The most detested words for the little cubs were insults like “little waste” or “bastard.” These were terms the original owner of Hu Jiaojiao’s body had often used, and every time the orcs in the tribe said them, the cubs resented the original owner even more.

Long Zhong’s hatred, evident in his eyes, clearly included her as well.

Hu Jiaojiao had no doubt that if Long Zhong had the strength right now, he would wipe out the tribe and torture her to death!

Suddenly recalling the fear from her dreams, she shuddered. She quickly moved in front of the cubs, to block Long Zhong’s sight.

“Who are you calling a bastard? Say it again if you dare!”

Hu Jiaojiao picked up a stick from the ground and, with a fierce expression, pointed it at Xiong hua’s nose. “I hit him on the head, so what?”

“Your cub bullies mine every day. When he grows up, he’ll probably do worse things. Let me help you by finishing him off now, saving everyone future trouble!”

With that, she raised the stick, aiming to strike Xiong Qiu’s head.

In the beast world, it’s survival of the fittest. Even the young ones know this. These beastmen had bullied the original owner and her family for a long time, so Hu Jiaojiao wasn’t going to reason with them.

Why waste words when fists could settle the matter?

Xiong Hua was terrified. She hadn’t expected Hu Jiaojiao to really go after her cub. She quickly pulled Xiong Qiu away.

“Hu Jiaojiao, you must be crazy! If Xiong Qiu gets hurt, you’ll pay for it!”

Bear beastmen have the fewest cub, they typically only had one or two offspring at a time. Xiong Hua cherished her cub dearly.

Hu Jiaojiao swung the stick but missed, then planted it into the ground. Narrowing her eyes, she glared at Xiong Hua.

“So, it’s fine if you hurt my cub, but I can’t hurt yours?”

“I’m putting this out here right now: if you so much as touch one of my cubs again, I’ll break one of Xiong Qiu’s legs!”

After saying this, she forcefully threw the stick to the ground, issuing a firm warning.

If she didn’t stand her ground, these people would think she was easy to bully.

For some reason, Xiong Hua felt a sudden fear when she saw the fierce look in Hu Jiaojiao’s eyes. It was as if the person in front of her had nothing left to lose.

Her body trembled as she instinctively backed away. “Hu… Hu Jiaojiao, you’ll pay for this!”

Stammering out her threat, Xionghua fled in a panic, dragging Xiong Qiu with her.

Hu Jiaojiao clapped her hands and chuckled.

“He’s so fat and big, yet such a coward.”

The onlookers who had been watching the scene unfold were stunned. Hu Jiaojiao had always been the most timid. But today, she had faced off with Xiong Hua and even chased her away.

Was this really Hu Jiaojiao?

Seeing the orcs still standing around, gawking, Hu Jiaojiao frowned and glared at them.

“What are you staring at? Am I that good-looking? Want to come in for a closer look?”

These beastmen had only come to mock her, so she wasn’t about to be polite.

Hearing this, a few of them did take another good look at her.

Hu Jiaojiao was indeed beautiful!

As a Fox, she had a naturally seductive and alluring face, with a body that was practically perfect. There wasn’t an orc around who wouldn’t find her attractive.

But Hu Jiaojiao only had eyes for Ying Yuan, and she always treated other males with disdain. Over time, everyone had grown to dislike her.

Remembering this, the orcs shook their heads in disdain and left.

Such a vicious female, not worth looking at!

Finally, peace returned to the wooden house.

Hu Jiaojiao turned around to find the cubs staring at her, their expressions filled with suspicion.

She smiled warmly, acting as though she hadn’t noticed their wary looks.

“Mother promised she’d protect you, and she will.”

The cubs were all injured in some way. Long Ling’er had bruises on her arm, and Long Yao had lost several scales—his injuries were the worst.

Despite this, none of them complained of pain.

Hu Jiaojiao decided to go fetch some medicine. She turned to the cubs and said, “Wait here for a moment. I’ll be right back.”

With that, she quickly went inside the wooden house.

She couldn’t enter the storage space in front of the cubs.

As soon as Hu Jiaojiao was out of sight, the cubs didn’t relax. Instead, they became even more tense.

“She’s probably gone to get something to beat us with. I knew she wasn’t up to any good!” Long Zhong spat toward the wooden house.

“But she swore she wouldn’t hurt us…” Long Ling’er pouted, though her voice was full of uncertainty.

The vicious female hated them getting into trouble. Now that Xiong Qiu’s mother had come knocking, she was surely angry.

In the past, whenever she got upset, she would beat them and deny them food and water. During the winter, she’d strip them of their clothes and throw them into the snow.

Long Yu remembered how Hu Jiaojiao had just beaten Xiong Hua with a stick. Who knows, they might be the next ones to be hit. His little face scrunched up like a bun.

As the eldest, he quickly made a decision.

“Let’s run while we can.”

The usually silent Long Xiu held Long Zhong’s hand tightly, ready to bolt at any moment.

Just then, Long Yao poked his head out from Long Ling’er’s arms.

“Ha~ha~”

His dark little head, with its ruby-like eyes, looked up at Long Yu. His tiny mouth opened, letting out a soft, milky sound.

It seemed like he was disagreeing with Long Yu’s plan.

Inside the house, Fox Jiaojiao moved behind the wall, out of sight of the cubs, and entered her storage space.

The shelves were filled with items, and she hoped to find some medicine.

But once inside, she realized only the first shelf was accessible. The other shelves were locked, their contents out of reach couldn’t be seen or touched.

Hu Jiaojiao was dumbfounded.

So, all she had was one shelf of food and kitchen supplies?

How could she unlock the other shelves?

Confused, she quickly grabbed two clean cloths, intending to use them as towels, and left the space.

As soon as she stepped outside, she saw Long Yu holding Long Ling’er’s hand, standing hesitantly at the gate.

Long Xiu and Long Zhong were already outside the yard.

Long Yao was biting Long Yu’s clothes, as if trying to stop him from leaving.

“What are you doing?”

Fox Jiaojiao asked curiously.

The five cubs froze. They turned to see her walking toward them, holding two white cloths.

Long Yu’s face darkened, and he moved in front of his siblings. “It’s my fault. If you want to hit someone, hit me…”

Before he could finish, something cold touched his face.

Startled, he widened his eyes, forgetting to lower his outstretched arms.

“Silly cub, who said I was going to hit you?”

Hu Jiaojiao gently wiped Long Yu’s face with the damp cloth. His face was smeared with blood and dirt, and there was a long scratch from Xiong Hua’s nails. When he had fallen while protecting his siblings, the wound had worsened.

“Hold still. Let me clean it for you.”

Fox Jiaojiao’s movements were careful, not wanting to hurt him.

The sting of the cloth against his wound brought Long Yu back to his senses.

His small brows furrowed as he stepped back, his expression wary.

What was she plotting now?