Chapter 396: A Burden

Chapter 396: Chapter 396: A Burden

"So it really is you!"

The Cobra Beastman’s vertical pupils contracted abruptly, and his forked tongue flickered violently, revealing his extreme excitement.

"We’re from the same tribe! They banished you back then, and later, they abandoned me too!"

Zhu Xiu nonchalantly flicked his Snake Tail, his crimson eyes glinting with a dangerous light. "Oh? And what great taboo did you commit to get kicked out of the tribe?"

"I just mated with a female who had just come of age!"

The Snake Beastman suddenly raised his head in agitation, his eyes erupting with a crazed hatred. "Those hypocrites! I swear I’ll go back and get my revenge! But..." His tone abruptly shifted to one of morbid pleasure. "Being a Wandering Beastman isn’t so bad. I can take any female I want by force..."

"Hah..." Bai Wanwan couldn’t help but sneer. "You’d better look at how many Beastmen are around. Are you tired of living, saying something like that in front of us?"

Only then did the Snake Beastman notice the petite figure behind the crowd. His vertical pupils instantly flared with greed. "Zhu Xiu! Take her! From now on, we’ll be allies, and in the future, we can go back and get our revenge together."

"Alright."

Zhu Xiu slowly slithered forward, his scales scraping with a sound that made one’s blood run cold.

"Wait! I meant for you to take the female!" the Snake Beastman hissed, his tongue flicking out anxiously.

In his mind, Mutated Snake Beasts were always solitary wanderers. Even seeing Zhu Xiu traveling with other Beastmen, he had just assumed it was a temporary partnership.

"There are too many males around her." Zhu Xiu deliberately lowered his voice, sending out a dangerous signal. "But... if we work together..."

The Snake Beastman immediately arched his body in excitement. "Yes! Together, we..."

"I’ll draw their attention, you grab her," Zhu Xiu said, nodding as if he had just considered it.

The Snake Beastman eagerly tightened his tail, which was wrapped around Yin Mei, causing her to let out a pained groan.

In the distance, Yin Ze, Kong Lai, and Bai Wanwan all tensed up, their fists clenched so tightly their knuckles cracked.

At the critical moment.

HISS!

Zhu Xiu lunged without warning, his fangs sinking viciously into his kinsman’s back!

"You..." The Snake Beastman’s eyes widened in disbelief as his massive body crashed to the ground. "Why?"

He struggled desperately, but could only spit up black blood in vain.

Yin Ze and Kong Lai seized the opportunity to rush forward and rescue the barely breathing Yin Mei.

"We’re... kinsmen..." the Snake Beastman gasped with difficulty. "Why would you... kill me for Foreign Beastmen?"

Zhu Xiu looked down on him, his crimson vertical pupils cold and merciless. "Have you forgotten? I’m a Mutated Snake Beast. We’re insidious and ruthless. You, form an alliance with me? Were you expecting me to trust you, or did you actually trust me?"

"I... I didn’t plan to harm you..." The Snake Beastman’s pupils began to lose focus. "I just... because you and I are both Snake Beasts, and we were both banished from the tribe... I wanted to team up with you to get revenge in the future."

"Is that so?" With a flick of his tail, Zhu Xiu swept his dying kinsman over the waterfall, sending up a massive splash. "What do those Snake Beasts have to do with me?"

Meanwhile, Bai Wanwan hurried over to check on Yin Mei. "Sister Yin Mei, are you okay?"

"I’m fine... Wanwan." Yin Mei gave her a weak smile, then opened her eyes and began to search for Kong Lai.

Kong Lai grabbed her hand. "I’m here. Are you... are you badly hurt?"

"I’m alright. He was just squeezing me so tightly, I couldn’t catch my breath."

Kong Lai gripped his mate’s hand tightly, his voice choked with emotion. "As long as you’re back..."

Seeing that the two of them needed a moment alone, Bai Wanwan took Yin Ze’s hand and slowly backed away.

"Let them be alone for a bit."

Earning a confused look from Yin Ze, Bai Wanwan lifted her chin. "Your sister and Kong Lai just reunited. They don’t have room for anyone else right now. You shouldn’t disturb them either."

Seeing Kong Lai’s reaction, Yin Ze was finally able to relax.

This male truly loved his sister and was protecting her with his life. He just wasn’t strong enough, which gave the Snake Beastman an opening.

Just then, Zhu Xiu returned to his human form and walked over. Bai Wanwan couldn’t help but ask, "That one just now... was he from your tribe? We could have kept him alive, asked him about your old tribe..."

"There’s no need," Zhu Xiu said, his voice cold and deep. "None of that has anything to do with me."

Bai Wanwan knew he had truly let it go and wanted nothing to do with the Beastmen who had abandoned him.

But she was petty; she couldn’t just let it go like that.

’To think he was banished from the tribe when he was so young,’ she thought. ’In the wild, it’s survival of the fittest every single day.’

’He was just a snakelet. Who knows how many terrible things he had to endure to survive.’

She quietly reached out and took his hand. "How could it have nothing to do with you? We could have at least learned something from him. They dared to abandon you, so one day, we’re going to go back and make them pay."

Zhu Xiu sensed the female’s heartache and concern for him and let out a soft chuckle. "Vent anger over what? I don’t even remember them. There’s no need to cause trouble for myself over some irrelevant Beastmen."

"But I can’t stomach this injustice. You were so young."

The chill in Zhu Xiu’s eyes faded a little. "Mm, if you can’t let it go, I’ll take you back there to vent your anger. You can do whatever you want."

"Okay! Once everything has settled down, we’ll go to the tribe you were born in and settle the score!"

With Yin Mei found, it wasn’t convenient for the group to stay out any longer.

The group of Beastmen set off on their way back.

By the time they returned to the Peacock Tribe, Yin Mei had made a full recovery.

She and Bai Wanwan walked hand-in-hand at the back of the group. After spending the past two days with Bai Wanwan, the shadow of fear from being abducted by the Snake Beastman had dissipated considerably.

"Wanwan, if Kong Lai and I go with you to the Tiger Clan, we’ll just be a burden. This is Kong Lai’s clan. If we stay here, we’ll have their help. You don’t have to worry."

Yin Mei couldn’t bear to part with her younger brother, but after he mated with Wanwan, they were going to settle in the Tiger Clan. He was already a Foreign Beastman with no family support there.

Now he wanted to bring her along too. She didn’t want to drag him down.

Bai Wanwan squeezed her hand. "What help can they offer? This time, if we hadn’t come back and found you in time, you wouldn’t have made it back at all. If Yin Ze knew that, he would feel incredibly guilty."

Yin Mei looked guiltily at her brother’s back. "It’s my fault for getting you all involved..."

"Family is supposed to help each other. Look at me, I’m just a weak female, and I’ve been through a lot too. By your logic, that means I’m constantly dragging down my males."

"A male is supposed to take care of his female. How could that be a burden?" Yin Mei shook her head, disagreeing.

Bai Wanwan smiled. "Well, you’re Yin Ze’s older sister, so it’s only right that he takes care of you too. Sister Yin Mei, don’t worry about anything else. Go pack your things and come with us."

"But..."

"You saved me once, too. From now on, we’re family." Bai Wanwan looked at her, a heartwarming smile appearing on her face. "And a family should always be together."