"So that means, the wolf tribe's Yue Ze is also in the settlement?"
"He rarely comes here."
"Compared to him, is Idris strong?"
"My silly sister, Idris is just an ordinary male beast. His rank is not high. If he wants to level up, he has to hunt stronger beasts."
That day Kana also saw how powerful the beasts were. The higher the rank, the stronger the beasts they had to face, which made leveling up even harder.
Facing beasts always carried the risk of being injured or even losing one's life.
Thinking about this, having the system let her have children seemed much safer in this beast world, especially since she had the system's protection.
Yujin continued, "The higher you go, the harder it gets."
Kana fell into thought.
"System, if the parents are stronger, will the child's points be higher?"
"Yes, smart host."
"Brother, in what situation would Yue Ze come to the settlement?"
Yujin looked at her, shook his head, and said, "Sister, don't even think about it. Yue Ze is not a male beast we can think about."
"Every famous fierce beast has its own strange temper. Even as a female, you may not gain any advantage in front of them."
At first, Kana wasn't very interested in Yue Ze. There were already plenty of male beasts, having one more or less didn't matter.
But when her brother said that, it sparked her competitive spirit.
"Brother, they will all submit to me."
In her mind, she already saw the golden points waving at her.
Yujin shook his head and tried to persuade her, "It's fine to just think about it, but we need to face reality."
She smiled slightly, full of confidence.
"Wait!"
Yujin suddenly stopped and quickly held out his arm to block Kana, standing in front of her.
He had smelled a faint scent of blood in the wind.
Kana smelled it too and frowned.
Could it be that a beast appeared again?
Yujin cautiously held her hand and tried to avoid the direction of the blood scent.
Then, from the forest ahead came a "rustling" sound.
A huge figure walked out of the shadows.
Sharp claws dripped with some unknown liquid.
His blood-red eyes showed that his mind was not very clear.
"It's an injured wolf beast!"
He staggered forward, about to fall, but Yujin quickly caught him before his head hit a stone.
"Looks like he was attacked by a beast."
Yujin summoned a magic circle on the ground. Inside were some healing supplies, though they were simple things like bandages.
"Kana, he looks familiar. I think he's one of the wolf beasts from the settlement. I have to help him."
Since the fox tribe and wolf tribe often helped each other, leaving him to die was not an option.
Helping those in need was also not Kana's style.
Yujin struggled to bandage the wolf beast's wounds, while Kana helped hold his body. Soon both of them were sweating.
"He's too heavy. This is the best I can do."
After his bleeding stopped, his face didn't look as bad.
He slowly opened his eyes. Seeing Yujin, he weakly thanked him, then turned his head and noticed the little female also helping.
When his gaze fell on the stone necklace around her neck, he frowned.
"Thank you for helping me, but since you already have a marriage contract, don't touch me again."
Kana didn't mind his attitude.
Instead, she found it curious. This wolf beast didn't seem to crave females as much as others did. He even kept a sense of distance.
"Alright, I won't touch you. Take care of your wound."
Yujin asked, confused, "How did you get so badly injured?"
"I was hunting in the forest, but I ran into some small beasts."
"Just you alone?"
"Yes."
A lone wolf?
Yujin and Kana exchanged looks. Wolves were never loners. Whether hunting or doing other things, they always acted in groups.
This did not match the image Kana had of wolves.
"Then why don't you come with us to the settlement ahead."
Yujin thought it was funny how the man kept sneaking glances at Kana, so he teased,
"My sister just had her coming-of-age not long ago. She's heading to the settlement to find her beast husband. She's already chosen one, but who knows, maybe in the future she'll pick a male wolf."
The beastman didn't react. Instead, he turned his head away.
Yujin felt awkward, so he quickly changed the subject.
"Right, what's your name?"
"Tuze," he replied coldly. "When a female chooses a husband, she should also know herself first."
Yujin coughed and pretended not to hear. "Let's go then."
He lifted Tuze's arm over his shoulder and helped him walk toward the settlement.
Kana, seeing how hard her brother was struggling, stepped forward to help.
But the moment she touched him, Tuze suddenly shook her hand off.
"Don't touch me. I can walk on my own."
His sudden movement tore open the freshly bandaged wound. His eyes turned blood-red.
Yujin noticed something was wrong. He quickly let go of Tuze and jumped up into a tall tree with Kana in his arms.
"Roar!" Tuze let out a painful wolf howl, clutching his head. "You two… hurry… go…"
Yujin frowned and guessed, "He must've been bitten by a magical beast. The poison is driving him mad. He's losing control and will attack anyone."
"Then can he still be saved?"
Yujin looked toward the settlement in the distance, his face serious. "Hard to say. Without a witch doctor, the only chance is if he can fight it off himself."
"And if he can't?"
"He'll either go insane forever, or his mind will be broken."
"System, check Tuze's information."
"Race: Dark Night Demon Wolf
Level: 11
Talent: Bloodthirsty Blade
Element: Lightning"
The berserk Tuze went on a rampage, tearing apart the forest. In the blink of an eye, nothing was left undamaged.
Compared to Idris, Tuze wasn't as high level, but his destructive power was terrifying.
"Calming skill detected: Can be used to soothe the berserk target. Use now?"
"Yes!"
"Please move within two meters of the target."
Kana looked at the instructions, then at Tuze thrashing wildly below.
He seemed to notice them in the tree and began to claw at the trunk, trying to climb up. His claws left deep gouges in the bark.
If that power hit her body, she didn't dare imagine the result.
Before she could think further, the whole tree shook violently.
Seeing he couldn't reach them, Tuze wrapped his arms around the trunk, trying to uproot the entire tree. His crimson eyes were full of madness.
"Ah!"
Kana turned just in time to see Yujin lose his balance and fall.
"Brother!"
She lunged forward, trying to grab his hand. But their fingertips only brushed.
Yujin landed hard on the ground, immediately drawing Tuze's attention.
"No, no, don't come any closer!" Yujin scrambled backward, desperate to find cover, but the whole area was already destroyed.
Tuze drew nearer, his claws raised. Kana didn't think twice. She leapt from the tree.
She landed directly above Tuze, just outside his line of sight.
Five meters. Three meters. Two meters.
At the same time Tuze's claws slashed toward Yujin—
"Calming skill, activate!"
After the loud cracking sound, smoke and dust rose everywhere.
At the same time, Yujin's painful scream came from inside.
Cracks spread out from Tuzé's claws like a spiderweb.
Yujin trembled as he moved his hands away from his head and saw that Tuzé's claws were firmly stuck in the ground.
Just a little further forward, the cracks would have reached him.
By the time he realized what had happened, his back was already drenched in sweat.
"Kana! Kana! Where are you!"
Yujin shouted again and again, but no answer came.
He remembered that his sister had fallen from the tree right after him.
Could it be that Tuzé…?
No, impossible!
His voice shook more and more, mixed with sobs as he searched helplessly in the smoke and dust.
There was no trace of her anywhere.
It was all Tuzé's fault!
That hateful wolf beast!
Yujin picked up a stone and, gathering his courage, rushed toward Tuzé.
But when he saw what was happening, he froze.
Kana was tightly hugging Tuzé. A soft green light spread out from her body.
The light entered Tuzé's eyes, and his madness and bloodlust slowly faded. His gaze became clear again.
"Mmm…" Tuzé made a low, comfortable sound from his throat.
Seeing his reaction, Kana wasn't sure whether she should continue calming him or stop.
"System, how is he now? Should I keep going?"
"Host, checking the condition of the target."
Because she was shorter, Kana had to stand on tiptoe the whole time.
Like Yujin, she was also drenched in sweat, looking completely exhausted.
"Host, target has returned to normal. You may stop."
"Phew…" Kana finally let out a breath of relief.
She let go and immediately collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion.
Tuzé also came back to his senses and asked in confusion, "What happened? Why do you two look like this?"
Yujin walked over and saw that Tuzé's eyes were indeed clear.
Tch, clear but stupid.
Thinking of how Tuzé almost killed them, Yujin angrily threw the stone in his hand far away.
Then, looking at his sister, he felt deeply guilty. He had almost gotten her killed too.
The more he thought, the angrier he became.
"Tuzé! Go back on your own!" Yujin warned coldly. "If you lose control again, no one will be able to save you."
He carried his exhausted sister on his back and slowly walked toward the settlement.
"Brother, I want to talk to you about something," Kana said weakly, her eyelids already heavy.
"I know. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about your gift."
Hearing that, Kana finally couldn't hold on and fell into a deep sleep.
Tuzé's ears twitched in the wind as he watched the siblings leave.
This little female seemed different from the spoiled, willful ones he remembered.
Looking at the forest destroyed around him, Tuzé realized something must have happened.
And it was most likely related to him.
Any other female would have stayed far away and sought protection from the tribe or a mate.
But he vaguely remembered that in the sea of red, a pure white figure had come down and embraced him.
Like a god.
He chased away the red he hated.
Almost as if something guided him, Tu Ze followed the siblings and arrived at the settlement.
As expected, Kana's appearance caused a stir.
Many fox tribe beastmen who knew her were shocked.
"So many beastmen died in the demon snake's mouth, yet she's still alive."
"Unbelievable."
The wolf tribe beastmen clearly didn't know her. For the sake of reproduction, they started asking questions.
"She's just a beastman without fertility."
"They never got any test results on her body."
Several wolf beastmen clenched their fists, their faces full of greed and desire.
"When will she go to the riverside care area?"
"Looking at her stats, she must be delicious."
Hearing these filthy words, Yujin glared fiercely at the wolf beastmen and warned them:
"She's a normal female and already has a beast husband. Don't even think about it!"
"My claws aren't for nothing!"
The beastmen of the settlement were intimidated by Yujin's aura and dared not say more.
Worried about Kana's body, they decided to take her to the shaman doctor.
The shaman's place was simple but much better than the average beastman's home.
Yujin looked around.
The stone house was tightly built, with windproof grass layered around it.
Inside, the furnishings were simple. Aside from necessary medical supplies, there were a few soft, comfortable-looking grass nests.
He thought he should make one for Kana and Wayin as well.
Since the shaman lived in the settlement, the news of a new young female quickly reached her.
And it seemed this female needed treatment.
As the most respected beastman in the settlement, she rushed back immediately.
She saw Tu Ze there too.
"You kid, every time you leave, you never say a word." Then she leaned close to Tu Ze and whispered, "Your brother told you to reflect in the settlement and choose a female soon. That way, he'll calm down and let you go back. You can't just waste your days here."
"I heard a new young female just arrived. She's inside. I can ask for you."
Hearing his brother mentioned, Tu Ze's face darkened.
He said with dissatisfaction, "If he wants a female, why doesn't he find one himself? Why push me?"
The shaman, knowing Tu Ze's temper, agreed softly, "You're injured too. Come in, let me take a look."
When the shaman entered, her eyes immediately fell on the young female sleeping in the grass nest.
What a gift from the heavens!
Such beauty, and such a perfect match for Tu Ze!
The shaman spoke seriously to Tu Ze: "Females are already rare, let alone one this extraordinary."
"Unrelated people should leave. I need to begin treatment."
"I'm her brother, not some unrelated beastman," Yujin explained.
The shaman's eyes lit up. Her tone softened and she even started asking eagerly:
"How old is she? How many beast husbands? How many cubs? Where does she live? What does she like to eat?"
Yujin: "..."
Tu Ze, hearing this, thought about how he would have to treat her the same way as other females—with endless flattery and bottomless tolerance.
He instantly felt annoyed.
Without a word, he lifted the curtain to leave.
Luckily, the shaman stopped him.
"Her brother, you should step outside first. I'm starting the treatment."
Yujin felt puzzled about why Tu Ze wasn't asked to leave too. But considering Tu Ze's strength, if his sister liked him...
He happily agreed and went to guard the door.