Chapter 11
I Want to Duel You
The fragrance drifted through the valley.
Even the married beastmen who hadn’t come out couldn’t resist poking their snake heads out of their caves.
“It smells so good…”
Although beastmen preferred eating raw meat, they were no longer primitive beasts. Their taste buds had been influenced by their human side.
Seeing that they were already drooling, Jiang Xi quickly reminded them:
“Don’t forget to add salt before taking it off the fire.”
Fortunately, this world had salt — she didn’t have to go searching for it.
The blanched purslane and wood ear mushrooms had cooled down. Jiang Xi directed the beastmen to add salt, minced garlic, chili powder, and Sichuan pepper water to make a cold dish.
It was a pity there was no soy sauce or vinegar.
Still, perhaps because the ingredients were so natural, the flavor was quite good.
There were four stone pots simmering over the fire. When they were done, Jiang Xi scooped out portions onto banana leaves — first for Lu Liufeng and Duan Si, then for herself.
She didn’t really want to interact with Duan Si, but she knew he must have gone hunting — and likely because he thought her beast husbands weren’t feeding her properly.
So, she saved him a portion too.
As soon as she was done, the young beastmen pounced on the food like starving ghosts, scooping it up onto their own leaves.
Jiang Xi sat by the riverbank, staring in disbelief.
Wait—
Was it really that good?
Even more dramatic, one of the beastmen took a bite, then threw his head back and howled at the sky.
“It’s so delicious!!!”
Jiang Xi: “…”
Was it really that good?
Granted, compared to the muddy, gamey porridge they’d had that morning in the tribe, this was leagues better — but still, did they have to shout like that?
Nakan came over, holding a banana leaf piled with food.
Jiang Xi had already removed the animal hide mask from her face, so this was the first time Nakan saw her clearly.
He froze for a moment.
“Your face…”
Then, realizing how rude that sounded, he quickly apologized.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean that. I just meant—shouldn’t you see a witch doctor for it?”
Her face looked like it had been affected by something — darkened, unclear.
Jiang Xi smiled lightly.
“I can treat it myself. I’ve been working on it, and it’s getting better.”
The poisonous swelling had already gone down a lot.
If he’d seen her when it was at its worst, he probably would’ve lost his appetite.
Remembering that she was a holy-blessed female, Nakan scratched his head awkwardly.
“Right, right, of course.”
The young beastmen devoured their food. Their favorites were the potato-stewed chicken and spicy bamboo rats, but even the cold purslane salad disappeared quickly.
Just as Jiang Xi was eating, a sharp eagle cry echoed from above.
A massive shadow swooped down from the sky.
She had just looked up when a giant eagle landed heavily, clutching a black wild boar in its talons.
With a heavy thud, the boar hit the sand by the river.
Jiang Xi stared, stunned.
This was… this was…
Nakan said, “Lu Liufeng is back.”
Lu Liufeng??
Jiang Xi was shocked.
That gentle, elegant Lu Liufeng actually had such a fierce beast form!
She held up her banana leaf and stepped forward.
“Lu Liufeng, you’re back. Come on, change into your human form and eat with us.”
But Lu Liufeng didn’t shift. His neck feathers stood up, wings slightly spread, feathers trembling rapidly.
In an instant, all the serpent beastmen in the valley straightened up, and a few of the young ones even slithered back instinctively.
The air suddenly grew tense, like an invisible bowstring drawn tight.
Jiang Xi didn’t know what to do. She looked up at the giant eagle — those familiar amber eyes meeting hers.
She stepped forward, raising her hand instinctively to release her powers and soothe him — thinking, perhaps, like Duan Si, his powers were surging out of control.
But Lu Liufeng wasn’t losing control.
Instead, his wings slowly folded down, half-enveloping her protectively.
He glared at the young serpent beastmen, his throat rumbling with an angry cry.
“You unruly beasts! How could you let my female cook for you?!”
Jiang Xi, caught under his soft feathers, froze.
Wait…
Was Lu Liufeng angry?
Nakan’s tail flicked nervously as he hurried to explain.
“Lu Liufeng, don’t be angry — we didn’t make her do it. She was just giving directions. We did the cooking!”
That only made Lu Liufeng angrier.
“Nakan! How dare you call my female by her name so casually! You’ve offended her! I challenge you to a duel!”
Jiang Xi’s mind went blank.
She quickly grabbed at his wing.
“Lu Liufeng, don’t be impulsive! They helped me gather food, and there was too much to carry back, so we just cooked it here. I didn’t even do the cooking — they did!”
The eagle turned his head, amber eyes reflecting her dark, scarred face.
His voice softened a little, but his tone was still firm.
“Helping a female gather food is a beastman’s duty — especially for unmarried ones.”
Then his gaze darkened again as he looked back at Nakan.
“Even so, he still offended you!”
With that, Lu Liufeng gently pushed her aside with his wing. The feathers on his back bristled as he spread his wings, ready to strike.
At some point, Nakan had shifted into his beast form — a red-scaled python, tongue flicking as he prepared to fight.
Jiang Xi tried to step forward, but a married green-snake beastman named Eve quickly held her back.
“Lu Liufeng’s female, don’t go near them.”
“Nakan offended you. He must accept a challenge from your beast husband if he wishes to continue pursuing you.”
Jiang Xi blinked.
“Huh?”
She was completely dumbfounded.
When had Nakan ever pursued her?!
He hadn’t!
But in the middle of the valley, the giant eagle launched himself into the air with a cry, diving down at the red python below.
Jiang Xi could only retreat, standing with the others among the trees, watching helplessly.
Inside, she was panicking.
She had heard rumors of duels before — stories of beastmen fighting for females, of challenges between a female’s husbands and her suitors.
Among beastmen, this was common.
When a male pursued a female, he often had to face challenges from her existing beast husbands — they fought to prove the newcomer was unworthy.
But if the female’s heart softened and she chose to accept the pursuer, the husbands could not object.
In short, before a marriage contract was sealed, duels were normal.
Recalling that, Jiang Xi realized the strange flicker of envy in her chest — a leftover emotion from the body’s original owner.
But now that it was happening before her eyes, she felt nothing but anxiety.
Why did they have to fight?
With cursed beasts attacking every few days in this land, shouldn’t they be saving their strength for that instead of fighting each other?
As Jiang Xi fretted, the young beastmen on both sides of the valley, after a moment of tension, began cheering and shouting like spectators at a show.
“Go, Nakan!”
“Get him, Nakan!”
“Lu Liufeng, beat him up!”
