“I’m not following you. I just came over here because the fruit is bigger in this area. You’re overthinking it,” Hu Jiao Jiao said, holding up a grapefruit the size of a soccer ball as proof.

“You clearly are! You—” Hu Jing, infuriated, was about to lash out again, but Lu Mian’er gently tugged at her and shook her head.

“Let it go, Hu Jing. Let’s just pick fruit somewhere else,” Lu Mian’er said softly, her voice like always gentle, never one to argue or fight.

“See, Mian’er? You’re too nice. That’s why she always takes advantage of you,” Hu Jing grumbled in frustration but still picked up her animal skin bag and moved elsewhere with Lu Mian’er.

Hu Jiao Jiao, unfazed by Hu Jing’s angry glares, continued picking fruit as if nothing had happened. Once the two had relocated, Hu Jiao Jiao also shifted, moving closer again.

“Ahem, the fruit here seems even bigger…”

“Hu Jiao Jiao!” Hu Jing couldn’t take it anymore, her fury erupting in a loud roar.

Hu Jiao Jiao had to be doing this on purpose!

“What’s your problem? I’m just picking fruit. Why are you yelling? I’m not even taking your fruit. This place has plenty—why can’t I pick some too?” Hu Jiao Jiao replied, looking innocent as she casually cleaned her ear with a finger.

Honestly, Hu Jing had a mighty lion’s roar down to an art.

“What’s going on here?” The chief, hearing the commotion, approached them.

“Chief, I’ve been minding my own business, picking fruit, but Hu Jing keeps bothering me,” Hu Jiao Jiao immediately tattled.

She wasn’t lying—she’d been diligently picking fruit. It wasn’t her fault Hu Jing had a grudge against her and kept picking fights.

The chief frowned and turned to Hu Jing. “Hu Jing, picking fruit is everyone’s responsibility. Either focus on your task or don’t come at all. Stop disrupting Hu Jiao Jiao.”

“I…” Hu Jing was fuming but couldn’t find the words to argue.

“Let’s just leave her be, Hu Jing. Let’s focus on picking fruit,” Lu Mian’er whispered, tugging on Hu Jing’s sleeve.

Hu Jing glanced at Lu Mian’er, feeling both angry and frustrated. “Mian’er, I’m trying to help you!”

Mian’er wasn’t even standing up for her—she kept holding her back instead.

“Enough, everyone, get back to work.” The chief’s stern command restored the peace.

The only sounds left were the rustling of leaves and the occasional thud of fruit hitting the ground. When the females couldn’t reach the higher branches, the males would shift into their beast forms, climbing the trees to knock down the fruit for the females to collect below.

After a few hours, they had gathered an impressive haul.

They’d managed to pick several hundred pounds of pomelos and persimmons. Even so, when divided among all the beastmen for winter, it wouldn’t be enough to satisfy everyone.

“Alright, that’s enough for today. Everyone take a break, and then we’ll head back to the tribe,” the chief said, always mindful of their safety outside the tribe.

The females sat down under the trees, snacking on some of the fruit. Meanwhile, the males busily bundled the harvest using animal skins and vines, preparing to carry the heavy load back to the tribe.

Hu Jiao Jiao grabbed a persimmon and sat next to Lu Mian’er, taking a bite. The persimmons here were of the harder variety—crisp and sweet, though the skin was a bit bitter.

As she ate, Hu Jiao Jiao couldn’t shake her confusion. Why hadn’t the wandering beastmen shown up yet? Was her dream really just a meaningless nightmare?

Was she overthinking things?

Just as she was starting to doubt herself, Lu Mian’er suddenly stood up and walked toward the distant woods.

Hu Jiao Jiao’s heart raced. She quickly finished the persimmon and tossed the pit aside, quietly following after Lu Mian’er, careful not to make a sound.

However…

She wasn’t very good at stealth.

After only a short distance, Lu Mian’er noticed her, thanks to her protagonist’s aura.

“Hu Jiao Jiao, what are you doing?” Lu Mian’er asked, her expression puzzled.

“I, uh… I need to pee! I didn’t want to go alone, and since you’re heading this way, I figured I’d join you!” Hu Jiao Jiao blurted out, quickly making up an excuse. With that, she boldly walked up to Lu Mian’er, acting as if nothing was wrong.

“Oh, okay.” Lu Mian’er nodded, not thinking much of it.

Beastmen weren’t as particular as humans—sometimes males and females relieved themselves together for safety reasons. Lu Mian’er didn’t find anything unusual about it.

They walked for a while until they found a bush far enough from the others so that the scent wouldn’t drift to them. Finally, they stopped.

Lu Mian’er immediately lifted her animal skin skirt and squatted behind the bush.

Seeing Hu Jiao Jiao standing still and glancing around, Lu Mian’er looked confused. “Aren’t you going to go?”

“Uh… yeah, just need to find the perfect spot. You go ahead, don’t wait for me…” Hu Jiao Jiao laughed awkwardly before crouching behind a dense bush herself, making sure no one could see her.

She took another look around and saw nothing suspicious. Relieved, she thought to herself that maybe the nightmare was just her imagination. There didn’t seem to be any wandering beastmen here after all. How could Lu Mian’er, the protagonist, possibly die?

Feeling a slight urge to actually relieve herself, Hu Jiao Jiao glanced over at Lu Mian’er, who was still busy. She was about to follow suit when suddenly, there was a rustling sound from the nearby bushes.

Hu Jiao Jiao froze. Turning her head, she saw a massive black snake rising from the bushes, its blood-red, triangular eyes staring directly at her as it flicked its tongue.

She swallowed hard, her mind going blank.

This black snake—it was the same beast form she had seen in her dream, the wandering beastman.

“Hissss~ So there really are females here! Haha, looks like that female wasn’t lying!” The black snake’s eyes glinted with malice.

From the bushes emerged two more beast figures: a one-eared striped tiger and a one-eyed gray wolf.

“Roar! This little female is so fresh—what a rare find!”

“Howl! She’s even prettier than the one from yesterday. I like her… hehe.”

The sight of the two females made the rogue beastmen drool with excitement, saliva dripping from their sharp fangs.

“Ah!” Lu Mian’er, having turned around, saw the terrifying beastmen and was so shocked that she collapsed to the ground in fear.

The fruit-picking area was usually safe, with only herbivorous animals around. Lu Mian’er hadn’t expected to encounter such horrifying beasts, leaving her paralyzed with shock.

At that moment, Hu Jiao Jiao snapped back to reality.

“Lu Mian’er! They’re wandering beastmen! Run!”

Like a spring, Hu Jiao Jiao leaped from her hiding spot, rushing to grab Lu Mian’er by the arm, dragging her as they sprinted toward the others.

Though wandering beastmen were dangerous, they were all injured or flawed in some way. They weren’t as strong as the beastmen from the tribe. If they could reach the chief, they’d be safe.

The wandering beastmen chuckled sinisterly and gave chase.

“Ah…” Lu Mian’er suddenly cried out in pain, collapsing to the ground, her voice trembling with fear.

“Hu Jiao Jiao, I… I twisted my ankle…”