[Host, you have to find a way to repair the image of the "crazy female" they have of you. Otherwise…]
System 999 didn't finish the sentence, but Yue Ling understood perfectly well what it meant.
The cave she lived in was located far from the center of the tribe. Coupled with her reputation as a mad female, very few beastmen were willing to come anywhere near her.
But things were different now.
She had just taken a walk through the tribe's central area earlier that day. That brief appearance alone had stirred up a huge commotion and spread her name—no, her existence. With curiosity ignited, there were bound to be beastmen who would want to come and see for themselves.
System 999 observed that its host had gone strangely quiet and felt a surge of unease. Time was painfully tight—surely the host wasn't planning to give up and lie flat now? That would be fatal.
[Host, you must pull yourself together. You have to work hard!]
[Don't worry.] Yue Ling replied calmly. [Let's wait a little longer.]
Instead of pacing anxiously, she returned to the cave and sat down, staring blankly into space, trying to calm her thoughts.
"One sheep… two sheep… three sheep… ten sheep… fifty sheep…"
Her mind slowly began to drift when the sound of footsteps echoed faintly outside the cave.
Yue Ling startled and hurried toward the entrance, jogging as fast as her weak body allowed. She gently knocked on the hard stone blocking the cave.
"Is anyone out there?" she called softly. "Please let me out."
Standing outside were several male beastmen, scattered in small groups. The moment they heard the sweet, clear voice of a female—and caught the rich, alluring fragrance drifting through the air—their hearts immediately began to race.
They didn't believe Lang Zuo's claim that the beautiful, delicate female from the morning was the same crazy female living in the most remote cave of the tribe.
That was precisely why they had ended their hunt early and come here while Lang Zuo and Lang You were away—to see the truth for themselves.
If Lang Zuo was secretly hiding a female, they would expose him to the chieftain without hesitation.
Females were the most precious resource in the entire tribe. Hoarding one was an unforgivable act of selfishness—grounds for expulsion.
They had first gone to the cave where the crazy female was supposed to live, but found no trace of that filthy, raving woman. Instead, guided by a tantalizingly sweet scent, they arrived at this cave—its entrance sealed by a massive stone.
Lang Zuo was truly vicious. Locking a female inside like this—surely the Beast God would punish him.
"Don't be afraid, little female," one of them said hurriedly. "We'll get you out right away."
As the stone was pushed aside, warm sunlight poured in.
Yue Ling inhaled deeply, her chest filling with air that tasted unmistakably like freedom.
She looked up at the four tall male beastmen standing at the entrance, her eyes shining.
"Thank you," she said sincerely.
"N-no problem at all."
The four beastmen were completely dazzled by her sweet smile. This female was simply stunning—far more beautiful even than Anna, the most renowned beauty in their tribe.
There was no way she could be that crazy female.
Lang Zuo must have lied to them.
They had all taken turns caring for the crazy female before—she had been filthy and foul-smelling, her voice shrill and piercing, constantly shouting nonsense, never able to form a complete sentence. Aside from having a vaguely similar height and build, there wasn't a single point of resemblance.
The female standing before them now was small and slender, so fragile it made their hearts ache just looking at her. Whoever had been responsible for caring for her had done a terrible job—utterly useless.
Yue Ling herself didn't understand what she had done to fluster them so badly. She had only offered a polite thank-you, yet all four beastmen were already blushing.
"Little female," one of them asked cautiously, "were you abducted by those vicious brothers, Lang Zuo and Lang You?"
"No," Yue Ling answered simply.
What? She wasn't taken by those two cruel wolf beastmen?
"Then why are you so small?" another asked. "What kind of beastman are you? Rabbit clan? Cat clan?"
Yue Ling frowned slightly.
That… she honestly didn't know.
She turned inward and asked quietly,
[999, what kind of beastman am I?]
[The original body's father was a fox beast, and the mother was a rabbit beast.]
[A… hybrid beastman?]
A fox and a rabbit.
Yue Ling's expression grew complicated as she absorbed that information.