After the Beastmen had scattered, Hu Que said to Hu Yong sullenly, "Lord Hu Yong, Lord Ming Yan’s favoritism is completely off the charts. After all, Si Yan is an outsider. Why is Lord Ming Yan so biased towards her? Lord Hu Yong, you should speak to Lord Ming Yan. If this continues, the Tiger Beastmen will definitely object."
Hu Yong laughed. "If you were as capable as Lord Si Yan, Lord Ming Yan would favor you too. Don’t be so needlessly jealous."
Hu Que scoffed, "Lord Hu Yong, are you kidding me? Me, jealous of a pretty boy with jelly legs?"
Turning around, Hu Yong patted Hu Que. "Hu Que, you’re not getting any younger. Learn to be more prudent. Remember not to be used by those with ulterior motives."
"I won’t be manipulated," Hu Que retorted, unconvinced. "Stop treating me like a kid."
Hu Yong sighed and walked away.
Hu Que glanced in Si Yan’s direction. Si Yan, huh? A pretty boy with jelly legs. He intended to teach her a lesson.
Already exhausted from being forced to solve several problems, Si Yan returned to her resting place, ready for sleep.
There was a commotion outside. "Who’s there?" Si Yan sat up lazily and looked towards the cave entrance. Really now, can’t they let a person rest?
Hu Que sauntered up to the cave entrance.
"Oh, it’s you." Si Yan smiled and stood up. "Welcome?"
Hu Que looked at Si Yan with downcast eyes and said ominously, "I’m not here to exchange pleasantries."
"Then what are you here for?" Si Yan laughed. "Did you come all this way just to bully this ’pretty boy with jelly legs’?"
Hu Que snickered. "How could I? If I bullied Teacher Si Yan, I’d be cursed to death."
"So you do realize you deserve to be cursed."
Hu Que’s voice deepened. "Don’t think Lord Ming Yan likes you just because you’re somewhat capable. Ultimately, you’re only special because you resemble someone. That’s why Lord Ming Yan treats you a little differently."
Si Yan furrowed her brows slightly.
Having spent so much time together, Si Yan had gradually come to consider Ming Yan a friend. She did not like the idea of being valued as a friend just because she resembled someone. She hoped such melodramatic clichés would stay far away from her.
Seeing Si Yan’s expression change, Hu Que laughed triumphantly. "You know about Lord Ming Yan’s past, right? Oh, you probably don’t."
Si Yan narrowed her eyes at him.
Hu Que continued, "When Lord Ming Yan was young, he grew up in White Tiger City. Back then, he had a very smart friend who was good at arithmetic. Lord Ming Yan enjoyed playing with him. This good friend always helped Lord Ming Yan, kept him company, and taught him some arithmetic."
Si Yan touched her chin. She truly didn’t know any of this. "What happened then?"
Hu Que, staring at Si Yan, went on, "Later, because Lord Ming Yan’s mother disliked this particular Tiger Beastman, she wanted to kill him."
Si Yan asked nonchalantly, "Did he die?"
Hu Que chuckled. "Of course not." If the friend had died, what leverage would he have to upset her now?
Si Yan breathed a sigh of relief. If his childhood friend had died, that big black cat Ming Yan would probably have been heartbroken.
Hu Que kept talking, "Lord Ming Yan fell out with his own mother over him. He nearly sacrificed everything to save his friend’s life."
Si Yan mused over this.
Hu Que squinted. "Si Yan, don’t act like you understand everything. The person Lord Ming Yan cares about most isn’t you. You just happen to be good at arithmetic, which reminded Lord Ming Yan of his old friend. If Lord Ming Yan’s friend were to return, you’d be insignificant."
Si Yan gave a dismissive laugh. "If that’s all you want to say, you can go now."
Hu Que looked at her curiously. "You don’t care?"
"Why should I care about that?" Si Yan replied, quite resigned. As long as Ming Yan wasn’t purely using her, and genuinely considered her a friend or comrade to some extent, then the help she had offered him along the way felt justified.
However, Hu Que’s attempt to sow discord genuinely angered Si Yan. She really wanted to teach Ming Yan’s subordinate a lesson on his behalf now. Not to mention him bullying her cub previously. Time to settle new scores along with the old ones!
After watching Hu Que leave, Si Yan stood up and accessed her storage space. After a moment’s hesitation, she retrieved a camouflage uniform from her past life and put it on.
Hu Que stalked off in frustration, puzzled. They were both working for Lord Ming Yan; it made no sense for Si Yan not to care about someone trying to outdo her. It was quite irritating. Jie Ling was so much better—obedient, gentle, and understanding. He decided to find Jie Ling for some comfort.
Hu Que headed towards Jie Ling’s dwelling.
Perched in a tree, Si Yan, dressed in a sleek camouflage uniform, stood coolly on a sturdy branch.
Hu Que seemed to sense something. However, just as he turned, Si Yan leaped down from above. She had an animal hide bag in her hand, which she promptly threw over Hu Que’s head.
Hu Que yelled loudly, "Who!!"
Then, a roundhouse kick flew at his head! Her kick was perfectly executed, perhaps from frequent practice!
Unable to dodge, Hu Que took the solid hit squarely and saw stars.
"Damn it, who, who is it?!"
In front of him stood the girl, clad in a sharp camouflage uniform. She had two streaks of camouflage paint on her face, all her long hair was tucked into her hat, and an evil smile played on her lips.
Another swift side kick snapped Hu Que’s head to the side!
"A female??" Hu Que tried to lift the bag to look.
But Si Yan gave him no such chance.
Though an arrogant Red Crystal Beastman, he lacked sufficient practical combat experience and wasn’t much stronger than a Green Crystal Beastman!
Si Yan straddled his neck. Then, using the slender arms and legs Hu Que so despised, she beat him until he was scrambling for his dislodged teeth on the ground!