Chapter 45: Discussing the Return of Aid

"Yes, from now on we won't mention his affairs anymore. After all, A Li, you currently have wolf cubs in your belly; if you're sad, the wolf cubs in your belly will also be sad."

"Yun Li's fanning motion stopped abruptly; she looked at Leng Xiao, her face showing an expression as if she might have misheard, 'What did you just say? I have wolf cubs in my belly?'"

"Leng Xiao grinned, 'Yeah, A Li, we have offspring now. Are you happy or not?'"

"For a moment she was happy, but given their current situation, is it really suitable to have offspring?"

"Yun Li couldn't help but touch her still relatively flat belly, her face full of a dazed expression."

'"But can we raise it well?"'

"The female's face was full of bewilderment; they had just narrowly escaped a terrifying beast tide, and now they are completely destitute."

"But once the offspring are born, they will definitely need many preparations; will Leng Xiao and the others find it very hard?"

'"Of course we can, A Li, don't be afraid."'

"Leng Xiu walked over, held her tightly in his arms, and gently stroked her head."

"Yun Li reached out and wrapped her arms around the male's waist, leaning against him somewhat dependently, and said, 'If Mu Qing were still here, that would be great; then the offspring could receive better care.'"

"A flicker of deep thought passed through Leng Xiu's eyes; A Li was right—if Mu Qing were present, they would indeed be much more at ease."

"So he softly comforted the female, saying, 'Don't worry, these few days Leng Xiao and I will take turns going out to hunt, prepare food, and then I will return to the tribe to have a look.'"

"First, I'll bring the witch doctor over for you; having him there will make your delivery safer. Second, if Mu Qing has returned before, he will surely have left some traces, and if I happen to pass by, I'll look for him—if I can find him."

"You and the offspring would then have one more beastman to care for you."

"Moreover, Leng Xiu had one more thing unsaid: the offspring in her belly might possibly not be wolf cubs but snake eggs."

"But that probability is very small, after all, he, Leng Xiao, and A Li are all wolf beastmen; their union with A Li makes conception far easier than Mu Qing's union with A Li."

"Yun Li heard his idea, her brows slightly furrowed as she said, 'It's been almost ten days; will the tribe's beastmen have already left?'"

"When they left, the tribe had already been devastated by the beast tide beyond recognition, while in the cave, after over four hundred beastmen labored for more than ten days, even if the food inside is still edible, living daily in that environment—wouldn't it really cause deformities?"

"Upon hearing that, Leng Xiu merely shook his head and said, 'With so many beastmen, they won't be able to leave just anytime soon.'"

"Yun Li suddenly realized, 'I thought they could also flee like us......' in family units."

"But before she could finish speaking, she realized that not everyone's partner is as strong as her partner; Leng Xiu and Leng Xiao are Qing Rank beastmen, and just bringing her along, they are fully capable of reaching a safe zone before the next beast tide arrives."

"And those weak males, even if numerous, if they cannot flee far quickly while carrying their females and offspring, it would be better to stay in the cave and wait for the beast tide to completely pass."

"Although, nobody knows when the beast tide will end."

'"Not everyone is as decisive as my brother."'

"Leng Xiao, standing nearby, upon hearing Yun Li's words, immediately interjected, 'They probably still hold the idea of waiting for the beast tide to end, then continuing to rebuild the tribe.'"

"This is indeed also a problem; the tribe's beastmen are also facing a beast tide for the first time, and since they could survive by hiding in the cave before, who would risk the unknown to abandon their long-held homeland and start anew in a new place?"

"Especially those old beastmen who have lived their whole lives in the homeland; they would certainly be even more reluctant to leave."

"Yun Li quickly understood the meaning in Leng Xiao's words, then curiously asked, 'I also don't know whether the beast tide has stopped or not.'"

'"Probably not yet."'

"Leng Xiu spoke very confidently, 'Don't think that just because we are already far from the tribe here, for beasts running at full speed, two or three days is enough to reach us.'"

"If Leng Xiu had not deliberately avoided the direction of the beast tide's surge when leading the way, they would likely see wild beasts coming from the tribe's direction not long after arriving here."

"However, even after avoiding those beasts' escape routes, this area still occasionally sees small waves of rampaging beasts; one look at their uncontrollable frenzy and anxiety tells where they came from."

"Therefore Leng Xiu knows that those beastmen of the tribe are very likely still staying in place, unmoving."

"Seeing him so certain, Yun Li couldn't help but feel a moment of sorrow for those tribe beastmen still having to endure the harsh cave conditions."

"She now just thinks about it and feels awful; she also doesn't know how she managed to endure it back then—perhaps it was because she cherished her life."

"But just as this problem was resolved, another issue immediately popped up in her mind."

'"Then, with you returning so late to look for them, will the tribe leaders have any objections?"'

'"Otherwise, when Leng Xiu returns to help, instead of being thanked he'll be blamed for having fled earlier, and then who knows what trouble will arise."'

'"Rest assured, if the tribe leader is wise, he'll know what to do."'

'"If he returns to help, if the tribe beastmen's first thought isn't to borrow his observations and knowledge to flee quickly, then it shows they haven't suffered enough yet; apparently it hasn't reached the point where his staying behind to help guide them would be needed."'

'"At that time Leng Xiu's plan was just to get the witch doctor out; having achieved his goal, whether he will later go back to look for the tribe's beastmen is uncertain."'

'"That's what is said, but the tribe leader at that time might not really be able to suppress so many beastmen."'

"Leng Xiao felt that if his brother went back, he would likely face considerable obstruction."

"After all, the fact that they first took A Li and fled, abandoning the tribe, is true; in the eyes of those beastmen, it is tantamount to betrayal."

"Leng Xiao, however, has no regrets; setting aside that they are young and have already reached Qing Rank beastmen, while most of the tribe's beastmen admire them, there are also many who envy them."

"If they had actually stayed back then, probably everything would have them taking the lead; their thoughts at that time would surely be, 'Since Leng Xiao and the others are so capable, if they don't take the lead, who will?'"

"And if Leng Xiu and the two of them once refused, whenever other beastmen encountered trouble, it would be blamed on them."

"So overall, staying would be a thankless, laborious task for them; it would be better to simply take A Li and leave quickly."

"And after A Li left and showed signs of pregnancy, it also proved that their earlier departure was indeed correct; otherwise, if they continued to stay with the tribe's beastmen in the cave, how could A Li's body endure it?"

'"If anything unexpected happens in between, and A Li and the offspring suddenly meet with disaster, he and his brother would regret it for a lifetime."'

"Yun Li's face immediately showed a worried expression; Leng Xiu frowned and hurriedly comforted her, saying:"

'"Don't frown, don't think too much; these matters are no problem for me."'

'"But A Li, those few days you only had Leng Xiao by your side—remember, no matter what happens, don't wrong yourself."'

'"Saying that makes me sound as unreliable as ever."'

"Leng Xiao, upon hearing that, instantly became unhappy; even if he were the only beastman caring for A Li, would he be able to raise her plump and fat?"