CHAPTER 42: CHAPTER 37 NAN MO DISAPPEARS_1

Mother said Dongchi needed to sunbathe more to get more calcium. Bei Ji didn’t understand what "getting more calcium" meant, but he guessed it was probably for Dongchi’s own good.

So, Bei Ji led Dongchi out of the cave.

The sunlight was so bright that Dongchi could hardly open his eyes. It took him a while to get used to it before he said, "Bei Ji, the sun seems to have gotten a bit bigger."

Bei Ji laughed heartily. "Big brother, what are you talking about? How can the sun get bigger?"

Dongchi slightly closed his eyes. They were only four years old and had never seen the sun get bigger. But when he was at Xiong Rou’s home, he had occasionally heard males mention the Blazing Sun Day that occurs once every ten years.

On Blazing Sun Day, the sun would appear larger. Their land would also heat up due to the sun’s fury.

The earth would be fiery hot, and the vegetation, unable to bear it, would ignite itself. The cursed flames would roast many animals and beastmen into cooked meat with its raging fires.

For the Beast World, Blazing Sun Day was a crisis of catastrophic proportions.

Dongchi slightly lowered his gaze. It shouldn’t be, he thought. We couldn’t be that unlucky.

While Bei Ji was busy outside the cave, Dongchi occasionally glanced up, eventually forcing himself not to dwell on matters only adults should consider.

Suddenly, Bei Ji asked, "Big brother, where’s second brother?"

Nan Mo had always been inconspicuous, so his brothers weren’t worried if they didn’t find him right away. That was why Bei Ji had only just noticed Nan Mo’s absence.

"He seems to have gone out," Dongchi looked over.

"Oh." Bei Ji didn’t think much of it.

Si Yan, still shaken, emerged from the adjacent woods. Upon returning and seeing the two cubs in front of the cave, she let out a huge sigh of relief.

Although she didn’t understand why she kept mysteriously teleporting, the Beast World was certainly an exciting place indeed.

"Dongchi, Bei Ji!" Seeing the two cubs in front of the cave, Si Yan excitedly came forward to hug them.

Dongchi frowned slightly and pushed her away.

Si Yan was not discouraged and instead lavished affection on Bei Ji.

Bei Ji was squeezed so tightly by her hug that he muttered, "Mother, I can hardly breathe."

Si Yan quickly let go of him.

Bei Ji rubbed his face and asked childishly, "Mother, what’s wrong?"

Si Yan laughed. "Nothing, nothing, I just really missed you guys."

"Where’s Xi Qing?" Si Yan asked again.

Bei Ji replied obediently, "Third brother went up the mountain to find food."

Xi Qing, who had just returned from searching outside, rushed over to Si Yan upon seeing her at the entrance of the cave.

"Mother!"

He buried his head in her stomach, rubbing away the tears welling in his eyes. Tai Seng and Mu Xiao had rescued him, but he’d been terrified when he saw his mother disappear right before his eyes. After returning home, he hadn’t dared to tell his brothers and could only search for her alone in the forest. She was fine; she had come back. That was great.

Si Yan patted Xi Qing’s head and said in a low voice, "It’s okay, Mother is back."

"Mhm..." Xi Qing sniffled, wiping his tears dry.

Si Yan immediately picked up her tools and started cleaning in front of the cave, saying, "You guys are still young; you don’t need to do so much. I will take care of you."

Dongchi, seeing Xi Qing suddenly accepting Si Yan, felt both puzzled and a stab of pain in his heart.

He mocked Si Yan coldly, "Hypocrite."

If Dongchi weren’t injured, I’d hit him right now! Si Yan fumed internally. It’s my first time being a mother too; why should I indulge him!

Bei Ji immediately came forward to help, saying with a smile, "Mother, it’s not like that."

"In this world, males are only acknowledged by their kind after they’ve proven their ability to work. Although we’re young, we also yearn to be acknowledged. So we want to do something too. Don’t stop us from working. Otherwise, we’ll feel useless."

Si Yan patted Bei Ji’s head and smiled. "Little Bei Ji is so good."

Bei Ji smiled shyly.

Dongchi felt everything in front of him was unbearably glaring. Suddenly, he said, "Female."

"Hmm?" Si Yan turned around. The cub calling her ’Female’ was impolite, but there was no one else he could be addressing.

Dongchi turned his head away to look at the sky, tauntingly trying to frighten her. "The Blazing Sun Day is approaching."

"Hmm???" Si Yan was even more confused.

If the Blazing Sun Day really is approaching, this female will certainly flee, Dongchi thought, the corners of his mouth lifting in a mocking smile. These cubs would only be a burden to her. Especially me. My foot is injured; she’ll definitely abandon me. She’ll abandon me again.

His smile was one of despair, ridicule, and a bitter ’I knew it’ certainty.

That smile, etched in Si Yan’s heart, caused a fine, prickling pain to arise within her.

Even though Si Yan didn’t understand what Dongchi meant by the Blazing Sun Day, she still approached him and touched his head.

"Don’t think too much," Si Yan whispered. "No matter what, our family will always be together."

Dongchi paused. His mocking smile faded slightly as he bowed his head and snorted softly.

The news of Nan Mo and Xiong Rou falling off a cliff only came by night.

With the female dead, her Beast Husbands would suffer fatal blows due to the mate bond.

All the males in Xiong Rou’s family suffered devastating repercussions, each barely clinging to life.

For this reason, the village was even more convinced of Xiong Rou’s demise.

That night, the rain fell heavily.

Upon hearing the news, Si Yan was stunned. She, along with Xi Qing and Bei Ji, searched around the cliff for a long while.

The rain intensified, soaking Si Yan, Xi Qing, and Bei Ji.

The sight of the lonely and panicked female struck Tai Seng, a male returning from a hunt, hard in the heart. He hurried forward, concerned.

Si Yan’s alarmed eyes met his.

"Si Yan..." Since he wasn’t her mate, Tai Seng dared not touch her. He was very anxious, wanting to protect her yet feeling utterly helpless.

Si Yan’s brow furrowed, her gaze somewhat vacant as she stared at the cliff. "I haven’t received his forgiveness yet... and he’s gone..."

That shy, reticent cub, always hiding in the corner, secretly watching me. When I was caring for Xi Qing and Bei Ji, when I was looking after Dongchi... he said nothing, just hid in a corner and watched me. He was my cub, my beloved cub! How could I have divided my attention among the other cubs and not spared even a little for him? I hadn’t had the chance to make it up to him... how could he leave before I could? It’s all my fault, entirely my fault!

The rain drenched Si Yan completely, causing her to tremble slightly. The terror and heartache filled Tai Seng with unbearable sorrow.

He blurted out hastily, "I’ll go look."

"Xi Qing, Bei Ji!" Tai Seng called out to the cubs who were searching in the rain for their second brother. "Take your mother back. She’s frail, and if this goes on, she’ll fall ill."

In the Beast World, effective medicines were rare. Even a minor cold could be deadly. Moreover, Si Yan was such a thin and petite female.

"I don’t need to!" Si Yan stated resolutely. "I need to find Nan Mo!"

"Si Yan!" Tai Seng hesitated before his sturdy hands rested on her arms.

It was then that Si Yan finally looked up at him.

"Si Yan..." Tai Seng’s voice was soft yet firm. "Starting today, I am your Guardian Beast. This is my vow, and it will never change."

A white light briefly glimmered on Tai Seng’s forehead, then vanished.

This snapped Si Yan out of her agitation. She keenly sensed something was different. "Tai Seng, what’s a Guardian Beast?"

Tai Seng straightened up slightly. On his chest, near his heart, a white ring slowly appeared. Within the pristine white ring, two small, tender white leaves appeared.

Xi Qing and Bei Ji stared in surprise at Tai Seng’s totem, and he too was slightly astonished.

What kind of totem was this? It was unlike any they had ever seen.

"Guardian Beast..." Tai Seng quickly concealed the totem mark that signified his role as a Guardian Beast, his gaze fixed intently on Si Yan. In his eyes, there was an unprecedented sense of relaxation and joy. "It means a male who will protect you for life, forever and always."

He covered the totem over his heart, his burning eyes fixated on her. "Listen to me, go back to the cave and wait. I promise you, I will bring Nan Mo back to you."

The guardian totem was one-way; Tai Seng bore the totem on his body, but Si Yan did not.