“If you want to take the prey, fine, but leave your life behind first!”

Hu Jiaojiao’s eyes were fierce, like a cornered wolf.

Even a rabbit will bite when pushed!

This Xiong hua had bullied her cubs, torn down her house, and stolen her prey. Did she really think Hu Jiaojiao was easy to push around?

“Ah! Hu Jiaojiao, how dare you grab my hair! Let go, or I’ll smash your face, you little bitch!”

Xiong hua screamed. Despite her layers of fat, she was terrified of pain.

She hadn’t yet realized the danger at her neck, only wanting to push Hu Jiaojiao away.

“Little bitch, get off me! Xiong zhuang, why aren’t you helping? Get her off me! My hair…”

Xiong zhuang couldn’t stand seeing his partner bullied. He put down the prey and rushed forward to help.

Hu Jiaojiao’s face turned cold, and her slender arm tightened its grip. The blade of her kitchen knife dug in a little deeper.

“Try coming closer! Believe me, I’ll slit her throat right now!”

To prove she wasn’t bluffing, she moved her fingers slightly, and the sharp edge of the knife cut into Xiong hua’s neck.

A small cut appeared, and red blood began to seep out.

It was as if with just a little more force, Xiong hua’s head would be separated from her body.

“Ah! You vicious creature, Hu Jiaojiao! If you kill me, the chief won’t let you get away with it!”

Feeling the sharp pain in her neck, Xiong hua was pale with fear.

Xiong zhuang was equally furious, shouting, “Let her go! Or don’t blame me if I get rough with you.”

Hu Jiaojiao sneered coldly, “Let her go? And let you take my prey? My cubs and I would starve! If I’m going to die, I might as well take Xiong hua with me!”

She then turned to Long Yu, “Yu’er, light the fire and bring the torch.”

When Hu Jiaojiao cooked, she didn’t hide the flint from the cubs, so they wouldn’t find it strange. She had only brought out the flint when needed.

She had noticed Long Yu watching intently when she started fires.

Long Yu was startled, his face looking uneasy.

How did she know he had been secretly watching her?

Although the tribe kept fire, no one other than the chief knew how to start one, so when he saw Hu Jiaojiao light a fire, he had secretly been learning.

After glancing at her, Long Yu quickly ran into the house.

Not long after, he returned with a burning torch.

Hu Jiaojiao glanced at the torch, her expression resolute as if she was ready to die, “If you want the prey, then let’s die together. Yu’er, light it!”

The beastmen didn’t know the power of knives, but they knew fire could burn them to death.

Long Yu tightly gripped the torch, hesitating for a couple of seconds before he moved as if he was going to set Xiong hua on fire.

“Hu Jiaojiao, you madwoman! I’m not dying with you! Fine, you can keep the prey! Let me go!”

Xiong hua was utterly terrified.

She had never met someone so ruthless, someone who would so easily throw their life away.

Xiong zhuang quickly nodded in agreement, “We won’t take your prey. Just let Xiong hua go. We can talk this out peacefully…”

Hu Jiaojiao signaled Long Yu with her eyes.

He stopped, holding the torch close to Xiong hua’s face, the heat making her skin almost burn, and her hair started to singe, filling the air with a burnt smell.

“My house is ruined, I’ve nowhere to live, I might as well die with you,” Hu Jiaojiao said, turning to Long Yu, “Yu’er…”

“No! I’ll help you rebuild the house! Just don’t hurt Xiong hua!” Xiong zhuang quickly raised his hands in surrender, afraid that Hu Jiaojiao’s grip would slip and that Xiong hua would be dead in an instant.

Hu Jiaojiao shook her head, unsatisfied.

“And how do I know you won’t bully us while you’re at it? No, better to end it all now!”

“Then tell me what you want. Whatever you ask, just don’t hurt Xiong hua. I’ll agree to anything,” Xiong zhuang conceded.

Beastmen were all slaves to their mates, and Hu Jiaojiao had clearly taken advantage of this.

Seeing his willingness to negotiate, Hu Jiaojiao’s eyes gleamed cunningly.

“Bring me two beasts, and I’ll let her go.”

Only a fool wouldn’t take advantage of this opportunity.

They didn’t have much animal hide left at home, so they could use the skins to make new clothes for the cubs.

“Fine, I’ll get the beasts.”

Without hesitation, Xiong zhuang returned home and carried back two freshly hunted beasts, one a sheep and the other a wild boar.

“I’ve brought the prey, now let Xiong hua go.”

Hu Jiaojiao released the knife and leaned close to Xiong hua’s ear, whispering, “I’ll spare you this time. But if I ever see you bullying my cubs again, I’ll chop your head off and feed it to the wild beasts in the forest!”

Xiong hua trembled in fear and no longer dared to defy her. She instinctively touched her neck, her hand coming away bloody.

Her face turned deathly pale as she frantically shook her head, “I won’t, I won’t! I swear I’ll never bully them again!”

If she had known this little wench was so ruthless, she would never have come here.

“Now get lost.” Hu Jiaojiao waved the knife.

Xiong hua and Xiong zhuang quickly left, not daring to linger.

“They’re gone! Finally!” Long Ling’er shouted excitedly, jumping up and down.

“Mother, you’re amazing! You really scared them off, and we got two more beasts!”

In her excitement, Long Ling’er forgot all the anger she’d felt toward Hu Jiaojiao earlier.

Seeing the extra prey, Long Yao also rushed to Hu Jiaojiao, rubbing his little head against her hand.

The little one was good at reading the room, always knowing whom to please for food.

Even Long Yu and Long Xiu’s expressions had softened.

Only Long Zhong still wore a sour look, glaring at Hu Jiaojiao with disdain. “What good is the prey if our house is destroyed?”

“Silly brother, Mother at least kept the prey from being stolen. If not for her, we’d be going hungry…” Long Ling’er tugged at Long Zhong’s hand, for the first time speaking in Hu Jiaojiao’s defense.

“Hmph, how many times did she let us starve before? I don’t need her pretending to be nice now!” Long Zhong’s face remained dark, the scars making him appear even gloomier.

Hu Jiaojiao glanced at Long Zhong, who harbored the most hostility towards her, but said nothing. Instead, she walked toward the prey, ready to deal with it.

Autumn had just begun, but the weather was still hot.

If she didn’t process the meat soon, it would spoil.

As she prepared to get her tools, Long Yu put out the torch but then noticed something on Hu Jiaojiao’s head.

“Hey.”

“What is it, Yu’er?” Hu Jiaojiao turned, confused.

“You’re bleeding again.” He frowned, pointing at the back of her head.

Reminded of her injury, Hu Jiaojiao touched her head, and sure enough, it was bleeding.

She hadn’t noticed earlier, as she had been too tense. Now that things had calmed down, the pain in her head was becoming more apparent.

But she didn’t know any medicine, and there weren’t any in her space either.

She would just have to let it heal on its own.

“I’m fine, probably just reopened the wound,” Hu Jiaojiao said, forcing a smile. She raised a hand to rub her temples, hoping it might ease the throbbing pain.

Long Yu frowned deeper, his gaze serious as he looked at her. “We have extra meat now. Take some and see a healer. Don’t die here at home.”