Beast World: A Fragile Beauty Blessed with Many Children-Chapter 33 - 32: Helping Me Return the Favor Again?
The Fengchuan Tribe was located by a lake. In the early morning, the males had already gathered and set out to hunt, while the females, carrying baskets, went out in groups to forage.
Si Shuo once again slept until she woke up naturally, habitually touching her wrist.
She didn’t see Xu Chi, but there was a wooden bucket full of water and a soft, clean piece of Beast Skin at the entrance of the hut.
After washing up, Si Shuo came out of the hut and saw Xu Chi sitting by the campfire, roasting a bamboo rat.
She walked over with a light spring in her step and sat down next to him.
Xu Chi caught the warm fragrance wafting from her and silently scooted aside.
Si Shuo was speechless.
The bamboo rat was stuffed with plenty of mushrooms, wild vegetables, and fruits, its skin glazed with honey. It was delicious, but Si Shuo couldn’t get used to a diet of only meat. Without some steamed buns or rice, she always felt like something was missing, even when her stomach was full to bursting.
As she walked around the lake to aid her digestion, Si Shuo couldn’t help but ask the few little Beastmen who were trailing after her.
"Are there any fish, shrimp, or crabs in this lake?"
The little Beastmen all nodded and replied, "There are, but the fish are too clever and hard to catch. Plus, they have lots of fine bones that can get stuck in your throat, and they taste fishy."
"The aquatic bird Beastmen like them. They come over to catch them sometimes."
Si Shuo blinked. "So, you live right by the lake but you’ve barely ever tried to catch fish?"
The little Beastmen nodded again. "Si Shuo, you’re a Cat Beastman, so you must like fish, right? We don’t really like them."
’That has nothing to do with my race,’ she thought. ’I wasn’t a cat in my past life, and I still loved all kinds of freshwater and saltwater seafood, didn’t I?’
In truth, many people didn’t dislike eating fish; they just disliked the hassle and the fishy smell.
Xu Chi asked, "Does Si Shuo want to eat some? I’ll go catch them for you."
Si Shuo had shrimp traps in her storage space, but with everyone around, it wasn’t a good time to take them out. She planned to weave a simple one from vines.
Hearing Xu Chi’s words, Si Shuo asked curiously, "How are you planning to catch them?"
Xu Chi simply snapped his fingers. A Tornado appeared in the lake, and as the wind spun, the lake water and the aquatic life within were sucked onto the shore.
After the Tornado disappeared, the water, fish, shrimp, and crabs all came SPLASHING down onto the grassy bank of the lake.
The little Beastmen all cried out in amazement and ran over gleefully to pick up the shrimp and crabs to play with.
Si Shuo couldn’t help but give Xu Chi a big thumbs-up. This male had truly mastered the wind!
’And he even snapped his fingers...’
Seeing this, Xu Chi snapped his fingers again. This time, however, the Tornado swept back and forth through the lake twice. When it returned to the shore, it was carrying a dense, dark mass of fish, shrimp, and crabs.
The sight made Si Shuo’s eyes burn with envy. ’This Skill is incredible! It’s like he’s recreating those news stories from my past life about fish and shrimp raining from the sky during a storm.’
The huge commotion from the Tornado attracted all the playful little Beastmen and the females who hadn’t gone out from the tribe.
Si Shuo couldn’t help but roll up her sleeves. ’If I remember correctly, I saw potatoes among the supplies the tribe gathered last night.’
’You can extract starch from potatoes!’ 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢
Everyone helped them gather the fish, shrimp, and crabs—and even loaches, eels, water snakes, and turtles—into vine baskets.
Si Shuo asked a middle-aged female if she could trade some of the freshwater catch for some potatoes.
The female smiled and waved her hand dismissively. "Si Shuo, you’re a guest from afar. No need to trade. Take as many as you want. We can always gather more. We don’t have many other good things here, but potatoes are everywhere!"
With that, she called over her own little Beastmen to bring a basket of potatoes for Si Shuo.
Si Shuo chuckled and didn’t refuse. She directed Xu Chi to wash the potatoes, then peel and chop them, before putting them in water to be stirred and pressed.
Xu Chi once again used his Wind Ability, completing the three tasks easily and quickly.
Si Shuo explained to the females that she was doing this to get the starchy slurry from the potatoes, which, after being dried, could be stored for a whole year.
But since she was planning to make fish balls and shrimp balls, she only needed the thick liquid from the first pressing and filtering of the potatoes. She would mix it with minced freshwater meat, salt, minced scallions, ginger, and garlic, and pepper—substitutes for all these seasonings could be found using a plant guide.
After mixing it evenly, she would beat in some egg, mix it thoroughly again, and then find a Beastman with an Ice Ability to help chill it until it solidified.
The meat paste was then rolled into moderately sized balls, creating handmade freshwater delicacy balls.
Whether they were pan-fried, deep-fried, roasted, or boiled in a soup, these balls were delicious, had a pleasant, chewy texture, and were packed with nutrients!
Drinking the delicious soup of meatballs and wild vegetables, everyone was amazed. The freshwater catch had not only lost its original fishy stench but was now so savory and delicious it made you want to swallow your own tongue. It truly lived up to the name "river delicacies."
With a major new food source, the Beastmen of the tribe were overjoyed. This meant less pressure on the males when they went out to hunt, and even some of the old, weak, sick, and disabled Beastmen could fill their stomachs.
In fact, when the weather turned cold, stockpiling these meatballs could save the lives of many tribe members, which was incredibly significant.
Their way of showing gratitude was very direct. They presented what they considered the best things from their homes to Si Shuo with both hands—things like eggs, meat, furs, and Crystal Stones.
Si Shuo couldn’t even refuse. They would just put the items down, turn around, and leave, which left her feeling a bit exasperated, as if she had come here deliberately to hoard wealth.
"Just accept it. I’ll help them catch more freshwater delicacies," Xu Chi said, stroking her head.
Si Shuo tilted her head to look at him and asked with a soft laugh, "Helping me return the favor again?"
Xu Chi nodded honestly. His eyes remained cool and calm, showing no ripple of emotion, but wherever his gaze fell, she was there.
Si Shuo couldn’t resist beckoning to him with her finger.
Xu Chi took a confused step forward. But just as he caught her sweet scent and saw her soft, smiling appearance, that unfamiliar desire surged within him again.
His expression changed, and he abruptly took a large step back. "If you have something to say, Si Shuo, just say it. I can hear you clearly from here."
Si Shuo was so annoyed she laughed. ’Am I some kind of monster? Why is he so scared that his face has gone pale?’
She enunciated each word: "I have nothing to say!"
Xu Chi hesitated, then took a small step toward her. Seeing that Si Shuo’s chin was still held high, he braced himself and moved closer, looking as if he was ready to bolt at the slightest wrong move.
A glint flashed in Si Shuo’s eyes. She suddenly lunged forward and, as expected, startled him so much that he leaped three to five meters back...
She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "Xu Chi, you have to tell me clearly, what is wrong with you? Is it possible I’m going to eat you or something?"
Xu Chi pressed his lips together. "I’m afraid I might eat you."
Si Shuo froze for a moment, then her face flushed red. "I-It’s the middle of the day! What are you thinking about?"
"You’re not afraid?" Xu Chi said with a grave expression. "There are cases in the Insect Clan of females eating the males."
Si Shuo couldn’t help but frown slightly. ’The Insect Clan? Is Xu Chi from the Insect Clan?’
’What kind of Insect Clan member has wings, horns, and is linen-colored?’
"Are you a giant fluttery moth?" Her face paled. ’That’s a definite no-go!’
’The Insect Clan is bad enough, but a big fluttery moth is even worse!’
’So, when choosing a Beast Husband on the Beast World Continent, you can’t just look at their face; you have to check out their Beast Form, too.’
Xu Chi was at a loss for words.
"No. I can’t control the urge to be close to you. I have this impulse to swallow you whole," he said, a faint look of frustration on his face.
