Seven Cubs, Seven Fathers, Zero Days Off

Chapter 30: Chapter 30: Must Not Let Miss Shen Yue and the Little General Eat a Single Mushroom

The Little Blood Wolf timidly raised a pair of dark golden eyes. He looked as if he had already deeply reflected on his actions, his gaze filled with guilt and regret.

”Female Mother, Si Bao knows he was wrong too. I was the one who lied first... Don’t blame Wubao, I was a bad influence on him...”

His voice trailed off, but then he abruptly summoned his courage and declared loudly:

”Si Bao will never lie again, because... someday, Si Bao is going to be... the... most... pow... er... ful... per... son!”

The little one’s voice was very loud, and he enunciated each of the last few words with great force. His voice, crisp yet tough, pierced through the mountain forest, shaking leaves from the trees and startling birds and beasts into flight...

Shen Yue pursed her lips.

Seeing his small, determined face, looking as if he was resolved to turn over a new leaf, she couldn’t help it...

”Pfft—”

She burst out laughing.

She pulled Si Bao into her arms as well.

”Alright, alright. Our Si Bao’s voice is so loud and clear that even the Elves in the trees must have felt his courage in admitting his mistake!”

As she spoke, she rubbed his little, flushed belly.

”Then our Si Bao has to keep his word, okay? Female Mother will be watching eagerly, waiting to see you become the most powerful person!”

Si Bao let out a long sigh of relief in her arms, enjoying her caress and encouragement.

He declared with fierce, childish determination:

”Qing Ran will definitely do it! Female Mother just wait and see!”

His voice was firm, as if he were taking an oath.

But Shen Yue didn’t know that many years later, her seven cubs would truly become the most powerful people she could ever imagine!

The meal was exceptionally heartwarming.

Dabao, Sanbao, and Wubao, who could take human form, were learning to eat by themselves.

Meanwhile, Er Bao, Si Bao, and Liu Bao, who couldn’t transform, were fed in turns by Shen Yue and Si Muye.

Watching Er Bao being fed meat while nestled in Si Muye’s arms, a look of pure bliss on his face, the hidden Mu Silin was consumed with jealousy.

’By what right does that bear get to feed my cub?’

’I haven’t even held him yet, and that bear has already held him twice.’

But Er Bao, sitting in Si Muye’s lap, was eating and chattering happily.

”Ancient Bear Father, I want more lamb.”

”Father, I want to drink the tomato soup!”

”Ancient Bear Father is the best! Er Bao likes it when Father feeds Er Bao!”

Listening to this, Si Muye blushed with shy excitement, growing happier the more he fed the cub.

But Mu Silin was so angry his nose was practically crooked.

’That little leopard cub! Who exactly is his real father!’

His expression turned cold, and he said hatefully, ”Can we make that bear get lost tonight?”

The subordinate beside him coughed.

”Great General, we don’t have a reason!”

”Then find a reason!”

The subordinate was in a bind.

”This subordinate is slow-witted.”

He couldn’t think of a reason.

Mu Silin glared at him. ”What’s the use of you then!”

The subordinate: ”...”

He thought for a moment and tried to persuade him, ”Great General, I know you’re upset, but right now, Miss Shen Yue still needs Si Muye’s help. Otherwise, Miss Shen Yue would be exhausted, having to look after the children and cook all by herself. Didn’t Miss Shen Yue just mention building some kind of bamboo house? Why don’t you endure it for two more days and wait for him to finish the work for Miss Shen Yue?”

After hearing this, Mu Silin thought for a moment.

”I can do the work too. Why do we need him?”

He didn’t want that bear to spend another moment with the woman and his children.

”That won’t do, Great General! You can’t reveal yourself yet. You have to appear at the most crucial moment to leave the deepest impression on Miss Shen Yue. And besides, while you are certainly strong, powerful, and domineering, and of course better at manual labor than that bear, why not use free labor when it’s available? Don’t you think?”

The subordinate’s flattery was quite effective, and Mu Silin found it rather pleasing to hear.

But he wasn’t an idiot. While free labor was useful, if he let that bear stay with the woman for too long, what if something actually happened between them? The loss would far outweigh the gain.

He didn’t want another rival.

He raised an eyebrow. ”Two days, at most. Otherwise, I will personally see him off!”

The subordinate wiped the sweat from his forehead, praying that the Ancient Bear Family would act quickly.

Otherwise, if the Great General really took matters into his own hands and drove the man away, Si Muye would probably be skinned alive!

Meanwhile, down below, Si Muye, holding Er Bao and smiling blissfully, had no idea that his brief happiness was destined to be cut short in two days.

It was all because of Er Bao—both his joy and his downfall!

Because they needed to build a bamboo house, Si Muye went to cut bamboo right after the meal. He didn’t want Shen Yue to overexert herself, so he told her to rest in the cave.

As for Shen Yue, she had noticed some mushrooms in the forest a couple of days ago and wanted to make chicken and mushroom stew for the cubs that afternoon.

So, she didn’t rest either. She grabbed a basket and took the six little cubs out to forage for mushrooms.

The jungle vegetation was dense, but there was still plenty of sunlight. Walking through the woods, the little cubs were extremely excited.

”Female Mother, is this what you call a mushroom?”

Er Bao looked with curiosity at a mushroom Shen Yue had just picked.

Dabao, in his human form, copied Shen Yue and picked one too.

”Female Mother, why does this mushroom look like Er Bao’s poop!”

The idea that poop could be edible made Shen Yue almost laugh.

”This is called a matsutake. It might look a little like poop and seem dirty, but it’s very nutritious and delicious!”

Hearing this, Si Bao looked at a few different-looking ones nearby.

”What about this one? Female Mother, this one is so ugly. Is it edible too?”

Shen Yue crouched down and picked those as well.

”This is called a morel. It’s also very nutritious!”

Once they heard that, the little ones all started searching the forest for mushrooms for Shen Yue.

”Female Mother, there are little mushrooms here!”

Wubao called out happily.

Shen Yue walked over. ”Mm, Wubao, you’re amazing! This is called a green-head mushroom.”

She picked it up as she spoke.

”Here, Female Mother! Er Bao found more! Pretty yellow mushrooms!”

Shen Yue went over again. ”Wow, chicken-oil mushrooms! Er Bao, you’re so good at this!”

”Female Mother, Liu Bao has some here too!”

”Female Mother, Dabao found more!”

”Over here, Ranbao! Ranbao found new ones!”

”And Wubao...”

In a short time, Shen Yue’s basket was already full.

The whole forest echoed with the voices of the little ones, making it feel especially lively.

Shen Yue hadn’t expected to find so many varieties of mushrooms here. Looking at the full basket, she thought to herself that when she got back to the cave, she had to toss some into the Spiritual Spring. Then she’d be able to eat these types of mushrooms whenever she wanted.

But in the shadows, Mu Silin and his subordinate were growing anxious.

”Great General, these wild mushrooms are all poisonous! They’re fatal to beasts if eaten. Doesn’t Miss Shen Yue know that?”

Mu Silin’s brow furrowed as well.

He had watched her the whole way, and nearly every type of mushroom Shen Yue picked was lethally poisonous. Some caused one to lose their Divine Will, some caused bleeding from the nose and mouth, and others induced maddening hallucinations that damaged one’s spiritual power.

These mushrooms were poisons that all Beast World People avoided like the plague.

And yet, Shen Yue had picked so many of them.

Seeing Er Bao helping her find mushrooms the whole time, his heart leaped into his throat. He was terrified the gluttonous little cub would take a bite.

He thought for a moment.

”Find a chance when that woman isn’t looking and throw all those mushrooms away!”

The subordinate’s gaze was firm. ”Yes, sir.”

’I guarantee I will complete the mission.’

’I absolutely cannot let Miss Shen Yue and the Little General eat even a single bite of those mushrooms.’

’No, even half a bite would be my crime!’

Shen Yue led the children to a river at the bottom of a slope.

She placed the basket under the shade of a tree.

She went to the riverbank to wash her hands, and the little cubs happily played by the water’s edge.

There happened to be a clearing at the foot of the hill, and the fine sand washed up by the river kept the cubs endlessly entertained.

While washing her hands, Shen Yue discovered there were crabs under the rocks by the river. She was overjoyed.

She was a first-rate crab catcher. She immediately found a small, conveniently sized rock, held it in her hand, and quickly pried open a river stone. Seeing a crab about to scuttle away, Shen Yue instantly pinned it by its back with the little rock in her hand.

She reached out, grabbed the crab by its carapace, and with a triumphant smirk, held it up happily. She turned to look at the cubs behind her.

”Babies, look what Female Mother caught—”

Before she could finish, Shen Yue’s pupils contracted.

Looking from this direction, this place...?

Wasn’t... wasn’t this the exact clearing she had seen in her dream last night??