Chapter 189: Anan and Swan Sharing a Bed Tonight
"You’re looking for death!"
Seville’s Wings spread out abruptly, the black feathers clanging like blades.
A bone-chilling cold erupted from his body. His amber beast-eyes narrowed into slits, locking deadly onto the Old Wolf Clan Leader’s throat.
His gaze wasn’t that of one looking at a living creature, but rather one measuring the fastest angle from which to bite and tear open a windpipe.
This was the posture of an apex predator before a kill.
"Calm down!"
The moment Su An’an’s fingertips touched his arm, Seville’s tensed muscles reflexively relaxed.
But his eyes, still fixed on the Old Wolf Clan Leader, were steeped in killing intent. The low growl rumbling in his throat sent shivers down the spines of the surrounding Beastmen.
’This cub is terrifying!’
"Alright! We’ll do it by the rules, then."
Su An’an casually flicked her wrist, then suddenly flashed a grin at Stinky Bear.
"But I suggest we use a different Beastman!"
Her fingertip lightly tapped the bloody stump on Stinky Bear’s hand. "After all, this piece of trash only has four fingers left to break!"
"Who are you calling a piece of trash?!"
Stinky Bear’s roar died in his throat as soon as it left his mouth.
The killing intent churning in Seville’s beast-eyes was so palpable it scared him into stumbling backward, nearly knocking over a clay pot filled with water.
"Clan Leader, look at this cub. He’s not like a normal Beastman at all."
Stinky Bear cowered behind the Old Wolf, trying to sow discord.
"We have to attack him together!"
Seville suddenly laughed.
The smile made his youthful face look exceptionally savage, his sharp white canines glinting coldly. "Come."
He fully extended his Wings, his shadow blanketing half the cave.
The atmosphere in the cave instantly grew taut with tension.
The Beastman Warriors bared their teeth and growled, their knotted, muscular bodies completely surrounding Su An’an and Seville.
Stinky Bear hid behind the Old Wolf Clan Leader, grinning smugly to reveal a mouth full of yellow teeth.
"You worthless female, you brought this on yourself!"
Just as the Beastman Warriors were about to pounce...
"ROAR!"
A deafening lion’s roar exploded through the cave.
Manda’s tall figure abruptly stood before Su An’an, her lion tail cracking the stone floor like a steel whip.
"She’s under my protection!"
Manda’s sharp claws shot out with a SHING, glinting coldly in the firelight.
"If you want to touch her, you’ll have to go through me!"
The entire female cave erupted in an instant!
The cubs bared their milk teeth and howled their support.
The females grabbed stone bowls and bone needles to use as weapons.
One pregnant female from the Leopard Clan even kicked over the stone pot of boiling soup.
Scalding hot water splashed at the Beastman Warriors’ feet, making them yelp and jump around.
"Stinky Bear, I’ve been wanting to teach you a lesson for a long time!"
Manda kicked Stinky Bear to the ground, grabbed his head with a large paw, and slammed it repeatedly against the floor.
"Last time you groped Lina’s ass. Today, we’re settling all scores, new and old!"
The situation reversed in an instant!
The Beastman Warriors who had mates started to step forward, only to be dragged back by the ear by their own females.
"You dare help that perverted bear? Don’t even think about coming into my den tonight!"
A few who refused to listen were immediately jabbed with bone needles by the females, sending them scurrying all over the cave.
"String him up!"
At Manda’s command, the females swarmed forward.
Stinky Bear’s animal-skin skirt was torn to shreds with a RIIIIP.
His obese body was hung upside down from the cave ceiling by vines, dangling like a piece of stinking, air-dried meat.
"AHHHH! Clan Leader, save me."
Amidst Stinky Bear’s miserable screams, Jin Zhu swung her Bone Spear and smashed it onto his back.
"A rotten slab of meat like you is worthy of being called a Warrior?"
The cubs took the opportunity to poke his armpits with Bone Arrows, the pain making his fat flesh tremble all over.
The Old Wolf Clan Leader was so angry he trembled all over, his gray-white wolf fur bristling.
"This is rebellion! From this day on, the female cave can forget about getting any share of the food!"
"Like we care!"
Manda roared, her tail smashing a rock to pieces.
"During the last acid rain season, you held back food and caused the deaths of three cubs!"
Her bone-white fangs shone menacingly as she declared in a loud voice:
"This year, we’ll hunt for ourselves!"
The Old Wolf’s face twisted with rage. His claws tugged at the beast-tooth necklace on his chest, making it rattle, but he didn’t dare to actually make a move.
Behind Manda, all the females were sneering and sharpening their claws, and Jin Zhu’s Bone Spear was even locked on his throat.
"Fine!"
The Old Wolf Clan Leader suddenly gave a sinister laugh, his withered, claw-like knuckles cracking as he clenched his fist.
"Starting tomorrow, we’ll hold a hunting competition. Whichever team hunts more gets the right to cultivate the Gang Vine!"
"Not enough."
Fire lit up in Manda’s beast-eyes as she made a domineering declaration:
"If I win, I don’t just want the Gang Vine. I want the Clan Leader’s position back!"
An uproar instantly filled the cave.
The Beastman Warriors revealed expressions of contempt.
The Old Wolf Clan Leader was stunned for a moment, then suddenly burst into a harsh, grating laugh.
"A soft-hearted piece of trash like you is worthy of being Clan Leader?"
"Back then, if you hadn’t insisted on distributing the food equally, would the Black Rock Tribe have stolen our hunting grounds?"
He violently tore open the leather armor on his chest, revealing a torso crisscrossed with scars.
"Look! This is the price of your so-called fairness!"
"Food should be prioritized for the warriors and the females who can give birth! This is why all the Warriors in the clan follow me!"
Manda’s mane glowed red with fury. "Just you wait!"
She sliced her palm open with a sharp claw, and her blood dripped onto the Clan Leader’s Scepter.
"I, Manda, swear to the Beast God! I will not only win, but I will also ensure that no Beastman in the tribe ever starves to death again!"
"Good!"
The Old Wolf Clan Leader also slit his wrist, and the two streams of blood met on the Scepter.
"If you lose, you will get out of the tribe! And the female cave will be under my control!"
The gazes of the two Beastmen clashed in the air, sparking with intense fire.
"Let’s go!"
The Old Wolf Clan Leader left with his Beastman Warriors without a backward glance.
Stinky Bear stumbled along behind him, not forgetting to throw a parting shot over his shoulder before he left.
"Just wait until you’re all too hungry to even crawl! Then we’ll see how I deal with you!"
Manda watched them leave, a grave look flashing through her lion eyes.
She turned to Su An’an, her voice low and firm.
"The lives of all our Beastmen are in your hands now."
Her rough claw rested gently on Su An’an’s shoulder. "I hope you won’t let us down!"
Su An’an met her gaze, the corners of her lips turning up slightly. "Don’t worry. I will absolutely make sure you win."
Her voice wasn’t loud, but it held an unquestionable confidence. "We won’t just win; we’ll win beautifully."
Manda nodded and announced in a loud voice:
"It’s getting late. Everyone get a good rest tonight. We leave for the Two-headed Toad’s swamp first thing in the morning!"
The females immediately sprang into action, starting fires and preparing food.
A stone pot was filled with murky water, and Jin Zhu deftly chopped up a bony black-spined fish and threw the pieces in.
Lu Ming carefully tossed the Nightlight Frog Meat into the pot.
Soon, a pot of meat soup giving off a strange smell began to bubble and boil.
Suspicious-looking foam floated on the surface of the dark green broth.
Su An’an and Seville stood to the side, both wrinkling their brows at the terrible smell.
’When in Rome...’
Su An’an muttered to herself, steeling herself to take a sip.
But Jin Zhu suddenly pulled a few crystal-clear chunks of toad meat from her animal-skin pouch and handed them over.
"You two can’t drink this, you’ll be poisoned. Eat this instead!"
That was the Crystal Meat they had hunted today, which contained pure Energy.
Su An’an accepted the Crystal Meat and noticed that Jin Zhu gave the rest to the weaker cubs and the Pallas’s cat that was still recovering.
The other cubs held wooden bowls and gulped down the blackish-green soup with relish.
Meanwhile, Jin Zhu and the others threw some tough plant roots and tree bark into their own soup, chewing on them with loud CRUNCHES.
This scene once again made Su An’an realize just how scarce food was.
After dinner, the sky grew completely dark.
As Su An’an followed Jin Zhu and Lu Ming back to their hut, a cold wind seeping through the cracks in the wall made a whimpering sound.
"You two will sleep under one blanket tonight."
Lu Ming spread the last animal hide on the bed of straw and stood up, saying:
"It gets cold enough to freeze a Beastman to death at night. Remember to hold each other close. I’m going to help Jin Zhu pack!"
With that, she scurried out of the hut.
Su An’an stared at the narrow bed of straw covered with the animal hide, her throat suddenly feeling a little dry.
