Hu Jiao Jiao snapped back to reality just as Long Mo and Huang Yue disappeared from sight.

She watched Long Mo’s retreating figure with a worried expression.

“Hu Jiao Jiao, what’s with that gloomy face? Aren’t you the one who’s good at stealing males? If you’re so upset, go get Long Mo back yourself!” Hu Jing huffed, casting her a disapproving glance.

Apparently, she thought Hu Jiao Jiao was sulking from jealousy.

“Hu Jing, stop it…” Lu Mian’er tugged her arm, signaling her to keep her voice down.

Turning to Hu Jiao Jiao, Lu Mian’er gave her an encouraging smile, “Don’t worry, Jiao Jiao. You and Long Mo already have little ones together, so he and Huang Yue won’t be anything serious. You have to trust him.”

Hu Jiao Jiao forced a smile, but it looked more pained than reassured.

“I know, I’m not upset.”

How could she be angry? She was terrified!

Trying to win over the villain was like walking on a razor’s edge, where one wrong move could mean losing everything.

Hu Jing scoffed, unrelenting. “Not upset? That smile is awful! You’ll scare the cubs half to death if you keep it up.”

“Hu Jing!” Lu Mian’er quickly covered Hu Jing’s mouth, throwing Hu Jiao Jiao an apologetic look.

Hu Jiao Jiao could only laugh awkwardly.

“Really, I’m not upset. I should get going—the cubs will worry if they come home and I’m not there.” She waved goodbye, leaving quickly.

She needed to think through her next steps carefully and figure out how to adjust her strategy with Long Mo. She couldn’t let all her hard work go to waste.

Seeing Hu Jiao Jiao’s lonely silhouette, Hu Jing furrowed her brow, muttering, “Mian’er, why’d you stop me? Her smile was awful! I don’t understand why she’s being so timid. What’s there to be afraid of a outsider female?”

“If it comes to it, we can just beat her up a bit. That’ll stop her from clinging to Long Mo!” Hu Jing suggested, as straightforward as ever.

If Hu Jiao Jiao had still been there, she’d have realized that all the beatings she’d gotten in the past had come courtesy of Hu Jing.

“Hu Jing, violence isn’t going to solve this…” Lu Mian’er sighed in exasperation.

Hu Jing paused, considering her words with a nod.

Lu Mian’er was relieved, but the next second, she heard Hu Jing mutter excitedly, “Then… maybe two beatings will do it?”

Lu Mian’er: “…”

“Let’s head home, Mian’er.” Ying Yuan, feeling left out as they chattered on without him, wrapped a possessive arm around Lu Mian’er.

Distracted, Lu Mian’er waved goodbye to Hu Jing.

Then Ying Yuan transformed into a black eagle, carrying Lu Mian’er home.

“Ying Yuan, I made a gift for you. I hope you like it,” she said softly, leaning against his feathers.

“A gift?” Ying Yuan’s voice was puzzled. “What’s a gift?”

He had never heard of such a thing.

“It’s… well, it’s something to give to someone special.”

Lu Mian’er didn’t know how else to explain; all she knew was that Hu Jiao Jiao had called it a “gift” when they made things for their mates.

“If it’s from you, I’ll love it!” Ying Yuan answered without a second thought, causing Lu Mian’er to blush as she stroked his feathers. Soon, the two of them disappeared into the sky.

---

“Long Mo, slow down! I can’t keep up…”

Huang Yue called out, panting as she ran to catch up.

Long Mo, without looking back, kept his brisk pace until they reached an empty wooden hut. Finally, he stopped, his cold gaze fixed ahead.

“This is your hut. You’ll be staying here from now on.”

After a moment’s thought, recalling Hu Jiao Jiao’s reaction earlier, he added, “If you need anything, ask the Chief. Don’t come looking for me.”

Huang Yue had barely caught up to him, still breathless, when she heard his frosty tone. Her face paled even further.

“Thank you, I just…” She swayed, her fragile figure stumbling toward him, clearly intending to fall into his arms.

Long Mo sidestepped smoothly, letting her stumble past him.

Huang Yue nearly fell but managed to catch herself, reaching out apologetically.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to. I just tripped…”

“Stop pretending.”

Long Mo dodged her hand again, his voice as frigid as ice.

“In the forest, you followed me here on your own in your beast form. I didn’t save you.”

The whole way, this female had used her frail appearance to win sympathy, persuading the others to help and shelter her. But the truth was, she wasn’t nearly as weak as she pretended to be.

For someone who could keep up with his speed in beast form without getting left behind, there was no way she was as timid or helpless as she appeared.

“Why you’re lying, I don’t care. If you want to stay in the tribe, leave me alone. Otherwise, I’ll have no problem sending you back where you came from,” Long Mo said, his tone as indifferent as ever.

“Long Mo, I don’t understand what you mean…” Huang Yue clutched her hands to her chest, looking up at him with wide, innocent eyes.

“Of course you saved me!”

“I was scared, that’s all, so I followed you. Without you, I’d still be wandering in the forest. You’re my savior, and I’m grateful to you…”

Her eyes began to glisten with tears, as if she’d been deeply wronged.

“I don’t want to burden you. I only wanted to thank you. If your mate misunderstands, I’ll apologize to her. I just hope she won’t be mad at me.”

Her pitiful act, however, looked to Long Mo as appealing as a dead fish.

Long Mo regarded her with an icy stare. Her last line, though, managed to earn a hint of appreciation as he nodded slightly.

Seeing this, Huang Yue thought she’d appeased him, and she started to smile through her tears.

The next moment, Long Mo’s calm voice cut through the air.

“Indeed. You’d better pray she doesn’t get angry. Otherwise, you’d be better off going back to wherever you came from.”

Her expression froze, a mix of tears and a forced smile making her dusty face look utterly ridiculous.

Long Mo didn’t spare her another glance, turning and walking away.

The Chief had assigned Huang Yue to a hut near Ying Yuan’s house, so Long Mo soon passed by and noticed a small group of orcs standing around Ying Yuan, looking at him enviously.

Though uninterested, Long Mo was about to pass by when he overheard the orcs joking.

“Ying Yuan, looking good! Brand-new beast-skin clothes the moment you’re back.”

“Where’d you get that style? I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Long Mo’s eyes narrowed, drawn to Ying Yuan, who was now clean and dressed in an outfit he had indeed never seen before.

Another beastmen chimed in.

“Did some female make that for you?”

“Of course! Ying Yuan’s the most popular male in the tribe, haha…”

“I know! I saw Hu Jiao Jiao making something like that—Ying Yuan, could that be a gift from Hu Jiao Jiao?”

Hearing this, Long Mo’s face darkened.

He looked at Ying Yuan’s outfit again, finding it annoyingly out of place, and then transformed into his dragon form, soaring off in a rush.

Long Mo made so much noise that the beastmen turned around in surprise.

“Shut up, what nonsense are you talking about? This was made for me by Lu Mian’er herself! How could it be done by that Hu Jiao Jiao?” Ying Yuan explained with a dark face.

But by then, Long Mo was already long gone, and hadn’t heard a word.