CHAPTER 98: CHAPTER 90 TAI SENG HIDES THE MARK_1

"You people!" He had said many times that he was a male from the Yanxiang Tribe.

But they had trapped him here with all sorts of twisted logic, making it impossible for him to leave.

Tai Seng was infuriated.

Yin Xiu said, "Young Master, you bear no Mistress’s totem mark. If you want to prove you have a Mistress, you must at least show us the totem mark!"

Tai Seng’s face darkened.

Si Yan’s totem mark was unlike any he had ever seen before.

Instinctively protective of her, he couldn’t show Si Yan’s totem to others.

"You cannot show it?" Yin Xiu lowered her eyes. "Young Master, please stay in the Silver Wolf Tribe. Stay in your homeland."

Tai Seng’s gaze grew heavier as he looked up beyond the barrier.

The weather was growing hotter. If his judgment was correct, the Yanxiang Tribe might have already begun their migration.

He wondered how she was doing now.

Suppressing his profound worry, he squinted at the group of Silver Wolf Beastmen before him.

The Silver Wolf Tribe was indeed far more powerful than the Yanxiang Tribe. In his own tribe, he was the only Red Crystal Beastman. In contrast, he hadn’t even identified all the Red Crystal Beastmen in the Silver Wolf Tribe yet.

The female Silver Wolf, Yin Xiu, coaxed gently, "Young Master, the Yanxiang Tribe’s heritage is meager; it cannot cultivate your potential. Only by staying with the Silver Wolf Tribe can you learn the skills a true Silver Wolf should possess."

Tai Seng remained seated, resolute and unmoving.

He was not skilled with words, and unsure what to say, he simply endured in silence.

This was how he had endured the days they held him captive.

Yin Xiu sighed and stepped out of Tai Seng’s cave with the clan elders.

An elder, still unconvinced, said, "He truly won’t be swayed by either gentle persuasion or harsh tactics. Witch Xiu, what should we do if he continues to refuse?"

Yin Xiu remained silent for a moment before saying, "The Day of Blazing Flames is approaching."

The weather grew hotter, and even the Silver Wolf Tribe’s habitat became increasingly warm.

"According to the prophecy, this time the sun is closer than ever before, and the Day of Blazing Flames will be more intense than in any previous year." The tribe would face its greatest disaster during this upcoming Day of Blazing Flames.

Where could they hide? There was nowhere to hide.

Water sources would dry up, and famine would spread across the land.

The elder slowly lowered his head in silence.

"Young Master Tai Seng’s abilities might be the key to saving our people," Yin Xiu said, looking up at the sky. "For the sake of our tribe, he has no choice."

Yin Xiu looked behind her. "Yin Qiu."

A graceful young woman stood behind them, curiously gazing at Tai Seng’s cave. Hearing Yin Xiu’s call, Yin Qiu immediately turned around.

"Mother," the young woman called sweetly.

"Come here."

Yin Qiu approached Yin Xiu’s side. She asked curiously, "Mother, is Tai Seng truly Grandfather Shui’s grandson?"

Yin Xiu nodded. "Tai Seng’s grandfather is indeed Yin Shui."

Yin Qiu’s face flushed a deeper red.

Yin Xiu tapped her small nose. "You and Tai Seng have been betrothed since childhood. We will arrange it for you and make Tai Seng your mate."

If Tai Seng and Yin Qiu successfully formed a mating bond, Tai Seng would undoubtedly remain with the Silver Wolf Tribe. He would become their Young Master and protect them.

Si Yan and a few others were confined to a corner of the cave.

The Beastmen who had been guarding them had also left, one after another.

Si Yan glanced left and right around the cave entrance before her gaze finally settled on She Ying.

Just then, She Ying, whose face was usually grim and expressionless, with a soft POP!, transformed right before Si Yan and the others. He became a green wooden stick—not too long, not too thick, and bearing several knot-like scars.

Si Yan was speechless.

She had seen people transform in the Beast World before, but this was the first time she’d seen someone turn into a wooden stick!

"H-h-he... he turned into wood?!" Si Yan exclaimed in surprise.

Dongchi explained, "Mother, She Ying’s true form is that of a Brocade Snake Beastman, and he’s skilled in mimicry. Sometimes he turns into a wooden stick and hides among a pile of them; no one can find him then."

Si Yan’s gaze circled the wooden stick.

Impressive. Truly impressive.

Two vacant eyes emerged on the wooden stick. The green stick, much like She Ying himself, seemed utterly devoid of expression.

Then Si Yan watched as the stick, despite being tightly bound from top to bottom by a mass of ropes, began to bend and maneuver, bend and maneuver.

And just like that, it wriggled free.

Si Yan was dumbfounded.

Si Yan stared at the green stick with a peculiar expression as it moved beside her and Dongchi. Then, a mouth sprouted on the stick and began to untie their ropes.

Si Yan was utterly flabbergasted.

The ropes binding Si Yan, Dongchi, and Nan Mo fell away.

She Ying led the three of them, along with the young female, in a cautious escape.

However, this was a den of wolves, after all, and their sense of smell was incredibly acute.

They hadn’t fled far when a pack of Silver Wolves suddenly appeared, their sharp claws inches from their necks.

They were captured once again.

This time, the Silver Wolf Beastmen had learned their lesson. They confined She Ying separately from Si Yan and Dongchi.

Si Yan and Dongchi were confined in one cave. She Ying, Nan Mo, and the young female were in another.

Dongchi, his escape attempt thwarted, sat not far from Si Yan.

Si Yan looked around, then sat at the cave entrance and began to chat with the Silver Wolf guarding the opening.

She adopted a sweet tone and asked, "Excuse me, young man, where is this place? Is it far from Dark Sun Lake?"

The Silver Wolf Beastman guarding the entrance resisted the urge to look at her, keeping his head facing forward.

Si Yan continued in her sweet voice, "Are there any water sources or lakes nearby? What do you eat? Do you have much salt?"

The Silver Wolf Beastman’s claws twitched.

Si Yan glanced at the Beastmen sharing food not far away, then spoke again in her sweet tone, "The weather is getting hotter, isn’t it? Won’t that mean less vegetation? Herbivores will starve and die of thirst. Then carnivores won’t have enough food and will also die. If you’re short on food, how will you survive the Day of Blazing Flames?"

The Silver Wolves couldn’t help but turn to glare at her.

Although these Silver Wolf Beastmen ignored her, Si Yan persisted sweetly, "Young man, many tribes have already headed to Dark Sun Lake. Why haven’t you?"

The naive Silver Wolf Beastman could no longer hold back. He retorted, "Our Silver Wolf Tribe is a great tribe with a long heritage! We have our own sanctuary; we don’t need to go to Dark Sun Lake."

A sanctuary?

She asked, "So, where is the Silver Wolf Tribe’s sanctuary? When the Day of Blazing Flames arrives, will you take my child and me there too?"

The Silver Wolf Beastman shot her a sidelong glance. "Stop asking. I won’t answer."

Si Yan pressed on, "But young man, even if you have a sanctuary, if there isn’t enough food, many of your tribe will starve when the time comes, won’t they?"

"Hmph! We Silver Wolves are natural hunters," the Beastman said, his gaze lowered. "We just... we just can’t store food!"

Under the blazing sun, food spoils quickly. No matter how much they hunt, it becomes inedible before long.

Si Yan grinned. "You may not have a way, but I do! If you let us go, I’ll tell you some methods for storing food. How about it?"

The Silver Wolf Beastman looked skeptical and didn’t respond.

Si Yan pressed on, "Young man, please don’t dismiss it. Just listen to what I have to say. It could give more of your tribe a chance to survive. What do you have to lose?"

Si Yan smiled, her eyes sparkling despite the grime on her face. "Let me speak with your Clan Leader, alright?"

Yin Hong, who had just approached, overheard Si Yan. Curious, he asked her, "What methods do you have for storing food?"

Si Yan shifted her position, allowing Dongchi to lean against her more comfortably.

Si Yan said, "Young Master, I certainly do have methods. Why don’t you have someone in authority from your tribe speak with me? But before we discuss anything, could you please give us some food and water? We’re practically dying of thirst and hunger."

Yin Hong stared at Si Yan for a long moment.

Then he made a decision. Turning to the Silver Wolf Beastman beside him, he ordered, "Untie their ropes. And give them more water and food."

"Also, go and call my mother."

Only then did Si Yan finally relax a little.

The Silver Wolves guarding them untied their ropes. Fresh raw meat and untreated water were placed before them.

They watched as Si Yan prepared to eat. She took a piece of gauze tied around her waist, crudely filtered the untreated water with it, and then gave it to Dongchi to drink first.

"Dongchi, drink some water first."

Dongchi asked worriedly, "Mother, what about this meat?"

He knew she couldn’t let others find out she could use fire.

But she didn’t eat raw meat either.

Si Yan patted Dongchi’s head and said softly with a gentle laugh, "It’s alright. We’ll soon be able to live the way we want to."