Bei Ji's sudden apology caught Si Yan off guard. Before she could react, Xi Qing's expression turned sour. Gritting his teeth, he suddenly lunged forward, grabbing the cold dish of potato and meat stew.
Si Yan: "..."
Seeing this, Bei Ji also quickly rushed forward, grabbing a pile of potatoes from inside the cave. The two cubs, clutching the food, ran straight out.
This unexpected turn of events left the exhausted Si Yan unable to react in time. She hurriedly got up to chase after them, but the two cubs had already run far, and she was too tired to catch up.
Si Yan returned home, fuming yet helpless, frustratedly stirring the fire.
She heated the soup the cubs hadn't drunk, took a few sips, ate some meat, and then lay down to sleep.
The hard, uncomfortable bed of beast hides and stone didn't allow for a good night's sleep, and Si Yan soon got up. She stretched lazily, deciding to first address the bed's comfort.
The vegetation near the cave was relatively lush. As Si Yan weeded, she also collected plenty of clean, dry grass. She shook off the dust and left it to dry in the sun. After a while, she began to weave the dried grass.
The straw mat didn't need to be woven too finely; a rougher weave actually made it fluffier and more comfortable.
Before long, the straw mat was finished, and Si Yan hung it on some branches to continue drying.
No sooner had she hung the mat to dry than Si Yan heard a noisy commotion outside.
Vaguely hearing the voices of her two cubs, she hurried out.
Under a large tree not far away, a tall, plump female was gripping Bei Ji and Xi Qing. They looked disheveled as they struggled in her grasp, and what appeared to be Red Earth Fruit were scattered on the ground around them.
"You unwanted, cold-blooded snake Beastmen, out stealing again!" the plump female, Xiong Nai, exclaimed.
Si Yan quickly ran over. "Stop it! How dare you touch my cubs!"
Xiong Nai looked at Si Yan strangely. Si Yan was known in the tribe as a notorious female—lazy, mean, and neglectful of her own cubs.
Seeing Xiong Nai still hadn't released her two cubs, who were struggling desperately, Si Yan disregarded everything else and lunged, grabbing Xiong Nai's hair. The sharp pain in Xiong Nai's scalp forced her to let go of the cubs.
"Si Yan, are you insane? These two snake cubs were stealing!" Xiong Nai cried out.
Finally free, Xi Qing and Bei Ji hurriedly scrambled to one side. They quickly picked up the Red Earth Fruit from the ground, keeping their distance from both Si Yan and Xiong Nai.
This bad female never cared about them. If they got into trouble, she always beat them without asking for any reason!
This bad female will surely side with Xiong Nai and beat us up.
Xi Qing and Bei Ji stubbornly huddled together.
Seeing her two cubs keeping their distance, Si Yan could tell they didn't rely on her and were even actively avoiding her.
Si Yan's mouth twitched. Still, I should deal with the one bullying my cubs first, she decided.
Si Yan continued to pull Xiong Nai's hair, asking coldly, "Why are you bullying my cubs!?"
Xiong Nai hadn't expected this seemingly frail little female to be so strong, actually causing her pain. She fumed, "Bullying cubs? Si Yan, be reasonable! They stole my Red Earth Fruit! They're little thieves!"
Red Earth Fruit—in other words, sweet potatoes.
Si Yan looked towards the Red Earth Fruit they were holding. "Did you steal someone else's Red Earth Fruit?"
Xi Qing's face showed a trace of disdain and anger, while Bei Ji hung his head.
In the past, whenever someone accused them of wrongdoing, this bad female never interfered; she always believed outsiders. It was impossible to expect her to defend them.
Si Yan only glanced at the cubs' expressions before turning back to Xiong Nai. "They did not steal your Red Earth Fruit."
Xi Qing and Bei Ji suddenly looked up at Si Yan.
Xiong Nai exclaimed, "Impossible!"
Si Yan asked, "Did you see them steal it with your own eyes?"
Xiong Nai retorted, "My Red Earth Fruit was on those large leaves over there. I stepped away for just a moment. When I came back, they were gone! But then I happened to see *them* walking over with Red Earth Fruit in their arms. If they didn't steal it, who did?!"
Si Yan stated coldly, "So, you didn't actually see my cubs steal your Red Earth Fruit, but you're accusing them anyway?"
Xiong Nai insisted, "Xi Qing and Bei Ji are well-known thieves in the tribe. No one else could have done it!"
Xi Qing and Bei Ji looked away, their expressions souring.
Si Yan asked with a stern face, "How long were you away?"
Xiong Nai replied, "Not long. Just a little while."
Si Yan said, "Then the thief couldn't have gone far. Wait here."
Si Yan released Xiong Nai and walked over to the large leaves. She touched them and used her Plant-based Ability, sensing faint traces of Red Earth Fruit. Crouching down to examine the ground more closely, she noticed some small footprints.
"Come over here and look," Si Yan called. "What kind of footprints are these?"
Xiong Nai hurried over and indeed saw some paw prints resembling plum blossoms beside the large leaves.
Xiong Nai said, puzzled, "These look like the footprints of bear cubs. Could it really not have been Xi Qing and Bei Ji who stole them?"
Si Yan followed the direction of the small footprints and quickly ran over. Parting the bushes, she indeed found several small bear cubs nestled within, voraciously eating the Red Earth Fruit!
Xiong Nai shouted in astonishment, "They're Xiong Rou's cubs!"
The area was a mess; the Red Earth Fruit were almost completely consumed.
Without another word, Xiong Nai grabbed the four little bear cubs from the ground. The cubs, not expecting to be discovered, kicked and screamed.
Si Yan glared fiercely at the four bear cubs. Perhaps her terrifying gaze finally frightened them, as they quieted down.
Xi Qing and Bei Ji still stood far away as Si Yan sternly said to Xiong Nai, "Xiong Nai, you owe Xi Qing and Bei Ji an apology!"
Xiong Nai said dismissively, "What's there to apologize for? They're just cold-blooded snake Beastmen. It's not their first time stealing. Who knows if the Red Earth Fruit in their hands wasn't stolen from someone else."
Si Yan felt very uncomfortable with Xiong Nai's contemptuous tone. She turned to look at her two cubs, only to see Xi Qing and Bei Ji with their lips pursed in a tight line, a mixture of grievance and obstinacy on their faces.
Si Yan said angrily, "You're an adult female, yet you slandered two cubs for theft! Now that it's proven it wasn't them, you're shameless enough not to apologize?!"
Xiong Nai retorted, "I won't apologize! Even if they didn't steal mine, they've probably stolen from someone else. Look at them, they're not even saying anything!"
Si Yan's face darkened. "Are you really not going to apologize?"
Xiong Nai replied stubbornly, "I won't apologize! I absolutely will not apologize to cold-blooded snake Beastmen!"
Si Yan laughed in anger. Fine, a Beastman issue will be resolved the Beastman way! She then said straightforwardly, "If you don't apologize, I'll beat you up!"
With that, Si Yan pounced on Xiong Nai, and the two began to scuffle. Xiong Nai was taller and stronger than Si Yan, but somehow, she just couldn't overpower her.
Si Yan beat Xiong Nai until she was bruised and swollen, her ferocity frightening even the four bear cubs watching from the side.
After the beating, Si Yan dragged Xiong Nai in front of her two cubs. Xi Qing and Bei Ji looked at her with complex expressions.
"Apologize!" Si Yan said coldly.
Xiong Nai's hard-dug Red Earth Fruit were gone, she had been severely beaten, and she felt incredibly wronged.
Si Yan repeated, "I said, apologize!"
Pressured beyond endurance, Xiong Nai quickly shouted, "I'm sorry!" then turned and ran away, crying and sobbing.