Chapter 64: Eavesdropping

"A trade fair?"

Yunxiang froze for a moment, then her expression shifted to one of sudden realization. "Ah, right! The trade fair is coming up soon. How could I have forgotten about that? Xiyue, you're right. These backbaskets are so practical, and other tribes definitely don't have them. When we take them to the trade fair, we'll surely be able to trade them for plenty of wonderful things."

The trade fair was a grand festival held among the various tribes, taking place annually after the harvest season in the Beast King City.

Not only would all the nearby tribes of various sizes attend, but even distant tribes would send delegates.

The atmosphere was extraordinarily lively, serving as a vital occasion for different tribes to exchange supplies and engage in barter.

Unfortunately, the chieftain would only bring the tribe's elite warriors to such a grand event, and no females had ever been permitted to go.

There were two main reasons: first, the journey was long and arduous; second, females lacked self-preservation abilities, raising the question of what would happen if trouble struck on the road.

Females were precious to every tribe. For the sake of the next generation's offspring, female trading sometimes took place.

It was not unheard of for travelers to be ambushed and raided along the way.

For the sake of the females' safety, the chieftain naturally refused to let them go.

However, that did not matter. As long as they wove the backbaskets, they could have the tribe's beastmen take them to trade for desired supplies, such as precious salt and pottery.

"That's right! Why didn't I think of that?"

Shuqing also snapped back to her senses, her face clearing with realization. She looked at Su Xiyue, her eyes filled with gratitude. "Xiyue, thank you for reminding us. Otherwise, I would have completely forgotten about the trade fair. You're right—we can have the tribe's beastmen take these backbaskets to the trade fair, and we'll definitely exchange them for many good things."

The other females nodded in agreement, excitement lighting up their faces.

These backbaskets were sturdy, beautiful, and immensely practical. Other tribes certainly did not possess them, so they would undoubtedly fetch many valuable goods.

The mere thought of this filled everyone with boundless motivation.

Some of the more impatient females even began pulling vines nearby to start weaving immediately.

Seeing Yunxiang, Shuqing, and the others snap out of their daze, the rest of the females also began searching for vines to weave.

Watching this scene, Su Xiyue's lips curved into a pleased smile.

She did not remain idle either, figuring that since these items were meant for trade, the designs shouldn't be too monotonous.

Consequently, she began teaching everyone how to weave more complex backbaskets, along with various other types of vine-woven items intended for different purposes.

For instance, there were handheld vine baskets—small and exquisite, suitable for carrying odds and ends or freshly picked wild berries.

There were also larger vine hampers capable of holding more items, perfect for transporting or storing food.

Additionally, she taught them how to create vine crafts of various shapes and patterns, which were not only practical but also possessed decorative value, making them suitable for embellishing homes.

With every item she taught, everyone studied with utmost diligence, terrified of missing a single detail.

Whenever they encountered something they didn't understand, they asked.

Su Xiyue responded to everyone's questions with immense patience.

***

Right at that moment, a tall, majestic golden lion quietly entered the Moonlight Forest.

Its body was large, fierce, agile, and powerful. Its golden mane shimmered with a mesmerizing luster under the sunlight, radiating an imposing and domineering aura.

It truly lived up to its title as the king of the forest.

This was Leivo, a late fourth-tier beastman from the Fierce Lion Tribe who had secretly come to rendezvous with Mu Qing. He was also one of Mu Qing's paramours.

Every so often, the two of them would secretly find an opportunity to meet in private.

This clandestine affair had continued for nearly twenty years.

However, it was always Leivo who traveled to the Wolf Tribe to find Mu Qing.

As a female, it was naturally inconvenient for Mu Qing to leave the tribe by herself.

Therefore, the burden fell entirely on Leivo to seek her out.

Today was the scheduled day for their secret tryst.

Leivo headed to the cave where they usually met, located deep within a secluded valley in the Moonlight Forest.

A cave had been excavated there specifically by Leivo.

On this exact day every month, Mu Qing would wait for him inside.

Leivo arrived at the cave full of eager anticipation, only to find it completely empty. Mu Qing was nowhere to be seen.

With a human-like gesture, he scratched his head with a paw, perplexed, and muttered aloud, "Did I get the date wrong? That's impossible. I come to see Mu Qing on this exact day every month, and Mu Qing knows it too. How could I have mistaken the date?"

He waited in the cave for a while, but as noon approached, Mu Qing still had not appeared.

Growing somewhat anxious, Leivo began to worry if something might have happened to her.

He decided to head into the Wolf Tribe to find Mu Qing and see what was going on.

Although doing so carried certain risks, he could no longer afford to care.

His only desire was to find out why Mu Qing had failed to show up today.

Leaving the cave, he intended to sneak stealthily into the Wolf Tribe and make his way to Mu Qing's dwelling.

Just as he appeared in the back mountains of the Wolf Tribe, he suddenly overheard two females conversing.

Leivo initially intended to ignore them, but the content of their dialogue made him freeze. Unable to resist, he stopped in his tracks and hid behind a cluster of bushes to eavesdrop.

Peering through a gap in the foliage, he saw two females: one strikingly gorgeous and the other delicate and charming.

They were none other than Miya and Miyao.

"Miyao, should we really not go see Mother? I heard she's being tortured terribly by the chieftain in the dungeon."

It was Miya who spoke, her delicate brows knitted together in distress.

***

Mu Qing had always treated Miya well, secretly bringing her any good items she acquired and fiercely protecting her. Hearing that Mu Qing was suffering punishment in the dungeon left Miya with a heavy heart.

She also felt that the chieftain was truly heartless. It was one thing to let Su Mu slaughter her father, but to torture her mother in such a manner was unforgivable.

No matter what, Mu Qing was his mate. So what if she had an affair? In Miya's eyes, that was hardly a major issue.

Which female didn't have multiple male partners? Even she herself had seven. Why should her mother be forced to remain faithful to the chieftain alone?

Just because the chieftain possessed great strength, did he deserve special privileges and the right to monopolize her mother?

Miya thought these things with deep resentment simmering in her heart.

Hiding behind the bushes, Leivo pricked up his ears, muttering inwardly.

Females were extremely precious in every tribe. But look at the Wolf Tribe—not only did they lock up a supremely valuable female in a dungeon, but they also subjected her to brutal torture?

Treating a female like that? Were they out of their minds?

Even if she had committed a grave mistake, they could have thrown her into the dark caves to help with tribal reproduction and make full use of her value.

He had never heard of anyone throwing a female into a dungeon to be tortured.

Could it be that the female lacked reproductive capacity and had no value?

Leivo thought to himself, full of doubt.

Miyao, unaware of the beastman eavesdropping in the shadows, looked at Miya in shock upon hearing her words. "Are you out of your mind? The dungeon guards are heavily fortified. Not to mention that we can't even get in, but even if we found a way to see Mother, we wouldn't be able to save her. Once we're caught, we'll likely implicate ourselves as well."

She felt that Miya must have gone mad to entertain such a notion.

Go to the dungeon to see Mu Qing? The mere thought was absurd.

At any rate, she had no intention of going.

Although Mu Qing was her mother, she had never been particularly affectionate toward her, so their bond wasn't deep.

Miyao felt there was no need to take such a risk.

Miya's brows furrowed even deeper. She was well aware of the reality behind those words.

Yet, thinking of the rumors that Mu Qing was suffering cruelly in the dungeon, she couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.

She snapped off a leafy branch and viciously lashed it against a tree trunk, cursing with an ugly expression: "The chieftain is far too tyrannical. Which female doesn't have multiple beast husbands? Why must he be different? Mother having an affair with Father wasn't even a big deal—did he really need to torture Mother with such cruelty? Regardless of everything else, she is his mate and gave birth to two children for him. This is simply too much."

The golden lion hiding in the shadows experienced an instantaneous shift in expression.

While he hadn't initially known who the "Mother" they were referring to was, he certainly knew who the chieftain's mate was. Wasn't that Mu Qing?