Chapter Nineteen: Leng Xiao’s Favoritism

“Ali, do you have some sort of grudge against Uncle Meng?”

On this side, Leng Xiao caught up to Yun Li and couldn’t help but voice the doubt that had been nagging him.

Wasn’t Uncle Meng the one who saved Ali?

Then why would Ali look at Uncle Meng with such eyes? Surely Ali wouldn’t be attracted to such an old alpha male?

But since Meng already had a mate, Ali...

“Ali, Uncle Meng is an alpha with a mate.”

He’s not clean, and he’s old!

“What do you mean by that? He’s my Amu’s brother.”

Yun Li hadn’t intended to mention that Meng was the original owner’s uncle by blood.

After all, the beast folk here didn’t pay much heed to kinship; Meng had his own family, and since he prioritized his mate and offspring, no one in the beast community blamed him for ignoring his niece all these years.

But Yun Li had inherited the original owner’s memories and saw things from their perspective. What she had once thought was a life destined to be despised suddenly had a ray of light shine through. He told her that Amu’s death wasn’t her fault and offered her care and warmth she had never known.

Yet, as soon as her father left, Meng quickly withdrew from the original owner’s life. When the original owner secretly sought him out, Meng’s mate told her that Meng had his own cubs now and that she must no longer disturb his life.

The young original owner didn’t know if this was Meng’s wish, but she hoped the only beast who had ever been kind to her would live well. So that day, after seeing Meng comforting his cubs, she never sought him out again.

No one knew how the original owner endured afterward, but Yun Li understood how painful it was to glimpse hope and then watch it shatter before your eyes.

Filled with sympathy for the original owner’s plight, Yun Li couldn’t help but harbor a cold attitude toward Meng.

Leng Xiao clearly hadn’t expected such a connection between Meng and Yun Li and instinctively said, “Then I suppose I have to call him Uncle Meng.”

Among the beast folk, kinship was mostly traced through the female side since the male side could have countless relatives.

Upon hearing this, Yun Li shot him a sharp glance and quickened her pace.

Seeing her anger, Leng Xiao hurried after her, coaxing, “Ali, are you upset?”

“Knowing that, why do you even ask?”

After all these years, Meng had ignored the original owner completely, so why would he have any connection to her impostor?

“He treats you badly, so I won’t bother with him either. Don’t be angry, okay? If you don’t like him, I’ll get my brother to teach him a lesson.”

Leng Xiao would say anything to please a female, even though both brothers actually had a decent relationship with Meng.

Yun Li was tempted, but then she recalled that although Meng had neglected the original owner, he had never harmed her and had even saved her life unknowingly. Her resolve quickly faded.

“No need.”

As they spoke, they had already arrived at Chun Cao’s home.

But Chun Cao clearly didn’t want visitors. Her face darkened the instant she saw Yun Li appear.

“What are you doing here?”

Yun Li relaxed her brows and smiled gently. “I heard you were bitten by a snake and was a little worried, so I came to check on you. Your face...”

One had to admit, beast physiology was tougher than humans’. Bitten by a venomous snake, she could lie at home for several months and recover on her own. With a shaman’s medicine, even bed rest wasn’t necessary; a good week of rest would suffice before she could go out again.

Still, her face was swollen like a steamed bun.

Oddly enough, it was somewhat satisfying to look at.

“Don’t look! Get out! I want you out of here!”

Sensing Yun Li’s gaze on her swollen face, Chun Cao, already jealous of Yun Li’s dramatic transformation, completely lost it. She cried, threw herself into her mate’s arms, and shouted for Yun Li to leave — she didn’t want to see her.

Chun Cao’s males had no choice but to ask Yun Li to leave. “Chun Cao’s in a bad mood and doesn’t want to see you, so maybe you should...”

Before they could finish, Leng Xiao’s expression darkened sharply.

“What do you mean by this? Ali came kindly to see her, and this is how you treat her?”

Seeing Leng Xiao defend Yun Li, Chun Cao’s males were uncertain. Leng Xiao was powerful, and with him and his brother leading the hunting party, their haul was usually plentiful.

If they offended him, the Leng brothers might refuse to take them hunting in the future, and then they’d be out of favor.

Chun Cao buried her head in her mate’s chest, throwing a tantrum. “I don’t want to see her. She’s definitely here to mock me. Tell her to leave—tell her to get lost!”

Hearing this, Leng Xiao grabbed Yun Li’s hand. “Fine, we’ll leave. From now on, you’ll have to hunt with someone else.”

Yun Li noticed the change in the males’ expressions, but before they could protest, Chun Cao glared venomously at Leng Xiao. “If you don’t want to take us, don’t! Who do you think you are? My mates will never go hunting with you!”

“Chun Cao!”

Several males grew genuinely anxious.

But Leng Xiao immediately agreed. “Fine, you’re so great! Don’t ever come begging us again. We won’t let you tag along no matter what.”

With that, he took Yun Li’s hand and strode quickly away.

One of Chun Cao’s mates tried to follow, but Leng Xiao had no intention of engaging further and just hoisted Yun Li up, carrying her far from the scene.

Yun Li was stunned by his bold move and, once set down, hit him several times without hesitation.

“You’re crazy! Why did you carry me off like that?”

More than the running, she wanted to know why he insisted on carrying her.

The jolting nearly made her vomit her breakfast.

“You don’t like them, right? If we don’t run, they’ll catch up and make peace.”

Leng Xiao didn’t even flinch despite her blows, but he did grow a little annoyed.

Seeing her glance up at him after hearing his words, he felt a flicker of hope. He cautiously moved closer and looked into her eyes earnestly. “You know my brother and I are totally on your side. If you don’t like them, then neither do we.”

At this point, the two were dangerously close—so close Yun Li could see the length of his eyelashes. She raised her hand to shield his eyes.

Just as the alpha waited quietly for her next move, Yun Li suddenly pushed him away. “Does it really matter to you if they don’t go hunting with you?”

Before the disappointment on Leng Xiao’s face could fully register, he quickly replaced it with a smile and replied lightly, “It does matter, of course. But it just means a few less dead weight.”

He wasn’t wrong. During the dry season, with water scarce, wild beasts around the tribe would rapidly dwindle. The hunting parties had to travel farther to areas rich in water sources.

Chun Cao’s strongest male was only at the Yellow Rank, so if they didn’t trail the more powerful beast folk to other hunting grounds, they wouldn’t catch much nearby.

In the cold season, it was even more critical—without a strong lead, who dared venture out into the freezing snow to catch prey?