After some introductions, Huanhuan learned that the jackal was called Xin Hong. There were a total of 23 beasts in his group, and one of them was a female named Hou Yan.
Half of the male beasts in this group were the mates of Hou Yan. Xin Hong was one of them.
As for the other half of the male beasts, they were all followers of Hou Yan. They were working hard to obtain her approval and become one of her mates.
Huanhuan watched as Hou Yan was surrounded by more than 20 male beasts like a queen. She was speechless for a long time.
Xing Chen asked, “What are you thinking about? Why aren’t you talking?”
“I’m thinking about something.”
“Huh?”
Huanhuan said seriously, “I’m wondering what a female has to do to satisfy the needs of more than 10 mates. Won’t she die of exhaustion in bed?”
After hearing this, Xing Chen thought about it seriously before saying…
“Perhaps this female has greater needs.”
“I see…”
Xing Chen asked, “How many mates do you have?”
“Four,” Huanhuan replied crisply.
“Are they good to you?”
“Very good.” When Huanhuan talked about her mates, she involuntarily smiled. “I’m lucky to have met them.”
Xing Chen looked thoughtful. “It seems you have a very good relationship with them.”
“Yes, we’re a loving family.” Huanhuan stuck out her tongue in embarrassment.
As they went deeper, there were fewer and fewer rocks. Everywhere they looked, the place was covered in yellow sand.
Hou Yan sat on the back of one of her mates. From beginning to end, her toes never touched the ground. Food and water would be brought to her mouth and fed to her.
In comparison, Huanhuan was in a worse state.
It was difficult to walk in the desert, especially for short-legged humans like Huanhuan. It was a nightmare. Half of her legs sank into the sand when she stepped on it. It took a lot of effort to pull them out.
Huanhuan walked every step with difficulty.
Almost all the male beasts had transformed into their beast forms. Their thick and wide feet helped them walk in the desert.
Xin Hong’s beast form was a wolf with gray spots. He was very tall and muscular. He walked up to Huanhuan. “Do you need me to carry you?”
Huanhuan waved her hand. “No, thank you.”
She could only do this sort of intimate contact with her family. She would feel awkward if it was with an outsider.
Xin Hong glanced at her again to make sure she had no intention of changing her mind. Then, he turned back to his mate.
Xing Chen was the only male beast here who still maintained his human form. His black robe was already covered in dust, but his walking posture was never hurried. He looked quite steady.
He said, “I heard you panting. It’s hard walking, isn’t it?”
Huanhuan pulled her legs out of the sand and swore breathlessly, “If there’s an afterlife, I’ll definitely be 1.8 meters… No, 1.9 meters tall!”
Xing Chen didn’t quite understand how tall 1.9 meters was, but that didn’t stop him from understanding what she was trying to say.
He exerted a little force and pulled the stick back. Huanhuan, who was holding the other end of the stick, was caught off guard and was pulled into his arms.
Huanhuan quickly stood up, but Xing Chen’s hand was already on her waist. “Don’t move. I’ll carry you.”
Huanhuan was not used to close contact like this with outsiders. She quickly said, “I can walk myself.”m
“You’re too slow. If you keep this up, we’ll be a burden to them.”
At this point, Huanhuan couldn’t find a reason to argue.
Xing Chen picked her up.
Huanhuan’s body was very tense. She tried not to have too much contact with his body.
Sensing her nervousness, Xing Chen spoke softly.
“Don’t be afraid of me.”
Huanhuan said slowly, “I’m not afraid of you.”
Xing Chen looked straight ahead. “There’s a long way to go. Take a nap.”
Huanhuan didn’t want to sleep, but for some reason, her eyelids felt heavy. She closed her eyes involuntarily and quickly fell asleep.
Xin Hong, who was walking in front, looked back at the two of them from time to time with a scheming gaze.
When Huanhuan woke up, she realized that it was already dark.
She was sitting on the ground with most of her body leaning against Xing Chen.
Huanhuan quickly sat up straight.
Xing Chen asked, “You’re awake?”
“Mmhm.”
She touched her mouth first to make sure she wasn’t drooling from sleep. Then, she relaxed.
Looking around, there was still a boundless desert.
The stars in the sky were bright, like gems embedded in black velvet.
Not far away, there was a fire. The beasts of the group were sitting around the fire, eating the prey they had just killed. The rich smell of blood drifted over with the night wind.
Huanhuan rubbed her nose uncomfortably. She did not expect the beasts in the group to be unafraid of fire. Moreover, judging from their relaxed appearance, they probably often lit fires to keep themselves warm.
As expected of a traveling group that dared to cross the desert. Their courage and knowledge were indeed greater than ordinary beasts.
Huanhuan didn’t want to huddle with them around the fire. She went to find some dry branches and hay and lit a small fire herself.
With her back to the group, she quietly reached into her space for food and water.
Huanhuan had just finished taking out the food and water when Xin Hong walked over.
He was holding a piece of bloody raw meat in his hand, preparing to give it to Huanhuan for dinner.
Huanhuan quickly waved her hand. “Thank you for your kindness. We brought our own jerky. We’ll just eat this.”
Xin Hong remembered that she didn’t have any bags on her. Where did this food and water come from?
However, he did not ask further. Instead, he secretly remembered this matter.
“This is the meat of a golden-tailed scorpion. It’s very tender. They only appear in the desert and can’t be eaten anywhere else. Usually, we rarely hunt them. Today, we were lucky enough to catch a big one. You should try it.”
Unable to refuse, Huanhuan could only take the meat he handed her. She gave him a portion of the jerky in her hand as a form of reciprocity.
After Xin Hong left, Huanhuan cut the raw meat into pieces with a bone knife and skewered it with a wooden stick. After roasting it, she ate half of it. Most of it went into Xing Chen’s stomach.
The meat was indeed very tender. Even without seasoning, it did not taste fishy at all. Instead, it tasted a little sweet.
Huanhuan wiped her mouth and remembered the name of the golden-tailed scorpion.
They had to catch a few in the future.
While Huanhuan was thinking about the golden-tailed scorpion, she did not notice that she had also become the prey that others were thinking about.
When the beasts in the traveling group saw that Huanhuan and Xing Chen had finished eating the meat, they all revealed greedy expressions.
Xin Hong lowered his voice and asked, “Did you add the drug?”
Someone immediately replied, “Yes, the meat was smeared with the drug!”
Xin Hong glanced at Huanhuan and Xing Chen, who were not sleepy at all. He asked worriedly, “That drug should work, right?”
“I spent a lot of money to buy that drug from a witch doctor. I personally tried it on my prey. Just a little of it can knock out an adult rhinoceros!”
Xin Hong nodded. “We’ll do it after they fall asleep. Remember not to hurt the female.”
“No problem!”
