Wente snorted, "An An's situation is an illusion. Never trust a fallen beastman."
Shu Yue found her mate's words a bit extreme and glanced at him, but said nothing in front of the child.
"..." Shu An didn't want to discuss such matters with her family, so she changed the subject. "Mom, Dad, guess who I saw in the West Sea?"
Long Xiaxia asked, "Wasn't it Little Si?"
Shu An shook her head mysteriously, "No, it was Big Horn. Big Horn and Weng Weng had a litter of eggs, sixteen in total!"
This time, everyone was truly surprised. Shu Yue said, "An An, tell us everything that happened to you during this time!"
Shu An nodded, "Listen to me slowly..."
...
In another house.
A'man said to his eldest son, who had just returned from hunting, "An An was rescued by Little Si. We'll take some gifts to see An An later."
Long Rui was startled, "Father, who did you say rescued her?"
"Little Si."
A'man patted him. "Don't overthink it. Father hopes you will pursue females in the future with honorable means. Little Si is also excellent. Don't look at him now, but who knows about the future. So, you need to work hard."
Long Rui nodded heavily, "Father, I understand. I will compete with him fairly, but I must thank him for this matter."
If for no other reason, then for saving An An.
In the evening, when Little Si's family arrived, Wente's house was already full of people: Shu Xin's family, Balun's family, Long Ye and A'man's family. A'shui, Da Jin, and others did not come; if they had, the yard wouldn't have been enough to hold them.
Everyone thanked Little Si, who repeatedly waved his hands, busy telling these uncles and elder brothers that it was what he should do.
At the wine table, Little Si was toasted repeatedly, and Da Ke also drank a few cups. He hadn't eaten anything and was first doused with a barrel of wine. The females' table was all gathered around Shu An, asking about her well-being.
The males' table was all about drinking. Little Si couldn't handle it and found an excuse to go out for some air.
The wine here was not like modern low-alcohol wine. It was too difficult to get a beastman drunk with low-alcohol wine.
Little Si's face flushed as if he were drunk.
Stepping out of Wente's house, he was urinating under a tree with his back to the moonlight. As soon as he pulled up his pants, his fist swung towards the person behind him.
Long Rui was not surprised and went along with him, sparring. They exchanged blows until they were both sweating before stopping.
"You've gotten a bit stronger," Long Rui said truthfully.
Little Si hid his dejection in his heart, his face expressionless, "I will become stronger. Long Rui, let's make a promise."
"What promise?"
Little Si said, "Long Rui, you are not yet an adult, and my strength is still weak. Five years. Five years from now, we will have a duel. Whoever loses will withdraw."
Long Rui was a little surprised, "Are you sure you can defeat me in five years? I can also improve during these five years."
Little Si calmly shook his head, "I'm not sure, but I will try my best!"
His strength was weak, and he couldn't even get past Uncle Wente. How could he provide a future for Xiao Bei?
To be honest, Long Rui had never considered him a rival. The gap between them was too large to compare.
But at this moment, he admired Little Si a little and agreed immediately, "Okay, I agree to your promise. In five years, we will have a showdown. For fairness, I will not do anything to Xiao Bei during these five years. I want you to witness our pairing with your own eyes in five years!"
Little Si sneered, "Don't speak too soon. Perhaps the spectator will be you."
That night, the fists of two young beastmen met, making a promise that could change the destiny of their latter half of their lives.
...
However, this promise was learned by the fathers of both parties after the dinner that day. A'man looked at his son as if he were an idiot, "Are you stupid?"
"Little Si needs time to train and cannot develop feelings for Xiao Bei in the tribe. This promise he proposed is to prevent you from winning over Xiao Bei during this time, and you foolishly fell for it!"
Long Rui did not think so. "Father, I am not yet an adult. As long as I am not an adult for one day, Xiao Bei will always see me as a younger brother. No matter how I approach her, Xiao Bei will not have other thoughts about me. So, I want to give myself and Xiao Bei a few years. In five years, I will pursue Xiao Bei in a new posture."
"..." A'man was speechless. The affairs of young people were their own to mess with.
On the other side.
Da Ke was also full of worry, "Little Si, aren't you afraid that Long Rui will win Xiao Bei's heart while you are out training?"
Little Si was silent for a few seconds before replying, "I am afraid, of course I am afraid, but I have no other choice."
"Only by becoming stronger will I have a chance. If I remain as I am, Xiao Bei will only drift further away from me!"
Da Ke was stunned. He hadn't expected his son to think so thoroughly. He had many words to say, but they all turned into a sigh. If he weren't a winged serpent beast, his son wouldn't have to work so hard. Alas...
...
Shu Bei didn't know that her two childhood playmates had made a five-year pact behind her back. She only felt that since Shu An's return, her surroundings had become much quieter.
Little Si hadn't come to find her, and Long Rui no longer waited for her at the medical clinic. The sudden quietness made her a little unaccustomed to it.
One day, she came home for lunch and saw her sister in a daze. She waved her hand in front of her eyes, bringing the wandering mind back.
"An An, are you spacing out?"
Shu An denied it without thinking, "No?"
The sisters were too familiar with each other. Shu An's abnormality was seen by Shu Bei, and her brain immediately registered that something was up!
She pulled her sister into the bedroom, intending to have a heart-to-heart talk. "An An, tell me honestly, do you have something on your mind?"
Shu An's eyes shifted, "No, I don't have anything on my mind. I just didn't sleep well last night, so my eyes look a bit vacant today."
"Really?" Shu Bei didn't believe her at all.
Since returning from the West Sea, An An had changed. Before, she would always be reading books, reading in the morning, and going out for a stroll in the afternoon. Her life was very regular.
Now it was different. She held a book ostensibly to read, but in reality, her eyes were not focused on the words, and she was probably thinking of someone!
"Of course," Shu An avoided her gaze and pretended to look for a book.
At this time usually, Shu Bei would have left, but today she didn't. She sat on the chair and watched her try to hide her feelings.
Her stare was hard to ignore, so Shu An gave up looking for a book and sat down reluctantly. "Sister, what are you doing!"
Shu Bei's sharp gaze fixed on her, "I'm waiting for you to confess to your sister. Do you have feelings for the beastmen in the West Sea?"
A woman's intuition, this was the only possibility she could think of. Having been stranded outside and forced to be in close contact with a beastman, it was inevitable that something would happen between them.
Shu An didn't expect her sister to guess correctly. She bit her lower lip, unsure how to explain.