Chapter 16: Interrogating the Lions and the Unexpected Harvest

The Lion Tribe was clearly caught off guard by Lin Mo’s question. For as long as they could remember, they had lived by a simple rule: if you want to gang up on someone, you just go and do it. No spirit had ever asked for proof before. Stunned into silence, they all squatted back down on the ground to begin a fresh round of “quiet” deliberation about who exactly saw Lin Mo stealing their water.

Lin Mo clicked her tongue. Predicting that this group of dim-witted lions would be occupied for a while, she decided to head off and wash up.

As she turned, she nearly bumped into Mo Jin, who was standing right behind her with arms crossed. Her long legs were straight, her gaze slightly lowered, and her expression unreadable. She exuded a cold pressure that made it hard to look her in the eye—a far cry from the adorable, fluffy panda cub Lin Mo had dreamed of pampering.

Lin Mo felt a bit intimidated. She took half a step back, put on a bright smile, and tried to sound casual. “I’m just going to go wash up.”

Mo Jin didn’t respond, her eyes fixed instead on the lions huddling nearby. Lin Mo breathed a quiet sigh of relief and scurried off.

By the time she returned, the lions had finally reached a conclusion. The smallest member of the tribe stood up to testify. “I saw her by the stream last night!”

Lin Mo gave a nonchalant “Oh?” and hit them with a triple-threat follow-up: “And how are you sure it was me? Who can back you up? And what if someone was wearing my clothes to frame me?”

The tiny lion spirit was instantly dazed. It scratched its head so hard it nearly went bald, but no answers came. Finally, it turned around in silence, picked up a twig, and started drawing circles in the dirt.

Lin Mo mentally gave herself a high-five. Her “battle of wits” was clearly a one-sided slaughter against these big cats.

Just as Lin Mo settled onto a small wooden stool to enjoy the sun and wished she had some sunflower seeds to snack on, a yellowish-brown furball came charging toward her at top speed.

Lin Mo dodged nimbly. Little She Qiu missed its target, its front paws skidding on the yellow grass as its face plowed into the mud. It shook its head, spitting out dirt, and ran over to circle Lin Mo and Mo Jin excitedly.

–Meow! Grandfather Chief is cured! He and the High Priest are coming over later to visit and bring you lots of gifts!–

“Gifts? What kind of gifts?” Lin Mo asked, curious.

She Qiu transformed into human form and began counting seriously on its fingers. “Lots of animal skins, herbs, salt stones, and cured meat! Oh! They’re right behind me!”

It pointed back the way it came, only to freeze when it saw the massive pack of lions standing right in front of them. She Qiu’s thick, long tail puffed up instantly. The small boy stepped in front of Lin Mo and Mo Jin, letting out a low, defensive growl.

To the Lynx Tribe, lions were a living nightmare. In the recent battle over the water source, the lions had even used underhanded tactics to poison their Chief. She Qiu clenched his fists, desperate to avenge his grandfather.

However, the lions didn’t even notice the young lynx. They were still stuck on Lin Mo’s three questions.

When the rest of the Lynx Tribe arrived, they immediately entered a combat stance, surrounding the lions from the rear with stone weapons. The elderly Lynx Chief sneered, “Shi Tian, you dare show your face here?”

The massive Lion Chief, Shi Tian, leaped up with a roar of pure fury. He felt he had been tricked! He thought he had walked into a lynx ambush!

The lion pack transformed into their beast forms, echoing their leader’s roar. Tension filled the air; a bloody war seemed seconds away.

Lin Mo: “…”

Seriously? One second we’re talking, the next it’s a battlefield?

Lin Mo thought of her fragile wooden cabin that hadn’t been reinforced yet. If these monsters fought here, she’d be rebuilding from scratch again. She rushed into the gap between the two Chiefs, hands raised in a “Time-out” gesture. “STOP!”

Once she had their attention, she turned to the Lynx Chief. “Are you here to give us gifts?”

The old lynx nodded slowly.

Lin Mo snapped her fingers and turned to Shi Tian. “And you—were you thinking about those three questions? Did you find an answer yet?”

Shi Tian shook his head slowly.

“OK!” Lin Mo took a deep breath. “You,” she said to the lynx, “are here to give gifts, not to fight. Don’t brawl on someone else’s doorstep. And you,” she pointed at the Lion Chief, “can’t even solve three simple questions, yet all you want to do is fight. Does fighting solve problems? No, it doesn’t.”

The fog in Shi Tian’s eyes cleared slightly. He remembered a fox once telling him that he couldn’t solve everything with his claws; he needed a brain.

Lin Mo stood on her tip-toes and lightly rapped her knuckles against Shi Tian’s forehead. “Go home and actually use your head.”

Shi Tian nodded rhythmically with every tap, looking like a chick pecking at grain.

Lin Mo watched the lions leave, but her mind was racing. The poisoning of the Lynx Chief and the seizure of the water source felt… suspicious. Poisoning didn’t seem like something these “meat-headed” lions were smart enough to pull off. It was better to let them go and follow the trail later to see who was pulling the strings.

“Go on, get out of here!” Lin Mo flicked her wrist.

Shi Tian, his head throbbing from the “lecture,” turned to leave, but the angry lynxes blocked their path.

“Chief, we can’t let them go! This is our chance to take back the water!” “Yeah! With the water source, we won’t have to trade our winter rations for water anymore!”

The old Lynx Chief hesitated. He glanced at Mo Jin, who was standing behind Lin Mo. A flicker of fear crossed his eyes, and he waved his hand. “We are here to give thanks. Let them go.”

The Lynx Tribe, though unwilling, stepped aside. Once the lions were gone, the old Chief turned back with a smile that reminded Lin Mo of a crafty old fox. “The High Priest and I brought some things to thank you for saving the tribe.”

Lin Mo followed his gesture and her jaw dropped. There were piles of animal skins, a cart full of cured meat, a mountain of herbs, and a basket of white salt stones.

This looks like half their yearly rations, Lin Mo thought, her eyes wide. It’s too generous… suspiciously generous.