Bei Ji briefly explained the insect medicine to his two elder brothers, and Xi Qing prepared a cup of the medicine powder using a coconut shell bowl and handed it to Dongchi.
Dongchi frowned, his face filled with disbelief, as well as faint scorn and disgust. "Is this really the medicine concocted by that bad female?"
Xi Qing stood by indifferently. He vividly remembered the day the bad female had sold off his eldest brother Dongchi and Nan Mo. He recalled Dongchi crying and begging Si Yan not to sell him, and Nan Mo, unable to speak, shedding tears in torrents.
Regardless of their pleading, that bad female still sold them.
He remembered the heartbreak of Dongchi and Nan Mo, and also the desolation he and Bei Ji felt when they witnessed the scene.
Bei Ji obviously recalled that day too. His heart tightened slightly, and he gently bit his lip. He then persuaded, "Eldest Brother, Third Brother and I have both drunk it. It really works."
Dongchi, with a cold face, firmly pushed the medicine to the side. "I won't drink it."
Bei Ji, holding the medicinal broth anxiously, said, "Eldest Brother, trust me, this medicine really works. After drinking it, lots of worms will be expelled, and then your stomach won't hurt so much. Third Brother and I have both had it, really. I know you hate that... bad female. But this medicine can save lives. Third Brother, help me out here!"
Dongchi replied coolly, "Bei Ji, I don't want anything from that bad female!"
Nan Mo's expression grew even colder; he lowered his gaze, pursing his lips.
Perhaps it was due to Si Yan's poor health around the time of their birth that Nan Mo, the second eldest, was born with some health issues. He couldn't speak.
Xi Qing calmly watched his two brothers, silent for a moment, before finally supporting Bei Ji, "The medicine is indeed precious. You should both drink it, or your stomachs will keep hurting."
However, Dongchi and Nan Mo were adamant about their stance on the insect medicine. No matter how much Bei Ji and Xi Qing tried, Dongchi and Nan Mo remained unmoved.
Bei Ji could only feel helpless and gave up. He took out a pumpkin and deliberately lied this time, hoping Dongchi and Nan Mo would accept, "Eldest Brother, Second Brother, this food has nothing to do with that bad female. Go ahead and eat it."
Starving, Dongchi and Nan Mo devoured the food voraciously.
The steamed pumpkin was somewhat sweet, and Dongchi and Nan Mo, conquered by the delicious taste, ate every last bit.
"Delicious," Dongchi said with a smile. "It's been so long since I've eaten anything. It's really good."
Nan Mo's eyes were filled with excitement.
Bei Ji said with heartache, "Eldest Brother, your hand is broken. Does that bad female, Xiong Rou, still make you work?"
Dongchi replied with icy sarcasm, "Xiong Rou's mate said he'd take us hunting next time."
Xi Qing immediately got so furious that he jumped to his feet. "You are just cubs, why should you have to go hunting?!"
Dongchi and Nan Mo curled their lips with a mixture of nonchalance and disdain. "Just because we are serpent Beastman cubs. They even said they want us to attract ferocious beasts."
The faces of Xi Qing and Bei Ji instantly turned pale.
Using serpent Beastman cubs to lure ferocious beasts—how could the serpent cubs escape? If they couldn't outrun the beasts, wouldn't they die? Why should they, cold-blooded serpent Beastmen, receive such treatment?!
"Dongchi Nanmo!" At that moment, the Beastwoman Xiong Rou, having heard the commotion, came over.
Beastwomen Xiong Rou and Xiong Nai were sisters. While Xiong Nai had a rough personality, Xiong Rou was infamous in the Yanxiang Tribe for her terrible and violent temper.
She not only saw Dongchi Nanmo but also noticed Xi Qing and Bei Ji.
Xi Qing and Bei Ji watched her warily.
She moved her bulky body and said, "Xi Qing Bei Ji? You've come to aid Dongchi Nanmo again? You brothers have such a good relationship. How about this, I'll buy you too, and you can keep Dongchi Nanmo company?!"
Xiong Rou knew her precious cubs had suffered indignity because of Si Yan's family. Those damn cold-blooded serpent Beastmen deserved to be food for the wild beasts in the forest!
"Xiong Rou!" Xi Qing was the first to step forward. He rushed to the forefront, his expression terrifyingly fierce. "Don't even think about bullying our brothers!"
"How dare you make such a face at me! Dirty, ugly, cold-blooded Beastman, you deserve to die, all of you should die!" Xiong Rou's big bear paw swiped across, and the frail little Xi Qing was sent flying to one side.
"Xi Qing!!!" Bei Ji charged towards Xi Qing, but several adult male Beastmen appeared, blocking his way.
"You!!!" Bei Ji recognized them; they were Xiong Rou's males. "A bunch of grown males bullying a few cubs! What kind of decent Beastmen are you!"
The Yanxiang Tribe did have special considerations for underage cubs.
A brief hesitation flickered in the eyes of the adult male Beastmen.
Xiong Rou shouted, "What are you doing?! Hurry up and seize these disobedient serpent Beastman cubs!"
Xiong Nai, who lived next door to Xiong Rou, heard the commotion and came out to look. When she saw a group of adult males ganging up on four serpent cubs, This is bad, she thought.
During the last incident, she had falsely accused the two cubs, Xi Qing and Bei Ji, of stealing Red Earth Fruits. After losing to Si Yan, she had been forced to apologize. Later, back home, the more Xiong Nai thought about it, the more she felt she was indeed in the wrong.
Moreover, remembering how the frail Si Yan had fought so hard to protect her own cubs, Xiong Nai's opinion of her began to change. She's actually a decent female, she thought.
Si Yan's cubs are being bullied! I have to go tell Si Yan! she resolved.
...
"Trouble, trouble, they're fighting! They're fighting!" Xiong Nai wobbled her plump body as she ran towards Si Yan's dwelling.
Si Yan suddenly stood up and rushed out of the cave, asking, "What happened?"
"Si Yan, you have to go quickly! Your cubs, your cubs are fighting with Xiong Rou and her group!" Xiong Nai said anxiously.
"What?!" Si Yan ran out and asked in a panic, "Where are they?!"
Panting, Xiong Nai said, "Right in front of the cave... Xi Qing and Bei Ji were bringing food to those two cubs and got spotted by Xiong Rou... Xiong Rou is petty; she must be remembering what happened to her own cubs and wants revenge... Si Yan, you, you have to hurry..."
Before Xiong Nai could finish, Si Yan had already run off. In a moment, Xiong Nai couldn't see her figure anymore.
This slender female, how can she be so nimble? Xiong Nai thought.
When Si Yan arrived, she was almost spitting fire with rage.
What an absolutely outrageous sight!
Over a dozen adult male Beastmen were ganging up on four little serpent Beastman cubs! Her cubs!
"Stop it!" Si Yan, alone, squeezed through the males beating up her cubs and roared furiously, "Have you no shame?!"
The dozen or so male Beastmen looked at Si Yan with disdain.
Si Yan positioned herself in front of the four cubs, facing a crowd of male Beastmen all by herself!
Even though she hadn't met Dongchi and Nan Mo before, her heart ached fiercely seeing them so injured, and her eyes reddened.
"Si Yan, you came just in time." Xiong Rou walked out from the side, her figure extremely plump, looking to weigh around three hundred pounds.
"I also plan to buy your other two cubs. I'll give you two beast hides."
As she spoke, a male Beastman threw over two gray wolf hides. Si Yan didn't give the hides a single glance. "You fat sow! My cubs are my cubs, and I won't sell a single one! I came here today not just to take Xi Qing and Bei Ji back; Dongchi and Nan Mo, I am taking them back as well!"
Upon hearing the words 'fat sow', Xiong Rou was infuriated. "You ugly, skinny female, are you jealous of my healthy body?!"
Si Yan glanced at her with extreme scorn and disdain. "I wouldn't want to look like you if my life depended on it. You fat sow, take a look at yourself. You're just a lump of blubber!"
"Si Yan!!!!!!!!!!!" Xiong Rou was livid. "Don't think just because you're a female, I won't dare to do anything to you!!"
Having said that, Xiong Rou laughed again. "Don't forget, there's not a single adult male in your cave!"
Si Yan narrowed her eyes slightly. "That's still much better than you, knowing nothing but how to mate all day long!"
Xiong Rou suddenly burst into loud laughter again. "So you are jealous of me. That's right, I just beckon, and a whole bunch of males come running. But you're different. Not a single male wants you. Who can blame them when you're thin, dark, small, and ugly!!!"
"Who said I don't have a male?" Si Yan suddenly interjected.
"Huh?" Xiong Rou looked surprised. "You have a male?!"
Si Yan said, "How would I have four little cubs if I didn't have a male? This purple snake-shaped totem on my waist—are you blind? Can't you see it?!"
Si Yan spoke with a cold face, "Xiong Rou, you have so many males and only four cubs. I have but one male, and I also have four cubs! No matter how you look at it, I've won!"
The male Beastmen's expressions changed slightly.
Indeed, Si Yan, with just one male, had birthed four cubs. Xiong Rou, despite having so many males and countless mating sessions, couldn't seem to produce more cubs.
Xiong Rou noticed the subtle shifts in her males' attitudes and became even angrier! Her face contorted, and she suddenly asked mockingly, "Si Yan, don't think I don't know. Don't you also despise serpent Beastman cubs? If you like other cubs, just find other male Beastmen to bear them. Serpent Beastman cubs are born to be despised and spat upon! You've always looked down on them. I'm just teaching them a lesson for you; shouldn't you be thankful?!"
"Shut up! Did you eat dung? Your mouth is so foul!" Si Yan roared. "No matter what you say, today I'm taking Dongchi and Nan Mo back!"
Xiong Rou shouted angrily, "What are you saying, Si Yan? Are you trying to provoke me? My slaves are mine, and you're not taking them anywhere!"
Si Yan retorted angrily, "What proof do you have that they're your slaves?!"
Xiong Rou was taken aback for a moment, then smirked again. "Si Yan, you personally wrote the slave contract on a wooden board. Have you forgotten?"
Si Yan scoffed coldly. "I truly don't remember any such thing."
Truthfully, she didn't remember. She couldn't recall a single thing about what her body's previous owner had done.
Xiong Rou said, "It's okay if you don't remember. Come with me, I'll show you."