As they reached the village entrance, Ye Jingyu found a crowd already gathered. Most were young women, girls in the prime of their youth, similar in age to Jiufeng, but compared to her... no, using the word 'girl' to describe the others was an insult to that beautiful term. They were practically a collection of unimproved she-beasts. Though clad in animal hides and leaves, they failed to stir even a flicker of desire in Ye Jingyu.

To say nothing of their colossal frames—the tallest stood over 1.9 meters—their faces were a mess of coarse flesh, and the fat on their bodies jiggled with every movement, appearing utterly terrifying. Even the shortest were around 1.8 meters, all bulk and brute force, with arms and legs thicker than Ye Jingyu’s own. How could such beings be called women?

Looking at the group of grinning "she-beasts," Ye Jingyu suddenly felt as if he had stumbled into a human purgatory. It was more repulsive than the calf-sized toads he had once witnessed...

Turning his gaze back to the graceful and beautiful Jiufeng, Ye Jingyu was truly speechless. How could such a stunning woman live among a pack of "she-beasts"? Was Jiufeng the only beauty in the entire Chi Yi tribe? Were there no others even remotely pleasing to the eye?

But what happened next left Ye Jingyu even more dumbfounded. As several hundred tall men, most nearly two meters high, slowly approached while sorrowfully carrying the corpses of wild boars, tigers, and elk, these "she-beasts" cheered and rushed forward. The great men promptly dropped their burdens, their faces split by joyous smiles, and they charged toward the "she-beasts," embracing them with unrestrained fervor, their expressions akin to meeting long-lost lovers...

Could these women truly be the mates of these men?

Ye Jingyu observed with surprise that the more massive the man, the wider the waist and larger the frame of the woman he embraced, and the prouder his smile seemed, as if his woman were the most beautiful princess in the world...

Conversely, Jiufeng, standing right beside Ye Jingyu, was completely ignored. Seeing her somber expression, Ye Jingyu's already muddled head spun even further...

Could his own aesthetic judgment be flawed? Such a beautiful girl was unwanted?

"Heh... Am I really that ugly?" Noticing Ye Jingyu's gaze, Jiufeng mocked herself with profound sadness...

"No, absolutely not. I think you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen..." Ye Jingyu spoke to a girl with such genuine seriousness for the first time...

"Heh, you don't need to comfort me. Every time they return from the hunt, no one ever comes to embrace me; no one even spares me a glance. They all mock me as the ugliest woman in the tribe..." Jiufeng managed a heartbreaking laugh, seemingly long accustomed to this feeling...

"Uh, if you are the ugliest woman, then there are no beautiful women in this world. Believe me, if you were outside, countless men would go crazy over you..." Ye Jingyu explained anxiously. It was rare for him not to lie, so why wouldn't she believe him?

"Heh, there’s no need to console me; I know in my heart..." Jiufeng still refused to accept his words. She had grown up riddled with self-doubt. Though she often appeared cheerful and happy, this moment, when the hunters returned, was always when she felt most isolated, helpless, and desolate (All novel texts can be read at .1.(1.m.Literature.net).

In the Chi Yi tribe, even though women held little status, there existed a deep-seated sense of rivalry among them. They prided themselves on their men, hoping to bear children for the strongest males, as the mightier their sons, the higher their own standing.

Because of this belief, the Chi Yi people naturally assumed that women with robust builds would produce strong, tall offspring, and consequently, the men favored the stoutest women...

As for why Jiufeng was so petite, Ye Jingyu only learned later: her mother was a woman her father had forcibly taken from outside, rumored to be the daughter of some prominent family. This was the fundamental reason for Jiufeng's difference from the other Chi Yi women. Sadly, her mother passed away when Jiufeng was four, or she might have taught her so much more...

Seeing Jiufeng’s dejected expression, and watching the great men feasting in revelry with the "she-beasts" nearby, Ye Jingyu truly didn't know what to say...

He could only curse the wretched heavens silently in his heart...

Instinctively, he reached out and wrapped his arm around Jiufeng's slender, vine-like waist, whispering near her ear, "No matter what others think, you are the most beautiful maiden in my eyes..."

Jiufeng's delicate body trembled slightly. She looked up at Ye Jingyu in surprise, seeing only a pair of sincere eyes. An indescribable, strange feeling welled up in her heart...

"Who are you, daring to embrace my woman..." Just then, a booming roar erupted in front of them...

Both turned to see a youth standing there, his chin just beginning to sprout a downy beard. He stood about 1.8 meters tall and looked as sturdy as an ox, but compared to the throng of men behind him, all exceeding two meters, he appeared quite 'short'...

"Who is your woman?" Ye Jingyu was momentarily stunned...

"Chi Yi Yanbao... You..." Jiufeng looked rather bewildered. It was the first time someone had expressed affection for her—well, let's provisionally call this method 'affection'...

"Woman, silence..." Unexpectedly, Chi Yi Yanbao barked at her, completely unconcerned by Jiufeng's status as the tribal chief's granddaughter. Still, considering the Chi Yi tribe's strange customs, he quickly calmed down...

While others paid it no mind, Ye Jingyu became enraged. Though he hadn't known Jiufeng for long, seeing someone berate her so openly felt like a slap across his own face. Especially since his earlier action—in the Chi Yi way—was a declaration: she is mine, and I will protect her. If a man cannot even defend the woman he claims, what is he? Looking at the cheering men and women behind the brute, Ye Jingyu understood that this fellow didn't truly desire Jiufeng; he was merely turning to her because the other men had already claimed all the "she-beasts" due to his relative weakness...

What position did that put Jiufeng in...

Immediately, Ye Jingyu stepped forward one pace, and a chillingly cold voice issued from his lips: "She is already my woman. If you want her, defeat me..."

The tone was indifferent, devoid of emotion, instantly freezing the lively scene. From Jiufeng's earlier words, he had grasped the unwritten rule of the Chi Yi tribe: the strong possess everything...