Hou Xiaotiao scratched his head and explained, “These are Long Mo’s things. We’re just helping him bring them over.”

“Oh, thank you!” Hu Jiao Jiao said, then paused as if recalling something. “Wait a minute, Long Mo just left to go look for this. Didn’t you see him?”

“We saw him, yeah,” Hou Xiaotiao replied, still looking puzzled, “but he seemed to be in a hurry and didn’t stop to talk to us.”

“Hurry?” she murmured, a bit curious. “It’s late. What could be so urgent…?”

Forget it. Never mind.

Several beastmen put down the things and left.

Meanwhile, back at their den,Father Lu,Mother Lu, and Lu Li finally crawled home, looking like they’d just been through a robbery. Their faces were dark with fury, and Mother Lu’s bloated, pig-like face was red and swollen.

As soon as they returned, Lu Li locked himself in his room. Normally, Lu Mu would’ve comforted him, but today she was too angry and sore herself.

She slumped down at the entrance, turning to Father Lu with a scowl. “You useless waste. You couldn’t even fight back, and then you still go and make things worse, dragging me into that river.”

Father Lu, face full of resentment, stammered, “I… I was only trying to get justice for you…”

“Justice? More like vengeance on me! Now hurry up and pull this cursed bone knife out of my hand before I die of the pain!” she snapped, glaring as she held out her hand, where the knife was still embedded.

She’d considered seeing the healer, but that would cost them meat, and they didn’t have much left. If she used it all, Lu Li would go hungry tonight. Clenching her jaw, Lu Mu decided to bear the pain. Nothing could come before her son’s well-being-after all, he was destined to become the tribe’s strongest beastman and bring glory to the family.

Father Lu nervously grabbed the handle, but before he even started, her face twisted with pain, and he panicked, barely daring to pull. Instead, he tried inching it out bit by bit.

“Whack!”

Her hand shot out and slapped his head. “Are you starved or what? Use some muscle and stop torturing me!”

“Alright, alright! I’ll pull harder…” Father Lu stammered, bringing his other hand up and taking a deep breath before giving the knife a good tug. With a squelching sound, it slid out of her hand, splattering him with blood.

“Ah! You brainless idiot! Couldn’t you have given me a heads-up?”

Father Lu’s hands instinctively went up to shield his head, muttering, “I didn’t know… I’ll warn you next time…”

“You want a next time?!” Her hand lashed out again, and the house was filled with their endless bickering.
Suddenly, a loud boom erupted! The ground shook as a massive black dragon landed, its tail sweeping across the roof of their home and knocking it clean off.

Inside, Lu Li froze mid-tantrum. Looking up, he stammered, “The-the roof’s gone?!”

Outside, his parents sprang to their feet in terror, clutching each other as they trembled before the black dragon.

“L-Long Mo! What do you want this time…?”

“We haven’t even wronged you! What do you want with us…?” they sputtered. Just the sight of Long Mo sent shivers down their spines, and the whole family -parents and cub alike-had become hopelessly afraid of him.

Long Mo’s massive, figure leaned in closer, his piercing golden eyes fixed on the pair, their twisted, frightened faces reflected in his gaze. These were the two who had tried to harm her today. If he had been a second too late, this vile deer would have struck her.

At that thought, his gaze sharpened with a cold, deadly light, a hint of red flickering in his eyes.

Father Lu and Mother Lu went pale, feeling as if an invisible hand had clamped around their throats, ready to snap their necks without a second thought.

Wasn’t he just a waste? How could he suddenly seem so terrifying?

“You… y-you’re going to kill us? If we die, the chief will drive your whole family out, leaving you to fend for yourselves in the forest!” Mother Lu stammered, trying to sound brave despite her shaking voice.

“Humph.” Long Mo snorted with disdain, his breath bursting out with a powerful wave that sent the two of them sprawling to the ground.

This pig-like female has a point.

He was a male, it was fine for him to live a rough life in the forest, but he couldn’t let her suffer in the forest.

The two trembling all over, saw Long Mo shift to his human form.

Mother Lu sneered. “The coward’s leaving, just like I thought. He wouldn’t dare touch a female-AH!”

Her words were cut off by Long Mo’s fist slamming into her nose.

“Are you alright?” Father Lu asked in a panic, only to receive a fist directly in his eye.

Long Mo’s cold smile stretched across his lips, his fists crackling as he brought them down again, his chilling voice seething with menace:

“You’re right. I won’t kill you… but I’ll make sure you barely survive.”

With that, his fists rained down, blow after blow, landing in all the most painful, non-lethal spots. The two screamed, their cries of agony growing louder with each punch.

“Aaaaah!”

“Aaaaah!”

“Ahhhhh!!”

Long Mo didn’t relent, his voice turning colder and darker with each word:

“I may not have any other talents, but I’m not afraid to die.”

“Today, you tormented my mate. I’m here to settle that score. If you ever feel brave enough to take me on, challenge me anytime.”

“But if I catch you harassing her again, I’ll beat you every time I see you.”

By the end, Father Lu and Mother Lu were unrecognizable-black and blue with swollen, disfigured faces. Father Lu had three broken ribs, and he lay there helplessly, watching Long Mo with terror, as if looking at devil himself.

They wanted to cry but had no tears left. Who was bullying who here?

First, Mother Lu had been beaten by Hu Jiao Jiao, and now Long Mo had come to give them another brutal round. And they dared to say they’d been the ones bullying her?

Mother Lu’s lips trembled, and she barely managed to whisper, “W-we didn’t bully her…”

Long Mo’s gaze darkened. “Disagreeing, are we? Sounds like I wasn’t thorough enough.”

At that, Mother Lu nearly wet herself, hastily clutching her head and nodding frantically, “I understand! I won’t ever bother her again… I’ll stay far away from her!”

Crazy family, she thought, whoever wants to provoke them can do so!

She was done with them. She’d rather die than cross them again.