CHAPTER 49: CHAPTER 44 THE FEMALE IS REALLY PRETENTIOUS_1

The village chief’s words stirred up a great tumult throughout the entire tribe.

Many looked at Si Yan as if watching a good show.

Especially the cubs of the long-suffering Xiong Rou.

They could barely contain their smiles as they looked at Si Yan. Look at her! She’s really in for it now, truly headed for misfortune! She won’t survive. Our mother died, and that female our mother despised will die too!

But just as everyone was waiting to see Si Yan become a laughingstock, waiting to see her have no choice but to bow her head, waiting to see her reluctantly pick a male, and then witness the spectacle of males’ revelry, Si Yan laughed lightly. "Very fair."

A fair trade in the dangerous Beast World: we protect you, and you bear our children. So, she would no longer enjoy this protection.

She decisively took a whole step back.

The cubs following her also took a whole step back in unison with her.

"Village Chief," Si Yan lifted her head to look at the village chief, her eyes filled with defiance.

"Thank you for your care all this time."

Her choice was beyond all the Beastmen’s expectations.

Lang Feng looked at Si Yan in shock, not understanding why she would make such a choice. A female with multiple males would have more males to protect her; she would be safer, stronger, and others wouldn’t bully her. Unlike now, being pressured by others, struggling to raise children. He didn’t understand, nor did he comprehend why.

Lang Feng’s brows furrowed slightly. If she truly wished to die, then let her die. None of this was his doing. It was her own choice, after all.

"Si Yan!" The plump Xiong Nai anxiously grabbed her hand and said in a flurry, "Don’t despair! How will you survive if you leave the tribe? I... I can’t get along with the other females in the tribe. You’re my only female friend, don’t go!"

"Xiong Nai..."

"It’s wrong for males to force females! I’ll plead with the village chief for you! I’ll plead for you!"

"It’s no use," Si Yan shook her head.

The village chief’s eyes were deep, and his face looked quite unpleasant, having been outmaneuvered. At this moment, he also felt some regret. After all, Si Yan was a female, and females were very important to the tribe. But since Si Yan did not bear cubs for the tribe, she had lost her purpose.

Thinking this, the village chief hardened his heart and said, "Xiong Nai, come here."

"I’m not coming!" Xiong Nai said angrily. "How can you treat females like this? The Beast God will be angry!"

"Come here!" The village chief’s tone became heavier.

"I’m not coming!"

"Mistress..." Xiong Nai’s males held onto her. Xiong Nai urgently shouted to Si Yan, "Si Yan, don’t leave! The Blazing Sun Day is coming! You won’t survive if you leave the tribe! Don’t go, don’t go!"

The Beastmen, still in shock, all looked towards Si Yan—this unique and independently-minded Si Yan, dark, stinky, thin, and small, who was unlike any other female in the tribe, yet seemed to hide a tremendous energy.

She shook her head and gave Xiong Nai a smile. "Thank you."

"Si Yan!!"

With Dongchi on her back, Si Yan slowly turned around. Xi Qing and Bei Ji, small as they were, also took two little steps back, turning around with her.

The Yanxiang Tribe had made its choice, and she had made hers.

「The secret haven beneath the surface—Dark Sun Lake.」

The cold-blooded snake Beastman, Wang, had already taken over the entire Dark Sun Lake and ordered the sealing of its entrance.

Under a pear tree not far from the lake, Wang coiled into a huge mosquito coil and closed his eyes to sleep.

Hu Hui stood guard nearby.

Lord Wang seemed to enjoy sleeping more than before, and his morning mood was quite severe. Hu Hui had to stand guard here to prevent other careless Beastmen from disturbing the Lord’s sleep. He did this not only to care for Lord Wang but also to protect those oblivious Beastmen. After all, few who disturbed Lord Wang’s sleep managed to remain intact.

"Lord Hu Hui," a snowy white female deer Beastman pleaded while holding a tray of fresh fruit, "could you possibly make an exception and let my tribe speak with the Lord?"

Hu Hui glanced at the pile of inedible vegetarian food and spoke somberly, "Snuff out that idea. Dark Sun Lake belongs to Lord Wang, as does the Delusional Domain."

The female deer persisted, "But our Deer Tribe only eats fruits and grasses; we won’t conflict with the food sources of the Delusional Domain."

"No conflict? You don’t drink water?"

Hu Hui smiled. "Is it not good to be alive?"

The female deer, terrified and trembling, stammered, "No, no, no, that’s not what I meant..."

"Without even the readiness to be eaten, you still wish to come to Dark Sun Lake?"

The female deer was so scared she was about to cry. "But if we can’t get into Dark Sun Lake, we’ll all die."

"You wish to seek asylum within the Delusional Domain?"

"I... I..." The female deer knelt and begged, "Lord Hu Hui, I’ve heard the Lord has no female... I could become his female, as long as the Lord accepts our tribe!"

Hu Hui looked at her. "You’ve just come of age, haven’t you?"

"I..."

"Be gone." Hu Hui didn’t want to say more. "The Lord wouldn’t like someone like you."

The female deer stood up, disoriented, and protested, "But there are so many Beastmen heading towards Dark Sun Lake, and there are still many formidable male Beastmen outside. You can’t possibly block other tribes from entering forever!"

Hu Hui laughed scornfully. "You think Lord Wang would care?"

The female deer was stunned. It took her a long while to leave, more desolate than ever.

「The sun grew larger, and with it, the temperature climbed higher.」

Si Yan carried Dongchi on her back, walking slowly, while Xi Qing and Bei Ji ran ahead, examining the tree rings to discern the direction.

Since the Yanxiang Tribe’s prior direction of travel was to the west, Si Yan had already led the three children westward for five or six days.

Embarrassingly, as someone directionally challenged, Si Yan could only rely on her cubs to find the correct path.

"Hey, bad female..." Dongchi’s lips were slightly pale, the corners cracked and dry.

Si Yan shifted him to a more comfortable position, saying, "There’s a tree up ahead. We can rest a bit and get you some water."

"There isn’t much water left, right?" Dongchi whispered.

Si Yan hesitated for a moment.

Dongchi murmured, "Stop frowning; you look hideous. Tell me, how many days’ worth of water do we have left?"

During a rainstorm, Si Yan had stored a barrel of water in her space, but one adult and three cubs consumed it rapidly. They hadn’t encountered any water source for many days, ever since leaving the tribe.

Si Yan bit her lip and insisted, "That’s my concern, not yours."

Dongchi fell silent. There was still water left, but it was uncertain for how many days it would last or if they would find a replenishing source.

"Bad female... put me down. I’m a burden," Dongchi said gravely.

"Dongchi, stop it."

"I’ll only drag you down. Without me, there might be enough water."

"I said shut up!" Si Yan snapped.

Her angry voice caused Dongchi to lift his head slightly to look at her.

Si Yan declared furiously, "Dongchi, listen! I’ve indeed spent this whole journey contemplating how to solve our current plight, but the actual severity of our situation isn’t as dire as you think. Moreover, among the hundreds or thousands of plans I’ve considered, not one involves leaving you behind!"

Xi Qing and Bei Ji turned their heads to look at them.

Dongchi’s eyes widened as he looked at her, filled with disbelief, shock, and a glimmer of light.

Si Yan said, "If we live, we live together; if we die, we die together. Our family must stay together. Understand?!"

Dongchi bowed his head slightly, burying it in Si Yan’s slender shoulder.

"Females are so melodramatic," he muttered. Seriously, I’m getting goosebumps.