"Constant war made it hard to make a living. The Thousand Elephant Tribe was swallowed up by the Jackal Wolf Tribe a few years ago, and we got separated from Li Man and the others. Kemu joined a rchant caravan that traveled between the East and West Continents, and I followed him to live here... Life here is peaceful and prosperous, so we’ve been settled here ever since."
"How have you been these past few years?"
"Not bad. It’s been getting better and better."
As they walked and talked, Sang Luo learned that Ayia had not taken any other Beast Husbands. Their life was busier than other families, but it was fulfilling. However, when war broke out, the disadvantage of having fewer Beast Husbands beca apparent.
Ayia happened to be pregnant during the war. Those days were very difficult, but thankfully, they made it through.
"You’re one lucky guy, getting to marry such a wonderful female like Ayia," Sang Luo marveled.
After all these years, Kemu’s gaze toward his partner was still full of love. He spoke with a mix of guilt and happiness, "I still don’t do enough. If Ayia took a few more Male Beasts, her life would definitely be more leisurely. She wouldn’t have to do everything herself and co down to the fields to help ."
Ayia smiled. "He gave his life for back then. I don’t want any other Male Beasts in this lifeti. I just want to be with him, have a few litters of cubs, and live out my days. That’s enough."
"Simple, yet precious. A love like that is rare in this world," Sang Luo remarked with feeling.
Two half-grown youths ca running from the distance. "Dad! Mom!"
"Are these your cubs too?"
Ayia hugged a little female cub who ran up, wiping the dirt from her small, smudged face. "Yes. I’ve had three litters of cubs in total—seven males and one female. The three oldest have already transford. They can help out around the house, and hunting or farming is no problem for them. I have much more free ti than before."
"So those fields I saw on my way here are all yours?" Sang Luo looked in the direction the two cubs had run from.
"Yes. In the beginning, we only had Kemu as a Male Beast in the family, and it was hard to make a living just from his hunting. Later, we moved from the tribe to the city. There was no shortage of strong hunters among the Male Beasts in the city, but I noticed that the demand for grain and vegetables far outstripped the supply, yet almost no one was growing them. The noble females in the city wouldn’t work the fields, and the Male Beasts looked down on farming for its low returns. So, we put our heads together and rented a plot of farmland outside the city for a low price." Ayia smiled. "Who would’ve thought that we’d earn more money from growing vegetables and grain than from hunting? It’s more than enough to cover our family’s expenses. At the end of every year, we even have a lot of Beast Crystals left over. After all these years, we’ve saved up quite a bit!"
Sang Luo said, "Ayia, you have great foresight! While there are still few people farming, you two should buy and hoard as much land as you can. When your family gets too busy to handle it all, you can hire people and make the farm bigger and stronger."
"Luoluo, you’ve opened my eyes! Farming is physical labor, but it’s nothing compared to hunting. Kemu and I can hire so of the elderly and disabled Beastn in the city who can’t hunt. There are plenty of them! Our farm will definitely get bigger and bigger then!"
"Mom, you’re dreaming! All the crops on our farm are gone! You and Dad, hurry and go look!" another little male cub shouted as he ran over.
Kemu and Ayia turned pale and rushed to the farm.
Sang Luo followed them.
A drought-inducing Disaster Beast at the Half-step Beast Emperor Rank had swept its power across the area.
All the young seedlings in the farm had withered and died.
The forest outside the city had also withered.
The riverbed was dry, the earth was cracked, and the Disaster Beast had nearly eaten several Beastn who had co to the rescue.
Sang Luo slew it with a single sword strike, saving the people from further harm.
Unfortunately, the damage caused by the Disaster Beast would be difficult to recover from in a short ti. This year’s harvest was already tight, so a total crop failure was like rubbing salt in the wound.
Ayia collapsed to the ground, sobbing into her hands.
Kemu held her and comforted her. The Beast Crystals they had saved over the past few years were enough to get them through the next year.
"Luoluo!"
Lou Xianyue and Si Ye had sensed the Disaster Beast’s energy fluctuations and rushed over, only to find that she had already dealt with it.
Si Ye quickly asked, "Are you okay? You’re not hurt, are you?"
"A puny little Disaster Beast is no match for !" Sang Luo then explained the situation to the two of them.
Lou Xianyue looked at the dozens of acres of pri farmland that had been devastated, feeling it was a great pity. Suddenly, his gaze fell on Little Carp in Sang Luo’s arms, and he said to her in a low voice, "Luoluo, do you rember that Blessing Talisman Little Carp gave you? Do you still have it?"
"I do. Why?" Sang Luo took the Talisman out of her storage space. It was the first gift her daughter had given her, and she had kept it in pristine condition.
"May this land be blessed with favorable winds and tily rains, and may its fields yield a great harvest."
After Lou Xianyue whispered these words, the Talisman between his fingers instantly transford into a stream of light and dispersed into the air.
Rain clouds quickly gathered in the sky, and a torrential downpour began.
The dry riverbed began to flow once more, and the cracked earth was soaked and nourished.
Ayia was overwheld with joy. "It’s raining! This is truly a tily rain from the heavens! Quick, quick, Kemu, we still have plenty of seeds left, right? Let’s plant them again quickly! We can still make the next harvest!"
Snapping back to his senses, Kemu rushed ho to get the seeds.
Kemu and Ayia didn’t see Lou Xianyue’s subtle action. Even if they had, they wouldn’t have thought much of it, assuming it was a blessing from the Beast God.
Sang Luo snapped out of her shock. "The legendary Power of Blessing! Truly incredible!"
She gave Little Carp in her arms a big kiss. "My darling daughter, how many more of these Talismans do you have? Give them all to Mommy and Daddy."
Little Carp, sucking on her fingers, said in a sweet voice, "Mommy can have as many as she wants. I can just casually draw one whenever."
"No need. There are too many people and prying eyes. Just give the ones you have on hand."
Little Carp pulled out a dozen or so from her Qiankun Bag. "Here, they’re all here. For Mommy!"
Lou Xianyue took the Talismans first and nodded to Sang Luo. "Let go."
"Mm, it’s better if you go. Draw the attention to yourself, and no one will get any ideas about our daughter."
Of course, the tough jobs were for Dad.
Lou Xianyue took the Talismans and went to bring aid to the disaster area.
When Sang Luo went to find him that evening, she saw the City Lord and the other Beastn kneeling and bowing to him, calling him things like "Beast God," "envoy," and "High Priest" with extre piety.
After he returned, Sang Luo asked, "What was all that about?"
Lou Xianyue rubbed his hair, looking a little embarrassed. "I told the City Lord and the Elders that these were Talismans blessed by the Beast God. Soone mistook for the late Beast God High Priest. I didn’t correct them and just let them believe it."
’...’ ’What a beautiful misunderstanding.’ It certainly saved them so trouble. It also gave them a convenient excuse; from now on, they could tell everyone that the Talismans were a gift from the Beast God.
Sang Luo said, "I’ve heard the title of Beast God High Priest before. So he’s already passed away? No wonder I haven’t seen him in all the ti I’ve been on the East Continent. I just assud the High Priest was living in seclusion."
"Yes, it happened so years ago. I’ve heard that the Phoenix Emperor was the High Priest’s apprentice."
The situation in the city stabilized.
Sang Luo was touring the city when she saw an Old Witch Doctor finishing a diagnosis for a pregnant female. After a mont’s hesitation, she asked the Old Witch Doctor to check her pulse as well.
"Congratulations, noble female, it’s a joyous pulse!"
’...’ ’Unexpected, yet expected.’
Other than Quan Jin, she had been with all of her Beast Husbands. ’Whose child could it be?’
A cool, pleasant voice ca from the doorway.
"It’s my child."
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