Leisurely Life in the Beast World - Chapter 100

“Xiu Yan! Hurry… hurry up and swim! My foot is injured!” Ji Nuan’s frantic voice trembled as she clung to his back. Blood was already seeping into the water, drawing the predator fish closer. Her heart surged with guilt and panic.

How did this happen? I only shifted my leg—I didn’t even touch anything sharp! Why am I hurt?

But now wasn’t the time for answers. The predator fish, always eager for flesh, wouldn’t miss the chance for an easy meal. A few were already darting in their direction.

Xiu Yan caught the metallic scent of blood in the water. His piercing wolf eyes darkened with resolve as he pushed his limbs harder, propelling himself toward the riverbank.

Above them, Ying Yan and another eagle beastman threw the remaining green ox carcasses into the water. This diverted some of the predator fish back, but not all. A group of stragglers charged toward Ji Nuan and the other beastmen.

The four beastmen swimming beside Ji Nuan slashed at the predator fish with their claws, shredding them. But the blood only thickened in the water, intensifying the predator fish frenzy.

Having devoured the oxen, the more enormous swarm surged forward in a black wave.

“Go! Get to shore now!” Xiu Yan barked, his voice sharp with command.

“We can’t, Xiu Yan! We’re here to protect Ji Nuan. That’s the chief’s order,” one of the beastmen protested, resolutely staying by Ji Nuan’s side.

Ji Nuan’s eyes brimmed with tears. She couldn’t stop blaming herself. It’s all my fault they’re in danger!

Xiu Yan’s silver wolf eyes gleamed coldly. His voice turned steely, brooking no argument. “Take Ji Nuan to the shore. I’ll hold them off.”

“No way! Those predator fish are terrifying! You can’t fight them alone!” Ji Nuan’s distress spilled out as she clung to Xiu Yan’s smooth fur. Her round feline eyes welled with tears, her fluffy ears drooped, and her tail hung limply behind her. She looked pitiful.

Without waiting for further protest, Xiu Yan deftly passed her onto the back of a snow leopard beastman. “Go! Now!”

The four beastmen didn’t hesitate this time. They turned and shielded Ji Nuan as they swam toward the shore. The distance—only ten or so meters—felt like a vast, insurmountable chasm.

Ji Nuan, lying on the snow leopard’s back, sobbed uncontrollably, hiccuping as tears streamed down her face. She clenched her tiny hands so hard that crescent-shaped marks from her nails were left on her palms.

Xiu Yan was far from unscathed. Though his body, strengthened by mutation, was far more challenging than other beastmen, the predator fish’s razor-sharp teeth still tore into him painfully.

By the time the others reached the riverbank, Xiu Yan was already bleeding from multiple wounds.

This is bad, Xiu Yan thought. Though it’s nice that my little female worries about me, these damned fish are stripping me bare. If I end up looking ridiculous, will she still like me?

Glancing back, he saw that Ji Nuan and the others had reached the shore safely. Determination flared in his eyes as he summoned his inner strength.

A gasp rippled through the beastmen from Watson, who was anxiously watching from the riverbank, as a pair of dazzling silver wings suddenly unfurled from Xiu Yan’s back.

With a mighty flap, he shot out of the water and hovered above the river, his form majestic against the sky.

“Wow!”

“Xiu Yan, you sly wolf!”

“Exactly! Making us worry for so long!”

The Watson Tribe erupted in cheers and relieved complaints, but none louder than Ge Xing’s booming voice: “You crafty pup, get down here! I’ll tan your hide for making us worry!”

Despite the scolding, Ge Xing’s tone betrayed his immense pride and excitement.

Xiu Yan paid no attention to the cheers, his silver ears twitching as he zeroed in on Ji Nuan’s location. But instead of joy, he found a piercing gaze filled with unmistakable… killing intent.

What?! Xiu Yan’s wolf heart skipped a beat. Why is my little female mad at me?

I’m strong, dashing, and saved the day! Shouldn’t she be proud of me?

But then he caught sight of Ji Nuan’s injured foot, still bleeding. The sight doused any smugness he felt like a bucket of cold water. She must be worried sick…

His clever wolf brain worked quickly. With a dramatic wobble, Xiu Yan feigned exhaustion, letting his hovering form falter.

“Ying Yan! Get to him before he falls! The river is full of predator fish!” Ge Xing shouted in alarm.

The warning wasn’t needed. Before Ge Xing finished speaking, Xiu Yan had already “collapsed,” shifting into his fluffy wolf cub form mid-fall.

Ying Yan swooped in, catching the “weakened” silver cub in his talons before landing safely on the riverbank.

The eagle beastman frowned at the cub in his arms. “He seems unwell. Chief, Ji Nuan should check him over.”

Ji Nuan had been frozen in terror when Xiu Yan fell, her heart feeling like it had stopped. She rushed to his side, panic propelling her.

Without waiting for instructions, she knelt beside him, her small hands trembling as she carefully inspected his body.

No one noticed the mischievous glint in the cub’s eyes as he buried his face in Ji Nuan’s lap, his tiny pupils darting about slyly beneath heavy lids.