Chapter 29: You Are Blooming!

Not long after, a dozen orcs came running out from the tribe. Looking at Si Shuo's white hair, blue eyes, and pure and extraordinary appearance, they were all stunned where they stood.

Si Shuo was considered attractive even in modern times—whenever she went out, she would always catch the attention of scouts.

If her body allowed it, she would have loved to stand on stage and experience a different life.

She patted Xu Chi's shoulder. Without her needing to say anything, she felt the male's grip loosen.

Sliding down from Xu Chi's back, Si Shuo smiled and waved at them, "Hello, I'm fine, thank you for your concern.

But I got separated from my partner.

I don't know if I could trouble you to let me stay in the tribe for a few days to rest while I wait for my partner to come find me…"

Xu Chi glanced at her and, for once, frowned slightly.

The people in the tribe could tell from the hesitant tone of the little female's voice that she was physically impaired, and they couldn't help but feel a little regretful.

Whether they were males who could transform into beast forms and had great combat power or females who needed protection and couldn't transform, orcs were typically born healthy. Any defects were highly likely to be passed down.

The harsh environment of the Beast World made survival difficult for orcs who were not whole.

However, stuttering wasn't the worst issue, right?

"Hello, little female, I am Juke, the leader of the Fengchuan Tribe," a bearded middle-aged male said with a smile. But the way the little female's blue eyes stared at his mouth made him slightly tongue-tied.

"Of course, we welcome you to stay in our tribe temporarily.

However, we don't know you well, and letting you in is a big risk.

But we also can't turn you away. It's already late, and staying in the woods is very dangerous.

So, according to our tribe's rules, you, little female, must choose two beast husbands from among the strong and brave males in our tribe!"

It took Si Shuo five or six seconds to process what was just said.

Why was she being urged to marry everywhere she went?

It turned out that the Beast World had an imbalance between the number of males and females, and the males were desperate to reproduce. When they saw a passing female, they immediately tried to match her with the males of the tribe. The bluntness of it all left Si Shuo speechless.

Si Shuo pursed her lips, her face showing a mixture of gratitude and nervousness, shyness and unease, guilt and expectation:

"Chief Juke, I would also like to choose a strong beast husband.

But I can't harm the warriors. I am a white-haired, blue-eyed, alienated cat beast female, born with hearing problems.

My tribe was unhappy with me and took advantage of my husband's absence during the spring hunt to expel me.

Besides, my fertility rate is low.

If there is a strong male who does not despise me, I—I can't…"

The males who had been eager to show off their strength and transform into their beast forms to display their might were now utterly disappointed.

Orcs were straightforward. They appreciated and liked beautiful females, but survival and reproduction were their priorities.

Females were already difficult to take care of, and a weak female with alienation, a short lifespan, and deafness was considered too much of a burden.

Even the all-knowing witch doctor sighed and nodded, "This female is indeed an alienated cat beast, with white hair, blue eyes, and deafness.

If she is lucky enough to give birth to a female, she might be protected by one or two males like her; if she gives birth to a male, he might go out hunting and never return…"

Si Shuo lowered her head in shame and hid behind Xu Chi, still looking at Juke with some expectation:

"Chief Juke, I know I am not good enough.

But… can I still wait for my partner to come find me?"

Juke looked at the three beast patterns on Xu Chi's neck, exchanged glances with the witch doctor, and then smiled:

"Alright, it seems our males do not have the fortune of claiming you."

They would not make things difficult for a weak female. After all, the fact that she had survived thus far was the will of the Beast God.

Si Shuo breathed a sigh of relief, smiled in gratitude, and pulled Xu Chi into the tribe.

The two of them were assigned a small shack with holes everywhere. Juke also sent a little orc to deliver two animal skins, a piece of meat, and even two second-level crystals. He also invited them to the bonfire feast.

Si Shuo was overwhelmed by their generosity and whispered to Xu Chi, "I feel a little guilty, like we're taking advantage of them.

We're the ones staying here and seeking their protection, yet they're the ones giving us things."

Xu Chi tilted his head and said, "Tomorrow, I will take you hunting."

Si Shuo rested her chin on her hand as she watched him stuff weeds into the gaps of the shack to block the wind. Then, he spread the animal skins to make a bed.

"You mean… you're going to hunt to repay the Fengchuan Tribe's kindness?"

Xu Chi nodded.

Si Shuo's smile froze. A bad feeling crept into her mind, and she asked nervously, "Xu Chi… do you mean you're also repaying me?"

Xu Chi turned his gaze toward her.

The sun had already set, leaving only a soft purple glow in the sky. Bonfires were lit throughout the tribe as orcs busily prepared and roasted the game they had caught.

Everything was reflected in Xu Chi's brown eyes—calm and still, like a lake without a single ripple. And Si Shuo was included in that reflection.

"You have bloomed."

Si Shuo waited for a long time, running different scenarios through her mind, before finally responding, "Huh?"

"My father said that I was born with little fate with females, and that I wouldn't find a mate unless she bloomed." Xu Chi said this with complete seriousness.

Si Shuo…

It was obvious that Xu Chi's father had been disappointed in his son and said that with frustration, but Xu Chi had taken it as an unshakable truth?

"How exactly do I bloom?" Si Shuo gritted her teeth. "I'm a female, not a plant! I can't bloom!"

Xu Chi opened his palm, revealing a wildflower that had been squeezed into a misshapen mess.

Si Shuo recognized it immediately—wasn't this one of the flowers she had used as camouflage during her escape training?

"I picked you up, so I will protect you," Xu Chi declared solemnly.

Si Shuo's mouth twitched, and she tried to reason with him:

"I am a female, not a crystal stone or an abandoned animal skin on the roadside. You can't just claim me because you picked me up!"

Xu Chi looked at her.

"A female cannot survive alone. The Beast God decreed that a lone female belongs to the first male who finds her."

So there really was no such thing as a free lunch… Had Xu Chi been considering her his female all along?

Si Shuo felt guilty. She had indeed received his protection and care.

She held out her wrist, showing the mark of her beast husband.

"This belongs to my beast husband. He is very fierce and won't let me take another beast husband."

Xu Chi hummed, "Then I will fight him until he agrees."

So violent?!

"Zhile is a level-four orc and will soon reach level five. You can't beat him. And you definitely cannot use your whirlwind ability on him!" She didn't want to see a bald, featherless leopard—it would be too eye-catching.

Xu Chi stepped forward, nearly touching her nose with his. A warm, plant-like scent surrounded her.

"I am very strong, stronger than you think," he murmured. "No worse than Zhile."