By the time they arrived at the bonfire celebration, most of the beastfolk had already gathered.
At the center of the vast plaza, several massive piles of logs—two to three meters high—had been stacked together. Roaring flames leapt upward, crackling loudly and bathing the surroundings in bright, flickering firelight. The fire illuminated the entire square as if it were daytime. Nearby stood several broad, flat stone tables, their surfaces laden with all kinds of roasted meat and fresh fruits.
At the very front sat the old witch doctor and the old chieftain. Beside them was an elderly female with snow-white hair, her presence calm and dignified. Seats extended outward in order of status. Closest to the bonfire were the females of the tribe—there weren't many of them. Yue Ling spotted Anna among them, along with the female who had encouraged her before. Counting carefully, there were only a dozen or so females in total, ranging from elderly to middle-aged to young. Each of them was surrounded by several male beastfolk, forming lively little clusters.
Behind the stone tables stood the rest—mostly unpaired male beastfolk, all watching intently.
The moment Yue Ling and Bai Ying appeared, every gaze in the plaza shifted toward them.
Eyes filled with amazement, curiosity, and reverence fell upon Yue Ling. The disdain and disgust that once followed her everywhere had completely vanished, as if it had never existed at all.
"Ah, you must be Female Yue Ling. Come, come—sit here," the elderly female said warmly when she saw her, smiling kindly as she gently patted an empty stone seat just below her own.
Yue Ling had never seen this elderly female before. Instinctively, she grabbed Bai Ying's forearm and whispered, "Who is she?"
Bai Ying was momentarily puzzled—how could she not know? Still, he lowered his voice and explained, "She's the female partner of both the old chieftain and the old witch doctor. Her health isn't very good, so she rarely leaves her cave."
Yue Ling was taken aback. She hadn't expected the old chieftain and the old witch doctor to share the same female partner. Her gaze lingered briefly on the elderly female's silver-streaked hair. Seeing that most of the seats were already occupied, Yue Ling followed her guidance and obediently sat down at the stone seat below her.
Bai Ying took the stone stool beside her.
The elderly female looked at the two of them and nodded in satisfaction. She hadn't expected Bai Ying to finally consider bonding—and with a female who possessed witch-doctor abilities, no less. This wolf was indeed a sharp-eyed one.
Elsewhere, each stone table was crowded with anywhere from a handful to dozens of beastfolk, making Yue Ling's area seem especially quiet and conspicuous by comparison.
"Lang Ji, come here," the elderly female said gently as she surveyed the crowd, beckoning to a young, handsome unpaired male.
The beastman called Lang Ji strode over with long legs and knelt on one knee before her. His right hand rested over his left chest as he greeted her respectfully.
"Beast Mother."
The elderly female smiled, her eyes narrowing kindly. "Lang Ji, go sit beside Female Yue Ling."
Yue Ling froze, staring at her in confusion.
Lang Ji also paused for a moment, then turned to look at the fair, delicate female. A faint blush crept up his ears. Beast Mother was clearly granting him a special opportunity.
Ignoring the darkened expression on Bai Ying's face, Lang Ji walked briskly over and sat down beside Yue Ling.
Seeing Yue Ling's bewildered, innocent expression, the elderly female explained softly, "This is Lang Ji, the youngest child of the witch doctor and myself. He only awakened his beast marks this year—he's already a five-mark beast."
Yue Ling: "?"
Why did this suddenly feel like a matchmaking session?
As soon as the elderly female finished speaking, quiet murmurs spread through the crowd. Though Lang Ji's talent couldn't quite compare to Bai Ying's, he was still easily among the top ten in the tribe. Awakening as a five-mark beast from the start meant his future was boundless.
It was obvious what the elderly female was doing—she was deliberately paving the way for Lang Ji, hoping to tie him to Yue Ling, who now possessed witch-doctor abilities.
Before long, when the old chieftain passed on, Lang Ji would likely become the next leader of the wolf tribe. Securing a witch-doctor female partner for him now would guarantee both power and stability.
After all, the old chieftain doted on the elderly female completely. Even if the chieftain's position didn't go to his own biological offspring, he wouldn't object. Over the years, he had treated Lang Ji even better than his own children—so much so that blood ties hardly mattered.
The elderly female then turned her gentle gaze toward Bai Ying.
"Bai Ying, you don't mind, do you?"
Bai Ying stiffened.
He minded—of course he did. But he knew he couldn't say so. He and Yue Ling had already made their promise to each other; he was her first beast partner. If he chased Lang Ji away now, it would make him seem jealous and narrow-minded, someone who couldn't tolerate other males. That would surely leave a bad impression on Yue Ling.
Yue Ling glanced to her left at Bai Ying's gloomy expression, then to her right at Lang Ji's warm, pleasant smile. A wave of regret washed over her. She really had been too careless—she shouldn't have come at all.
"Female Yue Ling, this fruit is delicious. You should try it," Lang Ji said gently, smiling as he handed her a piece of fruit that had been sitting farthest from her.
Yue Ling stared awkwardly at the fruit in his hand. All around them, curious and evaluative gazes settled on her. If she refused, she wouldn't just be embarrassing Lang Ji—she would be embarrassing the elderly female as well. A woman with the chieftain and the witch doctor as her partners was not someone Yue Ling could afford to offend.
In the end, she could only steel herself and accept the fruit.
"Thank you," she said softly.