Chapter 75: Surrounded

Chapter 75: Chapter 75: Surrounded

Xin Feng immediately pulled her into an embrace, turning his head to look back.

"I’ll go take a look. You watch over the cubs."

Xin Feng quickly got up and walked toward the cave entrance. The cave had already been buried by snow, leaving only a small gap at the very top.

"The snow collapsed. Don’t worry, I’ll clear it."

Xin Feng’s words put Bai Wanwan at ease. She hugged the cubs and played with them.

The cubs had grown another size, and it was now a bit of a struggle for her to hold the tiger cub by herself.

Fortunately, the tiger cub was smart. He seemed to know his Mother couldn’t carry him, so whenever Bai Wanwan tried to be affectionate, he would quickly hop to the ground and nuzzle his head against her legs.

Bai Wanwan hugged the two Cat Cubs and sat down next to him, not forgetting to praise him. "You’re such a good tiger cub for Mommy! But Mommy can still hold you for now. When you get bigger, I really won’t be able to."

He shifted, curling up by her side and resting his head against her belly, as if listening for the movements of his little brothers and sisters inside.

Bai Wanwan stroked his fur, again and again.

Xin Feng worked quickly, and soon, half the cave entrance was cleared.

He used a stone basin to carry the snow farther away before dumping it.

After more than a dozen trips back and forth, the snow at the entrance was mostly cleared.

Bai Wanwan got up to start a fire. By the time the two males returned, it would be about time for lunch.

Using a Fire Stone, she lit some dry grass and firewood from her System Space and placed a pot over the flames.

Then she took out a few pieces of marbled raw meat and cut them into relatively uniform chunks.

She preferred lean meat, but the two males loved meat with a good mix of fat.

So today, she decided to make them red braised pork.

Xin Feng was already used to her cooking, while Zhu Xiu was still adjusting, though he clearly didn’t mind it.

Carrying the iron pot, she walked to the mouth of the cave. Seeing Xin Feng still hard at work, she called out, "Don’t rush, take your time. I’ll get started on the food."

"You’re pregnant with the cubs. Wait, I’ll do it."

"It’s fine. I feel pretty good right now. You just focus on what you’re doing."

After shouting to make herself heard, Bai Wanwan used the iron pot to scoop up a large amount of snow and carried it back into the cave.

This was a world without industrialization. Everything was pristine and clean, so the snow was naturally free of heavy metal pollutants.

Boiling it directly would yield crystal-clear fresh water.

She dropped the meat chunks into the water. Once it boiled, she skimmed off the scum, let it cook for a little longer, then removed the meat and set it aside.

She poured out the water, wiped the pot clean, and without adding any oil, tossed the meat back in to sear. Once the meat was slightly browned and had rendered some of its fat, she took it out again.

She redeemed some rock sugar with Points from the System Mall and put it in the pot...

Before long, the aroma of the red braised pork filled the cave.

It was a huge basinful, more than enough for her two males to eat their fill.

She picked up a piece to taste it. It was perfect—not too dry, not too greasy.

Meat alone would be too rich, so she also stir-fried a dish of sliced potatoes.

Just as she finished, the two males returned from outside together.

"The food’s ready. Come and eat."

The two males walked over, and Zhu Xiu took the stone basin of red braised pork from her hands.

Bai Wanwan was about to turn and get the bowls and chopsticks, but Xin Feng beat her to it, having already served the rice.

After they all sat down, Zhu Xiu turned to Xin Feng. "We should head west. The route is safer that way."

"Alright. You know this area better. We’ll do as you say."

Bai Wanwan took a bite of her food, her eyes narrowing in satisfaction before she asked, "By the way, what’s the current situation back in Wandering Beast City?"

Zhu Xiu shook his head. "It’s too far; I didn’t go check. After suffering such a huge loss, Yin Da definitely won’t let us off easily."

Back then, Wandering Beast City was engulfed in flames. It was obvious someone had set the fire on purpose.

He lost the Energy Stone, and he lost the Holy Female.

Knowing Yin Da, he was certain the man would be going insane, searching for them everywhere these past few days.

This place was relatively remote, but it wasn’t completely safe either.

It was best to leave now. If they waited until Wanwan gave birth, they’d have several newborn cubs to worry about. In this frozen wasteland, the young could easily perish.

The three of them talked as they quickly polished off the large basin of red braised pork.

That afternoon, Xin Feng went to scout farther out. When he returned, he told Zhu Xiu, "The ice plains are covered in the tracks of Wandering Beasts. It won’t be long before they find us here."

Zhu Xiu fell silent for a moment, then turned to Bai Wanwan. "Wanwan, can your body handle it? If you can, we leave today."

It was better to leave first than to wait for Yin Da and his followers to find them.

There were only two of them, and they had to divert their attention to protecting Wanwan.

If Yin Da arrived with a group, even Zhu Xiu wasn’t fully confident he could get Wanwan out of there unscathed.

Bai Wanwan really didn’t want to travel through the ice and snow, but safety came first.

Hearing that the Wandering Beastmen were about to find them, that this place was no longer safe, what was there for her to hesitate about?

She made her decision instantly. "Okay. Let’s pack up. We can leave immediately."

After the meal, Bai Wanwan stored everything in her System Space.

Still worried, Zhu Xiu wrapped her in several layers of beast hides until she resembled a cocoon.

Xin Feng placed the little cubs into a basket lined with soft hides.

Once they were ready, Zhu Xiu coiled his body around her and the cubs, slowly slithering out of the cave.

Xin Feng transformed into a Silver Wolf and scouted the path ahead.

He would periodically dash off to check their surroundings before running back to guide Zhu Xiu’s direction.

Working together like this, they traveled until dusk.

"You’ve used too much Talent Power," Xin Feng said. "Give Wanwan and the cubs to me. My Talent Power is better suited for resisting the wind and snow."

Zhu Xiu needed to conserve enough Talent Power to handle any potential dangers that might suddenly arise.

After only a brief hesitation, he transferred Bai Wanwan onto Xin Feng’s back.

The jostling made Bai Wanwan drowsy. She opened her eyes to a world of swirling snow, shifted her position, and wrapped her arms around Xin Feng’s neck. "How much longer until we reach the tribe?"

"The main path isn’t safe, so we have to take a detour. It’ll probably take two days to get there."

’Two days is too long.’ Even though the two males were trying their best to control their speed and movements, she was still being jostled around.

With Xin Feng carrying her, Zhu Xiu took over scouting duty.

When he returned from his third scouting trip, his expression was grim. "We can’t go this way. Turn back. We have to go around the back of that mountain."

Xin Feng didn’t ask any questions. He immediately did as instructed, turning around and heading back with Bai Wanwan on his back.

Zhu Xiu followed close behind.

But even so, an hour later, Bai Wanwan heard the thundering sound of countless beasts stampeding.

Drowsy just moments before, she was now wide awake, whipping her head around to look behind them.

The moon overhead was cold but bright, clearly illuminating the charging Wandering Beasts in the distance.

"Xin Feng, take Wanwan and go!"

Zhu Xiu made a split-second decision, immediately channeling his Talent Power. His beast form instantly swelled to several times its normal size.

After only a moment’s hesitation, Xin Feng broke into a full sprint, carrying Bai Wanwan swiftly across the snowy plains.

Bai Wanwan tightened her grip on his neck and looked all around. The Wandering Beastmen were closing in on them from all sides.