Hurry Up and Cry, Twenty Pearls

Feng Rumeng rolled her eyes. Damn it, did every one of them want to take a pinch out of her?

"None of your damn business," Jianyue said coldly. "Just hearing you speak annoys me."

Hu Yue acted as though she hadn't heard the warning and went on, "Jianyue, why are you always protecting this ugly thing?"

"Hu Feng, don't let them come with us."

Hu Feng's gaze turned sharp. "Bai, keep your female under control. If she causes any more trouble, don't follow the group."

"Yue, have you decided what you want to trade for today?" Bai distracted Hu Yue, and only then did she drop the matter.

"Move out," Hu Feng ordered, and all the males transformed into their beast forms.

"Female Rumeng, hold on tight," Batu said in his beast form.

"Mm." Feng Rumeng spread out the beast hide, climbed on, and bent low, gripping the fur on Batu's neck.

The wind whistled past her ears, and the scenery blurred as it rushed by.

Wherever the giant tigers passed, birds took flight in alarm and small animals scattered in fright.

Never in eight lifetimes had Feng Rumeng imagined she would ride a giant tiger through the forest. It was unbelievably thrilling.

After they had raced along for a while, Feng Rumeng began shivering from the cold. She took a beast hide out of her space and wrapped it around herself, then found a dark brown scarf and wound it around her neck, bundling herself up until only her eyes showed.

After about an hour of running, they spotted other beasts racing through the forest. They exchanged roars in greeting.

Along the way, Feng Rumeng heard the howls of wolves and the roars of bears and lions...

It was like an animal gathering.

Near noon, they arrived. Feng Rumeng quickly slid off the giant tiger, and the males shifted into human form and escorted their mates inside.

Jianyue came over and took Feng Rumeng's arm, and they passed through the stone wall surrounding the market.

The market was held inside the Azure Rock Tribe, which was inhabited almost entirely by horned ox beastmen.

The market was bustling, with males and females, young and old. Every stall was surrounded by people.

Feng Rumeng spotted an empty space. "Jianyue, you all go look around. I brought some yellow fruit slices, and I want to sell them here and see if I can trade them for some crystals."

Jianyue glanced at Feng Rumeng's carrying basket, then at Hu Feng.

Hu Feng nodded. "Meet at the entrance when the sun starts heading west."

"Got it," Feng Rumeng replied. "Go look around."

"Be sure to stay safe," Jianyue reminded her before following her mates farther in.

Feng Rumeng took down her basket, spread out a large leaf, and poured out the banana slices. Using a beast hide as a screen, she took out the Kaka Beast and the beast hides Lina and the others had given her as compensation.

She had just finished setting everything out and hadn't even begun calling out her wares when beastmen gathered around of their own accord. "It's a Kaka Beast! I'll take it. Little female, how many crystals for this?"

She had forgotten to ask Batu about prices earlier. Feng Rumeng hesitated, then held up her hand. If she asked too much, she could lower the price; if she asked too little, she would take the loss.

The male readily said, "Deal." He handed her two orange crystals.

Feng Rumeng put the crystals away and casually asked him, "Would you like to take some of these yellow fruit slices to your beautiful female?"

Hearing her praise his female's beauty, the male was delighted and handed over another yellow crystal.

Feng Rumeng deftly took the leaves she had prepared for packaging out of her basket.

The male watched her fold a leaf into the shape of a box. "Little female, you're very clever with your hands." He carefully accepted it and walked away with the Kaka Beast on his back, a smile on his face.

The neighboring stallholder was a middle-aged beastman. He leaned over. "Little female, are these fruit slices sweet?"

Feng Rumeng picked up a few slices and offered them to him. "Have a taste, sir."

The middle-aged beastman hesitated, and Feng Rumeng said playfully, "There's no crystal charge for a taste."

The man smiled and picked up a slice, popping it into his mouth. "So crisp, and very sweet too."

He took out a white crystal. "Give me some to take home for my female to try."

Feng Rumeng packed them in a leaf box for him, making sure to add a little extra.

The man happily accepted it and praised Feng Rumeng. What he actually wanted was the leaf box. With its unusual shape, his female would surely like using it to hold things when he took it home.

The stallholder across from her had actually wanted to come over for a while. It was his first time seeing fruit eaten this way, and he liked the boxes folded from leaves too.

After pacing back and forth a few times, he came over. Feng Rumeng said pleasantly, "Taste before you trade. Only trade if you're satisfied."

The stallholder nodded, tried a slice, and handed her a yellow crystal.

Feng Rumeng quickly packed his purchase. Curious beastmen passing by squatted down to ask about the slices, and almost all of them bought some after tasting them and finding them unusual.

She still had plenty in her space. Whenever she sold out a batch, she asked the man beside her to watch her stall while she went to an empty corner and took out another basketful.

About an hour later, only one batch remained in her space, and she had sold all eight beast hides as well. Feng Rumeng put away her leaf, asked the man beside her about the trading prices of common items, and thanked him before joining the crowd.

Feng Rumeng wandered around the market, squatting down to look at and touch anything unusual she saw.

She traded the black panther's teeth for a clay pot and four clay bowls, and its claws for a bone knife and a jar of honey. When she traded for grain flour, the beastmen of the Goat Tribe were overjoyed. Their tribe members were low-ranking and generally didn't hunt, relying instead on farming.

Salt really was expensive here. Three yellow crystals got her only a small handful of coarse salt.

Each time Feng Rumeng finished buying something, she found a chance to sneak it into her space.

She looked up at the sun. It was almost time, and she was about to head back when the crowd pushed her farther away.

"There's a merman the Eagle Tribe brought over!"

"Yes, yes! I heard that when he cries, white pearls come out."

"Really? Come on, let's go see."

"My female loves things from the sea tribes best."

A merman! Was this place close to the sea tribes? Feng Rumeng's interest was piqued. She had heard that there was no distinction between male and female mermen and that they were extremely beautiful.

She followed the crowd. It wasn't easy to get out of the tribe, so she might as well feast her eyes and see just how beautiful a legendary merman was.

When she arrived, she squeezed to the front. The sight of the merman gave her a huge fright. She couldn't tell how good-looking he was, but he was certainly frightening.

The merman's hands were bound, and his blue fish tail soaked in a filthy, foul-smelling pool. Almost all the scales had fallen off his tail, and the flesh was riddled with bloody holes, some already festering.

The wounds on his face looked like ground parched by a long drought, and some were still oozing blood. His features were still there, but that face...

The merman looked to be in terrible pain. Fear showed in his blue eyes, his body trembled, and his long blue hair was tangled.

An eagle beastman beside him lashed him hard with a vine whip. "Hurry up and cry. Twenty pearls."

The merman's tail arched in pain, but he made no sound.

Seeing no response from him, the eagle beastman whipped him again and again. The beastmen watching showed no sympathy.

Only when the merman was covered in blood and several pieces of flesh had been whipped away did he sob silently. As his tears ran down his cheeks, they turned into pearls.

The eagle beastman happily went to pick them up.

A male from the Leopard Tribe called out, "I'll pay ten orange crystals for a piece of merman skin. My female injured her hand and was left with a scar."

The eagle beastman took the orange crystals and put them into the space pouch at his waist, then drew a bone knife and cut the skin from the merman's tail. The merman struggled in agony.

Feng Rumeng turned her head away. In her mind, she bled along with the merman. She didn't dare watch anymore.

Jianyue walked over, her voice thick and nasal. "That cub is so pitiful."

Feng Rumeng said, "He's still a cub?"

"Mermen stop producing pearls once they reach adulthood. That's why pearls are so precious," Jianyue said with a sigh.

"Then why don't his people come and save him?"

"The sea tribes aren't like those on land. There are too many males, and sea tribe females give birth to hundreds of cubs at a time. They might not even notice if one or two go missing."

Feng Rumeng looked back at the merman. If she were strong enough, she would definitely snatch him away and free him from that sea of suffering. But that was a daydream!

"Let's go, Jianyue."

Jianyue sighed, and the two women squeezed out of the crowd. Her beast husbands followed, carrying packages large and small.

Hu Feng walked over. "Yue, it's time we went to the meeting place."

The group headed out. Along the way, whenever Jianyue spotted something she liked, her beast husbands readily took out beast crystals to trade for it.

When they were still some distance from the entrance, a voice as loud as a great bell suddenly rang out: "Feral beasts are attacking! Feral beasts are attacking!"