Chapter 21: Prey and Hunter

Lang Cang thought that he could, using his imposing wolf Beast Form, take her anywhere and also hunt Great Exotic Beasts and bring them back, so she wouldn't have to do any gathering work.

Lang Cang gritted his teeth and said, "When do you plan to act? Call me then."

Lang Feng: "Within seven days, we've been following him these past few days; we'll find a chance after Mo Lie finishes his hunt and expends his power, then we'll strike immediately. For now we go ahead to set up an ambush and lie in wait."

But that would require killing the former Supernatural Male Beast; in the past, when trailing a merchant caravan we intended to rob and facing the canine‑clan male‑beast guards, we had to follow and observe for ten days to half a month first.

Lang Cang hesitated, "Why so rushed? Don't you need to set up an ambush and make some preparations…"

"Not needed," Lang Feng cut off Lang Cang, a fierce smile on his face. "With our teeth and claws it's enough; I will bite through Mo Lie's neck myself!"

Lang Cang was in a hurry.

Next month they're heading to Ansen City; it's better to deal with Mo Lie early, since he still has to escort the Luo Lai Caravan for a big haul.

When they reach the city, they'll prepare some gifts for Lin Ling the female to win her favor.

Otherwise, would he go empty‑handed to see Lin Ling the female? He wouldn't do something so tasteless.

The male beast's Beast Form is very powerful, so among Beastfolk there's an unwritten rule: within a tribe's Safe Zone, male beasts may not kill each other, or they'll be permanently expelled from every city on the continent.

Thus the two can only act outside; otherwise a fight between male beasts would have a wide radius and could accidentally harm the females.

The golden, brilliant sun in the sky slowly rose higher.

Lin Manzhi stood at the edge of the Rock Pit they arrived at yesterday, holding a leather bag of digging tools; a corner of the Wooden Rake protruded two small wooden handles through the tightened drawstring opening.

Mo Lie lowered his gaze; his deep blue eyes were as still as a cloudless sky, and he slightly curled the corner of his mouth, asking, "Now I'm going hunting; is there any prey you want?"

Lin Manzhi stared, "You still have to go out hunting today?"

"The dry season is near; Exotic Beasts will migrate away, and food will be hard to find. I want to stock up on more Meat Jerky now," Mo Lie said casually.

These years he never had the habit of storing food in advance, but now that Lin Manzhi is here, everything has changed.

His Spirit Core was severely damaged; even so, he was confident he could keep the household supplied during the dry season so Lin Manzhi could eat fresh meat every day.

He also wanted to make backup preparations in case of emergencies, ideally stockpiling four months' worth of dry‑season food.

Lin Manzhi paused; the original book didn't describe this dry season much from Lin Ling's perspective, but she had seen tropical dry seasons on TV.

Indeed, they need to stock up food… and water!

She smiled at Mo Lie, "You decide what to hunt and store."

Mo Lie thought the female could choose.

He wanted to learn Lin Manzhi's tastes; if she didn't speak up, he'd have to hunt many different Exotic Beasts, prepare each for her to try, and then know which she prefers.

Mo Lie: "Alright, I'll pick you up at noon."

He leisurely pulled the headscarf over his shoulders, reached for the Water Bag at his waist and handed it to Lin Manzhi, "I'm leaving."

"Mm?"

Lin Manzhi blinked, feeling as if the male beast before her had made some sort of decision.

Holding the Water Bag, she still worried the male beast might act recklessly with his injured body, and thought:

"Small Exotic Beast meat is tasty, and if you happen to see any plants on the road, bring them back if convenient; I want to plant them in my courtyard—it's so barren and ugly right now."

Mo Lie turned back unexpectedly, his cold tone carrying a hint of warmth toward Lin Manzhi, "Alright, I've noted it."

After hearing Lin Manzhi's request, Mo Lie didn't linger and quickly left, following the Rock Giant Wall away.

Lin Manzhi watched Mo Lie's departing figure, which within moments became a tiny black dot that vanished on the desolate horizon of endless yellow sand.

Xi Tao also gazed after the towering, fearsome male beast as it left, after sending off the two Beast Husbands of his own family; the Rock Pit fell silent again.

The pit was large and deep, like a partially open cavern in the mountains; the light was bright yet not direct sunlight, making the entrance pleasantly cool.

"Alright, let's also try out the new tools to see if they're useful."

Lin Manzhi withdrew her gaze, shed her cloak, tied her long black hair with a cloth strap, and without delay turned toward the Sand-tail Grass Stalks, crouched, and took the Wooden Rake Mo Lie had given her yesterday from the bag.

Seeing the oddly shaped wooden stick in her hand, Xi Tao walked over and crouched, "Yay, this will definitely be better than my Wooden Knife."

The Sand-tail Grass Stalks here were almost the same color; recalling Yang Suo's words from yesterday, Lin Manzhi used her own eye to pick the darker ones as much as possible.

Xi Tao did the same, "Yesterday I was lucky to have you; only now do I realize Sand-tail Grass Stalks are sold by color. No wonder the ones I dug before were whole but could only fetch fifteen Beast Coins."

Lin Manzhi grasped the Wooden Rake, gently lifted the sand off a Sand-tail Grass Stalk, and her eyes lit up: "If we dig the darker ones today, we can sell them for a good price."

Xi Tao, holding the Wooden Rake, also tried it and exclaimed, "This modified wooden knife is really handy! The long teeth and spacing perfectly grip the stalk without damaging the roots."

Of course, a farming tool certified by an agrarian civilization works perfectly!

Lin Manzhi felt a warm familiarity; holding the garden‑scale tool, she suddenly felt a surge of enthusiasm for farm work.

"Dig, dig, dig."

Once we finish digging all the Sand-tail Grass Stalks here, the money bag will swell.

While Lin Manzhi collected cheerfully, Lang Feng's two wolves finally saw their target appear in the desert.

The scorching sun blazed like molten gold, the rolling dunes warped in the heat wave, and a silent black silhouette skimmed across the scorching sand, heading toward the rocky area of the dunes.

It was Mo Lie.

The male beast was easy to spot; cloaked entirely in a black robe, his movements were so light they seemed soundless, yet elegant as if strolling in his own courtyard.

"This is a Supernatural Male Beast? Its showy exterior is not only beautiful but extremely dangerous."

Lang Cang knew that if an enemy could approach so silently, he wouldn't notice, and in a breath's time would give the foe a chance to kill him.

It is said Mo Lie's Beast Form is a black panther, highly attuned to scents, able to sense auras from a hundred li away.

Both heads tilted down the hill simultaneously; Lang Cang and Lang Feng, though suppressing their auras and lying in the leeward spot, concealed any murderous intent, presenting themselves as frail little Small Exotic Beasts.

Especially upon seeing Mo Lie, his heart thumped, his expression grew solemn as he silently waited for the chance.

Two hidden wolf eyes watched the same black figure from afar.