Chapter 182: Chapter 182: Extra Chapter for Sha’s Reward

As soon as she said that—

Those nearby who were in the know all exchanged sly smiles.

Changxia looked around but didn’t see any sign of Yadong.

After lunch, everyone had returned to their caves. In the afternoon, who knew if Yadong had gone out to dig for wild grass roots or was just resting in his cave.

“I’m not sure where Yadong is. But, which one is Daya?” Changxia stood on tiptoe, trying to spot Daya in the crowd.

Milu patted Changxia’s arm and pointed to a tall, short-haired female in the crowd. “Over there—the one with short hair and a beast tooth necklace around her neck.”

Short hair—

Wasn’t that a bit too short?

Changxia thought to herself, this short hair… it was basically a buzz cut.

Her features were striking and bold.

Daya, like Maple Leaf, had a more dramatic beauty. Even dressed in a more masculine style, it did nothing to diminish Daya’s striking looks.

This kind of beauty was dazzling and radiant.

She stood out in the crowd at a glance.

“Changxia—”

Perhaps sensing Changxia’s gaze, Daya walked straight over.

“Daya, Bear Tribe of the Earth Clan,” Daya said with a smile, performing the Bear Tribe’s warrior salute—thumb, index, and middle fingers raised, tapping her chest twice.

“Heluo Tribe, Changxia.” Changxia nodded, returning the warrior salute.

Each tribe’s warrior salute was a little different, but the basics were the same.

“My father asked me to bring you some gifts. Please accept them,” Daya said, clapping her hands. Lili came over carrying a vine basket. From the smell, it was clear the basket was filled with seaweed candy.

“The Bear Tribe is so generous!” Changxia didn’t refuse, accepting all the gifts with the same enthusiasm as she had with Milu’s. She said, “Our tribe recently succeeded in making dried powder. I’ll send some to Chief Xifeng to try—could you take it back to the Earth Tribe for me?”

“Thank you!” Daya replied happily.

As dusk approached—

A bonfire was lit in the tribal square.

Daya squinted, still unable to spot Yadong.

A hint of worry crept onto her bright face. Did Yadong really not like her?

Changxia noticed Daya’s expression change.

After a moment’s thought, she understood what Daya was thinking.

“Daya, are you looking for Yadong? He went out hunting this afternoon. Do you want to come with me to the Baihu caves? Yadong’s family lives in Baihu…”

Daya’s eyes lit up at that.

“Is that… okay?”

Changxia exchanged a glance with Nan Feng, who was standing not far away, and smiled. “Why not? Yadong built his cave just for… getting married. Now that it’s finished, it’s only natural for him to settle down.”

Changxia’s words were a bit vague.

Daya’s bright face turned crimson.

Her pursuit of Yadong was already well known throughout the Twilight Forest.

If it weren’t for Yadong being so shy and never saying yes, Daya would have moved from the Earth Tribe to the Heluo Tribe long ago.

“I’ll go with you to Yadong’s place,” Daya said bluntly.

She had always been straightforward and bold, with a bit of impatience in her nature.

Back when that incident happened, she actually liked Yadong too. So, she decided to pursue him. Who would have thought Yadong would be so awkward, dragging things out for so long?

This time, Daya was determined—it was do or die.

If Yadong truly didn’t like her, Daya would give up for good.

As she spoke, Changxia got up, ready to take Daya to Yadong’s cave house. There were others like Muqin at the tribe’s plaza, so it wasn’t Changxia’s job to entertain Milu and the rest.

“Chenrong, you go home and start preparing dinner. I’ll take Daya to Yadong’s place.”

When they reached the shore of White Lake, Changxia and Chenrong parted ways.

Yadong’s home was on the neighboring hill.

Since she wasn’t sure if Yadong was back yet, Changxia naturally wanted to walk Daya over.

When the tribe’s people at the plaza heard that Changxia was taking Daya to Yadong’s cave, they all looked on with anticipation and amusement. Clearly, everyone was eager to see how things would turn out between those two.

Unfortunately, the tribe elders kept everyone in check.

Otherwise, this bunch of nosy tribespeople would have secretly followed to watch the drama unfold.

“Daya, Yadong’s home—”

Changxia pushed open the courtyard gate and saw the glow of firelight from the kitchen.

She paused, guessing that something must have happened between Yadong and Daya before—one chasing, one running, there had to be a story there.

Outsiders couldn’t interfere; they’d have to work it out themselves.

With that thought, Changxia opened the door and invited Daya inside.

Then, she closed the courtyard gate behind her.

Daya stood in the courtyard, looking toward the kitchen.

“Daya—”

The sound of the door caught Yadong’s attention in the kitchen.

He opened the kitchen door and looked out into the courtyard.

By the faint firelight, he could make out the silhouette of a beautiful woman standing there. Instantly, Yadong was stunned.

“It’s me,” Daya said, striding toward Yadong.

“Uh—hey—” Yadong stared at Daya as she walked closer, about to say something.

But before he could—

Daya reached him, wrapped her arms around his neck—

And kissed him, biting his lips.

“I’m here to ask if you’ll marry me—”

“Mmmph!”

Outside, Changxia peeked through a crack in the door, watching the two embrace.

Damn—

Her eyes! She was going blind from this.

With things like this between them, Yadong was still hemming and hawing? So frustrating.

“I’m still making dinner in the kitchen.”

“I’m not hungry. We’ll eat after we’re done—”

Outside in the courtyard, Changxia was exasperated. She couldn’t believe she was actually worried about Yadong—what a waste of concern!

Annoyed, she stomped off.

If she kept eavesdropping, she’d probably hear something she really shouldn’t.

Inside the cave, things were heating up.

“Changxia—” Chenrong returned to their own cave, started a fire, and wondered what to make for dinner. Looking up, he saw Changxia come back with an exasperated look on her face.

Changxia plopped down on a low stool by the stove and grumbled, “Chenrong, whoever deals with Yadong from now on can just go die. That jerk… he’s such a scumbag.”

“What did he do? And Daya—why didn’t she come back with you?” Chenrong asked cautiously, trying to figure out what had happened.

At his words, Changxia’s face turned bright red.

“This…”

Those two were busy right now—how could Changxia say it out loud?

“Forget about them. What are we having for dinner?”

Forcing down her frustration, Changxia changed the subject.

Chenrong’s mind turned, and he quickly guessed that Daya had probably stayed at Yadong’s place. As for what happened, he couldn’t be sure.

It couldn’t be anything too serious.

After all, if Yadong had really caused trouble, Changxia wouldn’t have come back looking so embarrassed and flustered.

Thinking of this, Chenrong suddenly realized what might have happened.

Instantly, he felt a surge of respect for Yadong.

Ahem—

Just thinking about it made Chenrong’s mood fluctuate.

He secretly wondered how much longer until he could eat meat himself—so close, yet so far. It was a bittersweet feeling. Besides, he really wanted a soft, cuddly little cub just like Changxia.

That day, when the mountain sparrow carried Changxia’s beast form back to the cave—

Chenrong had loved it.

It looked like a miniature version of himself.

That feeling was strange but warm, making him want to pull Changxia into his arms and never let her go.

Unfortunately, he was afraid his thoughts would scare her.

For now, he could only suppress those tender feelings.

“Roast anaconda meat, and I’ll fry up some fruit pancakes. There’s still some lamb soup from lunch—I’ll heat it up to go with dinner,” Chenrong said.

If he didn’t say something, he felt like he might do something wrong.

Changxia nodded. “Sounds good. I’ll bake some pies in the oven, too, so we can take them to the grasslands by the upper river tomorrow.”

Milu and the others’ arrival hadn’t changed their plans.

After all, Milu and her group would be leaving tomorrow anyway—they wouldn’t be staying at the Heluo tribe. During the warm season, every tribe was busy; no one had time to hang around in someone else’s territory.