When the beastmen saw Shi Wei's pained expression, they panicked. One of them yelled, "The Earth Eggs really are poisonous! That female is trying to kill Shi Wei!"
"It's over, it's over! Our tribe's First Warrior is going to die!"
Ruer panicked. He strode forward and slapped Shi Wei hard on the back. "Quickly! Spit it out!"
'This was their tribe's First Warrior! It would be a terrible loss if he died from a little Earth Egg!'
Ranmu crowed triumphantly, "I told you the Earth Eggs were poisonous! But you all had to believe her instead of me! Great. Now Shi Wei is going to throw his life away for this foolish female!"
He pointed at a baffled Su Yu. "Leader, we can't let such a vicious female stay in our tribe! Banish her!"
The other beastmen chimed in. "That's right! Leader, banish her!"
"Banish her!"
...
When Su Yu heard Shi Wei was in trouble, a flash of panic went through her. She hurried forward and fumbled to pry open his mouth, coaxing, "Shi Wei, spit it out."
But Shi Wei had already swallowed the shredded Earth Egg. He was panting and hissing, SSS... HAA... SSS... HAA..., but he held her struggling hands steady. His lips were bright red as he told the other beastmen, "The shredded Earth Egg isn't poisonous!"
Ruer was skeptical. "If it's not poisonous, why do you look so miserable?"
Ranmu didn't believe it either. "If it's not poisonous, why are your lips swollen? Shi Wei, if you want to defend your female, you can get out of the tribe with her!"
Shi Wei explained, "It's because the flavor of the prickly fruit is too intense."
So intense that his mouth was on fire.
Hearing that, Su Yu's heart, which had been in her throat, settled back into her chest.
'I knew it,' she thought. 'How could something the system said was edible be poisonous?'
Ruer was still skeptical. "Really? You're not just lying to protect your female, are you?"
It wasn't just Ruer; the other beastmen didn't believe him either.
After all, the image of Shi Wei, red-faced and miserable, was seared into their minds.
With a solemn expression, Shi Wei swore an oath. "I swear on my life to the Beast God that I am not lying."
Su Yu said apologetically, "I'm sorry. I didn't explain it properly. I should have had you try the roasted Earth Egg first."
Shi Wei's heart softened. He squeezed her hand and said earnestly, "How could this be your fault? I was the one who was too eager."
He was frustrated with himself. "I'm so useless. I couldn't handle the intensity of the prickly fruit, and now you're being blamed because of me."
Su Yu couldn't help but laugh.
'How could she blame him? She was the one who hadn't explained it beforehand.'
But she didn't press the point. To stop Ranmu from complaining again and to dispel the other beastmen's doubts, Su Yu didn't let Shi Wei eat any more of the hot and sour Earth Egg shreds. Instead, she took a large pinch and ate it herself.
Then she dug out a roasted Earth Egg, ate it, and addressed the beastmen. "I've eaten both. Now, let's just wait a bit. If I don't drop dead from poison, then that proves Earth Eggs prepared this way are safe to eat."
Ranmu snorted, saying coldly, "If you die, don't expect us to bury you."
Shi Wei snarled at him. "Ranmu! Do you have a death wish?!"
Ruer smacked Shi Wei on the head and shot a glare at Ranmu. In a deep voice, he commanded, "Both of you, be quiet! We'll wait and see!"
'If the Earth Eggs weren't poisonous, it would mean one more food source for the tribe. They'd have a better chance of surviving the coming winter.'
The other beastmen also waited patiently.
Based on past experience, a beastman poisoned by an Earth Egg would suffer from vomiting and diarrhea after a short while.
But the sun had set, and Su Yu, who had eaten the Earth Egg, showed no reaction whatsoever.
She even casually picked up another large clump of shredded Earth Egg with two sticks, stuffing it into her mouth. A look of pure enjoyment spread across her delicate, beautiful face.
The watching beastmen couldn't help but gulp.
Sang Guo was the first to break.
She furtively grabbed a small handful of the hot and sour shreds and popped them into her mouth. The zesty, spicy flavor exploded on her tongue, making her eyes light up. "So delicious!" she couldn't help but exclaim.
Ness couldn't resist either. He crept forward to sneak a taste, then quietly peeled a roasted Earth Egg and silently offered it to Su Yu.
When she felt it, she assumed Shi Wei had peeled it for her. But just as she was about to take it, she heard Shi Wei's frosty voice say, "Are you planning on taking Ness as your second Beast Husband?"
Su Yu's hand jerked. "Of course not."
Shi Wei: "Then why were you about to accept food from him?"
Su Yu forced her eyes wide, just barely managing to distinguish from the blob of color before her that this person was not Shi Wei.
Su Yu paused and slowly drew her hand back. 'That was close,' she thought, 'almost made a stupid mistake.'
Ness gave Shi Wei a mournful look. "You're going too far."
Shi Wei just snorted and pushed a roasted Earth Egg—peeled and cooled—into Su Yu's hand. "I peeled this one. Eat."
Seeing how much they were enjoying it, Ruer and the other beastmen couldn't hold back any longer. One by one, they joined the great Earth Egg feast.
Everyone except Ranmu.
Ranmu stared, wide-eyed, at the very much alive Su Yu. "How can this be?" he muttered in disbelief. "Roasted Earth Eggs are definitely poisonous..."
Su Yu's ears twitched. She "looked" directly toward Ranmu and said, "There's only one reason a roasted Earth Egg would be poisonous: it wasn't cooked thoroughly."
"As long as an Earth Egg is fully cooked, it's not poisonous."
Su Yu's expression turned serious. "I ate the cooked Earth Egg, and I'm standing here perfectly fine. That's all the proof you need. Ranmu, you need to apologize for falsely accusing us!"
Ranmu's hands clenched into fists. He stood there stiffly, lips pressed into a thin line, unable to say a word.
Ruer tried a mouthful of the hot and sour shreds and instantly fell in love with the crisp texture. He was in an excellent mood, delighted at finding a new food source for the tribe.
He looked at Ranmu and said sternly, "Ranmu, apologize to Su Yu at once!"
Ranmu gritted his teeth, tossed out a stiff "sorry," then transformed into his beast form and fled.
The beastmen who had insulted Su Yu earlier looked embarrassed and mumbled their own apologies.
Ruer sighed and looked at Su Yu apologetically. "I'm sorry, my girl. Ranmu doesn't really have a bad heart. His Amu and little sister were poisoned to death by Earth Eggs one winter."
"That's why he reacted so strongly when he saw you bring back Earth Eggs."
Su Yu just smiled, noncommittal.
She didn't believe Ruer for a second.
She wasn't a fool. In fact, because she had been chronically ill in her past life, she was extremely sensitive to the good and evil in people's hearts. She could sense the thick, hidden malice coming from Ranmu.
That malice was aimed at Shi Wei, and at her.
He was jealous of Shi Wei, and he hated him.
The Earth Eggs were just an excuse for him to make a scene.
'If Sang Guo hadn't announced that I was the one who brought the Earth Eggs back, today's incident might not have happened at all.'
However, she could understand Ruer's desire as a leader to keep the peace, so she didn't make things difficult for him. She smoothly changed the subject. "Leader, is there a reward for discovering a new edible food for the tribe?"
Ruer nodded. "We do. Today, the Hunting Team took down two adult Tun Tun Beasts, as well as some Miaomiao Beasts and Long-eared Beasts. By my authority, I'll give your family half of a Tun Tun Beast, half of the Miaomiao Beasts, and two Long-eared Beasts. How does that sound?"
For a beastman, this was an extremely generous reward. Su Yu didn't haggle and accepted it with pleasure.
Seeing her agree, Ruer grew even more pleased and breathed an inward sigh of relief.
'Thank goodness Shi Wei's female isn't petty or one to hold a grudge,' he thought. 'Otherwise, I'd have no idea how to mediate the relationship between her and the rest of the tribe.'
'It would be terrible if today's business with Ranmu created a rift between Shi Wei and the tribe.'
Overcome with joy, Ruer made an executive decision. He had the Hunting Team bring over a portion of the day's catch, lit a large bonfire, and told the beastmen to roast the meat and eat until they were full.
The beastmen cheered, rushing to drag over the prey and prepare it. The tribe was instantly filled with a festive atmosphere.
With her poor eyesight, Su Yu didn't help with the roasting. Shi Wei had her sit obediently on a large rock, where she accepted the food he fed her.
While Shi Wei was off cutting more meat, Ness seized the opportunity to sidle up to her. He asked, still unwilling to give up, "Yu Yu, are you really not planning on taking a second Beast Husband?"
Su Yu politely refused him. "Having Shi Wei is enough for me."
Ness grew anxious. "How can one Beast Husband like Shi Wei be enough? He's all thumbs! He got you blamed for things today! He can't provide for you properly!"
"I'm more thoughtful than he is! I'm a smooth talker, and I'm the tribe's Second Warrior! I can definitely provide—OW OW OW!!"
Before he could finish, he felt a searing heat on his rear. He turned to see a large hole had been burned on his backside.
He looked up and saw Shi Wei walking toward them, meat in hand, his face thunderous. "Ness, are you tired of living?"
'To think he'd badmouth me to my little female the second my back was turned!'
A shiver went down Ness's spine. He immediately turned and fled.
Shi Wei sneered, dropped the meat next to Su Yu, and transformed into his beast form. He shot after Ness and proceeded to singe his fur all over again.
Sang Guo pointed at the now furless Ness and burst out laughing. Even Su Yu couldn't help but crack a smile.
The boisterous sounds from the Liaoshui Tribe carried far into the distance.
Downstream from the creek to the east of the Liaoshui Tribe, two eyes the size of lightbulbs suddenly emerged from the murky silt.
A massive crocodile, drawn by an alluringly sweet scent from upstream, began to swim slowly in that direction.
Eventually, it stopped at the spot by the water where Su Yu had been earlier.
The giant crocodile transformed into a tall, handsome male beastman with cruel, sinister eyes.
He was completely naked. He sniffed the air at the bank, catching the scent of fresh blood that had dripped onto a rock when Su Yu's finger was pinched by a crab.
His pupils instantly became vertical slits, and his mouth twisted into a terrifying grin.
"So, the Liaoshui Tribe has a new female."
"And this one... is very much to my liking."
'I must find a way to have her.'