Chapter 86

The hunting team's captain frowned, and behind him a few male beasts who had brought Hu Ye rushed over, stared at Fang Yue Dan, and silently carried Hu Ye into the house.

Fang Yue Dan pinched her nose, keeping away from Hu Ye's blood‑smeared, flesh‑muddied legs, glared at the hunting team's captain as he left, pointed at his back and said, "Don't forget to bring the meat up to me later; if any is missing, I'll have my father beast kill you."

The few people, hearing this, instantly darkened their faces and quickened their steps; after walking a short distance, they each voiced condemnation, saying:

"Pah! Who would have such a female? What terrible luck!"

"Hu Ye is the tribe's strongest warrior; if she hadn't tormented him so badly last night, he wouldn't have been injured at all."

"May the Beast God above hasten her illness's end."

The tribe loathed Fang Yue Dan, who usually flaunts his might, and muttered curses lowly all the way from his house to the meat‑distribution square.

A giant bald vulture spread its wings and flew across the sky over the Burning Sea tribe; the earlier ground clamor rang clearly in its ears, and its brown‑red eyes flashed sharply.

Fang Yue Dan, found!

The bald vulture instantly ceased slowing, surged full‑speed in one direction, vanishing like a flash of light, leaving the Burning Sea tribe members who had just spotted the shadow over their lands no time to raise an alarm.

A few days later, the bald vulture appeared on the island where the Mountain Classic Beast Temple stands, found Lin Ling, and told her about it.

"What, you say you've found Fang Yue Dan?" Lin Ling, reclining in the magnificent temple, sat up sharply, a pair of eyes flashing with urgency: "Where is she?"

The male beastfolk named Diao Yi is a warrior in this year's Leitingcheng team that escorted a female to the Mountain Classic Beast Temple, and Lin Ling, deeming his abilities fine, kept him by her side.

Lin Ling looked at Diao Yi.

Diao Yi stood inside the White Jade Hall, his massive frame, his sharp eyes fixed intently on her, causing Lin Ling to realize her earlier lapse.

She smiled, rose from the soft couch and walked toward him, stopping a step away; she lifted her lightly pink‑tinged nails and gently poked, then in a coquettish voice asked, "Did you find Fang Yue Dan, and have you killed her for me?"

Diao Yi lifted his hand and seized the hand that was poking his chest erratically; the soft, boneless little female hand made his heart blaze, and he let out a low sigh, "How could I dare strike a female?"

He let out a chuckle, grabbed Lin Ling's hand and brought it to his nose to sniff, "Unless you…"

Lin Ling lifted her gaze to him, the corners of her eyes slightly upturned, and said, "You're too impatient, but given your hard trek, I permit you to come and attend to me once."

She turned her head toward the male beastguard by the hall's pillar and said, "You wait outside."

As soon as the words fell, Diao Yi, anxious, scooped her up in one swift motion and hurried toward the soft couch inside the hall.

After a while, the hall was filled with the distinctive aura that follows intimate affairs.

Lin Ling put on her clothes, turned to the still‑blushing Diao Yi, and a wisp of mind‑bewildering pheromone drifted in the air: "You may return now; after you finish, I'll reward you in due time."

Smelling the female pheromone in the air, Diao Yi was so enticed he wanted to pull Lin Ling back again, but her status as a witch‑servant of the Mountain Classic Beast Temple meant she would soon become a Shamaness, a rank he could not treat lightly.

It was a noble status he could not handle casually, especially now on the island of the Mountain Classic Beast Temple, with the guard stationed outside the hall.

Diao Yi, craving the lingering female pheromone on the soft couch, rose slowly, dressed, and said, "The witch‑servant said I'll slip back to Ansen City again."

Lin Ling slipped into a long skirt, paused with her bracelet‑adorned hand, and recalled how Fang Yue Dan in a past life was adept at luring male beasts.

She sent Diao Yi off, fearing that if he were enchanted by Fang Yue Dan he might be unable to act.

Thinking of this, a resentful flash crossed Lin Ling's eyes, and she changed her mind.

"Honestly, seeing how reluctant you are to part with me," Lin Ling tossed a flirtatious glance, "I'll go ask the Great Witch for a few days off and go with you. Since I passed the witch‑god temple exams, I haven't returned home to announce the good news."

She immediately asked the Great Witch for a few days' leave, then set off with Diao Yi toward Ansen City's Burning Sea tribe.

……

This rainy season had rained for over forty consecutive days; each day it rained, and when the rain stopped the sun shone without shade, its rays scorching the skin with a palpable, fiery pain.

That afternoon, Lin Manzhi watched as the rain had just ceased, and the sun above had already evaporated most of the water in the courtyard.

Xi Tao ran in to play with Lin Manzhi when the rain stopped; stepping inside and seeing the house covered in leather rugs, her voice grew louder: "Wow, Lin Manzhi, covering the whole room with rugs looks so beautiful; I've only heard of houses in the city using rugs like this!"

Lin Manzhi smiled, "I just copied the style I saw on houses in Kuangsha City."

Actually, I saw it in the modern world.

Xi Tao sat cross‑legged on the leather rug, admiringly circling, "If I ever have cubs, I'll do the same."

Hearing Xi Tao mention cubs, Lin Manzhi recalled Su Li's words: "I heard Sand‑tail Grass Stalk can increase conception chances during a female's heat; you could try it."

Xi Tao's face flushed, but her tone was delighted: "Really? Truly—can it really boost the chance of conception?"

At that moment, Mo Lie entered from the doorway.

He had just stepped out of the vegetable greenhouse behind the kitchen, where lettuce had been successfully cultivated once; now Lin Manzhi was preparing a second batch of lettuce seedlings on a larger scale, having dismantled the small greenhouse and planning to build a bigger one.

Mo Lie came in to fetch leather material for sewing; the moment he entered, his gaze fell on Lin Manzhi.

She wore a simple linen bustier and long skirt, her jet‑black hair draped over her shoulders, her dark eyes large and bright, a smile lingering on her face.

Lin Manzhi noticed Xi Tao, who sat beside her, becoming restrained, turned her head toward Mo Lie who had just entered, pursed her lips and said, "Take a rest; it'll rain again later."

Mo Lie gave a low hum.

He walked in under the bright daylight, casting a dim, towering shadow on the ground.

The tall, slender black‑haired male lowered his eyes; his deep-set brows and eyes often carried an unapproachable chill, and his blue eyes beneath long lashes focused on Lin Manzhi.

His voice was deep, with a hint of softness: "I'll prepare the leather first; when the next rain stops, accompany me."

As he spoke, Mo Lie had already moved beside Lin Manzhi, bending naturally, and gently rubbed the black‑haired little female's head.

He only brushed her once, withdrew his hand, twirled his fingers, kept walking, and headed toward the door where the living‑room's clutter was stored.

Lin Manzhi looked up at Mo Lie, her dark eyes bright, pursed her crimson lips, and whispered softly, "Next time don't rub my head, or I won't grow any taller."