She gave birth to a litter of furry babies, thus extending her life.

Long Ze embraced Ruan Xiyue and kissed her cheek, saying, "No witch doctor would be willing to tattoo a wandering beastman's form to form a mate."

Ruan Xiyue pouted and said, "It's all up to us. Can you take me back to the back of the mountain later?"

Long Ze lowered his eyes, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "Okay."

Ruan Xiyue pinched the flesh on his cheeks and said, "Why do you look so pitiful? Just say what you want to say! If you don't want me to go back, just say it, and I'll explain why I want to go back."

What Ruan Xiyue didn't know was that only those who are favored have the confidence to make demands. Long Ze, from the age of five, was unhesitatingly abandoned by the female beast who should have favored him the most. He had no confidence whatsoever. He had also become accustomed to having no confidence to ask for anything.

Unless something can be solved through combat, he kept getting stronger so that he would no longer ask for anything. The domineering aura he gave himself was his last source of confidence.

But he wouldn't force Ruan Xiyue, because he was reluctant to let her go at first. So all he could do was say yes.

Ruan Xiyue kissed Long Ze's lips and said, "I've been missing for a day and a night, and the tribe might be worried. Actually, it would be best if you were willing to come back with me. Would you like to come back with me? If you don't want to see them, just wear the cloak, okay? Let's go find the witch doctor to form a bond, okay?"

Long Ze opened his mouth, sighed, and said, "If this is what you want."

Ruan Xiyue happily straddled Long Ze's lap, cupped his face and showered him with kisses, saying, "Let's go! Let's go back! Let's go back through the front gate!"

The situation didn't go as smoothly as Ruan Xiyue had hoped; the guards at the tribe's gate wouldn't let Long Ze in. Ruan Xiyue said, "I brought him here to find the shaman to help me find a mate. Why can't I let him into the tribe?"

“Xi Yue is female, he is a red-rank…” The guard actually realized that this was a wandering orc, and he had the black mark of exile that would be placed on his body when he was exiled by the tribe.

Ruan Xiyue lacked this kind of common sense, so when she saw the black patterns on the dragon's tail, she thought they were just patterns on dragon scales.

In essence, the Black Mark of Exile tells all tribes that this orc is disliked by a particular tribe, has done something wrong, and has been exiled by that tribe. The Black Mark of Exile, whether inscribed by a shaman or cursed by a shaman based on bloodline power, is a lifelong torment for the wandering orc.

Unless a female is willing to remove the black mark of exile from the other man. But the witch doctor may not agree.

How could Ruan Xiyue know any of this? She pulled Long Ze aside, adjusted his hood, and said, "Wait for me a moment, but if anyone bullies you, don't tolerate it."

The tribe's guards all took a step back, becoming even more vigilant.

Ruan Xiyue returned to the tribe and first went to the Qin family's beast cave. The Qin family's beast mother was about to ask her if she was alright when she smelled the scent of another male on Ruan Xiyue.

Qin Family Beast Mother's lips trembled, but she didn't say anything and let Ruan Xiyue leave.

When Ruan Xiyue came out of the beast cave, she ran into Qin Ye's father, who had stayed behind to take care of the Qin family's beast mother that day.

Ruan Xiyue couldn't bring herself to call him "Father," so she nodded and left. Qin Ye's father, however, frowned deeply, watching Ruan Xiyue's retreating figure for a long time before finally sighing.

Ruan Xiyue went straight to the witch doctor's cave and explained her purpose for coming. As expected, she was rejected by the witch doctor.

Ruan Xiyue asked in bewilderment, "Auntie witch doctor, you clearly know that Long Ze was abandoned when he was five years old, and none of this is his fault. Why are you unwilling to help me form a bond with him?"

The witch doctor said, "Your union with him will not only bring you no benefit, but will also be meaningless to him. Unless you are willing to give your heart's blood to remove the mark of exile from him, your union will not be recognized."

Ruan Xiyue fell silent, and the witch doctor turned to gather the herbs.

Ruan Xiyue then asked, "Will it affect the baby?"

The witch doctor asked in bewilderment, "Breastfeeding? Are you really willing to give your heart's blood to remove the mark of his exile?"

Ruan Xiyue nodded, her hands instinctively protecting her stomach, and said, "But I'm already pregnant, and if it affects the baby... I'll have to wait until after I give birth."

The witch doctor was stunned. He immediately pulled Ruan Xiyue over, examined her carefully, and then held her hands to his nose and sniffed them.

She frowned, and under Ruan Xiyue's puzzled look, she took a bowl of water, pricked Ruan Xiyue's finger with a bone needle, and dripped the water into it.

First, ripples rose in the water, then six small whirlpools appeared.

The witch doctor exclaimed in surprise, quickly put his hands together, knelt down on the spot, and murmured some words to the heavens that Ruan Xiyue could not understand. He then said excitedly, "Truly, the Beast God has blessed us! Beast God above! Beast God, protect us!"

The shaman's expression was complicated. He said, "I can help you form a bond, but... if you insist on removing the banishment mark now, it will affect your cub's aptitude. Do you still want to do it?"

Ruan Xiyue nodded and said, "We must do it!"

“Even if his exile mark is removed, it’s not certain that any tribe will be willing to accept him. It’s like you’ve done something useless. Do you still want to do it?” the witch doctor asked again.

Ruan Xiyue replied without hesitation, "Yes, I just don't want him to be marked with the mark of exile. It's clearly not his fault. Why should he be forced to endure all of this?"

The witch doctor sighed, shook his head, and said, "Then bring him in. Actually, I should go out with you, but removing the mark of exile is too troublesome, so you can only bring him in. Moreover, you must be able to control him and keep him in line!"

Ruan Xiyue shook her head: "Long Ze is not the kind of person who would act recklessly!"

The witch doctor sighed, handed the witch doctor's token to Ruan Xiyue, and turned his back.

Ruan Xiyue walked out happily with the token in her hand. The witch doctor glanced at her joyful figure from afar and couldn't help but sigh again.

The guards were surprised to see the witch doctor's token. One of them even muttered, "Xi Yue, the female, always seemed to cherish Qin Ye, the male. I never expected that Qin Ye had only been gone for a few days and Xi Yue had already found another beast husband, and a wandering beastman at that!"

The other guards turned to look at Ruan Xiyue, who was walking away, only to see the hooded male she was holding suddenly turn his head, his fierce gaze from beneath the hood seeming almost tangible as he shot towards them. They immediately tugged at the disgruntled guard and said, "Stop talking!"

Just after the witch doctor asked Long Ze to remove his hood, she couldn't help but gasp. She had just heard Ruan Xiyue say that Long Ze's mother was the twin sister of Qin Ye's mother. But... she hadn't mentioned that Long Ze looked exactly like Qin Ye!

Even if they have the same father, how come they look exactly alike, like twins?

The witch doctor frowned and asked, "Where do you plan to have your tattooed?"