

Yuanyuan tilted her head, glanced at Yin Jiang, and with a POOF, transformed into a beautiful white Hunting Falcon. She flapped her wings and flew to Wei Ce’s shoulder. “Together!”

Si Shuo was feeling melancholic about separating from her four Beast Husbands, but the two cubs snapped her out of it. She said in mock exasperation, “When we look for a Beast Husband for Yuanyuan in the future, the first one we find had better be a fierce Flying Beast. Otherwise, no one will be able to watch her.”

Gong You nodded in agreement. “We’ll have to find a Fish Beast, too. Otherwise, what if she gets to a river or a lake and just slips away as a fish?”

Ji Liang chuckled softly. “And we’ll need one that can dig. What if Yuanyuan starts burrowing tunnels?”

Si Shuo went along with their banter and chuckled. ’Right, we’ll have to cover our bases: land, sea, air, and underground.’

A mischievous young female cub can easily get into trouble without a male with powerful Combat Power to watch over her.

Yin Jiang cleared his throat. “The cubs may be young, but they’ll be grown in the blink of an eye. We should start scouting out some young male cubs with good talent and character… For a Flying Beast Husband, we should still choose from an Eagle Falcon type…”

Yuanyuan was still oblivious, only understanding that the adults wanted to find a bunch of male cubs to stop her from having fun. She huffed in displeasure, turned her rear end to them, and refused to play along.

Seeing Yuanyuan get shot down, Xu Ye and Xuyou were smart enough not to bring up going along with the others.

Si Shuo suddenly remembered something and took out the Bone Marrow Cleansing and Vein Cutting Pills, giving one to each of the Beast Husbands in the family, keeping the rest for herself and the cubs.

“You’re always taking turns feeding me Crystal Stones. There’s no telling how many impurities have built up in your bodies. This is a good opportunity to cleanse, detox, and temper your bodies before you head out.”

Wei Jin, for instance, originally had excellent talent. But his family had relied on him to feed Crystal Stones to a pregnant Yichu, causing too many impurities to build up in his body. As a result, his cultivation had stagnated at Level 13 for a long time.

Since their young female had the Replication Ability, the Beast Husbands didn’t refuse. They took the elixirs and went into the courtyard, taking turns putting up a Protective Shield while they consumed them.

The impurities and toxins in their bodies had accumulated day by day, especially because they fed her Crystal Stones so frequently.

Fortunately, the Crystal Stones they absorbed were all replicated by Si Shuo and contained very few impurities. As long as they periodically detoxified, their cultivation progress shouldn’t be restricted.

After another round of cleansing and tempering, the Beast Husbands felt much lighter and purer. Their cultivation bases were solidified, and each of them advanced by a half-step.

Zhi Le could faintly feel the barrier to the Eleventh Level; he was confident he could break through after returning from this hunt. Xu Chi reached Peak Level 12. Ji Liang had spent the last two months traveling, constantly fighting and broadening his horizons, reaching Middle-stage Eleventh Level. Gong You was still suppressing his cultivation at the peak of the Eleventh Level, but he had a feeling he could reach Level 13 by next year’s spring hunt. Yin Jiang’s cultivation remained at Level 14. Wei Ce was still rigidly suppressing his cultivation at the Peak of Level 14!

After they used the Dust Cleaning Talismans, Si Shuo could clearly feel that their auras, which they hadn’t yet fully retracted, had grown stronger. She breathed a small sigh of relief. ’A little more strength means a little more security.’

She stayed up so late that by the time she awoke, Zhi Le and the other three were already gone. They had also wanted to avoid the sight of their young female crying, which would have made it unbearable to leave.

Over the past few days, the crops in the fields had begun to ripen. They could hire people to harvest the crops on the clan’s land, with Wei Jin overseeing the work. The crops in their valley, however, they had to harvest themselves.

Thanks to the high-quality seeds and scientific planting methods, a wind carrying a hint of autumn chill rustled through the bountiful crops.

Over half a month ago, all the farming experts in Guangshou City had come for a tour. They had initially just wanted to give it a try, so they asked the Iron-eating Beast Clan Members for their farming techniques.

The Iron-eating Beast Clan Members had watched the entire process unfold out of curiosity, so they knew every step like the backs of their hands.

Moreover, the Female Saint Si Shuo had said this method was taught by the Beast God, so all the Beastmen in the Beast World could learn it. It was also a chance for the Iron-eating Beast Clan to accumulate blessings and earn a good reputation.

Because of this, the Iron-eating Beast Clan Members answered every question from the other Beastmen completely and without holding anything back.

The Beastmen were overjoyed and all agreed to farm alongside the Iron-eating Beast Clan the following year.

When it was time to harvest, the Beastmen finished their own work and then came to help the Iron-eating Beast Clan for free, not taking so much as a single grain of Floating Wheat for themselves.

In just two days, the crops at Si Shuo’s house were not only harvested but also dried and neatly packed into Beast Skins, which now filled half the courtyard!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep