Chapter 518: The Strange A Mu

ChaoJi's belly had already swelled, and her gait had become a little clumsy, no longer as nimble as before; Yao, seeing this, hurriedly stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, "Why are you here? Weren't you supposed to stay home and rest?"

ChaoJi's face was full of affection, she smiled warmly at Yao, the man she intended to love for a lifetime.

"Your child is kicking me, it hurts; make me something delicious."

"Is that so? This little brat isn't listening?"

Yao crouched down, gently caressing her swollen belly, his eyes brimming with affection, "If that little cub dares to bully you, A Mu, will your father not deal with it when you come out?"

ChaoJi almost burst into laughter, "How could he understand what you're saying?"

Yao lifted his head and smiled, "That's not certain; wolf cubs are the cleverest, they can understand. Come, let's go home; I'll make you something tasty. What do you want to eat?"

ChaoJi licked her lips, "I want bone broth, the kind Ying boiled for the Goddess."

"Bone broth?"

Yao was a Wolf Clansman and had liked meat since childhood; in his view, bones weren't tasty—only meat was.

"Come, let's go back and stew some meat for you; you need meat to grow strong."

That night, the place where Ying lived was lit by bright candles.

When A Mu told them how she had been captured, Ying still harbored resentment toward those people, "A Mu, don't go out gathering Herbal Medicine anymore; tell Youchao Xuan what herbs you need, and he'll fetch them. Since your health is poor, stop climbing mountains."

A Mu naturally knew her son cared for her, and she also wanted to help him, but she hadn't expected to be unable to do anything right.

"Ying, you see I have nothing to do; why don't we just release those people, after all the leader of the Baiqi Tribe…"

"A Mu, this time they provoked us; if we let them go, Long Tian will look down on our Small Town and think of me, Ying, as a coward, won't he?"

"But …"

"Even if you once received their kindness, I still can't release them, A Mu. I'm not just your son; the safety of Ying Town concerns thousands of families. It's not that we can do whatever we want, you understand?"

A Mu held the child, originally intending to plead for those three, but since her son said that, she didn't say much more; Nan Qinghuan, who was nursing nearby, seemed to understand.

So A Mu wanted to help the Baiqi Tribe because she had once received a favor from its people? The leader is named Long Tian? "Ying, I …"

"A Mu, Beibei has fallen asleep; take him back to rest, and you should also go rest."

Nan Qinghuan didn't want A Mu involved in tribal affairs; it seemed the Aurora's words to her were a misunderstanding—A Mu wasn't a member of the Baiqi Tribe, and the belief in A Luo's deity was also a mistake.

In short, she had no ties to the Baiqi Tribe, and that was fine.

She had worried that A Mu might actually be from the Baiqi Tribe; if one day they truly clashed with the Baiqi Tribe, what would they do? Now it seemed there was no need to worry.

It was merely a favor; they didn't have to give the Baiqi Tribe any face, since the others came first.

Hearing that, A Mu realized nothing more could be said; she cradled Mengmeng in her arms, then prepared to leave with Nan Qinghuan. Now she and A Mu have a different residence and no longer live here.

After they went out, Ying, still uneasy, tried to go up again, but Nan Qinghuan stopped him, "You should rest for now; I'll be back soon. I have a few words to say to A Mu."

Ying twitched the corner of his mouth, then nodded, "Alright, I'll wait for you outside the Tulou."

After Nan Qinghuan settled the child and coaxed the ancestor to sleep, she finally looked at A Mu.

They now lived in a new Tulou; it had everything, far better than before, with a separate room for each person, not cramped.

Very comfortable.

She glanced around, "A Mu, are you satisfied living here?"

A Mu's eyes were full of kindness; she nodded, "Of course we're satisfied. We used to live in a Cave; this place is so good—clean, with a place to relieve ourselves, much better. Qinghuan, that Baiqi Tribe's …"

"A Mu, please don't bring it up again, or Ying will be upset. For now we shouldn't sway his decision; he's right. Small Town now has so many people, and we must be responsible for them. You also saw what those three bought—everything was for war preparation. If they really attack us, we can't make peace with them, you understand?"

Hearing Nan Qinghuan's words, A Mu's expression grew complex as she looked at her; her face darkened, because deep down she truly didn't want Ying to fight his biological father to the death.

But… she dared not tell Ying this, nor reveal the mystery of his bizarre lineage; Ying had always believed he was a child of this place, yet only she knew he was not.

He is that person's son, a child of the heavens.

"A Mu, don't overthink it; we're all glad you returned safely. Rest early; tomorrow I'll have someone bring you some Seed, spring is coming and it's time to farm."

A Mu realized that if she continued, Nan Qinghuan would be displeased; she nodded, reached out, and grasped her hand—her own hand was withered, while Nan Qinghuan's was smooth and white.

She sighed deeply, "Qinghuan, A Mu asks for nothing else, only one thing—can you grant it?"

Nan Qinghuan, aware A Mu held a secret, nodded, "A Mu, tell me—whatever I can do, I'll do."

"If we can avoid fighting the Baiqi Tribe, then let's not fight, okay?"

Something felt off.

Nan Qinghuan knew this wasn't a simple favor that could drive A Mu to act; there must be hidden motives.

She also squeezed A Mu's hand and asked softly, "A Mu, can you tell me why? Are you afraid we can't defeat the powerful Baiqi Tribe?"

Nan Qinghuan probed cautiously, wanting to know A Mu's reason; A Mu's expression turned complex as she looked out the window, then murmured, "I just don't want Long Tian and Ying to slaughter each other."

The words made Nan Qinghuan gasp, "A Mu, why?"

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