Qiao Lie watched Sunxiao nervously.
’Father won’t refuse, will he?!’
As they watched in confusion, Sunxiao’s gaze fell upon Qiao Xixi.
"I want to hear you say it."
Qiao Xixi froze. ’Say it myself?’
It only took a mont for her to understand.
Qiao Xixi looked at Sunxiao, her eyes sincere.
"Sunxiao, will you be my beast-husband?"
A smile blood in the depths of Sunxiao’s eyes.
"Yes."
Qiao Lie smiled, satisfied.
"The Cold Tide has already arrived. We should leave this place first."
Qiao Xixi nodded.
"Mm-hmm, are we heading directly to the Black Panther Tribe?"
Jin Ling nodded. "We should get to the Black Panther Tribe as soon as possible to take shelter from the Cold Tide."
"Okay, let’s set off now."
Jin Ling shifted into his beast form, and Qiao Xixi climbed on, holding Qiao Ang and Qiao Qiao.
Sunxiao glanced at Qiao Xixi and handed Qiao Lie to her.
"I’ll clear the path ahead."
"Okay."
With Sunxiao clearing the path, they made quick progress and were out of the mountains by nightfall.
Once they were out, however, there were no more mountains to block the wind, and the frigid gales blew even more fiercely.
As dusk approached, Qiao Xixi had her Little Sprite find a nearby cave.
Sunxiao went in first to inspect the cave. Only after confirming it was safe did he let the others inside.
Jin Ling said to Sunxiao, "I’ll go out and see if I can catch so prey. You protect Xixi and the others."
With so many mouths to feed, the limited food in Qiao Xixi’s storage space wouldn’t last them long.
"Alright."
After Jin Ling left, Sunxiao gathered so firewood near the cave. When Qiao Lie saw him, he eagerly trailed after him back out of the cave.
Qiao Xixi took a beast-hide blanket from her storage space and spread it on the ground for the cubs to sit on.
Qiao Qiao gazed at Sunxiao’s back, her little face wistful.
"Brother, do you think our own father is like Qiao Lie’s?"
Qiao Ang’s little brow furrowed.
"We already agreed we don’t need a father. Have you forgotten?"
Qiao Qiao lowered her head. She thought of how Sunxiao held Qiao Lie protectively in his arms. ’He looked so happy.’
"I was just curious..."
"Hmph! What’s there to be curious about? I think the big male is great!"
After speaking, Qiao Ang ran out of the cave with a flick of his little braid.
Seeing him run out, Qiao Xixi quickly called after him.
"Qiao Ang, where are you going?"
"I have to pee."
"Be careful! Don’t wander off."
"I know!"
Qiao Xixi took the Deer Beast that Sunxiao had caught that morning out of her storage space.
She and the three cubs didn’t eat much, but for Jin Ling and Sunxiao, a single Deer Beast was only enough food for two or three days.
Food was definitely going to be a major problem.
"Little Sprite, Little Sprite! How long will it take to get to the Black Panther Tribe from here?"
"Host, if you travel quickly, you can reach the Black Panther Tribe in less than half a month."
’Less than half a month. That’s not too far.’
"But... the Black Panther Tribe doesn’t seem very stable right now."
Qiao Xixi paused, her knife hovering over the at.
"Not stable?"
"That’s right. It seems like there’s internal strife. Host, maybe you should pick a different destination."
Qiao Xixi frowned.
She had wanted to go to the Black Panther Tribe for two reasons. First, it was the closest. Second, dium-sized tribes had more beastn with high-level beast souls, which ant greater security.
But if the Black Panther Tribe was in turmoil, that ant it was no longer a safe place to go.
"Are there any other tribes a similar distance away?"
"Let check."
While the Little Sprite searched, Qiao Xixi finished slicing the at, setting aside a generous portion of raw cuts for Jin Ling and Sunxiao.
"I found one, Host! To the east, there’s the Silver Tribe. It’s also a fairly large, dium-sized tribe, and it’s a much safer place. You could go there."
"Give the exact map coordinates."
"You got it!"
Sunxiao and Qiao Lie walked in carrying firewood.
Qiao Lie skillfully arranged the firewood for Qiao Xixi to light.
Sunxiao placed the stone pot on a simple stove built from rocks.
"You teach , I’ll do it."
Sunxiao took the spatula from her hand.
Qiao Xixi tilted her head and looked at him.
"Want to learn to stir-fry?"
Sunxiao lowered his eyes to look at her and nodded.
"For you, I will learn."
Qiao Xixi felt a little embarrassed.
"It’s very simple. You just heat the pot and add so fat..."
Chewing on a Red-Red Fruit, Qiao Qiao nudged Qiao Lie and mumbled, "Qiao Lie, your father seems so cold, but he’s actually really smooth."
Our mother has already smiled at him so many tis.
Qiao Lie looked calm and composed.
"I taught him."
Qiao Qiao silently gave him a thumbs-up.
"Sunxiao, do you know where the Silver Tribe is?"
Sunxiao paused. "You want to go there?"
Qiao Xixi nodded. "I have a feeling the Black Panther Tribe might be unstable, so I’m thinking of going sowhere else."
"The Black Panther Tribe is indeed unstable."
Qiao Xixi looked confused.
"How do you know it’s unstable there?"
Sunxiao added the chopped Red-Red Fruit to the pot and began to stir-fry.
His movents were a little unpracticed, but still deft.
"The internal conflicts in the Black Panther Tribe have always been intense."
"Then why didn’t you say anything earlier?"
Sunxiao told Qiao Lie to lower the fire.
"Whether we go to the Black Panther Tribe or the Silver Tribe, we have to cross the river up ahead. It wouldn’t have been too late to tell you after we’d crossed it."
Seeing that the Red-Red Fruit was just about cooked, Qiao Xixi added water from the Spiritual Spring to the pot.
"Have you been to the Silver Tribe before?"
Sunxiao grunted in affirmation.
"I went there to earn Crystal Stones."
"Earn Crystal Stones?"
Sunxiao covered the pot, then pulled her aside to sit down.
"Every year before the Cold Tide arrives, many dium and large tribes hire powerful beastn to help them hunt or drive away fierce beasts, ensuring they can survive the cold season peacefully."
"And you left after you earned the Crystal Stones?"
A shadow flickered in Sunxiao’s eyes.
"Sothing happened, so I left."
Just as Qiao Xixi was about to ask what had happened, Jin Ling walked in carrying his hunt.
"Xixi, I’m back."
Jin Ling placed a few skinned Long-eared Rabbit Beasts by the fire.
"I searched for a long ti but couldn’t find any sign of large prey. I only managed to catch these Long-eared Rabbit Beasts."
Although Jin Ling’s expression was relaxed as he spoke, Qiao Xixi didn’t miss the worry deep in his eyes.
"Jin Ling, Sunxiao says the Black Panther Tribe might be unstable. We’re planning to head for the Silver Tribe instead."
Jin Ling frowned. "But I heard the Silver Tribe isn’t accepting outsiders anymore."
That was why he had suggested the Black Panther Tribe in the first place.
"Why? Don’t all tribes accept outsiders to bolster their strength?"
Jin Ling shook his head. "I was just passing by the Silver Tribe at the ti and heard it from so of the beastn there. I don’t know the reason."
Qiao Xixi’s face fell. Now, neither of the two closest dium-sized tribes was an option.
"Then can we find a place to settle down out here and ride out the long cold season?"
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