Favorite of the Beast-world: I Got Rich Through Farming-Chapter 29: The Goings-on at the Bonfire Banquet
Every year, every day, in every tribe, females, cubs, and even weak Beastmen would die from food shortages.
The Hunting Teams that ensured their very survival were the pride of every tribe.
Every time the Hunting Team returned, the tribe would hold a massive bonfire to welcome their warriors.
The males would transform into their beast forms, cheering and dancing.
The delicate females, unable to transform, would stay in a relatively quiet corner with their mates. They’d warm themselves by a cozy bonfire, eat meat roasted by their partners’ own hands, and rest lightly in their mates’ broad, warm embraces as they waited for the festivities to end.
The Hunting Team, gone for five days, brought back enough food to last the tribe’s Beastmen for the next half-month.
This time, in fact, with Ling Hong leading, they brought back more than twice the usual amount of prey.
The swift and powerful pack of beasts returned triumphantly, carrying prey much heavier than themselves.
And the Silver Wolf at the head of the pack was especially magnificent. His lupine form was well-built and slender, his silver-white fur, stained with the blood of his prey, billowed in the night wind.
From the moment Ling Hong stepped into the tribe, he became the focus of every Beastman’s attention.
A clear, cold, and deep wolf howl rang out. All the Beastmen of the Wolf Clan, as if seeing their King, bowed their heads and howled at the moon in unison.
In sharp contrast, a bleeding gray wolf trudged dejectedly at the rear of the team. His body swayed precariously, a spent force, looking as if he would collapse at any moment.
Its hard, black claws dug deep into the ground. Its bloodshot wolf eyes, filled with resentment, were terrifying and savage as it stared fiercely at the widely admired Silver Wolf up ahead.
A low growl, filled with jealousy and resentment, escaped its bared fangs.
’Ling Hong!!’
’It was all because of Ling Hong! That’s why I was injured.’
’The position of Hunting Team leader should have been mine! Not only did Ling Hong steal the position that was rightfully mine, but during this hunt, he even tried to get rid of me to eliminate a future threat!!’
The gray wolf’s helpless, furious growl was instantly drowned out by the cheering crowd.
Manduo looked at the food—more than double the usual amount—and found it to be an eyesore and a mockery.
’During this hunt, we encountered a large herd of beasts, and Ling Hong actually tricked me into being the bait??!’
’And he had the nerve to call it an oversight.’
Manduo sneered. ’He just wanted to use this as an excuse to get rid of me. Despicable and shameless! How can someone like him always have me under his thumb?!’
’Now my right leg is crippled, and I’m worthless to the tribe.’ Manduo couldn’t bear to imagine his future. ’And as for the Clan Leader...’
Manduo narrowed his sinister wolf eyes, his expression dark. After a cold snort, gritting his teeth, he finally limped away silently in the direction of the Clan Leader’s dwelling.
Meanwhile, the slender, well-built Silver Wolf passed through the bustling crowd, his form elongating into that of a handsome, aloof, silver-haired man.
The man was tall and imposing, with a powerful, athletic build. The lines of his firm, full muscles were fluid and beautiful, and his well-defined chest and abdominal muscles were particularly eye-catching, enough to drive one wild.
He scanned the crowd by the bonfire but didn’t see An Jin, and a flicker of doubt crossed his mind.
’Why didn’t she come to greet me...’
"Ling Hong, you’re finally back! I’m so happy!"
Shana quickly squeezed out of the crowd and approached him, her face flushed red. She stared at this nearly perfect male with infatuation and greed. "I have something to tell you. I’m going into heat in a few days, and I was wondering if you’d be willing to..."
’...become my mate?’
The man didn’t even register what she was saying. He walked right past her, putting a great distance between them. As if he hadn’t seen her at all, he scanned the crowd back and forth, seemingly looking for something important, and then left.
Leaving Shana frozen on the spot, her face turning an even deeper shade of red—this time from humiliation and anger.
In front of so many Beastmen, facing the cold night wind, Shana’s body trembled slightly, and her shoulders began to shake.
The blush completely drained from her face. But, as if long accustomed to this, she seemed to have anticipated such an awkward situation. She could only force a smile and swallow her grievance.
’Ling Hong is this cold to everyone. I’ve known that for a long time.’
But she believed that as long as Ling Hong knew she was about to go into heat, he would surely have a change of heart and agree to become her mate.
’A female’s first heat, the best chance for conception—how many males dreamed of such an opportunity?’
At this thought, a smile returned to Shana’s face. But mixed with her lingering hurt, her slight sobs made the smile seem somewhat forced.
Beside her, Zuo Mi sighed softly. Her pity ultimately overshadowed her jealousy, and she pulled Shana to sit down in a corner by the bonfire.
「...」
’The bonfire party, the return of the Hunting Team... and that Manduo would be there too.’
An Jin had no desire to see the vicious Beastman who wanted her dead, so she simply didn’t go. She prepared a meal at home, planning to celebrate with Ling Hong when he returned.
It wasn’t long before she grew sleepy. An Jin yawned, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. She pulled a beast pelt from the side, curled up on a haystack, and was just about to fall asleep.
But unexpectedly, an arm tightened around her waist, and she was lifted into a princess carry.
An Jin’s eyes flew open in surprise, meeting the man’s cold, deep green eyes, which now held a hint of gentle amusement.
The skin in his arms felt delicate and smooth. Ling Hong’s heart stirred, and he looked at the little female before him with some astonishment.
’She seems... a little different?’
’But looking closely, she still has the same ugly appearance I remember. Nothing’s changed.’ 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶
The man, holding the female, took a few long strides toward the door. An Jin, nestled in his arms, lifted her small face in confusion. "Where are you taking me?"
"To the square. Everyone is there."
An Jin frowned, a trace of fear lingering. "That Manduo..."
The corners of Ling Hong’s lips curved up slightly as he gave a cryptic assurance, "He can no longer be a threat to you."
"Besides, you asked me to bring you some of those Wild Grass Birds, didn’t you? I brought them back alive. They’re at the square, so let’s go get them."
「...」
They found a small bonfire and sat down in a corner, far from the singing, dancing, and noisy Beastmen, to focus on roasting meat.
An Jin also brought over the various jars of spices she had made over the past few days.
’So that’s why Ling Hong was so insistent on waking me up and carrying me to the bonfire. Look how skillfully he’s pushing that cleaned raw meat my way, how eagerly he’s looking at me, waiting to be fed! Is his tail wagging any faster?’
An Jin was speechless.
’The plight of a dog owner... you just wouldn’t get it.’
The two of them sat before the bonfire. In the Beast World, the temperature difference between day and night was absurdly large, and the night wind was chilly. An Jin rubbed her hands together over the warm fire, her breath forming a white puff of mist.
Ling Hong quickly draped a beast pelt with thick, soft fur over her, and the chill on An Jin’s body finally receded a little.
She cut the raw meat into chunks, laid them on a leaf, then picked up a few clean, straight branches from the ground. She skewered the meat chunks and began to roast them lightly over the flames.
When the skewers of meat turned golden and started to SIZZLE, glistening with oil, An Jin immediately began turning them to roast both sides. The fragrant, golden-brown color was incredibly appetizing.
The air filled with the aroma of roasted meat. A deep inhale was enough to awaken one’s cravings, making one’s mouth water uncontrollably.
Ling Hong’s eyes became even more fixated. His tail unconsciously swept up a cloud of dust behind him. His tall wolf ears stood perfectly still, twitching reflexively only when a breeze blew by.
