Si Shuo wanted to scream for her mom. 'This cold-blooded creature is really too much to handle.'
She decided to just cross her arms in front of her face, shut her eyes, and shake her head. 'I'm deaf, anyway. As long as I keep my eyes closed, I can pretend I can't hear anything. I refuse to communicate!'
Tao Yun usually traveled with merchant caravans to the various tribes, large and small, surrounding the Dongye Forest. He often encountered foolhardy Rogue Beasts and Wild Beasts on his journeys and killed frequently, leaving him with a heavy aura of bloodlust and savagery.
Even Yimei was frightened by the hint of anger radiating from him. She realized that Si Shuo must truly dislike this third-in-command.
She grabbed her Beast Husband's hand with one hand and mustered her courage. "Sir Tao Yun, Si Shuo can't hear you speak.
She's rather timid, so she might not be a good match for you."
Tao Yun's face fell, and his eyes bulged even more. "Whether she's a good match is not for you to decide. Little Si Shuo is just shy.
My Combat Power is high, so why can't I be her Beast Husband?"
Yimei buried her head in Rongxing's embrace, her body trembling slightly.
"Tao Yun, back off," Ji Liang said languidly. "You're the third-in-command of the Dark Crows, not some lawless Rogue Beast who snatches any female he sees.
The young female is delicate; she can't handle your brute force."
Tao Yun turned to look at him, his previously aggressive expression now tinged with hurt. "Boss, I didn't even do anything.
What's wrong with me? Why doesn't Si Shuo want me?"
Ji Liang hissed. 'This Tao Yun has high Combat Power, but he's so simple-minded.' "Who ever said that a female only looks at strength when choosing a Beast Husband?
The Beast God says you two aren't fated to be together. You should find another female before you get in too deep. Don't invest yourself in a fruitless relationship."
'What other females?' he thought. They weren't part of a tribe, so their experience was limited. After traveling far and wide for so long, he had finally met someone who captured his heart!
"Did the Beast God really say that?" he asked, not ready to give up.
Ji Liang nodded and said earnestly, "Of course. People who have the Beast God's Blessing feel a connection at first sight. If only one of you feels it, then that's the Beast God testing you."
He was spouting utter nonsense with a straight face, but Tao Yun bought it completely. Dejected, Tao Yun could only scratch his head and gently poke Si Shuo.
Si Shuo timidly peeked out from between her fingers.
Tears welled in Tao Yun's eyes. 'How could such a wonderful female not feel the same way about me?'
"Si Shuo, you… don't be afraid of me. I won't try to be your Beast Husband anymore. See if there's anything you like on the platform. Pick whatever you want; it's on me.
After all, you're the first female I've ever wanted to be a Beast Husband for. You deserve it!"
Si Shuo pursed her lips. 'This Beastman is actually quite nice, if a bit of a simpleton,' she thought. 'He's just terrifying to look at.'
"Thank you. You're very nice, but I have… Zhi Le." She had just rejected him with the classic 'you're a nice guy' line. "I brought my own things, so I can trade for what I need."
Tao Yun felt helpless. 'The Beast God really doesn't favor me,' he thought. 'How come I can't even give a gift away?'
He walked away, looking back every few steps, before gloomily squatting down next to Ji Liang and drawing circles in the dirt.
Ji Liang couldn't help but chuckle to himself. 'That young female isn't as timid as I imagined.'
Soon, it was Si Shuo and Yimei's turn in line.
The two of them handed their items to a Green Snake Beastman, who appraised them. They could then trade for other goods up to that value, paying for any shortfall with Crystal Stones.
Following Yimei's example, Si Shuo first traded for Sea Crystal Sand—in other words, sea salt. Then she got some brightly colored, soft-hued Beast Skins in shades of pink, powder blue, pale yellow, and light purple. They came in various thicknesses and were adorned with all kinds of patterns.
She also traded for some fish and snake skins, the type of Beast Skins suitable for summer wear or as underlayers.
After picking out some bracelets and necklaces, she exchanged the rest of her credit for cotton cloth.
Of course, she also went back three more times to sell off her entire stock of dried river catch!
Carrying a wicker basket packed to the brim on her back, Si Shuo was in high spirits. She and Yimei made plans to sew clothes together when they got home.
At noon, she cooked a pot of congee with fish balls and shredded meat, adding a couple of bird eggs. She served it with a side of pickled wild vegetables and a bottle of pure milk she had secretly traded for to get some extra nutrients.
After eating her fill, she paced around the cave to help with digestion while continuing to study a cookbook she'd gotten from the book section of her "supermarket."
The Beastmen's living environment was incredibly harsh. Even though the long winter had passed, people were already busy preparing for the next rainy season and coldest season, still half a year away.
Whether in the memories of her body's original owner or in the descriptions from the other Beastmen, these two seasons each year were like a life-or-death trial, one that many Beastmen did not survive.
She had initially thought the Beastmen lived at an extremely backward and primitive level of development. In reality, on the Central Continent of the Beast World, a rudimentary civilization had already emerged. The people there were less restricted by the climate—at least not like those in the fringe regions, such as the Luoni Tribe or the Qianmiao Tribe, who had to spend every day gathering and hunting just to barely scrape by.