The Strongest Beast-Tamer (Transmigration)(GL) - Chapter 15

“Fish King? Hmm?”

Yi Xian was cornered against the wall by Lan Tong’s towering figure. That teasing smile tugging at her lips sent a shiver through Yi Xian’s whole body. The soft purple Yuanxiao in her hands had been crushed out of shape by those large hands. The little one wailed and shouted at Lan Tong in protest.

Lan Tong grew impatient with the little creature climbing up her leg. With a flick of her hand, she slapped the purple Yuanxiao to the ground and then gave it a kick.

The round ball rolled straight out the door, and the little one immediately chased after it. She didn’t even spare a glance at Yi Xian’s pleading look. With the child present, things might have stayed a bit more civil.

Yi Xian’s voice was sharp. “Yes… Fish King.”

Lan Tong’s dangerous gaze roamed across Yi Xian’s guilty face. She leaned closer, her nose twitching as she sniffed along the curve of Yi Xian’s neck. Without warning, her sharp teeth sank into that pale skin.

It hurt like hell.

Yi Xian slapped back without mercy, but her strength wasn’t enough. Lan Tong gripped her wrist so tightly it felt like it would snap. Yi Xian yelled in fury, “What are you, a damn dog?!”

Lan Tong’s eyes gleamed with lust. She scanned Yi Xian’s body with a slow, threatening gaze before spitting out a warning. “Try to run again, and I will break your legs.”

Run?

What the hell?

Yi Xian felt so wronged that she could cry. She was more unjustly accused than Dou E. Sure, she did plan to leave this hellhole eventually, but there was a big difference between planning and acting on impulse. She was injured. Only a fool would try to cross the deadly Komo Forest unprepared. Especially after what happened that night, she realized it was the absolute worst time to try to escape.

She opened her mouth to argue, but Lan Tong hoisted her over her shoulder and tossed her onto the wooden bed. The spinning room made Yi Xian dizzy before pain slammed through her body. It felt like her organs had been rearranged. The creaky bedframe even groaned as if about to collapse.

Lan Tong tore at her clothes. “It helps with fertility.”

The pain left Yi Xian speechless. Her mind spun with confusion. She did not realize it until she was left weak and breathless, and only then did it occur to her that the bl00d she had drunk earlier might be responsible for this effect.

“Want to kill her? Now would be the perfect time. I can do it for you.”

That eerie, seductive voice filtered through her mind again.

Honestly, after being treated that way by such a beast, did she truly want to kill Lan Tong? Of course. But if she did, could she even escape from the Beast Tribe alive? Return to the Human Territory unscathed?

Absolutely not. Then all the suffering she endured would be for nothing.

That voice was always trying to seduce her into murder. Whoever this madwoman was, she definitely wasn’t good news.

“Screw you.”

Yi Xian cursed out loud without meaning to.

The person on top paused for a moment. Then her movements turned wilder and more brutal. Yi Xian could only grit her teeth and hold on… until even that broke and she was forced to beg.

Damn it.

Just thinking about it makes my bl00d boil.

That was her final thought before falling into unconsciousness. Though, the stronger one that lingered was that if she couldn’t kill this beast, she would wear her down to death.

Just wait.

Yi Xian slept like the dead. She kept being tickled awake by something fluffy, then stroked by something smooth and silky. Over and over again. It drove her mad.

She suddenly opened her eyes. Before she could curse, a fluffy little tail swayed into view, swishing left and right.

Maybe her face looked a little wild. The tail disappeared in an instant, swiftly recalled by its owner.

The little one huddled by the bed, clinging to the purple Yuanxiao as if her life depended on it. The Yuanxiao looked like it might suffocate from the hug, if a rice ball could show such emotion.

Yi Xian just stared.

She had almost forgotten. This little one was a beastman too. And beastmen could shift into beast forms. Based on the children she saw around Kus City, that seemed to be their default state.

Well, she still preferred the little one in human form.

As soon as Yi Xian moved, a sharp clinking sound reached her ears. Her body froze. She looked down and saw two iron cuffs clamped around her ankles, chained together to limit her movement.

What the—

She nearly coughed up bl00d from rage. That damn beast had shackled her like a prisoner. Was she seriously that paranoid?

If she had a knife, Yi Xian would stab Lan Tong straight through with the white blade and yank it out red.

She studied the chain. The metal looked average. She could probably break it. The real issue was, if she did, would Lan Tong just replace it with something worse?

Yi Xian wasn’t fond of head-on fights.

The poison scandal with Qin Rong had shaken Kus City into silence. Gossip was rare these days. Word was, Qin Rong had refused to hand over the antidote and tried to use it as leverage. No one knew what Lord Lu did exactly, but she got the antidote in the end and threw Qin Rong into Komo Forest.

There was said to be a frost-spewing monster living there. Anyone sent in had little hope of coming back.

While Yi Xian strolled along slowly, she managed to pick up most of the story. Then she ran into Lu Nan at the corner, who looked so shocked she couldn’t even speak.

“You… you… what did you do to make Lord Lan Tong angry?!”

“Heh.”

Yi Xian gave a dry laugh. That beast’s face looked frozen whether she was angry or not. Who the hell could tell? Her gaze drifted and caught sight of a beastman running by with a child.

“What’s going on?”

Lu Nan snapped back to attention. “I think Lord Lu is testing the cubs’ talents. Nie Ju said the major cities do it once a year, but smaller cities like ours only get the chance every three to five years. In a place like Kus City, if a cub misses the test, they might have to wait five years.”

Some cubs’ potential would be lost if they waited that long.

Yi Xian had assumed Lord Lu came here for that lunatic woman. But now it seemed the main purpose might have been about the cubs all along.

“What is talent testing?”

“Not entirely sure. Maybe they test spiritual strength, like in Hu Qing’s case?” Lu Nan scratched her head, looking confused. Then she sighed. “Too bad people like us aren’t allowed to watch.”

“What happens if a cub shows talent?”

“They’ll be taken away, of course. Only the big cities can nurture those talents. If they stay in Kus City, they’ll be wasted.”

Yi Xian fell into deep thought. This backwater place didn’t even have a shaman. It was like some forgotten mountain village. If she wanted better resources or information, she would need to head somewhere bigger.

It would also make escaping easier.

Lu Nan noticed the slave shackles on Yi Xian’s ankles and tried to offer some heartfelt advice. “Lord Lan Tong has always been pretty reasonable. Even when you were rough with the little one before, she didn’t really punish you. But this time, you ran. She nearly slaughtered the guards watching you and beat them bloody at the city gates. I’ve never seen her lose her temper like that. If Lord Lu hadn’t stopped her—hey, hey, where are you going?!”

Yi Xian was heading straight for Lan Tong.

Lan Tong had just returned from a hunt and was busy dismantling a carcass with her bare hands. This was something Yi Xian had asked her to demonstrate before, though she never got the chance to see it, thanks to being tossed in the dark room.

Yi Xian grabbed her arm with hopeful eyes. “Lan Tong, can the little one join the talent test?”

Lan Tong’s brow twitched. “No.”

“Why not?”

Lan Tong didn’t answer. She kept working in silence. Yi Xian felt like an ant in hot oil, completely on edge. The test only came once every five years. She was not staying in Kus City for five damn years, cooking and being pinned down by a beast every day!

Yi Xian hesitated, then spoke the truth. “Lan Tong, the little one partially transformed this morning.”

Lan Tong froze mid-motion. “No.”

Yi Xian wanted to jump her and pummel her with questions. Why not? What’s wrong? But she held it in. Forcing a smile, she almost shattered her molars as she said, “You’re so powerful. The little one must have talent, too. How will you know if she doesn’t try?”

Lan Tong looked visibly conflicted. Yi Xian pushed harder. “This only comes once every five years. If she misses it, she might get left behind. I don’t want to see her bullied anymore.”

That last part came straight from Yi Xian’s heart. Discrimination bred inferiority complexes, and that was no good for a child’s development.

This place was full of status-obsessed beastmen. Because the little one was different and couldn’t transform, she had no playmates. Since getting the purple Yuanxiao, she clung to it like a treasure, sleeping with it every night.

Lan Tong finally nodded. Seeing Yi Xian’s eager expression, she added, “It is possible, but there is a condition.”

Yi Xian blinked.

“Have another child.”

“…”

A herd of stampeding horses thundered through Yi Xian’s mind. The current child had been born to the body’s original owner. Yi Xian had only accepted her because it wasn’t her who gave birth. She had already resigned herself to being pinned down daily. But now this beast wanted her to give birth again???

Screw your birth. Screw your mother’s birth!

Yi Xian swallowed the wave of curses bubbling in her throat. She coughed twice, forcing a stiff smile. Her voice sounded like broken glass. “Isn’t this something… that happens naturally?”

She had seen plenty of humans without kids.

Lan Tong looked serious. “Swear by the Beast God. Swear that you will never harm them again.”

Too serious. That made things less fun.

Yi Xian thought about it. She was human. The Beast God probably had better things to do and wouldn’t notice her anyway. Ha.

With that in mind, she raised her hand according to Lan Tong’s instructions and swore her first oath in this world. Probably also the first one she never intended to honor.

Lan Tong’s lips lifted slightly. She took Yi Xian’s hand, still holding the curious little one. “Alright. Let’s go.”

Yi Xian was speechless.

Weren’t beastmen supposed to be extremely protective of their cubs?

Shouldn’t Lan Tong be excited for the little one’s test?

Splash!

So…

Damn it. She totally got played by that beast.

Translator’s Notes:

• Dou E – A character from a famous Chinese tragedy, The Injustice to Dou E. She was executed unjustly, and her innocence was revealed through supernatural omens. Yi Xian’s comparison highlights how extremely wronged she feels.