All transactions in the business district were monitored by the guards. If anyone cheated, they would be immediately arrested and punished.
The leader of the guards was Sang Ye, and the deputy leader was Jiu Yuan.
However, Sang Ye usually did not appear. Unless something big happened, he would usually leave it to Jiu Yuan to handle.
The rental and sale of the shops were not too good, but they were not too bad either. After all, everyone was still busy working to earn points to support their families. They did not have time to do small businesses for the time being.
Shuang Yun occupied the largest shop and placed all his vegetables and fruits there.
In addition to seeds, herbs, and crystals, they were also collecting work points.
Wolf beasts were not interested in these things, but females liked them. As long as they had extra work points, those male beasts with mates would exchange them for some vegetables and fruits. They would bring them back for their females to eat.
Wild horses and rabbits were herbivores. They liked Huanhuan’s vegetables and fruits very much. Almost every day, they would go to their shop to buy a batch of them.
The birds were omnivores. Sometimes, they would fly down and buy some vegetables and fruits to take home for a meal.
These transactions were not large, but they were stable.
After some time, not only did Huanhuan’s family business not deteriorate, but it also became better.
It was no secret that the Rock Wolf Tribe had taken in the wild horse tribe and the rabbit tribe. This news quickly spread throughout the forest. More and more beasts went to the Rock Wolf Tribe in desperation and asked them to take them in.
Shuang Yun hoped to increase the strength of the Rock Wolf Tribe. The more beasts there were, the better. However, just to be safe, he did not let these beasts enter the fortress directly. Instead, he carved out a spot at the foot of the mountain.
“From now on, you’ll live here for a three-month probation period. If you can get a hundred work points within the probation period and have no record of committing any crimes, you’ll be qualified to live in the Rock Wolf Tribe.”
Shuang Yun paused and added, “If any of you have any particularly powerful strengths or can make great contributions, we can lower the entry requirements.”
Among them, a short beast squeezed out of the crowd. He was only about a meter tall. Standing among a group of beasts that were on average 1.9 meters tall, he looked especially pocket-sized and petite. He looked like a dwarf.
The dwarf was a mole beast. He was wearing a dusty animal hide and had a huge animal hide bag on his back. When he smiled, he revealed his two bright front teeth.
His name was Craw Craw.
Behind Craw Craw was a female mole and a dozen baby mice. These were his wife and children.
The entire family was very small. It was very comical to see them squeeze together.
Craw Craw tried his best to raise his head. “Honorable Patriarch Shuang Yun, I can dig holes in the ground and gather information. Please accept our family!”
Shuang Yun looked down at the dwarf in front of him. “Tell me, what have you found out?”
“I saw Bu Jin join forces with Yi Wu to kill Patriarch Bu Ke.”
Shuang Yun said, “I already know that.”
“But what you don’t know is that Bu Jin has captured many prisoners of war as slaves and intends to offer them to the Dark Moon Temple.”
Shuang Yun finally showed some interest. “Go on.”
Craw Craw rubbed his hands together and asked expectantly, “If I tell you everything, can you let me and my family live in the Rock Wolf Tribe?”
“It depends on the value of the information you provide.”
Craw Craw understood and said excitedly, “When I went to the Black River Wolf Tribe to steal food, I saw Bu Jin’s mate—the female fox called Yi Wu. She was hooking up with a male baboon. I know that male baboon. He was a witch doctor in the Black River Wolf Tribe. His name is Ma Qing.”
Shuang Yun narrowed his eyes. “Anything else?”
“Ma Qing seems to be in contact with the Dark Moon Temple. Yi Wu has been fawning over him. She followed Ma Qing’s orders and deliberately encouraged Bu Jin to attack other tribes everywhere. Then, she gathered those prisoners of war and sent them to the Dark Moon Temple as slaves.”
At this point, he suddenly lowered his voice and said mysteriously, “Did a male beast of your Rock Wolf Tribe become Yi Wu’s mate?”
Shuang Yun remembered Mu Ye and said yes.
“I saw the male beast in the forest the night before last. He seemed to have been abandoned by Yi Wu. He was almost dead from the backlash of the mate contract, but he still wanted to return to the rock mountain.”
Shuang Yun’s expression changed. He pulled Craw Craw up and asked sternly, “Where is he? Take me there!”
Craw Craw was choking, but he didn’t forget to negotiate. “Y-You have to promise me that you’ll let us live in the rock mountain first!”
“I promise.”
Craw Craw looked at his legs. “Then let go of me. I’ll take you to him.”
Shuang Yun loosened his grip. Craw Craw immediately instructed his wife and children, “Wait here for me to come back. Don’t run around.”
Seeing his wife and children nod in acknowledgement, he said to Shuang Yun, “Come with me.”
Shuang Yun said to Jiu Yuan, “Watch these beasts. I’ll be back soon.”
However, Jiu Yuan said, “I’ll go with you!”
Shuang Yun frowned and hesitated.
Jiu Yuan said stubbornly, “No matter what, Mu Ye is Mu Xiang’s younger brother. He’s half my family. Now that something has happened to him, I have to bring him back personally!”
“Alright, you’re coming with me.”
Craw Craw were small, but he was surprisingly fast. Fortunately, Shuang Yun and Jiu Yuan were not slow, so they were not left behind.
The three of them quickly walked through the forest and finally found Mu Ye under a big tree.
He was no longer breathing.
His body remained in wolf form as he lay motionless on the ground. His grayish-black fur was dirty and messy. There was still blood beside his fangs. His dark green eyes would never open again.
Craw Craw felt sad. “The abandoned male beast is really pitiful!”
Jiu Yuan and Shuang Yun’s hearts were heavy.
Craw Craw asked, “Are you taking him back?”
Shuang Yun said nothing.
After a long silence, Jiu Yuan said in a low voice, “Let’s burn him now.”
Shuang Yun looked at him in surprise. “Don’t we have to wait for Mu Xiang to see him before we burn him?”
“Mu Xiang has suffered a huge blow since she lost five mates in a row the last time. Her health has deteriorated a lot. She’s finally recovered a little. If she sees Mu Ye dead, she won’t be able to take the blow. I don’t want her to be hurt again.”
Shuang Yun hesitated. “But you can’t hide this from her forever. If she finds out the truth in the future, you—”
“I’ll keep it a secret for as long as I can. If I can’t hide it, I’ll tell her the truth myself. Whether she hates me or resents me, I’m willing to take the blame.”
At this point, Shuang Yun knew that Jiu Yuan had made up his mind. He could only pat his shoulder. “Then let’s do it.”
They found branches and burned Mu Ye’s corpse.
The ashes were carefully wrapped in animal hide by Jiu Yuan and brought back to the rock mountain.
Mu Ye wasn’t able to return to his home when he was alive. After he died, he could finally get what he wanted.
