13: He can't afford to get into trouble if the goal isn't achieved.

"Fiona! Do you remember what I said..."

"Want to test my patience?"

Gray spoke, and Fiona trembled.

She reluctantly pursed her lips, but her resentful gaze was fixed on Tu Nan.

Tu Nan glanced at Fiona, feeling the muscles of the man she was pressed against tense up—clearly ready to strike. For a moment, she wasn't sure who Gray was helping.

"Li, she came to me a few days ago and told me to bear cubs for Gray~"

"I don't want to." Tu Nan seemed to have grown bolder because Li was by her side, daring to complain right in front of Fiona.

Li's possessive gaze immediately swept toward Gray.

Damn it.

Gray glared at Fiona and raised his hands awkwardly, signaling that he had no such intention.

"Don't overthink it. Fiona is still young; she speaks without thinking."

"Besides, I can have any Female Beast I want; I wouldn't covet your Foster Mother."

"But you don't have cubs yet..." Tu Nan still looked very worried.

Li became even more vigilant. Tu Nan's suspicion made sense.

A Female Beast's fertility was far inferior to a Foster Mother's. Gray was no longer young yet had no Children; it was indeed possible he might want to steal someone else's Foster Mother.

"Don't! Don't! I don't have that kind of spare money. Except for your Li, no one can afford to keep a precious Foster Mother like you."

True, Li nodded inwardly. Indeed, only he had the ability to afford her.

He felt relieved for the moment, but he truly felt that he must return to Tu Nan's side. No matter what preparations he had made, he would only be at ease if he cared for her personally.

With someone to worry about, he was no longer alone; he truly needed to be more careful in his actions.

"I will come back."

He looked into Tu Nan's eyes and said word for word, "Rest assured, I will definitely come back."

"Then I will wait for you obediently."

Tu Nan smiled and responded without a hint of hesitation.

This was the first time in Li's life he had ever made a promise.

He looked at Tu Nan, his chest filled with an unfamiliar feeling. This naive Foster Mother had no idea she had received a precious promise.

She didn't want to leave him but promised to wait for him. Since Tu Nan had once again placed her life in his hands and bound her fate to his...

...then he had to be worthy of that trust.

***

Li left with the main force.

But the next day, he did not return with them.

They were supposed to return in the morning, but it wasn't until noon that Gray and his group returned to the River Valley. The team was scattered, everyone was disheveled and covered in dust, and many were wounded.

"What happened? Where are the goods?"

Kun Bu, who had stayed behind, went to meet them. He was the second-in-command of the River Valley and had stayed to defend the base this time.

"The goods," Gray sneered repeatedly. "We almost all died there. Those bastards—we have a score to settle."

Kun Bu frowned. "The Black Tiger Gang went back on their word? The things we brought for the trade... were they all seized by them?"

He looked behind them but didn't see the supplies the River Valley had prepared for the exchange.

Gray had suffered a great loss and didn't want to discuss it in public, but Kun Bu was surprisingly bad at reading the room.

"It was the border Patrol Army! The Black Tiger Gang colluded with the Patrol Army!"

"Enough! How many more people do you want to know!?" Gray roared in fury. "Shut your mouth. I said on the way back—no discussing this."

He gestured to the people beside him. "Drag this idiot away to clear his head."

Everyone was as quiet as cicadas in winter.

Gray called for Kun Bu and disappeared from sight, surrounded by several other high-ranking members. Only then did the anxious family members dare to step forward, searching for their relatives among the groaning wounded on the ground.

Tu Nan had insomnia last night. She didn't want to, but lying in bed, sleep simply wouldn't come to her.

As soon as there was some movement in the River Valley, she stepped out of her room and searched through the crowd for a long while.

But there was no sign of Li anywhere.

Where did Li go?

She turned and chased after the direction Gray and the others had gone.

"No going further."

Outside that hall, a whole squad of guards stood with weapons. They coldly blocked Tu Nan and several others who had followed.

"I didn't see Li. Do you know where he is? Gray personally invited him to go."

"Why didn't he come back?" she asked the guards earnestly.

"Go away. The casualty list will be out later, and compensation will be issued," the guard shooed her. "Don't cause trouble here; it's useless."

A Female stepped forward aggressively from behind. "What compensation? Tell Gray to come out and explain. If he won't go look for them, I'll go myself."

She angrily pushed past the guards and tried to rush inside.

"Seize her!"

She didn't succeed; the guards twisted her arms and dragged her away... Tu Nan didn't argue further. Compared to that woman's strong physique, it was even more impossible for her to charge in.

The door of the hall in the distance was briefly pushed open, and a figure flashed out.

"What's all the noise! Drag them further away."

It was Gaia, the man who had brought them into the group. He had once sent Li a joining gift, and Tu Nan had heard Li mention hunting Sand Scorpions with him.

He cursed and scolded the guards as he walked out.

Tu Nan backed away quietly, slipping out of the crowd when no one was looking.

She lightened her steps and followed Gaia toward the River Valley from a distance.

When the path ended and they reached the lowest level of the cave, Tu Nan called out to him in a low voice.

"Lord Gaia."

Gaia stopped. A petite Female Beast behind him stepped forward, ran to his side, and anxiously pulled down her hood.

This was... Li's Foster Mother.

What did she want with him?

Gaia pondered her intentions and walked a few more steps as if nothing were wrong. Tu Nan just followed him silently with her head down.

Gaia finally lost his patience. He leaned against a stone wall, and seeing no one else around, he gave an answer before Tu Nan could even speak.

"Are you here to ask about Li?"

"I'm not sure. I can only say... things look grim," he said in a somber tone.

"Can you tell me exactly what happened?" Tu Nan pleaded.

"What's the use in knowing?" He sneered, but after a moment of dazing, he decided to tell her anyway. "We were trading with the Black Tiger Gang when, for some reason, the Patrol Army appeared, talking about arms smuggling and catching us red-handed. Fuck!"

He spat resentfully.

"Anyway, a fight broke out. The goods and money we brought—they wanted to seize it all."

"Gray told us to scatter. As long as we weren't caught, there would be room to maneuver."

"But Fiona was checking the Soft Armor then. She's crazy—she grabbed the stuff and ran back. The Patrol Army definitely couldn't let her go. I saw a squad chase after her, and then..."

He curled his lip. "Your Li went to save Fiona. Anyway, he ended up drawing a huge amount of fire."

"I don't know what happened after that."

"In short, we took a long detour back. If he's not dead, he's been captured by the Border Army."

"For people like us, being caught and taken to the Patrol Army's camp is as good as being finished. Look, Gray hasn't even mentioned going to find Fiona."

He noticed Tu Nan's hand tightly clutching the clothes at her chest. She looked worried and angry, her expression strange and indescribable.

He couldn't help but soften for a moment and offered a piece of advice.

"Are you carrying a cub? If you are, that's indeed a problem. If not, apply for a new partner as soon as possible."

"Fiona? No... Li didn't do it to save her; it was for that Soft Armor!"

"That damned Soft Armor."

"As for the cub... unlike what Gaia thought, she was regretting... why hadn't she made her move sooner?"