Chapter 22: The Grass Skirt Has Rotted Away

All the woven baskets belonging to Su Xiyue were also carried by these beastmen. Whoever had hunted the smaller prey was tasked with carrying it back themselves. This was Su Lie’s decree; otherwise, it was unlikely any beastman would have volunteered.

Ye Ling felt truly disgusted by Su Xiyue and had no desire to let her sit on his back. Seeing that the chieftain had already set off, a flash of white light enveloped him, transforming him into his beast form. He tossed the prey onto his back, then turned his head toward Xuan Ming, who had also transformed, and said, "She is your responsibility now."

With that, he clamped the stone pot in his wolf’s jaw, leaped forward, and vanished into the forest with incredible speed, as if terrified that if he were a second slower, Xuan Ming might refuse.

Watching Ye Ling’s retreating back, Su Xiyue’s mouth twitched violently. This jerk actually dumped her on Xuan Ming; how detestable. She turned to look at Xuan Ming beside her. In his Dark Night Ghost Wolf form, he possessed a sense of mystery that surpassed Ye Ling’s Silver Moon Grey Wolf. His dark, ghostly wolf eyes and ink-black fur made him resemble a king of the dark night, radiating a palpable sense of danger.

Xuan Ming cast a sidelong glance at her, a chill surfacing in his dark, abyssal eyes. He was accustomed to being a lone wolf and had always disliked contact with females, let alone carrying one on his back. Seeing that Su Xiyue was both fat and unsightly, with flesh hanging loosely from her frame, he was even less inclined to do so. Even though his favorability toward her had increased slightly over the past two days, he was still reluctant.

Su Xiyue felt her scalp tingle under his gaze, terrified that this man might also bolt, leaving her to walk all the way back. Given how far the tribe was, who knew how long that would take? She had no intention of walking. With this thought, she set aside her pride. Before Xuan Ming could open his mouth to refuse, she quickly scrambled onto his back and sat down.

"Um, Xuan Ming, let’s go quickly, or it will be dark before we know it," she said with a dry, forced laugh.

Seeing how quickly she had acted, Xuan Ming’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, but in the end, he did not shake her off. He bent down to pick up his prey, leaped, and began to gallop toward the tribe.

Sitting on his back, Su Xiyue felt the wind whistling past as the surrounding landscape blurred away. She didn't dare hold onto his neck, instead gripping his back fur tightly to avoid falling. If this man were provoked, he would truly beat someone.

About an hour later, they reached the Wolf Tribe. The sky had already darkened, with a bright, clear moon hanging in the air. Bonfires had been lit throughout the tribe, illuminating the entire area. The men, women, and children of the tribe were overjoyed to see the hunting party return and flocked to surround them.

"The chieftain and the others are back!"
"Look, the creature Mo Lin is dragging by its tail looks like a saber-toothed tiger! That’s incredible; to think they could take down such a fierce beast."

"Wait, why is Ye Ling carrying a strange-looking stone?"
"And what are those other things? I’ve never seen them before!"

The beastmen chattered incessantly, their gazes darting between the prey, the baskets, the stone pot, and Su Xiyue and her companions. Finally, their eyes settled on Su Xiyue and the beast she was riding.

"My goodness, isn't that Su Xiyue? How is she sitting on Xuan Ming’s back? Am I seeing things?"
"You're not wrong, it is Su Xiyue. She actually got Xuan Ming to carry her back, and he didn't shake her off—that's truly bizarre."
"What is she wearing? A grass skirt? How much can a few leaves cover? Could she be dressing like that on purpose to seduce some beast-husbands?"
"That must be it. Have you ever seen anyone dress like that? Ugliness breeds mischief. But, this ugly woman seems different lately; not only is she less disheveled, but she looks much fairer, and the boils and sores on her face are gone."
"She does look fairer, but I heard she awakened an ability. Who knows if it’s related to that?"
"Who knows? She’s just lucky. I wish I could awaken an ability too."

The females of the tribe looked at Su Xiyue with varied expressions: jealousy, envy, disdain, and mockery. Voices buzzed as they whispered to one another. They noticed she seemed different, though they couldn't quite put their fingers on why.

Mia was also in the crowd, watching Su Xiyue being brought back by Xuan Ming. Her expression was terrifyingly dark. Her hands, hanging at her sides, were clenched into tight fists, her sharp nails digging deep into her palms, yet she felt nothing.

*That ugly wretch.* What kind of bewitching poison had she fed Xuan Ming and the others? Why were they all so willing to cater to her? *Damn her!* Mia’s heart was bursting with rage, her face twisted and hideous.

Su Xiyue naturally heard the surrounding gossip but didn't care. She looked toward her father, Su Lie, and her four beast-husbands: Ye Ling, Mo Lin, Bai Qi, and Qing Zhu. Seeing them being surrounded with such enthusiasm—especially the admiration shown toward the prey they had brought—Su Xiyue pursed her lips. Knowing she wouldn't be able to squeeze through the crowd, she didn't bother trying.

She patted Xuan Ming beneath her. "Put me down."

Xuan Ming complied, lowering himself slightly. She hopped off his back. As her feet touched the ground, she felt a cold, sharp gaze fixed upon her. Frowning, she turned to see Mia’s dark, sullen expression. Su Xiyue curled her lips in a cold sneer and looked away, completely indifferent. Seeing Su Xiyue look at her with such nonchalance, Mia’s face turned even darker.

*That ugly thing, she should look at her own reflection.* With all that fat on her body, how dare she wear a grass skirt to seduce Ye Ling and the others? It was truly nauseating. Mia looked more closely and realized the leaves under Su Xiyue’s bottom had worn away, leaving her buttocks clearly exposed. Her expression grew even more venomous.

Su Xiyue felt something was wrong, noticing a draft behind her. She reached back to touch herself and discovered the leaves on her grass skirt had torn away. Her face turned bright red, and she covered her backside in a fit of mortifying embarrassment, wishing she could vanish into the earth.

The grass skirt had worn thin during the bumpy journey, meaning she had effectively been riding on Xuan Ming’s back with her bottom bare the entire way. No wonder she felt his back was particularly hot during the ride. The thought of sitting naked-bottomed on a handsome man’s back made her cringe