Chapter 250: Northern Tragedy

Seeming to see her worry, Ji Xuan soothed her, "It's fine, leave this to me and Leng Xiu. As for that sand table you mentioned, have Mu Qing handle it first; as long as you don't place it before the tribe chief and the Priest, they won't mind what you do."

Ji Xuan and Mu Qing can still guarantee that.

Otherwise they'd be busy outside every day—could they possibly be doing pointless work?

Seeing his eager, all‑in attitude, Yun Li couldn't help but arch an eyebrow, "Then it's a trouble for you, Axuan."

After speaking, she smiled and planted a heavy kiss on the male's face.

Ji Xuan no longer held back, pressed the female into his arms and kissed her repeatedly; seeing her aroused, he carried her toward the bedside.

Soon, the female's suppressed moans and the male's coarse gasps echoed in the room.

In the courtyard, the keen‑eared beastfolk Leng Xiu and Leng Xiao quickly looked toward the house; Mu Qing, who had just brought a hawk chick and his own female snake cub upstairs, also lowered his head to glance below.

But he still had two cubs to tend to, so he feared he wouldn't have time to be with his female today.

Leng Xiao called out to his brother, "Brother!"

He wants to go!

Hearing that, Leng Xiu slightly furrowed his brows, looked at the cubs still frolicking in the courtyard, and asked, "So you want me to watch them?"

"Otherwise what?"

Leng Xiao crossed his arms, snorted, and said, "I've been watching them all day."

"Oh!"

Leng Xiu replied, "Oh," then calmly pointed out the flaw in his words, "If I recall correctly, you were out with A Li this afternoon."

Lengao and the others aren't like when they first transformed, because they're unsure how clothes change with the transformation; they often tear their garments when shifting to beast form, or fail to dress properly when shifting back to human form.

Therefore an adult must watch them, to prevent them from running around the tribe naked.

And now, why must Leng Xiao stay at home constantly? First, the cubs at home need meals on schedule; second, to prevent a sudden incident where, after returning home, they look for someone to make decisions but find none.

"Then you go?"

Anyway we can't let Ji Xuan eat alone as soon as he returns.

Leng Xiao stared at the house with a slightly stern face, "How can he come back and get meat?"

Those of us staying home can only watch.

"I'm not going; A Li hasn't had a peaceful sleep these days."

Normally, Leng Xiu wouldn't mind stepping in at this time.

But since the incident with those cubs, his female's mind has been burdened; now, not knowing what Ji Xuan said to ease her, he dislikes Ji Xuan eating alone, yet A Li getting a good night's sleep is clearly more important.

Hearing this, Leng Xiao frowned but said nothing.

…

At midnight, after Yun Li and the cubs had fallen into dreamland, Ji Xuan brought the deployment map Yun Li had drawn into the courtyard, where several males gathered around a stone table.

"So this is what A Li has drawn these past days?"

Leng Xiao examined the deployment map repeatedly, then looked at the other three and asked, "What does A Li intend to do with this? Have the Patrol Team set up defenses around the area?"

"Yes, I promised her I'd take care of all this."

After saying that, Ji Xuan turned to Mu Qing, "About the sand table…"

"I'll work on it when I have time."

Mu Qing gave Ji Xuan a slight nod and said, "These days I'll occasionally act alongside the Patrol Team beastfolk; over there, remember to give me a heads‑up."

Ji Xuan raised his eyebrows slightly, but still replied, "I'll tell them tomorrow."

"So what exactly is that sand table? What does A Li want you to make it for?"

Leng Xiao hadn't heard Yun Li mention what the sand table was.

Mu Qing glanced at him, "You've seen A Li use mud with the cubs to model houses, right? A sand table replicates the tribe and its surrounding terrain using suitable soil, branches, and stones to copy the environment. So before winter I need to go out more with the Patrol Team beastfolk, otherwise I can't make this sand table well."

After all, it's for his female's peace of mind, so he must make it as perfect as possible.

Leng Xiao crossed his arms, "What use does this sand table have? What does A Li want with it?"

"You'll know once it's finished."

Leng Xiu gave him a glance, "You're so idle; why not spend more daytime time with A Li, wandering around?"

Weren't you the one who used to vie for A Li's favor? Why have you slipped this time?

"You think I've been with A Li these past days? She asks certain things, and I don't know how to answer without hurting her."

Unclear what he was thinking, Leng Xiao's expression suddenly darkened.

"What?"

"What problem?"

Mu Qing and Leng Xiu asked in turn.

Ji Xuan also looked at Leng Xiao, his eyes questioning.

"The question is, if our cubs were captured by other beastfolk, could we just watch them die?"

"What should I answer you?"

Leng Xiao kept a composed face, recalling what he was thinking when Yun Li asked him this, and felt a flash of irritation.

He obviously knows how his female wants him to answer, yet he can't voice it, because he would die for his female.

And for the cubs, if one day an unavoidable accident occurs and they can't be saved, he would mourn their death briefly, then let go and move on with his new life.

Leng Xiao thought his reasoning was fine, but his female clearly couldn't accept it, so he couldn't answer A Li at all.

Mu Qing and Ji Xuan exchanged glances, while Leng Xiu lowered his eyes slightly and said, "No wonder she hasn't wanted to deal with us these past days."

Whether it's that females are naturally overly attached to their own cubs, or his female is just an exception.

Mu Qing and the others remained silent for a long while; in the end, no one gave a correct answer.

The "survival of the fittest" mindset ingrained from childhood can't suddenly change just because a female shows a moment of softness; they also need time to gradually adjust with their female.

Perhaps one day they will, like Yun Li, no longer treat cubs as merely an important passerby in life, but as lifelong family.

No matter when, they can always rely on each other.

……

"Roar! Roar!"

Just as the Silver Eagle Tribe restored its former peace, the northern Heiyan Shanmai at that moment faced its true calamity.

Some unknown foreign beastmen brought ferocious beasts not native to Heiyan Shanmai; they rode or sat upon the beasts and, in a brazen, fanfare‑filled manner, entered right under the noses of the northern beastmen.

Before the northern beastmen could react, the foreign beastmen, with those ferocious beasts, began their unrestrained invasion— the Tribe was destroyed, males were killed, females and cubs were taken.

In less than a month, the north changed as if the sky itself had shifted.