Hearing the soft, polite tone of the small female, Lang Ji immediately tried even harder to please her. He had seen Yue Ling a few times before—though back then, it had only been because his beast father ordered him to bring her food or supplies. At that time, she had been filthy, disheveled, and clearly unwell in the head. She would even lash out and hit him whenever she saw him.
But the Yue Ling before him now was completely different—clean, gentle, courteous, and unbearably adorable. The contrast made his heart thump even faster.
"Thank you, Female Yue Ling, for saving my younger brother."
Wolf Zuo and Wolf You stepped forward together. The two brothers knelt respectfully before Yue Ling, their posture solemn and sincere.
Yue Ling was still nibbling on the fruit in her hand. She glanced at Wolf You, who was clearly awake and energetic now, then said calmly, "You can get up."
The hostility and roughness the brothers once showed her were completely gone. In their place was genuine respect. Only after hearing her words did Wolf Zuo and Wolf You slowly rise to their feet.
It was obvious that Wolf You had recovered well. He had already been able to get out of bed during the day, his complexion healthy and his aura steady.
The old chieftain spoke up, his voice carrying across the plaza.
"Tonight, we celebrate Wolf You's survival. More importantly, we celebrate the discovery of medicinal herbs capable of healing severe external wounds. All of this is thanks to our great Female Yue Ling. As the old chieftain of the Snow Wolf Tribe, we offer you our deepest gratitude."
With that, the old chieftain stood up and solemnly lowered himself into a half-kneel. Excluding the females present, every male beastman followed suit, placing their right hands over their left chests, their expressions reverent and sincere.
Inwardly, the old chieftain thought smugly: Let's see—after this, how could she possibly still refuse to become our witch doctor?
Yue Ling, however, was so startled that she shot to her feet.
She stared in shock at the sight before her—rows upon rows of beastmen kneeling toward her.
The wolf beastmen all shared silver hair and wolf-like eyes, with only a few exceptions whose coloring revealed they belonged to other races. Even Bai Ying was kneeling beside her, his posture no different from the others.
"Please… get up," Yue Ling said hurriedly.
She had never expected that refusing the role of witch doctor would lead the old chieftain to pull something like this. Her social anxiety nearly sent her straight into a full-blown meltdown. Panicking, she grabbed Bai Ying's arm.
Bai Ying rose immediately, and the rest of the beastmen followed suit. When they looked at Yue Ling again, their eyes were filled with hope and anticipation.
The old chieftain did not announce her appointment as witch doctor. Instead, he simply raised his hand and declared, "Let the celebration begin!"
The bonfire festival officially started.
Beastmen began singing and dancing around the flames, humming melodies Yue Ling had never heard before. The strange rhythms and raw voices added an air of mystery unique to the beast world.
Yue Ling had absolutely no sense of rhythm and zero talent for dancing. She stayed seated at the stone table, fully committed to devouring fruit with impressive speed. Sweet, tart, juicy—she loved every bite.
Bai Ying quietly took note of everything she liked. He planned to bring her all of it the next time he went hunting.
Lang Ji watched Yue Ling as she smiled, her eyes curved into happy crescents. But Yue Ling remembered what System 999 had told her—wolf beastmen only ever truly devoted themselves to one mate. She didn't want Lang Ji to sink too deeply when she couldn't return his feelings.
So she said gently, "Lang Ji, you don't need to stay with me. Go have fun."
After that, she paid him no more attention.
She still had nine other beast husbands left to seduce—ten in total. She really didn't have the time or emotional bandwidth for Lang Ji.
Bai Ying, on the other hand, was secretly delighted.
Yue Ling hadn't taken a liking to Lang Ji at all.
Feeling even more motivated, Bai Ying stayed close to her side. Several other males tried approaching afterward, hoping to curry favor, but Bai Ying chased them all away without mercy.
Lang Ji's ears drooped, his expression crestfallen and pitiful.
Seeing her youngest child so dejected, the elderly female let out a long sigh. The old chieftain followed her gaze and snorted irritably.
"Useless wolf pup. Can't even figure out how to please someone."
The old witch doctor also sighed softly.
"In matters like this, the children must be willing themselves. These things can't be forced."
Old chieftain: "..."
He really was more anxious than the one directly involved. How infuriating.
Why wasn't Lang Ji his biological son? He'd inherited that slow, gentle temperament from his real beast father—the witch doctor.
After sweeping through the food like a whirlwind, Yue Ling patted her noticeably round stomach in satisfaction. Watching the beastmen singing and dancing by the bonfire, she stood up, ready to leave.
"Hey—Female Yue Ling! Where are you going?"