ISWTDB Ch65

Chapter 65: The Primal Beastman World (10, 11)

A female intentionally coming to a male’s house to express gratitude has an obvious implication. Given how excellent his lover is, it is inevitable that others would covet him.

Even though Ying Zhao had once promised him, saying he liked him and was willing to be his partner, generally speaking, males prefer to pair with females.

Especially now, Ying Zhao still doesn’t know that one of his wings is deformed and completely incapable of flying.

If Ying Zhao finds out that he is a beastman with a crippled beast form, will he despise him like his former tribesmen did, feeling that he isn’t worthy of him, and even abandon him?

Thinking of this, Yan felt an inexplicable tension and fell into the fear of losing Ying Zhao. He stood there, somber and motionless like a statue, for a long time.

It wasn’t until Ying Zhao finished roasting the meat and came over to pat his shoulder that Yan snapped out of it. He sat silently next to Ying Zhao and quietly ate his dinner.

Ying Zhao sensed Yan’s low spirits, but since his mother-father was also present, he didn’t say much.

Late at night, when they returned to their room to rest, Ying Zhao, seeing no one else around, hugged Yan tightly from behind and whispered in his ear, “Yan, let’s form a soul bond.”

Hearing Ying Zhao’s words, Yan immediately turned around, looking at him in shock. On the Beastman Continent, there are two ways to pair up, with most beastmen choosing to form a bond rather than a soul bond.

A soul bond can only be completed if both partners have unwavering love for each other. Moreover, once formed, they are bound by their vows and can only have one partner for life, never to be with another beastman.

Hearing Ying Zhao’s words, Yan was instantly overwhelmed with excitement. He hugged Ying Zhao tightly and nodded vigorously. But then he thought of his deformed beast form, which he had been hiding from Ying Zhao, never telling him the truth.

He knew how important the beast form was to a beastman, but facing his perfect lover, Yan couldn’t bring himself to say it.

He feared that if he revealed the truth, Ying Zhao would abandon him just like his tribesmen did. Yan’s heart was torn with inner conflict, and ultimately, he swallowed the words he was about to say.

Just consider it selfishness. Even if Ying hates him for it, he still wants to be with Ying forever. Once they form a soul bond, regardless of whether Ying knows or not, they can never be separated.

Suppressing the guilt in his heart, Yan hugged Ying Zhao tightly, silently vowing in his heart, “Ying, I will always be good to you, forever and ever!”

Ying Zhao, thinking he had successfully comforted his lover, felt relieved. He had already anticipated that after Bai Lan visited him today, he would take some action upon leaving.

But with Xiao Bai around, who could monitor Bai Lan’s movements at all times, Ying Zhao wasn’t worried and slept soundly in his lover’s arms.

The next day, when Ying Zhao woke up, Yan had already left the tribe with the hunting team and gone hunting in the forest.

Ying Zhao also learned from Xiao Bai that last night, Bai Lan took advantage of the night to visit the high priest and also raided the homes of several Tianma tribe beastmen.

Of course, he chose some weaker, solitary, elderly beastmen, making it easier for him to steal their belongings.

Because of Yan’s prior arrangements, everyone’s work schedule in the tribe was predetermined, making it easy to know when each person was hunting, at home, farming, or picking fruits.

According to the schedule, Ying Zhao would leave home in the afternoon to work in the fields with a group of beastmen.

Ying Zhao knew that Bai Lan would seize this opportunity to act, so he had Xiao Bai remain vigilant.

Since females are generally weaker, males typically don’t let them do heavy farming work, which is usually done by males.

Ying Zhao and a group of male beastmen were skillfully working in the fields. At this time, the beastmen working outside didn’t know that many solitary elderly beastmen in the village were clamoring about their stolen property. Everyone gathered at the tribe’s central assembly area, where the tribe leader was in a bind, not knowing what to do.

Because the Tianma tribe was known for its simple and honest people, theft had never occurred before, leaving the tribe leader at a loss.

Bai Lan, having chosen some valuable and recognizable items to steal, quietly left the assembly area when the situation had escalated and headed towards Ying Zhao’s house.

He knew from the beastmen’s schedules that no one would be home at Ying Zhao’s house in the afternoon, not even Ying Zhao’s mother-father, who had gone to a friend’s house as usual.

Bai Lan, seizing the right moment, felt confident that no one would notice him, thinking his plan was foolproof.

Listening to Xiao Bai’s report, Ying Zhao knew the time was right. He straightened up, pretended to be annoyed, and said to the others:

“I just remembered, before farming today, I experimented with some new fertilizer that should help our farming, but I forgot to bring it.”

Since Ying Zhao said it, naturally, no one doubted him. The team leader for the day immediately turned to Ying Zhao and said:

“Then you should go get it! If that fertilizer can help our farming, it would be a great boon for us!”

Ying Zhao nodded, then shook his head and said, “But I’m too slow. It’s better to let Yong, who is the fastest, go to my house to get it. It’s just on the table in my room.”

Yong nodded immediately, naturally not refusing Ying Zhao’s request. The farming team leader also thought Ying Zhao made sense and let Yong go to get the prepared fertilizer instead of Ying Zhao.

The Tianma tribe beastmen are all very fast runners, especially Yong, who is one of the best. He didn’t even need to transform into his beast form; he reached Ying Zhao’s house in no time just by running in his human form.

He remembered Ying Zhao saying that he lived in the house in the middle. Since everyone in the village knew each other well, Yong knew that there was usually no one at Ying Zhao’s house at this time.

So, without asking, he directly opened the door, intending to take the fertilizer from the table. Unexpectedly, as soon as he opened the door, he saw Bai Lan holding a beast-skin pouch, sneaking around in Ying Zhao’s room.

Bai Lan clearly didn’t expect anyone to come over at this time either. In his panic, he dropped the beast-skin pouch he was holding. Instantly, the stolen items fell out of the pouch.

Yong’s eyes widened in shock, as he recognized the items that had fallen out. There was Aunt Qing’s favorite amber necklace, Uncle Wei’s river otter skin belt, and other highly recognizable and valuable items.

Without thinking, he loudly questioned Bai Lan, “Aren’t these the things from the homes of the solitary uncles and aunts in the village? Why are they in your hands? And why are you in Ying Zhao’s room?”

Yong’s voice was loud, and since he was shouting from the doorway, he quickly attracted the attention of the neighbors near Ying Zhao’s house.

Some people had already returned from the commotion in the village center and hurried over to Ying Zhao’s house upon hearing Yong’s words. Seeing the items exposed in Bai Lan’s beast-skin pouch, they naturally recognized where they came from.

A few nosy females, who were already unhappy with Bai Lan for being more attractive and always looking down on others in the village, quickly called out, gathering all the other beastmen from the tribe.

Even the team working in the nearby fields with Ying Zhao was called back to the village. Apart from the beastmen hunting in the wilderness who were too far away, everyone else gathered in the village’s central square.

Theft is a very serious offense among the Tianma tribe beastmen, especially when the victims are elderly and respected members of the community.

When Ying Zhao arrived at the village gathering place, he saw everyone gathered there. In the center stood Bai Lan, biting his lip and frowning, saying nothing.

Upon seeing Ying Zhao arrive, Bai Lan immediately put on a pitiful and tearful expression. After a long internal struggle, he shouted to Ying Zhao:

“Ying! Admit it, I really can’t bear the burden of this crime for you! Even though you may have saved my life, wrong is wrong. Just admit it in front of everyone, I can’t keep covering for you!”

Ying Zhao raised an eyebrow at Bai Lan’s words, and the high priest immediately chimed in, “I knew there was more to this story. Tell us what really happened! I also believe that a female like you wouldn’t do such a thing. Tell everyone the details, and rest assured, the beast god will ensure justice for you!”

Bai Lan nodded at the high priest’s words, then looked at Ying Zhao with a suddenly resolute gaze. Pointing at Ying Zhao, he said slowly and deliberately:

“It was Ying! Last night, I saw him sneaking around near the homes of the solitary beastmen in the village, carrying a beast-skin pouch. I didn’t know what he was doing, so I didn’t pay much attention at the time. But when I heard today that the elders in the village had lost important items, I realized what Ying had done! Because he saved my life, I went to his house to confirm this. If it was really him, I planned to quietly return the items to the villagers and then persuade Ying not to do it again. But just as I found the stolen items, Yong suddenly appeared and caught me! I didn’t steal anything, I’m just a female, how could I have the courage to do such a thing!”

As Bai Lan spoke, he cried, looking so pitiful that even Ying Zhao felt like applauding his acting skills. Even Yong, upon hearing Bai Lan’s words, started to waver and looked at Ying Zhao with some doubt.

The high priest, hearing Bai Lan’s story, immediately shouted at Ying Zhao, “So it was you! You wretched beastman, bringing disaster to the tribe and stealing from the villagers! Your crimes are unforgivable. Such a person should be banished from the Tianma tribe’s village!”

Ying Zhao smirked at the high priest’s words and decided he had seen enough of their performance. He turned to the high priest and said coldly:

“High Priest, you always say I’m unlucky, bringing disaster to the village. So tell me, what disaster have I brought? You accuse me based on his words alone. How can you be sure that what he’s saying is true?”

The high priest was stunned by Ying Zhao’s questioning but quickly shouted back, trying to maintain his authority, “Impossible! He must be telling the truth! He’s just an innocent female; how could he have the courage to steal?”

Ying Zhao almost laughed out loud at the high priest’s logic. So, this was a case of gender discrimination in the beastman world? Moreover, if the high priest knew that Bai Lan wasn’t actually a female, who knows what he would think.

Ignoring the high priest, Ying Zhao turned to Bai Lan and asked, “You say I stole these items. Then tell me, when exactly did you see me stealing these things last night?”

Since Bai Lan had stolen the items himself, he naturally knew the exact time he had committed the theft, which was when the beastmen were usually asleep.

So, Bai Lan answered without hesitation, “I remember it was at night, when the second call of the night bird sounded. I saw you sneaking around near the door of Mao’s house!”

Mao was an elderly beastman living alone in the tribe, who had often received help from Ying Zhao. Ying Zhao had even helped build half of Mao’s new fire pit. Now, upon hearing Bai Lan’s words, Mao looked at Ying Zhao with some apprehension.

Ying Zhao, however, didn’t mind and instead burst into laughter. Holding his stomach, he seemed to have heard the biggest joke ever. After he had laughed enough, he straightened up, looked at Bai Lan with a sarcastic expression, and said loudly:

“Last night, before going to bed, I vaguely remembered that I had promised Aunt Qi next door to deliver a pattern for a beast-skin coat that my mother had made. Initially, I thought it was too late and didn’t want to disturb Aunt Qi’s rest, so I planned to go the next day. But my mother insisted that I should go because Aunt Qi is someone who sticks to her commitments and would be waiting at home. And just as my mother said, Aunt Qi was indeed still awake and waiting last night, so I successfully delivered the pattern. At the time you mentioned, I was at Aunt Qi’s house, and she even gave me a fruit. Now, Uncle Mao’s house is at the southernmost part of the tribe, while Aunt Qi’s house is at the northernmost part. How could I have stolen things from two places at the same time?”

Aunt Qi, who had just arrived, out of breath due to her old age, heard Ying Zhao’s words and immediately shouted from the crowd, “Yes, yes! Ying did come to deliver the pattern last night, and I specifically gave him a fruit. He even chatted with me for a while!”

Now, the beastmen who had initially sympathized with Bai Lan instantly changed their views of him. It was clear that Bai Lan had lied and falsely accused Ying Zhao. So, who had really stolen the items was now obvious.

Seeing his plot exposed, Bai Lan glanced at Ying Zhao with resentment but quickly adopted a weak posture. Collapsing to the ground, he cried, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I was confused for a moment, please forgive me! I promise I’ll never do something like this again!”

Hearing Bai Lan’s confession, the beastmen who had doubted Ying Zhao now felt a deep sense of guilt. Ying Zhao, however, wasn’t particularly bothered by this but didn’t plan to let Bai Lan off so easily.

Ying Zhao looked at Bai Lan with cold eyes and said, “I want to know why, after stealing these things, you brought them to my house? Were you trying to frame me, making everyone think I was the thief?”

Bai Lan, hearing Ying Zhao’s accusation, bit his lip in hatred but quickly shook his head with an innocent expression, saying:

“No! After stealing, I regretted it deeply and didn’t know what to do. There’s no one in the tribe I’m particularly close to, but you had saved my life before, so I wanted to ask for your advice. I didn’t expect you to be out, and that’s when Yong caught me.”

Ying Zhao “tsk”-ed at Bai Lan’s explanation and chuckled lightly, “So, after being caught, you decided to frame me? It seems being your savior is truly a tough job.”

Now, Bai Lan wasn’t just considered a thief with a bad character, but also someone who repaid kindness with enmity by framing his savior. In an instant, the males who had favorable impressions of Bai Lan and wanted to court him extinguished their feelings, and their impressions of him plummeted.

Bai Lan was speechless, unable to defend himself against the undeniable facts. Only now did he realize he had underestimated Ying Zhao.

Despite this, Bai Lan was still seen as a female by the tribe and couldn’t be punished too severely. So, the chief only assigned him to join the gathering team for a month as a minor punishment.

The elderly beastmen who had their belongings returned didn’t pursue the matter further. Once everything was settled, the beastmen in the square dispersed.

Left alone on the ground, Bai Lan lowered his head, eyes filled with venomous hatred. He silently vowed: Ying, one day I’ll make you pay!

Because this incident was quite significant for the Tianma tribe, Yan heard about it immediately upon returning from the hunting team that evening.

When he heard that Ying Zhao had been falsely accused by that female, he hurried home in a rush. Upon seeing Ying Zhao, he immediately embraced him tightly.

Ying Zhao, who had been chatting with his mother in the yard, was momentarily stunned by his lover’s sudden embrace.

Seeing their close relationship, the elder smiled with satisfaction and returned to his room.

Ying Zhao felt Yan’s tight embrace lasting for a long time and patted his shoulder, whispering in his ear, “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

Yan took a deep breath, filling his nostrils with his lover’s scent, and muttered, “I heard everything.”

Knowing Yan must have heard about today’s false accusations, Ying Zhao realized he had already dealt with it and wasn’t harmed.

Instead, Bai Lan had tried to gain but ended up losing everything. Thinking of this, Ying Zhao looked up and gave Yan a bright smile, saying:

“It’s alright. I’ve already taken care of it. The tribe knows who the real thief is. You don’t need to worry about me.”

Yan nodded, but the thought of his lover being wronged left a lingering bitterness in his heart. Clenching his lips, Yan looked into Ying Zhao’s eyes seriously and said:

“If you’re upset, I’ll quietly take care of that female!”

Ying Zhao saw the coldness in Yan’s eyes and understood what he meant by “take care of.”

No male beastman on this continent would treat a female like this. However, seeing his man willing to go to such lengths for him brought a surge of joy to Ying Zhao’s heart.

He smiled gently at Yan, kissed him lightly on the lips, shook his head, and said, “Don’t worry. If he tries to harm me again, I have plenty of ways to make him suffer the consequences. Yan, thank you for caring about me so much. But in the meantime, you need to prepare!”

Yan, somewhat confused, asked, “Prepare for what?”

Ying Zhao, amused, said, “Of course, to prepare for our bonding ceremony!”

Hearing this, Yan tightened his embrace. Ying Zhao saw a flash of struggle and hesitation in Yan’s eyes, and he frowned, grabbing Yan’s chin and asking, “Yan, is there something wrong?”

Yan quickly shook his head, smiled at Ying Zhao, and said, “Nothing, I’m just too happy!”

With that, he hugged Ying Zhao tightly, hiding the complexity and guilt in his eyes, still unable to confess about his deformed wings.

Yan tried to show happiness and began tirelessly preparing for the bonding ceremony with Ying Zhao. After that day, both of them became busy.

Preparing for the bonding ceremony required a lot of work, and Yan’s hunting trips became more frequent. Meanwhile, although Ying Zhao was also a male, his beast form was inconvenient, so he didn’t hunt often.

However, Ying Zhao often joined the team to gather wild fruits, so he was in charge of gathering the fruits needed for the ceremony.

Although the Tianma tribe could now grow fruit trees and cultivate fields, they still couldn’t fully meet the needs of the tribe. Collecting wild fruits and storing prey before winter were essential for survival.