Chapter 31: Envy

Chapter 31: Chapter 31: Envy

Xin Feng turned to see her running toward him and quickly went back to steady her.

"What’s wrong? Don’t rush. What if you fall?"

"You were about to go up the mountain without eating anything. By the time you get back, it’ll be dark. Here, take this to eat on the mountain."

She stuffed two strips of jerky and a few fruits into his arms. "Work is work, but don’t let yourself go hungry."

After Xin Feng took them, he raised his other hand to tuck a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. "Alright. I’ll be quick. I’ll come back early to grill some meat for you."

Bai Wanwan’s eyes crinkled into a smile as she waved. "Then you should get going. I’ll wait for you at home."

This scene happened to be witnessed by Hu Ya and her Beast Husbands.

It was the first time Hu Ya had ever seen such an expression on Xin Feng’s face.

When he faced her, he was always cold and never smiled.

She was so consumed by anger that she failed to notice the envious looks on the faces of her Beast Husbands beside her as they watched the scene.

Although males were supposed to unconditionally protect their females and satisfy their every demand as much as possible...

...they also hoped their females would treat them the same way.

In the entire Cat Clan Tribe, they had never seen a female like Bai Wanwan.

She seemed to treat her Beast Husband exceptionally well.

Because they lived nearby, they often saw her smiling at Xin Feng, never once getting angry with him.

Hu Ya turned her head and saw all her Beast Husbands staring at Bai Wanwan outside.

A blaze of fury ignited within her. "What are you looking at? You all like Bai Wanwan, don’t you? If you like her so much, then go be her Beast Husbands! Get out! All of you, get out!"

Berated for no reason, the Beast Husbands didn’t dare talk back. They could only disperse silently and get back to work.

*******

After returning to her cave, Bai Wanwan sliced off a piece of meat and started pan-frying it on a stone slab, flipping it back and forth.

The fat rendered with a loud SIZZLE.

But having eaten this for many meals in a row, she was actually getting a little tired of it.

’No staple foods, no vegetables—it’s not a friendly diet for an omnivore like me.’

But there was nothing to be done. She could only endure it for now.

When the steak was done, she still ate every last bite.

With nothing to do in the afternoon, she decided to take another nap.

When she woke up, the cave was already completely dark.

She wrapped herself in an animal hide and emerged from her blankets, braving the cold.

She realized Xin Feng hadn’t returned yet.

She walked to the entrance and opened the door.

A blast of cold wind rushed in, making her shiver.

’It’s almost completely dark. Why isn’t Xin Feng back yet?’

It was too cold at the entrance, so after peering out for a moment, she closed the door again.

After checking like this three or four times, the distance had become a vast blur. The sky was a dim, ashen gray, but there was still no sign of Xin Feng.

’Could something have happened to him?’

She wanted to go out and look, but the cold wind blowing against her neck made her hesitate again and again.

But then she thought of how Xin Feng always rushed to do all the work, and how he would warm her up whenever he saw she was cold.

Gritting her teeth, she wrapped the animal hide tighter around herself and rushed out into the night.

The wind was even stronger outside, making her teeth chatter.

Through the gloom, she saw a figure appear ahead. Her expression relaxed, and she called out, "Xin Feng?"

Soon, the figure became clearer.

Xin Yu had seen her too. "Wanwan, it’s me."

Xin Yu was walking over, carrying a kill on his shoulder. Xin Shan and Hu Ya’s other Beast Husbands were not far behind him.

Bai Wanwan was slightly disappointed. She looked past him. "Did you come back from the back mountain? Did you see Xin Feng?"

"No. Hasn’t Xin Feng come back yet?"

"He’s not back. I’ll go take a look then."

With that, she moved to walk past him.

Worried that a lone female like her would encounter wild beasts in the mountains, Xin Yu immediately said, "Wanwan, wait! It’s not safe for you to go alone. I’ll go with you."

"No need. I’ll just take a quick look and come right back." Bai Wanwan started walking.

Xin Yu was still carrying his kill. Seeing her just leave, he grew anxious.

He quickly ran toward home with the kill.

Without even entering his cave, he dropped the kill at the entrance and ran to chase after Bai Wanwan.

Xin Shan and Hu Ya’s other Beast Husbands were returning via another path and were nearly run into by Xin Yu.

Xin Shan put out a hand to stop him. "Xin Yu, it’s dark. Where are you going?"

Hu Ya’s other Beast Husbands ignored the two of them, simply carrying their kills and walking past.

Xin Yu was anxious that he hadn’t caught up to Bai Wanwan. "Brother, Xin Feng isn’t back, and Wanwan is going up the mountain to find him. I’m going to follow her and check."

Upon hearing this, Xin Shan’s expression changed instantly. Without a second thought, he said, "I’ll go with you."

In truth, Bai Wanwan hadn’t planned on leaving the tribe to go up the mountain. She was worried about Xin Feng’s safety, but she knew her own limits. With her frail physique, so weak she could be pushed over with a single touch, going up the mountain would just be serving herself up as a meal to the wild beasts.

She just felt anxious staying in the cave alone and wanted to come out to look, just to calm her nerves.

There were two males guarding the entrance to the tribe’s back mountain.

When they saw her, they immediately warned, "It’s dark. Females aren’t allowed up the mountain."

"I’m not going out. I’ll just stand here and wait."

Just as she said that, a sound came from the woods not far from the tribe’s entrance.

It sounded like a beast trampling on dry leaves.

The two males immediately turned their heads, alert.

Bai Wanwan also looked in that direction.

After a short while, a figure appeared in their line of sight.

The faint moonlight could only illuminate a blurry silhouette.

But Bai Wanwan recognized him. It was Xin Feng, carrying several bundles of firewood.

The weight on her heart finally lifted at that moment. Bai Wanwan waved at him. "Xin Feng!"

Hearing her voice, Xin Feng looked up, saw Bai Wanwan, and immediately quickened his pace.

He was carrying two bundles of firewood on his shoulder, stacked high. Even just looking at it, she could tell it was heavy.

But he strode forward as if the load were weightless, quickly arriving in front of her.

"What are you doing here? Aren’t you cold?"

Carrying the firewood, he started to move closer, but then caught himself and stepped away.

"You go first, so I don’t poke you with this."

Bai Wanwan moved to the side. "Look at you. I told you to carry less. Isn’t that tiring, carrying so much?"

Xin Feng shook his head and smiled at her. "Not tiring. This dry wood doesn’t weigh much."

He consciously slowed his pace so that Bai Wanwan could keep up with him.

"I’ll be going up the mountain for the next few days. If it gets late, just wait for me at home. Don’t come out. It’s cold and dark outside, and I worry."

"I just didn’t have anything to do and couldn’t sit still. I wanted to come out and wait for you."

Hearing her words, Xin Feng felt a sense of being needed.

Even the ferocious-looking side of his face seemed to soften. "Then I’ll come back earlier tomorrow. Once everything is ready, I won’t go out anymore. I’ll stay home and be with you every day."

They walked home, talking as if no one else was around.

They completely failed to notice the two brothers, Xin Shan and Xin Yu, standing on a fork in the path.

As the sound of their lighthearted conversation slowly faded in the wind, Xin Yu couldn’t help but speak up. "Brother, Wanwan is so good to Xin Feng."

Forget Hu Ya worrying about them coming back so late—Xin Yu felt that even if he were eaten by a wild beast, she wouldn’t be too upset.

With this realization, waves of bitterness washed over him.

"If we hadn’t been poisoned by the thorn flower back then and had become Wanwan’s Beast Husbands, would she have treated us this well, too?"