Chapter 282: Why is He Suddenly Unhappy?
Chapter 282: Why is He Suddenly Unhappy?
When Sangze saw how agitated Feiyan was, he glanced helplessly at Jin Ling and Sunxiao.
But the other two males just silently drank the Deer Beast Blood in their bowls, pretending they hadn’t seen or heard anything.
Sangze felt even more aggrieved. ’Did I say something wrong? *Sniffle*... Why is Feiyan suddenly unhappy?’
"Father Sangze, there’s still some Deer Beast Blood over there. Why don’t you have some? Mama said it’s good for you." Xiya, ever the understanding one, came to Sangze’s rescue.
Qiao Xixi nodded along. In truth, she was also quite curious why the males had suddenly decided to drink Deer Beast Blood today. When she asked, she was simply told it was good for them, so she supposed they should just drink it.
"Yes, Sangze, you have some too."
Her words instantly lifted Sangze’s mood.
"Okay."
They had just finished eating when a tribesman appeared at the door.
"Clan Leader, today’s competition is about to begin."
Qiao Xixi finished the last sip of her soup and stood up. "Alright, we’ll be right there."
Sunxiao and the others all stood up. "Sangze and I will take the Hunting Team out to hunt."
Qiao Xixi nodded. "Okay, be careful."
Sunxiao grunted in affirmation, told Jin Ling and the others to look after Qiao Xixi and the cubs, and then left.
As Sangze walked out the door, he couldn’t help but ask Sunxiao, "Sunxiao, why did you guys suddenly drink Deer Beast Blood today?"
Sunxiao let out a cool breath. "You should ask Feiyan about that. I’m sure he’ll be happy to explain it to you."
Sangze felt Sunxiao was just brushing him off. ’Given how Feiyan acted just now, there’s no way he’ll be ’happy to explain’ anything,’ he thought.
After they left the inner city, Qiao Xixi’s group departed as well.
The competition was held in an open area in the center of the tribe. It was the plaza where the tribe held large events—a wide, spacious ground that could accommodate at least ten thousand beastmen.
In the center of the plaza was a slightly elevated stone platform. Upon arriving, Qiao Xixi walked directly onto it.
The beastmen below quieted down when they saw Qiao Xixi, their gazes fixed on her in anticipation. They had already heard that winning the competition today would grant them the opportunity to awaken their Beast Soul—something every single male dreamed of.
"I am the Clan Leader of the Black Panther Tribe. From this day forward, all of you who make your home in the Black Panther Tribe are my people. To help our tribe grow stronger and more prosperous, I have decided to hold this competition today."
Qiao Xixi’s gaze swept quickly across the faces of the beastmen.
"Today, a total of five hundred beastmen are participating. The competitors will face off in pairs. The winner is the one who can knock their opponent off the platform. Getting injured during a match is normal, but I do not wish for anyone to take a fellow tribesman’s life for the opportunity to awaken their Beast Soul. If anyone violates this rule, even if they win, I reserve the right to deny them that opportunity."
"Yes, Clan Leader! Rest assured, we will follow the rules!"
Qiao Xixi nodded. A competition between beastmen didn’t require many rules. As long as you didn’t take your opponent’s life, any means of winning was fair game.
The competing beastmen had already formed lines and were heading onto the platform in pairs.
"Let the competition begin."
In the lines of competitors, the participating cubs were placed at the very end.
Mo Yan stood among them.
He watched the adult males already locked in fierce battle on the competition platform and clenched his small fists.
’I have to win this competition and awaken my Beast Soul.’
Qiao Xixi and the others sat to the side, watching the competition intently. For her, this was also an opportunity to get to know her tribespeople.
This time, many of the competitors were Wandering Beasts who had previously chosen to stay. Qiao Xixi noticed that their moves were sharper and their reactions were quicker during the matches.
Compared to the male beastmen born in the tribe, the Wandering Beasts had a higher win rate.
Feili noticed this as well, but it was a fair competition. A loss was a loss. Though he felt it was a shame, he didn’t say anything.
Beastmen who hadn’t awakened their Beast Souls relied on pure physical combat. Qiao Xixi confirmed once again that even without different beast soul levels, the strength of these beastmen was immense. With a single punch, she felt as if the platform itself might crack.
"Xixi, have some fruit. There are a lot of beastmen competing; I’m afraid they won’t all finish today."
Qiao Xixi took the fruit he offered and took a bite. Sweet, fresh juice instantly filled her mouth.
’It bursts with juice in one bite. So delicious.’
The cubs also held onto their fruit, watching like a captivated audience. Everyone was so engrossed that they didn’t even stop for lunch; Qiao Xixi and the others simply had some meat broth before continuing to watch the matches.
They had expected the competition to last a long time, but it progressed with surprising speed. Before the sun had even set, all the matches for the adult males were over.
Feili had already taken some beastmen to confirm the list of winners.
Next up were the cubs.
Qiao Xixi noticed that nearly all the older cubs in the tribe had shown up. ’Looks like even the little ones are hungry for power,’ she mused.
"Mama, look! It’s almost Mo Yan’s turn."
Qiao Xixi looked toward the high platform and immediately saw Mo Yan walk up. His opponent was an elephant beast cub.
The elephant beast cub was tall and burly. Standing before the small, thin Mo Yan, he looked like a little mountain, and Qiao Xixi’s heart leaped into her throat.
’After spending so much time together, it was hard for her not to care about Mo Yan’s fate. But she also wanted him to learn that you don’t get things in life just by waiting for them—you have to fight for them yourself.’
"Begin!"
As the command to start rang out, the elephant beast cub attacked first.
He shifted into his beast form. As he charged, Mo Yan could feel the ground tremble beneath his feet. Visually, it was like a small mountain was rushing toward him.
Mo Yan quickly rolled across the ground, nimbly dodging the attack.
The elephant beast cub turned back around, preparing to launch another assault.
Qiao Xixi turned and saw the tiger cub sitting quietly in Jin Ling’s arms. During the other matches, the little one had been chattering and fidgeting restlessly, but now that it was Mo Yan’s turn, she was surprised by how intently the cub was watching.
When she saw Mo Yan get knocked to the ground by the elephant beast cub, the tiger cub let out a series of yelps, AWOO! AWOO!, as if cheering him on.
The elephant beast cub stomped heavily toward Mo Yan, who was lying on the ground. He grabbed Mo Yan by his animal-skin clothes and lifted him high above his head.
Qiao Xixi and the others frowned as they watched.
"Mama, do you think Mo Yan will lose?"
Xiya’s voice was very soft. Although Mo Yan wasn’t their brother, they had become friends, and it was never pleasant to watch a friend lose.
From that last fall, Mo Yan’s arm ached so badly he could barely lift it.
He tried to break free from the elephant beast cub’s grasp, but his opponent was too strong; he couldn’t get away.
The elephant beast cub gave a smug chuckle. "You’ve already lost! The one who awakens their Beast Soul is going to be me!"
With that, the elephant beast cub violently flung Mo Yan off the platform.
GBP