"I’ve only seen her twice. She told me she was my mother, but I could feel that she didn’t like me."

Xiya said that whenever they met, the female would act very gentle.

But a cub’s intuition is extremely sharp. She could sense whether the other person truly liked her or not.

"Every time my father-beast left, she would just leave me behind. I don’t like her. Oh, right, she also gave me a necklace and told me to wear it all the time."

Xiya took off the necklace from around her neck and handed it to Qiao Xixi.

It was a red agate stone necklace. It looked very beautiful, and wearing it against Xiya’s neck made her skin look especially fair.

Qiao Xixi looked at the necklace in her hand and suddenly smelled a very familiar scent on Xiya.

It was the scent of her own bloodline.

Qiao Xixi was stunned.

’No wonder! I said Xiya was my cub, so why couldn’t I smell the scent of my bloodline on her? It was being suppressed by the scent of this necklace!’

’It seems that person approached Xijing with a premeditated plan.’

For the next few days, Qiao Xixi stayed with Xiya in the sea valley. There was plenty of seafood here, and they ate mostly sashimi. Sometimes, when she got tired of it, she would sneak out some fruit and jerky to satisfy her cravings.

"Mother, look! Little sister is standing up!"

Qiao Xixi was slicing fish. Hearing the voice, she got up and walked into the room, immediately spotting the little tiger cub standing unsteadily on the floor.

The cub had grown a size since birth, and her fur had become glossier. She looked exactly like her father-beast. It had to be said, she really had the air of a little tyrant.

"Meow!"

Seeing Qiao Xixi come in, the tiger cub let out a cry at her mother as if looking for praise, and even took two steps forward on her short little legs.

But since it was her first time trying to walk, she couldn’t quite control the strength in her limbs yet. After just two steps, her hind legs did a split, and she tumbled down.

"Meeow~"

Qiao Xixi couldn’t help but go forward, pick her up, and give her a kiss. "Amazing! You can already walk so soon."

"Meeow~!" Praised, the tiger cub proudly lifted her little head and nuzzled again and again in Qiao Xixi’s arms.

"Mother, do you have other cubs?"

"I do. Xiya, you have a total of three little brothers and two little sisters. They’re all as cute and amazing as you are."

"Then I should prepare gifts to give to my little brothers and sisters when I meet them."

"Okay. But for now, let’s go eat first."

"I’ll go get the food."

Qiao Xixi placed a portion of diced fish in front of the tiger cub. The little one was bigger now, and she felt that milk alone was no longer enough to satisfy her growing appetite, so she fed her some diced meat every day.

The tiger cub gobbled down the diced fish with gusto. After she finished, she stared expectantly at Qiao Xixi.

’Mother, I want more!’

Qiao Xixi tapped her little head. "No, you already had a bowl before dinner. If you eat more, you’ll get a tummy ache."

"Meow!"

The tiger cub stood up unsteadily, trying to pounce on Qiao Xixi, but she didn’t have enough strength in her legs to jump and ended up bumping her head right into Qiao Xixi’s leg.

The little one rolled over, her round belly exposed.

"Meeow~"

’So sleepy, time for a nap...’

Qiao Xixi gently stroked her belly, and soon, the sound of the little cub’s snores filled the air.

Qiao Xixi picked up a piece of fish for Xiya. "This fish is delicious. You should have some more, Xiya."

Xiya opened her mouth and ate the piece of fish Qiao Xixi offered her, feeling incredibly content. She truly wished that days like this could last forever.

"Ngh!"

Xiya’s expression suddenly changed.

"Xiya, what’s wrong?"

Xiya looked at Qiao Xixi in alarm. "Mother, something might have happened to Father-beast."

"What?"

Xiya stood up.

"I heard the sound of the Sound Transmission Shell."

With that, she got up and ran outside.

Worried, Qiao Xixi picked up the tiger cub and chased after her.

Xiya went to the very edge of the sea valley and pressed her ear against a giant red conch shell.

Qiao Xixi curiously pressed her ear against it too. All she could hear was the WHOOSH of wind at varying frequencies. ’There’s nothing special about this.’

"Xiya, what did you hear?"

Xiya’s little face grew even paler. "Mother, Father-beast and the others are in trouble. The Sound Transmission Shell activates when he’s in danger. Based on the length of the vibrations, I can tell what it’s trying to say. Mother... I have to go find him!"

Qiao Xixi quickly pulled her back.

"Xiya, don’t panic. Maybe the situation isn’t as bad as you think."

"Last time... last time Father-beast was in trouble, the Sound Transmission Shell sounded just like this. I’m scared."

Qiao Xixi held her hand and comforted her in a soft voice.

Meanwhile, she quickly summoned Xiao Yao in her mind.

’Xiao Yao, what’s Xijing’s current situation?’

After waiting a moment, Qiao Xixi got no response.

’Xiao Yao?’

"Co... ming... ah, Ho... st, I’m... check, checking... Ah!"

The voice in her head was intermittent, like a bad signal.

"There’s... dan, dan... ger... Salt... Fields... Ah, something... bad’s going to... happen!"

’You mean, Xijing has likely been captured?’

"Ah... yes! KSSSHH—"

’Xiao Yao? Xiao Yao?’

A very bad feeling suddenly rose in Qiao Xixi’s heart. She had to do something.

"Xiya, do you know the way to the Salt Fields?"

"I do, Mother. I know the way."

"Good. Then let’s go there and find your father-beast."

Xiya wanted to refuse. She didn’t want Qiao Xixi to risk coming along with the tiger cub.

But Qiao Xixi cut her off, "Don’t forget, I’m the one who helped find your father-beast’s Jue Pearl before. Your mother can protect herself, so don’t you worry."

"Okay."

"Let’s go now."

Xiya led Qiao Xixi out of the sea valley. With a touch of her fingertip in the water, a protective barrier formed around Qiao Xixi.

Compared to Xijing, Xiya wasn’t nearly as fast. Moreover, she didn’t have enough energy, nor could she use a beast soul to illuminate their surroundings like Xijing could. It was pitch-black all around, and they couldn’t see a thing.

However, Qiao Xixi didn’t dare to let her guard down. Although she couldn’t see their surroundings clearly, she still remained vigilant.

After swimming in the sea for an unknown amount of time, Qiao Xixi sensed a faint light shining down from above.

"Mother, I think we’re almost there."

Xiya had just finished speaking when her expression changed. She pulled Qiao Xixi and quickly dodged to the side.

The moment they moved, a Shark Beast swam straight through the spot where they had just been.

"It’s a Shark Beast!"

In the darkness, Qiao Xixi couldn’t see anything. She could only feel as if countless pairs of eyes were staring at them from all around.

The tiger cub in her arms also sensed the danger. She woke from her sleep with a start and began to fidget restlessly, wiggling her furry little body.

"It’s okay, little one. Don’t be afraid."

The moment Qiao Xixi’s voice fell, several Shark Beasts charged toward them from out of the darkness.

"Mother, watch out!"