The Transmigration Missions Are Not Scientific Ch.64

Chapter 64- Beastmen (5)

Gu Anran and the other little beasts followed their group leader over a small hill and to a lake that was about the size of at least three football fields. The emerald green surface of the lake reflected against the swaying trees surrounding it, creating a rare scene that would be famous back on earth. A place still preserved in nature that would have definitely been a famous tourist attraction on earth. 

Back on earth, many places that used to be so full of nature have been polluted by smoke and ash. Few places were left unmarked by the obtrusive human touch but in this world there were no humans to mess things up. It really made one want to sigh…..

When they arrived at the lakeside, Gu Anran felt the soft soil under her feet as she peered at the lake’s surface. The water was quite clear with many groups of fish swimming leisurely. The number was rather staggering as every sport seemed to be covered by fish almost like those fish farms back home! Did the beastmen breed fish here? Rather impressive if that’s the case as the farm didn’t harm the fish nor the land at all. 

Back to the event at hand, now there was something different from the previous events. Earlier, whether it be the long jump or the races, all the groups were gathered together at the same venue. However, for this event, only four groups including Gu Anran’s group were included. Therefore, in total, there are only 200 contestants meaning there were plenty of fish for them to catch!

“I will not explain the details of this event.” The group leader lifted up a bamboo basket with many more baskets of various sizes lying near her feet. 

“You can choose to use  a bamboo basket, or you can choose to catch fish with your bare paws. However, remember, the young fish or fry will not be counted into your total. Only adult fish are counted in this competition. The judges will check your baskets carefully and you will be notified to release any young fish you catch.” 

Ah! So the beastmen are already well-versed in knowledge about ecological conservation and balance. Unlike human beings who would fish like crazy for money and gluttony, causing many fish species to go extinct. Furthermore, it seems this really is a fish catching event, there was no mention of swimming anywhere just catching fish. 

“Lastly, this event is actually one of team cooperation. The fish will be counted by totaling the amount caught by the entire clan. Of course, when we announce the winners of the event, it will be in your young master or miss’ name. Just like the second event, you can choose to cooperate with other clans or choose to do things on your own. The choice is up to you. Your harvest should be gathered and set in a fixed place. We will be here to watch over your baskets so don’t worry about sabotage! Remember that you only have only half an hour when the game starts so take the time to come up with a game plan before we begin. You should probably grab a basket while you still can.” The woman pointed at the baskets lying not too far away with the various clan’s markings on them. 

“Anrna, are we going to grab a basket?”  Bai Qing, who was sitting next to Gu Anran, asked first.

Gu Anran glanced at her clanmates and then bowed her head in thought. 

“Bai Qing, take a few clanmates with you and grab three baskets a size larger than you and then grab the largest basket.” 

“Understood!” Bai Qing nodded and dragged a few wolves with her in the direction of the baskets while Gu Anran ran up to their group leader. She had something important she needed to confirm! 

“Excuse me, but do we have to catch fish here? Or can we go to the other side of the lake, maybe a little farther away from this area?” 

The woman seemed surprised by Gu Anran’s question but quickly recovered from her shock as she nodded, 

“Of course you can. As long as all the fish you catch are from this lake, then there is no problem.” 

“Thank you.” Gu Anran nodded gratefully and ran back to her clan. 

“Anran, we got the things you wanted!” Bai Qing dragged the basket with her mouth and walked back carefully. 

With Bai Qing by her side, Gu Anran did not have to worry about a thing. Her right hand wolf did what she was told and carried over three baskets a size larger than them and the largest basket which was three times the size of Gu Anran and the others. 

“All of you go help her, then follow after me.” Gu Anran stepped away from the other clans and moved further down the lake. Although the other animals watched them, none of them followed, which was exactly what Gu Anran wanted. 

But their group leader seemed to have said something to the other referees and then followed the wolf clan. 

After walking for a long time, the wolf clan came to a position that was on the other side of the lake.

“What are you going to do?” The group leader asked Gu Anran with interest. In the obstacle sprinting race from earlier, this little wolf in front of her also relied on unique tactics to successfully lead her clan through the race. Although the little beasts didn’t know, the referees naturally knew that only a few teams (if one clan = one team) made it through the race out of the entire 1000 contestants pool. The point of that event was to pass ‘together’ but most left their friends behind to win. Beasts like Gu Anran were few and in between and so she was rather curious what this little wolf is up to now. 

“Before we enter the water, the groups of fish you see now will swim freely and congregate in one place. However, if suddenly many things drop into the water it will break the calm. Then what will happen to the fish?” Gu Anran licked her paw leisurely and did not finish her words as the answer was quite obvious. 

Although Gu Anran thought it would be even easier if they had fishing nets or boats, there seemed to be no such tools prepared so that must mean that the beastmen had stowed them away so as to not hinder the little beasts from catching the fish. Not to mention, as animals, they didn’t have delicate hands they could use to wield such tools. The bamboo baskets were probably the limit of what the little beasts could use. Gu Anran could only shrug helplessly at this. However, what she didn’t know was that although the beastmen were advanced in other technology, when it came to hunting and gathering, they were still rather primitive and thus haven’t even made boats and nets yet. 

Their group leader’s eyes lit up. That’s right! Why haven’t they thought of this before?! Maybe this was why they couldn’t catch much fish in the first place! Although fish does taste delicious, it took too much time to catch fish. A hunter could only catch five or six fish per hour which is barely a full basket. Plus, the fish swam fast in the water and it was hard to catch their slippery bodies. If this little wolf’s strategy worked out well, maybe she could bring it up with the elders! 

Gu Anran checked the baskets and saw that the holes were rather large, probably to prevent them from catchin the young fish. So if they use the basket to catch fish, most of the water will flow out while leaving the fish inside. 

She sighed quietly in her heart. The fishing nets on earth had very small holes and that was because many people liked to eat fish eggs or seedlings. Both big and small fish were eaten by humans and so in order to not miss out on a chance to make money, humans created those inescapable nets and crazily hunted for fish. Most didn’t care if species went extinct and frantically fished like crazy, especially when the labor was made easier with machines. 

“Bai Qing, come over here.” Gu Anran swished her tail. 

“What’s the matter?” Bai Qing ran over. 

“Set down the baskets first and dig something for me.” Gu Anran motioned with her eyes as the wolves gathered around her. 

“Why are we digging?” 

“Digging things up won’t count, right?” 

“Yeah, yeah!” 

The wolves chattered and asked curiously. 

“Of course we’re not going to dig things up for our harvest total but for bait. That is, things we can use to catch the fish later.” Gu Anran looked around. The soil here was very soft and moist meaning it should be reasonable to assume the thing she was looking for should be heart. 

She found a spot and started digging with her sharp claws. After only a few swipes, she found what she was looking for. A fat earthworm appeared! That’s right, the best fish bait is none other than earthworms!

“Oh, so it turns out we’re digging for earthworms!” Bai Qing studied the worm curiously. 

“Yes, you should start digging now. The more you dig up, the better. When you dig one up, set it on this big leaf over here. If the leaf isn’t large enough, find some more leaves to hold the worms.” 

“Do fish really eat this stuff?” Bai Qing was rather puzzled and pulled out an earthworm who struggled to escape. These worms were something the little beasts played with during free time. They would dig up worms and whoever dug up the most won. Afterward, they would throw the worms back into the ground. That way, they wouldn’t be messing with the ecology of the environment and there wouldn’t be any long lasting issues that might harm the land. However, she never expected that something used to pass the time would be used for this purpose?!

“Trust me, the fish will eat it. Alright, dig quickly now! We have to dig up a few more before the game.” Please, I’ve watched so much TV and every survival show had a segment of digging up worms for fish bait. If earthworms aren’t suitable, then one can use other insects. Gu Anran through confidently. She did not believe that the fish of this world did not eat worms! 

“Understood!” x9

Watching her wolves eagerly plow through the soil, Gu Anran pursed her lips in thought. How can she prevent the bait from escaping? Will she have to personally watch over the struggling worms herself? Looking down at her paw, it seems this was the only way. If only she had some hands she could use to make a simple bag with the leaves or something. Gu Anran glanced at their group leader…..but, as the referee she could not help out. So all Gu Anran could do was gather the worms on the leaves.

Without a second thought, Gu Anran began helping them dig up earthworms. They soon dug up at least three leaves worth of earthworms. Seeing the large groups of earthworms squirming around, Gu Anran felt a little nauseous and disgusted. Ugh….she got goosebumps from just looking. It was fine when there were only a few but seeing this many in one place was rather gross. 

“Dig a little more and then use the wooden strips hanging from the baskets. Hang the basket around your waist but not the neck, for you will get hurt if you hang it around the neck. Take turns carrying the baskets as this will be very tiring work. As for the big basket, I’m going to need four of you to hold onto it. I will be responsible for throwing the earthworms in. Remember to stay still and try your best not to move or talk. Otherwise, the fish will be scared away.

“Understood!” x9

Wuuuuuuuu! The game has begun! 

“Sink the basket into the water, let the basket enter the water slowly and do not let it be washed away by the water!” Gu Anran commanded while the animals on the other side started rushing into the water without hesitation. While her wolves worked carefully and slowly, the other clans directly jumped into the water or threw the baskets into the water. 

After waiting for her wolves to get in place, Gu Anran turned towards the pile of worms. Ugh….she really didn’t want to touch them but there was no other choice. She was afraid that the other wolves would throw too much in at once. Not only was that a waste but then the earthworms would be used up way too quickly. With only half an hour, you had to use the earthworms wisely if one wanted to use them more efficiently. 

She stretched out her paw and grabbed a small amount before throwing them into the smaller baskets. Then she did the same with the bigger basket but with a much larger amount. Most of the earthworms almost drafted out of the bigger basket, but some stuck in the gaps. So Gu Anran threw a few more in the bigger basket. 

At first, none of the fish swam into the basket to get the worms but instead idly swam to the side. While their group leader looked disappointed, Gu Anran was not worried. When Gu Anran did not stop throwing the worms, the  group leader couldn’t help but sigh. Forget it, it’s natural to fail the first time. If it was that easy to catch fish then they would’ve already….

The group leader didn’t finish her sigh when something caused her to freeze. 

As it turns out, many of the fish had swam over and entered the baskets to eat the fish. They entered through the gaps, squeezing into the holes to get to the food. When Gu Anran saw this, she threw a few more worms in immediately. The fish who were originally scattered due to the sudden intrusion of the animals, soon swam over willingly for food. More than a few swam over and piled up on each other to get to the food, causing the baskets to sink even lower. 

“Alright, pull them up!” At Gu Anran’s order, all three baskets were pulled up. The big basket was heavy, so it took a while to be pulled up, but it was still pulled up by the four little wolves.

“En, a good harvest.” Gu Anran nodded in satisfaction.

The group leader walked closer to study the baskets. She couldn’t conceal the surprise and astonishment in her eyes. The three bamboo baskets were filled with at least four to six adult fish with the large basket having nearly two times that size at about ten fish! 

Gu Anran and the other little beasts naturally weren’t surprised as they were not like their group leader who had caught fish many times before as an adult beastman. It can be said that Gu Anran and her team’s current catch was about the same amount as a fishing team who worked for an entire day. Yet, Gu Anran and her team had done it in such a quick and efficient manner! If they used this method in the future, hunting would be so much easier!

Using the same method, Gu Anran’s team catched a few more batches of fish. Behind them, there was a pile of over a hundred fish. In order to prevent the fish from dying too quickly, Gu Anran splashed water on them every so often.  Gu Anran has personally experienced how unpleasant the smell of dead fish is! 

After all that physical work, the tiny animals were exhausted so Gu Anran told them to take a break. They took a break five more times while they continued to fish. 

In the fish puile behind her, there were even shrimps and even some small turtles mixed in. Although she didn’t know how to cook turtles, shrimps were decliosu after boiling in water for a while. 

After a few more batches of fish, the horn finally sounded to signal the end of the event. 

But how were they supposed to move this pile of fish? Looking up at the fish mountain in front of her, Gu Anran felt rather frustrated. They could put them on the big leaves and transport them but the leaves would only be able to carry a few at a time. Plus the leaves might break if they move over a rock! 

At this moment, their group leader reappeared with several more beastman behind her. 

“You guys will return first. Leave the transportation to us.” The group leader said. 

“Ok, thanks.” Gu Anran nodded. She was not afraid of her fish pile decreasing as she didn’t care as long as she didn’t end up in last place. 

The other beastman watched Gu Anran and her clan leave when their group leader turned to the fish mountain beside her. This…this was incredible! 

“This is what I was talking about!” She turned to the other beastman. 

“These were caught by the wolf clan’s child?” A rough beastman looked at the fish mountain in surprise. Even the other beastman beside him were surprised. 

“We wouldn’t be able to gather this much even if we had three hours! This is at least two or three hundred fish!” A woman exclaimed and then pointed at the shrimps and turtles to the side (Gu Anran had separated them specifically), 

“And look at the shrimps and turtles. These are even more difficult to catch. Fish are common, but these are a rare treat! We may not even eat them every year! There’s over 100 shrimps here!” She then swallowed hungrily. 

“Hey, don’t even think about it! Although there are a lot of shrimps, it’s still not enough to divide it among everyone. We will only be able to receive fish while the shrimps will be sent over for the winners and high-ranking beastman to enjoy. We won’t be able to get our share, might as well try catching some for ourselves later.” The group leader shrugged. 

If Gu Anran was here, she would be very smug. The shrimp they had caught was caught during the period when their group leader had left to get the other beastmen. 

But there was a problem. The gaps in the basket were too big so the shrimp easily fell out when they pulled the baskets. That’s wehn Gu Anran had an idea. She gathered some leaves and spread them on the bottom of the basket. By doing so, the water flowed more slowly out of the basket and before the shrimp could escape, she had her wolves grab the shrimp. 

In the big basket, they could capture 20 or 30 at a time and they had to fish several times to return with a full load. When three turtles accidentally fell in, Gu Anran felt like laughing towards the heavens. She would have yelled, “This old lady is so lucky!” if the other wolves weren’t watching. 

Gu Anran led her friends back to the original area where the other clans were gathered. Almost all of the other little beasts were drenched in water and panting on the ground. They seemed to be quite tired and their messy hair showed that they were fighting earlier. 

Observing their results…..wait, this must be my imagination! Why was the total fish for each clan less than a third of our fish pile! 

Why is that bad? Was catching fish so difficult that they had to fight each other? 

Gu Anran’s speculations were correct. In the beginning, the scene was harmonious but soon quarrels broke out. 

The animals naturally didn’t dare to wade in the deeper parts of the pool and so most of them fished in the shallow area. Since the shallow area was limited, all the little beasts swam in the area and scared the fish away. With so many animals, the fish would definitely not come close unless they wanted to die. 

That meant a scarcity appeared and animals fought each other when a fish appeared. That was why many of them had messy fur. 

However, animals like elephants and kangaroos, larger animals with big bodies, waded in deeper areas and so fought less. Although they didn’t catch much, it was still a lot better than the smaller animals. 

“Alright, may everyone please follow me.” Their group leader appeared and said. 

“Eh, do we not get a break first?” A miserable drenched skunk asked.

“Of course there will be a break when we get there. Our next destination will have more sun and will be a much more comfortable place for you guys to bask in.” Their group leader explained. 

Hearing this, the little beasts’ eyes lit up. It seems they really liked to bask in the sun. And although there was sunlight here, the ground was wet and stinky, especially after the fish died and was rather unacceptable for the little beasts. 

They arrived at a place that was similar to canyon but with many different fruit trees. Gu Anran could see a lot of fruits everywhere, such as apples, pears, guavas, etc. There were even some fruits she did not know the name of but all of them were ripe and looked ready to be picked. 

“I will now explain the rules! Only ripe fruit can be picked! The unripe or rotten fruit will not be counted. Obviously neither will the branches or leaves be counted as well. Furthermore, the fruit trees cannot be knocked down. If you do that, we will count it as a foul.” Their group leader glanced at the elephant clan meaningfully. 

Gu Anran felt like spitting out vomit when she saw the elephants look back with lost and sad eyes. What’s there to be sad about? As soon as you break a fruit tree, the tree wouldn’t be able to bear fruits anymore! This is equivalent to several years of fruits being destroyed! If every tree could be cut down or knocked down, then it wouldn’t be a climbing competition but a tree breaking competition! 

“Alright, where are the baskets. You can put the picked fruits into the baskets just like the swimming event. Also, the total will be counted per clan like the last event as well. Any questions?” 

“No.” x50

“Then you guys should rest now. The game will only start when the horn sounds. During this time you can rest or walk around, but do not pick the fruits until the game starts! Otherwise there will be a penalty!” 

After speaking, the clans moved into different directions. 

“You guys should rest first.” Gu Anran patted Bai Qing on the shoulder and nodded at the other wolves. 

Climbing trees is even more tiring than catching fish since you had to use every muscle on your body. So it would be better if her clanmates rested first. 

Yet, Gu Anran did not do the same as she walked around the orchard. The more she looked around, the more she felt that the wolf clan was at a disadvantage. Although the fruit trees were not high, it was easy for the elephant clans to simply reach up with their trunks to pick the fruits while the wolves had to actually climb up the trees.

If they climbed the trees, their progress would be too slow. Gu Anran suddenly thought about the last time  she went hunting with her mother. Didn’t her mother bring back many fruits? Then use that method! 

They would need to separate into two different groups! One group will climb the tree while another group is responsible for picking up the fruit from the ground! Then their progress should be rather fast! 

With an idea in her mind, Gu Anran returned to her clan. 

“In a moment, we will divide in two. Four of you will follow me, the other four will follow Bai Qing. Whoever is good at climbing trees will follow me. My team will be responsible for climbing trees and Bai Qing’s team is responsible for picking up the fruit.” 

“Wouldn’t the fruit be bruised or broken if they fall to the ground?” Bai Qing asked while tilting her head. 

“Don’t worry, I have a plan. Just imitate what I do and we must take the lead before the other little beasts can react! Oh, that’s right, Bai Qing, make sure to not stand under the tree when we climb or you might be hurt by the falling objects.” Gu Anran warned. 

“Understood.” Although Baig Qing was still puzzled, she didn’t ask for Gu Anran to clarify. Love had that special power to make one suppress their doubts even when their loved one might be wrong. Anyhow, wouldn’t it be revealed soon? 

Wuuuuuuu! The horn sounded once again. 

Gu Anran and his team rushed out first while the other little beasts were still lazily stumbling to their feet. They ran to a tree full of fruit, and with a quick command, all five beasts started climbing the tree quickly. 

This was Gu Anran’s first time climbing a tree in this body and the experience was refreshing. The flexibility of this animal body allowed her to climb quickly to the top. Seeing a branch in front of her with over 20 fruits on it, Gu Anran didn’t hesitate and used her claws to swipe and break the branch from the tree under her little beasts’ wide eyes. Soon, a large thump fell to the ground. 

Bai Qing was a little speechless as she watched the scene before her. She felt relieved that she had listened to Gu Anran and did not stand under the tree. Or else they would’ve been knocked unconscious by it. However, didn’t this count as a foul?! 

“That’s a foul!” 

“They’re destroying the fruit trees!” 

Sure enough, many little beasts protested just like Bai Qing feared, but one of the referee merely glanced at Gu Anran and the others, before saying ightly, 

“We only said you don’t knock down any fruit trees but we didn’t say anything about cutting the branches now did we?” 

This rhetorical question made the little beasts bite their tongues. Since the referee had made a verdict, the little beasts could only be resigned to their fate and hurried over to the other fruit trees. While Gu Anran and her wolves were prepared to climb the trees from the start, they had delayed their efforts with meaningless talk. 

“Hehe, I told you the Young Miss of the wolf clan is special! Yet you guys didn’t believe me!” The group leader looked at Gu Anran and the wolves’ systematic division of labor and smiled smugly. It can be said that the wolf clan was already several times ahead of the other beasts. 

“Yes, yes, but no matter how smart she is, she is not yours. She is still Gu Bing and Chi Wenyan’s precious child.” Another female referee shrugged. 

“Tsk, who cares about genetics? How can a child be that smart just because of outstanding genetics?” The group leader snorted.

“In this competitions the most outstanding ones have been Duan Hongwu, the young master of the lion clan, Song Wenyan, the young master of the Tiger clan, Mu Qingli, the young miss of the rabbit clan, Chi Mengyan, the young miss of he foc clan, and Hong Qingyi, the young miss of the leopard clan. Finally there is this young miss of the wolf clan, Gu Anran. With just these 6, most of the top places have been occupied by them. This is my first time seeing so many conflicts in ranking due to them ranking high in every competition.” A male referee said as he walked over. 

“Indeed, the rankings are too centralized around these six. It seems they are the next generation who will sit on the ten seats of the beastman.” A female referee replied. 

“Isn’t that a given? Their parents or relatives are the current ten seats after all.” The group leader quipped. 

“That’s not what I mean. Even if the seats are passed down to the next generation, there’s still the challenges they must pass first before they can inherit the seats. I think they will be able to pass these challenges with their current respective strengths. I’m just saying that the ranking might be changed soon! The lion clan has been sitting in first place for too long. Maybe this time the first seat will belong to a young heir from one of their five clans!” The female referee leaned against the big tree and said. 

Gu Anran, who was still busy picking fruit, had no idea that the beastman’s evaluation of her was so high. She focused solely on the fruit trees, and so far most of the smaller fruit trees have been harvests. 

With three baskets full of fruit, the wolves exceeded the other little beasts by a large margin but Gu Anran was not content yet. Not until the game ended. So she ordered the other wolves to guard the baskets while only three followed her. 

The trees still left were the ones on the slope. With only three wolves left, the rest were responsible for transporting the branches of fruit to the baskets at the bottom of the slope. 

Huuu….Huuuu….so tired. Gu Anran licked the soles of her paw, a few wounds appeared from the sharp branches she had accidentally scratched against, and continued to work. 

Her fur is a bmess and there were leaves strewn throughout her hair. She couldn’t even shake them off and would be only able to clean after the game was over. 

The taller fruit trees that grew on this slope were really difficult to climb. 

Her throat felt dry and she wanted to eat a few fruits to quench her thirst but everyone was watching her. How could she steal a fruit and dishonor her family? 

And so, Gu Anran could only look at the fruits with longing as she swallowed her saliva and continued climbing. 

Wuuuuuuuu! The horn finally sounded and Gu Anran felt that was the most beautiful sound in the world. 

“Huuuuu…finally it’s over.” 

“So tired…so thirsty!” 

Gu Anran heard her clanmates’ complaining and glanced over at the referees before quickly throwing ten fruits at her friends. 

“Hurry up and eat!” 

Seeing her friends’ wide eyes, Gu Anran felt a little impatient. 

“We picked the fruits, so it’s fine if we eat one. It’s not like they have counted our harvest yet. What are you afraid of?” After saying so, she chomped her fruit and her clanmates watched as Gu Anran ate without hesitation. In just two bites, Gu Anran finished the fruit and licked her sticky mouth clean. 

After the referees transported their fruits, their group leader took them to meet up with the other groups. 

The group leader didn’t say anything about their fruit stealing as she led them to the grasslands where many little beasts can be seen fighting. Of course, they were not fighting for the sake of it but because this was the last event, the one-on-one fighting event. 

Little beasts fought in circles that were only three meters long in radius. Some circles just started fighting while others were almost done. 

“This is your last event. You can disperse for now but do not leave this block. We will send someone to notify you when it’s your turn, but if we can’t find you , then sorry, but your opponent wins by forfeit.” Their group leader said and then left after saying this one sentence. 

Gu Anran looked around, where is her female lead?

“Anran, over here.” Gu Bing’s familiar voice rang out from not too far away. 

“Mom!” Gu Anran happily ran over. If Gu Bing was here that meant….there is meat to eat! 

Gu Bing did not disappoint and took out a large box of meat for Gu Anran to eat. 

“Anran, good job out there!” Gu Bing took out a large bag of shrimps from her backpack, and her usually cold face showed a rare smile.

“Hey, this is the shrimp we caught earlier!” Gu Anran was pleasantly surprised. She didn’t expect they would give it to her mother in the end.

“That’s right. Since the game only counts fish in the total so they let us keep the shrimp. Later, I will give some to your clanmate’s parents. There should be enough for at least ten shrimp per family!” 

“Really?” Gu Anran was excited. They were eating shrimp tonight! 

“En.” Gu Bing put the shrimp back and then set Gu Anran back onto her thigh, helping her pick out the leaves in her hair. 

Gu Anran looked at the small pile of leaves and branches slowly piling up beside her. Just how did all this get stuck in her hair? This is not scientific! 

After eating the meat, Gu Anran was enjoying a massage from her mother when her group leader approached. 

“Wolf clan’s Young Miss, you’re up! Follow me.” 

“Alright,”  Gu Anran nodded and turned to Gu Bing, 

“Mom, I’ll be back.” 

“En, go.” 

Gu Anran followed her group leader and passed some fighting circles when they stopped outside of one circle. 

“We’re here. Your opponent has already arrived.” The group leader motioned for Gu Anran to approach the circle. Gu Anran took a few steps forward when her first opponent’s face was revealed. 

“Puuhhh….Puhhhh….Hello, my name is Zhu Tai.” A brown piglet was in the circle. 

A pig! Her first opponent is a pig! Foratenly based on the small tusk, her opponent is actually a boar. If it was the pink domestic kind, Gu Anran would’ve gone crazy. 

“Hah…..Hello, my name is Gu Anran.” Gu Anran coughed dryly and introduced herself. 

“Alright, both parties have been confirmed! There is only one rule in this game and that is you cannot use your claws! Your claws must be retracted. Without further ado, I declare that this game will start….now!” The group leader waved a hand and Zhu Tai immediately rushed towards Gu Anran. 

Damn! No claws?! This is an obvious disadvantage for me! But Gu Anran had no time to protest as the other party rushed towards her. 

Gu Anran nimblily dodged Zhu Tai’s charge and Zhu Tai turns around to rush at her again after seeing that he missed. Back and forth, this repeated a few times…

Gu Anran only had one thought, does this idiot only know how to charge?

The next time Zhu Tai charged, Gu Anran merely tilted sideways and then stretched out a foot…thump! Zhu Tai tripped over her foot and slid a meter face down…oof, that’s got to hurt…

“Winner, Gu Anran!” The group leader announced, since Zhu Tai slid out of bounds. 

Zhu Tai staggered to his feet, nose bleeding and maybe even broken which made Gu Anran feel bad for about three seconds.

“Puuhhhh….I never expected you to be this strong. I will work hard! I will definitely defeat you one day!” With a serious expression, the piglet with a nosebleed said some noble words that made Gu Anran feel speechless. Is she strong? She just tripped him! Isn’t he afraid of being taken for a fool?

“Gu Anran, I see you didn’t use much strength in this round. Why not go directly to your next round?” 

“Ok!” Gu Anran nodded. She needed a normal opponent to soothe her injured pride after all. 

But….

“This is your next opponent.” 

“…..” I- #@#%$!!!! Gu Anran vomited from the bottom of her heart. What a familiar animal! Actually was a clan that was in her group earlier. 

“H-hello….my name is…Shu Bing …” 

If you’re Shu Bing then I am a potato chip! No, a french fry! (T/N: Shu Bing ( 鼠苪) sounds like Shu Bing (薯饼) which is a type of bread. Potato Chip in Chinese is (薯片) and french fry is (薯条) both have the same ‘shu’ as ‘shu bing.’ Here the author is making a play on words. A pun if you will.)

A female mouse stood timidly in front of Gu Anran. Except for maybe the sprinting event, none of the games were suitable for these small creatures….

“Hello, my name is Gu Anran.” 

“Game…start!” 

The game has begun! But why did the little mouse curl up into a ball and lie on the ground! Should seh charge? And then punch her into the air? Shove her, smash her, whatever she does, she felt this would be too cruel towards this little mouse girl! If she used too much strength, she might kill this little mouse, let alone hurt it! 

So Gu Anran made a choice! 

Shu Bing only felt her body fly into the air, and she shivered in fright but then she landed safely on the ground. In fact, it seems nothing has happened as her body did not ache. 

“Winner: Gu Anran!” 

Eh? What happened? 

The mouse raised her head in confusion. Who knows when, but she was now lying outside of the circle completely unscathed. As for why that is….because she was lifted out of the circle by Gu Anran. 

“T-thank you.” Shu Bing said gratefully. 

“It’s fine. I had no reason to hurt you so…be careful from now on. If you can’t beat your opponent, might as well run so you won’t get hurt.” Gu Anran advised. 

“En….” Shu Bing nodded and then ran away quickly. 

“Truly a compassionate and gentle little beast!” The group leader teased. 

“Hmph.” Gu Anran raised her chin. 

Just like this, whether by coincidence or not, Gu Anran encountered a bunch of strange opponents along the way. Some she fought reluctantly with bare minimum effort. Until finally there were only ten left. 

The last ten are: Duan Hongwu, Song Wenyan, Mu Qingli, Chi Mengyan, Gu Anran, Hong Qingyi, Xiang Tong (the heir of the elephant clan), Xiong Lin (the heir of the bear clan), Ling Wenwen (the heir of the antelope), and Niu Shan (the heir of the cow clan).

Gu Anran looked at the little beasts gathered….wow, they are all the heirs of the ten seats. Maybe they were arranged to be the final ten so they would go up against each other. None of them had met in the preliminary round after all….

Now was not the time to think about this. 

The ten little beasts readied themselves. Almost all the beastman clans have arrived! The crowd surrounded them as they waited to draw lots! 

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