As soon as the words were spoken, two tall males appeared at the entrance of the stone house.
They were the Clan Leader's two sons!
"From now on, Xin Shan and Xin Yu will be your Beast Husbands!" the Clan Leader said with a grin, then turned as if to leave.
"Wait..." Bai Wanwan narrowed her eyes. "I have no intention of taking mates."
The Clan Leader smiled, his face looking incredibly benevolent. "Wanwan, the rainy season is about to begin. It would be very dangerous for a newly adult female like you to live alone. Since you haven't chosen a Beast Husband, it is my duty as Clan Leader to have males ensure your safety. This matter is settled."
"Xin Shan, Xin Yu, from now on, Wanwan is your Wife."
Xin Shan and Xin Yu looked at Bai Wanwan, their gazes flickering with uncertainty.
With a single sentence, the Clan Leader had made the arrangements for her, giving her no chance to refuse. After forcing the two men on her, he left.
'Blatantly scheming against me?'
'Fine. We'll deal with this after I get some sleep.'
She paid the two males no more mind, turning and entering the stone house. She lay down on the stone bed, which was covered in animal hides, and found it uncomfortably hard.
But she was so exhausted that she quickly fell asleep anyway.
*******
The night was deep, and from Hu Ya's cave came waves of sounds that would make one blush.
The low growls of a male Beastman intertwined with the sharp cries of a female, sounding particularly jarring in the quiet of the tribe.
Many males were kept tossing and turning by the commotion, an unbearable itch growing in their hearts.
Bai Wanwan was sleeping soundly when she suddenly felt a strange sensation on her leg.
She woke with a start, discovering something squirming beneath the animal hide covering her.
"Get off!" She lashed out with a powerful kick.
"Ouch!"
Xin Yu tumbled pitifully from the stone bed, landing flat on his back.
Bai Wanwan's sleep had been disturbed, and she was incredibly grumpy from being woken up.
Flames of anger danced in her eyes. "What are you doing?"
Xin Yu sat on the floor and looked up at her. "Wanwan, I... I wanted to make you feel good..."
Just then, Hu Ya's voice came from the neighboring cave again, hoarse to the point of being almost shrill, accompanied by the male Beastman's increasingly wild growls.
Bai Wanwan felt like her ears were taking some serious damage.
Undeterred, Xin Yu reached out again, trying to touch her calf.
"Touch me again," she said coldly, "and you can get the hell back to your own home right now."
Seeing this, Xin Shan quickly came forward and pulled Xin Yu up.
"Wanwan, we thought you would like it. Since you don't, I'll keep an eye on Xin Yu. You should get some sleep."
After Xin Yu was dragged away by Xin Shan, the peace didn't last long.
Hu Ya's cries continued unabated, sharp and piercing.
Bai Wanwan couldn't take it anymore. She threw off the hide, got up, and strode towards the cave next door.
In the dim cave, Bai Wanwan couldn't make out the movements on the bed, only a few blurry shadows.
'They're getting pretty creative.'
Hu Ya was in the middle of a passionate cry when she suddenly looked up and saw Bai Wanwan by the bed. Her hoarse voice abruptly turned sharp.
"AH! Bai—"
Hu Ya found her voice. "Bai Wanwan, what are you doing here?"
Her words finally made the Beast Husband on top of her stop.
Bai Wanwan cleaned out her ear, leisurely saying, "You're screaming so loud, and you're asking me why I'm here? Since you seem so desperate for me to hear, I'll just sit here and listen every day. Come on, continue!"
Hu Ya roared in anger, "Get out!"
"You're so loud I can't sleep," Bai Wanwan said, sitting down on the edge of the stone bed. "Since I can't sleep anyway, why don't you continue the show for me?"
Hu Ya had just taken a mate and was in high spirits.
She had indeed been making a commotion on purpose, wanting the brothers Xin Shan and Xin Yu to hear just how blissful it was to be with her.
She never expected that instead of the two brothers, Bai Wanwan would show up.
Hu Ya cursed until her throat was dry, but Bai Wanwan still wouldn't leave.
"Bai Wanwan, what the hell do you want?"
"I already told you! You're bothering me."
Hu Ya's Beast Husband was caressing her waist, and she, itching with desire, had no choice but to swallow her anger and say, "We'll be more careful. It won't happen again."
"Then remember what you said. If you wake me up again, I'll be squatting at the head of your bed to listen every single day."
「The next day at noon」 Bai Wanwan slowly woke up.
Starving, she rummaged through the cave, only to find a few pieces of jerky as hard as rocks.
The moment she bit down, she nearly broke a tooth.
'Do all Beastmen have iron teeth?'
Suddenly, this picturesque Beast World with its fresh air didn't seem so great anymore.
"Hua Sheng, even oxen and sheep have to eat before they can work, right? I can't eat well or sleep well, so how am I supposed to have cubs? No, I'm going on strike."
The system quickly tried to placate her. "Host, just endure it a little longer. Once you have cubs and earn some Points, you can eat whatever you want."
"Just stringing me along with empty promises, are you?"
She counted on her fingers. "I want lobster, salmon, hot pot, barbecue..."
As she spoke, her eyes started to well up. All this food that was once so easy to get had now become an extravagant hope.
But she had always been optimistic, her moods coming and going quickly.
After she finished "eating," she walked to the cave entrance and peeked outside.
It was exceptionally quiet today. Hu Ya's cave next door seemed empty, and the two brothers, Xin Shan and Xin Yu, were also nowhere to be seen.
Bored, she wandered outside. She barely saw any males along the way and guessed they had gone up the mountain to hunt in preparation for the upcoming rainy and snowy seasons.
Only the females were busy in the tribe, processing all kinds of food.
The Mountain Cat Tribe was rugged and primitive, but it also possessed a tranquil peace.
She strolled through it all with a smile, waving to the other Beastmen from time to time.
Her leisurely appearance was a stark contrast to the other busy Beastmen.
Before she knew it, she had walked out of the tribe and arrived at the mountain behind it.
A two-meter-wide stream snaked down from the mountain, its water so clear you could see the bottom.
Peeking in, she could even see fish and shrimp swimming inside.
Bai Wanwan's eyes lit up, and she licked her lips. She was so hungry.
'If I have to eat something raw, I suppose I could go for sashimi.'
Although the weather was a bit chilly, that wasn't reason enough to stop her from getting a full meal.
After a moment's hesitation, she found a secluded spot and simply stripped off her cumbersome clothes.
'The weather's getting colder. It'll be even more inconvenient to wash my hair and bathe later, unless I can build a fire to heat water.'
She folded her clothes and placed them on the bank, then slid naked into the water. After washing herself clean in a few quick movements, she started trying to catch fish with her bare hands.
She thought it would be easy, but after trying for ages, she hadn't managed to catch a single one.
SPLASH!
Her foot slipped, and Bai Wanwan fell headfirst into the water.
"Who's there?"
Bai Wanwan opened her mouth to speak but only swallowed a mouthful of water.
She struggled to get up, only to stumble and fall back in her panic.
She didn't even have time to think. She heard a splash, and then a strong arm lifted her out of the water.
The first thing she saw was a half-mangled face.
A scar ran from the corner of his eye to his mouth, completely ruining that side. The irregular, fleshy lumps of the healed wound made that half of his face look terrifying.
Yet it was in stark contrast to the other half.
The other half of his face was exquisitely handsome, with features so outstanding that perhaps only the other male, Chou Rong, could compare.
After pulling her up, he quickly averted his gaze and removed his hand, not touching her in the slightest.
A blush spread from his handsome cheek all the way to the tip of his ear.