Chapter 24 Reply
“I’m a very powerful fighter, and I can hunt for you and feed you in the future. I definitely won’t let you go hungry!” Xiong Ye added another sentence.
For the vast majority of the tribe, the caves were just a place to sleep in, and they would only stay in their own cave when they were resting. Normally, when they ate and drank and lazed around, they would do it outside their caves.
At this moment, the meat had just been divided, and almost everyone was gathered around the fire pit, roasting and eating meat.
Xiong Ye had gone into the priest’s cave and emerged with an egg in his hand. Many people saw this scene, and after Shi Li went to speak with Xiong Ye, even more people started paying attention to them.
However, Shi Li and Xiong Ye had been chatting a little far from the fire, and nobody had heard what they were saying. They only saw Xiong Ye suddenly head towards Zhou Ji, and then… propose?
The people in the tribe were a little dumbfounded, and the people who had originally been concentrating on eating meat all turned to look at Zhou Ji and Xiong Ye.
Xiong Bai immediately jumped up, “Xiong Ye, why did you chose Zhou Ji and not me!” She had tried to hang around Xiong Ye every day recently, but the ultimate result was that Xiong Ye had become interested in Zhou Ji?
If she’d known earlier, she would’ve toughened up her pride and moved into Xiong Ye’s cave too! Fine, Xiong Ye wouldn’t have even let her move in…
Xiong Bai was really vexed as she sent Zhou Ji an angry glance.
Xiong Ye actually hadn’t heard Xiong Bai’s words clearly at all. He didn’t feel so good after he blurted out his proposal.
Zhou Ji ought to like him, but it didn’t necessarily mean that Zhou Ji would be willing to become mates with him… Who wouldn’t want children?
In the past, because he had to take care of Yang Su, Shi Li had said that he found raising children to be a very annoying task and didn’t want to have any children. But hadn’t he changed his mind now?
And asking like this in front of everyone wasn’t very good, either… He should have discussed it with Zhou Ji privately.
Xiong Ye was extremely upset. “I…” He wanted to say that he was joking, but he hadn’t even begun to speak when Zhou Ji suddenly said, “I’m willing.”
Others hadn’t heard what Xiong Ye and Shi Li had discussed earlier because they were too far away, but Zhou Ji had heard it. He also knew that Xiong Ye was only saying these things because he had been provoked.
However, he was willing to agree.
If he didn’t agree, Xiong Ye would probably be left feeling very embarrassed; since that was the case, agreeing to it wasn’t a big deal.
Of course, the main reason he would promise was because… He rather liked Xiong Ye.
He hadn’t graduated from college before the apocalypse came in his previous life, and after that, he had seen and experienced the darkness of the world.
He was a plant ability user, and his fighting power at the start of the apocalypse had been very low, but he just had to be an existence that various forces would compete over. At one point, he had been caught, then bought and sold like goods. Later, he had awakened and obtained his powerful spiritual powers as a second ability. Nobody dared to provoke him after that, but he only saw more darkness.
That had been a dog-eat-dog world.
Towards the later stages, he had kept to himself and lived in isolation. When the entire world had become contaminated by the zombie virus, he had lived on by eating his stockpiled food and killing mutated animals to eat their meat.
At that time, they ate the meat from mutated animals, and the mutated animals ate human flesh.
He felt that it was truly quite disgusting knowing that what he was eating were things that ate humans.
Because of all these reasons, he felt that this place was really wonderful after he had arrived here. Also, the people in this place were all very simple and lovable.
He felt that even Shi Li, who he didn’t like, was cute and stupid.
Of course, the most lovable one was definitely Xiong Ye.
Zhou Ji had never been in love in his previous life, and after the apocalypse hit, he wasn’t certain if he liked men or women. He had also discovered that he had developed some psychological problems.
After transmigrating into this world under such circumstances, he had no intention of looking for a relationship and basically didn’t even want to integrate into the tribe. He just wanted to be left in peace and quiet by himself.
But Xiong Ye had entered his life, and their lives had actually begun to intersect.
Not only that, after recently living with Xiong Ye for ten or so days, he suddenly felt that this kind of life was pretty good, and Xiong Ye was even better.
What he felt for Xiong Ye right now was just a sort of affection and couldn’t be considered love. He didn’t even know if he had the ability to love others. The feelings that Xiong Ye had for him were probably not that deep either, but if they really got together, he could guarantee that he wouldn’t betray Xiong Ye, and he felt that Xiong Ye wouldn’t betray him either.
If something unexpected really happened, and either of them fell out of love, they could just split up.
Although the people of the tribe all said that those who became mated pairs with the priest bearing witness when the flame flowers bloomed couldn’t be separated for a lifetime, Zhou Ji didn’t believe this was the case.
The priest of the tribe was just an ordinary old man, and that flame flower was just a type of common plant that bloomed all at the same time and had a relatively short flowering period. He didn’t feel that becoming mates with those two as witnesses would mean that they couldn’t break up at all.
If they were worried about what people in the tribe would say… It wasn’t a big deal to fake his own death and leave.
Zhou Ji was very open-minded about all of this.
Xiong Ye was a little touched when he saw that Zhou Ji had agreed.
Sure enough, Zhou Ji actually liked him!
“Do you know that you can only be with me after we’ve become mates?” Xiong Ye asked.
“I know.” Zhou Ji replied. He had heard others gossip about Xiong Ye and Shi Li a few days ago and had finally understood this matter clearly.
Xiong Ye was even more touched. “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely be good to you!”
At this moment, Xiong Ye increasingly felt that being together with Zhou Ji was a great choice.
In the past, he had been committed to finding a man as strong as he was, but just look at Shi Li… Even if a strong person like him was willing to be with him when their affections were deep, they might still change their minds later on!
It was different with Zhou Ji.
Zhou Ji was very weak and could only rely on him. As long as he treated Zhou Ji well, Zhou Ji would definitely be good to him too.
As for Zhou Ji’s inability to fight and hunt… He could catch prey, and he was willing to share it with Zhou Ji. Wasn’t that enough?
With that in mind, Xiong Ye felt like the more he looked at Zhou Ji, the more he liked him.
“Xiong Ye, have you gone crazy? Even if you’re acting out of spite, you can’t joke around about forming mated pairs!” Shi Li roared furiously.
“I’m not joking. I feel that being with Zhou Ji is quite good.” Xiong Ye replied. He had already reached adulthood and had needs, too. When he got together with Zhou Ji later… cough!
“Once you two become mates, you won’t be able to separate!” Shi Li was enraged and desperate.
In fact, the rule that mated pairs couldn’t separate wasn’t absolute. Shi Li had seen people who had been unfaithful after mating before.
But he didn’t dare do so, because he knew a secret–the Beast God was real.
After he became a Beast King in his last life, he had felt that he was particularly powerful and didn’t even look up to the Beast God Temple. At one point, he had believed that the priests from the Beast God Temple were deceiving people under the banner of the Beast God.
On one occasion, he had gotten drunk and even went into the Beast God Temple, wanting to touch the Beast God’s statue.
And then, he had suddenly been thrown out.
It shouldn’t be said that he had been thrown out; instead, it was more like he had been ejected.
That had been a very powerful force. Even as a Beast King, he actually had no way to resist at all!
The fear he had felt at that time was fresh in Shi Li’s memory even now.
Later, he had spoken with the High Priest of the Beast God Temple and determined the answer through devious questioning and cautious probing–there truly was a Beast God.
After that, he had become incomparably pious towards the Beast God and would always send any good things he obtained to the Beast God Temple.
Presumably because he was pious enough, his life went very smoothly in the years that followed, and the Beast God Temple was also very friendly towards him.
And his rebirth must also be a gift from the Beast God!
The Beast God was omnipotent. Therefore, Shi Li didn’t dare take the Beast God lightly and once he was certain he didn’t want to be tied to Xiong Ye for a lifetime, he had refused to become mates with Xiong Ye.
It was also because of this that he was unwilling to see Xiong Ye and Zhou Ji hold a mating ceremony.
If Xiong Ye and Zhou Ji mated… Then he wouldn’t be able to obtain Xiong Ye in this lifetime!
How could Xiong Ye get together with someone else?
“I’ve always understood what the mating ritual is about.” Xiong Ye said.
“If you know, then why are you insisting on becoming mates with Zhou Ji? You want to become mates with such a weak man?” Shi Li said, “You’ve gone crazy!”
“Shi Li! You’re the one who has gone crazy. Why does it matter to you who Xiong Ye wants to mate with?” Lang Yin jumped up.
Ever since Shi Li had beat Xiong Qi, Lang Yin’s attitude towards Shi Li had improved. This was for no other reason than the fact Shi Li was very strong, and she respected strength.
Yet even if she looked up to Shi Li, she still had self-respect.
Shi Li was living with her, but he actually went and interceded in Xiong Ye’s decision to find a mate. What did he mean by that?
“Exactly, you’re concerning yourself too much!” Xiong Bai added. She had never gotten along with Lang Yin, but her thoughts were now the same as Lang Yin’s, and she felt that Shi Li was wrong.
Only, after she criticized Shi Li, she turned to Xiong Ye and asked, “Xiong Ye, are you really unwilling to consider me?”
Xiong Ye: “……”
Shi Li’s attitude was indeed very out of place. He had already broken up with Xiong Ye. What gave him the right to intervene in Xiong Ye’s affairs?
The people of the tribe all looked disapprovingly at Shi Li, and Xiong He’s expression was dark, “Shi Li, what exactly are you trying to do?”
He and Lang Yin’s mother hadn’t formed a mated pair, but they had lived together for many years and hadn’t gone to find anyone else. In fact, they weren’t much different from mates. Lang Yin was their first daughter, and they naturally attached great importance to her.
Although he had never cared too much about these matters involving his children, the way Shi Li was acting left him very unhappy.
Shi Li knew that he shouldn’t go against the entire tribe at this time, but Xiong Ye wanted to be together with someone else!
He was unable to accept this point no matter what.
Xiong Ye was obviously his!
Shi Li looked towards Zhou Ji, “I want to fight you.”
Zhou Ji looked innocently at Shi Li and didn’t move at all, but Xiong Ye immediately grew angry, “Shi Li, what do you mean by this? If you want a fight, I’ll fight you!”
Zhou Ji couldn’t even transform into an animal form. Wasn’t Shi Li just trying to bully Zhou Ji by trying to fight with him?
Shi Li looked at Xiong Ye and narrowed his eyes.
He had lost to Xiong Ye before, but he didn’t think he would lose now.
He had already adapted to this young body of his these days and had already begun to cultivate. Not only that… He was very familiar with the way Xiong Ye fought.
He would defeat Xiong Ye and make Xiong Ye give up the ridiculous idea of becoming mates with Zhou Ji!
Shi Li abruptly turned into a lion and roared.
When Xiong Ye saw this, he immediately took on his animal form, and a huge brown bear appeared in front of the male lion.
The author has something to say:
Primitive society was indeed very simple. Shi Li had never experienced much intrigue, but he grew arrogant and selfish after he became powerful, and this didn’t change after his rebirth.
Some emperors would be wise in their youth, then confused when they get older, let alone Shi Li, a little upstart who had never even read a book in his life…
Juurensha: SHOW HIM WHO’S BOSS XIONG YE
xiin: i do like how realistic ZJ is about this mating thing… it might seem like a spur of the moment decision but it wasn’t really~