Chapter 12: Where Is It Scary?

Based on the stalls here, if I take these lettuces out, each could sell for at least 50 Beast Coins.

If I'm really short on money, I could sell some each day and afford meat.

However, arriving in an unfamiliar place and immediately selling precious lettuce might invite trouble.

Lin Manzhi thought about the survival rule of the strong preying on the weak here; Mo Lie is frail, and although she is female, her safety also depends only on a civilian environment without powerful forces.

If a powerful male beast were to appear, her female status would be useless; they have ways to make a female vanish silently.

She comes from the modern world, with various precautionary measures ingrained, so such a risky move requires careful thought.

As for the lettuce, she actually has another plan, so she first looks for ways to earn money, and only if that fails will she consider taking it out here.

Lin Manzhi, while thinking, opened the storage and clicked to retrieve ten lettuces.

The next second, on the real stove before Lin Manzhi, ten dewy lettuces appeared, each leaf glistening with oil, looking moist and juicy.

The thirsty Lin Manzhi instantly recovered from the blow of poverty she had just faced.

Lin Manzhi reached out, grabbed one, tore off a leaf and put it in her mouth; the crisp lettuce leaf, once bitten, instantly filled her mouth with fresh juice, refreshing and quenching.

After eating Meat Jerky for so many days, tasting green leafy vegetables again was a long‑awaited pleasure; Lin Manzhi couldn't help herself and devoured one in one go, planning to save the remaining few for breakfast for herself and Mo Lie.

At that moment, a unfamiliar shout came from outside the courtyard:

"Is anyone there—"

Hearing the voice, Lin Manzhi put her cloak and Headscarf back on, walked into the courtyard, opened the gate, and saw a figure half a head shorter than her standing before it.

The other wore a white cloak, with head and face wrapped in a white veil, revealing a pair of round gray eyes; behind them followed two tall male beasts whose lower bodies were sheathed in gray beast hide.

The two stared at each other, unsure why the other had suddenly arrived, while Lin Manzhi stood in the courtyard without speaking.

The girl outside the courtyard spoke first, "I live next door, I'm Xi Tao, and these are my Beast Husband Cichuan and Cihe; earlier, thanks to that male black panther being here, I was relieved that I wasn't taken by other city male beasts. Yesterday I saw the master of this courtyard return, so I came today especially to thank you."

Lin Manzhi realized that they were Beastfolk rescued by Mo Lie.

She said, "We just moved here; I'm Lin Manzhi, Mo Lie has just gone out to fetch water. Would you like to come in and wait a while? He'll be back soon."

Xi Tao quickly shook her head, her gray eyes filled with fear: "I only came after he left… his aura is a bit frightening; staying too long feels uncomfortable."

Lin Manzhi:??

Where is it scary?

Xi Tao then gestured to her Beast Husband Cichuan behind her, who was holding a Small Exotic Beast the size of a clean‑sheared lamb: "This is a gift for you; you must accept it."

Lin Manzhi thought, "I can't accept it on his behalf; please take it back."

"You're his female, how can you not…?" Xi Tao looked puzzled.

She is a female without Pregnancy Value; both male beasts she married must obey her, and she is the one who makes the decisions at home!

Obeying the Wife Master's words, Cichuan handed the piece of meat forward and said, "Please accept it."

Lin Manzhi stepped back; she hadn't yet gotten used to the role of Beast Wife Master, and was reluctant to accept the other's generosity for free, since food is precious in this desert.

But seeing the three of them, if she refused, they seemed inclined to just drop the Exotic Beast meat and leave.

She thought for a moment, smiled at Xi Tao, and said, "I won't take the Exotic Beast meat. How about this: I'm new here and unfamiliar with the area; if you're willing, could you show me around?"

Xi Tao was taken aback.

Is this another way to show gratitude?

She looked at the serious black eyes of the female before her, "If you want to get familiar with anything, just come find me anytime, this…"

Halfway through speaking, someone sharp‑eyed spotted a tall, slender black silhouette slipping around the stone courtyard wall; in the sunlight, its sky‑blue eyes looked especially icy, exuding a pressure of a fierce beast.

Xi Tao shrank back in fear, recalling the memory of that black panther opening its mouth, its sharp teeth flashing coldly, easily snapping the head off a five‑meter‑tall black lizard, standing amid a pile of bones, its cold‑blooded, merciless eyes terrifying.

Run, run, run! One claw from the other could crush both of my spiked‑rat Beast Husbands; I must get out immediately!

Xi Tao hurriedly turned around, running while saying, "I… I live in the next‑door courtyard; come find me later!"

Lin Manzhi hadn't spoken yet when the three figures at the courtyard gate had already sprinted far away, disappearing in a flash into a small courtyard over a hundred meters away.

Fearing they might not hear, Lin Manzhi quickly replied, "Alright—"

Just then, Mo Lie approached, holding a fresh broken branch in one hand and a water‑filled ceramic jar in the other; he could hear the conversation at the courtyard gate clearly through the old courtyard.

His face showed no other expression; he coldly scanned the vanished figures in the neighboring courtyard, then withdrew his gaze as if uninterested.

Seeing this, Lin Manzhi stepped aside to clear the doorway, briefly recounted what Xi Tao had just said, then closed the courtyard gate and said, "She's our neighbor."

Mo Lie gave a faint "Hmm."

He and Lin Manzhi walked together toward the kitchen, uninterested in unrelated Beastfolk, now intending to cook for the Wife Master.

Lin Manzhi watched the male beast skillfully lift the beast‑hide sack from the corner of the wall, pour a small puddle into the mud stove, then pick up two black stones and rub them to spark flames.

With a "Swish—" the mud stove suddenly burst into flame, heat radiating intensely.

This fuel is quite convenient.

Lin Manzhi watched in amazement.

Mo Lie then drew a white bone knife from his waist, took a branch he'd brought back from the lake and sharpened it long and thin, then skewered the cut pieces of Exotic Beast meat onto it and placed it over the fire to roast.

He didn't ask much about the green lettuce on the cutting board, focusing on the roasting he excelled at.

Lin Manzhi also gave no explanation, unfastened her cloak and stood before the mud stove; the orange flames leapt, bathing the kitchen corner in gentle light and shadow.

Within moments, the house filled with the aroma of charred meat; Mo Lie turned the skewers in his hand and handed the best‑cooked one to Lin Manzhi.

Lin Manzhi reached out and took it; the fatty and tender roast was browned to an enticing golden hue on every side, with just a pinch of salt at the end, making it delicious.