The Beast's Beloved: Sickly Beauty with Many Children and blessings

After hearing Ji Liang's words, Si Shuo felt somewhat touched.

In the Rune Tribe, few orcs spoke up for Zhile, and even fewer stood by him.

Ji Liang was just a traveling merchant, yet he expressed such sentiments. This made Si Shuo feel a little ashamed—perhaps they shouldn't have labeled him as a cold-blooded animal.

"Thank you!" Si Shuo bowed deeply once again. When they straightened up, Ji Liang had already leaped down and left.

Si Shuo sat back down and sighed to Yi Mei, "I still have little experience and a narrow perspective. Lord Ji Liang is a good orc."

Yi Mei looked a little strange. In the Beast World, there were no so-called "good" orcs—males only acted based on their feelings for females.

Yu Jiao was the first to notice any movement above.

In the morning, Tao Yun had been courting Si Shuo in the square. In the afternoon, Ji Liang had jumped into the cave to talk to Si Shuo voluntarily. Ha, this little one was quite capable.

Even though Si Shuo was infertile, strong males continued to show interest.

Yu Jiao took a deep breath and suppressed her irritation. Right now, her priority was securing a powerful stray beast as a husband while the Dark Crow Caravan remained in the tribe for a few days.

No matter what kind of male it was, they all had an innate obsession with their offspring. Yu Jiao's fertility was above average, and her looks and figure were not bad either.

She changed into new clothes, left Bu Meng behind, and called Ma Hui to accompany her to the square.

---

Although Zhile had gone on the spring hunt, he and Si Shuo shared a space.

Whenever Si Shuo cooked something delicious, they would habitually set aside a portion for Zhile to retrieve later.

Every day, Zhile fetched water and stored it in the space, prepared firewood, disposed of bathwater, and collected beautiful flowers, delicious fruits, flavorful meats, and fine animal skins—all for Si Shuo.

As they continued to interact this way, their bond deepened in ways neither could put into words.

Si Shuo thought that once Zhile returned, they would slowly teach him pinyin so they could communicate even when apart.

---

With the Dark Crow Caravan present, the tribe's gathering teams became busy again. Si Shuo, thinking about the seeds of thorn twigs, went out with Yi Mei.

Many thorny plants in the bushes grew quickly, making them particularly useful for inducing labor in plants.

While collecting wild fruits to trade, Si Shuo also secretly stored many seeds in the space.

Thorny plants had strong defensive properties, but their lack of offensive power was a drawback. Si Shuo also collected plants with anesthetic or poisonous properties to use in combination later.

After finishing up, they planned to stay home and wait for Zhile to return.

The weather had just begun to warm, but today, for some reason, Si Shuo felt particularly hot.

After taking a shower and rinsing their clothes, they stored the wastewater in the space. Once their hair dried, they tied it into a low ponytail. Loose strands on both sides framed their small face. Then, they changed into gray animal skins.

With no males in the house, they preferred to dress modestly.

After opening the door to let the damp air out, they stepped onto the platform in front of the cave—just in time to see the warriors returning from the hunt.

Unexpectedly, Ji Liang had participated in today's hunting competition and had taken down an exceptionally large fighting horn beast.

To Si Shuo, the fighting horn beast was just a giant cow, magnified seven or eight times. It had a massive build, thick and powerful horns, and a pair of eyes as large as bowls. Even in death, its ferocious appearance was intimidating.

"This beast must weigh at least five to six thousand kilograms, right?"

"A fighting horn beast! These creatures are incredibly difficult to capture. They're strong, possess brute force, and even several level-six beastmen struggle to restrain one. They also tend to appear in groups..."

"As expected of Lord Ji Liang! He managed to take down such a powerful fighting horn beast in one move. The meat from this beast is chewy and delicious. I wonder if we can trade for some for the females at home..."

As Ji Liang passed by Si Shuo, he turned his face away slightly and said to the crowd with a smile, "Tonight, everyone will have a chance to try fighting horn beast meat. Let's light a bonfire and enjoy ourselves!"

Chief Wuchuan happily agreed and began making arrangements for dinner.

Si Shuo's eyes lit up slightly. The Beast World Continent was rich in species, and males hunted wild beasts daily. However, there was a vast difference in taste between one type of meat and another.

Males were not picky eaters, consuming large chunks of meat—even raw and bloody.

Si Shuo, having come from a different time, still preferred familiar flavors—chicken, duck, fish, pork, beef, and lamb. They had already eaten river fish, which tasted delicious when prepared properly. Long-tusked pork was also tender and fragrant.

Now, they were curious about the taste of leopard beast meat and wondered which portion they would receive.

Yi Mei led them to the square, where they sat among familiar faces.

One of the females had just become pregnant, making everyone envious. Though fertility rates were low, it was not impossible to conceive—just difficult. Most females only had two or three offspring in their lifetime unless they were exceptionally gifted.

Si Shuo listened to their conversation with a chuckle. For some reason, their thoughts drifted to a group of snow leopard cubs.

Their heart softened.

When Zhile was around, Si Shuo often had him transform into a beast so they could hold him in their arms as he slept contentedly. However, they felt guilty about keeping him confined to such a small space.

---

Under the glow of the campfire, Ji Liang looked at Si Shuo's gentle smile.

His usually steady heartbeat suddenly quickened.

He smirked, walked over carrying two baskets of meat, and stood beside Si Shuo. Setting the meat down, he addressed the group, "The Dark Crow Caravan has been troubling the tribe these past few days. To express our gratitude, we have specially hunted a fighting horn beast so everyone can enjoy it."

Saying this, he placed about ten pounds of meat wrapped in leaves in front of Si Shuo and saw them looking up at him.

Ji Liang froze for a moment. From the first time he had seen Si Shuo, he had known how beautiful they were.

Now, up close, he could count the fine hairs on their face and see their eyelashes trembling—nervous, fearful, yet with a hint of shyness.

Their eyes reflected the flickering firelight on one side and his figure on the other, blending together on their delicate features.

Ji Liang's Adam's apple bobbed as he suppressed the urge to flick out his tongue.

The thought of reaching out and touching them made his body feel unbearably tense.

He took a deep breath, forced a smile, and mouthed silently, "This is the most tender meat from the waist of the fighting horn beast. Can you roast it? Do you need my help?"

Si Shuo shook their head repeatedly, whispered a soft thank you, then pursed their lips and lowered their gaze.

Ji Liang's heart sank.

They were refusing communication?

He smiled helplessly, got up, and left.

Si Shuo had chosen a rather secluded spot, so their brief exchange had gone unnoticed by others.

Of course, steak was best when cooked slowly.

Unwilling to waste such fine meat, Si Shuo secretly swapped it with other fresh meat and stored the prized cut in the space.

After dinner, Si Shuo returned to the cave, feeling a little cool.

Earlier, they had been feeling dizzy from sitting by the campfire.

But now, after a brief moment of coolness, a strange yet familiar heat began to rise.

---

I captured a fighting horn beast just to secretly gift my wife a tender cut of meat… and yet, she politely refused.

Who can understand my pain?!