Long Zhong finally released his grip, and Lu Li scrambled out of the river, drenched and desperate, clawing his way to the bank as quickly as he could, terrified Long Zhong would come after him again.

As soon as he reached solid ground, he collapsed on his knees, one hand propping himself up and the other clutching his throat as he gagged and coughed violently. “Urgh…”

The river water was thick with mud—it was disgusting!

These filthy brats dared to force him to drink such foul water. Once he got home, he’d make sure they’d all pay for this humiliation.

Feeling like his stomach would burst, Lu Li retched up a puddle of yellowish water before collapsing in exhaustion, too drained to even feel the pain from his other bruises.

Lying there gasping, he blinked up only to see a sweet-smiling little girl crouching beside him, holding a small, shiny, and very sharp object that glinted in the light.

“Wh-what are you going to do?” he stammered.

“Relax, I’m not going to hurt you,” Long Ling’er said with a sweet smile, her bright white teeth flashing as two cute little fangs peeked out.

Fear gripped Lu Li’s heart. He tried to get up and run, but the other four cubs quickly pinned him down. Long Yao wrapped himself tightly around Lu Li’s legs like a rope, making sure he couldn’t move.

Lu Li, weakened from the scuffle and too tired to resist, could only stare in terror as Long Ling’er crouched down beside him, slowly leaning in.

…

Several other cubs who had escaped ran far from the river, gasping for air as they finally came to a stop.

“We ditched Lu Li…what if he gets mad and takes it out on us later?” one of them asked worriedly.

If Lu Li got angry, he’d definitely beat them up for abandoning him.

The other cubs were just as nervous, but rebelling against Lu Li would mean dealing with his brother-in-law, Ying Yuan, who was someone no one wanted to cross.

One of the cubs winced, rubbing the fresh lump on his head. “If you want to go back, be my guest, but I’m not going anywhere near those freaks again!”

The others quickly nodded in agreement.

“Maybe we should tell Lu Li’s mom about this? If he’s really hurt, she’ll be coming after us…..”

Images of Lu Li’s mother, Lu Mu, scolding and harassing other families came to mind, and the thought made each of the cubs shiver. Whenever Lu Li got hurt, Lu Mu would throw a tantrum at their houses, demanding payment or “compensation.” Their parents had no choice but to give in to her unreasonable demands.

All at once, the cubs trembled at the idea of the scolding and punishment awaiting them if Lu Mu came by.

“Yeah, let’s go tell his mom,” one suggested, and the others reluctantly nodded.

As they took off toward Lu Li’s home, one cub lingered behind, glancing around nervously before running in the opposite direction.

…

Meanwhile, Hu Jiao Jiao had just finished reviewing her notes on charcoal-making and was stepping out of her house when she spotted a young cub peering into her yard, looking like he was up to no good.

“Who are you? Are you looking for someone?” she asked curiously.

Startled, the cub jumped and took a few steps back, closing his eyes tightly as he blurted out, “Your cubs got into a fight with Lu Li!”

Then, as if she might chase after him, he turned and bolted, so fast he tripped over his own feet and crashed to the ground. Without a moment’s pause, he scrambled up and kept running.

Hu Jiao Jiao blinked, watching the fleeing cub. Did she really look that intimidating? He’d run off like she was some sort of monster!

But her amusement faded as she processed his words, and worry creased her brow.

If her cubs had really fought with Lu Li, she had to get there quickly! Her five cubs were smaller and younger, and Lu Li was big for his age, with a mean streak to match. If her little ones got hurt, it’d be awful.

Heart pounding, Hu Jiao Jiao rushed out, hoping she wouldn’t find her cubs injured.

At the same time, Lu Mu had also heard about the fight and stormed down to the river, cursing and yelling as she went. But as she drew closer, she saw Lu Li sprawled on the ground, held down by the five cubs and wailing in pain.

“My poor Li! You filthy brats, let him go, or I swear I’ll beat you all within an inch of your lives!”

Her screeches rang out as she charged forward, waving her fists threateningly.

Long Yao, seeing her approach, immediately unwound himself from Lu Li and sprang into the air, flapping his tail to get his siblings’ attention. “Bad Lady’s coming! Run, everyone!”

Long Yu sprang to his feet, his expression calm as he gave a curt order: “Let’s go.”

Before Lu Mu could reach them, the five cubs had already taken off, with Long Yao even pausing to pull faces and blow raspberries at her.

“You rotten little brats, how dare you bully my son!” Lu Mu’s face was bright red with anger as she chased after them, only to be stopped by a tug on her clothing. Turning back, she found Lu Li looking up at her, sobbing.

“Mom…you’re finally here…”

She froze, staring at him in disbelief. With a gasp, she wrenched herself free, horrified. “Are…are you really my Li?”

Standing there was a bald boy with not a single strand of hair left on his head. His scalp was smooth and shiny like a hard-boiled egg, his brows and eyelashes completely gone. His bloated, mud-streaked face was so distorted that even Lu Mu had failed to recognize him.

Lu Li reached out, clutching his face in pain. “It’s me, Mom…”

Tufts of hair and stray brows were scattered all over the ground.

“My poor son! What did they do to you?” Lu Mu was torn between shock and revulsion at her son’s appearance. He looked truly pitiful, but also unrecognizably ugly.

In beastmen culture, a bald head was seen as incredibly unsightly—equivalent to a beast with its fur stripped away. It wasn’t a look anyone could easily stomach.

Nearby, the five cubs had stopped to watch the scene. They broke out in laughter, clutching their sides as they watched Lu Li’s horrified mother gawk at him.

“He’s so ugly, even his mom couldn’t tell it was him!” Long Ling’er doubled over, tears streaming from her eyes.

Long Zhong’s eyes narrowed, still simmering with resentment. “If I weren’t worried about getting Dad into trouble, I’d have cut out his tongue for calling me ‘ugly freak.’”

But Long Yao was focused on something else entirely. His gaze had locked onto a forgotten bucket on the riverbank.

“Hoo!” he squeaked. “We forgot the bucket! Mom gave us that bucket—we can’t leave it behind!”

The little one moved quietly toward the bank, intent on retrieving it.