Hu Jiao Jiao: “??”

Wait a second! That wasn’t supposed to happen!

Did she say something wrong? Or did Long Mo misunderstand? How could he agree so easily without even hesitating?

“Long Mo, I mean… you and I… we’ll be staying in the same room.” Hu Jiao Jiao cautiously rephrased, searching his face for signs of uncertainty.

Long Mo listened intently, nodding with such gravity and seriousness, his hands placed firmly on the table as if he were completing a sacred vow.

“Understood!”

Hu Jiao Jiao: “…”

She had definitely dug herself into a hole.

Beside them, the cubs could hardly contain their smiles. Their parents had made them worry so much—it had been tough getting here!

Long Ling’er clapped her hands in excitement, saying, “Yay! Now Dad can finally sleep inside, no more sleeping in the trees!”

At her words, six pairs of eyes snapped to Long Ling’er.

Long Yu, Long Xiu, Long Zhong, and Long Yao stared at her, wide-eyed: “!!”

Long Mo: “??”

How did the cubs know he’d been sleeping in the trees? Did they cut all those branches? !

Realizing her slip, Long Ling’er slapped her hand over her mouth. Oh no!

She wanted to vanish, feeling as if she’d doomed herself. She hunched down, practically hiding in her seat like a snail retreating into its shell.

“Ling’er, what do you mean? Who’s been sleeping in the trees?” Hu Jiao Jiao asked, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

“N-nothing!” Ling’er stammered, shaking her head frantically.

Glancing at her expression, Hu Jiao Jiao knew there was more to the story. She turned a sharp gaze on the other cubs, a hint of sternness in her voice.

“What’s going on?”

“It wasn’t us, Dad wanted to sleep there!” the three answered in unison, shaking their heads vigorously. They quickly recounted how Long Yao had found him sleeping on a tree branch.

The more Hu Jiao Jiao listened, the harder her temple throbbed. She put a hand to her forehead.

Oh no! She’d left Long Mo to sleep outside for nearly a month!

The favorability level hasn’t even risen yet, but the hatred level has already skyrocketed. She is really an expert at courting death!

It finally made sense. Every time she’d gone to wake the cubs, he hadn’t been in the house. He wasn’t getting up early—he’d just never been there.

“I’ll go make space for you in the wooden house tonight,” Hu Jiao Jiao said, sighing and resigning herself to fixing this. Although it was small, it would be fine with just a simple sleeping mat.

Who cares if they shared a room? Saving her neck was the priority.

“No need,” Long Mo replied, his voice deep and calm. He looked at the cubs, saying, “Tonight, I’ll stay with them.”

The wooden house was indeed too cramped. She was so small, and he was afraid a single wrong move would hurt her.

And as for the cubs, he thought, they were old enough to start learning the ropes. A bit of early training couldn’t hurt.

---

West of the tribe…

A pack of silver wolves climbed a mountain, stopping by a vast white lake under the moonlight. Shaking off their fur, they transformed back into their human forms, gazing at the snowy lake in awe.

At their feet were clusters of delicate white “salt blossoms” spreading across the lake’s surface, glowing softly in the moonlight like a field of lunar flowers.

The beastmen stared, wide-eyed and amazed. One squatted down eagerly, plucking a petal and popping it into his mouth—only to spit it out immediately, face scrunched.

“Salty! It’s pure salt!”

He quickly straightened, rushing over to a tall, burly beastman at the back. “Brother Mie! Look! This is what the boss was talking about—salt blossoms!”

The others, ecstatic, chattered amongst themselves.

“This is amazing! Boss’s plan worked!”

“Look at all this salt! This will last our whole tribe for ages…”

Lang Mie stepped forward, clapping the last speaker hard on the back of the head. “Shut it! You keep talking nonsense, and I’ll make you eat until you’re full!”

The unlucky beastman stumbled forward, nearly cracking the ice beneath him, and quickly scrambled to his feet, nodding in apology.

“Yes, Brother Mie! My mistake, please forgive me.”

Lang Mie snorted, giving him a hard shove out of the way. The others fell silent, standing by and awaiting his orders.

He looked down at the salt blossoms, crushing one underfoot before picking up a fragment and tasting it.

“It’s salt,” he confirmed.

“Brother Mie, let’s grab as much as we can before that other group shows up!” suggested a weasel-faced beastman, his tone obsequious.

“What’s the rush?” Lang Mie gave him a sidelong glance. “With so much salt, do you think our group can carry it all in one night?”

“Uh… probably not…” the weasel-faced man replied, scratching his neck. Watching Lang Mie’s calm expression, he asked, “But I bet you have a plan?”

Lang Mie smirked, clearly pleased with himself. “We don’t need to pick them. The boss said there’s another group heading here, right?”

“We’ll set up an ambush on their way back, take all their salt blossoms for ourselves.” His eyes gleamed as he added, “Anyway the boss doesn’t want any of them making it out alive.”

The weasel-faced man’s eyes brightened with admiration. “Brilliant idea, Brother Mie!”

Lang Mie enjoyed the praise, his expression smug as he gave a short nod. “Then quit standing around. Get to work!”

“Right away, Brother Mie.” The man quickly turned, barking orders at the others.

“Didn’t you hear what Brother Mie said? Hurry up and move!”

“Wait.”

Lang Mie held up a hand, adding, “Make sure to erase our tracks on the way down. We can’t risk those beastmen noticing us and ruining everything.”