Chapter 143: Divine Leopard Tribe
Sangqi’s little paw patted at Qiao Xixi. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but the effort made him whimper in pain.
The hoarse whimpering tugged at Qiao Xixi’s heartstrings. ’Is this the power of blood ties? I’ve only just met this little one, but I can’t help my heart aching for him.’
"It’s okay, don’t rush. How about we talk after we’ve rested, alright?"
Sangqi truly loved her scent. He leaned his small head fondly against her shoulder and slowly closed his eyes.
Hearing the sound of Sangqi’s steady breathing, Qiao Xixi hugged him a little tighter.
"DING!"
"Congratulations, Host, on completing the mission. A reward of 300 points has been issued."
Qiao Xixi couldn’t help but ask, "What on earth is going on? Do you really not know?"
"Host, I really have no idea! The information I have on file just says that this black panther cub was born to you."
Qiao Xixi was speechless. ’I gave birth to him? Why doesn’t the original owner of this body have a single memory of it?’
Qiao Xixi sifted through her memories again and again but couldn’t find a single scrap of information about Sangqi. There was nothing for it; she would just have to wait until Sangqi felt better and ask him then.
"Qiaoqiao, you clearly treated Sangqi just now. Why don’t his injuries seem to have healed? Is he hurt very badly?"
Qiao Qiao’s Healing Skill was already at 3-star. Logically, ordinary external wounds should be no problem for her to handle. The lacerations on Sangqi’s body had indeed stopped bleeding and scabbed over, but he still didn’t seem able to walk properly.
"Mother, his beast bone is broken. I can’t heal him completely yet."
Qiao Xixi was shocked. "His beast bone is broken?" She looked down at Sangqi and saw it for herself. A bone near his lower back was protruding, deformed. Her hand froze in mid-air, not daring to touch him.
The beast bone was a beastman’s lifeblood. For Sangqi’s to be this broken and for him to still be alive... she couldn’t bear to imagine what he must have gone through.
"If... if this can’t be healed, does that mean he’ll never be able to stand again?"
Qiao Qiao nodded. "Yes. But Mother, don’t worry. Qiaoqiao will work hard to raise my beast soul’s star-rank. As long as I reach a 5-star beast soul, I can heal him."
Qiao Xixi stroked Qiao Qiao’s little face. ’My precious cub is becoming more and more wonderful.’
Before sunset, they finally caught sight of the Divine Leopard Tribe.
"Why is the Divine Leopard Tribe built on a mountain?" Qiao Xixi tilted her head back, staring at the great mountain before them in amazement. Even from a distance, she could see buildings staggered at different levels across the vast mountainside.
"We’ll be there before dark."
They reached the foot of Divine Leopard Mountain and were about to head up when a patrol of male Hua Bao beastmen stopped them.
The Hua Bao beastmen eyed them warily. They showed a flicker of surprise upon sensing the beast soul energy from Sunxiao and his companions, but the leader quickly composed himself.
"Where are you from, and what is your business on the mountain?"
Jin Ling stepped forward. "We’ve come from the Silver Tribe and wish to stay in the Divine Leopard Tribe. We were wondering if that would be possible."
The Hua Bao’s amber eyes bored into Jin Ling’s. He stood motionless, but any male with a high-ranking beast soul could tell the Hua Bao was attempting to suppress Jin Ling with his own.
But Jin Ling was as immovable as a mountain; he was not one to be intimidated by such pressure.
Jin Ling released his own beast soul’s energy in return. The invisible confrontation made the atmosphere between the two groups grow tense.
But soon, the corner of the Hua Bao male’s eye twitched, and he broke eye contact first.
"It’s normal for the strong to be drawn to larger tribes. However, to enter the Divine Leopard Tribe, each person must pay one Orange-grade Crystal Stone. No Crystal Stone, no entry."
With that, the Hua Bao male stepped aside. "This way, please."
Jin Ling reined in his aura and nodded. He positioned himself between his group and the Hua Bao patrol, letting Feiyan and the others lead Qiao Xixi past first.
Only after they were some distance away did the other Hua Bao males speak up.
"That female is a Wandering Beast, but she has the aura of a Priest. That’s so strange."
The lead Hua Bao male frowned. "What hasn’t the Divine Leopard Tribe seen in its hundreds of years? Nothing to make a fuss about. Back in the day, didn’t the most powerful holy female in Beast King City take a Wandering Beast as her mate? Of course, Wandering Beasts are vicious by nature, so he was driven away in the end."
"That’s true. Those males are so powerful—the weakest one has a 6-star beast soul—and they’re all willing to follow that female. She can’t be ordinary."
"Of course she isn’t. You only noticed the males, but you overlooked the cubs. They’re all at the 3-star beast soul level. Even in our tribe, that’s rare. Let’s go, back to patrol."
The Divine Leopard Tribe was certainly worthy of its reputation as a large tribe. Even the path up the mountain was paved with stone. The beginnings of a civilized society were already taking shape.
"We’re here."
Qiao Xixi looked at the stone gate, which seemed to pierce the sky, and was once again struck by a thought. ’This gate is so thick that even a max-star Mutant Beast would probably kill itself trying to ram it.’
Two squads of male antelope beastmen guarded the gate, stopping Qiao Xixi’s group as they approached.
"Outsiders wishing to enter the Divine Leopard Tribe must hand over one Orange-grade Crystal Stone each."
Qiao Xixi had already prepared the Crystal Stones. She took them out and handed them to the male antelope.
After the male antelope verified there were no issues, he waved them through.
Qiao Xixi noticed other beastmen waiting in line behind them. Judging by the antelope male’s nonchalant reaction, the Divine Leopard Tribe frequently had visitors drawn by its reputation.
As soon as they entered the tribe, Qiao Xixi saw many two- and three-story stone buildings. They looked similar to the stone houses in the Silver Tribe, but were much neater and more spacious.
Beastmen were selling wares on both sides of the road. It was the first time Qiao Xixi had seen beastmen engaged in commerce since arriving in this world, and she couldn’t help but stare with curiosity.
"Young lady, care to take a look? These are the finest beast hides. If you like this one, I’ll sell it to you for five colorless Crystal Stones. What do you say?"
After a bit of inquiry, Qiao Xixi learned that this world did have a currency: colorless Crystal Stones. Their energy was too weak to raise a beastman’s star-rank, but their rarity led to them becoming a form of currency over many years.
If nothing else, Qiao Xixi had managed to get her hands on a large number of colorless Crystal Stones back in Demon Beast City.
"Give me a better price and I’ll buy it."
"I can see you really like it. Alright, four colorless Crystal Stones. How’s that?"
"Deal. I’ll take it."
Qiao Xixi took out the Crystal Stones and handed them to him.
"By the way, do you know of a place in the tribe where we can stay for a while?"
"Of course. See those green-painted houses? The tribe rents those out to outsiders. Just go to that red house up ahead and find a Hundred Sparrow Bird Beastman named Chao Bai. He’ll tell you what to do."