The greasy male standing before her was none other than Long Wu, the dragon beastman Hu Jiao Jiao had encountered in the tribe yesterday.

“Well, well, little female, what a coincidence that we meet again,” Long Wu smirked, his acne-scarred face contorting into what he believed was a charming smile.

Hu Jiao Jiao’s gaze hardened as she took two steps back, increasing the distance between them. “Why are you still here? Our tribe isn’t a place just anyone can enter and leave at will.”

She had made it clear yesterday that she wasn’t interested, yet here he was, still hanging around.

Hearing her words, Long Wu chuckled. “Ah, I forgot to mention, I’m staying here now. From today on, I’ll be part of your tribe.”

Such a beautiful female like her, staying with someone like Long Mo was such a waste. He was determined to make her his, to take everything away from Long Mo, that useless waste. Long Mo didn’t deserve anything.

Hu Jiao Jiao rolled her eyes and turned to leave. Talking to this conceited fool made her feel nauseous, as if she wouldn’t be able to eat for days.

Long Wu quickly stepped in front of her, blocking her path. “Little female, I know you regretted rejecting me yesterday. I stayed behind just to give you another chance. Whenever you want me, come find me. I guarantee I can satisfy you more than—” He paused, barely stopping himself from calling Long Mo a waste. “—more than Long Mo ever could.”

Hu Jiao Jiao’s face darkened. She was just about to teach him a lesson when the Chief’s voice interrupted.

“Long Wu! There you are. I’ve been looking for you,” the Chief said, walking over with a smile. When he saw Hu Jiao Jiao, his grin widened. “Ah, Hu Jiao Jiao is here too!”

“Let me introduce you all. This is Long Wu, from the Dragon Tribe. Long Mo, you must know him. Long Wu will be staying in our tribe for a while, so you should all get along,” the chief said pleasantly.

“Oh, we know each other. Long Mo’s quite famous in the Dragon Tribe,” Long Wu said with a mocking glance at Long Mo.

From the beginning, Long Mo had been standing a few steps behind Hu Jiao Jiao, his face expressionless, betraying no emotion as he listened.

The chief turned to Long Wu, “You still haven’t picked a place to stay. Why don’t you choose a spot in the tribe to build your home?”

“I’ll just live next to her,” Long Wu said, casting Hu Jiao Jiao a flirtatious look that almost made her gag.

“Great idea! There’s plenty of space near her house, and that way you and Long Mo can keep an eye out for each other,” the chief said cheerfully.

Once all the beastmen had gathered, the tribe leader made an official announcement about Long Wu joining the tribe. After the commotion yesterday, most of the beastmen already knew who Long Wu was, but few were fond of him. Only a handful were excited about having a strong dragon beastman in the tribe.

Once the chief finished speaking, the beastmen started to disperse, disinterested.

Suddenly, a male came rushing into the tribe from outside. “Chief! Something terrible has happened. I saw Lu Cui Cui outside the tribe—she looks like she’s about to die!”

All eyes turned to the male as he panted for breath.

The chief’s face darkened with worry. “What? How could that be? Where’s her mate?”

Although Lu Cui Cui had been banished from the tribe, they couldn’t just ignore her plight.

The male shook his head anxiously. “I don’t know. I didn’t see him. I just found her lying there covered in blood, so I brought her back.”

“Bring her to me immediately,” the chief ordered.

The male quickly shifted into his beast form and ran off. Moments later, a lion appeared, sprinting back with a bloodied female draped over its back.

Hu Jiao Jiao wasn’t particularly interested in what happened to Lu Cui Cui. She tugged at Long Mo’s arm and whispered, “Let’s head back.”

Given how Long Mo and Long Wu couldn’t stand each other, staying here would only sour Long Mo’s mood. And when Long Mo was upset, it would spell trouble for her.

“Alright,” Long Mo replied in a low voice as he turned to leave with her.

Meanwhile, the gathered beastmen’s attention was focused entirely on Lu Cui Cui. Her hair was a tangled mess, obscuring most of her face, but what was visible was marked by deep, vicious scars. Her body was wrapped in a large beast skin, from beneath which blood pooled onto the ground.

At the sight, the beastmen gasped in shock.

“What happened to her?”

“Was she attacked by wild beasts?”

One beastman cautiously lifted a corner of the beast skin, revealing bruises and cuts all over her body. The sight made everyone gasp again in horror.

Just then, Lu Cui Cui’s bloodshot eyes snapped open. Her gaze, filled with hatred, scanned the crowd before locking onto Hu Jiao Jiao’s retreating figure.

Hu Jiao Jiao froze, a sudden chill crawling up her spine. She turned around and saw Lu Cui Cui glaring at her with the same venomous look the main villain used to give her in her nightmares.

Had Lu Cui Cui turned villainous before the main antagonist even had a chance to?

Seeing that Lu Cui Cui was awake, the chief quickly stepped forward, his face grim. “Lu Cui Cui, what happened to you? Who did this?”

The other beastmen were too focused on her injuries to notice her cold, hateful gaze.

Upon hearing the chief’s voice, Lu Cui Cui lowered her head and began trembling violently, her hand clenching into a tight fist, her nails digging into her flesh. After a moment, she looked up, her eyes wide with terror as she pointed toward Hu Jiao Jiao.

“Chief… it was her! She colluded with the wandering beastmen! They kidnapped me, and this is what they did to me. She’s planning to hurt everyone in the tribe!” Lu Cui Cui’s voice trembled with fear as she accused Hu Jiao Jiao.

The crowd erupted in shock and confusion, their eyes turning toward Hu Jiao Jiao with suspicion, fear, and anger—expressions full of contempt.

“Lu Cui Cui, explain yourself clearly. What exactly happened?” the chief asked, his face serious. He trusted Hu Jiao Jiao enough, not just because she had changed, but because she had proven herself to be a valuable asset to the tribe. But now, with Lu Cui Cui accusing her of conspiring with wandering beastmen, he needed to get to the truth. The safety of the tribe depended on it.

Hu Jiao Jiao’s expression turned cold as she met Lu Cui Cui’s terrified gaze.

She’s lying, Hu Jiao Jiao thought, listening to the baseless accusations.

“I overheard it from the wandering beastmen! Hu Jiao Jiao told them that I’d been banished from the tribe and instructed them to kidnap me. They killed my mate!” Lu Cui Cui’s voice quivered as she continued, “And she revealed the location where we gather fruit to the wandering beastmen, planning for them to capture the tribe’s females.”

Many beastmen still remembered Hu Jiao Jiao’s past deeds, and hearing Lu Cui Cui’s accusations, they started recalling all the malicious things she had done in the past.

“I remember Hu Jiao Jiao once saying she wanted to trade Long Ling’er to the wandering beastmen for food and hides,” one female said, raising her hand to speak.

Hu Jing gasped in horror, pointing an accusing finger at Hu Jiao Jiao. “So that’s why you were following us that day! You were plotting to harm Mian’er!”