Leisurely Life in the Beast World - Chapter 182

Ge Tai chuckled indulgently and moved all the remaining dried fruit in front of Tu Yaoyao. The little rabbit greedily scooped the fruits into her tiny white paws, treating them like precious treasures. Ji Nuan’s eyes darted mischievously as she scooted closer to Ge Tai, lowering her voice conspiratorially.

“Ge Tai, do you like Yaoyao?”

Her question made Ge Tai leap off the kang like a startled deer. “How is that possible? I only think of her as my little sister!”

Watching his reddening face and panicked demeanor, Ji Nuan couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, really? Why do you both seem just like a newly bonded couple then?”

The mighty lion couldn’t stay still any longer. He hurriedly shoved his feet into his hide boots and bolted toward the door. “I’m going to tell my Amma about Sa Ka’er’s plans!” With that, his figure disappeared through the doorway.

Tu Yaoyao, with her cheeks puffed full of dried fruit, blinked in confusion. “Waf goying on? Woo dos himfink?”

Ji Nuan rolled her eyes. “Swallow your food before you speak, you little glutton.”

Tu Yaoyao covered her mouth, her cheeks bulging as she worked to chew the food down. Finally, she managed to swallow. “Ah Nuan, what’s wrong with Ge Tai? Did you bully him?”

Her round eyes were filled with accusation. “He’s already so pitiful, and yet you bully him? I’ll go apologize for you, okay?”

Tu Yaoyao even patted Ji Nuan on the shoulder like a concerned elder.

Ji Nuan’s lips twitched. “Oh, thank you so much for being so considerate of me. But I didn’t upset him. I just mentioned the female he likes, and he got embarrassed and ran off.”

Tu Yaoyao brightened instantly. “Oh! Then I’ll go ask him who it is! When he bonds, I’ll give him lots of dried fruit as a gift.”

Ji Nuan glanced at the now-empty table and internally sighed. “Are you sure you can save any dried fruit from your own stash?”

Just then, the voice of the shaman called from outside. “Ji Nuan, are you in there?”

Ji Nuan turned to head toward the doorway. Ge Xing was helping the shaman through the gate and into the house. “I thought you weren’t home,” Ge Xing said, “Let’s talk inside.”

Once everyone was settled on the kang, Ge Xing got straight to the point. “The Green Mountain Tribe has been attacked by feral beasts as well. The number of beasts is increasing rapidly. We must prepare now to defend against a beast tide.”

He sighed heavily as he finished speaking.

The shaman nodded solemnly. “The Beast God’s vision during the cold season not only foretold this prolonged winter but also warned that this year’s beast tide will be particularly dangerous. With the addition of three new tribes and our fortified walls, I believe we can handle it, but we must act quickly.”

Ji Nuan listened intently. Beast tides typically occurred during the rainy season when food scarcity drove large groups of feral beasts out of the depths of the Ainilu Mountains to attack beast tribes. This year, however, the beasts had begun appearing far earlier, a foreboding sign of how dire the rainy season would become as the prolonged cold continued to deplete resources.

“In that case,” Ji Nuan said decisively, “we should dig a trench outside the tribe before the tide hits.”

The shaman and Ge Xing both looked at her with interest. She continued, “It’ll function like a dry moat. We can sharpen wooden stakes and line them inside. Any feral beast that tries to cross will fall in and get impaled.”

The shaman’s expression brightened. “That’s a clever idea, Ji Nuan.”

Ge Xing nodded approvingly. “It’s a lot of work, but with everyone’s help, we can do it. A trench will buy us time and save lives.”