Beast World: A Fragile Beauty Blessed with Many Children-Chapter 18 - 17: So Good at Capturing Hearts

The beastmen of the tribe were usually quite busy. If they weren’t hunting and gathering, they were collecting firewood, mending clothes, or making jerky. Aside from mealtimes, they never had a moment to spare.

When a few guards occasionally passed by, Si Shuo casually made her way to the ravine, trying to look nonchalant.

Once inside, she quickly found a relatively hidden corner to tuck herself into. From there, she would be able to see the shadow of anyone who entered before they saw her.

Besides, now that she had awakened her superpower, her senses were more acute.

Si Shuo took out a handful of seeds, placing them in her palm one by one to try and sprout them.

She selected a few types, all of them fast-growing and thorny.

After settling on the seeds she would regularly use, Si Shuo began practicing. She tried to sprout the seeds while simultaneously weaving them into a cage. She had even gone so far as to redeem a weaving tutorial from the supermarket’s book section just for this purpose.

However, her purpose in weaving the cage was for better concealment, or to leave an opponent completely helpless against her.

This meant the cage had to be dense, preventing an opponent from reaching their hands inside. The leaves had to conceal her figure. It also needed a kind of unremarkable messiness, so that if a Beastman glanced over, they would mistake her for part of the background!

Si Shuo wove for the entire afternoon, and by the time her superpower was nearly depleted, she had finally gotten the hang of it.

She had tossed several clumps of plants into the ravine. They contained a faint amount of Wood Spirit Energy, which attracted a few piglets. Unafraid of being pricked, they buried their snouts and began to chew.

Si Shuo fell silent. ’The teeth on these Wild Beasts are incredible, aren’t they? Good thing I also prepared poisonous plants to use in tandem. Otherwise, the moment I’m discovered, I’ll quickly become someone else’s meal.’

Back in the cave, Si Shuo was already covered in a thin layer of sweat.

She lit a bonfire, placed a light, thin stone griddle on it for grilling, and decided to distract herself with a gourmet meal!

Of course, she also set up a few small electric fans to the side. In front of them, she placed some frozen sweet rice balls, so the air they blew out was nice and cool.

She took the piece of beef from her storage space, cut it into slices as thick as a finger, and added seasonings to marinate it.

She boiled pasta, fried the steak with an egg and some broccoli, arranged two cherry tomatoes on the plate for presentation, poured on some pepper sauce, and grabbed a bottle of orange soda.

Si Shuo felt as if she were dining in a theme restaurant. How could she possibly remember that she was in the middle of her awkward Mating Period?

The only thing she regretted was that Zhi Le wasn’t there with her. That, and the fact that she’d been such a homebody lately. She had only gone out on one gathering mission, which meant she was quickly eating through her savings; she’d already squandered almost all of her Beast Coins.

’When will I be able to save up enough money for a phone? Even if it can’t connect to the internet, I could still play single-player games.’

She had absolutely no resistance to those little games. She could easily kill a whole day with them!

After setting aside a few slices of steak with black pepper sauce for Zhi Le, Si Shuo took a shower, flopped onto her bed, and switched on a rechargeable lamp to read her unabridged copy of *Robinson Crusoe*—a version that had cost her over twenty yuan.

Absorbed in the novel, she paid less attention to her body’s demands.

Her situation was particularly similar to Crusoe’s. Both had ended up in a place devoid of modern technological civilization, forced to provide for themselves and live off the land.

But as the night deepened, her body began to protest, no longer willing to indulge her self-deception.

She suppressed the sounds rising in her throat, biting down on a piece of Beast Skin and whimpering. ’Was this a backlash from suppressing my urges for too long? Or was the Mating Period like a menstrual cycle, not a constant pressure but something that ebbed and flowed?’

Just then, a soft KNOCK KNOCK came from the wooden door. A flash of crimson flickered in her azure eyes, but the person outside was exceptionally persistent, clearly having no intention of leaving until she opened it.

Si Shuo grabbed a handkerchief and bit down on it to stifle her cries. She staggered to the door and growled, "What are you doing? Are you trying to let everyone know you’re here?

You’re the head of the traders, so why are you so obsessed with getting involved with a frail, crippled female like me...?"

Before she could finish, Si Shuo froze, her mind clearing slightly.

’Aren’t I supposed to be faking a hearing impairment? Why did I just run over and start a conversation?’

Sure enough, Ji Liang’s low chuckle came from outside the door. "HSSS... So our Little Shushu can hear after all? You’re a very convincing actress. Besides Zhi Le, am I the only one who knows your secret?

Our Little Shushu with her hoarse voice, speaking so articulately... it’s also incredibly alluring."

Si Shuo took a deep breath, her nails digging so hard into her palm that the air filled with the faint scent of blood. "I’m not opening the door. Go away!"

Ji Liang’s expression changed. "Si Shuo, you’re suffering. Don’t torment yourself. If Zhi Le found out, he would be heartbroken.

If you don’t want to open the door, I absolutely won’t come in. I’ll just talk to you from out here, is that okay?"

Si Shuo clung to the door, then slowly slid to the ground. The heat in her body made her instinctively want to get closer to him, and she pressed herself hard against the door.

Her voice was involuntarily tinged with a hint of distress. "No, you’ll be discovered here..."

Ji Liang laughed in exasperation. "Si Shuo, we Beastmen have keen senses of smell and hearing, and this place is full of caves.

Do you think that if I wasn’t standing guard outside your cave—spending so much of my superpower to put up a defensive shield to block the sound and scent—that there wouldn’t already be a crowd of widowed males and those with only Level 1 and Level 2 Combat Power gathered outside?!"

’Of course, he had to make it perfectly clear what he’d done for her.’

Si Shuo froze for a moment. Biting down on the handkerchief, she mumbled, "The males in our tribe wouldn’t dare get involved with me. Aren’t you afraid? I’m frail and won’t live long. When I die, won’t your power be cut in half?"

Ji Liang’s lips twitched. "It seems Zhi Le has protected you too well. The males who have a Beast Mark wouldn’t dare touch you, and the ones who don’t have a Beast Mark lack the courage to bully you because of Zhi Le and his friends.

You’re beautiful, and I’m utterly taken with you. What are Crystal Stones or Seventh-level Combat Power? Without a female to protect, a Beastman’s life is dull and meaningless."

Si Shuo huffed, "I don’t like cold-blooded animals!"

"Little Shushu, are you sure you don’t like them *now*? So nice and cool," Ji Liang’s low voice sounded as if he were whispering right in her ear.

’I like it. I want something nice and cool... ’

’This damn bastard. How is he so good at getting to people?’

"I... I’m not some Wild Beast, just giving in to instinct! Even if you take advantage of my weakness, we have no feelings for each other. Aren’t you afraid I’ll just forcibly dissolve the Beast Mark?" Si Shuo scratched at the door with her claws in her distress.

Hearing the SCRAPING sound on the wooden door, Ji Liang’s heart ached. "Feelings can be cultivated. It’s the same for other males and females. They hit it off and become mates. After spending enough time together, feelings grow.

Little Shushu, I’ll be on my best behavior. Please don’t treat me with the same prejudice you have for Rogue Beasts, okay?

I became a trader and made a name for myself precisely so that when I met a female I liked, I could stand confidently before her and say, ’I’m different.’

I’m loyal and righteous, just like Zhi Le. When I encounter injustice on the road, I help where I can.

I’ve never done anything evil, I still have my Beast Mark, and I’ve worked hard to learn how to be tactful in dealing with others.

I’ve worked so much harder than everyone else. Don’t I deserve to stand by your side and protect you?

At the very least, don’t write me off just because I’m ’cold-blooded’ and a Rogue Beast..."