Chapter 20: A Sudden "Awakening of Conscience"

Yun Li had some other ideas, but after glancing at Leng Xiao, she kept them to herself.

Leng Xiao and his brother were not yet her beast-mates, and she was not thick-skinned enough to interfere in their official tribal business for her own personal matters.

However, it was as if Leng Xiao could read her mind. He leaned in closer and asked, "Are you thinking that since we could keep Hong and the others from following us on the hunt, we could just as easily exclude others from the protection of two Green-rank beasts like us?"

Hearing this, Yun Li swept a glance at him and said, "I never said any such thing. But what about you? I forgot to ask earlier—how did you know what I was doing over there?"

She remembered that neither Leng Xiao nor his brother, Leng Xiu, had been present that day. She wondered where they had heard the news.

"The Clan Chief told us, naturally. My brother and I have been adults for over a year now, yet we still haven't found a female to mate with. He’s worried we might run off, so he’s constantly urging us to find a female in the tribe to settle down with."

As he spoke, Leng Xiao pressed on with the question he hadn't finished earlier: "Do you really not want us to kick the mates of those other females out of our hunting party?"

There were generally two ways hunting parties were formed in the tribe. One was appointed by the Clan Chief, where he personally selected strong beasts for the team, and they would head out every few days. The other way was for powerful beasts to form their own groups; aside from a few core members, the rest of the males joined as they pleased.

Mu Qing belonged to the former, while Leng Xiao and Leng Xiu belonged to the latter.

Therefore, what Mu Qing could not do, they could easily accomplish. As long as Yun Li was willing to say the word, Leng Xiao would go and speak to his brother about it immediately.

Yun Li replied, "And what if I do want that? You would really chase away so many beasts just for my sake? Aren't you afraid of what other beasts might say behind your backs?"

Would they not be accused of abusing their strength and acting recklessly? Even if they had the status to back it up, were they not afraid of ending up with nothing for their efforts?

"Why wouldn't it work? So, are you worrying about me?" Leng Xiao asked, intentionally omitting his brother to make it sound as though the female was concerned specifically for him.

Yun Li gave a soft huff. She did not deny it, but instead changed the subject: "Do you know where those other females live?"

She only knew where Chun Cao lived, as the original owner had once traded things left behind by her father for food with her. But she had no idea where Green Grass and the others lived; after all, they had never invited the original owner over.

"I do. I'll take you there, and it’ll be a good chance for you to blow off some steam."

Leng Xiao was eager to prove himself to Yun Li, but he did not expect her to retort, "You aren't my beast-mate. If you help me this much today, won't you show up at my door tomorrow asking me to take responsibility for you?"

Leng Xiao thought to himself that he would certainly like to do that, but his brother had warned him repeatedly not to rush, lest a female feel that she could obtain them too easily and fail to cherish them. Leng Xiao did not want to be given the cold shoulder by Yun Li the moment he entered her home, so he took his brother's advice to heart.

"How could that be? What kind of male do you take me for? Do I look like the type of annoying male who would do that?"

Yun Li looked him up and down. "You don't look like one, but if you actually did that, there would be absolutely no chance for us."

Seeing how serious she was, Leng Xiao immediately softened his expression and promised, "Don't worry, I would never do such a thing."

Seeing the male act so earnest made him look much more agreeable.

Yun Li's tone warmed up again. "That's good. Mu Qing and I haven't been mated for long; I need to give him some time to adjust."

She also needed to give herself some time for psychological preparation; otherwise, she was afraid she might make a fool of herself.

Hearing this, Leng Xiao felt a mix of joy and bitterness. If they hadn't left that day but had stayed behind instead, it would be him waiting for her now. Or perhaps, he might not even have had the chance to wait at all.

Yun Li followed Leng Xiao to Green Grass’s home first. As luck would have it, a chaotic battle was underway inside—shameless activities in broad daylight, and with multiple partners...

Hearing the red-faced sounds coming from within, Yun Li was mortified. She turned and began to walk away.

"A-Li, you’re going the wrong way. It should be to the left."

Leng Xiao watched the female scurrying ahead, a faint smile playing in his eyes. Was A-Li really this thin-skinned? If so, what would happen when they eventually moved in? Would she still be this shy?

Yun Li didn't look back. "I'm not going anymore. I'm going home."

With that, she picked up her pace, as if trying to shake off Leng Xiao. But in reality, she couldn't shake him off at all.

It wasn't until she returned home and slammed the door in Leng Xiao's face that he was forced to stop. He looked at the stone wall blocking his view with a hint of regret.

Mu Qing had certainly gone to great lengths to keep the two brothers out. But with them around, would they ever give other males the chance to curry favor with A-Li? Unless Yun Li rejected their advances entirely, Leng Xiao and his brother would never give up on stealing her away from Mu Qing.

...

Elsewhere, Meng returned home and immediately asked his mate, Rui, how the cub of his younger sister was doing in the tribe.

"Why the sudden interest in A-Li?"

Rui’s heart skipped a beat. She certainly wasn't afraid of Meng finding out that she had been hoarding the food he sent to A-Li for herself. After all, wasn't his property her property? Besides, if she hadn't secretly kept that food, how could their family be living so comfortably now?

"I saw a little female today who looked just like my sister. Leng Xiao said her name is A-Li. But she only called me 'Uncle Meng' today. Has she... has she been resenting me all these years for not visiting her?"

Recalling the look in Yun Li's eyes today, Meng felt a pang of heartache. That was not the look of a niece seeing a savior or a relative; it was the cold indifference one would show a total stranger.

It wasn't that he had intentionally ignored her; he had his own cub with Rui, and as the father, he had to look after his own child. Plus, as Rui had said, since A-Li's father was gone, females would have more to talk about with other females, so he had felt comfortable leaving A-Li's care to his mate.

But only today, seeing that little female who resembled his sister so much, did he realize that A-Li had grown up—she was an adult now, ready to find a mate. And he hadn't visited her once in all this time, to the point where he didn't even know what she looked like, failing to recognize her even when she stood right in front of him.

Rui had never paid much attention to A-Li. Hearing Meng's question, she thought for a moment and said, "I don't know if she resents you or not. But she’s an adult now and can find a male to mate with on her own. Once she has a mate, her life will surely get better and better."

"..."

The atmosphere fell into a heavy silence.

Meng stared fixedly at Rui, and Rui met his gaze without flinching, her voice gentle yet laced with impatience. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Meng suppressed his suspicions and told her, "A-Li does have males pursuing her, specifically Leng Xiao. You know how he and his brother are always inseparable."

A flash of surprise crossed Rui's face. "Isn't that a good thing? It saves you from having to have me send her food every little while. With the Leng brothers around, she won't go hungry."

Rui's attitude was so natural that Meng immediately felt ashamed for having suspected that she hadn't cared for A-Li.

"Yes, it is a good thing. When A-Li mates with the Leng brothers, we'll invite them over to the house, and we can ask how she's been all these years."

Rui's eyes flickered, but she smiled and agreed, "Sure, I have no problem with that, as long as A-Li is willing."