Chapter 18: A Familiar Back

Nonsense, I'm clearly just concerned about them.

Yun Li denied it outright, not letting anyone catch her in a lie; when Leng Xiao said she was just watching the fun, she retorted, "Don't impose your thoughts on me—I'm not like you."

Seeing her snort lightly, Leng Xiao quickened his steps to get away, and hurriedly chased after her, trying to appease her:

"Good, good, good! A Li, you're beautiful and kind‑hearted—there's no better female in the world than you!"

Just as the beastman Meng, leading the patrol beastmen down the path, happened to hear this, he looked up and saw Leng Xiao chasing a female, his face full of fawning and flattery.

He looked up at the sky, huh, it's not dark yet—this isn't a dream.

Just that Leng Xiao, whose sharp tongue used to make any beastman want to beat him up, now finds himself chasing a female, afraid she'll run away, and even knows to say a few sweet things from his wolf mouth?

Seeing the two heading in their direction, Meng simply stopped to see what the female Leng Xiao liked actually looked like.

"A Li, look at me—I'm telling the truth, there's no more beautiful female in the Tribe than you......"

Leng Xiao followed Yun Li with a grin, spouting sweet words as if they were free.

Yet the female paid no heed to Leng Xiao's honeyed words, turning around and snapping, "Don't think I don't know—you used to tell other beastmen I was ugly, and now you say I'm the most beautiful female in the Tribe; do you really expect me to believe you?"

The smile on Leng Xiao's face faded; he had only said that to his brother, never to any other beastman—how could A Li know?

"A Li, hear me out."

"Excuses are just cover‑ups."

Yun Li just wanted to find fault with him so he'd talk less; she didn't care whether he'd actually said that before, after all, on the day of her rebirth she had indeed been in a sorry state.

But as soon as she said that, she noticed someone ahead and hurriedly stopped.

Once she could see who the beastman ahead was, Yun Li blurted out, "Uncle Meng!"

"Huh? You know me?"

Meng had thought Yun Li looked a bit familiar, but who would have guessed she'd recognize him first, yet he couldn't recall knowing her.

Seeing Meng's gaze full of stranger, Yun Li's heart gave a sharp pang; she couldn't help but frown, instinctively raising a hand to her chest, yet she put on a distant, polite smile and said:

"When I was little, you saved me; I heard the patrol beastmen call you Meng, so I call you Uncle Meng."

"Uncle Meng, not Uncle."

This was the Original Owner's only relative in the Tribe, yet it's laughable that after years of no contact, even standing before him in the Original Owner's appearance, he didn't recognize her.

The Original Owner's life truly was a complete tragedy!

"Oh? Is that so?"

Meng's gaze fell on her face—clearly a very familiar face—but he just couldn't recall it.

Just then Leng Xiao stepped forward to block Yun Li, saying, "Uncle Meng, where have you just come back with someone? I thought your patrol area wasn't here."

As he asked, his eyes toward Meng were full of inquiry and bewilderment, as if he couldn't understand why, though Meng was A Li's lifesaver, seeing him A Li wasn't happy at all, and even her look at Meng was a bit cold.

But that's not the point; the point is what Meng keeps staring at A Li for—don't forget he's a partnered male.

Noticing Leng Xiao's hostile gaze, Meng withdrew his look and burst out laughing angrily, "Leng Xiao, what kind of look is that? I'm a partnered male."

Upon hearing that, Leng Xiao raised his eyebrows rudely, "If you know you have a mate, why are you still staring at the female I like?"

Hearing this, Yun Li's gaze, which had been on Meng, quickly shifted to Leng Xiao, and she gave him a quick, unnoticeable once‑over from head to toe.

Despite not being able to tell Meng's masculine build, Leng Xiao's butt was still quite perky.

And upon hearing Leng Xiao's words, Meng hurriedly glanced backward.

Sure enough, he saw those beastmen each putting on a teasing, watch‑the‑show expression; two of them looked back at him and even made a shushing gesture.

He immediately glared fiercely at that bunch behind him who feared the world would not be chaotic, then turned back to warn Leng Xiao:

"I'm telling you, Leng Xiao, don't spout nonsense—my heart as Uncle Meng is wholly devoted to Aunt Rui; I have no interest in any other female."

"As for why I've been staring at that little female, it's just because she looks a bit familiar, so I looked a little longer."

"But I'm a male with a mate—how could I possibly have thoughts about other females?"

"You'd better not go running to Aunt Rui spouting nonsense, or I won't let you off."

"That's best; otherwise I wouldn't mind helping Aunt Rui loosen your muscles and bones."

Leng Xiao smiled with ill intent.

Meng was nearly angered to death by those words, and reached out to give him a hard slap on the shoulder.

But who would have thought Yun Li would shove Leng Xiao aside, causing Meng's hand to meet empty air.

"Are you done talking? I still need to go see Chuncao."

Meng had a momentary feeling that this little female was doing it on purpose—Leng Xiao, that sharp‑tongued male, actually had a female feeling sorry for him; truly vexing.

Leng Xiao, shoved by Yun Li, was also taken aback, but upon thinking that the female had just been checking out his physique from behind, a flash of wild joy shot through his heart.

"Does A Li like his strong body?"

"If he tries harder, could he enter the cultivation gate earlier than his brother?"

Leng Xiao, however, had no doubt that, given his brother's scheming, Yun Li's straightforward nature would be a match for him; who knows—if he let his guard down, his brother might already have sweet‑talked A Li into a daze.

"All right, all right—A Li's in a hurry to see her friend, Uncle Meng; this place is so narrow, make way, will you."

Saying that, Leng Xiao reached out and hooked his arm around Meng's neck.

Meng looked at his unsightly appearance and snorted, "Look at you, you've finally made something of yourself!"

Having said that, he waved his hand, signaling the beastmen behind to clear the path.

As Yun Li walked past, Meng gazed at her side profile, that familiar feeling surging up again: "How is it that I feel I've seen her before?"

His muttering reached Leng Xiao's ears, who immediately sneered, "Really, old and forgetful—A Li just said you saved her before, but you haven't even seen the person you supposedly saved?"

Meng, brought back to his senses by that remark, also chuckled, "Yeah, it's been too long, so I don't remember."

But as Meng watched Leng Xiao follow the female's silhouette, his mind inexplicably recalled the scene of his sister Xuancao being chased by males, and the two images from different times oddly overlapped for a moment.

He seemed to think of something, and his face suddenly darkened.

After giving a couple of words to the beastmen behind him, Meng hurried off toward his home.