Leisurely Life in the Beast World - Chapter 195

The shaman raised her eyes. “If you’re so capable, go catch him and bring him back! Why waste your breath here?”

Bei Ni, flustered by his elder sister’s sharp retort, flushed red. He stammered for a moment before swallowing his words and sitting quietly, subdued.

“Everyone, go back now. I’m feeling a bit tired and want to rest.” Waving her hand, the shaman spoke in a tone full of weariness.

The beastmen exchanged glances, sighed, and reluctantly dispersed.

“Has Xiu Yan returned yet?” Once the beastmen had left, the shaman suddenly shed her exhaustion, popping a handful of dried fruit into her mouth. Chewing, she asked the question casually.

Ge Xing, who was munching on dried meat, quickly swallowed under her sharp gaze, snatching another piece. Chewing noisily, he replied, “Don’t worry. Lu Shi wouldn’t find Xiu Yan so easily. Besides, the Silver Wolf Tribe are winter’s chosen children. With Xiu Yan around, nothing will happen to Ji Nuan.”

Understanding her concern for Ji Nuan, Ge Xing spoke in an especially accommodating manner. His eagerness to please was hard to watch.

The shaman stretched out a bony foot and kicked Ge Xing’s greedy hand away from the dried meat. “Get out of here! You eat so much, you’re like a grunting beast.”

Ge Xing, feigning hurt, muttered under his breath. I grew up under your watch, grandmother. How can you be so stingy with me?

“Xiu Yan, do you think we’ll get caught?” Ji Nuan, lying on the back of the silver wolf beastman, whispered nervously into his ear.

Xiu Yan’s wolf eyes glimmered with a faint smile. He nuzzled her soft, pale leg with his large wolf head, gently soothing her tension.

“Lu Shi, why are you here?” Inside a foul-smelling valley, a chaotic cave was occupied by over a dozen beastmen. At the sight of Lu Shi entering, the beastmen all looked surprised.

Lu Shi ignored the one who had spoken and walked straight to the innermost part of the cave, where a frail and hunched figure lay—Lu Te.

The tall figure of Lu Shi, backlit by the light streaming in from the cave’s entrance, cast a shadow over Lu Te. A hint of cruelty flickered across Lu Te’s face as his drooping eyelids lifted, revealing a savage glint. “Who dares to disturb my… Lu Shi???”

Startled, Lu Te jolted upright from his nest of dried grass. He hurried over to Lu Shi, examining him carefully. Only after confirming that Lu Shi wasn’t injured did he breathe a sigh of relief. “Why are you here now? It’s too risky if you’re discovered.”

Lu Te’s concern brought a rare warmth to Lu Shi’s eyes. He patted his father’s arm and spoke in an unusually gentle tone. “I’m fine, Father. I escaped after being discovered.”

“Discovered? What about Ji Nuan?” Lu Te asked.

Lu Shi walked further into the cave, grabbed a hunk of raw, bloodied meat, and began gnawing on it casually. “We’ll need another plan. I can’t return now. If they find me, they’ll kill me.”

A trace of disappointment flashed in Lu Te’s eyes, but he patted his son’s shoulder in reassurance. “It’s all right. If nothing else, once winter passes, we’ll return to our old tribe and live there again.”

Lu Shi didn’t respond. He kept gnawing on his meat, nodding absentmindedly.

Meanwhile, Xiu Yan, in his large wolf form, sprinted silently across the snow-covered ground. His movements were so quiet that only the trail of paw prints left behind hinted that a beast had passed through.