Chapter 18
Ling Chengen didn’t resist much and was dragged straight underwater.
Only after entering the water did the scene before her gradually become clear. One hand gripped the trunk wrapped around her waist. Her fingers tightened, and cracks immediately split across the tough hide. Blood seeped from beneath her fingertips, spreading through the water.
The aquatic beast hidden beneath the surface let out a furious roar. In the next instant, several water arrows concealed within the currents shot toward her.
Ling Chengen’s psychic power had already spread out, enveloping the entire area. Naturally, she didn’t miss those nearly invisible arrows.
She moved with astonishing speed. After tearing the trunk apart with her bare hands, she leaped backward, narrowly avoiding an arrow that brushed past the tip of her nose.
Still holding onto the trunk that desperately tried to pull back, Ling Chengen followed its force directly toward the invisible beast. Her iron fist was already prepared. After dodging dozens more water arrows, she slammed a punch straight into the creature’s head, caving in its skull with a sickening crunch.
Wu Zhuo had just been about to dive down from the sky to help when the lake surface suddenly churned violently. A moment later, Ling Chengen burst out of the water. She brushed the wet hair sticking to her face aside, tied the severed trunk around her waist, and leisurely swam toward the shore.
Hovering above the lake with beating wings, Wu Zhuo stared at the massive beast slowly floating to the surface behind her. His eyes widened as he shouted in shock,
“It’s an Elephant-Head Lake Roaring Beast! Sis En, you’re incredible!”
Ling Chengen stepped onto the smooth round stones at the water’s edge and dragged the beast ashore by its trunk. Afterward, she turned back and told Wu Zhuo to bring Yu Shaochen over.
Once she had wrung the water from her hair, Ling Chengen finally turned to examine the beast lying on the rocky bank.
It was truly enormous.
And strangely shaped.
Though it was clearly a water beast, it had the head of an elephant, complete with a pair of razor-sharp tusks. Its ears resembled oversized fish fins covered in gorgeous scales.
The beast’s skin was a deep sea-green. Looking closely, the scales covering its body were actually transparent, refracting brilliant colors under different lighting. They could even change color according to the beast’s control—this was the true secret behind its ability to conceal itself.
The grass behind her rustled apart as Wu Zhuo appeared, carrying a reddish-brown little red panda who had spread all four limbs wide in a fierce attempt to look intimidating.
Wu Zhuo placed the little red panda onto the flat stone beside Ling Chengen and rolled his eyes at the puffed-up creature.
“What are you acting fierce for? With your tiny body, one flap of my wings could send you spinning in circles!”
Yu Shaochen immediately ran behind Ling Chengen and glared fiercely at the menacing Wu Zhuo from behind her back.
“If you bully me again, my mate will beat you up!”
Yu Shaochen knew he couldn’t defeat Wu Zhuo himself. But now he wasn’t a lone beast anymore. His mate might look hard to approach, but borrowing her authority a little at the right moment should be fine… right?
He carefully turned to look at Ling Chengen. Meeting the amused expression on her face, he rubbed his fluffy round cheeks with his paws and revealed an obedient, ingratiating smile.
Watching him act cute toward Ling Chengen nearly drove Wu Zhuo mad with anger. Grabbing the half-submerged Lake Roaring Beast, he turned and dragged the prey back toward the grass.
Only then did Yu Shaochen notice the enormous creature by the shore, and his mouth immediately fell open.
The flattering expression vanished from his adorable furry face. His tail stiffened straight behind him, puffing up an entire size larger. Both paws rested against Ling Chengen’s shoulders as he stood on tiptoe, staring without blinking.
“You caught this?”
“Mm.”
After snapping back to reality, Yu Shaochen cautiously looked at the face level with his beast-form head.
She really was female!
Her facial features were softer than those of male beastfolk, yet her jawline remained smooth and sharp. Even her pink lips… were perfectly sculpted. The corners of her eyes tilted slightly upward, her features deep and striking—a face that completely shattered every stereotype he had ever held about female beastfolk.
So handsome!
The longer he looked, the weaker his legs felt.
Yu Shaochen slowly lowered his head, glanced at the paws resting on her shoulders, and quietly withdrew them. He awkwardly squeezed his paws together, suddenly at a loss.
Watching his entire series of tiny movements, Ling Chengen couldn’t help curling her lips upward. Ignoring her soaked leather skirt, she pinched the white triangular ears atop his head.
The fur felt incredibly soft and smooth beneath her fingers. She couldn’t resist rubbing them a few extra times.
Yu Shaochen stiffened immediately. His tail braced behind him while both paws hovered nervously before his chest, not daring to move.
After releasing him, Ling Chengen said in a good mood,
“You really do take good care of your fur. It looks beautiful.”
Yu Shaochen’s beast form was genuinely adorable.
Aside from the pointed ears, everything about him was round—his face, nose, eyes, chubby body, even his fluffed-up tail looked like a fuzzy cylinder.
These past two days, after transmigrating into a beastfolk world and immediately getting caught in one disaster after another, Ling Chengen’s mood had been far from pleasant. But now, after petting this fluffy little creature a couple of times, that bad mood had strangely been healed.
Tsk…
No wonder so many people before the apocalypse loved raising furry pets.
After hearing her praise, Yu Shaochen felt as though he were floating. Happily hugging her arm, he looked up at her with sparkling eyes.
She didn’t dislike him!
He had originally thought life in the Stone Forest Tribe would be miserable at first, full of difficulties and bullying.
Who would’ve thought his mate actually seemed to like his beast form a lot?
He, little coward Yu, was alive again!
Mm… and his mate smelled really nice too. Unlike those females who hated bathing and carried an unpleasant scent during spring, autumn, and winter…
Though his adoptive father and the clan chief had both been terrible people, this marriage that had fallen from the sky didn’t seem quite so bad after all.
Well… he still wasn’t completely sure yet. Better keep observing.
Ling Chengen lifted him and set him back on the ground, tilting her chin slightly.
“Go take a look. If you’re interested in the Lake Roaring Beast’s meat, pick whichever parts you like. Once we return, I’ll give your share to you first.”
Yu Shaochen was instantly so touched his eyes turned watery. Nodding vigorously, he bounded over on all fours to the massive beast and stared at the huge fist-shaped dent in its skull.
Ling Chengen herself had little interest in this unfamiliar, oddly shaped aquatic beast. If it tasted bad, she’d simply distribute the meat to the tribe.
As for why she let Yu Shaochen choose first?
What a joke. This was a precious wood-element ability user. Of course she had to raise him properly.
That scammer system dared charge her two energy points for a basic first-aid kit, not to mention stronger specialized medicines. Any decent healing potion would instantly bury her in massive energy debt!
Trash system. Every day it tried to lure her into borrowing energy points, then squeeze her dry with missions afterward.
Hmph. Dream on!
Ling Chengen narrowed her eyes at the silver-white fish swimming beneath the lake surface, pondering the water arrows the Lake Roaring Beast had used earlier.
It seemed… that on Beast Origin Continent, not only beastfolk could awaken abilities.
Even animals could evolve powers too.
No wonder even the strongest hunting teams still suffered casualties from time to time.
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Thank you, everyone~
