Beast World: A Fragile Beauty Blessed with Many Children-Chapter 350 - 349: Never Considered It Yourself?

Si Shuo clung to Xu Chi, secretly following the elders to continue watching the drama unfold.

They arrived at a treehouse formed from a nearly thousand-year-old banyan tree in the center of the clan’s territory.

The sky had grown dim. The eight elders, Wei Cang, and Yin Jiang sat around a bonfire in a stone pit. The flickering flames cast their shadows onto the tree’s inner walls, which danced and postured menacingly along with the howling wind outside, creating a grim and terrifying atmosphere.

"Wei Cang, explain to us just what is going on!" The Great Elder’s face was livid with anger. He slapped his thigh and demanded through gritted teeth. "Every time our clansmen risk their lives to hunt, they turn over half their spoils for the clan to distribute. So how is it that in past years, when we needed to provide relief, the dried meat and fruit left in the clan warehouse were pitifully scarce? Yet this year, there’s this much in stock?"

Wei Cang trembled. ’If I don’t admit it... but all these supplies are right here in the clan’s territory. If I claim they were stolen, my time as Clan Leader won’t just be over; I’ll probably be exiled.’

’But if I admit it, people will start wondering why the reserves were so low in past years. With everyone watching me, I won’t be able to skim anything off the top anymore!’

"Clan Leader, weren’t you the one who told me what to tell everyone? Why have you gone mute now that you’re in front of the elders?" Yin Jiang asked, raising a single eyebrow.

’In the past, I fought alone. Even though I lived in the clan, I still felt like a cloud drifting aimlessly in the wind, with no place to call home.’

’Now I have a family. The young female, the cubs, and my brothers-in-law are all standing up for me.’

’Zhu Bang and Wei Cang are both cautious Beastmen. They’ve been working together for years, embezzling who knows how many supplies, and not a single Beastman in the clan noticed. If Xu Chi hadn’t tailed them so closely, we’d all still be in the dark.’

Wei Cang forced a smile. "It’s just as Yin Jiang said. I felt the weather was unusually strange this year, so I was stricter with everyone and rationed the supplies. I stockpiled the rest, intending to distribute it to everyone before winter. I didn’t tell you because I was afraid some clansmen might get greedy, and we wouldn’t be able to keep it safe..."

The elders were all sharp-witted. How could they not realize these supplies had been deliberately held back, and that Wei Cang, the Clan Leader himself, was involved?

As for who in the clan would have such audacity, they thought of Zhu Bang, who had been burned bald earlier that day, and it all became crystal clear.

’He pocketed this much in just one year, so what about all the years before?’ The thought made the elders fume. "Fine, just fine! You really are a *wonderful* Clan Leader for the Eagle Clan!"

The heavy snows would be arriving soon, so it was difficult for the Eagle Clan to make any major changes. The matter was dropped for the time being, but it planted a thorn in the elders’ hearts. None of them wanted the fruits of their hard labor to feed a common thief.

After the meeting, Pang Yuan and Yin Jiang walked out side-by-side. "Yin Jiang," Pang Yuan said in a low voice, "are you openly opposing those two now?"

"Yes. This time, they were willing to sacrifice the lives of other Eagle Clan members and our painstakingly stockpiled winter supplies just to set me up. If I don’t strike first, the Eagle Clan will suffer heavy casualties in the next few days, and the losses will be incalculable!"

"They dare!" Pang Yuan clenched his fists in anger. "Back then, I thought Wei Cang was an honest and decent man. He treated you well after your Father passed, and since I don’t have any children of my own, I decided to help him. I never imagined he was such a coward, willing to sacrifice his own clansmen for personal gain. And Zhu Bang is just as bad. Your Father helped him out plenty, yet he repays that kindness with betrayal."

Just as Yin Jiang was about to speak, he felt a ripple in space. He saw a note from the young female appear on a stone table, and his eyes narrowed slightly. After a moment of silence, he asked in a low voice, "Uncle Pang Yuan, have you never thought of becoming Clan Leader yourself?"

Pang Yuan froze, then gave a bitter smile. "Yin Jiang, if I were ten years younger, I might have had that ambition. But now... not only am I destined to never have cubs of my own, which disqualifies me from competing for the position, but a Level 15 Beastman like Zhu Bang would never stand by and watch me become the Clan Leader."

"Uncle Pang Yuan, you’re a Silver Eagle Beastman. In terms of physique and ferocity, you’re far superior to any White-shouldered Eagle. You’re a Peak Thirteenth level Beastman. What if you could advance one more level? And what if Aunt Li Gu could give you a Silver Eagle cub?"

Pang Yuan gasped. "Yin Jiang, those are not words to be thrown around lightly." Increasing one’s Combat Power Value and conceiving a cub were both incredibly difficult feats, requiring a combination of talent, strength, and luck.

’If I could just advance one level, Zhu Bang would no longer be a threat.’

Yin Jiang smiled. "Six months of winter is enough time for a cub to be born and become fully fledged. But, Uncle Pang Yuan, do you have enough food stockpiled?"

"Enough! More than enough!" Pang Yuan began to pace back and forth in excitement. "If your Aunt Li Gu could really conceive... No, wait. Your aunt is getting on in years. Wouldn’t it be too dangerous for her to bear a cub?"

"Aunt Li Gu has already taken an elixir; her body is perfectly fine. Now it just depends on what you two want." Two Jade Bottles were suddenly pressed into Yin Jiang’s hand. He smiled and passed them to Pang Yuan. "These two bottles are for you to take, Uncle Pang Yuan. The red one contains a Bone Marrow Cleansing and Vein Cutting Pill, and the green one holds an elixir to aid conception."

Pang Yuan took them, his hand closing tightly around the bottles. A thousand thoughts raced through his mind. ’What male doesn’t want to stand at the top and be powerful?’

Yin Jiang didn’t bother him further and turned to leave with large strides, only to have a pair of sleeping Horned Deer Cubs thrust into his arms by Si Shuo.

He paused, then helplessly adjusted his hold on the cubs before finally heading home.

Si Shuo, still draped over Xu Chi’s back, smiled and whispered in his ear, "Xu Chi, we didn’t get to see the plum blossoms yesterday. How about we go today?"

Xu Chi smiled, transformed into his Horned Deer form, and carried her toward the Plum Blossom Forest.

Upon reaching the Plum Blossom Forest, he flew very slowly. A gust of wind swept up the falling petals, which swirled around them. An elegant fragrance filled the air, suffusing the moonlight with a hazy, crimson glow.

Si Shuo smiled and clapped her hands. "Xu Chi, gather up all the plum blossoms! We can brew plum blossom wine, make plum blossom cakes, or even use them in porridge and tea!"

Xu Chi nodded. With a few powerful beats of his wings, he swept up more than half of the blossoms in the forest, gathering them into his personal storage space. Then, he carried the young female to an abandoned two-chamber cave he had discovered while tailing Zhu Bang.

After taking a bite of a Dust Cleaning Talisman, Xu Chi spread thick Beast Skins over the stone bed. He turned to see the young female lighting an oil lamp and fiddling with some kind of object.

"Xu Chi, come here! This is a spinner I made. Let’s see what you get," Si Shuo said with a smile, handing him a wooden spinner. It had words and pictures drawn on it.

Xu Chi took it and looked down, studying it seriously. "Cat, Snow Leopard, snake, Deer, mermaid, peacock, fox, rabbit... and there are colors, too?"

"That’s right! Whatever you land on, I’ll use this to turn into that kind of half-beast female for you!" Si Shuo was already holding a Transformation Talisman at the ready. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Xu Chi looked at her, then back at the spinner, his breath growing heavy. With a light flick of his hand, the spinner began to whir.

Si Shuo stared at the spinner, looking even more nervous than Xu Chi.