"Mother..." Bei Ji softly touched her face. "Mother, don’t cry."
Si Yan straightened up to look at her cubs.
Xi Qing turned slightly away, and Si Yan could only see the long hair covering the side of his face.
"Why look at me? Do what you want to do," Xi Qing said awkwardly.
Si Yan pursed her lips and then suddenly smiled. "Xi Qing, Mother isn’t doing well. We might not be able to stay in this tribe any longer."
"If we can’t stay, then we won’t." Xi Qing hesitantly looked at her and then quickly grabbed her hand. "Let’s go talk to the chieftain. If there’s no justice, why should we stay?!"
Bei Ji effortlessly hoisted Dongchi onto Si Yan’s back. Si Yan silently realized that the three of them were already prepared to leave.
Bei Ji’s innocent little face was serious as he declared, "No buts, Mother."
But actually, there were buts.
If she were alone, she could do as she pleased. She hadn’t shied away from danger in her last life. After all, losing her head would just mean a scar the size of a bowl.
But now, she wasn’t alone. She had responsibilities, people to care for.
If, because of her alone, the three cubs died...
No matter how it’s calculated, it’s a loss.
But to suddenly accept five males she didn’t know...
She simply couldn’t do it.
As she was fretting, the three cubs had already led her to the chieftain. The other Beastmen of the tribe had also gathered around. Soon, Si Yan’s family was enveloped by the entire Yanxiang Tribe.
Si Yan faintly heard someone say, "This is an inauspicious female. She not only extinguished the Holy Fire but also caused the death of a female from our tribe."
"Right, Xiong Rou’s death was so unjust. Although we didn’t particularly like Xiong Rou, she was the Mistress of so many males. But look at this Si Yan. She doesn’t belong to any male."
"Her cubs are snakes—snake Beastmen! Oh heavens, she hasn’t given birth to a single wolf cub."
"Nor has she birthed a bear cub!"
The whispering voices were as noisy as mosquitoes. Si Yan’s fists clenched slightly but were then held by several gentle little hands.
She had given them strength.
Now, they were giving her courage and strength.
She looked up slightly to see the three cubs looking at her with comfort and worry.
At this moment, Si Yan felt utter defeat.
She had promised to protect the cubs, but now she was so hesitant and cowardly.
Xi Qing gave Si Yan an affirming look. After letting go of Si Yan’s hand, he stepped forward to face the chieftain.
Xi Qing said earnestly, "Chieftain, we, together with our mother, would like to discuss what happened today. Lang Feng of the Yanxiang Tribe attempted to encroach on my mother. When my mother refused to accept Lang Feng, he viciously slandered her."
He then looked at Lang Rong and said, "Lang Rong... Grandmother, you also sided with Lang Feng. I only know that in the Beast World, females cannot be forced. I am young and don’t understand. Could you please explain it to our family?"
Xiong Nai chimed in from the side, "That’s right! Since when can a female not refuse a male?!"
Xiong Nai spoke up for her, and Si Yan looked at her gratefully. Xiong Nai winked at her. "No big deal."
Lang Rong’s expression was serious, the pressure bearing down on young Xi Qing, but Xi Qing remained unfazed. He asked the chieftain, "Grandfather Chieftain, we want to know the tribe’s stance on this."
The chieftain stroked his beard. Si Yan, though still thin, has become stronger than before. She should be able to reproduce. The tribe needs more cubs, and he too hopes Si Yan will be willing to produce offspring for the tribe.
He sighed and said, "Lang Rong is not entirely wrong. The former Si Yan was too frail, not suited for reproduction, but now you’ve recovered well. It’s time you made your contribution to the tribe. As for Lang Feng..."
He paused and then said, "If you don’t like him, you don’t have to choose him. However, that young fellow Lang Feng is quite fond of you. Everyone has seen it."
Si Yan saw the chieftain’s attempt to smooth things over without resolving the core issue.
After the chieftain spoke, the entire tribe began to buzz with conversation.
"I mean, Lang Feng likes her so much. What’s wrong with forming a pair?"
"Really, such fussiness."
"This Si Yan! We treat her as a female, and she really thinks she’s someone important."
The most charming female in the tribe, Lang Xin, stepped forward with a laugh. "Si Yan, five males isn’t too many. Look around, which female in our tribe doesn’t have over a dozen males? You’re allowed to choose males; you don’t feel wronged, right?"
The males in the tribe eyed Si Yan with shining eyes.
The Day of Blazing Flames was approaching, and who knew how many days they had left to live. If one could mate just once more before life was extinguished, if one could have another chance to reproduce, then that opportunity was worth trading one’s life for!
Besides, Si Yan had made the males quite expectant during this period.
This situation set Si Yan’s family of four ablaze with anger. She glared furiously at Lang Feng, who was not far away.
Lang Feng mouthed, "Beg me, and I’ll help you. If you don’t beg me, I don’t mind sharing you with everyone else."
"Hey, bad female." Dongchi gently covered her eyes.
Si Yan’s vision plunged into darkness. She heard the cub’s soft yet somewhat steady voice in her ear. "Let’s leave."
Si Yan suppressed her own rage. "Dongchi, if we leave..."
If we leave, he’ll lose the White Wolf that carries him. His injuries haven’t healed yet; he’s prone to infection, prone to accidents! Si Yan had too many concerns.
"Let’s leave." Dongchi released his hand, and Si Yan’s world was light once again.
He said calmly, "They will regret this."
"HAHAHA! That little snake thinks he can leave?!" a male burst into laughter. "The little cub really has no idea how vast the world is. Do you know how dangerous it is outside? Leave? You probably won’t live past a day!"
"Exactly, Si Yan!" another male shouted. "It’s the Day of Blazing Flames! Let us be your males; we’ll protect you well!"
"This is a good thing, isn’t it? You’ll like it, won’t you?!"
"And you can let your underage cubs get a good look at what the adult world is like!"
A surge of anger coalesced in her chest, suffocating her. Si Yan closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
The noise gradually subsided. The crowd looked at her with scorn, derision, or contempt.
Males gain strength through cultivation, females gain strength through mating. As a female, she only has one male companion, whose whereabouts are unknown, making her incredibly weak. Without the protection of the tribe, she couldn’t survive a day. Reality is such that she can’t help but bow her head!
But what they never expected was that this thin and small female would look at the chieftain so firmly and ask decisively, "Chieftain, if I refuse this request, will I then lose the protection of the tribe?"
All eyes were on the chieftain, everyone waiting for his answer.
The chieftain looked at Si Yan. This was a female he was starting to appreciate, one he genuinely wanted to treat well. But the greatest role of females in the tribe is reproduction, nothing else. If Si Yan is unwilling to accept the males of the tribe, to reproduce for the tribe... It’s unlikely. She’s too weak, unable to survive without the tribe. She only has one choice: to reproduce for the tribe!
The chieftain gazed at Si Yan with his deep eyes and answered earnestly.
"Yes. If you refuse to accept the males of the tribe and reproduce for the tribe, you will lose its protection."