Chapter 19: That Wild Male You Met Outside?
The system calculated: “Chiyao is desperate to have offspring. After three days and nights of effort, and with you just entering your mating season, everything is perfectly aligned.”
Luo Luo panicked: “Perfectly aligned with what?!”
“Perfect timing for giving birth! Spring has arrived, everything is reviving—now is the ideal time for mating and producing offspring.”
Luo Luo froze on the spot. She didn’t want to give birth, not at all. But what had happened had already occurred, and at the time, her mind had been foggy.
Beauty can be dangerous!
Ah, her head hurt just thinking about it.
Forget it. She decided not to dwell on it and would take things step by step—deal with problems as they come.
“Lady, are you alright?” Chiyao noticed her low mood and asked with concern.
“I’m fine.” Seeing the handsome guy, her mood immediately lifted. A smile curved her lips. “Um, Chiyao… can I call you Qilang?”
Chiyao’s eyes darkened. “Qilang? That wild male you met outside?”
“No, it’s just a pet name for you,” Luo Luo said, leaning close to his ear and whispering.
After hearing her explanation, Chiyao blushed, which was rare for him. “Ah! Lady, you’re so naughty!”
From the tree, Ziye pricked up his ears. Here they go again!
Seeing Luo Luo smile so brightly, her teeth shining in the sunlight, he felt a bit dazed. In just three days, she seemed to have lost quite a bit of weight.
Well, after being tormented by Chiyao like that, it wasn’t surprising.
Xiao Zhan, standing under a nearby tree, heard Chiyao calling Luo Luo “naughty.”
He nodded involuntarily. Yes, she was naughty—extremely naughty.
Wait a second… something felt off.
Chiyao’s tone sounded strange. Naughty, yes, but why was he blushing? And why did his voice sound… coquettish?
Oh my! That big brute was actually acting cute!
Xiao Zhan covered his ears and banged his head against the tree. If he weren’t afraid of killing Luo Luo and dragging his tribe into trouble, he would have acted already. After all, he was an eighth-rank beastman, while Luo Luo was just a level-zero rookie.
After three busy days, Luo Luo’s stomach growled loudly. She took out a pot and some flour from her bundle and said to Chiyao, “Go check the river for fish.”
Having finally completed his long-awaited mating, Chiyao was in high spirits. “I’ll go see if there are any wild beasts nearby. Those fish aren’t enough to fill the stomach anyway.”
Luo Luo pointed at Ziye and Xiao Zhan. “They haven’t caught any wild beasts for several days. Just do as I said, and I’ll make something delicious for you in a while.”
Hidden among the leaves, Ziye felt insulted again.
Under the tree, Xiao Zhan let out a dissatisfied tiger roar. Is it my fault I can’t catch any wild beasts?
What a joke! He was a proud eighth-rank beastman. It wasn’t his fault that the nearby prey had all been hunted. Blame the barren island if you want—too few prey and too many hunters. That’s why it’s called the Wild Island.
Wait, why was he feeling guilty? His failure to catch prey had nothing to do with that evil female. Why should he care about her feelings?
Chiyao obediently went to the river to catch fish. He spent a long time in the water but only managed to catch a few small fish.
Ziye couldn’t stand it any longer. He plucked a few leaves, aimed at the water with his wrist, and struck.
Swish swish!
The leaves pierced the water like sharp swords, and soon several large fish floated up, belly-up.
“Wow! Big brother, you’re amazing, as expected of you!” Chiyao clapped and praised him extravagantly.
Xiao Zhan, unconvinced, thought: Ziye was only a seventh-rank beastman. How could he compare to me?
He leaped into the river, transformed into a big tiger, and with a few powerful slaps, stunned many of the fish.
Chiyao quickly ran to collect them. Soon, the three of them returned with a pile of fish.
From a distance, Luo Luo saw three handsome men, each with a distinct style, carrying the fish toward her in the glow of the sunset.
Chiyao led the way, swinging the branch proudly, fish of all sizes stuck to it.
Ziye walked slowly with his hands in his pockets, maintaining his usual poker face.
Xiao Zhan tossed a small fish into his mouth, his cheeks puffed out. Seeing Luo Luo watching him, he gave her a cheeky side-eye.
The fish he caught, he would eat however he wanted. He didn’t care to let her eat first.
Normally, the male should give his prey to the female first, letting her eat. But since the moment Luo Luo sold him out, he had hated her.
He wasn’t Chiyao, who would forgive past events for a little sweetness.
He wasn’t Ziye, who didn’t like Luo Luo but still secretly helped her.
He was Xiao Zhan, an eighth-rank beastman. He didn’t need a female!
“Wow, so many fish! You three are amazing!” Luo Luo never held back her praise.
Chiyao scratched the back of his head. “Lady, how do we eat these fish?”
He didn’t dare eat them raw, afraid of getting pricked by the bones. Ziye didn’t eat them either—he didn’t like it.
Xiao Zhan bit off a fish head. “Overcomplicating it!” he muttered. Fish were meant to be eaten as-is.
“Leave the rest to me.” Luo Luo pulled out a flint and lit a fire.
Xiao Zhan, though seeing her make fire for the second time, felt both surprised and nervous. He silently stepped back a few paces, feeling the warmth, and instinctively held out his hands.
Seeing him, Luo Luo made the fire stronger.
She kneaded the flour into dough, pressed it into a circle, and placed it in the heated iron pan. After flipping it, a golden, slightly hard flatbread was ready.
She also cleaned the fish, removing the innards. Some fish were skewered with sticks and grilled over the fire. The rest were mashed and boiled into soup.
Some fish were pan-fried until golden on both sides. The pot the system had given her was excellent—nothing stuck to it.
She dug up some sweet potatoes, roasted them over the fire, and quickly stir-fried the leaves. Without oil, it was just dry-frying.
“Alright, let’s eat!”
She placed flat stones and set the flatbreads wrapped in sweet potato leaves on top, along with roasted sweet potatoes and grilled fish.
Chiyao inhaled deeply. “Smells amazing! Lady, you’re incredible!”
Ziye and Xiao Zhan didn’t touch the food yet. The fish smelled good when roasted, but the round white flatbreads were unfamiliar. Sweet potatoes were rare among beastmen and rarely eaten as a staple, and they’d never heard of eating the leaves.
Chiyao took a bite of the grilled fish—crispy outside, tender inside, and utterly delicious. Most fish had only large bones.
After finishing his portion, he smiled at the other two. “Big brother, little brother, you’re really not going to eat? Then I won’t hold back.”
In no time, Chiyao had eaten several fish.
Ziye and Xiao Zhan hadn’t eaten yet. Xiao Zhan handed the grilled fish to the other two. “Eat, eat more. I worked hard for these.”
He was letting Luo Luo know he didn’t eat for free.
“Then I worked hard too.” Xiao Zhan took a grilled fish and bit into it. The flavor hit his taste buds—so fragrant! How had he suffered before?
They finished the fish and drank the fish soup. Even the sweet potatoes and flatbreads wrapped in leaves, which no one had expected to be tasty, were all eaten.
“Lady, you’re the best cook I’ve ever known,” Chiyao said, finishing the last bit of soup.
“Who else would I know?” Luo Luo laughed, holding her belly.
Xiao Zhan saw trouble brewing again and got up to leave.
Luo Luo called out, “By the way, what illness do you have?”
Xiao Zhan ignored her. Ziye spoke up, “Rotting Claw Disease. It’s fatal.”
“Mind your own business.”
“Let me see your hand.”
Luo Luo stood and grabbed Xiao Zhan’s hand.
