seattlejaycees Chapter 278: Gobbled Them All Up
Chapter 278: Gobbled Them All Up
Feili was currently in the inner city, helping to repair the dilapidated walls.
"Feili Father Beast."
Hearing Qiao Xixi’s call, Feili turned around. "Xixi, you’re back."
"Feili Father Beast, there’s something I want to talk to you about."
Feili put down what he was holding and walked over to Qiao Xixi.
"Xixi, is something the matter?"
Qiao Xixi nodded, but since the matter was rather important, she led Feili to the stone house used for receiving guests.
Seeing how serious Qiao Xixi was, Feili’s expression grew stern as well.
"Xixi, what did you want to discuss?"
Qiao Xixi said, "Feili Father Beast must have already heard about what we encountered at the Black Panther Tribe."
Feili nodded. For such a large tribe to be inexplicably empty, he would certainly have asked for details. "Feiyan told me everything. Xixi, is there something worrying you?"
"Yes. Tiger Beast City won’t just let this go. But you know our tribe’s current situation, Feili Father Beast. If another fight breaks out, there’s a high chance we’ll be at a disadvantage."
As Qiao Xixi spoke, she took out several Crystal Stones. "These Crystal Stones can help beastmen awaken their Beast Souls."
"What did you say?" Feili shot up from his seat in shock.
’Since these Crystal Stones have to be used on the beastmen, it’s impossible to keep it a secret,’ Qiao Xixi thought. ’It’s only right to let Feili know in advance.’
However, Feili quickly calmed down, his gaze even more serious than before. "Xixi, tell me your plan."
"I may have Crystal Stones, but the supply is definitely limited. So, I want to select a group of beastmen from the tribe who are relatively outstanding in all aspects to absorb the power of the Crystal Stones and awaken their Beast Souls."
Feili nodded.
Qiao Xixi continued, "Of course, this won’t be limited to adult beastmen. I’ll set aside a very small portion for talented cubs."
Qiao Xixi’s plan was inspired by Qiao Lie and the others.
Adult males often let their guard down around cubs, which means they could deliver a fatal blow to the enemy at a critical moment.
The more Feili heard of Qiao Xixi’s plan, the brighter his eyes became.
"That brat Feiyan really hit the jackpot. I’ve never seen a female as smart and capable as you, Xixi. Just tell me, what do you need Feili Father Beast to do for you?"
"I want to hold a competition. The winning beastmen will get the chance to awaken their Beast Souls. I’d like to ask you to help me organize it, Feili Father Beast."
"No problem. Once we’ve finished most of the repairs on the tribe’s fortifications, I’ll gather the beastmen."
"Great. I’ll leave it to you then, Father Beast."
Feili left the stone house, full of vigor. Even inside, Qiao Xixi could hear his booming voice.
"A-poo poo poo, Mama, Mama~~"
Qiao Xixi turned to see the little tiger cub had changed back into her beast form and was walking into the house. The little one could already walk quite steadily.
Seeing Qiao Xixi, the cub couldn’t help but quicken her pace, wanting to pounce on her.
"An’an, be careful."
Just as the cub entered the house, Mo Yan followed in.
"Clan Leader."
Seeing Qiao Xixi in the room, Mo Yan still seemed a bit nervous.
For the past few days, he and Xiya had been keeping the little tiger cub company, so Qiao Xixi had more or less let her guard down around the ’little male lead’.
"Mm, have you both eaten breakfast?"
Mo Yan immediately replied, "Clan Leader, we’ve both eaten. The great male Jin Ling also left a lot of food for you in the kitchen."
"Good." Qiao Xixi picked up the tiger cub, then suddenly lowered her gaze to look at Mo Yan.
Suddenly meeting Qiao Xixi’s eyes, Mo Yan was startled for a moment before quickly lowering his head again.
"Cl-Clan Leader, is there something dirty on my face?"
Qiao Xixi sat down while holding the tiger cub and beckoned Mo Yan closer.
Mo Yan was a little apprehensive, but he walked over nonetheless.
"Mo Yan, have you awakened your Beast Soul?"
At her words, Mo Yan looked up in surprise. "No, I... I haven’t awakened my Beast Soul."
"As a cub on your own, how have you managed to survive all these years? Can you tell me about it?"
Mo Yan hadn’t expected Qiao Xixi to ask him about this. As he thought about his past experiences, his handsome brows furrowed.
"In the past, I was driven out of my clan when I was only as small as An’an is now. But because I was so young, I didn’t dare to go far and just survived by hiding around the clan’s territory."
"After they hunted, I would secretly steal some food to fill my stomach. Until one day, I was discovered by the clan members."
"They threw me out, somewhere very, very far away. I never saw them again."
Mo Yan bit his lip, his little face tinged with a numb sorrow.
"I was abandoned in the forest. There were lots and lots of wild beasts, and they were all terrifying. They wanted to eat me. To avoid being eaten, I started hiding and fighting back. Once, I even killed a very, very big beast, and it fed me for many days."
Looking at the skinny little cub before her, Qiao Xixi felt a pang in her heart.
"So, do you want to become stronger?"
Mo Yan nodded without hesitation. "I do. I want to become strong so I can always protect An’an, and... and you, Clan Leader."
As Mo Yan said this, his dark eyes were exceptionally bright.
’The life I have now is something I never dared to even dream of in the past. Even though the Clan Leader and the others aren’t my family, they give me food and a place to sleep.’
’Most importantly, An’an and the others are willing to play with me. It’s like I’m living in a dream.’
"Alright then. I’ll give you a chance. After we’ve finished with our current tasks, we’ll hold a fighting tournament. If you can win in the competition, you’ll get the opportunity to awaken your Beast Soul."
Qiao Xixi was speaking to Mo Yan so earnestly that she failed to notice the little tiger cub had already squirmed out of her arms and was now climbing onto the table.
With a huff and a puff, she jumped onto the tabletop, her big, liquid-gold eyes staring at the few Crystal Stones there.
The cub’s small, wet nose twitched as she sniffed them.
’Ooh, it has a faint, sweet smell. It looks so yummy~~~’
With a big GULP, the cub swept all the Crystal Stones into her mouth and began chewing on them. CRUNCH, CRUNCH.
Hearing the sound from behind her, Qiao Xixi whipped her head around in astonishment.
When she saw what the little tiger cub was doing, she shot up from her chair.
"An’an, spit it out! Quick!"
Qiao Xixi frantically picked up the cub and tried to pry her mouth open, but she could only see some leftover bits of the Crystal Stones.
Qiao Xixi: ...
She glanced at the table. It was completely empty.
’That was a whole handful of Crystal Stones!’
She wasn’t too heartbroken about the lost Crystal Stones; after all, they weren’t irreplaceable.
But the little tiger cub had scarfed them all down in one go! Who knew what would happen to her!
"An’an, be good and spit out the Crystal Stones."
The little tiger cub slapped away Qiao Xixi’s hand as she tried to reach into her mouth.
"OW-WOOO! WOO~!" she howled, a truly tragic sound.
Hearing the commotion, Jin Ling rushed in at once.
"Xixi, what’s wrong?"
He had barely finished speaking when the little tiger cub suddenly broke free from Qiao Xixi’s grasp, hopped onto the floor, and darted out between Jin Ling’s legs.
"An’an!"