Chapter 33

Kasai’s eyes burned with greed and madness at the mere thought of the Gifted Bone. It was simply too useful—though the initial fusion had been less than smooth. Whenever she used the Gifted Bone, her own bones ached, but the speed at which her power grew was astonishing. The energy coursed through her meridians, filling her with a sense of abundance that was beyond exhilarating. That was the feeling of true strength.

Yet now, it had been taken by the Snow Wolf King. Her ability to seize power was something ordinary beastmen of the Beast World Continent could never comprehend. But Snow Wolf King Xue Youchen knew. He was far more powerful and terrifying than she had imagined. With his ethereal, cold presence, he seemed untouched by worldly affairs—yet for Ye Baizhi, he could be so ruthless.

Kasai felt a deep, seething hatred. Why wasn’t the Snow Wolf King interested in her?

She was far stronger than Ye Baizhi!

A layer of frost enveloped Ye Baizhi as she drove her blade straight into Kasai’s body.

Then, she twisted it violently.

“Ah—”

Kasai screamed in pain. But she had already been worn down, her strength drained, leaving even her voice weak. Still, she met Ye Baizhi’s cold, murderous gaze.

That stare sent a fierce shiver down Kasai’s spine.

Whoever called Ye Baizhi useless had clearly been mistaken. How could someone with eyes like those be weak?

“Ye Baizhi, killing me won’t change anything. Someone will still come after you…”

Ye Baizhi’s lips curled into a lazy smile. “That’s fine—I’ll take down every single one that comes my way!”

Kasai thought that this time, Xue Youchen would finally see Ye Baizhi’s true nature. Surely, he would despise her now.

But when she lifted her gaze, she was met with something entirely different—Xue Youchen’s eyes held a hint of heartache as he looked at Ye Baizhi.

“No… no…”

Kasai screamed.

Ye Baizhi asked a few more questions, extracting all the information she wanted, before finally lowering the blade.

In the end, Xue Youchen gently pulled Ye Baizhi close, dipping her hands into a basin of water to wash them. “Next time, let my men handle it. No need to dirty your own hands.”

Kasai was so furious that she nearly fainted.

Ye Baizhi looked at the barely-breathing Kasai and decided she was of no further use.

Xue Youchen spoke softly. “Would you prefer if Big Brother came to handle Kasai himself?”

He was referring to Ye Chuan.

Ye Baizhi shook her head. “No need. My brother doesn’t want to see her.”

“As far as he’s concerned, retrieving the Gifted Bone was all that mattered.”

Xue Youchen nodded and clapped his hands. Two subordinate Snow Wolves appeared.

“Take care of the body. Clean this place up.”

“Understood!”

One of Xue Youchen’s subordinates carried Kasai away while another swiftly cleaned the courtyard. Most of the effort went into wiping away Kasai’s blood, which had stained the ground. Once the task was complete, both subordinates disappeared as swiftly as they had arrived, like a passing breeze.

Xue Youchen noticed that Ye Baizhi’s complexion wasn’t great. With a touch of concern, he gently brushed his fingers through her hair. “Still angry?”

“No, just thinking.”

Her thoughts lingered on Ye Mengyin, the true daughter of the imperial city. She couldn’t believe that Ye Mengyin had nothing to do with this.

However, now was not the time to confront Ye Mengyin. It was the time to strengthen herself and her tribe as quickly as possible. Besides, with Kasai’s downfall, Ye Mengyin wouldn’t make another move—for now—lest she implicate herself.

This gave Ye Baizhi time.

As if struck by a thought, Ye Baizhi turned to Xue Youchen. “You’ve seen it now—I’m not exactly a good person. This is the real me.”

“Does it bother you?”

She had never intended to hide or disguise herself before him.

She was who she was.

She fiercely protected her own and showed no mercy to her enemies.

Xue Youchen’s voice was gentle. “Silly girl, of course not.”

“This is just fine. As long as you don’t let yourself get hurt or be mistreated.”

He had once worried that if he couldn’t always be by her side, she might suffer at the hands of others. But seeing her like this, he could be at ease.

The world followed the law of the strong—raising one’s defenses to survive was only natural.

Ye Baizhi reached out and wrapped her arms around Xue Youchen’s waist, breathing in his cool, refreshing scent. The embrace steadied her emotions, gradually calming the storm within.

“Xue Youchen, you’re really good to me.”

“And Ah Zhi is just as good.”

Rumors were nothing but empty words—those people didn’t truly understand her.

Xue Youchen held her close, his voice gentle as he whispered by her ear. “There’s no need to worry about the cat tribe. Any cat beasts involved with the demon clan have been dealt with.”

“As for the innocent ones, their claws were removed, and they were dispersed among mixed-dwelling tribes. They won’t be able to stir up trouble.”

“I’ve also sent people to investigate the beastmen behind Kasai. No need to worry—the truth will come to light.”

“And in the next two days, with proper medicine, your brother will recover enough to reconnect with the Gifted Bone.”

Just a few simple words put Ye Baizhi at ease, lifting her spirits.

“Mm, I understand.”

Then, as if recalling something, her smile brightened. “By the way, while you were away, I experimented with new recipes.”

“Tonight, I’ll cook for you myself.”

“The sweet potato vermicelli has dried perfectly—Mother and Brother said we should wait for you to come back before eating.”

“In the past few days, our tribe formed a gathering team led by Ye Shuo. They took some of our people to harvest soybeans and dig up sweet potatoes and other food.”

“The gathering team consists of a few strong warriors for protection, allowing those without strength to join in. They can safely gather food under the warriors’ watch.”

“Because of this, we’ve harvested plenty of soybeans, sweet potatoes, and radishes—oh, and cabbages too.”

“Every time I return, the courtyard is piled high with supplies, all sent by the gathering team voluntarily.”

“I originally didn’t want to accept them, but everyone insisted, so I did…”

The beastmen of the Rabbit Tribe were simple and kind. They believed Ye Baizhi had taught them about these new foods, so bringing her some of their harvests gave them peace of mind. This meant she didn’t need to go out harvesting soybeans—her home was already overflowing with them, alongside sweet potatoes. There were so many sweet potatoes that boiling them every day wasn’t enough to finish them.

So, Ye Baizhi had her family turn them into sweet potato starch and make sweet potato vermicelli. The wooden racks in the courtyard were lined with transparent strands of dried vermicelli—the sweet potato noodles. Once dried, they could be stored away, ready to be boiled whenever they wanted.

Of course, they hadn’t tasted them yet.

But with Xue Youchen finally back, tonight would be the perfect opportunity.

“And there’s tofu—many people in the tribe have learned to make it, and everyone agrees it’s delicious. Soy milk has also become a favorite; people have started making it every morning.”

“Since forming the gathering team, even those without strength have found something to do. Keeping busy, grinding soybeans at the mill, working alongside others—it’s given everyone a sense of purpose. No one has gone hungry in days.”

“I also found cabbage—it has a high yield, and there’s plenty of it. I used some to make sauerkraut, which should be ready to eat in a little while.”

“And then there’s ramie—it’s already soaked, impurities removed, now drying on the wooden poles outside. It needs to be rinsed with water daily, and soon we’ll be able to weave rope, sew sacks, and even make cloth from it…”

Ye Baizhi chattered on, detailing everything that had happened over the past few days.

Xue Youchen listened patiently, watching her with gentle warmth in his eyes, like spring sunlight melting away the lingering chill.