Chapter 14

Everyone was genuinely excited and overjoyed.

Although Lin Caocao was a female beast, she possessed strength even at a young age, reaching the second tier. She had always been a proud person, but after Ye Baizhi led them to discover new food sources and helped resolve the tribe’s food shortages over the past few days, she sincerely admired Ye Baizhi—and was deeply grateful to her.

It wasn’t just her. The entire tribe appreciated Ye Baizhi’s contributions. Now, nearly every household had stored radishes and mushrooms in their caves. Even if their parents failed to hunt, the family wouldn’t go hungry.

The surrounding mountains were filled with mushrooms—anyone who put in the effort could gather plenty. Other tribes didn’t know that mushrooms were edible. Only their tribe had that knowledge. Which meant that, across the vast mountains, food was abundant and untouched. At least, they wouldn’t starve. This assurance lifted a great burden off their families, easing their worries. They no longer had to fear going without food if they couldn’t hunt wild beasts. Even when she went up the mountain to forage, her mind was no longer tense—she finally felt a long-overdue sense of relaxation.

Looking at the bright, eager expressions of everyone, Ye Baizhi chuckled. “These are food. They’re called sweet potatoes, and they taste even better than radishes.”

“They’re delicious when steamed…”

She then explained to the group how to properly steam food.

The tribe had learned how to make soups and stews, but steaming was unfamiliar to them. With her instructions, they would now know how to prepare it. Once they heard that sweet potatoes were edible, everyone eagerly started digging. With their strength, they worked quickly.

Before long, their baskets were full.

Lin Caocao beamed. “Our baskets are full—we can head home now!”

Qiu Cai nodded. “We’ve got food again today. Even if our parents couldn’t hunt, it’s fine.”

Everyone felt reassured—once their baskets were filled with food, they could return. As for the vast patch of sweet potatoes in the area, they could always come back tomorrow to gather more.

Yan Yang sighed. “I heard that the cat tribe has been hunting aggressively lately. A lot of wild beasts have been taken down by the feline hunters, leaving fewer for our rabbit tribe.”

Lin Caocao’s expression tightened. “Could the cat tribe be deliberately targeting our rabbit tribe?”

After speaking, she cautiously observed Ye Chuan and Ye Baizhi, worried that mentioning the cat tribe might upset them.

Qiu Shi shook his head. “Maybe not. My parents overheard some cat warriors talking during a hunt. They said something about gathering food for their future tribe’s genius.”

Hearing this, Ye Baizhi’s expression shifted. “Is it Kasai?”

“It’s her!”

“It’s said she has already reached the sixth-tier power.”

“How is that possible? Wasn’t she only at the third tier before?”

For a female to have reached the third tier at such a young age was already remarkable. Of course, it was said that Ye Lu of their rabbit tribe had been a sixth-tier warrior when she was young. That was why she had been welcomed and revered by the aristocratic tribes in the imperial city.

However, after Ye Lu traveled to the central imperial city, she lost many of her memories, and her strength diminished to the third tier. Since then, she had made no further progress.

It was only recently, when Ye Baizhi returned, that they learned Ye Lu had forgotten about her daughter and had left her behind in the imperial city.

The cat tribe was also considered a low-ranking tribe. But Kasai reaching the sixth tier was astonishing. She might even be chosen by a powerful male aristocrat, which could elevate the cat tribe’s rank.

“Indeed. She was just at the third tier, and suddenly, she was at the sixth. I also heard she might become the Snow Wolf King’s mate.”

Upon hearing this, everyone’s faces changed dramatically. “You can’t go around saying things like that!”

“My mother said the cat warriors were the ones who mentioned it—they overheard it in secret.”

Although they considered the cat tribe a lower-ranking one, the emergence of a sixth-tier female warrior gave them a legitimate chance to compete for the Snow Wolf King’s mate.

“I really don’t want the cat tribe to be associated with the Snow Wolf tribe. During hunts, they’ve bullied us rabbits countless times. They’re simply too much.”

As the conversation turned to Kasai and the cat tribe, no one had a favorable impression.

Kasai had once insisted on marrying Ye Chuan as her beast husband, claiming she would have only him. She had even offered two rare medicinal herbs, supposedly capable of curing Ye Chuan’s younger brother, Ye Zhu. That was why Ye Chuan, with his fifth-tier strength, agreed to marry into the feline tribe. But before long, he was cast out and sent back to his tribe. On top of that, he had been severely injured, losing his strength entirely.

Had Ye Chuan remained a fifth-tier warrior, their tribe’s overall strength would have been much greater. So, many felt a lingering sense of regret.

Ye Chuan lowered his head, clenching his fists, blaming himself.

Ye Baizhi stroked her chin thoughtfully. “So, you’re saying that hunting has been difficult lately?”

“Wild game has been hard to catch?”

Qiu Cai nodded. “Yes, exactly. If it weren’t for the radishes, shepherd’s purse, and mushrooms these past few days, we would’ve gone hungry.”

So, the one they were most grateful to was Ye Baizhi.

Yet, she was filled with doubt. If hunting had become difficult, it should have affected all the rabbit tribe’s beasts. However, her mother and uncle still managed to bring back plenty of game every day—more than enough for the entire family, with extra to spare. And according to her mother, they barely had to put in any effort while hunting.

Something about that didn’t add up.

Recalling the chestnuts she had discovered in the courtyard that morning, a sudden realization struck her, sending a jolt through her heart.

“No way… How is that possible?!”

She had mistakenly assumed that all of it was Xue Youchen’s doing.

Shaking her head quickly, Ye Baizhi dismissed the thought. She knew her situation better than anyone—the reputation tied to this body, the circumstances surrounding her arrival.

Xue Youchen, the Beast King of the Northern Region, could effortlessly gather information about her. There was no way he would help the very female who had plotted against him. Besides, she wasn’t delusional. In everyone’s eyes, she was still considered a useless waste.

After mulling over the situation for a moment, she made up her mind. “Let’s go. We should head back.”

She needed to find a way to learn more about the cat tribe. If they truly were targeting the rabbit tribe, she wouldn’t hesitate to strike back. Even though she didn’t possess much strength yet, she had plenty of ways to deal with them.

As they were about to head back, Ye Baizhi suddenly heard something. She gestured sharply, and everyone immediately fell silent.

“Hide, now! Don’t make a sound!”

Without hesitation, they all shifted into their beast forms and concealed themselves in nearby caves. Moments later, two male warriors from the feline tribe passed through the area.

“I swear I heard something just now—why is there nothing here?”

“Maybe we were too late. They must’ve already left.”

“Too bad. If we had caught a few strong rabbit beasts, we would’ve earned some serious merit.”

“You think catching rabbit beasts is easy? They may not be powerful, but they’re incredibly cunning—they’re experts at burrowing and escaping.”

“Exactly. But right now, the priority is finding Ye Chuan—killing him or wiping out the rabbit tribe entirely. That way, Kasai’s past attempt to take a beast husband will be erased, making it easier for her to become the Snow Wolf King’s mate.”

“True. If we manage to kill Ye Chuan, that would be an enormous achievement.”

“We had already planned to have him die in the forest, torn apart by wild beasts. But somehow, he escaped and survived…”