Leisurely Life in the Beast World - Chapter 110

The young beastman eagerly replied, unable to hide the joy on his face.

Ya Li turned and walked toward the basin. “Head back. Wipe that expression off your face so they don’t suspect anything.”

The young beastman watched Ya Li disappear into the forest. A pure, innocent smile reappeared on his slightly youthful face as he turned and ran deeper into the woods.

There, the Watson Tribe’s hunting team was busy gathering food for their tribe and prey for trading purposes.

“No, no, we’re not trading. These are all the crisp sweet fruits we brought this year, and the shaman told us to trade them for ten large hides to take back. We don’t want your grunting beasts. No means no!”

Ji Nuan, wandering around the basin, immediately perked up when she heard the words “crisp sweet fruits.” Grabbing Xiu Yan’s arm, she squeezed through the crowd to the stall in front.

Behind the stall sat a burly beastman with thick body hair. His large, fan-like hands waved emphatically at the several beastmen gathered before him as he refused their offers.

The faces of the beastmen at the stall turned sour. The Grizzly Tribe hadn’t been so rigid about only trading for hides in the past. Just last year, they had exchanged prey for some crisp sweet fruits at the tribal gathering. Their mates had even praised them for it.

One brown-haired beastman looked at the crisp sweet fruits on the ground hesitantly. “What if we give you both of these grunting beasts? Could you trade us just half of the crisp sweet fruits?”

The Grizzly beastman still shook his head firmly. “Don’t make things difficult for me. The shaman said these fruits are only to be traded for hides. If I take prey instead, we won’t have enough food for the cold season.”

Hearing how serious the situation was, the beastmen around the stall—many of whom had been planning to return some fruits to please their mates—gave up the idea entirely.

In an instant, the previously crowded Grizzly Tribe stall became deserted.

The Grizzly beastman, now alone, slumped back into his seat, looking slightly dejected. Ji Nuan, still clutching Xiu Yan’s arm, approached him.

“Can I taste one of these crisp sweet fruits?” Ji Nuan asked, looking expectantly at the beastman and the large, white, radish-like fruits that were as big as a beastman’s forearm.

Faced with the bright gaze of the little female, the Grizzly beastman blushed slightly. But the shaman’s instructions clearly took precedence over any charming little female. Shaking his head gently, he replied in a small voice, “No, you can’t. These are for trading only.”

“…”

Ji Nuan felt both amused and exasperated by his straightforward stubbornness.

“How am I supposed to know if these fruits are good if I can’t taste one?” Ji Nuan asked, picking up one of the smooth, white fruits and showing it to him.

“You’ve never had crisp sweet fruits before?” The Grizzly beastman looked at her with shock. His surprise quickly turned to disdain as he glanced at Xiu Yan, who stood protectively behind Ji Nuan.

The beastman’s booming voice wasn’t just for show. The disdainful looks directed at Xiu Yan quickly spread to the nearby stalls, and murmurs reached Ji Nuan’s ears.

“He couldn’t even trade for a crisp sweet fruit for his female. What kind of beastman is he? How could she like someone like that?”

“My mate has already eaten the crisp sweet fruits I brought back for her last year!” a thin, underfed beastman wearing a tattered hide boasted to his companion.

Ji Nuan flushed with embarrassment. Feeling guilty, she turned to glance at Xiu Yan, and sure enough…

His face was dark, and his wolf-like eyes were fixed on her.

“Heh heh… heh heh… uh…”

Awkwardly laughing, Ji Nuan quickly turned back to the Grizzly beastman and raised her voice. “We only just met this year, you know. He even brought me to the tribal gathering for the first time to trade for some crisp sweet fruits!”

Then, she turned to Xiu Yan with a pleading smile. “Xiu Yan, please trade all these crisp sweet fruits for me!”

The beastmen around them looked at Ji Nuan with expressions that said, What a spoiled, domineering female!

Ten large hides! The female was unreasonable, and they were sure the male would disagree.

Xiu Yan narrowed his deep wolf eyes, his expression a mix of amusement and exasperation as he looked at the guilty little female before him. His calm, magnetic voice rang out clearly, audible to all the nearby beastmen.

“I’ll take them all. Pack the crisp sweet fruits and bring me the hides.”

The Grizzly beastman, stunned, rubbed his ears in disbelief. His previously disdainful expression vanished utterly. Gleefully, he called for other tribe members to help him pack. It took four large hide bundles to hold all the crisp sweet fruits. Then, with the heavy bundles on their backs, the Grizzly beastmen eagerly followed Xiu Yan and Ji Nuan toward the Watson Tribe’s camp.

Even with the heavy load, the lead Grizzly beastman, Xiong Da, felt light on his feet. His mood was soaring. Completing the shaman’s task on the first day of the gathering—and even getting two extra large hides—was beyond his expectations.

Thinking about all the food his tribe would have for the cold season and the possibility of enjoying sweet water from the hum-beetle tree, he couldn’t help but chuckle.

Realizing he had laughed out loud, Xiong Da quickly covered his mouth and glanced around sheepishly.