Chapter 299: Report

Axiang, who had already been eating with the Witch Doctor's indulgence nearby, saw Yun Li give the chief the meat she had roasted herself and mumbled incompletely:

"A Li, don't mind the chief; the chief is a Yellow‑rank beastman, and even in the cold season he can hunt out on his own."

So even though many beastmen in their Tribe have to eat and drink sparingly and endure hardship in the cold season, the chief can rely on his own skill to go hunting at such times and treat himself.

But Axiang didn't finish saying that, because the Witch Doctor stopped her, "Eat your share properly; if you have food, you needn't be so talkative."

It was prey the chief brought, not because he likes her; it's the male who will become her Mate Bond next year who brought it, and eating someone else's food while babbling is needless.

Axiang was scolded by the Witch Doctor once, but she didn't take it to heart; as he said, having something to eat at this time is already good.

Yun Li saw the situation, smiled to herself, and lowered her head to write a line of thanks on the wooden board.

"Thank you. When I have restored my body, if you need a beastman to hunt with, you may call me."

Anzhi furrowed his brows and said firmly, "No need."

He actually wanted to say, "Take good care of your body; you'll leave next year."

But his gaze fell on Axiang, and the male said nothing in the end.

And after hearing his words, Yun Li continued writing on the wooden board:

"I am a Green‑rank beastman; I can help you to some extent, and I also need to eat well to recover better."

Seeing her first sentence, Anzhi instantly sat up straight, and the astonishment on his face made the Witch Doctor glance at the words on the board.

"Even so, you have poison in your body; if you go hunting, aren't you afraid you'll die out there?"

Yun Li wrote again: "I can hunt using weapons or set traps; I don't need to grapple with the prey myself."

For the two Dudu beasts Anzhi brought today, it wouldn't be hard for her to go out and catch them with a bow and arrow.

Seeing this, Anzhi's heart couldn't help but stir.

"Weapons—can you make weapons?"

His tone was full of probing, but Yun Li didn't mind; after all, they had rescued her, and before she left she still needed the Tribe to provide a safe dwelling. If a few bows and arrows could earn their recognition and trust, she didn't consider it a loss.

"I can. I can teach you how to make a common weapon of our Tribe."

With just that sentence, Anzhi made a decision, "Alright, then it's a favor. In a few days I'll send more food over."

Yun Li didn't refuse; once she had recovered enough, she would repay their kindness with her actions.

And after Anzhi and the Witch Doctor left, a satisfied Axiang lay beside Yun Li, and perhaps it was just her imagination, but she smelled a lingering urine odor on A Li.

But she remembered she had taken good care of A Li, so it must be her illusion.

Axiang felt a bit guilty, but soon leaned close to Yun Li and asked the question she had asked before, "A Li, are you really a Green‑rank beastman? Then you must be very powerful!"

When Yun Li lightly nodded, Axiang let out an exaggerated "Wow," and her tone grew even more excited.

"Then will our Tribe have two Green‑rank beastmen in the future?"

Yun Li turned her head toward her, recalling the Witch Doctor's advice to leave; she wanted to bring the board over to write, but remembered Axiang didn't recognize many characters, so she resorted to gestures and drawing.

Axiang looked confused, held Yun Li's hand, and said, "Don't do that. I know you won't stay in the Tribe long; I'm just saying it casually."

"It's all Uncle Ang's words. He said you have your own Tribe and your own Beast Husband, and you'll eventually have to leave us, so I shouldn't speak recklessly in front of you. But I haven't spoken recklessly in front of you, and I won't urge you to stay here; you have your own home, and wanting to return home is perfectly normal, isn't it?"

Even though it's a bit sad that such a beautiful female can't stay in the Tribe, Axiang isn't the type to overthink; if A Li wants to stay, she'll stay, and if she doesn't, Axiang can't force her to remain just because she once cared for her.

Isn't that sick? They just met today, and anyway Axiang doesn't have the nerve to say such things.

Hearing Axiang say that, Yun Li gave a faint smile, then turned and rubbed her head.

Axiang didn't mind being touched by this newly‑met female beastman; after all, she's good‑looking.

She kept rambling in front of Yun Li, saying the cold season is truly the most hateful time—one can't go out freely, can't find good food, and if the Tribe's stored provisions are insufficient, everyone must endure hunger for months; every cold season some beastmen in the Tribe die.

Even with the Tribe's Witch Doctor protecting her, Axiang worries she might one day die during the cold season.

"…It's just that after this year I won't have to worry so much. I will have a Beast Husband to bring me winter food. Uncle Ang said that besides the two males I like, he also found a few other fairly strong males to be my Beast Husband.

"…Just after this year passes I won't have to worry so much; I'll have a Beast Husband to bring me food for the winter. Uncle Ang said that besides the two males I like, he also found several other males of fairly good strength to serve as Beast Husbands."

Yun Li watched her pour out everything about herself; if her throat weren't still hoarse and unable to speak, she would probably have comforted her properly and asked whether she couldn't cultivate. When she saw Anzhi and the Witch Doctor aware of her being a Green‑rank beastman, she wasn't surprised that she could cultivate.

A sudden hug left Axiang a bit stunned, but immediately the ignored scent became even more noticeable.

Axiang grimaced out of Yun Li's sight, feeling she had let Uncle Ang's instructions and A Li's trust down; she clearly hadn't taken good care of her.

It is worth mentioning that although Yun Li didn't notice anything unusual about herself, she is a clean‑loving beastman; as soon as her body recovered, she fetched a basin of snow water and washed herself clean, then put on the beast‑skin clothing the Tribe sent her. As for her original clothes, they are hard to wash in the cold season, so she will deal with them after the thaw.

"Moreover, it is worth mentioning that although Yun Li did not notice any abnormality in herself, she is also a clean‑loving beastfolk; as soon as her body recovered, she fetched a basin of snow water and wiped her whole body clean, then changed into the beast‑skin coat that the Tribe had sent her. As for her original clothes, they are hard to wash in the cold season, so she can only set them aside until the rainy season."

"Snort"

In the vast white snowfield, a wooden arrow flew swiftly and accurately, striking the long‑tailed beast that was trying to dash through the snow.

Not far away, the beastmen watching this burst into cheers.

Yun Li stood beside Anzhi and said, "This level is still a bit below mine, but it's enough."

At least it can hit the small prey they used to run away from before getting close. As for large prey, to be honest, Yun Li has gone out with Anzhi and the others more than twenty times and hasn't seen any.

One must know that each outing consumes stamina; catching small prey like the long‑tailed beast requires catching dozens to barely offset the expenditure.

"One should know that each time they go out it also consumes stamina; to catch small prey like long‑tailed beasts, they must capture dozens of them just to barely offset this consumption."

If I could find a bigger prey, that would be great.