Chapter – 60
Something Feels Off
“I’ve seen orcs contaminated by curses before. If they’re inside the wall, once killed they turn into black water. If they’re outside the wall, they degenerate into cursed beasts…”
Before he could finish speaking, Lu Liufeng’s expression changed.
He and Horen exchanged a glance and spoke in unison, “The tribe!!”
This afternoon, all the orcs in the tribe had gone fishing.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Jiang Xi hurriedly said, “Quick, go notify every household.”
She looked up at Lu Liufeng. “Forget about tribal rules—transform directly and warn everyone from the sky.”
Before she could say anything else, a lion’s roar rang out. Horen transformed into a dazzling golden giant lion and dashed out of the courtyard.
Lu Liufeng nodded to his female master, stepped back a few paces, and transformed into a giant eagle in the yard, soaring straight into the sky.
However, because his wings were too large and long, he still tore off a large section of the fire room’s roof.
Jiang Xi turned to Mu Ling. Seeing him still stunned and slow to react, she pushed him.
“You have speed abilities—go, now!!”
Mu Ling snapped back to his senses. A phantom flashed out, but quickly flashed back again.
He glanced warily at the fish basket that had turned into black water in the yard, then looked at Yi Yuexi.
“Don’t leave the female master’s side for even a step. Protect her.”
All conflicts and discord vanished in this instant.
After saying that, another phantom flickered, and Mu Ling disappeared from the courtyard.
Although no one knew why the curse contamination had suddenly entered within the walls—and in the form of living creatures—
this was absolutely a terrible sign.
Even when orcs were cursed, it happened outside the walls.
But these fish were contaminated inside the walls, at the water source. This river concerned the entire Lion’s Roar Tribe!
Yi Yuexi shed his laziness, his gaze turning alert.
Ice-blue snowflakes mixed into the swirling wind and snow, probing all directions to guard against the sudden appearance of cursed beasts.
Jiang Xi planned to go to the chief female’s home, but after taking one step out, she stopped.
She stared at the puddle of black water in the fish basket, hesitating.
Yi Yuexi asked, “Female master, did you notice something?”
Jiang Xi shook her head, then looked at him.
She was about to speak, but Yi Yuexi’s dark bruising around his eyes reminded her again of what had happened inside the room earlier.
The nosebleed beneath his nose hadn’t been wiped clean—she could even feel the dried blood crusting around her philtrum and nose.
Feeling a little awkward, Jiang Xi averted her gaze and forced her thoughts back on track.
“I was just thinking—are only our fish contaminated, or is the whole tribe affected?”
If it were only this one basket…
Before she could think further, she got her answer.
Mari and her three beast-husbands came up from the neighboring backyard, carrying a basket of fish.
Seeing Jiang Xi and Yi Yuexi, she excitedly waved.
“Jiang Xi! The ice river has so many fish—did you catch any?”
Jiang Xi hurriedly called out to stop her.
“Mari! There’s something wrong with the fish—don’t touch them!”
She stepped out of the yard toward Mari.
But as soon as she stepped out, she paused again, intending to tell Yi Yuexi to keep an eye on the fish basket.
Yet the moment she turned around, she slammed straight into Yi Yuexi’s solid chest.
Her nose hurt so badly that tears welled up reflexively.
She covered her nose with a slightly aggrieved look, took a step back, and said,
“Stay at home and watch that puddle of black water. What if it can flow around?”
Yi Yuexi steadied her shoulders and shook his head.
“I need to follow you.”
He raised his fox-like eyes and glanced at the black water in the yard.
“If the female master isn’t at ease, you can burn it with fire.”
Jiang Xi was surprised. “Fire can burn it away?”
Then she added, “But we can’t burn it for now.”
“If only our fish have a problem and everyone else’s are fine, then Lu Liufeng and the others warning everyone would be spreading false alarms.”
“This black water is still evidence, at least.”
A hint of surprise appeared in Yi Yuexi’s eyes.
If over the past few days he had only found teasing the female master amusing,
then now, there was clearly a different glimmer in his gaze.
At this moment, Mari, seeing Jiang Xi not coming over, had her beast-husband bring the fish basket over instead.
Compared to others in the tribe, she fully trusted Jiang Xi. As a divinely favored female envoy and the Mother Tree’s Earth Walker, Jiang Xi possessed wisdom far beyond any other female or orc.
Jiang Xi watched as Mari approached.
“Alright.”
She stepped aside, letting Mari’s beast-husband bring the basket in, and pointed to the puddle of black water in the yard.
“These fish were probably contaminated by a curse.”
In fact, from the moment Mari’s fish basket entered the yard, Jiang Xi had sensed something was wrong.
Strangely, she felt a brief sense of relief—and then her heart tightened again.
The relief was because Lu Liufeng and the others hadn’t raised a false alarm.
The tension was because she didn’t know whether anyone in the tribe had already eaten these fish.
Mari and her three beast-husbands all changed expression, retreating several steps away from the fish basket they had brought in.
Jiang Xi comforted them. “Don’t worry. Just being close won’t cause any problems.”
As she spoke, she walked over, then paused just as she was about to reach out.
She stepped back a few paces and looked at Yi Yuexi.
“Yi Yuexi, use a snowflake blade and open up one fish.”
She wanted to confirm whether the fish turning into black water was due to her healing ability—or whether any external damage would cause the same result.
If it was the latter, then there was no need to worry about anyone having eaten them.
But if it was the former…
The consequences would be unimaginable.
Yi Yuexi responded with a quiet “Mm.”
An ice-blue snowflake appeared at the black fish’s belly, slicing sharply and cleanly, splitting it open.
From the fish’s abdomen flowed out a pool of black liquid. It didn’t look like curse contamination—instead, it resembled rotten, decayed internal organs.
Orcs had extremely sharp senses, but this time—even Jiang Xi, whose senses were inferior to an orc’s, smelled something the instant the fish was opened—
a strange, alluring fragrance!
Mari’s beast-husband, Kober, stared at the gutted black fish, swallowing repeatedly.
“It smells so good… I really want to eat it.”
As he spoke, he stepped forward.
Mari’s other beast-husband, Oshan, grabbed him and yanked him back.
Yet even after being pulled away, Kober stared obsessively at the fish, clearly wanting to approach again.
Mari looked worried.
She was about to speak when an ice-blue snowflake flashed, slicing lightly across the back of Kober’s hand.
In an instant, Kober hissed and snapped back to his senses.
Jiang Xi looked up at Yi Yuexi.
Yi Yuexi shrugged, waved his hand, and said with a smile, “Just testing.”
Test the black fish—and test the orc tempted by the black fish as well.
Jiang Xi lowered her hand, reached over, and pinched his finger lightly, shaking her head and signaling him with her eyes.
Beast-husbands within the household could roughhouse all they wanted—but other people’s beast-husbands were off-limits.
Yi Yuexi looked at the female master’s dark eyes blinking rapidly and smiled.
Then he flipped his hand over, clasped the soft little hand pinching his finger, and said with a grin,
“If the female master wants to hold my hand, just do it openly.”
