Something was definitely wrong.
The beasts ignored the armed males, the females, and the cubs, targeting only Xiong Li's family.
It wasn't just Yu An who noticed this; Xiong Li and everyone else did too.
The beasts even bypassed the bystanders, lunging straight for Xiong Li's throat.
Her family, except for the bear cubs, had already been beaten black and blue. They were covered in wounds and completely unable to fight back against the beasts.
"Help me, hel—"
Xiong Li's cry for help was cut short as a petite Red Fox scrambled over the other beasts and sank its teeth directly into her throat.
Xiong Shuai and the others were too busy fending for themselves to have any time to save Xiong Li.
For various reasons, the other Beastmen watched her death with complicated expressions, but none of them offered a helping hand. The witch doctor, especially, couldn't have been happier to see Xiong Li die and take her ugly secrets to the grave.
After the entire family of six, including the bear cubs, had been bitten to death, the beasts didn't eat their bodies. They simply turned and ran without a backward glance.
Yu An wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but she felt like they had glanced at her.
While the Beastmen were still in a daze, Yu An announced in a clear voice, "This must be the Beast God's wrath, a punishment He sent down! Why else would the beasts only kill them and not harm anyone else in the slightest?"
Mo Yan and Bai Rong were the first to voice their agreement. No one wanted to avenge Xiong Li; only a few males buried them on the spot.
Once the matter was settled, Yu An's tense nerves finally relaxed. She cleared her throat and said, "Everyone, my cub was injured, so I won't be opening my stall today. I'll be back tomorrow."
They expressed their understanding. After a few curious glances at the Little Merfolk, they all went their separate ways.
The Merfolk were notoriously protective of their own. Even if a member of their clan made a mistake, they would only be punished within the clan. The Beastmen had truly never seen a Merfolk in the exiled land before.
Also—
A Beastman suddenly realized, "I saw another egg in Boss Yu's arms. She actually had three cubs at once!"
"You're just figuring that out?" his companion retorted, pursing his lips and lowering his voice. "I heard Boss Yu was once a Princess in the Beast Emperor City. To be exiled with such high Fertility... that city must be a terrifying place..."
After everyone had left, Mo Yan belatedly let go of the hand he had wrapped around Yu An's slender waist. The young female's warmth had seeped through her clothes and into his palm, and a trace of it lingered even after he pulled away.
Yu An blinked her eyes, pressed a hand to her head, and leaned against Mo Yan's shoulder. "Oh, my head is so dizzy..."
Mo Yan quickly steadied her, asking with concern, "Are you hurt?"
Yu An shook her head "weakly." "No, I'm probably just tired. I'll be fine after a little rest."
She clung tightly to Mo Yan's shoulders and said in a soft voice, "Mo Yan, thank goodness you were here. I don't know what I would have done otherwise."
'I have to admit, with my current strength, it's a real struggle to protect three cubs, especially when there are enemies,' she thought.
Mo Yan avoided her grateful gaze and said uncomfortably, "What's the point of saying all that? You should recover as soon as possible. Who knows, one day I might just..."
In front of the children, Mo Yan didn't finish his sentence.
Yu An smiled, a hint of sadness in her expression. "Don't worry, I won't force you."
Da Hu looked between the two of them, then jumped down from Mo Yan's arms. In a sweet, childish voice, he said, "Beast Father, you carry Female Mother home. I can walk by myself."
Mo Yan pressed his lips together, saying nothing. He swept Yu An up into a princess carry and strode toward the cave with his long legs.
Da Hu followed behind him, hopping cheerfully.
The Little Merfolk glanced at his own fishtail, looking very unhappy.
'I can't walk, so I'll be a burden to Female Mother and Beast Father,' he thought.
In the moment Han Li was dazed, the family disappeared from sight. The tiny wolf was left standing there, looking especially pitiful.
'That wretched little female! You forgot your dog—ah, no, your wolf!'
After they had left, the patch of earth where Xiong Li's family was buried stirred. A moment later, a chubby, dark hand pushed its way out.
Back in the cave, Da Hu circled his little brother, poking the younger one's fishtail with his small paw, absolutely fascinated with it.
The Little Merfolk obediently held his tail. His little face was as exquisitely carved as jade, and he looked like a soft, white steamed bun.
Yu An couldn't help but sigh with admiration. "I'm really good at having babies. Da Hu and Xiao Yu are so cute. Since my Zaizais are this beautiful, I, their Female Mother, can't be too ugly!"
That's right. Yu An, who was terrible at naming things, could only come up with nicknames for now. Official names that would follow them for a lifetime required more careful consideration.
Yu An touched the birthmark on her face, growing even more expectant of her own peerless beauty after the poison was cured.
As Mo Yan kneaded dough, he threw a bucket of cold water on her hopes. "I've seen the Zaizais' birth fathers. The Zaizais take after them."
Their two little faces looked like they were carved from the same mold as those two males.
Remembering this, Mo Yan's wavering heart grew firm again.
'I never should have gotten involved with Yu An in the first place,' he thought. 'Escorting her to the exiled land and protecting her for this long is already going above and beyond.'
Yu An smiled sweetly. "Then I can only hope to have a female Zaizai in the future who looks like me, her Female Mother."
Yes, San Dan was also a male cub—either a little Merfolk or a little tiger.
Yu An had been searching for her two cubs since last night, and she was starving. Seeing that Mo Yan had finished kneading the dough, she started to cook.
To celebrate Xiao Yu hatching from his egg, Yu An had Mo Yan go to the nearby river to catch some fish and shrimp.
Beastmen rarely ate freshwater or sea creatures. First, there were too many bones, and second, they had a fishy smell. But for Yu An, these were non-issues.
Since no one fished there, the river shrimp were as long as an adult's palm. Mo Yan caught a small bucketful, along with a fish that weighed over three pounds.
Mo Yan was no longer surprised by the strange and curious gadgets Yu An would pull out from time to time.
However—
"I've never seen any of these things before. And with that miraculous superpower of yours, aren't you afraid I'll steal it from you, or spread the word about it?"
In the quiet cave, Mo Yan's words were exceptionally clear. Da Hu, Xiao Yu, and Han Li, who had just entered, all turned to look over at the same time upon hearing him.
Yu An deveined a shrimp and said without looking up, "I trust you."
Mo Yan froze for a moment, then lowered his head and continued scaling the fish.
Lu Lu giggled. 'You sure do trust him. Dead men tell no tales, after all.'
Yu An didn't completely trust Mo Yan. The moment he broke his contract with her, she would place a piece of Lu Lu's vine on him.
After all, some of the plants that could be controlled by her Wood Element Ability were highly poisonous.
Mo Yan suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. He glanced at the cave entrance and decided he would weave a grass mat tomorrow to block the wind.
Han Li pursed his lips, inwardly cursing Mo Yan for not appreciating his good fortune.
'This little female may be ugly, but we Snow Wolf Beastmen don't care about looks; we value what's on the inside. If this snake leaves her, the little female will have no one to rely on. I suppose I could reluctantly...'
"Doggie, you caught such a fat pheasant!"
Han Li snapped back to reality. Realizing what he had just been thinking, he was instantly mortified and annoyed.
'H-how could I possibly have taken a fancy to this ugly female? I'm just staying here temporarily because I can't bear to part with her delicious food.'
'That's all it is!'
Yu An wiped her hands and walked over, exclaiming in surprise, "This pheasant is several times bigger than you! We can have a hearty main dish tonight."
Han Li proudly lifted his chin. Yu An ruffled his doggy head and held out her hand. "Good doggie, paw. Shake."
Only after placing his paw in her hand did Han Li realize what he had just done.
Furious with himself, he turned and bolted out of the cave without a backward glance.
"Doggie, where are you going? We're having dry-pot shrimp, grilled fish, and fried chicken today, plus snowy mooncakes for dessert! Don't run too far!"
Han Li's feet seemed to have a mind of their own. They changed direction, and he came back.
'Besides,' he reasoned, 'I'm the one who hunted this pheasant. If I don't eat it, wouldn't that just be letting that snake have it all?!'