TFBAT – Chapter 17

When Chi Yuyang thought of the phrase “an ugly daughter-in-law meeting her parents-in-law,” the corner of her mouth twitched slightly.

In this saying, the daughter-in-law referred to her, and the ones she was about to meet were the clan leader who had raised Hu Jin, practically like parents—that is, her supposed in-laws.

She could only blame a certain tiger for this.

Being called “my wife” by him from morning till night every single day, she was almost starting to subconsciously accept that role.

Chi Yuyang shook her head, pushing away such wild thoughts.

“Clan Leader, hello.” Chi Yuyang slowly stepped into the cave, introducing herself at the same time. “My name is Chi Yuyang, I’m Hu Jin’s… friend.”

After thinking for a long time, she finally settled on the most appropriate word.

But the moment she crossed the entrance of the cave, she noticed more than one pair of glowing vertical pupils staring at her.

There were other tigers inside?

Yet, since she had already come this far, retreating now would seem disrespectful to the clan leader.

Though her pace was slow, she continued walking in step by step.

When she was about to see the cave’s full view more clearly, a familiar chorus of cries rang out.

“Aw, aw, aw, aw!” “Aw, aw!”

…

Before she could identify the sound properly, another familiar voice from outside drowned it out.

“Clan Leader, my wife can’t see too well in the dark, and she’s afraid of the cold—remember to light a fire for her!”

As soon as the words fell, a flame suddenly flared up inside the cave.

“Tiger cub, you sure are attentive to your wife.” The clan leader’s tone softened, now tinged with warmth and affection.

Chi Yuyang hadn’t expected Hu Jin to notice her habits with such precision.

Her understanding of Hu Jin mostly came from what she knew about tigers as animals, but Hu Jin had been observing her with his own eyes, carefully noting her behaviors and needs.

But then, the next second—

Chi Yuyang’s attention was caught by several furry little bundles huddled together on the ground.

Tiger cubs? And not just one, but a whole group!

As expected, the “aw, aw” cries just now had come from them.

And at this age, tiger cubs, if you didn’t look carefully, were almost like oversized kittens with black stripes.

Still, mindful of the clan leader’s presence, Chi Yuyang quickly withdrew her delighted gaze and turned instead to the beastman who stood to the side in human form, meeting his eyes directly.

This tiger clan leader was clearly a few years older than the sheep clan leader she had met before, though not yet old enough to be described as “kindly.”

His skin was wheat-colored, with raised brows and piercing amber eyes. His chest was broad, and his build towering and robust.

To Chi Yuyang, his facial features leaned closer to those of Asians.

And in that instant, her mind involuntarily conjured Hu Jin’s uniquely youthful face—thick brows paired with mismatched sapphire eyes and a straight nose—his very appearance radiating the air of a natural mixed-blood.

Though she had yet to meet other tiger beastmen, judging by the clan leader’s human form alone, Hu Jin was clearly different, more like someone of another race.

“Chi Yuyang, hello.” The clan leader repeated her name. “I am called Hu Zhuo—‘Zhuo’ as in contemplation and refinement. My father hoped I would master and wield wisdom. Unfortunately, I have never heard of the Chi clan before. Forgive this old man’s limited knowledge.”

Hu Jin’s name had been given by the clan leader, continuing the tiger clan tradition of using characters with the ‘king’ radical.

When Chi Yuyang first learned of this, she thought the clan leader must be a tiger of great wisdom.

Now, knowing his name and the meaning behind it, her respect for him deepened further.

She very much liked the name he had chosen for Hu Jin.

“Clan Leader, please don’t dwell on it. I don’t belong to the Chi clan. Actually, I… I’m human, you could say from the human race.” After a few moments of hesitation, Chi Yuyang finally revealed her true identity.

She trusted Hu Jin, and by extension, trusted the clan leader as well.

Although the clan leader’s first impression had indeed frightened her, her instincts told her he would not harm her.

As Hu Jin had said—he was a good tiger.

After all, adult tigers who were willing to raise unrelated cubs were extremely rare. All the more so given that the clan leader was a male.

Chi Yuyang glanced again at the tiger cubs on the ground.

Most of them had yellow fur.

Their sizes varied, big and small, making it unlikely they all came from the same litter.

And tigers usually only birthed two to three cubs at a time—five at most in extremely rare cases.

But as her gaze swept over, Chi Yuyang had already counted seven cubs.

“Human race?” Hu Zhuo shook his head again. “I’ve never heard of such a race either. But I have always believed this forest hides clans unknown to me. Not to mention, beyond the forest lies an even vaster world.”

Like the plains where the sheep tribe lived, or the ocean Chi Yuyang longed to see.

Meanwhile, he noticed how Chi Yuyang’s gaze drifted, intentionally or not, toward the cubs.

Earlier, when she entered, the cubs had smelled her unfamiliar scent and couldn’t help but cry out.

Though he quickly calmed them, it was possible the noise had startled the female before him.

Clearly, this female did not belong to the tiger clan.

Hu Zhuo’s judgment matched Hu Jin’s: the female before them looked far more like a herbivore-type beastman.

“Chi Yuyang, the cubs are all very well-behaved.” As he spoke, Hu Zhuo casually lifted the nearest one and took a step toward her.

His intention had simply been to show Chi Yuyang the goodwill of the tiger clan.

What he hadn’t expected was for her to naturally take the cub into her arms, holding it close and gently stroking its head.

The cub didn’t resist.

At first, because Hu Jin’s unique scent lingered on her body.

Whether animal or beastman, all creatures instinctively understood the law of the jungle.

But soon, the cub began to enjoy her soothing, massage-like touch.

It even let out happy little “aw, aw, aw” sounds.

Watching the cub relax and close its eyes in bliss, Chi Yuyang slowly moved her hand from its head down to its black-striped back.

Yet, for some reason, the feel of this fur didn’t quite compare to when she touched Hu Jin in his cub form.

Hu Jin’s fur was smoother, softer, and because of its white color, it even carried a special sheen.

Hu Zhuo didn’t know what she was thinking, but he could read the emotions the cub expressed.

“Chi Yuyang, you will certainly be a good mother in the future,” Hu Zhuo said with a sigh.

Hearing this, Chi Yuyang’s hands froze for a brief moment, as her thoughts drifted toward that white tiger, and…

At that moment, it was as if Chi Yuyang once again heard Hu Jin’s voice by her ear.

“Patriarch…”

It wasn’t an illusion—Hu Jin really was speaking.

“Patriarch, may I come in?” His words carried the anxious edge of someone who had been waiting too long.

Although Chi Yuyang had only gone inside for less than ten minutes, Hu Jin already felt a hollow emptiness in his heart.

He really shouldn’t have let Chi Yuyang leave his side for even half a step.

“Come in.” In truth, the moment Hu Zhuo saw Chi Yuyang, he understood at once that this female had an extraordinary bond with Hu Jin.

The scent that enveloped her entire body had entered Hu Zhuo’s nose the moment she stepped into the cave.

Hu Jin had grown up before his very eyes—he could never mistake that scent.

What’s more, in all of Hu Zhuo’s tiger life, he had never seen many tigers exude such a powerful sense of dominance.

“Wife!” The very first thing Hu Jin did upon entering was to pounce toward Chi Yuyang.

But when he noticed the tiger cub nestled in her arms, his once-joyful expression immediately vanished.

Hu Jin sniffed with his nose.

As he suspected—the scent on Chi Yuyang that belonged to him had been diluted somewhat by this cub.

Even though the dilution was faint, almost imperceptible.

“Wife, the cub…” Hu Jin’s eyes held a strange, nameless emotion—something even he himself could not identify.

“Let’s talk about cubs later.” Chi Yuyang interrupted him without a second thought.

They hadn’t even gotten as far as mating yet—how could cubs already be a topic?

Even if she was holding a cub right now, the matter of bearing one of her own still needed much consideration.

However, Hu Jin was utterly shaken by her words. He couldn’t respond for a long while.

What he had originally meant to say was that this cub wasn’t even close to being his equal—not even qualified to be considered as a candidate for Chi Yuyang’s mate.

But unexpectedly, Chi Yuyang was already thinking ahead to the matter of them having cubs in the future.

Sure enough, in her heart, he was the one most compatible with her!

When she noticed Hu Jin suddenly fall silent again, she turned back to glance at him.

“Hu Jin?”

“Wife, you’re the best!”

Hu Jin immediately wrapped his arms around her, and with lightning speed, grabbed the back of the cub’s neck that was sticking to her embrace. In one motion, he tossed it toward where the patriarch was standing.

“Roar roar roar!” The cub cried out as it was separated from its warm, gentle embrace.

“Roar woo woo woo! Roar woo woo!” Hu Jin replied in the tiger tongue.

Little cub—don’t pretend to be weak. When this tiger was your age, he was already hunting on his own!

When beastmen of the tiger tribe reached adulthood, they gained their human form.

But even while they were still in their beast form, their abilities in youth gave faint hints of their future strength.

In this continent of beastmen, any beast that could not evolve into a beastman would inevitably become prey.

Those who did evolve into beastmen hungered even more desperately to wield their beastman powers early on. That was why tiger beastmen naturally wouldn’t wait until sub-adulthood to learn how to hunt, unlike ordinary tigers.

Once Hu Jin removed the cub from her arms, Chi Yuyang actually felt relieved.

At this moment, she secretly poked Hu Jin’s tail, reminding him of their main purpose here.

For some reason, Hu Jin’s tail had been restless since earlier, constantly swaying about.

Receiving the reminder from his wife, Hu Jin finally recalled the reason they had come.

“Patriarch, has anything strange happened recently in the tiger tribe?” Hu Jin asked.

In truth, the moment he stepped back into the tribe’s range, he had already sensed everything was as usual.

But he still wanted to confirm it with the patriarch.

“There hasn’t been anything unusual in the tribe. Only your three brothers— they’ve been looking for you nonstop.” Hu Zhuo frowned slightly at the thought of those three troublemakers.

Hearing this, Hu Jin’s eyes darkened.

He had never told anyone—or any tiger—the true reason behind his injuries.

Chi Yuyang only knew that he had been attempting to advance a tribulation and failed midway.

The patriarch didn’t know a thing about his tribulation attempt.

After becoming an adult, Hu Jin had left the tiger tribe without a word.

So when he returned this time and the patriarch blew up in anger at him, he accepted it.

But if the patriarch ever discovered he had recklessly forced an advancement, it would not be something so easily forgiven.

So Hu Jin quickly shifted the topic.

“Patriarch, it’s well known throughout the tribe that I don’t get along with those three stupid tigers. In truth, the real reason we came back is that my wife and I accidentally learned—the ape tribe intends to destroy the entire tiger tribe.”

He swiftly diverted the blame toward the apes.

“Hahahahaha! The ape tribe!” To their surprise, Hu Zhuo suddenly burst out laughing. “After all these years, they still haven’t given up! They still dream of targeting my tiger tribe first!”

Upon hearing this, Hu Jin and Chi Yuyang exchanged a glance.

In his eyes was confusion, but from Hu Zhuo’s words, Chi Yuyang detected a hint of conspiracy.

Just as they were waiting for Hu Zhuo to explain further, the sound of countless tiger roars echoed from outside the cave.

“Rooaaar!” “Roar woo woo woo!” “Roaaar!”

“This is a long story. I’ll talk to you about it later. Right now it’s time for the cubs’ lesson. Hu Jin, you come along and listen too!” Hu Zhuo said.

Before Chi Yuyang could even ask “Lesson? What lesson?”, she felt Hu Jin’s tiger body tense up beside her.