Dongfang Minghui had taken on two apprentices. One was a female beastfolk named Lila, whose upper arms were thicker than Minghui's calves. After observing her for several days, however, Minghui found her exceptionally attentive and conscientious. The other was a beastfolk named Halin, who could not undergo beast transformation. Among the Beast Tribe, people like him were called good-for-nothings-a fact she had learned when she overheard Milo privately cursing someone.
"Lila, Halin, search within ten meters of here. Come back once you find them."
"Yes, Witch."
Only after sending the two away did Dongfang Minghui have a chance to catch her breath. "Do you think they're doing all this to keep watch over me?"
They called it protection, but once Cass and the others discovered that Seventh Sister and Qian Yiling were missing, they stationed large numbers of beastfolk around her. Wherever she went, she would unexpectedly encounter one or two familiar beastfolk. It frightened her enough that she stopped going to the Riverside Behind the Mountain. Instead, she always instructed Ding Ding to slip out under cover of night and check on Seventh Sister and Qian Yiling's progress.
The little Ding Ding used this to earn far more dried fish than Little Chubby.
"Probably."
Once could have been a coincidence. Several times meant it was deliberate.
Dongfang Minghui and Little Lecher sighed together. For a friendship to come to this was truly hurtful. She had believed her affection for the Cass Tribe was sincere and uncomplicated. Only now did she realize how narrowly-and naively-she had viewed things.
"Seventh Sister was right after all."
"What?"
"Back then, I asked her to take Lien as an apprentice, and she refused no matter what. Looking back, she was preparing for rain before the clouds gathered." She said sadly, "We're different races, after