The seaside was actually rich with resources; they didn’t need to fight those Seal Beast pups for food.

Just like last time, Qiao Xixi found a tidal pool, caught a few fish-beasts, and gathered plenty of shellfish and oysters. Then, she found a spot to start a fire and grill the fish.

The aroma of grilled fish drifted across the beach on the sea breeze.

When the Seal Beast pups smelled the grilled fish, they couldn’t help but draw closer to Qiao Xixi and the others. Upon seeing the cooked meat resting on a leaf, they swallowed hard.

"Boss, that meat smells amazing! I really want some."

"Me too! Let’s go snatch it. There are more of us, anyway. They can’t possibly beat us."

After coming to an agreement, the Seal Beast pups stealthily crept toward Qiao Xixi and her companion.

Xiya noticed them approaching and started to get up, but Qiao Xixi pulled her down, motioning for her to pretend she hadn’t seen them.

Suddenly, one of the Seal Beast pups lunged forward, snatched the fish-beast meat from the ground, and turned to run.

"Hey! Why are you stealing our food?"

Qiao Xixi stood up, feigning anger.

The Seal Beast pups gloated, shaking their heads smugly.

"Hahaha! We snatched it, so it’s ours now! Serves you right for being so stupid! Hahaha!"

The Seal Beast pups grabbed the grilled fish and stuffed it into their mouths.

"Mmm, this is so good! It tastes so savory and sweet."

Seeing their meal being eaten, Xiya was so furious her eyes turned red. ’They’re so despicable! If Qiao Xixi hadn’t stopped me, I would’ve beaten them to a pulp.’

Just as Xiya was fuming, the Seal Beast pups suddenly clutched their stomachs and started to howl in pain.

"AHH! My stomach! My stomach hurts so bad!"

"WAHHH! There’s something wrong with their food! They’re trying to poison us!"

Seeing this, Qiao Xixi slowly rose and walked over to the Seal Beast pups.

"Learned your lesson?"

The intense pain in their stomachs made the Seal Beast pups bawl and beg for mercy.

"We know we were wrong! WAHHH! Please, spare us!"

"I can spare you, but you have to agree to two conditions. First, apologize to us. Second, from now on, you’ll do as I say. Whatever I tell you to do, you’ll do it."

"We will, we will!"

Seeing they had agreed, Qiao Xixi made a show of reaching out and patting each of them.

The moment she patted them, the Seal Beast pups’ pain vanished.

The terrified pups scrambled up from the ground, staring at Qiao Xixi, hardly daring to breathe.

Xiya gazed at Qiao Xixi, her wide eyes filled with adoration.

’Actually, Qiao Xixi had only spent ten points in her dimensional space to redeem some ’Pain Powder.’ It was only effective for ten minutes and wouldn’t cause any actual harm to their bodies.’

"S-sorry, Xiya. We’ll never, ever bully you again."

Xiya just snorted.

The Seal Beast pups looked helplessly toward Qiao Xixi.

Qiao Xixi wasn’t going to force Xiya to forgive them. Instead, she just said to the pups, "Come over here. I have a few questions for you."

The Seal Beast pups obediently sat down before Qiao Xixi, looking like well-behaved students.

"I heard from Xiya that you didn’t originally live in this area. You were forced to move to this island because of the Land Beasts, is that right?"

"Yeah, that’s right. It’s all because of those despicable Land Beasts!"

"Have any of you snuck back? Do you know what the situation is like over there?"

The tallest of the Seal Beast pups spoke up. "Yeah, we have. We liked our old home, so we sneak back often. There’s a lot more food there, too—all the stuff we like."

"In that case, is there a way you could take me there to have a look?"

The Seal Beast pups were surprised.

"You want to go see our old home?"

Qiao Xixi nodded. "Yes. Can you take me?"

The Seal Beast pups huddled together, whispering amongst themselves for a moment before agreeing.

"Alright, I’ll wait for you here tomorrow. Don’t stand me up. If you’re on time, I’ll treat you to some candy."

"Candy? What’s candy?"

Qiao Xixi took some candy out of her dimensional space.

The Seal Beast pups loved the taste and promised Qiao Xixi they would be there on time the next day without telling anyone.

After they left, Xiya swallowed the candy in her mouth and looked at Qiao Xixi with curiosity.

"Auntie, you shouldn’t go over there. It’s really dangerous."

"Don’t worry. I’ll be able to protect myself."

Seeing Qiao Xixi’s insistence, Xiya didn’t say any more.

After preparing the rest of the food, Qiao Xixi took Xiya back to the cave in the reef.

She could clearly sense Xijing let out a sigh of relief when she returned.

’Looks like he still doesn’t trust me,’ she thought. ’He was probably afraid I’d run off with Xiya.’

Qiao Xixi brought the food to him, not intending to mention her plan to travel to the other sea territory.

The next morning, just as Qiao Xixi was about to entrust her little tiger cub to Xiya’s care, the little one suddenly began to cry, "MEOW! MEOW!"

Qiao Xixi quickly picked him up and cooed, "What’s wrong? Didn’t you just finish eating? Does something hurt?"

’Little Demon, quick, run a scan for me. What’s wrong with the tiger cub? Is he sick?’

"One moment, Host."

A moment later, Little Demon’s voice rang out again. "Host, there’s nothing physically wrong with the tiger cub. He probably just doesn’t want you to leave."

"Be a good boy. Mother will be back soon."

"Let Xiya go with you," Xijing suddenly said.

Qiao Xixi was taken aback. "You know where I’m going?"

Xijing nodded. "Xiya is very familiar with that part of the sea. She can help you avoid many dangers. We merfolk have Water Control and Water Resistance abilities. Xiya can take you into the deep sea."

"Auntie, I can do it!"

After much hesitation, Qiao Xixi agreed.

She took Xiya and the cub to the shore where she had arranged to meet the Seal Beast pups.

"If we go in from here, it’s the fastest way to reach the other island."

"Alright."

Qiao Xixi followed them into the water. Staring into the endless ocean, she felt a surge of fear, but she wasn’t willing to just wait around and do nothing.

Xiya sensed her anxiety. With a light tap of her finger on the surface, the water around Qiao Xixi pulled away, as if an invisible barrier had formed an enclosure, enveloping her.

"Let’s go."

The Seal Beast pups led the way, with Xiya right beside Qiao Xixi.

’It’s so dark under the sea,’ she thought. ’Without them guiding me, I can’t imagine how I would have ever been able to sneak up on the salt field region from underwater by myself.’

The sea where the salt fields were located wasn’t actually close to their island, but traveling by sea shortened the journey by more than half.

Suddenly, the heads of the Seal Beast pups broke the surface. They looked back at Qiao Xixi and said, "We’re here."

Qiao Xixi’s head emerged from the water. In the distance, she could see large groups of Land Beasts gathered on the shore.

She could also see several tall Land Beasts holding long whips, warily surveying their surroundings.

Just as Qiao Xixi was hesitating about whether to go ashore, a bear beast standing on the bank suddenly turned its head and looked directly in their direction.