The Strongest Beast-Tamer (Transmigration)(GL) - Chapter 22

“Stop! Don’t bite! You little cub, let go!”

“Pull them apart!”

Shi Jia’s heart ached as she watched Hu Xiaoqing pinned and bitten by the lion cub. She quickly called for help, and with the assistance of others, the two cubs with red, furious eyes were finally separated.

The lion cub lowered its body, growling at Hu Xiaoqing in a threatening tone, while Hu Xiaoqing refused to back down, raising its claws in a fighting stance. If not for You Yu and Shi Jia holding one on each side, bl00d would have already been spilled.

Hearing the commotion, beastmen rushed over. They saw humans shielding their cubs, the crying fox woman with tears glistening on her face, and Yi Xian standing calmly in the center of the chaos, not even moving from her spot. She was gently stroking the trembling child in her arms, soothing the little one’s agitation.

“What’s going on?”

“It’s her!”

The fox woman threw herself into the arms of a strong beastman, pretending to be delicate. Pointing accusingly at Yi Xian, she complained tearfully, “She attacked me with something. It hurts so much. I’m injured, woo woo.”

Yi Xian’s eyes lazily drifted to the so-called wound. The woman’s fair wrist was bruised, making it look worse than it truly was. If this were my body from the past life, her hand would be useless now.

Shi Jia immediately spoke up, “That’s nonsense. You bullied Little Lan first!”

“Did I?” The fox woman glared resentfully at Shi Jia for meddling, her face full of pitiful tears as she sobbed, “Miao Miao only wanted to borrow that little ball for a while. She refused, and then she bit me. Look, the bite mark is still there.”

The so-called bite mark was only as big as a fingernail. The little one must have been furious and lashed out without thinking.

Yi Xian glanced around but couldn’t find the purple yuanxiao. Did that little creature take the chance to run away? There’s a river nearby, too. What a mistake.

The little one let out a protesting howl, clearly disagreeing with the fox woman’s story.

Shi Jia, still holding Hu Xiaoqing, who was limping and bleeding from a rear paw, whispered anxiously, “Yi Xian, what should we do now? Hu Qing hasn’t come back yet.”

Usually, during rest stops, many cubs would watch Little Lan chase the purple yuanxiao and were fascinated by the rolling ball-like creature. Today, Yi Xian had shown off the yuanxiao’s special ability, drawing envy. That was what caught the attention of the fox woman and her lion cub.

To make matters worse, that lion cub was the oldest among all the young ones, already ten years old. Though considered gifted in its small town, it was far less remarkable compared to Yi Xian’s little one, who was only three yet showed incredible strength and speed. The contrast was glaring.

“Don’t cry, don’t cry, your eyes will swell.”

“Woo woo, it hurts! Look at Miao Miao, he was scratched so badly by that little fox. You have to seek justice for us!”

The fox woman’s sobs grew even louder when comforted by her mate. Yi Xian, listening to her cloying, babyish voice, felt goosebumps rise all over her skin. Shi Jia called her a fox vixen, but she’s clearly a white lotus.

Shi Jia trembled with anger. Her Hu Xiaoqing’s paw was still bleeding, and he was limping badly. “You, you—!”

Yi Xian calmed her. “Treat Hu Xiaoqing’s wound first. Don’t delay.”

Shi Jia nodded worriedly. “Be careful, then.”

Yi Xian nodded back. There are too many witnesses here. That fox woman wouldn’t dare kill me. And besides, I wasn’t raised to be frightened by people like her.

The lion beastman, holding his sobbing mate, finally turned to Yi Xian. “That little ball of yours, name your price. How much to trade for it?”

His tone reeked of arrogance, like a vulgar merchant flush with money. Yi Xian sighed and glanced at the white lotus pretending to cry. “No matter what you offer, I won’t trade it.”

The white lotus clung to the lion beastman and wailed, “See? She’s so mean!”

Yi Xian’s patience was wearing thin. “Let’s not talk about the ball. Your cub bullied mine. Let’s discuss that instead. What do you propose we do?”

She had no intention of swallowing the insult. That was not her nature.

The lion beastman’s eyes bulged as he roared, “What do you mean? What do we do?!”

Yi Xian stood her ground. “Let’s count properly. First, Hu Xiaoqing’s paw was bitten by your cub. How will you compensate? Second, your cub and that woman both ganged up on my child, and now our little ball is missing. What about that? Third, that woman grabbed my daughter by the neck and slammed her into the ground. How will you make this right?”

Yi Xian didn’t know how the beastmen measured worth or compensation, but she was prepared to have her demands refused. Then she would simply settle it her own way.

“Feng!” the fox woman sobbed, throwing herself into her mate’s arms. “You see? She’s bullying us!”

“Challenge!”

Yi Xian turned toward the voice. Lan Tong had pushed through the crowd, her expression cold as she stared at the lion and his crying partner. She stepped beside Yi Xian. “Are you hurt?”

Yi Xian gave her a sidelong glance. That was fast. “How do you want to challenge?”

Lan Tong patted the little one’s head. The cub whimpered softly in grievance. Then Lan Tong looked at the lion beastman. “I will challenge you.”

Beastmen loved fighting, and at the sound of a duel, excitement filled the air. The lion beastman accepted eagerly. Two mighty lions, facing off against each other, one of them a female, drew a crowd immediately. Even Lord Lu, who rarely bothered to leave her seat, came over. A few other officials joined her, all of them beastmen sent to find talented cubs across the land.

Yi Xian retreated with the little one to a safe spot. The child poked her head out, watching Lan Tong intently and letting out little howls of encouragement.

Yi Xian couldn’t help glancing down. The cub’s focused gaze made her uneasy. If she grows up to be as wild as Lan Tong, I’m doomed.

“Oh, she made a move!”

“That one called Lan Tong is strong!”

“Didn’t expect such a fine lion beast to come from a remote town.”

“Hmph,” Lord Lu scoffed lightly. No one could tell whether she was mocking Lan Tong or the speaker.

Yi Xian watched the fight like she was watching a World Cup match, surrounded by excited cheers and shouts. To her, it was just two big beasts clawing and biting each other. The strikes were fierce, but the beastmen were far tougher than humans. A wound like that would have killed an ordinary person.

Still, she noticed Lan Tong was holding back. The way she pounced and dodged was almost playful, like a lion batting a ball.

There was something else that puzzled her. Lan Tong was not truly a lion beastman. Although she looked like one, she possessed something no other lion beast had. She had a pair of wings that allowed her to soar freely through the sky.

Yi Xian had seen them three times before. She remembered that during the beast horde attack, Lan Tong had carried her and climbed a cliff with bare hands, rather than flying. “Why hide it?” She wondered. The more she thought about it, the more she suspected Lan Tong’s wings concealed a deeper secret.

“Awoo?” The little one looked up at her curiously. Yi Xian reached out and felt her back, but found no sign of wings. So the little one didn’t inherit them?

After enough toying, Lan Tong leapt forward and pinned the lion beast to the ground. Her sharp claws pressed against his throat, ending the duel instantly.

The white lotus woman stood still, her tears forgotten and her face pale with shock.

When both combatants returned to human form, the lion beastman bowed. “I lost.”

Lan Tong ignored him and walked straight to Yi Xian, taking the cub into her arms. Yi Xian opened her mouth but didn’t speak. Beastmen had their own way of settling things. She had no right to interfere, though something heavy lingered in her chest.

Before they set off again, the lion beastman personally offered ten beast hides as compensation. Lan Tong accepted and even gave four hides to Hu Qing’s family.

The only thing that upset Yi Xian was that the purple yuanxiao was nowhere to be found. The little one mourned its lost companion, crying softly for several days.

By the time they reached Guata City, news of Lan Tong’s victory had spread far and wide. The residents looked at them with expressions that Yi Xian later realized were full of admiration. In the Beast Tribe, heroes were respected, whether male or female.

Of course, glory came with a price as new challengers appeared one after another.

Yi Xian eventually caught on. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

Lan Tong looked genuinely confused. “What do you mean?”

Yi Xian stared at her, trying to read the emotionless perfection of her face. Was I overthinking? Maybe it really was a coincidence?