There was also that chubby Silver Wolf cub, sitting atop a mound of hunted game, wagging his tail in satisfaction...
Pushing his dropped jaw back in place, Ji Nuan pointed at the Little Silver Wolf, stuttered, "Did you hunt all of these?"
That slightly trembling hand of his pointed at the cubby, then towards the mound of hunted game below.
Xiu Yan raised his chubby chin high, his eyes filled with pride, "Oh, yeah!"
Damn it!
Ji Nuan was immediately excited. He circled around the mountain-like pile of hunted game—tiger beasts, wolf beasts, elk...
Surprised, he glanced at Xiu Yan. This little guy didn’t just hunt down one of each game in the forest, with no duplicates.
Pulling the cubby off, "Do you want to call Uncle Xiu Li over to help you take all of this hunted game back?"
Xiu Yan paused in licking his paws. His round fat head drooped onto Ji Nuan’s arm. He barked "Oh, yeah" and wagged his little head.
"Wait, Ji Nuan, this is originally the hunted game that Brother Xiu Yan brought back for you. Why do you want to send it to Uncle Xiu Li?" Ge Ye was drooling over an elk. After hearing Ji Nuan’s words, he couldn’t help but speak out.
"But, this..." Ji Nuan always felt it wasn’t right to accept so many hunted game from others.
"Xiu Yan Cubby is already grown-up. Whatever game he hunts down is his. Since he’s staying with you now, consider this as payback for taking care of him. It’s unfair to always let a young female cub like you take care of him, right?" Aunt Naima had heard from Ge Rou about Xiu Yan’s "ulterior motives" towards Ji Nuan, and she immediately started to speak up for Xiu Yan.
That’s right! If it was just her catching Giggle Beasts and gathering fruits, it’d probably only meet their daily consumption. There’d be nothing left for storage during the winter.
Without another word, she decided to stop being affected by vanity.
With so much hunted game, when would she finish processing them?
Although she felt a bit worried, Ji Nuan consciously did not say it out loud. Many males in the tribe ate leftover meat from the females. She wouldn’t provoke such hatred.
After showing off his strength in front of the young female cub and achieving his goal, Xiu Yan couldn’t possibly laze around in Ji Nuan’s arms anymore. With one kick of his little short legs, he jumped out of Ji Nuan’s arms and to Ji Nuan’s surprise, turned into a tall, silver-haired Stern Orc.
The orc’s thin lips parted slightly, his voice was cold but gentle: "I’ll deal with the game, you cook something, I’m hungry!"
After speaking, he casually lifted each a hefty piece of hunted game in his hands, heading towards the river on the empty ground.
Ji Nuan nodded blankly, then turned and headed towards the cave.
Ge Ye’s eyes were shining with gossip. He followed inside, quickly running up to Ji Nuan’s side. He reached out with his chubby hand and poked Ji Nuan’s waist: "Ji Nuan, are you and Brother Xiu Yan, um, um?"
Aroused by Ge Ye’s lewd laughter, Ji Nuan’s face turned a shade of red, and he quickly explained: "No, it’s not what you think. Brother Xiu Yan was injured while saving me yesterday, so I’ve been taking care of him these past few days, nothing more, don’t be silly!"
While the two were making food and chattering in the cave, on the other side, Xiu Yan was being stopped by Ge Tai by the small river.
"Are you also trying to pursue Ji Nuan?" Ge Tai frowned slightly and looked at the muscular orc standing in front of him.
Xiu Yan’s wolf eyes flickered slightly, the corners of his thin lips curled into a slight smile: "Yes!"
"Then let’s compete fairly. I will not give up!" After saying this, Ge Tai transformed into a lion and brushed past Xiu Yan.
"Hmm ..." His deep wolf eyes drooped, and his long, dense eyelashes slightly curled up. A trace of a faint smile overflowed from his lips, being blown away by the breeze, barely audible.
· · ·
It was like Ji Nuan had a thorn under his butt. During the meal, he was restless and distracted. He didn’t look at the tall orc sitting next to him.
Xiu Yan’s wolf eyes squinted slightly, and a trace of helplessness passed through his eyes: "Let’s gather Stinky Fruits after the meal!"
When it came to food, Ji Nuan instantly calmed down. He poured the remaining soup in the bowl into his mouth and hurriedly stood up: "You can eat first. The basket I made last time was lost. I will make a couple more."
A basket?
Xiu Yan pondered for a bit: "Is it the thing that you always carry on your back to hold food?"
Ji Nuan nodded: "Yes, using Beast Skin is too wasteful, and it doesn’t hold much."
Xiu Yan nodded, extending his hand to pour all the remaining soup in the stone pot into the bowl: "Make a bigger one for me. I am strong and can carry a lot."
Ji Nuan’s mouth twitched as he nodded, and he walked out of the cave.
The Stern Orc, who seemed cold and elegant, was gulping down his food noisily from a stone bowl bigger than his face. His eating capacity was off the charts, but his slender belly had no excess fat at all.
Moreover...
Unconsciously, Ji Nuan thought about the small mound from yesterday, his calf trembling involuntarily.
His strength was amazing, his combat capabilities off the charts.
Should she eat more too? Perhaps her body could become a little better?
The image of Manli appeared in her mind...
Huh?
Thinking about the sturdy swimming ring around Manli’s waist, Ji Nuan gave up this suicidal thought.