Chapter 96

Chapter 96

Bingqiu was still in shock, temporarily speechless. Meanwhile, on the field, the gray fox and the little black lion had already begun their match.

The moment the gray fox appeared, the little black lion understood: he couldn't win.

He had been too confident. The massive gray fox before him gave him the same feeling he had when he first saw Uncle Feng Yan and Uncle Rong Shan in their beast forms.

It was the innate awe and respect beastmen held for the strong, and also the goal he'd always wanted to surpass.

However, he didn't want to give up. He had to try!

The little black lion pressed his forelegs against a stone even larger than himself, his hind leg muscles bulging as he dug his claws into the ground, instantly leaving clear scratch marks!

A moment before, the giant gray fox had only a single paw on the massive stone. When the little black lion stubbornly went all out, the gray fox was a bit surprised. No wonder the cub wanted him in beast form; if he had used his human form, he might not have won so quickly.

By the second breath, the giant gray fox braced both paws against the stone. This cub was indeed stronger than most adult beastmen, a truly rare talent.

By the third breath, the little black lion, who had pushed himself to the limit in one final effort, couldn't keep up such effort. His forelegs began to tremble.

By the fourth breath, the gray fox stopped going easy and shoved the stone and the little black lion across the line together.

It was over even quicker than the last match.

"What?" The beastmen watching hadn't even processed it yet, and the match was already over?

It ended too quickly. Coupled with the fact that his opponent was a cub, the crowd couldn't tell how strong the little black lion really was, and they felt the match wasn't exciting enough.

The beastman steward saw the scratch marks the little black lion had left on the ground. Only he knew that this cub was no pushover either.

"Is there anyone else who wants to come up and challenge?" the steward asked. He could tell this gray fox beastman was definitely not someone to mess with, and he figured no one else would dare step up.

Sure enough, after he asked, the crowd went quiet.

Just as the steward was about to announce the final winner, the gray fox beastman spoke up: "Give the 'divine herb' to the cub. I stand by my word."

"This..." The steward was a bit hesitant.

But he quickly reacted and added, "Tell you what: according to the rules, we'll still give you the 'divine herb.' After that, you can give it to whoever you want. It's none of our business."

This worked for everyone, so the gray fox nodded in agreement to the steward's proposal.

"Let's congratulate this beastman for obtaining the 'divine herb'!"

The crowd played along, clapping enthusiastically.

The little snow fox quickly jumped down from Bingqiu's arms and scurried off to find the little black lion.

The little black lion, however, stood there dazed, panting hard as if he was still out of it.

"Chong Yan," the little snow fox reached out a paw and placed it on the little black lion's paw, "Good job!" The little black lion had realized in that instant that he only had one shot, so he went all out. Even though he didn't win in the end, he'd given it his all.

The little black lion lay down, extending his forepaws to gather Little Dumpling into his embrace, nuzzling the little snow fox again and again, he wasn't feeling down or sad anymore.

The steward, holding the "divine herb," walked behind the gray fox. As they approached the black lion cub, they heard a sudden shout: "Grandpa!"

Then a figure came flying and pounced. The gray fox beastman caught him on instinct.

"Grandpa! It's me, Bingqiu! I've missed you so much!" Bingqiu said, hugging the gray fox's neck and sniffling as he wiped away tears.

This gray fox beastman was named Hui Qiong, the traveling beastman grandfather of Bingqiu and Tuanzai.

Watching Bingqiu expertly wipe his tears on his fur clothing, Hui Qiong smiled, his face crinkling: "Bingqiu, you've grown so big? Grandpa almost didn't recognize you."

Hui Qiong hadn't returned to the Snow Fox Tribe for a long time. At this moment of seeing Bingqiu again, a bright smile, long absent, appeared on his face.

The current Bingqiu was almost unrecognizable compared to when he had left the Snow Fox Tribe. Back then, Bingqiu was still a short, dark, and skinny little fox.

Perhaps influenced by the family atmosphere at the time, Bingqiu was often silent back then, rarely seen smiling.

The Bingqiu of the past was nothing like the cub Hui Qiong had just seen, whose face was so expressive and whose inner thoughts were probably even more lively.

Hui Qiong: "Our Bingqiu has grown taller, his skin has become fairer, and he looks so spirited." He also seemed much fuller.

Hui Qiong had only vaguely felt a sense of familiarity with that cub earlier but hadn't dared to believe it was their Bingqiu. Cubs really do change day by day, growing up so fast.

"Hehe." Being praised like this by his grandpa, Bingqiu smiled sheepishly.

Remembering that he had actually hoped his grandpa would lose the match earlier, Bingqiu felt a bit guilty. He definitely wouldn't tell his grandpa about that. Tuanzai probably didn't hear him, right? He couldn't let Tuanzai betray him either.

"Why are you alone here? Where's Xue Tuan? Where are your father and dad?" Hui Qiong asked. This place was exceptionally far from the Snow Fox Tribe. How did Bingqiu end up here alone?

"We'll go find Father and Dad in a little while. Xue Tuan and I were just wandering around here on our own."

Hui Qiong hadn't yet understood how their whole family had left the Snow Fox Tribe. Hearing that Xue Tuan was also here, he was momentarily stunned.

Bingqiu slipped down from Hui Qiong's embrace and immediately ran over to pick up the little snow fox, holding him up to Hui Qiong and saying, "Tuanzai, look! This is our grandpa!"

Looking at the little snow fox before him, Hui Qiong found it hard to believe. When he had held this little snow fox earlier, it had never occurred to him that this could actually be their family's cub.

This lively, adorable little snow fox was actually their family's... Had the cub's illness been cured? Had the cub finally regained his health?

Hui Qiong carefully took the well-behaved, beautiful little snow fox from Bingqiu's hands.

"Is this really Xue Tuan?" Hui Qiong's voice trembled with excitement. "Little one, do you... remember Grandpa?"

"Grandpa?" The little snow fox tilted his head, examining the grandpa before him who looked considerably younger than Grandpa Mushi. Was this the grandpa who had given him the little clay bowl before he was conscious?

"Yes!" Hui Qiong immediately hugged the little snow fox tightly to his chest. His family's cub could finally call him Grandpa!

His family's cub had truly regained his health! He was no longer that dull, unresponsive little fellow!

Beast God above, even if all the time he had spent searching for medicinal herbs was wasted, he would willingly exchange it for his family's cub's health. And this time, it seemed the Beast God had finally heard his prayers.

Bingqiu had never seen his grandpa so emotional before, and his own eyes also reddened.

He recalled his past self, thought of his fathers, and remembered the feelings when they watched Xue Tuan gradually get better. Grandpa must be feeling the same way they did back then.

When they left the Snow Fox Tribe, they had left a message with the elders. If Grandpa returned to the tribe looking for them, they were to tell him they had headed south, searching for a way to help Xue Tuan survive.

The last time Grandpa left, he said he might be gone for a long time because he was going to search even farther away for medicinal herbs that could help Xue Tuan recover.

So, it seemed Grandpa hadn't returned to the tribe yet, which was why he didn't know they had traveled all the way south and established their own new home in a new place.

The little snow fox was held tightly in Hui Qiong's embrace, but he didn't feel uncomfortable.

Hui Qiong's embrace was the same as Father's and Dad's—warm and filled with a sense of security.

No wonder, the first time he was held by someone he thought was a stranger, he didn’t feel any dislike or discomfort at all.

Before he had regained consciousness, Grandpa must have held him countless times. That’s why, even after such a long time had passed, he still felt that urge to be close to him.

“Grandpa, don’t cry.” Noticing his fur was getting damp, the little snow fox slowly stretched out his paws and hugged Hui Qiong’s neck. He hoped his hug could make Grandpa feel better.

After what felt like ages, the beastman steward, who had been too afraid to speak up, still stood quietly to the side, holding the “divine herb.”

Had he accidentally stumbled upon some family reunion? Such a rare, once-in-a-lifetime scene, and he actually got to witness it?

The steward didn’t know what to say either. Sticking to his serious, responsible nature and the belief in maintaining the good reputation of the Sun Moon Tribe, he had no choice but to keep waiting.

However, he silently lowered his head: Shoot, why didn’t he just hand over the “divine herb” directly earlier? Why did he have to deliver it personally?

Standing beside the steward were two others: the little black lion and Shao Shao.

Shao Shao had originally been waiting for the competition to end so he could come over and strike up a conversation with Bing Qiu and the others.

He hadn’t expected to walk in on such a scene. To make a good impression, Shao Shao also didn’t dare say a word and could only wait silently.

The little black lion, on the other hand, never imagined that the gray fox beastman he had competed against would be Little Dumpling’s grandpa.

His mind kept racing over what had happened—he hadn’t acted in any disrespectful way, had he?

When he asked Little Dumpling’s grandpa to transform into his beast form, Grandpa had seemed a bit unhappy… He hoped that hadn’t left a bad impression.

But seeing Little Dumpling reunite with his family, the little black lion genuinely felt happy for him.

·

A night breeze whispered from the forest's edge, carrying the scent of grass and trees, as well as the distant chirp of insects.

In the clearing surrounded by darkness, clusters of flames danced eagerly, stretching the shadows of the beastmen bit by bit.

The Mountain Water Tribe members sat around the firepit, the firewood burning brightly and crackling.

The firelight illuminated Hui Qiong’s face, washing it in a warm, reddish glow. The weariness of years on the road had vanished from his eyes, replaced by the calm and joy of finally relaxing.

Feng Yan and Rong Shan had already reminisced with Hui Qiong, introducing their father to the other members of the Mountain Water Tribe.

Everyone warmly welcomed Hui Qiong’s arrival. Although Hui Qiong was already a grandfather's age, he looked incredibly strong, making no one dare to underestimate him.

And Hui Qiong, from the moment he picked up the little snow fox, hadn’t put him down since.

The little snow fox once again experienced what it meant to “have food brought to your mouth and clothes put on for you.” Grandpa was even more doting than his fathers had been when he was sick, hardly letting him do anything at all.

“Be good, little one. What do you want? Grandpa will get it for you.”

“Don’t move, little one. Grandpa will feed you.”

As if to make up for all the time he hadn’t been by the little snow fox’s side, Hui Qiong seemed determined to hold him as much as possible.

Not to mention Feng Yan and Rong Shan, even Bing Qiu and the little black lion had to get in line if they wanted to hold the little snow fox.

But this also allowed the little snow fox to quickly grow familiar with Hui Qiong.

The beastman who had pushed the little black lion, stone and all, away in just a few seconds was now gently feeding a small fruit to the little snow fox’s mouth.

Watching the lively way the little snow fox ate, Hui Qiong’s heart melted into a puddle. In this beast world, he refused to believe there could be a cuter little cub than his own grandchild.

“Father, you should let the little one move around more on his own…” Rong Shan advised. He had completely forgotten that he used to do the same thing.

Hui Qiong: “It’s fine. Our little one is so thin and small, right at the age where he needs to gain some meat. What’s the harm in moving a little less?”

Hearing this, the same thought flashed through both Feng Yan and Rong Shan’s minds: And so, the person in the entire tribe who spoils the little one the most has arrived.

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Author’s Note: Thank you, treasures, for the nutrient solution [kiss].