Long Mo stared at the female in front of him, who seemed entirely different from the one he remembered. A flicker of surprise flashed in his deep, shadowy eyes, but it was quickly overshadowed by cold indifference.

He had just returned from delivering his prey when he heard the sharp cries of a female nearby.

At first, he had no intention of intervening, but then he vaguely heard Hu Jiao Jiao’s voice. Putting down his prey, he rushed over, and to his surprise, it really was her.

This female—wasn’t she the one who refused to go out to gather fruits, no matter what? What was she doing here today? And with Lu Mian’er, the one she despised the most.

A cold gleam flashed in Long Mo’s eyes. This fox was indeed a cunning one. Clearly, she was trying to win over Lu Mian’er to get closer to Ying Yuan.

If she weren’t his mate and hadn’t given birth to five cubs, he wouldn’t have bothered saving her.

Seeing the black dragon staring straight at her, Hu Jiao Jiao felt a bit nervous. But remembering that her fate depended on this dragon, she mustered her courage and stepped forward.

“Well, if you don’t want to transform into your human form, that’s fine. But we need to stop the bleeding, or it could get infected,” she said cautiously.

She recalled from the book that while dragons had the toughest physical bodies among beastmen, Long Mo had failed his transformation. His body wasn’t as invincible as other dragons, and before he turned evil, even small wounds could easily worsen.

In reality, Long Mo wasn’t weak by any means. But his biggest vulnerability was that his wounds healed slowly. Among beastmen, that was seen as a fatal flaw. A hunter couldn’t survive long if they couldn’t recover quickly, which meant his days were numbered.

Feeling a pang of sympathy for Long Mo, Hu Jiao Jiao thought of how much he must have hated the original owner. After being exiled from the tribe, he couldn’t rest to heal and was forced to hunt daily, dragging his injured body. No wonder he ended up darkening.

“This powder will help stop the bleeding and prevent infection. I’ll apply some for you—it should help you heal faster.”

Noticing the wary look in the black dragon’s eyes, Hu Jiao Jiao pretended to rummage through her pocket and pulled out a packet of medicinal powder, showing it to the dragon so he wouldn’t mistake her intentions.

When the dragon didn’t object, she took it as permission. Delighted, she hurried forward and began opening the packet, preparing to apply the medicine.

“Roar…”

Suddenly, the black dragon opened his mouth and exhaled a cloud of thick dragon breath. With a powerful leap, he took off.

The gust from his breath sent Hu Jiao Jiao sprawling on the ground, and the medicinal powder scattered everywhere, filling the air with yellow dust and making her eyes water.

Cough, cough…

She only wanted to help treat his wounds—why such a violent reaction?

“Hu Jiao Jiao, are you okay?” Lu Mian’er hobbled over, helping Hu Jiao Jiao to her feet. Seeing her tear-streaked face, Mian’er grew indignant. “Was that Long Mo? He went too far! How could he treat you like that? You’re his mate!”

Hu Jiao Jiao was completely taken aback.

What? Did Lu Mian’er lose her mind?

Why was she suddenly defending her?

“Hu Jiao Jiao, are you hurt?” Mian’er asked, worry etched on her face as she fanned the powder away, though it didn’t really help.

Cough, cough… “I’m fine,” Hu Jiao Jiao replied, shaking her head. She pulled Mian’er out of the cloud of powder.

Both of them were utterly exhausted after narrowly escaping death, collapsing onto the grass.

Still uneasy from her dream about Lu Mian’er’s suicide, Hu Jiao Jiao hesitated before sincerely reassuring her.

“Mian’er, what happened today was just an accident. Don’t dwell on it. Next time, I’ll make sure the chief brings more warriors along, and nothing like this will happen again. There’s no need to worry.”

She didn’t want Mian’er spiraling into despair and possibly ending her life. That would make all her efforts today pointless.

Hearing Hu Jiao Jiao’s words, Mian’er’s eyes instantly welled up with tears, deeply moved. She hadn’t expected Hu Jiao Jiao to be concerned for her, even after everything. How could such a kind female exist?

Sitting up, Mian’er looked at Hu Jiao Jiao with pure gratitude.

“I’m fine, Hu Jiao Jiao, just now…”

“Mian’er! Hu Jiao Jiao! We finally found you two! What took you so long?”

Before Mian’er could finish speaking, a male voice interrupted them from behind.

They turned to see a burly male approaching, followed by the Chief and Hu Jing.

Both Lu Mian’er and Hu Jiao Jiao stood up, but Hu Jing quickly noticed that Mian’er’s foot didn’t seem right.

“Mian’er, you’re hurt!” Hu Jing exclaimed, rushing over to her protectively. Her eyes flashed with suspicion as she glared at Hu Jiao Jiao. “Did you bully Mian’er again? And what’s with this dead wolf? Did you work with wandering beastmen to harm Mian’er?”

Before Hu Jiao Jiao could explain, Hu Jing had already conjured a wild conspiracy in her head.

“Say something, Hu Jiao Jiao! Was this your doing?”

Rendered speechless, Hu Jiao Jiao thought, Can you give me a chance to speak first?

“Hu Jing, stop,” Mian’er interjected, frowning. “Hu Jiao Jiao saved me. If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t be alive right now.”

Hu Jing looked utterly confused.

“Mian’er, what are you saying? Did she threaten you? Tell me the truth, I won’t let her hurt you.”

She refused to believe Hu Jiao Jiao could be that kind.

“What happened here? Why is there a dead beast?” The Chief approached with a serious expression, noticing the dead wolf and the signs of a struggle.

Mian’er, growing bolder, hurriedly explained, “Chief, three wandering beastmen attacked us. It was Hu Jiao Jiao and Long Mo who saved me. This gray wolf was one of the wandering beastmen—Long Mo killed it.”

She was eager to prevent any further misunderstanding.

“Long Mo? You saw Long Mo?” The chief’s eyes widened in surprise.

Ever since Hu Jiao Jiao had cast him out of the tribe, no one had seen Long Mo again.

Feeling the chief’s questioning gaze, Hu Jiao Jiao nodded.

“Yes, Long Mo chased off the wandering beastmen and saved us.”

Hu Jing blurted out in shock, “That weakling can do that?”

Because Long Mo had never displayed his strength before the females, and the males often ridiculed him, most of the females believed he was weak.

“Hu Jing!” Mian’er scolded, frowning and squeezing Hu Jing’s hand in frustration.

Realizing her mistake, Hu Jing relented. “Okay, okay, I won’t say anything more. As long as you’re safe, Mian’er.”

But deep down, she still didn’t trust that Hu Jiao Jiao had actually saved Mian’er.

Meanwhile, Long Mo had returned to his home in the tribe, carrying his prey.

As he approached, he stopped in his tracks, hesitating as he looked at the new courtyard and wooden house.

Had Hu Jiao Jiao moved somewhere else?

His golden eyes flickered with confusion. Why did everything look so different from the way he remembered it?