Chapter 58: Chapter 58: The Big Demon King

“Grandpa Pukang, we still need to go hunting and foraging near White Lake,” Nuan Chun quietly interrupted Elder Pukang. It was still early, far from lunchtime. Heading back to the den for barbecue now was a bit much.

Besides, they’d originally planned to explore the White Lake area.

They couldn’t just give up before they’d even started.

Pukang paused, frowning. “Other than sharp-beaked beasts and fish, what else is there at White Lake? You’re going hunting and foraging there? Are you joking?”

“……”

No one could think of a reply.

White Lake was close to the tribe.

Every few days, the tribe would send totem warriors to patrol and clear out any wild beasts that wandered into the area. Other than small poultry like chickens, ducks, and geese, there were probably only rabbits and other small animals left.

Chang Xia forced herself not to let her mouth twitch as she explained, “Grandpa Pukang, chickens, ducks, geese, and fish are just as delicious as roast meat. Would you like to try them? My cave is built by White Lake, so I need to get familiar with the area. That’s why we planned to explore around White Lake while it’s still early, and maybe do a little hunting and fishing.”

“Little Chang Xia, you’ve never left the tribe before. You just want to play around White Lake, don’t you?” Pukang gave her a knowing look and waved his big hand. “Go ahead and explore. Leave the hunting to me. For lunch, besides roast meat, I want to eat those chickens, ducks, geese, and fish you just mentioned.”

With that, Pukang turned and left.

Looked like he was off to hunt.

Chang Xia and the others stared at each other, stunned for a moment.

“Is Elder Pukang gone?” Nan Feng quietly asked, taking her hand away from her face.

As she spoke, she looked around to make sure Elder Pukang had really left. After being on the receiving end of his “loving iron fist,” Nan Feng’s whole body ached, with several spots still swollen—especially her left cheek.

“The Demon King is gone,” Lu You replied.

Like Nan Feng, he cautiously let go of Wu Liu’s mouth.

His eyes were full of lingering fear. That’s right, Elder Pukang was definitely on his list of people to be wary of.

Shan Que looked confused and asked, “Sister Chang Xia, what’s wrong with everyone?”

Hearing this,

Chang Xia’s tense body finally relaxed.

She smiled, crouched down, and said,

“Shan Que, you should eat more fish to nourish your brain. Don’t always be so silly.”

Just now, thank goodness she’d reacted quickly and used barbecue to defuse Elder Pukang’s anger. Otherwise, with his grudge-holding personality, even she and the three beast cubs might have suffered his wrath.

Maybe only Nuan Chun would have been spared.

Nan Feng and Shen Rong definitely wouldn’t have gotten off unscathed.

Shen Rong turned and quickly wiped the sweat from his brow with a trembling hand.

*Cough, cough—*

The Heluo Tribe truly deserves its reputation as the most powerful beastkin tribe in the Twilight Forest.

Even a random old man from the tribe is ridiculously strong. Judging by their earlier exchange, that old man probably went easy on us.

“Changxia-jie, does fish brain taste good?” Mountain Sparrow asked cheerfully.

Clearly, Mountain Sparrow hadn’t understood what Changxia actually meant.

It was Lu You, standing off to the side, who covered his chubby face in embarrassment. “Changxia-jie, if you talk like that, Mountain Sparrow won’t get it. I think… it’s safest if we let Mountain Sparrow talk as little as possible from now on.”

He’d nearly been scared out of his wits just now.

Sure enough, he was shouldering burdens no child his age should have to bear.

Chen Rong rubbed his forehead, glancing at the two innocent, clueless faces, then at the mischievous Lu You. The Heluo Tribe… what a deep, unfathomable pool!

“Little Lu You, zip it,” Changxia said.

Nan Feng covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. Lu You, so clever and precocious, was just like Changxia had been as a child. Watching the two of them bicker—one big, one small—was endlessly entertaining!

“Changxia, want to go fishing?” Chen Rong took Changxia’s hand and grabbed Lu You, plopping him down in front of Nan Feng. This brat always tried to steal the spotlight the moment he showed up—so annoying.

Changxia nodded. “Let’s catch a few fish. And some shrimp and crabs, too—Elder Pukang has a huge appetite. We should also try to hunt as many chickens, ducks, and geese as we can—geese if we’re lucky, but definitely more chickens and ducks. As for meat, Elder Pukang will handle that. We’ll also pick some fresh wild vegetables from White Lake. We’ve finished all the fresh greens in the beast den; what’s left isn’t very good anymore.”

“Changxia, do we really need to go to all that trouble?” Chen Rong asked in surprise.

“We do—”

Changxia, Nan Feng, and the others all answered in unison.

Everyone in the Twilight Forest knew about Elder Pukang’s appetite. Some beastkin tribes had even publicly declared that Elder Pukang was not allowed to set foot in their territory.

If you had to describe Elder Pukang, Changxia thought of the legendary gluttonous beast, Taotie.

In recent years, Elder Pukang had been cultivating his character, and supposedly his appetite had shrunk a bit.

According to the shaman, the beastkin bloodline Elder Pukang had awakened was related to eating, not strength. The details, though, neither the shaman nor the tribe had ever explained.

“Chen Rong, let me tell you—aside from his terrifying ‘fist of love,’ Elder Pukang’s stomach is even scarier. He could eat all the food in the tribe if he wanted to,” Nan Feng whispered.

Even though Elder Pukang was gone, Nan Feng still felt a lingering sense of dread.

She didn’t even dare move or speak too loudly, for fear a ‘fist of love’ would come flying out of nowhere.

As she spoke, Nan Feng couldn’t help but shiver.

Clearly, the shadow Elder Pukang cast was a terrifying one.

Hearing Nan Feng’s description, Chen Rong fell silent. The Heluo Tribe had over a thousand people, and their food stores must be astronomical. Yet Nan Feng claimed Elder Pukang could eat it all if he let himself go.

Was he even human anymore?!

A monster—he had to be a monster.

“Mountain Sparrow, don’t wander off. Stick with me when we go hunting and foraging at White Lake,” Changxia instructed.

She’d originally thought Nan Feng would go back to the tribe and bring someone to escort Mountain Sparrow and the others home. Unfortunately, Nan Feng had run into Elder Pukang.

Forget sending the three kids back.

Now, they’d have to busy themselves preparing a meal for Elder Pukang. Since she’d promised to treat him, Changxia wasn’t about to be careless.

Soon enough,

The group headed toward the reed beds by White Lake.

Changxia planned to leave fishing for last, to do it on the way back to the beast den.

For now, they’d focus on hunting and gathering wild vegetables—there was no shortage of fish in White Lake. Besides, Chen Rong’s pond still had plenty.

Though the three kids were young, they were surprisingly capable.

They picked wild vegetables even faster than Changxia, and could keep up with Chen Rong and Nan Feng as they hunted wild chickens and ducks. Their movements were quick and efficient—they really got things done.

Changxia stayed back to look after Nuan Chun, the two of them slowly collecting bird eggs.

Changxia used her bloodline ability to cheat a little—she could sense exactly where the reed beds hid chicken and duck nests, making egg-hunting a breeze. Once her bloodline ability advanced further, she wanted to see if she could actually control plants.

Her ability came from her previous life, amplified by her beastkin bloodline.

Besides healing, it also had some offensive power. Changxia believed that if she kept training, she’d eventually be able to control plants in battle, not just help them grow or sense their emotions.