Chapter 12:
The Eagle’s Little Schemes
Jiang Xi: “?”
Was everyone here just watching the chaos for fun?!
Yve smiled lightly. “How nice. It’s been a long time since the Hot River Valley was this lively.”
Two tiny green snakes slithered up his tail, poking their heads toward Jiang Xi in unison, their baby voices piping:
“Female smells so good.”
“Female smells so good.”
Yve’s face darkened. He grabbed the two little ones and—whoosh—flung them straight into the forest.
Jiang Xi opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but swallowed it back.
Yve looked apologetic. “Sorry. They’re still very young. Even if they wanted to duel, they’d need another ten years or so.”
Jiang Xi: “…”
“…It’s fine,” she managed dryly.
Does everything here have to end in a duel?!
This was Jiang Xi’s first real look at how powerful the beastmen’s combat abilities were.
Lu Liufeng’s ability was wind; Nakan’s was fire.
When wind met fire, the flames could grow fiercer—or be blown to strike elsewhere.
And since eagles were natural enemies of snakes, if Lu Liufeng wanted to, he could easily snatch Nakan up and drop him from the sky.
Though it was technically a duel, it wasn’t a life-or-death one.
Even so, each time the giant eagle dove, its claws ripped open the red python’s scales, blood splattering onto the rocks.
Jiang Xi couldn’t help shuddering.
How did the females in this world ever dare to whip these beastmen?!
Even the weakest of them could kill a female if he resisted.
And yet, this seemingly irrational balance was what bound females and beastmen together.
Beasts were many, females were few.
Without a female’s soothing power, the beastmen’s intense abilities would eventually drive them into violent madness—let alone the issue of reproduction.
The seemingly weak females were, in truth, the ones who held control.
When the fight ended, the red python collapsed onto the gravel, its scales torn and bleeding.
The giant eagle wasn’t much better off—its beautiful feathers had been scorched in several places.
Those amber eagle eyes turned toward Jiang Xi.
“Female, let’s go home.”
Jiang Xi was a little angry. She didn’t like how easily he resorted to violence.
Instead of answering, she walked over to the red python and extended her hand.
A soft green glow bloomed in her palm, and the wounds along Nakan’s body began to heal, little by little.
She didn’t heal him completely—just enough to stop the bleeding.
She wanted him to learn a lesson. If you knew there’d be a duel, why act so recklessly?
In Jiang Xi’s memories, no one had ever called her Xi Xi, so she didn’t realize it was a term of affection.
But Nakan did. He knew perfectly well.
He’d brought this on himself!
Seeing her willing to heal him, Nakan’s golden slit pupils lit up.
“Xi Xi…”
The moment the two syllables left his mouth, Jiang Xi stopped what she was doing.
“That’s enough. I’m leaving.”
She stood, walked back to Lu Liufeng’s side.
Lu Liufeng was still in his eagle form. When he’d seen her healing Nakan, a flicker of disappointment had flashed through his amber eyes. But when she came over to heal him too, his gaze brightened again.
Jiang Xi snorted softly.
“From now on, stop challenging others to pointless duels. Your power should be used against wild beasts, not your own companions.”
The light in Lu Liufeng’s eyes dimmed again. His voice trembled slightly.
“Female… do you like Nakan?”
If she did…
“No,” Jiang Xi answered bluntly. “I just met him yesterday. How could I like him already?”
Lu Liufeng froze.
But…
Weren’t females supposed to choose their mates after just a single meeting?
What did she mean by that? He didn’t fully understand—only that he liked this version of her very much.
Nakan’s cold blood seemed to sink even lower.
He’d thought her healing meant she was willing to accept him.
He hadn’t expected—she never had that intention at all.
After treating both beastmen, and considering she’d also used her healing while bathing earlier, Jiang Xi’s energy was completely spent. She swayed unsteadily.
Lu Liufeng quickly wrapped his wings around her, concerned.
“Would you like to rest a while, female?”
Jiang Xi shook her head, too tired to think.
“Let’s just go home. We can skip the hot spring—I already bathed in one near the river valley.”
The food was all packed up in hide bags—so much that even after their meal, there was still too much to carry. The leftovers would have to be eaten by the others.
She’d taught them how to cook earlier, anyway.
The wild boar Lu Liufeng caught weighed over two hundred pounds, plus nearly another hundred pounds of herbs and fruits. Altogether, about three hundred pounds.
Jiang Xi frowned.
“That’s a lot… can you even carry it back?”
“Maybe we should have Mu Ling and Yi Yue Xi come help when we get back?”
After all, everyone would eat this food later. Even if they didn’t get along privately, they should still help with something like this.
Lu Liufeng shook his huge eagle head.
“Liufeng can do it.”
Well, Jiang Xi could only trust him.
He was a beastman with abilities, after all.
Even back in the apocalypse, humans with awakened powers could carry far more weight as their levels rose.
Lu Liufeng crouched down so she could climb onto his back.
Jiang Xi had just settled in when Nakan, now back in his half-beast form, suddenly spoke up.
“I—I’ll… I’ll go to the Lion Roar Tribe next spring!”
Jiang Xi blinked, confused for a moment—then realized he was from the Python Coil Tribe.
Even she could tell from his tone what he meant.
She felt a little awkward.
It wasn’t like she’d never been confessed to before—just never in such a wild, primitive way.
If this were back in the apocalypse, she’d definitely think he was being way too forward.
But here, in the beastman world, it almost seemed… normal.
For a moment, Jiang Xi didn’t know what to say.
She carefully considered how she could refuse him—gently, without hurting his pride.
But before she could speak, the giant eagle beneath her flapped his wings hard and shot upward, carrying her—and about three hundred pounds of meat and supplies—straight into the sky.
Jiang Xi quickly grabbed onto his feathers. When she’d steadied herself, they were already high above the valley. Below, Nakan was just a tiny red speck.
She muttered, half to herself, “Lu Liufeng, I wasn’t done talking yet.”
She thought he couldn’t hear her through the rush of wind.
But he did. And he answered.
“Sorry. I thought you were finished. Also… it’s getting late, so I—”
He didn’t finish his sentence, because Jiang Xi had already let it go.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. It wasn’t anything important anyway.”
Lu Liufeng’s amber eyes flickered.
But what if he told her… he’d done it on purpose?
He’d been afraid. Afraid that she might actually accept Nakan.
Especially now, when she’d made up her mind to dissolve their marriage bond.
Lu Liufeng felt like he’d become a little bad.
But for her—he was willing to be bad, just this once.
