Leisurely Life in the Beast World - Chapter 184

“Father, didn’t you say you were heading to seek refuge in the major tribes of Nia Forest? Why are you still wandering around Ainilu Forest?” Lu Shi whispered as he finally coaxed the troublesome Sa Duo’er to sleep and slipped away into the forest. Following a familiar scent, he was surprised to come across his father, Lu Te.

Lu Te’s cold gaze swept over Lu Shi’s towering figure, his thin smile sending a shiver down the spines of the beasts standing nearby, causing them to instinctively take a few steps back. “What’s the matter? Haven’t I treated you well enough as your father? Now, when I call for you, you dawdle as if you don’t want to come.”

Lu Shi’s face twitched, the corners of his mouth pulling into a forced grin. “You wouldn’t understand. The Watson Tribe keeps a close watch on the beasts from Green Mountain Tribe. There’s always someone monitoring us. I had to pretend I was going hunting just to shake them off.”

Perched silently among the dense tree branches above, the small white furball, Fu Yi, scratched his fluffy chin with a paw, a mocking glint flashing through his round eyes. Shake me off? Hah! You think you can lose me? Do you know how skilled I am? I’m amazing! Brushing some snow off his plump rump, Fu Yi trembled slightly in the biting wind. Ugh, so cold! How much longer is this beast going to stay out here?

Lu Te chuckled, a sinister undertone in his laugh. “In that case, I have a task for you. Over the next few days, find an opportunity to capture the little female from Watson Tribe, Ji Nuan. That clever little female is the reason their tribe has grown so strong. Once we have her, we’ll take her with us when we go to seek refuge in the major tribes of Nia Forest. Heh, imagine what a bargaining chip she’ll be!”

“You’re saying the major tribes haven’t agreed to let you join them?” Lu Shi asked, looking at his father in surprise.

“Pfft!” Lu Te sneered. “Once I capture that smart little female, I’ll go to the rival tribes of the Gelu Tribe. Then I’ll make sure that Bo Sen and his beasts pay dearly for opposing me.”

The murderous intent in Lu Te’s tone made the surrounding beasts instinctively shrink back in fear.

A twisted grin spread across Lu Shi’s face. “Father, I’ll help you capture the little female, but I have one condition: I want her to be my mate. And my only mate at that.”

“Mate?” Lu Te’s voice rose sharply. “You’re already Sa Duo’er’s mate! How dare you think about taking another female? Without the shaman’s blessing, you’ll be cursed by the Beast God and turned into a primal beast!”

Lu Shi’s laugh was chilling and strange, like the sound of grinding bones. In the icy forest, it sent an eerie chill down the spine of everyone present. “I haven’t been bound by matehood for a long time, Father. Heh, heh.”

As he spoke, Lu Shi slowly rolled up the beast hide wrapped around his arm, revealing a dark, intricate symbol etched into his flesh.

Lu Te’s usually sinister eyes widened in horror as he saw the strange mark. Stumbling back several steps, his foot caught on an exposed tree root, nearly causing him to fall. His voice trembled with fear. “You… you’ve… you’ve become a fallen beast!”

“Heh, Father, what’s so bad about being a fallen beast? I can do so many things I couldn’t before!” Lu Shi’s expression twisted into something truly grotesque.

High above, hidden among the branches, Fu Yi stood up straight at the mention of the term “fallen beast.” His fur puffed out, every white strand standing on end as snow cascaded off his round rump in a flurry.

“You forced yourself on an underage female? You even… Lu Shi, you…” Lu Te’s voice faltered as he stared at the son he had once favored above all others. Waves of emotion surged within him—shock, rage, and an undercurrent of disbelief.

Lu Shi’s crimson tongue slid over his lips, his eyes filled with a disgusting sense of satisfaction and reminiscence.