Chapter 25

Lu Xi’s face changed dramatically when she saw the mushrooms that hadn’t fully rotted and still retained some recognizable shape. Every beastfolk knew these things were poisonous—no one would touch them, let alone pick them to eat. She recalled the shaman from the Falling Leaf Tribe diagnosing Cheng Youyou with that sarcastic, mocking expression. His face practically said, “A tribe as large as Sunlight would let a rare female faint from hunger?”

Lu Xi’s face darkened like the bottom of a scorched pot. What were Cheng Youyou’s beast-husbands doing to support her? Letting her go hungry to the point she had to forage for poisonous mushrooms?

Had she been blind to fall for Ji Xuan? A male who let his mate starve and eat whatever she could find wasn’t worth having—not even for free.

Lu Xi looked at Cheng Youyou with pity as she mourned her ruined mushrooms. Eventually, she couldn’t help but speak up: “These things are poisonous. You can’t eat them. If you’re still hungry, I’ll go get you another piece of roasted meat.”

Cheng Youyou turned and met Lu Xi’s gaze. It was no longer mocking or sarcastic, but filled with genuine concern and care. A sudden warmth bloomed in her chest. Maybe, if she kept trying, there would be beastfolk who accepted her. Maybe she could truly take root in this unfamiliar world.

She lowered her eyes, her thin eyelids hiding her expression, and quietly explained, “These mushrooms are edible. As long as they’re cooked at high temperatures, they’re completely safe. And they taste even better than meat.”

Lu Xi looked at her, puzzled. “High-temperature cooking?”

Cheng Youyou nodded and pointed to the stone pot by the fire pit. “Yes. Just boil them in water for a long time.”

Lu Xi nodded thoughtfully, though her skeptical expression remained.

Cheng Youyou didn’t expect a few words to overturn the beastfolk’s belief that mushrooms were poisonous. Some mushrooms really were toxic—deadly, even.

The contents of her basket were a total loss. Mushrooms were delicate, so she’d placed them on top. Fortunately, the potatoes and other items in her backpack were still edible.

She pulled out a plant and handed it to Lu Xi. “This one replenishes blood and energy. You just gave birth—this will help. Wash it and boil it in the stone pot.”

Lu Xi accepted the plant gratefully. Then her gaze drifted to the backpack and the clumps of dirt inside. She didn’t understand why Cheng Youyou treated them like treasures. Weren’t those just common forest tubers? Was it medicine, too? But she didn’t ask.

Still, she was curious about the container holding the tubers. “Youyou, what’s this thing made of? It looks like woven vines?”

She’d been born in the Sunlight Tribe, one of the largest in the region. Every year during the seasonal exchange festival, beastfolk from other tribes came to trade goods. That festival was approaching again. Her favorite item was the shell necklaces from the Sea Beast Tribe, though they were expensive—one necklace cost a whole wild boar. She’d seen all kinds of strange things from other tribes. But she’d never seen this. She’d never even considered weaving vines.

“It’s a backpack, woven from vines. Like a beast-hide pouch, but for carrying things.”

Lu Xi stared at it, impressed. It was far more practical than a pouch. The vines were everywhere in the forest, but beast-hide was hard to come by.

The larger the pouch, the bigger the beast needed—and the greater the danger.

Lu Xi looked at Cheng Youyou with admiration. How had her brain gotten so clever?

Cheng Youyou saw her curiosity and said, “If you like it, I’ll give it to you.”

“Really?” Lu Xi couldn’t hide her excitement.

Cheng Youyou nodded. “Of course. It’s not rare. I can just make another.”

Zi Wu watched the two females chatting happily, confusion flickering in his gray-blue eyes. Weren’t they at each other’s throats before he left to hunt?

Now that Cheng Youyou was a shaman, they were acting like they shared a pair of pants. Everyone was acting weird—not just Lu Xi, but Ji Xuan, and even himself.

Zi Wu shook his head hard, trying to clear the mess of thoughts. Hmph. He didn’t believe in Cheng Youyou’s healing powers. She must’ve gotten lucky with Lu Xi.

That dumb brain of hers could really inherit his father’s legacy? And what was she bringing home every day? She used to be so lazy that she wouldn’t even move in bed, wanting someone to feed her. Now she was more active—but still hadn’t done a single normal thing.

His exaggerated head-shaking caught the attention of both females.

Cheng Youyou looked at him with disdain, as if to say, “Why are you still here?”

Zi Wu was instantly annoyed. She used to follow him around—he was the one who got to be disgusted. Now she was disgusted with him? Had she starved herself so badly her brain stopped working?

And Mu Feng was useless too. The others went hunting, but he stayed behind. He let Cheng Youyou starve to the point her brain malfunctioned. What a disgrace to males.

Sure, the newly slimmed-down Cheng Youyou was easier on the eyes—but he still felt he’d failed his father.

No.

He’d go hunt a wild boar. He remembered Cheng Youyou loved boar meat. Every time he brought it, she’d eat with greasy lips, completely unladylike.

Zi Wu stared at her and declared, “Cheng Youyou, just you wait!”

Before she could respond, he turned and left.

Cheng Youyou was baffled. Had she done something to offend him? Was Zi Wu hitting puberty?

Honestly, every time she saw his beautiful, slightly childish face, she felt guilty. In the pre-apocalypse world, Zi Wu would’ve been just a kid.

Of all the original host’s beast-husbands, Zi Wu was the one who never missed a meal—afraid she’d starve. Most of her body fat came from Zi Wu’s care.

Wasn’t that basically child labor? She wasn’t like the original host. She didn’t need a kid to support her. She had hands and feet. In this food-rich beast world, there was no reason to go hungry.