Chapter 168: Vigilance

Chapter 168: Chapter 168: Vigilance

Bai Wanwan noticed Zhu Xiu had stopped, his gaze seemingly fixed on something. She couldn’t help but turn her head in curiosity and ask softly, "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing."

Zhu Xiu quickly withdrew his gaze, his tone flat, as if his moment of distraction had just been an illusion.

However, Bai Wanwan’s eyes had already followed his line of sight.

In the distance, the figures of Beastmen were faintly visible between the sparse leaves. They were too far away, so she could only vaguely make out the tall, upright silhouette of a male standing amongst the shadows of the trees.

Though she couldn’t see his face, his stately posture exuded an air of nobility.

He seemed to be watching them as well, his gaze sharp and intense.

Just as Bai Wanwan was about to get a better look, Zhu Xiu gently took her by the wrist. "Let’s go."

"Oh, okay."

She snapped back to reality and let Zhu Xiu lead her toward the market. But a sliver of doubt remained in her mind, and she couldn’t help but lower her voice to ask, "What were those Beastmen doing just now? Skulking in the woods like that."

Zhu Xiu tightened his grip on her hand, his tone nonchalant. "It has nothing to do with us. Pay them no mind."

He, of course, knew where those Beastmen came from. He especially recognized the male standing in the shadows of the trees—Jin Yi, the Young Clan Leader of the Golden Lion Tribe.

Even back in Wandering Beast City, the name of the Golden Lion Young Clan Leader, Jin Yi, was often heard.

Jin Yi despised Wandering Beasts more than anything. Any he encountered, he would hunt down relentlessly.

Jin Yi was born with the Talent of a Yellow Rank Peak, and it was said that a few years ago, he was already on the verge of breaking through the Yellow Rank to enter the Orange Rank.

The Wandering Beasts hated him, but they also feared him greatly.

Such a powerful male had yet to take a mate.

In the past, he would have heard such things and thought nothing of it, but now, he couldn’t help but feel wary.

He remembered that Jin Yi was the male that all the precious females of the major tribes wanted to mate with.

Zhu Xiu’s eyes turned cold. He would never give Jin Yi any chance to get close to Wanwan.

Their group stepped back into the market, but the surrounding atmosphere was completely different from before.

The male Beastmen at the market cast wary and guarded glances their way. Some even subconsciously created distance between themselves and the group.

Zhu Xiu’s expression remained impassive, but he knew what was happening—the pig Beastman’s agonizing screams had clearly spread throughout the entire market. These Beastmen had sharp senses and had probably witnessed the entire scene unfold.

Yan Lie paid no mind to the stares of the other males. He sidled up to Bai Wanwan’s other side with his usual grin and asked cheerfully, "Wanwan, is there anything else you want to trade for? I’ll go get it for you."

Bai Wanwan glanced around. There really weren’t many goods at the market—just a few strange fruits, some wild beast meat, and a handful of crude daily utensils scattered about.

She shook her head in disappointment and said to Yan Lie, "There’s nothing in particular I want. Let’s just browse. If there’s really nothing we need, we can get back on the road."

She had imagined a market like those in modern society, with a dazzling array of goods, a hubbub of voices, and even various food stalls.

Of course, she knew this was the Beast World, so it was impossible for it to be that lively.

However, the gap between reality and her imagination was as wide as the difference between a real Hermès and a cheap knockoff.

One look was enough to see the entire market, and a single pass through had already killed her interest.

Just as she was about to turn away, her gaze was suddenly caught by something at a stall diagonally ahead.

’Is that garlic?’

She walked straight to the stall, pointed at the snow-white bulbs, and feigned ignorance. "What is this?"

The stall owner answered enthusiastically, "This is called Pain Relief Fruit."

"Pain Relief Fruit?" Bai Wanwan paused for a moment, muttering to herself, ’Isn’t this just garlic? Or maybe it just looks similar.’

"It can relieve pain?" she pressed.

Just then, Xin Feng came to her side and explained, "Sometimes when Beastmen eat spoiled meat, they get a stomachache. Eating more Pain Relief Fruit can help ease it."

Hearing this, Bai Wanwan understood.

Garlic did indeed have antibacterial properties. The plants in the Beast World might be different from those in the modern world; perhaps the "Pain Relief Fruit" here had an even stronger sterilizing effect.

She bent down, picked up a bulb of garlic from the stall, brought it to her nose, and sniffed. There was no mistake—this was garlic!

Garlic was an indispensable seasoning in so many delicious dishes.

Although she could exchange for it in the points mall, she was pinching every penny right now and had no desire to waste her Points.

So, she asked directly, "How do I trade for this?"

The stall owner’s eyes lit up, and he immediately said, "You can trade for it with that hair accessory you gave them earlier."

Bai Wanwan smiled, her tone tinged with a bit of teasing. "You want to trade my hair accessory for just these few dozen ’Pain Relief Fruits’? I’m afraid that’s not enough. But if you have something else to trade, I might consider it."

Though she said that, she had already decided in her heart to buy all of this garlic.

She had seen videos before and knew that garlic, like potatoes, was easy to grow. You could even eat the garlic shoots.

If she had to exchange for supplies from the points mall every day, it would cost her at least several dozen Points.

But if she grew her own potatoes, garlic shoots, and other things, she could save a lot of Points.

It might not seem like much for a day or two, but over a month or two, it would add up to a considerable amount.

The stall owner clearly felt the trade was a bit unfair as well. He scratched his head, and then his eyes suddenly lit up. "I know a method for catching Cannibal Fish!"

"A method for catching Cannibal Fish?"

Bai Wanwan pouted. ’Is that supposed to be rare?’

’Who would go out of their way to catch Cannibal Fish?’

"Yes, yes! If you agree, I’ll trade with you."

"No—"

Just as she was about to refuse, Zhu Xiu took her hand and said to the stall owner, "Tell us. If it really works, we’ll trade."

Bai Wanwan turned her head, blinking in confusion. "What’s going on? Why would we catch Cannibal Fish?"

Zhu Xiu turned to her and explained, "The meat of the Cannibal Fish is delicious, and females love to eat it. Only the precious females in large tribes ever get a chance to taste it."

"Delicious?" The moment Bai Wanwan heard that, her interest was piqued.

This Beast World had nothing, which was already grievance enough.

The one thing she absolutely could not wrong was her own stomach.

Seeing their interest, the stall owner quickly added, "I’ll only tell you if you really trade. You can’t trick me."

Without another word, Bai Wanwan pulled the shiny hair accessory from her clothes and handed it over. "I’m not tricking you. Go on."

The stall owner took the hair accessory, so happy his eyes narrowed into slits, and immediately spilled the method for catching Cannibal Fish in full detail.

After he finished, the stall owner clutched the hair accessory tightly in his hands.

"I secretly overheard that method from a male from a Super Tribe, and I even saw them catch some with my own eyes. So the method is real, but whether or not you can catch any depends on your own skills."

With that, he hurriedly rolled up his animal hide, ready to leave.

He had thought these males would try to stop him, so he kept looking back every few steps.

But he found that even after walking a good distance, they hadn’t followed him.

’Even if I told them the method,’ he thought, ’they probably couldn’t catch any anyway...’