Chapter 6: With Food in Hand, There is No Panic in the Heart

He lowered his head and sniffed the surroundings, spotting a snow-white beast skin on the ground.

His massive tiger paw pawed at the skin for a moment, guessing that it must have been left behind by the other party.

The Golden Tiger Beast's pale gold pupils shimmered with coldness; a piece of inferior beast skin had been exchanged for one of his deer legs, and they hadn't even asked for his consent!

The Golden Tiger Beast picked up the beast skin with his mouth, intending to throw it away, but after a moment's thought, he tossed it onto his back instead.

He would keep it; later, he could use the scent on the skin to find the beastman who had stolen his prey.

Biting the deer beast, the Golden Tiger Beast hoisted it onto his back and walked toward the snowy forest.

When Qiao Xixi returned to the side of the cubs, she found that none of them had touched the fish beast meat in their hands.

"Look at what Mother brought back for you."

The cubs were still immersed in the sorrow of being abandoned by Qiao Xixi; they were utterly shocked to suddenly see her returning while carrying a deer leg thicker than her own waist.

"Stupid female, you didn't run away," Qiao Ang blurted out.

Qiao Xixi set down the deer leg and lightly tapped him on the forehead.

"How impolite. To think that while your Mother was braving hardships to find food, this is how you thought of me?"

Qiao Ang covered his forehead; his chest, which had been feeling heavy and stifled just a moment ago, suddenly felt light for some reason.

It must be because he saw the deer leg.

"Mother, where did this deer leg come from?"

Meeting Qiao Qiao's bright, sparkling eyes, Qiao Xixi fell silent for a moment.

"I traded for it, using a beast skin."

The cubs were simple enough that they didn't ask much more; they only knew they had food.

"Hurry up and eat the fish meat, then we will continue our journey."

With food in hand, there was no need to panic.

Setting off again, Qiao Xixi felt a bit lighter in her heart. This deer leg was very large; if they ate sparingly, they could last at least three days.

Qiao Xixi thought back to the forest where she had found the deer. The presence of a snowy forest meant there were trees before the cold wave arrived; if they headed that way, they should be able to walk out of the ice plains.

As they reached the snowy forest, Qiao Xixi saw the spot where the deer had collapsed; a trail of blood led from that patch of snow toward the forest.

Qiao Xixi's footsteps paused. This meant that the massive Golden Tiger Beast from earlier was likely in the forest.

If she encountered the Golden Tiger Beast and he discovered she had taken his deer meat, she didn't know if her neck could withstand a single bite from him.

"Wait, we won't go into the forest. It's safer to stay outside."

This was the first time the little cubs had left the ice plains; they were filled with both curiosity and fear regarding the outside world, so they obediently followed by Qiao Xixi's side.

At this moment, in the mountain forest, the Golden Tiger Beast was eating the deer.

Suddenly, he raised his head and met a pair of eerie green eyes.

It was a Black-Haired Long-Toothed Beast.

The Black-Haired Long-Toothed Beast had originally intended to launch a sneak attack, but after being discovered by the Golden Tiger Beast, it let out a roar and lunged at him.

The Golden Tiger Beast quickly engaged in battle.

The Black-Haired Long-Toothed Beast was slightly smaller in size than the Golden Tiger Beast and was no match for him at all.

However, the Black-Haired Long-Toothed Beast was very fast, and in the blink of an eye, it had moved behind the Golden Tiger Beast.

The Golden Tiger Beast turned quickly to attack, but his heart suddenly contracted violently, causing him to freeze in place from the pain.

The Black-Haired Long-Toothed Beast took the opportunity to sink its fangs into the Golden Tiger Beast's leg.

"Roar!"

A tiger's roar echoed through the sky.

The sound startled Qiao Xixi and her children, turning their faces pale as they looked toward the snowy forest with terrified expressions.

The Golden Tiger Beast regained his senses, flipped the Black-Haired Long-Toothed Beast over, and jumped behind it to bite its neck.

The Golden Tiger Beast exerted sudden force; as he bit through the Black-Haired Long-Toothed Beast's neck, a surge of intense pain struck his heart again.

His vision went dark, and he collapsed onto the Black-Haired Long-Toothed Beast. His massive tiger body transformed into a man with short golden hair.

Qiao Xixi withdrew her gaze; that tiger roar just now was truly terrifying!

"Quick, let's go, let's go quickly."

The cubs were quite frightened. Although life on the ice plains was harsh, they had never encountered such terrifying predators; otherwise, they wouldn't have survived this long.

That tiger roar was so intimidating that it would likely scare away any fierce beasts within several miles.

Qiao Xixi checked the sky.

It was about to get dark; they needed to find a place to stay as soon as possible, otherwise, the nighttime temperature would freeze them to death.

Qiao Xixi shifted into her beast form, sniffed the surrounding scents, and finally found a small cave at the foot of a mountain behind the snowy forest.

There were no other beast scents in the cave entrance; they could temporarily settle here for the night.

Upon entering the cave, the cold wind was almost entirely blocked out.

Exhausted, Qiao Xixi spread the beast skin on the ground. "All of you huddle together on the skin; it'll be warmer that way."

The cubs were also exhausted; they huddled on the beast skin, staring longingly at the deer leg on the ground.

They were so cold and so hungry.

Qiao Xixi was hungry too. She took out an ice knife, sliced three pieces of meat from the deer leg, and handed them to them.

"Eat quickly. After eating, get a good sleep, and we will continue our journey tomorrow."

Once the cubs had the meat, they began to eat in large gulps.

Looking at the bloody meat before her, Qiao Xixi found she couldn't bring herself to open her mouth.

She did have fire seeds, but she didn't dare go into the snowy forest to gather firewood now.

Qiao Xixi steeled her resolve and sliced a small piece of meat to put in her mouth.

The flesh and blood mixed with the icy chill, and a piercing metallic scent filled her entire mouth.

"Ugh!"

Qiao Xixi couldn't help but vomit.

Hearing the commotion, the cubs all looked up in confusion.

"Mother, what's wrong?"

Seeing Qiao Xixi's pale face, Qiao Qiao suddenly became anxious—was the stupid female dying?

Qiao Xixi shook her head with difficulty, unable to speak for a moment.

It was too nauseating.

After recovering for a while, she finally spoke, "It's nothing, I might just be tired."

Qiao Xixi stood up and walked out of the cave.

The three cubs looked at each other in confusion.

"Big Brother, do you think Mother has gone mad?"

Qiao Ang frowned. "She won't even eat meat; she must be mad."

Qiao Lie gave a cold snort. "Useless, stupid female."

When Qiao Xixi returned, she held several dried leaves in her hands and brought them before the cubs.

"Quick, drink this water."

This was snow water she had melted using her fire starter. In this freezing weather, she couldn't have the cubs chewing on ice to quench their thirst.

Qiao Qiao cooperated well and took a few sips; after drinking, her large, bright blue eyes sparkled.

"Why is this water warm? I want more!"

Qiao Qiao wanted more, but she was pushed aside by Qiao Lie. He grabbed Qiao Xixi's hand and gulped down the water from the leaves.

Seeing this, Qiao Ang grew anxious as well; he pushed Qiao Lie aside and drank the remaining water.

"Stupid female, I want to drink too!"

Since they were small, they had always drunk ice water, which always made their bodies feel colder after drinking. This was the first time they had drunk warm water, and it made them feel as if their bodies were warming up.

After Qiao Ang finished speaking, he received no response from Qiao Xixi. He looked up in confusion, only to meet Qiao Xixi's slightly darkened brow.

For a moment, he felt somewhat at a loss.

(End of Chapter)