Chapter 247: The Storm Is Coming

Seeing that they all agreed with Yun Li, Gong Mei and the other two captains exchanged glances and all readily agreed.

These matters on either side wouldn't take much of their effort, but Yun Li's next words immediately caught their attention.

"I'm not very clear on the Tribe patrol matters, but regarding Beastmen digging tunnels in the Tribe, I thought we could also dig some tunnels near the Tribe that lead to other places, for the Tribe's future evacuation or emergency use."

When Yun Li said this, the simple map she had drawn on the ground was already taking shape; because she had previously, intentionally or not, taught the nearby Beastmen the map's terrain symbols, once the map was formed, Gong Mei and the others could clearly see which places the area Yun Li circled corresponded to.

"From here, this is a spot the Hunting Squad often passes, and over here is a snake den you previously mentioned to me; the terrain there is concealed, and Beastmen passing by usually don't notice it."

"We can turn the snake den into a temporary shelter, and then here—if I recall correctly—there is a steep cliff, and beneath the cliff lies a nest of a fierce avian beast; if we use this well, we can store some supplies there for emergencies."

Besides these two spots, the other areas Yun Li circled are also places she deems suitable for temporary shelters and supply storage.

Gong Mei, however, had a few points she didn't understand: "Why must the supplies be stored separately from the temporary shelters you mentioned, and this place is so small—how much can it hold?"

"Naturally it's to prevent other Beastmen from finding these spots and causing unnecessary losses. The place you point out is indeed small, but we're not storing food there; we're putting bows, arrows, and trap‑making tools. Whether Beastmen from the Patrol Team or the Hunting Squad pass by, if they happen to lack something, they can take it from here."

Of course, after taking, they must remember to replenish it later.

And to be honest, I don't want to store supplies in the temporary shelters, also to guard against some outsider Beastmen stumbling upon them.

If a Beastman hostile toward the Tribe occupies this land and discovers food, drink, and weapons, wouldn't we be giving the outsider a free advantage?

After saying that, Yun Li tapped the map on the ground and said, "Think about whether there are other places that can become the temporary shelters I mentioned, and that tunnel. Wu Sheng, don't you have a Snake Beastman at home?"

Give him time to go to a workshop, ask Mu Qing to figure out how to dig the tunnel; it doesn't need to be overly long—just find a way to connect these few places with the tunnel.

However, after those words, both Gong Mei and the other Beastmen showed a slightly odd expression.

Wu Sheng, however, remained calm and nodded, "Alright, I understand."

Yun Li, puzzled, glanced at the other Beastmen, "What's wrong?"

Is there something wrong with what she just said?

Gong Mei raised a hand, gave a light cough, and said, "The Snake Beastman in his family is female."

Although the Silver Eagle Tribe and the Youbuluo, when they fought in the past, each insisted on using captured female snakes to exchange for tribe members captured by the Youbuluo, there were a few mishaps where the exchanges failed, leaving the Tribe with several female snakes, while the male snakes were either killed or driven out of the Tribe.

Upon hearing that, Yun Li's face flashed with surprise, but she said little—what does it matter that it's female? It's just a matter of official business; if she can't trust even this small detail about her own male, then she might as well spend every day guarding her male and doing nothing else.

………

After everyone was dismissed, Gong Mei somehow approached Yun Li again to ask about this matter.

"Are you really comfortable letting that female snake interact with your Beast Husband?"

"Does she have any problem?"

Yun Li was also somewhat surprised that she would chase after her just to bring up this matter.

What could be wrong with that female?

Gong Mei doesn't usually speak ill of others behind their backs, but she told Yun Li, "The female snake of Wu Sheng has a poor reputation in the Tribe; it's said she likes to tempt males who already have mates. Of course, we don't know whether that's true or not."

However, Wu Sheng's female is quite strong, and personality‑wise she's a bit… hmm… how to put it, unlike the female snakes we usually encounter.

Because the two Tribes are allied, the Youbuluo occasionally sends Beastmen over, and the Silver Eagle Tribe occasionally sends Beastmen over as well; Yun Li and Gong Mei have therefore seen many Youbuluo females, all of whom are rather strong‑willed and self‑assertive Beastmen.

But Wu Sheng's female can't be called weak, though it's true she occasionally sheds a tear.

Listening to Gong Mei's account, Yun Li's brows involuntarily furrowed.

Is she a green‑tea female or a white‑lotus female?

"In short, be more careful yourself; that female snake may never have had a substantive relationship with any mated male, but her knack for causing trouble is considerable."

I don't know if it's to revenge the Tribe for keeping her here for years to bear offspring.

When Gong Mei said those final words, her tone also carried a hint of pity.

Regardless of the time, captives hold the lowest status in the Tribe; even if that Beastman is female, in the face of tribal grudges, her gender cannot make her life comfortable in the Tribe.

The only thing she can do is find a male to form a Mate Bond; if she's deceived by a tribal male, she can only consider herself unlucky, and if she has a baby without a male Mate Bond, the newborn won't be left to her.

Generally, few females can endure such humiliation, so those few female snakes that have endured and survived until now are either mentally strong or already psychologically twisted.

Beastmen of the Tribe, when they see them, basically avoid them if they can, trying to prevent conflict; after the two Tribes interact more, these females become landmines in the friendly relations, and a careless move could blow both Tribes to pieces.

Having learned this, Yun Li silently nodded, and after returning home she collapsed onto the stone chair in the house.

Ugh, so annoying! One careless move and another trouble arises.

Maybe we should just send someone now to tell Wu Sheng his female has been reassigned; she can find another Snake Beastman or Eagle Beastman to do this.

But just thinking that, Yun Li was too exhausted to move.

Even though the Tribe now enjoys a peaceful, tranquil atmosphere, she can't explain why a voice in her heart keeps urging her not to relax! Not to relax! Something big is about to happen!

What a strange turn of events.

The chieftain and the Priest weren't that worried when they learned Beastmen had taken a baby from the Tribe, so why is she overthinking it?

The more she thought, the more annoyed she became; Yun Li sat up again, paced around the house, and found Lao Si, who had gone home to sleep in.

She yanked the person out of bed and said, "Come, Xi Yun, accompany Mother to the Priest."

Xi Yun, carried out by Mother, stepped outside, still drowsy, dozing in Yun Li's arms; in their hazy consciousness, only one thought arose—perhaps Mother has run into some troubling matter?

Otherwise, since she's always the kind Mother in front of them, she would never do something like taking him out while he's sleeping.