The Strongest Beast-Tamer (Transmigration)(GL) - Chapter 2

Whenever the two were in the same room, even the dust in the air seemed to grow tense. Yi Xian, who feared neither heaven nor earth, had never imagined she would one day be utterly defeated by such a tiny creature. That little one was hiding behind the door, a mop of curly hair atop her head as she peeked out curiously at the round ball that had rolled in front of her.

Seeing that the child wasn’t crying, Yi Xian quietly let out a sigh of relief. She had feared the little one might start wailing without warning. After all, beastmen had exceptionally sharp hearing. Even the slightest noise could alert them, let alone the fact that she was already labeled a notorious child abuser.

Back in her time, someone like that would have been thrown into a dark cell to be dealt with.

Yi Xian tugged the string tied to the round ball, making it roll to and fro on the ground.

The little one’s gaze followed the ball back and forth, filled with curiosity. Still, she did not dare to come closer. Yi Xian did her best to shrink her presence, forcing the gentlest smile she had ever worn onto her face.

Even so, the child’s eyes remained wary.

What a sin.

Yi Xian wanted to drag the original host out and give her a thorough beating. To think she had harmed a child this small. What kind of monster did that? Yi Xian squatted silently until her legs went numb and her vision darkened. Only then did the little one take a single cautious step forward.

You could practically picture it as the child crept forward one step at a time while casting nervous glances at Yi Xian with every move she made. Her tiny body seemed barely able to control itself as she tottered forward.

Truly easy to trick.

Yi Xian felt her heart melt under the child’s cautious movements. She nearly reached out to scoop her up and spin her around in delight. But alas, this was only the first step of a long journey. She could not rush it. Like fishing, she had to slowly reel in her baited catch.

By the time the little one realized she was standing right in front of Yi Xian, her entire body was trembling. Her face turned pale, eyes full of terror.

Yi Xian quickly tossed the ball upward, then caught it again, demonstrating the motion several times before swiftly placing it into the child’s small hands. “Try it,” she encouraged.

The child’s soft, pale hands clutched the ball as she stared at Yi Xian in a daze.

Unbothered, Yi Xian repeated the throwing motion again and again. Only then did the little one finally toss the ball upward with both hands. It landed silently on the floor. Yi Xian picked it up, tossed it again, and so the two of them, one big and one small, played catch for a while. Yi Xian noticed the child was not as afraid of her as before. Still, whenever she got close, the little one instinctively shrank away, terrified of physical contact.

It wasn’t the child’s fault. According to the memories she had inherited, the original host used to beat the child regularly. To avoid drawing attention, she targeted the fleshy or hidden parts of the body. She had hit, pinched, and cursed without restraint.

Yi Xian could not help but frown whenever those memories surfaced.

After tossing the ball back to the child, Yi Xian began rummaging through the room. In the end, she found a slab of meat hard as iron. It likely came from some unfortunate beast. She tapped it against the table a few times. The meat remained unscathed, but the table lost a chunk of its edge. Not a single knife could be found in the entire room.

What? Were they afraid I’d go on a rampage with a blade?

With no suitable tools and still injured, Yi Xian grew dizzy after a short play session. She hurried to the bed and flopped down, pretending to contemplate life. Thankfully, that woman had not forgotten about her even though she was a severely wounded slave. Most likely, she couldn’t bear to part with the child. Yi Xian had merely benefited from that attachment, avoiding death by starvation.

Lunch was simple with nothing more than water and meat.

The portion resembled the size of the dried slab she had found earlier. A large piece was given to the child, while Yi Xian received only a palm-sized scrap. The meat was sinewy and laced with bl00d. A thick, iron-like stench clung to it. Yi Xian had no doubt it had just been freshly hunted. She watched as the three-year-old buried her face in the meat, bl00d smearing across her mouth, her two sharp teeth gleaming like a budding vampire’s.

When the woman saw Yi Xian not eating, she raised an eyebrow and said coldly, “This is all there is today.”

The message was clear that she had no choice but to eat it or starve.

Yi Xian shot her a sideways glance before accepting the meat and nibbling slowly. Luckily, she had survived far worse in the Amazon jungle. Raw meat didn’t faze her. What truly broke the spirit was having once tasted the delicacies of the human world, only to be forced back into such savagery. That contrast was unbearable.

Lan Tong was a little surprised. Normally, if this woman didn’t get her preferred food, she would kick up a fuss. Yet today, she was unusually quiet. Lan Tong glanced at her a few more times. Once both adult and child had eaten their fill, she gently patted the child’s head and left.

The little one, still clutching her ball, reluctantly followed her to the door. She nearly stood like a stone statue carved in longing. In a way, the original host of this body was the child’s mother, which would make the other woman her “father.”

Yi Xian had gleaned this from the host’s memories and felt like she’d been struck by lightning. She was, indeed, gay. Liking women was perfectly normal. But her partner being a female beastman? What kind of bizarre twist was this? What the hell?!

Their eyes met.

Big ones stared into little ones.

Yi Xian threw herself back onto the bed. The little one, sensing that the biggest threat was motionless, dared to take tiny steps and play catch in the cramped room. Who knew the ball would roll straight into Yi Xian’s lap, freezing the room once more.

The child dared not make a sound. Her tiny hands clenched as her whole body tensed. She stared at Yi Xian with her beautiful blue eyes, her small frame trembling as if caught between fear and uncertainty.

The child’s face had turned red from holding her breath, clearly too scared to even exhale. Such a timid little thing. I have to find a way to toughen her up. Otherwise, what happens if something really frightens her one day?

That afternoon, someone pushed the door open. Yi Xian thought the woman had returned, but when she looked up, it was a human.

In Kus City, human women were mostly used for reproduction. Nicely put, they were mothers. Truthfully, they were breeding tools and slaves to the beastmen.

The original host had already borne a child. At this point, arguing about chastity or virtue seemed hypocritical. Yi Xian had always believed in adapting to her circumstances. Besides, the original host was of average beauty. But since she had birthed a child so quickly, her treatment was much better than most.

At least, the woman hadn’t chained her legs or starved her.

Still, there was one type of human who was accepted by the beastmen and that was physicians. On the Jiuxi Continent, physicians were indispensable. While beastmen had their own shamans, smaller towns weren’t as lucky. Human doctors were welcomed, even relied upon. They handled simple treatments, identified herbs, and searched for edible plants. All of it counted as service to the beastmen.

This person was one of them.

Qin Rong entered with a medical kit. As she stepped inside, she placed her things down and immediately approached the child with a bright smile, holding out a white fruit. “Lan, here. Eat this.”

Any child that young should have been unable to resist. Yi Xian herself, having eaten nothing but meat for days, had not seen fruit or vegetables in ages. Even clean water was a luxury. At the sight of the white fruit, her first instinct was to swallow her saliva!

That reflex disgusted her. She looked down on this weak body.

What stunned her, though, was how the child refused. She simply hugged her ball tighter.

Qin Rong clearly hadn’t expected rejection. She awkwardly withdrew her hand and placed the fruit on the table. Her gaze flicked toward Yi Xian. “This white fruit restores energy. It’s meant for Lan. Feed it to her.”

The tone reeked of superiority, like a warning wrapped in charity. From the moment she entered, that scornful gaze had irritated Yi Xian.

Everyone knew the child cried whenever Yi Xian got too close. Just yesterday, she had endured scorn and contempt from the entire tribe. Now, this woman expected her to feed the child? Was this a setup to make her look like a bully?

“What exactly are you here for?”

“Medical treatment, of course.”

Qin Rong pulled out some dried herbs, likely medicinal. “Lan Tong worried you might be slacking, so she asked me to examine you. These herbs are for topical application.”

Yi Xian didn’t take them. Her wounds were internal; the external ones had mostly healed. Such herbs would do nothing for her. No way that woman didn’t know this.

Work?

This body was frail and pitiful. She could barely pretend to be useful.

“You can leave them. I’ll have Lan Tong apply them herself when she returns.”

Her injury was near her heart. Naturally, that meant it was also near her chest. Having Lan Tong apply the medicine… well, that was self-explanatory.

Qin Rong nearly cracked a tooth from grinding it. “I am the physician. Let me handle it.”

Yi Xian would never give her the satisfaction. She nitpicked every excuse until the woman finally stormed off.

When Lan Tong returned, she saw the fruit on the table and the herbs by the bed. She immediately knew the physician had been by. Looking at the woman resting quietly in bed, she asked, “How do you feel today?”

Yi Xian was lost in thought and replied with a sideways glance. “What do you think?”

Lan Tong raised an eyebrow, then noticed the child still clinging tightly to her precious round ball. The toy had been patched together from old scraps of fabric. It looked familiar.

The child showed it to Lan Tong for just a second before clutching it protectively again.

Lan Tong crushed the herbs into a paste at the table, brought the bowl over, and helped Yi Xian sit up. Yi Xian enjoyed being pampered until she felt fingers sliding into her clothes.

“What are you doing?”

“Applying medicine.”

“…”

Yi Xian had thought her earlier words to Qin Rong were just for show. She wasn’t so lazy that she needed someone else to rub in a bit of medicine. And besides, was this even effective?

As soon as that cold hand slipped in, she grabbed it and pulled it out with narrowed eyes, offering a clear warning. Lan Tong’s expression remained solemn, as if she had no idea what Yi Xian was thinking.

Yi Xian even noticed the little one peeking curiously their way. “The child is still here,” she mumbled.

A very polite rejection.

Lan Tong glanced at the child. The little one, still holding her beloved ball, was staring unblinkingly. After a moment of thought, Lan Tong picked her up and placed her on the small bed nearby, bending down to whisper something.

The child occasionally looked past Lan Tong toward Yi Xian, nodding dutifully each time.

Yi Xian sighed in relief.

But before she could finish, Lan Tong pulled a curtain between the two beds. The sheer efficiency of the move left Yi Xian stunned. Before she could even react, Lan Tong strode over and resumed undressing her.

“Wait—wait a second.”

“I won’t peek.”

“…”

Who the hell is worried about peeking?!

…

In the end, Yi Xian was pinned to the bed and thoroughly rubbed down in the name of healing.