Chapter 123: Keep Raising Them

Ji Xuan stood aside, watching the gravely injured, unconscious Leng Xiu and the four cubs who were usually lively and mischievous but now, visibly in their mother's arms, looked anxious and helpless; he didn't know whether he felt more shocked or more worried.

Only after Yun Li and the others each vented their emotions did he speak, under the somewhat wary and hostile gazes of the few.

"I can help you."

"But he's your half‑brother from the same father."

Yun Li knew that beastfolk mainly recognize brothers on the mother's side, but hadn't Ji Xuan grown up with his father since childhood?

No matter how superficial his brotherly bond with Ji Chen was, could he really help them kill Ji Chen at a time like this?

Ji Xuan glanced at her and said, "I never said I'd help you kill Ji Chen."

His relationship with Ji Chen was indeed poor, but he couldn't blindly trust Mu Qing's one‑sided claim that Ji Chen had injured Leng Xiu, since in his impression Ji Chen didn't seem the kind of beastfolk capable of such a deed.

Even if Yun Li were the female he liked, he still had to return to the Tribe to verify whether the facts matched Mu Qing's words before he could say anything else about the matter.

"He's injured this badly; I can first take him back to the Tribe to see the Witch Doctor."

That was the only thing Ji Xuan could do now; regardless of which beastfolk wounded Leng Xiu, preserving his life was the priority.

If a severe wound lingers, even if Leng Xiu manages to pull through on his own, his body will inevitably develop further issues.

Hearing that, Yun Li suppressed the embarrassment that had risen from misreading his words and turned to look at Leng Xiao.

Leng Xiao didn't hesitate, immediately saying to Ji Xuan, "Thanks, I'm counting on you for my brother."

From his words it was clear he wasn't planning to go with us; having just learned from Mu Qing that Ji Chen was the one who acted against Leng Xiu, he felt comfortable handing Leng Xiu over to himself.

Ji Xuan felt a surge of complexity inside, "You're not coming with me?"

Leng Xiao glanced at Yun Li and the cubs in her arms and said, "Mu Qing and I will take A Li and the cubs and catch up as soon as possible."

It's not that he doesn't want to go together; he's worried that Yun Li, a single beastfolk, couldn't care for four cubs, and even though Mu Qing is close to the cubs, as their biological father he ultimately can't dump all the caretaking onto him.

Ji Xuan looked at the four listless cubs, nodded, "Alright, I won't let anything happen to them."

That counted as a promise he gave them.

If he couldn't even keep that, Ji Xuan wouldn't need to say any more about entering.

Leng Xiao felt that way inside; otherwise he wouldn't have felt at ease handing his brother to Ji Xuan.

He gave a "hm" and urged, "Let's go."

After those words, Ji Xuan quickly shifted back into his beast form; Mu Qing and Leng Xiao carefully placed Leng Xiu on the golden eagle's back, and after watching the eagle spread its wings and depart, Yun Li and the other two, without pause, hurried with the cubs toward the Tribe.

As for A Yu and Aunt Gong, they could only wait until they returned to see if they might encounter patrolling beastfolk and then find someone to escort them.

……

"Woo~"

Back at their familiar home, the four wolf cubs managed to rally a little spirit, yet still refused to leave their mother and elder father.

When Leng Xiao returned, he went to summon Qu Bo and also checked on the current condition of the injured Leng Xiu.

"At present it's hard to tell anything, but as long as they can eat and drink, the cubs should recover after a few days."

As for the ones that don't recover, Qu Bo couldn't do anything either.

After all, they're not injured or sick; how could he give medication to a few cubs?

Hearing that, Yun Li didn't feel reassured; instead she grew more anxious. After seeing Qu Bo off, she spent the whole day in beast form staying beside the four cubs, watching them day and night without rest.

Until, except for the fourth oldest, the other three cubs returned to their usual state after two days under her care; finally, Yun Li, flustered, carried the cub to Silver Granny.

Silver Granny looked at the listless, somewhat feeble wolf cub and furrowed her brows.

"What happened? I've long heard that the males and cubs in your family have had incidents. Your male was sent here immediately, so why is this cub only being brought to me today?"

Although she blamed Yun Li for not taking the cub to the Witch Doctor right away, she quickly examined the cub she received from Yun Li.

"I previously consulted Qu Bo; he said if the cubs are merely frightened, we adults should pay them more attention, give them tasty and fun things.

As long as the cubs can eat and drink, there's no problem.

But the other three cubs were fine after two days; only the fourth oldest drinks water and will only eat meat if I feed it to him.

I had no other choice, so I brought the cub to you, Silver Granny."

Listening to Yun Li's explanation, Silver Granny also paused her examination of the cub, "The cub isn't injured? Just a bit frightened?"

Although cubs are indeed fragile, aren't Yun Li's wolf cubs already nearly three months old?

A little fright shouldn't be fatal; Silver Granny only knows how to treat wounds and illnesses, and for something that herbal medicine can't solve, she's at a loss.

Yun Li nodded, "Right, no injury. A Xiu protected them well; perhaps the fourth oldest is timid, so…"

Seeing Silver Granny's brows tighten as she stared at the struggling cub in her hands, Yun Li couldn't help but ask,

"Grandma, is there really nothing you can do? Any herbs that could help the cub sleep better, or make its body stronger? If not, perhaps a herb that stimulates its appetite?"

She recalled that traditional Chinese medicine does have such formulas, but she had just finished high school; her family had enrolled her since childhood in drawing and piano—subjects Yun Li herself was interested in—believing they would both enhance a girl's temperament and prepare her for art exams.

So she knew of them in name only, but truly understood nothing.

Silver Granny frowned at Yun Li, "What are you saying? How can you arbitrarily give a cub medication? Moreover, your cub isn't that serious."

Just now the cub struggled with such force, yet that doesn't mean it ate less meat.

Yun Li looked at the tear‑filled fourth oldest in Silver Granny's hands, confusion evident in her eyes, "But…"

Silver Granny lowered her head, staring at the cub in her hands that was pitifully crying out to its mother, remained silent for a while, then handed the cub over, "You're already a mother; how can you not understand your own cub at all?"

Yun Li cradled the fourth oldest, and hearing Silver Granny's words, felt bewildered, "Silver Granny, what do you mean by that?"

Silver Granny, seeing that the cub had stopped crying in her hands, instead looked timidly at her own cub, feeling that what she thought in her heart was entirely correct.

The cub was deliberately acting pitiful in front of its mother.

But she couldn't tell the mother outright that her cub was fine; after all, a cub is a treasure in a female's heart. If she said that, Yun Li would likely become even more anxious and keep pestering her.

So she waved her hand, "The cub has no illness or injury, there's nothing more I can do. Since it can still drink water and will eat meat if you feed it, just keep raising it; perhaps it will get better over time."