Long Mo stepped into the small wooden house cautiously, only to freeze in place. The ground felt strangely soft—nothing like dry grass or animal skin. What had Fox Jiao Jiao put on the floor?

Curious, he ventured further, carefully testing the surface beneath his feet. It was just some soft fur—nothing dangerous. Feeling more at ease, he lay down, wrapped in his animal skin cloak.

The small wooden house was warm and cozy, completely different from the damp, cold caves he was used to. A faint moonlight crept in from the doorway.

Long Mo lay flat on the soft floor, his golden beast eyes gleaming in the darkness, staring intently at the ceiling.

What was Hu Jiao Jiao planning? Was she just waiting for him to get comfortable here in the tribe, only to pull him down again like before, humiliating him and kicking him out?

His dark, brooding eyes narrowed. Hu Jiao Jiao, I won’t give you the chance this time.

He closed his eyes, ready to sleep.

Suddenly, he heard heavy footsteps outside.

Long Mo’s eyes shot open, his senses immediately on high alert. It was Hu Jiao Jiao—what was she doing here? Could she be planning something tonight?

The footsteps grew closer, entering the house. Just as Long Mo was about to sit up, a sudden sharp pain from his wound held him back. Before he could react, a shadow loomed over him and something heavy fell on top of him.

“Ah!”

Hu Jiao Jiao’s terrified voice filled the room.

Long Mo clutched his chest with one hand and his nose with the other, gritting his teeth. His voice, cold as ice, cut through the darkness.

“Hiss… Hu Jiao Jiao! What do you think you’re doing?”

Had she become so desperate?

“Long… Long Mo? Why are you here?” Hu Jiao Jiao froze, her hands fumbling to find him in the dark.

“Did I hurt you? Let me check…” she said, guilt creeping into her voice as she remembered the painful sound he had just made. After all, Long Mo was still recovering. If she made his injuries worse, it would be her fault.

As Long Mo gritted his teeth against the pain, he suddenly felt her cool fingers wandering across his neck. His expression darkened instantly.

“Stop it! Don’t touch me!” His deep voice barely concealed his anger.

Hu Jiao Jiao froze in place, quickly retracting her hands like a scolded child and standing awkwardly in the corner.

“Well, if you’re in pain, I can check your wounds outside. If you’re fine, then…”

“I’m fine. Perfectly fine.” Long Mo’s voice was cold, each word forced through clenched teeth.

Fine? She thought he was fine? Did she think a simple gesture like this would smooth things over, like nothing ever happened?

Hu Jiao Jiao let out a sigh of relief, completely missing the tension in his voice.

“Good. If you’re fine, then you can go sleep in the cubs’ room. This is my place,” she said casually, effectively kicking him out.

Long Mo: “…”

She wanted him to go sleep with the cubs? Wasn’t she the one who had lured him here in the first place?

Seeing that Long Mo hadn’t moved, Hu Jiao Jiao scratched her head, hesitating. “What’s wrong? Did you hit something and can’t get up?”

“No.” His face darkened even further as he pressed a hand to his chest and rose to his feet, storming out of the small wooden house.

Watching his figure disappear into the moonlight, Hu Jiao Jiao finally relaxed and collapsed onto the soft carpet.

“Phew! That was scary. Good thing he hasn’t turned evil yet. He didn’t even get mad when I bumped into him—such a good temper,” she mumbled to herself, still shaken.

Anyway, the cubs’ room was big, and she had just made sure their beds were nicely prepared. Long Mo would have no trouble sleeping there. Besides, he must have missed his cubs after being away for so long.

Outside, Long Mo stood in the courtyard, his face grim. He approached the cubs’ room, hesitating for a moment before retreating. Finally, he decided to sleep on a pile of dry hay near the firewood stack.

Inside the cubs’ room, the five little ones, having heard no further sounds from their parents, assumed they had gone to bed together. Content, they drifted off to sleep, unaware that their father was spending the night outside.

The next morning, Hu Jiao Jiao awoke to find Long Mo chopping wood in the yard. Under the soft morning light, his strong arms swung the ax with ease, splitting the logs in two. His chiseled face looked especially striking.

“Long Mo, uh, good morning! Did you sleep well?” she asked awkwardly, giving him a half-hearted wave.

She had lived over twenty years, but this was the first time she’d woken up to see such an attractive man—and after last night’s embarrassing encounter, she felt even more flustered.

Long Mo glanced at her coldly.

With a sharp swing, the log split and a piece of wood flew past her, narrowly missing her face.

Hu Jiao Jiao stiffened, then let out a nervous laugh. “Seems like you didn’t sleep well… You’re already this cranky in the morning…”

Deciding not to engage further, she busied herself with preparing breakfast.

She made green bean and lotus seed soup, along with cold bitter melon salad, and boiled three large duck eggs per person—all cooling, detoxifying foods.

As the five cubs sat at the table, eyeing the unusual breakfast, their expressions grew puzzled.

“Mom, why is today’s soup green? I’ve never seen meat with green juice before,” Long Ling’er asked, her big eyes filled with confusion.

“This isn’t meat soup. It’s made from beans I found in the forest. It’s good for your health, so eat up.”

Smiling, Hu Jiao Jiao handed out bowls of green bean soup to each cub.

Hearing that it was healthy, the cubs stopped asking questions and began eating seriously. They were determined to grow up strong so they wouldn’t be called useless anymore. And if their mom got bullied again, they could step in to protect her.

Long Zhong finished his soup in just a few gulps, then grabbed a piece of bitter melon with his spoon. The next second, his face turned completely black.

“Blegh! What is this awful thing? It’s so bitter!”

He spat out the bitter melon, his face scrunched up in disgust.

“Zhong’er, don’t waste food,” Long Mo scolded, frowning at his son.

“But it’s so bitter…” Long Zhong protested weakly, shrinking under his father’s stern gaze.

“A real male can handle a little bitterness. How can you call yourself one if you can’t even eat this?” Long Mo said harshly.

Sensing the tension at the table, Hu Jiao Jiao quickly stepped in to defuse the situation. “It’s my fault—I didn’t explain it beforehand.”

She picked up the bowl of bitter melon and placed it in front of Long Mo. “This dish is bitter—it’s called bitter melon. You don’t have to eat it if you don’t want to.”

With a smile, she added, “But I made it especially for your dad, to help cool him down.”

She added one last reminder: “No wasting food, though.”

Long Mo’s eyebrows furrowed as he glanced at Hu Jiao Jiao’s smiling face. He replied coldly, “I don’t waste food. Only females and young cubs act so spoiled as to waste it.”