Just now, it was because he wasn’t defending that the wolf beast nearly injured Long Mo.

Feeling Hu Jiao Jiao’s gaze on him, Long Wu suddenly felt as if he’d been stripped bare, his face turning pale as he stammered, “Yes… yes, let’s deal with the wandering beastmen first!”

Hearing this, the others revived their spirits, turning back to face the wandering beastmen ahead.

Led by the Scorpion Beast, the wandering beastmen fiercely resisted the onslaught from the wolves, using merciless tactics and seemingly endless strength. Soon, a layer of wolf corpses piled up on the ground. Seeing this, Long Mo, Ying Yuan, and the others jumped into the fray.

Fueled by his thirst for revenge, Ying Yuan fought as if he had nothing to lose, engaging in a brutal battle with the Scorpion Beast. His eagle claws managed to seize the scorpion’s tail, lifting it high and slamming it to the ground. Before it could rise, he gouged out its compound eyes with his beak.

Seeing this, Hu Jiao Jiao couldn’t help but marvel, muttering quietly, “No wonder he’s the protagonist; he couldn’t beat it before, and now he’s completely turned the tables. This protagonist aura is something else…”

She whispered to herself, convinced they’d avoided disaster. Now that Ying Yuan had his protagonist’s advantage, things would hopefully go smoothly.

Long Mo, however, noticed her fixed gaze on Ying Yuan, mistaking it for admiration. His deep golden eyes grew dark, and as if challenging someone, he threw himself furiously into the fight against the wandering beastmen.

After an intense struggle, fifteen wandering beastmen were slain—one by the wolf leader, five by Ying Yuan, and five by Long Mo, with the remaining four felled by the other warriors. It was as if they were competing for a higher score.

Exhausted from the battle, Ying Yuan and Long Mo reverted to human form, catching their breath amid the bodies. Their eyes met with simmering hostility. If looks could kill, the two would already be shredded by each other’s gaze.

Ying Yuan felt anger toward Long Mo for ending the lives of his tribe members, while Long Mo… With a disdainful look, he let out a deep, cold snort, turning his gaze away. So this was the tribe’s strongest warrior? The female’s taste was certainly questionable.

“Ying Yuan, you’re amazing! Taking down five wandering beastmen all on your own—you really are the strongest male in the tribe!”

With the two fighting so fiercely, the other warriors hadn’t worn themselves out too much and eagerly moved forward to flatter Ying Yuan.

Hearing this, Hu Qinglu, unwilling to stay quiet, retorted, “My little sister’s mate also killed five wandering beastmen. Doesn’t that also make him the tribe’s strongest male?”

After witnessing the recent battle, Hu Qinglu’s view of Long Mo had completely changed. He had disliked him before, thinking he was a weakling unworthy of Hu Jiao Jiao. However, in a society where strength mattered above all, Long Mo’s fighting ability had softened Hu Qinglu’s earlier judgment.

More than that, Hu Qinglu disliked Ying Yuan’s self-righteous attitude, and, between the two, he would obviously support “family” first.

“True, Long Mo also took down five wandering beastmen. Who would’ve thought he’d become so powerful?”

This time, the other warriors, recalling how Long Mo had risked his life to protect them, praised him with genuine admiration instead of mockery.

“Just now, if Long Mo hadn’t seized the wolf leader, we’d all be dead.”

“Long Mo, thank you for saving my life. I won’t forget this debt.”

“It’s a good thing Long Mo was here today. Long Mo, you and Ying Yuan are both the best warriors of our tribe!”

The warriors hadn’t forgotten the danger they had just escaped, and their earlier derision was now replaced with shame and gratitude.

Unused to this kind of recognition, Long Mo’s face grew stiff as he walked silently over to Hu Jiao Jiao’s side, maintaining a calm expression.

Then one warrior spotted Long Wu.

“Long Wu, how many wandering beastmen did you kill? I remember you said you’d help us take down all the wandering beastmen, but we didn’t see you much during the fight.”

Hu Qinglu suddenly spoke up, loudly enough for all to hear.

The other warriors turned to look at Long Wu standing off in the corner. He was disheveled but uninjured, unlike the rest, who bore wounds and bloodstains, some even missing limbs. The absence of blood on Long Wu’s clothes said it all.

Long Wu’s face turned pale, and he stammered, “I… I wanted to fight, but they killed everyone before I had a chance. Next time, I’ll handle them all on my own!”

Long Wu was good at dealing with wild beasts, but facing the terrifying pack of wolves and ruthless wandering beastmen had shaken him. During the battle, he’d mostly hung back, only landing the occasional finishing blow from a safe distance.

The warriors eyed him with clear disdain.

Meanwhile, Hu Jiao Jiao was relieved to have survived, though she shot a subtle look at Long Wu, remembering his earlier plan of harming Long Mo. Then, she turned and ran to the wolf leader, who had led his pack back into the forest.

Seeing her move, Long Mo followed closely behind, silently standing guard.

“Thank you for your help. I’ll keep my word and let you go, but I have one condition,” Hu Jiao Jiao said gravely to the wolf leader. “Your pack has a blood feud with my tribe. I know there’s no way to erase it, but if you want to survive, you must lead them to a place without tribes, far from here. Never return.”

Her clear voice carried a hint of sadness. In this world, where beastmen were the apex predators, they and wild beasts could never truly coexist. There was no right or wrong, just survival—the beastmen hunted to live, and the wolf leader avenged his kin. The only solution was for them to stay far apart.

The wolf leader gazed at her, its eyes deeply intelligent. With its instincts heightened by the recent events, it seemed to sense that this female was the most dangerous of all.

Knowing the wolf could understand her, Hu Jiao Jiao waited for its response.

After a long silence, the wolf leader turned, walking away without another glance back. His majestic form receded into the woods, accompanied by a chorus of mournful howls, mourning both fallen comrades and the cruelty of life.

Hu Jiao Jiao watched the wolf leader disappear, wondering if evolving a human-like intelligence was a blessing or a curse for creatures like him.

Once the howls faded, she turned to rejoin the others, too absorbed to notice that Long Mo had been standing by, his gaze fixed unflinchingly on her.

The moment she turned, her eyes met his piercing golden ones, his look so intense that it made her heart skip. Startled, she instinctively took a step back, slipping on the blood-soaked ground and losing her balance.

“Great…” she groaned inwardly, bracing for a hard landing. But just as she expected to hit the bloodied ground, a pair of strong arms caught her by the waist.