Chapter 27 - 24: Scraping Barnacles off the Turtles to Relieve Their Boredom_1

Si Yan sat on the ground, clutching her stomach. Right now, the four cubs at home are probably cursing her to death. The eldest, Dongchi, would likely say, ’That wretched female really abandoned us. I knew it.’ The second, Nan Mo... he probably doesn’t need to hide anymore. He’ll just stand with his three brothers, quietly listening as they all discuss her, the wretched female. The third, Xi Qing... Xi Qing is a bit prickly, but he must have accepted her to some extent. Will he be a little worried about her? As for the fourth, Bei Ji, he’s the only cub Si Yan is sure would worry about her. Unfortunately, she has no way to tell Bei Ji where she is now. 「In the Yanxiang Tribe, Si Yan’s cave.」 Inside the cave, there was no hot food or soup. In the darkness, four pairs of vertical pupils stared out, and a deathly silence hung in the air. Dongchi said coolly to his three younger brothers, "Stop waiting. That wretched female is dead outside. She’s not coming back." The atmosphere in the cave was extremely tense. Bei Ji suddenly became a little angry. "Big Brother, stop it! You’re clearly worried about her too!" "Me worried about her? What a joke." Bei Ji retorted angrily, "You only know how to say hurtful things!" Dongchi’s voice was ice-cold. "She sold me out once, she could do it a second time. Besides, my limbs are broken. For a useless cripple like me, it was only a matter of time before she abandoned me!" After speaking, Dongchi grew even more despondent. "She’ll abandon me again sooner or later." When Si Yan was still erratic, Dongchi, as the eldest brother, had taken on the responsibility of caring for his younger brothers. At the same time, among the four of them, he was the one who looked after Si Yan the most and worried about her the most. Sometimes when Si Yan ran off, Dongchi would search for her in the back mountains all night long. Back then, even though they all knew Si Yan was unreliable, and even though she would get scared by them and then scold and beat them, not a single cub truly abandoned her. Bei Ji hurriedly said, "Big Brother, don’t worry! Mother said your hands and feet will heal!" Dongchi gave a cool laugh. In all his years in the Yanxiang Tribe, he had never seen anyone with broken limbs recover completely. In the Yanxiang Tribe, a male whose limbs were broken, even if they healed, would still have misshapen limbs and become a cripple for life. What use are these few wooden splints on my limbs? I’m just a cripple, a cripple doomed to be abandoned sooner or later! Xi Qing was silent for a moment, then said, "She probably wouldn’t abandon us now. I think she might have met with an accident." After Xi Qing finished speaking, the cave fell silent for a short while. Then, Bei Ji suddenly stood up and ran out. Bei Ji cried out, "I finally have a Mother! I can’t let her disappear! I have to go find her!" Dongchi gave a chilly glance at Xi Qing. Xi Qing sighed helplessly and followed him out. "I’m not at ease with Bei Ji going alone. I’ll go with him." Dongchi leaned gently against the stone bed and said to Nan Mo, "Go with Xi Qing." Nan Mo nodded and left. Earlier, when she was in the sky, she didn’t know how she’d struggled, but somehow her worn-out shoes had been rubbed off. Now Si Yan was barefoot, her left foot rubbing against her right. By the moonlight, Si Yan watched as sea turtles crawled ashore one after another. Many kinds of creatures lived in the sea, among them a type called barnacles. Barnacles are hermaphroditic organisms that like to attach themselves to smooth surfaces, and they particularly favor sea turtles. Indeed, the small sea turtle Si Yan had just fished out was already covered with a layer of barnacles nearly its own size. These parasites clung to its shell, not only eroding it but also weighing it down so much that they slowed the turtle’s movement, reducing its chances of survival. Feeling bored, Si Yan decided to use her dagger to scrape off the barnacles to amuse herself. Her dagger easily scraped off a large patch of barnacles. She saw the little turtle flinch. "I’m helping you clean off these barnacles. They’ll make a good dinner for me," Si Yan said. It was unclear if the sea turtle understood, but it cooperated with Si Yan nonetheless. After cleaning the barnacles from its back, Si Yan released the turtle into the sea. As she watched the little one swim away, she was about to get up and roast the barnacles. Just then, however, she saw more and more sea turtles crawling onto the shore, surrounding her. The small sea turtles carefully surrounded her, nudging her bare feet with their heads. "Do you all want me to clean off the barnacles for you?" The small sea turtles nodded their round little heads in unison. So Si Yan sat down again. Amusingly, she saw the group of small sea turtles line up neatly, one after another, as if queuing outside a barber shop. Si Yan spent the long night cleaning barnacles off one sea turtle after another to pass the time. The pile of barnacles behind her was probably enough to feed her for a week. Finally, after cleaning the barnacles off the last one, Si Yan set the small sea turtle down and stretched languidly. Just then, amidst the rippling turquoise waves, Si Yan saw many cute little sea turtle heads pop up on the surface of the water. They seemed to be expressing their gratitude to her before diving back into the sea one by one with a PLOP. Si Yan blinked. This is such a wondrous feeling, something I never experienced during the apocalypse. Not long after, a giant white hawk-eagle returned, a wild beast clutched in its talons. Just as Mu Xiao was about to prepare his prey, he saw Si Yan already starting to process the barnacles and exclaimed in surprise, "You’ve hunted again?" Si Yan’s eyelids twitched. Why did he say ’again’? Mu Xiao stared at the food Si Yan was preparing, then looked her up and down several times. This made Si Yan uncomfortable. He then said quickly, "Little Female, wait for me a moment!" Si Yan turned and saw Mu Xiao energetically hoist the prey and carry it to another part of the beach to process it. As Si Yan started a fire and began to roast the barnacles, Mu Xiao returned with a pile of furs. Si Yan recognized them as the hide of the beast he had just caught. Mu Xiao set down the pile of furs, took out two newly made shoes from within, and moved to slip them onto her feet. They were red short boots, adorned along the edges with feathers the same color as Mu Xiao’s own—clearly his. Si Yan instinctively pulled her foot back, but Mu Xiao caught her small foot in one hand. "So small. A female’s feet are truly delicate," he remarked, observing it closely. Si Yan hesitated. My shoes are gone, and my feet have no protection. I really do need a new pair. So she said, "Alright, I’ll accept these shoes. I’ll repay you in the future." "No need to repay," Mu Xiao replied. "It’s only natural for a male to prepare clothing for a female." Si Yan didn’t understand. Is this also a rule in the Beast World? She hesitated briefly, then slid her feet into the boots. They’re a perfect fit! And so soft and comfortable! Pleased with the result, Mu Xiao excitedly brought over the hide of a seawater crocodile. "There’s also a beast-hide tunic and a beast-hide skirt. Try them on!" The seawater crocodile was an extremely fierce beast of the ocean. Green Crystal Beastmen wouldn’t dare approach it; only a Red Crystal Beastman like Mu Xiao would dare to challenge one. It was renowned for its ferocity, but its hide was excellent, and its meat was tender and delicious.