Beware of Stray Beasts

The cheerful sound of fireworks signaling the points' arrival boosted An Yao's enthusiasm for work, and her service attitude became meticulous and caring.

“Are you still hungry? There's still plenty of food at home. How about I cook some meat porridge for you? Do you have any specific food you'd like to eat? I can make it for you!”

Jin glanced at her and pursed his lips. “I'm not hungry.”

He tried to sit up, but his body ached so much that cold sweat instantly formed on his forehead.

“How much food is left at home?”

He panted and his face turned pale.

He hadn't realized he subconsciously uttered the word “home,” a term he had always been reluctant to mention.

“Um, let me think... There are two strings of dried sausages at home that are a little old. I scraped off the outer layer of meat and threw it away. There are still quite a few wild vegetables and fruits left in the house, about two baskets full. But most of them are wilted,” An Yao counted the inventory while she was cooking.

Jin frowned again.

The food at home wasn't enough. He needed to go out hunting as soon as possible, or both of them would be hungry in the days to come.

He endured the pain and got out of bed. “I'll go hunting tomorrow.”

The tribe provided a certain amount of food to each beastman family on a monthly basis. Once the food at home was gone, they had to go hunting in the forest themselves.

Food was distributed based on females, and since there were fewer males in An Yao's family, they received less food and resources.

Jin had to be more diligent in hunting than the other males. Moreover, he was originally a member of the hunting team, so going out to hunt every day was his main job.

“Are you feeling better?”

The female's concern was evident in her eyes.

Her reddened little mouth unconsciously pouted, and she hurriedly went forward to support his arm.

The corner of Jin's lips unconsciously curved, but he quickly suppressed it. The pain in his body seemed to vanish suddenly. He even got out of bed and chopped a pile of firewood in the courtyard.

The next day, before dawn, after preparing breakfast, Jin left the tribe early to hunt.

An Yao was used to staying up late and waking up late. Since Jin didn't disturb her, she slept in until very late.

By the time she got up, the sun was already shining brightly. Birds were chirping on the branches, and the sunlight was warm and pleasant on her skin.

With bed hair, she sleepily went to the riverbank to wash up.

In this world, the beastmen used small brown fruits with soft thorns to brush their teeth.

These small thorns were somewhat similar to the “black jujube thorns” often seen in rural areas.

However, these fruits were larger, and the layer of fluff covering their surface was denser and softer, much like a toothbrush.

As long as you didn't use too much force, they wouldn't hurt your mouth.

When she entered the house, she saw that the food was already prepared on the stone table. She sighed in amazement that the wolf pup was so considerate and capable.

He could both hunt and cook.

If he didn't turn into a major antagonist in the future, he would definitely be an outstanding male with both internal and external qualities.

“Huh, why am I so itchy?”

After finishing her meal, An Yao, who had planned to go out and work, suddenly found herself itching all over.

Upon closer inspection, she discovered many small red dots on her hands, and her arms were scratched and bleeding because of how itchy they were.

She looked around the room, and sure enough, in the corners that were dark and damp, she found quite a few bugs.

The insects in the orc world generally carried a bit of toxicity, and they could easily bite through her delicate skin.

Just as An Yao was thinking about whether the 007 store had any itch-relieving medications, the door curtain was hastily lifted, and someone was shouting her name.

“Many delicious fruits outside the tribe are ripe. Let's go pick some. If we go too late, others will pick them all.”

It was Shana, along with her two males, who had come to visit.

Shana saw the red spots on An Yao's body and exclaimed in astonishment, rushing over to take a look.

“Oh my god, how did you get covered in itchy bumps? This is the first time I've seen something so severe!”

The beastmen in the tribe were accustomed to being bitten since childhood, but their skin was generally thick and tough, and they rarely bathed. This natural protective layer prevented them from being severely affected even by mosquito bites.

However, An Yao's case seemed to be different. Shana had never seen something so severe before.

Beastmen were intelligent beings and had evolved over years of struggle to find ways to cope with these situations.

They discovered that lighting mugwort could drive away insects from the house, and the juice of mugwort could be applied to the skin to relieve itching and prevent insect bites.

A couple of days ago, Shana happened to see a large patch of mugwort outside the tribe.

“Come on, I'll take you there! If we wait any longer, your skin might get ruined!”

An Yao followed Shana outside and saw two males waiting. These were Shana's companions—there was an eagle-beastman and a leopard-beastman.

Shana waved to the muscular males with blonde hair. “Baoyuan, come over here. Take us to Dusk Mist Forest to find some mugwort.”

Baoyuan blinked and transformed into a sleek, two-meter-long leopard. He nuzzled against Shana's waist and then lay down on the ground, shaking his thick tail to create a cloud of dust. He indicated for the two of them to climb on.

Shana skillfully mounted the leopard and reached out to pull An Yao up.

Leopards were known for their incredible speed among animals.

An Yao's hair was blown into a mess, and in a matter of moments, they had left the tribe and arrived in a lush forest with slightly lower terrain.

The bushes were full of bright red berries, the favorite of the females, and several females from different tribes were here with their males to pick berries.

Upon seeing the newcomers, they greeted them.

“Over here!”

Shana asked her two companions to pick berries while she led An Yao past a winding stream, up a hill, and under a bare hooked tree where a lush patch of mugwort grew.

She crouched down, plucked a handful of mugwort, and squeezed the green juice onto An Yao's wounds.

Indeed, the itching sensation on her arms disappeared, and the redness also faded somewhat.

This was really something useful!

An Yao's eyes brightened. She had brought a woven bamboo basket with her and quickly filled it with mugwort. She intended to light it up in her stone house to repel insects.

While Shana and her companions went to pick berries, An Yao heard the sound of flowing water not far away and saw a vast expanse of reeds. Her eyes lit up, and she hurried over.

In the river, there were plenty of plump and large fish that resembled the carp she remembered from her modern world.

The flesh of these fish was tender and fragrant, and they had fewer bones. They were delicious whether fried, steamed, or cooked in various ways!

An Yao's mind was flooded with images of braised fish, steamed fish, fish head and chicken soup, fish balls... She licked her lips excitedly.

Finally, she could escape the days of eating dried sausages and wild vegetables every day. Just thinking about it made her thrilled.

An Yao also noticed that there were quite a few river prawns and crabs hidden beneath the water plants in the river. This was all good stuff!

They were on the season and delicious simply steamed.

Who knew, they might even have roe!

Without hesitation, she took off the bamboo basket from her back and placed it on the bank. She found a sharp stick from the nearby woods, dipped her feet into the water, and aimed for the fat fish that was closest to her.

It was still swimming around leisurely, not fleeing.

One plunge.

Got it!

An Yao had grown up in the countryside, in the mountains with plenty of rivers and water resources. She had mastered the art of fishing from her grandfather.

“What are you doing?”

Shana ran over, saw the fish in her hand, and her dark face was filled with shock. She reached out to knock the fish out of An Yao's hand, leaving a large hole.

“This thing has a lot of bones on its body. It can't be eaten. It can kill people. A young beastman once almost died because he was too hungry and went to catch fish in the river!”

“It's edible, as long as I clean out the bones. I'll give you a taste when it's ready.”

An Yao weighed the carp in her arms; it probably weighed around seven or eight catties.

She quickly climbed ashore, looked around, and said, “Find me a sharp stone. I'll clean out the fish guts so that it doesn't spoil easily.”

When Shana heard that it was edible, her hesitation vanished, and she withdrew her hand.

A look of uncertainty appeared on her dark face. Then, she called over her male companion with black hair from the Eagle Tribe. “Yingxun's talons are the sharpest. Let him help you.”

Yingxun took the fish, placed it on the ground, and transformed his claws into sharp talons like those of an eagle. In just a few moves, he gutted the entire fish, washed it in the river, and threw it into the bamboo basket.

Originally, An Yao intended to catch a few more fish from the river and stock up on some water goods for the house. That way, the wolf pup wouldn't have to work so hard hunting in the future.

However, Shana grabbed her hand, looking around anxiously, her voice trembling with fear. “It's getting late. Let's go back quickly!”

“This forest is often inhabited by stray beasts. If we're caught by those ferocious and terrifying beasts, we'll be in big trouble!”