Mi Yin suppressed the pain in his heart and quickly set out from the tribe. This time, he did indeed search the entire mountain but found no trace of the Wolf Beast.
’Perhaps that Wolf Beast really is dead, torn to pieces by wild animals long ago.’
Mi Yin was cold-blooded by nature and felt no sympathy for his deceased tribesman. He only felt a secret joy now that the threat was gone.
’This way, regardless of whether that wolf had a place in Jin’er’s heart, now that he was dead, his presence will only fade with time.’
’Besides, Jin’er is a female. Females never lack partners; it’s perfectly normal for them to have a male or two die by their side.’
When Mi Yin told An Jin the news of Ling Hong’s death, she remained silent for a long time. Instead, she mobilized the tribe’s Beastmen for another large-scale search, but they all came back empty-handed.
’It seems Ling Hong really is dead.’
An Jin was dejected for a long time. Life and death were a normal part of the natural world. It was true for Ling Hong, it was true for the tribe’s Beastmen, and one day, she and Mi Yin would also die.
’Instead of dwelling on the deceased, it’s better to live the present to the fullest.’ With that thought, An Jin found peace.
The Windy Season soon passed, giving way to the scorching, dry Hot Season.
The noonday sun was so bright it made one’s vision swim. The air shimmered with a hazy quality, as if scorched by flames. The tender shoots just sprouting in the fields were baked until they drooped and yellowed. The clamor of insects rose and fell incessantly.
An Jin took two cold baths a day, but she still felt like she was dying from the dry heat. She was constantly drenched in sweat, and she had to change her soaked animal-hide skirt every half-day.
When she transmigrated here last year, it was near the end of the Hot Season.
She had thought the days were unbearably hot back then, but she had clearly underestimated how harsh the environment of the Beast World was. The heat now was like a furnace, so scalding you couldn’t stand it for a minute.
It was a little better at night when she slept while hugging Mi Yin in his beast form. He would instinctively encircle her with his cool tail.
But An Jin couldn’t just stay curled up in his "snake coil" all the time.
"Ah Jin, there’s a type of deep-sea Frozen Stone that’s rich in ice Energy. If you place it in a room, it’s great for cooling things down. Let me go get some for you!" Xi suggested, seizing the opportunity. He had finally found a use for himself and a way to make his presence known.
After getting her approval, Xi left the tribe smugly. He spent two days swimming from a river branch all the way to the deep-sea region.
By himself, he could only carry a few pieces of the Frozen Stone at most. In half a month, after Ah Jin used them up, he would have to come back for more.
’It would be great if there were more Water Beastmen in the tribe. They could help me carry more Frozen Stone,’ Xi sighed with a tinge of regret.
On his way back to the tribe, in the waters where the river met the sea, Xi discovered many migrating Water Beastmen. He slowed his pace and swam toward them.
"What happened? Why are you all migrating toward the land?"
Seeing that the newcomer was a noble Blue Shark, their voices took on a respectful tone. "Recently, many deep-sea Giant Beasts have appeared in our waters," one said worriedly. "Our tribe has been destroyed. The inland waters are a bit safer."
"It’s not just us. Other tribes have also been hit hard. There are many more people behind us migrating this way..."
Xi looked up toward the distant coast. Sure enough, beneath the sparkling surface of the sea, large dark shadows were swimming in this direction. It was the first time he had ever seen a Sea Clan migration on such a massive scale.
’I wonder if my Beast Father and Beast Mother have been affected.’
After Xi brought back the Frozen Stone, he also gave An Jin a brief and concise account of the situation. He suggested that they could expand the tribe toward the sea in the future, which would make it easier to increase the number of Water Beastmen in their tribe.
Speaking of expanding the tribe, An Jin remembered something. Her eyes burned brightly as she looked at Xi, who was ravenously eating after being hungry for several days. "Right, when you have time in a couple of days, take me out for a walk farther away. I want to see the surrounding terrain."
"It’s so hot out, Ah Jin. You’ll get sunburnt," the Little Merfolk said, confused.
Xi licked a bit of scrambled egg from the corner of his lips. He propped up his chin, tilted his devastatingly beautiful little face up, and looked at her with concern. "Why do you need to go out and look at the terrain? It’s too hot. You stay here at home, I’ll go look for you."
An Jin shook her head. "If we’re going to expand the tribe, we definitely need a map that includes the surrounding resources and topography. That’s the only way to create the most favorable territorial conditions for the tribe’s future development."
"A map?"
Xi tilted his head, his cool, silky blue hair cascading like a waterfall over his fair, jade-like shoulders. Confusion brewed in his clear, deep blue vertical pupils, but he still nodded, agreeing to her request.
"After a couple of days, when the sun isn’t as strong, I’ll take you by water. We can go have a good look around."