Chapter 509: Humans and Animals Can Also Live in Harmony

"Rest assured, I will. Goddess, and the child?"

Ying smiled, and when he mentioned Nan Qinghuan his mouth was full of a happy grin, a smile of happiness that lifted his spirits whenever he thought of it.

"The child will be looked after by A Mu and the elders; we'll bring it over for nursing later. These days Qinghuan has to be in Postpartum Confinement and has no time to tend the child; you know I can't handle it either, Na Yao, and You ChaoJi is about to give birth too, right?"

Wolf tribe offspring are born earlier than human children; that day he inadvertently saw You ChaoJi's belly already swollen, the wolf pups nearly formed.

When the child was mentioned, Na Yao's eyes filled with anticipation; he took a deep breath, delighted, "Indeed, in a month she'll give birth. I've already found a midwife for her. Ying, I never imagined we'd one day sit here discussing each other's children."

Indeed, this is something Na Yao never foresaw; he used to think he and Ying were like water and fire, yet now they have become brothers, each with a family and a wife, and now even children.

Having a home feels wonderful, so he won't tolerate anyone disturbing the Small Town's peace.

Never.

Ying saw his happiness and was naturally pleased, "Indeed, I never thought we could live so well. Tomorrow's Na Shan Tribe development matter, I've already thought of a plan: take Qinghuan to check it out; perhaps she can help us deal with that monster."

"What, send the Goddess?"

Na Yao felt something was off; after all, Nan Qinghuan had only just given birth, a stroll around the Small Town is fine, but traveling to the Na Shan Tribe, so far away, might be— "She just heard it all. Since we can't do it, let her try. She has Tunshu abilities; both you and I have already seen that. Now with a Carriage, the journey is quicker. She went to consult Li Xiang, let them discuss thoroughly; perhaps tomorrow the matter will be resolved."

Na Yao found these words unbelievable; Ying had once been so proud that he would never let a woman take the lead, yet now he completely trusts Nan Qinghuan's abilities.

That is truly a rare virtue.

"Ying, you've really changed."

Ying stared at him deeply, then smiled, "What's the matter? Now our place has become like this, all thanks to Qinghuan's happiness; I can fully trust her."

Yes, she believes in him, very much.

Na Yao saw the confidence in his eyes, nodded, "I also believe the Goddess can certainly accomplish it. By the way, I have another matter."

"What else?"

"Just now I discovered a massive iron ore deposit, but that location…"

"Iron ore, where?"

Here, Ying and Na Yao were discussing the iron ore matter; over there, Nan Qinghuan went to Li Xiang and Duo Luo's new home, a brand‑new Tulou, their family on the second floor.

When she arrived, from afar she smelled waves of meat aroma drifting from the house—the scent of cured pork. Li Xiang's family was still having a meal? "Senior brother…"

She looked up and called Li Xiang from inside; Li Xiang was cooking, and upon hearing Nan Qinghuan's voice he hurried out.

In the dusk, Nan Qinghuan looked up at them.

"Qinghuan, come up, quickly come up."

"No need, it's so late to eat. Senior brother, come down; I have something to discuss with you."

Li Xiang didn't know why she was looking for him so late; fortunately the outside was bright and not dark, otherwise Nan Qinghuan wouldn't have dared to come.

Now the tribe has vanished, the streets are also bright, no longer the mountain village tribe of old.

Duo Luo also stepped out, seeing Li Xiang about to go down, "Hey, aren't you letting Qinghuan come up?"

"He might have something; I'll be around this afternoon. You eat first, no need to wait for me."

Duo Luo's mouth twitched, but said nothing.

"Alright, I'll wait for you to return."

After Li Xiang went down, Nan Qinghuan saw him now a full‑time home cook, she smiled, "Senior brother, you're cooking at home?"

"Why did you come? Ying, not even sending you off at this hour?"

"It's nothing. Look, the streets here are all lit and safe. Senior brother, we haven't chatted together in a long time."

Li Xiang stared at her deeply; under the night sky, Nan Qinghuan's small face flushed bright red, a sign of good health.

"Alright, let's go to the riverbank; it's cooler there."

"Aren't you telling your sister‑in‑law?"

"I told her; she said you could come up to eat."

"No need, I just wanted to chat with you."

At the third watch, the Small Town was bathed in a sea of lights.

When Nan Qinghuan and Li Xiang arrived at the riverbank, some people were fishing there; the weather had warmed, the fish were plentiful, and the late night was quiet. They had already mastered a method of fishing and now fished whenever they had free time.

The night wind brushed by, and she suddenly thought the place was beautiful.

Moonlight shone on the tranquil river surface, creating ripples.

The fishers toiled hard, not resting even at night.

What a pastoral landscape.

Li Xiang saw she looked healthy, yet didn't know why she came to find him at midnight.

"Qinghuan, what did you want to talk about?"

"Actually nothing much, I heard the Rongdi Tribe had an incident; I heard there are unknown creatures there, right?"

Hearing this, Na Yao's expression grew complex as he looked at her, "How did you know?"

"Of course I know; I heard it unintentionally today. What exactly is that animal? I heard you told us not to provoke it?"

Li Xiang hadn't expected the matter to be uncovered; he sighed deeply, nodded, "Yes, it seems it wasn't hidden from you. Here's the thing: based on the droppings left by that creature, I deduced it's a Red Dragon. This kind of dragon is naturally gentle, never harms people, and is extremely rare. I asked Ying, and he said they have dragons here, specifically a Tyrannosaurus Rex, but because the Small Town is expanding, those animals have nowhere to stay and now can only retreat to deep mountains and forests."

Li Xiang studies paleontology, so he naturally harbors a different affection for these creatures; seeing the Small Town's expansion and humans and animals fighting for territory made him feel sorrowful.

Because those animals were mercilessly driven away—some killed, their nests destroyed—he reflected on why humans and animals can't coexist peacefully, instead of slaughtering each other. So when he realized the dragon might be a Red Dragon, he told them not to attack it; Red Dragons are gentle and won't proactively attack humans; they just need to know which areas are human, and they won't return.

However, the Rongdi intend to kill that Red Dragon.

But killing it would be such a waste; you can't just eradicate all the animals.