Late at night.

Hu Jiao Jiao woke up from her dream, drenched in cold sweat.

She had another premonition dream.

In it, she saw her father and eldest brother transporting salt blossoms back to the tribe. They took a shortcut but were brutally ambushed by a group of beastmen who stole the salt. Their bodies had been viciously dismembered and left scattered in the forest to be devoured by wild animals.

The memory of this vision left her heart racing, her scalp tingling with dread. Forcing herself out of bed, she glanced outside. The moon was still hanging on the treetops; dawn was hours away.

She knew she needed to find Long Mo and tell the chief about the dream. The tribe could send someone to save them. But logic told her she couldn’t act immediately.

Because…

In her dream, besides the eight beastmen transporting the salt blossoms, she saw Long Mo, too!

Why was Long Mo with them?

With trembling hands and a pale face, Hu Jiao Jiao clenched her fists, forcing herself to stay calm as she carefully went over every detail of the dream.

Then, in a flash, something clicked.

The first dream hadn’t just been about where to find the salt blossoms. It was a nightmare she had only seen part of before she was woken up by the cubs. She finally understood: the dragon’s roar and fox’s cry she’d heard hadn’t come from the tribe but from the ambush on the way back!

But then…why was Long Mo in her dream too?

Her heart sank. Could it be… because of her?

If she told the chief, he would send a group to the rescue, and Long Mo would be among them. But instead of helping, they’d all be killed, including Long Mo.

Yet if she did nothing, her father, brother, and the other beastmen would be left to die.

Did she have to just watch them die?

“Ugh.” In her frustration, she bit down on her lip hard enough to taste blood. The metallic tang in her mouth reminded her she had to make a decision quickly.

---

At dawn, Hu Jiao Jiao stepped outside and saw the five cubs already in the yard.

“Didn’t you sleep well last night?” she asked, noting the dark circles under their eyes.

Aside from Long Ling’er, the other four had deep, dark circles, particularly Long Xiu, whose pale face made his look stand out even more. Long Yao’s dark scales made his circles invisible, but his unfocused gaze and droopy tail were evidence of his exhaustion.

Long Ling’er yawned, grumbling under her breath, “With Dad in the room, who could sleep well?”

“What was that, Ling’er?” Hu Jiao Jiao asked, not having caught it.

“Oh, nothing, Mom. I slept great!” Long Ling’er’s face immediately lit up with a sweet smile.

“Really?” Hu Jiao Jiao glanced at the other cubs, all of whom nodded in quick agreement. She decided to let it go, as her mind was elsewhere. Scanning the yard, she noticed Long Mo was nowhere to be found.

“Where’s your father?” she asked.

“Dad left early to find Uncle Xiaotiao,” Long Ling’er replied cheerfully. “He said Uncle Xiaotiao was too slow-witted and would hold up the stone house project, so Dad went to teach him himself.”

Hu Jiao Jiao: “…”

Long Mo teaching Hou Xiaotiao?

She’d only explained things once yesterday to familiarize them with the concept. And here Long Mo had memorized it perfectly already and could teach it to others? That mind of his was amazing.

Ruffling Long Ling’er’s hair, Hu Jiao Jiao said, “Alright, I’m off to find your father. Be good while I’m gone, and I’ll make breakfast when I get back.”

“Got it, Mom! I’ll keep an eye on my brothers and Xiao Wu,” Long Ling’er said, nodding with the seriousness of a little adult.

The other cubs nodded wearily in agreement.

With a gentle smile, Hu Jiao Jiao walked out of the yard, but her face grew tense as soon as she turned away.

“Please, let it be in time…”

After a short distance, she saw Long Mo approaching with the ten beastmen assigned to build the stone house. Xiaotiao and the others had been rousted at the crack of dawn by Long Mo, with no time to eat or even grab water. It was like working for a tyrant.

Hu Jiao Jiao quickly approached and pulled Long Mo aside, turning to the others with a serious look. “The beastmen who went to gather salt may be in danger. Long Mo and I need to speak to the chief. Please continue from where we left off yesterday and finish setting the foundation. I’ll check on the progress later.”

Hearing that the salt-gathering team might be in trouble, Xiaotiao and the others looked equally concerned and nodded quickly.

“Got it, go do what you have to do.”

“Don’t worry, we’ve got this!”

“We won’t slack off!”

They all thumped their chests, determined to support Hu Jiao Jiao, who had done so much for the tribe.

“Thank you all,” Hu Jiao Jiao said, then pulled Long Mo along.

Even with his tall, imposing figure, Long Mo let the petite Hu Jiao Jiao lead him without the slightest resistance.

“Hu… Jiao Jiao, you said the salt-gathering team is in trouble? What happened?” Long Mo’s gaze dropped to her delicate hand gripping his arm, and his deep voice softened with concern.

It seemed that Hu Jiao Jiao always knew things that other beastmen didn’t, whether it was how to plant crops, build stone houses, pick salt fruits, or find salt blossoms.

“Long Mo, if I told you I dreamed they would all die, would you believe me?” Hu Jiao Jiao stopped, her voice low as she looked down.

“I would.”

His response was firm, unwavering, with not a trace of doubt.

She was his mate.

No beastmen would doubt their mate.

Hu Jiao Jiao’s heart skipped a beat, and she felt her breath catch for a moment. Slowly, she turned, looking into Long Mo’s deep golden eyes, her own gaze sincere and pleading.

“I need your help with something.”

…

Hu Jiao Jiao came to the chief’s home alone. As she approached, the door opened, and the chief stepped outside.

“Jiao Jiao?” The chief looked at her, curious. “Aren’t you working on building the stone house? Why did you come here? Is something wrong?”

“Chief, the eight beastmen who went to gather salt are in danger!”

Hu Jiaojiao stood outside the yard and said anxiously.

Her words quickly drew the attention of several nearby beastmen.