The Strongest Beast-Tamer (Transmigration)(GL) - Chapter 17

Lan Tong went out for a while. When she returned, she carried a small beast she had hunted from somewhere and announced, “I will be away for three days.”

Yada Canyon?

Yi Xian immediately realized what she meant. She was going there to find the nourishing fruit and the Transformation Grass for the little one. “I want to go too!”

Lan Tong glanced at her. “No.”

Yi Xian did not want to stay confined within the walls of Kus City. Besides, her map only showed half of Komo Forest and nothing beyond it. If one day she wanted to escape, she would not even know which way to run or where to go.

“I promise to behave,” Yi Xian said earnestly. “Please take me with you.”

Lan Tong shook her head.

It seemed she had no intention of bringing her along. Why? Could there be something in Yada Canyon even more dangerous than Komo Forest?

Fortunately, Lan Tong still needed time to prepare. While the little one slept soundly, Yi Xian slipped out for a walk. The best thing about Kus City was gossip. Life here was monotonous, with endless fighting or talking about others.

After wandering around, Yi Xian quickly learned what she wanted to know. Wild beasts often appeared in Yada Canyon, and even powerful beastmen sometimes perished there. Few dared to enter it. The cub’s Purple Fruit could be replaced by other kinds, such as the White Fruit (the same kind Qin Rong had once brought for the little one) or the Red Fruit, though their nutrients were inferior. As for the Transformation Grass, most cubs never needed it. They were usually born with the ability to shift forms and had at least a decade before reaching maturity.

Yi Xian did not know why Lan Tong wanted to leave in such haste, but a chance to go outside was too rare to waste.

The next day, Yi Xian noticed three or four massive figures gathered outside the city gates. They were wolves, foxes, and lions. She had grown accustomed to their human forms, so seeing their beast forms again left her dazed.

After a quick glance, she realized that compared to the others, the beast beside her actually looked… more pleasing.

“Move!”

Yi Xian was suddenly yanked forward and nearly fell. She glared at the beast beside her, who had no sense of gentleness.

Then she thought better of it. It had taken her so much effort to earn the chance to leave. If this beast changed her mind now, what would she do? She decided not to argue about the fact that her ankle shackle had been transferred to her wrist. After all, she had threatened to escape during the journey yesterday…

The other beastmen clearly disapproved of Lan Tong bringing along her warm-bed human slave, but they said nothing.

A chorus of howls rose among the group, each distinct in tone. The sound was like a pack of young wolves calling to the moon. The ceremonial display amused Yi Xian so much that she nearly lost her breath laughing against Lan Tong’s back.

But soon, she stopped laughing.

The beast beneath her surged forward on all fours. Trees on both sides blurred into streaks of green as they raced. The wind stung Yi Xian’s eyes, and tears streamed uncontrollably. If she had not clung tightly to the beast’s fur, she would have been thrown off long ago.

That creature was doing it on purpose!

Yi Xian lowered herself, pressing her face into the soft fur of Lan Tong’s mane. She tried to observe the surroundings, but they were moving too fast. All she could make out was a sea of dark green.

…

“Eat.”

“Huh?”

The world was dim. A few pairs of eyes shimmered in the dark, their varied colors flickering like faint stars. It was eerie. Yi Xian instinctively shrank back until her hand touched the rough bark of a thick tree.

“You haven’t eaten all day,” Lan Tong said, pushing some dried meat into her hands.

It took Yi Xian a few seconds to realize that dawn had long since passed. When they set out, the sky had just brightened, but now it was pitch dark. She had slept the entire day on that beast’s back. Judging by their speed, they must have traveled a considerable distance from Kus City.

Chewing on the tough, tasteless jerky, Yi Xian listened to the beastmen converse. Most congratulated Lan Tong as the news of the cub achieving beast transformation spread rapidly across the city. The conversation soon shifted to the topic of talent testing, a subject that had been popular lately.

“At least we finally have a cub with outstanding potential. Hu Qing has been glowing with pride these days.”

“Yes, that cub’s sharp since birth. You could tell she’d be exceptional.”

“Too bad my brother’s cub didn’t pass. Who knows when the next test will be?”

The scene resembled parents boasting about their children’s achievements. Those with gifted cubs radiated pride, while others could only express frustration toward their own. The cub from Hu Qing’s family was everyone’s example of the perfect child.

“Lan Tong, you’re close with Lord Lu, aren’t you?”

“You two seem to have known each other a long time. Why never mention it before?”

“Maybe ask Lord Lu to visit our little city more often?”

Gossip time. Yi Xian perked up her ears, eager to hear more. But Lan Tong’s indifferent voice cut through, “Not close. That’s in the past.”

…

And that was how someone who couldn’t chat killed the conversation.

After eating, the beastmen took turns keeping watch. Yi Xian, having slept all day, could not fall asleep again, yet she dared not step outside their marked safe zone. It was her second night camping in the wild. The memory of the first still haunted her, especially the image of the white fox. It had resembled the fox tribe’s kind, yet it felt purer, more ethereal, almost divine.

“What is a phantom beast?” she whispered.

“Do you wish to know?” the voice in her mind asked.

Of course, she wanted to. She admired strength. The memory of that white fox toying with the clumsy bear was still vivid. If she had a powerful phantom beast by her side, perhaps she could finally leave Kus City. But she knew answers like these came with a price. I’ll wait. I’ll see if the truth is worth the cost.

Yi Xian said nothing more, and the voice in her mind fell silent too. It seemed her earlier warning had worked.

As the night deepened, everyone fell asleep. Loud snores filled the air, echoing with rhythmic regularity. Yi Xian’s consciousness began to drift.

Crack.

A faint sound like a twig snapping.

Her years of experience surviving in the wild made her eyes snap open. She strained her ears, listening closely. Nothing followed.

Maybe she had imagined it?

She exhaled slowly. With beastmen standing guard, no danger could get close. Just as she was about to settle back down—

Crack.

There it was again, closer this time.

What is that? Beastmen were supposed to have sharp senses. Why weren’t they reacting?

Something approached.

Yi Xian debated whether to shout or stay still when a series of quick, skittering sounds reached her ears. In the next moment, a small figure leaped into sight, its glowing red eyes fixed intently on her.

It was a silver mouse, no larger than a palm. Its red eyes gleamed strangely, and on its forehead was a crimson mark like a pendant. It looked nothing like a filthy sewer rat, but rather like a pet someone had groomed with care.

While Yi Xian studied it, the mouse tilted its tiny head, twitching its ears twice. Its sharp front teeth glinted as it stared back, unblinking.

Should I react? she wondered.

But before she could move, the creature darted forward, faster than her eye could follow. It climbed up her shoulder, then leapt to her forehead.

Yi Xian sprang to her feet. She tried to grab the intruder, but the little thing was always a step ahead, scampering across her body and landing gracefully on the ground again. It even wagged its tail as if mocking her.

No, it was definitely mocking her.

Yi Xian’s anger flared. Being bullied by beastmen was one thing, but a palm-sized creature? Did it really think she was made of clay?

She plucked a few leaves from the tree and flicked them at it. The silver mouse dodged nimbly and gestured back as if taunting her. She grabbed a handful of dirt, rolled it into balls, and threw again.

“Squeak!”

“Squeak squeak!”

She hit it a few times. Triumph lit her eyes. She mixed a small stone into her next throw, letting it fly.

The silver mouse shrieked. Its body trembled, then went still. When Yi Xian drew near, the creature lay completely still, its eyes shut and breath absent.

“A dead mouse dares to provoke me,” she muttered, grabbing its tail and lifting it up. It was prettier than an ordinary mouse, though insufferably arrogant.

She wondered if she should skin it and roast it, but before she could decide, the supposedly dead mouse bit her thumb.

“Damn it!”

She yelped, dropping it. The silver mouse vanished in a blur.

Yi Xian checked her wound. No poison. To be safe, she dabbed it with medicine.

Still, something felt wrong. The mouse, the forest, and the lack of response to the commotion made it seem as though she was the only one awake in that moment.

She pushed Lan Tong’s shoulder, calling her name again and again, but the woman did not stir. She tried the others. No one responded. Everyone was asleep, deeply and unnaturally.

Alone and awake in the wilderness, the feeling was utterly terrifying.

As Yi Xian frantically tried to think of what to do, voices began to echo faintly in her ears.

“Wake up.”

“Wake up, now.”

Lan Tong’s rough shove jolted her awake. Yi Xian blinked up into her stern gaze. Around them, the beastmen were already alert, glaring at her as if she were a nuisance.

The sun had risen high. Compared to the dense woods near Kus City, the shrubs here were shorter and thinner. That was the only difference she could see.

“Did I fall asleep?” Yi Xian asked.

“Move,” Lan Tong said flatly.

Without warning, she shifted into her beast form, clamped her jaws around Yi Xian, and tossed her onto her back before dashing off again.

Yi Xian, startled, punched the beast’s head in frustration, though the blow barely registered. The beast ran on as if nothing had happened.

Then Yi Xian noticed something. Her dream remained vivid in her mind, especially the mocking eyes of the silver mouse. It had felt so real that she could no longer tell dream from reality.

She shook her head repeatedly to clear it, but when she looked down, her heart froze.

The bite on her thumb had scabbed over. And just above it, a faint silver mark shimmered.

It was the same symbol that had gleamed on the silver mouse’s forehead.