When Su Qinglan, who was returning to her cave, heard the urgent cries, her steps slowed. Something bad had happened. She could ignore it, go back, and pretend she hadn't heard a thing, but that would be stupid.
In this kind of world, danger wasn't a rare event, it was an everyday hazard. If she wanted to live here, she couldn't lock herself away like some hermit and expect trouble to leave her alone. She needed to understand the tribe, their people, and their problems.
So, with curiosity and a healthy dose of caution, she followed the rush of footsteps toward the main center of the tribe.
The moment she arrived, a heavy, metallic stench slammed into her nose. Blood.
Su Qinglan's stomach gave a sharp twist. She had smelled blood more times than she could count in the apocalypse, but here… in this beast woman's body… her sense of smell was sharper.
It was as if the scent clawed at the back of her throat, forcing her to swallow against the sudden discomfort.
Pushing through the crowd, she caught sight of the scene. Several warriors lay sprawled on the ground, their bodies smeared with dirt and blood.
"Stop the bleeding, quickly! If it doesn't stop, he'll be called to the Beast God soon!" someone shouted, panic cracking their voice.
Some females were kneeling beside the injured, crying. Others ran back and forth carrying furs, water, or anything that might help.
Su Qinglan's sharp eyes swept over them. She noticed that among the wounded, some weren't foxes. A couple were clearly from other beast species, but most bore the familiar fox traits of the tribe.
And then her gaze landed on one in particular, an arctic wolf.
He was the most badly injured of them all, lying motionless with his eyes shut. Several beastmen crouched beside him, frantically trying to press furs against the wound on his side. Blood kept seeping through, staining everything a deep crimson.
From the scattered words of the crowd, she pieced it together: the tribe's witch had gone with several beastmen to exchange salt, leaving them more vulnerable than usual. Everything would have been fine… until the group of evil ferocious beasts attacked out of nowhere.
Su Qinglan's brow furrowed.
She shoved her way to the front, ignoring the startled looks, and knelt down beside the arctic wolf. His breathing was shallow, and his skin felt cold even under the heat of the blood. If no one did something, he wouldn't last much longer.
Not with blood loss like this.
Her hands tightened. In the apocalypse, she had seen enough people die from bleeding out. She knew exactly how quickly it could happen.
And she wasn't about to watch it happen again. But before Su Qinglan could touch him, the arctic wolf's eyes snapped open.
Cold, piercing ice-blue.
The kind of gaze that could cut flesh from bone without a single blade.
For a moment, she almost wondered if he was glaring at some enemy standing behind her, except she was the only one kneeling there.
Her brows twitched.
… What's with the attitude? she thought irritably. I'm trying to save your life, you moron, not steal your fur.
She shifted forward, one hand ready to tear away the blood-soaked fur pressed against his wound.
The wolf's lips curled, revealing long, snow-white fangs. A low growl rumbled from his throat, vibrating against the tense atmosphere between them. The warning was crystal clear: Don't touch me.
Su Qinglan arched a brow. "Really? I should just let you bleed to death then?" she muttered under her breath.
The beastmen beside him stiffened, exchanging uncertain glances, but before any of them could speak, whispers started rippling through the crowd.
"Who is she?"
"What's she trying to do?"
"Never seen her help anyone before."
Then, like a pebble thrown into a still pond, a sharper voice cut through the noise.
"Wait...isn't that Su Qinglan? The cub of the leader?"
The words seemed to ignite something. Heads turned toward her, voices overlapping in disbelief.
"But she doesn't look dirty now…"
"Her face… it's actually clean?"
"She's… not ugly at all?"
Su Qinglan kept her face still. She didn't have to look up to know that dozens of eyes were crawling over her like ants.
Without the layer of filth, her skin was pale and smooth, even though she was fat, and now she smells so good.
In the bright daylight, the resemblance to the tribe leader was obvious.
Her hair, freshly washed, fell like silk over her shoulders, its burnished ginger color catching glints of gold from the sunlight. Darker than the leader's, but still carrying the unique shade of the bloodline.
A few people blinked as if only now remembering she was the leader's daughter.
Of course, recognition didn't mean respect.
"Hmph. Looking clean doesn't change her nature."
"She must be up to something."
"And now she's going straight for Warrior Han Jue?" Someone scoffed. "Can't she leave him alone? His condition is already so bad."
"Tch, what trick is she trying to pull this time?"
Su Qinglan felt the corner of her mouth twitch again. Wonderful. Not only was her 'patient' glaring at her like she'd skinned his favorite prey, but the entire tribe had already decided she was seducing him. She hadn't even rolled up her sleeves yet.
Her sharp gaze flicked briefly toward the speaker who had mentioned "Han Jue." So the arctic wolf had a name.
The beastmen who surrounded Han Jue were tense, their broad shoulders hunched protectively over him. They glanced at her the way one might look at a hungry predator circling too close to a wounded companion.
Behind them, the beast women's eyes were sharper, some openly hostile, others narrowed in wariness. One or two even crossed their arms, as if physically blocking her from approaching further.
Her fingers itched to yank the fur away from Han Jue's side and stop the bleeding before he passed out for good. But the combined wall of suspicion, hostility, and gossip was almost enough to make her sigh.
Su Qinglan's thoughts were calm. Fine, you icy piece of fur. Keep glaring. You'll be lucky if I don't let you bleed out and solve my problem.
She tilted her head slightly, her expression almost mocking. She is not some white lotus who will actually beg to save someone and shed tears.
If this wolf didn't want her help, fine. Let the tribe's precious warriors handle it. She could mind her own business and avoid the drama.
She was just about to push herself to her feet when...
[Ding!]
The clear chime of the system echoed in her mind.
[Mission Alert: Save Second beast husband, Han Jue.]