Chapter 449: Chapter 448: Of Course, It’s the Same Style

“Some Beastmen can’t hunt Wild Beasts, so they’ve taken up robbery. To make sure they succeed, a lot of them disguise themselves as families migrating, but in reality, they have accomplices hiding in ambush nearby.

We thought you were bandits too, so we didn’t dare get close and ran off in different directions…”

As they were catching up, the other Beastmen who had fled quietly returned. When they saw Cui Tai talking and laughing, they took a closer look. Someone with sharp eyes spotted Zhi Le, and they all began shouting joyfully as they ran over.

“It really is you, Zhi Le! This is great! You’re back from the Central Continent?”

“Is Ji Liang here too?”

Most of them were from the Luoni Tribe, with others from neighboring tribes. They had all more or less seen or heard about them before.

After a few pleasantries, they learned that Cui Tai’s group had just arrived to hunt and was tracking a herd of long-horned pigs. Zhi Le, Xu Chi, and Gong You decided to go help them, while Ji Liang led the rest of the group toward Golden Lion City.

Perched high on Ji Liang’s head, Si Shuo weaved through the forest. Time seemed to rewind to when she had just been reborn, back to the days of traveling on the road with them.

After more than two months of training in the Southwest Forest, everyone’s strength had increased rapidly. Although they paced themselves, most of the Beastmen had hit a bottleneck in their cultivation, combat experience, and skills, slowing their progress. Furthermore, with half of the High-level Beasts in the forest already eliminated, even if a Beast Tide were to occur, the Beastmen of the Central Plains Continent wouldn’t be left completely defenseless and simply waiting for death.

That was why, when they decided to come to the Southern Continent, they had declared the Secret Realm training officially over!

They never expected that while the Beast Tide crisis on the Central Continent was on hold, the Southern Continent had already been ravaged by one.

Si Shuo hugged Ji Liang’s head, nuzzling it gently. “Ji Liang, let’s stay at the Luoni Tribe tonight, okay?”

That was where they had first met. Ji Liang’s pupils constricted slightly. He hissed softly, nodded, and chuckled. “Alright. But this time, Little Shushu, you’re not allowed to shut me out!”

Si Shuo smiled, her lips pressed together, and hugged him even tighter. “You were such a rogue back then. I couldn’t say no to you at all.”

“When a male is courting a female, he can’t worry about his pride. Pride can’t be traded for Crystal Stones, and it won’t fill your stomach. It’s not as satisfying as holding a little female in your arms—so soft and fragrant, you just want to swallow her whole,” Ji Liang chuckled.

’Snake Beasts really do swallow things in one gulp!’ Si Shuo’s face flushed slightly. She huffed, but her eyes twinkled with amusement. As luck would have it, today was her Mating Period. With the Contraceptive Talisman, they had no need to worry about her getting pregnant with another cub.

Although Gong You wasn’t with them, his Time Law was stored inside a Spirit Storage Talisman. The group traveled at top speed, remaining vigilant of their surroundings.

Weeds as tall as a man completely obscured the original Luoni Tribe. Ji Liang was only able to find the exact location because he was so familiar with the area.

Wei Ce raised an eyebrow and stretched out a hand. Earth Element Spiritual Power surged from beneath their feet, winding around the crumbling boulders and railings like a burrowing dragon. It traced a semicircle, enclosing the entire Luoni Tribe and leaving a strip of freshly turned earth several feet wide to act as a firebreak.

The instant he withdrew his Spiritual Power, Yin Jiang’s Fire Spiritual Power flared to life. It began to furiously Devour the weeds, carefully avoiding any of the man-made structures built from stone or wood.

Seeing the sky filled with fiery light, the two little black chicks grew excited and tried to rush in. Their brute strength was like that of a calf, and the other cubs couldn’t hold them back.

Si Shuo smiled and suggested, “Don’t hold them back. Maybe they’re Phoenixes that can breathe fire, so to them, fire is like water to a fish. It’ll be fine. They’re not dumb! They’ll cry for help if they’re in danger.”

The cubs thought about it and agreed. ’They have their inherited memories, after all. They should be able to instinctively avoid danger.’ So, steeling themselves, they let go. The two chubby black chicks waddled right into the flames.

However, the two little chicks had been inside for less than five seconds before they started shrieking. Yin Jiang’s eyes narrowed. He instantly transformed into a Hunting Falcon and dove toward them, snatching them up by the neck while simultaneously absorbing all the fire from their bodies.

Si Shuo hid guiltily behind Ji Liang. Xiao Cheng glanced over and saw two bald, white chickens. A faint smell of roasted meat hung in the air. He burst out laughing, stomping his foot.

“Yin Jiang, if you’d been any later, we could’ve had roasted chicken!”

The two chicks looked dejected. Clearly, they had just learned a hard lesson about overestimating their abilities.

The other cubs were dumbfounded. ’We knew we shouldn’t have listened to Mother!’ Xue Bao quickly pulled out a Beast Skin dress and wrapped it around Ming Huang. “Mumu, transform so you can put on your clothes.”

Ming Huang nuzzled Xue Bao, then finally transformed into a chubby little girl. But…

Everyone stared at her bald, glistening head, barely managing to stifle their laughter. They were trying their best to hold it in, but Feng Yu, who hadn’t transformed yet, was the first to break, chirping with laughter as he rolled on the ground.

Ming Huang felt a cool breeze on her scalp, and her eyes instantly reddened and welled up with tears.

Shi Si quickly put a hat on Ming Huang’s head, saying with a smile, “Our Mumu is beautiful! Later, we can attach some braids to the hat, just like Mother’s.”

Ming Huang curiously touched the hat on her head, which was inlaid with beautiful Crystal Stones, shells, and bits of metal. Forgetting all about crying, she busied herself with shaking her head just to hear the pleasant tinkling sounds.

As for Feng Yu, a sharp glare from Little Jing stopped his laughter. He got up, patted the dirt off his body, and shifted into his human form.

This time, no one held back. Seeing the now-bald Feng Yu, everyone erupted in laughter.

Feng Yu clutched his head pitifully and hid behind Little Jing. It was only then that he belatedly realized that since he and his sister had both been singed by the flames, they would of course have matching bald heads!

Si Shuo asked curiously, “Feng Yu, Ming Huang, you’re clearly afraid of fire, so why do you get so excited when you see it?”

Ming Huang tilted her head and shook it, her expression baffled. Clearly, she didn’t know the answer either.

’Could it be a real-life case of a moth drawn to a flame?’

No one dwelled on it. After that lesson, the two little ones were much more docile. Now, they couldn’t help but keep their distance even from the campfire.

The weeds were burned away, leaving only a field of ash that Wei Jin buried underground. The overturned soil was then pounded firm with boulders.

The Luoni Tribe gradually began to resemble its former self. Si Shuo laughed, pulled Xiao Cheng along, and led everyone as she ran inside. Pointing to a cave, she announced, “That was Zhi Le’s and my home!”

They all knew the story of Si Shuo and Zhi Le. Without Zhi Le’s consent and protection back then, it would have been an extravagant hope for a lone little female to even survive.

The group cleaned out a few of the adjacent caves and then started roasting food.

The cubs ran and played down below. Watching their joyful antics, the adults relaxed, their faces filled with delight.

Every one of them had experienced their own share of hardship, suffering, and loneliness. It was because of this that they all shared a deep, persistent longing for a home. It was also why they strived so hard to improve themselves, so they could properly protect their female and their cubs.

After dinner, Si Shuo beckoned to Ji Liang with a sly smile. “Ji Liang, why don’t you stand guard at the entrance to my cave tonight?”

Ji Liang watched her with narrowed eyes, his breathing growing a little heavy. He let out a hissing laugh and nodded. “Alright.”

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