CHAPTER 158: CHAPTER 149 THE SUN IS STILL GROWING_1

In Si Yan’s cave, the two cubs had already fallen into a deep summer slumber. Wang’s summer sleep was still relatively light, and he could feel Si Yan taking care of the three of them.

After Tai Seng had moved the water vat out of the cave, Si Yan fashioned a bed from bamboo found in the forest, laid a grass mat on it, and then moved the two small Sen Rans and one large Sen Ran onto it to sleep. Subsequently, she hung a grass curtain in front of their sleeping area, which could be drawn open or closed. When someone came by, she would lower it for privacy. When no one was around, she would draw it up to allow for ventilation. When the Yanxiang Tribe members approached, Si Yan lowered the grass curtain.

When the village chief and Mei Wen arrived, they saw Tai Seng in the shade of the trees outside the cave, processing the day’s hunt. Water resources were scarce, so they dared not use it wastefully, and game was hard to come by. Consequently, the game wasn’t processed as meticulously as before. Entrails and bones weren’t discarded; everything was kept. However, Si Yan wasn’t being fastidious at this time and wouldn’t insist on the food being exceptionally clean under such circumstances.

Upon seeing the village chief and Mei Wen arrive, Tai Seng stopped his work and followed them into the cave. Entering the cave, the village chief and Mei Wen, for the first time, laid eyes on compartmentalized wooden furniture, beds, curtains, and other such items. There were also brooms made from tree branches and grass stalks, a dustpan for sweeping refuse, and even a fan crafted from avian feathers. They found it all exceptionally novel. But unlike previous encounters, despite their curiosity, they dared not ask many questions. After all, their relationship with Si Yan was no longer amicable. She had become the Lady of the Lord, and her status was entirely different.

"Witch Doctor, Village Chief, please sit," Si Yan invited, gesturing towards stone seats.

Tai Seng brought over a few cups of water, a customary gesture of hospitality Si Yan had established. However, due to the water scarcity, the wooden cups were not filled very much.

Si Yan picked up her fan and began to fan herself. The village chief felt uneasy sitting in Si Yan’s cave, surrounded by its signs of advanced culture, keenly aware of the disparity between them. Tai Seng sat on the ground not far from Si Yan. He also picked up a feather fan and fanned himself. After fanning himself a couple of times and feeling some relief, he moved behind Si Yan and began fanning her.

Seeing the chapped lips of the village chief and the Witch Doctor, Si Yan said, "Please, drink. It’s alright."

A pang of shame struck the village chief. "Si Yan, I know saying this now might not be useful, but... I am truly sorry. I’ve thought about it a great deal these past days. It was one thing for those children to misbehave, but I, an old man, should never have gotten involved and pressured you."

The village chief suddenly stood, looking as if he intended to kowtow to Si Yan.

Si Yan quickly rose to stop him. "What are you doing?!"

"I don’t know how else to apologize," the village chief said, his voice thick with emotion. "If you harbor any anger, direct it all at me. I... the children of the Yanxiang Tribe are wolf and bear Beastmen. They may have ill tempers, but they don’t deserve death...

"Si Yan," he pleaded, his eyes reddening and tears welling on his aged face, "I beg you to save our tribe. Please, I’m begging you."

Mei Wen stood up, also preparing to kneel. "Si Yan, the tribe was wrong."

Then she continued, "Si Yan, I am aware of what happened. I am helpless now and can only swallow my pride and beg you to save the tribe. Xiong Nai is about to give birth, and she and her cub cannot survive without water now."

Si Yan’s heart tightened. She had received kindness from both the village chief and Mei Wen in the past, so when the village chief had expelled her, her feelings had been incredibly complicated. She had felt hatred, then tried to persuade herself not to hate. These complex emotions had entangled her for a long time. But in the end, she couldn’t bring herself to thoroughly hate this old man who was so devoted to his tribe’s welfare.

Enough. So be it. Every grievance has its perpetrator, and every debt its debtor. These accounts, I will settle thoroughly with Lang Feng.

"Stand up and speak. If you don’t stand, I won’t help," Si Yan stated.

Tai Seng stepped forward to help the two elders to their feet, and the village chief and Mei Wen had no choice but to sit back down.

Si Yan then said to Tai Seng, "Tai Seng, take them there."

The village chief looked at Si Yan, somewhat confused.

Waving her fan with a slight smile, Si Yan reassured him, "Don’t worry, a cistern has already been prepared for you."

Cisterns had been fashioned from the ownerless lake; one was given to the merman Beastmen, and another was reserved for the Yanxiang Tribe. With this, she had fully repaid the kindness shown to her body’s previous owner and her cubs over the past five years.

「One month of the Scorching Sun period had passed.」

The water in the cisterns of the tribes outside was about to run dry. Wild game and edible plants had also been nearly depleted.

Tai Seng brought a watermelon in from outside. After chilling it with his Special Ability, he entered the cave, wagging his tail with a cheerful smile. "Si Yan, have some watermelon to cool off from the heat!"

Taking the watermelon, Si Yan smiled and said, "Thank you, Tai Seng."

One day, Si Yan sighed with frustration as the ice she had carefully stockpiled from the Silver Wolf Tribe was on the verge of completely melting. When Tai Seng learned the reason for her distress, he immediately used his Special Ability, working tirelessly to make ice for Si Yan. Meat, fruits, vegetables, even watermelons and strawberries—all were frozen solid.

From then on, Tai Seng truly discovered the utility of his Special Ability. If Si Yan wanted a drink, he would freeze it for her; if Si Yan wanted to eat melon, he would chill it for her. Sometimes, at the height of the noon heat when Si Yan felt particularly hot, Tai Seng would splash water on the ground and then activate his Special Ability, instantly turning the water icy cold! The temperature would plummet immediately!

With such an incredibly resourceful Beastman serving as a living air conditioner and refrigerator, Si Yan felt utterly content! And ever since Tai Seng learned how much she loved iced watermelon, he even experimented with all sorts of novel preparations. Watermelon slushies, strawberry slushies, and other frozen treats—he would occasionally expend some of his Special Ability to make them for her. This continued until Si Yan ate too many cold treats and ended up with an upset stomach and diarrhea for two days. The incident scared Tai Seng enough that he reduced the frequency of her chilly indulgences.

For others, the Scorching Sun period might have been torture. But for Si Yan, a female whose Guardian Beast possessed an ice-based Special Ability, the heat seemed not to bother her in the slightest.

So comfortable!

Si Yan ate a few bites of the watermelon, then placed the unfinished portion into her storage space. Then, she and Tai Seng went to check on Dark Sun Lake.

The sight at the edge of Dark Sun Lake was astounding—thousands of snake Beastmen, of diverse colors and sizes, were draped over the tree branches by the lake!

In her era, everyone knew that snakes hibernated, but few were aware that summer could be even more lethal to them. Snakes greatly fear heat and instinctively seek out cool, moist places during the summer months.

Si Yan, observing this vast multitude of casually hanging cold-blooded snake Beastmen, couldn’t help but murmur, "I used to be terrified of snakes... My past self could never have imagined that one day I would willingly walk among thousands of them."

On the foreheads of these tree-dwelling snake Beastmen were grey, green, or red Beast Crystals; many had no Beast Crystals at all. It was clear they weren’t wild snakes. They were all cold-blooded snake Beastmen.

After observing them for a while and confirming that all the snake Beastmen were alright, Si Yan found an open spot. She looked up through an opening in the sky above, towards the sun.

Strange. A whole month has passed. Why is the sun still getting bigger?