Chapter 136: Being Watched

"Silver Granny, something's wrong!"

A young female suddenly burst into Silver Granny's medicine hut, her fair face now filled with solemnity.

Silver Granny, irritated by her impulsive act, scolded the newcomer in a harsh tone:

"Why are you so frantic? What's wrong? What major incident has occurred in the Tribe?"

Even if something serious happened, as long as it's not an immediate death, what does it have to do with us Witch Doctors?

Jiao Jiao also knew that Silver Granny usually ignored Tribe matters, but this Ji Chen affair, which Silver Granny refused to deal with, the chieftain also wanted to inquire about.

Who could have thought that Jichenamu, looking at such a gentle and beautiful female, would deceive people in a matter like this?

Why can't she just say she likes other males, instead of constantly hiding it from the chieftain and other beasts? Now, the Tribe suddenly spreads rumors that Jichenamu slept with other males, and consequently Ji Chen is now also affected.

When Jichenamu first came to the Tribe, it was Silver Granny who diagnosed her pregnancy, and after Ji Chen's shell-breaking, Silver Granny affirmed to the chieftain that it was his offspring.

But now everyone knows that Jichenamu, while in the Tribe, also slept with other males, so who can say whether Ji Chen is the offspring of another male? After all, carrying an egg doesn't produce the obvious belly bulge like a tiger cub or wolf cub.

If Jichenamu, unnoticed, miscarried the chieftain's offspring, then conceived Ji Chen with another male, yet the chieftain raised Ji Chen as his own for years, then...

The chieftain would certainly go mad.

Having heard the whole cause and effect, Silver Granny couldn't help but furrow her brow and say:

"Which jealous Ningya female caused this? Ningya has been dead for so many years, what are they fussing about now?"

Jiao Jiao blinked, "Grandma, do you think it was those Tribe females who did it?"

"Who else could it be but them? Ningya appeared gentle and mild, but in fact she was also a bit selfish and wouldn't concede. At first everyone felt sorry for Wenyu for having her male taken, so after she came to the Tribe she faced plenty of hardships."

And Ningya, being a clever beast, each time she was bullied by those females, would devise a scheme for the Tribe's males to see.

One or two times might be forgivable, but the incidents piled up. With a cub in Ningya's belly, even the chieftain would step in to protect her."

Silver Granny said that, and her complexion instantly turned sour.

Jiao Jiao, seeing her like that, immediately showed concern on her face, "Silver Granny, what's wrong with you?"

Silver Granny suppressed her anger, shook her head at Jiao Jiao and said, "It's nothing, just suddenly recalled something."

She only now realized that if those females could be outwitted by Ningya, what about her?

When some matters aren't probed, nothing arises, but once a seed of doubt is planted, places previously unnoticed become shrouded in a hazy shadow, even warping into the shape she wishes to see.

Especially memories of Ningya, over twenty years past now, with Silver Granny aging, many details she couldn't recall clearly; thus any slight bias in her heart would, without doubt, be a fatal blow to the now perilously trapped Ji Chen.

……

When Leng Xiao mentioned the news that Ji Chen was actually not the chieftain's offspring, Yun Li was instantly stunned.

Although they deliberately steered Ji Chen's lineage toward this direction, the best expected outcome was merely to make the chieftain harbor resentment because of his mother's matter; but now, what's going on, and where did the rumor that Ji Chen isn't the chieftain's offspring originate?

"Who said that? Ji Chen was raised single‑handedly by the chieftain, wasn't he? If Ji Chen is his offspring, how could he not know?"

In other words, even if Jichenamu might have indeed put a green hat on him, Ji Chen was still raised by him; could all those years of affection be false? Yet he lets such rumors spread through the Tribe.

"I don't know where that rumor came from, but when the chieftain asked Silver Granny whether Jichenamu might have miscarried, Silver Granny said Jichenamu had several episodes of abnormal weakness and would secretly seek her for treatment."

Just as Leng Xiao finished speaking, Leng Xiu's voice, tinged with a hint of laughter, sounded from behind.

"She didn't explicitly say Jichenamu miscarried, but first there was the incident of Jichenamu sleeping with other males behind his back, and then Silver Granny herself confirmed that Jichenamu's body indeed showed abnormalities.

It's natural for the chieftain to conclude Ji Chen isn't his offspring; not everyone can tolerate raising a cub for years only to find it's not his own flesh."

Hearing that, Yun Li crossed her arms and said, "The chieftain not being that fond of his partner is also a reason. If he still considered Ji Chen as his partner's offspring, he wouldn't let such rumors spread in the Tribe."

Now that the rumor has spread so widely, can Ji Chen even stay in the Tribe?

"If he can't stay, that's best."

Leng Xiao narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "When he leaves the Tribe, I'll go kill him."

He still remembered that Ji Chen, because he was fixated on his own female, even contemplated killing his brother and the household cubs.

If this grudge remains unavenged, he'll bear a memory of Ji Chen for a lifetime.

"Just wait."

Speaking of revenge, Leng Xiu's face also broke into a cold smile, "He'll eventually become restless."

Even if Ji Chen doesn't leave, he won't just sit idle forever.

As long as he dares to act, they'll look for a chance to deliver a fatal blow.

However, on Ji Chen's side, everything remained calm until Miduo successfully hatched two eagle eggs, and no one saw him do anything; though they regretted never finding a chance to strike, Yun Li and the others' lives couldn't be completely stalled because of a single Ji Chen.

A month later, Yun Li, as usual, went out hunting with the Hunting Squad.

"A Li, come quickly and see, is this the edible potato you mentioned!"

Hearing the voice, Yun Li hurried toward the female who called her, and upon seeing what she handed over, a hint of doubt flashed in her eyes, "This doesn't look like a potato."

"Ah?"

Upon hearing Yun Li's words, the female's face instantly showed disappointment, "I thought it was the potato you mentioned; the household cubs really liked the mashed potatoes you made, but it's not."

But Yun Li took the oval, mud‑covered fruit from her hand and said, "It's not a potato, but it should be edible; let's catch a ground rabbit and try it first."

Hearing that, the female instantly perked up, "Really? I'll go catch one right now."

She happened to have two bear cubs that had only recently transformed a few years ago, at the age where they love to eat anything. However, the cubs are picky eaters; just giving them meat no longer satisfies their discerning stomachs. If she could provide some new food for the two bear cubs to enjoy a proper meal, the female would be thrilled.

Yun Li watched her hurriedly leave, couldn't help but smile; it seemed she was truly pressed by her own bear cubs.

Otherwise, for other beasts, who would have time to help her with this?

Only, Yun Li frowned, looked around, and wondered if it was her imagination; she constantly felt someone watching her.