Beast World: A Fragile Beauty Blessed with Many Children-Chapter 69 - 68: A Savage Waxing and Waning

Si Shuo usually woke up around noon in the arms of Xu Chi or Gong You. After washing up and eating, she would switch to riding on Zhi Le or Ji Liang and diligently practice her Catalyst Technique. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

In addition to the Hedgerow Flower that had become the Bell Red Bracelet, she now had a timid and noisy Clock Vine tied around her waist, an "A Curtain of Dreams" adorning her collar, and a Floating Fragrance Vine that served as a flower crown, loving to change its color and shape at will!

Her Beast Husbands were quite clingy, giving her and Yimei almost no time to talk. And it wasn’t just the females who were competitive; the males were just as bad.

The females in the traveling party spent about half their time sleeping. The rest of the time, they would eat, enjoy the scenery, chat, and cuddle with their Beast Husbands at night.

Of course, Si Shuo and her Beast Husbands never forgot their daily practice. They took turns feeding her Crystal Stones to clear her meridians, after which they would feed twenty percent of their Spiritual Power to their respective Fertilizing Vines.

After nearly a month of nurturing, the Si Tengs had all begun to sprout flowers. They were much cleverer than before and could now understand simple commands.

Four days flew by, and they arrived at Puchang City, the largest Beast City in the Southern Beast World after Nanye City.

The tension on Xu Lie’s face finally eased into a smile. "Everyone, we’ve arrived at Puchang City. The Dongzhou Merchant Team will be stopping here for three days."

"Find your own lodging and restock on food. We’ll meet back here at sunrise in three days to depart."

"There’s a small market before we enter Dongye Forest. After that, we’ll be traveling through the forest for the next month and a half..."

After he gave a few brief instructions, everyone went their separate ways.

Yimei carried a basket in which her three little cubs had already opened their eyes. Their eyes shone with a dewy brightness as they looked at Si Shuo, clinging to the edge of the basket and wagging their tails nonstop, yelping excitedly to show their affection for her.

Si Shuo rubbed the three cubs’ heads and took out some goat milk tablets she’d bought at her supermarket, popping them into their mouths.

The little cubs gnawed on the tablets with their baby teeth. They weren’t strong enough to break them, but they were determined, chewing away quite happily.

Ji Liang confidently led them to the official city inn, where he booked two adjoining rooms for three days. He and Kouba each paid with a Level 3 Crystal Stone.

They could finally sleep in a proper bed. The moment Xu Chi finished preparing the stone bed, Si Shuo pounced on it and rolled around gleefully.

After a few rolls, she felt a little embarrassed. ’I used to be such a reserved and quiet scholar, cultivating a peaceful life because of my weak heart.’

’Now, the instincts of this Cat Beastman body are completely taking over. Being clingy, curious, gluttonous, and playful... How is any of that mature or stable?’

"Tired from the past few days?" Xu Chi asked, pulling her into his arms. A faint smile played in his eyes.

Si Shuo shook her head. "We were constantly on the move before, so I was just needlessly tense. I can finally relax now."

"Xu Chi, have you been here before?"

The Dongzhou Merchant Team didn’t just travel back and forth between the Southern and Central Continents. They passed through more than a dozen large Beast Cities to trade goods, with many Beastmen joining their caravan along the way.

Because of this, they didn’t travel in a straight line. To get to Puchang City, for instance, they had made a deliberate detour to the east.

"I have," Xu Chi nodded. "They don’t have Side Shadow Stones here, so I don’t have to worry about anyone discovering my Beast Form. I used to sell the spare hides, meat, and bones from Fierce Beasts I’d accumulated to trade for Crystal Stones."

"Puchang City is located in the center of the Southern Continent. For some unknown reason, the females born here are all quite fertile."

"So they pioneered their own trade route from the Southern Continent to the Central Continent. However, Ji Liang told me that many parts of their route overlap with ours, as they were established jointly by Puchang City and the Dongzhou Merchant Team."

"Every year, ten percent of the city’s females are sent to the Central Continent, and every year, some females also return from the Central Continent for visits."

Si Shuo was fascinated by everything about the Beast World Continent, but she noticed his expression and gently smoothed his furrowed brow. "Is something wrong?"

"It’s rare to see our dear Xu Chi worried about something."

Xu Chi took her hand, kissed it, and smiled. "It’s nothing, really. It’s just that the Beastmen in Puchang City have been heavily influenced by the Central Continent’s culture. Now, their lifestyles and even their mindsets are leaning in that direction."

"But our Southern Continent has a harsh environment. Every Beastman Tribe has to slay Fierce Beasts to hone its Combat Power, right? Yet here, they mostly farm, raise livestock, weave, and conduct business."

"I made a point of asking around just now. This year, they didn’t even organize a spring hunt."

Si Shuo grew tense. "I heard that Fierce Beasts reproduce very quickly. After the long rainy season and the coldest season, their population multiplies."

"The spring hunt is meant to cull their numbers. Otherwise, in a month or two, the young Fierce Beasts will mature, expand their hunting grounds to claim their own territory, and constantly fight one another. Driven by their violent nature, they’ll see nearby tribes as either rivals invading their land or as their next meal!"

Xu Chi ruffled her hair. "That’s exactly right. In areas with a high population of Fierce Beasts, if a tribe isn’t strong enough to cull their numbers, they can easily be swallowed by a Beast Tide."

"This is no exaggeration. I’ve traveled to many places and experienced dozens of Beast Tides, both large and small."

"Fierce Beasts in a Beast Tide are especially savage. Their eyes turn red, and they lose all instinct for self-preservation. Their Combat Power is thirty to forty percent higher than usual."

"Puchang City wants to emulate the Central Continent, but they aren’t considering their own circumstances. The spring hunt has been so effective for so long that the Beastman Tribes haven’t experienced a major Beast Tide in ages. They’ve started to think of the hunt as a mere formality."

"Xu Chi, are you sensing something?" Si Shuo asked, her lips pressed together.

"Yes. We Horned Deer have stronger perceptive abilities than others, and I feel a little uneasy right now," Xu Chi said, holding her gently. "But don’t worry, Si Shuo. If we really run into a Beast Tide we can’t handle, I can fly you away to safety."

"With Gong You’s Time Law, not even the Eagle Beasts will be able to catch us!"

Si Shuo nuzzled against his chest without a word.

’I’m a Female Saint now,’ she thought. ’Beastmen across the entire Southern Continent, especially in the larger Beast Cities, must know about me and my Beast Husbands.’

’I don’t have a flying Beast Husband yet. If he carries me away in flight, even if we use a Protective Shield to block prying eyes, any perceptive Beastman could connect Xu Chi to a Horned Deer!’

’For Xu Chi’s sake, I have to take on a Beast Husband who can fly.’

’But before that, how could they avert the likely coming Beast Tide?’

Sensing her spirits sink, Xu Chi explained patiently, "Si Shuo, you’ve always lived within the tribe, so you haven’t seen how cruel the outside world can be."

"The arrival of a Beast Tide isn’t entirely a bad thing. The relationship between us Beastmen and the Fierce Beasts is cyclical; when one population grows, the other must shrink."

"The Beastmen of Puchang City have grown too complacent, living in a fantasy of their own making. Nothing we say will leave as deep an impression as them facing a Beast Tide for themselves."