Chapter 17: Qiyue’s Concerns

Today marked the ninth day since Qi Yue had woken up. Early in the morning, she followed her usual routine of washing up when Chi’er called in, saying, “Mother, the red patch has faded.”

Only then did Qi Yue recall what Ling’er had told her—that the red颜草 juice’s effect lasted only seven days. She took the piece of snake skin that she had originally wrapped around her face and realized it was time to reapply her makeup.

Qi Yue went to Leopard Xue’er’s house, where Tiger Yue and his wife looked at her with curiosity. Why was she wearing a mask today? She hadn’t done so in the past few days.

Entering the room, Qi Yue removed the snake skin and, seeing their surprised expressions, found herself at a loss for how to explain. In a way, she had deceived them.

“Qi Yue, what happened to that red patch on your face? It’s gone?” Leopard Xue’er was the first to ask.

“Brother Tiger Yue, Sister Xue’er, I’m sorry for not telling you earlier. That red patch was painted on by Ling’er. It lost its effect today, which is why I’m wearing the mask. Later, Ling’er will help me paint it again, so please keep this a secret,” Qi Yue said, her eyes full of pleading.

“Can you tell us why you’re doing this?” Tiger Yue asked solemnly.

“When I first woke up, my memories were a bit unclear. I learned that Shi De had been living with Hu Li’er for two years, which seemed incredible to me. I couldn’t understand why Shi De had chosen me originally, only to so easily break our bond afterward. After hearing Ling’er’s assessment of my appearance, I felt my looks might be the main reason. At that time, I wanted to sever ties with Shi De completely, so I prepared this ruse. But unexpectedly, when Shi De saw the red patch beneath the mask, he immediately agreed to end the contract. After dissolving the bond, I wanted to keep the red patch visible until I left the tribe, for the safety of my son and me. I can’t explain it exactly, but I have a strong intuition that if Shi De knew I wasn’t disfigured, he would continue to trouble me. If that happened, who knows what Hu Li’er might do to us? It wouldn’t be so bad if it was just me, but Chi’er was born only recently—I cannot allow him to be in danger. So this was my last resort. I hope you can understand,” Qi Yue confided her worries.

“Don’t worry, Qi Yue. Xue’er and I won’t say a word,” Tiger Yue promised solemnly.

“I plan to go with Ling’er to the shaman today to redo the makeup and also learn to identify some common herbs so I can use them when I leave the tribe,” Qi Yue told Leopard Xue’er about her plans.

“That’s good. You and Ling’er go ahead. I wanted to visit my mother anyway; it’s been a while,” Leopard Xue’er replied.

After breakfast and feeding Chi’er, Qi Yue set off with her son and Ling’er.

Tiger Yue and his wife watched her leave with a heavy sigh. What kind of situation was this? Qi Yue hadn’t done anything wrong—why was she caught up in all this? She hadn’t sought trouble, so why wouldn’t Hu Li’er and the others leave her alone?

Was it really just because she was beautiful and an orphan?

Females were rare in the tribe, and someone as beautiful as Qi Yue should have been cherished by many beastmen. Had the beastmen all gone blind? Ignoring such a fine female was truly shortsighted.

They simply couldn’t understand it. Shaking their heads, Tiger Yue and Leopard Xue’er decided not to dwell on it, only hoping she would soon find a beastman who truly treasured her.

In the shaman’s clinic, Lu Li watched Ling’er paint the red patch on Qi Yue again. “I really don’t understand why you still want to hide your beauty. The contract has already been broken.”

Qi Yue repeated her concerns once more.

Lu Li sighed, “In the Beast Continent, beastmen have their dignity, and females their pride. How long will you keep enduring like this? It goes against the rules here. Every female is cherished—who would tolerate such humiliation as you?”

“I don’t want to be like this either, but do you think I’ll be protected in this tribe? To put it another way, any female in any tribe should be protected, right? But my situation now—do you think it’s normal? If I don’t endure it, wouldn’t what happened three years ago only worsen? What can a female with a newborn cub do?” Qi Yue said, her voice heavy with helplessness.

Lu Li was at a loss for words.

“There’s no clue or evidence about what happened three years ago, and Chi’er is still very young. His father beast hasn’t been found. I can’t just marry any beastman casually, right? Even if I find Chi’er’s father and entrust him with my son, chasing the past seems pointless. For now, Chi’er’s safety is what matters most,” Qi Yue said, her spirits low.

Though Lu Li understood Qi Yue’s clarity of thought, from the shaman’s perspective, something felt deeply wrong. This shouldn’t be how things were. As children of the Beast God, they should be able to stand openly in the sunlight. Yet it felt as if a fog hung over them, a shadow over the tribe.

Unconsciously, Lu Li took out his divination tools and cast a reading, just as he had done many times over the past decade—calm and peaceful.

But Lu Li felt a lump in his chest, something he couldn’t swallow or spit out. What was this? Though the Beast World had no major disasters, the tribe had endured small misfortunes over the past ten years, yet his divination showed nothing. He even wondered: had the Beast God forgotten about Lu Yu?

Watching Qi Yue calmly sorting herbs with such a large red patch on her face, Lu Li felt how unfair life was to her, yet he didn’t know how to help.

Qi Yue spent the day identifying herbs with Lu Li and Ling’er, exchanging some common medicinal plants with the shaman. Of course, she still owed payment, but Chi’er’s father beast was expected soon, and he could repay the shaman with game from hunting.

Soon it was time to collect the pottery. Qi Yue brought two crystal stones and went with the Wolf En siblings and Tiger Yue couple to the pottery kiln.

The tribe’s pottery skills had reached a decent level. Though the surface finish could be improved and the style lacked refinement compared to modern pottery, their handcrafted wares were quite good given the primitive society’s lack of tools.

Seeing the thirty-five pieces she ordered, Qi Yue was satisfied. While not as exquisite as contemporary ceramics, the craftsmanship was commendable.

Now came the problem of transporting the pottery back. The three cooking pots could be stacked, but the jars and urns could not, making the return trip cumbersome. Qi Yue separated the pots and placed the smaller jars and twelve lids inside. Though Wolf En also helped, it still took five people three trips to carry everything back.

“You ordered way too much. Will you really use all of it?” Ling’er complained.

“I already pared it down. If I need more, I’ll order from other tribes next time,” Qi Yue said with a deliberate sigh.