"Ahem!" Shu Xin cleared her throat, reminding the two to mind their own business. They were still here!
Shu Yue chuckled and didn't move. Leaning on her man wasn't illegal, was it?
Leite was a little envious.
After finishing the biscuits, the four of them cleared up the remaining work. They had a tiring day and ate a simple meal at night before going back to rest early.
Shu Yue was already sleepy and had been forcing herself to stay awake. As soon as she lay down on the bed, her eyes felt like they were filled with lead. Wen Te had just lain down beside her when she suddenly sat up and said, "Wen Te, have you heard? Jiao Jiao has given up on you. I heard from the other females that Jiao Jiao wants to find three males!"
Wen Te was startled, thinking it was something important. When he heard it was about this, he couldn't help but laugh and cry as he pushed her back down. "I heard. It's a good thing. Aren't you sleepy anymore?"
Shu Yue instinctively snuggled into the beastman's embrace and closed her eyes again, saying, "I'm sleepy. I'm just wondering how she suddenly came to her senses. She was so determined to have you before."
"..." Wen Te didn't answer. He tightened his arm. What did he care what other females thought? He hadn't even figured out what the one in his arms was thinking!
The person asking the question didn't get an answer and had already fallen asleep.
Wen Te was still not sleepy. Seeing that his mate was asleep, he carefully extended a finger to smooth her hair. This small, palm-sized face, he found it more endearing the more he looked at it.
He gently kissed her forehead. "Yue Yue, I love you."
The beastman who confessed secretly felt sweet. After stroking her for a while longer, he closed his eyes and went to sleep.
In another cave, quiet whispers were also being exchanged.
Shu Xin lay with her back to the beastman, feeling very sleepy. The beastman behind her was still very energetic.
"Xin'er, after this busy period, let's get married, okay?" Leite couldn't sleep whenever he thought about getting married.
Shu Xin hummed with her eyes closed. "After the house is built, we'll get married."
The only thing missing between them was a contract. What was the difference between sooner or later? She was exhausted by the beastman every day. Unless Leite changed his mind, she wouldn't be able to escape.
Moreover, she was willing in her heart.
After receiving her agreement, Leite grinned happily. He hugged her possessively from behind and closed his eyes to sleep.
...
The next day, Leite brought back the tree sap. He wrapped it in leaves, fearing that if it stuck to his hands, it would peel off a layer of skin.
Shu Yue walked over curiously to take a look. As soon as she squatted down, Wen Te anxiously shouted, "Yue Yue, don't touch it!"
He quickly stepped forward and pulled her a little further away. "Just watch from here."
Shu Yue had never seen this thing before. "Is it very sticky?"
"Very."
As he spoke, he found a stone nearby and lightly touched it to the tree sap. Then he took another stone of similar size and pressed them together. The two stones stuck together tightly, like magnets.
Shu Yue tried to pry them apart with all her might, but she couldn't.
Wen Te took it and helped her pry them apart. The strength of a dragon beast was immense, and he easily broke the stone, but the two sides stuck together by the tree sap remained firmly bonded.
A flash of surprise crossed Shu Yue's eyes. "This tree sap is really sticky. Our house is sorted!"
Shu Xin found it magical and looked down at the gelatinous liquid fixed on the leaves. "Why doesn't it stick to the leaves?"
"We don't know." The two males shook their heads.
"It doesn't stick to leaves or wood, otherwise, the tree sap couldn't be extracted."
The few of them couldn't figure it out, and Shu Yue sighed, marveling at the magical power of nature.
With the precious tree sap, building a house could be put on the agenda.
"Where should we build the house? We should also inform Grandpa, right?" Shu Yue asked.
Leite said, "We'll find a place first, and then inform Father once we've decided."
"Xin'er, how big do you want the house to be? I'll look for a suitable place first."
Shu Xin hadn't expected such a smooth resolution to such a big problem. She said, "No rush for now. I'll draw some house sketches these two days and plan it out."
"I plan to build one house first to test the effect. If it's sturdy and feasible, we'll build a second one. Our two families will be next to each other, which will be much more convenient for daily life."
Shu Yue nodded in agreement. "That's good."
Leite then asked, "Then who will live in the first house that's built?"
Shu Xin glanced at him. "We'll live together."
Seeing that he was about to ask more, she quickly stopped him. "You'll understand once I finish the sketches."
"..." Alright.
Besides the tree sap, there were also two large net bags of mushrooms in the yard. They weren't as big as the first time they saw them. It made sense, as they only gave the mushrooms a day to grow, and they had grown with all their might, only to be plucked before they could grow bigger. Such pitiful mushrooms!
The tribal chief had decreed that whoever picked the mushrooms would own them and they didn't need to be handed over to the tribe for distribution. The tribesmen were all excited upon hearing this. Anyone who liked mushrooms, without needing to be urged, went out to sweep for mushrooms early.
The forest seemed endless, and the mushrooms were impossible to pick completely.
However, they didn't pick mushrooms beyond their hunting range. The risk increased, and it wouldn't be worth it if an accident occurred.
The barbarian tribe saw the actions of the Warrior Tribe sweeping for mushrooms. They all thought the chief of the Warrior Tribe had gone mad!
That tree mold would kill people. What were these people doing picking so much? Making poison?
That evening, Long Ye received the news. Even with his composure and wisdom, he was bewildered by the actions of the Warrior Tribe.
"Are you sure you're not mistaken? They're picking tree mold to eat?"
The tribesman stated it with absolute certainty. "I'm not mistaken, Chief. Not only did I see it, but the people hunting with me also saw it. Do you think they were driven mad by the beast tide?"
The beast tide this year had cost their barbarian tribe dearly. Who would have thought that a berserk beast would appear among them!
If it weren't for the chief and the young chief working together to kill the berserk beast, they would have suffered even greater losses!
Long Ye's brows were furrowed. What was Balen trying to do? First, eating grass seeds, and now picking tree mold. Could tree mold really be edible?
A'man suggested, "Father, I'm fine now. Why don't I go to the Warrior Tribe to take a look?"
"Balen isn't stupid. He must have a reason for doing this. I can take this opportunity to see how badly their tribe was damaged by the beast tide."
Long Ye pondered for a few seconds and then agreed. "Alright, but be careful and don't let Balen and the others discover you."
A'man smiled confidently. "Don't worry, I'm not going to cause trouble. I'm good at hiding!"
After eating the berserk beast meat, his strength had improved significantly, and he was very confident in himself.
Dragon beasts were proud of their strength. Long Ye trusted his son's abilities. A'man wasn't a reckless person, so he felt at ease.
"Okay, go ahead. In a while, it will be the trading period. Go and see what the Warrior Tribe is up to. It would be even better if you could find out news about the Beast God's messenger."
A'man nodded, indicating he understood.
He and Leite and Wen Te were only a few years apart. When they were not yet adults, the three of them often fought when they met. Last year, they would still fight from time to time, but this year, they hadn't encountered the two of them.