He shouted.
The night wind blew, carrying a cool breeze, and with it, Chu Jing's voice reached Jiang Ji's ears.
"I'm not lying to you this time."
Chu Jing said softly.
Perhaps because Chu Jing seemed easy to talk to, Jiang Ji grew a bit bolder.
He asked, "Why do you have to wait until we find a tribe to sever ties with us? Can't we sort it out now? It's not that I don't want to protect you, but you've already received the Beast God's blessing. You shouldn't be afraid of Wandering Beasts anymore."
Jiang Ji's tone was filled with confusion.
'This Jiang Ji is nothing like a fox,' Chu Jing thought.
'He's so straightforward and candid, completely lacking the cunning and shrewdness of a typical fox.'
But she didn't voice her thoughts aloud. Instead, she smiled and said, "Then can you tell me why Rong Kai's cultivation dropped from Six Patterns to Three Patterns?"
She deliberately changed the subject.
She had been trying to search the original owner's memories but found nothing about the reduction in Rong Kai's cultivation.
The original novel didn't offer any explanation for it either.
It hadn't seemed like a big deal when she was reading, but now she realized the book was full of plot holes.
She couldn't help but sigh, feeling a little helpless.
Sigh.
Chu Jing sighed.
This sudden turn of events left her momentarily at a loss.
Speaking of that, Jiang Ji first glanced around. After confirming no one was nearby, he sat down next to Chu Jing and said in a low voice, "That was also because of you. That winter, we were all gathered around you for warmth, and Rong Kai went to hibernate alone..."
It turned out the original owner felt cold and blamed it on Rong Kai, saying, "With such a large Cold-blooded Beastman here, it's freezing! Hurry up and throw him out!"
The moment the original owner finished speaking,
the atmosphere grew even more tense.
The others all tried to persuade the original owner not to treat Rong Kai this way.
Although he was a Cold-blooded Beastman, his body was built differently.
He would struggle to survive in the cold outside.
But the original owner wouldn't listen to anyone's advice. She even threatened to throw out anyone else who pleaded for Rong Kai.
Realizing they couldn't change the original owner's mind, they had no choice but to helplessly carry Rong Kai, who had reverted to his beast form, to the mouth of the cave. To keep things from getting worse, they fabricated a reason, claiming he would act as a natural barrier to block the cold wind from blowing directly inside.
From that day on, although Rong Kai was perfectly aware of what was happening outside,
he couldn't return to his usual form due to the original owner's suppression.
And so, under such difficult conditions, Rong Kai barely managed to survive that long winter.
As Jiang Ji recounted this story, his voice occasionally choked with emotion.
"Luckily, winter passed quickly that year. Otherwise, given Rong Kai's condition at the time, I'm afraid he wouldn't have made it through."
After hearing the story of what Rong Kai had been through, Chu Jing felt deeply displeased.
'The original owner was just too cruel and heartless.'
'How could she treat her partner like that!'
If Rong Kai hadn't been strong enough to endure it, he might have died out there back then.
"Female Master, please don't blame Rong Kai for this. He truly never meant to hurt you..."
Seeing the faint look of disgust on Chu Jing's face, Jiang Ji feared she would become prejudiced against Rong Kai and hurriedly explained.
"Don't worry, I won't hold it against him."
she said, shaking her head lightly.
"Alright, alright, it's getting late. Get some rest."
After saying this, Chu Jing fell silent.
She quietly closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
「The next morning」
Just as sunlight began to stream into the cave, a commotion from outside woke Chu Jing from her deep sleep.
She sat up and saw that the Beastmen were all gone.
Even Xuyue and Gu Si, who were usually inseparable from her, were not by her side.
"Hmph, you wretched Chu Jing, you actually dared to plot against me? Did you really think I'd let you all off so easily? Go to hell, all of you!"
Just as she stepped out of the cave, a harsh voice grated on her ears.
It was Du Nan.
At that moment, Jiang Ji and the others were being pinned to the ground by Du Nan's Male Beasts, unable to move. It was a pathetic sight.
Chu Jing gently rubbed her temples, trying to stay calm, but she couldn't suppress the fury in her voice.
"Who gave you the nerve to bully my people?"
The vivid memory of the last attack
made the once arrogant and domineering Du Nan lose some of her confidence.
However, the thought of the Seven-striped Beastman backing her gave her a renewed surge of courage.
Steeling herself, she took a few steps forward and said to Chu Jing, "Chu Jing, you got lucky yesterday and managed to trick me. Today, I'll make your life a living hell!"
Faced with this provocation, Chu Jing's gaze turned exceptionally cold.
"It seems you haven't learned your lesson."
Chu Jing had always been dissatisfied with the protagonist of this world.
The woman was a completely fawning and obsequious character.
Once she set her sights on a Beastman, she would stop at nothing to make him her partner.
If she couldn't get what she wanted, she would resort to all sorts of dirty, despicable tricks to achieve her goal.
So, in Chu Jing's opinion, the original novel's female lead was no saint to begin with.
And this so-called protagonist was certainly no kind soul either.
'Perhaps it's the unique rules and social setting of this Beast World that make these female beasts so tyrannical and rude.'
Du Nan felt her arms begin to tremble slightly.
Suddenly, she glanced at a neat and powerfully built Male Beast standing beside her, and a new idea sparked in her mind.
"Yingmu, look! This is the female beast you claim to love, and now she's opposing me for the sake of other Male Beasts."
This moocher named Yingmu had climbed the ranks using things the original owner had given him, and was now a Seven-striped powerhouse.
He had relied on some unknown methods
to reach a status in the Beast World that ordinary people could hardly hope to achieve.
Chu Jing sneered internally.
'I was just wondering how I'd get a chance to reclaim the treasures he took, and here he is, delivering himself right to my doorstep.'
A cold glint appeared in her eyes.
But when the four men lying on the ground heard the name "Yingmu," they all closed their eyes in despair.
They knew that any resistance against him was futile.
Whenever this Male Beast appeared, their Female Master would always choose to help him instead of them.
Yingmu thought the same.
At this moment, a smug smile played on his lips. With one arm wrapped around Du Nan's soft waist and the other pointing at Chu Jing, he said haughtily, "Chu Jing, if you're willing to kneel and apologize to Nannan, I'll forgive you."