Chapter 8: Then Whose Back Do You Plan to Ride?

Urgent! Of course, she was urgent!

Without a second thought, Li Yue waved her hand. She had to find her Father as quickly as possible, or he would be in danger.

Now, her Father was her only support. She couldn't even imagine the consequences if he met the same fate as described in the book.

"Then let's use Beast Form. The faster, the better."

As soon as she finished speaking, the beast husbands fell silent.

Li Yue blinked, her face blank. "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

You Lie stepped forward half a step, his crimson eyes slanting at her, his voice dripping with mockery. "Sure, we can travel faster in Beast Form. But who do you plan to ride on?"

The words hit Li Yue like a stone. She suddenly remembered how the original host had once mocked their Beast Forms.

The original host had said You Lie's snake form was slimy and disgusting to look at, and touching it felt dirty.

She had said Si Qi's crane form looked noble but was as stiff as a wooden plank. His wings flapped so dizzyingly when he flew; it was a waste of such large wings.

She had said Chi Yu's red fox form looked sinister and cunning, his fur like blood-stained, bringing bad luck.

Jin Ye's lion-beast form looked imposing, but in reality, he was as clumsy as a pig. His messy mane resembled a pile of dry grass, and when he ran, the ground trembled violently, giving her a headache.

They said Lanxi was ridiculously clumsy out of the water, and that his scales, when shed, looked like the skin of a peeled fish—so ugly they were unbearable to look at. Even the small fish in the stream were more attractive than him.

Li Yue stood frozen, her throat tightening.

She didn't believe they would willingly carry her after enduring such humiliation.

Her only option was to use another drop of blood as bait.

Just as she was about to speak, Jin Ye suddenly took a step forward, his tall figure blocking her path.

"Sit on my back. My mane is long so that you can hold on easily." His voice was deep and emotionless.

Li Yue's eyes lit up instantly. She hadn't expected anyone to volunteer. She nodded immediately, afraid he might change his mind. "Yes! I won't ride for free. After two days, I'll give you a drop of blood each time. I promise!"

Jin Ye paused, clearly surprised by her generosity. But he scoffed inwardly, never believing a word she said.

Once she was on his back, he could deliberately jostle her, making her pay for this "privilege."

She hadn't forgotten how she'd mocked his lion-beast form before.

"Are you sure you can drip blood?" Jin Ye's eyes held little trust.

Li Yue nodded firmly. "Of course. You let me ride on your back tomorrow, and I'll drip blood for you tomorrow night."

She knew that only by showing them tangible benefits could she slowly dissolve their hostility. Otherwise, she might not even live to see her Father again.

The other beast husbands couldn't help but envy Jin Ye.

If I'd known carrying her would earn me blood-dripping twice a day, I would have offered first.

After all, carrying a delicate female was no burden for a Beastman Male.

Seeing that Jin Ye didn't object, Li Yue breathed a sigh of relief. She turned and entered the cave, slinging an animal skin bag over her shoulder. The bag contained some items.

This bag was used to conceal her space. If she needed to retrieve something from her space, the bag would serve as a convenient explanation.

After packing the bag, Li Yue called out to the beast husbands outside the cave. "Everyone, take the rest of the things from the cave. The meat, hides, and salt—pack it all up."

You Lie, Si Qi, and Chi Yu entered the cave at Li Yue's call and soon emerged carrying several bulging animal skin bags.

They instinctively did a quick count, feeling that the animal skins and wild fruits seemed slightly less than the day before, but didn't dwell on it. After all, Li Yue had often gone on rampages and thrown things around before; perhaps she'd casually discarded some last night.

Lanxi walked to the wooden barrel, his fish tail flicking gently to roll up the small clay pot of salt and tuck it into one of the animal skin bags.

With everything prepared, the beast husbands exchanged glances and simultaneously transformed into their Beast Forms.

You Lie became a massive, silver-white serpent, its scales gleaming coldly in the sunlight. Its coiled body was thicker than a water barrel, a truly intimidating sight.

Si Qi transformed into a pristine white crane, its wings spanning two meters. Its feathers were as white as snow, and the tip of its beak glowed with a faint golden light, giving it the noble air of a divine bird descending from the clouds.

Chi Yu's red fox form was particularly striking, its fiery red fur blazing like a flame and its bushy tail resembling a large pom-pom.

Jin Ye's lion-beast form was the most formidable, slightly larger than an ordinary lion, with a black mane that radiated power.

Lanxi remained in his merman form. The wound on his tail had scabbed over, but the scales hadn't grown back, leaving a gruesome scar.

Li Yue gazed at the various beast forms before her, unable to suppress her silent astonishment.

As expected of the males in the Beast World—even their beast forms are so striking.

Jin Ye approached Li Yue, bending slightly to signal for her to climb onto his back.

Though his mane looked coarse, it felt surprisingly soft against her fingertips, not prickly at all.

Taking a deep breath, Li Yue carefully climbed onto Jin Ye's back, her hands clinging tightly to his mane.

"Hold on tight," Jin Ye said.

The moment Li Yue nodded, Jin Ye sprang into motion, galloping toward the Black Forest.

You Lie led the way, the Crane circling overhead in vigilance, while the Red Fox darted nimbly through the trees, occasionally snatching wild berries and tossing them into an animal skin bag. Lanxi, temporarily housed in a large water-filled wooden barrel, was carried along by You Lie's tail.

As soon as Jin Ye began running, Li Yue felt a jolt against her back. Instinctively, she pressed closer, her hands gripping the mane at the nape of his neck with all her might.

Jin Ye's steps faltered almost imperceptibly before resuming their steady rhythm. Yet, a subtle stiffness had crept into his running pace, one he hadn't even noticed himself.

The female's body pressed close against him, her soft form radiating warmth like a heated cloud settling against his back.

Her breath carried a faint, sweet fragrance, and occasionally a few strands of her slightly curled purple hair brushed against his neck, sending a ticklish thrill through him.

This sensation was too unfamiliar, too strange, leaving him feeling somewhat bewildered.

To make Li Yue suffer a little, Jin Ye had deliberately chosen a bumpy route. Since it was her first time riding a running lion, she was struggling immensely.

She barely managed to maintain her balance, but as Jin Ye quickened his pace, her arms began to ache.

She bit her lower lip and buried her face in Jin Ye's mane.

She knew that females without Beast Form had poor stamina, but she hadn't expected to be so weak. Just clinging to the male's back was proving too much.

Several times, she nearly fell off during the jolts, gritting her teeth and clinging to Jin Ye's mane to keep her grip.

Only when the sun reached its zenith did the beast husbands arrive at a small river to rest.

As soon as Jin Ye stopped, Li Yue practically scrambled down from his back, her hands and feet flailing. She lost her footing upon landing and stumbled, steadying herself against a tree trunk before retching loudly.

Pale-faced, she slumped at the base of the tree to recover.

"Phew..." She took a long, deep breath and looked up to meet Jin Ye's complex gaze.

Before she could ask what was wrong, he pulled a whip from his animal skin bag and thrust it into her hand.

"Hit me," he said, kneeling before her.