396: Chapter 396 A Burden

"It really is you!"

The Cobra Snake Beastman's vertical pupils suddenly constricted, and his tongue flickered violently, revealing extreme excitement.

"We come from the same Tribe! They exiled you back then, and later, they abandoned me as well!"

Zhu Xiu flicked his snake tail nonchalantly, his crimson eyes flashing with a dangerous light. "Oh? Then what great taboo did you commit to be kicked out of the Tribe?"

"I only had mating with a Female who had just reached adulthood!"

The Snake Beastman suddenly raised his head excitedly, a mad hatred erupting in his eyes. "Those hypocrites! I swear I'll go back for revenge! But..." His tone suddenly shifted to a morbid pleasure. "Being a Wandering Beastman isn't bad either; I can wantonly possess any Female I set my sights on..."

"Heh..." Bai Wanwan couldn't help but sneer. "You'd better look at how many beastmen are around you. Saying such things in front of us—do you have a death wish?"

Only then did the Snake Beastman notice the petite figure behind the crowd. His vertical pupils instantly burst with greedy light. "Zhu Xiu! Take her! We'll form an alliance from now on, and in the future, we can go back for revenge together."

"Sure."

Zhu Xiu slowly slithered his body, his scales rubbing together with a hair-raising sound.

"Wait! I told you to take that Female!" the Snake Beastman hissed urgently.

In his understanding, Mutated Serpent Beasts were all solitary wanderers; even seeing Zhu Xiu traveling with other beastmen, he only assumed they were temporary companions.

"There are too many Males around her." Zhu Xiu intentionally lowered his voice, releasing a dangerous signal. "But... if we join forces..."

The Snake Beastman immediately arched his body in excitement. "Yes! Together we..."

"I'll draw their attention, and you'll be responsible for snatching her." Zhu Xiu nodded as if in deep thought.

The Snake Beastman impatiently tightened his tail around Yin Mei, causing her to let out a painful groan.

In the distance, Yin Ze, Kong Lai, and Bai Wanwan all tensed up, their fists clenching until their knuckles cracked.

At that critical moment.

Hiss!

Zhu Xiu suddenly lunged, his fangs sinking deep into his fellow tribesman's back!

"You..." The Snake Beastman's eyes widened in disbelief as his massive body crashed to the ground. "Why?"

He struggled desperately, but could only spit out black blood in vain.

Yin Ze and Kong Lai seized the opportunity to rush forward and rescue the dying Yin Mei.

"We are of the same race..." the Snake Beastman gasped painfully. "Why... would you kill me for Foreign Beastmen?"

Zhu Xiu looked down at him with disdain, his crimson vertical pupils cold and ruthless. "You forgot that I am a Mutated Serpent Beast—sinister and heartless. You want to ally with me? Are you counting on me to trust you, or do you actually trust me?"

"I... had no intention of harming you..." The Snake Beastman's pupils began to dilate. "It was only because we are both Snake Beasts and were both exiled from the Tribe that I wanted to be with you, to go back for revenge in the future."

"Is that so?" With a sweep of his tail, Zhu Xiu knocked his dying kinsman off the Waterfall, sending up a massive spray of water. "What do those Snake Beasts have to do with me?"

On the other side, Bai Wanwan hurriedly checked on Yin Mei. "Sister Yin Mei, are you okay?"

"I'm fine... Wan Wan." Yin Mei gave her a weak smile, then opened her eyes and began searching for Kong Lai.

Kong Lai grabbed her hand. "I'm here. Are you... badly hurt?"

"I'm okay. He just squeezed me too tightly, and I couldn't catch my breath."

Kong Lai tightly held his partner's hand, his voice choking up. "It's enough that you're back..."

Seeing that there was no room for anyone else between them for the moment, Bai Wanwan pulled Yin Ze's hand and slowly stepped back.

"Let them be alone for a while."

Meeting Yin Ze's confused gaze, Bai Wanwan tilted her chin. "Your Female Elder Sister and Kong Lai have just reunited; they don't have room for anyone else right now. Don't go disturbing them."

Seeing Kong Lai's reaction, Yin Ze felt completely at ease.

This Male truly loved his Female Elder Sister and protected her with his life; he just lacked the strength, which allowed the Snake Beastman to take advantage of the situation.

By then, Zhu Xiu had returned to his human form and walked over. Bai Wanwan couldn't help but ask, "That one just now—was he your kinsman? Actually, we could have spared his life to ask about your Tribe..."

"No need," Zhu Xiu's voice was cold and heavy. "None of that has anything to do with me."

Bai Wanwan knew he had truly let go and didn't want anything to do with the beastmen who had abandoned him.

But she was petty; she couldn't just let it go.

Thinking about how he had been exiled from the Tribe when he was so small—the law of the jungle played out every day in nature.

He was just a Snake Cub back then; he must have endured so many terrifying things to survive.

She quietly reached out and took his hand. "How can it not matter? We could have at least learned something from him. They dared to abandon you; in the future, we must go back and give them a piece of our mind."

Sensing the Female's heartache and concern for him, Zhu Xiu gave a light chuckle. "What is there to be angry about? I don't even remember them. There's no need to make myself unhappy over irrelevant beastmen."

"But I can't swallow this resentment. You were so small."

The coldness in Zhu Xiu's eyes softened slightly. "Mm. If you can't swallow it, I'll take you back to vent your anger. You can do whatever you want."

"Good. Once everything settles down, we'll go to the Tribe where you were born and settle the score with them!"

Now that Yin Mei had been found, it wasn't convenient for everyone to stay out for long.

The group of beastmen set off on their return journey.

By the time they returned to the Peacock Tribe, Yin Mei had fully recovered.

She and Bai Wanwan walked behind, holding hands. After spending the last two days with Bai Wanwan, the shadow of fear from being kidnapped by the Snake Beastman had dissipated quite a bit.

"Wan Wan, if Kong Lai and I follow you to the Tiger Clan, we'll only cause trouble for you. This is Kong Lai's Tribe; if we stay here, with their help on a daily basis, you won't have to worry."

Yin Mei couldn't bear to leave her brother either, but after her brother and Wan Wan had their Pairing Ceremony and went to settle in the Tiger Clan, he was an Outsider Beastman without any family support.

Now he had to take her along as well; she didn't want to be a burden.

Bai Wanwan squeezed her hand. "What help can they provide? If we hadn't come back and discovered it in time, you wouldn't have made it back. If Yin Ze knew, he would be extremely guilty."

Yin Mei looked at her brother's back with guilt. "It's your sister who has burdened you all..."

"Family members are supposed to help each other. Look at me, I'm just a weak Female and I've been through a lot. By your logic, I'm constantly a burden to my Males."

"It's only right for a Male to take care of his Female. How can that be a burden?" Yin Mei shook her head in disagreement.

Bai Wanwan smiled and said, "Then you are Yin Ze's Female Elder Sister, so it's only right for him to take care of you. Sister Yin Mei, don't worry about anything else. Go pack your things and come with us."

"But..."

"Sister, you've saved me too. From now on, we're family." Bai Wanwan looked at her, a heartwarming smile appearing on her face. "Family should stay together forever."