Shu An could hear the commotion from inside the cave. She covered her ears, refusing to listen, and wept silently. When she woke again, it was already evening.
As soon as she stirred, the two females guarding the cave entrance dared to step inside. "You're awake?"
Shu An was momentarily dazed, remembering what Hei Ting had said earlier about them being assigned to serve her.
"What are your names?" The two females were dark-skinned and thin, with prominent cheekbones and hollow cheeks, looking as if they hadn't eaten or slept well for a long time.
One with a birthmark on her face replied, "My name is Chou Hua." She then lowered her head deeply, concealing the inferiority in her eyes.
The other, without a birthmark but with very dark skin, even darker than the males, said, "My name is Hei Niu." She finished speaking cautiously, waiting for ridicule.
They came from different tribes but were both captured by the Fallen Beasts. Unexpectedly, the Fallen Beasts didn't fancy them either; only a few incapable ones sought them out.
Whether in the Fallen Beast tribe or their former tribes, they were always objects of mockery and ridicule. Yet, they fared slightly better living in the Fallen Beast tribe.
At least they had a place to live and food to fill their stomachs, so they didn't resist the advances of the Fallen Beasts, as long as they weren't beaten or verbally abused.
After a long wait, they heard no mockery. The two looked up in surprise, only to hear the other ask, "What can you do?"
Chou Hua and Hei Niu exchanged a surprised glance. Hei Niu hesitated, "I can tidy the cave."
Chou Hua: "I can sew beast hides."
Shu An: "..." Very practical skills.
Hei Niu cautiously asked, "What do you need us to do?"
Shu An sat on the stone bed, her face expressionless, and asked, "Tell me about the tribe's situation, and where Hei Ting went?"
Chou Hua shook her head, "We don't know. The leader was very angry during the day, and we don't know where he went."
Shu An nodded, acknowledging the information, "Then tell me about the tribe's situation."
The two exchanged another glance, unsure where to begin.
"What would you like to know?"
Shu An: "How many Fallen Beasts are there in the tribe, and how many females?"
Hei Niu replied, "Many, many. There are quite a few females too, but their numbers are far fewer than the Fallen Beasts."
"..." Shu An's expression darkened. Very well, Aunt Ya was right, the people of the West Sea can't count!
"Next question, where do the females in the tribe live, and do they have to... mate with the males every day?"
Chou Hua nodded, "The females live in the west. They have to mate every day, sometimes with several males at once. The females don't even have time to eat."
Sometimes she felt that being ugly was also a kind of luck!
Shu An: "..." Suffocating.
She couldn't live in such a tribe, but how could she leave?
Shu An drifted into thought. The two females didn't dare to speak much, only exchanging glances when she wasn't paying attention.
In their eyes, this beautiful little female was definitely different. The leader had never allowed a female to sleep in his cave before, which proved her uniqueness.
Another point was that when the leader had asked them to serve the White Spirit Beast Jing Jing, he had only told them to ensure she didn't starve to death. However, when it came to Shu An, he instructed them to treat Shu An as their master, hence their fear of being negligent.
The smell of roasted meat wafted into the cave. A strange beastman entered, holding a leaf with roasted meat in both hands. He respectfully placed it on the stone table and retreated without a word.
Upon seeing the roasted meat, Chou Hua and Hei Niu subtly swallowed. It smelled delicious, unlike the roasted meat they usually ate!
Shu An looked at the roasted meat. The aroma was familiar, like the small beast she had eaten in the morning.
She got off the bed, picked up the roasted meat on the leaf, and examined it. It was well-roasted, with no burnt parts, but the handling of certain areas was familiar.
Shu An really wanted to throw the meat away and not eat it, but her mother had always said that one shouldn't mistreat their own body. If she got angry and upset, why should her body suffer because of someone else's mistakes?
Therefore, she not only had to eat it but eat it heartily. How could she have the energy to run if she wasn't full!
Under the eager gazes of Chou Hua and Hei Niu, Shu An ate her fill. She ate less than half of the approximately twenty catties of roasted meat and let them take the rest.
"Take this out and give it to the beastman who just came. I'm full, or you can eat it."
After speaking, Shu An sat back on the bed, turned sideways, and stared blankly into the depths of the cave. There were no books here, nor any luminous pearls for light. She didn't know what to do to pass the time.
Chou Hua and Hei Niu were thrilled that their master gave them the meat, but they dared not eat it. The meat looked too tender and fragrant...
With great reluctance, the two held the leaf and left to find the beastman who had delivered the meat.
Who knew that beastman was standing not far from the cave, and beside him stood the leader. The leader's gaze was fixed on the roasted meat in their hands.
Chou Hua and Hei Niu were relieved they hadn't greedily eaten it. Who could have imagined the leader was guarding just outside the cave!
The two approached nervously. Hei Ting looked at the remaining portion of the meat and breathed a sigh of relief. "She's eaten?"
The two nodded, "Yes, leader. The master is full and asked us to bring the meat out, and to share it among ourselves."
They had a selfish thought: what if the leader was pleased and gave it to them?
Clearly, their thoughts were too much. Hei Ting took the roasted meat and instructed the beastman beside him, "Go and give them more meat as a reward. They don't need to guard tonight. Everyone go back."
"Yes, leader." The three said in unison.
Chou Hua and Hei Niu both showed joy. Although they couldn't eat the delicious roasted meat, they could eat other things!
The two females happily followed the beastman to share the meat, while Hei Ting stood alone and finished the meat Shu An had left.
This meat was roasted by him personally, and not everyone was qualified to eat it.
After eating the roasted meat, he found a green fruit to remove the taste from his mouth. The sourness of the fruit made his face twitch, and he wanted to spit it out, but he endured it.
A tall shadow blocked the cave entrance. Shu An, who had been sitting, sensed who had arrived and immediately lay down, turning her back to the entrance.
Seeing this, Hei Ting nudged his teeth with his tongue. Still quite stubborn!
He walked in without a word and blocked the cave entrance with stones. The last moonlight disappeared, and the cave was plunged into darkness, but it didn't affect their vision.
A source of heat appeared beside her. Shu An immediately moved aside, but the heat source behind her followed, until she was cornered at the edge and then restrained by a pair of iron arms.
"Still throwing a tantrum?" His hot breath sprayed into her ear, and Shu An's eyes misted over.
"I want to go home." Her soft voice was filled with grievance.
Hei Ting's breathing hitched, his arms tightened, and his voice became unusually deep, "Do you hate me that much?"