Chapter 47: It’s You

Chapter 47: Chapter 47: It’s You

The cub was tiny, and after so long in the snow, its body temperature had dropped dangerously low.

It was too weak to even struggle, curled into a small ball in the snow.

Chou Rong shifted into his human form, walked over to the cub, and reached down to pick it up.

The moment he saw it, Chou Rong’s heart clenched.

In his hands was a tiny tiger cub, likely a newborn.

The crucial thing was that its scent was a continuation of his own.

Chou Rong knew, almost instantly, that this was his own cub.

The only time he had ever been with a female was that one night.

He couldn’t remember anything about the female afterward; only the feeling of that night lingered.

He had even begun to suspect he’d imagined it all, that nothing had ever happened.

He had checked every female in the tribe but couldn’t find her.

Only now, seeing this tiger cub, did he know that night had been real.

Seeing the tiger cub on the verge of death, its eyelids drooping, he had no time for further thought. He swiftly enveloped the cub in his Talent Power.

The comforting warmth of the power slowly brought the tiger cub back to life.

Only when he was certain the tiger cub was out of danger did Chou Rong cradle it in his hands and examine it closely.

The cub bore none of its Mother’s features, making her difficult to identify.

He turned it over and inspected it for a while. The tiger cub grew sleepy, opening its tiny mouth in a yawn.

Perhaps it smelled its Father Beast’s scent, for the tiger cub didn’t reject him at all. Instead, it nuzzled its head against his palm, trying to find a comfortable spot to sleep.

Chou Rong had never been a Father Beast. Seeing the tiny cub rely on him stirred a strange, unfamiliar feeling inside him.

It made him want to take good care of this little creature, an urge he couldn’t control.

He tapped the tiger cub’s head with his finger. "Just who is your Mother?"

A female’s unique scent could only be detected by those close to her when she was in her beast form.

But...

He thought hard, running through the list of recently pregnant females in the Cat Clan Tribe...

Bai Wanwan’s face surfaced in his mind, and his heart gave a slight tremble. ’Could it really be her?’

Chou Rong clutched the cub to his chest and scanned his surroundings.

’I can’t let Bai Wanwan fall into the hands of Wandering Beastmen.’

He had to find her and ask her outright if she was the one who had borne his cub.

If it was her...

Chou Rong didn’t let himself think about what would happen if he found her. He just leaped, disappearing deeper into the forest.

******

Bai Wanwan took out meat strips from her System Space to feed the cubs.

They were still so little. After finishing the meat, they grew drowsy in their Mother’s arms, letting out soft, purring snores.

Bai Wanwan, stewing in her anxiety, couldn’t stop herself from asking the System, "Hua Sheng, is there any way you can help me find my tiger cub?"

"Host, if you had enough Points, you could. But you only have eight hundred left, which is far from enough."

"Can you give them to me on credit? I’ll pay you back double, even triple."

’Points were nothing compared to her cub’s life. Her cub was what mattered.’

"Host, that is not possible. The last time was a new host benefit, a one-time opportunity."

Bai Wanwan kicked the cave wall in frustration. She was just a weakling, transmigrated to this world full of beasts and Beastmen, completely useless.

"Host, do not be anxious. You have only just arrived and recently given birth to a litter of cubs, which is why you feel powerless. In the future, once Host finds a few more powerful Beast Husbands and gives birth to cubs with a High Rank Talent, Host will be able to use Points to protect yourself and your cubs."

’If she could, she would have another litter right away, and then another after that.’

’But none of that was going to happen overnight.’

She fell silent, wrestling with her frantic emotions.

Time trickled by. The cubs in her arms slept soundly.

Bai Wanwan was physically exhausted, but her mind was wide awake.

She had already gotten up more than ten times to peer out through the gaps in the rocks.

It was pitch-black outside; she couldn’t see a thing.

She could only walk back and sit down again, leaning against the cave wall.

Suddenly, she heard a beast outside, HUFFING and SNORTING.

Bai Wanwan immediately whipped her head toward the cave entrance.

The entrance was tightly blocked by a large stone, so she couldn’t see what kind of beast it was.

But the HUFFING and SNORTING grew louder, joined by the sound of teeth scraping against stone.

A moment later, the stone blocking the cave seemed to shift.

Seeing this, Bai Wanwan scrambled to her feet and pressed her frail body against the stone.

But what was her strength compared to a beast’s?

The stone pushed her, forcing her to slide back inch by inch.

Bai Wanwan bit her lip, digging her heels in.

She knew that if she let the beast in, there wouldn’t be a trace of her or her cubs left by the time Xin Feng returned.

HUFF... HUFF...

Bai Wanwan shifted her position, gritting her teeth as she dug her heels in and pushed with her hands.

As luck would have it, one of the cubs in the basket woke up, knocked it over, and started to slowly crawl out.

"Tiger cub, get back inside!"

The stone had been pushed back a fair distance. The beast couldn’t get in yet, but it would be easy for the tiger cub to slip out.

But the tiger cub didn’t understand her. Startled by her shout, it flinched, then wagged its tail and waddled toward her.

Bai Wanwan was scared to death. "Tiger cub, get back! Don’t come over here!" she yelled.

As she spoke, she used her foot to block it, trying to keep it away from the entrance.

But that brief distraction was enough for the stone to be shoved inward again.

The tiger cub finally realized its Mother wasn’t playing.

It saw the beast at the entrance and, terrified, turned its chubby body around and scrambled back into the basket.

The other two cubs had woken up as well. They had just started to poke their heads out curiously when the first cub shoved them back in.

Bai Wanwan breathed a sigh of relief at the sight and then pushed with all her might.

Now all she could do was pray she could hold out long enough for Xin Feng to get back.

The beast outside had already caught the sweet scent of the cubs.

It went into a frenzy, ramming the stone with wild abandon.

With each impact, Bai Wanwan was shoved back a little further.

The opening grew larger and larger, big enough for a person to squeeze through.

’It’s over...’

Seeing the opening, Bai Wanwan felt as if a hole had opened in her own heart, a cold dread pouring in.

Another ram, and Bai Wanwan was sent flying, landing in a heap beside the bamboo basket.

She immediately scrambled up to push the stone again, but she was too late. It was shoved aside, and a beast’s head poked through the opening.

Bai Wanwan couldn’t make out the beast’s features, but a thick, putrid stench filled her nostrils, making her gag.

She grabbed the bamboo basket and scrambled back, retreating into the narrowest part of the cave.

Suddenly, the huffing, excited beast let out a loud "AOOOWW!"

THUD!

Its massive body seemed to fall backward, out of the cave.

Bai Wanwan couldn’t resist peeking out, but the stone blocked her line of sight.

’Is Xin Feng back?’

Just as she was thinking this, the stone was pushed aside, and a figure appeared in the opening.

"Xin Feng?"

She couldn’t make out the figure’s features, but seeing a person there, she guessed he had returned.

Her heart, which had been lodged in her throat, was just about to settle when the approaching figure spoke. "Bai Wanwan, you really are full of surprises!"

The smile on Bai Wanwan’s face froze. She stared in disbelief at the figure before her. "Roger... it’s you..."