The female released her grip, and Long Ling’er quickly scooped up Long Yao, running to hide behind her brothers in fear.

The children, still shaken, stared in disbelief at Hu Jiaojiao, who was fiercely fighting the hefty woman.

Long Yu pursed his lips, his gaze fixed on Hu Jiaojiao.

That vicious female used to be a coward, always bullying the weak and never daring to confront the strong. At most, she would hurl a few insults. But today, she was fighting another woman for their sake.

She seemed different, almost as if she had become a whole new person.

Long Zhong, supporting Long Xiu, sneered at Hu Jiaojiao’s actions, “Hmph, what a show.”

Long Ling’er, with tears still on her face from being hit, stared at Hu Jiaojiao in silence, eyes red. This was the second time that vicious female had stood up to protect them…

Although Hu Jiaojiao’s house was in a remote area, the commotion attracted a large crowd of onlookers, all of whom were watching the scene unfold.

The onlookers were shocked at what they were witnessing.

“What’s wrong with Hu Jiaojiao today? Doesn’t she usually dislike her own kids? Why is she protecting them so fiercely?”

“She actually dares to fight Xiong Hua? I think she’s lost her mind.”

“She’s always been arrogant despite having a useless mate. If Xiong Hua beats her to a pulp, she’ll deserve it.”

The bystanders gossiped among themselves, but none stepped forward to help. Instead, they seemed eager to see Hu Jiaojiao humiliated.

Hu Jiaojiao wasn’t surprised by the gossip. In the book, her original character was a wicked supporting role, always offending others in the tribe, while coveting the original male lead, Ying Yuan, angering the heroine, Lu Mian’er. Naturally, the tribe despised her.

Many even went out of their way to bully her and her children in retaliation for Lu Mian’er. Xiong Hua was one of those bullies.

The original character had always been a coward, but Hu Jiaojiao was different. She needed to survive, and her only hope for a decent life lay in these five little troublemakers. These people wanted to kill her, there was no way!

With that thought, Hu Jiaojiao’s expression hardened, and she kicked Xiong Hua in the backside with full force.

“RIP!”

A chunk of scalp was torn right off.

Xiong Hua fell face-first into the dirt, clutching her head and rolling on the ground in pain. “Ahh! My head! It’s killing me! Hu Jiaojiao, you wretch! Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

Hu Jiaojiao glared down at her coldly. “I think it’s you who’s asking for death. Touch my cubs again, and I’ll make sure you end up bald!”

She turned back to face the cubs, but they looked at her warily, keeping their distance.

With a gentle hand, she brushed the dust off their clothes, but the older cubs took a step back, refusing to let her touch them.

Hu Jiaojiao wasn’t offended. Instead, she looked down at Long Ling’er and asked softly, “Are you okay? Does it still hurt? Don’t worry, from now on, I’ll protect you. No one will bully you anymore.”

Long Ling’er, still trembling, held onto Long Yao, whose body was curled into a tight ball, head tucked beneath his tail. Upon closer inspection, blood was seeping from beneath the tiny dragon scales.

Hu Jiaojiao crouched down, gently hugging the two little ones, her hand softly patting their backs. “Don’t be afraid, Ling’er. Mom’s here.”

Feeling the warmth of her embrace, the two children gradually relaxed, their rigid bodies softening.

“Mommy, will you really protect us?” Long Ling’er asked uncertainly, looking up with her thin, dark face, her red eyes filled with a desperate longing for safety.

Hu Jiaojiao could see that she hadn’t yet earned their trust—Ling’er’s guarded eyes made that clear. Of the five children, Long Ling’er was the most cunning, quick to adapt and find ways to secure the best resources. Her resistance to Hu Jiaojiao was less intense, but it didn’t mean she had accepted her as their mother wholeheartedly.

Thinking about how such a young child had to be so calculating to survive, Hu Jiaojiao’s voice grew even more resolute. “Of course. You’re my children, and I’ll always protect you!”

She was determined to win over these kids!

Just imagining the scene where the skinny, dark little ones were raised by her to be chubby, cute, and snuggling up to her made her feel excited.

Suddenly, a loud voice shouted from the crowd, “Mom! Are you okay? Did you get hurt?”

A chubby kid came running towards Xiong Hua.

Xiong Hua, clutching the bald patch on her head, was seething with pain. Female beasts care greatly about their appearance, and having her head torn bald by Hu Jiaojiao had infuriated her.

“I’m fine,” Xiong Hua grunted as she got up, embarrassed by the scene she had caused.

The chubby boy pointed at her head and shouted, “Mom! You have a bald spot! You look so ugly!”

Xiong Hua’s face turned black with anger.

She slapped her son on the head. “Shut up, you brat!”

The boy held his head, looking wronged. “But Mom, weren’t you here to help me get revenge? Why are you hitting me…”

He had just been telling the truth.

His mom was fat, and now she had a bald spot, which made her even uglier.

But he dared not say that out loud and sulked quietly instead.

Hu Jiaojiao snorted when she recognized the boy as the same troublemaker she’d hit with mud yesterday. “You still dare to come back? Yesterday, you and your little gang fought my kids and stole their meat. I haven’t even dealt with you properly yet!”

The chubby boy, terrified of Hu Jiaojiao, hid behind Xiong Hua. “Mom, she wants to hit me!”

Xiong Hua, her face puffed with anger, glared menacingly at Hu Jiaojiao. “You’re an adult hitting children! Don’t you have any shame?”

“Didn’t seem like you had any when you hit my kids,” Hu Jiaojiao retorted with a cold smile.

“You… I was helping you teach those little brats a lesson!” Xiong Hua dragged her son forward, pointing at his forehead.

“Those little brats cracked Xiong Qiu’s head yesterday! I was just teaching them a lesson! They’re useless little waste anyway—if they die, they deserve it!”

The word “little waste” stabbed deep into the hearts of the five children.

“We’re not waste!” Long Yu clenched his fists, yelling defiantly.

One day, he would make sure those who had bullied them would beg for mercy and apologize to his younger siblings!

Long Zhong gritted his teeth, hatred burning in his eyes. “If you’re so bold, kill me now. Otherwise, when I grow up, I’ll make sure you all die!”

Oh no!

Seeing the murderous look in Long Zhong’s eyes, Hu Jiaojiao’s heart skipped a beat.

Long Zhong was already showing signs of turning evil!