The tribe chief arrived at her cave in great haste, leading several beastmen behind him.
After hearing Xiong Da's report—that the little female refused to attend the bonfire—the old chief had grown anxious. If she didn't come, how could he publicly announce her as the tribe's witch doctor? More importantly, the bonfire celebration had been arranged not only to honor her, but also to give her the chance to choose powerful beast husbands. One Bai Ying alone was far from enough.
The old chief's face was tight with unease as he looked at the small figure standing at the cave entrance. His voice was urgent, almost pleading.
"Female Yue Ling, why won't you come to the bonfire tonight? It was held especially for you."
Yue Ling glanced at him, her expression complicated. As the chief, there was no way he didn't know how the male beastmen had treated the original owner of this body. Perhaps as long as she didn't die, he had simply chosen to turn a blind eye.
Behind the old chief, several beastmen stared at her with naked greed. The once-filthy, mad little female had completely changed—she was still small in stature, but exquisitely pretty now, and even blessed by the Beast God. Soon, she was meant to become the wolf tribe's witch doctor. Any past disdain or disgust had long since vanished.
All that remained was determination.
So what if Bai Ying was already by her side? As long as they performed well at the bonfire and successfully seduced her favor, winning the heart of a witch doctor female would be the greatest honor of their lives.
Faced with more than a dozen pairs of wolf eyes burning with desire, Yue Ling instinctively shrank behind Bai Ying, letting his tall body block most of their gaze. Her voice was crisp and clear as she spoke.
"I will not become the wolf tribe's witch doctor. I've already given the healing herbs and their uses to the old witch doctor. One witch doctor is more than enough for the tribe. Chief, you should all go back."
In this beast world, deep, torn, and puncture-like wounds were almost impossible to heal, and countless beastmen had died from such injuries. Yesterday, she had carefully explained the properties and uses of two critical herbs to the old witch doctor. If something like this happened again, he would know how to respond. To her, this was repayment enough for the years the original owner had lived in the wolf tribe.
Bai Ying cast a cold glance at the ill-intentioned males behind the chief. He knew exactly what they were scheming. When he felt Yue Ling hiding behind him, deliberately avoiding even a single glance at them, a sense of relief settled in his chest. Clearly, she had no interest in any of them.
The old chief's face turned ashen. He couldn't figure out where he had offended her. Then, as if struck by sudden inspiration, he recalled Yue Ling's conversation with Anna from the day before. Putting things together, he hurriedly explained:
"Female Yue Ling, don't worry. I will never let you become a shared mate again. As long as you become our tribe's witch doctor, all unmarried beastmen in the tribe will be at your disposal. You'll not only have the strongest beast husbands—you'll live the very best life."
Yue Ling curled her lips in disdain. Now that she was valuable, they made promises. If she were still the original Yue Ling, she would already be nailed down as a shared mate with no room for negotiation. Thinking of her beast-father's death made anger flare in her chest.
Trying to tempt her? Too bad—aside from Bai Ying, she didn't like any of them.
"No need," Yue Ling replied flatly, unmoved.
Seeing that soft persuasion didn't work, the old chief turned his gaze to Bai Ying, frustration written all over his face.
"Bai Ying, say something! Talk some sense into her!"
Bai Ying didn't hesitate. "Whatever she decides is what we'll do. I won't interfere."
He was already deeply dissatisfied with the males who had once "taken care" of her, and even more so with the chief's decision to declare her a shared mate. He had grown up in the tribe and couldn't bring himself to truly resent the chief—but refusing to help them was something he absolutely could do.
A married male followed his female. That was the way of things. If he wanted a good life, he would follow his mate wherever she chose to go.
"You—!" The old chief never expected such open defiance. His walking stick trembled violently in his grip, and it took all his restraint not to strike Bai Ying with it. Truly—once a cub grew up, he no longer listened.
The old chief sighed again and again, trying a gentler approach.
"Ah… being a witch doctor is truly a good thing, little female. All beastmen will respect you, revere you. If the Beast God granted you this power, surely it was meant for you to become a witch doctor."
Except she hadn't been granted anything by a Beast God. All of it came from System 999 working overtime behind the scenes.
She didn't want to be a witch doctor at all. She wanted to lie flat, live lazily, eat and wait for death—seducing her targets, gaining lifespan, and enjoying a peaceful old age in the beast world.
"I don't want to. I won't be one," Yue Ling said firmly, poking her head out from behind Bai Ying to refuse once more.
The old chief sighed repeatedly, baffled. Witch doctors were sacred figures, revered by all beasts. Why wouldn't she accept? Was she too young? Or had her madness only just healed, leaving her unable to understand the weight of such honor?
"…Fine. Then I won't bring it up again for now," he finally said. "But you should still come to the bonfire tonight. All the beastmen will be there. Consider it a celebration—Lang You survived, and our tribe has learned how to treat serious wounds."
In his heart, the chief thought: I'll wait. Once she sees the status and reverence of a witch doctor, she'll surely change her mind.
Hearing him relent, Yue Ling quietly let out a breath of relief.
"Alright," she agreed. As long as they didn't announce her as the tribe's witch doctor. Once the bonfire ended, she planned to leave.
The old chief departed with his entourage in a grand procession. After they were gone, Yue Ling shared her thoughts with Bai Ying.
He shook his head. "That won't work. The cold season is coming. Leaving rashly would mean freezing to death."
Cold season? Was that winter? Yue Ling immediately turned to System 999 for help.
[The Beast World is divided into the rainy season, dry season, humid season, and cold season. It's currently the humid season. Soon, the cold season will arrive. When it does, the land will freeze for thousands of miles, snow will blanket everything, and without enough food prepared, surviving will be extremely difficult.]
Hearing the explanation, Yue Ling reluctantly suppressed her urge to leave the wolf tribe immediately.
"Then… we'll wait until after the cold season," she said softly.
Bai Ying looked at the obedient little female before him, his gaze gentle and indulgent.
"I'll hunt more during this time. When the cold season comes, I'll take good care of you."
Yue Ling nodded meekly.
In the beast world, females were only responsible for eating, drinking, having fun, and reproducing. Everything else was done by males. With her weak body, going out hunting would only result in her becoming prey herself.