Chapter 81: The First Divorce Certificate in the Beast World

Chapter 81: The First Divorce Certificate in the Beast World

Hu Jiao arrived at Wen Ran’s den one evening. His exposed skin bore several visible scars, and his dark, curly hair was disheveled. It was clear he had been bullied again, yet surprisingly, his spirits were high. The initial numbness in his eyes when they first met had been replaced by determination and hope.

It seemed that after days of deep reflection, he had made his decision.

"Wen Ran Sage, I've thought it through—I want to change!"

Hu Jiao knew that if he didn't seek change, his fate would be either to be bullied to death by Hu Yu and her males or to succumb to long-term depression. The words Wen Ran Sage had spoken to him last time had planted a seed in his heart—a seed of self-reliance, self-respect, self-love, and hope.

As evening fell, a small whirlwind began to pick up again. Opening one's mouth meant swallowing a mouthful of sand, and the wind-blown grit stung his eyes, making it almost impossible to keep them open. Clearly, outside the den was not a suitable place for conversation. Wen Ran spat out a mouthful of sand in disgust and quickly ushered him inside. "The sandstorm is fierce out here. Let’s talk inside the den."

Hu Jiao rubbed his cheeks, sore from the wind-blown grit, and nodded.

After entering the den, Wen Ran first took a sip of water to rinse his mouth, finally feeling that the gritty grinding between his teeth had stopped. Just moments before, every time his upper and lower teeth met, they’d made a grating sound from biting down on sand—it had been unbearable. Wen Ran glanced at Hu Jiao and asked, "Have you truly made up your mind? Once you decide, there’s no turning back."

Hu Jiao stepped further into the den, taking in the joyful atmosphere and the clean, tidy environment of Wen Ran’s home. He nervously clenched his fingers, standing before Wen Ran with respectful earnestness as he nodded. Worried that Wen Ran Sage might be dissatisfied with his response or think he was being perfunctory, he quickly added, "Yes, I won’t regret it."

A trace of tension laced Hu Jiao’s voice, and his gaze was stubbornly fixed on Wen Ran, as if afraid he wouldn’t be believed. He hurriedly continued, "Wen Ran Sage, I’ve truly understood! I want to live with dignity. I don’t want to spend my days being bullied and humiliated anymore! I want to be independent! I want to rely on my own two hands to eat beast meat and never go hungry! I want to carve out a den of my own and live by myself—I don’t want to join any female’s den ever again! I want to change, I will change! I will save myself!"

Wen Ran nodded with relief. His words to this Lesser Female last time had not been in vain—he had finally awakened him.

"I never want to live that kind of life again—doing the lowest, dirtiest, most exhausting work in a female’s den, doing everything yet having no rights at all! I don’t want to be looked down upon all the time. I don’t want to be beaten, scolded, or forced to bed whenever males want! Just because I can’t get pregnant or bear children, no female in any den takes me seriously. They find all sorts of ways to make my life miserable, humiliate me, beat me, and curse me! After living like this for so long, I’ve almost become numb—being alive is like being dead inside! I never want to live like this again! From now on, I want to prioritize my own comfort and put my own feelings first!"

Tears welled in Hu Jiao’s eyes as he spoke with determination. "Wen Ran Sage, I don’t want to be a numb beastman! I want to live well—live like a real person! Please, save me! Save me from Hu Yu’s den! I’ll be your slave for life to repay your kindness!"

The term "slave" was something Wen Ran had first heard here during a previous conversation with Round Cat. Round Cat mentioned that in the capital of Beast World's Myriad Forms City, slaves existed. These slaves were usually captured after their tribes were attacked by others and they failed to resist, living a miserable existence—constantly busy from morning till night, with no rest, uncertain of their next meal, and often going hungry. Their lives were even worse than those of Lesser Females.

In Myriad Forms City, these slaves could be traded. The beastmen who bought slaves became their masters, possessing absolute authority over them—they could be sold, gifted, punished, or even tortured and killed at will. They were considered the lowest class in the Beast World, not even treated as human.

Hearing this Lesser Female offer to become his slave made Wen Ran’s mouth twitch uncontrollably. He had been shaped by the new civilization of the 21st century—he wanted no part of such oppressive, outdated practices as foot-binding or slave ownership, practices that stripped people of their rights.

Moreover, Wen Ran had been thinking whenever he had free time about how to improve the status of Lesser Females in the Beast World. To elevate their status, they needed skills that would allow them to feed themselves without relying on others. Only by being self-reliant and having the ability to support themselves could they talk about independence and self-strength. Hearing Hu Jiao’s words now filled him with joy. He pulled Hu Jiao closer, reassuring him that he wouldn’t let him starve, that he would teach him survival skills, and that he would help him break free from Hu Yu’s den.

He remembered that Hu Jiao had been quite skilled at weaving fishing nets—his hands were clever, his work efficient, and he wove quickly. The process of making clothes was somewhat similar in principle to weaving nets. Wen Ran wondered if he could try making garments.

After all, the tribe now had plenty of animal hides, and during the dry season, beastmen shed plenty of fur, all of which had been collected. Once the dry season passed and autumn arrived, they could search for hemp, ramie, and cotton. Wen Ran could also buy a few sample garments or books on clothing-making from his space for Hu Jiao to study and practice with. As long as Hu Jiao was willing to work hard, he was sure to learn.

When the snowy season came, the weather would be bitterly cold, and the tribe’s beastmen would certainly need clothing. Not just the males, but also the Lesser Females and females would rely on animal hides. Simply wrapping hides around their bodies wouldn’t provide much warmth—making proper clothes, blankets, and bedding would be far warmer. By then, Hu Jiao could earn his keep through his craftsmanship in crafting clothes and bedding. Beastmen who wanted clothing could trade beast meat for it.

The more Wen Ran thought about it, the more feasible the plan seemed—a mutually beneficial and perfect solution.

However, the most urgent matter at hand was to help Hu Jiao break free from Hu Yu’s den.

Considering Hu Yu’s fiery temper, Wen Ran doubted she would let Hu Jiao leave easily. After some thought, he called Mao Fei and Hu Lai to accompany him and Hu Jiao to confront Hu Yu.

Both Mao Fei and Hu Lai were strong fighters. If Hu Yu resorted to unreasonable arguments or loud arguing, Wen Ran planned to have these two take turns engaging her in a war of words, arguing her into exhaustion.

That White Cat, Mao Fei, might give off a gentle and quiet impression upon first meeting, but once you got to know him, you’d realize just how lively and sharp-tongued he could be. Sending him and Hu Lai—former rival teammates—to deal with Hu Yu would be as easy as crushing debris.

It took a full day and night before Hu Yu finally gave in. Wen Ran raised an eyebrow in surprise—he had originally estimated it would take three days and two nights. He hadn’t expected Hu Yu to be so easily worn down.

Mao Ke gathered all the tribesmen at the tribe’s square. The open space was crowded with people, all craning their necks and standing on tiptoes, curious eyes shifting between Chief Mao Ke, Ritual Shaman, and Wen Ran, then to the downcast Hu Jiao and the fuming Hu Yu and her males. A low buzz of whispered conversations filled the air.

Hu Xiu Shaman waved her Skull Cane, signaling for everyone to quiet down.

Wen Ran took out a palm-sized piece of tortoise shell and scratched the characters for "divorce" on it in crooked strokes. He placed the shell in front of Hu Jiao, Hu Yu, and her males, then nodded to Hu Xiu Shaman. Hu Xiu Shaman stepped forward holding a stone bowl filled with a red liquid made from various medicinal herbs, as a substitute for ink. She had each of them dip their fingers into the liquid and press their fingerprints onto the "divorce" characters on the tortoise shell. This marked the completion of the divorce—a makeshift divorce document that Wen Ran, Chief Mao Ke, and Hu Xiu Shaman had discussed at length.

With the tribal chief Mao Ke, shaman Hu Xiu, Beast God’s Messenger Wen Ran, and all the tribesmen as witnesses, the fingerprints were pressed publicly, and the divorce certificate took effect. This meant Hu Jiao was completely free from Hu Yu’s den.

From that day on, the first-ever "divorce declaration" in the Beast World came into existence.

Among the crowd, the Beastmen looked at each other, their hushed discussions fading away as they lowered their heads, lost in thought. Wen Ran scanned each face and felt that the event had left a profound impact on them. He noticed not only the desire for divorce on the lesser female's face but also on the faces of some male Beastmen. Upon reflection, it made sense—each den housed one female and multiple males, and there were bound to be those who felt neglected, leading to thoughts of leaving the den. Divorce seemed a reasonable solution.

Although the divorce certificate had been introduced, Wen Ran still believed there were issues with marital relationships in the Beast World. He preferred monogamy and hoped to implement it in the future.

After the divorce ceremony, Wen Ran instructed Mao Ke to ensure that the news—"Hu Jiao has separated from Hu Yu’s den and is no longer related to any Beastmen from Hu Yu’s den"—reached every Beastman in every den. He was determined to make sure every Beastman knew about it.

This was the first "divorce" case he had handled in the Beast World, and Wen Ran silently vowed to handle it properly. He wanted every Beastman in the Sand Cat Tribe to understand that if life became unbearable, they could part ways amicably through "divorce."

Hu Yu was furious, uttering a few choice curses under his breath before retreating to his den with her male orcs, staying inside for several days without emerging.

Meanwhile, Lang Zhi, who had been standing quietly beside Wen Ran, traced the characters for "divorce" carved on the tortoise shell and asked, "Are these markings words?"

"Yes, these two characters mean 'divorce.' Our tribe has many more words. For example, everything I just said can be expressed in writing. Lang Zhi, would you like to learn? If so, I can teach you to read and write every day."

Lang Zhi nodded eagerly. "I want to learn!"

"Alright. Since we have nothing else to do back at the den, I can write the words on the sand. Let me think about what to teach you first, or if there’s a specific word you’d like to learn."

"There is."

"What word?"

"Wen Ran."

"..." Wen Ran glanced at Lang Zhi, sensing that the Big Black Wolf had ulterior motives, almost as if he was flirting.

"My name is easy to write. I’ll teach you that later. Let’s start with your name."

A flicker of disappointment crossed Lang Zhi’s wolf-like eyes, but he listened attentively as Wen Ran began the lesson.

......

Not long after resolving Hu Jiao’s matter, and just as Lang Zhi and the three youngsters had learned to write their names, Mao Ye and Mao Run, who were guarding the young zebra Beastmen, rushed over in a frenzy, reporting that Ban Yun had disappeared!

Wen Ran massaged his temples in frustration. It seemed one problem had barely been solved before another arose—the young zebra Beastman had ultimately sneaked away!

"Could something happen to Ban Yun?" Mao Zhi’s bright cat eyes were filled with worry.

Wen Ran replied calmly, "We’ve done all we can. Whether it’s fortune or misfortune is up to him. After all, we can’t prioritize saving the zebra tribe’s Beastmen over the lives of our own tribespeople, especially when it involves a long and dangerous journey."

Moreover, the Iridescent Snake Beastmen lurking outside the tribe couldn’t be ignored. With the scorching dry season in full swing, the heat was unbearable, and the zebra tribe was far away. The journey would be grueling, with risks of dehydration and starvation—any of these conditions could easily prove fatal.

Wen Ran didn’t fault Mao Shi, who had served as acting chief, for refusing the young zebra Beastman’s plea to rescue his tribe. In fact, agreeing to such a risky mission would have been naively self-sacrificing.

Mao Zhi nodded in agreement, though he couldn’t help but sigh deeply, feeling sorry for the young zebra Beastman heading back alone to likely die.

Wen Ran then inquired about the Iridescent Snake Beastmen stationed outside the tribe—whether they had retreated and why things had been so quiet. He didn’t believe the snake Beastmen would simply wait idly without making a move.

Currently, both sides—the Sand Cat Tribe and the Iridescent Snake Tribe—were in a waiting game, neither initiating an attack, as if waiting to see who would break first.

When Wen Ran asked this, Cat Tooth’s eyes darted nervously, though he thought he had hidden it well. In reality, the snake Beastmen hadn’t been inactive—they had just gone unnoticed.

Wen Ran immediately noticed Cat Tooth’s unease and discreetly signaled Lang Zhi, who understood and nodded in acknowledgment.

That night, Cat Tooth sought out Mao Yue again. Despite her attempts to lure him with offers and benefits, he remained unmoved, sternly and righteously rejecting her advances and telling her to tread carefully.

If it weren’t for the fact that Mao Yue’s current primary male partner, Mao Hu, was a member of his hunting team and had once been his deputy—and considering their close friendship in the tribe—Cat Tooth wouldn’t have agreed to meet her. Now, facing Wen Ran, he couldn’t shake the guilt, feeling guilty behind Wen Ran’s back.