(28) The little creatures of the mountains paid her tribute for protection.

On a night filled with auroras, Di Yan spoke eloquently, though his intentions were unclear; he described Liu Yi’s danger as thoroughly as possible, always veering toward the most perilous possibilities. Thus, the notorious reputation of Liu Yi as a female demon of slaughter began to spread from this place...

Atop Nine Mountain Summit, as the dust settled, all that remained were mechanical devices and a thousand heaps of clothing. This time, Liu Yi led her tiger pack in a swift counterattack; only the southern perimeter suffered devastation and destruction.

Perhaps Liang Zuan felt that the corpses of those small creatures would only add to the sorrow, so he absorbed them all, leaving behind nothing but a fine powder of impurities.

Like a great wind sweeping through, not a single trace was left.

Even so, the surviving small beasts were deeply grateful to Liu Yi and her tigers. Though they were animals, they possessed hearts capable of gratitude. Some bold and clever creatures learned human ways, bringing gifts to express their thanks.

Some beast species reached the gates of the manor, intimidated by the tiger pack’s aura, and hesitated; in the end, only five types entered to pay their respects: squirrels, foxes, sika deer, red pandas, and giant pandas.

The tigers, proud and aloof, merely lifted their eyelids to glance at the little ones, then withdrew their gaze. They lounged lazily, basking under the “little sun” Liu Yi had set up for them, tongues lolling crookedly, eyes half-closed, tails swaying in contentment, enjoying the gentle warmth.

How long had it been since they last saw the sun?

They loved beauty and cleanliness; after bathing, their dense fur never quite dried, and their skin itched at the roots. These beasts, formidable in battle, were not as harmless as they appeared; when hunting, they traveled in groups, traversing forests and climbing mountains.

In their eyes, the adorable small creatures were merely prey, trophies to be pursued with relentless cruelty.

But the tiger pack had promised Liu Yi not to hunt atop Nine Mountain Summit, as they intended to enjoy her “little sun,” her television, and her cooked food for the long term.

Since Liu Yi never broke her word and always treated them kindly, they upheld their own principles and morals, refusing to hunt out of instinct.

They feigned indifference as they gossiped, noting the five species that brought gifts, silently excluding them from their menu.

Heh, from now on, the tigers would hunt only those beasts who hadn’t brought gifts.

The small animals, trembling, withdrew their timid little legs and solemnly offered their gifts.

The deer presented a naturally shed, intact antler.

The squirrel brought plump dried nuts.

The fox offered a fat wild pheasant.

The giant panda gave tender bamboo shoots.

The red panda presented the most luscious wild berries...

“Thank you for your gifts, I love them. Here’s a return gift.”

You don’t strike a smiling face—or rather, a smiling beast.

Liu Yi knew these were the best things they could offer, her heart warmed, and she took the chance to scoop the panda cub into her arms for a few affectionate strokes.

A national treasure!

She was holding a national treasure!

So soft~

Originally, the panda cub was a bit shy, but its cleverness told it she was a good person, so it tilted its head, stretched its arms, kicked its legs, and performed all sorts of cute antics to win her favor.

Liu Yi was utterly charmed, laughing gleefully as she was coaxed.

In her good mood, she distributed the heaps of clothing among the beasts.

She had collected plenty of new clothes; these old garments were of fine, expensive material and seemed a waste to burn as firewood.

They were perfect for lining the animals’ nests, providing warmth far superior to straw.

The little beasts had always whispered among themselves about the cunning of humans, never having received gifts from them.

They were utterly astonished.

The little squirrel rubbed its head furiously.

The little deer bumped its head against the ground.

The red panda whimpered, chewing on its long tail.

The fox blinked, shaking its head desperately.

The giant panda, slower to react, stared at her with round, wide eyes, impossibly adorable.

As if they wanted to wake themselves from an absurd dream.

Ice Lump, the woodland social butterfly, needed no invitation; it waddled out on chubby legs, grinning and babbling.

“Awwooo~” Just take what’s given to you, don’t be too polite with my great-grandma; she’s the best person in the world, doesn’t bother with empty gestures.

“Woof-woo~” Take it, the weather’s getting colder, you’ll need it.

Water Cannon and Sparkle chimed in from the side.

As canines, they were more credible than Ice Lump, the tiger cub.

The small animals, dazed and bewildered, accepted the human clothing, stumbling off toward their nests.

“Come play when you can~” She was especially fond of the panda cub, wishing she could take it home and raise it herself.

Before parting, she indulged herself by stroking its fur, squishing its round face until it was misshapen, leaving its fur in a tangled mess before letting it go.

She also permitted the panda cub to call her “great-grandma,” just like Ice Lump.

The squirrel, fox, sika deer, and red panda were cautious and didn’t bring their own offspring. Seeing giant panda favored by Liu Yi, they were envious but not jealous, and eagerly joined in calling her “great-grandma.”

Wild beasts believe in survival of the fittest, the law of the jungle.

But in Liu Yi’s presence, these rules were repeatedly broken; even the fiercest tigers of the mountain would not hunt them on her territory.

This meant the tiger pack had to exert all their strength to protect their home and all life here.

Every creature, no matter how weak, possessed unique value—even these timid little animals were among the lives cherished by the strong.

With love and respect, she filled the hearts of beasts and humans alike, dispelling malice and greed.

Upon understanding this truth, the beasts were deeply moved, their bodies trembling with excitement, all eager to present her with gifts.

Liu Yi was still unaware that the custom of “paying protection fees” to her had already been widely adopted in the forest. After bidding farewell to the little beasts, she went out to look for Little Phoenix.

She had no idea where the little bird was hiding; the battle had ended long ago, yet it hadn’t returned.

Was it hurt?

No—it was clever enough to avoid danger and hide well.

Hmm, it must have been distracted by play.

Calculating the time, it was likely the bird’s adolescence had arrived; probably off pursuing some beautiful little female bird in secret.

Her mind conjured images of birds gathering flowers and fruit to decorate their nests for courtship, bobbing heads, wiggling tails, and shaking wings in their mating dances…

Caught up in her thoughts, she started swaying like a folk dancer while searching for Little Phoenix, humming to the rhythm.

“We common folk, tonight we are truly, truly happy~”

The forest’s small beasts were both curious and admiring of Liu Yi, secretly memorizing her graceful movements to imitate them in private.

This was their great-grandma, who always had her own reasons for everything.

After experiencing the charm of her folk dance, the little beasts found themselves irresistibly drawn to approach her and emulate her.

All were eager to understand more deeply the world of their great-grandma...