The Strongest Beast-Tamer (Transmigration)(GL) - Chapter 4

Every Lantern Festival, the tribe would gather their ideas and mix colorful vegetable juices into glutinous rice flour, rolling out a batch of rainbow-colored rice balls. These were affectionately called rainbow yuanxiao.

As she stared at the bubbling surface of Crescent Lake, Yi Xian saw a series of plump, round heads emerging from the water. To her, they looked exactly like a pot full of freshly boiled yuanxiao. Each one was perfectly round, smooth to the eye, and evenly shaped. Yi Xian could not help but swallow. She suddenly wanted to eat them.

After watching for a while, Yi Xian realized it was not the lake that was boiling. It was a whole cluster of round creatures playing beneath the surface. Their movements had only created the illusion of boiling water. They rolled about at the center of the lake but never came close to shore.

Several nearly rolled toward the edge, only to bounce back toward the center. Yi Xian’s breath caught slightly. When she saw Lan Tong hidden in another tree, she understood. These soft, harmless creatures must have been what Lan Tong had mentioned earlier. Yi Xian had no idea what species they were, but their appearance alone would attract children and women alike.

If only I had a fishing rod.

Just as that thought crossed her mind, a massive shadow swept past her face. A fierce wind stirred the tree leaves as something enormous shot by. By the time she looked up, she saw a golden beast dive from the sky, its wings spread wide. Its target was one of the creatures soaking in the lake.

The round creatures had no time to react. Red, white, and blue balls bumped into each other in panic, bouncing away only to crash into more of their kind. The entire lake broke out into chaos.

From their confused scramble, Yi Xian could tell these creatures had no combat ability at all. She barely had time to feel relieved when the same massive creature flapped its wings again and came back. This time, it was flying straight at her.

What the hell!

Yi Xian instinctively looked toward the spot where Lan Tong had been hiding. Nothing. No one was there. In that critical moment, an irrational fury welled up inside her. She had been tricked and abandoned.

“Damn it.”

Yi Xian swung a fist. The golden creature clearly hadn’t expected a weak human to fight back and froze in place. Its beautiful blue eyes blinked in confusion. When it didn’t retaliate, Yi Xian jumped from the tree. But before she could land or feel any pain, her clothes were yanked tight. She found herself dangling mid-air, clutched in a massive claw.

Crescent Lake and the towering trees receded beneath her. Yi Xian felt a thrill greater than skydiving. If only she could kill this beast, it would be perfect.

While she was still scheming, the creature swooped down and landed smoothly. Then its form shimmered and shifted.

It transformed into Lan Tong.

Lan Tong’s expression was dark as she stared at Yi Xian.

Yi Xian was completely dumbfounded. She had thought Lan Tong was some kind of monkey. But she was actually a bird?

A bird!

Before Yi Xian could wrap her head around that, Lan Tong shoved something soft and bouncy into her arms. Yi Xian looked down and saw a large purple ball. The ball even had a facial expression.

o(??? )o

“Let’s go,” Lan Tong said.

Yi Xian instinctively squeezed the purple yuanxiao. It was as soft as dough. She used both hands to squish and tug at its surface.

The ball’s face changed again to a blank expression.

Yi Xian smacked it a few more times and the face returned to the surprised look.

Lan Tong led the way while Yi Xian trailed behind, playing with the ball. They soon caught up to the group. When the others saw the wound on Lan Tong’s face, they were startled.

“You’re hurt?”

“It’s nothing,” Lan Tong replied.

Yi Xian guiltily avoided her gaze. Earlier, she had struck with a hidden leaf between her fingers. A single leaf could be lethal in the right hands. But beastman skin was thick, and she had assumed it had no effect. Apparently not. Even beastmen were not invulnerable.

Qin Rong and her group had already gathered enough herbs. Her eyes immediately locked onto the purple ball in Yi Xian’s arms.

“What’s that?”

Without waiting for a reply, she reached out to touch it.

“Wow, it’s so soft.”

“Really?”

“It looks so fun.”

Others around her crowded in, poking and squeezing the ball.

The purple ball distorted under their hands, its surface changing shape more than it had when Yi Xian played with it earlier.

Yi Xian was curious about what kind of expression it would show now. But it stayed smooth and blank.

“This is for Lan,” Yi Xian said, dodging Qin Rong’s hand as she smiled at Lan Tong. “She’s probably waiting for us.”

“Then we should return,” Lan Tong said.

Once she spoke, the rest of the group agreed.

When Lan Tong and Yi Xian returned to pick up the child, they found her sitting alone by the door. Her hair was dusty, and her neat clothes were now filthy. She held her ball tightly as she curled up in a corner, watching the people passing by with anxious eyes. When she spotted Lan Tong, her face lit up.

Yi Xian had made a good haul. She immediately handed over the purple yuanxiao. “Lan, this is for you…”

For a moment, she didn’t know how to introduce it.

She had never seen an animal that could make faces before. But during the walk back, the ball had stayed perfectly blank. If not for their earlier interaction, she might have believed it was just a toy.

The little one could not hold it all by herself. She shoved the ball into Lan Tong’s arms, then hugged it with both hands. When she poked it, the ball sank inward and bounced back. It was much more fun than the old fabric ball.

Yi Xian smiled when she saw the child laugh.

Back home, Yi Xian cooked the meal herself. She placed the slab of meat that no one could break into a pot and boiled it until it softened. Then she sliced it open and tossed in the wild greens they had gathered.

“Eat.”

“Is it edible?”

Yi Xian let out a snort and portioned out the food. She knew her place as a slave and only took a small share. The rest she gave to Lan Tong and the child. Surprisingly, the little one ate the most. Her appetite was twice Yi Xian’s.

Even without any spices, the hot, fragrant food was far better than raw meat.

Yi Xian squinted in satisfaction. This is how humans should live.