He knew that getting the males to follow Hu Jiao Jiao’s orders was impossible, but he still had to maintain order in the tribe and couldn’t watch over Hu Jiao Jiao all the time.

Ying Yuan was the strongest beastman in the tribe. Although proud, he was loyal to the tribe, and Ying Yuan would definitely listen to him. With Ying Yuan’s presence, he could keep the other beastmen in line.

The tribe leader thought everything through and, without giving them a chance to respond, walked away with a broad smile.

He left behind a group of envious, jealous, and resentful beastmen.

“Why wasn’t it me who received the vision from the Beast God?” they thought.

Hu Jiao Jiao, who is lazy and detestable, was chosen by the Beast God? How could that happen?

Hu Jiao Jiao froze in place, her mouth twitching.

Forget it…

Ying Yuan had the protagonist’s aura. With his help, things would certainly go smoothly with the farming.

As soon as the leader left, Hu Min and Hu Qiang, Hu Jiao Jiao’s parents, eagerly stepped forward, excitedly surrounding her.

“Jiao Jiao, you truly are our amazing daughter! Even the Beast God gave you a vision. My Jiao Jiao is truly blessed!” Hu Min embraced her, smiling so broadly that her face could barely contain it.

“Of course! Out of all the beastmen in the tribe, the Beast God didn’t choose anyone else but our Jiao Jiao. That means even the Beast God thinks she’s the best!” Hu Qiang added proudly, his chest puffed up with pride.

The other beastmen nearby, hearing this, shot Hu Jiao Jiao looks so sharp they could cut her to pieces.

Hu Jiao Jiao wiped the sweat from her forehead and quickly changed the subject to stop her parents from fueling any more resentment.

“Father, Mother, where are my brothers?”

“They went hunting. Don’t worry, when they return, I’ll tell them the good news. They’ll be thrilled,” Hu Min said, beaming.

As the surrounding beastmen gradually dispersed, Lu Mian’er stood at a distance, watching the joyful trio, before lowering her gaze and following the others away.

Just as Hu Jiao Jiao was talking with her parents, she suddenly found herself in the shadow of someone tall. Turning around, she saw the dark, brooding face of Ying Yuan. She immediately frowned and took two steps back, speaking in a detached tone, “It’s getting late. We’ll start the farming tomorrow. You can gather the males and take them to the south, and I’ll meet you there.”

But Ying Yuan, with a dark expression, seemed not to hear her. He stepped closer, his cold, piercing eyes stabbing into her face like daggers.

Through gritted teeth, he said, “Hu Jiao Jiao, is this your new scheme? You’re clever, I’ll give you that!”

“Don’t think that just because you convinced the tribe leader, I’ll see you any differently. Dream on!”

With that, he shot her a fierce glare and stormed off in the direction of Lu Mian’er.

Hu Jiao Jiao stood there, dumbfounded. “What?”

Her new scheme?

Can someone please tell her what on earth he’s thinking? She had no clue what he was talking about.

“What did Ying Yuan just say to you?” Hu Qiang asked worriedly, stepping closer.

Since Ying Yuan had deliberately lowered his voice, only Hu Jiao Jiao had heard what he said.

Before she could respond, Hu Min snorted, “Hmph, what else could it be? Seeing how impressive Jiao Jiao is now he probably regrets, and came to apologize!”

Hu Jiao Jiao gave a strained laugh, remaining silent.

Her parents were absurdly confident in her. No wonder the original owner had been so spoiled—it all made sense now.

She wanted to invite her parents to dinner, but they firmly declined, not giving her a chance to insist, and left abruptly.

Left with no choice, Hu Jiao Jiao returned home alone.

The five cubs sat at the entrance, waiting eagerly.

Long Ling’er sat cross-legged on the ground, resting her chin in her hands, sulking. “Why isn’t mother back yet?”

Long Yao, lying on her head, shook his little head sadly, agreeing with Long Ling’er.

Long Xiu, rarely sitting at the entrance, kept his back straight, his unseeing eyes fixed in the distance, ears alert for any sounds outside.

Long Yu and Long Zhong frowned as they gazed outside, each lost in their thoughts.

Was the Vicious female mistreated by other beastmen? Could she have been beaten to death? If she died, should they go help carry her body back?

When Hu Jiao Jiao returned, she saw the five cubs looking gloomy and deep in thought.

Puzzled, she wondered what had happened.

She had only been gone for a day, yet they seemed so down. Had someone bullied them?

Growing anxious at the thought, Hu Jiao Jiao quickened her steps.

Hearing her footsteps, the cubs lifted their heads and saw a beautiful figure bathed in the setting sun. Their breath hitched.

The Vicious female wasn’t dead. She had returned.

As this thought crossed their minds, Long Ling’er and Long Yao’s eyes lit up, and they simultaneously rushed toward her.

“Mother, you’re back!”

Hu Jiao Jiao bent down to catch the two little ones who threw themselves at her, her voice soft but tinged with concern. “Yes, mother’s back. What’s wrong, Ling’er? Did someone bully you?”

She had never felt such familial warmth before. Since moving out on her own, she had lived alone, returning to a cold, empty house each day.

Now, the feeling of having five little cubs waiting for her at home was rather nice.

The other three cubs also walked over.

Long Ling’er clung to Hu Jiao Jiao’s leg and exchanged glances with her brothers before playfully sticking out her tongue. “No one bullied us. I just thought… maybe mother wouldn’t come back.”

In the past, they wished she would never come back, but after not seeing her all day, they found they couldn’t focus on anything, as if something was missing.

That simple sentence made Hu Jiao Jiao’s nose tingle.

These cubs had such little sense of security.

She rubbed Long Ling’er’s head and softly reassured her, “Silly Ling’er, why would mother not come back?”

The cubs said nothing, but seeing the gentle expression on her face, they felt reassured.

Long Xiu, standing at the back, heard her voice and gradually relaxed his tightly pressed lips.

Long Yao flew in front of Hu Jiao Jiao, excitedly spinning in circles before flipping onto his back to reveal his smooth belly. He pawed at his stomach, signaling his hunger.

Hu Jiao Jiao couldn’t help but laugh and immediately understood what Long Yao meant. “Yao’er is hungry? Alright, mother will go make dinner for you all.”

In her absence, the cubs had gathered more firewood, nearly filling the courtyard.

After preparing dinner, the cubs sat in a row, devouring their food hungrily.

After dinner, as usual, Hu Jiao Jiao went to wash the dishes. By the time she returned, the cubs had washed their feet and were already lying in bed.

Hu Jiao Jiao felt a surge of warmth. These well-behaved and sensible cubs—how could the original owner have not cherished them?

Once everything was done, Hu Jiao Jiao lay down and immediately fell asleep. Perhaps because of the day’s exhaustion, she slept more soundly than usual that night.

The next morning, after preparing breakfast and explaining to the cubs what she needed to do for the day, she headed to the southern part of the tribe to meet with Ying Yuan.