Chapter 17
Speaking Up for the Female Leader
Jiang Xi was a little surprised.
There was actually a female who dared to come knocking on someone’s door?
Who was she looking for?
Jiang Xi didn’t think it could be her.
Holding her bowl, she looked toward Lu Liufeng and Mu Ling sitting across from her.
“Maybe she’s here to see you two.”
Neither Lu Liufeng nor Mu Ling moved.
Lu Liufeng’s clear, beautiful eyes rested on their female leader as he spoke gently but firmly.
“I’m not close to any of the females in the tribe. There’s no way she’s here to see me.”
Mu Ling shot him a sharp look.
“If she’s not here for you, could she be here for me? Don’t smear me.”
Jiang Xi: “……”
What is this, an elementary school argument?
She had no choice but to go check herself.
But before she could stand up, Lu Liufeng rose first and said with a smile,
“Female leader, eat in peace. I’ll go take a look—even though she’s not here for me.”
At the end of his sentence, he deliberately emphasized not here for him.
Lu Liufeng went to open the door. Mu Ling couldn’t sit still anymore either.
He racked his brain but couldn’t think of any female who might come looking for him. Still, he didn’t dare gamble on it, so he quickly stood and followed outside.
If she really was here for him, he’d just drive her away.
He had completely forgotten that before the meal, he’d been firmly determined to dissolve the mating contract.
Now his mind was full of one thought: he couldn’t let the female leader misunderstand him—misunderstand that he had anything unclear going on with other females in the tribe.
After a short while, Rupert laughed heartily.
“Female leader Jiang Xi and her beast husbands really have a great relationship.”
“As expected, everything outside is just rumor. Once you close the door, that’s where real life is.”
Jiang Xi thought: You’re overthinking it.
Before they could chat much longer, Lu Liufeng’s voice came from outside.
“Female leader, there’s a female here looking for you.”
Jiang Xi froze slightly and looked up.
“Looking for me?”
She set down her bowl and walked out in a daze.
Standing in the courtyard was a female with wheat-colored skin. She was tall and fairly strong, though there was a faint dark, weak look beneath her eyes.
Rupert followed her out and, upon seeing the female, quickly introduced her.
“This is Marui. She arrived in our tribe today with her three beast husbands and is now living on the plot of land to your left.”
There had originally been someone living there, but after losing a hair-pulling fight with Jiang Xi—and with her beast husbands no match either—she couldn’t swallow the blow to her pride. Using the excuse of marrying a new bird族 beast husband, she moved to the Sky Territory Tribe.
“Hello, I’m Marui. I used to live in Jian Shui Mountain Tribe, about six days’ travel from the Holy City.”
Jiang Xi nodded.
“I’m Jiang Xi. What can I help you with?”
A newly arrived female—then it wasn’t strange.
Beside Marui stood three tall beastmen, all extremely alert.
They had tried to persuade their female leader for a long time not to approach this infamous female in the new tribe, but she had insisted on coming anyway, which made them very nervous.
Marui smiled shyly.
“It’s like this—I heard that you brought back purple hemp. Do you know how to cook it so it’s not numbing?”
“I dug some up along the way. I remember it’s edible, but no matter how I cook it, it’s always very numbing. So I wanted to ask you about the method, if it’s convenient for you.”
As she spoke, she quickly bent down and handed over a basket on the ground.
“This is some purple hemp we dug up on the road. We can’t finish it all, so I brought some for you.”
Only then did Jiang Xi notice that Marui had brought a gift when she came.
For such a polite female, Jiang Xi was very willing to help.
But her own taro would take days to finish eating, so she could only refuse the gift.
“It’s fine. We’re neighbors—helping each other is only right. This taro is the same as purple hemp. You should take it back. I dug up a lot today and can’t finish it.”
Marui froze, thinking Jiang Xi had rejected her.
But the next second, the dark-skinned female whose face was hard to see spoke again.
“Come with me. I happened to make this dish today.”
With that, Jiang Xi turned and led her toward the kitchen.
Marui quickly followed.
Marui’s three beast husbands were stunned.
They hadn’t expected this female to be nothing like the vicious person of the rumors, but instead so warm and helpful.
They felt a wave of guilt, and when they thought of what their own female leader had suffered in Jian Shui Mountain Tribe—exile and hardship—the guilt and unease in their hearts grew even stronger.
From the moment they entered, the three of them had been on high alert, especially toward the other two beast husbands.
Now realizing it was entirely their own fault, they hurriedly apologized to the two beastmen.
“Sorry. We just moved here and shouldn’t have believed the slander about your female leader.”
After apologizing, he quickly introduced himself and the other two beastmen who shared their female leader.
“I’m Oshan. This is Kaobo, and this is Mao Biao.”
The beastmen watching outside the courtyard were practically dumbfounded.
When Jiang Xi came out earlier, they had all backed away several steps, afraid of meeting her gaze.
But now, not only had she ignored them completely, she was also treating the new female with great enthusiasm!
Had the world changed?! Or had the world really changed?!
The shock this caused them was no less than the curse over the Cursed Land being lifted!
The beastmen rubbed their eyes frantically, convinced this had to be an illusion!
In the courtyard, Lu Liufeng and Mu Ling fell silent.
Because, honestly speaking, the rumors in the tribe were all true.
But looking at the three sincere beastmen in front of them, and thinking of the female leader’s changes…
Lu Liufeng coughed lightly.
“It’s no problem. We’re all neighbors.”
Mu Ling nodded stiffly. “Mm… right!”
His wolf eyes flickered, a little guilty.
But the female leader’s changes were indeed obvious to anyone.
So let’s just call it rumors then.
Outside the courtyard, the watching beastmen collectively fell silent.
After all, they had seen Lu Liufeng and Mu Ling beaten until they were covered in blood…
Truly the top ten best beast husbands!!!
Even after being treated like that by their female leader, they could still speak up for her without a word of complaint.
Over here, Jiang Xi brought Marui into the kitchen and had her taste the taro stir-fried with shepherd’s purse.
“Does it taste numbing to you?”
She wasn’t sure whether Marui’s sense of taste was different, or if it was an issue of raw versus cooked.
Seeing Jiang Xi hand her food directly, Marui felt a little embarrassed. But since this was exactly why she had come, she accepted the bowl and took a bite.
Then her eyes lit up instantly.
“This is completely different from what I cooked!”
Jiang Xi was sure now—Marui’s sense of taste was fine. It was a matter of not cooking it thoroughly.
“You didn’t cook it long enough. Taro needs to be cooked for quite a while. You can only eat it once it’s completely cooked.”
“I stir-fried this with pork fat and added garlic and chili.”
Seeing Marui’s blank expression, Jiang Xi knew she didn’t understand.
So she brought her over to the pile of sliced fatty meat.
“This is fatty meat. Put it into a dry pot and cook it for a while, and you’ll get oil. Then add crushed garlic and chili segments, stir-fry a bit, add the taro and keep stir-frying, and finally add chopped shepherd’s purse.”
As Jiang Xi explained, she showed her each ingredient or seasoning in its uncooked state.
She also let her taste several other dishes and told her about potatoes, wood ear mushrooms, purslane, and shepherd’s purse.
Marui listened in a daze.
And when she tasted those delicious foods, she couldn’t believe that these mountain plants were actually edible—and so tasty!
Knowing Marui wouldn’t be able to remember everything, Jiang Xi gave her a meal-sized portion of each ingredient so she could look for them in Hot River Valley for reference.
Marui thanked her repeatedly, saying she would go to Hot River Valley the next day, and asked what else Jiang Xi might be lacking so she could gather it for her.
Jiang Xi had carried back three beast-skin bags full—more than enough to eat. How could she be lacking anything?
When giving Marui the ingredients, she even added extra purslane and shepherd’s purse.
Because leafy greens like those wouldn’t last long even in cold weather.
“No, no, really. What I gathered today is enough for many days.”
Jiang Xi waved her hands repeatedly.
After seeing Marui off, Rupert didn’t stay much longer either. He took one of each ingredient to use as samples and said seriously,
“This is a major contribution to the tribe! Before coming here, I already discussed it with the elders. If this truly solves the tribe’s food problem, the Lion’s Roar Tribe will award you 200 contribution points!”
