’A Male Beastman? One they found?’

Jiang Zheyu’s heart leaped when she heard that. ’Could it be Shan Xun? Is it really him?’

She tried to push her way through the crowd, but it was no use. An arm shoved her, sending her stumbling back a few steps.

The female on the Male Beastman’s shoulders—Aliya—overheard the other female’s comment and shot her a cold glance. "What’s it to you? My Beast Husbands and I were gathering mushrooms nearby when we were attacked by a giant bug. These good-for-nothings were useless, but *he*—even while injured—tore that bug to shreds to protect me. Of course I’m taking him back to the tribe to get him treated."

"Wasn’t your Jin Yue with you?" another female asked.

"Isn’t that obvious? If Jin Yue were here, do you think I would have gotten hurt? He’s out hunting, leaving only these useless oafs to protect me." Aliya’s eyes flashed with irritation. "This bunch of good-for-nothings. They nearly got me hurt."

Even though she was berating her own Beast Husbands, none of them dared to speak. They simply lowered their heads, their faces etched with shame.

"Once he wakes up, I’ll make him my Beast Husband," Aliya declared, her tone suggesting she was bestowing some great charity. "He must have had a secret crush on me for ages. Why else would he have been waiting right there for me?"

Aliya smirked, full of confidence.

"You’re just going to claim him that easily? What if he’s a wandering beastman? You should check him for beast markings. If he already has a Female Master, things could get awkward for you," another female pointed out with a lazy smile.

"I’ve already checked. He has no beast markings, which means he doesn’t have a Female Master. He must be from another tribe," Aliya drawled. "He was probably trying to join our tribe, happened to come by at the right moment, saw me, and fell in love at first sight. That’s why he risked his life to protect me."

Jiang Zheyu was left speechless by the two females’ conversation.

’The man himself hasn’t said a word, yet here they are, making up this whole story. Confidence is one thing, but this level of narcissism is just...’

"He must really like you, then." But surprisingly, the other female saw nothing wrong with this and even complimented her.

Jiang Zheyu was dumbfounded.

Jiang Zheyu still couldn’t get through the crowd. ’The only way in is to call out,’ she thought.

’But is the man they’re surrounding really Shan Xun?’

She didn’t know any of these people very well.

However, seeing that they were taking the man to Grandma Witch for treatment, Jiang Zheyu decided to hold her tongue for now. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

’Getting him treated is the priority.’

Jiang Zheyu followed the crowd to the outside of Grandma Witch’s earthen hut. The man was on a stretcher, and she still couldn’t catch a glimpse of him. She hopped around like a fawn, peering left and right, but she couldn’t see the injured man’s face.

There must be very little entertainment in the tribe, because as soon as there was a commotion, every female flocked over to watch, many even dragging their Male Beastmen along with them.

"Go on, all of you. There’s nothing to see here," Grandma Witch said, waving her hands to shoo the crowd away.

The onlookers began to disperse.

But Jiang Zheyu had to know if the man inside was Shan Xun, so she stayed put.

Soon, everyone else had left. Only Jiang Zheyu, Aliya, and her Beast Husbands remained.

Grandma Witch had already closed the door and was inside treating the injured man.

Aliya noticed Jiang Zheyu and turned to face her. Her gaze swept over Jiang Zheyu from head to toe, filled with haughty superiority. "You’re still here? What do you want?"

Jiang Zheyu hesitated for a moment before speaking. "I want to see the injured man."

"What for?" Aliya’s brow furrowed in anger. "A female with a low Fertility Value, eyeing another Male Beastman already? You should be thanking your lucky stars that Yin Ji, the tribe’s greatest warrior, even chose a female with a Fertility Value as low as yours. And you still have the nerve to think about other Male Beastmen!"

The bloated female’s voice dripped with contempt and arrogance, and her words were jarring to Jiang Zheyu’s ears.

Jiang Zheyu found her words sharp and couldn’t help but frown. "What’s with your tone? I just want to see if I know the man inside. How did you manage to imagine a whole story out of that?"

"So, you dare say you’re not interested in the man inside?" Aliya pressed, her voice aggressive.

Jiang Zheyu fell silent.

’If it was Shan Xun in there, then she *was* interested. But she didn’t even know if it was him yet.’

"If it’s him, then I’m definitely interested," Jiang Zheyu said, gritting her teeth. "If it’s not, I’ll take one look and leave."

"I’m the one who found him, so I decide who gets to see him and who doesn’t," Aliya said tyrannically.

Jiang Zheyu laughed, exasperated. "Why are you so dead set on stopping me? If he really fell for you at first sight like you claim, then he wouldn’t be interested in me. Why are you so scared to let me see him? Are you afraid the Beastman might fall for me instead?"

Aliya turned beet red at Jiang Zheyu’s words. It reminded her of the last Fertility Value test, when her own Beast Husbands couldn’t stop staring at Jiang Zheyu.

’It made her furious!’

"You’re so narcissistic!" Aliya’s voice grew even more shrill. "So what if your skin is a little fairer? So what if you’re a little prettier? Being good-looking is useless here! With a Fertility Value that low, if Yin Ji weren’t protecting you, you would’ve been thrown into the Female Cave to rot long ago!"

Jiang Zheyu mused, "So you think I’m pretty, too."

Aliya was livid.

"Just go away! The sight of you is irritating!" Aliya snapped, trying to drive her off.

Just then, the door to Grandma Witch’s hut opened.

Ignoring Aliya, Jiang Zheyu dashed toward the open door.

Aliya barely had time to react. When she did, she shrieked, "Quick, stop her!"

But with a quick sidestep, Jiang Zheyu slipped right past them and into the hut.

Furious, Aliya stomped her foot and rushed in after her.

The reason she had tried to stop Jiang Zheyu was that the unconscious Beastman had been calling out a name.

And that name was none other than Jiang Zheyu.

At first, she hadn’t recognized the name. But then she suddenly recalled the female Yin Ji had brought back—wasn’t her name something ’Yu’?

She asked again just to be sure, and realized he was, in fact, saying "Jiang Zheyu."

And there was no way she, Aliya, was going to give up a Beastman she had set her sights on.

Besides, the Beastman had no markings. That meant he only had a crush on Jiang Zheyu; they weren’t actually together. So, she would claim him for herself.

Once the bond was certified here by Grandma Witch, the Beastman wouldn’t be able to back out, even if he wanted to.

After all, Grandma Witch was her biological grandmother.