Hu Qinggao had already prepared for the situation, quickly pulling Hu Jiaojiao aside to dodge Xiong hua’s attack.

Xiong hua fell flat on her face.

The Chief, standing nearby, looked displeased and, in his slightly aged voice, scolded, “Enough, Xiong hua. It’s forbidden to harm females in the tribe.”

A little squabbling was one thing, but harming lives was strictly not allowed.

“Chief, Hu Jiaojiao burned down my house and ordered Long Yao to bully my son and me. You must stand up for us!” Xiong hua sobbed pitifully, her face streaked with snot and tears.

But the stench and filth covering her made it hard for anyone to feel any sympathy.

Hu Jiaojiao scoffed and immediately countered, “Chief, everyone knows that I don’t treat my cub well. How could they possibly listen to me and do such a thing?”

“My cub is still so small, what could he possibly know? He has just been bullied by Xiong hua’s family for so long that he wanted to take revenge.”

She spoke with such confidence, as if her reasoning was perfectly sound.

Retaliation was a common trait among beastmen. Even the young cubs had a good memory for their enemies.

Hearing this, the surrounding beastmen nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, Hu Jiaojiao is always yelling and hitting her cubs, there’s no way they’d listen to her.”

“Looks to me like Xiong hua brought this on herself, doing too much evil, and now she’s trying to shift the blame onto Hu Jiaojiao.”

“Neither of them are good, so what’s the point of arguing…”

Hu Jiaojiao narrowed her eyes and continued, “In my opinion, you’ve done too much wrong, and the Beast God has punished you by burning your house down. And now you dare to slander me? You really are like a dog who can’t stop eating its own filth.”

“You! Hu Jiaojiao, stop spouting nonsense!” Xiong hua turned pale at the mention of the Beast God.

Hu Jiaojiao shrugged, “Then explain why no one could put out the fire. Isn’t it obvious? The Beast God didn’t want it extinguished.”

In the novel, the beastmen revered the Beast God, much like people in our world worship deities.

A punishment from the Beast God was no small matter.

The beastmen’s gazes toward Xiong hua quickly shifted, as if she were some sort of filthy creature. Even those males who had considered her as a potential mate quickly dismissed the idea.

“No way! Hu Jiaojiao, stop talking nonsense!” Xiong hua panicked and quickly turned to the chief. “Chief, she’s lying! She stole the method for starting a fire and is using this as an excuse to cover her tracks!”

The chief turned and looked at Hu Jiaojiao.

“Hu Jiaojiao, is what Xiong hua said true?”

He was getting older, and his strength wasn’t what it used to be. So he needed to use fire to consolidate his position, or else the other beastmen wouldn’t follow him as easily.

That’s why he had kept the fire-making method tightly to himself, only distributing fire every three months.

If another beastman learned how to make fire, his status as chief would be threatened.

His expression grew serious.

Hu Jiaojiao, having read the novel, knew exactly what the chief was thinking. She confidently stepped forward.

“I do know how to start a fire.”

“Little sister…” Hu Qinggao looked at her anxiously.

If she really had stolen the method, the chief wouldn’t spare her.

Hu Qinggao’s heart was racing. He thought to himself that if the chief tried to harm her, he would risk his life to protect her.

“Don’t worry, brother. Trust me,” Hu Jiaojiao smiled sweetly at him before turning to face the chief.

“Chief, I do know how to start a fire, but I didn’t steal the method. I discovered it by chance.”

“Don’t believe her, Chief! If it was that easy to find, why hasn’t anyone else discovered it?” Xiong hua barked angrily.

Hu Jiaojiao remained calm. “If you don’t believe me, Chief, you can compare my method to yours and see if it’s the same. Then you’ll know whether I stole it or not.”

The surrounding beastmen’s eyes lit up. Could she really know how to start a fire?

If they learned how, they wouldn’t have to wait three months to get fire from the chief anymore.

“But,” Hu Jiaojiao added, “I’ll only share it with the chief.”

Hearing this, the chief’s expression softened slightly. He looked at her with curiosity before nodding. “Alright, tell me.”

“The tool I use to make fire is two stones. May I ask, Chief, do you use stones to make fire?”

The chief’s expression subtly shifted upon hearing her words.

Hu Jiaojiao noticed the change in his face.

In the novel, it was written that the chief had learned how to make fire by rubbing sticks together from another tribe. However, he wasn’t very skilled at it, which is why he distributed fire only once every three months.

Later, the tribe was attacked by another group, the chief died, and no one was left to make fire. The tribe fell into decline, eventually collapsing completely.

Ying Yuan and Lu Mianer, the male and female protagonists, left for a new territory, while the beastmen of this tribe either perished or fled.

Hu Jiaojiao’s mother, Hu Min, refused to leave, clinging to memories of her daughter. When the invaders returned, they took pleasure in tormenting the remaining beastmen and tied Hu Min to the back of a wild beast, dragging her to death.

Now that Hu Jiaojiao had come to this world, she wouldn’t let that happen.

“Your method for making fire wasn’t stolen from me,” the chief said, frowning deeply as he shook his head.

As much as he wanted to keep the fire-making technique secret, he wouldn’t unjustly accuse Hu Jiaojiao.

“How is that possible? Chief, are you protecting Hu Jiaojiao?” Xiong hua was shocked, eyes wide in disbelief.

“Xiong hua, who do you think is the chief here, you or him? You dare question the chief’s words?” Hu Jiaojiao yelled, her voice deliberately loud.

Sure enough, the chief’s face darkened.

As chief, he couldn’t tolerate anyone challenging his authority. If one person defied him, soon no one would respect his leadership.

“Take Xiong hua to the mountain cave and confine her for two days. No one is to visit her,” the chief ordered.

Xiong hua was quickly dragged away.

Her son, Xiong Qiu, was paralyzed with fear. Seeing his mother taken away, he shot a terrified glance at Hu Jiaojiao before running off in a panic.

With the commotion over, the beastmen lingered, still eager to know how Hu Jiaojiao made fire with stones.

Knowing exactly what they were thinking, Hu Jiaojiao continued.

“I’ve tried it. Not all stones can make fire. Only the two stones I found work.”

The crowd’s faces immediately fell with disappointment.

“Chief, I’m willing to offer you these flintstones. But in return, I’d like you to grant me one request.”

So, she wanted to make a deal.

The chief scrutinized her closely. He felt that Hu Jiaojiao had changed a lot. The calm and smiling expression she wore now was something the old Hu Jiaojiao never had.

“Tell me, what is your request?”