《Gentle Beast》 Chapter 1 Gentle Beast Chapter 1 Chapter 1 / 77 J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u lifted her cellphone, unaware just how many times she attempted to look for a signal everywhere, but the signal bars did not move in the slightest. There were three angry characters on her forehead; no service. She did not give up trying to make a phone call, but the phone still could not dial out. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u pursed her lips, to keep herself calm, and put the phone back into her bag, reexamining the environment around her again. The ancient trees reached high to the sky, their leaves were elegant and luxurious, generously blocking the sunlight from overhead, and her surroundings were silent. The trees here were weird, , and grotesquely shaped , they were nothing like anything J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was familiar with, neither the familiar pine cypress, nor themon Chinese parasol tree or ck Locust . Looking back at the first sixteen years of her life, she had never seen these trees before. All the trees here were very strange. Her school specially selected the remote and silent deep forest for her three-day two-night ss trip to stimte the students. Unexpectedly, just as the school bus reached the top of a hill, the driver unknowingly caught sight of something, and with a shrill scream, the bus skid against the earth without warning and rushed straight for the overhanging cliff. The chauffeur fortunately reacted in time and hastily mmed on the brakes, and the school bus was suspected at the edge of the cliff, saving everyone¡¯s lives. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had bad luck and was seated next to a ssmate with motion sickness, and the ss leader had allowed them to open the window. When the driver drifted around the bend, she did not have the time to stabilize her body and inertia pushed the student beside her towards her and she was thrown out the window. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u opened her eyes wide in surprise and subconsciously reached out, but her ssmates turned their stunned faces away. There was not enough time to be frightened, her body was pulled downward as if there was something dragging her forward. When she woke again, it was in this weird ce. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u felt strange. She only had a small forehead injury where it had probably knocked against the cliff as she fell and was otherwise intact. To fall from a ce that high, it was unexpectedly nothing? In addition, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u found another mystical matter. The small backpack with her had a lot of other things besides the stuff she had left with. For portability, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u only brought two bags ofpressed biscuits, two small boxes of Dove chocte, a few bottles of mineral water and three sets of clothes. Worried about her great aunt¡¯s sudden arrival, she strategically packed two packets of sanitary napkins. Now, however, she could easily pull out a shlight, a lighter, a Swiss Army knife, and a medicine kit from her backpack. Even more ridiculously, even a sleeping bag and a tent could be fished out. These things do not take up space, resembling Doraemon¡¯s pocket , J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u can see the inside of the bag, and sessfully remove the items, but for her, the inside seemed to a huge, quiet space. A little familiar with this type of thing, she closed her eyes and looked carefully, only to discover the space was packed with all the supplies her ss had prepared for the trip. These things had definitely been in the bus¡¯s luggagepartment, how could it be on her? What exactly was this space? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u sat on the ground in astonishment, staring at all the scattered things in front of her, perplexed . But she had fallen from such a high cliff, and could still sit right here, it was very incredible. Finding the way back was top priority, not sitting here wasting effort. ¨C J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u put her mood into order, removed povidone-iodine and a Band-Aid from the medicine kit to treat the forehead wound, then packing everything back into the space again, she left only the Swiss Army knife, preparing to find the way up the mountain. She traveled for about half an hour, but the scenery before her did not change. The trees were thick, solid and strange, the grass a lush, emerald green underbrush, and her surroundings were still quiet and outrageous. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had traveled with her family several times and been to the deep mountains like this ce. No matter how pure or natural those ces were, more or less there were traces of human kind left behind. There didn¡¯t exist anyone like her in this ambient ce that was silent, primitive, and lush with vegetation growing abundantly. She could not see any danger whatsoever, but at the same time, felt as though danger lurks on every side at all times. Another half an hour passed. Looking at the sturdy tree trunk before her, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u felt a sense of familiarity. Her eyebrows pinched conscientiously as she faced therge tree, then after while, she took the Swiss Army knife from her baseball coat pocket, flipped out the de, and leaned forward to carve a few numbers into the tree. 1002. Today¡¯s date. Afterwards, withdrawing the knife, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u once again looked at this ancient tree and remembered her surroundings and restarted her journey. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u fell from the cliff this morning, was unconscious for a time, walked for an hour, she looked down at her wristwatch, and it was already 3:30 P.M. Nights in the forest came earlier, usually before six o¡¯clock, darkness would cover the sky and the weather would be much colder on top of that. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u realized it was impossible to ascend the mountain today, therefore she had to find a ce to stay for that night before dark. She left in the early morning and was too anxious to eat breakfast, then at noon she had lost consciousness and, again, did not eat something. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u walked for another half hour and finally felt hungry. She only nced briefly, but there was deep-frozen beef, seafood and other materials that ought to be what her ss had prepared for her ssmates to barbecue in the wilderness. However, she did not have time to handle ingredients, she took out a lump of chocte and a box of milk from her backpack to cope with her hunger. Drinking down thest of the milk, her footsteps halted, and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked at the tree before her with a familiar ¡°1002¡± carving, and her breathe caught in her throat. Choking on the milk in her windpipe, she coughed violently. The trees towered high, covering the earth from view of the sun, and she was in the same ce as she hade from just a moment ago. How could that be? She purposely walked in the opposite direction, so how could she have returned here? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s expression turned to panic. The fear and unease that she had been suppressing for a long while now leaped from her mind in a race to outdo one another . She had been tossed off a cliff, thrown into this unfathomable ce, and it goes without saying, she was afraid. Right now, she was trapped in such arge forest without any sign of a living creature around, as if she was alone in the woods. Her shoulders trembling, she rubbed her damp eyes with a finger and cloaked herself in the sudden helplessness so deeply that she paid little mind to the sound of footsteps in the distance. ¨C J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u focused on the tears, but those footsteps were growing closer. Today, she had worn a pair of unpadded, navy blue shoes that exposed the instep. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s exposed skin was clear and white, like the milk she had just finished, and when a soft, wet tongue licked over the back of her foot, she stiffened in surprise, turning to look down. A fancifully-striped animal crouched at her feet. The round ears, blue eyes, sharp ws, and paw pads all indicate that this was a cat. Unlike domesticated kittens, it resembled a leopard. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u reflexively took a step back, staring at this leopard cub. It was a leopard unlike any other. Under the eyes and to the sides of the face, there was a ck tuft of hair, unlike a cheetah covered in spots. It had a slightly paler coat, and the eyes were not the usual aquamarine, but a rare sea blue. Itpped at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s instep, discovering an insipidness, and immediately turned its head to slowly lick at the milk on the grass. Milk that J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u spilled when she coughed up a moment ago. After the little leopard licked up all the remaining milk, it raised its little head to look at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. Its eyes were a blue resembling the deep ocean watching J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u with intense concentration. Probably having not eaten its fill, it took a step on all four legs toward J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u recoiled hurriedly, as if facing an enemy. Although it was still awfully young, a leopard is not always something benevolent, not to mention still being stuck in this unfamiliar ce, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had no option but to protect herself. The tiny leopard took another step forward. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u retreated two more steps. The leopard did not move forward this time, instead stopping to look at her. More precisely, to size her up? After half the day had passed, the cub lifted a forepaw to scratch his own ears then extended his tongue to lick his paw and continued staring at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u only just caught sight of the wet blood on its hind leg, where there was a clear wound on its foot. The flesh wascerated, and it did not look shallow. She was surprised it could still stand so steadily. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u lowered her guard somewhat toward it, presuming that it had gotten separated from its parents and was attacked by other beats, only to appear in this ce. It had suffered so badly and probably not aggressive. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u considered for a moment, then took a box of milk from her backpack and cut off the top, slowly squatting with her arm extended to gingerly push it a meter away from the small leopard. The cub¡¯s dark blue pupils looked at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u then at the milk in front of it. Quickly, it dragged its wounded body forward step by step. It first licks at the edge of the milk, then buried its whole head in the carton to continue drinking with enthusiasm . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked in the opposite direction and heaved a sigh of relief. Taking advantage of the little leopard¡¯s attention on the milk, she drew back and hurriedly turned to leave that ce. Although a cub is of no danger to her, if by chance the parents came and saw the leopard¡¯s injury, how troublesome would it be? She only had a knife on her, and it would not withstand two adult leopards. Such a thought made J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u even more insecure. After nightfall, she did not know how many dangerous birds of prey or wild animals were in the forest. She needed to find a safe ce as soon as possible. To leave the forest, and avoid returning to the tree again, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u chose a different route. Approximately an hour left, the trees were growing thicker and thicker and the branches lower and lower. The branches grew in number and the leaves truly flourished. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u saw the entire forest suddenly plunged into darkness. She could not see the hand she stretched out before her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was distracted by the unclear situation and groped about in the dark to find the shlight in her backpack, switching on the light. She shown the bright white light at her wrist and saw the hour hand point right at the number ¡°6¡±. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u dared not leave the light on for too long, afraid of attracting wild animals, and quickly nced at the time then put the shlight back into her bag. Her mind was filled with doubt. What was going on? Why did the sky go dark all of a sudden? Chapter 2 Gentle Beast Chapter 2 Chapter 2 / 77 The sky was still bright one second, and the next, it was night. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u raised her head and there were brights stars scattered across the heavens above. Every star in the sky was clear and iparable. A radiant meteor streaked across the sky, then vanished at the edge of the horizon. Beautiful as a fairy tale she had read as a child. It was a pity J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u wasn¡¯t in the frame of mind to appreciate this kind of beauty, her entire heart still stunned to the core. There was no transition whatsoever between day and night, the sky turned ck abruptly. Could it be that there was no sunset here? No dusk? There was not enough time to ponder these questions, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u forced her shock down to the bottom of her heart. Borrowing the sparse starlight from overhead, she found arge tree that wasn¡¯t short or thin. Groping about for half the day, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u removed a carabiner and climbing rope from her backpack. This ought to be the belongings of Sports Committe member, Ch¨¦n B¨©n. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u remembered that he had traveled before and said he used to go mountain climbing. Now that they had appeared in her bag, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u owned Ch¨¦n B¨©n the five vors. Because, thanks to these two things, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could climb the tree smoothly and spend the night safe and sound. The temperature was somewhat lower at night, but luckily J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s space contained both a nket and a sleeping bag. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u deliberately set her rm clock to 5:30 A.M. because she wanted to confirm that yesterday evening was not an illusion. There was no sunset, would there be a sunrise? With eyes wide, she waited until 5:59 but everything before her was still pitch ck. However, when the minute and second hands struck 6, it were as thoughrge hands tore open a heavy curtain. There wasn¡¯t the slightest sign of dawn. Sunlight suddenly leaked through the thick leaves and sprinkled over J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s head. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u sat stunned on the tree branch, her eyes narrowing into a squint at the piercing pain of adapting to the sudden light Opening her eyes again to gaze at the sun-illuminated forest, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u turned this mystery over for a very long time. This ce really was baffling, from yesterday to now, she still had several doubts. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u tried topel herself to think deeply, but with this scene before her, how could she tell herself to be calm? Where on the Earth was there a ce without dusk or dawn? Where does the day and night alternate as distinctly as the J¨©ng River? Was she ignorant, or had shee to another world? This idea shed through her mind and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s body stiffened. An early morning breeze danced along the treetops and rose goose bumps along her arms. If that were true. . . No, no, she will certainly go back! Yesterday she had simply not found a suitable path, so long as she found the way out of the forest today, she would be able to reach the top of the hill to join her ssmates and teacher. Her mom and dad were still waiting for her to report back to them that she was in a safe ce. She could not remain trapped here. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u straightened out her sleeping gear and returned them to the space then used the climbing rope to slide down to the ground. There was a stream nearby with cool, clear water, and limestone at the bottom. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u walked over to wash her face and felt startlingly refreshed. A small face with innate beauty was reflected on the water surface, her lips red and features exquisite. The young girl looked good, even with a faint knit in her brow, for it made her appear pitiful.* *A sentence that can also be interpreted as: A girl seldom looked good with a faint frown because it made one look pathetic. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not take notice because just then, she felt pain in the sole of her foot. She removed her shoes and bowed her head to look at the bottom of her foot, finding two transparent blisters. Yesterday, she had traveled four or five hours along the rough forest floor, and now she felt the pain for it. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u sniffled a little, feeling wronged. J¨«-f¨´ (formal father) and J¨«-m¨´ (formal mother) had only one son and only her as a daughter. She held them tightly in her heart and loved them dearly, but now she was alone in some deste mountain range, suffering in injury, and god knows with what else. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was sad for a while, then she mentally hit herself to be strong. She hastily dealt with the blisters on her feet and overturned her space to find a pair of white sneakers. She did not know which ssmate had brought these, but when she tried them out, they were just the right size. They were also the perfect thing to continue her journey. ¨C J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had not gone far when she identally bowed her head and saw mottled bloodstains amidst the grass. The blood had dried into an ocher red color. The surroundings were bing familiar to her, and she was beginning to feel a bad premonition. Sure enough, just ahead was a familiar tree with four digits engraved upon it. Beneath the tree, a small figure with roundish stripes quietlyy. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could hear her heartbeat in her head. She had circled back to this ce again. In the darkness ofst night, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was unable to see her surroundings and trees there were unfamiliar, so she thought she had walked quite a distance. Scarcely did she know, then, that the tree she had spent the night in and this one marked with 1002 were only separated by a few dozen meters. Why did she always return to this ce? Why couldn¡¯t she leave? Along with her panic, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u felt even more puzzled. The ancient TV dramas frequently showed an identical environment, but the matter of choosing the wrong path was made right away, and every step out concealed in mystery. Was it possible that she was now also in some sort of maze? ¡°Wululu,¡± a small voice whimpered and grumbled, pulling J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u back to consciousness. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u followed the sound and found him buried under the leaves, lying motionless on the ground, and on hisst gasp. From the depths of his throat, a moan spilled over his vocal cords. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u walked over to him and slowly pushed the leaves from the leopard¡¯s body to see the condition of the injury. Yesterday, she had peered from a distance away and now she could see the flesh around the would was festering with pus, and the blood was congealing in the leopard¡¯s fur. There were even bugs crawling around inside. Wasn¡¯t this little one still able to walk yesterday? How did he be like this today? When J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u identally touched the wound, a deep rumble emerged from the cub¡¯s throat, and he lifted his eyelids to stare fixedly at her with deep blue eyes. His gaze could not be considered friendly, most likely the instinctual suspicion and guard of a dying animal . If he was not so seriously injured, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was convinced he would pounce up to w at her face. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was powerless to defend herself this time, and she had originally not wanted to save him. God knows where his parents were, why or how he had gotten injured, and how he had appeared here. How much trouble would this implicate her with in the future? But, she hugged the leopard¡¯s small body to her chest, and she changed her mind again. He was so small. Not yet even the size of her American short hair. She could save this little one, right? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u carried the cub to the stream and squatted at its edge. Using one hand to hold the leopard¡¯s forelimbs in ce, and the other cupping a handful of water, she gently washed out the wound. The wound was deep, unlikely from any trap or weapon, but like the leopard had gotten caught by a beast. Was it possible that a beast separated the cub from his parents and he escaped on his own? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u cleaned the baby leopard¡¯s wounds well, then set the cub on clean grass. Digging around in her backpack, she began to take out the medicine kit from her space to treat the leopard¡¯s hind leg, but at that moment, the distant howl of a wolf suddenly echoed through the forest. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s every movement stalled. The leopard opened his eyes, a meaningfully heavy look within them, and soon afterward, his body also quickly stood on guard. At first, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought she had heard it wrong, but the cry soon sounded again, only this time, it was much closer. Listening closely, it sounded as if there was more than one wolf. She had heard that wolves were social animals, and from the rise and fall of the howl, there ought to be a pack of wolves. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u snatched her backpack tight and stood up, wanting to run. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had expected to meet a ferocious beast, but she had not expected it to happen so fast. She was still a stranger in a strangend when it came to these woods, and she had no ce to hide. Plus, she had been lost in the forest for a while, so she hurriedly pulled at her bag¡¯s zipper. Something fell from her backpack and onto the ground. She picked it up to take a look, and it was a roundpass. The top was marked with the four directions ¡°N, S, W, E¡±, and it was of a superior quality. Before her departure, J¨«-f¨´ (formal father) had worried about J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u getting lost in the mountains, so he stuffed this into her bag in case of emergency. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had not taken it to heart then, and afterwards forgot about it altogether. Now, however, her eyes were shining bright, she needed it more than anything else. With thepass to set her direction, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u slung her bag onto her shoulder and looked down at the ground where the tiny leopard stilly on his stomach, both calm and not moving. He was also looking at her, the pupils of his eye serene andposed, neither hiding or dodging from her gaze. Deep blue eyes shed with an obscure light. Oddly enough, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought to herself, had she actually seen human emotion in the eyes of a leopard? Had he taken pity on her just now? ¡°Awoo¡ª¡ª¡± The wolf¡¯s howl was already close. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u ground her teeth, then after not much thought, advanced to hold the little leopard in her embrace as she began to run alongside the stream. ¨C Changing to sneakers sure enough made running so much easier. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u split her attention between cautiously avoiding the leopard¡¯s wound and closely following herpass. With thepass guiding her way, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u made it all the way south without a hitch. Not long after, she ran out of the forest and the howling of the wolves behind her slowly faded away. She bowed her head to nce at her watch and found she had unwittingly ran for two hours, much to her surprise. Now that the danger had passed, she felt extremely tired and gasped for air. Her legs softened, and she leaned on a tree as she slowly sat on the ground. Noticing her palms were sticky, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u spread out her hands to find them covered in blood. With horror in her heart, she hurried to examine the leopard. She had just ran very quickly, with many obstacles in her path and a very unsteady gait. The leopard¡¯s already clotted wound had split open and was bleeding again. She could see the cub¡¯s bone. He must have hurt but had unexpectedly remained silent from start to finish . ¡°Are you going to die?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u murmured, extending a finger to gently press the leopard¡¯s round ear. The cub¡¯s ear moved, and he slowly opened his tearful blue eyes to meet hers. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u originally thought he might get angry and did not expect him to merely look at her for a moment then limply turn away. The leopard was probably in so much pain that even his strength was all gone, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u assumed. As they had escaped danger already, treating the would was the next priority. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u turned her body to cover the backpack and removed her medicine kit from the space. She opened the kit to look inside, and saw all the medicine was there. She had alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, antipyretic , hemostyptic , medical gauze and so on. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u raised cats at home so attending to them was not strange. But this was the first time she had to deal with such a deep injury. She steadied her hands and disinfected a silver knife with alcohol. Gently holding the hind limbs of the leopard, she carefully scraped away the festering, rotting flesh around it. The little leopard cried out in a whisper, and her hand shook. The leopard¡¯s eyes shed coldly and she blurted out, ¡°Sorry, sorry, it was not on purpose.¡± After she finished speaking, she realized he could not understand her, and she marveled at herself. Why did she apologize? Because his eyes were unhappy? Disposing of the rotten flesh, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u used sterile water to disinfect the wound and applied the hemostyptic. Then she picked up the gauze. She seriously wrapped the gauze around the little leopard¡¯s hind leg several times. On thest loop, she tied a beautiful bow knot. All done. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u nodded with satisfaction and sighed. The leopard that had been standing steadily, abruptly moved forward and copsed on the ground. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was gobsmacked , but she quickly picked him up. Once she touched his body, she noticed his temperature was abnormally high. Cats normally had a higher temperature than humans, roughly around 38 degrees, but it was obvious to the touch that this little leopard was much hotter than 38 degrees. Fever? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u touched his ears and paws, and they were both very warm. He was already seriously injured yesterday and had spent the entire night in the wild. It was only to be expected that he was feverish. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u rummaged through the medicine kit to find a thermometer. A cat¡¯s mouth could not hold the thermometer. Previously, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had gauged their temperature by pushing it into the anus. She took the thermometer andid the leopard t on her legs, preparing to follow through . The thermometer only just touched its sphincter when the leopard cub probably guessed what she was going to do. She did not know where he found the strength to violently struggle in her arms. His fore paw suddenly swung down, and his blue eyes red ferociously at her, glimmering with anger. Chapter 3 Gentle Beast Chapter 3 Chapter 3/77 Uh. . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u held the thermometer, at aplete loss . Why did he react so badly? Did he not like it? But, before, when she took her American short hair¡¯s temperature, it did not resist so badly, ah! She could not understand, so she approached again with the thermometer. This time, she had not even touched the leopard¡¯s body when it quickly darted forward, turning to not exert any weight on his injured leg, and swiped at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s hand, forcing the thermometer from her hand. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was quick to react and relinquished her hold, narrowly avoiding his ws . The small leopard stood before her in a single breath. He gnashed his teeth together , grumbling angrily, and red up at her like a tiger watching his prey . Looked a little like he were about to fly into a rage due to humiliation . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u sat cross-legged under the tree, the leopard standing before her, his huge eyes ring hollowly. Half the dayter, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u tilted her head and was finally able to understand the situation a little, ¡°You. . . you do not like to take your temperature?¡± The cub shifted his line of sight to the thermometer lying in the grass, and his expression was awfully expressive. Well then, he did not like it, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u presumed. The little one was undoubtedly feverish, but since he refused to take his temperature, she would first use alcohol to cool him down. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u dipped some cotton in alcohol but began to feel awkward. Using alcohol to wipe the paws would be helpful, but would he let her touch him after such a reaction? She reached out to scratch the leopard¡¯s chin like she usually did with her cat at home. The little leopard did not move but his dark eyes turned to the cotton in J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s hand. ¡°This is sterilized cotton dipped in alcohol. It can help cool down the fever you have right now. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was unsure why, when confronted with this pair of all-knowing eyes, she always couldn¡¯t help but want to exin. The leopard did not resist this time. She did not know if he could understand her words, or had lost hisst traces of strength. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u held him in her arms, careful to avoid the wound, and propped all four of his limbs out one by one to rub each paw a little. A feline¡¯s paw pads were pink, and this little leopard was no exception. The cub¡¯s left fore paw had a brown scar in the middle of the paw pad, almost like cutting through the palm of the hand. The scar was long and deep, very eye-catching, and had to have been from a severe injury. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u restrained her desire to touch, telling herself that this leopard was very easy to provoke unlike her cat at home. Even if he was hurt, he could easily kill her if unhappy. Finished rubbing the alcohol, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u took out a towel and watched it in the river. It was autumn now, and the stream was cool. It was not as effective as ice, but it was better than nothing. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stacked the wet towel on the leopard¡¯s stomach, then every ten minutes took it to the stream to wash again. * After all this work, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was able to rest at longst. This morning, again, she did not eat breakfast, ran for two hours in fear, then was upied with treating the leopard. She was bound to feel hungry. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u turned to bury her head in her backpack, stealthily looking through the food stored in her space. She still felt incredible but was slowlying to ept this setting. If she didn¡¯t have the space, she might have slept under the treest night and been bitten to death by some wild animal. She took inventory of the supplies in her space and found that aside from what she had seen previously, there were an additional two bags of rice, two bags of flour, five boxes of instant noodles, five boxes of milk, ten cases of mineral water, several bags of beef jerky, two boxes of Dove chocte, and two Snickers bars. There was frozen beef and seafood as well, more ice cubes, and a variety of dried fruits and nuts. . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u noticed that even after a night, the ice used to preserve the beef had not melted at all. The seafood, too, was still a fresh color. It looked like this was a natural cold storage. Time seemed to pass slowly in the space, so she did not have to worry about the expiration or deterioration of goods. There were other articles of use there to inventory. Various vorings like oil, salt, soy sauce and vinegar were all there along with pots and pans, a gas stove, and a barbecue rack. There were binocrs and sunsses, sunscreen, shampoo and shower gel, quick-drying towels and several mugs. . . Her ssmates really had brought an assortment of things, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u even brought out a selfie stick to her surprise. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u ordered her things carefully then returned everything but a bag of jerky, a pack of cereal, two cartons of milk, and a pack of instant noodlesto her space. She took a small pot and went to the stream to fill it halfway with water. She then took out the gas stove and ced the pot on top, twisted it on and a pale blue me rose. Soon, she could hear the boiling water in the pot. Lying quietly beside her, the young leopard raised his eyes to stare silently at the stove, his gaze faint and ws digging into the earth. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u waspletely unaware. J¨«-f¨´ (formal father) was an outdoor enthusiast and kept a lot of sports and outdoor equipment at home, so J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was not unfamiliar with these. Once the water was boiled well, she ripped open the noodles and poured them into the boiling pot, adding seasoning, then stirring it with chopsticks. Taking advantage of the time it took to cook, she cut open a milk cartoon and drank a little. She poured the cereal into the milk and ced it in front of the leopard. ¡°You are injured, drinking more milk will help heal you. There is also beef jerky, while I cut it into pieces, you can eat.¡± Spending two days without talking to people, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could only face the leopard and chatter on and on. She was a bit admired with her ability to adapt. The cub drank a carton yesterday so he did not resist and shifted his gaze from the stove, drinking his milk. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u also opened a box for herself, and she drank two. The meal was more or less finished, so she turned off the stove. Yesterday, she had only eaten two choctes all day, and now she could eat a hot meal. Although it was simple, she was very satisfied with it. She looked over and saw the leopard also eating and her heart gave a little stutter. The beef jerky bag was torn to pieces and everything inside was eaten clean. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was anxious about the smell of food attracting the wolves, so she quickly went to the stream to clean the pot, then put it and the stove back into her bag. The stove was not veryrge, even if stuffed into the bag it would not seem too surprising, so she did not avoid the little leopard. The leopard looked at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s small andpact shoulder bag. For a short while, he shifted his eyes towards the busily working girl. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u would not find a ce to throw away the rubbish, and she should not readily toss it into the forest, so she dug a pit and carefully buried the milk cartons and bags under the soil. She wiped the sweat off her cheek with her hand, leaving behind a smear of dirt on her face. She realized this and went to the stream to wash her face. With her longshes heavy with drops of water, her bright and clear eyes, porcin skin and smooth face, her entire body was delicate. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u returned to the little leopard with rosy cheeks to find him blinking at her. The little leopard retreated a few steps nonchntly and shifted his line of sight away from her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u removed the towel from his stomach and touched his paw pad. The temperature was lower, so giving him the medicer should not be a problem. * Across the stream was a towering mountain range that stretched straight for the skies. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u remembered that she had fallen from the mountains, so climbing up there should bring her back to a ce she was familiar with. She had intended to go up the mountain right after dealing with the little leopard¡¯s wound, but when she looked down at her watch, it was already 2 o¡¯clock in the afternoon. If she went up now, by the time she reached the top, it would already be in the wee hours of the morning. There was no one at the peak at that time, so it was no safer than here. After considering her possibilities , J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u decided to stay here for another night and set off early in the morning. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u held the leopard in her arms and looked at the brook in front of her. This rapid river was sandwiched between the forest and the mountains. If you wanted to reach the other side, you would have to cross the creak. She picked up a dried branch off the shore and explored the depth of the water. Comparing it to her leg, it was not all that deep and just barely reached her calf. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u wore wide bottom pants and effortlessly rolled them up to the calf. Carrying the cub with her, she slowly crossed to the other side. The opposite bank also had a primitive forest, but the trees were gentler and not as arrogant or despotic as the others. Here the sun shone brightly over the lush verdant , and it made one feel carefree and untroubled . Further more, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was happy to see several familiar trees here. Inclined ahead were several Chinese Fir, to the left was a stretch of Ash, the further in there were Camphor, Oak and Birch trees. . . She saw something she was familiar with at longst! J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was therefore even more convinced that she would find her ssmates and teacher when she climbed to the top of the mountain. But, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had not lost her reason and walked for more than an hour to find a hill that wasn¡¯t too low. Concealed here by leafy trees and backed by the mountains, most wild animals would not find this ce. They could rest here tonight. At five o¡¯clock, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u gave the leopard another dose of anti-inmmatory medicine and fed it some more milk, cereal and jerky. because of herte lunch, she was not very hungry and only drank a carton of milk. From her space, she retrieved her sleeping bag and settled to wait for ¡°dark¡±. At half past six, the forest plunged into darkness right on time. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u still could notprehend the natural phenomenon here, but she forced herself not to think about it any longer. Turning to look at the leopard beside her, she found him already asleep. She watched him in thought for a little while then took a knitted nket from her space and covered him up. The night sky was covered in thick clouds and there was not a star in the sky. Early the next morning, when the sky had only just returned to brightness, the leopard opened his eyes and saw that the sleeping bag had disappeared. The nket and milk carton were also gone. Even J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had disappearedpletely. The striped leopard slowly rose to his feet and looked at where J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had been lying the night before. He suddenly remembered his injured leg and turned to look. The top of the gauze was clean, it looked like it had been changed that morning, and was tied with a dazzling bow as always . The leopard stared fixedly for a moment, then slowly turned his gaze away afterwards. He licked his teeth and walked towards the depths of the forest at his own pace. Chapter 4 Gentle Beast Chapter 4 Chapter 4/77 J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u woke before the sky had be bright and packed up her things. She easily changed the leopard¡¯s bandages and antibiotics, then made her way up the mountain road alone. The mountain was very high and quite . There were several ces where the mountain stretched straight up and down at a near 90 degree angle. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u grit her teeth and, using the and belonging to sportmittee memberCh¨¦n B¨©n, she finally climbed to the top before dark. She looked down at her watch, and it read 5:43 P.M. The entire journey had taken almost 12 hours. Standing at the top of the mountain, she panted trying to catch her breath for several minutes. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought, shortly after with iparable joy, that she had never expected to reunite with her ssmates and teacher this way. Had they been looking for her these past two days? Did they notify her parents? If her mom and dad knew she fell off a cliff, where they frightened? But, she turned her face to see the surroundings of the peak, and stared ckly, utterly stumped for words . This was just an ordinary mountaintop. Along the cliff grew a few Greeting Pines, and beyond that, the sky stretched an azure blue. There was nothing else. Where was the cliff she had fallen off of? What about the G80 highway she could see from the school bus? Before her, a continuous mountain range covered in greenery rolled as far as the eye could see. Surrounded by high mountains in all directions, she stood in a dip in the middle like a huge basin. This basic was not barren, however, and there many growing nts that J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could not name. There was a stream circling through the mountain valleys, and it was the one J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had crossed over yesterday. Gazing passed the basic, the mountains seemed to extend endlessly into the world, the river meandering along it. There was apletely unfamiliar worldid out before J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. A world she had nevere in contact with. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u tightened her hands slowly tightened into fists at her sides, her body shaking slightly. She did not blink as she overlooked this distant world. The suspicion she had repressed deep in her heart was finally confirmed. This world was not her own. She had crossed over. As if to entuate her heart¡¯s thoughts, the clock struck six and her everything was immediately plunged into darkness. Here, there were no high-rises, no science, no technology, no cell phone signal. . . and even no sunrise or sunset. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stood upright even as her heart descended into madness. Shocked and confused, she was even more dazed. Why had shee here? How would she go back? If she really could not go back, how was she going to live here? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not sleep. Instead, she sat cross-legged at the top of the mountain the entire night. The difference in temperature between day and night here was drastic. It was very cold at night, and she was only wearing a thin, ck-printed baseball shirt with a white vest, and wide-leg pants that were not very warm. The next day, her mind was dizzy. Having digested her circumstances overnight, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was able to ease her mind somewhat. Regardless of why she came here, since she was unable to go back, she had to find a way to live here. At this thought, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u raised her spirits and took two tables of cold medicine from her kit and drank it down with mineral water. She also took two slices of bread from her space and ate it with some milk. After she ate, she began to prepare for descending the mountain. The way down the mountain was more difficult and dangerous than going up, so J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u went very slowly. By three in the afternoon, she had only managed to make it halfway down the mountain. This part of the road was covered in green nts and their leaves wererger than the palm of J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s hand, each with one or two pinkish flowers at the top. There were many flies buzzing around these flowers, and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s back was also bright red and they were attracted to fly around her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was afraid of bugs since her childhood. At the start, she could use mosquito repellent to keep them away, but these insects slowly became immune to the sprays, and only increased. Being bitten by this kind of insect quickly caused her skin to swell and itch. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could not help but want to scratch as the whole back of her hand soon became red. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u dared not to scratch, but quickly decided that this was not the way to go. She looked around and found there was a tree opposite her that had no bugs at all. Even when they flew past, the flies would quickly turn and fly away. The tree roots were no different, but there was a nt that looked like catnip under it. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s eyes were bright as she walked over to the tree at lightning speed. Turning around, she resolved to see that those insects were no longer anywhere near here, the ones having circled above her head now scattered. This kind of nt had a faint fragrance that could not be detected by humans, but was very irritating for insects. So they never came too close. To avoid the bugs for a while, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u picked several stalks of catnip and wrapped them in white gauze to make a simple sachet. When she was done, she looked at with satisfaction and lifted her foot to leave when her toes kicked something. It was hard like a stone. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was confused. When she bowed her head to look, she saw the grass was growing two huge antlers. They grew to either side of the tree and were rather gorgeous inplexity. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had never seen such a beautiful pair of antlers, and while surprised, she couldn¡¯t help stooping down to touch them. However, before she could reach them, the antlers moved on their own and the surrounding grass began to rustle. Then, a head slowly rose from the catnip bush and uttered a groan of suppressed pain. ¡°Oh, who kicked me just now?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stared at this adolescent boy with antlers with foolishly wide eyes. Then her legs lost strength and she fell with a thump to the ground in fright. * ¡°You, what are you. . . ?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stared at the boy in front of her,plexion deathly pale, and asked with a stutter. The other person sat cross-legged on the ground. He looked to be a human teenager of about seventeen. He had a pair ofrge antlers growing on either side of his ears, with long grey hair spread along his cheeks. His nose was alsoyered in grey hair. He hadrge eyes and lips that were slightly thick. He was also watching her. ¡°I?¡± The teenager pointed at his nose then said with a smile, ¡°My name is Eric , what¡¯s yours?¡± Receiving no response, the juvenile with antlers looked at the borderline shell-shocked J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and scratched his head, ¡°Sorry, did I just scare you? Don¡¯t worry, I am herbivorous, unlike those carnivorous savages, I won¡¯t hurt you.¡± Having seen J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s slender and weak appearance, also exuding the scent of grasses, the deer-anthropomorph took her as part of the herbivorous species. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u gaped at him, her eyes frozen on the boy¡¯s antlers and his grey nose. Her fingers tightened a little as she prepared to flee, but the young man¡¯s expression suddenly became dark. Without waiting for her to react, he grabbed her wrists tightly and pushed her head down into the grass, following shortly after to hide with her. ¡°. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, unable to make head or tail of the situation , began to struggle and wanted to stand up, but Eric quickly put up a finger, ¡°Hush.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked at his ck fingers, like a deer¡¯s hoof, and pursed her lips to not make a noise. Eric appeared to be nervous, his eyes fixed in the opposite direction. However, with his eye catching antlers, there was a sense of disharmony trying to hide in the grass. He appeared to discover that and quickly pulled a handful of catnip from the side to camouge his antlers. Not a momentter, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u felt the ground shake followed by the cry of a beast. Eric¡¯s body tensed further. The beast¡¯s cry was getting closer. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked away to see two adult cheetahs, with stripes from head to food, rushing towards them. The cheetahs ran very quickly, and in the blink of an eye, she saw the two figures pass before her. Their thick tails drew perfect arcs in the air as they made disappeared between jumps. Only after the two cheetahs were gone did Eric take a long sigh of relief and pat his chest as though saved. The riddle of J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s heart only continued to grow, like a mess of wool. One must find the thread¡¯s end, and all the rest would follow . ¡°Why. . . why are we hiding?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u tentatively asked, looking at the boy who was taking the grass off his antlers. Eric paused and, assuming J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u to be an ignorant child, patiently exined, ¡°The leopards are carnivorous, the natural enemy of the herbivorous kind. If they found us just now, you and I would be dead.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u firmly pinched the palm of her hand. It hurt. This was no dream. Her voice trembled a little, ¡°What did you just say?¡± Eric was puzzled but repeated obediently, ¡°If we were discovered just now, we would. . .¡± ¡°Not that,¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u interrupted in flustered fric, ¡°What did you say we were?¡± Eric stared at her nkly thenughed, ¡°We are herbivores, ah. You do not smell of blood, but you smell like grass. I should not have guessed wrong, right?¡± He suddenly remembered, ¡°Oh, look at my memory. I don¡¯t have your name yet. Who are you? What¡¯s your race?¡± Half the dayter, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u voiced roughly, ¡°J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, my name is J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u.¡± Eric smiled warmly, ¡°Your name really is like the humans.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s pulse sped up, but before she could ask, Eric continued, ¡°But the humans went extinct seven hundred years ago. This continent no longer has any traces of their existence. You should have nothing to do with them.¡± Dropping that heavy bomb with nonchnce, Eric looked at the sky, ¡°It is going to be dark soon. Were you separated from your tribe? My race is just behind the mountain, not very far from here. Would you like to spend the night with my tribe?¡± After he finished, he saw J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s pale, dull eyes and thought she was frightened by the cheetahs just now. He carefully offered tofort her, ¡°Do not worry. My family, though not strong, will not let you get hurt. On the contrary, if you stay here, you will be eaten by wild animals.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u subconsciously asked, ¡°Why?¡± Eric¡¯s smile faded away and he solemnly said, ¡°A few days ago, the leopard boss was injured and went missing. They have been looking for him. Already on this mountain, several of my nsmen have suffered an untimely death for no reason.¡± Chapter 5 Gentle Beast Chapter 5 Chapter 5/77 ¡°Eric, why are youing back so early today?¡± ¡°How are things looking? When will the leopard race leave the mountain? . . .¡± ¡°Eric, another two people were hurt today. . .¡± Eric was the grandson of the n¡¯s oldest patriarch, but he was also the race¡¯s youngest and strongest warrior. He was kindhearted, and usually, people liked to ask him for help. The leopard beastmen were disturbing their race, so Eric volunteered to go look at the mountains. Now, everyone was concerned. However, the quick session of questions were left unanswered as the nsmen caught sight of the petite woman behind Eric. Stunned, they all turned their attentionto J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. Eric was of the reindeer race, and their general size was ratherrge. Both male and females were tall and strong. Standing beside him, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not even reach Eric¡¯s chest. She was very small, slight in stature, with a thin neck that looked as though a pinch would snap it in two. Compared to their bodies covered with hair, her smooth skin and hairless body was the appearance of a child not yet fully grown. Faced with the doubts of his nsmen, Eric took the initiative to exin, ¡°Her name is J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, I met her on the mountain. She was separated from her race, and I invited her to stay overnight. She will leave the mountain after the danger is over.¡± Danger naturally referred to the leopard race. The beastmen did not speak, and continued to stare at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u with suspicion in their eyes. This girl did not appear to be the same race as them, and she wore a strange style of dress. Wouldn¡¯t she just cause trouble?¡± One could not me these people for their thoughts. Recently, too many of their own had been injured, and everyone was endangered. Eric was perceptive of everyone¡¯s thoughts so he quickly said, ¡°She is like us, herbivorous. Smell it, she has the scent of peppermint.¡± At this remark, the reindeer beastmen raised there sensitive noses and really picked up the scent of grass. In a split second, theyy down their guard and revealed friendly smiles to J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. ¡°That being the case, it is better to live at my house. My family has a spare room.¡± ¡°We have a new species of corn this year. I don¡¯t know if you would like to try it? I¡¯ll bring a little over.¡± ¡°What is your race? You look like a minor, your parents will be worried.¡± . . . The reindeer race really was friendly and good-natured. Once aware that J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was not a threat to them, they became very cordial. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u barely managed to smile, her fingers tightly holding the sachet at her waist, which she quickly hid behind her. * In the end, Eric tactfully declined the nsmen¡¯s invitations and invited J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u back to his grandfather¡¯s ce. Eric¡¯s grandfather was called Barry, and he was the oldest and most prestigious elder of the race. Both of Eric¡¯s parents died early, holding him in their arms. ¡°Grandpa, I brouht back a new friend,¡± Eric said with a cheerful voice as he pushed open the gate. An old man with a hunched back was drying mushrooms in the garden, and he slowly turned around when he heard Eric¡¯s words. . . If not for the antlers on his head, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u would have thought him to be an ordinary old man. The old man still had not turned to see who greeted him. ¡°Eric,e help me set these mushrooms to dry in the sun. We have to store food before it bes winter. . .¡± His line of sight fell on J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and he immediately stopped. Eric was very practiced in the way of introduction, ¡°Grandpa, this is J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. I met her on the mountain. . .¡± Regardless of how shocked J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was at that moment, she knew, that to survive, she had to integrate into them as soon as possible. Therefore, she respectfully and obediently called, ¡°Patriarch.¡± Barry¡¯s long face lost his smile and his hands dropped a fresh mushroom as he looked at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. After a long moment of silence, he slowly picked up the mushrooms dropped on the ground, ¡°Oh. . . a new friend.¡± Eric nodded and continued, ¡°She¡¯s gotten lost from her race. Grandpa, can we think of a way to help her find her way back?¡± Barry was always tried not to hurt anyone, and he would rarely refuse those who asked something of him. Eric¡¯s helpfulness and morality were inherited from him. However, this time, he stared deeply at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and unexpectedly refused. ¡°We won¡¯t be able to help her.¡± Eric was startled. He had not thought his grandfather would refuse so bluntly. ¡°Why not? Every race has their own settlement. As long as we know what race she belongs to. . .¡± Barry calmly interrupted, ¡°Her race is not here.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s heart suddenly jumped and she looked up at Eric¡¯s grandfather. But, after finishing this sentence, Barry said no more and turned back, walking silently into the wood cabin. Eric scratched his cheek andforted J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, ¡°Do not worry. With so many things happening recently, Grandpa may have said so to protect the race. You can rest assured that, since I promised to help you find your race, I will not go back on my word.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u nodded inattentively and smiled at him, ¡°Thank you, Eric.¡± Supper was a simmered soup served with rice, corn and wheat sprouts. The raw corn and mushroom soup J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u found eptable, but the sprouts were hard to swallow. Luckily enough, Eric and his grandfather did not mind. Eric believed that she simply was not fond of wheat sprouts, so he gave her another bowl of mushroom soup. After the meal, Eric when to his friend, Carter¡¯s, family to borrow some wood nks. There was a vacant house at the west side of the garden that was ventted and clean, but it needed a bed. Once Eric had left, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u took the initiative to clean up the table and nced at the old man weaving a mat in the courtyard. After a long time of wavering, she shyly walked to the old man and asked hesitantly, ¡°Patriarch, why did you say my race is not here?¡± Barry stopped weaving the mat that was to give J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u a bed, ¡°Where your race is, I think you should understand better than I.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u originally held only a trace of hope in her chest, but to hear him say this, she was more convinced that he must know something. He had said it well. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s race was not here, not even in this world anymore. * ¡°Then . . . do you know how I can go back?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u continued to restrain herself, but nevertheless had to ask. ¡°I do not know,¡± replied the patriarch without lifting his head. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u hung her head. It came as no surprise, but she was still extremely disappointed. After a while, the patriarch asked, ¡°Does Eric know your real identity?¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t. I did not tell him.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u shook her head and pinched the hem of her coat, ¡°Eric told me that. . . Is it true that humans went extinct seven hundred years ago?¡± Barry nodded, his face tranquil, ¡°Is true.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s heard crashed into the abyss. The patriarch did not know what to think, so he turned to look into the distance. The bifurcated stag antlers also rose up, ¡°Humans were the most intelligent and dangerous creatures since the beginning of time. They invented impossible things and changed many organisms. Unfortunately, they failed to adapt to the changes in the environment in the end and were reduced to such a state.¡± The old man¡¯s voice was distant. ¡°Seven hundred years ago, the weather changed dramatically and the sky and earth turned upside down. The four seasons turned to chaos, the day and night continued without end, and while everything else began to adjust, humans, too, disappeared.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought that there didn¡¯t seem to exist dusk and dawn here, and her chest tightened with fright. The day and night turned so upside, causing the loss of dawn and dusk, happened after the seasons became chaotic? Barry finished the well-made vine mat and eyed J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, ¡°Where are you from? Human survivors?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u shook her head, ¡°No.¡± How was she going to exin how she came here to the old man? ¡°I do not know how I came here. When I tried to go back, I couldn¡¯t.¡± She clearly remembered falling from the cliff. There had been a force dragging her down. As if it were deliberately pulling her to this world. Barry didn¡¯t open his mouth to speak for a long time until he caught sight of Eric¡¯s figure from a distance. Then he slowly said, ¡°This is the westernmost part of Asia. If you want to find out how to go back, it is better to go to the eastern sea. There is a turtle there, named Pat, that has lived for a very long time. He may be able to help you.¡± He had just finished when Eric pushed the gate open and entered, ¡°Grandpa, what were you talking about?¡± Barry shook the finished mat and said with a kind voice, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Go make the bed. It¡¯s going to be dark soon.¡± Eric smiled at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, showing his teeth, and turned to carry the pile of nks on his shoulder to the other side in a beat. Eric was very efficient. Before dark, he made a solid little bed. A rattan mat wasid out over it, covered in ayer of cotton, then anotheryer of rattan mat. The two mats were then stitched together to make a simple mattress. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u went to bed for the first time since crossing over. Though not asfortable as home, she slept very well. After daybreak, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u made a decision. Despite the uncertainty, she still wanted to go to the eastern sea to take a look. What if she found a way to back? She had no other ce to go. After making her decision, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was prepared to bid farewell to Eric and the patriarch but found that Eric was not in the yard. ¡°He went to the mountain corn field,¡± Barry told her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u inquired for the approximate direction and readied herself to go. The patriarch wanted to send her off but he was getting old and his footsteps unsteady. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u gracefully declined, ¡°No, you just sit here. It¡¯s not that far anyway.¡± He knew his physical condition, so he did not insist. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u slung her backpack onto her shoulder and went into the mountains. She found that there were other races nearby aside from Eric¡¯s, the sheep and rabbits. Gazing at a group of long eared beastmen, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought about finding a longer way around. She didn¡¯t want to be discovered by them and provoke unnecessary trouble. This road and the one J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u took yesterday were a bit alike. There a lot of unknown flying insects around, but J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was wearing her catnip sachet so they did note close. In the distance, she could see the cornfields. Eric was standing with his nsmen, breaking off the corn. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u walked over step by step, when she suddenly stopped and looked towards the woods. A mossy green ray of light shed past. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked carefully for it, but it had already disappeared. An illusion? Why did she feel like there was something following her all the way? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u shook her head and was preparing to go into the cornfield when she saw the grass move. Followed by an oing breeze, an agile figure rushed out of the grass and, without allowing J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u time to react, threw her to the ground and ws tightly gripped her shoulders. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u suffered immediately, her brow pinching in pain. She looked up, and above her was the strange face of another beastman. The other person¡¯s eyes were blue-green, under which a cluster of ck hair spread down to the chin. He had a ck nose, and his mouth was open, exposing sharp teeth. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, astonished, opened her mouth in a gape. There was not enough time for the fear to set in before another member of the leopard race also emerged from the grass. The beastman looked at the weak hands of the girl and asked, ¡°Rhode, what are you chasing her for?¡± The leopard called ¡°Rhode¡± still pressed down on J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. Leaning over, he sniffed her everywhere and said with certainty, ¡°There is nothing wrong with my nose. She smells of Ryan.¡± Chapter 6 Gentle Beast Chapter 6 Chapter 6/77 The full grown leopard had a muscr physic, and all four limbs were strong and especially pronounced. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was being crushed into the ground by the leopard called Rhode, and she was almost out of breath. . . . He was too heavy! Her chest tightened, and she subconsciously moved her arm but it was immediately caught by the other and fastened to the ground. The beastman¡¯s gaze became vicious as he stared imploringly at her, demanding, ¡°Where did you hide Ryan?¡± Unfortunately, the reindeer race had learned a di /2018/02/gentle-beast fferent form ofnguage that was still close to the human race¡¯s. During the evolution process, the leopard race developed certain differences in their imitation of the humannguage. In addition to the beastman¡¯s very pressured tone, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could only understand the word ¡°Ryan¡±, and she quickly answered, ¡°I don¡¯t know him.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was unable to make sense of what she was hearing, but Rhode listened to hernguage. He remained motionless, his eyebrow wrinkling, evidently pondering about the validity of J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s dialect. No matter what she said, she smelled of Ryan, therefore she must have seen Ryan. Rhode pulled back on her wrist with force, resting his other hand on her chest. His expression was particrly cruel, ¡°Tell the truth.¡± Even if the beasts had evolved into human form, they retained their sharp ws, and those were pressed against J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s stomach. If he used even a little bit of strength, he could gut her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u felt her heart go cold. She looked up towards Eric in the cornfield, opening her mouth to cry, ¡°Help. . .¡± She only spoke the word ¡°help¡± before it was caught in her throat. Yesterday, Eric had also evaded the leopard race when they had meet. Despite therge size of the reindeer, their innate differences in race made them reduced to prey before the leopards. Was her asking Eric for help this time not tantamount to dragging him into danger? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u ground her teeth. Even if she was killed, she was unwilling to do that. Her finger inadvertently touched the small bag at her waist, and she stilled as she suddenly remembered it. She pulled it off her waist without hesitation to observe the beastmen¡¯s reaction. Rhodes stared at her with contempt, looking down at her condescendingly. The other beastman stood a few paces away, without any intention to help or to stop what was going on. She could only rescue herself. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u steeled herself and sucked in a deep breath. Holding the mint pouch tightly in her hand, she reached up and held it across Rhode¡¯s nose¡ª¡ª Every time she coated her cat¡¯s toys in catnip, it would be excited to the point of delirium. It would often hold it tight and rub and bite, rolling around. It was like a drug addiction. They were also cats, but would it work for leopards? The result disappointed her. ¡°Stupid woman,¡± Rhode leaned his head away from the catnip sachet, disdain coloring his tone, ¡°Do you think we would leave such a weakness? Hundreds of years ago, cat mint no longer effects us.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u saw the the mint not only had no effect, but it only angered the beastman even further. Her heart thumped heavily in her chest. She knew that was not good. Rhode pressed his sharp ws against her belly, leaning down to get to the bottom of the matter, ¡°Where is Ryan?¡± The ws tore through J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s baseball jacket with no difficulty. She had not brought too many clothes, so if he damaged them, she would no clothes to rece itter. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u struggled desperately. She could tell they were looking for a beastman called Ryan. ¡°I really do not know. . .¡± Rhode frowned impatiently as the girl squirmed under his grip, iming she didn¡¯t know the whereabouts of Ryan. He decided to take her away. One hand gripping J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s wrist, the other her slender waist, he tossed her onto his shoulder without care for the fairer gender and said to Dole, thepanion behind him, as he walked towards the forest, ¡°Back to the race.¡± Her stomach was held right on the beastman¡¯s shoulders, and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was in too much pain to even cry out. Eric said the leopard race was a cruel one, and they could not learn anything from her mouth. Were they taking her back to eat her? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s soul was dead with despair. She wasing to ept her misfortunes as being decreed by fate, when suddenly beastman carrying her grunted in pain. It was apanied by a damning curse, ¡°What the hell was that?!¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not understand how it happened, but the beastmen were suddenly thrown to the ground. She suffered the pain in silence and refused to rub at the aching regions of her body. Instead, she quicly looked up and saw a small leopard sitting on Rhode¡¯s shoulders, sharp teeth pierced mercilessly in his flesh. Rhode reached for the leopard cub and pulled him down from his shoulder, thinking to teach it a ruthless lesson. Dark blue eyes met his with an unfathomable ferocity, and he petrified, ¡°Ry. . .¡± Ry, Ryan?! He was interrupted by the cub¡¯s foot nting itself on his face. Rhode admired him and loosened his grip. The small leopard leaped out of his hand. Seeing the small leopard running toward her side, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u worried that the beastmen were looking for trouble and hurriedly stooped to hold him. When the two beastmen were still recovering, she turned and bolted. ¡°Wait!. . . ¡° Rhode and Dole wanted to catch up but had not taken even two steps when the leopard cub clutched to J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s chest poked its head out. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was only looking forward as she ran, so she did not see the little leopard¡¯s eyes, the expression within powerful, threatening and conveying amand. Rhode and Dole were distracted for a moment and stopped, watching as J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and the cub ran further and further away. * Finally fleeing to a safe ce, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u lifted the cub in her arms and considered him with surprise, ¡°How did you get here?¡± The little leopard¡¯s throat rumbled with a whimper, then he continued in a softer voice, moving his hind legs. As expected, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s attention was drawn to see the gauze on his hind leg was blotched with blood. It must have been split open when he was fighting the two beastmen just now. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was grateful he had dashed on with no thought of his own safety, and she quickly set down her backpack and took the medicine kit from her space to disinfect the cut. Wrapping it up again, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was moved to ask, ¡°You appeared to save me?¡± The little leopard hung his head to obstruct the view of his eyes. To J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, this was equated a tacit approval. Of course, regardless of the reason, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had already determined he confronted the beastmen to save her. ¡°You provoked them, and they seem very difficult to deal with. Won¡¯t they look for you?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was very worried about him standing in for her. The small leopardid quietly in her arms as if there was no nothing to worry about at all. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u lightly whispered to the top of his head, ¡°Where is your race? Is it far from here?¡± Then she set him on the ground, ¡°You had better go back to your race. Your nsmen ought to be able to protect you should theye after you. I fear that I cannot protect you.¡± The cub stood motionlessly and raised his head to stare silently at her with his dark eyes. After some time, he still refused to move. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u tilted her head askew, puzzled, ¡°Why won¡¯t you go?¡± He silently walked around to stand at her side. ? ? ? What situation was this? Did he not intend on going back to his race yet? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stood up and deliberately walked forward two steps. Right away, the leopard stood and followed after her, his injured leg staggering behind him. Where she went, he went. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, at longst, asked, ¡°You want to follow me?¡± He stopped beside her leg, agreeing by default. ¡°But I am heading far east. The road might get dangerous and we may nevere back. You still want to go with me?¡± The leopard finally had a little reaction, but he did not leave. Taking advantage of when J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u bent over, he exerted force on his uninjured hing leg and jumped into her arms. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was afraid he would fall and scrambled to catch him. ¡°Okay,¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u said helplessly, slightly amused, ¡°Since you want to follow, then follow. . .¡± She came to this world and he was the first animal she met. When she thought about it, perhaps it were fate? Thing this way, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u dropped her emotional burden and quickly acquired a pleasant attitude. She had originally intended to go alone, but now that the cub would be going, she had to rearrange her itinerary. . . . Actually, it did not matter. Nothing had been nned. The patriarch had only said that the turtle called Pat was on the easternmost part of the continent and that she would just have to go east. Remembering Barry, she was reminded of Eric. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u nned to leave after saying goodbye, but she had met the leopard race and disrupted her ns. She had to run away and she already stood at the foot of a mountain. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked toward the forest and decided not to say goodbye. She had no way to exin her race to him, or why she had to go east. Turning around, she walked a few steps and heard a call from behind¡ª¡ª ¡°Wait a minute, ¨­u!¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was astonished to turn around and see Eric running from afar, his huge antlers shaking with his footsteps. Her heart trembled in fear. Still not in front of J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, Eric could not wait to ask, ¡°I heard my grandfather say you were heading east to find your n. Why didn¡¯t you tell me your race was so far away?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u hesitated, ¡°Oh, I did not want to be a bother. . .¡± Before J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u finished, Eric raised his head to smile brilliantly, ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. I will take grandpa¡¯s ce at the Elk Vige meeting. It is also in the east, if you don¡¯t mind, we can go together.¡± ¡°. . .¡± Eric finished speaking just as he reached J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and finally saw the leopard she was holding. The grey striped leopard stared at Eric, and his dark eyes shed with the characteristic glint of a carnivorous race seeing prey. Chapter 7 Gentle Beast Chapter 7 Chapter 7/77 Eric staggered back with rm, ¡°Leopard, leopard race?¡± Because of dread, his antlers also trembled. The weak are innately afraid of the strong, to say nothing of the many examples of leopards preying on deer every year. Even if the other was seemingly passive, the little leopard could not be underestimated. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­upropped up the leopard¡¯s hind legs, trying not to not touch his would as much as possible, and paused to awkwardly exin, ¡°He probably won¡¯t hurt anyone. . .¡± Unfortunately, her hesitance was unable to even persuade herself. On second thought, she had met the leopard three times. Twice she was guarded against him but nothing ever happened, and the third time he had even saved her. He should not be dangerous, right? Eric steadied his mind and summoned his courage to ask, ¡°How can you be with it*?¡± *Pretty sure everyone¡¯s familiar with how pronouns are used in Chinese, but I¡¯m going to use ¡°it¡± when Eric refers the leopard to help signify just how ufortable he is. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u only just meet the leopard herself and saved him. But, she said it again with emphasis, trying to get Eric to change his opinion of the little leopard. ¡°Two of the leopard race attacked me just now and he saved me.¡± However, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had thought too simply. The predatory rtionship between carnivores and herbivores had existed for thousands of years, how could it change overnight? Eric examined the leopard cub then looked at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and swallowed hard, ¡°Do you intend to take it with you on the road?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u nodded and said frankly, ¡°He was also separated from his race. I n to help him find them.¡± Seeing Eric¡¯s panicked face, she thought for a moment and said considerately, ¡°If you cannot ept it, we can split up.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought Eric would nod, because the fear on his face was very real. Unexpectedly, he shook his head and said while staring at the little leopard, ¡°No, I want to go with you. . . if things get dangerous, I can protect you.¡± It went without saying who ¡°dangerous¡± referred to. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could not refuse his good intentions so she went with him. The time was not early, if they did not hurry, they might not even get past this mountain today. Before Eric called out to her, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had put thepass back into her bag. Fortunately, she had already decided on a good direction and she could walk straight ahead. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u walked in front and Eric walked behind. On the road, Eric paid close attention to the leopard at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s chest. Whenever the cub moved, he would tense from antler to toe. The leopard only raised his paw to scratch at his ears, and Eric recoiled several steps, his deer eyes full of caution. The cub nced at him in taciturn silence then lowered his paw andnguidly yawned. He did not even put Eric in his eye. One person, one leopard, and one deer walked for over three hours and finally found a suitable cave around five in the afternoon. The entrance was very low, and Eric¡¯s tall stature had to bend over to get in. Inside was very spacious and the cavern was deep. There was nothing at all inside, and it didn¡¯t look like a bear¡¯s territory. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u calmed herself and went outside to move dry hay and spread it in the cave. She then set the leopard on top. Eric was responsible for the fire and the mes rose high, the cave suddenly became much brighter. He did not stay idle and quickly turned to leave the cave. A momentter, he came back with wild fruit. ¡°There is not much to eat around here, I could only pick some fruit. Today, we¡¯ll just have to get by on this. If there are any mushrooms on the way tomorrow, we can bake some.¡± The little leopard opened his eyes and heaved out a breath though his nose. Eric immediately looked towards him nervously. The leopard rolled over and ignored him with disdain. Herbivores never pursued anything. A little roasted mushrooms would satisfy them. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not take note of the violent undercurrent between the two beastmen and reached out to peel a fruit. This fruit was ugly and bumpy on the outside, and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u would not usually pick it, but after skinning it, the inside was white. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u gently bit into it and the fragrant and sweet taste of coconut filled her mouth. She thought it was pretty good, so she stripped another and turned to the leopard, ¡°Will you eat?¡± The leopard merely nced at her then moved his gaze away. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .¡± Well, he was a carnivore. Taking advantage of Eric falling asleep after dark, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u secretly took two cartons of milk from her space. One carton was sliced open and ced in front of the leopard with a bag of jerky, and the other carton she took for herself. This, the leopard did not refuse and promptly buried his face in the box to drink. The jerky was eaten clean. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could not resist pinching his round ears, mumbling, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be so picky about food. . .¡± The leopard¡¯s drooped his head and didn¡¯t resist. Once he was done, she packed away the carton and threw it into a corner of her space beforeying down to sleep. But, unbeknownst to her, afterying down, the leopard in the corner slowly opened his eyes and turned to watch the girl¡¯s curled up sleeping posture. Shortly afterward, he turned around and walked out of the cave. * Within the darkness, a nimble silhouette ran through the woods on flying feet. Behind it, two figures of simr agility followed. In the depths of the forest, Ryan stooped and turned to his back, ¡°Rhode, Dole, who gave you permission to follow?¡± His voice was indifferent and imposing. Ever since J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u escaped with him, these two were following him the entire way. Rhode stepped forward, eyes wide, and asked in incredulity, ¡°Ryan? It¡¯s really you!¡± Immediately followed, ¡°How did you be like. . . this?¡± ¡°Like a demon,¡± those three words, in the face of Ryan¡¯s expression, were quickly swallowed back down. Ryan turned to look at them. He and they were different, and his form was that of a child¡¯s. His four limbs were spotted in dark grey and just standing there casually, he had an innate leadership. Because of this upright posture, Rhode and Dole were stupefied. Ryan was originally very tall and a strong, leopard. Even when he turned into his beastman form, he was the strongest and most powerful member of the leopard race. How could he be such a tiny thing? Dole was the first to regain hisposure and asked, ¡°Leader, what is going on?¡± The leopard race had tried to find him for three days but could not find any news whatsoever. In light of Ryan¡¯s ability, he was either severely injured or dead, or deliberately not letting them find him. . . yesterday had ruled out the possibility of the first. So he was deliberately evading the n¡¯s efforts? Dole looked at this ¡°infant¡± Ryan with dark, probing eyes and asked, ¡°Where have you been all this time? You¡¯re not going back to the race?¡± Ryan¡¯s tone was t as he told a half-truth, ¡°Go look at the wolf race.¡± The stupid wolves thought he was dead and were already having a bonfire to celebrate. Dole asked again, ¡°Since you are alive, why didn¡¯t you let us know? The n thinks you¡¯re dead. These few days, the n has be very insecure and Laurence even encouraged everyone to select a new leader.¡± Dole looked him in the eye, ¡°If you do not return, I fear there will be civil unrest.¡± The leopard race had never been docile animals capable of being controlled by another. Ryan had be their leader because he had the absolute advantage. Powerful, fierce, wise, and above all leopards, the entire race yielded to hismand. Because of this, Ryan could not let the n know of his bing smaller. Including Rhode and Dole. Yes, Ryan had been trapped in this tiny body since he was injured. He could not return to his adult form, or take his humanoid shape. At first, he thought it was because of the wolves. They were cunning and crafty, and often showed of tricks no fit to be seen. However, he found out it had nothing to do with the wolf race. The wolves were only luckily able to hurt one of his legs and the wound gradually began to heal, but he still could not change back to his original appearance. Like he was confined to this form. The leopard race were all very ambitious, and they were all dishonest. When he had his body, it was no problem. If they were to find out he was stuck in this tiny form of a child, how could he return? ¡°I will not go back for the time being,¡± Ryan said calmly. Dole was surprised, ¡°What did you say?¡± The night was silent, leaving only Ryan¡¯s slow voice, ¡°I have another thing to take care of right now.¡± There was a sh of while light at the entrance of the cave followed by a slender girl stepping outside. The girl was holding a shlight and shining it around, but could not see anything, so she called out gently, ¡°Hey, where are you?¡± The ring beam swept towards the tree in front of Ryan and he stepped back, eyes fixed on the girl. Rhode and Dole followed. Rhode recognized in a nce that she was the girl from earlier that day, and he stared. Dole withdrew his gaze, ¡°Is this female that ¡®other thing¡¯?¡± Ryan did not deny it, ¡°Is.¡± Earlier that morning, he had passed by the reindeer vige and heard J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u talking to the patriarch. He knew she was headed for the east to find a turtle called Pat. He had heard the turtle had lived for nearly eight hundred years and was very experienced and knowledgeable. Perhaps enough to help him get his original body back. Dole¡¯splexion became queer as he obviously misunderstood something. This girl¡¯s hair was not long and she looked like a minor. How could the leader fancy a thing like this? Ryan did not exin, watching J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u walk a circle outside the cave then walk inside to waake the reindeer. He stood up and strode forward to go back. ¡°If you leave, what about the race?¡± Dole asked atst. ¡°Go back to them.¡± Ryan threw the sentence at them then made several jumps, leaving Rhode and Dole behind, ¡°Tell them that anyone who has the ability can take the leadership from me. If they have no skill, let them know thew of the jungle applies equally across all races.¡± At the edge of the forest, a girl and a dear were approaching then. Eric seemed relieved and quickly cated J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, ¡°Maybe it found the road boring and left. Maybe it went to find its tripe. ¨­u, since it wanted to leave, let it go. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u held the shlight and did not know what to think. Ryan¡¯s eyes light up as he lifted his injured leg. When an animal was injured, the footsteps became uneven and the light step became more pronounced. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u heard the sound and followed it. At the same time, Ryan lowered his body and jumped into J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s arms. Chapter 8 Gentle Beast Chapter 8 Chapter 8/77 Having a weight suddenly jump into her arms, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u reflexively caught it and looked down, sighing in relief. The little leopard was lying in her arms safe and sound, his eyes half closed and grey-ck fur damp with dew. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u checked his rear leg and found the gauze intact and with no signs of the wound reopening. She felt at ease and naturally scratched under his chin lightly, ¡°Where did you go?¡± She thought the two leopard beastmen from earlier that day hade to cause trouble and took him away. Ryan did not speak and the dignity of the leopard race did not allow him to show a pleasant expression at having his chin scratched. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u saw his eyes were faint and thought he was unhappy, so she quickly took her hand away. She had almost forgotten. No matter how harmless this leopard looked, his nature was vicious. She was being too cocky. While J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was reflecting on her behavior, Ryan tilted sideways and faced the direction of the wood, baring his teeth in a low growl. Immediately, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and Eric¡¯s attention was attracted towards the forest and they searched through the darkness. Eric, holding a piece of firewood, took two steps forward and looked around but found nothing. Rhode and Dole had left right after receiving Ryan¡¯s signal, so there was nothing out of the ordinary to be found. One human and one deer searched all around again. Having thought Ryan heard danger and ran outside, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u spoke to console him, ¡°There is nothing here. Did you hear wrong? You should not worry, they will not find you here. Don¡¯t be afraid.¡± To not let a leopard be scared, Eric could not continue to listen. It was still far from early, so J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u checked her wristwatch. It was half past ten. This had to be the benefit of crossing worlds, being able to sleep early everyday. Once the sky was ck, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had nothing to do and could only close her eyes and go to sleep. She did not know if she had not had enough sleep before, but now J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought her skin and mental condition was significantly better than before she crossed over. To speak of her skin was nothing, these days she had only been washing with water but did not feel dry or greasy all day. As for her state of mind, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was previously only capable of taking things from her space through her backpack. This morning, though, she found she could take a piece of chocte directly from the space. It was no longer limited to her small bag. This appeared to be rted to her psychological state. She had slept very wellst night and even woke up feeling refreshed in the morning. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u decided to try and get a good night¡¯s sleep to see if there would be any new discoveries the next morning. However, after daybreak, there was no change and her space was still the same as the day before. This disappointed her a little. But at the same time, she began to specte. Was it only after umting a certain amount of sleep time that her space would trigger ¡°new abilities¡±? Eric had already picking wild fruits and fresh mushrooms from outside. He thought about J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u while expertly roasting the mushrooms. Eric took salt and pepper from home, and he sprinkled them on the mushrooms as they wereing off the fire, delicious and crisp. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u originally hadn¡¯t known the baked mushrooms to be so delicious. For the time being, she forgot about the space and ate four or five in the space of a single breath. Eric smiled and said, ¡°Later, I can give you roasted corn and eggnt which are delicious.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thanked him and saw the leopard lying still at the side. Worried about him going hungry during the day, she put a baked mushroom on the ground before his shiny eyes and clearly stated, ¡°Eat it. It¡¯s delicious.¡± Ryan opened his eyes and looked at the roasted mushroom on the ground, his expressioncking enthusiasm. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought he would not eat. However, he thought about it for awhile then exasperatingly slowly stood up and pulled the roasted mushroom in his mouth. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u immediately gave him another. The leopard¡¯s expression wrinkled. He was not very interested, but he still ate them. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u discovered that it appeared in the new world, the leopards could not only eat meat but some roasted mushroom. She fed him a series of five and next to her, Eric was stunned. Since when could the leopard race be so docile and obedient? * After breakfast, they left the cave. It may have been due to the terrain being too low, but they walked all morning and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not see a hint of the beastmen race. The only group they encountered was one of hedgehogs who were carrying supplies. The hedgehogs had not yet evolved into a human shape, and they had thick barbs on their backs pricked with nuts, mushrooms and insects that looked like food for winter. Noticing that J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was staring at them, the hedgehogs carried their things faster and soon hid in the bushes. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u tilted her head and looked around the trees then looked up at the sky overhead. It had only just be autumn, and they were already reserving the winter supplies? ¡°¨­u, what are you looking at?¡± Eric couldn¡¯t help but ask when he turned around and saw J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u still standing in ce. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, holding Ryan, hurried to catch up with him and asked, ¡°Eric, can¡¯t the hedgehogs take human form?¡± Eric walked while talking, ¡°No, they. . .¡± He had hardly begun when his antlers suddenly got caught on a vine and he had to stop and devote himself to fighting them. ¡°Not all animals can be humanoid. Some animals have this awareness and respect, and when they desire approaching humans, they will be bent in this direction to evolve. After all, despite humans going extinct, their brains were extraordinary. An animal needs not only a strong physique but also a brain that can think independently in order to survive on this continent.¡± Unexpectedly, it was because of this kind of thing. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s eyes drooped down, not saying a word. Although it may different from the world where human beings lived hundreds of years ago, as she knew that there was no ce in the 21st century called the Bornia* continent, but she still felt a bit sad. *I mistakenly removed the name of this a few chapters ago, when the Patriarch was talking to her, because it didn¡¯t make sense in context, but I will go back and edit it in, because that is apparently the actual name of the continent here. This meant that she was the only human being on the entire continent. She had no race, there was no one else like her. ¡°¨­u, can you help me?¡± Eric¡¯s anxious voice interrupted J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s thoughts. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked up and did not know how but Eric¡¯s antlers were tangled together with vines. His posture was strange, body twisted over, and his funny expression made J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u smile. She did not think about it much and took the Swiss Army knife from her pocket. She grabbed the vines, sharply swung the de a few seconds, and pulled Eric out. The vines grew with barbed tips and when J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not watch, a barb was stabbed into her finger. Eric nced at the knife in her hand and his desire to speak disappeared. Turning his line of sight, he caught sight of her fingertip overflowing with blood, and he said with chagrin, ¡°me me, I ought to pay more attention when walking.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u shook her head, ¡°It does not matter, it¡¯s just a little cut.¡± Probably because her parents were not at her side, when she came here, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u became a lot stronger. Thest time, her forehead was injured and the soles of her feet hurt, but she was only sad for a little while. When she was at home, whenever her toes hit a table leg, and she wouldn¡¯t be able to help crying out in pain. Thinking of home, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u became a little absentminded. She did not notice the changes in the leopard she held in her arms. The sweet scent of blood, so close in proximity, was a deadly temptation for a meat-eating animal, especially for one that hadn¡¯t eaten raw meat for days. Ryan¡¯s expression grew darker and darker, and he licked his teeth, trying to suppress his own nature. The girl¡¯s blood was sweet and smelled different from the grass-fed animals. Clean and sweet, like the first nectar that he encountered as his throat was running dry. Ryan¡¯s throat rolled. Afraid that he could not help himself, he jumped down from J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s arms without warning and went to the front. * ¡°Where are you going?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stepped forward to ask closely. However, just as she took a step, she felt something cold falling on her cheek. She was surprised for a moment and stopped, raising her hand to touch her cheek. There was a drop of water. It was raining? This was her first thought. However, looking up at the sky, the weather was clear and the clouds were calm. It did not look like it was going to rain. After a while, one after another, white specks fell from the sky and they were numerous. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u discovered it was snowing. Snowkes fell on her back and before she could see clearly, they were melted. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u felt astonished. How could it be snowing? She did not feel the cold at all, and even if snow fell in autumn, there should of been a sign, shouldn¡¯t there? Compared with J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s surprise, Eric¡¯s face became very imposing. At the first snowke, he climbed up a huge tree and looked into the distance, observing the reaction of lesser animals around them. Then he jumped down and told J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, ¡°The storm ising. We need to find a ce to hide quickly.¡± In just five minutes, the snow was getting bigger and bigger, covering J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s cheeks and the traces of chill seeped into her skin. The temperature dropped suddenly. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could not understand the situation but followed Eric from behind, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Isn¡¯t it autumn, why is it snowing?¡± Eric walked forward while exining, ¡°After the snowstorm, it¡¯s winter.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .¡± Wasn¡¯t it after winter began there would be a blizzard? What is this kind of argument about inverting the root and branch? She was full of doubts and wanted to ask what happened, but looking at Eric¡¯s solemn face, she had to temporarily press down the question at hand. Near the jungle¡¯s low lying terrain, there was no other race and it was hard to find a ce to escape the snowstorm. Eric knew that if they did not find a safe ce soon, they would be buried by the sudden blizzard. At this time, the races were ready for the winter well in advance. This time, he had left alone andpletely forgot about it. Erc was annoyed at himself while walking to the pick of the mountain. Snowkes were fluttering in the wind, confusing their line of sight. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u narrowed her eyes and held Ryan tightly behind Eric. About fifteen minutester, the snow had paved a whiteyer on the ground. The wind was also growing bigger and bigger, and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u almost could not keep a steady pace. Finally, Eric found a dark hole in one of the many trees. He went in first to explore the inside. The tree was ice cold and the leaves were dead and messy, unlike most bear¡¯s signs of habitation. Eric called J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u toe inside, ¡°We should stay here and wait for the snowstorm to stop.¡± The wind whistled outside the tree and he had to speak in a loud voice. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was wearing only a thin baseball jacket and a vest underneath. It was not warm and her whole body was frozen stiff. She tensed her jaw and nodded in agreement. Eric looked around and there was nothing to make a fire except the leaves, ¡°I will go out to get some dry firewood. I¡¯m afraid the snow willst for several days, and we will freeze to death without fire. ¨­u, wait for me here, I will be back soon.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not try to be brave this time. Eric had warm fur and she only had a thin jacket. She had nothing to help him with and would actually only give him trouble. Eric walked into the wind and snow. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, holding Ryan, shrunk in the corner. Despite the fact that most of the wind was blocked outside the tree, a small still curled in with the snow, making her shiver with cold. At this time, she refused to think about being found out to be human. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u removed nkets from her space and tightly wrapped herself and the little leopard up. Ryan was tightly wrapped up with J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, but his dark blue eyes were looking out the entrance. Neither panicked like Eric nor dazed like J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. One human and one leopard waited for about half an hour but did not see Ericing back. Wind and snow raged outside, and she could not see the surrounding environment leaving only a vast expanse of white. Eric still did note back in another half an hour. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u felt somewhat faint with worry. Where had he gone to look for dry firewood? What took him so long? Worried that Eric was in an ident, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u untied the nkets and covered Ryan¡¯s body, then walked out of the cave. At the mouth of the cave, she discovered that theyer of snow outside had umted to almost past her calf. She was shocked. With so much snow, Eric wouldn¡¯t be buried right? She was just about to go out to look and saw a shadow of a figureing in the distance. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could not see his face, only the stature of his body, and it was strong, rather simr to Eric. She thought Eric was back, and without waiting for the other party to approach, she immediately said, ¡°Eric, how do you. . .¡± The words became caught in her mouth and she swallowed them back down. The other¡¯s limbs were stout, and he was wearing a deerskin vest. His arms and chest were covered in hair. He had dark eyes and his mouth was protruding slightly outward. Once at the entrance of the cave, his huge body sealed the entire hole. This was not Eric, clearly a member of the brown bear race. Chapter 9 Gentle Beast Chapter 9 Chapter 9/77 With the wind and snow blocked out, the temperature rose a little but J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u felt chills along her entire body. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s light of sight fell on the bear man¡¯s deerskin vest and her heart contracted in her chest. Looking carefully, the deerskin was withered and old, not as if it had just been stripped off, and her heart dropped with relief. It seemed that Eric hadn¡¯t meet him. In the 21st century, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u frequently saw on the news that ¡°human beings met with danger in the woods and were eaten by brown bears.¡± The pictures were cruel and considerably bloody. Back then, she had thought herself very distant from the issue, but she hadn¡¯t expected it to be her turn so soon. She did not know even brown bears had evolved into beastmen. Did he have preferences? Could he separate right from wrong? Was it toote for her to lie down and pretend to be dead? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u watched the brown bear attentively and, without a trace of retreat in her eyes, quickly analyzed the situation again. The only exit was blocked by the other, and she only had her knife in hand. Although she had a leopard with her, he was also underage. If the bear wanted to attack the two of them, they would have no chance at winning. Realizing this cruel reality, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s mood became even heavier. ¡°That one. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u attempted to converse with the other, but just as she opened her mouth, she saw him bend his huge body over and entered the cave as if it were uninhabited. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u hurriedly backed away until her back was stuck to the tree trunk to give him way. This tree was thick, looked about a hundred years old, and the cave was rtively wide. More than enough to amodate J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, Eric and the little leopard. Now that the bear was inside, the cave suddenly seemed a lot narrower. The bear beastman upied almost half of the cave. When he sat down, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and Ryan were crowded into the corner. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u recalled Eric¡¯s words. This cave was deste, and when they first came in, the temperature was very low and there were no signs of a living creature anywhere. She watched the bear beastman as he leaned half his body against the trunk, and he seemed unfamiliar here. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u felt a glimmer of hope. Since this was not his territory, perhaps they couldmunicate nicely? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was just about to open her mouth, showing no signs of nerves, when the bear ordered in a low voice, ¡°Get out.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .¡± She knew he was a solitary animal. Especially when hibernating, he wouldn¡¯t want someone around to disturb him even more. But this ce was one they found first, couldn¡¯t he see sense? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u took a deep breath, lightening her voice as much as possible, and tried again, ¡°The snow outside it very high, and there seems to be no other ce to hide nearby. If you don¡¯t mind, we can stay here for a while and wait for the snow to lighten up. . .¡± The brown bear turned ck eyes towards J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. She did not know if it was his natural disposition or whether he was dissatisfied with her words, but his face was expressionless. ¡°A friend of mine went out to find firewood and wille back soon. With the fire, it will be a little warmer. You, you need it to keep warm. . .¡± Before J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had finished, the beastman impatiently roared, exposing two rows of sharp teeth, ¡°Get out.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had one arm around the little leopard and the other clutching her backpack tightly, they were both shivering. Although terrified, she still did not listen to him. It was impossible to walk in the snow outside, and to go out right now was to throw away her life. She bit her lower lip and, seeing that the other wasn¡¯t going to change his mind, braced herself to ask, ¡°My friend is still out. Can¡¯t we wait for him toe back? He will be back soon.¡± Before he had a chance to reject, she hastened to push her knitted nket in front of him, ¡°Are you cold? I will give this to you, it¡¯s warm.¡± She tried to restrain her emotions, but thest words were trembling. The bear did not speak and looked down the length of the nket once. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u then took out a box of Dove chocte from her backpack, ¡°You can eat this? It¡¯s high in calorie and you won¡¯t feel hungry if you eat it.¡± The bear man still only looked at her and did not receive it. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u continued to struggle through, taking an assortment of things out one after the other, trying to curry favor with the other. When she got hold of the milk and beef jerky, her wrist was suddenly held down by a sharp w. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u bowed her head to see the leopard was staring at her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u quickly understood he was trying to stop her. . . . he was protecting his food? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was forced to put the milk and jerky back, so she groped around for half a day until her fingertips touched a ss jar. Her heart was filled with delight, and she immediately pulled it out of her space, carefully pushing it towards the bear, ¡°Do you. . . like honey?¡± The beastman looked at the ss jar, crystal clear and filled to the brim with honey. Even when it wasn¡¯t open, he could smell the sweet scent inside. He did not refuse this time, and he pulled the honey into his range with a thick paw. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u saw him ept it and felt relief atst. Putting the rest of the things back into her bag, she sat quietly in the corner and was ovee with gratitude to the ssmate that brought the honey. The bear beastman did not force them to get out again, and opened the honey jar with an inflexible hand. He dipped a finger into the honey and stuffed it in his mouth. Soon after eating the whole thing, he held the closed jar tightly in his arms and began to sleep. Since the female wanted to stay, let her stay. The snow would not stop for a while and, although he had just filled his stomach, he would get hungry again after some time. She could stay to be his food reserve. * The blizzard did not stop, and cold wind poured in asionally. Eric was out for two whole hours and never came back. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u became increasingly more worried, fearing that he had encountered something unexpected. However, she had no way to go out this time. The entrance was blocked by the snowstorm, and it reached her knees. Even if she went out, there was no animal with legs strong enough to walk in the snow. The needle on her wrist watch passed six, and it got dark, but Eric still didn¡¯te back. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u fed the little leopard but had no appetite herself, so she did not eat. There was no fire in the cave and she couldn¡¯t see through the darkness. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u turned on the shlight and shown it on the bear lying silently opposite her. The bear looked as if he was asleep, his huge body lying on the ground but towering like a mountain. Had he begun hibernation after eating the honey? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not date fall sleep, for fear of the bear waking suddenly. She and Ryan would be at the disadvantage then. She was also afraid of the situation outside, and she only sat in the sleeping bag, keeping vigil. However, since she came to this continent, she had developed the habit of going to bed early. Less than two hourster, the fight to keep her eyes open was lost and her head began to droop. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u pinched the space between thumb and forefinger and forced herself to wake up, but it had little effect, and her eyes slowly closed once more, sending her into sleep. In the wee hours of the morning, the cave was calm and the snow and wind outside had slightly lessened. In the darkness, the bear beastman slowly sat up and turned dark eyes to look at the girl in the corner, walking towards her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was holding her backpack and lying on the ground, curled into a ball. Although the ground was covered in a nket and she was wrapped in a sleeping back, it could not resist the nip in the air. The bear stopped in front of the girl and reached out, hisrge nails stretching in the girl¡¯s direction¡ª¡ª Without warning, the leopard in the girl¡¯s arms opened his eyes and his glowing pupils stared straight at him. The leopard race could see precisely, even in the dark. Ryan looked at the huge size of this body before him, unsure how much bigger this bear was, but his eyes were ferocious and did not shrink away, bearing a hint of warning. The bear¡¯s hand stopped and slowly returned to his side after a while. Later that morning, the snowstorm was a bit lighter than the day before. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u lifted her head from the sleeping bag and looked around, for a while, to find out where she was. The space opposite her was empty, the hibernating bear was gone, and Eric still had note back. The leopard lying on her pillow still had his eyes closed and was fast asleep. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u gingerly sat up, unconsciously searching around, looking for her bag. This had be her habit sinceing here. As if that little backpack had be her dependency, the first thing she did when she woke up was to find her backpack. However, today, she came up empty. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stared nkly, a bad feeling welling up in her heart. She looked inside and outside the cave but did not see any traces of her backpack. Herpass, shlight, and cellphone were all inside the bag. Chapter 10 Gentle Beast Chapter 10 Chapter 10/77 J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u though about the scene from the night before, the brown bear had fell sleep leaving only an emptied ss jaw of honey. Did that bear steal her backpack? Realizing this, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u quickly closed her eyes to examine her space. Fortunately, everything else was still in the space. Only the things she had left in her backpack for easy ess¡ªthepass, shlight and cellphone¡ªwere missing. Although she could now directly ess the space without having to go through her backpack, the cellphone was her only contact in the other world, thepass was to identify direction, and the shlight was used to illuminate the night. Each was very important. What was that bear doing with her bag? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u remained puzzled, looking towards the entrance of the cave. The snowstorm was over, revealing the circumstances of the outside world. The whole forest was covered in ayer of white, a thick pile of snow had umted on the tree, and the snow had even broken some branches. Silver and white adorned everything in sight, the snow boundless. The snow had yet to stop and cold wind floated snowkes into the cave, making her tremble all over from cold. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u ate two pieces of chocte to supplement heat but also took a men¡¯s windbreaker from the space to drape over her. Therge coat was a bit wide on her and almost reached her ankles, but it wrapped around her entire body and blocked most of the cold. Because their trip was during autumn, only a few of the ss had brought thicker clothes. This coat belongedto Li¨´ Q¨ª Ch¨¡ng. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had also asked, ¡°What¡¯s with the windbreaker, is it really necessary?¡± Li¨´ Q¨ª Ch¨¡ng, while reading a book, faintly replied, ¡°The mountains are cold at night, just in case.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u now thought it was necessary, very necessary. At her side, the little leopard¡¯s voice interrupted her train of thought. She did not know when he had woken up and walked over to her. But he had his two forelegs on her feet and was lifting his head to look at her with faint blue eyes. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought he was hungry, considered it no more, and directly pulled a carton of milk from her space. She took out a pair of scissors and cut it open to ce in front of him. After finishing this series of actions, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s movement became rigid, realizing that she had just done something wrong. Just now, she didn¡¯t have her backpack to cover it up?? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .¡±* *I seriously like to think of these moments as her deadpanning with those anime-lines on her face, like ¡°oh sh*t, did that just happen?¡± Although she was not as cautious in front of the leopard as she was with Eric, she still deliberately hid everything in her backpack and didn¡¯t take things out from her space brazenly. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s huge, ck and white, eyes were staring nervously at the little leopard. He wouldn¡¯t notice that, right? Ryan was also attentively staring at her, his eyes never turning from her. For a long time, he slowly turned to continue staring, but at the carton of milk instead. He abruptly turned to the entrance of the cave and jumped, his hind leg kicking the carton all over the ground. ¡°Pa¡ª¡ª¡±* *This is supposedly ¡°Ai¡±, an interjection of regret/disapproval but I figured this would work better for this sound. The milk sshed all over the ce and half sttered onto J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s shoes. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was a little annoyed. Did he find something wrong with? But, she did not mean to scare it. . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u watched the milk slowly seep into the ground, a little distressed. Her space was limited in supplies, and milk was so precious in this ce that she could not bear to drink it herself. But she had given it to him for him to heal as soon as possible. How could he not appreciate it? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u advanced and pinched the leopard¡¯s two round ears, squished his cheeks, and said, ¡°How can you waste food? Do you know where these thingse from? You do not have it here, and I brought it with me . .¡± She chattered on: ¡°The next time you waste your food, I will not give you anything to eat or take you on the road.¡± It was said in the tone of a cat teasing a dog. Ryan watched the girl¡¯s glossy eyes, her cor was covered by the windbreaker, exposing only a small face, her cheeks white with cold and slightly red. ¡°Did you hear me?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u asked. Ryan moved his gaze away, his ws unconsciously scratching at the ground, but did not respond. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u wanted to say something more, but suddenly heard a voice. Because of the heavy snow and wind, it wasn¡¯t very clear¡ª¡ª ¡°¨­u. . . ¨­u. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s eyes opened wide and she looked into the distance. In the fast expanse of white, a wooden cart came plowing through the snow, a muscr reindeer running in the front sshing snowkes all over. The reindeer quickly pulled the cart to the front of the cave and a familiar voice sounded, ¡°¨­u, are you alright?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was pleasantly surprised, ¡°Eric?¡± * J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u drew Ryan to sit on the cart and covered Eric with the goose down nket, curiously asking. ¡°Eric, where did you go yesterday? Why didn¡¯t youe back? We were waiting the entire night, I though. . .¡± Eric ran along the snow as he said guiltily, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, ¨­u. I was looking for firewood but the snow got too heavy and quickly buried me under it. My friend Ruth saved me, but I was drowsy all night. . . I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m sote to pick you up,¡± he apologized again. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u learned he was buried by the snow and asked him how he was, but he said, ¡°The deer race is very strong. This amount of snow is nothing.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought about what he just said and asked, ¡°Who is your friend?¡± Eric shouted back, ¡°He¡¯s called Ruth. He lives in the Ferris vige. He is of the bear race.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought aboutst night with the capriciousness of the brown bear race and instinctively felt a bit scared. Eric sensed her dread andforted, ¡°Ruth is very gentle and kind. Don¡¯t be afraid, he will be very friendly to you.¡± They soon arrived at the Ferris vige. Before reaching the vige, she saw all kinds of beastmening and going. A study bear beastman, a snake man with a coiling tail gliding alone, a butterfly with moon colored wings on his back. . . Despite Eric just describing the vige where many races lived together, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was still surprised when she saw it with her own eyes. Further still, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was amazed to find there were not just herbivorous species around. There were also carnivores? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u saw a lion beastman walked past, and she gaped. ¡°Eric, you. . . are you not afraid?¡± Eric shifted into his humanoid shape and walked to her side, ¡°This is a peaceful vige. The grass-eating and meat-eating races have reached a consensus coexist peacefully. Disputes rarely happen here, and if a carnivorous race was to act recklessly, they would cause public outrage.¡± Unexpectedly. . . there was such a ce? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u remained shocked, holding onto the little leopard,and she followed behind to enter the vige. Walking for a while, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u felt that something was fishy and she asked Eric, ¡°Why are most beastmen male?¡± Eric spoke doubtfully, ¡°Your race¡¯s patriarch did not exin? . . . Whether it is the deer or the bear or any of the other races, the females are very frail. After all the changes to the continent, females became rare and much more precious.¡± Then, Eric said with an ordinary expression, ¡°In order to continue the race, some ns have females mate with a number of males frequently.¡± Eric¡¯s nature was that of the beast, in his eyes, this was rather normal. But, it sounded very awkward in J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s ear. No wonder she had not seen any female beastmen. When she was in Eric¡¯s vige, all she saw were male reindeer. The Ferris vige had low wooden houses on either side and asionally one or two stone houses. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could see huts ced in front arranged like vendor¡¯s boothes. Some had odd items, others had bows and arrows, axes, rattan mats and fire mirrors. . . ¡°Ferris vige is the most prosperouson the Bornia maind. One of the people here invented a boat. The ferry leaves everyday to various viges.¡± Eric said while he walked, ¡°¨­u, there¡¯s a boat going to the Elk vige tomorrow afternoon, and I intend to take it. The ship is heading east, would you like toe with me?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought for a moment, then nodded, hearing lively voices from up ahead. Several beastmen surrounded a booth and they were intensely discussing something. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard and isn¡¯t warm, and there¡¯s a thorn. . .¡± ¡°What can this one do? How much corn can you put in it?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u subconsciously looked over at the beastmen and caught sight of a red corner. Her heart stopped. She didn¡¯t bother replying to Eric and walked to the front. Most of the beastmen were tall, and she was small. Bending over, she held the leopard close and easily made her way to the front. Looking up, there in the middle was her red backpack, the zipper wide open and inside was thepass, shlight and cellphone set up side by side. Chapter 11 Gentle Beast Chapter 11 Chapter 11/77 ¡¾ÐÞ ¨C Repair¡¿ The group¡¯s voices continued. The beastmen¡¯s tongues wagged spiritedly, filled with curiosity towards this strange backpack. However, it had be swapped for something and no one really wanted to. It was both unattractive and impractical, what to do with it? The backpack was being sold by a red fox and the asking price was two fish and three live chickens. Seeing people were indifferent to this price, the red fox lowered the asking price to a fish and two live chickens. Still, there were no beastman willing to exchange. ¡°This looks useless.¡± ¡°Not as good as my own wicker basket. . .¡± ¡°What¡¯s inside? Is it a fire-making mirror?¡± A weasel beastman asked while pointing to the shlight. The convex lens greatly resembled the mirror. The beastman selling it could not say. A brown bear had given the backpack in exchange for a jar of honey and ten potatoes. He saw this new and unique backpack and inside there were three things, the itch in his chest made him agree. He did not expect to lose goods. Still no one was willing to exchange for it, and the red fox had to reduce the price down to a fish and a live chicken. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was unable to hold back and became restless. If she had no fish or chicken in hand, she was not going to get her bag back. ¡°Sorry, please, let it go.¡± Eric squeezed in from behind, the huge antlers hitting the beastman next to him, and he hasted to apologize before turning to look at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, ¡°¨­u, what are you doing?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not have the time to exin and directly asked, ¡°Eric, do you know where to get a fish and a chicken?¡± Eric, although it was still hard to understand, still answered seriously, ¡°Chickens are in the mountains behind Ferris vige and there are fish in the river. I can go back and help you catch it if you need it.¡± He glimpsed towards the backpack and his ck, deer eyes went wide as he asked, ¡°Hey? ¨­u, is this not yours. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u immediately lifted her finger to rest against her lip and said quietly, ¡°Hush.¡± She did not want to attract the attention of the surrounding beastmans. If a fish and a live chicken could solve the problem, she would rather leave it alone. The beast world was far moreplicated than she thought it was, and she didn¡¯t want to get into any trouble. By this time, the backpack¡¯s price had been reduced again from a fish and live chicken to just a live chicken. A couple of the crowd began to move, some even heading to home to get a chicken to swap. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, afraid it was going to be snatched away, quickly raised her hand and said, ¡°I, I want!¡± The red fox beastman looked at her, saw her empty hands and child-like appearance, and curled his lip, ¡°What do you have you to exchange for it?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u bit her lower lip. If this was the 21st century, she would not hesitate to buy it back. But, this was a different world, there was no money in cirction and she could only exchange goods. Actually, there was a lot of ice-sealed seafood and chicken in her space, but here there were beastmen on the street and she could not take things out in front of them. They would certainly consider her a freak. Eric standing in for J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, asked the red fox, ¡°Can you save the bag for us while we get something to exchange for you?¡± The fox beastman looked at him. Even though Ferris was a peaceful vige, but the carnivorous species always despised the grass-eaters and regarded them as the weaker party. So he did not take Eric¡¯s words to heart and deliberately embarrassed them, ¡°Well. When youe to get it, you bring five fish and give live chickens.¡± Eric stared nkly and said with a sullen face, ¡°That is an unfair deal.¡± The red fox said with a smile, ¡°This stuff is mine. It¡¯s my say. You have me wait for you, yet don¡¯t allow me to raise my price?¡± Eric clenched his teeth, indignant, but unable to respond. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not want to let Eric be embarrassed, she set the little leopard on the ground, and she looked around, ready to hide in an empty corner and take out the frozen chicken and fish to exchange. But, she hadn¡¯t moved yet when a hand stretched before her and easily lifted up the backpack and said to the red fox, ¡°I¡¯ll take it.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was a little sluggish but she anxiously called out, ¡°I wanted it first.¡± The other looked down at her, this little female who had not even grown hair yet, and his mouth tilted askew, taking her words as jest, ¡°You wanted it first? Now it¡¯s mine.¡± Then, from behind hispanion, he took a fish and live chicken in hand and passed them over to the fox beastman, nails hooked in the backpack. The backpack¡¯s zipper was open, and when it tilted, the shlight inside slipped out. The new owner¡¯s other hand reached out to catch it and he turned it over in his hands with curiosity. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, mind pressing with anxiety, said without taking the time to think, ¡°I can exchange something with you, can you give me this bag?¡± While she spoke, she looked up and saw the other¡¯s appearance for the first time, stunned for a moment. This was the first time J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u say a beastman so close to a human¡¯s appearance since crossing over. He had the correct facial features and the corners of the mouth rose up, and beside the ck mark between his eyebrows, the appearance was almost identical to a human. If it wasn¡¯t for his mouth revealing two sharp teeth, she would have almost thought he was of the same race as her. He groped along the shlight for a long time then finally found the power switch. His thumb pressed against the side lightly and it slid up. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u saw his movement and her heart swelled in her throat. She was afraid the shlight would turn on and a beam of light shin into the crowd. But, after waiting for a while, the shlight was unresponsive. The beastman turned it up and down, looking at it carelessly. Only J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u knew what was going on. Since she came to this world, almost every night she had used the shlight. Its battery life was limited and now it had run out of power, naturally it would not light up. But, in her space, there were several sets of batteries. The other seemed to have finally registered J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s words, and he tossed the shlight into the bag, looking down at her. He raised the corner of his mouth in an unruffled smile, calmly asked, ¡°And what can you exchange for it?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u pursed her lips, ¡°What do you want?¡± He heard what she said and, after crossing over J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, looked at Eric with undisguised hunger in his eyes, ¡°Oh, is anything alright? Just now, I used food to exchange for it, how about you send yourpanion with us?¡± Eric¡¯s face immediately went white. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .¡± The other side had never intended to exchange for it, and had only said that to tease J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. The beastman and his colleagues finished appreciating their panicked expressions,ughing, and he carried away J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s backpack. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stared in the direction of their departure, still wondering about their race. She saw the short, fluffy tail behind them and heard their unconscious cry, and it was finally confirmed. ¡°Woo¡ª¡ª¡± That first night she hade here, she heard the same sound¡ª¡ª A pack of wolves. * J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u hadn¡¯t managed to get her bag back, so she felt a bit depressed. She couldn¡¯t figure out what the wolf beastmen wanted with her backpack. They could not even use the shlight, what use would it give them? Eric was unable to help, his nature made him instinctively afraid of all meat-eating species, and now he felt a little guilty. So he hurried tofort, ¡°¨­u, do not worry. We will go back and discuss it with Ruth. I will find a way to help you get it back.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u knew he meant well, but the other party was a pack of wolves. She didn¡¯t want to let Eric take any risks, and she shook her head, gratefully responding, ¡°Thank you, Eric, but I¡¯ll find something to do about it.¡± Eric asked how she lost the backpack and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u recalled the brown bear she metst night. She told Eric about spending the night in the tree cave with the beastman and said, ¡°I suppose he took it. When I woke up this morning, he was gone with my bag.¡± Eric frowned for a while, then proposed, ¡°¨­u, we are not good right now. How about we go back to Ruth¡¯s ce first? We¡¯ll figure out what to do about your bag.¡± Since she had no other suggestions, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u forcefully lifted her spirits, found Ryan and picked him up to follow Eric. Ryan leaned over J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s shoulder, his blue eyes still fixed on the direction the wolves had gone. No one noticed his cold, shining eyes. Ruth lived at the very far east side of the Ferris vige. Most of the houses here were made of y mud, and the roofs were made fromyers of naturally cast-off tree bark, one stacked upon the other. Like Eric said, Ruth was a very gentle and friendly ck bear. His skin was ck, he had the height and strength of any bear beastman, but he was charmingly naive. He probably had very little contact with females, because when he say J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, his cheeks blushed bright red. Fortunately his skin was ck, so the blush was not obvious. Ruth had already prepared a room for J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, which had a bed. Taking into ount J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was female, he had also specially prepared a soft straw mattress. At the bedside, there a pile of firewood and the whole room was nice and warm. The room was a little shabby, but for J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u who was still sleeping in the treesst night, this was excellent condition. ¡°Thank you, Ruth,¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u sincerely thanked. Ruth touched his head shyly, ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± It was still early morning, and it was not yet time for lunch. Eric thought J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not sleep wellst night in the cave, so did not say too much, and along with Ruth, left the room to let her rest for a while. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not sleep wellst night, and her mind was slightly befuddled. But, when sheid in bed, her thoughts were very clear and there was very little drowsiness. Was there any chance of getting her backpack back? What would the wolf race do with her bag? If the found thepass inside, or the shlight. Both were not things of this world, what would they do? The room was very warm, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought the surroundings were veryfortable, and she soon fell asleep. She slept extremely deeply and her sleeping posture was a little presumptuous. Body doubled over, she had the little leopard held in her arms. She took it to be her small pillow at home, and she hugged him tight to her chest, even rubbing her chin against his head gently and emitting a few barely audible mumbles. * Ryan had originally wanted to only wait for her to fall asleep and did not expect for her body pressure to pin him under her. The girl exuded a sweet fragrance and its overwhelming scent even took him by surprise and he was unprepared. Ryan struggled twice and lifted his ws to J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s fingers and twisted his body around. With his paw between her fingers, he finally escaped her shackles. He stood on all fours and remained beside her, watching the girl sleep. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u slept very heavily. As long as there was a bed, she was able to sleep very well. Long thickshes covered her face, dropping two rows of fan-shaped shadows upon her cheeks, and her exquisite little nose shifted slightly with the open and close of her lips, emitting a pure, harmless scent. That was why the wolves did not take her seriously. Thinking of the wolf race¡¯s proudcency, Ryan¡¯s eyes cooled quickly. Unlike theing and going alone of the leopards, the wolf race were gregarious*. *Sociable, living in groups The wolves and the leopards could never agree, and a few days ago, the conflict between the two races intensified over the order to plunder a site. The wolves proliferated rapidly and the viges in which they lived could not amodate the speed of their multiplication, so their young patriarch, Holden, got the idea to upy one of the leopard¡¯s valleys. Every time the wolves invaded, Ryan would beat them into a sorry state himself. The wolf race¡¯s fighting ability was inferior to the leopards, but because they always flocked in groups, they dared to contend with the leopard n. Several times, the wolves has not experienced a single advantage and even sacrificed a lot of nsmen. However, Holden did not concede defeat even once and, taking advantage of Ryan¡¯s tendency to travel alone, designed a pitfall trap and besieged him with dozens of wolves. Ryan stood off against all of them on his own, his ferocious ws tearing their chests to shreds, his sharp teeth biting necks in two. In the end, Holden mounted a sneak attack from the back and Ryan sustained the injury on his hing leg. That was also when he came to look like this. Although Ryan guessed the change was unrted to the wolves, he decided to go and look for himself just to be safe. Remembering this, Ryan turned and jumped off the edge of the bed. Blue eyes, deep and serene, once again looked back at the girl sleeping on the bed. The reindeer said they would take the boat tomorrow. That was to say, he only had to get back before tomorrow afternoon. * J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u woke up from her nap and nced at her watch, seeing it was five thirty in the afternoon. Ruth and Eric were preparing dinner outside and it consisted of potatoes and carrot stew and fresh mushroom soup. The scent of potatoes woke J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s appetite. She had gone a long time without eating a decent meal. Although there were pots and a stove in the space, she did not dare to take them out. Eric saw here out and said, ¡°¨­u, you woke up. Dinner is ready,e and eat.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u nodded, looking around, and did not see that familiar little figure, so she asked, ¡°Where¡¯s my leopard?¡± Eric scratched his head and answered with another question, ¡°It¡¯s not in your room? I haven¡¯t seen it.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u shook her head and returned to the house, looking again, but she still did not find head or tail of Ryan. ¡°Did you see him go out?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u came back out and asked. Ruth put down a wooden spoon and said with hesitance, ¡°At noon, I think I saw it go out. . . I thought it would just go y but it didn¡¯t stop.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u rushed to ask, ¡°Then did you see which direction he went?¡± Ruth pointed to a direction, ¡°Over there. . .¡± He still hadn¡¯t finished but J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u ran off. It had been fifteen minutes since she woke up. The sky was going to go dark soon, but she still had not found her little leopard. The darkness here was not the same as her world. The moonlight was thin, turning everything invisible in its pitch-ckness. Her little leopard ought to know that even better than she, and if something hadn¡¯t happened, why hadn¡¯t hee back yet? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u followed the route Ruth had pointed out for her, searching all the way, but ten minutes passed and she still didn¡¯t see him. Eric and Ruth followed her from behind. Eric would have liked to make a statement to persuade her against it, but seeing J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s eyes filled with worry, his words abruptly became: ¡°I¡¯ll help you look for it.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u couldn¡¯t find her leopard, and her heart became more and more uneasy. Here, the carnivorous species mingled freely about and powerful beastmen could be found everywhere. Her leopard was only a juvenile and if he encountered a strong enemy, wouldn¡¯t he suffer? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not know from when she had feelings for it. But it was the first creature she had met in this world, and it was a small life she had personally saved. Even if he was dangerous, she still hoped he would be safe and sound. 5:57 P.M. Directly ahead, a female sheep wasing towards them, and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u didn¡¯t hold out any hope but she casually asked, ¡°Have you seen a little leopard passing through here?¡± The other thought for a moment then pointed at a medium-sized ferry and said, ¡°A little leopard with a flower pattern¡±? If I¡¯m not mistaken, it seemed to follow a few wolves onto that ship.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was pleasantly surprised and quickly looked up towards the ferry. She saw the sheep beastman at the head of the ship was just lifting up the sailcloth and turning the rudder, the evening breeze slowly pushing it out of port and away from the riverbank. Chapter 12 Gentle Beast Chapter 12 Chapter 12/77 ¡¾²¹ ¨C Supplement¡¿ ¡°¨­u¡ª¡ª¡± Eric¡¯s yelling drifted further and further away. The sailboat departed the crossing and speedily drove to the other side of the river. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s hand firmly grasped thedder, and she listened carefully to the sounds aboard ship, confirming there was no one before jumping on deck. Her wet sneakers trampled the deck, leaving arge watermark. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not have the time to wipe the droplets from her face when the world suddenly turned ck, the entire ship bing dark. Here, the beastmen¡¯s schedules were based entirely on the color of the sky. Rise at dawn and rest at dusk. By this time, most of the beastmen had already returned to their rooms to rest and there was no one to find J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u for the time being. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had not thought about the time at all and jumped into the river before anyone could react. When she was young, her father taught her how to swim. A distance like this was not a problem. But she had forgotten it was not winter and yesterday they had a snowstorm. The river was biting cold! J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stood on the deck, the cold wind making her fiercely shiver. What the hell was she thinking? . . . Why did she hear that the leopard was on board and immediately came over? What to do next? The deck was deserted and she was all on her own, no one else was there. Only a bright spark at the bow of the ship was lit In the faint light, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could see a wolf in animal skin clothes standing at the helm. Unlike the other wolf beastmen she saw today, this one retained most of the wolfish features, certical ears, a long wide mouth and green eyes that faintly glowed in the dark. The wolf steering the ship seemed to hear the movement on deck and shing green eyes turned to the side J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­uwas standing. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s chest tightened and she quickly hid behind the mast to avoid the beastman¡¯s gaze. The mast was thick and blocked her body from sight. After a long time, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u her no sound but still did not dare toe out. She stood there until her entire body was stiff and her hands and feet cold. Her nose itched a little, almost wanting to sneeze, and she quickly lifted a hand to cover her nose, suppressing it best she could. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u quietly peeked from behind the mast and carefully looked towards the bow of the ship. The wolf at the helm seemed to not detect any abnormalities and had long withdrawn his gaze. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u sighed in relief and began to observe the surroundings. This boat was not small and a little more advanced than a sailing yacht, and it relied entirely on wind and the rudder for navigation. There were barrels disorderly cast around the deck and by smell, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u determined it ought to be wine. She hadn¡¯t expected the beastmen here to actually brew, so J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was curious and she looked on either side of her. There was a wooden door towards the back of the deck. It was closed and looked a bit old. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was all wet, clothes sticking to her body, cold and ufortable. The top priority was to find a ce to change clothes. She turned to look at the wolf at the bow again and saw that he wasn¡¯t paying any attention to her area, so she crept towards the closed door. Fortunately, the wooden was heavy but when pushed up there was no sound. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u sessfully passed through the door, and inside there seemed to be everything on the ship, and the wide variety of things were piled up in a huge mess. Without the shlight, it was difficult to see everything. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u groped along the stairs and identally stepped on something. It was soft, like a pile of clothing. Clothes? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u felt pleased. What she needed most right now was dry clothes, so she quickly backed away half a step and hurriedly picked up a piece. Unfolding it, she twirled it in her slender hands, wondering how the clothes here and in the 21st century were different? However, when she figured out what this ¡°clothes¡± was made of, her face changed she threw it out of her hands quickly. That was not clothes¡ª¡ªthat was a reindeer¡¯s hide. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had gotten along with Eric for a few days now, and she hade to understand the characteristics of the reindeer fur. It was thick, but light, and had very good thermal properties. The light of the moon shone into the cabin and she noticed that the fur had a distinctly white belly and neck, the exact same color distribution of Eric¡¯s. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked up and searched all around. There was not only a pile of reindeer fur here, there was also a pile of sheepskin on a barrel to the left and severalyers of suede to the right. This entire cabin was filled with the fur of herbivorous beastmen. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was unable to say anything about her frame of mind. In the 21st century, this kind of behavior was normal, and animal fur was sold almost everywhere. She didn¡¯t have the qualifications to offer her opinion on the matter. Yet, when she crossed over and met Eric, she met many of the beastmen that had evolved from those animals, and now it was a bit ufortable to see these fur pelts. She finally hit the nail on the head and understood the different between Eric¡¯s herbivorous type species and the carnivorous. Thew of the jungle: the weak are prey to the strong. This was thew of survival in this world. * J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u took off her wet clothes and took a set of clean clothes from her space. There was a chiffon long-sleeved shirt, a short denim jacket, and she had originally found a floral skirt but J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u feared it to be too inconvenient. It was too cold here. Looking through the space again, she found a pair of white trousers and immediately put them on. It was impossible to wear the windbreaker again. She had forgotten to take it off when she dove into the water and now it was soaping wet. She was forced to return it, and the clothes she had swapped out, back into the space. Although the flow of time in her space was very slow, the flow of wind was normal and in just about two to three days, her clothes would be able to dry out. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u managed to exchange them for good clothes though, and soon her mind was turned back to the situation at hand. Before boarding the boat, she had seen dozens of wolves standing onboard and there was no other race. This ought to be a wolf only ferry. She wondered. Was the wolf that had taken her backpack today on this boat? If he was, she also needed to find her backpack as soon as possible. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s head began to hurt. Not to mention the number of her opponents and their generally stronger physique. How was she going to deal with them? All the me could be put on that little leopard of hers. He just had to go looking for trouble. Where the hell was he? Why did he follow the wolves onto this ship? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u nned to find somewhere else. There were so many herbivorous pelts here and she could not stand it anymore. However, just under the stairs leading to the door of the cabin, she heard footsteps approaching followed by a voice¡ª¡ª ¡°Why is the cabin door unlocked?¡± The voice was a little hoarse and arrogant, though it sounded slightly familiar. Another voice sounded out, though it was a little ill at ease: ¡°Patriarch, we took some wine at night, you know, identally. . .¡± That familiar, arrogant voice did not speak, and she listened to thetter issue a muffled hum, followed by the sound of something hitting the floor. Holden retracted his feet and did not look at the hapless fool he had kicked to the ground. He stuck a sharp w in the door and pushed it open. * J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s heart stopped beating for a moment. She finally remembered the voice. It was the beastman that had strode away with her backpack earlier that day. Patriarch? It was toote to think about this issue. The other person had already opened the door and heavy boots stepped on the wooden stairs, issuing a heavy clunk with each step. They rapidly entered the cabin. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u held her breath, hands covering her nose and mouth, for fear of letting out even the slightest breath. She hid behind a stack of wooden barrels, piled under thick antelope skins. On the rear cabin wall, there was a door to the left and she did not know where it essed. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u tried to gently push the door open but it was locked and simply would not move. She was discouraged, but through the gab between the barrels, she observed the situation outside. The wolf was holding amb, the mes burning bright, and the illumination brought the appearance of the two into light. One had proper facial features and a mark between his ck eyebrows, this was the one she had seen today. The other was of the same type as the one at the helm, wide mouth, long ears, and the general appearance of the wolf beastmen. Their conversation still went on. The human-like wolf asked, ¡°Enough fur?¡± The ordinary one answered, ¡°Enough, patriarch. From the reindeer, antelope and red seude, we have fifty of each. It should be enough for the females this year to survive winter.¡± Holden nodded and was satisfied, ¡°The rest of the things in the observation room is left to you.¡± The beastman was incredibly happy and smiled. They had been on board for two months and were staying in the peaceful vige for more than a month. They had been without meat for three months and long coveted it. After a while, the ordinary wolf remembered something, ¡°That. . . patriarch, the leopard in the observation room, how to deal with it?¡± Holden tilted his mouth into a sneer and touched his chin, ¡°Close him up in there. I¡¯ll handle him myself.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, hidden behind the antelope skin, heard what was said and stared nkly. The leopard in their hands, could it be the little one she had lost? Had he been caught by them? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s state of mind fluctuated, but she did not dare take any action and just looked on, hoping these two beastmen would quickly leave. For a while, they counted the skins in the cabin and were finally preparing to leave. Holden¡¯s heavy boots stepped on the stairs, pushing the wooden doors of the cabin open, na dhe had one foot already outside. But he suddenly stopped. He frowned slightly, turning to look back into the cabin. His dark green eyes narrowed and he slowly surveyed everything inside. ¡°Do you smell anything?¡± He asked his subordinate. The subordinate obediently lifted his nose to sniff but asked, puzzled, ¡°What smell, Patriarch? I don¡¯t smell anything.¡± Holden did not speak for a while, then raised a w to his nose and licked the corner of his mouth to say¡ª¡ª ¡°Female. The scent of estrus.¡± Chapter 13 Gentle Beast Chapter 13 Chapter 13/77 The air was filled with a sweet scent that seemed to havee from afar. It was mingled with the hint of sea water, ethereal and subtle. The females of the wolf race smelled radically different. Holden turned the toes of his boots and green pupils looked toward the cabin corner, behind the pile of antelope skins. ¡°Patriarch. . .¡± the subordinate wolf twitched his nose to scent the air again but still did not catch anything. Holden did not stop, as if he hadn¡¯t heard the other wolf at all, and took a step forward, heading in the direction of the antelope skins. His leather boots stepped heavily on the solid wood floor, for a moment, heavy and oppressive. Thump, thump, thump¡ª¡ª J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s whole body went stiff, her train of thought having been stretched taut, and could not think normally. What was the smell of estrus? Why couldn¡¯t she smell anything? The footsteps were getting closer and closer, and she raised her sleeve to her nose to discreetly scent herself, wanting to confirm that it was not her body that was reeking. But no, aside from the scent ofundry detergent from her clothes, she smelled nothing unusual. Did he have a dog¡¯s nose? Holden stopped in front of the pile of skins and his eyebrows raised, the tip of his tongue swiping over her lip as his gaze fixated on her ce. The scent was sweet, like some kind of tightly packed jam. That fragrant aroma overflowed, and he could almost imagine the female trembling and helpless. But, in the next moment, his eyebrows wrinkled. That scent suddenly disappeared, reced by the smell of salt water, and it hit Holden in the face, catching him by surprise. He was disappointed into speechlessness, but once again concentrated to find that scent again, but it was gone. Hurried footsteps sounded outside the cabin door and a wolf standing at the end of the stairs hurriedly reported, ¡°Patriarch, the deck below the bow is leaking!¡± Holden¡¯s eyebrows furrowed into a ravine and he put away his prior thoughts to walk back to the door, ¡°What happened?¡± The beastman said, ¡°The specific reason hasn¡¯t been found. . . but. . . I went to the observation room and checked again, and the leopard in there was gone, and we haven¡¯t found him inside or out. . .¡± Holden walked over to the stairs and heard those words, his eyes shing cold, ¡°Lock down the ship immediately. Find him.¡± The cabin door finally closed, isting the inside from the moonlight outside, but also isted it from the panic going on out there. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u continued to hide behind the antelope skins, not daring toe out. Slowly, she reached out to touch her forehead and found it covered in a cold sweat. The scent of estrus. . . did that mean her? She knew animals in nature would have a fixed cycle, and that this estrus was the physiological state of ovtion, and represented the female¡¯s most receptive period to the opposite sex. Counting the days, this just happened to be the date of her ovtion. But this phenomenon, didn¡¯t it only happen in animals? Did women give off the scent of estrus when they ovted? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u felt a swell in her headache, mind swimming. This kind of ovtion, how was she going to control it? She bit her lip. She was now undoubtedly an active target because of it. She had to do something to save herself. Just now, the wolf-man left after smelling the scent of the sea. Was there another scent that could hide her? * The boat¡¯s bow was leaking, and all the beastmen were awakened from their dreams to rush and repair the boat. The rest, along with Holden, checked every corner of the ship for the whereabouts of the leopard. Taking advantage of this period, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u filled the sachet at her waist, once used for cat mint, with pepper, magnolia and other spices. She crept out of the cabin on light feat. Presumably because Holden had just checked it, there were no wolves on this deck. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought of their recent dialogue. That leopard, was it really the one she knew? He had escaped the observation room? Where was he now? ¡°There¡¯s movement over here¡ª¡ª¡± ¡°Did you smell something?¡± ¡°Go check it out!¡± Suddenly, the conversation drew close to the corner. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u felt her mind wooden, looked around reflexively. There were rooms on both sides of her, sort of like a beastman¡¯s lounge. The sound of footsteps were approaching, and it was toote for J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u to escape somewhere else, so she pushed open a door in a panic and shed to the side, quickly shutting the door behind her. Almost at the same time, two wolves turned into the aisle and stopped at the door. ¡°Strange. Nothing.¡± ¡°The footsteps we heard just now. . .¡± ¡°Voice of the patriarch?¡± ¡°Maybe we should look somewhere else.¡± The two beastmen whispered in the doorway, waving a torch every which way, then soon left. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, hiding behind the door, felt her back go cold with sweat and just realized her legs were soft. She was beginning to feel frightened, regretting that she had been reckless to board the ship. Here, the beastmen¡¯s nose and ears were far more sensitive than her own. She could not hide for long, how was she going to escape the boat? Her backpack hadn¡¯t been found and the leopard cub was still missing. Were they still both held captive? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u sat by the door to ease her mind. Once her mind was slightly more stable, she held the side of the table to help her stand. Suddenly, her fingertips touched something hard. She slid her fingers along it to feel its rivets. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s eyes lit up, eyes shining bright in the dark, and she turned quickly to take the thing into her hands. Using the thin moonlight shining in through the window, she could finally see it. It was rose red with rivets, and shoulders. It was her backpack. The zipper was still open. She didn¡¯t know if the beastmen here knew how to use a zipper, but the backpack was still wide open and filled with animal bones, hemp rope and other messy things. They really had taken her bag to be a debris bag. . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u rummaged around and finally found herpass, shlight and cell phone at the bottom. The stone in her heart was halfwayid to rest. She got her backpack back! She hadn¡¯t expected this to happen so coincidentally. She had casually picked between rooms and that was exactly where her backpack was. Forter convenience, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u put the bag into her space and left only the shlight out. Taking two batteries from her space, she swapped them out and tossed the spent batteries into a corner of her space. Thumb on the switch, she gently pushed and a beam of white light immediately shot from the head. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could finally see the rest of the room. It was not veryrge and had simple furnishings, a bed covered with animal skin, bows and arrows hanging beside the bed along with stone axes, spears and other tools. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u moved the shlight to look elsewhere when she saw a shadow shaking by the window. She stiffened, immediately on guard, and stared at that ce, watching the shadow jump down from the window and fall by her foot. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u backed away two steps in conditioned response, then watched fixedly at it. Until¡ª¡ª ¡°Wu. . .¡± That familiar voice sounded and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s eyes opened wide, shining her shlight on it incredulously. Sure enough. The creature in front of her was none other than the little leopard she had lost. He stood opposite her, head pulled back, and throat issuing that low grumble. His pupils were indifferent and contained a cold glimmer. He opened his mouth and bared sharp teeth. Spread out behind him on the floor were mottled blood drops, soon turning an ocher red. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u followed that blood trail back to his hind leg and saw the original injury had cracked and the gauze was soaked in blood. He was probably acutely aware of the pain. As when hended, he curled the injured leg slightly and cushioned it. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stared at him nkly, fingers trembling, and almost couldn¡¯t hold the shlight. He looked ferocious and she saw herself in his eyes, the beast¡¯s prey. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u almost took a step forward in shock, but instead shrunk back. She was not sure who that killing intent in his eyes was directed towards. Was it her or the other beastmen? * The moment hended, Ryan saw a sh of white light pass over him. At the other end of the beam, there was a thin girl standing at the door of the room, her expression at a loss. After seeing him for a moment, she subconsciously back away. Just like she had the first time she saw him. Ryan¡¯s eyes sank, his tongue slowly sweeping past his teeth. He was bleeding too much for his mind to be clear enough to conceal his own beast. Why was she on this boat? Had she been caught by the wolves? Ryan turned his eyes and looked around the room. It was ordinary. When he hade onto the boat, the ship¡¯s wolves were drinking and celebrating on the deck. They had made enough skins to protect the n females from winter. In order to obtain the internal affairs of the wolf race, he deliberately exposed traces of his presence and pretended to be caught by them, and was then locked into the observation room. To his disappointment, there was no useful information in that room except for those pathetic herbivores. The wolves seemed to know nothing about why he had gotten smaller. Ryan¡¯s mood was a bit bad. This body was too weak, it¡¯s offensive strength low, and his teeth and ws were not sharp enough. Not only that, but aside from his reasonable agility, the rest was all useless. He just opened the door to the observation room and attracted the attention of the wolves. To divert their notice, he destroyed the bulkhead of the ship and in the escape, his wound was torn open. Soon, the smell of blood would reveal his whereabouts. Ryan looked at the motionless girl opposite him. He had thought she would be afraid, retreat, and run away. He had not expected that she would slowly squat in front of him, hold out her delicate white fingers, and carefully touch the blood soaked bandage. Her ck eyes slipped towards him, afraid and a little worried, ¡°Hurt?¡± Inertia caused Ryan¡¯s body to slowly shrink back. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u saw this and her mouth raised into a gentle smile, her eyes closing into semi-circles, and she quickly put away her smile, saying with a straight face, ¡°Even hurt, you still run around? Do you know how dangerous this is?¡± Ryan stared at the girl¡¯s fingertips, his eyes dull. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u wanted to say something more, but suddenly, the quiet corridor was noisy, and heavy, ominous footsteps stopped at the doorway. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u quickly went over and picked him up. ¡°Bang,¡± a huge force kicked the door open. Outside, Holden set down his long leg and crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the door frame. Narrowing his eyes to find squints, his gaze fell on the girl opposite him like he had found his prey. Chapter 14 Gentle Beast Chapter 14 Chapter 14/77 Inside the room, the girl¡¯splexion was pale and her eyes wet. Unable to speak, her pearly white teeth bit her lower lip. Holden¡¯s body was nted back into the darkness of night, and behind him mes gathered. Green eyes unobtrusively cast over the girl, then turned to find the leopard she hid behind her. After a short while, his gaze once more fell to the girl and he casually whistled, ¡°Look. Sure enough, they¡¯re here.¡± Animals have a keen sense of smell, especially wolves and leopards. Although J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u deliberately used spices to disguise the ¡°estrus¡± scent of her body and the other wolves couldn¡¯t smell it, Holden, as the patriarch, had an even more sensitive sense of smell and naturally she could not escape his nose. And from the moment hended, Ryan had also picked up on this scent. Only now that he was smaller and not yet ¡°adult¡±, he did not have asrge a response to it as Holden. Watching Holden¡¯s long legs walked towards her, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u quickly picked up the leopard and retreated toward the wall. Her eyes wide open and pink lips finally cooperated, throwing out a sentence, ¡°Don¡¯te!¡± However, her final syble trembled, it had no power to threaten. Of course, even if she was full of confidence, it was not worth mentioning before Holden. As mentioned before, the beastmen were generally very tall. Because Holden was able to be the patriarch, he had to be the strongest of his race. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s height barely touched 160cm. As a human woman, that was not considered short, actually rather medium, but when the man standing before her reached nearly two meters, she was suddenlyparable to a dwarf. A female dwarf without the strength to truss a chicken. Holden¡¯s mouth crooked up into a smile, appearing to appreciate the girl¡¯s flinching and wandering gaze. He maliciously bent down, cing his human-like face close to J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s cheeks, and slowly sniffed her neck. A choking scent hindered his sense of smell and he frowned in dissatisfaction. Opening his eyes, he looked at her waist and stretched out his long arm. The next second, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u felt it on her waist and saw him easily pull the homemade little sachet, throwing it out the window. Thereupon, the sweet fragrance covered by the sachet was again dispersed, uncontrobly her surroundings. The wolf guarding the door smelled that scent and his eyes suddenly bust into faint green light, watering at the mouth as he stared at the source of that aroma¡ª¡ª A girl trapped in the corner by their patriarch. The girl had human hair, and the scent of her estrus was different from the wolf females, one that could not be said to be alluring. Although the usual scent of receptivity was pleasant, it did not not make them lose control. But this one, now, made them desperate to possess her, mark her, imprison her. This fragrance, even Ryan could not ignore. It was just that Ryan had a body that was underage, so he was calmer than any of them. Most of the races only had sex with their own females, but due to fewer and fewer females, there were a few examples of interracial mating. Although intercrossing with other races would produce offspring, it was with great uncertainty. They were either born strong and with powerful bodies. Or they were congenitally deficient and ultimately eliminated by nature. Other than as ast resort, it was improbable for there to be any race that approved of it. After all, once born, the child was neither fish nor fowl, neither belonging to the mother nor the father, a ¡°hybrid species¡±. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was obviously not of the wolf race. Holden also realized this, but he was not willing to let go of such a sweet female. Pondering for a moment, he told the nsmen behind him, ¡°Put her in the observation room and bring her back to the race.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s mind raced with panic, wishing she could melt her entire body into the wall. She still remembered what Eric had said. There were very few females here, and one female needed to mate with several males. . . She didn¡¯t want to have children with wolves! Not to mention. . . there were a lot of them. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u held a hand behind her back, looking on helplessly as two beastmen came toward her. Biting her lip, she she prepared to make a counterattack, letting her arm cken as a shadow shed out from her front, rushing straight for Holden. Ryan¡¯s eyes were cold as he floated forward, his front paw raising to w. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not see how he did it, but she saw three clear and sharp scars open on Holden¡¯s face. Holden suffered the pain and reached to mp a hand around Ryan¡¯s neck, eyes cold and palm tightening around his throat, ¡°Damn, leopard. . .¡± Ryan¡¯s ws clung to the back of his hands, his hind leg dangling in mid-air, and he opened his mouth to pierce flesh with his sharp teeth. The leopard¡¯s teeth were not only sharp but also long, almost prating Holden¡¯s palm. Holden took a deep breath and threw him off. Ryan¡¯s body hit the wall with a thud and he fell heavily to the ground. The wounds on his body were not good. The crack in his back leg was open, the bandages were loose, and it exposed the bloody flesh inside. Hey there motionless, as if he were dead. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s lips opened and closed in astonishment. Did he just try to save her? Counting this, he had saved her twice. But she had done nothing for it. The first time, they had only just met and she handled his many wounds. Why would he do that? Scarcely would anyone realize, but Ryan really was trying to save her. Only this act had some purpose. The time he had spent alone on board the wolf boat let him realize that this young body simply could not continue. Only with her sessful journey to the eastern part of the maind, to finding Pat, could he perhaps restore his original body. Holden walked toward Ryan step by step, reaching out with sharp ws pointed to his abdomen, ready to empty his chest in one swipe. He held his hand high, but it did not fall. ¡°Zzz¡ª¡ªzzz, zzz¡ª¡ª¡± The sharp sound of electricity sounded. Holden felt his body go half numb after a stab of pain and he stared at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u with amazement. The originally trapped between two wolves J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had them both fallen at her feet, their hands and legs twitching in unconsciousness. Holden looked down to see a small cylinder pressed against his waist, the front appeared to have two teeth, light blue rays converging between them. That ¡°Zzz¡± was issued from there. Further up, a pair of slender fingers, clenched tight enough to turn white. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u tightly held the stun baton and saw he was still awake. Clenching her teeth, she turned it to maximum intensity and pressed even harder against his side. Holden only felt a nip at his waist and the scene before him shed in a blur, one knee falling to the ground. * J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u quickly picked up the small leopard and ruched outside of the room. The beastmen outside were already stunned by her move. A female in estrus could actually knock down the strongest patriarch of their n and was unharmed?! Due to shock, none of them dared to stop her. Thews in the animal world were bothplex and simple. They only obey the strong, and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had knocked down their leader. She held a seemingly very powerful weapon, and until Holden woke up, no one dared to act rashly. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u made it all the way to the deck unobstructed, but the water underneath was rushing fast and they were floating down the rapid river alongside melting ice shards. By then, the ship had sailed into the middle of the river and if she jumped, she would have frozen solid before swimming to shore. Not to mention she was holding the injured cub in her arms. His wounds were too deep and she could not see into the water at all. If he was tossed again, she didn¡¯t know if he would recover. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u turned back and looked at the clustered wolves standing on the deck. They all stared at her, and except for diving, she had no way to escape from under their noses. She could use the taser, but the electricity was limited, and she could not stun so many people at once. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had no room to advance or retreat, and with the beastman standing opposite her at the same time, her brain rapidly turned over trying to think of ways to escape. Just then, the hull violently shook a bit and she hugged the side so she did not fall. Many of the wolves on board were,to expectation, thrown to the ground. They allined into the bow¡ª¡ª ¡°How do you steer, d?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t sail a boat?¡± ¡°Going to throw you into the water again!¡± d was the fist wolf J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had seen when she got on the boat. But with peopleining at him, his face was filled with grievances, ¡°Fog up ahead. I can¡¯t tell where the reef is in front. If we don¡¯t get out without touching the reef, we¡¯ll die here.¡± Though they were both terrestrial animals, leopards could swim well in the water, but the wolf race could not. Hearing d¡¯s words, most of the wolves on board turned pallid with panic. Reef hitting the bottom of the ship was not a joke. When the hull splits, everyone on the ship would be buried underwater. The beastmen rushed to speak at once: ¡°Is there no other way?¡± ¡°When will the fog disappear?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t even solve this problem, what good is your helm!?¡± No matter what the nsmen said, d was still at a loss. Usually he relied on the shore to identify direction, but now they were surrounded by water fog and there did not seem to be any difference. However, he remembered that the ship was heading straight for a rocky reef and the ship was going to strike into it. Holden had already woken up. The stun baton was strong, but his body was strong and he had the strongest ability to fight in his race, he wasn¡¯tatose for long. But, the other two wolves were still not awake. Holden listened to the report of his nsmen and his brows furrowed, his expression heavy. He rubbed his temples, trying to ease the effects of the electrical shock, but his mind was still somewhat dull. He walked out of the room and saw the wolf race on the deck were rattled, and for the time being no one was attending to the girl in the corner. Holden looked sharply at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u with one eye, then immediately shifted his gaze to his race, ¡°Calm down!¡± The wolf nsmen saw that their patriarch had woken up and felt a little more at ease. However, in the next moment, the ship once again shook violently and the left side tilted to the right, the sound of confusion and chaos growing bigger now. The beastmen couldn¡¯t calm down this time. Holden¡¯s headache grew even more severe. He knows the severity of sailing through the reef and he could not think of a solution. ¡°Hey. . .¡± A tiny voice sounded from the side. Holden looked back and saw the delicate little girl standing just a few steps away from him, blinking her eyes at him. Holden growled in his throat and asked angrily, ¡°What?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u bit her lip, ¡°If I had a way to get you through the reef, would you send us back to shore?¡± Chapter 15 Gentle Beast Chapter 15 ¡°Do you have a map? Get me a map of this area.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stood at the bow and spoke to the helmsman. d heard and quickly removed a map from the cabin and gave it to J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u pinched the edge of the map, her fingertips trembling, and forced herself to calm down, observing the map and their situation. This was her first time seeing a sea map, and before she was just an ordinary sophomore science student. She asked the helmsman, d, about their current location andpared the distribution of the se map to confirm that they were only two kilometers away from the reef in front of them. She lopped up at the mast and determined it to be a two-masted sailboat. Next, she worked to recall what her physics teacher had once said that the speed of this kind of ship was around 10-15 knots, equivalent to 1.8 kilometers an hour. That is to say. . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u mentally calcted and found that they only had 5-7 minutes left to avoid the reef. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u inhaled deep and ced her hand inside her jacket, removing herpass from her space under the cover of the coat. Because thepass was small, this did not cause much concern. The helmsman scowled miserably and his five facial features crunched, looking more like an uncivilized wolf as he urged, ¡°Female, what is your solution? Hurry up and speak!¡± At the same time, the wolves behind them were bing more and more restless and they impatiently echoed: ¡°Yeah, if we can¡¯t safely bypass the reef, we¡¯ll throw you into the water with the leopard.¡± ¡°Why are you still dawdling? Isn¡¯t it that you can¡¯t do anything about it and are just procrastinating to deceive the patriarch!¡± ¡°Stupid woman, if you dare to tease us. . .¡± Holden stood not very far away, leaning back against the wall with his legs crossed, and he looked at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u with casual eyes. Listening to his race¡¯s nsmen scolding the girl, he did not move. When the girl spoke to him just now, he pondered for a while and agreed to her request. d was the most experienced helmsman on board the entire ship, and even he was at a loss what to do with other snmen on board. Since the female said there was a way, let her try it once. Best if she was sessful, but in the event that she was unsessful. . . Holden raised his hand and touched the traces of blood on the side of his face that was scratched by the leopard, and both his grin and eyes shed with light. To his surprise, the girl was much calmer than he expected. To facilitate giving convenient directions, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u drew up a temporary dial map for d, clearly marked with ¡°1-12¡± like a clock, and she quickly taught him how to identify them. ¡°Ten o¡¯clock, 300 meters.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u articted clearly. The ship gradually entered the reef and d looked out at the white fog in front of them, but steadies his mind and did not make any mistakes. Three hundred meterster, he listened to J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u as she said, ¡°One o¡¯clock, go 500 meters.¡± A familiar feeling fell over him and his heart was happy, knowing they had avoided the first reef. Unfortunately, he wasn¡¯t happy for long, as the second reef ushered in. The girl¡¯s methodical voicemanded: ¡°Nine o¡¯clock, five hundred meters.¡± ¡°12 o¡¯clock, straight ahead 200 meters.¡± ¡°Keep going straight. . .¡± The lives of everyone on the boat were in the hands of that girl. Not only did Holden stare at her, but so did all the other beastmen. The girl¡¯s brows were low, her quiet eyes downcast, and her soft skin shined white under the mes, glistening in the light likeyers of lustrous gems. Fineshes quivered lightly, their shadows falling over the meticulous sea map, like the leaves of the China feather fir, their silk strands dense. The night wind carried her voice onto the deck and to each and every beastman¡¯s ears. It also brought the sweet fragrance of her body. Of course, this time none dared to move a bit at the charming allure. Though, the scent was really enticing. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stared at the marks of the reef on the map, her voice calm, and only she knew just how nervous her heart was. As she looked at the map, she stared at thepass with a thinyer of cold sweat gathering on her palms. She had only touched upon these things in textbooks, and she never once thought she would personally guide the helmsman¡¯s hands. This kind of practice gave no good feelings in the least. After all, she was on this boat and if anything went wrong, if the hull hit the reef, she would have to exin it. * Just two hours felt longer than a century. When J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­umanded the d to avoid thest reef, and they sessfully made it out of the rocky area, she felt her hands and feet go soft, and she slid down the side of the ship to sit on the deck. She raised her hand and touched her forehead,ing away with more cold sweat. The front of the fog began to dissipate, revealing a clear night sky and a crescent moon hidden in the distant stretches of mountain beyond, resembling a drunken eye. d loosened the rudder and happily jumped down to the rear of the deck, stretching his neck alongside his nsmen to celebrate. ¡°Woo¡ª¡ª¡± ¡°We escaped¡ª¡ª¡± ¡°Ah-woo¡ª¡ª¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u rubbed her ears. The wolves howled one after another and it was a bit too much for her eardrums. Sitting for a while, she tried to stand up. She was probably just too nervous because she tried twice without sess. As she climbed up the ship¡¯s side, ready to try for a third time, suddenly a pair of thick boots appeared in her line of sight. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u followed the leather boots up and high above head, she saw Holden¡¯s face. The disparity between their heights, not to mention this angle, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s neck began to ache and she simply bowed her head to not look at him, dark eyes turning to search for something. Holden saw that she did not speak to him and bowed his knees, squatting in front of the girl and caught her eye. ¡°What method did you just use?¡± He said with a tone filled with great interest. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u shifted her gaze but brought them back to Holden¡¯s serene green pupils. A short whileter, she tilted her head to the side and gave an irrelevant answer, ¡°I will leave tomorrow morning, did you remember what you promised me?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Holden¡¯s lips hooked up, his voice easy-going. However, in the next second, he changed his tone, ¡°I can let you leave, but you took my things and I traded them for food. Furthermore, that leopard cub destroyed my cabin. I can¡¯t just forget that.¡± Holden¡¯s words ¡°things¡± exchanged for food referred to J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s backpack. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u tightly pursed her lips and his clear eyes looked at Holden. She had known all along that the wolf race were cunning and that dealing with them had great risk. ¡°Then what do you want?¡± ¡°You stay behind ande back to the race with me,¡± Holden did not beat around the bush, ¡°then I won¡¯t look into these anymore.¡± ¡°. . .¡± Holden saw her silence and his brow tilted up slightly, ¡°You don¡¯t want to? The females in our race are treated well, at least better than the leopards.¡± Holden saw her with the little leopard and automatically considered her ¡°the leopard¡¯s female¡±. ¡°Pity, the leopard race cannotprehend protective feelings for the fairer sex, and the boss is ruthless and violent, and he was defeated by me. You are so weak, if you go back to the leopard race, you¡¯ll only to be bullied. It would be better for you to go back with me, I will treat you well.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u said nothing, using silence to express her resistance. She was not a female of the leopard race, and she wasn¡¯t going back tot he leopard race anyway. She just wanted to find a way back, back to her familiar 21st century. This ce was full of crisis everywhere, and the beastmen were strong and brutal. They could eat her at any time. It was impossible for her to survive here. Holden looked at the desperate girl in the corner and still wanted to speak, but he felt something press to his waist. ¡°Zzz, zzz,¡± the sound of electricity sounded out again and the girl¡¯s ck as ink eyes looked straight at him, steady and resolute. Holden had seen the power of this thing. When he was electrified, he was numb and without any strength, even now he could still feel the pain. ¡°Okay, okay,¡± Holden held up his hands inpromise and he smiled without panic, ¡°I¡¯ll have d dock at dawn, you can leave at any time.¡± * J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked around and finally caught sight of a familiar shadow in the corner. Ryan was still lying safely on the ground, but his would had not been deal with and his fur was soaked in blood. He didn¡¯t move a single bit, probably storing his strength. His eyelids opened slightly and deep blue eyes shifted, falling on the sight of J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and Holden. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u approached, seeing two wolves about to lift him up. The beastmen were moving roughly and she saw a w about to touch the leopard¡¯s wound and she quickly cried out, ¡°Don¡¯t touch it!¡± The two wolves looked at each other, but because J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had just helped them through the reef, and even the patriarch was polite to her, they obeyed. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u borrowed a room from Holden and carried the leopard back to it, gentlyying him on the bed. She closed the windows and the doors, hurriedly removing the medicine kit from the space and removing disinfectant and gauze to clean his wound. After several experiences with this, Ryan was resigned to her ability to take things out from nowhere and he silently closed his eyes. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u skillfully cleaned up his wounds and wrapped it up in clean bandages. Finishing this, she looked at the watch and saw it was two in the morning. She could still rest for four hours before dawn. Too much had happened that night and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was too tired, falling asleep shortly after lying on the bed. But the boat swayed too much and she slept so restlessly that she was already awake by six o¡¯clock. Holden did not go back on his word and told the helmsman to halt the boat near shore. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u carried the backpack and the little leopard off the boat and looked back at the young leader standing on the deck. Holden leaned his arms on the rudder, asking onest time, ¡°Really won¡¯t consider going back to the race with me?¡± This sentence irritated J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, and he saw the girl¡¯s lips tightened. This time, she straightforwardly turned her head and left. Holden bowed his head, watching the girl¡¯s figure vanish into the forest, only taking his light of sight back to order the nsmen to set sail. || >>> Chapter 16 Gentle Beast Chapter 16 The snow in the forest had not melted yet and there was endless white everywhere. Because the blizzard hade in fast, the leaves of the fir trees had notpletely fallen off yet and snow covered the still green branches, as if someone poured ayer of cake icing over them. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s clothes were thin, but Holden had sent a goose down coat with her before she disembarked. The goose down here was not as good as the 21st century, the outeryer wasn¡¯t polyester, but for J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, it was the best thing to keep warm. She was not self-conscious toward Holden, thanks to the it. After all, no one could embarrass her over her body. This coat ought to be based on Holden¡¯s size. Holden had said it was a coat jacket, but on her, the hem touched her knees and it was simply a very long coat. Putting it on, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u felt much warmer. She trampled the shallow depths of the snow, worried for the little leopard, and she wrapped him up inside with her, exposing only his furry head and little round ears. Ryan was treated as a pet by her for days now, so his eyelids slid half shut, ustomed to it. The girl¡¯s body was still emitting that sweet scent, and without the disguise of the sachet, she attracted many of the foraging species along the way. Ryanid in J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s arms and, to the beastmen following them to the right, he drew back the corners of his mouth and exposed sharp teeth, his expression fierce. His entire posture menacing. Even if he was small now, the leopard¡¯s prestige and power were unmatched. In the distance, the antelope beastmen met Ryan¡¯s fierce eyes and immediately retreating, turning and fleeing far. Ryan¡¯s tongue pressed against his teeth and he licked them slowly. Suddenly though, a miserable feeling grew in his chest. ¡ª¡ªHe was actually reduced to scaring away these cowardly herbivores. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not know what was in his heart, but she did see the many herivorous races that had smelled her body and followed her. She also saw when they discovered the leopard in her arms and ran off, she reached out to scratch his chin lightly, ¡°Ah, how about I give you a name?¡± All this way, she did not know his name and she didn¡¯t know how to call him, and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had already had this idea long ago. Ryan lifted his eyelid but remained unmoved. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u became full of zest and began to speak, tilting her head askew, ¡°¡¶The Book of Songs¡·, said the nobleman T¨¢o T¨¢o, was harmony and happiness. Additionally, T¨¢o T¨¢o means to speed up, isn¡¯t T¨¢o T¨¢o quite a good name for you? Not all leopards run fast, the name suits you.¡± ¡°. . .¡± Ryan endured and continued to endure, struggling to resist the urge to tell her his name. What was T¨¢o T¨¢o? It sounded stupid. Ryan¡¯s face became dispirited. She said so many words, but he could only understand thest two sentences. However, this had not ended yet. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u finished thinking about his name and suddenly became aware of a serious problem. ¡ª¡ªShe still did not know the gender of this little leopard. Was it female or male? When they first met, she only thought he was small, injured and pathetic. She did not even consider his gender. Later on, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u deliberately did not think in this regard. Right then, she patted her forehead. She still didn¡¯t know if it was male or female. Ryan stared at her, and somehow had an incredibly bad feeling. Sure enough, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u immediately bent over and set him on the soft snow. With all his limbs facing up, Ryan felt J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u groping along his body and then her two hands gently held each of his hind legs and began to pull them apart. . . Up until then, it had been too slow for Ryan to realize what she was going to do. He started to struggle, but his hind leg was unfortunately injured and bandaged, so he could not expend much energy. The girl freed one hand to hold his forelegs and soothed him, ¡°Do not be afraid. . . I only want to look.¡± Struggling, Ryan realized it was hopeless. He could not even shake off such a weak female. Ryan¡¯s heart turned to ashes, and allowed the girl to break open his legs and observe his life. But, the girl was unaware of hisck of resistance, or that he could understand her words. She stared at his lower body for a long while and only slowly, suddenly sighed, ¡°. . .so you are male.¡± Ryan: ¡°. . .¡± * Holden¡¯s boat was heading east and after a day and night, it traveled quite the distance. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked at thepass and hobbled along in the snow for half an hour. Her shoes were soaked. Her hands and feet were cold, her feet almost frozen to numbness, and she wanted to find a ce to rest. Just now, she saw a lot of herbivores on the road, were they close to their tribe? If so, could she ask them to take her in for a night? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked down at herself. She wasn¡¯t wearing any animal hides, and there were no animal teeth or horns adorning her. She should not look carnivorous to them? The only ce of discord was. . . She stared at the little leopard in her hands and saw it open his mouth in a huge yawn, exposing shiny sharp teeth. How was she going to disguise this guy? He wasn¡¯t like a car, right? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was a little worried. All the herbivores feared the meat eating species. Even Eric, the reindeer¡¯s strongest warrior was terrified of leopards. She just noticed that there were antelope, rabbit, giraffe, elk, and other herbivorous beastmen species around. If they saw the leopard, would their reaction be the same as Eric¡¯s? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u embraced ¡°T¨¢o T¨¢o¡± tightly and stepped forward. She did not go far, seeing there were several races in front of her, and on the road noticed many sharp horns of the antelope species. There were really tall giraffes with ears upright, and rabbits with prominent front teeth. . . this was a smallmunity of herbivorous species. From a distance, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u saw a group of beastmen leaving a doorway and starting toe her way. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u held the leopard cub in her hands. This was herst hope. If she could not sessfully borrow a resting ce, she would freeze to death after it was dark. But how was she going to handle the leopard? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u painstakingly thought and finally had a realization, thinking of a method. Since her backpack and other things could be taken out and put into the space, was it possible to put this little leopard into it? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, eager to try, held the leopard¡¯s forelimbs in her hands and raised her head, looking at him seriously. Ryan: ¡°. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u closed her eyes, like she usually did when taking things out, and looked in the space for a quiet, clean ce, and she put the leopard there. Opening her eyes, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked at her hands and found her palms empty, there was nothing there. When she closed her eyes again, she could see the little leopard standing in the corner of the space, his body pressed down under pressure, his fore paws pressing hard into the ground, and his head swerving around in search. It really was unexpected, but J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was unable to contain her joy. Did her space raise another level? Even living things can be put in it? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u worried that the leopard would destroy her supplies in the space, deliberately moved it a little further away. Having settled everything, she looked up and saw several beastmen approaching her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u saw a head of huge, ornate antlers, and a back carrying a bamboo basket, and a strong, sturdy body. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u nced at the one walking in the middle of the deer and she opened her mouth in surprise¡ª¡ªit was Eric! Eric apparently also saw her and stopped, inconceivably shocked, and cried out, ¡°¨­u?!¡± * J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was sitting in a rattan chair. The beastmen were very tall and the chairs were high. Her legs hung dangling in midair. She held a cup of hot ginger tea in her hands and drank half, warmth spreading from her stomach to her limbs. Eric sat opposite her and was constantly adding firewood to the firece. The furnishings in this room were very simple. To make it moisture proof, the floor was built at a distance from the ground. There was a bed, a table, two wooden benches, and some other simple furniture in the room. Eric added firewood and took the initiative to break the silence, ¡°¨­u, how did you escape from that boat?¡± That night, he saw J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u board that sailboat and, ording to the beastman manning the ferry, it was a ship full of wolves. Although it was hard to understand why she had boarded that boat, but Eric was still very worried about her. Wolves were not good, and they were willing to let her go back intact? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u briefly talked about what happened that day, from finding the leopard on the boat to sailing through the reef, she then talked about the wolf race¡¯s conditions. She narrated systematically and in full detail, concealing nothing. Eric listened with a look of reverance in his eyes, and praised generously, ¡°You¡¯re great, ¨­u!¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u touched her cheek and did not tell Eric that arge part of the credit went to thepass. ¡°Why are you here?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u changed the subject. Eric smiled and said, ¡°You forgot. I told you before, I was going to the Elk Vige instead of my grandfather for this meeting. After you left, I came here by boat. This vige¡¯s patriarch prepared a house for me, and if you have no ce to live, you can stay here. There are two rooms and I live in the south room.¡± For the homeless J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, this invitation was simply too precious. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was unceasingly grateful, saying again and again, solemnly, ¡°Thank you, Eric.¡± Eric was too embarrassed to stand up and scratched his antlers, and looked around for words to say, ¡°¨­u, why don¡¯t I see that leopard?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u faltered, ¡°Uh. . . it¡¯s foraging elsewhere and hasn¡¯te back yet.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Eric said, not suspicious, and thoughtfully said, ¡°¨­u, you couldn¡¯t have had a good restst night. It it best to rest for a while. I¡¯lle and call you for dinner.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u nodded in agreement and, when Eric was ready to go, suddenly remembered to ask for a map. After Eric left, shey in bed and looked over the map carefully. Only a few nearby races were painted on the map in scattered areas. There area was in the north-western part of Bornia, quite a long distance from the east. Last night, not only did she sleep for only four hours and very unstably, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked for only a little while before sleepiness set in. She rubbed her eyes with her fingers and hoped to strengthen her spirit for a little while longer. But the fire in the firece was too strong and the whole room was warm and dry. It did not take long before she was deeply asleep. Shepletely forgot there was still a small animal in her space. * When it got dark, Eric came over to invite J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u out for dinner. He had made a delicious cabbage turnip soup and fried onion potatoes. ¡°¨­u, have you woken up?¡± Eric asked as he knocked on the door. The door was silent. Waiting for a moment, Eric once again knocked on the door, ¡°¨­u?¡± There was still no answer. Eric was full of doubt. ¨­u still hadn¡¯t woken up? But even forgetting the time, the firewood had long burnt out. Wasn¡¯t she cold? Eric thought for a moment, distrusting, and lifted a hoof to push on the door. ¡°¨­u, I¡¯ming in?¡± The door squeaked open. Eric subconsciously looked in the direction of the mattress and his pupils immediately contracted, stiffing in his ce. On the bed, the slender and delicate girly there sleeping. And on the inner side of the bed, there was a huge beastly leopard. There were dark spots under dark blue eyes and the huge body almostpletely covered the girl. The leopard¡¯s long, powerful tail swayed behind it, sweeping the floor in a swinging motion, shaking the dust from the ground. Just then, its tail rolled in front of its body and wrapped around the girl¡¯s legs. The giant leopard lifted its ws and ced on the girl¡¯s ear, lifting his eyes casually to look toward the door. Chapter 17 Gentle Beast Chapter 17 The entire sky over the Elk Vige was filled with smoke, tendrils of grey rising in spirals where they fused into rays of light and dissipated. A little closer in the distance, the curtain of darkness pulled forward bit by bit and the ck spotlight poured forward. Where ever it went, the bright sky was divided into two ck-and-white halves of the world. Night came quietly behind Eric and quickly passed over his head, instantly engulfing him in darkness. Fortunately, the bonfire in the yard was still lit and illuminated everything in front of him. Eric¡¯s body was stiff and he stared at therge leopard before him for half a minute, only for his legs to soften and he almost fell to the floor. Although Eric was the strongest warrior of his race, he still could not be put into the eyes of the ferocious leopard race. He typically only led the race to resist the attack of some weak carnivorous species, such as foxes, weasels, etc. but never dared to content with therge cat species. On one hand, their speed was inferior to the leopard race. On the other, the leopard¡¯s ferocity was worse than the others. But most importantly, the main source of food for the leopards were the deer race. Many of Eric¡¯spanions were dead in the mouths of the leopards. One could only imagine, the moment he saw a leopard, especially one of this extraordinary caliber, how much panic and fear must have been in his heart. Eric held tight to the door frame, and his first instinct was to run away. He turned and quickly ran out of the room, but his antlers were toorge and they hit the door with a loud ¡°bang¡±, and the whole cabin swayed with his hit. At the same time, his antlers were stuck in the gap between the frame. Eric twisted his body and looked inside as he struggled. Ryanid on the bed and made a move to show he was greatly dissatisfied, bearing his teeth in aggression. The girl beside him was disturbed by the sound and her eyebrows creased into a frown. Because she was too tired, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not even wake up and rolled over, raising her hand to rub her eyes and falling back to sleep. Ryan raised a w and hisrge w was bigger than the girl¡¯s cheek, and he set it next to her ear. It covered up her exquisitely delicate face slightly. ¡°Just be quiet,¡± the heavy, unhappy voice sounded out and reverberated in this tiny wooden house. Then, he slowly, without any civility, threatened, ¡°Make noise and I¡¯ll eat you.¡± Eric held his breath and swallowed nervously, afraid to make even the slightest noise. Even the antlers were suddenly lighter and moved easier. He finally pulled them out of the door and turned around, watching the leopard on the bed lifting his paw to hover over the girl¡¯s head. The leopard¡¯s eyes were deep, his expression unpredictable, and Eric didn¡¯t know what to think. In the firelight, the ws of that paw radiated a cold, sharp light. Eric fretted. In a single moment, the leopard could pierce her fragile temples. Eric was so terrified his face went pale white. This time he was unable to change his own position, but he still cried with confusion, his body steadfast, ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± ¡°No. . . don¡¯t treat ¨­u like that,¡± he was desperately calm, carefully mulling over his words. To be honest, Eric felt confused. Looking at the color of this leopard¡¯s markings, it should be the leopard that was always around J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. How had he changed so quickly from a child to an adult? And now, the leopard race could masquerade as a weakling to cheat a female¡¯s sympathy?! Wasn¡¯t that something only the wolves would do? Eric did not know what his purpose following J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was. But, no matter what, a carnivorous species following a herbivorous female. . . it could not be good. Eric decided to save J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u from the giant leopard. ¡°¨­u, ¨­u has always treated you as a friend. . . she is very friendly to you,¡± Eric boldly stepped forward a few steps, slowly nearing the beat, and suppressed the fear in his voice though it still trembling. Ryan slid his eyes to the side to look at him, indifferent, and not very pleased with his appearance. Of course she was good to him. She once said to him before that she had raised a kitten in her house, and she treated him like a cat. ¡°Last time, in order to save you, ¨­u went on that ship full of wolves alone. You should be grateful to her. . . if ¨­u hadn¡¯t been there, you may have note back at all,¡± Eric met the leopard¡¯s indifferent gaze and instantly felt timid, his voice bing smaller, ¡°So. . . you cannot hurt ¨­u. . .¡± Help! He actually dared to talk about the safety of a leopard. He felt his death may have been right around the corner. However, after a long time, the expected anger was not present. He slowly looked at therge leopard to see it lower its head and watch the girl who had curled up on the bed. The leopard¡¯s eyes were deep blue, as if they contained seas within. She was on the wolf boat to save him? Before that, Ryan had always thought she was there to get her bag back. Speaking of backpacks, Ryan¡¯s eyebrows furrowed. Where has she put him just now? He saw an empty, nk space, as well as her backpack and the milk and jerky she often fed him. More than anything, he had never seen any of the items there. Was this were she usually ¡°took things out of thin air¡± from? What was thatpletely nk area? There was such a ce on the Bornia continent? This space seemed to be static, but it also flowed quickly. Ryan¡¯s body had be more and more heavy, his mind more and more tired. Thest thing he remembered was lying on the ground and closing his eyes. When he woke up again, it was here, in this form, and on this bed. Ryan had tried every means to change his body back and could not. Yet, unexpectedly, just a little sleep and it changed back. What opportunity was this? Ryan could not understand. He previously thought that the key to regaining his body was in the wolf¡¯s hands, but it appeared not now. His nails gently pointed at the girl¡¯s smooth fave and gradually reached up, pausing as it reached her skull. His posture was motionless, thoughtful. This movement appeared dangerous to Eric, as if in the next second, this beast would open up J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s body to eat her. He could not let him hurt ¨­u. Eric thought so and secretly lowered his antlers, gathering the greatest courage of his life. When the leopard was unprepared, he leaned over, bowed his head, and jerked forwards to the beast¡¯s stomach. Ryan tilted his neck and slid backward two inches. While he watched, the reindeer quickly picked up the sleeping girl in his arms and ran towards the door. Ryan¡¯s expression sank, unconsciously turning into a scowl, and he twitched his tail, stretching it forward, flexibly striking against Eric¡¯s calf. He did not have to move a single finger, watching Eric¡¯s center unsteadily lean forward¡ª¡ª One dear and one girl were thrown to the floor one after the other. * ¡°Uh. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was awakened by pain. The back of her head hit the hardwood floor and she felt a little wooden. At the same time, another heavy weight was pressed down on her, making her unable to breathe. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u tightened her eyebrows and slowly opened her eyes, looking up at Eric¡¯srge antlers then down to his dark eyes. ¡°Eric?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u mind felt stupid, and she could not figure out what was going on. She looked around to see that she was still in the room she had gone to bed in, but. . . why was she on the ground? And why was Eric here? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u raised her arm and rubbed at her temples, thinking that the sleep left her confused. Eric propped himself up with one hand and looked at the puzzled look on the girl¡¯s face, his cheeks suddenly blushed. He quickly jumped up from the ground and stood straight, coughing twice and giving a flustered exnation, ¡°¨­u, you, you woke up. . . I knocked on the door beforeing in. I cooked dinner but you didn¡¯t respond, and I was worried about what would happen to you, and I just came in to see. I hope you won¡¯t me me.¡± Tension and panic aside, Eric spoke a little incoherently. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u nodded in understanding and shook her head again. ¡°It¡¯s okay. . . I just haven¡¯t slept too well for too long. . .¡± While asleep, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had a very strange dream. She dreamed she was under a giant furry doll, and the doll¡¯s tail kept tangling with her legs. No matter how hard she struggled, she could not get rid of it. Therge doll was very hairy and it wrapped up her whole body, making her especially warm. She subconsciously relied on it, drawing warm, despite feeling that it was very dangerous. She wanted to escape, but her whole person was caught up in contradictory desires. Waiting for J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u to finish speaking, Eric seriously grasped her wrist and pulled to take her outside, ¡°¨­u, we need to get out of here.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was not fully awake and blinked, following a few steps, ¡°. . . why?¡± Eric said, looking back to the bed, ¡°It¡¯s dangerous here, the leopard. . .¡± Halfway through the words, they were abruptly brought to an end. He just saw therge, majestic size off the beastly leopard. But, without knowing when, it had suddenly changed back to look like a child. Its body was smaller, reduced to the average size of a cub. The bed around it was caved in halfway, the only traces of his previous body¡¯s weight. The bandage, which originally wrapped around its hind leg, was now broken into pieces and scattered on the ground when it became bigger. Eric: ¡°. . .¡± || >>> Chapter 18 Gentle Beast Chapter 18 Ryan stared at his front paws with rigid fixation. They were young again, and the paw pads were pink. He turned to look behind him and saw his long tail had shrunk as well. It wasn¡¯t offensive in the least and obediently hung to the ground, it tilted slightly, and seemed harmless and stupid. He had once again returned to this damned infancy. Ryan clenched his teeth tight. After a short time of several fluctuations in his mood, no one¡¯s expression was going to look good. On the other side, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and Eric were equally shocked. She was drowsy but suddenly woke up all of a sudden, and she stared at the bed where the leopard was ¡°entertaining himself¡± and tried hard to recall something. He wasn¡¯t in her space? When did hee out? How did he get out? She thought for a moment but could not find any impression of it. Was it possible that when she struggled to sleep, she identally released him from her space? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u moved toward the bed a few steps, wanting to approach the little leopard and see what was going on. Suddenly her wrist was grabbed tightly by Eric who had just stepped outside the room. Eric¡¯s eyes widened and he shook his head, hesitating, ¡°¨­u. . . you cannot go there.¡± Eric was unable toprehend the scene before his eyes, this was beyond outrageous. What he saw just now was an obviously adult leopard, how in the blink of an eye, did it be a small innocent cub? ¡°Why can¡¯t we go?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, although puzzled, still stopped in ordance to his words. ¡°Because. . . it. . .¡± Eric hemmed and hawed, his ordinarily clever tongue was now stuck, unable to link words into sentence. He was both afraid of Ryan bing bigger and searching out his race to cause trouble, but also worried that J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u would be unable to ept it. He hesitated for half the day, then callously entrusted, ¡°You fell asleep a moment ago, your leopard, it became. . .¡± ¡ª¡ªIt became a mature leopard and wanted to do something detrimental to you. Unfortunately, this sentence did not have the chance to finish. The little leopard on the bed quickly raised his eyes and they shed coldly, his hind limbs exerting force to jump up and over to Eric. Eric was caught off guard and he staggered back two steps, feeling in front of him that ck¡ª¡ª That leopard was lying on top of his face. Immediately afterwards, it pointed its pointed ws at his face and, with both hands, he sessfully dragged six bloodstains down Eric¡¯s cheeks. ¡°Oh¡ª¡ª¡± Eric covered his face and cried out loud. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .¡± When had this leopard and deer gotten into such a knotted grudge. . . ? * Because of the darkness outside, the dinner was eaten inside J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s house. It was a meal to end all thoughts. Eric would, from time to time, look to J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s side where the leopardid, with his expressionless face, and if the cub did anything at all, he would immediately stand and tightly guard J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u behind him. Just like the first time he saw the leopard cub. And if Eric tried to say anything to J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u in a whisper, the leopard would immediately dart to Eric¡¯s side and unsheathe his ws as a threat. Thus, Eric, with his blood-stained face, sullenly finished dinner. Afterwards, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u took the initiative to clean up the dishes and the chopsticks. Eric did not stay long and was preparing to leave. But before departing, he looked profoundly into J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s eyes then the little leopard¡¯s, and though he wanted to say something, ended up leaving without saying a word. Sending Eric off, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u pointed at the leopard¡¯s head and said,¡°T¨¢o T¨¢o, how can you be so mean to Eric?¡± ¡°T¨¢o T¨¢o¡± was shouted out. Ryan was toozy to lift his eyelids, and he refused to recognize this stupid name. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u also hadn¡¯t expected to see his hind leg¡¯s bandages were shredded apart. And though she didn¡¯t know how he had done it, she moved aside the wooden bench by the firece and carefully reapplied the bandage. The burning fire in the firece made the room warm and serene. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u wrapped the bandage around to one side and warned, ¡°You¡¯re still injured and now you¡¯re hurt again. Even when it gets better, you might be left with seque*. It¡¯s winter now and Eric said there¡¯s going to be a blizzard in a few days. We should stay here for a while. Take advantage of the time and let this wound heal. Ryan did not respond, and he was thinking about something else. Why did he return to this size so soon after reaching his original shape? What did this have to do with J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s ''space¡±? After his wound was dressed, Ryanid on J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s legs and patted the back of her hand with his paw pads, tilting his head to stare at her. Trying to enter her space again To no avail, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not know what was in Ryan¡¯s heart and only say him acting spoiled, like a cat treating its own family, so she scratched under his head, ¡°Well, you lie here. I need to go out for a while, I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± Eric¡¯s face was full of bloody scratches. There shouldn¡¯t be any rabies virus here, but it would be better to make sure. But when J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u found Eric, he was already asleep so she had to give up. * Early the next morning, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­uwoke from her sleep. The leopard was lying on the table next to the firece with his eyes closed in slumber. The courtyard was silent, Eric had gone out even earlier. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u remembered that light night Eric said he was going to meet the Elk Vige patriarch but woulde back around noon. Eric had prepared breakfast before leaving and left J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u some. The room next to Eric¡¯s was the kitchen. It was simr to the kitchen of rural areas in the 1970s or 1980s, with a stone brick stove hollowed out in the middle and arge wok set there, capable of making simple dishes. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u opened the bamboo lid and saw inside three pieces of steaming, fluffy, and golden corn cakes, along with a small dish of honey. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u scooped out some honey with a wooden spoon and spread it on the cakes. They were soft and tasted sweet and delicious. Filling her belly, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u took some cereal and soaked it in milk, feeding it to the leopard as breakfast. Shortly after, she heard Eric¡¯s voiceing back from outside. Eric¡¯s cheeks were visibly scratched on both sides but, though it looked a little funny, he seemed very happy. ¡°The sweet potato field behind the vige is ripe and the patriarch has invited me to dig potatoes in the afternoon. He promised to give me some if the harvest is good.¡± Because of the impending snowstorm, Eric had to spend more time in the Elk Vige. There is very little food in winter and there was not much for the Elk to share with Eric. If Eric wanted to fill his belly, he had to go out and look for other ingredients. Right now, with J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and the little leopard, the weight on Eric¡¯s shoulders were not light. ¡ª¡ªThough, he was very reluctant to feed the leopard. If he could get some sweet potatoes this time, then they would not have to worry about food for the next few days. ¡°Really? That¡¯s great.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was happy for him and could not help but ask after a moment of thought, ¡°Eric, can I go with you this afternoon?¡± Eric said, ¡°The snow outside has not melted and walking is very difficult. If you want something, just tell me, ¨­u, and I¡¯ll bring it back.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u pondered it over but still insisted, ¡°I want to go out and see for myself.¡± Before, on the way to the vige, she was in a hurry to find a ce to stay and did not pay careful attention to her surroundings. But now she wanted to go back and make sure. * That afternoon, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and Eric went together. Because she knew the beastmen here were afraid of the carnivores, this time J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not bring the leopard with her and left it at home alone. The sweet potato field was located to the rear of the vige and was about 78 acres, surrrounded by a low fence wall. Once at the grounds, Eric raised his sleeves and helped the nsmen of the vige. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u turned away nearby. She had gone out for two things this time. Although the firece here burned at night, it was ice and snow outside and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u only had a thin nket that wasn¡¯t warm enough. If she could find cotton around here, making a quilt would make things much warmer. The other thing she wanted to do was to find something to cover up the scent of estrus. Ovtion onlysted about a week in women and she could not always rely on the smell of pepper and spices. She had to find something else. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u remembered that on the way to the vige she had seen something simr to cotton on the side of the road. She had unfortunately been too anxious to take a closer look. She followed the path back a ways and carefully watched the nts around her. There were not many nts in winter and she could see the end in a single nce. It did not take long before she saw a nt that looked like cotton with soft bits in it. The cotton was white and it was the same color as the surrounding snow. It was easy to ignore if one wasn¡¯t looking carefully. Was there a difference between this flower and real cotton? Would it make the quilt warm enough? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u temporarily decided to hold onto the cotton and think about it againter. The people here shouldn¡¯t know the use of cotton and to see this piece of open space filled with it. No one was picking them and their buds bulged, unexpectedly thriving even in winter. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u filled a bamboo basket full but still felt it wasn¡¯t enough, so she put a lot of it into her space. Checking the time, it was almost time for her and Eric to meet up. On the road back, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u saw catnip covered in snow her eyes brightened. She quickly picked some and put it into her basket. Finding the two things she needed most, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was satisfied and her footsteps very rxed. Back at the sweet potato fields, Eric was just finishing his picking and they returned to the Elk Vige together. They hadn¡¯t entered the vige yet but could see a lot of the beastmen standing inside, then a female screamed. Faintly they could hear them say, ¡°Drive it out¡±, ¡°Get it out of here¡±, ¡°He¡¯s going to bite us¡±, and so on. Having been there for two days, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u understood the Elk race¡¯s character. They were gentle and friendly, and they rarely shed with other races, much less shouting like this now. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s heart sped up, and she suddenly had a bad feeling. She quickened her pace and poked through the crowd to get to the front. Still unsettled, she heard the deafening roar of the elk patriarch¡ª¡ª ¡°Who brought this carnivorous species here?!¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked up and saw that in front there was a rectangr wooden table covered with corn. And on top, where the sun was warm, feeling immensely pleased with itself, her little leopard was curled up on the corn. Basking in the sun, he leisurely nced around at the crowd. Soon, the blue eyes turned and fell on J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. Hiszy and dismissive attitude contrasted sharply with the patriarch¡¯s anger. || >>> Chapter 19 Gentle Beast Chapter 19 ¡°I. . . it¡¯s mine.¡± A soft, hesitant voice sounded out in the crowd. It was quiet and surrounded by the beastmen¡¯s panic, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s voice did not attract attention. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stood next to the beastmen and when the leopard looked in her direction, they all recoiled as if in the face of the enemy. Though Ryan¡¯s small body had little threat, who could guarantee he would not lead other leopards to their vige? The Elk race had lived here for hundreds of years, content with their lot in life, and got along well with the neighboring races. They did not want to attract the genocide of entire ns. The elk n¡¯s patriarch was named George and was the eldest of the elks. He had a white beard and a rich voice. When he faced a crisis, his even temper would be no good. His beard flew all over and his eyes opened wide. Seeing that no one admitted to it, he asked again, ¡°Who brought this leopard in? None of you know?¡± The elk patriarch said while blowing at his beard, arranging the strongest youths of the n to surround and protect them. At the same time, he asked the people to find the origin of the leopard. Yesterday, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u followed Eric back to his temporary residence in the courtyard and several beastmen had seen her. There were not many beastmen in this vige and there were not many to ask about it. Even hiding it wouldn¡¯t cover it for long. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u silently took a step forward, her head bowed in resignation, and with a tone of having lost and found her property, said, ¡°I, I brought him in.¡± The Elk patriarch and all the nsmen¡¯s eyes clung to her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u regretted severely. Why didn¡¯t she put him into her space when she left? She underestimated the leopard race¡¯s ability to get into trouble, but also their sense of presence. Why couldn¡¯t he know his ce and stay in the room? Nevertheless, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u still tried to justify for ¡°T¨¢o T¨¢o¡±, ¡°He¡¯s actually really good, and not the same as the others. . . he was abandoned by the leopards and will not lead them here to hurt you.¡± After a pause, she added to strengthen her word¡¯s credibility, ¡°I promise.¡± She was unaware of the ¡°covering up¡± tone her words had taken on. The Elk beastmen stared at her suspiciously. Perhaps it was because of her unknown origin, but J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s words did not convince them. Yesterday, everyone knew that Eric brought back a female with a human face. Every race had produced a few beastmen evolved very close to the humans, but they were extremely rare and gifted, different and imposing. Like the wolf race¡¯s Holden. Rare, but not umon. The others, they did not know J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. ¡°Sorry, we cannot believe you.¡± Seeing that the other was a female, the patriarch took a deep breath, unclear on how a female had such courage. ¡°The leopards are born brutal, and every year there are countless deer that die under the ws. Even if it was abandoned, it cannot deny that it feeds on the deer n!¡± Patriarch George said this clearly. The patriarch¡¯s words caused his nsmen to resonate, but also triggered their innate fear of the leopard race. The beastmen immediately left J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s side, watching her with hesitation and inquisition. Among the crowd, Eric looked at the isted girl and hesitated several times, but he did not go forward to help her. After all, yesterday he had seen Ryan¡¯s true form, and watched his ws sh towards hers, wanting to harm her. He could not convince himself that this was a harmless beast. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u tightened her hold on the basket straps and raised her eyes to look at the leopard lying on the corn rack. Ryan also looked at her, deliberately putting away his arrogance, and his expression was peaceful and without waves. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought if only he had been so obedient from the start, then said to the elk patriarch, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, patriarch, I. . .¡± ¡°It cannot stay here,¡± before J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u finished, George interrupted her coldly and said, ¡°For the sake of the race¡¯s security, I hope you will leave our vige as soon as possible.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .¡± Eric atst couldn¡¯t help but step out from the herd, ¡°Patriarch George, there is a storming soon. If you get rid of them now, they¡¯ll be buried by the blizzard. Do you think if you cold let them stay until the snowstorm stops?¡± George had to do official business ording to official principles, and he said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. As patriarch, I have to think of the security of the race. Who can guarantee that their stay will not endanger the n?¡± His tone shifted as he turned to J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, ¡°Female, leave immediately with the leopard.¡± * J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s n to make a quilt could onlye to an end. Eric, for the sake of his race, could only see her to the vige gate and said to her, ¡°¨­u, I¡¯m sorry. . . I did not speak for you.¡± In fact, his subconscious still thought of this leopard as very dangerous. He couldn¡¯t even begin to wonder why ¨­u wanted to be with it. But J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u understood where Eric wasing from. He was deathly afraid of the leopard race, but he managed to endure that fear. To get along with the leopard this long, it was already very rare to find. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u said it didn¡¯t matter, and after bidding Eric farewell, carried her backpack and hugged T¨¢o T¨¢o to her chest, preparing to leave the elk n. ¡°¨­u, you find a ce to stay nearby and when I finish with my grandfather¡¯s ount here, I will go look for you!¡± Eric could not feel at ease so he urged. But a cold wind swept by and whirled Eric¡¯s words far, far away. He did not know if they were blown to J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s ears. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u walked east along the road. The road was covered in snow and sunlight fell on it, reflecting ayer of glittering light up into her eyes, piercing them with pain. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u desperately wanted to take advantage of the time before the snowstorm to find a safe ce to stay the night. As soon as winter arrived, the blizzards were rather frequent, one after the other and leaving to respite. She was perhaps too urgent. Under the snow, many rugged stones were buried, and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s food caught on one, throwing her center of gravity off and dumped her forward into the snow. In the blink of an eye it took to fall, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u remembered the leopard in her arms. She feared crushing it, so she stiffly turned sideways. Fortunately, the snow as soft and it had fallen heavy, so there wasn¡¯t much pain. But J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not get up for a long time. In the snow, the girl wore a goose-down coat, revealing two slender, straight calves from beneath it. She hugged the gray striped leopard tightly in her arms and rested her chin on top of his head, her eyshes curling shut, silent. Ryan was held tight by the girl and there was no room to move. He struggled a little and the arms held him tighter. Ryan felt this body¡¯s resistance had no hope, so he simply gave up the struggle and let J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u hug him. After a while, his head felt a little hot, the hair seemed to be getting wet. The girl rubbed his head with her chin, and it was followed by a muffled, aggrieved voice¡±: ¡°T¨¢o T¨¢o, I really want to go home. . .¡± she asked, ¡°how about you?¡± Ryanid silently in her arms, his eyes taciturn in its depth. || >>> Chapter 20 Gentle Beast Chapter 20 J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u cried very quietly. She wasn¡¯t the type of kid to start screaming and shouting. Her parents always said she was obedient and well-behaved, like a littlemb. She loved to cry, but she always cried alone. Weeping silently, she wiped her tears away silently too and never disturbed anyone. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u buried her face in Ryan¡¯s small neck, her tears continuously overflowing from her eyes, scouring his fur. Leopard¡¯s fur was very short, and after getting wet, it was like a furry brush, and prickled her face a bit. Regardless, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u continued to cry for a long time, and if it wasn¡¯t for the asional sniffle of her nose, people would mistake her for having fallen asleep. Ryan raised his head to look into the forest overhead. It was winter, and the tree leaves had all fallen, leaving only bare branches and a clear view to the bright sky. asionally a bird flew by, causing snowkes to flutter down. The girl¡¯s sobs still rang in his ears. It was light and soft, as if there was nothing there at all, and the sound was one of pathetic abandonment. . . . Ryan hadn¡¯t thought she would be so sad. To be honest, he felt a little guilty. If not for him, she could have spent the entire long winter with that herbivorous race. Two days ago, Ryan might have thought about that. But, now, he only felt a little guilty, nothing more. Her ''space¡± held the key to him returning to normal. Before he could figure it out, he could not let go of her. Even if she cried while holding him so pathetically. When J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stopped crying, it was already an hourter. She rubbed against Ryan¡¯s neck and wiped her tears away, raising her red eyes and looking into the distance. The distant sky was clear and white clouds bloomed all across it. However, at the intersection of the horizon, the clouds intensified into an inky thickness. The rain on the mountain was silent. With thest experience, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u knew this was a sign of aing snowstorm. She sniffled her nose. In the end, she still wanted to live. She did not want to die quietly in this world. So she picked up her emotions and continued to walk on alone. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was lucky. Not that far away, she saw a deserted wooden cabin at the foot of the mountain. The shack was shabby and the door was eroded away by wormholes. It hung on the door frame and were on the verge of copsing when facing the cold wind. It was also small, and looked like there hadn¡¯t been anyone living there for a lont ime. THere was a thickyer of ice on the front and it was difficult to get down. However, for J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, this ce was a pleasant surprise. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u tiptoed around the frozen areas and walked into the wooden house, looking up and all around. The house¡¯s interior looked better than the outside. There was a wooden bed in the corner and next to it, a cupboard taller than her. There was a square table made of oak wood in the middle but the tabletop was also eroded away by wormholes. The floor was made of bamboo and there were two ces that were rotten into mold. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u wiped the top with a finger and the tip came away stained with a thickyer of ash and dirt. Maybe the owner had moved. This ce was a bit too shabby and too hold. In short, no one was really living here. No matter what, it was a good thing for J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. This meant that she could stay here in peace for the winter. When the snowstorm came, she wouldn¡¯t freeze to death for the time being. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was a very easy to please person. Looking around the cabin over and over again, her depression quickly cheered up and she put Ryan on the bed. Taking advantage of the light left before dark, she went outside to look for firewood. The hut was very close to the forest behind it, and there were a lot of dry branches nearby. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u picked up several seven or eight times and finally collected enough firewood for a night. When she came back, she put the firewood in the firece and lit one stick with a bit of gas and ignited the rest. The bright mes lit up and warmed up the icy cabin. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u found a stic basin in her space and went outside to fill it with snow, then she ced it next to the firece. When the snow melted into water, she wiped down the table, the cupboard and the bed with a toel. Even the floor was not spared. After all this was done, she looked up and the sky was dark. She intended to clear the ice at the door but had to give up. Although very tired, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u managed to get everything clean and, finally able to live in a cabin, felt a sense of aplishment. She took out her sleeping bags, nkets, and pillows one by one from her space. Because there were many people in her ss, there were about thirty or forty nkets. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u spread three on top of the bed and lied down to test it out. It was a little hard so she spread another two on top. She left a thicker nket to stay on top. The door was eroded, so J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u walked over and ced her hands on the door, thinking about how to deal with it. Suddenly the door fell forward with a ¡°bang¡± and hit the edge of her foot! J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u hurriedly retreated: ¡°. . .¡± This thing simply could not be used, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought. From her space, she found a double sleeping bag and stepping on a wooden bench, raised her hands to ce it on top of the door. The door became a littlerger and could not fit into the frame so J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u erected it in front and ced the wooden table behind it, so there was no more air leaking in at least. Ryanid on the soft bed watching the busy girl. Obviously, just moments before she had cried herself out of breath, and the next, it was as if nothing happened. This was nothing like the leopard females. Ryan lifted his front paws and licked at the fur with his barbed tongue, thinking. Female leopards were very independent and powerful. Everything could be solved alone. And this one. She was vulnerable, sensitive, fragile, but always tenaciously surviving. Not even this tenacity though, was worth mentioning before the mighty leopard race. * In the middle of the night, the blizzard arrived right on schedule. Outside, the cold wind whistled away and heavy snow covered the ground, fine snowkes rolling in through the gap of the door. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was not afraid of the cold. The firece was burning strong and the whole house was cast in ayer of warmth. Before the snowke couldnd, it was already melted. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u covered herself in the nkets and shrunk in the bed. Despite the firece heat, the snow was still raging and she felt chilly. After all, the nkets were not as warm as quilts. She hugged Ryan to her chest and tried to take some warmth from his plush fur. The sixteen-year-old girl¡¯s body had already begun to develop into its womanly shape. Her chest bulged slightly, like a soft, juicy peach. Take a bite, and the juice would overflow. Without the goose coat blocking it, she was much closer to Ryan. The fragrance of the girl came from all directions, and it was one that the female leopards did not have, sweet and aromatic. . . . Ryan froze stiff. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u wasn¡¯t aware of this, and her feelings for Ryan were probably about the same as those for her short-hair at home. She even rubbed her cheek against the tip of his nose, asking in a grumble, ¡°T¨¢o T¨¢o, do you think I can go home?¡± Ryan raised both his eyes and looked at the girl. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u felt a little sleepy and her eyes drooped half-shut, her cheeks rosy with warmth from the fire, and she heaved a drowsy sigh. Once J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could no longer stay awake, when she had closed her eyes to sleep, in her trace she seemed to hear a sound¡ª¡ª ¡°To hell with ¡®T¨¢o T¨¢o¡¯.¡± Then, he said: ¡°Remember. Ryan is my name.¡± The voice was low, like a warm wind blowing over dry grit, coarse and rough. It passed through the ear in a split second and inexplicably felt a little parched. Who was speaking? Who was Ryan? That name was a bit familiar. . . it seemed like she had heard it somewhere. . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u lost the fight with her eyes then andpletely fell asleep. * The next morning, the fire in the firece had turned to ash and the snowstorm seemed to have temporarily stopped. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was lying in bed and still had not gotten up. Her eyes were closed and her hands on her stomach, her entire body curled up into a ball. Ryan jumped out of bed, specting that she was cold because the fire had been extinguished. She had no fur, and he did not know how long winter was going to take. After all, he still had to rely on her to change back to his original form. He turned around in the room and found that there was nothing to start a fire, so Ryan went to the door and squeezed through a gap big enough for him to fit. It had snowed all night and snow covered the ground. Like a brush with white paint, it had coated the entire world a dazzling white. Ryan dragged his wounded hing leg and made a circle around the cabin. The branches were snow soaked and couldn¡¯t be burned. He had to go back down yesterday¡¯s road, back to the Elk Vige, and he ¡°borrowed¡± firewood from the patriarch¡¯s kitchen. However, this body was too small and he could only take two or three firewood each trip. On the fifth trip, he was finally discovered.¡± ¡°You¡ª¡ª¡± Patriarch George was frightened and angry, how did this leoparde back?! George was about to call his nsmen but Ryan pressed a paw on one end of the firewood and one instantly bounced off and hit the old patriarch in the antlers. The patriarch was hit and he clutched his antlers, retreating a few steps. Ryan took thest piece of firewood and jumped over the fence, turning around and ncing at the deer coldly. The look was cold, wishing to break him open. Scared stiff, the old patriarch remained frozen in ce, trembling and looking elsewhere. Going back and forth this way several times, when Ryan had collected enough firewood, it was almost noon. Ryan but a piece of firewood into the hearth. Fortunately the fire had not gone outpletely and, soon, the mes were burning bright again. But J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u still had not gotten up. Ryan finally realized something was wrong and jumped onto the bed, looking at the girl in the corner. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had shrunk in on herself. Her whole body ached, her hands and feet powerless. She felt as if she had been ran over by a heavy truck. She didn¡¯t even have the strength to open her eyes. Ryan stood beside her and watched the cold sweat leak from the girl¡¯s forehead. Originally he thought she was too cold to get out of bed, but it seemed that wasn¡¯t the case? By then, the fire had risen high and the room was dense with heat. An unusual scent spread through the air. It was rich, sweet, and came in silky traces smelling of blood. . . ¡ª¡ªthis smell came from the girl. Ryan looked over J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s to see she was intact and there were no visible injuries. But, the leopard¡¯s sense of smell was keen and could easily find the source of the scent. Ryan walked along J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s limbs one by one and scented from top to bottom, finally stopping his nose toward the middle of the girl¡¯s legs. || >>> Chapter 21 Gentle Beast Chapter 21 The pain in J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s lower belly continued to weigh her down. Usually, her physiological period wasn¡¯t so painful. This time, perhaps because of the cold weather, and the cold sweat, and her cold sweat, she was felt so much worse. Early in the morning, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u detected something was wrong, her belly bloating with pain, and there was something wet between her legs. When Ryan went out, she took off her panties and found the bloodstains on it. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u supported her body against the wall and scrambled to get her sanitary napkins and clean underwear out of her space and onto her body. Then she copsed into bed. At noon, she already hurt so much, she had turned pale as if to hover between life and death. She didn¡¯t know what the little leopard was doing all morning. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u only brought two packs of tampons total, barely enough for one period. This kind of intimate thing, most girls kept in their own bags, and that wouldn¡¯t be ced in the bus cabin, so she didn¡¯t have any extras. What was she going to do when this ran out? Would she have to learn how to use ashes like ancient women? Did the females here not have a menstrual period? How did they handle it? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u exceeded her mind¡¯s ability to think, and she felt dizzy. But there was a force pulling on her. . . pants? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was wearing sweat pants with an stic band. The force pulled very quickly and soon pulled her pants down to her hips. The cold air hit bare flesh and her exposed skin quickly rose in goosebumps. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked down to see the little leopard biting at her pants with his teeth, pulling down hard. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s cheeks flushed red and she reached out to stop him, embarrassed, ¡°You, what are you doing?¡± But she was weak, feverish, soft and small. However, Ryan had also be smaller, and his strength was also negligible,. The two people were unexpectedly in a bit of a deadlock. So, one girl, one leopard, and the stic band of a pair of sweatpants. They looked at each other. Ryan stared at her fixedly. She reeked of blood and herplexion was pale. She was obviously injured, but why wouldn¡¯t she let him see the wound? Thinking such, Ryan bit her pants again and dragged it down. ¡°Hey. . . don¡¯t. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u blocked it in a panic. The leopard¡¯s teeth were sharp and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u worried that he would tear her pants. This was her only pair of warm andfortable pants. She considered them her pajamas. This hesitation though, the sweatpants were sessfully dragged down by the leopard with a ''swoosh¡± all the way down to her thighs¡ª¡ª J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u opened her eyes wide in shock. Azure cotton panties wrapped around her exquisite pelvis, the girl¡¯s hips slender and skin white as snow. Above her straight legs was a delicate triangr area. Ryan stared closely, the scent of blood wasing from there. . . . . . . This ce. . . Was hurt? Once the scent of blood filled the air, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u suddenly understood what was going on. For a moment, her cheeks flushed a rose red. Despite the other being a leopard cub, she still felt indescribable shame. She clutched the pants¡¯ with her fingers and shuffled back on her butt, body curling like a shrimp. ¡°I. . . I¡¯m not hurt,¡± her teeth bit into her lower lip, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not know how to exin this to him, ¡°This. . . this is a normal physiological reaction, every month. . . I¡¯ll be fine in a few days. . .¡± Ryan¡¯s dark eyes looked at her and did not seem to understand her words. The leopard females also went into estrus. But almost every time, the estrus would be spent with a male and then begun the nurturing of the next generation, very rarely were there cases of no fertilization. Even then, they did not bleed as much as humans. So Ryan had almost never seen anything like this. The smell of blood was so dense, just how much was flowing? Ryan¡¯s expression became heavy, and he took step away from her limbs, wanting to continue examining her body. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u quickly shrunk to the corner, for fear of him stripping off her underwear. Maybe she was too weak right now, or maybe she was just too embarrassed to talk about such things, but was she even afraid of this little leopard? ¡°. . .You are not allowed toe over here!¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­umanded with thest of her strength. Ryan: ¡°. . .¡± She wasn¡¯t afraid of bleeding to death. . .? * The smell of blood filled the air. Ryan was lying beside the firece, tilting his head while watching the girl on the bed. He had thought she was hurt so badly it wouldn¡¯t take long for her to go into shock. . . But that was a long time ago, and she didn¡¯t look any sicker aside from being a bit paler in the face? She had bled for most of the day and was still able to stay awake. How much blood was hidden in that delicate body? Ryan was curious. At the same time, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked over at thezy leopard staring at her, and faced a dilemma. She changed the tampon at nine that morning and it was not three in the afternoon. They were supposed to be changed every three hours, but because the leopard was present, she feared that it would see her bleeding and take away her underwear when she took them off. Who knew that after he came back, he would just lie there, not moving! J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u clutched her stomach. She wanted to change the tampon. . . || >>> Chapter 22 Gentle Beast Chapter 22 J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u finally thought of a solution. When Ryan wandered back over to her side, she held back the pain in her belly and grabbed his tail with one hand, closed her eyes, and searched for a corner in her space, where she then put him. This entire action was done smoothly. She was relieved to exchange the tampons, but the pain in her abdomen was still unbearable. It felt like an invisible hand was tearing through her pelvis, crushing her entire body. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u wanted to burn some hot water. Whether it was to drink or warm her belly, it would be morefortable than now. Avoiding the trouble her leopard could came, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not release him from her space. Outside it was still snowing and her body was ufortable. Instead of going out to collect snow to boil, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u took arge bottle of mineral water out of her space and poured half of it into an aluminum pot. She set it on the burner to let it boil. The stove could be used for a long time, but the gas tank was limited and once it was exhausted, she wouldn¡¯t be able to start a fire. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not know how long it could be used, but she had about 10 gas cans in her space. When the water boiled, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u poured the hot water into a thermos. Drinking a few sips herself, she then tightened the lid and held the canister to her lower abdomen. The heat seeped into her skin and spread across her hips, easing the constant pain a little. Unfortunately, there was no brown sugar or ginger in the space, of she could have boiled it in to alleviate the dysmenorrhea*. Brown sugar and ginger water was much more effective than just regr water. *Was anyone else aware that this is the scientific term for menstrual pain? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u slowly sighed. Before, she had once heard someone saying that their period hurt so much that they couldn¡¯t stand up. At the time, the concept was vague, but now that it was really her turn to feel it, she only just realized how unbearable the pain really was. Here, the winter was so cold. Without heating and brown sugar water, was herter periods going to hurt this much? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could not imagine it. After this winter, she must set out as early as possible to head east and find that turtle called Pat. . . To find the way home. . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­uid down on the bed and stared in puzzled bewilderment at the ceiling. When she returned to awareness, the hot water on her belly had long gone cold and she sat up suddenly, remembering thatT¨¢o T¨¢o was still in her space. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u put the cup aside and quickly went to free the leopard from her space. However, she looked around attentively but the ce she had put the leopard was empty. Where did he go? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked around hurriedly. She clearly remembered, to avoid him getting into the clothes, she especially put him next to the milk and mineral water box. But now, the area in front of the box didn¡¯t have even a hint of his shadow. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u panicked a bit. He couldn¡¯t be lost in the space, right? This ''space¡± was very big, boundless and immeasurable, even J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not know where it ended. If he was really lost in here, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u didn¡¯t really know how to find him. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u narrowed her eyes and overlooked the entire space from above, and luckily, found her little leopard next to the barbecue grill. Ryan was lying there quietly. His eyes were closed, and his demeanor as if he had been asleep for a very long time. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u hurriedly pulled him out of the space and put him on the bed, at a loss on what to do. ¡°Hey. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u raised her hands to poke his belly, gently, ¡°T¨¢o T¨¢o, are you okay?¡± Ryan gave no response. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u didn¡¯t know what effect the space would have on him. The time flowed very slowly in her space, but his body flowed at normal time. When the two encountered each other, would it cause a problem? Or rejection? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had no experience to speak of. After a while, she saw the leopard still didn¡¯t wake up and thought that cats liked cat nip. Every time her beautiful shorthair saw it, she acted like she was on drugs. Though, the leopards told her that catnip had no effect on them after so many centuries of evolution, but. . . What if? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u tried holding up her positive attitude and removed the catnip from her sachet, putting it under his nose. . . ¡°D¨­ng, D¨­ng, D¨­ng!¡± Suddenly a knock on the door sounded out. It was apanied by a familiar voice: ¡°¨­u, are you in there?¡± * ¡°Eric, how did you find this ce?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u let Eric into the room and asked in astonishment. As soon as she opened the door, she saw Eric standing outside the door covered in snow and smiling brightly at him. She was barely able to find this ce and there was no one living herefortably. How did Eric know she was here? Eric stroked the snowkes from his head and exined, ¡°In the morning, I went to the patriarch¡¯s house and saw the firewood by his house. . .¡± Here Eric paused and looked up a little tense. Only after seeing the leopard asleep on the bed did he dare continue to speak, ¡°His firewood had been stolen by a leopard, and George Patriarch said it was yours. I guessed you were still in the vicinity and followed the footprints this way for some time. I didn¡¯t expect to actually find you.¡± His smile was sincere, but J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was a bit dumbfounded. Stole firewood? She unconsciously looked to the firece. The fire she had picked upst night was burned, and this morning she had such a terrible stomachache she couldn¡¯t get out of bed. ¡ª¡ªThat little leopard was so busy this early morning, going back to the Elk Vige to ''steal firewood¡±? ¡°¨­u, I brought you something.¡± Eric¡¯s words interrupted J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s thoughts and he removed the bamboo basket on his shoulder. ¡°This is the sweet potatoes I dug out the day before yesterday. I wasn¡¯t sure you were really here, so I didn¡¯t bring too much. I¡¯m so happy you¡¯re here. You can have these now, and I¡¯ll bring you a little more tomorrow.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked at the basket full of sweet potatoes and she remembered Eric didn¡¯t have a lot of food. When he went to dig potatoes, he was still worrying about his winter food was not enough. ¡°You give me all this and what will you eat?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u refused to ept, she still had a lot of food in her space. Eric smiled at her, his antlers dipping inughter, ¡°I¡¯m a man, I can always find a way to survive.¡± ¡°But. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u still refused to receive it. Eric walked twops around the house and switched topics, asking, ¡°¨­u, how did you find this cabin?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just walked around saw it. . .¡± She stepped forward, ¡°Eric, this sweet potatoes. . .¡± ¡°The table is eroded away and it¡¯s empty, so you can¡¯t use it anymore.¡± Eric stopped at the table and seriously looked down at it. Then he looked down at the floor of the cabin and the door and the cupboard. ¡ª¡ªThe bed he did not dare to approach because Ryan was lying there sleeping. Eric said: ¡°These furniture are all damaged. I¡¯ll bring some tools tomorrow to do some repairs.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u said in surprise, ¡°You can fix it?¡± ¡°. . . a little bit,¡± Eric said modestly. The other things didn¡¯t matter, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could amodate it. But the door and the floor, she couldn¡¯t. At night, the cold always seeped in through the door and the ground. She could handle the cold when not on her period, but now even a little cold made the pain unbearable. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u continued to thank Eric, but ERic smiled in good temper, ¡°¨­u, you don¡¯t need to be so kind to me.¡± Eric didn¡¯t stay long, but confirmed that tomorrow he woulde back early with the tools he needed. Sending Eric off, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u returned to the bed. The leopard still hadn¡¯t woken up. Lyin gon his side, his eyelids shut. It was, honestly, a bit abnormal. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was not relieved, and she reached out a hand, gently twisting his furry round ears between two fingers. She rubbed back and forth. ¡°T¨¢o T¨¢o. . .¡± He did not respond. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u moved her finger down, sliding down his chin, and she used her middle and index finger to scratch under his chin. Still no response. Strange. . . he never liked it when she scratched his chin? Every time she did this to him, he would look at her with displeased eyes and shake off her hand with a paw. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not give up and redoubled their efforts. She scratched up and down all over again, even his four paw pads were not spared. But he still did not awake. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u felt a little discouraged. If not for investigating his nose, she would have probably thought he wasn¡¯t breathing. That evening, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s body hurt, but she had no appetite, but she used the rice in her space to cook a pot of sweet potato porridge. After J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u drank the porridge, she watched and lied down to sleep but Ryan still didn¡¯t wake up. * Early in the morning, light exploded across the sky and parted the umber over the mountains. The snow outside the house stopped and the sun was shining on the snow, reflecting a silver-wrapped ss world. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u opened her eyes. The pain in her lower abdomen,pared to yesterday, was relieved a little. She stretched and turned around, a pair of round blue eyes stared, leaving her stunned. Ryan did not know when he woke up, but he lied beside J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s head and stared at her deeply in concentration. The gauze wrapped around his hind leg had fallen away in disorder, revealing the ce where he had been injured before. Where the original flesh had been wounded so deep the bone could be seen, it was not healed and exposed the pink flesh. ¡°You¡¯re awake. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u sighed in relieve, and while sitting up, her eyes sagged inadvertently, ¡°Why did you sleep so long yesterday, I thought. . .¡± She saw the wound was healed and suddenly stopped. Then, surprised, she said, ¡°Your wound. . . how?¡± She remembered dressing it the day before and the wound was still very deep! J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was incredulous, but when she looked again, it was still the case. She reached out her fingers and touched it carefully. The fresh skin was pink and there was a long wide scar exactly where her had been injured. Did the beatmen have a stronger ability to heal than humans? That wasn¡¯t impossible. But. . . if that were true, the beastmen of this world were too powerful. The human constitution could not bepared to them at all. As she was thinking about it, there was a knock on the door. ¡°D¨­ng, D¨­ng, D¨­ng¡ª¡ª¡± Three times, the sound rang clearly. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought it was Eric, since he had just set an appointment yesterday for this morning. Looking at the time, it was before 7:30 in the morning. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u got out of bed and went to the door, pushing it aside, ¡°Eric, why are you so early. . .?¡± Halfway finished, the words died. The man outside the door was not Eric, but a strange male beast. He had ck skin, and he looked like he stepped out of the dark, his temperament cold and threatening. Skin dark, pupils yellow, smooth and slender body line but containing explosive power. ¡ª¡ªLike an agile ck panther. || >>> Chapter 23 Gentle Beast Chapter 23 ¡¾ ÐÞ ¨C Repair ¡¿ The panther was tall, taller than the threshold of the cabin, but he leaned over to peer at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u with bright yellow eyes. From this angle, she could only see his slim chin and his facial features were hidden by back light, his posture tense with umted power. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u held her head high, her smile not slipping away, but her eyes wet with surprise. Shortly after, she hesitated to ask, ¡°May I ask. . . who are you looking for?¡± The panther turned his gaze and didn¡¯t reply to her words, stepping into the house on his two long legs. The house was small and could be seen in a single nce. Behind the shabby wooden table was a humble bed with many colorful ¡°nkets¡± on the bed. A beech cab stood by the bedside, and a few chipped pottery pots and bowls were stacked inside. Aside from this, there was nothing else. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u followed after him, but there wasn¡¯t enough time to stop him, ¡°Who are you looking for?¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Ryan?¡± the panther¡¯s throat rolled downward, his voice cold and monotonous. ¡°. . .¡± This was the second time since J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u came to this world that she heard that name. Thest time, it was at Eric¡¯s vige, there the two leopards took her without exnation and questioned her on the whereabouts of some Ryan. She had no idea who ¡°Ryan¡± was, why would they ask her about his location? Was it possible that. . . the former owner of this house was called Ryan? This actually exined why the house was abandoned. Aware of this issue, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u quickly exined, ¡°I don¡¯t know where he is. . . I found this house yesterday, and the people here were already gone. If he was the owner, I¡¯m sorry I used his house without permission. Are you his friend? If you see him, can you help pass on . . .¡± The girl chattered on endlessly. The panther dropped his gaze for the first time since the door to look at her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u wore a loose autumn sweater and it was loose on her, so it hung off a shoulder, like a child wearing her parent¡¯s clothes. She hid her two hands in the sleeves, exposing only the tips of her fingers where they pinched the hem of her clothes, feeling ill at ease. The panther shifted his line of sight slightly from J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s pretty face, but did not acknowledge her remarks, neither admitting or denying anything. Not only was his voice cold, but so were his eyes. His gaze fell on J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s body and she felt a frosty chill up her spine. ¡°Who do you live with?¡± he spoke again, inly and straightforwardly. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stared nkly, but she still thought this was someone else¡¯s property. And to take liberty to stay in someone else¡¯s house, she ought to have some kind of exnation, so she said, ¡°No one, just me.¡± She paused, thinking thatT¨¢o T¨¢o couldn¡¯t be considered human, right. . . ? The panther didn¡¯t speak again, but he also didn¡¯t leave. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stood at the door, hesitating for a moment with her hands behind her back, ¡°Forgive me taking the liberty to ask. . . but who are you?¡± He paused, yellow pupils reflecting J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u silhouette. After a while, he said without shifting his tone either up or down, ¡°Laurence.¡± Having said that, he retracted his gaze and left without another word. ¡°Wait a minute. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u quickly called out to stop him, standing on the doorstep, looking after his distant figure, ¡°May I continue to stay here?¡± Laurence¡¯s footsteps didn¡¯t stop and he did not give her any response. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .¡± This guy was so strange. Appeared inexplicably and went inexplicably. * After the panther beastman left, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u returned to the room and discovered the little leopard wasn¡¯t in the bed. It went over to the window for a moment, then jumped over to crouch by the firece, staring profoundly at the doorway. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not take it to heart, and around 8:30, Eric appeared in the door with his tools. He brought a stone axe and hammer, some room and several other tools. ¡°¨­u, I¡¯ll help build a cabin next to this hut, and a stove so you can cook in it and water will be much easier than now,¡± Eric enthusiastically nned. If this was still yesterday, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u would have been very happy to hear it, but now, she thoguht of the morning encounter with the panther and said to Eric. ¡°. . . I am worried the other of this cabin wille back at any time, and he might be angry if we changed the house at will. Forget it. . . Eric, thanks for your kindness, but I can cook and boil water here.¡± Even though she was staying in this cabin, she hadn¡¯t greeted the owner. . . Eric listened, his focus on an entirely different point from J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s, ¡°The owner of this hut is a leopard?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u nodded. That person looked like a panther, and his friend Ryan. . . should be a leopard, right? Eric was visibly frightened and when he looked at the cabin, there was something a bit wrong with his eyes. He stopped mentioning the kitchen and began to repair the desk, door and floor without distraction. The table and door were not very good and the door had started to rot from the inside, so it was fragile to the touch. He had no choice but to rece it with new nks. Eric took the stone axe out back in the forest and cut down a few trees. He was strong and his arms easily hefted the heavy axe. He soon cut down seven or eight pieces of wood. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u watched on from the side, wanting to help but unable. She finally picked up the broken branches falling to the ground and took it back to be burned. Ericpared the size of the door frame with the table and made two square-shaped nks in one morning. Withoutmination, there was no way to stitch the nks together without a trace, but Eric used the simplest method of connecting them with ropes. Four grooves were cut into the boards and the four legs of the table were fitted into them. The other nk were put together in the form of two slot and tab structures, then mounted into the frame. Having tried them separately, they were both very strong. At noon, they ate the corn cakes that Eric brought with him. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could not take the stove and gas cans out in front of Eric, and there was no stove. . . of course, even if there had been one, she might not have been able to use it. After lunch, Eric began to repair the floor. There were two holes, one under the bed and the other beside the firece. The hole under the bed was small, and not even an hourter, Eric had changed out the wood and there wasn¡¯t a trace of difference. As for the other ce. . . Eric looked down at the motionless leopard lying next to it, unsure whether he was asleep or not. ¡°Cough. . .¡± Eric stood a distance away and cautiously coughed. He did not dare move forward, even more afraid to ask it to move elsewhere. . . especially after having seen Ryan¡¯s true colors. Ryan continued to lie still, even his expression not giving a twitch. * Ryan was thinking about something else. Yesterday, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u shut him into her space again, and as he expected, that exhausted feeling hit him fast. It wasn¡¯t long before he fell unconscious. But, unlike expected, he didn¡¯t return to his adult form. ¡ª¡ªInstead, the wounds on his back leg rapidly healed. Although the beastmen body was strong, it wasn¡¯t as J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had guessed. They could only small internal injuries. So the source of this rapid growth could only be J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s space. Ryan deliberately observed yesterday, and found that there were many fresh ingredients such as meat, fish, fruit and vegetables in that space. If he wasn¡¯t mistaken, they had been stored inside for a long time. They probably hadn¡¯t rotted because the time flowed slowly there. It really wasn¡¯t static, Ryan could feel the time moving very slowly. What did that have to do with his body going back to normal and his wound healing? Ever since seeing Laurence that morning, Ryan was even more impatient to get his body back as soon as possible. As for why Laurence was here. . . The answer was not difficult to find. It hade from either Rhode or Dole. Those two probably guessed something then told Laurence. In other words, one of the two was already obeying Laurence¡ª¡ª Laurence had be the new leopard patriarch. Ryan¡¯s tongueshed against his teeth, exposing his fangs, and his eyes fierce. Eric was right in front of him and though he had provoked the leopard, so his face turned white and he retreated back in a flurry. His back hit the table with a ¡°bang¡± and it was tossed upside down. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was too anxious to continue watching, worried that Eric wouldn¡¯t be able to work, so she stepped forward and took Ryan in her arms. Then she pursed the corners of her mouth and felt slightly embarrassed, ¡°I. . . I¡¯ll take T¨¢o T¨¢o out for a walk.¡± She saw Eric sitting up on the ground letting out a long sigh. Immediately, his face reddened, feeling somewhat annoyed that he always seemed to show himself in disgrace in front of J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. Walking out of the hut, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u carried Ryan out to the woods behind the cabin. While eating the corn cakes at noon, she had tried to break one in half and feed it to him but he just looked at it with his two eyes and did not eat a single mouthful. Yesterday her stomach had ached so badly, so she hadn¡¯t fed him properly. If he didn¡¯t eat, she was worried he would starve. Picking a hidden spot, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u hide behind a tree and took a slice of beef from her space. His woulds were healed up pretty well, so he wouldn¡¯t need to drink milk daily anymore. But eating some meat should help his physical recovery. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u squatted on the ground in front of the little leopard, hand holding her cheek as she watched him eat with single-hearted devotion. Suddenly, a slender shadow stretched atop her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked up, stunned. She saw the ck panther from that morning standing in front of her, eyes slightly drooped, hanging over her as he stared at the little leopard. A momentter, he kicked out his long leg and the meat in front of the leopard flew off. Laurence bent to the ground and lifted the cub by the back of his neck, easily hefting him up into the air. His mouth curled into a cold, cynical smile. Chapter 24 Gentle Beast Chapter 24 Laurence raised Ryan to meet his line of sight, yellow pupils calm and unruffled in the face of chaos as they gazed leisurely down at the cub. When Ryan had taken up the position of patriarch to the leopards, his blue eyes were considered special. In the entire race, only his eyes were this color. Now, this cub had that same color of eyes. And his entire demeanor was exactly like Ryan¡¯s. Calm,zy, dismissive. But, the normal Ryan was strong and had the perfect physique. His ws had pierced an unknown number of people¡¯s throats. Arrogant, reckless, and with a disdain for capital. Now he was a reduced to this ridiculous kitten-like body, so young it hadn¡¯t been weaned yet. Weak, powerless, and of no threat. Laurence slowly grinned, uttering a sneeringugh. He lifted his other hand to unceremoniously pressing against the cub¡¯s jaw, prying it open and sticking his thumb and forefinger into his mouth, full of provocation, ¡°Let me see. Have you got any teeth?¡± He then took hold of the little leopard¡¯s teeth with his fingers, trying to rip them from his gums. Ryan¡¯s eyes were cold and dark, shing with light. Before Laurence could react, Ryan kicked out with his hind legs and with a twist of his waist, dragged his ws down Laurence¡¯s face, the pointed skin drawing lines in his skin. Laurence quickly pulled him back by the neck and clenched a hand around his throat. ¡°You can go to hell, Ryan. . .¡± Before the panther had finished, Ryan clutched his arms with his forepaws and opened his small mouth, biting down with vengeance. Although his body was weak, his teeth were still very sharp and long, and they pierced Laurence¡¯s flesh easily. Ryan did not relent, however, and increased the strength of his bite, as if he wanted to bite off the thumb as a whole. Laurence hissed under his breath and his expression chilled over, the hand holding Ryan¡¯s throat tightening. The harder he held, though, the more ruthless Ryan¡¯s fangs were. Finally, Laurence waved his long arm and threw Ryan heavily into the trunk of a tree. ¡°Bang¡ª¡ª¡± Ryan¡¯s tiny body crashed into the trunk of a silver fur, and the whole tree shook. The snow on its branches fell and dropped right on his head, burying him in the blink of an eye in a small white hill. Laurence held his hand to his face and looked at the bloody spot Ryan had bit in his flesh. It was half bitten off. He bared his teeth and his expression cooled even further. Then he raised his gaze and his entire body seemed to be encased in biting frost. After Ryan had disappeared, there was no one to rule the race and chaos ensued. His abilities were no less than Ryan¡¯s. But even when all the men obeyed him and elected him to be the new leader, the elders insisted that Ryan had yet to die and they could not elect someone new. A cold smile pulled at Laurence¡¯s mouth. Yes, Ryan had not died, he had just be a useless cub. How would the elders react if they could see this? Laurence thought he wouldn¡¯t mind bringing him back to the race. But before that, he would y with him well. Laurence lifted his foot and stepped over to the snow pile, leaning over to bring Ryan out again, pinching his throat and pinning him against the trunk. As he reached out his other hand, ws exposed and aimed toward Ryan¡¯s chest. . . ¡°¡ª¡ªDon¡¯t!¡± Cried a panicked voice. * J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had stayed to the side, staring on foolishly, for a long time, but still hadn¡¯t made an escape. This ck panther hade up to her leopard with malice. First pulling his teeth, then pinching his throat, and now he wanted to empty his abdomen¡ª¡ªWho was he? And what was his problemwith T¨¢o T¨¢o? This morning, he hade to the cabin looking for something, and while his attitude wasn¡¯t polite, he wasn¡¯t all that bad either. And they hadn¡¯t provoked him.. Was it too difficult for him to go back to the cabin and didn¡¯t want them to stay there? So this was how he warned them? There was too little time to think, and when J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u saw Laurence¡¯s ws extended to T¨¢o T¨¢o¡¯s chest, she screamed. However, Laurence did not stop. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not know where she got the courage from, but she took her tasers from her space and charged them to maximum, then rushed forward and pressed them down mercilessly into Laurence¡¯s arm¡ª¡ª ¡°Zzz¡ª¡ªZz¡ª¡ª¡± The strong current was audible and the blue light shed between the ends of the tasers. Laurence could only feel his arm go numb from the instantaneous force, but it was toote to react and Ryan fell out of his hand. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s sharp gaze saw Ryan falling and she ran forward in a panic. Ryan hit the trunk hard enough to break a little skin. The trauma didn¡¯t seem too heavy but his eyes were closed and the corners of his mouth oozed blood, his internal injuries far more severe. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was distressed. She was already having some feelings for the cub she was raising. Rubbing his ears, she looked at his blue eyes and whispered, ¡°Do not be afraid. I will protect you.¡± The girl gazed at him serenely, holding him in her slightly trembling arms, but her eyes were firm. Like a timid but guardedmb. Her white teeth bit at her pink lips and she made a decision. In the next moment, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s arms were empty. The quietly lying leopard had disappeared. ¡ª¡ªJ¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u hid him in her space. Although she knew the space may have some ill effects on his body, this time, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u couldn¡¯t think of another foolproof way to save him. Having settled T¨¢o T¨¢o, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u pursed her lips and hesitated to turn around, to face that ice-cold beast behind her. She firmly gripped the tasers in her hand, but knew her speed could not outrun a leopard, so she did not unnecessarily struggle and took a deep breath, trying to make her voice sound slightly more calm, ¡°. . . If it¡¯s because we¡¯re living in your friend¡¯s house, I can apologize and move out immediately.¡± Laurence stared warily at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s hands, eyes submerged in thought, his attention clearly not on her words at all. ¡°Female, where did you hide him?¡± Laurence asked darkly. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u held her breath and held the taser even tighter, slowly shaking her head, ¡°I cannot tell you.¡± In the next moment, Laurence was in front of her and she hadn¡¯t even seen him move. He raised his ws to her neck and bent, pressing his sinister face close to hers as he growled, ¡°I advise you be honest now. I¡¯m not a patient person, female.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u clenched her jaw, ¡°If you can find him, I¡¯ll give him to you. . .¡± The beastmen here generally used their physical strength to speak for them, and their intelligence weren¡¯t too high. She hoped she could stall some time. Unexpectedly, Laurence misunderstood her meaning and chose the simpler, cruder route. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was wearing a trench coat and the wind blew, causing it to swing wide as if there was something hidden inside. Laurence frowned and tore he clothes away with his ws, but still found no sign of Ryan. Laurence¡¯s patience was exhausted. He grabbed her by the throat and lifted her from the ground, grinding out each word with indifference: ¡°Tell me.¡± Air suddenly strangled out, with the panther¡¯s strength J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s face soon burned red. She wed at Laurence¡¯s arm and tried to inhale oxygen but her neck was still in his hands, fragile. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u clenched her teeth, remaining silent. Laurence¡¯s eyes dulled, and he increased his strength. The girl¡¯s slender neck was in his hand, like the stem of a delicate flower, just a twist would break it off. ¡°Tell me,¡± Laurence repeated. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u opened her mouth, not knowing where the air came from, to stutter, ¡°No. . . I won¡¯t say. . .¡± Laurence waspletely out of patience and, just as he had done to Ryan, he threw her to the ground. He raised his ws and stared down at her cruelly, stabbing towards her chest¡ª¡ª J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u closed her eyes, a bit self-deprecatingly, as she thought. If she was really killed, would she return to her world? . . . It would be nice if she could go back. She never wanted to visit the Mori forest. And she never wanted to eat venison again. She would eat beef and treat herbivorous animals well. . . . She didn¡¯t know, in her moment of death, that it would be so very painful, ah. . . In the vast snow, the girl¡¯s thin clothesy alone on the grass. Lying on her back, her exquisite face and longshes, she looked like a lifeless rag doll. Laurence thrust his ws sharply through the girl¡¯s body. . . . . . . Laurence stood in ce, his ws stopped in midair, and he frowned at the ground. The ce the girl hadin was empty, leaving only the slight concave shape in the snow. ¡ª¡ªThe female had disappeared into thin air. || >>> Chapter 25 Gentle Beast Chapter 25 ¡¾ Ìí×Ö ¨C Subscript ¡¿ The snow stretched as far as the eye could see. White snow covered the edges and corners of all the rolling mountains, diluting the dangers that lurked on their peaks under a nket of pure white. In the snow, two small ferrets worked their way to the surface, looking around for food. The snow was inhospitable and there were only a few sparrows pecking at stones. The ferrets locked onto the sparrows as their target and bowed low, silently creeping towards them. Only a meter away from the sparrows, an unknown object suddenly appeared out of thin air. First the legs, the waist, then the arms and neck and face. . . until her space hadpletely ''spat¡± her out. Without the space¡¯s cushion, she fell heavily to the ground and a pillow of snow billowed out around her. The sparrows opposite her were disturbed and they rushed to fly off. The ferrets also retreated, hiding behind the rocks again and only showing the tips of two white heads watching curiously. . . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­uid on the ground and slowly opened her eyes, staring at the blue sky and white clouds above for a very long time. Her brain was twisting itself into bends. After half the day had passed, she touched her chest and lifted her hand to find it clear of any blood. She. . . wasn¡¯t killed by that panther? When Laurence¡¯s attack was about to hit, she unexpectedly felt something indescribable force pulling at her. She had suddenly appeared in apletely nk area where she could find sleeping bags, backpacks, andpasses. . . And her little leopard with the ck stripes. She did not have long to feel anything at all when a sudden exhaustion overtook her, and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u fell asleep. When she opened her eyes, she was deposited here. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u slowly came to understand. She just. . . went into her space? Had her space upgraded to the point where even she could go in now? She did not know how long she stayed there and thought, but slowly sat up and looked around at her surroundings. There was boundless white everywhere she turned and not far away, she could see a copsed cave. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u propped up her body and saw the leopard was quietly lying inside. He had apparently been ¡°tossed¡± out of her space as well, but he was still sleeping. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u held up his forelimbs and carefully picked him up from the ground. Fortunately, except for lethargy, there did not seem to be any other serious injuries. His flesh was intact and his breathing was normal. Though, his temperature was a little low. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u held her to her chest and tried to give him some of her warmth. However, her coat was shredded by Laurence and she only had the cashmere sweater inside it, which was unable to withstand the cold winds at the top of the mountain, and she was almost frozen into a Popsicle. To not freeze to death, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u walked along the snow against the wind and into the cave under the cliff. It was narrow enough to only fit one or two people. Fortunately, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was of a petite stature and Ryan¡¯s body couldn¡¯t upy much space so the two were able to fit into the space. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u then turned to finding clothes in her space. She did not have many thick clothes, and her only windbreaker was torn, which she felt regret for. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u found two sets of wool sweaters and another knitted one, but she no longer wanted to only be temporarily warm. She was wearing a baseball jacket already so she pulled the zipper high. Changing into the new clothes, she saw the leopard hadn¡¯t woken up yet and went out to gather firewood. Most of the branches were covered with snow and were wet, so they could not be used, and it took her a long time to find dry firewood. She returned to the cave and quickly started a fire, the warmth rising quickly. When Ryan woke up, the air was thick with smoke. He stood up and subconsciously raised his guard. Seeing the girl behind the smoke, he calmed down quickly again. The wood was too damp to burn and was emitting a thick smoke now, so thick she couldn¡¯t open her eyes and it made her ufortable. She turned her face and coughed, fanning the fire with her hand. A cold wind blew into the cave and the smoke was blown into J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s eyes, drawing a red circle around them. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u bowed her head and rubbed her eyes. But her hands were not clean and were covered in dust, so tears continued to flow out of her eyes. She could not wipe them away, and even more began to fall. Finally, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u gave up and held her knees in the corner, concentrating on crying. She thought she would be able to return to her world by dying. But she opened her eyes and it was still this strange, strangend. She didn¡¯t even know where this was. Where could she go? Would that panther kill them? How was she going to survive on this continent? This whole mix of emotions stewed inside her, and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s mood plummeted, crying more and more fiercely. But no matter how much she cried, she made little sound, barely like a newborn kitten¡¯s cry. Ryan fixedly looked at the girl in the corner and suddenly faced the fire. He lifted his paws and pulled a few of the firewood apart to loosen them up, making a pit under it with his paws to make it more breathable. A momentter, the surface of the wood went up in mes, burning easily. Ryan walked around the cave in a circle and was disgusted with the size of it. However, ording to her ability, it was not easy to find a ce like this. Finally, Ryan stopped beside J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u andid on the ground next to her. He bowed his head for a split second, and there was an ominous glint in his eye, flowing at their perilous situation. Chapter 26 Gentle Beast Chapter 26 ¡¾¿ªÖÁݱÞ ¨C Opening of the Tea Millet¡¿ The snow capped mountains had little sign of habitation. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u walked for two hours, but felt more and more as if something wasn¡¯t right. When she had been thrown out of her space yesterday, there had been many small animals nearby. The ferrets, sparrows, mink rats. . . they all foraged for food and left myriad of footprints in the snow. But now, not only has she not seen an animal, she hasn¡¯t seen any more footprints either. Looking around, she found that hers were the only ones. Was the weather too cold for them toe out? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought it wasn¡¯t without possibility. With the weather so cold, it was only her, homeless, wandering around. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u took a deep breath, wrapped her clothes tighter around her, and continued moving forward. To keep warm, she had put on all the warm clothes she had but she was still rather cold and numb, her lips purple. Ayer of snow was frozen on her eyshes, and she could not see the road ahead. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u dared not to rub them, in fear of their roots falling off, and she bowed her head to bury it in Ryan¡¯s neck. Ryan¡¯s body temperature was higher than hers, and soon theshes began to melt. She blinked and rubbed at his fur lightly, brushing off the melted snow, and asked, ¡°T¨¢o T¨¢o, are you cold?¡± The girl¡¯s cold cheek was pressed to his skin, and Ryan did not utter a sound. Animals had a thicker coat of warm fur which was much harder than hers. Not to mention she had even put him inside her clothes to keep him warm. She fended off most of the cold for him. . . . She had done much more than was required. Ryan silently looked at the girl in such close proximity. Her skin that was usually porcin white was even more white now, almost transparent. He thought, was she this kind to all without even a hint of reservation? After a long time, Ryan took his eyes from her face and closed his eyes, letting her hold him to keep warm. Walking still, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u finally saw a snow squirrel. The little squirrel stood not too far away, with a short-wed paw holding tight to a pine cone, looking at them both nkly. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s mood rxed a little. It turned out there were other living things here. It wasn¡¯t just her alone! She was about to go say hi to the little guy when she made a single step and the small critter suddenly tossed the pine cone and with a grumble of his stomach fled into the distance. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stared distractedly at the ce it had been, ¡°??¡± She didn¡¯t look like an aggressive beast, so why did the squirrel run when it saw her? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u remembered before, reading in a book, that the abnormalities in animal behavior was often the harbinger of disaster toe. A disaster on the mountain. . . was there going to be an avnche? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s heart filled with horror, and she looked up at the mountain. The sun was shining and the snow capped mountains were quiet, so unlike an avnche. But. . . afraid, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u took out herpass just in case and determined her direction, wanting to leave as soon as possible. Thepass had a brass mirror and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s thumb pressed along the edge. She inadvertently looked at it and when she saw the image in the mirror, she went stiff. The mirror clearly reflected the outline of a beast with dark fur, powerful limbs, and it wasn¡¯t very far away. Pale yellow eyes stared fiercely at her, full of aggression. It wasn¡¯t in human form, but rather a true ck panther. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u dropped thepass to the ground in surprise. In that moment, her mind nked and became incredibly clear. No wonder there were no small animals along the way, and no wonder that squirrel saw her and ran. . . Not an avnche, but¡ª¡ª J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u forced herself to remain calm and stooped to pick up thepass, but she trembled uncontrobly. ¡ª¡ªHow had Laurence caught up? How long had he been following her? Since when? A series of questions filled her mind, and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could not think normally. Both her hands were sweaty and she held thepass tightly, a little overwhelmed. What to do? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u seamlessly picked up her pace and stepped behind arge rock, backed by a cliff, distraught. Last time, she and T¨¢o T¨¢o hid in her space to escape cmity, could they go in now too? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u forced herself to calm, then closed her eyes and tried to ¡°put¡± herself into her space. She tried twice, but it bore no fruit. She was still there, no change. Last time was an ident, but no matter how many times she tried again, it was of no use. * J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u finally gave up, no longer wasting her time, intending to escape. However, she took one step forward and there was a pair of yellow eyes facing her head on. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was surprised and stepped back repeatedly. She didn¡¯t know when Laurence came up and stood on the other side of the stone, still maintaining his beast-like appearance. ¡°Where are you going?¡± the panther stared at her, his mouth closed. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s legs went soft and she almost fell to the ground. This was the first time she was seeing a talking panther, and the experience was not pleasant at all. The panther stepped forward one after another, and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u retreated one after another. Laurence¡¯s ws gouged into the ground, and with each step, the snow sagged an inch. His eyes were precise and they locked on Ryan. Yesterday, they had disappeared without a trace, and he had spent great effort in figuring out their whereabouts. This time, he would not let them go. Laurence¡¯s limbs contracted, then he jerked forward in a sudden leap towards J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u! J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u body hurled backward in panic. There was only a slope behind her, and one foot came upon empty air. Her body felt light all of a sudden and she could not react fast enough, her entire body rolling down. She unconsciously folded her body to protect the leopard in her arms. While rolling down the mountainside, T¨¢o T¨¢o was unharmed, but her back, hands and feet were knocked around by stones. Especially her ankle, the pain was intense, and it was likely sprained. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stood up unbnced and her arms suddenly loosened, tumbling Ryan out of her embrace. His blue eyes were indifferent, and he stared straight at Laurence. Laurence also looked down at him on the hillside. One young leopard and one adult, not only was their size different but for strength. . . it need not be spoken aloud. Seeing Ryan¡¯s back bow, ready to strike, as if to fight Laurence alone, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u hurried to grab Ryan¡¯s body, ¡°T¨¢o T¨¢o, no. . . you are not his opponent, you¡¯ll only be killed by him!¡± Ryan struggled in her arms. His dignity as a leopard would not allow him to hide in the bosom of a female like a coward. He growled in a fit of anger. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u held tight and refused to let him go, watching Laurence approach. Her heard pulsed and she closed her eyes, quickly putting Ryan into her space. She had no way to hide there, but T¨¢o T¨¢o could. She must keep him safe. * Once again, Laurence watched Ryan disappear from under his nose. ¡ª¡ªBecause of that female. Laurence¡¯s eyes sank, looking at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u full of anger. Furious, he jumped. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u endured the pain to stand up, and stumbled to turn and flee. Helpless, a human¡¯s legs could not bepared to a leopard¡¯s limbs. Not to mention her left ankle was sprained. She did not get very far. Laurence caught up and pushed J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u down, pressing her down with his weight. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s forehead heavily knocked against the stone, and her brain rang with a buzzing sound. At the same time, Laurence flipped her over and pressed against her throat, ¡°Female. Hand over Ryan.¡± That hit just now was too strong and she did not hear his words, struggling to ask, ¡°. . .Who?¡± Laurence¡¯s tail wrapped around her neck, and he coldly said, ¡°Ryan. Hand him over.¡± ¡°Ryan¡±, that word, so clearly articted, impacted her eardrums. ¡°. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­uid in a daze on her stomach, her consciousness finally aware. Why did he keep mentioning ¡°Ryan¡±? That ¡°Ryan¡± from his mouth. . . could he mean her T¨¢o T¨¢o? Thinking such, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u shook her head, lying, ¡°I do not know him. . . I have nothing to do with him.¡± Whether or not it was true, she would not give him her cub. Unfortunately, that panicked tone and unsteady gaze, Laurence easily understood it was a lie. Needless to say, he had just watched her ¡°hide¡± Ryan. Laurence¡¯s anger escted, his eyes reaching the point of freezing, and his tail around her throat suddenly tightened. He roared, ¡°Stupid¡ª¡ªfemale!¡± The panther¡¯s patience was exhausted and he no longer dealt with the girl. ws extended like razor des, Laurence raised his paw and brought it to her abdomen, fiercely stabbing¡ª¡ª J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s body went stiff, and she put a hand at her stomach, grasping it carefully. She wanted to raise her head, but her neck was tightly held, and she could not move. Scarlet blood seeped from the girl¡¯s belly, flowing under her, quickly dying the snow below. Laurence increased his strength, wing deeper into her body, then jerked them free, blood sshing like a flower. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u shook in convulsions, without the strength to even cry out. Her throat tasted sweet, and she wanted to cough but she couldn¡¯t, a mouthful of blood choking in her throat as tears flowed from her eyes. . . . It hurt so much. . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u covered the injury with her hands, blood gushing forth in streams, but it was too big to cover. Blood flowed out a great distance on both side of her like thefast growing tea millet. In the middle of the flower, deep inside, the girl¡¯s life slowly began to pass. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked at this dome of blood and could not help but feel cranky. This time, she really was going to die. . . When she died, would she return to her world? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u closed her eyes in exhaustion. But in her sleepiness, she heard an abrupt roar. Like it wasing from a distance. But also so close to her ears. Shortly thereafter, a slender but swift beast leaped over her head. Gray-ck spots, a gigantic body, and a thick tail trailing after it. ¡ª¡ªThe beast flew at Laurence from a distance, two ws tightly grasping the panther¡¯s shoulders, and dark blue eyes stared at him with indifference. He ground his teeth, exposing a ferocious anger in his expression. Chapter 27 Gentle Beast Chapter 27 This scene was particrly familiar. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u vaguely thought back. She could have sworn she had seen this exact scene before. Where was it. . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u closed her eyes to try and remember, but the pain at her waist too much. It bore into the nerves, dull and blunt, and she simply could not think normally. Her ears were filled with the messy sound of beasts fighting each other, Laurence¡¯s horror, howling, whistling and heavy breathing. . . She even heard the voice of her mother and father, and the shrill sound of the school bus¡¯s sharp turn¡ª¡ª ¡°I really do not know how these boys think. Why pick this ce for the spring outing? I heard there are many wild animals in the forest. We¡¯d be better off going to disney and ying Buzz Lightyear. . . Xi¨£o ¨­u, what do you say?¡± ¡°I, ah, I think it¡¯s not bad.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked out the window, her dark eyes glossy, and she smiled. It was part curious and part excitement. ¡°Animals generally live deeper into the forest, and we¡¯re at the foot, we probably won¡¯t see any of them.¡± . . . . . . . . . . . . Before the lethargy set in too deep, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u finally remembered it. This was herst conversation with her ssmate. After that, she fell straight out the bus window. In the process of falling, she saw a huge beastly figure jump over her head, blocking the scorching sunlight. The same color, the same agility, it was an adult leopard. This was what drew her to this world. * In the snow, the ferocious leopard raised his forepaw. All of a sudden, Laurence was on the ground, blood and flesh flying every which way. All the surrounding animals had hid in their caves, too scared to venture out. ¡ª¡ªNever before had they seen such a fierce fight. Under normal circumstances, of the two beasts fighting, the weaker would often take the initiative to yield and the strong side would therefore spare it. Few were like these two, the dominant leopard so bent on setting the panther to death. Not long after, the panther¡¯s throat overflowed with vague sybles, then he ceased to struggle andid motionless. Ryan¡¯s blue eyes stared at Laurence¡¯s ws, the ones stained with blood, the ones that caused J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s body to bleed. Ryan took his gaze back after a while and turned away. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was still lying on the ground, surrounded by blood, and her face whiter than snow. Hershes were stained with teardrops that would not fall. Ryan stopped beside her and bowed to grip her clothes with his teeth. Looking at the girl¡¯s delicate skin, the three w marks were unusually obvious. They were two to three inches long and the middle was the deepest, stabbing straight into her belly and the blood had yet to stop. Ryan opened his mouth and his long wide tongue gently licked along the wounds on her belly. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s blood was licked little by little by him for a long time, until she no longer bled. Ryan lowered himself to the ground and ced her small body on his back, limbs stretching in the snow as he jumped steadily off the mountainside. Alongside the mountain, Ryan walked a long time before he left the snow-capped hills. A group of red foxes lived below the mountain. Ryan ced J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u on a t stone, and broke into the red fox vige without regard for them. He came out with hemostatic anti-inmmatory herbs dangling from his jaw. Ryan chewed the grass to a pulp then applied it to J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s gouges with his tongue. The cat¡¯s tongue was barbed and they identally scraped along the girl¡¯s skin, her eyebrows furrowing tight. Ryan immediately stopped. After a while, the girl¡¯s brow straightened out. Ryan lifted his paw and rummaged around in J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s coat, pulling out a disc-shaped object. Ryan opened thepass and stared at the red pointer. He had been together with J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u long enough to have learned this object¡¯s usage. Ryan set his direction and hunched over to pull J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u onto his back again. He then set off in the opposite direction she had been heading all along. * J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had a very long dream. In her dream, she walked continuously with little rest. As if a river was pushing her forward, she kept forging ahead. It was very fast, but very smooth. She asionally stopped but the water would scour at her belly, licking like the tongue of a beast. The barbs would scrap her skin, a bit painful, but insignificantpared to the wound on her abdomen. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u wanted to open her eyes countless times, but her helpless eyelids were too heavy to move and they could not open. She used to think that the winter here was tough, long and cold, and that every night would be spent shivering with cold. But in recent days. . . she felt herself being pressed under a huge plush object that wrapped her hands and feet, a steady warmth spreading from it, especially hot. She seemed to be back home during those days, crushed by her huge plush toys and pillows. The bed there and the heating was very simr. In a cave, Ryany on the stone with a forelimb stretched, his paw pad under the girl¡¯s neck. His eyes drooped to look at the girl. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s cheeks were red and her breathing a little short. Her delicate eyebrows were slightly wrinkled and her exhaled breathes were deathly hot. Ryan curved his paw and sheathed his ws, gently touching it to her head. . . . Still had a fever. Including today, she had been burning with fever for three days and nights. With so much heat, would it burn out her brain? Ryan¡¯s heart filled with irritation. Why was this female body so delicate? How could he take care of her, when would her wounds heal? She was obviously so fragile, but had, one after the other, attempted to protect him in her arms. ¡°Stupid,¡± Ryan scraped her skin with his ws, then after a while, straightened up and put her on his back again, leaving the small gaze. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u felt that that she had gone a long way. Her body staggered through the forest and across the ins, leaving behind only the scenery. It seemed to go one for an incredibly long time, but for only seven to eight days. . . . . . . . . . . . . Opening her eyes, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s first reaction was to touch the thing under her body. It was soft and covered in fur, like a bed. She was in bed, so that rush of memories was a dream? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had been in aa for too long, her brain turning slowly. Her eyes open, she looked up at the roof above her. For a long time, she remembered the scene right before she fell unconscious. Laurence¡¯s ws had prated her stomach, and the tail clung so tight to her neck. . . she wasn¡¯t dead? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u wanted to sit up and see her wounds, but a sharp pain came from her stomach and she hissed. She obedientlyid back down and looked around the room. The room was spacious and the furniture concise, a somewhat informal atmosphere. There several skins scattered about, fox, wolf, bear, tigers, they all hung on the wall. . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked around roughly and saw the furniture in the house wasn¡¯tplicated. There weren¡¯t even any bowls to eat or drink out of. Where was she? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was puzzled, but she carefully listened outside for any sounds. Outside, it was very lively, lots of peopleing and going, and there were high and low voices. But, when they passed this cabin, they kept their voices quiet and walked quickly. This was. . . a beastman vige? Why was she here? Who saved her? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u tossed around countless issues in her mind, but could not remember how she got here no matter how long she thought about it. Was this the power of her space? Thest time she was pulled into her space, she was thrown out into a strange ce. . . She hurriedly looked at her space and found everything there, only her little leopard had disappeared. . . . Where was T¨¢o T¨¢o?! J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked again but still could not find him. She remembered putting him in her space, did he get out again and run off? Or. . . was he captured by Laurence? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u felt anxious and unexpectedly sat up in the bed. She clutched at her belly where hte wounds were stitched shut. She didn¡¯t dare act up too much, and only got up to look around in a circle. She could not find her shoes, and she leaned against the bed, barefoot on the ground. The floor was slightly cold, so her toes curled from cold. Outside the window, it was still snowing. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u walked to the door and grit her teeth, getting ready to push the door open. Suddenly, the person on the doorstep outside pushed it open. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was unprepared and she staggered backward two steps, but because she had forgotten her ankle sprain, her body fell backward. She subconsciously protected her waist and closed her eyes, prepared to fall any moment. A pair of hands suddenly stretched out from in front of her and the fingers tightly sped around her slender wrists, pulling her forward and holding her. ¡°Where are you going?¡± The low, slow voice sounded from above her head, with a strong maism. It was like an electroma had leaped up and curled in her ears, making her go limb and numb. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stood firm and stared up at the other in surprise. He was very tall and to pull her up, he had leaned over, but she still had to tilt her head back to see his face. Tall and with broad shoulders, the man was almost twice her size. His body was covered in fine snowkes and with the chill outside seeping, there was invisible sense of oppression. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked upward again and met his blue eyes, stunned at the feeling of familiarity. However, she thought seriously. She had never seen him before. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u rxed her vignce and wanted to speak, but her eyes fell to the sight of his tail swinging behind him. Thick flower stripes marked the tail as it swept against the ground, impressively appearing before her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u tried to remember even deeper, Laurence¡¯s tail was like this. When it tightly wrapped around her neck, it caused her to lose her breath¡ª¡ª He, too, was a leopard? ¡°You, who are you?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u pulled out of his hands in a panic and backed away from him. The other turned his gaze, blue eyes of the sea staring intensely at her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u found that under his eyes that were was a ck stripe, the size of a grain of rice and at first looked like a teardrop mole. He did not answer her, but continued with the same tone of voice as before, ¡°Where do you want to go?¡± There was no obviouspulsion or threat, but it made people want to answer his questions involuntarily. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u pursed her lips nervously, ¡°To go out. . . and walk.¡± He frowned, ¡°What good is there to go out? It¡¯s still snowing.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°I want to find someone. . .¡± He asked: ¡°Who?¡± The other did not feel anything about it, and got to the heart of the matter quickly, questioning her about everything. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s lips sealed shut. She had no idea who he was or what his attitude was. Why would she tell him everything? What if he was with Laurence? The other side was not anxious to press her for answers, but his eyes looked at her bare feet and reflexively closed the door, blocking the snow outside the house. Looking down, he casually asked: ¡°T¨¢o T¨¢o?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s eyes opened wide in surprise and she asked in reflex, ¡°How do you know?¡± The other locked the door and turned to her, eyes fixed on her, slightly strange, ¡°The nobleman called T¨¢o T¨¢o was harmonious and happy.¡± He asked: ¡°Isn¡¯t that the name you gave to me?¡± Chapter 28 Gentle Beast Chapter 28 Her mind echoed with that familiar sentence¡ª¡ª ¡°¡¶The Book of Songs¡·, said the nobleman T¨¢o T¨¢o, was harmony and happiness. Additionally, T¨¢o T¨¢o means to speed up, isn¡¯t T¨¢o T¨¢o quite a good name for you? Not all leopards run fast, the name suits you.¡± . . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was lifeless for half the day, not feeling so well, then incredulously she said, her tone trembling a little, ¡°You. . .¡± She looked up and seriously considered the person in front of her. Humanoid facial features, strong lines, and the bridge of the nose was a little longer than average. The lips were very thin and the skin slightly dark. When looking at him, she she finally at his eyes. . . they were exactly the same as her T¨¢o T¨¢o. But T¨¢o T¨¢o. . . was obviously a leopard cub! Small body, short tail. So unlike this hulking body in front of her, blocking her entire sight. She did not know whether it was the walking around just now, but her waist began to act up. She swallowed her saliva and asked: ¡°You, what are you talking about?¡± Ryan did not answer her stupid question and looked at the hand she unconsciously wrapped around her middle. Bending down, one powerful arm crossed behind her legs and the other wound around her back. Without exnation, he carried her to bed. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s whole body soared into the air and she startled, reflexively clinging to his shoulders, ¡°Hey. . .¡± He hadn¡¯t answered her question yet? ¡°When did you wake up?¡± Ryan asked directly. From this angle, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was right in front of his face and her heart trembled. She hurried to shrink back but there were nowhere to go, ¡°Just, just now. . .¡± Ryan put her on the bed again and reached out to touch her forehead, as if he had done this a countless number of times. . . . No fever. Ryan¡¯s expression rxed a little. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was unconscious for ten days. Her body temperature had turned bad several times over those ten days, and early in the morning, it abruptly surged up in heat. She had burned so hot, but hadn¡¯t burned her brain. Ryan¡¯s hands hooked the edge of J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s clothes, ready to lift them up. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u grabbed his hand and stuttered, ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ryan: ¡°Looking at the wound.¡± ¡°Answer my question first,¡± her ck eyes stared at him, ¡°Are you T¨¢o T¨¢o?¡± ¡°I am Ryan.¡± He said. Even now, he refused to acknowledge that stupid name of ¡°T¨¢o T¨¢o¡±. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .¡± Then, not knowing what to think, herplextion changed. Ryan. . . Ryan, she had heard this name many times. It was no wonder Laurence inquired about the whereabouts of ¡°Ryan¡± when they met; no wonder the two leopards caught her near the deer n. . . thepanion they were looking for had been by her side all along. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u silently shrank back, then after a long time, she made a noise: ¡°Can you let me see your palm?¡± Ryan looked at her, then extended hisrge hand and spread it before her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u gingerly lifted her gaze. The beastmen¡¯s hands generally retained their race¡¯s characteristics, often having long sharp ws making hunting easier for predators. Ryan was no different. However, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s attention was not on any of this¡ª¡ª In the middle of his palm, there was a dark brown scar running across the entire hand. The scar was ugly, long and deep. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u suddenly sobbed. When she first met the little leopard, she saw that long scar on his paw pad when she was dealing with his wound. . . and it was the exact same. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s eyes were panicked, and she was a little overwhelmed. What to do, he really was T¨¢o T¨¢o? How did he suddenly get bigger? And be humanoid? He brought her here? How did they escape Laurence? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s mind bubbled with question marks, wanting to speak. She saw Ryan get up and go to a cupboard in the corner, taking out a small t jar and walking back to the bedside. Not giving her time to react, he pulled her sweater up. She didn¡¯t have the time to stop him and her belly touched cool air. She immediately wrenched her clothes back down again, ¡°You. . .¡± Ryan held the jar in one hand and clutched her clothes with the other, pausing to exin: ¡°Don¡¯t move. I¡¯m applying medicine.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u shook her head repeatedly. Not to mention she still didn¡¯t believe he was T¨¢o T¨¢o, but he was male, and she wasn¡¯t going to let him look at her belly, ah. ¡°I¡¯ll do it myself,¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u said quickly. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought he would stop there, but who knew after a while he would actually say, ¡°When I was injured, did you not wipe it?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .¡± He didn¡¯t say it badly but J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u remembered it all. Now only did she give him medicine, but when he had a fever, she tried to measure his temperature through his anus. . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was still wondering why he reacted so badly. Now that she thought about it though. . . Ah, ah, ah, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u would like to bury her head in the ground. How could she do such a thing! The girl on the bed was even more embarrassed and she raised her hands to cover her cheeks. Her red ears were still exposed and she shyly bent down. Ryan gazed at her for a moment then, in a calm voice, continued to say words that would make her even more ashamed, ¡°When you were asleep, I gave you medicine.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .¡± * The following day, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u became aware of where this was. Outside the house were multiplePantherabeastmen, leopards, cheetahs, panthers, snow leopards, etc. . . Without exception, they were all extremely tall, had long tails sweeping behind them, and had that peculiar aggressiveness natural to the carnivorous species. Of course, there were also many different ways the beastmen traversed the road. One jumped high, their figure disappearing agilely, and the others faced it with calm expressions. There were very few females here. The entire day, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had only seen a couple. They were obviously different from the males, their height significantly shorter, but still much taller than J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. Even in human shape, they also had a pair of semicircr ears atop their heads. For the most part, they had ample figures and upright backs. Curiously enough, the females here were few but each seemed to be independent. Were they not assigned to the male poption? Throughout the reindeer and elk viges, where there was a female, there was a male. . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought of the animal kingdoms from before. Leopards were solitary animals, only asionally would the opposite sexes tolerate each other. That was to say, the leopard had no ''spouse¡±? No wonder Eric once said that in some races, a female had to bed with several males. . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­uid in the window crankily. Her wound was still not healed and she could not stand very long, so sheid on the bed after a while. There was a bear beastman treating J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s wounds. Of the carnivorous type, it was a panda, also known as the Iron Beast. Before humans went extinct, pandas were the closest species to humans so their medical standards were high. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s wound was stitched by a panda called Bethan. He stretched out his pudgy arms and looked at the wound,ing to a conclusion, ¡°The wound isn¡¯t healing very well.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s body went stiff and rigid. Then, Bethan asked, ¡°Did you move around violently?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought and recounted honestly. Yesterday, she almost fell and identally pulled at the wound. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to die, just sit in bed obediently.¡± Bethan said, the dark circles under his eyes drooping, ¡°Thest of the medicine should be running out. I made some more. Apply it three times a day, once it¡¯s finished, tell me.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u nodded very obediently. Bethan looked at the wound and was ready to leave. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had continued to endure and endure, but she still couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°That. . . do you know where this is?¡± This question, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had always wanted to ask. But when she looked at Ryan. . . it was hard to talk. She felt uneasy at the thought of what she had done to him when he was still young. Having the guts. . . that indescribable shame. Bethan misunderstood what she meant: ¡°Camuda Valley, Leopard Tribe.¡± ¡°No. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u hurriedly waved her hand, discretely searching for her words, ¡°How far from the east of Bornia?¡± Bethan looked her in the eye and slowly spit out a few words, ¡°From heaven to earth.¡± After her left, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u spent a long time sitting. Heaven and earth? In other words, one in the east and one in the west? How could this be. . . She had hardly gotten halfway. She was close to reaching the east and finding her way home. But now, she had wasted all her effort and gotten even further from her goal. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stared at the ground in a daze, her thoughts mncholy. * Ryan pushed in the door from outside and saw this scene. The girl half lying on the bed, her eyes drooping and lips slightly pursed, her heavy expression, and he did not know what to think. The wounds on the back of Ryan¡¯s hands and his shoulders had increased, but he did not feel them. Sticking out his tongue, he licked away the blood and strode over to the bedside, his voice low, ¡°Bethan came?¡± The shadow crossed over the top of her head and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u lifted to meet his eyes, and she nodded, ¡°Ah.¡± Ryan asked, ¡°What did he say?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u answered honestly, ¡°He told me to rest well and not get down. He also sent more medicine and said to apply it three times a day. . .¡± Her voice became lower and lower as she spoke, reminiscing about yesterday¡¯s scene, and her cheeks turned red. ¡°Said that when it¡¯s better, he¡¯lle take out the stitches.¡± Ryan asked, ¡°Have you put on today¡¯s medicine?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . . no.¡± Ryan hadn¡¯t needed her response and he walked to the cupboard to get the jar. Walking back to the bed, he was going to give her the medicine. ¡°Ry, Ryan,¡± When his hand touched her clothes, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u struggled to call out his name. She stared at his fingers, not yet epting that the little leopard had be a big leopard, and she was always cautious in front of him. ¡°Bethan said this was a leopard tribe, and that only they live here.¡± She had thought about this the entire afternoon and now summoned up the courage to say, ¡°I am not your people. . . I need to go back to mine. Once my injury is healed, can I leave?¡± . . . After J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u said this, she didn¡¯t get a response. She raised her eyes, ¡°Ry. . .¡± ¡°No,¡± Ryan pinched the jar in his hands, and his dark eyes were narrowed, interrupting her with an unpleasant tone. || >>> Chapter 29 Gentle Beast Chapter 29 >>> ¡¾ÐÞϸ½Ú ¨C Detailing¡¿ Daybreak swept over the Camuda Valley, and the originally dark valley brightened. Ryan walked out of the cabin and closed the wooden door with a back sweep of his hand. The girl inside was still asleep. Sunlight poured in the window and a white halo fell across the girl¡¯s cheek, her thin skin closed to transparent. The sunlight was harsh, and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u furrowed her eyebrows. Her slendershes quivered shortly after like a delicate fan and blocked her clear eyes. Yesterday, Ryan refused J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s request and she had looked at him with those same eyes and asked, ¡°Why?¡± Ryan was cool-headed afterwards, as if he had forgotten what he had said, ¡°It¡¯s a long way to the east of Bornia, and it is extremely cold out there. You cannot reach it on your own.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could not refute it. Her strength alone was insignificant in thisnd of beastmen. Before she had ¡°T¨¢o T¨¢o¡±, and while T¨¢o T¨¢o could not help much, he was still apanion. But, T¨¢o T¨¢o transformed into a strong, stalwart Leopard and she no longer had the nerve to ask him to apany her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u quietly hesitated: ¡°I can find Eric. . . Eric said he was heading east. . .¡± Before she could finish, Ryan set the canister down on the bed and interrupted, ¡°Wait until you¡¯re well before you say that.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .oh¡± And so the topic was dismissed. Later, Ryan got up and went outside looking for food. When he came back, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had already wiped the medicine herself and shrank into a corner of the bed, fast asleep. She had such tiny bones that asleep, she didn¡¯t take up much space. She had left such arge empty space on the bed that it could amodate Ryan¡¯s body. However, Ryan stood by the bed for a while but didn¡¯t end upying on the bed, insteadying face down on the couch for the night. Why didn¡¯t he let her go? Ryan stood at the door of the cabin with the sun passing over his broad shoulders, casting arge shadow on the ground. He always knew that she had only one goal in mind. Countless times she had hugged him to her, pathetically, and said with grievance, ¡°I want to go home¡± as she thought of her home, of her father and her mother. Where was her home? Why had shee here? And what about that ''space¡± that she could pull a numerous amount of things out of? Ryan thought, he just wanted to figure it out. * Ryan walked to the home of one of the elder¡¯s called Scarlett, where a female was sewing a deerskin vest. The female was tall, appeared about the age of an eighteen or neen year old human girl. She had leopard ears, deep eyes, a long nose. This was the elder¡¯s daughter Suzanna. Suzanna¡¯s ears shifted as she heard the footsteps and she immediatley put down the vest to look at the door, ¡°Ryan¡ª¡ª¡± It was a strange pronunciation. Ryan walked into the yard and looked into the house, asking in the same tongue, ¡°Suzanna?¡± Suzanna nodded then whispered, ¡°Rhode is here, talking to my father in the house.¡± Ryan paused and asked, ¡°What is he doing here?¡± She shrugged her shoulders, ¡°Who knows? They never let me hear what they talk about.¡± Seeing Ryan didn¡¯t react to her words, she turned her eyes a little and added, ¡°But, I heard. . . when you weren¡¯t in the n, Rhode and Laurence got very close. Rhode did not leak your background to Laurence!¡± Ryan was silent, nomittal. When Laurence hade to the door, he had already suspected Rhode and Dole. After learning that Rhode was nning to elect the next leader, Ryan guessed his n without difficulty. ¡ª¡ªLet him and Laurence fight to the death, then Rhode, the third strongest man in the race could take advantage of the weakened opponent and fish himself up. To his disappointment, Ryan had returned unharmed and also returned to the leader¡¯s position. The injuries on Ryan¡¯s arm from yesterday were from fighting with other leopards. ¡°He came to look for my father this time, and I don¡¯t know what dad is thinking. . .¡± Suzanna muttered, ncing at Ryan. He was obviously not thinking about her words, but she was reluctant to let Ryan off. After a while, she pretended to ask casually, ¡°I heard father say you brought a female from outside? How can that female satisfy you?¡± Ryan looked at her, ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Suzanna pointed to the sun deliberately, ¡°It is still early.¡± ¡°. . .¡± Ryan realized what she meant and took back his line of sight, saying smoothly, ¡°This does not concern you.¡± Suzanna was originally just a little tempted, but she did not expect to get such an ambiguous answer, and her mouth dropped a little, ¡°I have not seen her yet. You hide her so tightly, do you not intend to let her go outside? Can I go and y with her?¡± Ryan said no, ¡°You¡¯ll scare her.¡± The leopardnguage was different from the human tongue. They had imitated the human system ofnguage but kept their own pronunciation. Unlike the reindeer, elk, and other herbivorous species that had mimicked the humannguage. When J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had met Rhode the first time, she had not understood what he was saying. The only reason she could understand Ryan so well now was because Ryan himself spoke in both tongues, the human and the Panthera. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was recently as frightened as bird, if Suzanna disturbed her, it would only make her much worse. Suzanna widened her eyes and made a fuss, ¡°Ryan, you hold onto her too tight!¡± Ryan did not deny it. A few momentster, Rhode stepped out of the house with Elder Scarlet. When he saw Ryan, his footsteps stiffened, but he quickly resumed as usual, pulling on an unconscious smile as he passed Ryan. Ryan didn¡¯t take him to heart and walked into Scarlet¡¯s house. While Ryan had been gone, the race had gone loose and no one obeyed discipline, making everything a mess. The food stored for the race had gradually dwindled and it did not take long for the females and elders to have nothing left to eat. So Elder Scarlet wanted Ryan to lead the young males out on a hunting trip, to fill up the food stores of the n, and to regain the majesty of Ryan¡¯s leadership. Hunting generally took five to seven days. Often this kind of thing Ryan would ask for nothing else, but this time he asked, ¡°How long can the foodst?¡± Scarlet said: ¡°At the most, ten days.¡± Ryan: ¡°I¡¯ll head out in five days and bring back the food within three.¡± Scarlet expressed doubts, ¡°Three days, would that not be too anxious? Why not start two days earlier?¡± After all, transporting the food would waist an entire day. Ryan paused for a while and said, ¡°Something is wrong.¡± Scarlet nced at him and saw through his thoughts, ¡°Have you taken care of that female you brought back?¡± Ryan did neither confirmed or denied, ¡°She¡¯s injured.¡± These past few days, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s wounds were beginning to heal but no one had looked for her and she was unfamiliar to them. ording to her temper, even if the people drove her out of the n, like that time in the Elk vige, she would be miserable in the snow, weeping. ¡°You do not have to worry about that,¡± Scarlet told him seriously, ¡°Rhode just sought me out, and he seemed interested in the female. He offered to share her with you.¡± Scarlet¡¯s tone was t, like he were talking about dinner, ¡°You know, the females of the race are scarce. It¡¯s normal for them to have many men. Rhode should take good care of her while you¡¯re not in the race.¡± Ryan¡¯s face darkened, ¡°And you promised him?¡± Scarlet said, ¡°Considering she was brought back by you, I did not immediately agree. I told him to go seek the opinion of the girl.¡± * J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was bored lying in bed. Betham hade to look at her wounds and gone, leaving her alone. Yesterday, although her words were refuted by Ryan, it did not mean she had given up on the idea. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought, once her would was healed, she would say goodbye to Ryan and leave. She could not persaude herself to live here, after all. . . She did not know how Ryan had be smaller, or if he had gotten close to her on purpose. . . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u absently fiddled with herpass, suddenly frowning. Picking it up to look carefully, her entire face hollowed. When shest saw thepass, the original guide towards the south swayed from side to side as if interrupted by something. The arc swung almost across the entire disk, making it impossible to tell the exact direction. Was it broken? No way. . . she clearly remembered it was good before she went unconscious! When she was frightened by Laurence and if fell to the ground, did it break? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u twisted her small face, unsure how to repair this type of thing. What should she do now? She needed to go east, and this was her only way of determining her direction. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s expression became sad when she suddenly heard slow footsteps outside the door. She thought Ryan hade back and she sat up, looking toward the door. The door opened then and she said, ¡°Ryan, you know. . .¡± Her voice suddenly fell short. ¡ª¡ªThat was not Ryan in the doorway, but some other leopard. He had short hair and sharp eyes, like a falcon¡¯s. Inside the house, he nced around and finally fell on J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u remembered him. By the reindeer vige, he was the one that caught her and asked about Ryan¡¯s whereabouts. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought he was still looking for Ryan, and she subconsciously backed away, saying, ¡°Ryan isn¡¯t here. . .¡± Rhode was one of the small number to master the human and pantheranguages. ¡°I¡¯m not looking for Ryan,¡± he slowly curved his mouth into an expression not quite augh or a smile as he stalked towards the bed, ¡°I¡¯m here for you.¡± He said such and did not wait for J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s response. Sweeping his arms under her legs and his elbows under her butt, he lifted her up and walked toward the door¡ª¡ª Chapter 30 Gentle Beast Chapter 30 ¡°Hey, where are you taking me¡ª¡ª¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u beat against Rhode¡¯s shoulders and struggled in his arms. She did not know him at all and they had never met, why did hee take her away without reason? ¡°Be honest!¡± Rhode pped his hand rudely on J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s ass, striding out of the house, dering impatiently, ¡°You must have known our rules when you came to the tribe. The females here are all shared, including you. . . Don¡¯t be so fussy. Haven¡¯t you already done it with Ryan?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s face flushed a brilliant red for a moment then she helplessly panicked, ¡°Of course not! . . . I am Ryan¡¯s friend, not a female of your race!¡± ¡°Friends? That guy hasn¡¯t even had you yet?¡± Rhode¡¯s brow shot up, then his entire face shifted and he carried J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u to the other side, ¡°Then just let me be your first.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s eyes went wide and she pped Rhode¡¯s shoulders, ¡°Don¡¯t! You let me go!¡± Unfortunately, her strength was far too weak and the leopards had thick skin. She was entirely insignificant. The violent struggle only attracted the attention of others along the road. Unfortunately, it was only their ¡°attention¡±. None were willing toe up and help her. Not to mention that this wasmonce for the leopards, but they were also an indifferent and independent, withdrawn race. ¡°Meddling in other¡¯s business¡±¡ª¡ªthose four words did not belong to them. The reason it was attracting attention was because it was a little unusual. As soon as Ryan had brought her in, the young female had been stamped with ¡°Leader Ryan¡¯s¡± seal. Most leopards were too terrified to openly rob the man. With the only exception being Rhode, the fore-bringer of his own death type of lunatic. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s heart gradually began to sink, deep into a surge of desperation. Not far ahead was a sloop-roofed house, and ording to the path Rhode was walking, it was likely his house. Seeing herself draw closer to Rhode¡¯s house. . . she would never have a chance to escape once she was inside. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u clenched her teeth and looked at him. Regardless of the beastmen along the street, she took the army knife out of her space and swept out the de. She lifted it high and stabbed down with all her strength at Rhode¡¯s shoulder¡ª¡ª ¡°Ah. . .¡± The sharp de pierced flesh and Rhade gasped on cold air. He turned and saw the knife sunk halfway into his flesh, blood gushing from the wound. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not stop and instead clenched harder and forced it even deeper! ¡°Damn it. . .¡± Rhode took hold of J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s hand and cursed, ¡°You suicidal woman!¡± He pulled out the knife and flung it far away, looking at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u with angry mes shing in his eyes. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u shoved with all her body¡¯s force and it wrenched at her abdominal wound but she persisted, ¡°Put me. . . down.¡± Rhode had thought she was a temping sheep and hadn¡¯t expected to be bit back. He licked his teeth and sneered, ¡°Dream on!¡± He kicked open the door of his house and walked into the house, tossing J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u mercilessly onto the bed. * Rhode did this with far more intent than to just anger Ryan. Ryan had been besieged by the wolves and seriously injured. Everyone thought he would die, but not only did Ryane back intact, but even stronger than before. During the entire period of his injury, only this one female was in contact with him. ¡ª¡ªTherefore, it all had to do with this girl. Rhode firmly believed that J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s body hid some secret. He leaned over and his long ws pinched her chin as he looked over her entire body. Her face was small, shoulder thin, and her breasts weren¡¯t full. Other than her slender waist and thin legs, she had no advantage. She had no hair, naked as a boiled egg. . . she had yet to reach maturity. Rhode couldn¡¯t help but smack his lips in suspicion, ¡°Ryan can actually see you?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was powerless to argue with him, so she pit her lower lip until it bled white. When Rhode threw her onto the bed, her waist mmed into the edge of the bed and the wound that had just begun to heal had torn open. Her face was pale with pain. Rhode saw her trembling, and thought that she was trembling with fear, licked his teeth in delight. ¡°So now you can be scared? Girl, where did that courage go?¡± ¡°. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s voice was too quiet. ¡°What did you say? Speak louder,¡± Rhode raised his eyebrows. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u repeated herself but he still could not hear it clearly. Rhode impatiently bowed his head, ¡°If you want to beg for mercy. . .¡± A tear rolled down J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s face. Her voice was weak and she was almost paralyzed, ¡°Pain. . . don¡¯t press me down. . .¡± Ryan kicked open the door then. Standing in the doorway, this was the scene he saw. The stout male pressed over the pretty little girl, her face pressed to the bed and her body held tight until there was almost no gab at all. The girl¡¯s eyes were flushed and tears hung on hershes, making her look pitiful. ¡°Bang¡ª¡ª!¡± The wooden door fell heavily to the ground making a heavy, muffled sound. Rhode followed the sound with his gaze and saw Ryan¡¯s icy visage, slightly stiff. He expected Ryan toe but not quite that fast. Rhode soon recovered his exposure and snarled, ¡°Sorry, Ryan. I already ate her. . .¡± As soon as his voice fell, he was grabbed by the neck and thrust over to the window. Ryan lifted him from the bed and lifted him high, then smashed him fiercely to the ground¡ª¡ª The floor made a loud noise and the whole house shook. Rhode groaned and was just starting to sit up when Ryan nted a foot on his face and shoved him back under the bed. ¡°Rhode, do you want to die?¡± This was the first thing Ryan said since entering the room. Rhode spat out a mouthful of dirt and sat on the ground, ¡°Ryan, don¡¯t forget that the females of this tribe are shared. The patriarch is no exception. How can you alone enjoy this female¡¯s ability? Why not let me have a piece of it?¡± Ryan¡¯s expression did not change and he leaned over, his firm arms lifting J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u from the bed. When he saw blood pouring down from J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s abdomen, his eyes went dark. ¡°If I told the tribe this girl had an unusual ability, guess what they would. . .¡± ¡°Shut your mouth.¡± Ryan lifted his right foot and stepped heavily on Rhode shoulder hard. For a moment, Rhode¡¯s face twitched and a sharp pain came from the scap¡ª¡ª Then came the crack of broken bone. Ryan: ¡°You let me hear your nonsense again and I will tear you to pieces.¡± * Back at his cabin, Ryan gently set J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u down on his bed. The girl¡¯s belly was bleeding badly and her whole face was white, cold sweat almost soaking her entire body. Ryan hooked his ws in her clothes and opened them up. The originally stitched shut wound had opened up and blood leaked continuously. From start to end, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, apart from the tears in front of Rhode, had not cried. Ryan¡¯s finger pressed around the wound. Finally, he set aside her clothes and walked out of the cabin. Soon, Ryan returned with the doctor Bethan. Bethan saw J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s wounds and the dark circles around his eyes were even darker when he told her, ¡°You. . . didn¡¯t I tell you to take care of yourself?!¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u lowered her eyes and hershes drooped against her cheeks. When she heard Bethan¡¯s words, her shoulders curled up. Ryan whispered: ¡°Don¡¯t me her.¡± Bethan listened and he turned to ask, ¡°So it¡¯s you that¡¯s not taking good care of her?¡± Ryan was silent, and he did not answer. ¡°Can you fix it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try,¡± Bethan said not lightly, ¡°Her body was already not healing too well. This time, I cannot give much assurance.¡± ¡°Be sure to cure it,¡± Ryan¡¯s voice was heavy with unquestionablemand, ¡°Cure her and your race will be provided food for three winters by the leopards.¡± Bethan¡¯s eyes brightened, ¡°Deal.¡± Although the bleeding of J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s wounds was serious, Bethan¡¯s originally sutures were very good and it had not caused more damage. Bethan first stopped her bleeding then thered on anti-inmmatory medicine and told Ryan: ¡°If she has a fever overnight, wipe her body down with a damp cloth. Avoid touching the wound until her temperature drops back to normal.¡± After Bethan left, the room returned to silence. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s motionless bodyid on the bed, her hands and feet obediently ced to the side. She was frightened by what Bethan had just said. If her wound was to crack open again, her belly would have a hole forever. Even when Ryan came to check her forehead, she did not move¡ª¡ª Fortunately, she had no fever. Ryan retracted his hand and asked abruptly, ¡°Did Rhode touch you?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u glimpsed at him slightly and shook her head, ¡°No.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± Ryan¡¯s voice was quiet and he spoke slowly, ¡°It won¡¯t happen again.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u licked her lips but didn¡¯t say anything. When Ryan got up and was about to go outside, she whispered, ¡°. . .Ryan.¡± He paused and she cautiously, carefully asked, ¡°You. . . your females. . . are all shared?¡± Ryan pondered for a moment, then said slowly, ¡°No.¡± He added: ¡°You are not.¡± Chapter 31 Gentle Beast Chapter 31 Ryan¡¯s voice was apanied in the doorway by the cold wind, causing J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u to involuntarily quiver. Her entire body was startled into alertness. ¡°I¡¯m fine. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s white arms wrapped around her chest, her face rosy red, and she wished she could shrink into nothingness. She had not thought that Ryan would suddenly break in. She had just turned to pick up her clothes when she identally kicked down the wooden stool and cried out. The sound hadn¡¯t even ended yet when he broke in the door. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could not respond, the figure in the doorway tall andrge, profound facial features peering in from the night, his eyes dark and shining. ¡ª¡ªThere was a strong oppression there, and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had forgotten she was facing a leopard. ¡°I, I just identally kicked over the stool . .¡± The huts here had no way to lock the doors. After these days of getting along, she had gained some trust in Ryan. Additionally, the filth her body was too much to deal with. She hadn¡¯t let herself worry too much and used a wooden stool to press behind the door. Now, that stool had fallen on its side and she was embarrassed under Ryan¡¯s gaze. This naked encounter was not conducive to her. Her knitted jacket was on the table in front of her so she covered her chest and reached forward with one hand, quickly grabbing the clothes to put on. . . But the floor was slippery and she was too flustered. With an unsteady skid of her foot, she began to fall backward. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u closed her eyes and protected her belly, waiting for that moment of hitting the ground¡ª¡ª But, without warning, she fell instead onto a spacious and warm chest. She did not know when Ryan had moved from the door, but was now holding her shoulder and waist, rolling her entire body into his arms. He was wearing beast leather that exposed most of his chest and his body temperature was much higher than hers. The cool and hot giving sharp contrast. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u blinked and looked at Ryan¡¯s face. Stunned, red stretched across her cheeks all the way to the tips of her ears, her whole brain boiling with heat. She was dressed from the waist up, but nothing underneath. . . her legs were pressed to his thighs. . . ¡°Let me go! Get out. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s face was red for a while. In Ryan¡¯s arms, she desperately struggled but his arms were like iron rod, and the more she struggled, the tighter it got. Worried she would hurt herself, Ryan picked her up and walked to the bed. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u wanted to cry but she was without tears, and she tightly pulled the knit sweater over her lower body. Once Ryan set her on the bed, she desperately shrunk towards the corner. But she couldn¡¯t, Ryan¡¯s hand on her shoulder nailing her to the spot. ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± She just struggled so much and almost fell backward. Ryan checked the wound on her belly to make sure it hadn¡¯t cracked open. His line of sight tracked up her body, staring nkly at her snow white body. The girl was wearing arge sweater but was toote to button it shut and, while it concealed both sides of her, it still revealed too much of her upper body. Her skin was very different from the leopard females, white and soft. She grabbed the bottom of the sweater with one hand and once she was in bed, her wide eyes looked at him. They were wet and she pursed her lips, looking aggrieved and miserable. It was this expression that allowed the girl to break free from his grasp and rolled into the inside of the bed, wrapping herself in a nket until only her small head was exposed. Her wet hair was stered to her cheeks and she looked like a drowned poodle. Ryan shifted his gaze away. The girl had covered herself up as tightly as she good. . . but forgot her tiny, delicate feet. The ankles were exposed to air, the bones were well distributed and the backs were like the rest of her, white and tender soft. Her ten toenails were glossy and pink, like the bud shoots sprouting in spring, only to find the big toes wiggled a little. Although she was not as conspicuous as the leopard race¡¯s females, there were many parts of her body that were delicate and exquisite. It was a pity the leopard females couldn¡¯t possess that feeling of tenderness. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u obviously perceived his sight and her feet vanished like smoke under the nket. Ryan watched her wariness and his lips curved into an imperceptible smile. He stretched out his long legs blocking her only way out of the bed. Then his slow, maic voice said, ¡°Is your entire race like you?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u blinked her eyes at him, not understanding. His next words caused her entire body to go stiff¡ª¡ª ¡°Humans, are they all like you? Rather like loach.¡± . . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s eyes suddenly widened, opening her mouth in surprise, ¡°You, what did you just say?¡± Did he just say she was like a loach. He said just now. . . ¡°Humans¡±? How did he know she was human?! J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u went over her thoughts quickly, when had she mentioned in front of him that she was human. But no, she had no impression of saying so at all. The girl¡¯s pupils were sparkling, her body stiff and her eyes full of trepidation. It¡¯s no wonder that her reaction was sorge. Eric had said humanity had long gone extinct. And the beastmen were always evolving towards humans. If they knew she was human, would she be taken as a monster? ¡°I am not human, I am. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u denied, trying to defend herself. She thought for a long time and could not think of an appropriate statement. Finally, she pulled her nket over her head and gave up, ¡°I¡¯m a mud race*!¡± *I wasn¡¯t aware until now but Loach is apparently a type of mud fish and that¡¯s what she¡¯s referring to here, and what Ryan was saying earlier. ¡°They don¡¯t have the ability to turn into people.¡± Ryan kindly reminded her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u guessed well, that early on when Ryan was in his cub form, he had already guessed her identity. Primate and with no beast form, her habits and the use of high tech, those were all characteristics of humans. It was only because of his physical limitations at the time that he did not speak much. He had so many things to ask her. Where she came from, and why, and what was that ''space¡± of hers? The words in his mouth, he quickly swallowed them back down. Ryan lifted his legs from the bed as if nothing happened and said, ¡°Rest assured, no one will know who you are except me.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s eyshes trembled and she said nothing. It wasn¡¯t until she heard Ryan depart that she slowly opened the nket and looked at the door, wondering what he was thinking. * Perhaps because she didn¡¯t dry her hairst night before going to sleep, but when J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u woke up the next day, she had a headache and felt awful. She sat up and took two cold medicine pills. Last night¡¯s memory rushed into her mind and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought of Ryan¡¯s calm expression when he said she was human. Most likely, he had already known. As for why he was saying it now. . . she could not see. In short, it strengthened J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s resolve to leave after she was better. There was no one in the room and there was a pot of fish soup on the table left for her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u tasted it and the soup was very fresh. He didn¡¯t use ginger, garlic or wine, and it was difficult to taste. She reluctantly drank a mouthful but could not drink it. She quietly took a box of milk out of her space and opened it. After drinking the milk, she was still alone in the room. Outside the house came some noise and she hesitated but pushed open the door and went out. She saw a lot of firewood out there and Ryan was siting on the pile, ordering two other leopards to work. The two leopards heard the door open and blue green eyes looked at her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u shrank back and subconsciously walked over to Ryan¡¯s side, asking, ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ryan put down the bamboo keys in his hand and looked at her as he answered, ¡°Expanding the courtyard.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was puzzled. Why did he suddenly want to expand the courtyard? Ryan said: ¡°I leave Camuda tomorrow to lead a hunting trip. During the days I¡¯m away, you can move around in the courtyard.¡± Otherwise, with her timidness, would only wander around the house. After all that, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was surprised. Ryan tossed the keys over to her, ¡°Can you unlock it?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u caught the keys and carelessly nodded. ¡°Do not open the door to any race,¡± Ryan raised his chin and looked sideways at the dark hair behind the girl, then after a while, he added, ¡°Except me.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had let her hair down after her bath. It was dense and thick, like spilled ink. Ryan¡¯s fingertips twitched and he suddenly had the thought of pulling it into the palm of his hand. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s mind was elsewhere as she cautiously asked, ¡°You¡¯ll be gone for a few days?¡± ¡°Maybe three or four, maybe seven or eight,¡± he said. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u bit her lower lip. She still remembers Ryan¡¯s reaction when she mentioned leaving, and subconsciously thought that if she mentioned it again, he would still disagree. Instead of waiting for his consent. . . could she take this opportunity to leave? Her T¨¢o T¨¢o had returned to his hometown and she still had a long way to go. The girl¡¯s mind was pure and her heart¡¯s desires were painted across her face. Ryan¡¯s dark eyes started her shifty eyes and gradually grew even darker. ¡°Chief, where do you want these stakes?¡± asked one of the leopards wearing a fur coat. Ryan put away his thoughts and walked over to the side, ¡°What stakes?¡± The beastman said: ¡°The stakes were offset and it¡¯s not supposed to be here. That guy¡¯s gettingzy. . .¡± The leopard known as ¡°Warm¡± immediately retorted, ¡°Do not shirk responsibility. Did you not just find it?¡± Ryan was silent for a moment then thoughtfully said, ¡°Let it stay there.¡± He paused, ¡°Make up for this mistake elsewhere.¡± * The beastmen were very efficient and in a single day, the courtyard was expanded. The courtyard walls were solid wood and surrounded in rattan, then caked with mud to look no different from the farmyard. Although the appearance was simple, it added a sense of security. The next day, Ryan and the tribe were heading out to hunt and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u woke up early to find he was already gone. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought he had set out already. There was no kitchen in the courtyard so she took some milk and biscuits from her space for breakfast. After eating, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u though back to the brokenpass and took it from her backpack, looking at its pointer that still swayed wildly around. ¡°What¡¯s the matter with it?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was extremely disappointed. If she had nopass, how could she leave the leopard tribe? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u sat for the bed for a while but her thoughts did not bear fruit. She was discouraged and about to go for a walk in the courtyard when she heard the sound of conversation outside. After a moment, she saw Ryan outside followed by a female leopard. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u froze. She hadn¡¯t expected Ryan toe back and was temporarily helpless, ¡°Oh. . . I thought you were gone.¡± Ryan looked at her but said nothing and introduced her to the female behind him. ¡°This is Suzanna, the daughter of Elder Scarlet. She will apany you on the days I am away. If you have any needs, you can ask her at any time.¡± Since the door was open, Suzanna¡¯s curious eyes were on J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s body. Ryan had hidden her so tightly so her rudeness could not be med on her. Now that she could finally see the girl, she better take a careful look. It turned out that Ryan liked a girl like this. . . the eyes were ck and the facial features very small. Her skin was pink and the whole person seemed lovably exquisite. Suzanna was about to greet J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u when Ryan looked at her and said quietly in the leopard¡¯s tongue. ¡°Before Ie back, she is not allowed to have an ident or to leave.¡± Chapter 32 Gentle Beast Chapter 32 J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u vaguely recalled Suzanna¡¯s voice. When Ryan made the fish soup, he borrowed her kitchen. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought she was one of Ryan¡¯s females. At the time, she also thought she couldn¡¯t hear their dialogue because of the nks between them, but now. . . She just really could not understand. ¡°Teach her the panthera tongue as soon as possible.¡± Ryan also said to Suzanna, but J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could not understand it. She had always thought the leopard race was like Eric¡¯s and also used the humannguage. They had their own system, but she had only been in contact with Ryan and to amodate her, Ryan always used the human tongue. Ryan left and Suzanna stared at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. Suzanna opened her mouth and said a mouthful but J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could not understand. She crooked her head to the side and looked puzzled. Suzanna¡¯s tail swung flexibly behind her, pointing first to J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u then to the outskirts of Camuda. Again, she asked, ¡°What species are you? Where is your race?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could sort of understand what she meant, but could not answer her questions. Although the animals here could be humanoid, they still had more or less remnants of their original forms, such as Eric¡¯s horns, or Ryan¡¯s tail. . . and she had none of them. Even speaking casually, it would be exposed quickly. ¡°My race is very far away. The easternmost part of Bornia. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u said euphemistically after thinking for a moment. She saw that Suzanna¡¯s face was warped with bewilderment. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could not help but sigh. It seemed that Suzanna also could not understand her. She pointed her finger to the east then at Ryan¡¯s house and said, ¡°Home, east. . . do you understand?¡± Suzanna revealed an enigmatic expression and said in the leopardnguage, ¡°You mean, your race is in the East?¡± Soon afterwards, she remembered, ¡°Mostly herbivores live in the east of Bornia. Are you also herbivorous?¡± This sentence was too long and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u couldn¡¯t understand it, only vaguely hearing ¡°Bornia¡±. So she blinked and did not respond. However, this silence was admission in Suzanna¡¯s eyes and her face contorted with shock, as if she discovered something secretive. Ryan¡¯s favorite girl was herbivorous?! Was he crazy? In this day and time, it was impossible for herbivores and carnivores to coexist. The herbivores were so weak they could do nothing to help on the hunt, and there were so many differences in lifestyle. The leopards could only eat meat and the herbivores could only eat nts. The leopards were solitary and the herbivores tended to live in groups. The leopards could live anywhere, and the herbivores could only live in the forest. . . Most importantly, their physical fitness was not too great. Suzanna looked at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s small, delicate body then at her chest and felt very curious. . . . How could she endure Ryan¡¯s sexual desire? Ryan was the most powerful male in the leopard race. In their race, physical strength could be equated to sexual prowess. Suzanna couldn¡¯t help but look at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u in awe. She was so small. . . wasn¡¯t she going to be spoiled by Ryan? ¡± . . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could only think the look in Suzanna¡¯s eyes was strange. She did not know what was on her mind. The two females spoke for half an hour in gestures, but after half an hour, Suzanna gave up. Communication was too difficult. . . Ryan actually asked her to teach the girl the leopardnguage in just a few days. It was impossible! ¡°I¡¯lle back tomorrow, if you need something go to the third house on the opposite side in the south.¡± Leaving just this sentence, regardless of whether J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could understand or not, Suzanna fled. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u watched her back and sighed in relief. Finally gone. . . in fact. During that long conversation, she could understand some of Suzanna¡¯s words more or less. After all, it was derived from the humannguage. But she deliberately pretended not to understand just to get Suzanna to leave early. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not now why Ryan was doing this, but it was obvious that after Suzanna came, she couldn¡¯t leave as she pleased. Fortunately, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not intend to leave immediately. She was not familiar with the terrain here and thepass had not been repaired. There were still many things that she needed to prpare. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u turned back to the house and fiddled some more with thepass. Perhaps Suzanna¡¯s arrival had opened her mind some, but J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked at the swaying prized pointer and suddenly remembered seeing something familiar before on a forum. The forum seemed to say. . . that it was maism? After thepass bes maized, it would malfunction. To fix it, she could only demaize and then re-maize it. Where was she going to charge it? When J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u tried to think about it, the wound on her belly ached and she dared not to continue standing, quickly returning to bed. To recover quickly, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u wasn¡¯t careless at all. Every day, ording to the doctor¡¯s advice, she obediently stood and walked around for about an hour. * The next day, Bethan came to see her again and Suzanna also came back. The weather was good and the sun shone bright. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u took the cotton she had collected thest time from her space andid it out to dry. When she picked the cotton, she had intended to make a quilt but that day she had been driven out by the elks and the matter had been put aside. Although things would not rot in her space, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was still worried about how damp the cotton was. In addition, Bethan said her wound was healing well and the stitches could be removed the next day. She was in a good mood and wanted something to do for herself. ¡°What is that? What are you doing?¡± Suzanna asked. This sentence J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could understand, but she did not know how to exin. Well. . . how could she say she was drying the cotton and going to use it to make a quilt. . . Sure enough, Suzanna took a close look at the cotton puffs and asked in a session of questions, ¡°What do you want to do with them? Can you eat this kind of stuff?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u shook her head and pointed to the cotton. Then referenced the skins Suzanna was wearing, ¡°No. Cotton is very warm. . . it can be used to make clothes and quilts.¡± Suzanna could not understand this statement and she shrugged, saying to herself, ¡°You herbivores are hard to understand.¡± In her eyes, these nts could be found everywhere and they had no use at all. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not intend to exin more. After drying them out, she went into the house and took out a few bowls and washed them with water, putting it on the table. Before Suzanna hade, she had taken out some shiitake mushrooms, corn and carrots from her space, then washed and chopped them. Ryan was not there and she nned to make breakfast herself. If it was sessful, she could use the kitchen here to learn how to cook more foods. Suzanna seemed interested in her cooking. When J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stood in front of the firece busy with the pots, she watched her carefully and asked questions from time to time. But the two of them could not understand each other¡¯s words, and asionally exchanged one or two sentences that were a bit mismatched. After a while, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did a good enough job and she held out two bowls of soup, setting one in front of Suzanna. ¡°Would you like to try it?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u made an eating motion. Suzanna looked at the colorful soup in front of her and muttered, ¡°Do you eat these things all day?. . .¡± ¡ª¡ªThere appeared to be no appetite. That said, Suzanna still tasted a bit. Unexpectedly, the taste was slightly better than she had thought. Unfortunately, it was a little too vegetarian. Suzanna only drank a few bites then her mouth twitched. However, for J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u who was still recovering from her injury, it was just right. It was not suitable for her to eat too much meat or heavy foods. After that, Suzanna often came over to Ryan¡¯s house to apany J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. Sometimes she watched her cook, sometimes watched her tidy up the cotton, sometimes taught J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u the basics of the leopardnguage. . . After three days, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could understand some of thenguage. But, not to say there weren¡¯t some things she still wasn¡¯t used to. In the evening, Bethan came from the neighboring vige to take out J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s stitches. This ce had no anesthetic so when the stitches in J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s belly were pulled out, her eyes clenched shut with pain and she silently bit her lips. After thest was taken out, Bethan said, ¡°Keep an eye on the wound¡¯s healing. Avoid getting water on it and do not pull on it. Do not exercise. I wille back in ten days. If there are no abnormalities, there will not be any serious problems.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u nodded and opened her eyes. There was a bloody pink mark on her lip. ¡°Then can I walk?¡± ¡°It is best to rest for another day or two,¡± he said. ¡°After that, there shouldn¡¯t be any problems if the roads aren¡¯t dangerous.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u quickly thanked Bethan. Bethan waved it away frankly, ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand. I¡¯m still waiting for Ryan toe back and bring our winter food. If not for that, I would not have been so dedicated to you.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u pursed her lips and did not speak further. * This was the Ramos Valley. The morning was mottled with light, the mountains covered with green. Sunlight poured through the forest leaves casing on the ground in a sparkling kaleidoscope. All of a sudden, several leopards with different markings and body shapes burst out of the forest and rushed a group of mountain pigs facing the other side¡ª¡ª The prey was frightened and snarled, fleeing. But the leopards had marked their prey. Baring sharp teeth and ws, they attacked one after the other in orderly fashion. One of the boars was particrly fierce. It was probably the head of this group and its fangs were harp and eyes vicious. It closely guarded all that stood behind it. Once a leopard came forward, it would be ready to fight to the death and not hesitate regardless of its own injuries, charging forward to defeat the opponent. A few leopards couldn¡¯t take it. Just as the boar was waving its fangs, he threw a leopard under its body and tore at his flesh. A grey and ck spotted leopard leaped suddenly from above, teeth biting into the boar¡¯s throat. A breath was wrenched from the boar¡¯s chest and the leopard¡¯s ws dug into its heart¡ª¡ª The boar died, breathing its final breath. . . . . . . . . . A few of the leopards shifted to their human form, and sat freely on a pile of rocks, surrounding the boar. ¡°Winter, you¡¯re too useless. Even being attacked by a boar, you¡¯re really losing face for the leopard race!¡± one said. Winter tried to defend himself, ¡°Don¡¯t insult me. I was ready to fight back, if it wasn¡¯t for the chief. . .¡± Half his words suddenly died, and he looked to the side at the leisurely seated Ryan. Ryan¡¯s leg was bent slightly, his elbows propped on his knees, as he absently said, ¡°Hmm, then next time, I¡¯ll give you the opportunity to fight back.¡± Winter blushed and said no more. ¡°Chief, in addition to the boards, we captured several females. Do we need to bring those back to the race?¡± Dole asked. This time he, too, was arranged to hunt. Ryan lifted his head, ¡°What do you want to bring back?¡± Dole said in an official, business like tone, ¡°There are fewer and fewer females in the race. These can be brought back for people to vent their excess energy.¡± Ryan suddenlyughed and his voice was low, ¡°If you don¡¯t mind the future generations being ck and ugly herbivorous monsters, I have noints.¡± Dole: ¡°. . .¡± The leopardsughed and another said, ¡°These make me lose my appetite. The female has to be soft and sweet, of course, like the one the chief brought back. Tender and white, her human face looks good too. Though a little thin, that kind of thing can be ignored in the face of desire. . .¡± Because the leopard females were all shared, this kind of topic was not taboo. ¡°And she sounds soft too. If it¡¯s in bed, I bet it¡¯d be nice to listen to. . .¡± ¡°Crack¡± sounded from Ryan¡¯s hand, the wooden branch having splintered to pieces. Ryan¡¯s blue eyes narrowed and he slowly looked at the one that had spoken. ¡°Say that again?¡± | | >>> Chapter 33 Gentle Beast Chapter 33 Ryan¡¯s voice was cold and detached, then he put on a smile like the stillness of night, a bleak and biting chill breezing past. Corey was faintly embarrassed, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me I¡¯m wrong? The female satisfy in bed. . .¡± Ryan leaped up and threw Corey to the ground, raising his hand to pierce the earth next to his face¡ª¡ª ¡°Don¡¯t get any ideas about her,¡± Ryan snarled each word one by one. The ws pressed to his underbelly were strong and sharp, and Corey remembered that w had just hollowed out the chest of a mountain pig. His Adam¡¯s Apple rolled in anger and the momentum was broken, ¡°Chief, the idea isn¡¯t mine alone! Winder and Dole are also very interested in your girl. . .¡± Besides, it was a girl. Why was he reacting so much? Winder was suddenly tossed out and hastened to quibble, ¡°I didn¡¯t say that!¡± He that Ryan tightly held that girl in his eye, and the female wasn¡¯t a leopard in the first ce. The females of the leopard race were shared freely but other races didn¡¯t necessarily work that way. . . On the Bornia continent, it was moremon for a female to stay with a malemonly called a ¡°mate¡±. When if the chief wanted to keep this female? He wasn¡¯t going to be as brash as Corey. Corey turned his head to the side and spat in contempt, mercilessly exposing him, ¡°When Rhode took the girl away, you were right there saying the girl¡¯s voice was nice and called her a milk cat. . .¡± Winter was anxious, ¡°I, I just said it casually! I don¡¯t think so about you.¡± What¡¯s more, the girl¡¯s voice really was good. Coreyughed: ¡°Come on, you dare say you didn¡¯t react that time. . .¡± When he was speaking, he nced down at Winter¡¯s body. Winter was so embarrassed that he looked cautiously towards Ryan. He saw that the side of the chief¡¯s face was cast in the shade of the tree, his expression dark and uncertain. Winter swallowed, ¡°I. . .¡± In the next moment, Ryan shifted and let Corey up from the ground. Winter immediately closed his mouth. Ryan looked around at them all. ¡°She is not a female you can share,¡± he said with a de of ice in his eyes, ¡°Who dares to get the idea will leave the race. Immediately.¡± It wasn¡¯t just Winter and Corey that were stunned, but all of the leopards. Although the leopards were solitary animals, the race was still the inseparable living condition for them. Leaving the race meant being besieged and injured, or killed, by other hostile races. Ryan actually, for a female. . . In the past, there were no few examples of males wanting their females to be exclusive, but they were unable to withstand the attacks of the others and, in the end, they eitherpromised or left the race. If the other party was Ryan, it was not easy to say. Dole looked at Ryan and thought quietly. Ryan took back his gaze and said, ¡°Take a break.¡± Winter plonked himself on the ground and followed Ryan, ¡°Yes, yes, chief.¡± After a group of leopards had divided out the boars, they continued deep into the Ramos valley. Ramos Valley was drastically different from the Camuda Valley. Here the terrain was t and lush with greenery, inhabited mostly by the herbivorous species. However, in the deepest part of the valley, it was the home of the saber-toothed tigers. Ryan and his tribe stayed in that valley for three days and captured lots of prey. Of course, it was inevitable that the saber-toothed tiger¡¯s food was robbed. Ryan inventoried their prey then, removing the food he needed to give to Bethan¡¯s race, he left the remaining females to survive the winter. If there was no incident, he could make the return journey that night. ¡ª¡ªThe efficiency was twice as fast asst year. Ryan licked his teeth and involuntarily remembered the timid female at home. He wondered how she got along with Suzanna? Did she learn thenguage of the leopards? How good had her injuries healed? Had Bethan taken out her stitches? Thest time he pierced her identity, she had that ¡°want to go home¡± expression on her face again. Did Suzanna have a good look at her? Camuda Valley was surrounded by wild beasts and rugged terrain, making it too dangerous for her to leave alone. Moreover, she still carried so many ¡°unsolved mysteries¡±. Ryan shifted to his beast form and the flexible, robust body passed the prey, the herbivorous species having retreated far. ¡°Chief!¡± a yellow and ck leopard came from the distance and stopped in front of Ryan, opening his mouth, ¡°Winter was taken away by the tiger patriarch.¡± Ryan¡¯s gaze shifted, ¡°What?¡± ¡°He was going to hunt with me in the back of the mountain. The tigers said we robbed their food and if we don¡¯t return the prey, they¡¯ll skin Winter!¡± ¡°I thought this was something interesting,¡± Corey said as he crossed over to them, ¡°Thest time the chief saved his life, he said he could solve it himself. Right not the opportunity has presented itself. This time, let him think of his own way to escape. The catch was hard-earned, how could we just give it up to the tigers?¡± Although the messenger thought such silently, he said, ¡°But. . . except for Winter, the saber-toothed tribe seems to have upied females of our race. We have always had few of them. . . and I just looked at it. There were about a dozen or so, and most were already adults.¡± Corey immediately stood up, ¡°How did our females end up in the tiger tribe?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± the leopard scratched his head. If they could save the females, it would be much better than having sex with the boars. Obviously, Corey and the others thought so too. ¡°Chief, what should we do?¡± They asked Ryan. Ryan raised his body and looked towards the saber-toothed tiger¡¯s den, ¡°Let¡¯s go take a look.¡± Ryanmanded seven or eight to stay and watch the prey, and the rest followed him toward the tiger den. The group of leopards were soon ready to go and the sturdy figures shifted within the jungle forest and they soon disappeared without a trace. * Camuda Valley, Leopard Tribe. After the three to four days of being in contact with her, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was finally able tomunicate a little with Suzanna. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s stitches had been removed and she still couldn¡¯t eat greasy foods. She tried to make soup every day, however, the ingredients in her space was limited and Suzanna was always with her. Some of the ingredients Suzanna had never seen before and was bound to get curious, asking about their origins. For example, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u made a soup of winter melon and kelp soup. Suzanna pointed at the seaweed in the pot and asked, ¡°What is that? Bark? I have never seen you herbivores eat this type of food before. Where did you find it?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could not answer, so she had to pretend she did not understand. Unfortunately, that could not continue to happen. To prevent Suzanna¡¯s inevitable suspicions, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u decided to ask her if she could go out and walk. To look at what edible nts were around. But also. . . to find out about the terrain here. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and Suzanna talked for a long time, even with some gestures, and Suzanna finally understood her meaning. ¡°You want to go out for a walk?¡± Suzanna looked at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u who had lowered her head. At first, she wasn¡¯t agreeable. After all, Ryan had exined that she was to watch her well. The outside was filled with carnivorous species and this girl, she was so weak. If she was attacked, she probably didn¡¯t even have the ability to protect herself. But, seeing her locked up in the house all day, havinge to the leopard tribe more than ten days ago, and in addition to being taken away buy Rhode, she still did not even go out the gate of the yard. She was so weird, but Suzanna reluctantly nodded, ¡°I don¡¯t care if you die.¡± So, the next day, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u followed Suzanna out of the leopard tribe. Behind the tribe was a towering mountain and the rocky road stretched with many kinds of nts on either side. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u observed the nts while walking and silently noted down the route. ¡°There are not many prey here. The ordinary ones won¡¯te here. There is nothing to see. I¡¯ll take you. . .¡± Suzanna said and looked back to see J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u walking on the other side, ¡°Hey, where are you going?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u walked up to arge tree and tilted her head back, ck eyes staring brightly at the fruit above. ¡°Olives!¡± she said to Suzanna. Unfortunately, Suzanna did not understand her. She had to step on her tip toes and bring down two of the olive fruits. She took a bite and chewed. It was sour and slightly astringent. It was indeed an olive. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was pleasantly surprised. Olives not only could treat some diseases but could also be pressed into oil. They had brought everything on their camping trip except for cooking oil. These days, whenever she boiled her soups, they were heavy on brought and very light without any oil. If she could use olive oil, then cooking would not be a problem and the barbecue grill in her space coulde in handy. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was cheerful and took all the olives from the branch in a single breath. Fortunately, she brought a bamboo basket before she left the house and she could put all the olives she picked in it. After picking from there, the other branches were too tall and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could not reach them. She reached several times, standing on all her toes, but was only tall enough to grab a tree leaf. Suzanna looked at the girl under the tree and muttered, ¡°What¡¯s so good about a green fruit. . .¡± Suzanna had eaten this kind of thing before. It was stringy and sour, hard to eat, and she had no interest in them. Watching J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s behavior was a little difficult to understand. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u originally jumped and picked some more but considering her stomach was just hurt, it wasn¡¯t appropriate to pull so hard and had to give up. She only picked a little, just enough to cover the bottom of her basket. It would not make enough oil. Suzanna walked on ahead of her and she followed after her, regretfully having to wait until her injury waspletely healed. The trees here were all sorts of strange, and the fruits were rather different. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u discovered many familiar ones on the way. Mountain bamboo, walnut, milk fruit. . . Somewhat different from the ones in the 21st century but practically the same. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u found them to be treasures and loaded them into her basket, nning to take them back. Surrounded by the dense forest, the trees and leaves were luxuriant in this part of it. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was on the move and ready to go further but Suzanna suddenly reached out and stopped her, ¡°Don¡¯t go any further.¡± Although J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u couldn¡¯t understand Suzanna¡¯s words, she could understand the gesture and the seriousness in her eyes. ¡°Why?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u asked. Suzanna directly took hold of J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s arm and pulled her back. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u staggered but managed to stabilize herself, ¡°Wait a minute. Are we going back?¡± Suzanna also didn¡¯t understand that, nor did she exin to J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. It wasn¡¯t until they were a great distance away that she released J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s wrist. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u rubbed her wrist and pointed to the forest behind them. She asked in the tiny bit of leopardnguage she had learned these days, ¡°There. . . can¡¯t go?¡± Suzanna looked at her and was slightly surprised, ¡°You can speak ournguage?¡± Suzanna obviously did not expect J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u to learn so quickly. Being able tomunicate, she quickly exined to J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, ¡°That is the wolf¡¯s territory. The wolf tribe would be there if we went in.¡± Said such, Suzanna then frowned, her tone disgusted, ¡°The wolves are awfully cunning and despicable. To rob us of our territory, they held a siege on Ryan. Their patriarch, Holden, is not a good guy. If you don¡¯t want to die, you will stay away from there.¡± Chapter 34 Gentle Beast Chapter 34 That passage was fairly long and Suzanna said it quickly. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could only understand the name ¡°Holden¡±. Holden?? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u definitely remembered who Holden was. When T¨¢o T¨¢o first broke onto the wolf tribe¡¯s boat, she had to converse with the wolves to save him and on the condition of helping them through the reef, they let her and T¨¢o T¨¢o go. And Holden was the patriarch of the wolves. Was that the wolf territory back there? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u subconsciously looked back and saw behind the ancient trees, blotting out the sun and emanating gloom. She was startled to see two glowing eyes. There was nothing there a moment ago, and she started to feel that she had seen this ce before. Suzanna saw that J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not speak and thought that she knew what she meant, so she sighed in relief and took her back to the tribe. It was only when she returned to Ryan¡¯s house that J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u remembered where that sense of familiarity came from. The thick trees and dense leaves, the grotesque nts. . . they were the exact same as the ones she had first seen when she came to this continent. She hurriedly took her backpack from her space and rummaged around for her cell phone, holding her finger to the power button and turning it on. Sinceing here, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had kept her phone off to preserve its battery so it still had power. After a moment of its booting animation, she opened the album and brought up a few photos. When she first came to this world, she engraved a thick trunk with four numbers ¡°1002¡±. Whenever she lost her way in the forest, she would photograph each intersection and avoid taking the same path. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u now looked at them carefully. The trees in her photos were identical to the ones she saw today. How could this be. . . Did she get so turned around for so long she ended up back where she began? Aware of this now, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could not speak for a long time. When Bethan said it was very far from the east of Bornia, she had a bad feeling. At the time, however, she only thought the road would be a little further away and had not expected fact to be so much more brutal than she imagined. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s throat was blocked up by something, choking with difort. ¡ª¡ªShe was getting farther away from her home. She never thought that the leopards and wolves were only a single mountain apart. T¨¢o T¨¢o knew she wanted to go east, so why did he bring her back here? On one hand, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u wanted to me Ryan for her predicament, but on the other hand, she knew that if he had not rescued her and brought her back, she would have been long dead and buried in the thick snow god knows where. . . . However, although she could understand. . . The fact was still a blow to her mind. . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u set down the bamboo basket in frustration. There was no hint of her excitement at finding olives or the other fruits. She grabbed her phone in one hand and cut the page back to the home screen with her thumb. An old, yellowish picture appeared on the screen¡ª¡ª The photo of her when she was five. Photo technology wasn¡¯t very good and the quality wasn¡¯t too high either. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had just started primary school and was carrying a small schoolbag, wearing a pink floral skirt. She stood in the doorway of the school with red eyes and her short arms wide open. A small smile hung on her face and she bowed her head, wiping away the tears on hershes. . . . That photo was taken by her uncle. That uncle told her that she refused to go to school, saying that a boy in the back seat always bullied her. Her mother spent a long time convincing her to step back and walk into school. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had forgotten about it. She originally only found the picture interesting and set it as her main screen. Now, she inadvertently realized that there was no reason to be so sad. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked at it for a long time then reluctantly shifted her eyes away and rubbed away her tears. After a long time, she suddenly remembered something and took another look at the photos from just now. Picking up her spirits, she took out a pen and some paper and began to write down her memories of the road one by one. It was no big deal, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­uforted herself, it was time go to again. It wasn¡¯t a difficult road anyhow. As long as she could go back, could see mom and dad again, then everything was worth it. * Over the next two days, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was busy drawing her map and went to explore the roads around the mountain, collecting fruit as she went. To get to the east from here, it would definitely take a really long time. There was not enough food in her space tost so it was better to be prepared and pack in more food. Additionally, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u managed toplete two quilts. The quilt was two towels stuffed with cotton and made rubbed into lines with flexible bark. The only problem was theck of a good needle. Fortunately, the beastmen here also sewed skins so Suzanna had ready made bamboo needles at home. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u borrowed a couple from her and when idle, would sit and sew the quilt. Because she had never done anything like this before, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was very unfamiliar with her hands and her stitches were a mess. She tore them out several times, and while the final product wasn¡¯t too pretty, it was still very warm. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u set it out in the sun during the day and could not wait to cover herself with it at night. That night, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not feel frozen at all and felt particrly satisfied. Early the next morning, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u put everything into her space, took her map, and walked out of the cabin. She intended to go out and explore the road. If she seeded in getting out of the valley, then she would never return. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u originally wanted to wait for Ryan to get back and saw a few words to him. But, she did not know when he would be back and she felt that Ryan would not agree to let her go. . . He hadn¡¯t responded positively when she mentioned leaving the first time. On second thought, Ryan already knew she was human and that she so many secrets. It was impossible to let her leave so easily. . . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u put her backpack on her back and left the leopard tribe, walking into the forest that Suzanna had brought her to. The snow had yet to disappear and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not walk very fast. The girl¡¯s back was thin and the red backpack became the only dazzling color in the vast white scenery, resembling the bright cinnabar between the eyebrows*, bing lighter and lighter. *the cinnabar is that little red dot on the forehead the Chinese (kind of resembling the Indian tradition as well) Until it finally disappeared. . . . . . . . . . Meanwhile, Suzanna stood outside Ryan¡¯s courtyard and patted happily at the door, ¡°Hey, herbivorous female, you know! Ryan came back today!¡± After a while, there was still no response from inside. Suzanna pushed at the door but it was locked from the outside and the key hung on the door. Suzanna grabbed the key, ¡°Did she really go out and not take the key? After all herbivore¡¯s heads filled with grass?¡± These days J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u often went out and spent most of her time in the mountains, so Suzanna didn¡¯t feel strange to not find anyone there. Suzanna hung the key on herself and originally wanted to look for J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u in the mountains, but thought that Ryan wasing back and her eyes shifted, deciding not to go out in the end. She would stay in the tribe and wait for Ryan. * The sun tilted in the sky and the light grew even weaker. A group of leopards raced agilely through the forest, leaping and jumping, sprinting and leaving nothing but shadow behind. The leopard in the middle was quick, vigorous and flexible, and he soon arrived at the tribe¡¯s entrance. Ryan shifted into his humanoid form. There was a new scar under his eye. From the temple to the cheekbone, it had been left behind when fighting the saber-toothed tigers. He had roughly stopped the blood but did not care about it. ¡°Ryan, you¡¯re back so early!¡± Suzanna waited by the door with the others. When she saw Ryan return, her slender tail arched beautifully behind her in delight. He turned slightly, and she saw the scar on Ryan¡¯s face and fussed, ¡°How did your face get hurt?¡± Ryan shifted but did not see J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u in the midst of the tribe so he looked back at her and said, ¡°She?¡± ¡°Who?¡± Suzanna pretended not to know. Her voice had just fallen when Ryan¡¯s eyes pressed her firmly. She frowned slightly and said frankly, ¡°Rest assured, she¡¯s fine. I only just saw her yesterday afternoon. . .¡± Ryan looked slightly tense. Suzanna saw him so nervous about J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and her heart beat a little harder. As soon as he returned, she asked about her whereabouts but the girl hadn¡¯t so much as mentioned his name these past few days. Suzanna remembered the moment she went to Ryan¡¯s house and the key was on the outside, ¡°Right. . .¡± She had not finished when thest of the hunting party entered the tribe. Behind them, they also brought more than a dozen females. These leopards had different markings. Some were snow leopards and some were panthers, others were cheetahs. Most of them had injuries and afternding, they shifted into their human forms. Suzanna inhaled and stared at the strange females, ¡°Who are they?¡± Ryan did not answer and immediately went towards the captured prey. This year¡¯s harvest was twice the previous years. Ryan set aside the part for the panda race and it was sent to the neighbors, but the remainder was left to the storage rooms. Due to the excess of prey and the need to carry it for such a long time, Ryan left the supervision work to Dole and was ready to leave. ¡°Chief, what should we do with these females?¡± Winter came up to him and pointed to the ones they had just brought back. The tigers were fierce and violent and treated thempletely as tools for liberation. These females had lived in fear all year round. Even if they came back to their race¡¯s territory, they were all very timid. Ryan looked back, ¡°Find a few extra houses and let them stay there. Give the rest to Scarlet.¡± The poption of the race had always been managed by Elder Scarlet. Winter immediately promised to go find Scarlet. Ryan exined everything and took his long legs to walk into the tribe. Ryan lived in the deepest part of the vige, so he walked along the vertical main road to the end. Two steps further to the east was his house. Ryan stopped at the door of the house and it was locked from the outside. He frowned. Before he left, he taught J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u how to lock it from the inside. Now it had been locked on the outside. He lifted his paw and put it on the door. With a little force, he pushed against it until the door went down and the lock broke. Ryan walked into the courtyard. It was clean and tidy, no different from when he left it. It was even a little too quiet. Ryan pushed open the door to the house and looked inside. The fire had long been extinguished and the house was deserted. Everything was neatly arranged. ¡ª¡ªOnly the things belonging to J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u hadpletely disappeared. || >>> Chapter 35 Gentle Beast Chapter 35 The dense jungle surrounded her, green, tall and straight. A smooth and round bird pped its wing and stopped on a branch, pping the snow off overhead. The snow fell from the branch and smashed into the hands J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was using to hold the map. She wiped the snow from her hands and looked up, the arrogant sparrow pping its wings again to leave. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had been walking for four or five hours. Although she had nopass, she was used to this part of the road and it still had a deep impression in her mind. She also had the map drawn in advance, so she went on smoothly. That night, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u found a random hollowed tree. She took out the new quilt from her space and hung it in the entrance to block the wind and keep her cover. She boiled a bag of instant noddles for dinner and rested after she ate. Maybe she had taken too many roads that day, but J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u fell asleep instantly. The next day, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u woke up and went to the nearby stream to wash her face. The water was cold on her cheeks and it jolted her awake, sobering her up quickly. For breakfast, she took a bite of bread and a carton of milk, then continued onward. Now long after she began again, the scenery became more and more familiar. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u remembered that she had lost her way in this forest and ended up going back and fourth nearly five times, unable to get out. Here was where she met T¨¢o T¨¢o. Then a wolf had howled in the valley and she ran along the stream, getting out of the forest by sheer chance. Suzanna said this was wolf territory, so J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had originally wanted to avoid this ce, but to get out of the valley, she had to take this road. Or, rather, she only knew this path. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u held her army knife in one hand and hung her binocrs around her neck, paying close attention to her surroundings as she walked forward. When she didn¡¯t meet any wolves, the tension in her heart eased away. By noon, she was ready to find a safe ce to eat lunch but suddenly heard the distant cry of an animal. The sound continued. She became flustered and mournful. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u squeezed herpressed biscuits in her hand and put them back into her space. She raised her binocrs and looked into the distance. In her field of vision, a yellow antelope was running quickly, followed by several vicious wolves. Just now, the sound she had heard was from the antelope¡¯s mouth. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s heart felt tight. She couldn¡¯t eat and it was toote to flee somewhere else. She took out her climbing rope and tied it to her waist, tossing the other over a tree branch. She tested it and held tightly, climbing up as quickly as she could. Having just arrived at the top, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u put the rope away and the antelope and wolf pack were already in front of the tree. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u steadied her body and held the trunk, looking down at them. As she watched, the antelope stiffened. She didn¡¯t know when the antelope had be humanoid but four wolves fell to the ground, biting his neck and sharp ws piercing into his chest. Regardless of his struggle, his chest was soon emptied out. The gazelle beastman stopped struggling and swallowed hisst breath. The other wolves swarmed forward, tearing the flesh apart and soon the antelope beastman was entirely eaten. Blood flowed thick and the air was saturated in the smell. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u squatted in the tree, staring at this scene, and suddenly felt a burst of nausea. She covered her mouth, not daring to make a sound, and desperately endured the abdominal spasms. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u remembered being hunted down by Laurence, so simrly to this. His ws were in her stomach and that disparity in strength left her no room to struggle. Just like that antelope on the ground, divided amongst the wolves. This was the fate of all ¡°herbivorous species¡± on this continent. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u reluctantly pressed down on her nausea and stared at the wolves. Her hand tightened around the knife and she tensed. It would be best if they ate their prey and left. But if they found her hiding in the tree. . . ¡°Was it good?¡± Suddenly a leisure voice said from behind her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u trembled, her hand loosening around the trunk, and she looked back in a flurry. A tall figure leaned against the tree, his arms folded and leather boots solid on the branch. She did not know when he got behind her. His facial features were clean and the corners of his mouth were curved, his deep eyes glowing green as he stared at her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stared back with wide eyes, startled. ¡ª¡ªHolden?! What was he doing here? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u quicklyposed herself and pursed her lips, reflexively flexing out the de of the knife. ¡°Poor little one, we meet again.¡± Unlike J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s nervousness, Holden easily licked his lips and his voice wasnguid, his eyes falling on the de. His expression did not change. He stepped forward and the tree swayed with his movement. He stopped in front of J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and leaned over, ¡°Or, did you figure it out ande back to me?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u turned and stared back at him, ¡°Figured out what?¡± As if she had forgotten everything that happened on the boat. ¡°Of course, to stay with my race and be mine.¡± That time, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had herpass to help her navigate the wolves out of the reef. Holden garnered a great interest in her, and invited her back. Unfortunately, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u refused on the spot. Holden held out his ws, a little more forcefully and took the knife from J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s hand. ¡°Weren¡¯t those leopards bad to you, so you thought of me? I said long ago that the leopards don¡¯t know how to y well in bed. They¡¯re rough and savage, your small body wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand it,¡± Holden said while ying with her knife. There were many different kinds of Swiss army knives, and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s was called the ¡°Swiss Champion¡±, one with the most basic functions. There was a de, a scissors, tweezers, toothpick, nail file, even a magnifying ss and a small wood saw. ¡°What is this?¡± Holden was interested in all of J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s things. ¡°Give it back!¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u grabbed for it, her face red. She did not know if it was because she was anxious or because of Holden¡¯s words. Holden raised his brow a little and raised his arm. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u exhaled but didn¡¯t give up and stretched her arm high, but it was still not enough. ¡°Come with me to the race and I¡¯ll give it back to you.¡± Holden said as she watched the girl¡¯s little face. ¡°. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u gently closed her mouth. She just got out of the leopard tribe and in the blink of an eye tangled with the wolves. ¡°Why are you here?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was silent for a moment then said suddenly. At the same time, she put her hand behind her back. Holden said, ¡°You can see, our race needs to hunt.¡± The girl looked focused as if she was being convinced by him, ¡°What good is there in me going to your race? Do you share your females?¡± ¡°Of course not,¡± Holden grinned, ¡°Our wolves take a mate for life. Only the cold-blooded fellows of the leopard race are willing to share their females. If you want, I¡¯ll be yours forever. . .¡± He hadn¡¯t finished when a sudden wave of electricity leaped over his body. Looking down, he saw that the girl held that electric stick mercilessly pressed against his waist. Holden narrowed his eyes and gasped in an inhale. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u took advantage of Holden¡¯s body going numb and quickly recaptured her knife. Having set the electric current to maximum intensity, she fiercely electrocuted him and quickly put the taser back into her space. She pulled out the rope and leaned back, the momentum sliding her skillfully to the ground and she pulled back the rope. Turning, she ran. A few of the wolf beastmen in the distance heard the slide of the movement and turned their heads, seeing J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and came to this side¡ª¡ª ¡°Get the hell back,¡± Holden leaped down from the tree and lowered his voice inmand. Having spoken, he looked in the direction the girl had escaped and concentrated his gaze on her and he jumped to follow her. * J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u didn¡¯t get far when she was caught up by Holden. ¡°It seems that you do not like to be soft,¡± Holden fell flexibly in front of her, his mouth lifted in a snarl, and his green eyes lit with unclear intentions. He lifted his feet and walked toward J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stopped immediately and retreated. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u knew her actions would provoke Holden¡¯s anger, but she really had no other way. If she couldn¡¯t get the knife, she would lose her only tool for self-defense. She turned to run backwards but saw several wolves not far behind her. Their eyes were sinister. Enemy in front and in back, she jerked to a halt. Holden moved forward one step at a time and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u retreated backward. One person and one wolf originally had a big gap in height, but her foot stepped on a stone and she slipped, her entire body falling backwards. With a ¡°plop¡±, she sat on the ground. There wasn¡¯t good, and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u desperately lifted her head but could not see Holden¡¯s face Holden¡¯s long shadow cast over her and she shuffled backward little by little. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u tried to stand up but when she fell, she heard the crappy sound of her foot twisting. When she moved a little, a terrible pain came from her ankle. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked up, a little annoyed. ¡°Your race is not without females, why must I go back with you?¡± ¡°Naturally because you are different from the others,¡± Holden said false sincerely. He bent down and rested his arm on J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s leg, going to pick her up from the ground. Just as Holden¡¯s arm was about to touch her body, a powerful w struck out without warning and buckled down on Holden¡¯s wrist¡ª¡ª The ws were sharp and the nails were pressed against Holden¡¯s protruding veins. ¡°Holden, who gave you the guts to tough my woman?¡± The voice was low and heavy, gravelly and crisp, rough and slowly entered the ear. Ryan lifted his eyes and asked dangerously. Chapter 36 Gentle Beast Chapter 36 Ryan¡¯s face was expressionless and his ws holding Holden were like pliers. With a ¡°creak¡±, the bones trembled. Holden lifted his gaze to Ryan¡¯s dark eyes and grinned, dismissively, ¡°Oh, you were not defeated?¡± These years, the wolf poption had continued to develop and the number of descendants proliferated. They were growing exponentially, and the tribe was getting crowded, so they had the idea of taking the leopard¡¯s opposite valley. The leopards upied the entire valley which was ten timesrger than the wolves¡¯ territory. Ryan, who was the leader of the leopards, had naturally refused to budge and repeatedly pushed Holden and his people out again. Holden knew that the leopards liked to be on their own, so he led dozens of his people to attack Ryan while he was alone. Holden then sneaked in from the side and personally tore Ryan¡¯s back leg, wounding him severely. Although the means weren¡¯t glorious, as long as they won, rules didn¡¯t matter for wolves. ¡°So satisfied with your first victory, aren¡¯t you wolves thinking too highly of yourselves?¡± Ryan¡¯s voice was indifferent and he did not put eyes on Holden¡¯s provocation. He turned slightly to look at the girl standing to the side. Perhaps frightened, the girl was pale and her eyes opened wide, bright and clear as they stared at him, astonished. When J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u slid down the tree, the tip of her nose was rubbed raw by the bark and her sleeves were stained. The top sides of her shoes were wet with blood from the wolves¡¯st meal, and her whole body looked like she¡¯d experienced a disaster, both sloppy and miserable. Ryan¡¯s heart sank and the repressed emotions from yesterday seemed to finally find a breakthrough. He silently bent down and wrapped one arm around her supple waist, the other under her legs, and lifted her from the ground without exnation. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u suddenly soar up into the air and she unconsciously wrapped her arms around Ryan¡¯s neck, then remembered her failed ¡°escape attempt¡± and quickly loosened her hands. ¡°What, what are you doing here?¡± She heard Suzanna say that Ryan and his hunting trip encountered some trouble and they were going to return to the race a littleter than expected. So she had decided to leave yesterday. But. . . how did he get back so soon?? (the wife senses were tingling) How did he know she was there? (the built in wife-radar) Did hee specifically to find her? (of course, wife) These series of question marks hung around her head, when she say the tight restraint in Ryan¡¯s eyes, they all turned into air and she swallowed them to her belly. Okay. . . it was her fault for leaving without saying goodbye. He should be angry too. Ryan did not know the girl¡¯s thoughts were tossing back and forth. He effortlessly held J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s buttocks in one hand and, without taking a single nce at Holden or the wolves, began to walk away. Just two stepster, both sides were suddenly overtaken by wolves and blocked Ryan¡¯s path. Holden¡¯s voice rang out from behind him, ¡°You don¡¯t bother to greet me and you take away my things. Ryan, have you forgotten whose territory this is?¡± By the time he was done speaking, the two wolves walked towards Ryan with open mouths and fierce expressions. At the same time, two wolves rushed up from the back and aimed for Ryan¡¯s injured right leg, exposing his teeth and mercilessly biting down¡ª¡ª With enemies at his back, Ryan bared his teeth and the air surrounding him became impatient. He lifted his long leg and aimed for one of the wolves¡¯ heads. He stepped on it and kicked, tossing the other party far into the air and mming his body into a tree trunk. He heard the clear sound of a skull cracking open. Ryan quickly backed up a few steps and the two wolves facing him rushed forward, missing him and smashing into each other. The wolves saw this and slightly retreated, taking advantage of Ryan¡¯s distraction to attack from behind. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u saw this over Ryan¡¯s shoulders and her heart clenched hard as she blurted out: ¡°T¨¢o T¨¢o, look out!¡± As soon as she spoke, Ryan swiveled around, still holding her, and pressed the ws on his other hand against the wolf¡¯s neck. His pupils darkened and he suddenly forced it forward. With a ¡°creak¡±, the wolf beastman¡¯s neck was snapped and his breath died. The two wolves that were tangled together on the ground stood up and renewed their assault on Ryan. At the same time, Holden rushed in from the back and aimed for J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. Ryan single-handedly broke another wolf¡¯s neck and evaded to the side. The other wolf stretched out his ws and stabbed for Ryan. Ryan¡¯s arm was streaked with blood and slowly rolled down his arm onto the snow. He raised his arm and licked across the wound, his voice indifferent, ¡°Is that all you¡¯re capable of?¡± After he spoke, he lifted a foot and stepped on the wolf that stabbed him, mercilessly stomping him into the snow. Holden¡¯s eyes twitched and his face warped. Ryan¡¯s strength was obvious to all. Otherwise he wouldn¡¯t have been able to be the leopard¡¯s leader. But now, he was holding J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u with one hand and had only one active hand. Even then, he easily dealt with the four wolf beastmen. And those four beastmen were some of their race¡¯s elites. When had he be so powerful? Holden narrowed his eyes and elongated his ws, striking at the girl on Ryan¡¯s shoulder¡ª¡ª Really, though, he didn¡¯t even get to touch her. Ryan quickly shed at his arm and used his that same injured arm to throw him over his shoulder. This was seamlessly done, and not even making a ssh in the snow. Holden, however,id on the ground for a long time. His limbs were numb but his mind was clear. Even his chest felt as if it was torn apart, and that pain spread rapidly into his limbs. Holden raised his hand to his chest and licked his tongue. In the past, Holden wasn¡¯t as good as Ryan, but he could still hold his own for a little while. This time, he didn¡¯tst even a single strike and was thrown straight into the floor. Holden¡¯s heart was depressed. He lifted his eyes and saw Ryan stepping into the forest while holding the girl. His eyes shifted to his shoulder and met the girl¡¯s startled gaze. Then his mouth curled into a vicious smile. After a few moments, once there was no light behind Ryan at all, he uttered, ¡°Poor little girl. The leopard¡¯s females are so few because none can bear their savagery. Once he is tired of you, he will give you to them and the people of that tribe will take their turns with you. By the time you feel regret. . . it will be toote.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s fingers tightened on Ryan¡¯s shoulders. Subconsciously, she looked at Ryan. Ryan held her in his strong arms and walked back to the leopard¡¯s Camuda Valley. She had to admit, Holden had spoken the words already on her mind. That was one of the reasons she didn¡¯t want to stay with the leopards. They shared their women, and that was something she had never heard of. Though Ryan had promised she would not be treated like that, but. . . the rules of the leopards had been the same for hundreds of years. How could they change for her alone? * The tall and stalwart beastman carried the girl for two hours, silent all the way. Soon, they passed over a hill and faced the entrance of Camuda Valley. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had wanted to speak several times in that ufortable silence, but before she could open her mouth, Ryan would frown and speed up. He shifted through the jungle with ease and would stand at the edge of a dangerous cliff, every time. Ryan would hold her unsteadily and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, afraid of falling, would click to his neck and bury her face in his chest. Chapter 37 Gentle Beast Chapter 37 ¡°Put me down, Ryan, I can¡¯t go back with you.¡± Seeing the leopard tribe in front of her, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u finally hurried to say aloud. Although she was very grateful for Ryan saving her from the wolves, it did not mean that she would return to the race with him. She finally walked so far and he brought her back again, when would she be able to go home? Just as she said this, Ryan suddenly jumped from the high mountain side and into the air. The arm holding her leg suddenly came loose. The mountain peaks were steep and perfectly vertical, almost no cushion between them at all. The cold wind sted against her cheeks and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s heart trembled. She wondered why Ryan suddenly let her go, but took the initiative to hug his body, her slender legs wrapping around his waist. Her entire body was terrified. Falling from the peak of a hundred meter tall peak felt about the same as a modern day roller coaster. The wind whistled straight into her ears. Until the moment theynded on the ground, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s mind was still nk. Ryan gathered himself and looked at the pale face of the girl in front of him. Clearing his throat, he began to calcte her ount, ¡°Why did you leave without saying anything?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s face was panicked and her legs shifted subconsciously toward the road, ¡°I didn¡¯t leave without saying so. . . I told you before.¡± Ryan frowned: ¡°When?¡± ¡°Not long ago. Before you went out to hunt. . . you promised I could go when my injury was better.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u still ko-hugged Ryan¡¯s shoulders and did not realize how close the two of them were. When Ryan asked something, she answered, ¡°Now that my injury has healed, there¡¯s no need to stay.¡± Ryan¡¯s eyes shed. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u saw him give no response and struggled to get down, ¡°Let me down. . . Ryan.¡± Ryan was unmoved and asked in response, ¡°When you leave the leopard tripe, you¡¯re going to the east side of the continent?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u felt sluggish but quickly nodded. Ryan: ¡°Do you want to find Pat?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u asked in disbelief, ¡°How do you know?¡± She had never told him that she was going to the easternmost side of Bornia. Ryan did not answer, stepping forward to ask, ¡°Find him for what?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u bit her lower lip and initially did not want to answer. But, on second thought, Ryan already knew she was human and there was no need to hide certain things. ¡°Eric¡¯s grandfather told me that Pat is well-informed. If I found him. . . I might have the opportunity to go home.¡± Otherwise, she would already be an alien in this world with no race, no attribution, and no reason. When Ryan rxed a little, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u broke free of his arms and hopped to the ground. Sorting out herself, she confirmed that nothing had been lost and said to Ryan, ¡°I thank you for taking care of me for these past few days. And thank you for saving me just now. . . but I¡¯m leaving, T¨¢o T¨¢o.¡± After saying that, she paused then turned back to her original road. The girl carried her backpack and wore the goose down coat given to her. The coat pressed heavy on her, and her figure quickly became smaller and smaller. Until she looked insignificant. Ryan watched her back, watching as she stepped further and further away, his eyebrows furrowed deep and eyes dark. This feeling, of unwittingly burying a line in his heart, ordinarily couldn¡¯t be noticed but now it ached. But, that thread had long been in his heart. Now it was suddenly being pulled away and uprooted, as if he wouldn¡¯t have the time to cry out in pain before his chest was soaked in blood. Ryan pressed against the root of the pain and his expression suddenly shifted. In a split second, he stood behind J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and he picked her up, taking her back to the tribe. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was frightened. Finally able to react, she opened her mouth incredulously, ¡°T¨¢o T¨¢o?!¡± Ryan held her tight in his arms and his agile body drifted through the trees, feet borrowing the strength of the trunks to increase his speed. The leaves whirled with rustling sounds. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, in this noisy environment, heard Ryan¡¯s voice, ¡°With your ability, you won¡¯t reach the east and you won¡¯t find Pat. You will die on the road.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not understand what he meant and felt a little anxious, ¡°Even if I can¡¯t, I still have to try. Just let me go. . .¡± As long as there was still a shred of hope left, she didn¡¯t want to give up. What¡¯s more, for J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, there was no difference in staying with the leopards or heading East. They were all beastmen and could easily take her apart and eat her up if they became unhappy. In fact, the leopards were even more terrifying. Because when that moment came, she would have nowhere to hide. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u saw Ryan was indifferent and her fingers clutched tightly at his leather jacket, ¡°I don¡¯t want to go with you. I want to home, Ryan, I must go home. . .¡± ¡°I will help you find Pat,¡± Ryan suddenly interrupted her. Right in front of the tribe, Ryan stopped at the edge of the forest and looked at the girl in his arms. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u paused and hesitated, ¡°What did you say?¡± Ryan repeated: ¡°I will help you look for Pat. But in the mean time, you must stay with my race.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u asked: ¡°Why?¡± Why would he help her? And why did he insist and keeping her with the leopards? Ryan¡¯s next remark made her freeze¡ª¡ª ¡°Because I want to pursue you.¡± * . . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­upletely forgot how they even returned to the leopard tribe. It wasn¡¯t until Ryan set her down on the bed and reached out for her clothes that she suddenly awakened and she jumped up to hide in the corner, clutching her coat as she asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ryan¡¯s eyes fell upon her and thought Holden¡¯s coat was particrly unsightly. He narrowed his eyes and said, ¡°Take off your clothes.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did respond due to shock at his statement then shook her head again and again, ¡°No, I won¡¯t.¡± Having experienced so much, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u clearly understood the beastmen here were shameless with their lust and when Ryan said such things, she immediately thought crookedly about it. Ryan took off his coat and revealed his strong chest, tossing the clothes at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s head, ¡°Take it off and wear mine.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had walked in the snow for long that her coat and pants were soaked through, but she still hesitated. Her head was a mess and constantly repeated what Ryan had said. For fear that she had heard wrong, she asked, ¡°What you just said, what did you mean by it?¡± Ryan squatted in front of the firece and skillfully ignited the fire, adding firewood as his low voice asked, ¡°Which sentence?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u hemmed and hawed, a little unwilling to say, ¡°The. . . to pursue me one. . .¡± Ryan turned around, eyes fixed on her, ¡°What else does it mean?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .¡± Ryan finished starting the fire up and stood. Walking over to J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, he bent over to look her eye in the eye, ¡°I will help you find Pat, and I hope you stay with the leopards. I want you to be mine. Don¡¯t you humans call this behavior a courtship?¡± Chapter 38 Gentle Beast Chapter 38 Courtship. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had never thought that word would ever apply to her, so she said helplessly, ¡°But I¡¯m human. . .¡± ¡°Reproductive istion isn¡¯t a problem,¡± Ryan interrupted her, ¡°After years of evolution, the races have very little obstacles between them. You don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡± Alongside humans, the races of the Bornia continent also paid great attention to lineage. Just one thing, Ryan did not tell J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u truthfully. Although the interrtions between races could produce offspring, the offspring had great uncertainty. Could be gifted, or mentally handicapped, or mediocre. Either way, they were never epted by the races. ¡°No, I don¡¯t mean that,¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u wanted to weep but had no tears. Who wanted to discuss reproduction with him! Even without the segregation, she did not want to have a baby with a leopard, ah. . . She hadn¡¯t even grown up yet! ¡°I can¡¯t be yours, I¡¯m going to leave sooner orter,¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u forced herself to calm down and sort out her thoughts, trying to have a good conversation with Ryan. She did not know why Ryan would say that, nor did she know why he was suddenly ¡°courting¡± her. But she knew she could not ept it. Not when one was a leopard and one human. She wanted to go home and would leave sooner orter. Ryan was silent, then said, ¡°If you still want to leave after finding Pat, I won¡¯t stop you.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was slightly surprised. Was he telling the truth? But, after she thought about it, if he helped her find the turtle called Pat, could she still feelfortable leaving? What kind of woman was she to use him and then toss him aside? But, even without leaving, she could not convince herself to stay. After all, her parents weren¡¯t there and she was unfamiliar with everything. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, after thinking, finally made her decision and grabbed her backpack, walking around Ryan to step outside the house, ¡°I¡¯m going to go find him.¡± She just walked out the door when she came to a stop. A white-striped female leopard stood outside the courtyard. She saw here out and looked up. The leopard¡¯s eyes were beautiful and her skin was white. Her face and neck were marked with obvious scars. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not know how long she had waited there. The leopard gave a shy smile and asked in the leopardnguage, ¡°My name is Olympus, is Ryan Chief in?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not understand, she only learned simple words, and blinked, ¡°What did you say?¡± The leopard female named ¡°Olympus¡± was also startled and did not understand J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s words. Olympus was one of the females rescued by Ryan from the saber-toothed tiger tribe. Due to the brutal treatment of the tigers all year round, her temperament was somewhat timid and very different from the usual leopard females. If it were Suzanna, she would have broken into the house early in the morning and not wait obediently outside the door. Unfortunately, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was not in the mood to talk to her and hurriedly walked out when Ryan did note outside. Then, Ryan also walked out, his tall figure blocking the entire doorway and the pressure around him low. As soon as she same Ryan, Olympus bent her mouth in a smile and stepped forward, ¡°Chief Ryan, I¡¯m Olympus. Thanks for saving me from the tigers. . . I. . .¡± Ryan strode past her and she did not know if he listened to her, ¡°It¡¯s not to my credit. It¡¯s the others that rescued you, you don¡¯t have to thank me.¡± Having said that, he walked out of the courtyard. In a moment, he came back holding the girl¡¯s small buttocks on his arm and her upper body tossed over his shoulder. The action seemed rude but it protected her body well. When he passed by, Olympus heard him say something to J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u but unfortunately, because they were using humannguage, so Olympus did not understand it. ¡°If you have any dissatisfaction with me, you can just mention it. Don¡¯t always think about running away. Even if chasing you doesn¡¯t take much effort, your body is not all that good and even small stints will cause problems.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s small face was red, though she didn¡¯t know if it was from shame or anger, and she suppressed, ¡°Ryan, I saved you!¡± Ryan¡¯s voice was deliberate, ¡°I will never forget.¡± Then why. . . was he still doing this?! J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u shouldn¡¯t be so mad. If she had known T¨¢o T¨¢o would be like this, she. . . she wouldn¡¯t have tried saving him and wouldn¡¯t give him milk to drink or jerky to eat! But no matter how annoyed she was, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could not resist Ryan¡¯s strength and let him carry her into the house. ¡°Ryan Chief. . .¡± a voice interrupted from behind Ryan and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. Ryan looked sideways to find Olympus hadn¡¯t left yet and stood opposite them. He had no recollection of this female and asked, ¡°Was there anything else?¡± Olympus quickly exined, ¡°Elder Scarlet said there weren¡¯t enough empty houses in the n. Crissy and I don¡¯t have a ce to life. The elders told me to ask you to let us stay here. Once there are new houses, we will move away. . .¡± One had to say, Elder Scarlet was kind to Ryan. The females in the tribe were scarce and they gave Ryan two. Ryan¡¯s house was not small. There was a bedroom to sleep and there was a warehouse. If it was tidied up, people could live there. ¡°There was space,¡± Ryan¡¯s voice was calm and without inflection, ¡°But now it has already been taken.¡± Olympus looked at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s body and hesitated, unable to keep from asking, ¡°This female?¡± Ryan was nomittal. He really wanted to clean up the warehouse, but not to let J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stay there. It was best for his woman to live with him. The warehouse was going to be converted into a kitchen in the future. This squeamish human couldn¡¯t eat raw food, and to take care of her appetite, he had to learn how to use a kitchen. Chapter 39 Gentle Beast Chapter 39 ¡°Chief, what should we do with this?¡± ¡°Chief, where do you want the stove built?¡± ¡°Chief, should we add a chimney. . .¡± . . . Several beastmen dressed in sheepskin were huddled in the warehouse, all asking questions. Ryan stood at the front of the warehouse and was directing the men at work. Well, no one was paying attention to her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u observed the environment then checked her things and carried her backpack, sneaking towards the door. Since Ryan had said he wanted to pursue her yesterday, he had seriously began taking ¡°courtship¡± actions. He personally boiled her a fish soup, examined her wounds, and slept on the bed with her in the evening. You know, he was honest to the animal style ofying belly down! J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s whole body went into shock and she immediately jumped from the bed, refusing righteously. Later. . . Ryan directly pressed her into bed and asked her, ¡°Do you know why carnivores like to hunt?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u shook her head. ¡°Because,¡± Ryan said, licking his lips with impudence, ¡°Running away will only arouse our interest.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .¡± So J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not dare to move the entire night, lying stiffly in the corner for fear of arousing his ¡°interest¡±. Earlier that morning, Ryan called over three leopards and brought them to the warehouse to clean it up and transform it into a kitchen. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u saw that Ryan wasn¡¯t treating it like a joke. Although she didn¡¯t know why he wanted to court her, she knew that if she didn¡¯t hurry to escape, she may not have a chanceter. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stepped lightly and carefully toward the door of the yard, holding the doortch and opening it up a little. . . Suddenly a handnded on her shoulder and pulled her back. ¡°It seems that you would prefer to be my prey than my female,¡± Ryan¡¯s hands tightened on her hips. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u froze then her hair nearly exploded, ¡°You!. . . You put me down!¡± The three leopards at the entrance of the warehouse turned to watch as he actually pped her butt! J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u kicked her feet in frustration, ¡°I¡¯m going to find Pat. . .¡± Ryan¡¯s ws held her waist and pulled her back towards the door of the warehouse, ¡°Didn¡¯t I promise I¡¯d help you find him?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u shook her head violently: ¡°No, I want to find him myself.¡± Ryan asked: ¡°Why not?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u paused, ¡°. . .I don¡¯t want to owe you anything.¡± Only then could she walk away happy. Ryan frowned, his eyebrows wrinkling slightly, and he got straight to the point, ¡°If it were T¨¢o T¨¢o in front of you, would you still refuse?¡± ¡°. . .¡± Ryan just had to say what was on her mind. In J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s heart, there was always a difference between ¡°T¨¢o T¨¢o¡± and ¡°Ryan¡± and she could not associate them together. If it were T¨¢o T¨¢o, she could take him with her without any emotional burden. She could protect him and take care of him. But Ryan. . . he was a mature leopard in all aspects. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not dare mess around in front of him. The girl hung her head, longshes drooping low, and her porcin white face was cast in a gray shadow. The mild sunlight in winter wrapped around her and her whole body faded into the halo. Ryan raised his palm and touched J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s cheek. The girl¡¯s face was very different from his skin, smooth and delicate, like flower petals weighted with dew in the morning. Ryan had never been interested in delicate things before, because they were troublesome to take care of. Whenever he got inattentive, they would dry up and wither. Now, he wanted to pick this flower and take her home, water and nt her, and let her only bloom for him. Ryan pinched a bit at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s little face, ¡°If you can¡¯t, then you¡¯ll honestly stay here.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u raised her bright ck eyes to look at him. After a long time, she slowly asked, ¡°. . . when will you help me find Pat?¡± Ryan raised his brow slightly and licked his teeth, an unobtrusive smile spilling over his lips, ¡°When do you want?¡± ¡°The quicker the better.¡± * The warehouse was rebuilt in two days. The inside was all cleaned up and a stove was set up in the middle. It had a square chimney and smoke poured out the top when used for cooking, so it wouldn¡¯t choke up the whole house. Next to it was a cupboard with a freshly baked y pot. Next to that was a pile of dry firewood and straw for the fire. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u walked around it in a circle while Ryan stood in the courtyard talking to his people. She was no stranger to the stove. Her grandmother used to live in the countryside and the stove there was identical. At that time, she was still young and had a baffling interest in the fire. When grandmother cooked, she would stand to the side and handle the firewood. It was a shame that her grandmother feared her burning herself so kicked her out every time. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked around then walked out of the kitchen. Ryan was still talking with the tribe using the leopardnguage. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could not understand it still. His back was to J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u so she could not see his expression, but she could see the heavy expressions of the leopards opposite him. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u recognized the beastman, he seemed to be called. . . Winter? Soon, Winter turned to leave. Ryan walked back to her and exined as usual, ¡°Winter is the fastest-running leopard in the race, and he is going to seek out Pat¡¯s whereabouts.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stared nkly, remembering that yesterday she had told him, ¡°The sooner the better.¡± . . . He actually listened to her? Ryan saw that J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was silent and bent over to pick her up, walking into the room while holding her legs. He set her on the bed and pinched her tender face, ¡°Tomorrow, I will be going out. I¡¯ll be back in the evening. Stay here and wait for me. I will let Suzanna apany you.¡± Since Ryan had found J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s face to be smooth, he always liked to pinch her face or fingers. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s hands were not the same as theirs. Beastmen had long fingers and sharp nails. Due to year-round hunting, their palms were rough and thick. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s fingers, like the new sprouts of water shoots, were slender and good-looking, and her palms were soft and boneless. It was so soft, the more people wanted to touch the palm of her hands. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u raised her eyes, her first thought was, ¡°You¡¯re going out?¡± Ryan nodded then calmly reminded, ¡°If you try to run, you¡¯d better think before you do. Unless you can outrun the leopard¡¯s speed, I¡¯ll find you wherever you go.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .¡± That evening, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s resistance was futile and Ryan once again pushed her into bed. Ryan didn¡¯t do anything to her that she didn¡¯t wanted to. It was just that his ws were sharp under her clothes and her eyes suddenly went red with tears as she cried out in pain. Ryan stared at her for a long time, then finally pulled away his hands and locked her in his arms. Actually, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s injuries were almost back to normal but there were three, ugly, pink scars on her belly. The reason she cried was because Ryan couldn¡¯t ignore the wounds on her belly. . . Even though theyer of clothes, she could feel his hot temperature. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was not psychologically prepared at all and her hand and feet went stiff. The entire night, she didid stiffly against Ryan¡¯s chest. After that long night, Ryan finally left. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u seemed to regain life andid back in bed, falling asleep. After only an hour of sleep, Suzanna calm over. Suzanna was entrusted by Ryan to apany her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­ucked sleep and she felt a bit dizzy. So when Suzanna proposed going outside, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not refuse. There was a stream behind the leopard tribe and the stream was surrounded by the Camuda Valley. The water was clear and bright. Suzanna took a basket of clothes and squatted by the stream to wash it. Elder Scarlet was getting old and washing clothes was too inconvenient. Washing the clothes on weekdays was Suzanna¡¯s job. Suzanna threw a skin into the water and washed it with a few pieces of acacia leaves. She looked at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and her tone was not very friendly, ¡°I heard you ran away the other day. Ryan brought you back?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u cupped some water in her hands and sshed it on her cheeks, soon waking up. Suzanna¡¯s words passed through her ears. She only understood the words ¡°run away¡± and immediately startled, ¡°How¡¯d you know?¡± Suzanna saw doubt in her eyes but thought she was answering both questions. Her tail swayed and she hummed a gentle sigh of relief, ¡°The night you ran, Ryan went out to look for you. He didn¡¯te back the day after, but when he did, he held you in his arms. How do you think I know?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u blinked and looked at her confused, not understanding. Suzanna also did not exin and the corners of her mouth dropped. She did not understand why Ryan personally went to bring back this female. Where was she? He had only gone out for a day, but when he came back he held tight to her and might as well have tired her to his waistband. So she couldn¡¯t run away again, Suzanna thought irritably. So, a girl and a leopard stayed by the stream all morning. Suzanna washed clothes and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u followed her back. On the way, she encountered several kinds of mushrooms she could eat, so J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u picked them off. When Suzanna wasn¡¯t paying attention, she put them all into her space. After a long walk, she heard a low growl from far off. The sound was deep and powerful, echoing off the valley walls, resounding one after the next. ¡ª¡ªThe roar of the saber-toothed tigers. || >>> Chapter 40 Gentle Beast Chapter 40 The Camuda Valley was inhabited by many carnivorous species and sounds were frequent. At the start, Suzanna did not care. At least until the sound came closer and closer, almost as if they wereing directly from the leopard tribe. There were many of them and the whole valley trembled with the sound. Suzanna ears prickled and she listened closely. Her face quickly paled white and said toJ¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u behind her, ¡°Come with me back to the race. The saber-toothed tigers areing!¡± The carnivorous species were familiar with the sounds of every beast. It was probably innate instinct. Although J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u didn¡¯t understand Suzanna¡¯s words, she could hear the roar of beasts in the distance and her body stiffened but she immediately followed Suzanna¡¯s footsteps. ¡°What the hell are these guys doing here?¡± Suzanna could not help cursing as she walked back. The tigers lived in the Ramos Valley which was ten miles away. There was almost no interaction between the two races. There was going to be nothing good in theming in groves. It proved the saber-toothed tigers were really looking for trouble. Last time, Ryan led the tribe to Ramos Valley and, not only robbed them of their prey, they also rescued most of the females from their tribe. This made the leader of the tigers, Sarant, extremely angry. After regaining his strength, Sarant assembled the warriors of the neighboring white tiger n and came to Camuda Valley to wash away the disgrace Ryan had handed to them thest time. And to seize all the females from the leopard race. Suzanna walked quickly, her legs gracefully dancing through the trees. When she turned and saw the female was far behind her, she hesitated and prepared to go back to J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. But, before could turn back, a face of yellow fur and long eyeteeth burst out of the woods in front of her. A saber-toothed tiger. The tiger opened his mouth and uttered a fierce roar in Suzanna¡¯s face, the snow on the trees falling all around. Suzanna was surprised and backed away several steps, immediately raising her guard. ¡°This is leopard territory, how did you get in here?¡± She nced behind the tiger and saw there was many others behind it. She was shocked and gasped. The tigers hade to explore the leopard terrain. When most of the leopards were at the entrance to the Camuda Valley, the tigers had slipped in the back. The saber-toothed tiger stared at Suzanna then looked at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u in the back. Two females, and the one in the back was herbivorous, harmless. ¡°On the entire Bornia continent, where is there a ce the tigers can¡¯t go?¡± the beast wed against the ground, poised to charge forward. Suzanna knew that she was no opponent for this male tiger and clenched her teeth, shifting into her beast form to flee. The other side was one step faster than her and his hind legs pushed forward, shoving into her shoulders and throwing her into the ground. Suzanna failed to escape and made every effort to fight the tiger off, but she was repeatedly beaten into the ground. By the end, the tiger was worried she would attract the attention of the other leopards so he opened his mouth and bit at her neck. The long, sharp teeth pierced into her skin and red sshed immediately. Suzanna continued to struggle but did not break free. Instead, his fangs pierced deeper and deeper. She gasped, unwillingly, ¡°When Ryan is in. . . you are not stepping into our race.¡± The tiger gave her a scornful look of disdain. Ryan was being attacked by their leader and it was now difficult for them to protect themselves, where was his skill to protect them now? . . . . . . Before her, Suzanna was being bitten on the neck by a saber-toothed tiger, and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was frightened into stillness in the distance. Suzanna¡¯s blood flowed into the ground and dyed the snow crimson. If the tiger so much as used a little force, her neck would be snapped in an instant. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stood, foot welded into ce, unable to take a step. Finally, she moved her toes and wanted to run backwards. Suzanna¡¯s feeble gasps were magnified, filling her ears. . . In fact, Suzanna had never been bad to her. She taught her the leopardnguage and took her out for walks in the mountains. Whenever they met danger, she was always the first to remind her. Even though Suzanna didn¡¯t like her very much. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked back and saw that Suzanna had gradually stopped struggling, her tail stretching lifelessly behind her. The tiger took hold of her neck and dragged her body backwards, leaving a long trail of blood on the ground. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u squeezed her fist and made a snap decision. Even if she ran away now, she would be overtaken by the tigers and she did not think they would leave her alone. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u took out her climbing rope from her space and quickly climbed the tree closest to her. She found a small area in her space, seeking out something useful. The tasers were dead, and the Swiss army knife was only handy in close quarters. The de was much too small to cause much damage to the tigers anyway. . . What else did she have? Under the tree, the tiger let Suzanna off his teeth and looked up at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, stepping closer and closer. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u desperately discovered that apart from the two things she had just mentioned, she had almost no self-defense weapons in her space. The saber-toothed tiger stretched his body up and readied his ws to climb the trunk¡ª¡ª J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u clearly remembered that tigers didn¡¯t climb trees, but the ones here were obviously different from the ones she knew. The ws were getting closer to her, and in the next step would touch her toes. When J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was anxious and hopeless, suddenly her fingertips touched a string of cylindrical objects. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u fixed her eyes on them and discovered they were a bunch of firecrackers. Why was there something like this in her space?? She clearly remembered that time she had inventoried her space, and she had not seen anything like firecrackers in there. It was toote to think much about it, since the tiger was almost to the top of the tree, and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u quickly pulled out a lighter and lit the end. As the sizzle of burning began, she aimed it down towards the tiger¡¯s face¡ª¡ª The firecracker exploded in a deafening bang. Sparks leaped into the saber-toothed tiger¡¯s eyes and a piece of the bamboo exploded in his face. He whined painfully and loosened his ws in the trunk, falling straight down to the ground. . . . The sound of the cracker attracted the attention of the beastmen and soon afterwords, several male leopards came this way. When they saw the dying Suzanna under the tree and the bloody saber-toothed tiger beside her, their eyes were dim and they quickly guessed what was going on. It must have been a group of tigers attempted to attack the leopard tribe and came across Suzanna. One of them examined Suzanna¡¯s body and found that her pulse was still beating slightly. He picked her up quickly and brought her back to the race. They also took the saber-toothed tiger with them. No one looked into the tree. After they left, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u took the rope and slowly climbed down the tree. When her feet touched the ground, her legs went soft and she almost fell into the snow. * Back at Ryan¡¯s house, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stayed for a little while. After a while, she suddenly remembered something and ransacked her space. Sure enough, in the corner of the space, where she had never noticed before, there were several boxes of firecrackers neatly piled up. On the outside, they were packed in colorful, festive paper, with fireworks and small firecrackers. It looked. . . like the equipment for the Chinese New Year. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought back hard. When she arrived, it was October 1st and early autumn. There were still several months before the Chinese New Year. And the forest strictly prohibited firecrackers, so no one would have brought these. Then, where did these firecrackerse from? Even if her space had upgraded, creating things ¡°out of nothing¡± simply would not make peace with science? Not only that, but how could it be exined? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stood at the door thinking for a long time, and she still had no idea. In the distance, beasts¡¯ roars were long and loud, interrupting J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s thoughts with their ferocious voices. It rang in her ears and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s body shook with fright, so she turned away. . . . Had the saber-toothed tigers not left yet? Did Ryan go out this morning because of them? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u originally wanted to go out and see about Suzanna¡¯s situation, but she walked out to the door of the courtyard and remembered she had no idea where she lived. Moreover, to go out this time, she didn¡¯t know if she would meat beasts again. . . so she gave up on it. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u peacefully stayed in the house and wanted to tell Ryan after he came back about how badly Suzanna was hurt. However, even when J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s wristwatch turned an entire circle, from nine in the morning to six at night, when night fell on the courtyard, and the entire Camuda Valley fell into silence, Ryan still did not return. Chapter 41 Gentle Beast Chapter 41 ¡¾ÇÜÔôÇÜÍõ: Seizing The King¡¿ At six the next day, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u opened her eyes just on time. She unconsciously looked around at the empty bed, and could not find Ryan. Since Ryan had begun his courtship with her, he had locked her in his arms every night and his burning body was stuck to her, making her afraid to blink all night long. However, not that Ryan didn¡¯t return overnight, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u couldn¡¯t rx. Yesterday, that group of saber-toothed tigers came with such arrogance and their roars echoed through the Camuda Valley all through the night. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u remembered watching in the animal kingdom, from before, that the tiger was the king of beasts. Extremely powerful and fierce, their size and strength drastically bigger than the leopards. . . . She wondered if Ryan was in danger? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought while she dressed herself and went outside to explore the situation. There was a pair of binocrs in her space, though she couldn¡¯t remember who had brought it. The parameters were 131¡Á1000. The day she was caught by Ryan, she had especially noticed. From here to the edge of the Camuda Valley, it was about a kilometer. In other words, she could stood in the courtyard and observe the situation with it. However, she could not find it yet. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked in a corner of her space. After the sudden emergence of firecrackers yesterday, there was now a few more neatly ced wooden boxes. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u confirmed that she hadn¡¯t seen these boxes yesterday. She looked closer then at theirbels. The wooden box read, ¡°Fragile, careful handling.¡± Looking next to it at the list, she was immediately dumbfounded. Inside, it was all, unexpectedly, valuable mahogany furniture! There was a red table embossed with a water dragon, and a pair of chairs. There were rounded cabs. . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s expression became more and more bad. Just how much were these things worth in the 21st century, ah! How could it appear in her space? She just had a little nap, could her space have upgraded again? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u calmed herself down to think, it shouldn¡¯t be because of her space upgrading. The furniture and yesterday¡¯s firecrackers appeared out of nowhere. There was no theoretical possibility, like. . . the material had just appeared in her space. The items that were originally ced in the cargopartment of the bus were inexplicably entering her space. In the blink of an eye, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u seemed to think of something. Her eyes opened wide and she stared at the furniture incredulously. Were these things also held in the cargo hold? Like the stuff they had been traveling with, they were also sucked in? ¡ª¡ªWas her space somehow connected to the buspartment? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u trembled with excitement. Since these things had passed through from the 21st century through the space, then could it do the opposite and return to her world through the space? With this in mind, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u couldn¡¯t wait to get into her space and try it. Before she could enter though, she heard the noisy sound of footstepsing from outside. Then the panicking cries of the females interrupted her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u took a look outside. Immediately afterwards, a strong scent of blood passed through the courtyard walls. The leopards had continued to fight with the tigers for an entire day and night. Because of their small number, they had initially had a disadvantage. Many of the leopard warriors were injured and being sent back to the tribe. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u opened the courtyard and nced around outside. Most of the males were heavily injured. Some had their arms bitten off, and some had their thighs torn, some were inflicted with deep w marks. . . Several beastmen carrying an injured leopard passed through the gate. Just seeing the hollowed out belly, she covered her mouth and backed up a few steps. Even when she had firste here, and seen many examples of the junglew, this was the first time she had seen something this bloody and gruesome up close. * ¡°Ermin, leopard, skull fracture, died of inadequate treatment.¡± ¡°Bailey, snow leopard, excessive bleeding, died of inadequate treatment. . .¡± ¡°Nice, leopard, seriously injured. . .¡± . . . Elder Scarlet stood at the entrance of the tribe, counting the warriors wounded or dead in the n. His daughter, Suzanna, had also been severely injured yesterday. She was almost killed by a saber-toothed tiger and it had been difficult to save her. He didn¡¯t even have time to care for her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stood in the distance and watched the injured leopards be brought back one by one. Her little face was pale and white. The thick scent of blood permeated the air in tribe and the leopard beastmen were busy treating theirpanions, so no one noticed her. She walked in a circle and found no sign of Ryan. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u observed with her binocrs and saw a few tigers attacking a leopard, and she could not find Ryan. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u walked over to Elder Scarlet¡¯s side and wanted to ask about Ryan¡¯s situation, only just opening her mouth, ¡°You know. . .¡± Scarlet immediately waved, sparing no effort to speak with her, saying in the leopard tongue, ¡°Go, do you not see I am busy, whatever it is can wait for a while.¡± The sharp ws rubbed against J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s cheek and she backed away quickly, but didn¡¯t give up asking, ¡°Do you know where Ryan is?¡± Scarlet, as a leopard elder, was barely able to understand the humannguage. He turned his head to see it was Ryan¡¯s baby female, stopping to say, ¡°Ryan didn¡¯t tell you?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u shook her head. Scarlet said: ¡°Ryan is leading the tribe at the entrance of the valley against the tigers. The situation is urgent and he won¡¯t be back for a while.¡± . . . Nightfall, Camuda Valley entrance. The moonlight sprinkled down on the treetops, silence everywhere. Arge saber-toothed tiger passed under a tree. His limbs were covered in heavy snow and his steps echoed. The tiger looked around and didn¡¯t see anyone, so he slowed down and prepared to take a rest under the tree. In the tree, a strong figure was hidden in the dark, slowly opening a pair of dark blue eyes. Ryan silently shifted and, taking advantage of the tree¡¯s height and that the tiger was unprepared, suddenly jumped under the tree¡ª¡ª The tiger was pinned in the snow by Ryan¡¯s front paws. The saber-toothed tiger opened his mouth and snapped for Ryan¡¯s neck. Ryan leaned slightly to the side and pressed his ws to the tiger¡¯s head, pushing it aside. The tiger, Sarant, had no time to recover from the shift, and bit into the trunk beside him. The long fangs sunk deep in the tree and could not be pulled out. In a hurry, Sarant yanked hard, his fangs splintering the tree, and he roared angrily at Ryan. The noise was so loud even the snow on the trees began to fall. Sarant raised his ws and swiped towards Ryan. However, because he had gone too long, his physical strength was long spent and the power in his ws wasn¡¯t much. Ryan easily dodged the attack. To kill a man, first shoot the horse. To catch a thief, first smash the king. This truth, the wild beasts understood clearly. The number of leopards weren¡¯t as high as the tigers. So instead of wasting their strength fighting with them, it was faster to beat the leopard first. Ryan singled Sarant out the entire day and night. At first, he was evenly matched with the tiger. In fact, Sarant even had a slight advantage. But after fighting for so long, Sarant¡¯s physical strength was overdrawn and Ryan was still as resilient as yesterday. His strength hadn¡¯t diminished in the slightest. Sarant knew this now. Ryan had been saving his strength the entire time, waiting to give him a fatal blow. * Another night past, Camuda Valley gradually calmed, and still, Ryan did not return. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stood at the front of the courtyard and saw that most of the leopard tribe had returned. Most of them were more or less injured. Dragging with them, the injured saber-toothed tigers could only be called ¡°Captives.¡± Perhaps due to the defeat of the tigers, even exhausted, the leopards could not conceal their bloodthirsty excitement. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u turned her eyes this way and that to find Ryan and found nothing. She did not dare to look more closely, and hid herself behind the door. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u crawled into her space yesterday and looked around it, trying to find the connection between it and the 21st century. Unfortunately, nothing ever came of it. Moreover, the driver possibly noticed something was off and no longer put anything into thepartment of the bus. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked for it especially and there was nothing new in her space. It somewhat disappointed her. Just like that. She had touched that shining silk thread of hope and suddenly it was snipped, cut off from the other side. Her leap of joy, abruptly ended. However, after the night of adjustment, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s mentality had be better. Her space was not a path, and Pat still had a clue. In any case, there was still a glimmer of hope. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u sat to the side of the courtyard, thinking of these things, and waited for Ryan toe back. By three in the afternoon, Ryan had yet toe back. Her belly was hungry, so she ate a bit of bread and it filled her stomach. She quietly opened the door to look, and the tribe had returned to peace. All the leopards had been returned to the tribe, with the exception of a few that had lost their lives. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u waited another two hours until five and finally could not sit still. She saw no beastmen at the door of the yard so she opened it and went out in the direction of where Elder Scarlet had been yesterday. Sure enough, Scarlet was still counting the casualties there. The ground was covered in rows of corpses, and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u took a rough nce, seeing ten or twenty bodies. . . . No Ryan. She breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Elder, are all the injured here?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u asked as she reached Scarlet¡¯s side. Because of yesterday¡¯s exchange, she knew he understood humannguage. Scarlet looked down at her and said, ¡°There are still a lot of bodies that aren¡¯t brought back yet.¡± His voice fell, and several beastmen carried in the bodies of two morepanions from outside. They had died horribly. One had his face half bitten off and the other was gutted. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u saw their horrified faces and her expression tightened, the bread she had just eaten churning in her belly. She choked on the difort and hesitated but still asked, ¡°Then. . . what about Ryan? Aside from the dead, are all the leopards back?¡± Scarlet was about tofort her and tell her that Ryan was the strongest leader of the tribe and even if he didn¡¯t return, it didn¡¯t necessarily mean that he was injured. Then he took a look at a figure behind her and changed his mind, ¡°Yes, aside from the dead, everyone is back.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u paled. In other words. . . Ryan. . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could not ept this fact for a moment and staggered back. Wasn¡¯t Ryan powerful? He didn¡¯t even put the wolves in his eye, how could he be so easily killed by the tigers? But then, she thought it was understandable. A tiger and leopard, one was better than the other. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u gasped ant the beastmen carrying the bodies passed her then and it hit her. She could not stand firm and she tumbled to the side. Just as she was about to fall, a pair of arms caught her around the middle and, along with the strong scent of sweat and blood, brought her into his arms¡ª¡ª ¡°So worried about me?¡± The voice rang out from above her head, the sound of smoke passing through gravel, with a hint ofughter. Husky, rough, and sexy. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u first felt her ears go numb then looked up to meet Ryan¡¯s blue eyes. She blinked and blinked again, and only just half-way shocked said, ¡°Ryan?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me,¡± Ryan lifted her legs and brought her to his chest, not caring about how dirty he was. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u remembered Elder Scarlet¡¯s words, ¡°You, you¡¯re not dead?¡± Ryan greeted Scarlet and handed everything over to him for processing, then he carried J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u home, ¡°My woman¡¯s waiting for me. How could I die?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .¡± * That said, after getting back, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u found that Ryan had multiple injuries from his fight with the tigers. There were two on the shoulders, one at the neck, and the deepest on his arm, almost piercing his entire arm. It was deep and long and still bleeding. And he had just used this arm to carry her back. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was frightened and quickly took her medicine kit out of the space, instinctively removing gauze and disinfectant to deal with the wound. It was customary for her to bandage T¨¢o T¨¢o¡¯s wounds. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u didn¡¯t even ask Ryan for permission. She just pulled his arm and cut open his sleeve, stopped the bleeding and disinfected it. Then she wrapped up the wound all in one go. The wounds on his shoulders weren¡¯t treated well so he had to take off his clothes. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u first treated the scratches on Ryan¡¯s neck. They weren¡¯t deep and only slightly broke the skin. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u disinfected them and couldn¡¯t help but wonder if the beastman could really use their paws to hurt anyone. Wouldn¡¯t they get rabies. . .? The girl was standing in front of Ryan, holding the bed for support with one hand and a cotton swab with the other, seriously working at his wounds. Unconsciously, she had trapped Ryan¡¯s body. She tilted her head and, as she looked at the wound, her longshes swept against Ryan¡¯s chin. Strangely itchy. Ryan looked down and saw the girl a mere two centimeters away from him. Her eyes reflected his face, her lips pink and pursed seriously. He was suddenly shocked by the sudden move, and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u regained herposure. Her eyes shifted to his and she blushed, pulling away quickly. She didn¡¯t get far, Ryan using his uninjured hand to catch her wrist¡ª¡ª Ryan held the back of her head with his palm and pulled the girl towards him, leaning over to finally take a bite of that little mouth he¡¯d been longing for without hesitation. || >>> Chapter 42 Gentle Beast Chapter 42 >>> *Warning: Keep in mind during this chapter that Ryan has no point of reference for J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s humanness. He gets a little pushy in this chapter, unwanted even, He backs off when sheys down her rules by the end. And for that, I can only say he¡¯s trying really hard to amodateher, even if he doesn¡¯t understand, and she¡¯s still too shocked to verbalize what¡¯s wrong. If you want to skip the potential trigger, skip the italics.* The girl¡¯s lips were soft and felt like clouds of honey, smelled like it too. Perhaps she was frightened by Ryan¡¯s unexpected movement, because her body froze and she forgot how to move. Ryan kept pressed to the girl¡¯s lips and extended his tongue to lick at them. But, contrary to what may be expected, he had never done something like this before. An animal¡¯s lust was very direct. Estrus then breeding then offspring. There were no need for any extra steps. Ryan wanted to kiss J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and it waspletely outside his instinctual behavior. This small mouth that often chattered in front of him, making those sweet sounds. Happy to call him¡°T¨¢o T¨¢o,¡± or timidly calling him ¡°Ryan,¡± or stubbornly saying she wanted to go home. He wanted to taste it, he wanted to taste it all. It was sweeter than imagined. Ryan was inexperienced with kisses, but he nipped and licked her lower lip for a bit. Then, self-taught, he found his way in and her tongue behind her teeth, plunging into her mouth. His barbed tongue gently scraped the tip of J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s and she quickly recovered herself, immediately pushing Ryan¡¯s chest away. Her face was flushed rose red and her hands weak with helplessness as she stared at Ryan with annoyance in her eyes, ¡°You, you. . .¡± The stinging on her tongue reminded her that she¡¯d just been kissed by a leopard! Ryan¡¯s expression did not change, though there was a bit of regret. Wanting to continue, he licked the corner of his mouth and said, ¡°Hmm?¡± It was deep and heavy, like tasting an aftertaste. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u listened to his voice and inexplicably, her ears felt even hotter. She three away the gauze in her hand and climbed out of bed. Unfortunately, her toes didn¡¯t touch the ground before Ryan was again pulling at her wrist, twisting her in a spin and pulling her back onto the bed¡ª¡ª This time, Ryan firmly held her head and covered her lips with his, prying open her teeth and delving straight in. The scent of the girl rushed free, and it was one not possessed by the females of his race. Every man had an immeasurable skill in this respect. Ryan broke through the girl¡¯s line of defense and captured every inch of her mouth, almost bullying her. Meanwhile, his hand rested on her soft waist and couldn¡¯t help inching upward. Suddenly there was a short and frantic pounding on the door, ¡°Chief, chief. . . are you home?¡± Ryan jerked up and frowned, not intending to let J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u go. Unfortunately, the voice outside was unyielding and after a while continued, ¡°Chief, it¡¯s Winter. The Elders say you¡¯ve gone home. . .¡± Ryan reluctantly released the girl and cursed low in his throat, impatiently going outside, ¡°Winter, you¡¯d better say something important or I¡¯ll wring your neck.¡± Outside the door, Winter whispered, ¡°Leader, that group of saber-toothed tiger captives want to escape. Corey and I can¡¯t suppress them. Could you go take a look. . .¡± * After Ryan left, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was lying on the bed for a long time before returning to her senses. She sat up in bed and picked herself up, grabbing her backpack to run outside. No, she couldn¡¯t stay here anymore. Even if Ryan promised to help her find Pat, she would not stay with him any longer. She was kind enough to help him with his wounds and he actually did that to her! J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u walked to the door and put her finger on the bolt. She wanted to pull it open but hesitated again. She didn¡¯t know if the tigers had left the valley yet. . . what if she met them again after leaving the leopards? The skinny camel was better than the horse. Even if they lost to the leopards, they were still strong enough to deal with her. Although she managed to defeat one of them yesterday with the firecracker, it was because she had such a good advantage. The tiger was right at her feet then. If a group of them rushed her, she wouldn¡¯t be able to escape. . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s fingertips mmed against the woodentch and she frowned in distress. . . . . . . . . . After dealing with the prisoners, Ryan came back from outside and saw the empty was house, not even a shadow in sight. His eyes darkened and the pressure surrounding his body became extremely low. He thought she was going to let him look for Pat, and that was when she would leave. He didn¡¯t expect to leave for a minute and have her run away again. In the depths of Ryan¡¯s heart, an indescribable gloom poured out. He licked his tooth and turned to walk to the door. After he caught her again, he¡¯d have to ¡°teach¡± her a lesson. But, without taking a few steps, he heard a noise from the kitchen next door. It was very faint and very cautious. Like being afraid of disturbing someone. Ryan paused and listened carefully, but the sound had vanished. He turned his eyes and reached out with his fingers, rubbing at his eyebrows. Then he turned his toes and strode towards the kitchen door. Ryan pushed the door open and his dark eyes scanned the kitchen. It was small and he could see it all in a single nce. He walked around back of the stove and found a quiet little figure huddled there. The girl had her arms wrapped around her legs and her delicate chin rested on her knees. She may have been sitting there for too long, because her eyes were drooping shut and she seemed drowsy. Heaving movement, longshes fluttered twice and she opened her eyes. When she saw him, her eyes opened wide and she backed away, covering her mouth by reflex. Lest he try to kiss her again. Her tongue still hurt even now. Ryan looked at her and felt his mood was a little loose, but his expression still didn¡¯t change. ¡°What are you hiding here for?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u hesitated for a while longer then quietly, against her will, said, ¡°. . . it¡¯s warm here.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u originally wanted to run but when she walked to the door and hesitated, she realized she couldn¡¯t walk out of Camuda Valley. She would be eaten by the tigers and that would have been too much. After thinking it over, she gave it up. But when Ryan was in the same room, she felt rather insecure. She searched and found this ce so she wanted to hide herself here. ¡°The house is warmer than this,¡± Ryan stretched out a hand to brush away ash that had identally been rubbed onto her face. He was about to pick her up but didn¡¯t expect that J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u would escape quickly and dart under his arm. ¡°You! Don¡¯t casually hug me,¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stood a few steps away and swallowed. She said a little nervously, ¡°I don¡¯t like to be casually held.¡± Ryan¡¯s eyebrows twitched a little. When J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u finished this sentence, she turned away from Ryan in the kitchen and ran into the house. After a while, Ryan walked into the house and found her holding pen and paper, squatted at the table to draw something. Ryan was not interested in the pen or paper in her hands, and even less on what she was drawing. He encircled her waist with an arm from behind and carried her to the bed to continue where they left off. Surprisingly, the little girl in his arms struggled and cried, ¡°Ryan. . . wait, I. I have something to tell you.¡± Ryan paused but didn¡¯t let her go, ¡°What?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u licked her lip and tried to gather a little more confidence, ¡°I told you before that I couldn¡¯t stay here and be your female. . . Once I find a way home, I will leave here.¡± Ryan was silent for a moment, then said, ¡°So I¡¯m chasing you.¡± ¡°. . .¡± Did he not understand what she meant? ¡°I will make you want to stay here,¡± Ryan bent over to look her in the eye and the tip of her nose, ¡°If you don¡¯t like being my female, be my spouse.¡± There was no such thing as a ''spouse¡± in the leopard race, because that term meant the spouse belonged to only one female for their entire life. Generally, the leopards only imed their partners as ¡°female.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u blinked. Because she knew this, she was surprised that Ryan even said that. . . . He always knew what she was concerned about? No, that¡¯s not what she wanted to talk about right now. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u shook her head and with it all the messy thoughts, solemnly saying, ¡°In that case, we¡¯ll discuss it. You can¡¯t kiss me until I¡¯ve promised to be your spouse.¡± Ryan raised his eyebrow, ¡°Why? You just responded to me, didn¡¯t you?¡± Shocked beside herself, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u couldn¡¯t think of what to say and her face was red. She didn¡¯t respond to him! That¡¯s because his tongue hurt her too much and she wanted to push him away. ¡°Anyway. . . if you don¡¯t agree, I¡¯ll leave and find Pat myself.¡± Ryan stared fixedly at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. He had just tasted that sweetness. The girl tasted better than he¡¯d thought. Some things were like hte flood onto shore, once it began, it was hard to harness its potential. Only J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was resolute. If he didn¡¯t agree, she really would turn and leave. Ryan knew her stubbornness. So he did not speak and chose the default. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u saw Ryan promised and sighed in relief, looking down at the hand on her waist, ¡°You can¡¯t hold me either.¡± Ryan: ¡°. . .¡± ¡°When I sleep, you can¡¯t put your arms around me either.¡± ¡°. . .¡± ¡°And,¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u rapidly turned her head around, unable to think of all the things she wanted to say, ¡°Without my permission, you can¡¯t. . .¡± Ryan was on hisst straw and lifted the w of his hand to cover J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s endlessly chattering mouth. He leaned over and pressed his mouth close to her ear and said lowly, ¡°Ah, be obedient. Don¡¯t take a mile when I give you an inch.¡± || >>> T/N: Can I just say this was one of the hardest chapters to trante? I suffer the Secondhand Embarrassment Syndrome and this one was tough. I wish they would a little more. You know, get rid of this mimunication issue, but -shrugs- what can you do? Hopefully, Ryan can start to put intuition to use soon. . . Sorry for the first trantor¡¯s note, but I had to. This was a difficult chapter, especially since it has that potential trigger and I have no idea what to do with it. . . But our female lead is strong and this won¡¯t set her back from her goals. I hope you stick around to the end! Chapter 43 Gentle Beast Chapter 43 Well. . . Her face was wet as if someone had rubbed sandpaper against it, washing her face with something coarse. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u couldn¡¯t help but frown. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u rolled over and buried her cheek in the quilt, trying to avoid the annoyances bothering her sleep. But it didn¡¯t work. The other person only paused slightly and shifted the target from her cheek to her ear. He swept his tongue gently over her ear then stuck her entire ear in his mouth. The tongue slightly scrapped against her ears and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s ear slightly hurt. The felt kind of like she was back home. The short-haired cat she kept at home liked to lick her face in the middle of the night.. She was too sleepy to think about it though. The next day, half of her cheek would be red with blood but also tracing around her mouth. This tongue was as rough as her cat¡¯s. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not want to experience that again, so she groaned and stretched her hands out from the nket to fend it off. The palm of her hand touched plush fur, which was muchrger than the cat she raised. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u pushed and pushed but it didn¡¯t move. The licking of her ear continued, but J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s itch slowly stretched down to her neck and she reluctantly opened her eyes. . . In front of her eyes was dark grey fur spotted in lighter shades. Further up, she saw a leopard lying on his side with his tail hanging off the bed, leisurely sweeping back and forth. He saw her wake up and stretched out his tongue to lick her cheek again. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stayed styll and faced his blue eyes, waking up all at once. She hide her face behind her hands, ¡°You. . .¡± Perhaps because he was deliberately light, but she wasn¡¯t in much pain but a little itchy. However, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was ashamed and quickly said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you promise yesterday that you won¡¯t casually kiss me. You. . . how can you do something like this?¡± Therge leopard jerked his tail and felt no shame in hearing her say such. His voice in his animal form was deeper and rougher, ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about it. I¡¯m just waking you up.¡± Since shifting to his beast form, all the gauze on his body was cracking and the deep wounds were particrly obvious in front of J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. ¡°. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u suddenly remembered that animals, especially cats, really liked to lick each other¡¯s wounds or use their tongues to clean their fur. . . . But her face was hairless! Why did he wake her up this way? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u felt depressed and looked out the window. The sky wasn¡¯t bright yet and was marked by a cyan shell in the distance. She looked down at her watch and it was only 5:40. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u raised her hand to wipe away the saliva on her face. It was sticky, so her mouth pursed into a tight line. Anyway, she couldn¡¯t sleep anymore. She got out of bed and went outside to wash her face, taking out toothpaste and a toothbrush to brush her teeth. Ryan saw hering back and said, ¡°Come here.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u walked over and he waited until she was in front of him to raise his injured arm and said, ¡°Make a knot for me.¡± His hands weren¡¯t convenient. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked at his arm and hesitated. However, thinking about the severity of his wounds yesterday, she still leaned over and obediently took care of it. She didn¡¯t make the knot tooplicated and only tied an ordinary bow. Before, she didn¡¯t notice iton T¨¢o T¨¢o¡¯s wounds but looking at the bow hanging on Ryan¡¯s strong arm, she felt it somewhat uncoordinated and funny. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u forced herself not to speak and tears squeezed out of her eyes. The girl¡¯s cheeks were tender and lingering with her fragrant scent. Ryan looked down at her face and saw the tears on her featheryshes. They were thick and curled, like hooks. Ryan couldn¡¯t help but reach out and brush under her eyes with his w, brushing them away. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u immediately frightened and retreated in panic, watching him like an enemy, ¡°What?¡± Ryan looked at her small, scared look and slightly smiled, deliberately asking, ¡°If you don¡¯t let me kiss you, now I can¡¯t even touch you?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was embarrassed at his words ¡°touch¡± and shook her head in earnest, ¡°no.¡± ¡°I thought about the conditions you set yesterday,¡± Ryan said, biting the end of the gauze with his fangs, and casually tied a knot, looking up at her, ¡°I can agree with them, but in exchange, you need to promise me something.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u asked, ¡°What?¡± ¡°Take care of me like you used to take care of ¡®T¨¢o T¨¢o¡¯ while I¡¯m injured.¡± ¡°. . .¡± ¡°You can¡¯t?¡± Ryan raised his eyebrows slightly, ¡°You have asked so much from me, but I only have this one for you.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u bit her lip, thinking about it. Either way, it wasn¡¯t all that difficult a request. However, she forgot that she made her requests so that her decision to leave or not was in her hands. Ryan, as the passive party, didn¡¯t have the qualifications to make requests. * J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought while she added wood to the stove. She shouldn¡¯t have just promised Ryan? What if he asked her to do something strange? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u quickly pondered what she had done to T¨¢o T¨¢o and ended up thinking for a long time. She only gave him gauze and fed him, not anything too special. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was relieved. Fortunately, she didn¡¯t give him a bath, or taken his temperature. . . Her nose smelled something a little burnt and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u returned to her senses. She bowed her head to take a look at the porridge in the pot was almost gone dry and thick smoke was rising up from the bottom, circling upwards. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u hurriedly put out the fire, but she had never used this type of ancient stove before and wasn¡¯t too skilled, so instead of putting out, the entire kitchen became shrouded in smoke. Coughing, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u couldn¡¯t do anything in the end and she poured a pot of water onto the stove, finally extinguishing the fire. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stood in front of the pile of mess and heaved a long sigh. She felt a little embarrassed. The porridge she had boiled couldn¡¯t be drank. Even if she cooked it again, it would take a long time and she really wasn¡¯t that good with the stove, so what if there was another fire? After a little thought, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u decided to use her burner and her gas tank. She had just taken it out of her space when she suddenly heard a knock outside. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u rushed to stuff it back into her space and went to open the door. A female beastman was standing outside the door. She had blue-green eyes and a straight nose with deep facial features, and she was a bit tall. ¡ª¡ªIt was that woman Olympusing back. Ignoring the scars on her body, Olympus was a lot more beautiful and she smiled a lot. ¡°Is Chief Ryan here?¡± Olympus raised the pot in her hands and spoke in the leopard tongue. ¡°I made some pigeon soup and I heard Chief Ryan was injured. This soup will help heal the wound. Can I go see him?¡± Although J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had lived with the leopards for several days, she had been talking with Ryan in the human tongue. There weren¡¯t many words she could understand in the leopard tongue and she barely understood Olympus¡¯ first sentence, so she nodded her head lightly, ¡°Un.¡± Olympus gratefully thanked J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and walked straight through the courtyard and into the only bedroom inside. Inside, Ryan was sitting by the bedside and swinging J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s backpack. Every time the little girl left, she always took it with her. Was it really that important? Ryan dug out a piece of paper from the pocket and saw it was a map of the entire Camuda Valley and surrounding mountains. The valley exit was marked with a red mark. Ryan¡¯s eyes dimmed. ¡°Chief Ryan,¡± there was a buoyant voice in the doorway and Ryan looked up. Olympus stood in the door and exined, ¡°I cooked some pigeon soup for Corey and didn¡¯t expect to have so much left over. I had this left. If you don¡¯t mind, you can drink it.¡± She walked into the house and set the bowl on the table, bowing her head in wait of Ryan¡¯s response. Ryan crumpled the paper in his hand and threw it quietly into the firece. Then looking at her Olympus again, his eyebrows wrinkled slightly, ¡°Who let you in?¡± Olympus said slightly, ¡°It, it was the female that opened the door. . .¡± Without waiting for her to finish, Ryan walked around her to the kitchen. The dense smog in the kitchen had vanished but the stove was still a miserable sight. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had a bucket of water beside her and was cleaning the stove with a rag. But the stove was too tall and the iron pan inside was too heavy. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could not move at all and it was too hard to clean. When Ryan stepped in, she saw her cleaning the bottom of the pot with her toes. Her whole head was almost buried in the pan. He looked at her pursed buttocks, like the mouse that stole an oilmp. Ryan walked up to her and fished her out of the pot with his unharmed hand. He put her on the ground and saw her cheeks and nose was covered in ash. He wiped her face with his thumb and whispered, ¡°What were you doing? Wanted to cook on your own?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u touched her cheeks with embarrassment, ¡°Cooking porridge.¡± Ryan looked at her, ¡°What about porridge?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t careful. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u said, feeling a little shameful. She whispered, ¡°I set it on fire.¡± Ryan couldn¡¯t hold a temper with her, and he suddenly picked up this little girl covered in ash and went outside, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you call me?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u pursed her lips, silent. Outside the house, Olympus hadn¡¯t left yet and saw Ryan skillfully and spontaneously carrying J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u out. ¡°Chief Ryan. . .¡± Ryan paused and looked askance at her, saying, ¡°I want to be alone with my female now. If there¡¯s nothing else, you can go.¡± Chapter 44 Gentle Beast Chapter 44 Outside Ryan¡¯s house, Olympus did not return directly to her residence. Under the guise of visiting Suzanna, she went to Elder Scarlet¡¯s house. Scarlet had just fed Suzanna a bowl of gruel. With her throat injury, she could only eat these liquid foods. Scarlet went into the kitchen to wash dishes and Olympus stood at the door calling out to him, ¡°Elder.¡± Scarlet looked back and saw her standing formally in the courtyard. She smiled, ¡°I came to see Suzanna, I don¡¯t know how bad her injury is?¡± The women rescued from the tiger n were timid, and Olympus had suddenly took the initiative ande to see Suzanna, so Scarlet found it somewhat unexpected. But she was cheerful and had a good rtionship with the tribe so far, so Scarlet didn¡¯t think much of it and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Suzanna just went back to bed. I¡¯ll pass it on that you came when she wakes up.¡± Olympus nodded without regret and should have gone away, but she did not move a step, ¡°Right. . . Elder, I have one more thing.¡± Scarlet said, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Olympus¡¯ eyes drooped and she stared at the floor, slowly saying, ¡°I heard that Chief Ryan was also injured. I went to see him but he seems to live with a female. One that doesn¡¯t look like we do.¡± ¡°Oh, you saw her,¡± Scarlet said cidly, as if having answered this many times, ¡°Ryan brought her back from outside. She saved our leader before. She¡¯s not a leopard. . .¡± Olympus was stunned when she heard that. She had thought that she and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u were the same, both saved by Ryan. But she had saved Ryan¡¯s life? Ryan was so incredible though, so how could he need a female to save him? Olympus looked up in surprise and adjusted her face, ¡°Is she going to stay in the leopard family?¡± Scarlet said, ¡°Should be.¡± He knew that the female had escaped two or three times, but was brought back by Ryan. She was Ryan¡¯s treasure, how could he let her leave? Olympus slightly bit her lip, a little puzzled, ¡°But. . . the tribe females live in the back, and she lives with Ryan Chief. Won¡¯t that cause dissent?¡± After all, the females of the leopard race were scarce and they had their own females, which every male dreamed about. Scarlet pondered. ¡°She doesn¡¯t seem to be good at taking care of people. . . When I went to see Chief Ryan, she was cooking but she nearly burned down the kitchen. . .¡± Olympus saw Scarlet was wavering and smiled kindly. ¡°There is an empty room in my ce. If she moves in, I can teach her how to cook. I¡¯m rather good at it.¡± Scarlet seemed to realize this problem after Olympus had left. Ryan never proposed to share J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u with the race, so did he want to monopolize her? With Ryan¡¯s skill. . . it wasn¡¯t impossible. However, the rules of the leopard race had been in ce for hundreds of years. Once disrupted, the entire bnce of the race would be broken. Then, with the proportion of males to females so imbnced, even procreation would be a problem. Scarlet could not let this happen. * Since thest time J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u nearly burned down the stove, she hadn¡¯t dared to use the stove. At noon, she took out the gas tank, an aluminum pan and some ingredients from her space. She steamed the rice with her materials, and she made two stews and a beef chop. She filled up a bowl and brought it into the house. The wounds on Ryan¡¯s body were much better, and only her left arm was still wrapped in gauze. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u handed over a pair of chopsticks to Ryan and asked, ¡°Can you use them?¡± Ryan didn¡¯t answer and looked down at a ck leaf, ¡°What is this?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u said, ¡°Kelp, ah. It¡¯s good for your wounds.¡± The carnivorous species tended to eat only meat all year round and not vegetables at all and their nutrition was uneven. While J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought, she helped Ryan clip some and put them in his bowl, ¡°You eat more.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought this was probably the first time he saw this kind of food, and she exined it all to him again, ¡°You can¡¯t just eat meat, eat them properly.¡± Ryan lifted a brow slightly, nomittal. He didn¡¯t tell J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u that the carnivorous species would sometimes eat nts to help ease digestion. But there was not the wide range that humans had. The nts long buried in the water and ground could be dug up and be eaten. After eating, Ryan picked up his dishes and took them to the kitchen. The girl had underestimated the appetite. Two dishes and soup were but an appetizer. Most of them were vegetarian, so eating them didn¡¯t give him any satiety. While J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was in the middle of a nap, Ryan became a beast type and went to the back of the tribe. He quickly caught an antelope and cut it open, eating it up and leaving the bones in the corner. Before returning, Ryan washed away the smell of blood. The little one was timid and sensitive, so if she knew that he had killed a herbivore again, she would probably panic again. Ryan returned to the house and, unexpectedly, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u hadn¡¯t taken a nap. She was in front of the firece holding her backpack and looking through it. Hearing footsteps, she looked up and her eyes were slightly red. She raised an eyebrow, ¡°Ryan, you moved my backpack?¡± Ryan stepped into the threshold a little and quietly asked, ¡°What?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u turned the backpack over and over, everything inside falling to the ground. Her shlight, the binocrs, the knife, her notebook and a pen. . . but she did not see the map she had drawn before. ¡°I had a piece of paper in my bag, like this.¡± She opened the book and showed it to him, ¡°I had something important on it, did you see it?¡± Ryan was the opposite of J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s anxiety, ¡°How important?¡± ¡°. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was paralyzed. Of course, she cannot say that it was her way of leaving Camuda Valley so she said, ¡°Very important.¡± Ryan had guessed what she was looking for. The little girl thought he wouldn¡¯t know what a map was. He sat that table and calmly said, ¡°Haven¡¯t seen it.¡± The map had been thrown into the firece yesterday. But really, there was no one to me. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u bit her lip and looked as if she was going to cry, depressed. Thepass was broken and the map was gone. Could she really rely on Ryan to held her find Pat? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked at Ryan, ¡°That, that one, Winter. . . did he find Pat?¡± Ryan said calmly, ¡°Even if Winter is fast, it isn¡¯t possible to return from the east in three days.¡± ¡°. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u asked again, ¡°When will hee back? If he finds Pat, will he bring him back?¡± Ryan said, ¡°Maybe.¡± He did not tell her that the turtles didn¡¯t have a fixed settlement in the east and it was a bit of a problem to find them. While J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was mncholy, there was a knock on the door. Ryan opened the door and went outside with a leopard called Wilbur, a neighbor of Elder Scarlet. ¡°Chief Ryan, the elders have something to ask you. Is it convenient now?¡± Ryan asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter with Scarlet?¡± Wilbur: ¡°I don¡¯t know. . . but he seems very anxious.¡± Ryan did not ask again. Scarlet often came to him with the race¡¯s issues. Before leaving, Ryan called J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u to the front and pinched her tender face, ¡°Don¡¯t think about running around and wait for me toe back.¡± In front of an outsider, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u felt embarrassed and pped his hand, muttering, ¡°. . . I know.¡± Ryan left and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u went back inside to find her map. Looking in all the possible ces, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u still couldn¡¯t find it, but she did inadvertently find her menstrual cycle book. Every month, she recorded the date of her menstruation. Even aftering here, she had kept up the habit. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u sawst month¡¯s record and her eyes were drawn to words drawn in red ¡°Ovtion Period.¡± ¡ª¡ªIf she wasn¡¯t mistaken, today began her ovtion? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u remembered the situation on Holden¡¯s shipst time and could not help but shiver. Before she had been on a boat and could escape, but now, she was in the leopard race. How could she hide? With this in mind, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u quickly closed the windows and doors and took out the remaining catnip from her space, adding some more vorful spices to make a sachet at her waist. She was still not reassured and searched throughout her space until she found a bottle of mosquito repent. She smeared it from head to toe and finally felt at ease. No one should be able to smell the estrus on her? On second thought, she felt even more mncholy. Even if she escaped the ¡°estrus¡± this time, what was she going to do the next time her great aunt visited? She already used up her tampons thest time, was she really going to use ash?? A momentter, there was a knock on the door. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought that Ryan was back and she wanted to confirm the scent on her body, so she walked out to open the door. However, on the other side, it wasn¡¯t Ryan, but another leopard male. Wilbur said to J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u in the standard humannguage, ¡°Chief Ryan sent me to take you to the back of the mountain. Winter came back and he knows where Pat is.¡± Chapter 45 Gentle Beast Chapter 45 Winter hade back? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u lifted a foot to take a step then brought it back. Her dark eyes looked at this strange male, ¡°Did Ryan say anything else?¡± Wilbur said: ¡°Chief didn¡¯t say anything else, just to have you follow me.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s fingers tightened on the door frame, clenching until they were white, and reluctantly said, ¡°No. . . I¡¯ll wait for Ryan toe see me.¡± If this was the past, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u wouldn¡¯t be so guarded in her heart. But now she was in her ¡°estrus¡± period and Ryan had just said that Winter couldn¡¯t possiblye back from the east in such a short time. As for how this beastman, how did he know about Pat? . . . The more J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought, the worse she felt about it. Had Ryan told him? Or did he learn about it from somewhere else? Did they know she was human? Wilbur saw that the girl¡¯s eyes were alert, her pupils dting, and knew that she had guessed something. He could no longer deal with her. So he stretched out his ws and grabbed her. Fortunately, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had been prepared and quickly closed the wooden door, using thetch inside to lock it. Still, she couldn¡¯t feel relief yet because as soon as she turned, she saw Wilbur jumping over the wall. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u staggered back and her brain quickly put things together, knowing this was a conspiracy. ¡°Who let youe here? Where¡¯s Ryan?¡± Wilbur did not speak, only came to J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and raised his ws to pierce the back of her neck. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u felt the pain at the back of her throat and she passed out. When she woke up again, she was in a shabby hut. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u sat on the bed with her neck in hand and looked around. She saw nothing in the room. There was only a bed and a table. The room was very poor and there was nowhere to even settle down. Where was this? Why was she here? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was full of doubt. She recalled that just before she was knocked out, wasn¡¯t she with a beastman called Wilbur? Her neck was still in pain and the beastman could have done it. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u got out of bed and went to the door to look outside. She was still in the leopard tribe. The house was solemn and thend was t. In the distance, the Camuda Valley continued to stretch and many leopards came and went. But, it seemed the beastmen here. . . the majority of them were female. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and Ryan lived together in the front of the tribe, and most of the ones she met were male. She thought the females were scarce to the extent that they couldn¡¯t be seen when walking down the street. She didn¡¯t expect that the lived in an entirely separate ce. Most of the females were busy with their own affairs in the yard. No one noticed her sudden addition. Why did Wilbur put her here? What was his intention? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was puzzled and stepped forward. There were three houses in the yard. The other two were closed. She walked to the front door of one of them. She had not yet reached it when she heard a deep groan. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u footsteps suddenly stalled. There was a heavy and delicate voice inside and they gave off an extremely ambiguous message. A gust of wind blew over and the door suddenly burst open. The scene inside was burned into J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s eyes. A tall beastman was pressed above a female, and he mmed into her with a primitive passion. The leopard female¡¯s eyes were half-closed and her voice was hoarse. It couldn¡¯t be said whether she felt pain or pleasure. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s head was wooden and her feet seemed to take root. She didn¡¯t wake until the sound suddenly ended and she ran back to the room she had woken in. She just got into the house when the male walked out of the room with a face full of satisfaction. After a while, another male walked in and went into the female¡¯s house. Soon, the sounds of intimacy rang out from the room again. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u squatted under the window and shrank in on herself. She spent half a day down there and had no idea how many males went in and out of there. She bit her lips and shivered, trying not to let her fear overflow. She had always heard them say ''sharing females,¡± but she hadn¡¯t had an urate idea of it. Now she had seen it with her own eyes. What was the difference between this woman and. . . a prostitute? Wilbur put her here, making her, by default, a female of the leopard race. Was she now to be ''shared?¡± No, she can¡¯t stay here. She had to get back to Ryan. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u lifted her fingers and wiped her tears. She stood up from the floor and approached the door. A bang shoved the door open and there was a female standing there. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u backed up half a step and fixed her eyes on her. It was Olympus. Olympus smiled at her and saw her red eyes, and she looked resolute, asking, ¡°Are you trying to leave here?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u understood this sentence and there was precaution in her heart. She immeidately put away the panic in her face. She licked her lip and searched for her words in the leopard tongue to say, ¡°I am not a female of the leopard race, so I do not need to stay here.¡± She said such and walked around Olympus to get outside. ¡°Wait a minute,¡± Olympus suddenly called out to her and she hesitated, ¡°You may not know. . . But this is actually what Ryan said. It was him who asked Wilbur to send you here.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u suddenly stopped. ¡°What did you say?¡± Astonished, she subconsciously used the humanngauge. Olympus exined herself, ¡°The leopards have always had these rules. The males cannot selfishly monopolize a female. You have been living in Ryan¡¯s house and the tribe has been dissatisfied. So we decided that you will only be able to live with us here.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u felt that the biggest hurdle sinceing here was learning the leopardnguage. Olympus put together such a long string of words but she could unexpectedly put together what she meant. Ryan let Wilbur sent her here? He would let her live here all the time? However, why hadn¡¯t he told her himself? If she had caused trouble for him, she would definitely have left on her own initiative. Since she didn¡¯t really want to say with the leopards anyway, why would be let herself be left here? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u closed her eyes and said nothing. Olympus thought she had believed her words andforted, bringing her back into the house, ¡°You can stay here with us now. There¡¯s only two of us here. What¡¯s your name? I don¡¯t know it yet.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stopped in the door and wouldn¡¯t step inside again. Suddenly, she said, ¡°I cannot stay here.¡± Olympus: ¡°What?¡± Because J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had used the humannguage to say this, Olympus could not understand her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not care about her. She threw off Olympus¡¯s hand. She didn¡¯t believe Olympus¡¯s words. Even if it was true, she would verify it with Ryan herself. If this was what Ryan meant, then she would leave the leopard race instead of letting herself be ruined by the males. . . Olympus¡¯s face immediately changed and she wanted to go up and stop her, but a male suddenly entered the courtyard. He was particrly tall and dressed in animal skins. He had a ck circle under his eyes and he was here to find a female. Olympus animatedly shouted at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, ¡°Where are you going? Ryan already said that he will not take you back. Living here isn¡¯t good enough for you? I will cook and the other girl can sew well. . .¡± The male was attracted by Olympus¡¯s voice and looked down, seeing J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. His eyes suddenly became bright. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s this the Chief Ryan¡¯s baby girl? Has the chief tired of you so fast?¡± When Ryan brought J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u back, she was hidden so deep the race had been curious but didn¡¯t dare do anything because of Ryan¡¯s power. Now, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u appeared to be here alone. The male had even heard from Olympus¡¯s mouth that Ryan had ¡°abandoned¡± her here. He stepped towards her and licked his lips with interest, the beast not disguised in his eyes. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s heart throbbed and she backed away. The male extended his ws and held J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s shoulder. His hand was wide and it pped down, forcing her body halfway down. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u grit her teeth and took out her knife from her space. Regardless of her dislike, she raised her hand and mmed it into the back of the beastman¡¯s hand. He cried out and immediately released J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. She took the opportunity to escape from under him but she didn¡¯t get far. The beastman was obviously irritated with her and he chased after her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u ran fast but she couldn¡¯t match the speed of a leopard. Seeing she was going to be chased either way, she quickly remembered that there were many unopened firecrackers in her space. Although she didn¡¯t know if it would be of much use against a leopard, there was no other way and she could only give it a try. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stopped immediately and took out a firecracker. She lit it and threw it at the male beastman. The male faced her and was caught off guard. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u didn¡¯t have time to appreciate the other being injured by it, she turned around and quickly left. * This time, at Elder Scarlet¡¯s house. Ryan¡¯s brow was low, revealing a trace of impatience. Everything that Scarlet had said to him today was trivial. He had a tendency to talk for a long time and there was a continuous trend of: ¡°And, thest time I told you that. . .¡± ¡°Scarlet, I am the leader, not the steward.¡± Ryan lost his patience and sat up in his seat, interrupting Scarlet¡¯s words with a cold voice, ¡°If you cannot handle these things and need to report to me every little thing, then resign from the elder¡¯s seat.¡± He said this and stretched his long legs to leave. ¡°Wait, Chief. I have onest thing,¡± Scarlet quickly called out to Ryan. Ryan paused, ¡°If it¡¯s this irrelevant stuff, you better shut up now.¡± ¡°I had Wilbur send your female to the back street,¡± Scarlet suddenly said. The back street was were all the females of the race lived together, and it was also where the malese and went. Ryan paused suddenly and he turned around. His deep blue eyes stared at Scarlet tightly, and he asked with restraint, ¡°What did you just say?¡± ¡°That is where she¡¯s supposed to live,¡± Scarlet looked at Ryan¡¯s eyes and thought that even if the wrath of Ryan was terrible, he had to do this for the sake of racial harmony. ¡°If you want her to stay in the race, then learn to share her with the tribe.¡± || >>> Chapter 46 Gentle Beast Chapter 46 ¡°Scarlet, you¡¯re looking for death.¡± Ryan suppressed his anger and slowly squeezed a curse from the depths of his throat, turning away from Scarlet¡¯s house. Scarlet¡¯s figure shed in an instant. Before Ryan had be the chief, he had been on the leopard elders. He could be said to have survived two leaders before, so he liked to think he had seniority. For example, this issue with J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. Scarlet had to make his decision for the breeding of the race. He thought that even if Ryan was angry, he would eventually be pressured intopromising. However, now, it seems otherwise. When Ryan arrived in the backstreet where the females lived, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had disappeared. A wounded male beastmany in front of him and was surrounded by several helpless females. When Ryan stepped forward, he saw the other¡¯s hand was pierced by a de and there was fragments of a firecracker on his body. Ryan¡¯s eyes sharpened. He stretched out his ws and clutched the top of his neck to lift him off the ground, squeezing tightly as he said dangerously, ¡°Where is she?¡± These kinds of strange things could onlye from J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s space. The male beastman was wounded in the stomach and groaned in agony, ¡°Who?¡± Ryan¡¯s voice was cold, ¡°My female.¡± The male saw Ryan¡¯s face and his body shook. His whole body was alert and though he didn¡¯t know why Ryan had appeared, he subconsciously said, ¡°. . . she went there.¡± Ryan threw him heavily backward on the ground and went in the direction he had pointed. The male breathed a sigh of relief and thought he had not escaped. He did not expect Ryan to leave behind a sentence, ¡°Once, I said whoever dared to get ideas about her can leave the race. Pierce, you know what to do.¡± On thest hunting trip, Corey had jokingly talked about J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, and Ryan had warned the tribe then. Pierce had also been there. Pierce heard these words and he was astonished. He endured the pain and sat up, ¡°Chief, you. . .¡± Ryan¡¯s face was expressionless, ¡°Be warned. I mean immediately.¡± Olympus stood in the back and looked at Ryan¡¯s leaving back, her face changing. Chief Ryan had actually came to this ce personally for that female. . . Olympus thought that Ryan had only felt ''saving grace¡± for that female, but it was far from that. Was it true what the tribe were saying? That he would vite the rules of the n and monopolize that female? However, Olympus turned to think. What if Ryan really found that female? The rules of the leopards were simple. Unless he wanted to be the enemy of the entire tribe, he could not poke the anger of his people. * When the minute hand pointed to five o¡¯clock, it was going to get dark soon. Concealed in a narrow corner, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u sank with her hands around her knees and tried to reduce the intensity of his presence. The catnip sachet on her body was lost when she fled and the scent of oil on her body was getting lighter and lighter. Once it was dark, if the leopard beastmen found her, she had nowhere to run in midst her ¡°estrus.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u recalled all she saw during the day. The beasts were on that female¡¯s body. . . There was even a leopard that transformed into his animal shape. Although it was clear theyu were both leopards, the image had asting impact on J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s mind and her psyche wasn¡¯t well. She wanted to puke. . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u covered her mouth and even her breathing was light. She was afraid she was going to be treated the same if she was taken back. Even so, there were abrupt footsteps nearby. In the distance then they came closer, stepping on J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s heart. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s body suddenly tensed and she shrank back. Holding her taser, she reached in her space for a firecracker. All her defenses were raised. However, she knew deep inside that the other person was very powerful and her taser would only cause temporary paralysis for him. The firecrackers were not explosive after all, and they weren¡¯t powerful. They could scar, but they weren¡¯t enough to repel them. The only lucky thing on her side was that they were alone. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u held her breath and prepared herself, waiting for them toe in front of her. The tall figure stretched above her and lifted the taser without hesitation toward his chest¡ª¡ª Her wrist was caught in midair and the other cut her off. Therge hand sped her wrist tight and she couldn¡¯t move at all. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s face paled and she immediately tensed her hand with the firecracker and the other suddenly said in a low-pitched voice: ¡°Xi¨£o ¨­u, it¡¯s me.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u opened her stunned eyes to look at the other¡¯s face. . . . That was the first time Ryan ever called her name. It didn¡¯t feel that strange at all. It fell from his tongue naturally, like he had called her name many times in his heart. In that moment, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u pulled with all her strength and retreated. Ryan reached out for her but she subconsciously hid. It was with an instinctive repulsion and an undisguised aversion. Ryan¡¯s arm went stiff, then he defied her resistance, and bent over to carry her, straightening back up. Through that all, nothing was said. ¡°No, don¡¯t. Let me down!¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u desperately struggled against his shoulders. But now, she didn¡¯t care about anything, other than needing to leave this ce. After struggling for a long time with nothing to show for it, she ruthlessly bit down on Ryan¡¯s neck and soon her mouth overflowed with the sweet scent of rust. Times like this, she wished she had never saved T¨¢o T¨¢o,that she didn¡¯t know Ryan, that she hadn¡¯t fallen into such a bad situation. Instead of loosening his hold on her, Ryan held her tighter and freed one hand to sp at her back. After a time, he sighed, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I broke my promise.¡± When J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was taken by Rhode, Ryan had promised her that he would never let her encounter something like that again. But today, he broke it. Now she was in an even more precarious situation and saw such an embarrassing part of their race. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s teeth on Ryan¡¯s neck slowly loosened and big, fat tears rolled down from her eyes as she cried out. The warm, hot tears streamed down her cheeks and onto Ryan¡¯s neck, her wetshes licking at his skin and itching it, almost melting his heart. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u shed her tears, and though she didn¡¯t say anything, she no longer resisted him. She wrapped her arm around his neck and buried her face in his throat, sadder still. ¡°Ryan. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u whimpered, cringing to ask, ¡°You asked Wilbur to knock me out and take me to that ce?¡± Ryan froze and his eyes hardened, ¡°No.¡± He never wanted to share her with anyone. ¡°Living with you, don¡¯t I give you trouble?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Olympus said you should set an example and if you can¡¯t resist the pressure, to let me out of here. I don¡¯t want to go to that kind of ce. I am not your people, why should I be treated like this by them. . .¡± Ryan hugged the little girl to him, one arm holding her hips and the other he raised to her small face. He deliberately withdrew his ws and wiped away her tears with his finger. ¡°I said you are different from them,¡± her tears continued to flow and the more he wiped them away, the more she cried. Eventually, Ryan simply bowed his head and licked them away, ¡°Give me another chance to handle this matter.¡± * Ryan carried J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u home but the sky had quickly turned ck. The darkness of night was so dark one could almost ring out ink. That evening, Ryan appeased her for a long time and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was finally able to set aside the idea of leaving for the time being. Her small body huddled in the corner and was in the most primitive defensive posture, and even asleep, she wouldn¡¯t let Ryan touch her. Ryan tried to hold her in his arms but she struggled and gave a knee-jerk whimper, ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to stay here. . .¡± Today¡¯s matters had left a shadow on her psychological state. The next day, even before it was bright, Ryanmanded Dole to lead all the people to thepetitive hignds behind the race. This was where the leaders of the leopards were elected. Saying elected, but it was more appropriated that petition¡± was more suitable. Whoever had the power to defeat all the people that came to challenge would be the next leader. The leader was elected for ten years and since Ryan had been an adult, he had been the leader of the tribe. Now it was his tenth year. After daybreak, all the people of the leopard family was gathered there. The males to females beastmen had a ratio about seven to one. All the people¡¯s faces were full of questions. One year before the next election, why did Ryan bring them all here? Was the time being brought up? Some of the tribe looked at Elder Scarlet who stood to one side and tried to seek answers from him. Scarlet just shook his head and said uneasily, ¡°The Chief didn¡¯t tell me beforehand.¡± That meant don¡¯t ask him, he didn¡¯t know either. After a while, Ryan finally arrived. But he was not alone. All the people shifted their eyes to the female in his arms. When they recognized J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, they knew she was the female that Ryan had brought back. Because the female had exquisite facial features and delicate skin and apact figure not seen in their race, many of the males were impressed with her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was being held in Ryan¡¯s arms, her face buried in his neck, feeling ashamed and puzzled. Ryan took her out of bed early in the morning and did not exin any reasoning to her. Then he brought her here. . . It was all of his people and after what happened yesterday, she didn¡¯t like any of them. ¡°This is my female.¡± Ryan met the eyes of each one and calmly, quietly said, ¡°Or, rather, my spouse.¡± As soon as the word ''spouse¡± was said, all the people were blinded with shock. A spouse?! Wasn¡¯t that when just a female was paired with a male? Scarlet trembled and his face was incredulous, ¡°Chief, you. . . what does this mean?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple, but anyone who dares cover her will end up like Pierce.¡± Ryan licked his teeth and everything was cold and gloomy. Pierce was kicked out of the race by Ryan yesterday, and that smell of blood soon led over a group of hyenas. The hyenas ganged up on Pierce and without the protection of the race, Pierce was quickly defeated by the hyenas and eaten until there wasn¡¯t even the bones left behind. In the face of the astonishment of the tribe, Ryan then said something more¡ª¡ª ¡°From now on, the leopards will no longer share the females, but only a lifelong spouse.¡± || >>> Chapter 47 Gentle Beast Chapter 47 What?! That remark was met with uproar. Ryan wanted to change the century-long rules of their race?? So that no woman could be shared, and only one to a man. What about the remaining males?? ¡°Chief, I object to this,¡± Corey was the first to speak, speaking for all of them, ¡°How will the females be allocated? What about those that aren¡¯t assigned? How will the offspring reproduce?¡± The others don¡¯t speak but they obviously agree with Corey¡¯s statement. They are ustomed to the obtaining, but forgot the most basic primitive instinct to ¡°court.¡± No female was born to be theirs. Nor should they be allowed to ask for it. Whose skill was great and who was strong, a woman was surely going to wish for them. ¡°Every male has the ability to choose a spouse,¡± Ryan¡¯s deep voice rang out amongst the others. ¡°To ask for the female you desire, see the elders to register. If another looks upon the same woman, if you can defeat him and have that female nod in assent, then she will be yours alone.¡± One¡¯s. It definitely sounded more tempting. Even though the females were shared in the race, it was ultimately that, shared. But a man¡¯s desire for a woman was much more than that. Who wouldn¡¯t want to go out hunting when there is a female waiting at home for them? Sewing or cooking. Someone to smile when they came back. Instead of lying on a cold bed at night, sleeping alone. ¡°What should the ones who cannot defeat them?¡± Someone asked rationally. Ryan: ¡°If you fancy the female of another race and bring her back, I won¡¯t object.¡± ¡°Other races? What about the offspring?¡± ¡°They will be treated the same as our own.¡± ¡°And what if the other races don¡¯t have females?¡± After all, the female poption across the entire continent was small. Ryan suddenly grinned, arrogant and dismissive, ¡°To not even have the skill for that, and you have the nerve to ask about a woman?¡± Ryan mercilessly reminded, ¡°First of all, exercise their ability to speak. Otherwise, even if they give birth to future generations, they will eventually be eliminated from the race.¡± The other party was speechless. The voices of opposition ounted for the majority, but unexpectedly, there were a small number that shared the opinion. Almost all the leopard females agreed. Even so, could they speak up for what they wanted? After all, a female¡¯s physical strength was limited and she could only deal with the many males one by one. Her body became easily unbearable. Moreover, not all the females were willing to be possessed by different males. The purpose of their existence seemed to be only to satisfy them alone. If all the races were so, but it wasn¡¯t the case. Other races had fixed spouses and they were protected, but this only made the leopard females feel even more lonely. The rest were the males who were second only to Ryan. Compared to sharing with the race, they were confident they could win their own spouse. ¡°There is one more thing,¡± Ryan made a little turn and looked in Scarlet¡¯s direction. ¡°Scarlet is older now and his mind is gradually growing sluggish. He is no longer suitable as an elder to the leopard tribe. If anyone appears more suitable for the seat of elder, feel free to let me know at any time.¡± Scarlet heard that and his face rapidly drained of blood, ¡°Chief, I am considering this for the sake of the race. The situation in our race is not suitable for the spouse system. Changing the rules of the race is impossible!¡± ¡°Do you mean the females that have been shared for so long?¡± Ryan asked, his voice heavier and with irrefutable force, ¡°The females have been dwindling in the leopard race and it has be even more difficult to breed. Is it not because of this damned sharing system that the survival rate for them has be lower and lower?¡± ¡°This. . . how could it be the system¡¯s fault? The previous leader, Rando, never mentioned such absurdity. . .¡± Scarlet still refused to agree to these new rules. Ryan: ¡°That is because he was stupid.¡± A race, even the normal life of a female cannot be guaranteed, how could they ask her to give birth to the next generation? ¡°Now. . .¡± said Ryan, narrowing his eyes and asking slowly, one word at a time, ¡°My spouse is here. Who wants to fight me for her? Let them stand up and I will convince her heart.¡± * ¡°Rip¡ª¡ª¡± Ryan¡¯s canine bite a piece of gauze and he wrapped it around his arm, lifting his eyes to look at the girl standing on the other side, ¡°You¡¯re man¡¯s hurt, but do you care about it?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s cheeks flushed, feeling a bit hot. What ¡°your man?¡± He volunteered to bring himself before the tribe and announce that she was his spouse and that she hadn¡¯t done it with him yet. He had the audacity to mention it. At that time, many of the leopard tribe, about two or three hundred, all looked at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u roughly. If they all fought at once, they couldn¡¯t even be said to be opponents. But he also goaded with those arrogant words, she couldn¡¯t help sweat for him. Fortunately, the leopards were a little more principled. They only fought one on one. A group attack, that kind of thing was only for outsiders, not their own kind. When Ryan asked who wished to snatch him from her, surprisingly, only Dole stood up. It wasn¡¯t that others didn¡¯t want to fight Ryan, but they knew their strength. Even if they tried, they may as well dismiss the idea quickly. Dole was in the top five warriors of the race, and he naturally had the courage to challenge Ryan. Of course, then Ryan won. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u couldn¡¯t figure out if he had damaged his brain. Why did Dole want to take her from Ryan? They didn¡¯t seem to have any type of interaction? Only that time in the Elk Vige, so far away. However, she thought the desires of the leopard race were inexplicable, so she didn¡¯t think anything was normal. She simply put the matter aside and stopped thinking about it. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stood in her spot, hesitating for a long time, ¡°Ryan. Actually, you didn¡¯t have to do this for me.¡± While J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u still had that glimmer of hope, having Ryan dere she was his lifelong ''spouse,¡± she couldn¡¯t stay calm. That shackle was too heavy to bear, and she was afraid she would never get rid of it. ¡°If it¡¯s to protect you, it¡¯s necessary,¡± Ryan interrupted her, and turned to look at her, ¡°I broke the rules for you, and you stay in this race for me. This deal, will you marry me?¡±* *I had the hardest time tranting thisst sentence. The word can be tranted as ¡°do it with me¡± as inplete a business transaction with me, but it can also mean ¡°marry¡± and because of the situation and the next couplechapters, I¡¯m going to go with marry and just because oh my god, my cheeks cannot be this red. Also, feel free to join me on Betwixted Castle as I may or may not give teasers to all the people that fan my broken ego with funny stories,me puns, and pet videos. Love me <3 My sappy heart can¡¯t take this sappy chapter. Chapter 48 Gentle Beast Chapter 48 . . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stepped out of the house and sighed outside the door. She breathed out and pressed her hand to her chest. Right then, she was a little shaken. . . How could she be willing to stay in this strange ce for a leopard? Was she crazy? Or. . . did she have a crush on Ryan? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s face was pale and she bit her lip tightly. Her heart beat violently because of her terrible thoughts. No, it was impossible. She was a human, how could she be tempted by a leopard? It must have been the recent development in her rtionship with Ryan. She had no rtives or friends in this world and Ryan was the only beastman she could trust. She had subconsciously begun to rely entirely on him, and setting aside her vignce. Because he was T¨¢o T¨¢o, she had poured some emotion into him. Even after he suddenly became ¡°Ryan,¡± the memory of her life and death experiences shared with him could not be erased. So, she mistook those feelings as her heartbeat? Yes, yes, that must be it. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u constantly persuaded herself to try and rid her brain of those absurd ideas. Without mentioning the crisis in the world, how could humans mate with animals? Simply, it wasn¡¯t right to go against the natural order of things. After reaching that conclusion, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u naturally didn¡¯t dare get too close to Ryan. After thinking for a while, she decided to visit Suzanna. Since Suzanna was bitten by that saber-toothed tiger, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u never went to see her. This time, Scarlet was drying jerky in the yard. He saw her and paused in his actions, saying nothing. After knowing that Scarlet had instructed Wilbur to take her to the backstreet, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u hadn¡¯t known what to say. So she only asked, ¡°Is Suzanna inside?¡± Scarlet nodded. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was about to walk inside when she heard Scarlet say, ¡°Were you the one that had the leader change the race?¡± ¡°What?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u heard him and was shocked. She turned around and said seriously, ¡°Of course it wasn¡¯t me.¡± Scarlet¡¯s face became slightly better, but his mouth was not helpful in the least. ¡°If you don¡¯t intent to stay in the race for long, then you better not string the chief along anymore. He can find a better spouse.¡± Scarlet, the former elder, know about Winter going to the east to find Pat. And he also knew that J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u wanted to return to her race, otherwise she wouldn¡¯t have been tricked by Wilbur. Since Scarlet could not prevent Ryan from changing the race, he certainly wanted Ryan to find a mate that was pure and of the bloodline. Otherwise, even with Ryan¡¯s strong genes, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could still give birth to a defective child. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u licked her lower lip and her ck eyes stared at Scarlet, ¡°Does he belong to the elders?¡± Scarlet said coldly, ¡°Of course not.¡± Not to mention he was no elder now. ¡°If not,¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u reasoned, ¡°Then the tribe doesn¡¯t get to interfere with the leader¡¯s choice in spouse.¡± ¡°You!¡± Scarlet¡¯s anger wasn¡¯t light. She had struck him in a sore spot and he couldn¡¯t refute. This female looked soft and weak, but he hadn¡¯t expected her words to draw blood. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u no longer spoke to Scarlet and turned to walk into the house. Suzanna was half-sitting at the bedside and her neck injury was bandaged up. It had been stitched with a needle and was gradually recovering. Maybe it was because of the excessive blood loss that day, but Suzanna¡¯s face was drained of blood. She saw J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u walk in. Her first sentence was, ¡°Did you save me that day?¡± Her voice was hoarse, and almost too low to be heard. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u nodded, then thought and added,¡±I didn¡¯t really do anything, just called for your tribe.¡± Suzanna looked at her and probably thought that this female herbivore couldn¡¯t possibly defeat a tiger, so she didn¡¯t refute this sentence. Between a girl and a tiger, there was nothing left to say. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and Suzanna were not very familiar with each other, not to mention thenguage barrier between them. That sentence alone had scratched all the leopard tongue J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had learned. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u didn¡¯t stay too long. Seeing Suzanna needed nothing, she went to leave. As she went, Suzanna said to her. It wasn¡¯t until she was on the road that J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u understood what that sentence meant. ¡°I don¡¯t like you very much, but thank you very much.¡± * Returning to Ryan¡¯s courtyard, it was already noon. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u went into the kitchen and began to prepare the noon meal. Recently it had gotten cold, so she nned to make a hot pot, and her space still had many fresh ingredients as well as those for her hot pot. Just as she took out the pan and filled it halfway with water, she heard a low voice at the door asking, ¡°Where¡¯d you go?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u shook her hands and almost threw the pot to the ground, but behind her, a pair of hands stretched out to hold the bottom of it, enclosing her entire body in his arms. The atmosphere that followed Ryan around was overwhelming, and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was caught off guard. ¡°I. . . I went to visit Suzanna.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s ears blushed without warning. Then her whole face went red and she hesitated. ¡°To see how she was?¡± Ryan frowned. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°Last time, she was hurt so badly, I wanted to see if she was getting better. . .¡± ¡°Did you meet Scarlet?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u nodded, ¡°En.¡± Ryan: ¡°If he said anything to you, don¡¯t mind it.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°Ah. . .¡± She couldn¡¯t just say that Scarlet was persuading her to leave him. . . Silent for a long time, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u struggled under his arms and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to prepare lunch now, can you go out?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t I stay here?¡± Ryan bowed his head and exhaled over her ear, hot and scorching. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s cheeks flushed even redder, ¡°No.¡± Him staying there would only make her be more and more distracted and chaotic. She had obviously thought she had no affection for him, but when his body was stuck so close to her, she still felt her heartbeat speed up involuntarily. . . . so loud, she could almost hear it. Ryan finally released her and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u exhaled a long breath. However, in the next second, Ryan¡¯s words made her suddenly stiffen¡ª¡ª ¡°Is it that hard to answer my question?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ryan: ¡°I didn¡¯t think your rtionship with Suzanna was so good.¡± It meant that she would rather go see Suzanna than answer the question he had just asked. So to say she was escaping. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s scalp went numb, feeling a bit overwhelmed, ¡°I, I haven¡¯t thought about it.¡± Not ¡°Disagree¡±, but ¡°haven¡¯t thought about it.¡± Ryan¡¯s eyes lightened up at that meaning, feeling a surge finally break through the line of defense, and he lowered his voice to ask, ¡°When will you think about it?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u shook her head and said sincerely, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Maybe when Winteres back. She may never think about it. Ryan was silent for a moment then said, ¡°It¡¯s not that difficult to stay.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u felt as if she had been kicked by a tail, and she suddenly pushed away from Ryan, baring her teeth, ¡°. . .I don¡¯t want to stay!¡± She smacked the pan in her hand to Ryan¡¯s chest and ran out of the kitchen. Hadn¡¯t she suffered enough here? Again and again, she was almost killed and chased by beastmen. She fled and witnessed countless scenes where the carnivorous preyed on the herbivorous. . . she was crazy to think she wanted to stay here. In the room, Ryan leaned towards the counter top, his long legs ovepping slightly, and a deep furrow in his eyebrows. . . . Still too impatient. He nced at the pot half filled with water in his hands and set it on the stove, walking out. * Since then, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u made sure to maintain a certain distance from Ryan. Aside from eating next to each other, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was often anxious to leave him eight feet away. Don¡¯t even talk about a hug, Ryan couldn¡¯t even get close to her. When she was going to sleep, she had set up a small tent by the firece and after dark, she went inside and zipped it up,pletely separating Ryan from her. After two days, Ryan¡¯s face was looking rather ugly. Several times he wanted to catch her and ask what she meant, but J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u hid from him and whenever he approached her, she ran away. This time, Ryan hadn¡¯t even spoken yet when J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u took the lead and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to take a walk along the stream.¡± Herpass had not been repaired and when she passed the mountain, she noticed the stones on the road seemed to be attracted by a force, rolling in the same direction. When she picked up two of them, the two pieces of broken stone got stuck together. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u guessed there was a natural maite somewhere nearby and if she used the maic field to help calibrate thepass, it might be sessful. ¡°Actually,¡± Ryan said without expression, ¡°There seems to be a problem at the back of the mountain, so I¡¯ll need to go look at it.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .¡± Then Ryan crossed the room to the door. This time, it was toote and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had no choice but to follow Ryan out the door to the back of the mountains. It wasn¡¯t too far from Ryan¡¯s house, a quarter of an hour¡¯s walk. However, Ryan¡¯s legs were longer than hers and his steps wide. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u struggled to keep up with his footsteps and followed behind him. When they finally reached the top of the mountain, she checked her watch. Fifteen minutes had been abruptly shortened to five. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was breathless but didn¡¯t darein, and she didn¡¯t dare leave Ryan¡¯s side. She thought there could be beasts on the mountain at any time, and she was safe with Ryan. If she was alone, she could be easily eaten and no one would know. Further ahead, there was a frozen river. The ice was thick and covered with the footprints of many animals. Ryan walked in front, his ck leather boots steady as always, as if he were walking on a t surface. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought it wouldn¡¯t be too difficult after seeing Ryan¡¯s easy posture, but one step on the ice and she slipped, her whole body falling to the ground with a thump. She fell too hard, and tears squeezed out of her eyes. In front of her, Ryan didn¡¯t even look back. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u grit her teeth and stood up from the ice, trying several times but she didn¡¯t have the slightest effect. Tossing about for half the day, she didn¡¯t even make it past the river bank. Seeing that Ryan was getting farther and farther away, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u felt anxious in her heart and she wiped her tears with her fingers, ¡°Ryan, wait for me. . .¡± Ryan finally turned around and stood in the middle of the river, his profound features seemingly engraved in the background. In the hazy fog, she couldn¡¯t see his expression clearly. Ryan reached out his hand to her and his voice crossed through the thick frost, ¡°Come here.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stood up again and gingerly walked two steps, then sped up and flew toward him quickly. It wasn¡¯t until she climbed into Ryan¡¯s powerful arms that she felt at ease. Ryan secured her waist tightly with his other arm and leaned over to her ear, slowly asking, ¡°Are you done avoiding me?¡± Chapter 49 Gentle Beast Chapter 49 J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u knew what he was trying to do. She just reacted so badly to that. She was a little angry, but she was unable to refute him. After all, the person who had been something of an ostrich was her. She silently rubbed her tears with Ryan¡¯s arm and kept silent. Ryan simply picked her up and spread her legs. Resting his hands on her butt, he rubbed the ce she¡¯d fallen and asked, ¡°Well, why are you avoiding me?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u pursed her lips tightly and did not know how to answer. She can¡¯t say she was scared to like him, so she tried to stay away from him, could she? She waited a long time before finally saying, ¡°. . . you¡¯re dirty.¡± Ryan raised his eyebrows, ¡°Where am I dirty?¡± ¡°Everywhere,¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u deliberately wrinkled her little nose and exaggeratedly said, ¡°You haven¡¯t bathed and after fighting the tigers thest time, you were bloody for days and it still hasn¡¯t disappeared.¡± What¡¯s more, he actually kissed her looking like a bloodstain! But, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u saying he never took a bath was a bit of an exaggeration. Leopards were good at swimming, and every swim was the equivalent of a bath. Frequency. . . about once or twice a month. It was just winter and the river was freezing so they couldn¡¯t get into the water. Ryan mused thoughtfully for a moment then bowed his head kissed her mouth of the little one in his arms, his voice pressured, ¡°I am your man, so you have to suffer my dirtiness.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u hurriedly covered her mouth and angrily shouted at him, ¡°You. . .¡± Her eyes were round. They wereyered in a watery mist, bright, but even staring lividly at others, there was no death in that gaze. Instead, there was a shame. Such shy fury. Ryan didn¡¯t hold back and kissed her on the lips. The little girl¡¯s hair exploded and she reached for her face, about to jump away from him. Ryan grinned and bound her hands, taking her directly to the other side of the river. The whole journey, Ryan didn¡¯t overstep the proper boundaries again. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had to be honest. Ryan took J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u to the border of the leopard territory. There, a group of hyenas tried leaping for them, but Ryan took a look around and quickly disposed of the matter before taking J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u to the ¡°maite field.¡± The maite field was located deep in the back of the mountain. The more they walked, the more gravel was piled up on the side of the road. The ma were attracted by the field and it pulsed slightly, as if ready to fight. Once they reached a certain point, it pointed straight for the maic field. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and Ryan walked into the field and saw countless maite crystals on the wall. The interference outside had to be from here. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u took out thepass and stepped out from behind Ryan. She walked towards the center of the field and looked down to see thepass was no longer swaying around, and it no longer pointed south either. She took the needle out of thepass and picked up a medium sized ma from the ground, rubbing it gently against the needle. She repeated it in a single direction, attempting to maize the needle of thepass. Ryan leaned next to the entrance of the field and saw the girl doing such. His eyebrows furrowed slightly and her lips dipped, bing serious and attentive. His eyes fell to thepass in her hand. ¡°What are you doing?¡± He asked. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked up at Ryan and didn¡¯t think much of it. She chose the most straightforward and easy-to-understand way to exin it, ¡°Mypass is broken. I¡¯m trying to fix it.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u repeated it several times and decided it was time to try it. She reced the needle in thepass. Seeing it gently sway twice, the red end slowly stopped and pointed in one direction with precision¡ª¡ª Repaired?! J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was delighted. She had only tried it ording to the methods she had seen in and before ss. She hadn¡¯t expected to seed. Well, this way she didn¡¯t have to worry about getting lost wherever she goes. The terrain of this continent was rugged andplicated. If she took one step wrong, she could meet her end. While J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was excited about it, Ryan didn¡¯t move from where he was standing. His blue eyes were hidden in the dark and he stared at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, not saying anything. Chapter 50 Gentle Beast Chapter 50 Crew and Flick stopped. ¡°Chief, what do you mean?¡± Ryan lifted a long leg. ¡°Stop you fighting. Send this Olympus female to Bersen¡¯s house. Remove her from the race and send her, along with the other females, up to the to the Und Snowfield.¡± Berson was the leopard that reced Scarlet as elder. He and Scarlet were about the same age, but Berson was of a much milder personality. Crew shifted into his human form and asked, ¡°Und Snowfield? Why do we need to send our females up to the barrennd?¡± Flick also expressed his doubts. Ryan carried J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u past them, saying, ¡°Call all the young males of the race. Tomorrow I will exin why.¡± There was a group of snow leopards in the depths of Und¡¯s deep snow fields. After the sudden change in environment on Bornia, they had gone into hiding and weren¡¯t included in the overall Leopard race. This group of snow leopards actually had only a dozen or so members. After hundreds of years of breeding, there were not about two hundred of them and most of them were female. Ryan had always intended to take care of them, but they had always acted too cautiously and traces could hardly be found. Now, Ryan hade up with a n. Beasts would rx their vignce towards those of the same kind. If they were to use their females to draw out the snow leopard females, then finding their whereabouts would be easy. The following day, Ryan exined about the Und Snowfield and the males formted a careful n to take over. That afternoon, Dole and Corey led the tribe to the field. Ryan did not go. This kind of trivial thing could be settled without him. Things went as well as Ryan had expected. Olympus and two other females walked into the snow-capped mountains. One of them pretended to be injured and sessfully lured over a snow leopard. Dole and Corey easily followed the snow leopard and found their settlement. First they tried persuading them to return to the race, but they were used to their freedom and refused topromise. Afterward, Dole led the tribe to overtake them with him. Because most of these snow leopards were female andckedbat skill, they quickly fell and had to surrender. They obediently followed Dole and Corey back to the leopard tribe. In fact, returning to the race was going to be good for the two hundred snow leopards. With the protection of the race, they would no longer have to live out their lives disced and could settle into Camuda Valley. They wouldn¡¯t have to suffer the bullying of the other races either. Of course, the leopard males were much happier. With the extra females, numbering more than a hundred, it would quickly solve the scarcity of the females in their race. Ryan let Berson register the names of the snow leopards and assigned them to males of the race. Although some males still did not get a spouse, most of the males that gained a spouse were very satisfied with the results. They gained an additionalyer of ¡°reverence¡± for Ryan. As for Olympus, one of the male snow leopards fancied her. After seeking her out to be his spouse, he contributed further to the race and could stay. However, Morelli settled in the northwest of the Camuda Valley. Ryan¡¯s house was diagonally across from them, so unless there was a special visit, there was no chance of coincidental meeting. * In fact, there were many more changes Ryan had decided for the race, and he had his reasons. In just a few days, two of the females int he race were dered pregnant. ¡ª¡ªTo understand their joy, it had to be known that they hadn¡¯t celebrated offspring for nearly a year! This was good news. Elder Berson decided to hold a bonfire party and asked the chief to go with his spouse. When Ryan heard the news, he was bathing in the back mountain. The ice had melted and the trees were springing up all around, green sprouts piercing through the snow and stretching up high. It created green sparkles in the silver-white world. Though river had thawed out, it was still cold and ice floated in the water. Ryan got out after his bath and water dripped from his jaw down over his broad chest, slooping all the way down. It licked against his abdominal muscles then into the thick hair along his belly. Ryan wiped his body with his clothes and put on another leather outfit, delivering a few words tot he beastman that came to give him the news, ¡°I know. Go back.¡± The other party quickly shifted away his eyes and obediently left. While walking away, he couldn¡¯t help but think about the size of their leader. Even the leopard females wouldn¡¯t be able to bear it. The leader¡¯s little spouse was even more petite. He didn¡¯t know how their sex life was coordinated. . . However, these things Ryan¡¯s subordinates did not need to worry about because Ryan had never touched his spouse. Although J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u wasn¡¯t avoiding Ryan anymore, she still forbid any intimate contact with him. Not to mention ¡°coption¡±. Scared to death, and quick to cry. This was Ryan¡¯s final assessment of the little one. ¡°What are you doing?¡± A deep and powerful voice suddenly sounded throughout the air. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was startled and she raised her eyes, seeing Ryan standing in front of her with his chest bare. His shoulders were wide, his waist narrow, and his legs long. He wore a wheat-yellow jacket of a skin she didn¡¯t know, and his trousers were loose. A shadow of a jungle peered out from inside, as if hiding a lion ready to go. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s cheeks were slightly hot and she hurriedly looked away, asking, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you get dressed?¡± While she spoke, she packed away gauze and cotton in a cupboard next to her. Ryan nced at her but was uninterested in the cotton and gauze. He walked over to her J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and bent over, trapping her between him and the cab, ¡°Didn¡¯t you think my body was dirty? I¡¯ve washed it now, why don¡¯t you check it?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was blocked in by him and in front of her was his bare chest which still dripped with water. The mixture of cold moisture and male hormones had her cheeks fully red, ¡°I don¡¯t wnat to check. Go away!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you want to check if I haven¡¯t cleaned?¡± not only did Ryan not move, but he pressed her towards his chest and brought his mouth close to her ear, ¡°Is it dirty here?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u bit her lip and her wrist twitched, and resentfully said, ¡°Ryan. . .¡± Ryan didn¡¯t seem to hear it. Holding her hand down, he pressed it to his belly, ¡°Well, is it not dirty?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°Hey. . .¡± The corners of Ryan¡¯s mouth hooked upward, his voice more and more mellowed, and huskier and huskier. He used J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s hand to explore even further, even deeper, ¡°Or dirty here. . .?¡± Her fingers touched something hot and solid thing and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s face flushed even brighter. Panicking, she withdrew her hand in a hurry and pushed Ryan, ¡°You! Don¡¯t go so far!¡± Ryan blinked and said thoughtfully, ¡°So to speak, don¡¯t overdo it?¡± ¡°. . .¡± Ryan saw her cheeks were red, about to be ripe. So he kissed her grumpy cheek and epted his loss, ¡°The n¡¯s holding a party tonight, want to go with me?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u bitterly turned around, ¡°Do not.¡± She knew not everything could be med on Ryan. When he had her touch him with her hand, only she knew how hard her heart was beating. ¡ª¡ªJ¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u sadly realized that it was getting increasingly more difficult to resist Ryan¡¯s touch. Ah, ah, ah, she unlikely enough already liked Ryan. . . How could she like a leopard T_T? Not to mention that his tongue was barbed, when he kissed her, her tongue hurt. And now, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u remembered that a cat¡¯s genitals were also barbed. In Ryan¡¯s case. . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought back for a moment. She hadn¡¯t encountered anything strange, as if there wasn¡¯t. . . But she only touched the head and shrank back, even if there was she wouldn¡¯t have felt it, ah. . . Ryan don¡¯t know what J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was thinking about so he didn¡¯t force her, ¡°Then stay here and wait for me toe back.¡± His female was lovely and snow-white, and he didn¡¯t want to expose her to his tribe too much. * That evening, Ryan went to the tribe party. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u held a shlight in one hand and sat on the bed, sewing the number one priority for a woman¡¯s period. For this, she endured her heart¡¯s distress and cut two strips of cotton. In two days, she had heard period and there was no pads here, she could only think of how ways herself. Once her menstruation began, cotton would get stuffed into it, and she would make do with it. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked at her watch. It was around 9:15 but Ryan had yet to return. She first got into her tent and went to bed. When Ryan dide back, it waste at night. Berson took out a few barrels of fruit wine he had brewed and invited the people to drink together. The guys rushed up to take him up on it and had gotten tossed. Ryan went into his house and saw the tent next to the firece was closed. The firelight reflected on the tent¡¯s side and revealed the hazy, petite figure inside. Ryan squatted in front of the tent and hooked his long fingernail in the zipper. When he went to pull down, he paused. The air was filled with a gluttonous sweetness, as if something had subtly bloomed. Like it were open, ready to be crushed into juice. ¡ª¡ªThe smell wasing from the girl in the tent. Ryan¡¯s eyes were slightly heavy and he opened the tent immediately. . . . . . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was too tired to continue sewing so she had fallen deeply asleep. She only felt that something was going on inside her. She groaned but didn¡¯t want to wake up. Then she dreamed that she was walking in a snowstorm. A cold wind lifted her skirt and her body was suddenly cold. She opened her eyes and saw Ryan hade back and squatting in front of her, staring at her. . . When J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u noticed something, she blushed furiously and tried to lift her legs, ¡°You. . .¡± Originally, that wasn¡¯t a dream. Ryan had peeled back her clothes and had separated her legs, his focus on her. ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± Ryan held down her legs and his voice was particrly low, and the dim, dark light in his eyes didn¡¯t shift. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u cried out quickly. How could someone do this? She extended her small, white foot and said, ¡°Go away!¡± Ryan caught her delicate ankle and kindly reminded, ¡°You¡¯re injured.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u followed his gaze to see that the scarlet drops on the trousers tossed aside were especially startling. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s body stiffened. She had clearly counted the days and it wasn¡¯t until the day after tomorrow that she was to start her period. . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u wanted to sink into the ground with embarrassment. Her period hade ahead of schedule and was now caught by Ryan. Was there anything more embarrassing than this? ¡ª¡ªOf course. Ryan lifted the girl¡¯s leg around the waist and stretched out his other hand, scratching at her delicate ce. His fingers came away stained with red and he asked in a low pitch, ¡°This ce will bleed every month?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .¡± Because of her shyness, the girl¡¯s whole body was a seductive shade of pink. She hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly nodded. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u finally realized that if she didn¡¯t exin everything to him, then the next time she had her period, he¡¯d probably strip her and check it again. This wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯d done something like this. ¡°It¡¯s not an injury. Just a physiological phenomenon. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u lifted her lips and tried to disengage his hands from her body. She bit her lips and blood pooled on them, ¡°Once a month, for about three to five days, like the estrus of your race¡¯s females.¡± Ryan said: ¡°The leopard female¡¯s don¡¯t bleed.¡± ¡°. . .That¡¯s because they aren¡¯t primates.¡± Ryan: ¡°How do you fix it?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could not go out now. She pressed her flushed face to the pillow and said: ¡°You can help me by bringing the things in the cabs over here. . .¡± * After two days, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u didn¡¯t respond to Ryan. Aside from getting angry, there was also a kind of indescribable shame. . . The most intimate and tender ce of a girl¡¯s body was just so casually looked at by him! While J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was angry and Ryan was sulking, the beastman finally returned from the east. And brought back news about Pat. Chapter 51 Gentle Beast Chapter 51 It took Winter nearly 20 days to return. In those twenty days, there were many big and small things happening that Winter had no idea about. He saw that there were suddenly a lot more females in the race. Most of the males going about went out in pairs, and he felt he had almost entered the wrong tribe. It wasn¡¯t until he was standing in front of Ryan¡¯s house that he was convinced that he wasn¡¯t in the wrong ce. A male beastman passing by joked with Winter: ¡°Winter, if you hade back a few dayster, my son could have gone out hunting!¡± Winter: ¡°???¡± Winter knocked on the door and waited to hear Ryan¡¯s voice from inside before pushing it open. ¡°Chief, I¡¯m back.¡± . . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was still behind the mountains. Spring hade back to the earth again and the grass was tall, and the harsh cold of winter was turning into spring warmth. The iceberg in the distance also chipped off bit by bit and taking off its snow-coat. The colorful spring shirt had reced it in a visible sign of warmth¡¯s arrival. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stood between the mountains and the forest, and could feel the rapid rise of temperature all around her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u strolled into the forest that morning and found many good things. She put those things into her space but left some bamboo shoots in her basket, ready to take it back to make bamboo shoot soup. However, when she thought of having to face Ryan at lunch, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s cheeks couldn¡¯t help but get hot. Although two days had passed since that incident, she felt embarrassed every time she thought about the distressing scenes of that day. Afterward, Ryan had brought her the things she needed for her monthly. As if to verify the authenticity of his words, he unexpectedly wanted to help her put it on. It was the first time he had touched something like it and he wouldn¡¯t give it to her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u flushed hotly and raised her arms to block her cheeks, but guided him on what to do in whispers. Ryan first stuffed the cotton in the makeshift pad andid it under her buttocks, then passed it from passed the end between her legs and folded it in front to tie the ropes on both ends to her. . . Stop! Why was she thinking of this again? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u shook her head twice and refused to let herself think about this matter. On the way back, two male leopards were walking and she subconsciously avoided walking near them. Still, the two males¡¯ conversation carried over to her ears. ¡°What did Winter go to the east for? That ce is so far away and it¡¯s a sea of water. . .¡± ¡°I heard it was Chief¡¯s idea.¡± ¡°What did the Chief mean by that? Why was the leader interested in that kind of ce?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. You can ask yourself. Didn¡¯t Winter just get back? I saw him this morning.¡± . . . The two males were walking away, and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stood behind an oak tree, thinking about their conversation. Winter hade back? Returned from the east? Great, didn¡¯t that mean she¡¯d be able to go home soon? With this news, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u couldn¡¯t wait any longer and carried her basket, speeding up towards Ryan¡¯s house. The courtyard door was opened halfway and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u pushed it in all the way, seeing a male standing in the front room talking with Ryan. It should be Winter. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u put down her basket and for a moment forgot all her embarrassment about Ryan and trotted into the house, blurting out¡ª¡ª ¡°Did you find Pat?¡± * The conversation in the house screeched to a halt. The air became silent all of a sudden. Winter looked at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, then looked at the Chief, then finally set his gaze on J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u again. He scratched his head and said frankly, ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t find Pat.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s happy mood fell to the bottom and she stopped in the spot. Winter looked at the pale-faced maiden in front of him, somewhat unable to bear, ¡°But I did find Pat¡¯s family.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s eyes brightened again, ¡°That. . . did they have news about Pat?¡± ¡°They did,¡± Winter nodded. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s hope was rekindled, and she took half a step. It was better to know news about Pat than nothing at all. She hadn¡¯t thought they¡¯d be able to find him. If they couldn¡¯t find him now, maybe the next time she could find him. Winter¡¯s next sentence, however,pletely shattered her hopes¡ª¡ª ¡°Pat¡¯s family told me that his body had been getting bad, and he died at least ten years ago.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u staggered, astonished, ¡°What did you say?¡± Winter said: ¡°Pat is dead.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s whole body stiffened and she shook her head in disbelief, ¡°No. . . Eric¡¯s grandfather told me that Pat was the longest-living turtle on Bornia, how could he be. . .¡± ¡°Pat was 501 years old, and no one had ever lived longer than him,¡± Winter interrupted her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s cheeks drained of blood quickly and her body trembled. This news had delivered her too much of a blow. She bit her pink lips and a mistyyer rose up in her eyes, and her clear ck eyes were coated in watery tears, a different sort of pitiful. Despite J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u never meeting Pat, she hade this long way and his name had brought her infinite hope. As long as she had the goal of moving forward, she would have the courage and purpose to survive in this world. But now that she was told that Pat was dead. . . All of a sudden, she had lost her beacon of light and walked into the middle of the road. She suddenly didn¡¯t know what direction she was heading in. Winter didn¡¯t expect this to be such a big blow to J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and felt a bit helpless, ¡°I tried my best. . .¡± Ryan calmly asked, ¡°Did Pat leave anything behind?¡± Winter tried to remember something and rushed to find out, ¡°Yes, there was. Pat¡¯s grandson gave me this thing. . .¡± As he said it, he took a thing out of a pouch and handed it over to J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, ¡°This is Pat¡¯s painting. His descendants do not understand the meaning of it and they gave me this thing. Do you want to look and see if it¡¯s useful to you?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u received it and looked at it closely. It was a smooth stone with four-sides and on the top was two circr objects. Between them, there was a small ripple that divided the circles into two parts. Aside from that, nothing else. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked at it for a long time and shook her head slowly, ¡°. . . I don¡¯t understand it either.¡± Winter was helpless, ¡°That. . . I don¡¯t know what else.¡± This sentence sent J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u to death. Her shoulder¡¯s instantly copsed and the light in her eyes vanished, gradually reced with a dead stillness. Ryan looked at her then said to Winter, ¡°I know you¡¯ve worked hard. Now you can go to Berson to collect your female and take a break for the next ten days.¡± A female that belonged to him? Weren¡¯t the females shared? When did he have the qualifications to have a female on his own? ¡°Chief, where there changes to the race that I don¡¯t know about?¡± Winter thought of the jokes this morning and could not help but ask. Ryan propped up his chin and said a little impatiently, ¡°Berson didn¡¯t tell you what happened?¡± Winter shook his head. Ryan said, ¡°Go back and ask Berson. I¡¯m not responsible for answering stupid questions. Winter: ¡°. . .¡± . . . . . . While they spoke, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u quietly left the house. * J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u went back to the mountain stream. There, she aimlessly walked with her head drooped low, asionally kicking a stone by her feet. Although depressed, her reason still kept her from wandering away from the leopard territory. She walked to the edge and back again four or five times and was finally tired, so she sat down to rest against a tree. After sitting for a while, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u heard a lot of noise. She raised her head and saw geese flying north. Rows of spotted geese neatly crossed the sky in their seasonal migration. The cries she just heard were from their mouths. There were many other birds flying northward. There were swiftlets and bar-headed geese, and many others. The sounds they made were mixed together and the sky was used topose such a beautiful piece of music. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u raised her hands to her cheeks and unknowingly became a bit obsessed. She couldn¡¯t help but think. If she was was as good as these birds, she could go wherever she wanted and could go and from home. What annoyances would get in her way? She didn¡¯t know how long she watched them, but her neck became sore and she rubbed her neck, standing up. She was nning to go back and turned to see a figure standing right behind her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u quickly retreated and looked up and up, finally recognizing Ryan, ¡°You. . . when did you get here?¡± He hadn¡¯t made a sound at all, did he want to scare her? ¡°Same as you.¡± Ryan¡¯s voice was unaffected. In other words, he got there at the same time she did? Had he been following her? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u facial expression shifted and she exined, ¡°I felt bad, and wanted toe out and walk. I didn¡¯t mean anything else. . .¡± Ryan stepped forward one at a time, ¡°You aren¡¯t in a good mood?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was silent then said truthfully, ¡°Bad.¡± ¡°When will your mood be good?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u raised her head. She didn¡¯t know when Ryan hade to stand in front of her. Now, she looked directly at him and thought for a moment. She then asked without warning, ¡°Ryan, do you have parents?¡± Ryan was silent a long time, ¡°No.¡± Most leopards grew up alone. He was abandoned by his parents at three months old and had grown alone until now. Before bing an adult, he had always been alone in the race. That sort of affection, he had never experienced and never needed. It was something that only the weak would desire. ¡°. . . but I do,¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s eyshes trembled slightly and her voice fell slowly, ¡°I have parents and a family. They don¡¯t know where I am, and if I don¡¯t hurry back, they¡¯ll worry about me. I have always wanted to go back to them, and Eric¡¯s grandfather told me Pat might know the way back, so I just wanted to find Pat. . .¡± Speaking of that now, the girl¡¯s voice choked and slowly fell into grievance, ¡°I have always wanted to find Pat. . .¡± But why was Pat dead? Where else could she go? What was she going to do? ¡°Ryan, I can¡¯t go home again. . .¡± The girl looked at him with tears in her eyes. Her lips were shut and her shoulders hanging down. She finally realized that she was all alone. Ryan stepped forward and picked her up, holding her on his arm and outstretched the other to press her face into his neck, softly touching her hair, ¡°You will have a home.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u moved, her wet eyshes tickling his rough skin. ¡°If you want to go home, then go home to the house I built for you.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u buried her face in Ryan¡¯s neck and didn¡¯t respond. After a long time, she reached around Ryan¡¯s neck, very, very slowly, and inexplicably hummed, ¡°En.¡± Chapter 52 Gentle Beast Chapter 52 Since spring had begun, each day was warmer than the one before. The Camuda Valley was surrounded in greenery and flowers, golden light quietly sweeping over the leopard tribe, rending everything in dazzling brilliance. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had taken her firecrackers out of her space and ced them outside. Even though the air in her space wasn¡¯t humid, it was better to asionally set them out in the sun to keep them from getting damp. Some of the fireworks wererger and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had to move them back and forth several times, so she gradually began to pant with exhaustion. She stepped on her stool and put thest of her fireworks on the highest shelf. Because it was crooked, all she could see was the wall of firecrackers in front of her swaying and she was tilting to the side¡ª¡ª J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u rushed to grasp for something to hold but she couldn¡¯t find anything to support herself with and she was going to fall onto the fireworks. . . Suddenly a warm temperature from behind her came up and supported J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u in outstretched arms. They steadied the fireworks and encircled her in his arms at the same time. After Ryan corrected the fireworks and confirmed they wouldn¡¯t fall again, he freed one of his hands to hold J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s waist and lifted her off the stole. He turned her around to face him and raised an eyebrow, ¡°What are these things?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u touched her cheek and seriously said, ¡°Fireworks, firecrackers.¡± She didn¡¯t intend to hide anything from Ryan so she said, ¡°I want to use them to make explosives. They¡¯re very easy to carry and very powerful. Once they¡¯re done, they can be used anytime. . .¡± Halfway through, she realized that Ryan didn¡¯t understand and she stopped, summarizing, ¡°Anyway, they¡¯re very powerful.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s things were all very strange. Ryan didn¡¯t think it umon so he shifted his line of sight to behind her, ¡°How do you make them?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u bit her lip and said, slightly embarrassed, ¡°I haven¡¯t figured that out yet, but I¡¯ll tell you when I figure it out.¡± Ryan: ¡°Anything I can help you with?¡± ¡°No,¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u shook her head, ¡°The ingredients involved are ratherplicated and I haven¡¯t confirmed any of it yet. I listened a little to dad mentioning it once or twice before. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s parents were university professors, high intellectuals. Once was in chemical research and the other an archaeologist. The two were open-minded, conservative but not stigmatic. At home, they never deliberately avoided discussing academic things around J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, and over time, she actually learned quite a lot from them. The little girl¡¯s eyes were fuzzy but they shifted back to what was going on. Ryan interrupted her thoughts, ¡°How powerful is it?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u lifted her eyes and blinked. She pondered a moment but didn¡¯t know how to exin it to him. She only said, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you this evening.¡± That evening, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u took Ryan to the back of the mountain and found a higher, rtively t ce. She took the fireworks that had been drying in the sun and ced it on the t ground in front of them, cing four or five cylinders in a row. Then she took a look at her surroundings. The beastmen here stuck to a regr schedule. When it got dark, they went to bed, and at this time, she and Ryan were the only ones out and about. So there was no need to worry about being discovered. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u took the lighter out of her space and with a ¡°click,¡± it lit up in red mes. She touched the lighter to the firecracker and it ignited, burning away. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u hurriedly stood up and dragged Ryan¡¯s arm backward to hide under a dense camphor tree. At the same time, the fireworks in front were exploding, mming into the sky in rays of light, all bright and colorful. Immediately afterward, the session of fireworks began to bloom. ¡°Bang, bang, bang,¡± the sound was endless. The fireworks broke free from the darkness and were bright and eye-catching, like a thrilling baptism. . . . Under the fireworks, the young girl¡¯s eyes were bright and colorful radiance reflected on her cheeks, following along the contour of her face. Her eyes sparkled like the fireworks in mid-air. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was fascinated by the scene overhead and remembered the previous New Year when she was with her family. She wasn¡¯t paying attention to where Ryan was looking. After a long time, once all the fireworks were set off, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u regained her consciousness and she turned to Ryan. ¡°That¡¯s just the fireworks. We usually use them in celebrations or when we¡¯re happy. Is there anything to be happy about?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± said Ryan, looking at her. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°My woman volunteered to invite me out.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s face was hot. ¡°. . .¡± She had obviously wanted to let him see the fireworks. This wasn¡¯t a date. What¡¯s so good about it. . . The girl¡¯s cheeks were red and even in the night, could easily betray her unease. The corners of Ryan¡¯s mouth curled upward and he chuckled, the sound restrained, ¡°This is what you call ¡®very powerful¡¯.¡± Well, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u knew they were being underestimated. Fireworks didn¡¯tpare with explosives. They were originally ornamental, and aside from the shy bloom, they were simple. She couldn¡¯t me Ryan for not being interested in it. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u ttened her mouth and didn¡¯t argue with him, ¡°Once I figure it out, you¡¯ll see.¡± * Over the next few days, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was devoted to studying explosive manufacturing. To do so, she especially asked Ryan to build a small cabin behind the kitchen for her ¡°research equipment¡± and materials. Cotton, charcoal, firecrackers, and a variety of other things were piled up in it. It had been five days since Winter¡¯s return and the announcement of Pat¡¯s death. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was still hurting and unwilling, but she also had to ept this reality. She had originally still held hope, since her space and the bus were connected, then couldn¡¯t she return to her world through the space? There was no end to her space. No beginning or way out, and no matter how many times she tried, she got no results for it. A long time now, her pir had been taken away and her hope for going home was shattered. If she didn¡¯t do anything to distract herself, she probably wouldn¡¯t be able to hold herself together anymore. What¡¯s more, ording to her current ability, there was still no guarantee of her own safety. If she could only stay here, then she had to have a way to protect herself. For the moment, she had managed to use a bamboo pipe to distill the diethyl ether*. It fell out of her hand and onto her matches, and she saw a cloud of smoke in front of her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u reacted quickly and dove out of the house. *Apparently diethyl ether is some kind of C2H5OC2H5??? Standing in the doorway, she heard a dull explosion inside and immediately, smoke flooded it and poured out of the windows and doors. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stood helplessly, looking at the messy cabin, a little unsure what to do. Uh. . . It¡¯s done. She identally blew up Ryan¡¯s house. What to do? Would Ryan be angry? Ah, no. She had a lot of raw materials inside. Had they all gotten blown up? When J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was about to go back in, Ryan, who had been woken by the explosion, was there ad his arm around her, sessfully preventing her death. Having just waken up, his voice was hoarse as he asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u shrank her shoulders, ¡°I wanted to get some of the things out. . .¡± Ryan ced her in a safe spot and looked up. Seeing the smoke-ridden hut, he said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you see there¡¯s a fire inside?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u lowered her head, ¡°I saw.¡± It was because she had seen the fire that she wanted to sneak back in. . . Her things were all inside. Though cotton and charcoal was everywhere, and the firecrackers were in her space, but the ether and the sulfur were things she couldn¡¯t easily refine. . . Fortunately, the amounts that J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had refined weren¡¯t pure and the fire wasn¡¯trge. After a while, Ryan used water to extinguish it. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u brought a pot and put out thest of the mes, turning her ash covered face to look at Ryan, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Ryan threw the bucket aside and looked askance at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°I burned your house.¡± Ryan paused slightly but the color of his face didn¡¯t change, ¡°It was a house built for you, you can burn as many as you want.¡± ¡°. . .¡± She didn¡¯t know if this sentence of Ryan¡¯s was too lethal, or if J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had be less and less resistant to him. Either way, after hearing this, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s face suddenly became red. ¡°But. . .¡± Ryan walked up to her and reached out with his ws, wiping the dust from her face. He bent down and stretched out his tongue to lick her lips, voice low, ¡°Next time, remember to say it¡¯s our house, so I don¡¯t get angry.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s face was boiling hot and it spread behind her ears, and she backed away, muttering, ¡°I do not. . .¡± ¡°Want to go back?¡± RYan directly intercepted her words, and covetously held her lips, ¡°Aren¡¯t you humans the most honest? Since you promised to stay, but you don¡¯t want to live with me, who do you want to live with?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was too choked up to say anything. . . Unfortunately, there was no room for regret with Ryan here. Ryan sped the back of her hand with his ws and opened her teeth with his tongue. Breaking in, he blocked all her words. | | >>> Chapter 53 Gentle Beast Chapter 53 J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u evaded in reflex. She remembered the barbs on his tongue and how she had hurt for days afterward. But she was no match for his strength and her entire body was under his control, her small mouth opening to greet him. Perhaps after thest attempt, Ryan had be more adept because his tongue wrapped around J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s softly and sucked it into his mouth. Realizing the little one in his arms was curled up, Ryan held the palm of his hand to the front of her head and lifted her chin. He lightly licked the ce she had been scratched and after a while, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s tense body finally rxed. Ryan had deliberately used light strength so J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u didn¡¯t actually feel all that hurt. Like arge toothbrush, soft and hard bristles swept across her tongue. It itched and stung and although it was a little painful, she could still endure it. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was a little breathless from being kissed, and her eyebrows frowned slightly, whimpered in resistance. Ryan let go of her for a short time, then he kissed her again. This experience was new, and Ryan didn¡¯t know that licking her lips could have been so pleasurable. When the door was pushed open, Ryan was holding J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s small face very close to his own. ¡°Chief, I heard a strange noise just now from your house. Did you have anything to do with it. . .¡± A bare-chested beastman wearing deerskin pants was standing in the door. He hadn¡¯t finished his sentence when he suddenly stopped, staring a head dumbfounded. Behind him, several leopard beastmen were standing, having probably also heard the explosion just now, and wanting to see what was going on. At this point, they were just staring into the courtyard. Their wise and majestic leader was bending down to bite the lips of his tender young female. But the difference in their heights was too great and the posture was strenuous. Their leader had one arm on the girl¡¯s lower back and had pulled her slightly into the air. During the entire process, their lips had yet to separate. What situation was this? The leader likes his little female so much he wanted to eat her? (Not the way you beastly boys are probably thinking. . .) However, looking at the little female, although her brows were furrowed, there were no signs of obvious resistance. . . Was this some new kind of y? Seven or eight leopards stood at the door, not knowing whether to go or stay. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u saw them standing there, and she immediately froze, quickly pushing at Ryan, ¡°Stop, stop. . .¡± Ryan¡¯s interest was suddenly interrupted, and he frowned with dissatisfaction. He pinched J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s chin still wanting to kiss her. But J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u blushed and blocked his mouth, refusing to agree. Ryan raised his eyes and looked at the door, his eyes falling on the people who stood there. Obviously, he wasn¡¯t happy. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u took the opportunity to climb down and out of Ryan¡¯s arms and quickly hid behind him. One of the beastmen raised his fist and coughed awkwardly, ¡°Yes, just now, I seemed to hear. . .¡± . . . The other started saying these words again and looked to the corner of the courtyard at the bombed out cabin, ¡°Chief, what happened here?¡± Strange things were often happening around the vige these days and the tribe were very suspicious. For example, a few nights ago, the back of the mountain suddenly erupted with a roar louder and more terrible than thunder. But when they went out, they saw that the night sky was clear and bright, with no sign of rain. Only a glimmer of light was at the back of the hill, and there was nothing when they looked past it. The sound of Ryan¡¯s house just now sounded very much like the sound of that day. Ryan licked the corner of his mouth, the taste of the girl still lingering there, and so he showed a no-good face to the guys at the door, ¡°My woman was naughty and identally burned down my house. You have something to say?¡± The beastman that had been speaking was stunned and subconsciously looked at the female hidden behind the chief. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s fingers grabbed Ryan¡¯s leather jacket, her cheeks red. How had she let Ryane to her? She, she hadn¡¯t had any resistance, and even responded to him. . . Hey, just what was her position??? She didn¡¯t want to fall in love with a leopard. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u wanted to cry but she had no tears, too caught up in self-doubt and panic. When all the idle people left, Ryan took hold of J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s waist, like he was addicted to kissing her lips. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u escaped from under his arms and stood far away, ¡°One kiss a day, and you¡¯ve already finished today¡¯s.¡± Ryan frowned, ¡°Why?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u decided to bully him a little since he wouldn¡¯t understand human terminology. ¡°Because. . . because kissing consumes dopamine and too many times, too much is consumed and will have a bad effect on the body.¡± Ryan asked: ¡°What effect?¡± ¡°. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought, ¡°I¡¯ll be in a bad mood and get depressed. I¡¯ll cry.¡± Ryan remembered the little one¡¯s tears and he had no patience for the week except for when she cried. Her tears were like a burning wax in his heart. It couldn¡¯t be ignored. After a long time, Ryan quietly picked her up and took her into the house, posing with a face that no longer mentioned kissing her. * Only, things were not as smooth as J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u would have liked. Ryan had just tasted her sweetness, how could he let her off easily? Ryan rebuilt her ruined cabin and it had twice as much space. A table had been built in the middle for her toy out the messy materials. Now, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u sat on the table with her hands on Ryan¡¯s shoulders, bearing his endless kisses. ¡°Ah. . . no. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u tried to push him back with the tip of her tongue. The corner of her eyes pooled with tears, her longshes fluttering, and her cheeks flushed, making her look bullied. It was no wonder that J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u felt so. After all, an hour had passed, and Ryan still hadn¡¯t let her go. She had been disassembling the powder in the firecracker. Ryan was leaning his shoulder against the door frame, and he watched her closely. She had looked up and he was there, kissing her without exnation. Since J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had said he could only kiss her once a day, every time Ryan kissed her, it would never be shorter than an hour. Like he was saving it all up every day. Who could handle it??? She didn¡¯t know how much time had passed while J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u tried to break free of him, but she only had one foot on the ground and her body went soft, almost falling over. Ryan grabbed her waist in time and his tongue swiped the saliva from her lips, and he picked her up to take her to the bedroom. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was in a hurry and she patted Ryan¡¯s shoulders to remind him, ¡°Ryan, I still haven¡¯t finished. . .¡± ¡°Do it tomorrow.¡± Ryan grabbed her small hand that wanted to resist and he held her arm in an iron grip. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u seemed to be aware of what would happen. After Ryan put her on the bed, she tried to escape under it. But Ryan was faster than her and he covered her hands, his tall and vigorous body clinging to her and blocking her way out. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­uid on the bed and turned away from him, feeling panic in her heart. ¡°Ryan. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s voice trembled and she said with a glimmer of hope, ¡°Let me go. . . what do you want to do?¡± Ryan kissed her face from behind and his ws slid between her fingers, pulling them above her head. His scorching breath ghosted against her skin, his voice heavier as coarse as desert sand. ¡°What should be done after courtship.¡± The animal kingdom¡¯s courtship always had one result¡ª¡ª In coption. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stiffened and she struggled fiercely, ¡°No. . . I can¡¯t. Don¡¯t, Ryan, let me go. . .¡± She epted Ryan but it didn¡¯t mean she was willing to do the most intimate things with him. Not to mention that she wasn¡¯t physiologically prepared, she was still young and underage. How could he get that far? However, there was no protection of minors in the beastkin, and it turned out that Ryan did get that. Ryan kissed the girl¡¯s cheeks and ears, her snow white neck and her shoulder. . . every part of her body, he wanted to enjoy it. At the same time, hisrge hands were not idle, slipping down J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s body to hold her legs. A burning exhale breathed over her ear and he asked, ¡°Is the injury here okay?¡± Chapter 54 Gentle Beast Chapter 54 ¡°No, no good,¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u grasped the nket tightly in her fingers and lied. Her menstrual cycle wasn¡¯t long, only three to four days, and it had ended the night before. Still she answered so, hoping that Ryan would let her go. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t. Ryan¡¯s long w rested on the edge of her trousers, pressing a little harder to pull it down, ¡°It is? Let me see.¡± An animal¡¯s sense of smell had always been sensitive, and Ryan was certain that J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s body didn¡¯t smell of blood. Yesterday, the savory scent had gradually dissipated. By this morning, it waspletely gone. Before, because he was worried about her, since she bleed at a single touch, he didn¡¯t dare move her. Now that her ¡°wound¡± was fine, a simple kiss could no longer satisfy him. He wanted to touch her much deeper, to invade her, and to mate her. His fingertips were warm and there was now no menstruation to obstruct his direct touch on her delicate skin. Ryan squinted and his tongue was full of heavy desire, ¡°Lied to me, eh?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u huddled where Ryan pressed down on her there, so unlike hisst touch. It was strong and powerful, as if to pry open the gate and dive straight for the prey. ¡°No. . . I remembered wrong. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u shook her head and held tight to herst hope, ¡°Ryan, let me go, okay? I¡¯m not ready yet, I don¡¯t want to. . .¡± Ryan lowered his voice, ¡°I think.¡± Ryan said: ¡°I¡¯ll think seriously.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was stiff with Ryan attached to her, his hand sliding down her waist. After a while, he then felt something touch her little by little and she surrendered. She bit her lips. Her petite body could not bear the weight, and she was pressed under him and against the mattress. He was like a gun-slinging hunter, aiming for his prey¡¯s fatal weakness. Without considering the opinion of his prey, he invaded. Without regard for life or death. Ryan¡¯srge hands covered her fists and his lips were pressed to her neck. She wheezed heavily and he looked up to see the girl¡¯s face was pale and her shoulders were trembling, body stiff. He was about to disregard her will and continue regardless of her wishes, but he caught sight of the quilt beside her soaked in tears, and heard her hopeless sob. Ryan stopped and the air around him because exceptionally quiet. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s crying was infinitely magnified. A sound, faint and quiet, almost unable to reach his ear, but one revealing a sudden resignation. This kind of confession was more depressing than her struggles. For a long time, Ryan¡¯s arm propped him up on the bed. Then he got up and turned J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u around to sit in hisp. This little one must have been scared. She cried rippling tears and hershes were stained with them. Probably from being suppressed, her mouth was pursed and her small face flushed fromck of air. There was still no sound of her crying, but after being let go, she cried even more unscrupulously. Ryan stretched out his finger and went to wipe her nose, but J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u backed away. Ryan set his other hand on her shoulder and prevented her from moving again, so she couldn¡¯t resist as he wiped her nose. She frowned and her face wasn¡¯t too good-looking, but she looked clearer than before. He asked her, ¡°What are you crying for? Why don¡¯t you want me to touch you?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u shook her head and lifted her fingers to wipe her tears, still afraid but she spoke, ¡°No. . .. I said no, ah, and you don¡¯t listen to me. . .¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you?¡± Ryan asked, rubbing the tears from her eyshes again. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u sobbed, ¡°I, I¡¯m too afraid. . .¡± She was only sixteen years old this year, and she had just finished her second year ofpulsory biology. She knew what gic engineering and chromosomal replication could do, but she still had no idea about having sex. She had ovee the psychological barriers just recently and was open to epting Ryan. But she thought they were move slowly and take it step by step. But she had forgotten that Ryan was a leopard, and the estrus cared little for time or ce. Whether she could afford it or not, whether she wanted it or not, if he wanted, she would have to give it. ¡°Wait a bit. . . give me a while, please. . . ah, I don¡¯t want it to be so soon. . .¡± The girl cried sadly, and she couldn¡¯t wipe them all. As she sobbed, she swallowed and said, ¡°I¡¯m scared.¡± Ryan couldn¡¯t help her, but he held her waist in his hands and looked down at her, asking, ¡°How long?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u choked, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Maybe, when she was both mentally and physically ready to ept him, she wouldn¡¯t be so afraid. Ryan didn¡¯t speak for a long time. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked up at him. Her eyes were read from tears, but bright and round, like a newborn kitten¡¯s. She twisted her fingers carefully and grasped his arm with a considering tone, ¡°Ryan. . .¡± She saw his expression was bad and quickly added, ¡°I don¡¯t hate you. . .¡± Ryan stared at her eyes and finally relented, ¡°Remember I can¡¯t wait too long.¡± * Although beastmen were savage, they were honest. Since then, Ryan really hadn¡¯t done anything to J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s frightened heart slowly calmed down, and she got along with Ryan as usual again. Only, the way Ryan¡¯s eyes looked at her was straightforward and zing. The emotions in his blue eyes were all too clear. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: . . . What could J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u do? She could only pretend not to see and concentrate on her gunpowder. It was also that she identally had a breakthrough recently and wanted to devote her entire mind to it. In the morning, she hid in the cabin and studied her gunpowder. And in the afternoon, she went out into the back of the mountain to test them. At night,s he went back to Ryan¡¯s house and washed herself, then went into her tent to sleep. One day, she couldn¡¯t speak much to Ryan. That day, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u took her explosives and was ready to try it again in the mountains. On the way, she met Suzanna. The leopard female was carrying a bamboo basket and nned to wash clothes at the mountain stream. Suzanna¡¯s wounds around her neck were much better and she wasn¡¯t worried, they were going topletely heal soon. She was assigned to be Winter¡¯s spouse by Elder Berson and she no longer lived with her father, Scarlet. Instead, she lived in Winter¡¯s house. The hides in the basket were mostly Winter¡¯s. Suzanna used to walk very quickly, but today, she walked a little behind J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u turned back and thought that her wounds had rpsed and she was ufortable. She asked, ¡°Do you need my help with anything?¡± ¡°No. We aren¡¯t as delicate as you,¡± Suzanna immediately retorted, and quickened her pace. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u noticed that her walking posture was a bit strange, her legs divided, and she looked a little untidy. ¡°What happened to you?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u asked. She was hurt in the neck, but now she had hurt her leg? Suzanna¡¯s face was frozen. Her long tail swept over her cheeks as if to cover her difort and sheined, ¡°It¡¯s that Winter¡¯s fault. My neck still hurts a little, but he¡¯s too impatient. He tossed me around all night, and my body¡¯s still a little sore.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u never thought this could be the reason. She was caught off guard listening to someone else¡¯s sexual life. Her lips parted and her cheeks flushed red. She had no idea what to say tofort Suzanna. Of course, Suzanna didn¡¯t need herfort and opened her mouth, ¡°If it weren¡¯t for me needing to wash clothes, he wouldn¡¯t have let me out. . . Why did Chief Ryan give him such a long vacation? The others are already beginning to hunt, only he¡¯s stayed at home.¡± Speaking of Ryan, Suzanna looked at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. At first, Suzanna had liked Ryan. But when this female came in, she took away all of Ryan¡¯s attention. Ryan even changed the rules for her. She had heard the news while resting in bed injured, and she knew that she no longer had any hope. To rather be the enemy of the entire race than share his female. How deep and terribly possessive would he have to be. She should be d that Ryan hadn¡¯t looked at her, she would have been overwhelmed. Elder Bersonter assigned her to Winter, and she had noints. Fortunately, Winter was good to her but she didn¡¯t know how to control him in bed. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u turned her head and asked in the leopard tongue, ¡°Um. . . why don¡¯t you refuse him?¡± ¡°Why refuse?¡± Suzanna never seemed to have heard the Arabian Nights, ¡°This is how things are normally. Since I have be his spouse, of course we need to meet each other¡¯s needs. How can there be no sex?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . . . . . Oh.¡± Later, whatever Suzanna said, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u didn¡¯t hear. They walked the rest of the way to the stream and Suzanna put down her basket to wash the clothes. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u said goodbye to her and continued into the mountains. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t go too far. There may be other races in the mountains,¡± Suzanna said, crouching behind her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u nodded. In fact, she was very familiar with this ce. There were no beasts in the wild. Not to mention she was carrying her ¡°gunpowder.¡± Although it wasn¡¯t that powerful, it was no problem to take care of ordinary beasts. She just didn¡¯t want to be found out by Suzanna. . . . . . . . . . ¡°Boom,¡± sounded out loudly, and a distance away, about half as tall as a man, was suddenly blown apart. The gravel sshed everywhere and white smoke filled the air. After the sound of the explosion ended, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u emerged from behind a tree and walked to the stone that was destroyed by her. She squatted down to look and saw that the power was even greater than she had imagined. She had thought it would crack the stone, but it hadpletely crushed it. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u quickly took out a pen and paper from her backpack and wrote down the matching ratio. She took it back carefully to study. After recording it, she stood up and prepared to try out another gunpowder she had on her. But once she turned around, she saw a familiar figure sitting at the top of a tree not far away. Holden bent one leg and was holding his chin, his other leg dangling freely. Holden looked away from the pile of stones broken by the gunpowder J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had used. He stared thoughtfully for a moment then the corners of his mouth rose in a smile, ¡°Pathetic little thing, long time no see.¡± Chapter 55 Gentle Beast Chapter 55 J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u felt her heart skip a beat and she immediately stepped back, asking vigntly, ¡°What are you doing here?¡± This was still leopard territory, and the wolf¡¯s was still a distance away, so J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. How could Holden be there?? Holden leaped down from the tree and approached her slowly, the corners of his mouth curling up, ¡°Came to see you, how you¡¯re living with the leopards.¡± ¡°. . . None of your business,¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u said. She didn¡¯t think her rtionship with Holden was good enough for that, ¡°Don¡¯te over here, or I¡¯ll be unkind.¡± ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Holden asked with great interest, ncing at the pile of shattered stone, ¡°Like that?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u kept silent and knew that Holden was trying to put words in her mouth, but she wasn¡¯t going to tell him what it was. Gunpowder was something of a transcendental age to this world. The beastmen here had never studied it, or even seen it before. Before she had fully developed it, even one more that knew what she was doing only added to the danger to herself. But, Holden wasn¡¯t an ordinary guy, especially no fool. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that, I won¡¯t hurt you,¡± Holden raised his hands, surrendering, ¡°I just came to look around and see the sights.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u didn¡¯t believe Holden¡¯s nonsense, ¡°Don¡¯t you wolves have your own scenery? Whye here to look?¡± ¡°Of course, because the scenery here is better and won¡¯t be as boring,¡± Holden¡¯s smile became crooked in false sincerity. Holden didn¡¯t lie, though. He really was just looking around, but it wasn¡¯t just wandering about. It was to observe the terrain. Holden hadn¡¯t given up the idea ofpeting for the leopard territory. The number of wolves counted more than ten times the leopards, but had less than one-tenth of the leopard¡¯s territory. In the past few years, they had begun to increase but hadn¡¯t expanded the territory. There would be no ce for their descendants to live in the future. Holden knew that Ryan just changed the rules of the leopard race, which was good news for him. As a leader himself, Holden naturally knew it was not an easy task to change the race¡¯sws. There were very few female leopards. Once Ryan enforced the spousal system, arge portion of the males would be without a female. These males that could not obtain a spouse would be angry, and their loyalty to Ryan would reduce. If he chose to attack then, the odds would be much better. Of course, this he did not tell J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. Because he was interested in J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s ck ball, almost like a ¡°dung ball¡±. Holden saw with his own eyes that J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u buried it under the stone and ignited it. Then, the stone made a loud noise and shattered. If such a powerful thing was used on their side of the war, taking the leopard territory would be no problem. ¡°Tell me how it was made,¡± He said. Holden stepped over to her and lifted an arm, pinning her between him and the trunk of a tree without beating around the bush. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u bit her lip and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± Holdenughed. ¡°Poor little thing. I¡¯d advise you to be obedient. It¡¯s only the two of us here, and it wouldn¡¯t be good for you. . .¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be too wild. This is the leopard territory and they will soon find you. . .¡± ¡°Will they?¡± Holden flicked out his tongue and licked J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s ear, ¡°Their not as good as we are. Which wille first? A leopardes, or I take you away. . . ?¡± His voice had just trailed off when he extended his arm and hefted her directly to his shoulder, heading toward wolf territory. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was frightened and she struggled, ¡°Hey. Holden, let me down¡ª¡ª¡± Holden turned a deaf ear to herints and sped up, quickly arriving at the wolf and leopard territories¡¯ intersection. There was a vast marsnd in front of them, where the soil was rotted and the weeds grew wild. Only t ground on both sides were passable. Beyond this swamp was the wolf tribe. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u grit her teeth and she soon had an idea. When Holden was shuttling through the swamp, she took another bomb from her space and tried to use it, igniting the primer and aiming for the rear of the slope. She threw it hard at a tall oak. ¡°Boom¡ª¡ª¡± It fell to the ground and a loud explosion echoed out. The tree broke in half and fell straight into their path. Holden darkened and he cursed, immediately changing directions. At the same time, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u took her army knife and used all her effort to stab Holden in the shoulder! Hissing in pain, Holden staggered and fell¡ª¡ª He soon fell into the swamp. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u responded quickly and while he fell, took the opportunity to jump sessfully to the edge of the marsh. Holden¡¯s waist was bogged down with the swamp water, but he stretched out his hand to touch his shoulders. When he saw blood on his palm, he tutted. He didn¡¯t expect to be hit by a female¡¯s hand, his self-esteem was somewhat blown. ¡°Little thing,¡± Holden raised his eyes and appeared to be interested, ¡°What do the leopards give to you for you to be so loyal to them?¡± As far as he knew, the leopard males were not gentle to their females. A race that was known for sharing their females, it was pitiful for J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u in the end. So, what had caused J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u to reject his invitation three times, and was so determined to stay with the leopards? ¡°If the leopards promised you something, I can give you much more than that,¡± Holden said, ¡°As long as you stay with my race.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked at him, ¡°No matter what you give me, I will not go back with you.¡± Holden raised an eyebrow, ¡°Why?¡± Why? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had never thought about it. She was willing to stay with Ryan with the leopards, but would rather die than go with Holden to the wolves. When Ryan grabbed her and took her back, she didn¡¯t even resist or struggle. She could have died trying. But she hadn¡¯t. There were so many opportunities to escape, but she still didn¡¯t. Subconsciously, she always wanted to stay with Ryan. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u bit her lip, and her eyes shed as she realized something. ¡ª¡ªHad she liked Ryan so long ago? * Back at the leopard tribe, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u took a bath and changed her clothes. She didn¡¯t know if it was recognizing her feelings for Ryan, or feeling guilty over meeting Holden, but J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u couldn¡¯t help but look at Ryan. Ryan was working with a hunted antelope. He peeled off the fur and washed out the guts then lifted it into the fire. Ryan hadn¡¯t cooked meat before, but ever since J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u came, he had to look after her tastes and had slowly learned how to cook with fire. Ryan¡¯s shoulder were wide, and his legs were long. The lines of his body were straight and symmetrical, revealing his powerful physique. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u just discovered that Ryan was handsome. He had deep eyes and a high nose, and his lips were always curved downward, giving off a sense of indifference. ¡°Look at me again,¡± Ryan said, but he didn¡¯t move, his voice pitched low, ¡°And I¡¯ll think you¡¯re ready to ept me.¡± Chapter 56 Gentle Beast Chapter 56 ¡°. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u remembered saying that she wasn¡¯t ready yet and she felt guilty, scrambling to hide from sight. Ryan looked askance at her who looked back at him and said, ¡°The nsmen say you went to the swamp?¡± The swamnd was the border with the wolf race. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u nodded honestly. ¡°What did you go to do?¡± Ryan walked over to J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and leaned over to look at the soft little face she had just washed. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u hesitated. She didn¡¯t know whether to tell him that she had met Holden or not. She thoguht for a while and said nothing, ¡°I. . . I went to test the new gunpowder. The swamp there is suitable for observing the gunpowder¡¯s power.¡± Ryan was silent for a moment then asked, ¡°What else?¡± There was. . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u pursed her lips and shook her head firmly, ¡°No.¡± Ryan¡¯s blue eyes were dark, and he drew closer to J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s neck. The tip of his nose brushed her neck and he reminded her, ¡°Next time you lie to me, wash off the scent of other men on you.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s face was pale white and her eyes big. She that his nose was sensitive, but she hadn¡¯t expected it to be this sensitive. She had washed it several times, how could he still smell it? ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ryan. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u saw his face looked bad and anxiously reached out to grab his hand, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to lie to you.¡± She had subconsciously thought that he might be even more unhappy if she told the truth. ¡°Holden didn¡¯t do anything to me. He wanted to bring me back to the wolves, but I used the explosives to scare him off,¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u replied. Ryan frowned slightly, ¡°Explosive?¡± Speaking of that, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s eyes were bright, ¡°Yes, I developed a powerful explosive that can crush arge stone. . . You know, where I¡¯m from, dynamite is a very powerful weapon and used in the military. It can even destroy a city or nation. . .¡± ¡°Don¡¯t use this kind of thing in front of others,¡± Ryan interrupted J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s words and, after a while, added, ¡°Unless I am not with you.¡± Compared to bows, spears and stone axes, explosives were indeed a mighty weapon, but they were not something that belonged in this era. If the other races discovered the power of this weapon, it wouldn¡¯t be a good thing for J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u also knew that was true. Her initial purpose was just to defend herself, so she obediently nodded. * She thought this incident hade to an end. She didn¡¯t expect that three dayster, the wolves would visit the leopards. Not for offense, but it appeared to be showing off. That was rare. Who didn¡¯t know that the wolf leader coveted the leopard territory? That he thought about capturing the leopards every day. The weasel and the chicken at new years?* *An idiom meaning: beware of suspicious folk bearing gifts, they are sure to bear ill-intentions. Were up to no good, right? Despite this, Elder Berson still looked into it and saw what it was all about. ¡ª¡ªThe wolves hadn¡¯te for the territory this time, but for their chief¡¯s female. They wanted to exchange J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u with twenty females. Elder Berson stared deeply at the leopard chief and said, ¡°I need to speak with the Chief first.¡± Even if the leopardscked females, they didn¡¯t dare hand over their females. After changing the familywsst time, no race didn¡¯t know how important that female was to the chief. After Elder Berson conveyed this matter to Ryan, Ryan raised his eyelids and sent back a nk expression: ¡°Tell them to get out at once.¡± Elder Berson looked to the side at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, hesitated, then added, ¡°The wolves say if you don¡¯t agree, they can increase twenty to fifty females.¡± Fifty females, that wasn¡¯t a small number, enough to solve many of the males without spouses! To exchange a female with fifty, he had to admit it was really awkward and the conditions were too tempting. Ryan looked at Elder Berson and folded his long legs, ¡°So?¡± Berson looked Ryan in the eyes, ¡°So I think we could talk to the wolf race. . .¡± ¡°What do you want to discuss?¡± Ryan narrowed his eyes, ¡°Even if we can bring in those fifty female wolves, can the elders rest assured that they can nurture our offspring? The struggle between the leopards and wolves cannot be solved so easily with these females.¡± Elder Berson patted his forehead, sobering himself. Why hadn¡¯t he thought of that! Wouldn¡¯t epting those fifty females be a threat to their race? Who knew if those females would suddenly bite the leopards one day? Elder Berson said, ¡°Chief is right. I will lead the tribe to drive them back.¡± After Elder Berson left, Ryan looked down at the little one that had buried her head in the corner, trying to diminish her sense of presence. ¡°Come here,¡± Ryan lowered his voice. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u shrank her shoulders and pretended not to hear it. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had no idea that Holden still had such a hand. He wanted to exchange her with the wolf females? What was he thinking? She clearly rejected him that day! J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u didn¡¯t move, so Ryan simply picked her up and set her face-to-face on his leg, raising her chin. ¡°It seems my female is very popr. Everyone wants to steal her from me.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u felt it was wrong and could not utter a reply. ¡°Tell me, what rtionship do you have with Holden?¡± asked Ryan, his tone seemingly casual, but his eyes looked at her with little ease. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u shook her head under Ryan¡¯s dangerous eyes and said righteously, ¡°I have nothing to do with him.¡± Ryan raised his eyes eyebrows slightly, ¡°Isn¡¯t there? There was no rtionship, but he was willing to use fifty females to exchange for you.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s waist was held in Ryan¡¯s palm and he tightened it a little. She frowned, ¡°Really. . . I¡¯m not lying to you. I¡¯m not familiar with him, and I don¡¯t know why he wants to bring me back with him.¡± Here, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u suddenly remembered that she was experimenting with gunpowder in front of Holden. At the time, he¡¯d expressed clear interest and asked her how to make it. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u told Ryan what she thought, ¡°. . . He probably wanted me to teach their race how to make explosives.¡± Ryan loosened his hand on her and put a cynical smile on his lips, ¡°To want to use my female for the benefit of his race, that Holden is something else.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u grabbed RYan¡¯s arm and raised watery eyes, ¡°Ryan, will you give me to the wolves?¡± There was no sense of security at all. Even if Ryan expressed it both physically and linguistically, but she was a female and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was very clear about the temptation that fifty females were to the leopards. After all, even Elder Berson was shaken. Ryan lifted her little face and covered her pink lips, deliberately scaring her, ¡°Maybe if you refuse to ept me, I¡¯ll also be disheartened.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .¡± As he said it, Ryan shifted downward with his ws and pressed her through the cloth, ¡°Are you ready?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u fluttered, softening, and fell into his arms. Unexpectedly, her face was blushing, ¡°Yeah. . .¡± The sound was soft and tender, like ayer of honey, sweat but waxy. Ryan¡¯s eyes were dark and the fingers at her abdomen couldn¡¯t help but use a little force, feeling her trembling even more. Realizing that she wasn¡¯t unresponsive to him, he lifted her by the waist and shifted to the bed. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u hurriedly stopped him, ¡°No, wait, Ryan. I¡¯m not ready.¡± Ryan kept carrying her to the bed. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stretched out her feet to push at his belly, ¡°You forget what you promised me that day? You promised not to touch me until I was prepared.¡± ¡°You just reacted,¡± Ryan said. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s face quickly flushed red with blood, ¡°That¡¯s not the same. . .¡± How could physiological response and psychological preparationpare? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u spent a great deal of effort to clearly exin the difference between the two and discourage Ryan¡¯s actions. Ryan bit J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s lips and squeezed out a dissatisfied voice from his throat, ¡°No more than three times. This sentence was passed down by you humans.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want this to happen a third time,¡± Ryan said. * Since the wolf¡¯s request to exchange for females was rejected by the leopards, there was no movement for a few days. Then, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was cleaning up and found the stone that Winter had brought back from Pat¡¯s grandson. At the time, she hadn¡¯t understand what the meaning of it meant. After a few days, she couldn¡¯t find where it was. Then she thought for a moment. Since it was Pat¡¯s relic, it was useless to her and more significant to Pat¡¯s grandson. To find it after all this time, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u couldn¡¯t find anywhere else to ce it so she put it on the third shelf of the cab in the bedroom. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u just set it down when the door was mmed open and a leopard came in, ¡°Chief!¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u walked to the door and tried tomunicate using the leopardnguage, ¡°Ryan went to the back of the mountains.¡± The male saw only J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u at home and bowed, turning to leave, ¡°Then I¡¯ll go look for the Chief.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u saw he looked worried and suddenly asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter for you to look for Ryan?¡± The male didn¡¯t try to deceive J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, ¡°Laurence came back and threatened to challenge the Chief¡¯s position. He¡¯s looking for the Chief everywhere!¡± What?! Hearing the name ¡°Laurence¡±, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u froze. That name had left her with too deep a shadow, probably one unable to forget in this lifetime. ck panther with amber eyes, cold as ice and snow, and the sharp ws that pierced her skin. Wasn¡¯t he dead already?? Chapter 57 Gentle Beast Chapter 57 ¡¾ó«ò벶²õ ¨C Mantis Stalking The Cicada¡¿ Laurence wasn¡¯t dead??? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u remembered being seriously injured by Laurence, and when she woke up, she never asked about his whereabouts. She had subconsciously thought that he had been resolved by Ryan. . . if he wasn¡¯t dead, why was heing back now? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s heart sunk and her little hand at her side trembled slightly. She lifted it to cover her stomach. Though it had faded, there were three clear, hideous w marks. She saw them every time she took a bath. An inch above her navel, her scars were ugly and alien to the rest of her skin. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u once asked Batan about getting rid of scars, and he told her about several herbs that could help fade the scars. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u tried them one by one, but it was a pity. The scar only faded a little and turned pinkish, but it was still there and visible at a nce. There was noser scar removal and the medicine here was very limited. It was impossible topletely erase those three scars. Now, at the mention of Laurence, there was a dull pain there. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u also wanted to ask what the problem was, but the beastman had turned away to continue searching for Ryan. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had to stay in the courtyard and anxiously wait for news on Ryan. Meanwhile, at the edge of Camuda Valley. An agile ck figure stood at the top of a tree, his tail sweeping silently behind him. His amber pupils stared at the leopard tribe that was walking toward him. Suddenly, his eyes shifted to the leopard that stood in front and, snarling his sharp teeth, he jumped down! The panther attacked without warning, waning to rush Ryan. Ryan jerked back several steps. The panther threw a nk stare at him and stopped a few paces ahead. Ryan stood still, watching the ck leopard in front of him, and blinked, ¡°Laurence?¡± In the next instant, Laurence transformed into his human form. He was slender and wore ck leather, his facial features cold with indifference. His lips quirked up and he said, ¡°Sorry to let you down, Ryan. I¡¯m still alive.¡± His head was once mmed by Ryan¡¯s ws, and he was thrown down the hillside, where he remained half-dead in aa for three days and three nights. Fortunately, there was a cave below the hill with a rotted snow leopard corpse inside it. The snow leopard had been dead for several days. Perhaps because the cave was well hidden, the body hadn¡¯t been carried off as prey. Laurence didn¡¯t care if he was bitten to death by wild animals, or for whatever reason. But he relied on the body of hispanion and survived the deadliest of days because of it. Ryan¡¯splexion didn¡¯t change and he licked his teeth, ¡°Indeed. It¡¯s a bit disappointing.¡± Laurence swept his gaze across the people behind Ryan and said indifferently, ¡°How is that you are still the chief? Has the leopard¡¯s strength fallen so low that no tribesmen dare challenge you?¡± Ryan¡¯s long, striped tail hung behind him, slouching calmly against the ground, as was his attitude. ¡°Of course,¡± said Ryan, ¡°On the premise that they beat me.¡± Laurence¡¯s eyes were sharp and cold, ¡°In that cause, there should not be more than one.¡± He said: ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯ll take your ce as leader.¡± Ryan smiled, an bestial bloodthirst hidden in his blue eyes, and he willingly epted the fight, ¡°If you have the strength.¡± ¡°Tomorrow morning, thepetitive hignds, I hope you don¡¯t ke,¡± Laurence finished and twisted, jumping back up the tree and leaving. * Laurence¡¯s house wasn¡¯t that far away from Ryan¡¯s and was only separated by a wall. That was one of the main reasons for his discord with Ryan. One mountain could not contain two tigers. How could one piece ofnd amodate two strong yers? When Laurence passed Ryan¡¯s gate, he paused, wondering what to think, and suddenly jumped up onto the wall and looked into the courtyard. The courtyard was empty, and it was quiet. A bamboo frame was ced in the center of the courtyard, the shelves covered with cotton and dried bamboo shoots were drying out. In addition, the yard waspletely tidy and traces of female arrangements everywhere. Laurence¡¯s ws pierced the wall and he walked along it slowly, never seeing any kind of movement in the yard. When he was about to leave, suddenly the bedroom door was pulled open and a female rushed out, looking at the door in surprise, ¡°Ryan. . .¡± The door closed behind her and Ryan had yet toe back. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had lost her head, and just now she clearly heard footsteps, how could there was nothing there? She looked at her watch and it was 5:50. Ryan never returned and it was dark again. Laurence stood on the wall at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s side, and there was a roof in front of him. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could not see him. It was chilly and spring. The girl wore a grey, half-length cashmere sweater with a needlepoint work on the front in the shape of an elk. She wore a pair of jeans and sneakers on her feet. Strangely dressed, Laurence was pleasantly surprised. She hadn¡¯t died and was ratherrge at life. Still, Laurence did not leave. The warm sunshine flooded the courtyard and basked over her head,yering her in gold. Her white cheeks were illuminated by sunlight and were clean and clear. Her thick eyshes drooped and cast a shadow on her cheeks. When they lifted, dark eyes were filled with worry and she didn¡¯t leave the entrance of the courtyard. The young girl stood for a moment, simply holding her cheek and sitting on the threshold, waiting for Ryan toe back. Perhaps the sun was too warm, but she didn¡¯t sit for long when her eyes gradually fell and covered her bright eyes, her head nting to the side, asleep. Laurence stepped out from the corner, stared at the girl¡¯s sleeping face for a moment, then turned to jump neatly off the wall and walked in the direction of his own home. . . . The sky was dark and concealed in a curtain of night, the leopard race was silent. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u woke up in a pair of arms, being carried back toward the house. She stretched her hand to rub her eyes, saw Ryan¡¯s face, and was instantly awake, ¡°Ryan, there was someone looking for you today. . .¡± Ryan¡¯s long legs crossed the threshold and his low voice was smooth, ¡°I know.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked up at him, ¡°Did you see Laurence? Did he do anything to you, I heard that he wanted to challenge you for leadership? Is it true?¡± Ryan put J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u on the bed and bowed his head and saw the worry and tension hidden in her eyes. He suddenly smiled, ¡°You worried about me?¡± The little girl was not shy, and she lowered her head, pondering. Raising her small face, she nodded seriously, ¡°Yeah.¡± She was worried about him. Worried that Laurence had caused trouble with him, worried that he was hurt, and worried about his everything. Ryan¡¯s heart was hot, and he clutched J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s waist. His upper body was folded over her and he bent to kiss her warmly. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u couldn¡¯t avoid it and was mercilessly kissed for a good while. Until her tongue was soured by him, and her breathing became more and more urgent, then J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u turneda way and reminded him, ¡°Hey, you haven¡¯t answered my question. . .¡± Ryan¡¯s forehead hit her shoulder and his voice was apanied by a rough breath, also drilling into into J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s ear, ¡°Eh?¡± He hadpletely forgotten what J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u just asked. After all, he just wanted to have sex with her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u repeated, ¡°I heard that Laurence had to challenge your leadership. . .¡± Ryan didn¡¯t dare deny it, but he rested a hand on J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s face, ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°You agreed?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the rules of the race. The leader must ept the challenge of anyone in the race.¡± ¡°. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u hesitated, staring at Ryan¡¯s dark eyes, but couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Then. . . are you going to lose?¡± Ryan licked at her unpleasant little mouth, ¡°Lose to this kind of guy, don¡¯t you have any confidence in your man?¡± Ryan hadn¡¯t retracted the barbs on his tongue so the lick hurt J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and she shrunk,ining, ¡°I was just worried you¡¯d get hurt.¡± Ryan sometimes didn¡¯t know what to do with her. Her small mouth was like a hook with honey on it. It would poke at his heart blood, sweet, and his heart would shake. ¡°Rest assured, your man con¡¯t bear to worry you,¡± Ryan kissed her lips again and his voice was thick and heavy. * Each leader of the leopard¡¯s was selected in thepetitive hignds behind the tribe. This was not the first challenge Ryan had received since he took over the rank, but this was definitely the most valuable one. There was no one in the race that didn¡¯t know that Laurence was equal to Ryan in strength. Ten years ago, when hepeted for the leadership position, Laurence fought against Ryan for a long time and eventually lost to him with a small gap. Over the ten years when Laurence was in the lower ranks, he was always thought about that. Ryan was wounded and had disappeared a while ago, and no one knew about his whereabouts. Laurence encouraged the tribe to elect a new leader. The tribe gradually epted the news of Ryan¡¯s death, and everyone thought that Laurence would rece him. But when he became the new leader, Laurence also lerned some new news unexpectedly. Surprisingly, Ryan returned to the race safely. Now the two leopards stood together and the ten-year duel was going to happen again. Yesterday evening, Ryan told J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u that she wasn¡¯t allowed to go watch, but J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not trust it. When she opened her eyes that morning, she secretly went to the hignds. But when J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u arrived, the beastmen were already crowding the area. The beasts were taller than her, and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s sight was obscured. She could see nothing in front of her. Luckily, she was petite and had the cheek to stoop under the beastmen to squeeze up to the front. She looked up just in time to see the panther leap high and fly at the opposite side, striking out with his ws to stab at the other¡¯s abdomen¡ª¡ª J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s heart was surprised and the image of Laurence shing at her shed over and over. She opened her mouth and almost shouted, ¡°Ryan.¡± Ryan promptly extended his hand to block Laurence¡¯s offensive. His hind leg suppressed Laurence¡¯s body. He turned over and pressed Laurence under his body, instantly reversing the situation. Dark blue eyes stared at Laurence¡¯s neck and opened his beastly mouth to bite into his throat! Laurence stretched out his ws to hold Ryan¡¯s shoulders and forced his legs up to kick Ryan¡¯s body away. Ryannded firmly, sticking his tongue out to lick his sharp fangs, looking thoughtful. ¡ª¡ªLaurence¡¯s strength had increased a lot. In J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s space, his physical strength had been enhanced a lot, but Laurence was still able to par with him. What happened in the period of time that Laurence had disappeared? Panther and leopard upied the two sides of thepetitive hignds, staring at each other, the scene arrogant. Suddenly, Laurence jumped and attacked Ryan from the side. Ryan quickly evaded and his long tail swept across Laurence¡¯s face, hitting it heavily. Gradually, Laurence¡¯s strength was obviously exhausted and his panting became disordered. After a round, Ryan was forced to fall to the ground and he pressed his ws on top of his head, and one paw stretched out the ws. Like when he had stabbed him at the stomach. As the ws prated through flesh, Laurence scrambled and his eyes turned to J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u who was standing in front of him. A smile suddenly pulled at the corner of his mouth and cleared his throat to speak, only in a tone he and Ryan could hear, ¡°If I guess right, that so called ¡®J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯ female is human, right?¡± His voice had just fallen when Ryan¡¯s nails pierced his abdomen heavily. Laurence¡¯s mouth overflowed with blood and he continued without hesitation, ¡°To change the rules for her, it seems that you care so much about her. . .¡± He paused and gritted his teeth, ¡°But, Ryan, if the people know about this, how do you think she would be treated?¡± Humanity was a species that the world was long extinct, intelligent, wise, and the ability topete with nature. At the same time, they were also the natural enemy of animals. Ryan¡¯s eyes turned deep, ¡°I advise you not to seek death, Laurence.¡± Laurence noticed Ryan¡¯s momentary rxation, and his eyes shed. Holding Ryan¡¯s front paws, his hind legs forced upward to mercilessly kick Ryan far! Behind Ryan was the mountain peak, with a steep cliff-side and the bottom was covered in sharp, rugged stones. Ryan fell off the peak in that moment, but his tail tangled with Laurence¡¯s forelimbs and dragged him off the cliff¡ª¡ª . . . . . . !!! The chief and Laurence dropped off the cliff together?! The beastmen around were stunned. Not yet recovered from the fierce fighting, they saw the empty top of thepetitive hignds. Ryan and Laurence had disappeared. Elder Berson quickly regained hisposure andmanded, ¡°Quick, call a few people and go down to find the chief!¡± Winter heard the order and immediately went to arrange the people going down the cliff. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stood and quickly jumped to the side. She saw Laurence saw something to Ryan and Ryan had paused, the opportunity then exploited by Laurence. Without regard for Laurence¡¯s despicable personality, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u also wanted to follow the leopards but was stopped by Winter, ¡°The road down the mountain is rugged. You stay here and wait for the news. Should we let you get hurt, the Chief will tear us apart.¡± ¡°Besides. . .¡± Winter scratched his head and said, ¡°You¡¯d just slow down our search.¡± ¡°. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had to give up and stay on the cliff waiting. After about a hour, there was no news. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was bing more and more concerned. Winter said that down below was rubble. Wouldn¡¯t Ryan get hurt? Laurence was also down there. Would he not be against Ryan? Could Winter find Ryan? . . . Over thest half-hour, a male beastman arrived and went to Elder Berson, ¡°Elder. . .¡± Elder Berson: ¡°Is there news about the leader?¡± The beastman shook his head and pointed to the entrance of Camuda Valley, ¡°Holden¡¯s led the wolves to attack us!¡± * At Camuda Valley¡¯s entrance, lines of the wolf race were lined up facing the tribe, raising their heads and howling loudly. ¡°Woo¡ª¡ª¡± The sound echoed deep into the open valley, directly reaching Elder Berson¡¯s ear. The elder was a veteran but this was the first time he¡¯d had to deal with this kind of thing. Now Ryan wasn¡¯t here and he wasn¡¯t sure what to do. He hurriedly asked another leopard, ¡°Have you found the Chief?¡± The male beastman said, ¡°No, Winter hasn¡¯te back yet.¡± The wolves howled for a while longer, as if winding around Elder Berson¡¯s head, tightening continually until his brain hurt. This damned wolf not only camete, but why¡¯d theye back now! Of course, Elder Berson didn¡¯t know that Holden had counted on this time. How could the severely injured Laurence escape the snow-capped mountains? It was Holden that helped hime back. Laurence¡¯s strength was equal to Ryan¡¯s and Holden guessed that after he was hurt, he would definitely return to the leopards and challenge Ryan. Holden didn¡¯t expect Laurence to defeat Ryan, so long as he could hold onto Ryan and both get lost. Just like now, without Ryan, it would be much easier to capture the leopard tribe. On the other side, Elder Berson settled down and said, ¡°Assemble the young warriors of the race and listen to my instructions. Dole, Corey, you lead people to the entrance of Camuda Valley. Before the Chief returns, be sure to hold off the wolves¡¯ attack!¡± Dole and Corey took their orders and led the warriors of the n to the entrance. Both were strong warriors of the leopard race. Dole¡¯s mind was active and he was good at defense. Corey was explosive and good at attacking. The two leopards led a group of people to guard the entrance to the valley. Just like when Ryan led the war, they were orderly. Elder Berson listened to the tribe report. Dole and Corey were temporarily holding off the problem, now he could breath a sigh of relief. However, it wasn¡¯t long after this breath that another tribesman came over and said, ¡°Elder, the wolves have crossed the swamp!¡± The swamp was the boundary between the wolf and leopard territory. After passing through the swamp, they weren¡¯t that far away to the leopard¡¯s inheritance. Ryan was always here, so the wolves hadn¡¯t dared step into the swamp. Berson was surprised, ¡°Have they attacked?¡± The tribesman said, ¡°Not yet. The remaining males in the race are fighting against the wolves in the marsnds, but. . .¡± The wolves hade prepared. The number of attacks was numerous, and the remaining members of the leopard race were no opponents at all. Elder Berson knew this and could not help but curse. There was no way. . . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stood beside Elder Berson and heard their conversation from beginning to end. Some of the words were spoken too quickly, and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u knew little, but understand what they meant in generally. ¡°Elder, if you don¡¯t mind, can you let me help you?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u hesitated but came forward anyway. Although she promised Ryan that she wouldn¡¯t use dynamite in front of others, if not, then this time, the leopards would be overrun by the wolves. She did not want to see Ryan¡¯s race fall into the hands of others. * The past few days, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had developed a number of explosives on theposition ratio recordedst time. Because Ryan had forbidden her using them, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had been hiding them in her space and hadn¡¯t tried it yet. She didn¡¯t know how much power they had, but they would definitely frighten back the wolves and help the leopards dy some time. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and Elder Berson went together toward the marsh. Not far off, the leopards were trying to stop the wolf invasion. Unfortunately, they were outnumbered and the leopards were on the end of losing. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u hurriedly lead four beastmen to nt the gunpowder on both sides of the swamp. The wet mud of the marsnd was rotting and one step into it would be immersed in struggling against sinking deeper. If the wolves wanted to pass, they could only walk on both sides. The four didn¡¯t know what J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had them burying, and they wanted to ask, but they saw that J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u bit her lip and he could not ask them, so he swallowed them back down to his puzzled belly. Never mind. . . she was the chief¡¯s female, and what she wanted to do, she could do. Once both side were buried with gunpowder, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u immediately went to Elder Berson and hide behind arge, nearby stone. Elder Berson asked with the puzzlement of all of them in mind, ¡°What do you intend to use what you just buried for?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u said, ¡°. . . It can temporarily stall the wolves.¡± ¡°. . .¡± To tell the truth, Berson had no confidence in J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. The female looked small and weak. It was difficult for her to defend herself, so how could she stall the wolf¡¯s footsteps? However, he had no choice now but to turn to that small, weak female. Soon, more than a dozen leopards were defeated by the wolves. They broke through the perimeter and rushed towards the swamnd! Elder Berson were anxious and his hands were sweaty, his tail couldn¡¯t stop beating the ground, ¡°Woman, the wolves areing!¡± ¡°Shh,¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u made a silent gesture at Berson and bent to the ground, lighting the lead in front of her. The lead began burning from the end, apanied by a faint ¡°Zzz,¡± and continued along the ground until it reached the buried gunpowder. In the next moment, ¡°Boom¡ª¡ª¡± The grass suddenly sounded out in a huge explosion, two of the wolf beastmen that had reached it were thrown back. A continuous explosion sounded and the surroundings were coated in plumes of smoke, the wolves trapped in the midst of the gunpowder and dilemma. Seeing the wolves wounded by gunpowder, Elder Berson and the other leopards standing behind the stone were stunned. What kind of magic was this? How could it kill so many wolf beastmen in a single moment? || >>> Chapter 58 Gentle Beast Chapter 58 After the smog dispersed, injured wolves were sprawled across the gross in disarray. After all, the gunpowder J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had studied wasn¡¯t too powerful. It could only fry them into serious injury, not cause death. Elder Berson and a group of leopards returned toposure and quickly brought the wolves back to the race, holding them as captives. At the same time, Dole cooperated with Corey at the entrance of the valley and sessfully repelled the attack. Only, the people who died this time were more injured than ever before. Elder Berson immediately called over the doctors and set them to work. On the other side of the valley was the panda tribe, and Ollie, the leader, was generous enough to led a group of doctors to the leopards. * Now, below the cliff. Ryan wasn¡¯t seriously injured. While falling, the tree branches broke the impact of thending. Only his shoulders and back were scratched by the stones. In contrast, Laurence was less fortunate. He had Ryan¡¯s tail wrapped in his legs and could not maintain his bnce when he fell. There were many bruises on his body and his back leg was directly crushed by arge stone falling down the mountain. His abdomen was wounded by Ryan and those wounds were bleeding as heid on the ground. Ryan bared his fangs and straightened his limbs, stretching out his tongue to lick the abrasions on his front paw. Then, he walked toward Laurence. Laurence tried to twitch his back legs, but the stone was pressed too tightly and he couldn¡¯t drag it out. In the end, he had to give up. ¡°Congrattions, Ryan, you can kill me and sessfully defend your position of leadership,¡± said Laurence. Ryan walked around him in a circle and said with disdain, ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m not interested in an opponent that can¡¯t resist.¡± ¡°But. . .¡± said Ryan, leaping onto the stone, and his sharp blue eyes stared at him, ¡°Tell me. How did you know her identity?¡± The boulder was suddenly pressed down and Laurence¡¯s face twisted, his throat rolling with a curse, ¡°Get off me. . .¡± Ryan did not move, ¡°I advise you tell the truth, or you can say goodbye to your leg.¡± Laurence wed at the ground, the corners of his mouth twitching into a sneer, ¡°She¡¯s without the shape of a beast, isn¡¯t that proof enough?¡± Although the animals of the Bornia continent could transform into a human shape, when they were seriously injured, they would automatically change back to their original shape. However, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was injured by Laurence and was still human. Additionally, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had many things on her. The electric rods, army knife,pass, etc. all things that did not exist in the beast world. Then that ability of J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s to ¡°disappear¡± and ¡°appear out of thin air.¡± Although it was inconceivable, he had seen it with his own eyes. Laurence raised his eyes and deliberately asked, ¡°If the tribe knew you found a human as a spouse, how would they react?¡± Ryan said without mercy, ¡°Instead of caring about my female, consider whether you can live out the day.¡± Then, Ryan leaped off the stone and ignored Laurence, walking around the valley. Camuda Valley was surrounded by rocks and there were very few roads that could lead up to the mountain. After walking around and returning to the same ce, Laurence was still pressed under the stone. Laurence¡¯s blood was attracting hyenas and several pairs of eyes were watching him from not far off. One of the hyenas eyeing Laurence stepped forward. Laurence spat with cold eyes, ¡°Leave.¡± Unfortunately, he was seriously injured and crushed under a stone so he had nothing to resist with. The hyena stopped in front of Laurence and exposed his teeth, ready to bite. When he looked up, he saw a cheetah and he turned and fled. Ryan was a famous beast in the valley. There were few carnivorous species that didn¡¯t know him. Ryan¡¯s eyes shed and he immediately sped forward, snapping the hyena¡¯s neck between his teeth, tearing the skin with his fangs, and he began to eat. There were no other races around and so no food to be found. Since these hyenas hade to his door on their own, he certainly wouldn¡¯t be polite. The rest of the hyenas saw theirpanions get eaten and did not dare toe forward. THey quickly fled the area. Ryan finished eating and left a pile of bones and fur to search for a way up the mountain. In the evening, he didn¡¯t return to that ce but instead stayed in a nearby cave. Early the next morning, Ryan found his way up the mountain and met Winter and the others on the way. Winter shouted with excitement, ¡°Chief, that¡¯s great! You¡¯re okay!¡± Ryan rubbed his ears, ¡°You¡¯re too noisy, Winter.¡± Winter looked behind him and asked, ¡°Laurence isn¡¯t with you?¡± ¡°You can go and see if he¡¯s not careful he¡¯ll be dead soon.¡± Winter: ¡°. . .¡± Winter quickly arranged for several people to save Laurence but chatted with Ryan himself, talking about the wolf attack that happened after he and Laurence fell off the cliff. ¡°Dole and Corey blocked the entrances in ordance to your usual methods, and sessfully repelled the wolves. . .¡± Winter said and suddenly remembered something. ¡°Chief, I didn¡¯t think your female was so strong. When the wolves attacked from the swamps, I heard she used a think called ¡®gunpowder¡¯ to beat them off. . .¡± Ryan stopped in his steps and frowned, ¡°What?¡± Winter thought he hadn¡¯t heard and repeated, ¡°Gunpowder, I think that¡¯s what it¡¯s called. It¡¯s strange, Chief, you live with your female every day, don¡¯t you know. . .?¡± Winter saw that Ryan¡¯s face wasn¡¯t good and, thinking he said something wrong, shut up in a hurry. * Back with the leopards, Ryan walked home and saw Elder Berson standing in front of his house talking to his female. Since Berson had seen the power of the gunpowder, he had thought to ask J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u to teach the leopard¡¯s how to make it. Unfortunatley, the female was stubborn and no matter how he persuaded, she didn¡¯t relent. ¡°You are the chief¡¯s female, in the leopard race. To protect the leopards and make life more stable, wouldn¡¯t it contribute?¡± Elder Berson didn¡¯t understand J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s way of thinking and had a bit of a headache, ¡°It¡¯s not that difficult. You teach us the method and the entire race will be grateful to you. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had only opened the door and her body was hidden by the door, showing only her pale little face. She only said, ¡°I cannot promise you right now.¡± She couldn¡¯t exin the origin of the gunpowder, but if she really taught them, wouldn¡¯t they abuse it? This world was still saturated in jungle. Once gunpowder was introduced, it would create a great disadvantage to the other races and break the ecological bnce. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u originally only wanted to use it for self-defense. She didn¡¯t want to influence the survival rules here. ¡°That. . .¡± Berson also wanted to say something but J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u saw Ryaning up behind him and her eyes lit up, ¡°Ryan!¡± Berson turned and saw Ryaning forward, and he said happily, ¡°Great, chief, you aren¡¯t hurt!¡± Ryan walked past Elder Berson and pushed into the courtyard. He tugged the little girl behind the door into his arms and looked back, ¡°I¡¯ve already heard about what Winter said about the wolves. I¡¯lle find you tomorrow and discuss it with you. If there¡¯s nothing else, don¡¯t block my door.¡± Berson saw Ryan closing the door and hurriedly blocked it with his foot. He anxiously said, ¡°Chief, listen to me. Your female has a very powerful ability. . . if we applied it to the race, our race would. . .¡± Ryan did not change his expression, interrupting him, ¡°I respect my female¡¯s choices.¡± Berson choked a little and the door was mmed shut in his face. * J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u pushed Ryan¡¯s chest and said, ¡°First, let me down. . . how did youe back? Are you okay?¡± As she climbed down from Ryan, she pushed him onto a stool in the middle of the courtyard. She stared down at him and looked him up and down. She only saw scratches on his shoulders and back, and everything else was intact. Only then did she let him go. On second thought, since he was okay, why did hee back now? Ryan, seeing through the little girl¡¯s thoughts, exined what happened in the valley. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u listened and bit her lip, ¡°. . . So, Laurence¡¯s okay?¡± Her fear of Laurence was too deep and every time she heard his name, she unconsciously flinched. Ryan took her in hisp and ced his palm on her back, stroking her gently, ¡°The man was hit by a boulder and he¡¯s seriously injured.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u asked, ¡°Then, he. . . once he¡¯s better, will he still challenge you?¡± Ryan said casually: ¡°Perhaps.¡± ¡°But. . .¡± Ryan did not want to continue that topic so he bent his head to block her little mouth that still wanted to ask questions. ¡°Compared to Laurence, I¡¯m more interested in that earth-shattering move my woman did yesterday.¡± ¡°. . .¡± . . . . . . Next door to Ryan, as Ryan had said, Laurence was found by the tribe with barely a single breath left. The tribe quickly brought him back to the race and asked the doctors in the tribe to look after him. They treated his wounds, and Laurence was lucky they were able to save him. Only, the injury was too severe and his broken leg meant he needed toy in bed for months. After the doctor left, there was only Laurence left in the house. Laurence sobered up all night, without closing his eyes, lest he never open them again. Now, he was so tired that he just wanted to sleep. However, that sound from next door constantly crossed over¡ª¡ª ¡°Ryan, bend over. I can help disinfect your back. . .¡± ¡°Why are there so many scratches, you said you were okay. . .¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t it hurt? Do I need to be a little lighter?¡± After a while, he kept listening to that female¡¯s tender voice saying: ¡°Hey, Ryan, don¡¯t touch your wounds. It¡¯s going to get infected. . .¡± ¡°Ryan,e over here and show me. . .¡± ¡°Ryan. . .¡± It was a noisy quarrel. Laurence opened his cold eyes and stared at the roof. He wondered if the female was just too noisy, but for the first time, it felt like his room was extremely quiet. Chapter 59 Gentle Beast Chapter 59 The next morning, before J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had woken up, Elder Berson returned to Ryan¡¯s house and knocked on the door. Ryan loosened his arms around J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and lifted the quilt to cover her ears. Then he went out to open the door. Elder Berson saw Ryan and went straight to the point, ¡°Chief, what I said yesterday, I hope you and your female can reconsider. . . ¡° Ryan walked out and closed the door with the back of his hand, ¡°What are we reconsidering?¡± After Ryan returned yesterday, he only heard about Berson hoping that J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u would teach the leopards how to make gunpowder. Berson quicklyid out his thoughts, ¡°It¡¯s like this. . .¡± He nned to pick a few intelligent males to have J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u teach. If the research turned out sessful, then the gunpowder could be used in the racial war. With the power of gunpowder, there would be no need to worry about the wolves attacking in the future. In the entire Bornia continent, there would be no opponent for them. ¡°. . . You don¡¯t need to have your female take too much time. Just half an hour or half the afternoon everyday until they learn to make it alone. If sessful, this could change the history of the leopard race. . .¡± Ryan slowly said, ¡°Teach everyday how to use gunpowder?¡± Berson thought Ryan considered it too frequent and quickly changed his tone, ¡°If you think it¡¯s inappropriate every day, then every two or three days.¡± Ryan was silent, but not because of the time. On contrary, he was seriously thinking about the Elder¡¯s proposal. His people had left J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u with too many bad impressions. The little one always considered herself an outsider, despite her abandonment of the idea to ¡°go home¡±, and she hadn¡¯t opened her heart to ept his race. Could he take advantage of this opportunity to let her make contact with his people? ¡°Alright,¡± Ryan said, making a split-second decision, ¡°In two days time, bring a list of the people to learn. . . The selected must have a spouse.¡± Berson was pleasantly surprised and didn¡¯t think much about the conditions Ryan set on it, ¡°Great, I¡¯ll go prepare!¡± After Elder Berson left, Ryan returned to the house. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had already woken up and was wearing beige pajamas. Her dark hair was loose behind her, and she rubbed her eyes sleepily looking around the room. ¡°Ryan, who were you talking to?¡± She had heard voicesing from the door. Ryan brought her into hisp and palmed her hair, holding her chin to kiss her, ¡°Berson.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s brain went a bit dull, ¡°What did he want?¡± Ryanid out Berson¡¯s proposal and asked her, ¡°Do you agree?¡± The spring morning was a little cold and leaving the quilt, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had subconsciously shrunk into Ryan¡¯s arms, asking strangely, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that I wasn¡¯t allowed to use gunpowder in front of them?¡± Yesterday she had refused Berson for those reasons. Ryan enjoyed her weight and, holding her ass, dragged her even closer, ¡°Did you?¡± ¡°. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u buried her face guilty and defended herself, ¡°The situation was urgent, I didn¡¯t think too much about it.¡± Ryan raised his eyebrows, ¡°What did you think?¡± ¡°. . . Can¡¯t tell you,¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u bit her lips and turned her eyes away. She didn¡¯t want to let him know that she was thinking of him. ¡°I¡¯ll agree, on a few conditions.¡± Ryan asked, ¡°What conditions?¡± ¡°After it¡¯s developed, it can only be used to defend against foreign attacks and not for offense. Nor can it be taught to the other races, and can¡¯t be used to kill indiscriminately.¡± Those were what J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had thought long about. Her answer was quick to his question. Ryan pondered it over, ¡°Yes.¡± Even without the gunpowder, the leopards could hold their own territory. Ryan just wanted to tie her down. Moreover, if they used the gunpowder lightly, then more races would know about J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. The less that knew about her, the better. * The next day, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u signed a contract with Elder Berson, containing all the conditions mentioned the day before. Elder Berson was bitter. Originally, he wanted to use it to dominate the entire continent. Now that his hopes had been shattered, it was a bit ufortable. . . However, the leaders promised, and what else could he do as a mere elder? But, on second thought, it was still good. At least, the leopards no longer had to fear attacks from other races in the future. So, Berson picked four males that same day and went to Ryan¡¯s house to ¡°learn¡± from J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. The four had spouses and bright minds, in ordance with Ryan¡¯s requirements. Alongside Winter, the other three were called Walker, Joel, and Selwyn. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had no experience in teaching. The only time she had taught someone was when she taught some mathematics to children that had been living with some rtives. Now, she had to teach four strong, burly beastmen chemical equations. . . it was a bit tricky. Fortunately, the four were very smart. Though they were confused at first, they learned quickly after a few lessons. Particrly the one called Joel. She would demonstrate it before them and the next time he came, Joel would have nearlypleted it. But, there were still many deficiencies in the details. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u patiently corrected them. Sometimes, even Ryan was left behind. Winter and the several beastmen watched their leader¡¯s face darken day by day, and they became more careful and cautious. ¡°This ether can¡¯t be ced like that, it¡¯s very dangerous. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u quickly stopped Walker¡¯s movement. Walker obediently put it back down in a safe ce and looked up, seeing their leader standing at the door. Ryan¡¯s shoulder was against the door frame, his arms crossed on his chest, and staring at him. With a shiver, Walker spilled everything in his hands. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u said anxiously, ¡°Why did you pour all of the power into it? Didn¡¯t I say just half. . .¡± While listening to J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, Walker backed away and, keeping a safe distance from her, nodded, ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ll pay attention next time. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u saw his sincerity and didn¡¯t continue to scold him. Since then, every time J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u taught them, they consciously kept a distance between them. If they got too close, their chief¡¯s eyes would sweep over, and it was no joke. * Half a monthter, there was finally a small sess. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u let several males to the back of the tribe to test the powder. The results from Joel were most remarkable, and the gunpowder produced was enough to crush a stone half as tall as a person. He was followed by Walker, then Selwyn. There seemed to be something going on at Winter¡¯s house and he hadn¡¯t arrived yet. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u took a record of their achievements and pointed out the advantages and disadvantages, then let them go back to practice. Waiting for a while, she still saw no signs of Winter¡¯s figure. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u prepared to teach them how to set up the gunpowder, ¡°The arrangement is just as important as the production. If it isn¡¯t well-arranged, it can be easily discovered and it¡¯s very easy to pick up. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u taught for an hour because the venue was too big and it wasn¡¯t easy to exin. The three beastmen learned a little. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u touched her cheek and was a bit embarrassed. Suddenly, she remembered that she had once painted a ¡°topographic map¡± for the gunpowder. When she was bored, she had designed it ording to the terrain around Camuda Valley. It would be easier for them to understand if she could give it to them. ¡°Wait for me, I¡¯ll go fetch something.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u remembered she had put it in the closet, and she hesitated for a moment. It wasn¡¯t too far from Ryan¡¯s house. Roughly thirty minutes back and forth, so J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u sped up and took ten minutes to get there. She went straight to the cabin and stood in front of the cupboard, tip-toeing. Five minutester, she couldn¡¯t find it. Strange, it wasn¡¯t there? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u twisted her brows in thought. Could she have put it in the bedroom cab? That wasn¡¯t impossible. Every time she went to bed toote, Ryan would take away her shlight and carry her to bed, ordering her to sleep. She would have no choice but to stick out her hand and put everything in the closet next to her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u walked in the direction of the bedroom. Ryan wasn¡¯t home. He had taken a dozen people out to go hunting early in the morning. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u searched around for it and, indeed, found it on the second shelf of the cab. Surprised, she folded it up and put it in her pocket, ready to go out. Walking to the entrance of the courtyard, she ced her hands on the door and was just about to pull it open when she heard a voice outside, ¡°Chief!¡± It was Winter. Ryan responded, walking toward the door. ¡°Didn¡¯t you take Dole with you to go hunting? Why¡¯d youe back?¡± Winter asked curiously. Ryan simply said: ¡°The weather is bad.¡± Winter looked up at the sky. There were dark clouds in the distance, looming over Camuda Valley and moving toward them. ¡°Rainy season ising? Winter suddenly screamed. Animals were particrly sensitive to changes in the weather, ¡°Oh, I¡¯d better go tell Suzanna quickly to bring all the clothes in!¡± Winter said and turned to rush back to his house. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stood behind the door and remembered that she should go back to the hill. But now they were standing there chatting and she couldn¡¯t just open the door. ¡°Ah, chief,¡± Winter thought of something and stopped, ¡°Your female has chosen to stay with the race. Why do you want to keep her this way?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s fingers subconsciously tightened. Winter continued: ¡°This kind of weather and still wanting to run about. Suzanna wouldn¡¯t get angry with me!¡±* *This sentence was butchered to heck. I reconstructed it the best I could. Ryan was silent for a moment and seemed reluctant to discuss with Winter, ¡°She and Suzanna aren¡¯t the same.¡± ¡°Where are they different?¡± Winter asked, puzzled. ¡°Aren¡¯t all females the same? Needing to rely on a male to survive. If you don¡¯t deliberately keep her, wouldn¡¯t she be homeless? After all, I told her personally that Pat was dead.¡± Ryan lifted his foot and was about to push in the courtyard. He saw it was opened a crack and his brow furrowed. He wanted to stop Winter. Unfortunately, Winter continued: ¡°Unless she finds out we¡¯re deceiving her, it¡¯s impossible she¡¯d want to leave.¡± || >>> Chapter 60 Gentle Beast Chapter 60 The door mmed open, hitting the wall with a loud bang. . . . The other side was empty and quiet. Looking around at the houses across the street, the doors were all closed, like no one hade back at all. Ryan¡¯s brow stretched, then he turned to Winter and eyes glinted coldly, ¡°If you day saw those words again, you won¡¯t live long.¡± Winter touched the top of his head, ¡°Your female is at the back of the mountain and won¡¯t hear it anyway. . .¡± Ryan looked at him and his dark blue eyes seemed to carry a stormy sea. Winter immediately shut up and respectfully said, ¡°Yes, Chief.¡± * On the other side, beyond the hill. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was ¡°thrown¡± out of her space and dropped onto her knees, palms pressed against the rough grass. Her thoughts were in disordered. All she could think about was Winter¡¯s words. They were deceiving her? What did they mean, Pat wasn¡¯t dead? Why did Ryan do this? Didn¡¯t he promise to help her find Pat. . . were they fake? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u tightened his fingers and raised his eyes to find that she had reappeared at the back of the mountain. Just as Ryan pushed the door, she hid in her space reflexively. ¡ª¡ªNow that she had been ¡°moved¡± by the space? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u remembered thest time she had used the space¡¯s teleportation that she had almost been killed by Laurence. Why did she do it this time? Every time her mind began to fluctuate wildly and wanted to escape something, her space would make the decision for her? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was utterly confused. ¡°Hey, why are you still here?¡± a voice called out to J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u from overhead, suddenly interrupting her thoughts. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked up and saw Suzanna standing in front of her carrying a bamboo basket. There were two grey hares inside, and in her other hand, she dragged a few palm leaves. She looked in a rush to get home. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u hesitated, ¡°. . . what¡¯s wrong?¡± Suzanna pointed to the sky. Heavy dark clouds hung over the valley, looking as though rain could fall any moment. ¡°Rainy season ising. There will be torrential rain over the next few days. The terrain is low here. If you don¡¯t hurry back, then heavy rain wille and you¡¯ll drown.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stood up, ¡°But I haven¡¯t spoken to Walker yet. . .¡± ¡°They¡¯ve already gone home long ago!¡± Suzanna said the truth. Once the sky darkened, Walker, Joel and Selwyn left. ¡°Who else do you see here? You¡¯re staggering on the floor. . . by the way, why are you lying here?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u tacitly didn¡¯t tell the truth, ¡°I went home to get a few things, identally fell over.¡± Suzanna¡¯s mouth curled, undisguised disgust, ¡°You really are useless, can¡¯t even walk without falling.¡± She said so while reaching out a hand to lift her off the ground, ¡°The rain hasn¡¯t started yet, you¡¯d better hurry and go back with me.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u slightly stalled. Going back meant facing Ryan, and she wasn¡¯t ready to face him yet. . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked up at the distant peaks and the ck clouds rolling over, the hazy fog a sign of the oing rainstorm. Suzanna urged her, ¡°Hey, can you walk?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u have her hand to Suzanna and nodded, ¡°En.¡± Suzanna walked quickly home, and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u hurried to catch up with her, soon reaching her doorstep. Rain was already beginning to fall, and they hit the ground, like ink from above. Ryan¡¯s house was at the end of the road and Suzanna told J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u goodbye, nning to go on home. ¡°Wait a minute, Suzanna,¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u suddenly stopped her, her dark eyes full of sincerity, ¡°I have a question for you.¡± Suzanna raised the palm leaf over her head. Her kitchen roof was leaking and she wanted to use it for repairs. ¡°What¡¯s the problem.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u weighed carefully, ¡°If. . . i mean, if Winter deceived you, would you be angry with him?¡± Suzanna immediately said, annoyed, ¡°What? Did he deceive me of something?¡± ¡°No, no. I mean, if.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u hurriedly waved her hand, fearing that Suzanna misunderstood, ¡°He isn¡¯t lying to you. It¡¯s just an analogy.¡± Suzanna calmed down, the raindrops hitting the palm leaves over her head giving a crisp sound. ¡°It depends on his reasons. If it¡¯s for my sake, I won¡¯t dispute about it. If he¡¯s guilty and wanted to hide something, I¡¯d certainly be angry.¡± ¡°If he deliberately concealed news of your family? Like Scarlet. . .¡± ¡°He dared to do that, and I¡¯d immediately be looking for another spouse!¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .¡± . . . Saying farewell to Suzanna, she stood at the gate in front of Ryan¡¯s house. The rain was getting heavier and heavier. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u raised her hand to knock on the door and it was soon opened from inside. Ryan stood at the doorway, a thick circle of mud on the edge of his boots, as if he had been looking for her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u raised her face but, before she could speak, she shivered and sneezed. ¡°Where have you been?¡± Ryan immediately took her into his arms and covered her head with his hands, striding into the house. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u rubbed his nose and dropped his eyshes, ¡°I went to the hill to teach Walker and the others about gunpowder. . . ¡° ¡°I went down to the hill and Walker said you wereing back for something,¡± Ryan said. When he said that, Ryan stared at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u to see all of her expressions. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u restrained her emotions and mped her fingers on Ryan¡¯s shoulders, ¡°I met Suzanna on the way. Suzanna said the rainy season wasing soon. I didn¡¯te back to get something, instead walking with her. Her roof is leaking and she needed to pick up some palm leaves to fix it.¡± Those were what J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u guessed after seeing the leaves in her hands. She hadn¡¯t actually told her those details. Ryan¡¯s face eased slightly and walked into the house, taking J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s nket from the side cab and wrapped her in it. ¡°As Suzanna said. It¡¯s going to rain for the next few days. Don¡¯t teach them for the time being. It¡¯s best to stay at home.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked at him, ¡°What about you?¡± Ryan: ¡°I¡¯m going to lead the tribe on a hunt tomorrow.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s hands under the nket were cold and she couldn¡¯t find the words, ¡°You aren¡¯t afraid of the rain?¡± ¡°The rainy season has little effect on animals.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u nodded and stopped talking. Ryan stretched out his hands to rub the rain off hershes and found her face was cold. He went to rekindle the fire and took her into his arms, sitting in front of the fire. He wrapped up her little hands. ¡°Cold?¡± Her body trembled slightly. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u buried her head and she subconsciously moved closer to him, nasally voicing, ¡°En.¡± Ryan heard that and simply turned into his animal form, wrapping up her entire body. The body temperature of leopards were high, running even forty degrees or higher. Soon afterwards, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u forced her head up from under him, ¡°Enough Ryan. . . I¡¯m getting hot.¡± Ran touched her hands and it wasn¡¯t as cold, so he let her go. Switching back to his humanoid shape, Ryan asked her, ¡°What do you want to eat tonight.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u sat up and thought hard, ¡°Braised eel.¡± She had watched her mother cooking and it left a bit of an impression. She told Ryan how to do it and finally, asked expectantly, ¡°Will you?¡± The words in Ryan¡¯s mouth ¡°won¡¯t¡± were quickly taken back and he said instead, ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± Then he added, ¡°No eel, catfish will do?¡± Eel only lived in eastern Bornia, thousands of miles from here. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u paused and said with regret, ¡°Okay.¡± Ryan turned and walked out the door. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u sat cross-legged next to the firece and soon heard the sounds of cooking in the kitchen. Ryan had no experience with human food and was very unskilled. The only thing he could cook was the stewed catfish soup from when J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was sick. . . . Sure enough, she soon saw the kitchen chimney billowing out smoke. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not go back to help and went to the bedside cab, taking out the stone Winter had brought back. The stone was still engraved with lines that J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u couldn¡¯t understand. At the beginning, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had been thinking hard about it for a long time. What did it mean? Now that she knew, perhaps there was no ¡°meaning.¡± ¡ª¡ªThis was just the cover they used to lie to her. * Ryan came out of the kitchen and walked into the bedroom to see her standing in front of the cab, motionless. When Ryan saw what she was holding in her hand, his face slightly changed and his voice was low, ¡°What are you looking at?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u turned her head and pursed her lips, shaking her head, ¡°Nothing, just looking at it.¡± Ryan saw there was nothing abnormal in her expression and his mood sank, putting the bowl on the table. Just before he could speak, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u scuttled behind him without warning, ¡°Ryan, my map. Did you throw it away?¡± Ryan¡¯s actions stilled. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked at him, clearly, ¡°When mypass was broken, was it you?¡± When thepass was bad, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u felt it was strange. Why couldn¡¯t she use it? The map that waster drawn was ced in her backpack, no one had moved it, but it could not be found. She wasn¡¯t dull, but she had been unwilling to specte about it. She had always believed in Ryan, and even when Winter told her Pat was dead, she never doubted him. Today, however, she heard him and Winter talking about Pat and how they were deceiving her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u didn¡¯t get Ryan¡¯s response and stubbornly asked again, ¡°Is it not?¡± After a long time, Ryan¡¯s voice was heavy, ¡°Yes.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u swayed and raised her face, throat choking, ¡°Pat isn¡¯t dead, is he?¡± ¡°Right,¡± Ryan said. ¡°So why did you lie to me?¡± Ryan bent over and slowly raised his eyes, ¡°I wanted you to stay here with me and be my spouse forever.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u shook her head, her emotions a bit out of control, ¡°I can stay beside you. . . but it cannot be this way. You can¡¯t lie to me. Pat¡¯s obviously not dead, why¡¯d you lie to me that he was dead. . .¡± When she learned that Pat was dead, that feeling of helplessness and desperation, she still remembered. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could not ept that Ryan apparently knew what she cared about most but still cruelly deceived her. How could he be so selfish if he just wanted her to stay? Ryan sped her shoulders, blue eyes staring at her, ¡°If I didn¡¯t say that, would you willingly stay?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s silence was answer enough. Ryan lifted the side of his mouth, cold and cruel, ¡°That is also my answer.¡± Perhaps this sentence triggered her, perhaps Ryan¡¯s attitude was too strong. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u suddenly broke free from Ryan and ran outside. Outside it was pouring rain and just the short distance from the bedroom to the door, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was drenched. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had her hand on the door, but she didn¡¯t have the time to open it. She was caught from behind by the shoulder and Ryan pulled her back into the room. ¡°Let me go, you let me go!¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u desperately struggled, her voice whimpering with tears, ¡°Ryan, I hate you!¡± Ryan paced and asked, ¡°This is why you didn¡¯t want to mate with me?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u said, ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t want to mate with a leopard!¡± Ryan suddenly stopped, his face separated by the rain, and was dark and difficult to distinguish. . . . * That evening J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had trouble going to sleep, and Ryan felt helpless. He simply lifted a hand to her neck and knocked her out. The next day, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u woke up and Ryan was no longer at home. The heavy rain was still falling outside and was even heavier than the night before, falling from the sky like pirs. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u dressed and wanted to go out and take a look. However, when she ced her hand on the door and pulled gently¡ª¡ª The wooden door didn¡¯t move. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u tried again but it still didn¡¯t open. She quickly realized that the door was locked from outside. Ryan locked her up at home? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was shocked and frustrated. Originally, after a night of thinking, she had calmed down a lot. But now, looking at the closed wooden door, there was a certain kind of panic. Why did he lock the door? Afraid she would escape? She had thought about itst night. It was rainy season, and she couldn¡¯t have gotten far even if she fled. If they could, they should try tomunicate with each other. No matter what, it was wrong of him to deceive her. But now. . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u staggered over to sit in a chair and inadvertently touched the backpack next to her. The contents were all spilled out. shlight, selfie-stick, taser, mobile phone. . . The phone was knocked onto the floor, and had just powered back on, the screen lighting up. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u picked up everything and put them back into her backpack. She nned to wait for Ryan toe back and try to talk to him. However, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u waited until six that afternoon from six that morning and Ryan did not return. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked at the minute hand on her watch and her mood sank bit by bit. Did he deliberately note back, or was there something wrong? At 5:59pm, the second hand passed through the final frame and the sky outside darkened, bing night. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stood up and walked to the window to prepare to close the window. Suddenly, there seemed to be a familiar sound. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u motions stiffened, and she waited. But the sound continued. The ringing bell was the mostmon melody. ¡ª¡ªFrom her backpack. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u quickly left the window and took her phone out of the backpack. Even if she couldn¡¯t see the ¡°Caller ID¡±, she clicked the answer button and put it to her ear. She was afraid the phone would suddenly hang up. The person on the other side didn¡¯t seem to think that they would get connected. They froze, and a soft voice asked with excitement, ¡°¨­u, is that you?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s hands holding the phone trembled, and, very slowly, she asked inconceivably, ¡°Mo, Mom?¡± Chapter 61 Gentle Beast Chapter 61 ¡°Little Darling, it really is you. . .¡± The female voice on the opposite side was unable to calm down and her voice was weak, but she spoke very quickly, ¡°Little Darling, where are you?¡± ¡°Little Darling¡± was J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s girlhood nickname, and it also meant ¡°baby.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was still in shock, and she raised her eyes, seeing a wide circle of wooden houses, ¡°I, I¡¯m. . . in a far away ce.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s mother asked, ¡°Very far ce? Are there any characteristics nearby? Who are you with right now?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u startled: ¡°I. . .¡± How could see say that she was with a beastman? Would her mother believe her? The phone¡¯s signal suddenly weakened and it was full of static, sounding like it would disappear in the next second. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u held the phone tight and hurriedly said, ¡°Mom, I¡¯m fine now. I¡¯m not in danger. . . You and dad don¡¯t need to worry.¡± After her words were spoken, the phone on the other end dropped with a bang and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s mother ended. It was reced by an ECG monitor¡¯s irregr sound and rapid footsteps. Thest sound heard was a nurse calling for a doctor: ¡°The patient is emotionally unstable, call Dr. Li!¡± Then, all the voices were interrupted, and the call was dropped to a series of blind, cold tones. . . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stayed in ce, her mind a mess. Mother was hospitalized? Why? Was she sick or something? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u controlled her trembling hands and redialed thest call. But the cell phone signal was interrupted and the call couldn¡¯t be made. She didn¡¯t give up and tried several times until shepletely exhausted thest bit of power it had and the phone automatically shut down. The seconds that it had just connected seemed to be her hallucinations. However, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u knew it wasn¡¯t. Her mother¡¯s voice was very clear from the other end and very familiar, just like the countless other times she had conversed with her before. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u suddenly stood up and found her Swiss army knife from her backpack. She went to the door and tried to pry open the lock. However, just as she walked to the door, it was pushed in from the outside without warning, and a pair of long legs came in. Outside, a cold wind was blowing and it carried a fine rain. Ryan¡¯s shoulders and body were wet and his boots were saturated with mud. His eyes fell to J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s hands and saw the de, he paused for a moment then voiced, ¡°What?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u hastily put away her de and exined, ¡°You locked the door, and I had no way out. . .¡± ¡°It¡¯s dangerous to go out during the rainy season.¡± Ryan shut the door and spoke as she pulled off his fur coat. Before entering, he had thrown his prey into the kitchen but the smell of blood had not been washed away yet. Ryan¡¯s body was very good. After taking off his clothes, his shoulders were wide and his waist narrow. His spine was straight and the muscles of his lower abdomen were strong. He seemed to have forgotten what happened yesterday and crossed over J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, reaching for another coat. However, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could not forget, especially after the phone that had just connected and she knew her mother was hospitalized. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u shifted her eyes and hesitated for a long time, finally she said, ¡°Ryan, I have something to discuss with you.¡± Ryan changed his clothes and slightly paused, seeming to know what she wanted to say, and he said calmly, ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t want to.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u hung her head, regardless of his refusal, and said, ¡°My mother is sick. . . I do not know if it¡¯s serious or not. I want to go back and see her.¡± That being said, she had a kind of bad intuition. Her mother¡¯s body had always been very good. The school organized regr check-ups every year, how could she get sick so much? Ryan finally looked at her and his bottomless, blue eyes were set on her, ¡°How are you going back?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u bit her lower lip, ¡°Going to the east to find Pat.¡± ¡°I said, there are many races on the way.¡± ¡°I have gunpowder,¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u said, lifting her dark eyes. Their depths were resolute and unshakable. ¡°And. . . I have a lot of things that you don¡¯t.¡± Those things were enough for her to survive on this continent. ¡°So, after going back, will youe back?¡± Ryan voiced hoarsely and it was uttered from the depths of his throat. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u instantly choked. She had never considered the question ofing back. Would shee back after returning? How would she get back? Whye back? Although she didn¡¯t answer, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s silence revealed her stance. Ryan closed his eyes, then opened them again, cruelly saying, ¡°So my answer is, no.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s face was pale and she shook, thinking of her mother gently calling out that ¡°Little Darling.¡± Her phone hadn¡¯t been turned on for a long time. Today, it was inadvertently turned on, and she received her mother¡¯s phone call. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could hardly imagine how many phone calls had been made to her. How many times had she gone through despair, pressing her number so persistently. More so, she could no longer convince herself to stay here. If she missed her mother, she would regret it her whole life. * After midnight, the rain was gradually getting lighter and lighter. There wasn¡¯t a glimmer of light through the window, and the whole valley seemed enveloped by ayer of ck cloth. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u opened her eyes and carefully removed Ryan¡¯s arm from her waist. But Ryan held to her too tightly and tried several times without sess. . . . Atst, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u made every effort and just made it away from Ryan¡¯s chest. She dressed and packed her things then took a raincoat out of her space, making no sound from beginning to end. Just as she walked to the door ready to open it, an arm tired around her waist and picked her up, tossing her at the bed without exnation. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was put on the bed and she opened her eyes, startled, and looked up to look at Ryan above her head, ¡°How do you. . .¡± When did he wake up? Ryan didn¡¯t give her any opportunity to speak, and he held her hands tightly, leaning over to cover her trembling lips. Since he could not wait for her to ept, he had no choice but to seize it. Ryan pried open her teeth and broke into her mouth, delving in. This kiss wasn¡¯t gentle at all. Compared to before, he had lost all of hispassion and was filled with brutal viciousness. As if he wanted to chew her, destroy her, and devour her. ¡°Ah, don¡¯t. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u didn¡¯t open her mouth, trying to avoid his affections. Unfortunately, Ryan did not listen to her and bit her lower lip, his beastly palm stripping off her raincoat to explore her petite body. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u trembled and knew what was going to happen next. The rain outside the window was loud and thunderous. A sh of lightning suddenly cut through the window, briefly illuminating the scene in the house. The tall beastman separated the slender, long legs of the young girl, setting his strong waist against hers, pressing deeply into them. . . . . . . For a long, long time. The air was silent and only a fine current sounded out. ¡°Zz, zzzzzzz¡ª¡ª¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u held her taser in both hands against Ryan¡¯s neck, tightly biting her lower lip and staring at him unblinkingly. Ryan¡¯s eyes turned slightly and hers were reflected in his deep, blue pupils. He didn¡¯t seem to have expected her actions. The arm at her side raised slightly to touch her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u felt a panic in her mind and thought that he would continue to force her, so she immediately increased the intensity of the current and pressed it to her neck again. The taser were so powerful that it poured into every corner of his body. Ryan¡¯s pupils werex, but they still stared at her, and he bared his teeth, looking like he could see her clearly. Finally, his body lightened then straightened and toppled over. Chapter 62 Gentle Beast Chapter 62 She¡¯de back? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s head was dizzy, still somewhat drowsy. Thest thing she remembered sitting in a tall tree, looking out at the darkness in the distance, waiting for dawn. At the time, she had felt so exhausted all she wanted to do was to close her eyes and rest for a while. But there was a strange force pulling at her, as if to drag her into her space. Just as when she had arrived in this strange continent, her body began to sank, sinking until she finally fainted from exhaustion. Having lost consciousness, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had no impression of anything wrong. How did she get here? Who saved her? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u wanted to ask someone but she was the only person in the ward, and the next two beds were empty. The bag at the top of her infusion tube wasn¡¯t finished yet, and aside from the ¡°tick, tock¡± of the clock the entire ward was silent. She saw the ward door be pushed open and in walked a schoolboy. ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± the boys stood at the bedside and his handsome features showed a hint of surprise. He quickly asked, ¡°Are you hungry, want to eat something?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked at him and, having not seen him in a long time, his name was a bit jerky, ¡°L¨´. . . Q¨ª Ch¨¡ng?¡± The other nodded. ¡°The nurse said that your fever is nearly gone, you can eat some lighter foods.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was startled, ¡°You, why are you here?¡± L¨´ Q¨ªCh¨¡ng was her high school ssmate. He sat in front of her in ss and was a member of the mathematicsmittee. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s windbreaker had passed through from the beast world with her. That wasn¡¯t the point. The point was. . . why had he stayed with her? L¨´ Q¨ªCh¨¡ng paused, hisplexion as usual when he exined, ¡°Yesterday, I happened to pass the mountain where we had the outing, and saw you fainted on the roadside. I brought you back.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .¡± L¨´ Q¨ªCh¨¡ng also said, ¡°I¡¯ve already informed your mother and father, and they wille soon.¡± The J¨« father and the L¨´ father were high school ssmates and the two families often came and went, so it wasn¡¯t unusual for L¨´ Q¨ªCh¨¡ng to contact her parents. Although L¨´ Q¨ªCh¨¡ng had said it casually, that he happened to ¡°pick up¡± the six month long missing J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. After J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s disappearance, the blow to her family was too strong, especially her mother. She had washed her face in tears and had deeply regretted not stopping the trip to such a dangerous ce. In the first three months after J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had vanished, her father and uncle went every day to the cliffs to search for her. They even went to the nearby viges to ask, one by one. However, there was still no known whereabouts for J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. Recently, her father hadn¡¯t gone out as frequently but he still hadn¡¯t given up on finding his daughter. Her father had even gone to a police station and had been waiting for news from the police. Now, the police had not given him news. Instead, it arrived from his old friend¡¯s son. As for that old friend¡¯s son, whether or not he passed that mountain ¡°by chance¡± was probably only a doubt of his own heart. When L¨´ Q¨ªCh¨¡ng had found J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, she was fainted on the side of the road with a high fever. Her clothes and shoes were soaked in dirt as if she had escaped from somewhere, and her entire body was pitiful and miserable. ¡ª¡ªWhere had she been all this time? L¨´ Q¨ªCh¨¡ng looked at the girl on the bed and wanted to ask that question, but he was afraid to touch any bad memories. In the end, he asked nothing. L¨´ Q¨ªCh¨¡ng went to buy preserved egg porridge with bean paste and said, ¡°There is nothing else nearby, eat a little to pad your stomach.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u nodded. Until now, there had been a feeling of things being surreal, like a dream. After waking up, the two worlds werepletely different. When her porridge was set down, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u held the spoon and brought it to her lips. Her thickshes fanned and a teardrop rolled over the corner of her eyes. It would be nice if this was a dream. The scenes in this dream, she would never forget. But, those things that hadn¡¯t been experienced couldn¡¯t be forgotten. . . . L¨´ Q¨ªCh¨¡ng looked at the girl in front of him crying and took two paper towels from the side table, handing them to her, ¡°It¡¯s over.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u know that he misunderstood but she couldn¡¯t exin it to him, so she said nothing and silently cried for a long time. When her father hurriedly came in from the school, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had just finished the porridge and he raised dark eyes to L¨´ Q¨ªCh¨¡ng, ¡°Thank you.¡± L¨´ Q¨ªCh¨¡ng shifted out of sight and looked out the window, ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± ¡°Little Darling,¡± her father stood in the doorway of the ward and looked at his daughter with yearning, gently calling out to her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stiffened and turned around, her nose sour, and the tears that had just stopped nearly started up again as she shouted, ¡°Dad.¡± Her father immediately went tot he bed and took a look at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. Seeing no traces of injury on her body, he sighed in relief and took her into his arms, repeating to her heartily, ¡°It¡¯s good you came back, it¡¯s good you came back. . .¡± * J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s fever had receded and her father went downstairs with the nurse to get her discharged. After returning, her kept thanking L¨´ Q¨ªCh¨¡ng. L¨´ Q¨ªCh¨¡ng said, ¡°It¡¯s what I should I do.¡± In any case, the J¨« family owed a lot to the L¨´¡¯s. On the way back, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u sat in the passenger seat and looked at the crowd, in a trance. Tall buildings, shopping malls, streets. . . it had been a long time since she had seen these things. They were both familiar and unfamiliar. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s father held the steering wheel and waited for the gap between traffic lights to ask her, ¡°Hey, do you want to go home and rest or go to the hospital to see your mother?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u remembered the phone call that had connected that day and immediately turned back, asking nervously, ¡°What happened to mom?¡± He sighed then told J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u the story. Just a few days ago, her mother had walked along the road and saw a girl that looked like J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. She had gotten excited and quickly followed her. After passing through a junction, she hadn¡¯t paid attention to the red light and was hit by a car. Her right leg was broken and she had a concussion, it was a slightly serious injury. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u listened and sniffled, saying, ¡°I want to see mom.¡± So her father drove too another hospital in center city and took J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u to the sixth floor of the inpatient department. Her mother was in ward 608. There were only two beds in the room and the other was an olddy. When the olddy walked down the stairs, she had fallen and broken her bones. When J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u walked to the door, she heard the olddy on the other bed talking to her mother: ¡°Teacher H¨¦, what are you looking at?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s mother¡¯s surname and what she was called a professor, but that was what the olddy knew her as. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s mother sat in the bed and held a photo in her hand. She smiled a little and said gently, ¡°Look at my daughter.¡± The olddy was inquisitive and came over to look. The photo was of J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u fromst year. She was wearing a fiery red, horse-riding outfit and wore a kirin helmet, and a bridle in her hands. She was riding horseback and smiling back at the camera. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s eyes were very bright and her smile curved like a crescent moon, making her entire face bright. The olddy looked and good not help but praise, ¡°She¡¯s so beautiful!¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s mother smiled and graciously confessed, ¡°Well, a lot like her father.¡± Outside, the sun poured in through the ward and struck againstJ¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s mother¡¯s head, recealing a few silvery hairs. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u shifted forward a step and sobbed, ¡°Mom.¡± Her mother stopped and slowly looked up. When she saw J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u at the door, her eyes quickly went red, ¡°Darling. . .¡± As soon as L¨´ Q¨ªCh¨¡ng found out and told her husband, she wanted to go along. Only her leg was in a ster cast and the doctor ordered that she couldn¡¯t go out into the fields. Now, seeing her daughter standing before her, her tears couldn¡¯t stop rolling down. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u quickly flew into her mother¡¯s arms like a child, cheek resting on her shoulder. Over and over, she called, ¡°Mother, mother, I missed you. . .¡± Her mother¡¯s hands were shaking on her body and she cried a few words, ¡°Mother also missed you, little darling. . . mother missed you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I worried you. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u buried herself in her mother¡¯s shoulders and the tears couldn¡¯t endure. The two, mother and daughter, cried together for a long time. The olddy in the next bed thought that J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had been worried about her mother¡¯s illness,forted, ¡°Hey, good girl, quit the weeking, your mother¡¯s matter. . .¡± At noon, the mother and daughter¡¯s tears gradually stopped. Her father looked at his wristwatch and said, ¡°It¡¯s noon. What do you want to eat? Father will go and buy it for you.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u sniffled and wiped her tears with her fingers, thinking for a while. Then she said, ¡°Braised eel.¡± Her father disagreed, ¡°Not so soon after your fever. Eat something lighter.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u wasn¡¯t very insistent and quickly changed her words, ¡°Then father look and buy something for me. I could eat anything.¡± After her father left, the olddy in the next bed went to the bathroom and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was pulled onto the bed by her mother. ¡°Darling, tell mother, what happened to you all this time?¡± Her mother could see that her daughter wasn¡¯t the same in some ces. As for where she was different, she couldn¡¯t say. But in front of her husband and an outsider, she couldn¡¯t ask. Now there were only the two of them in the room. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s eyelids drooped and she was silent for a long time then slowly said, ¡°I went to a very far away ce. . .¡± This sentence she had said on the phone too, and her mother asked, ¡°How far was it? What did you pass?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u opened her mother, ¡°I don¡¯t know what I passed. I woke up in that ce.¡± Her mother tightly squeezed her hand and thought she was under duress, ¡°Then, this period of time. . . who were you with?¡± In J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s mind, a strong and profound figure shed. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u shook her head, voice faint, ¡°I don¡¯t want to say, mom, I can¡¯t. . .¡± Her mother¡¯s heart was in even more pain. She carefully pulled her into her arms and coaxed, ¡°Alright, alright. If you don¡¯t want to say, don¡¯t say. As long as you are good in the future and always stay by mother and father¡¯s side, we¡¯ll be content.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was a bit stiff, but she said very lightly, ¡°Ok.¡± Chapter 63 Gentle Beast Chapter 63 ¡¾ËýµÄÃØÃÜ ¨C Her Secret¡¿ J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u apanied her mother in the hospital for a day and returned home that night. When she opened the door, out jumped a figure. G¨³n G¨³n came over to her feet and took advantage of the owner who hadn¡¯t returned in so long, acting spoiled for a long time. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was stunned and didn¡¯t respond. After such a long time, she had quickly forgotten she had a cat at home. She stooped and rolled him in her hands, scratching under his chin. ¡°G¨³n G¨³n, did you miss me?¡± The cat meowed twice and lolled out his tongue to lick J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s palms. Usually G¨³n G¨³n wasn¡¯t happy when J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u touched his chin, but today, he actually didn¡¯t resist at all. Probably because his owner had been gone for so long, the proud cat had also been afraid of being abandoned. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u teased him for a while, ying hard before going to take a bath. Her clothes were wet and sticky, clinging to her body. She stood in front of the bathroom mirror and felt embarrassed. She was dirty and ugly. This appearance was even uneptable to her. She did not even know how G¨³n G¨³n had bared with her embrace. After a long, serious shower, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u dried her hair and took a bottle of milk from the refrigerator. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u originally nned to go back to the hospital to apany her mother in the evening, but Mrs. J¨« felt that she had only just returned and had a high fever. She told her to go back home and rest. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was really tired but was reluctant to agree with her mother and father. In the end, her father promised to pick her up the next morning, so she was willing to go home. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u drank her warm milk and G¨³n G¨³n was on the table, his eyes staring at her hand. ¡°Meow,¡± he cried twice. She startled, ¡°Do you want to drink it?¡± He bounced twice, his front paws grabbing her arm. Because she had been gone for so long, he probably wanted to show their closeness more than ever before. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u hesitated for a bit then took a small bowl from the cupboard and poured in a little milk, pushing it in front of him. ¡°Don¡¯t drink too much, ¡± she muttered. Letting her hand go, he buried his head in the bowl and stuck out his tongue,pping it up. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u quietly watched him drinking some milk, suddenly remembering another small figure. Round ears and blue eyes, a dark spotted pattern, and devouring the milk delivered by her hands. So clear even after a long time, every scene was engraved as fresh a memory as yesterday. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u blinked her sore eyes and rubbed at them with her eyes to ease off some of the ufortable feeling. She took away the bowl and said sternly, ¡°No more. It¡¯s not good if you drink too much.¡± She looked down at his intive amber eyes. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s heart was ruthless and she ignored him, washing the bowl clean. She poured some food for the cat then went to her room. She didn¡¯t have a good rest for two consecutive days and finallyid down early today. She thought she would fall asleep quickly, but after lying in bed for two hours, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was still very much awake. She turned over and looked at the empty bed. It was only then that she found she had unconsciously slept on the innermost side. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u bent and slowly shrank in on herself, her body trembling. Why? She had obviouslye back. There was afortable bed and warm air conditioning. Why does she feel so unustomed to it? That unpredictable shift from day to night, the rapidly changing weather, the hardwood beds, and the dangerous carnivorous beasts were all far away from her. They could no longer threaten her. She should be happy, but there was one ce in her heart that was empty. Like the missing piece in the middle. The eternal puzzle that could never be forgotten. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s wide awake eyes stared for a long time, until thetter part of the night. Her body gradually became unable to support her and she finally fell asleep. * Over the next few days, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u apanied her mother at the hospital. Her physical recovery was rather good. There was no other problems except for the right leg that wasn¡¯t healed. The driver who had caused the crashpensated a certain amount of money and expressed his apology for Mrs. J¨«. Mr. and Mrs. J¨« had just had their daughter returned and were in a cheerful mood. They didn¡¯t give him a hard time. The matter was happily settled. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was not bored during her days at the hospital. Sometimes she sat at the bed and talked to her mother, and she could stay there the entire day. The olddy on the other bed met her and praised, ¡°Teacher H¨¦, that daughter has great filial piety.¡± The old woman was sixty this year and she had both a son and a daughter, but her children were busy at work. They only came to see her once. Sometimes, since her children weren¡¯t there, when the elderly woman encountered something inconvenient, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u would help her out. During the three months that Mrs. J¨« had been in the hospital, the olddy rather liked her very much. When she was discharged from the hospital, Mr. J¨« drove by and picked them up. On the way her father told J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, ¡°I¡¯ve already gotten in touch with your school. You¡¯ve fallen too far behind with your homework so you may not be able to understand your original sses. You may as well go back a level. These basic skill can be learned solidly.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u sat in the backseat, silent, then she nodded. She returned to her school life again, attending sses daily and leaving ss like all the other busy high school students. She studied much more diligently than before, seemed to devote her entire energy to it. There was no time to think of the other world. At the end of her fist semester of sophomore year, her grade was ranked third in the grade. Her father took her out especially to celebrate, and in the restaurant, they happened to meetL¨´ Q¨ª Ch¨¡ng¡¯s family. The two parents gathered together to talk, and L¨´ Q¨ª Ch¨¡ng and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u were sat to the side. L¨´ Q¨ª Ch¨¡ng asked her, ¡°Are you free the day after tomorrow?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u blinked and turned in confusion. He exined, ¡°My birthday, I want to invite you to go out and y.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u smiled a little and pretended to not know why, ¡°Why do you want to go out and y for your birthday?¡± ¡°. . .¡± L¨´ Q¨ª Ch¨¡ng nced at her and stopped talking. On the day after the next, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u went out. Not with L¨´ Q¨ª Ch¨¡ng, but by herself. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u went to the city¡¯srgest zoo and bought tickets, following the flow of people. She did not have a clear purpose, walking and stopping here and there, seeing the animals and taking photos of the ones she liked. She walked to the front of a reindeer herd. Through the gauze, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked at the pstick reindeer and watched them collide into each other with their huge antlers. She unconsciously remembered Eric. He was the first one on the continent to shoe her friendship. Now she didn¡¯t know how he was doing. After Laurence appeared, she and T¨¢o T¨¢o disappeared for seemingly no reason. Was he worried about them? Did he seed in returning to his race? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stood in front of the herd and raised her camera to take several pictures then she went on to the next ce. The Tibetan antelope, foxes, brown bears, gray wolves. . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u one at a time was able to see individuals of the past and there was an inexplicable feeling in her. In the past, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked at these as ¡°animals,¡± and could only see the eyes of animals. Now though, she looked at them and felt that they would change at any moment into a human shape. Unfortunately, they didn¡¯t. Regardless of how many times she looked at them, they were still standing behind an istion and didn¡¯t even look at her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u picked up her mood and was finally ready to leave. She approached the area for the wild beasts. Where the tiger enclosures were. There were lions and otherrge beasts, and leopards were among them. Two leopards were basking in the sun under a tree, one was covered in ck markings lying in a tree. His tail hung freely behind him and it shook slightly. He was probably sleepy. He yawned hisrge mouth and revealed sharp teeth. His eyes turned slightly and looked in J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s direction. His eyes were sharp and straightforward, and without warning. In a sh, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u almost thought that she saw Ryan again. Unfortunately, his eyes were amber, and Ryan¡¯s were the same blue as the deep sea. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s heart had risen high and was sunk quickly. She didn¡¯t stay long and left in a hurry. After returning home, her father asked where she went and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u answered truthfully. Her mother and father didn¡¯t think much of it. They thought that the pressures of her study were too strong and she wanted to rx, so they didn¡¯t detain her. After that incident, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s life continued on as usual. She didn¡¯t seem to have any life-changing events in her life quite like the other continent. On her third year, her studies became even heavier. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u buried herself in her studies and her results were stable and she at the very top. On the day of college entrance examinations, the sky that had been overcast for two full days finally cleared. The sun shone through the ck clouds and onto the earth. * When J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u applied for university, she didn¡¯t report to a local school and instead chose T University that was closest to S City. T University had a long history and was rich in teacher resources. Most importantly, their physics department was famous throughout the country. At the beginning of the year, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u specifically selected two minor courses, the restricted sense of general rtivity and the parallel universe theory. College life was much easier than high school, and she had a lot more leisure time. However, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u never allowed herself to be idle. In addition to studying, she also joined several organizations. Yoga club, dance club, music club. . . every day was busy. At the same time, she was growing up at a rate everyone could see. Like a blooming flower, experiencing wind and rain, she finally bloomed on a sunny morning. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked lovely when she was a child, but as her childhood features faded, she became even more beautiful. She also grew a few centimeters taller. The pair of small peaches on her chest also grew with her height. She had be so beautiful that people couldn¡¯t shift their eyes away. In the physics department, the ratio of men to women was even more out of bnce than in the leopard tribe, and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was without a doubt a flower. One day, when J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and her roommate were returning from the library, there was a boy with a blushing red face that walked over. He said, ¡°Elder sister, can I have a few words with you?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had just be a sophomore that year and it was just after her neenth birthday. Her roommate was ustomed to this, so she winked at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and retired to the side. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stood still and looked at the boy before her. When she was working with them, she was always professional and she had helped this one several times. The boy was thin-faced and when he saw J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, the words he had prepared in advance were forgotten, and he said incoherently, ¡°Sister, I . . . thank you for helping me the other day, I. . . I wanted to ask, do you have a boyfriend?¡± This question was very abrupt and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u originally didn¡¯t want to answer, but the boy¡¯s anxiety infected her and she shook her head. The boy¡¯s face was happy and he asked anxiously, ¡°That. . . Can I confess to you? Sister, I like you. . . you, could you be my girlfriend?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u still shook her head and broke the boy¡¯s fragile heart. He didn¡¯t give up, ¡°Can you tell me why?¡± Why? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought for a moment, then her eyshes drooped slightly. The dimly lit streetlight shined over her cheek. After a long time, she raised her eyes and smiled slightly. She said to him, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I have someone I like.¡± He finally gave up and left, dejected. Her roommate heard the conversation from the side and caught J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u to gossip as they went up the stairs, ¡°J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, you have someone you like? Who is it? Howe you haven¡¯t ever said?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u said: ¡°You don¡¯t know him, he isn¡¯t from our school.¡± ¡°Not our school. Then does he work already?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s eyes curved and she said mysteriously, ¡°Not at all.¡± Later, her roommate asked again but she was tight-lipped and said nothing. In addition to knowing they wouldn¡¯t believe her, there was another, more important reason. She didn¡¯t want to tell anyone. About her experiences, about her Ryan. That was a secret she hid deep in her heart. Where no one could touch it. Chapter 64 Gentle Beast Chapter 64 ¡¾Óб¸ÎÞ»¼ ¨C To be Prepared, Just in Case¡¿ After entering sophomore year, time flew by at a particrly fast pace and it was soon the end of the year. When J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u finished her final professional course, she walked out of the ssroom and received a phone call from L¨´ Q¨ª Ch¨¡ng¡¯s father. Mr. and Mrs. J¨« had retired half a month ago and were nning to travel Europe for the next six months. They had gotten visas a week before and went to Find the day after. Before leaving, they especially asked their old friend to take care of their daughter. Today¡¯s holiday began and after Mr. L¨´ picked up L¨´ Q¨ª Ch¨¡ng, he came to pick up J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. L¨´ Q¨ª Ch¨¡ng and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u attended college in the same city, but his was in the south and hers in the north. The two universities were rather far apart. When J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u hung up, she was too embarrassed to let Mr. L¨´ wait for long. When she returned to her dorm, she quickly packed up her bags and went to the school gate. In the car, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u told him, ¡°Thank you, uncle, for your trouble.¡± Mr. L¨´ smiled and said, ¡°So polite. Your father and mother aren¡¯t around. Today vacation begun and there¡¯s too many cars on the road. If I let you go home alone, uncle won¡¯t be at ease.¡± She smiled. T City was about two hours drive from S City. When the car arrived at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s house, it was already dark. Mr. L¨´ gout out of the car to help her bring in her luggage and asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t it better for you toe eat dinner at our house today?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u shook her head and politely refused, ¡°My parents rushed to the pet center before leaving. Now I¡¯ll have to go pick up G¨³n G¨³n. Uncle L¨´, you go home first. I¡¯ll go home and do it a littleter.¡± Mr. L¨´ wanted to invite her again, but he saw her insistence andpromised, telling her to pay attention to safety on the road, and he drove away. After J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u brought everything into the house, she took out her keys and went out again. G¨³n G¨³n was just one of her reasons to go out. She went to a nearby shopping mall and bought some bread and milk for breakfast tomorrow, then she went straight to the daily necessities area. She pushed a shopping cart and shuttled between the shelves. Paper towels, towels, toothbrush and toothpaste, sanitary napkins. . . almost everything she took a lot of. After finally finding her way out of that section, she moved on to the non-perishable foods. She asked a special staff member for the seeds of crops like mung beans, soybeans, peanuts and other such nts. Afterwards, she didn¡¯t know what else to think of and returned to the dairy section where she added several cartons of milk to her shopping cart. . . . When J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was standing in front of the checkout counter, the cashier looked at the two full shopping carts with her and hesitantly asked, ¡°Is this all yours?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u touched her cheeks and nodded, ¡°En, all mine.¡± Taking the bill, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u counted a total of seven or eight shopping bags and that didn¡¯t count the boxes of milk. Fortunately, she was driving a car. Even if she had a space, she could not use it in front of so many people. She really wouldn¡¯t know how to get it all back. On the way, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u went to the pet center and picked up her cat. G¨³n G¨³n didn¡¯t get to see her for a semester and when he saw her, he rushed toward her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had just gotten her driver¡¯s license and with the steering wheel in her hand, she didn¡¯t dare y with him, so she said, ¡°G¨³n G¨³n, be good.¡± G¨³n G¨³n meowed twice and reluctantly knelt on the cushion. When she got home, it was already 10:30. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u took all the things she had bought and put them in her space, then she was free to take a shower. After her shower, she went to eat something and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u returned to rest in her room. The next day and the third, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u basically went out to purchase things. First, she went to the clothing market, then the hardware store, then the grain and oil markets. . . In short, anything she could think of, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u went and bought them all. From these ces, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u spent her pocket money, the schrship funds and all her sry earned as a tutor, until she had almost nothing left. At noon on the fourth day, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had a video call with her parents. It was morning in Find. Her parents had just gotten up and were standing on the balcony. Behind them, there was a yellow house with a red roof sheltered by trees. ¡°Dad, mom,¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u greeted them. Her mother smiled and said, ¡°Darling, what are you doing these days? Can you talk if you¡¯re free?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u bit her lips, ¡°Club activities haven¡¯t ended yet, they¡¯ll end this morning.¡± ¡°What members are there and what activities?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u didn¡¯t lie, ¡°Social practice.¡± Her mother was a little worried, ¡°Social activities are good, but don¡¯t get too tired and rx. It¡¯s a holiday so it¡¯s time to go out and y.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u took advantage of this opportunity to tell her parents, ¡°Mom, I signed up for an event organized by the school. It takes about two months to teach in impoverished areas. I heard that it¡¯s really remote so signal isn¡¯t very good. You probably won¡¯t be able to always contact me. You can leave a voicemail and I¡¯ll replyter.¡± Her mother paused and asked, ¡°What ce?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u said a ce¡¯s name. At the end of the video, her parents looked at each other and saw the worry in the other¡¯s eyes. Since J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s disappearance for half a year, they instinctively didn¡¯t trust remote areas. However, their daughter had grown up and couldn¡¯t always be sheltered under their wings. Mrs. J¨« struggled for a long time, then finallypromised, ¡°Then. . . you take good care of yourself, and pay attention to safety. Remember to regrly report to us how you¡¯re doing.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u nodded, ¡°En.¡± Then her parents talked about what they had been doing on their vacation. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u held her cheeks and listened with relish. Minutes before ending the video, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u suddenly called out, ¡°Mother.¡± ¡°Darling, what else is there?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was silent for a moment then she smiled and said, ¡°Mom, I¡¯ll think of you.¡± Her mother said, ¡°Mom will think of you too.¡± * Early the next morning, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u got up and took G¨³n G¨³n to a friend¡¯s home. G¨³n G¨³n was cruelly abandoned again and was probably angry. When she left, he hid under the sofa and didn¡¯t even send her off. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u scratched his chin, ¡°Be good, G¨³n G¨³n, I will bring you back something delicious.¡± G¨³n G¨³n just meowed and perfunctorily licked her palm. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u left her friend¡¯s house and went into center city for a while, driving around the suburbs. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was unfamiliar with driving and was unhurried. She drove for three hours then came to the cliff. This cliff was the one that her school trip was on and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was tossed out of the bus. ¡ª¡ªIt was always where J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had been sent into that other world. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u walked a ways forward, but she wasn¡¯t familiar with this ce. Her only impression was when she had a high fever and returned to the world before falling into aa. Her memory fluctuated but about an hourter, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stopped in front of a leafy oak. The trunk was thick and it looked very old. However, wasn¡¯t what attracted J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. It was the numbers engraved on its trunk¡ª¡ª¡±1002.¡± This was the date J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u entered that world. She clearly remembered when she had lost her way in the forest and she had used this method to mark her ce. Both the handwriting and shape were in line. Obviously three years had passed, but it was as clear as it had been three years ago. When J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u saw the string of numbers, she was shocked. Why had this tree appeared here? Was it the same as her? Or. . . was it the channel between the two worlds? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had been desperate to find a way back, and she had never thought this ¡°method¡± was so close to her. These past three years, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had thought a lot. If it was only the tree that connected the two worlds, then wouldn¡¯t many peoplee and go from both worlds? So, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u guessed that it had to have some rtionship with her space. The tree, her space, and a special opportunity, those three things could only make it possible to cross over. As for the opportunity. . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u wasn¡¯t too sure but she needed to try it out before she knew. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u reached out her hand and ced her finger on the trunk with the numbers ¡°1002¡±, slowly closing her eyes. After a while, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u felt that the flow of air around her had gradually be faster, as if she were in a river and it washed her forward. Immediately afterwards, a familiar force pulled at her and before she could react, she was yanked into another world. . . . * J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u opened her eyes again and in front of her were ancient trees, blotting out the sun. It was that strange and familiar primitive continent. She turned back and the one behind her was engraved with ¡°1002¡±. It seemed indistinguishable from the other trees. . . . She hade back just like that? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was a bit bewildered. She could only think that three years ago she had almost been killed, and now she had returned to this ce three yearster. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u walked along her original route for a while. Before doing so, she changed to light running shoes and walked out of the forest. Cross over the stream and further north, there was the Camuda Valley. However, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not go there. She came back this time not to reunite with Ryan. She had left so resolutely and Ryan was so mad. He certainly didn¡¯t want to see her again. Three years they hadn¡¯t seen each other, and who knew if Ryan would have a new woman? So she just wanted to know how he was doing. It was enough to hear news about him. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u walked in the other direction and, if she wasn¡¯t mistaken, then it should be where the herbivorous species were settled. However, just a few steps away, there was a slight movement behind her and it was followed by an unbelievable voice¡ª¡ª ¡°¨­u??¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u startled and turned around. Eric stood a few steps away and his antlers were even moreplex and powerful than before. He was tall and healthy and he looked at her face. His eyes widened and he was surprised, ¡°¨­u, so good. You¡¯re still alive!¡± Chapter 65 Gentle Beast Chapter 65 Eric¡¯s race was at the top of the foothills. Along with the reindeer, there were also antelope, giraffe and other herbivorous tribes. Eric went out looking for food that he could grow. The food the deer had been nting all these years was sweet potatoes. Except the harvest hadn¡¯t been good and it was bing difficult to maintain the survival of the entire race. To fill their bellies, the tribe had to go into the nearby hills to find food. However, the mountains were also full of fierce beasts and several deer had lost their lives in the mouth of a meat-eating species. Eric was the young patriarch of the n and he naturally had to worry about the n finding suitable seeds for nting. He didn¡¯t expect to find J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u while he was out. ¡°¨­u, how are you here? How did you escape the leopards? Did you find your own race?¡± Eric brought J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u back to his race and entered the house, unable to wait to ask. When Laurence had appeared, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and the leopard cub had disappeared. Eric thought they had been eaten. It had been a long time since then. Now he could see that she was still alive, and he was happier than anyone else. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u smiled lightly and evasively answered, ¡°Yes, I found my race.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± Ericmented. As a social animal, he knew the importance of being with ones¡¯ race. Before, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had been alone with only a baby leopard at her side. There was absolutely no security on the Bornia continent for her. . . . Speaking of the leopard cub, Eric subconsciously glimpsed toward J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, ¡°¨­u, where¡¯s that leopard child you used to raise?¡± The smile on her face stiffened a little, ¡°He also returned to his race.¡± Eric seemed relieved. That was wonderful. To Eric¡¯s knowledge, herbivorous and carnivorous species were inherently incapable of coexistence. But those words, he did not saw in front of her. ¡°So you came back this time to find it?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u shook her head, ¡°He is living well with his race. I would only disturb him if I went. . .¡± She paused and said in self-deception, ¡°I just wanted toe back and take a look.¡± Eric wasn¡¯t quite sure but he also didn¡¯t ask too much. After learning that she had no ce to stay for a while, he warmly invited her to stay in his own home. When J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u entered the door, she met Eric¡¯s spouse, so there was no need for self-consciousness and she agreed to stay. It was not that J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u didn¡¯t believe in Eric, but in the eyes of animals, a female living with a single male was the default meaning of ''spouse.¡± ¡ª¡ªThis, she had learned from experience. However, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was still embarrassed to stay without payment, so in return, she gave Eric many crop seeds. On the way back, she had listened to Eric saying that the harvest wasn¡¯t good this year. When winter came, the entire race would be hungry. ¡°¨­u, what is this?¡± Eric looked at the variety of seeds in front of him and asked curiously. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u exined to him one by one, ¡°These are peanuts, those are radish, red beans, mung beans, and potatoes. . .¡± Eric listened and felt faint. Although they had involved into beastmen and lived more like humans, farming for hundreds of years, they really could notpare to real humans. ¡°Where did you. . . where did you get these things from?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u told some half-truths, ¡°These are foods that we grow in my race. They¡¯re easier to nt than sweet potatoes and they taste better. You can let your race try them.¡± Then she talked about how to nt them and how long they took to mature respectively. Eric finally understood, ¡°¨­u, you have such good timing. My people will be very grateful to you!¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u bit her lips, a little embarrassed. These were originally things from the real world, she was just using something not of her design to win favor. It would be good if this world could be made a little richer. . . . . . . The next day, Eric could not wait to nt the seeds given to him by J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and he went out to the fields to start nting. In the real world it was already winter, but here it had just entered autumn. Eric, ording to J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s directions, spread the radish and autumn eggnt seeds into the fields. But they were not good at cultivating and didn¡¯t know how to sow. Usually there were a lot of seeds bunched together, and even if they grew, they wouldn¡¯t grow in the future. Although J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u didn¡¯t do farm work, she also knew it shouldn¡¯t be like this so she taught them how to sow. Eric led the tribe to follow suit carefully. Within a few days, he saw green shoots growing from the bare soil. He was shocked and pleased to see it, because this sweet potato field hadn¡¯t grown for a long time! His tribe was very grateful to J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and were also more and more enthusiastic. * Today, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stood at the front of the field and exined to Eric about how the crop was fertilized. Suddenly, she heard a huge explosioning from a distant valley. Bang¡ª¡ª J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u took a slight look. Looking back, she saw thick white smokeing from the Camuda Valley entrance. Eric must have also heard it, his face was pale, and he quickly told the tribe to return to the race. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u asked, ¡°Eric, what was that sound just now?¡± Eric walked back with her and exined, ¡°It must be the wolves and the leopards at war again. ¨­u, let¡¯s hurry back.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­ugged behind and heard his undertone, ¡°They fight like this often?¡± Eric didn¡¯t refute it, looking dignified. ¡°Why are they fighting?¡± Eric: ¡°Since three years ago, they¡¯ve been fighting a lot like this. I don¡¯t know the exact reason why.¡± ¡°. . .¡± ¡°But,¡± said Eric, his antlers bowed seriously, ¡°I heard that the wolf leader stole the leopard leader¡¯s spouse.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .¡± The sounds of fighting continued and, across the valley, the roar of beasts could be heard. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u hesitated for a moment then couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°What was that explosion just now? It sounds powerful. Will it hurt other races?¡± ¡°It¡¯s called ¡®gunpowder¡¯,¡± said Eric, in awe, ¡°The leopards only use it against the wolves, and haven¡¯t used it on other races yet.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .¡± Ryan must really hate Holden. . . Returning to the deer tribe, Eric¡¯s expression finally rxed and he said, ¡°¨­u, fortunately you haven¡¯t been in contact with the leopards. . . If that little leopard was still around, the leopard leader would never let you go.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u turned and curiously asked, ¡°Why?¡± ¡°The leopard leader is unreasonable, ferocious, and brutal. It¡¯s said that Pat from the eastern sea offended him and he was brought back from the east three years ago. He still hasn¡¯t been released,¡± said Eric. * The leopard¡¯s battle with the wolves didn¡¯tst long, and in the afternoon, the wolves howled in surrender. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had mixed feelings in her heart when she thought about what Eric said. She couldn¡¯t sleep when sheid down that night. Since then, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u always intentionally, and sometimes unintentionally, asked Eric about the leopard¡¯s situation. But, Eric was a herbivorous species and he feared the carnivores. Usually, by the time they saw theming, it was toote to hide. So where did he have any piece of mind to go snooping in their business? He didn¡¯t know much about what she wanted to know. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u felt a little lost, but there was no other way. Unbeknownst to Eric, over thest seven days, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u would return to the tree engraved with ¡°1002¡± early in the morning so she could report in with her parents. With her fingers on the trunk, she closed her eyes. In the next second, that familiar feeling came over her again and pulled her back to the real world. Back there, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u opened her mobile phone and searched for a signal. After listening to her parents¡¯ recent voicemails, she would reply to them and return to the other world. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u didn¡¯t return to the deer tribe right away this time, instead going to the back of the mountains to look around. Halfway there, suddenly a small leopard came out from the bushes and scared J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u into jumping. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stepped back and fixed her gaze on it. The leopard¡¯s hind leg was slightly injured and his blue-green eyes were staring at her. A threatening growl poured out from his throat. However, she didn¡¯t make a single movement. Since she knew that the animals here could be humanoid, she didn¡¯t dare provoke any of them. And. . . wasn¡¯t this a herbivorous area, how could a leopard be here? One person and one leopard, both with their own thoughts, stared. Then, after a long time, the flower patterned leopard turned away. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought this was the end, not expecting that the next day, she would unexpectedly meet the leopard cub in the same ce. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u said nothing and waited for him to leave. On the third day, she met him again. This time, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u seriously looked at him and saw that he hadn¡¯t dealt with the injury on his back leg. It was exposed to the air and his body was much thinner than the first day she had seen him. Perhaps because he was injured like Ryan had been when they met, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s heart was inexplicably soft towards him. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u struggled for a long time, but she could not bear it. She took a carton of milk from her backpack and pushed it forward, ¡°Do you want to drink it?¡± The little leopard looked at her then the carton. He buried his head in the box and stuck out his pink tongue top it up. Soon, the leopard finished the milk and lifted blue-green eyes towards J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, those eyes expressing that he wasn¡¯t full. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u took some beef jerky out to feed him. . . . Over the next few days, the little leopard would go to the same ce everyday to beg for food. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u saw that this ce was quite far from the deer tribe and he wasn¡¯t a threat to Eric¡¯s people, so she acquiesced to his behavior. But, every time he finished his milk, she would retrieve the carton. After all, it was something from another world and the less people that knew, the better. * Wenrick was banished to the wilderness for a month. When he returned, Winter and Suzanna both signed with relief. This was one of the leopard¡¯s rules. Each newborn offspring must undergo training to be independent. During such inhuman training, some came back, and some didn¡¯t, dying the mouths of wild animals. Winter¡¯s son, Wenrick, was a naughty little boy. He didn¡¯t liked hunting and liked to y around, beingzy. This time, Winter and Suzanna had feared that he wouldn¡¯te back. When he saw him standing there, he could finally put down his heart. ¡°Wenrick, tell me, what have you been doing these days?¡± Winter held his son¡¯s shoulder and asked. Wenrick shifted into his human form, it was about eight or nine years old. He had inherited Suzanna¡¯s red lips, white teeth, and delicate eyebrows. Wenrick said, ¡°I killed two hyenas, but theirpanions bit my leg.¡± Suzanna heard it and quickly checked his wound. She saw that Wenrick¡¯s right leg had a deep w mark, the bone easily visible, and no treatment had been done. ¡°You¡¯re so useless, to actually be bitten by hyenas,¡± Suzanna said. Wenrick¡¯s lips parted toin, ¡°But there were more than a dozen of them against me alone.¡± ¡°How did you escape?¡± Wenrick: ¡°I fled towards the deer tribe, the stupid deer nted some strange nts and didn¡¯t find me.¡± . . . The children who had went out to train that came back were returned to their parents. About half an hourter, Elder Berson counted the children that returned and reported to the chief. The tall, upright beastman listened, and asked in his unique, low voice, ¡°Who didn¡¯te back?¡± Elder Berson said two names: ¡°Gus and Felice.¡± His dark blue eyes and profound facial expression didn¡¯t express his emotions. He said unhurriedly and unquestionably, ¡°Go look for them. No matter who¡¯s stomach they are in.¡± Chapter 66 Gentle Beast Chapter 66 Soon after, Felice was found by the tribe. He was dizzy from hunger because he hadn¡¯t eaten in days. As for Gus, he had been eaten by a ck bear. The ck bear was caught by the leopards but his attitude was irritable and fierce. He waved arge paw and tried to attack the leopards. ck bears were huge and powerful, and their strength shouldn¡¯t be underestimated. Several of the leopards could barely subdue it. But he was not very good at selecting opponent, and he opened hisrge mouth and mercilessly bit down toward the middle of the leopards around him. ¡°Chief!¡± Several of the leopards hastened to step forward. The beastman in the middle lifted his head and his blue eyes were bottomless. When the ck bear attacked, he extended his arm and held his palm directly to the ck bear¡¯s jaw. His eyes forcefully nced over him and in the next moment, the sound of the ck bear¡¯s jaw cracking and falling off could be heard. At the same time, he grabbed the ck bear¡¯s waving hands and, with a little force, threw the bear to the ground. The bearnded heavily and the ground shook. The bear struggled unwillingly and bodily fluids leaked from his crooked mouth. He tried to stand up from the ground. Ryan sped his ws around the bear¡¯s throat and licked his teeth. His voice fell crudely and heavily, seemingly shackling his ears, ¡°I hear my people are in your stomach?¡± The bear red at him with muddy eyes and uttered an angry growl. Ryan¡¯s eyes lowered and fell on the slightly bulging belly of the bear. His eyes shed coldly and he straightened, raising his boot towards the bear¡¯s head, and he stomped down. He told his tribe, ¡°Cut open his belly and send Gus to his parents.¡± The bear¡¯s voice sounded out from behind and Ryan exined what was going to happen, then he turned and walked toward his home. His house was still the same as three years ago, and nothing had changed. Only the cabin where J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u made her gunpowder was locked and never opened. Ryan pushed the door open and entered, his eyes never shifting toward the middle bedroom. There was no sign of J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s existence in the house. She had not left many of her things. On the night she fled, she had cleaned up everything. Except for a small kitten pendant. It was something that J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u hung on her phone, because it resembled G¨³n G¨³n at home. It hadn¡¯t been picked up. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s phone had fallen out of her backpack that night and the pendant fell off. She couldn¡¯t find it and never picked it up. The kitten pendant was in the cupboard at the side and Ryan walked passed it without looking at it. There was dust in the area, like no one had took care of it. Ryany on his bed for a rest and was awakened at noon by a nsman. His temper wasn¡¯t great after waking and his eyebrows were furrowed, his voice indifferent, ¡°What?¡± The man swallowed down his saliva and felt that chief had be more and more terrible over the past three years. Unlike the bear¡¯s ws, this was a deep-seated kind of oppression. A single look in the eye would make his heart pulse in fear and his courage plummet. ¡°Pat is making a fuss about wanting to see you. . .¡± The man said. Ryan paused for a moment, ¡°Did he find a way?¡± The male shook his head. ¡°He said he knows nothing, but if you don¡¯t let him return to the Eastern Sea, he¡¯ll die of thirst.¡± Ryan regained hisposure and was expressionless, ¡°Then tell him if he doesn¡¯te up with a way, he will never return to the sea.¡± The male nodded and sent back the message. To be honest, he didn¡¯t know how Pat had offended the Chief. Three years ago, the chief grabbed Pat and didn¡¯t say anything, only told him to think of a ¡°way.¡± What way? It wasn¡¯t clear and only the chief and Pat knew. The tribe said it was rted to the little female that the leader had lost: The leader¡¯s female had made a fuss three years ago and ran away from home. So far, she hadn¡¯te back and the chief had be what he was now, half-dead. So where did that female go? * The young female who had ran away from home was now feeding milk to a flower-patterned leopard cub behind the sweet potato fields. These days, the leopard¡¯s injury was significantly better and was also bandaged up, proving that the tribe was dealing with the wound, but he came tirelessly to the same ce every day to beg her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u originally wanted to have a ruthless heart and ignore him, but he stood still and looked at her with round eyes, opening his mouth and making a soft sound. She immediately softened and relented. So much like when Ryan was still a child. So even if J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u knew that he wasn¡¯t as harmless and pitiful as he looked, she couldn¡¯t help but feed him for several days. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u knew that he could understand her words and she touched his semi-circr ears, ¡°Can¡¯t tell the others, ah, don¡¯t let people know I let you drink milk, or I won¡¯te here anymore.¡± Wenrick¡¯s ear shifted and silently recorded it into his heart. . . . So, Winter and Suzanna found that their son woulde home with less and less frequency. Wenrick was at a very active age and everyday, he left with hispanions and ran west. Originally, they didn¡¯t mind until Wenrick started to return every time smelling of milk. They knew that leopard cubs were weaned at about half a year old. Today, Suzanna especially guarded the door and when Wenrick came back, she stopped him. She smelled him and asked, ¡°Say, which race did you go to today? Where does that milk scente from?¡± Wenrick¡¯s face was stiff. He had stayed with J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u too long recently and forgot to take a bath for several days. When mom and dad didn¡¯t say anything, he thought they hadn¡¯t found out. ¡°Don¡¯t speak, but I know the taste of milk. Are you running to the herbivorous races to rob their food?¡± Suzanna wrinkled her nose, not ashamed at her son¡¯s behavior. Wenrick immediately retorted, ¡°No, I didn¡¯t rob them for food.¡± ¡°Then tell me where you¡¯ve been these past few days.¡± Wenrick bit his lip and closed his mouth, ¡°Nowhere.¡± ¡°. . .¡± After that, no matter how Suzanna asked, Wenrick would refuse to disclose a single word. Suzanna taught him a lesson and ordered him not to take food from herbivores in the future, let alone drink their milk. Unfortunately, it had no effect. Wenrick was honest for two days then ran out on the third day. He was too fast for Suzanna to catch up. . . . Today was the day the leopards went out to hunt. All the males would set out, even the young cubs that had just been training. All the males gathered at the entrance, led by Ryan into the remote Wilnor Valley. ¡ª¡ªWaiting for a long time and the tribe hadn¡¯t gotten altogether. Ryan¡¯s blue eyes turned to Winter, ¡°Wenrick?¡± Winter looked around in a circle and could not find his own son. Looking worried, he couldn¡¯t help but think of Wenrick¡¯s abnormal behavior these days. ¡°This little guy, he must have gone looking for the herbivores!¡± Ryan said nothing and calmly reminded him, ¡°There¡¯s still a while before we have to leave.¡± Winter was now very respectful toward Ryan. This respect came with a guilty conscience, ¡°I am very sorry, Chief. You and the tribe go first, I¡¯ll follow after I find Wenrick.¡± Ryan didn¡¯t refute and his default was an agreement. ording to the recent weather changes, it wasn¡¯t difficult to specte that winter wasing soon. Before that, the race needed to have sufficient food and fur stored to safely survive the winter. This was arge-scale hunt, and would take about a month. Ryan didn¡¯t want anyone to slow down the process. ¡°Depart.¡± Ryan¡¯s low voicemanded and he turned into his beast-form, stooping low and heading out toward Camuda Valley. . . . . . . In the meantime, Winter and Suzanna¡¯s voices could be heard in the rear: ¡°Suzanna, have you found Wenrick?¡± ¡°No, that guy most likely went across the forest to look for the herbivores.¡± ¡°. . . when hees back, I¡¯ll give him a good lesson.¡± ¡°Winter, what have you said to Wenrick recently? Like drinking milk every day? He came back the day before yesterday and asked if I knew something about a ¡®T¨¢o T¨¢o¡¯. That name¡¯s something of those stupid grass-feeders. How could he know about it? He¡¯s not going to like ying with the herbivores in the future, will he?¡± Suzanna asked worriedly. As Winter listened, he was a little worried, ¡°No. . .¡± If that¡¯s what happened, his son was too humiliating to be a leopard! Winter picked up hisplicated mood and turned to say, ¡°I¡¯ll go look for him.¡± He had yet to take a step forward when he suddenly saw a strong, tall body in front of him, dark blue eyes staring at him. Winter¡¯s body shook and he said, ¡°Chief.¡± Ryan asked, ¡°Where?¡± His voice was extremely low and heavy, like an uing storm. Winter said, ¡°What?¡± Ryan said, one word at a time, ¡°Where is Wenrick?¡± * The deer farnd had grown better and better. In addition to the seeds J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u brought with her, the sweet potato field was much more lush than before. Originally, they didn¡¯t know how to nt and the watering was uneven so the roots of the seedlings didn¡¯t get enough water. Additionally, there were disturbances nearby that often trampled their potato seedlings and nature wouldn¡¯t produce much fruit. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u remembered something she had seen on TV before and taught them a way to fully water the potato fields, then let them build up a fence around the fields. This way was indeed very effective. If this trend continued, when winter came, they would have plenty of food to withstand the winter. The reindeer n was extremely grateful to J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and learned that her race was far away from here, so they took increasingly more care of her. Fresh fruit was picked up on weekdays and they gave her part of it. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could not finish it all herself so she gave some to Eric and Eric¡¯s partner Liana, but they refused to ept it. Although putting it in her space wasn¡¯t bad, but there were too many things and there would be some panic, so she took some for Wenrick to eat. Unfortunately, Wenrick wasn¡¯t interested in the wild fruit and drank the milk as before thenidfortably on her feet, licking his lips. ¡ª¡ªThe little guy was addicted to drinking milk. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u found it a bit funny and squatted in front of him, touching his ears, ¡°Don¡¯t just like to drink milk. It¡¯s good to eat fruits and vegetables.¡± Wenrick stuck out his tongue and tilted his head, gently licking her palm with eyes that didn¡¯t listen to her at all. ¡°However. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s palm was itchy and she bowed her eyes, ¡°I guess I won¡¯te here to feed you milk anymore.¡± Wenrick lifted his blue-green eyes and looked at her puzzled. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u said to him, ¡°You are a leopard. This ce belongs to a herbivorous species. You will bring them trouble. Your injury is already find. From tomorrow on, don¡¯te here again. . . even if youe, I won¡¯t give you anything.¡± Wenrick understood and opened his mouth to bite her pants, his voice chattering in his throat as he refused to agree. ¡°Hey. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u didn¡¯t expect this reaction and she stood up, a little helpless, ¡°You can¡¯t be so shameless.¡± . . . The shadow of the tree was nted and sunlight mottled the ground. The girl was slim and her looks exquisite. Her long eyshes hung slightly and covered her colorful eyes. Even if one couldn¡¯t see them, they could guess that her eyes would be unprepared and soft-hearted. The sun shone on her head and spread a circle over it, exposing her porcin white, clear skin. Like a ripe and full peach, a bite would be sweet and overflowing with juice. The sound of J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s voice floated up from under the tree and passed into Ryan¡¯s ears. She persuaded Wenrick with tenderness, she relentlessly tried to say farewell to him, but was still helpless to the cub. Every sound, without omission. Ryan stared fixedly at her, his eyes deep and shining, unblinking. Like the seemingly calm surface of the deep sea, in fact, the depths had already churned into waves. At the same time, the long dead heart in his chest began to beat again, slowly pumping blood across his entire body. ¡°Thump, thump,¡± a quiet sound soon erupted. * Wenrick tightly bit J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s pants and asionally issued a soft rumbling sound, and he refused to let her go. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was a bit distressed. Where did this little guye from? Wasn¡¯t that something only a puppy could do? A person and a leopard contended for a while, then J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u hardened her heart and finally seeded in saving her pants from Wenrick¡¯s mouth. The leopard lost his momentum and rolled to the side, his head struck a tree trunk, stars floating around his head. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u forced herself to ignore him and was about to leave, when she suddenly heard the cry of the deer. The sound was frantic and steps were mixed in. Then a figure came running from afar and Eric¡¯s voice drew closer: ¡°¨­u,e with me. The tigers areing to attack this mountain!¡± This mountain was close to the tiger n and every once in a while, the tigers would attack. Especially when it approached winter, the tigers woulde out more frequently to hoard food. Recently the deer had been busy nting the fields and forgot about the tiger n, so this attack sent the race into a frenzy. ¡°¨­u,e and hide with me. . .¡± Eric ran toward J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and said anxiously to her in a hurry. But he hadn¡¯t reached her when an adult tiger suddenly emerged from the side and opened his sharp mouth, fiercely rushing forward. Eric¡¯s face whitened and hurriedly hid aside, forcing his limbs to jump into the nearest tree trunk. The adult tiger stopped and turned amber eyes in a circle, falling on J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s body and he slowly moved toward her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s heart throbbed and she stepped back. The other side followed. The other party snarled low and rushed toward J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, apanied by Eric¡¯s scream. A section of broken branches fell from the sky, straight passed the tiger¡¯s eyes to pierce into a tree trunk with a shriek. Then, a swift and vigorous figure leaped down between J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and the tiger. The tall figure towered over J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and his thick, long tail swept the dead leaves behind him. Like a de in a sheath, he was dangerous and bloodthirsty, hiding none of it. ¡°Uncle Ryan!¡± Wenrick, hiding behind a tree, stuck out his head and pleasantly cried. Ryan took rope out to tie his prey and leaned forward. His dark eyes did not look at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u but he held her hands and tied them tightly with rope. At the same time, he growled low in his throat to the unfortunate tiger behind him, ¡°Sorry, this is my prey.¡± Chapter 67 Gentle Beast Chapter 67 Behind them, the voices of the deer escaping continued, their hooves trampling across fallen leaves and apanied by the loud roar of the tigers. However, this wasn¡¯t enough to bring J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u into shock. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stared at the familiar face in front of her, too horrified to speak. Why was he here? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u never exposed any trace of her existence, even whens he fed Wenrick milk, she never mentioned anything. Aside from that one time she identally called out the wrong name, the leopard she called ¡°T¨¢o T¨¢o.¡± But how did the little leopard know who she was calling? And, as far as she knew, the leopard hunts never came to this forest. Although the beastmen were barbaric, they also had very clearly set territories. The wolves¡¯ hunting grounds was in the Camuda Valley and the Moro Valley belonged to the tiger n. Why, then, was he. . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u subconsciously turned to the small leopard hiding behind the tree. The little one had transformed into his human shape and his glossy eyes and red lips resembled Suzanna¡¯s face. ¡°. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u suddenly understood how it happened. Wenrick looked at Ryan¡¯s actions and thought that Ryan wanted to hurt her so he hurriedly said, ¡°Uncle Ryan, don¡¯t hurt her, she¡¯s mine!¡± Ryan¡¯s eyebrows shifted slightly and he looked down at him, his voice extremely low, ¡°What did you just say?¡± Wenrick looked at Ryan¡¯s eyes and for a moment was scared, ¡°She, she¡¯s the prey that I saw first. . .¡± Ryan didn¡¯t change his expression and said nothing. In the distance, several tribesmen wereing, and Winter ran at the forefront, ¡°The Chief has finally found you!¡± Several leopards stopped under the tree and shifted to their humanoid shape. When Winter lowered his head and saw his son, he lifted his hand and pulled him up, ¡°You¡¯re really here, you little guy. . .¡± Wenrick was stuck under his father¡¯s elbow and he breathed hard, choking, ¡°Uncle Ryan is here, so why can¡¯t I be here!¡± ¡°You. . .¡± Winter wanted to say, ¡°Could you possiblypare with the chief?¡± when he looked up and saw J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u standing beside Ryan. The words immediately choked on his tongue and he couldn¡¯t say a word. When J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had fled, though the others didn¡¯t know what was going on, he knew it clearly. He med himself for identally leaking out what happened and let the female know about how he and the Chief were deceiving her. In a fit of rage, she had a big fight with the chief and ran off overnight. Since then, Winter had felt guilt and remorse toward Ryan. The Chief had let him live until now, and he himself felt it was incredible. Now, Winter looked at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s face and was extremely surprised. This female was back? Where had shee from? Would she leave once she came back? . . . ¡°Here you are,¡± Ryan¡¯s voice interrupted Winter¡¯s thoughts and was so calm that he couldn¡¯t hear any infliction. Holding the rope in his hand, he took a step and went deep into the forest. Winter saw him go in the opposite direction and was stunned, but he couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Chief, there¡¯s the hunt today. . .¡± ¡°You go first,¡± Ryan¡¯s footsteps didn¡¯t stop and he led J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u into the woods, ¡°I¡¯ll catch up with you in a few days.¡± Winter knew what was going on and led the rest of the people down the hill to meet the others. Before he left, he suddenly heard a slight noise in the tree and looked up at he top¡ª¡ª Eric¡¯s face was pale and white, and he stared at them, rmed at their sight. ¡°. . .¡± When Ryan originally showed up, he was already dead. With the tiger and leopard right there, he had no room to survive. Who knew thatter a group of leopards would show up and the one in the middle be their ¡°Chief.¡± Chief??? This was the leader of the leopards that had been constantly fighting with the wolves and left them with no defense? Eric was even more scared as he watched J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u be taken by that ¡°unreasonable¡± leader. But he was even more helpless. His heart felt guilty remorse but right now, in the line of sight of the leopards, he bravely gathered up his courage. He trembled and said, ¡°You, you can¡¯t hurt her, she¡¯s saved your people. . .¡± * The forest was silent, and there was no trace of sound. Only a single, tall beastman led a petite and delicate female to walk into the woods. But the forest path was rough and bumpy. The petite female had a very hard time walking. Coupled with her hands being tied by the beastman, she couldn¡¯t maintain good bnce. The male had long legs and deliberately didn¡¯t wait for her, so she couldn¡¯t keep up with him. ¡°Ryan, let go, I can¡¯t walk,¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u didn¡¯t know how many times she had said that sentence, but Ryan made as though he hadn¡¯t heard anything and ignored her. Aside from those few words to the father and son, he didn¡¯t say anything at all. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stared at the wide back in front of her and pursed her lips, angrily calling out his name, ¡°Ryan!¡± Ryan was unmoved. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u asked, ¡°Where exactly are you taking me?¡± Ryan took the other end of the rope and continued forward. ¡°Eric and his people have done nothing, don¡¯t harm them.¡± When J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u saw he continued to ignore her, she felt a bit anxious and resorted to her killer line, ¡°If you don¡¯t agree, I¡¯ll go home now.¡± Ryan finally stopped. The veins in the back of his hand suddenly pulsed and he turned around to look at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u bit her lip and wanted to escape on principle at being stared at but she still had to bite the bullet and say, ¡°I know this is your naturalw, but Eric is a friend and when you were injured, he did help you. . .¡± She hadn¡¯t finished when Ryan came to stand near her and his presence made J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u subconsciously step back. Ryan leaned slightly over her and finally said his first words to her, ¡°What did you say?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was suddenly self-conscious and she quietly answered, ¡°Eric is a friend. . .¡± ¡°The previous sentence,¡± Ryan calmly reminded. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought for a moment and gently licked her lips, slowly repeating, ¡°If you don¡¯t agree, then I will go home.¡± || >>> *I¡¯m sure you guys know that what she just said is going to trigger him. So. Yeah. Chapter 68 Gentle Beast Chapter 68 ¡°You dare mention those words again, and I¡¯ll let Winter ughter the stupid deer and his tribe.¡± ¡°. . .¡± After Ryan finished speaking, he led J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u forward. But his pace was too big and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s was too small to keep up. She identally stepped on a rock that stuck out on the road and she tripped, reeling. The rope tugged at her wrists and she sharply hissed. The rugged rope was tightly wrapped around her wrists and it didn¡¯t have even the slightest gap. After such a long time, her hands were sore. Additionally, her skin was delicate and she couldn¡¯t handle such rough treatment. Two red rings soon appeared on her wrists and were in sharp contrast with her soft flesh. Ryan heard her voice and paused slightly. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u steadied herself and silently looked at his back. She knew that he was angry with her so she didn¡¯t utter aint. Three years ago she should have left him. Now that she thought about it, there was probably a better solution, but they had chosen the most extreme one. These past three years, she had thought a lot. She had thoroughly thought through her feelings for Ryan. ¡ª¡ªShe liked him. Liked his calm mouth that said, ¡°No.¡± Liked him frowning, so clumsily trying to make fish soup for her. Liked him sticking out his tongue to lick her cheek. Liked him kissing her. Liked him holding her in his arms and saying, ¡°This is my spouse.¡± . . . She liked him a lot, much more than her whole could hope to hide. Since she had first returned to her world, she closed her eyes every night and he would there. At the time, she thought it was guilt that slowly as time went on, his figure didn¡¯t be unclear, rather even clearer and clearer. Even though he had several shorings, he was brutal and savage, cruel and unreasonable, she still didn¡¯t hesitate to like him. So when she learned she might be able to freely pass between the two worlds, she had prepared for a reunion. Knowing how unreasonable and crazy this world was, she was back here. Because he was here. But after she really came back, she was too afraid to see him again. This feeling was probably nostalgic timidness. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had thought of many scenes where they met again, but not one saw her tied with ropes and treated as ¡°prey.¡± . . . She didn¡¯t know where Ryan was taking her, but they walked for more than two hours and still did not stop. Her legs were sore and her wrists were worn out by the rope. Gradually those grievances built up and she spoke quietly, ¡°Ryan, I can¡¯t walk. . .¡± Ryan seemed to not hear her. She raised her arms to her head and rubbed against her eyes, unconsciously saying with the tone of a spoiled brat, ¡°Can you let me go?¡± She said, ¡°I won¡¯t run this time. . .¡± * Ryan finally stopped below a cliff. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked around at the surroundings. Dense jungle surrounded her and the mountains folded beyond it. To the left was a stream, but it was nothing special. What did he bring her here for? As soon as she was about to open her mouth, Ryan brought her to the entrance of a cave. Many stones were piled up at the entrance of the cave and Ryan lifted his foot, kicking them aside to bring her inside. The cave was very spacious andrger than average. The ground was t and the walls were clean. It wasn¡¯t natural, but deliberately built. Inside, there was a slightly smaller cave below. The light was faint but it was also tidy. However, this wasn¡¯t what had J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u so surprised. The cave was furnished with neat furniture, tables, chairs, cabs, a bed. . . Even a stove was built in the corner. But it hadn¡¯t been used in a long time and there was a thickyer of spider web on the stovetop, on whichid a huge spider. The spider heard movement and turned slightly. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u hid behind Ryan. ¡°Ryan. . . where is this?¡± Although she asked, her heart actually had an answer. Inside the cave was a bed with the two quilts she had hand-stitched. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u couldn¡¯t speak, but she choked, feeling like a fishbone was stuck in her throat. Being softened by vinegar, pain and sourness poured into her stomach. Ryan didn¡¯t answer her question and tied the end of the rope to the wall, then walked out. A momentter, he came back with a goat. He looked up and saw J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u standing there, her eyes staring at the huge spider. Ryan had tied the rope so short that she couldn¡¯t go far and watching the spider climb onto her head, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s eyes quickly reddened and she almost cried out. Ryan threw the goat on the ground and walked up to her. He untied the rope from the wall. After the spider touched Ryan, it obediently returned to the cobweb in the corner. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u raised her eyes and asked, ¡°How long are you going to keep me tied up for, Ryan?¡± Ryan¡¯s voice was light, ¡°Until you never run away again.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t run away.¡± ¡°Then there¡¯s no need to untie the rope,¡± he said. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .¡± Ryan seemed to iron his heart and wouldn¡¯t untie her. After saying that, he went to the side to clean up the goat¡¯s fur and guts. There was dry firewood in the cave and after the goat was cleaned, Ryan started a fire and set the whole goat in the fire. The mes crackled and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought for a while, walking over to sit across from Ryan. Across from her, Ryan¡¯s eyebrows wrinkled slightly. When Ryan returned, he picked some nts for seasoning and berries. Squeezing the juice out of them with his ws, he spread it on the skin of the roast goat. Soon, the scent of roasted goat filled the air. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u walked for the entire day and was already hungry. This fragrance was almost unbearable, but the thought that mammals could be humanoid, that the roast goat in front of her could be a talking beasman, she immediately dismissed the idea. Ryan took a polished stone knife from his waist and cut a piece of it, beginning to eat. The rich fragrance constantly tickled J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s nose and she stared at her hands, silently thinking that she wasn¡¯t hungry, she wasn¡¯t hungry at all. . . . But her stomach betrayed her. A loud cry came from her belly and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s ears reddened. She red at Ryan, slightly resentful and a bit pathetic. They seemed toin that he was eating in front of her. ¡°Want to eat?¡± Ryan¡¯s said, not lifting his eyes across the fire. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u nodded. Ryan¡¯s voice was low, ¡°Come here.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had no choice but to stand up and sit beside Ryan. He raised his hands and said, ¡°You have to untie the rope, I can¡¯t eat anything. . .¡± Her voice had just trailed off when Ryan lifted a piece of cooked meat from the goat¡¯s leg and raised it to her mouth. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .¡± She hesitated for a long time, then opened her mouth and ate it. She thought, since this world was ruled by thew of the jungle, then it wouldn¡¯t change anything for her to eat it. Just as she had epted Ryan, she had to ept his lifestyle. ¡°More.¡± After this self-constion, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u eliminated several obstacles. She licked the corners of her mouth and looked at Ryan. Her pink tongue swept over full lips and Ryan stared. Then he collected his gaze and cut another piece. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was embarrassed as she ate, but when Ryan fed her, she opened her mouth and chewed with bulging cheeks, like a sulking kitten. But the kitten¡¯s appetite wasn¡¯trge and soon she shook her head, ¡°I¡¯m full.¡± Ryan nced at the leg that hadn¡¯t been eaten. He didn¡¯t say anything and took the rest, cleaning the cave again. This time, the day had turned to night outside. The valley was already quiet and after nightfall, it was even more pronounced. The night covered the valley like a ink-soaked scroll, dense and huge. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u saw that it was dark outside and Ryan still hadn¡¯t untied her. She was a bit anxious. She had been tied up for four or five hours, she felt a little ruffled. Or was it true that he intended to keep her tied up? How could he? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought about it quickly and when Ryan turned around, she picked up a y pot on the table and fell to the ground. With a bang, the pot cracked. When Ryan turned, he saw J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u standing in the middle of the mes with her raised hands, ¡°Ryan, my hands are numb. Can you loosen it?¡± Ryan: ¡°. . .¡± ¡°If they¡¯re tied for too long, the blood vessels will get blocked and my hands will be destroyed,¡± she said. Ryan subconsciously looked at her hands. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to cook, or write, or make gunpowder. . . I won¡¯t be able to hug you.¡± . . . * Since they had been bound for too long, after they were released, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s wrists were rubbed red and raw. The traces were deep and even tinged blue. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s skin was tender and so it looked even more shocking. Ryan¡¯s fingers gently touched the rings and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u jerked them away, shouting, ¡°Hey, it hurts.¡± Ryan squinted and there was no response, but the strength of his hand became lighter. He lifted his eyes and asked her, ¡°What did you say you wanted to do?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought about it and deliberately asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ryan was silent, staring at her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was afraid of his anger and saw him hide his anger. After she had enough of staring at him, she straightened up and lifted her hands to wrap around his neck, fingers folding behind it, and she rubbed her tender cheek against his chin gently, ¡°I was lying to you just now.¡± ¡°. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u said, ¡°I won¡¯t leave you again.¡± She meant the threat to ¡°go home.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± her whole body clung to him until there was almost no gap at all, and she said, ¡°But you were not right, ah. You and Winter lied to me and I wasn¡¯t sure what to think afterwards. I admit it was wrong, but you locked me in the house and wouldn¡¯t let me out all day. My mother was sick and you didn¡¯t let me go home, and. . .¡± she paused here because it wasn¡¯t a very good memory, ¡°. . . anyway, you were wrong.¡± ¡°Why did youe back?¡± Ryan was silent for a long time before uttering that remark. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u blinked and her eyshes swept across her cheeks, ¡°DId you say you would pursue me as your spouse?¡± ¡°. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u loosened her hands around his neck and her dark eyes looked up at him as she clearly said, ¡°I can promise you now.¡± . . . . . . In the next moment, she was turned upside down and pressed under his entire body. Before she could react, he bent down and kissed her lips. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s hands were tightly held by his and the injured wrists were pressed against the bed, and she frowned. However, her struggle was insignificant and she was soon swallowed by his kiss. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was frightened for a moment, then she slowly rxed and closed her eyes, rxing her jaw to allow him entrance. Chapter 69 Gentle Beast Chapter 69 Outside the cave, the night was dark and the moonlight thin. An autumn wind howled over the treetops and took with it, several withered leaves. The owls in the tress stared into the entrance¡¯s dim lighting. Inside the cave, the mes leaped wildly reflecting on two dim figures. ¡°Hey, Ryan. My hand hurts. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u finally couldn¡¯t withstand it and turned to escape his kiss, her soft voice dragging out in a spoiled wind. The bed was built of stone and the surface was rough. There was no soft mattress, only the rattan mat covered with rough skins and her swollen wrists were bing intolerable. Ryan grasped her two hands in one and he rubbed his thumb lightly against her wrists. Feeling her trembling, he pulled over her quilt and ced it under her. Simultaneously, he bent close to her cheek and stuck out his tongue to lick her. There was no telling when the quilt had beenst sun-dried. While it didn¡¯t umte dust, the moisture from the surface made J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u frown, ¡°Don¡¯t. . .¡± What a nuisance. Ryan simply took off his jacket and wrapped her wrists in it, throwing aside the quilt. The leather cloth was suede and had ayer of soft fur on it, and with theyer of fabric, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u finally didn¡¯t resist. However, she would have had no room to revolt. . . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u buried her whole face in the quilt. This time she gave up on it being so dirty, how long had it been unwashed. But tears constantly overflowed from her eyes and she bite at the edge with her teeth, shaking as she sobbed. Ryan feared she would suffocate so he slowed down slightly on the offensive and stuck his index finger in her mouth, separating her tightly shut teeth. He reminded her with a scalding, muted voice, ¡°Exhale.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u took advantage to bite his fingers and continued to cry, even though she had heard what he said. ¡ª¡ªShe was almost dying. Ryan probably realized she didn¡¯t like the position because he turned her around and embraced her again. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s breathing was still stifled and she almost didn¡¯t breathe. Lifting her arms to sp tightly around his neck, she opened her mouth and bite down on his shoulder. She didn¡¯t know how much time had passed, but outside the cave it was silent, only the asional owl cooing. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u fell unconscious and when she woke, she was tightly held in Ryan¡¯s arms. His strong arms were wrapped around her sore waist. She wasn¡¯t used to such close and seamless contact so she shifted and tried to separate from him a little. Unexpectedly, he woke up. In the darkness, Ryan looked at her with the eyes of an eagle seeking prey. They were precise and mysterious. She didn¡¯t want to face him but he rushed at her again. . . . The night was so long it seemed endless. The next morning, dawn flooded the valley and dazzling sunlight poured into the cave. The girl on the bed was curled in on herself and the slender neck exposed from the quilt was covered in red marks. She had wet tears on her eyshes and her eyes were red and swollen. At a nce, it was obvious she had been bulliedst night. She was the only one in the cave. She opened her eyes to look in a circle and couldn¡¯t find any traces of Ryan. She was relieved. Aching all over, she felt as if she was being torn apart and put back together. Every part of her bodyined with difort. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u felt her legs were even more ufortable. She moved and tried to get up from the bed. When she looked up, she saw Ryan¡¯s tall figureing in from outside. Immediately, she withdrew her newly-outstretched feet and returned them to the quilt. This quilt wasn¡¯t the one fromst night. It was the fur of some animal and rough. Ryan carried in two lively squid and he ced them on the table. His blue eyes looked inside. The bed had a bulging bump, and the little girl had covered herself up tightly like a small turtle. Ryan¡¯s eyes drifted a bit and she soon hid. He took back his gaze and walked to the stove, cleaning the spiderwebs and dust on it to begin cooking. There was no problem with him not eating for a day but J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u couldn¡¯t. Latest night, she had buried her face in his neck and cried, ¡°I don¡¯t want to. I have no strength.¡± Ryan thought that if he fed her enough, she would have the strength. She was so delicate that a touch could break her. Not long after, Ryan had made fish soup and put a bowl in front of her. Ryan wrapped her up in a fur nket and put her on hisp, exposing her white, delicate face, he scooped up a spoonful of the soup and fed it to her, ¡°Drink the soup.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was a little hungry, and she wasn¡¯t polite, opening her mouth to drink it. After a moment, she wrinkled her eyebrows and pursed her mouth into a t line, ¡°It¡¯s not good to drink. . .¡± There was no taste at all. Ryan himself drank a sip and couldn¡¯t taste anything. He could eat raw meat. If not for her, he wouldn¡¯t even deliberately boil this soup. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to drink, we¡¯ll continue,¡± Ryan touched her lip that was glossy. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stared at him with round eyes and was frightened. Still wanted to continue? Ryan didn¡¯t agree or deny and put the soup on the table. If she didn¡¯t drink the soup, he looked like he would just continue. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u quickly reached out her small hand and grabbed his arm, giving in, ¡°I, I¡¯ll drink. . .¡± So Ryan picked up the bowl and fed it to her by the spoonful. She slowly drank it. He didn¡¯t know if human beings were so, but they ate things too slow and could only drink a small bit at a time. In normal times, Ryan would have been impatient for a long time, but J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u slowly drank her soup. With every sip, she blew it to cool it down then drank it and her eyshes fluttered. Inexplicably, it tickled his heart. In a certain ce, it visibly grew until it became increasingly uncontroble, blotting out the sky. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had just finished the bowl of fish soup and hadn¡¯t had time to speak when Ryan threw aside the bowl in her hand and took her back to bed. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .¡± * For five whole days, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u passed them in the darkness and never once stepped out of the cave. Ryan hugged her day and night and as long as she was awake, he would never let her go. Of couse, she fell asleep. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was simply afraid of him. Once Ryan started this kind of thing, it was like a dark, ck hole, bottomless and never ending. One time, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was in a hurry at night and too embarrassed to solve it in the cave. She broke free of Ryan¡¯s arms and walked outside the cave. When she came back, she saw Ryan staring at the entrance of the cave with red eyes. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was covered again by him that night. A full toss for a day and night, afterwards, she didn¡¯t even have the strength to speak, leaving her only sobbing uncontroble tears. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u regretteding back a bit. Who knew that this was such a terrible torture to herself? So when Winter and another tribesman came to find them, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u actually had an illusion of being back out in the sunlight. . . . Winter and another leopard beastman stood at the entrance of the cave and took a look inside at such a strong smell. As soon as he thought of the chief staying with his little female here for five days, he quickly guessed what was going on. The cave had been made especially for the little female because she didn¡¯t like his race. Ryan had ns for it early on, in case a new leader banned him, he would take J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u to this ce. The tables and chairs were all made by him. Winter wanted to help at the time, but he was only driven out by Ryan. However, before the cave waspletely built, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had took everything she had and fled. She never left a thought for Ryan. After all, three years ago on that night, Ryan had asked her if she woulde back and she had expressed her refusal with clear silence. Ryan didn¡¯te back to this ce and the mountains stones that fell to block the entrance were like his mood, always in the dark. Nowadays, it was clear that after the rain, the clouds had cleared. Winter and the others breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the chief had finally recovered his little female. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Ryan put on his coat and his trousers hung low on his waist, his face not pleased at being disturbed. Fearing his wrath, Winter and the other man hastened to exin, ¡°Chief, our people have reached the Wilnor Valley, but without your guidance Laurence and Dole have some differences. Now the two won¡¯t agree. . . and I hope you¡¯ll preside over it.¡± Speaking thest sentence, Winter was obviously very cautious. Sure enough, Ryan¡¯s face looked worse and he bared his teeth, ¡°What about the rest of the tribe?¡± Winter told the truth, ¡°The others aren¡¯t their opponents. . .¡± Seeing Ryan¡¯s expressionless face, he added, ¡°First I can send your female back to the race, Camuda Valley isn¡¯t that far from here and it won¡¯t take long.¡± Ryan¡¯s eyebrows twisted and the air pressure lowered. He was obviously dissatisfied with the proposal. After a long time he said, ¡°No, she goes with me.¡± * J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u hadn¡¯t even had a good rest when Ryan wrapped her up in the nket and went outside. She hadn¡¯t seen the sun for several days and the light stabbed into her eyes. She buried her face in Ryan¡¯s chest and said in a voice thick with sleep, ¡°Ryan. . . where are we going?¡± The sounds was crisp and soft, but slightly husky. It drilled through the ears and straight into the bone. Looking at the exposed side of her face, it was white and clear with a trace of red. Then looking further down, nothing else could be seen, but Winter and the other quickly removed their gazes. Ryan lifted his eyes and gave them a deep look. Then he lifted the animal skin nket and covered J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s head, ¡°Hunting.¡± ¡°. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u took a while to react. Taking her hunting? She tried to get out of the nket and shouted, ¡°I don¡¯t want to go. . .¡± She just wanted to take a good night¡¯s sleep and rest for a few days. Ryan briefly stated, ¡°Prey doesn¡¯t get the right to refuse.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .¡± Winter and the other, who were warned by Ryan, had already obediently put away their gazes and set off in advance. Holding J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s legs in one hand and her head in the other, Ryan soon jumped into a tree and followed them. The Wilnor Valley was thousands of miles from here and even for Ryan, it took a day and night. The route they took was through the jungle and with all the jumping up and down, it was bumpy. But Ryan held her stable and from beginning to end, she didn¡¯t move. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was held in Ryan¡¯s arms and settled down to sleep all the way. At the entrance of Wilnor Valley, the other male leopards were resting. Far off, they saw their leopard¡¯s vigorous and flexible figure driving through the jungle and in his strong arms, he held a petite female who was fast asleep. Chapter 70 Gentle Beast Chapter 70 Every year before winter, the leopards went on arge hunt. Due to the rarity of females, only men needed to participate. So in this environment where males were everywhere, the little female in Ryan¡¯s arms was particrly eye-catching. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u wasn¡¯t wearing a single thread and only had the fur nket around her. A few days ago, she was tossed too much by Ryan and had slept on the road, there was no opportunity to wear clothes. Now, with her jade white feet exposed outside that were connected to delicate ankles, and they shifted as Ryan walked and attracted the attention of many males. Some of those males didn¡¯t have a spouse. When they saw the traces of purplish marks on her calves, they all stared. Ryan¡¯s eyes swept over them in warning and they shifted their gazes aside, wondering. Was this the chief¡¯s new spouse? The race was hunting and the chief was doing what with his female? What about the pretty little thing the chief had three years ago? Ryan didn¡¯t care about being watched by his tribe and carried J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u into the forest. Leaving behind the race¡¯s many gazes, he jumped into a tall tree and set the little girl on hisp. Once Ryan had reached Wilnor Valley, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had woken up but she had no intention of opening her eyes and buried her face in Ryan¡¯s chest and slept on. Ryan¡¯s palm slipped into the nket and groped downward. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u immediately opened her eyes and held out a small hand to stop his. Dark eyes looked up at him and she said in a flurry, ¡°Not here. . .¡± She thought he wanted it again and her voice was waxy soft and pitiful, probably to arouse sympathy. Ryan gently touched her abdomen, ¡°Does it hurt?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u nodded. Of course it hurt. He was big. . . and liked to use his tongue with those rugged barbs, and she wasn¡¯t a leopard female, so how could she bear it? ¡°Hurts here too,¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u saw his face had eased a lot from before and took the opportunity to raise her hands like a kitten. Seeing the pair of brilliant white wrists and the red swelling begin to fade but reced with heavy bruises. Ryan felt a little distressed and held her pale arm, sticking out his tongue to lick her injured arm. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked at his closed eyes and suddenly whispered, ¡°Ryan, don¡¯t angry, okay?¡± Ryan shifted slightly and lifted his eyes. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u reached out to touch his face, then felt wronged and said, ¡°You didn¡¯t do this to me before.¡± She meant tying her up for several hours and being so deliberately indifferent to her. Ryan stated, ¡°You used to be my spouse.¡± ¡°And now?¡± ¡°Now, prey.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u mustered up the cheek and said intentionally, ¡°You actually seized someone else¡¯s spouse, I didn¡¯t think you were such a leopard.¡± ¡°. . .¡± Ryan wrinkled his eyebrows, thinking of the possibility of her words, thinking of her and another man in the picture, and his heart immediately surged with the intent to ughter. He licked his teeth and squeezed a heavy voice from his throat, ¡°Whose?¡± It seemed that as soon as she said a name, he would immediately go slit their belly. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u said, ¡°Whoever it may be. Since you say I¡¯m not your spouse, then I will sooner orter be someone else¡¯s spouse. Maybe Winter, maybe Holden. . .¡± She said the two names casually. After she had finished, Ryan lowered his head to bite her unlikable mouth and blocked her words. He didn¡¯t want to hear the name of the wolf from her mouth. ¡°Winter has a spouse,¡± Ryan said, as for the stupid wolf, ¡°If you take a step towards him, I¡¯ll blow his entire race to the ground.¡± ¡°. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u ttened her mouth into a line, wondering if he hadn¡¯t sted other tribes into the ground over the years. Cheapskate. However, she didn¡¯t get to say those words because Ryan was already kissing her. His palms held her hips in case she fell away from him and his lips were pressed against her pink ones, invading her mouth. For a long time, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was kissed until she was out of breath and her tongue was slightly sore. She was about to turn away to escape when suddenly, a clear cry came from a nearby tree¡ª¡ª ¡°Uncle Ryan, what are you doing here?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u quickly pushed Ryan away and looked back. She saw a little guy in fur clothing standing under the tree, carrying a self-made bow and arrow on his back and tilting his head up to stare at the tree with curious eyes. It was Winter¡¯s son Wenrick. Winter didn¡¯t daree call for Ryan so he cheated and sent his son over. Wenrick said, ¡°Dad said that they¡¯ve started to move, can we go hunting?¡± Ryan licked the corners of his mouth, the tip of his tongue chasing J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s sweet taste, and his eyes shifted toward Wenrick, ¡°Go back and tell your father, if he dares to disturb me, I¡¯ll shred him unceremoniously next time.¡± Wenrick nodded honestly, his line of sight involuntarily shifting to J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. He recognized her as the ¡°deer female¡± who had fed him milk a few days ago. Why was she here? Wenrick blinked in disbelief. Did Uncle Ryan not eat her? Not waiting for Wenrick to speak, Ryan took J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and jumped down from the tree. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u said something in Ryan¡¯s ear and he set her behind a stout tree, blocking Wenrick¡¯s sight. Soon after, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u came out from behind the tree and was dressed neatly. In order to fit with the clothes here, she had bought a fox fur cape and was suitable to wear in the climate. The white fur surrounded her pink and white little face, like a cluster of flowers blooming quietly in the winter frost. A pair of suede boots were on her feet, a unique touch. Without waiting for her toe, Ryan picked her up again and carried her in the direction of the tribe. * The herbivorous species of the Wilnor Valley enjoyed living under the foothills, especially the ones between two mountains. Winter had already observed the situation ahead of time and waited for Ryan toe back and set out orders. Ryan listened to his narrative then divided the race into two parts, attacking from the east and west. Before setting out, Ryan found a cave under a mountain and put J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u in it, leaving a tribesman there to look after her. Although hunting wasn¡¯t dangerous, there was no 100% guarantee for safety. Ryan arranged everything and led the tribe into the valley. Due to the climate, this time the hunt was longer and it took two days and two nights to return. During those two days, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was bored. There was nothing in the cave, only the food left behind by Ryan. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u wanted to go out into the nearby forest to walk but the leopard outside the cave stopped her and refused to let her go anywhere. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u tried tomunicate with him, but he couldn¡¯t understand her. Even without him saying so, she knew this was Ryan¡¯s order. Ryan was probably scared of her leaving again and didn¡¯t dare leave her alone. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had to give up and return to the cave. Fortunately, when she came, she had been prepared. She took out her textbooks and research materials from her space and sat in the corner to write to pass the time. She thought that since Ryan didn¡¯t believe her, then she would try to convince him. ¡ª¡ªShe hade back seriously this time to be with him. Two dayster, Ryan returned with the tribe. They had caught a lot of prey, tied with strong ropes, and he headed in the direction of the cave. As he approached the entrance, Ryan threw the rope to Dole behind him and coollymanded: ¡°Pick thest to die and celebrate the evening with a bonfire.¡± Dole promised to take the prey with their tribe. Ryan looked toward the entrance of the cave where it was dark and invisible. He paused slightly. At the moment, he didn¡¯t have the courage to walk into it. After that it would be empty and deserted. After a long time, he finally stretched a long leg and went in. . . . ¡°Ryan, you¡¯re finally back!¡± Ryan wasn¡¯t standing yet when a little female rushed toward him and wrapped her arms around his waist, her soft body buried in his chest. He looked up and saw her small face, bright eyes staring at him pleasantly. Ryan startled, as if in a trance. Before, every time he left, he was greeted with nothing. This novelty was a first. The unique fragrance of the girl¡¯s body reminded him that it wasn¡¯t an illusion. Ryan¡¯s eyes were deep and dark, and he didn¡¯t respond. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought her enthusiasm wasn¡¯t good and blinked, ¡°Ryan?¡± Suddenly, Ryan closed his eyes and lowered his voice, ¡°Get out.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . . ?¡± Later, she understood that this sentence wasn¡¯t for her, but for the leopard who had guarded the entrance of the cave. Before the leopard left, he heard Ryan add, ¡°No onees here before dark.¡± The leopard immediately guessed what was going to happen and said, ¡°Yes, chief.¡± So the leopard outside quickly cleaned up and spontaneously left quite the distance from the cave. Even so, soon afterwards, the female¡¯s shy and repressed whimpers were still heard intermittently. Chapter 71 Gentle Beast Chapter 71 As night fell, the beastmen set up a bonfire in the forest. The raging fire lit up the surrounding darkness and the dim shadows of the trees were pulled long, extending to the cave entrance. . . . In the cave. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was sitting gingerly in Ryan¡¯s arms because she had been mercilessly tossed against the wall all afternoon. She was just let off a little while ago and she was somewhat embarrassed to be unable to distinguish between day and night. Her lower abdomen moved a little and there was a warm liquid flowing down her leg. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s body trembled lightly and her tender fingers clutched at Ryan¡¯s chest. Her voice was week with supplication, ¡°Ryan, I¡¯m hungry. . .¡± She worried about staying there, whether Ryan would do that to her again, but her body couldn¡¯t handle it again. And. . . she was really hungry. Ryan was satisfied enough and his nature was very agreeable. He bowed his head to lick the tears from her eyes and carried her out of the cave. Dozens of beastmen sat in the woods in front of them and a bonfire was in the middle, the fire roasting several wild boars. Seeing Ryan holding the female, several spontaneously shifted to the sides and gave their chief the center-most seat. Ryan calmly sat down with J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u in hisp and took a sharp stone knife from Winter. Then he cut a piece of barbecue and held her waist, feeding it to her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u didn¡¯t open her mouth but stretched her arm to Ryan¡¯s neck and buried her face in his shoulder. ¡°Not hungry?¡± Ryan inquired in a whisper. ¡°. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u did not expect him to bring her to a ce with so many beastmen. In the cave during the day, she didn¡¯t hold back her voice and had cried out. The soundproofing of the cave wasn¡¯t good and there must have been many leopards that heard. Where did she have the nerve to appear before them? Couldn¡¯t he take her somewhere with less people? Ryan seemed to have guessed her thoughts and freed one hand to caress the back of her head, appeasing her, ¡°Rest assured, they didn¡¯t hear.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was sullen and asked in a voice that only the two of them could hear, ¡°How do you know?¡± Ryan whispered, ¡°Whoever heard will have cut off his ears.¡± So the beastmen who listened to the chief and his little female immediately sat upright. Then, listening to their chief, Ryan slowly said, ¡°If anyone dared to peep, they¡¯ll pluck their eyeballs out.¡± . . . The rest of the beastman were quick to take their eyes back. Everyone looked at their noses and put their attention on the barbecue. Only the images in their mind could not be erased anymore. . . The petite female sat on their chief¡¯s leg, her cheeks blushed red. Her eyes were inmed and her pink lips were slightly bitten, and teardrops still hung on her eyshes. Her dark eyes were covered in ayer of mist, and her eyes were somewhat confused, as if she wasn¡¯t fully awake yet. Her exposed neck was slender and white. Under the ze of the fire, there were a few dark purple marks printed against it. One look was all it took to see it was badly ruined. Their chief didn¡¯t know how to control himself. . . the leopards all thought as one. Such a charming little female, it was only fun to y with slowly. It would be pity to break her all at once. Of course, Ryan didn¡¯t think about it. After the fire had been extinguished, Ryan took the sleeping J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u back to the cave and didn¡¯t toss with her again. * The next morning, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u woke up and Ryan had left to hunt again. Although a lot of prey was hunted yesterday, it wasn¡¯t enough to maintain the entire race through the winter. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stripped off the nket and shifted a little, feeling sticky and ufortable all over. Yesterday, Ryan had done the same with her again and she hadn¡¯t had a chance to clean her body. Now, she had reached the limit of patience, and she just wanted a bath. And. . . she should think of a very serious problem. All along, Ryan hadn¡¯t taken any protective measures. Where were no contraceptives in the beast world. The entire purpose of mating was to procreate. So several times, she had told him to pull out and he hadn¡¯t listened to her. . . If this continued to go on for a long time, she didn¡¯t know how long it would take to get her pregnant. . . She was a sophomore and didn¡¯t want to have a baby so early. . . And she wasn¡¯t prepared to take care of a beast child. If her mother and father knew she was pregnant with a leopard child, they would be scared to death. Just. . . she didn¡¯t know what her and Ryan¡¯s children would be like? A leopard or human? Like her or Ryan? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had listened to Eric when he said there wasn¡¯t any reproductive istion here, that the different races could produce offspring. But the offspring woulde with great uncertainty, just like when close rtives had children. . . . What if she and Ryan produced a defective child? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought it over and over again, her thoughts in chaos. Finally she jolted awake, her cheeks red. Howe she was thinking about having a baby so fast? Ah, ah, she didn¡¯t want to give birth to a leopard offspring, ah. . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u distressed for a while then finally sat up from the skins and used the water stored in her space to wash it, wanting to go out and look for a stream. The guard outside the cave still refused to let her go out. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u spoke with him using the leopard tongue, but he still refused. She had no choice but to take out the taser and stun him. . . . Behind the cave was a clear stream. It waste autumn and the water was cold, so she couldn¡¯t get in to bathe. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had to find a secluded ce and take a bucket of water from the stream. She used a stove to boil it to the right temperature then took the bucket and hid in her space with it to bathe. Luckily, she had plenty of things this time, shampoo, shower gel, bath towel, toothbrush and toothpaste, facial cleanser. . . everything. After afortable bath in her space, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u finally washed off the scent of sex on her body. She changed into clean clothes and left her space, intending to take advantage of the fact Ryan hadn¡¯t returned to go back and sleep in the cave. But she took a step and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u saw the hunting beastmen had returned and were settling the prey they had hunted. Her heart skipped a beat and she subconsciously looked towards the cave entrance. ¡ª¡ªShe saw Ryan standing there with is back to her standing in front of the beastman that was lying on the ground, electrocuted by her taser. * ¡°Ryan. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u trotted over to stand behind Ryan. Her legs were sore so she couldn¡¯t walk much faster, and Ryan¡¯s legs were long enough to leave her behind. Since he hade back and saw no one in the cave, and the guard outside in aa, he had had this reaction. Just like that day in the deer n, his indifference was somewhat inhuman. Didn¡¯t she leave for just a little while? Why was he so angry? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was annoyed but still panted as she tried to keep up with him. How had she not seen before that his character was so troublesome? She didn¡¯t know how many times she had promised him that she would never leave him, but he still refused to believe her. Seeing Ryan go farther and farther away, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was a little worried and hurriedly followed, ¡°Hey, Ryan, wait for me. . .¡± Carelessly, her foot slid against a protuding stone and she lost bnce, tipping towards the ground. When she fell over, a beastman at the side held her shoulders and kept her steady. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u calmed her mind and looked at him. He was a stranger with semicircr ears and amber ears. He looked about sixteen years old. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u smiled slightly at him, ¡°Thank you.¡± The other immediately turned red and his tail involuntarily twitched. He said nothing. The leopard wanted to speak to her, but when he looked up, he meat their distant chief¡¯s gaze. Ryan didn¡¯t know when her footsteps had stopped but his eyes fell on the w on her shoulder. There was a danger hard to fathom. The youth immediately retracted his hands and greeted her as he ran away. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .¡± Ryan¡¯s gaze shifted to her and after a long time, said, ¡°Come here.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u ttened her mouth and slowly moved towards him. Even though the teenager had helped her in time, she had twisted her ankle and the pain stung. By the time she reached Ryan, her eyes were red. The girl¡¯s watery eyes looked at him and were surrounded in red, like a stream without impurities leaking rouge. Her mouth was tilted downward and her tiny nose twitched slightly, airing her grievances. Anyone who saw couldn¡¯t help but be soft-hearted. Ryan sighed a little impatiently and leaned over, picking her up. With a strong jump, he climbed to the top of the mountain. The mountain peak towered high and there was a waterfall behind it. The water flowed over the cliff and poured down in great waves. Ryan carried her over to sit on a rock next to the waterfall and raised his finger to wipe the tears on hershes, ¡°Why are you crying?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u sniffled andined, ¡°Why¡¯d you ignore me?¡± Ryan was silent then asked, ¡°Why did you leave the cave?¡± ¡°. . . I wanted to take a shower, I hadn¡¯t bathed for several days.¡± Ryan reminded, ¡°You could wait until I came back.¡± ¡°How do I know when you¡¯ll be back? What if you came back after two days and two nights likest time?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked at him, wondering, ¡°And, Ryan. . . you can¡¯t always keep me tied up in the cave forever. If I wanted to leave, it wouldn¡¯t matter what you do. . .¡± Ryan held her arm tightly, the veins along the back of his hand pulsing, and he bared his teeth, ¡°You dare. . .¡± ¡°But I won¡¯t.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u interrupted him. She straightened her upper body and held her small hands to his face, looking at his blue eyes, ¡°Since I promised to be your spouse, I wouldn¡¯t leave you.¡± The girl¡¯s eyes were serious, and the ck pupils reflected Ryan¡¯s face. For a long time, Ryan held her waist and his voice was rough with imperceptible longing, ¡°My spouse can only stay with me forever.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stalled then her arms wrapped around his neck and she nodded where he couldn¡¯t see, ¡°En.¡± . . . . . . A young girl sat by the waterfall on a boulder, the sock and shoe on her left foot had been thrown aside, exposing her white foot. The ankle wasyered in red and by then had swollen up. A tall figure was squatted at her foot, a broad palm holding her calf, and the other gently held her foot. He slowly turned it and calmly asked, ¡°Still hurts?¡± The girl nodded, her voice shaking, ¡°Hurts. . .¡± The beastman¡¯s lowered the pressure and moved it slightly, ¡°So?¡± ¡°Still hurts. . .¡± ¡°Does this hurt?¡± ¡°Hey, Ryan, a little lighter. . .¡± || >>> Hallelujah , maybe we¡¯ve finally gotten over the abandonment drama issues. Six chapters to go~! Chapter 72 Gentle Beast Chapter 72 Probably due to J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯smitment, but the following days, Ryan no longer deliberately restricted her freedom. But, her foot was sprain and it wasn¡¯t good. It was inconvenient to go anywhere. She very consciously stayed in the cave. When she was idle and bored, she wrote her paper or read a book. Then she waited for Ryan toe back from hunting. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was particrly curious. Ryan went out hunting every day and had to be consuming a lot of energy. How could there still be so much to spend at night? Especially after they reconciled, he had tangled with her every night. The ce the leopards rested wasn¡¯t far from the cave. They couldn¡¯t hide their movements from the leopards¡¯ sensitive sense of hearing and smell. Every morning, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was embarrassed to face their eyes and silently scolded Ryan in his heart. As for the beastmen, it wasn¡¯t anything to be ashamed of. Their desires were very direct, and their actions were also very direct. Therefore, when they heard the voice of their chief and his little female, they wouldn¡¯t feel embarrassed at all. What made them really suffer was that their females weren¡¯t around and they had to watch their chief and female walking around in a pair. Every day, the chief came out of the cave soaked in the seductive sent left by the female. After the hunt in the afternoon, the chief would return to the cave to look for his little woman. Sometimes he was injured and the girl would bandage him. Sometimes he carried her off to the nearby mountains. At night, the tribe would ignite a bonfire and the chief and his female would sit in the most obvious position, showing what love was to the bachelors. . . . The group of single leopards could only handle their own things at nigh. Fortunately, those days didn¡¯tst long and before winter came, they finally hunted enough prey to prepare for their return to the race. Because there was hundreds of prey, the speed going back was much slower than their arrival. Thousands of miles, they walked it in five days and five nights. When they arrived at the entrance to the Camuda Valley, a snowstorm had just begun. The snow raged without warning. Soon, the entire valley was covered in a thickyer of white. After Ryan told the people to arrange their prey, he took J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u back home. The beastmen had warm fur and were not afraid of the cold, and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u only wore an autumn coat. In a short span of time, she already had numb hands and feet. Ryan started the fire in the firece and shifted to his beast form and tossed J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u onto the bed to surround her in his limbs to warm her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was veryfortable at first. Ryan¡¯s body had thick, soft fur like a fur quilt, and she was soon all warmed up. But slowly, the temperature in the room rose higher and higher and the thing against her thigh began to change. After a while, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u immediately flushed and tried moving out from his body, ¡°Ryan, what do you. . .?¡± Ryan was magnanimous and still lingered there, a paw arbitrarily pressed against the edge of the bed. He turned blue eyes to her and looked at her red cheeks, ¡°Eh?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u still hadn¡¯t recovered from the shock just now and she blushed, angrilymanding, ¡°You, quickly change back. . .¡± Before, when she faced Ryan¡¯s beast form, she didn¡¯t have any worries and treated it like watching G¨³n G¨³n. However, not that there was a rtionship established between her and Ryan, he was pressed against her so tightly and there was something wrong. Especially when he just. . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u bit her mouth and her heart beat quickly. This kind of rtionship couldn¡¯t be epted in any case. She was about to jump from the bed but just after that, she was caught around the waist by Ryan and pulled back under his body. Ryan¡¯s huge body hung over her and stretched out his tongue to lick her cheek, whispering, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were going to be my mate? Why do you run?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u pushed his body away and fled from under him, wiping his saliva off her face, ¡°I went to see if the kitchen had food.¡± She hurriedly fled. Left behind, Ryan looked in the direction that J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u left and licked his sharp teeth. * The snowstormsted for a full week. The blizzard raged and was overwhelming, almost burying the entire valley. These days, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and Ryan didn¡¯t leave the house, but fortunately Ryan¡¯s food reserve was sufficient and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s space also had a lot of food, so they didn¡¯t have to worry. . . . . . It¡¯d be a wonder. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was quickly growing more stressed and concerned, but she couldn¡¯t show it in front of Ryan. She hadn¡¯t contacted her parents for more than 20 days and she hadn¡¯t given them any news. She couldn¡¯t imagine how worried her mom and dad would be on the other side of the Antic Ocean. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was eager to find some time to go out and go to the 1002 tree where she could return to the real world and give her parents some peace of mind, even if it was a short message. However, the recent snowstorm was too fierce and she couldn¡¯t go out. When she stood at the door, the whistling wind was before her along with a chaotic mess of snowkes. She couldn¡¯t keep her eyes open. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had to give up and every day she looked forward to the weather calming down. But the weather was against her. Even after seven or eight days of blizzard, there was no sign of it stopping. While she was anxious, she realized with sadness that she would have to go back to school soon. . . She still owed her professor two experimental reports, and she had to give them at school without beingte. So, Ryan watched his little girl grow more and more anxious day after day. Every day, she would look hesitant as if she had something to say to him but she didn¡¯t dare open her mouth. The blizzard cleared one day and the clouds parted, turning it sunny and clear. The Camuda Valley was covered in snow and the leopard tribe was crushed under the weight of snow. Now, Ryan leaned against the door frame and his long legs ovepped as he looked down at the neatly dressed little girl. Early that morning, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u saw that the sky was clear and she couldn¡¯t wait to go outside and run a coupleps. After stopping, she looked at Ryan. Ryan stared back for a while, but finally he couldn¡¯t ignore it anymore. He licked his lips and said, ¡°What do you want to do?¡± Chapter 73 Gentle Beast Chapter 73 The girl wore a thick cotton-padded coat and a furry hat on her head. Her nose was red from the cold weather, and her eyes were very clear. The snow-capped mountain stood in the distance were also eclipsed. ¡°That. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had her hands behind her back and she hesitated for a long time, then she spoke slowly, ¡°Ryan, I have something to discuss with you.¡± Ryan raised his eyebrows and simply said, ¡°Speak.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u shrunk her shoulders and lowered her voice, ¡°Can I leave for a few days. . .¡± Ryan frowned, ¡°Where to go?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u felt guilty, ¡°I have some important things to do that haven¡¯t been resolved. Tomorrow, I have to return to my race. . .¡± . . . The pressure around her dropped. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u didn¡¯t receive a response and she quietly raised her eyes to see his face was expressionless and his eyes were deep, silently staring at her. Her heart jumped and hurriedly exined, ¡°I won¡¯t leave for a long time, and once I¡¯ve finished resolving things, I¡¯ll be back. . . at the most, two months.¡± The sophomore course was quite a lot, but she had taken some lessons in advance and was rtively rxed about it. If she finished all herb courses ahead of time, she could be back earlier. Ryan¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change and his ws took hold of her chin. He leaned forward and bared his teeth, asking in a whisper, ¡°What did you promise as my spouse?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was stunned then she responded with what she had said back in Wilnor Valley. She said, ¡°Since I promised to be your spouse, I won¡¯t leave you.¡± When she had thought of only coaxing him then, she had said so. What¡¯s more, she didn¡¯t intend to leave him anymore. She would return home for a few days, should it be more being ¡°away?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u raised a finger and changed her mind, ¡°One month? It will pass quickly. . .¡± Ryan looked at her with a little anger in his face and left no room for discussion, ¡°Not a single day.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .¡± It couldn¡¯t be med that she was so anxious. The day after tomorrow was the day she started school. If she didn¡¯t go in on time, the school would automatically expel her. Coupled with her not having contacted her parents for a month, even if she went to teach in a remote area, this time of being ¡°missing¡± was too long. She could almost imagine the trouble that she would face when she came back. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was helpless and stared at Ryan in discouragement. Her head was messy and suddenly a thought shed, as if suddenly thinking of something, and her eyes were suddenly bright. She stretched out her hand to Ryan¡¯s fingers and looked up with her small face, uncertainly and cautiously saying, ¡°Ryan, would you. . .e back to my race with me?¡± * After the hung was over, there was norge events in the n. The food was more than enough to keep the whole race alive for the winter. Coupled that most of the animals hibernated during winter, and no two races wouldn¡¯t choose to engage each other during winter. So. . . could Ryan go home with her ande back after a month? Ryan calmly interrupted J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s fantasy, ¡°In addition to hunting, there are many idents in Camuda Valley.¡± The implication was that he couldn¡¯t leave. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u didn¡¯t give up and wrapped a hand around Ryan¡¯s arm, ¡°Can¡¯t they be handled by Winter? Or Dole, or Corey. . . they are all loyal to you.¡± Ryan held her face and brutally reminded, ¡°The leopards have no such thing as ¡®loyalty¡¯. Only the absolute truth of strong and weak.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was lost in his eyes and she felt like a frustrated, little, white cat,pletely overwhelmed. ¡°However,¡± Ryan¡¯s blue gaze held her, and he slowly said, ¡°If it¡¯s shortened to ten days, it won¡¯t be a mess.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s eyes lit up again, like fireworks bursting into the night sky, and she rushed up to hug him, promising, ¡°I will finish as soon as possible.¡± . . . . . . The next day, Ryan arranged the affairs of the race and handed the important things to Winter and Elder Berson, then they quietly left the race. Ryan told them they were going back to the cave with J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u for ten days. No one would disturb them. If there was something important, then it could wait until he came back. Winter stood in the back and stared at them, thinking that their chief¡¯s physique was really strong. Thest time was five days, this time ten. As far as this goes, it seemed soon they would have a little chief. Now, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was riding on Ryan¡¯s back, two arms gently looped around his neck, and her face pressed close to his thick fur, as they shuttled through the jungle. The leopard¡¯s speed was fast and what usually took J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u two or three hours to walk, Ryan ran in ten. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u slipped down from Ryan¡¯s back and walked over to a leafy tree. After Ryan shifted to his human form, her small hand held his and the other was pressed to the trunk bearing the numbers ¡°1002¡± and closed her eyes. The trunk was like a huge maic field, and it soon flooded around them, pulling their bodies to another space. In the next moment, one person and one leopard appeared together under a certain cliff in the real world. Ryan opened his dark eyes and looked up at the mountain in front of him, the towering cliff. The mountain was full of the traces of human beings. There was plenty of shade and the branches and leaves were neat. Compared to the forest in the other world, it was less colorful and natural. Ryan licked his teeth and thoughtfully looked at her from the corner of his eye. ¡°Was that how you came back?¡± His deep voice slowly sounded, not a question but a certainty. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u hesitated for a moment and nodded. ¡°Why did you lie to me about finding Pat?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could tell he misunderstood her and quickly said, ¡°I didn¡¯t lie to you. . . I always thought that I could only go home by finding Pat. Iter discovered this by ident.¡± Ryan no longer spoke and looked back at the giant tree. The numbers on the tree were clear in the sunlight and quite morous. Ryan narrowed his eyes and took a moment to slowly retract his gaze. . . . The car drove along a t road and the scenery on both sides quickly shifted backward, like oil paintings turning page by page. After J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u took the car out of her space*, he discovered that the car was running out of oil so she couldn¡¯t go pick up G¨³n G¨³n. She returned home directly with Ryan. *It never mentioned that she did that before she went, but I suppose that makes sense? The car was driven into an underground garage. The night was dark and there wasn¡¯t anyone nearby. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u untied Ryan¡¯s seat belt and opened the door on his side. She took him into the elevator and pressed the one on for her floor. It wasn¡¯t until they got out that she finally breathed a long sigh of relief. There was only one tenant on this floor and to protect the residents, there was no cameras in the stairwell so they didn¡¯t have to worry about being discovered. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u took out her key and opened the door. At that time, her mother and father were still abroad and did not return. She pushed the door and opened her arms, making a weing gesture. She bent her eyes to see Ryan still standing outside the door and she solemnly said, ¡°Wee to my world, Ryan.¡± Ryan raised an eyebrow and took a long stride inside. There was unfamiliar furniture in the entrance and the atmosphere was strange. Only the table in the middle of the living room was made of mahogany, which he was familiar with. The entire house was locked in a square pattern with unspeakable repression. Just like when he had arrived, the buildings he had seen were all divided into several squares by the humans. Do humans like to live in such ces? ¡°Ryan, try these shoes,¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u took out a pair of her father¡¯s slippers from the cupboard and set them by Ryan¡¯s feet. They were considerably smaller than Ryan¡¯s feet. ¡°Forget it, you cane in directly,¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u pulled Ryan¡¯s hand and brought him into her home. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u eagerly took him on a tour of the house and walked alongside him, introducing, ¡°This is the kitchen, this the living room, and this is my father¡¯s study. This is my mother¡¯s study. . .¡± Soon, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u pushed open thest door, ¡°This is my room.¡± Ryan¡¯s eyes finally opened. Inside, the room was characteristically feminine. The curtains were rococo style, and there was arge, soft bed at to the side. There was a soft, round rug on the floor and a neat desk on the other side. Next to the desk, there was a bookcase full of books. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u walked into the room with Ryan and dragged a chair behind him, ¡°Ryan, you sit down first. I¡¯ll go pour a ss of water. . .¡± She hadn¡¯t had time to drink water from morning until now, and she had been very thirsty. She hurriedly ran to the kitchen. Because no one had lived there for so long, the kettle and cups had to be cleaned again. After J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u finished washing the cup and boiling the water, she poured two cups and brought them to her room. She saw Ryan¡¯s back was to her and he was standing in front of the bookcase. The beastman¡¯s body was filled with strength and power, his shoulders wide and his back strong. He was entirely out of tune with the warm and soft room. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u put the cup on the desk and looked up, ¡°Ryan, what are you looking at?¡± She had just finished speaking but saw something in Ryan¡¯s hands and her eyes opened wide in surprise, ¡°Hey, what did you find?¡± In Ryan¡¯s hands, there was a thick photo album with all of J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s childhood photos. From the hundredth day from her birth until the award-winning photos at the beginning of the year. Because it was very precious,J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had hidden it on the top shelf of her bookcase and most people couldn¡¯t even see it. Even she had to stop on a chair every time to get it down. However, she forgot that Ryan was very tall, and the album she couldn¡¯t reach, he could easily reach out to grab it. Ryan was looking at the photograph of when she was five years old. He stretched out his w and pointed at the next one, ¡°Why are you crying?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u went over and saw the girl in the album was standing on the side of the roar wearing jeans and holding her little hands to her eyes, crying heartily. Attracting eyes eyes of many passers-by. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u pursed her mouth a bit embarrassed, ¡°I wanted to eat some dim sims sold on the road and my mother wouldn¡¯t let me. I saw the other children had it and I didn¡¯t, so I couldn¡¯t help but cry. . .¡± Ryan¡¯s eyebrows shifted and he pointed at the next one, ¡°This?¡± ¡°That was my first day of elementary school, my mother said that I was too excited that day and fell. See, my nose was broken. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u pointed to the little girl¡¯s nose and where the skin had been broken. Ryan eyes looked at the girl beside him. Her nose was straight and small. Well, it didn¡¯t seem to matter. ¡°This?¡± His pointed w set down again. ¡°My first time going to the amusement park. I saw on the merry-go-round. . .¡± ¡°And this?¡± ¡°This one is. . .¡± . . . Where Ryan pointed, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u exined. Speaking of which, Ryan eventually picked her up and sat down on the carpet, curling his long legs and setting her in hisp. The album was spread out in front of them, from a tender white baby into a slim girl. Ryan¡¯s fingertips stopped at the age of sixteen years old. The ones when she hade back from the other wold and was photographed with her parents. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was sleepy and leaned against Ryan¡¯s chest, muttering as she closed her eyes, ¡°Ryan, I¡¯m sleepy. . . we¡¯ll talk about it tomorrow.¡± Obviously, when she first came back, she had lots of things to do but she spent the night in his arms. Ryan didn¡¯t reply and she didn¡¯t move. With his arms around her, he turned the pages of the three years one after the other. Finally, he closed the album and lifted the little one in his arms to carry her over to the soft bed, pulling the quilt over her body. Ryan shifted into his animal form andid on the rug beside the bed, spending his first night in the human world. * The next day was J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s first day of school. To get back early, she got up early. When she went out, Ryan leaned against the door frame, his long tail sweeping behind him in an arch as his eyes followed her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u walked two steps then couldn¡¯t help but hug him. She looked up at his face, ¡°Promise me, wait until I get back to go out?¡± Ryan stretched out his tongue to lick her check, ¡°There are nine days left.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s warmth was broken by his cold reminder and she ttened her mouth, wiping the saliva from her face as she got into the elevator. There weren¡¯t many things to do that day. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u went to the school, she registered and paid, then went to meet with her professor and left the school. The professor and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s father were old ssmates so they cared a lot aboutJ¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. When the woman learned that she wanted to study thebs on her own, she thought for a moment then agreed to her request. There were, however, two conditions. At the end of the semester, she must take the final exam and her studies had to achieve excellent results. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u immediately agreed with great gratitude. There was a traffic jam on the way home and even though J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was quick to catch up, it was already five when she got back. While waiting for the elevator, two women stood nearby and were talking eagerly about today¡¯s news. The woman in a knitted sweater clutched her chest, a lingering fear still on her face, ¡°Fortunately, it¡¯s been caught. . .¡± Another nodded, ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t know how many people it bit.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u slightlygged and turned to look. The knitted sweater woman looked up at the elevator and said with emotion, ¡°I don¡¯t know how people control it. How can we let such a dangerous animal run about? Fortunately, it didn¡¯t cause any damage. If more leopards get out, I won¡¯t even dare to go out.¡± . . . What did the other woman say? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had no intentions of listening. When she couldn¡¯t wait for the elevator to arrive, she turned and rushed into the stairwell, running quickly up the stairs. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s home was on the ninth floor and she rushed up in a single breath. She quickly took out the key to open the door. ¡°Ryan!¡± No one in the room responded and her heart began to beat violently. Without changing her shoes, she went to her room. It wasn¡¯t until she saw a leopard with dark spots on his backying by the window, and his blue eyes shifted to look at her, the panic in her eyes slowly calmed down. Ryan became humanoid and his long legs dropped to the floor. She opened her mouth and his arms closed around her. She had a sweet, soft fragrance, and her body was slightly trembling. Chapter 74 Gentle Beast Chapter 74 Ryan slightly froze, then he lifted J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s face and gently rubbed her pink lips, ¡°What are you so anxious about?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u snuggled into his arms and honestly confessed, ¡°I heard someone say downstairs that a leopard got caught and I thought it was you. . .¡± Ryan grinned and soothed the startled little girl, ¡°Don¡¯t confuse me with those fools.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m worried about you,¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u straightened up so her forehead was against his shoulder and said to herself, ¡°I won¡¯t bring you backter, it¡¯s too dangerous here. . .¡± Ryan narrowed his eyes and swallowed her words, ¡°Later?¡± ¡°. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u choked. Although she had asked for leave, she would definitely have toe back every semester and she hadn¡¯t had time to discuss it with Ryan. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u tried to defend herself, ¡°Because my studies here aren¡¯tplete. . . if I don¡¯te back, the school will expel me, so. . . I have toe back every semester.¡± Ryan quickly understood the point, ¡°Then get expelled.¡± ¡°No,¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u hurriedly shook her head, ¡°If my parents knew, they would be angry.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u saw he wasn¡¯t responding and couldn¡¯t help but kiss his chin, ¡°Ryan, believe me. When I reach my senior year, I won¡¯te back as often.¡± Ryan held her waist and his voice was heavy, ¡°When is that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a sophomore now, I¡¯ll be a senior in two years. . . ooh. . .¡± She hadn¡¯t finished yet when her jaw was caught in Ryan¡¯s ws and his thin lips followed, biting down. Her lower lip was in slight pain but she opened her mouth and he took advantage of the opportunity. His tongue twisted into her mouth and he punished her maliciously. Soon, her tongue began to ache. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was caught off guard by his kiss but was aware of his anger, and softly exined, ¡°Ryan, you listen to me. . .¡± Ryanid her down on the bed in the middle of the room and held her down, his teeth biting at her ear lobe slowly, ¡°Wanting me to wait for you?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u subconsciously nodded. ¡°The leopard only waits patiently when there is prey,¡± Ryan lowered his voice and asked, ¡°Tell me, are you my prey?¡± ¡°. . .¡± Regardless of whether she said yes or no, it wasn¡¯t too important. Because the oue was the same. Ryan was a fierce hunter and he took J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u into his hands and he encroached upon her. The littlemb tried to struggle and bit at Ryan¡¯s tongue. The faint sweetness spread in his mouth, like the red ink dripping into water, and it quickly pooled into every corner. Unfortunately, the effect wasn¡¯t much, but it only further aroused his interest in hunting. Ryan held her waist and fixed her to the bed. . . . When J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u came to, it was clearly dusk. The sun had just fallen and was still sinking. When Ryan let her go, it was already night and the moonlight was thin. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had cried her eyes red and her voice hoarse but she didn¡¯t even have the strength to get up and pour water. She stared at Ryan in front of her and, with a little irritation, grit her teeth the fell asleep. * The next day, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was awoken by a string of bells. The buzz rang in her ear. She closed her eyes and touched her mobile phone. Stunned, she moved tot he front. Seeing it was a video call from her mother, she immediately woke up and quickly dressed, connecting the call. ¡°Mom, mom,¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u climbed to the end of the bed and stared nervously at Ryan across from her, making a silent gesture at him. Ryan curved his long legs and propped up his chin, his long tail flicking a melodious arc behind him, and he looked at her. ¡°Little Darling, why haven¡¯t you gotten up yet? It¡¯s almost noon at home,¡± her mother said seeing her in her pajamas. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s face was red and she said, ¡°Last night, I went to bed toote. . .¡± Her mother thought it was to study and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be so busy sote anymore. You¡¯re young, take care of your body.¡± Clearly it was a normal sentence, but J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought of what happenedst night and her cheeks became unbearably hotter. It was Ryan that ¡°tired¡± her body. Fortunately, the video meant her mother couldn¡¯t see it so they naturally shifted topics. Mr. and Mrs. J¨« had taveled to Irnd where the scenery was picturesque and the environment was beautiful. The residents were friendly and enthusiastic. After staying there for ten days, they had made a decision. They nned to return home toplete the formalities and settle there for the rest of their lives. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s eyes widened in surprise, ¡°Why?¡± Her mother said, ¡°Your father¡¯s body is getting worse, and the doctor said to find a quiet ce to live. When we came to Irnd, your father fell in love at a glimpse. His favorite physics research is happening here. We talked for several days and the only thing I was worried about was you, so I wanted to ask you, would you like toe settle with us here?¡± ¡°I. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked at Ryan who had already gotten out of bed and her brain was tied, ¡°Mom, I want to stay here. . .¡± Her mother thought she couldn¡¯t bear to leave her friends and ssmates, plus the news was sudden. Whenever her daughter didn¡¯t have the time to digest it, she would be reluctant. ¡°Ah, then wait a while. If you want toe see mom and dad, feel free toe.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u nodded. Later, her mother and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u talked about other things and when the phone was about to hang up, she suddenly made a sound. A long, thick, mottled tail swept across the video as if it were an illusion. Mrs. J¨« asked, ¡°¨­u, do you have any other cats in the house?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u caught a glimpse of Ryan walking past her and quickly took the phone, turning around, ¡°No mom, you saw it wrong. It¡¯s G¨³n G¨³n.¡± ¡°When did he get so big?¡± Her mother said. Fortunately, she didn¡¯t ask too much and quickly hung up. ¡°. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was holding her mobile phone and was ready to talk to Ryan. Suddenly she was pulled into a hard chest and a deep, hoarse voice crashed into her ears, ¡°Little Darling, your name?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s ear itched and the itchiness quickly spread throughout her body and her ears turned red, ¡°Yeah.¡± Ryan asked, ¡°Who¡¯s G¨³n G¨³n?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .¡± * After solving the school issue, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had to buy someb equipment. After all, she wasn¡¯t going to ss, but thep reports still had to bepleted every semester. After yesterday¡¯s incident, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u didn¡¯t dare leave Ryan at home alone. Originally, she wanted Ryan to be a leopard and take him out with her, but she changed her mind. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u found a few pieces of clothing worn by her father and gave it to Ryan to try it. Unfortunately, Ryan was too tall and big. The clothes were unsuitable. With the tail trailing behind Ryan, there was simply no way to ignore it. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u gently gripped Ryan¡¯s tail and sighed. She just wanted to have a meeting with him, how could it be so difficult? Just when she was ready to give up, she suddenly remembered something and her eyes lit up. She ran toward her room and said, ¡°You wait for me.¡± After a while, she came back with arge id overcoat, ¡°Ryan, try this.¡± This was something she had inadvertently seen when she was shoppingst year. She didn¡¯t know why but she imagined Ryan wearing it, and the more she thought about it the more it fit. The next day, she took all her money and bought it. The coat was crisp and exquisitely crafted, and the length was to Ryan¡¯s calf. If he hid the tail behind him, no one would ever see it. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u went back to the wardrobe again and found arge sweater and trousers, then passed them to Ryan to put on. After he was dressed, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stepped back and looked at Ryan. The dark coat was worn over everything and he straightened his body in a moment. It outlined his upright stature, wide back, and his long legs. It restrained his initial wildness, but only refined the controlled fierceness. At the moment, his brows were deeply wrinkled and he stretched his fingernails to hook in the shirt, his eyes unable to endure. ¡ª¡ªWhy were human clothes so troublesome? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could see he wanted to tear the clothes and quickly stopped him, ¡°Don¡¯t Ryan, wait until wee backter, okay?¡± Ryan paused and nced at the girl full of hope and finally put his hand down, then said, ¡°Next time, don¡¯t have me wear another man¡¯s clothes.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u paused, ¡°This is my father¡¯s, and he only wore it once. . .¡± ¡°Leopards have a keen sense of smell,¡± Ryan bowed her body and pointed at her lips, ¡°Or, do you want me to take your father¡¯s scent with me?¡± ¡°. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s face flushed and she became angry, biting his finger, ¡°Ryan, no more nonsense!¡± . . . Due to therge amount of time spent putting on clothes, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was againt tossed by Ryan and when they went out, it was already half past three in the afternoon. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u first went to the electronics store to buy things then to the mall to buy a few pieces of clothing for Ryan. After buying clothes, there was still enough time and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u took Ryan up the street. Thentern festival had just passed and the streets were still festive. The shops on both sides also sporadically open and the dim light of the streetmps fell on the snow at the roadside, reflecting the bright light. The ss windows were full of all kinds of goods and unlike the mundane materials exchanged in the beast world, anything could be found there. Even though Ryan already knew man could create many high-tech things, it was still another feeling to stand there. ¡°Ryan, let¡¯s go there and take a look!¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u suddenly pulled on Ryan¡¯s hand and walked down the street across the road. Taking two steps, she saw Ryan was still motionless and couldn¡¯t help but look back, ¡°Ryan, what are you looking at?¡± Ryan¡¯s eyes were straight ahead and his voice was low, ¡°What is that?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u followed his gaze and saw thetest news being broadcast on the screen. A man was selling drugs, taking hostages, and was shot by a policeman between the eyebrows. The scene was just at the scene were the armed police officer shot the gun, the small bullet breaking free from the gun and racing toward the robber. In the next moment, the robber fell to the ground. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u didn¡¯t think much about it, ¡°It¡¯s called a gun, a powerful weapon.¡± Ryan licked his teeth, ¡°Gun?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u nodded, ¡°But normal people can¡¯t have guns. Only armed police officers and military personnel have the qualifications to own one. . .¡± Ryan dropped his gaze, thoughtful. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u didn¡¯t take the incident to heart and pulled Ryan along to several other ces. When they were heading home that evening, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u suddenly stopped after passing a convenience store. ¡°Wait for me here,¡± leaving this sentence behind, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u ran into the convenience store. Ryan looked up and saw the little girl standing in front of a cupboard, biting her lips and her face very red and embarrassed. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u simply looked down at the shelves of colorful boxes and picked one. Paying for everything, she still hadn¡¯te back out. Ryan dropped his gaze and stared at the small box she was trying to hide in her pocket, asking in a deep voice, ¡°What is it?¡± Chapter 75 part1 Gentle Beast Chapter 75 part1 Sorry for the dy guys. I had three finals to take on Monday, and I caught a coldst friday. Then after my finals, the stress letdown triggered my chronic insomnia so I didn¡¯t sleep at all for like two days, and I finally crashed. Now, I¡¯m back on the ball. This is only part one of three. . . ¡°No, nothing,¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u mumbled, having a guilty conscience as she got in the car. She didn¡¯t know how to exin it to Ryan. She had never thought she would one day buy something like that herself. The small box in her left pocket burned like a hot potato and her ears flushed red. But, what other solution did she have? Other people¡¯s boyfriends were well prepared in advance, only her ¡°boyfriend¡± had no concept of contraception. Along with Ryan¡¯s frequent desires, if she did not take precaution, then she would soon get pregnant. But she didn¡¯t want to have a baby so soon. . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s heart was tangled. Fortunately, Ryan did not ask, presumably already ustomed to the strangeness of the human world, and his gaze shifted elsewhere. His tail could not wait to sweep out from behind, curling through the window to dangle loosely toward the ground. After hiding it for the entire day, it finally had the opportunity to be let out. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had originally intended to go home directly, but seeing Ryan¡¯s tail, she remembered that she still hadn¡¯t gone to get G¨³n G¨³n despite being back for so many days already. Quickly turning the car, she turned toward her friend¡¯s house. Her friend had taken good care of G¨³n G¨³n for two months. G¨³n G¨³n had long forgotten that J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had abandoned him, and when she appeared, he meowed and enthusiastically ran toward her. Unfortunately, he was stopped in the air by an arm. Ryan¡¯s hand closed around G¨³n G¨³n¡¯s neck, and he indifferently looked at it, asking, ¡°Who¡¯s this stupid cat?¡± Hanging in the air, G¨³n G¨³n meowed restlessly, flopping about trying to escape his hand. ¡°His name is G¨³n G¨³n, and he¡¯s my pet,¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u wanted to rescue the cat from his hand, thinking then she added, ¡°And he¡¯s not stupid. He¡¯s very smart.¡± ¡°Male?¡± Ryan licked his lips and lowered his voice. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s hands on the steering wheel stalled slightly and she nodded. Then, she saw Ryan open the window and raise his hand to throw the cat right out the window. ¡°Ryan!¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u hurriedly parked the car at the side of the road, frightened, ¡°G¨³n G¨³n is just a cat, even if he¡¯s male, it¡¯s just an animal that doesn¡¯t know anything. You can¡¯t treat him like that. . .¡± She said so and grabbed G¨³n G¨³n from his hand. ¡°I am also an animal,¡± Ryan looked at her with a stark contrast to her anxiety, reminding her, ¡°Leopard.¡± ¡°But, you can be a man. . .¡± She subconsciously exined, then halfway suddenly understood why Ryan cared. She set G¨³n G¨³n in the back seat and turned dark eyes at him, ¡°And, you¡¯re not like G¨³n G¨³n.¡± Ryan¡¯s eyes narrowed, ¡°Where aren¡¯t we the same?¡± ¡°G¨³n G¨³n is my pet,¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u bit her lip, seemingly embarrassed to say her next words, ¡°You are my favorite person. . .¡± Ayer of blush colored the girl¡¯s cheeks, like raindrops suddenly falling in the dry desert, instantly nourishing his dry heart. Ryan held her waist and legs then kissed her at the corner of her mouth and sternly asked, ¡°How much?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u tilted her head, the kiss was itchy, and she shyly answered, ¡°Won¡¯t tell you.¡± Ryan kissed her lips and twisted into her mouth, searching out her soft tongue to bite it. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u gasped and lifted her hands to push him away, but she was even more forcibly kissed. After a long time, Ryan finally let her go and asked her again, in an almost mute voice, ¡°Well? Tell me.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was dizzy from his kiss and she rested her cheek against his chest, unconsciously answering honestly, ¡°Specially. . .¡± ¡°Compared to that stupid cat?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u pressed her red face into his chest and muttered, ¡°Not the same.¡± Ryan raised his eyebrow and waited for the little one to exin where it was different. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­uined, ¡°You are my boyfriend, you can¡¯tpare with a pet.¡± Ryan wasn¡¯t satisfied with this name, but he was d to be together. He wouldn¡¯t be happy to separate. ¡°You humans, have a name for a spouse besides this?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u paused, ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought of it, and her ears quickly diffused into ayer of pink, and she opened her mouth. She couldn¡¯t call out that word all the time. ¡°I¡¯ll tell youter,¡± she said shamelessly. ¡°. . .¡± . . . Under J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s coordination for reconciliation, Ryan finally stopped mentioning throwing G¨³n G¨³n out the window. But, the two cats had to live under the same roof, and it was not smooth sailing. She wondered if G¨³n G¨³n knew that Ryan had almost thrown him out, but G¨³n G¨³n seemed very afraid of Ryan. In that past, when G¨³n G¨³n got home, he would first upy the sofa but today, he was hiding far away from it. He dared not approach the sofa where Ryan was sitting. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u couldn¡¯t bear to look on and after taking a shower, gave G¨³n G¨³n one too. Then she let him go so he could sleep early, lest he be bullied by Ryan. After giving him a shower, she turned to grab the hair dryer but when she turned around, he had run off to the balcony. His body was dripping wet and his amber eyes were wide as he shivered out on the balcony. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked at Ryan who was sitting to the side, having a bit of a headache, ¡°Ryan, did you scare him out there?¡± Ryan folded a leg and propped up his chin, neither admitting or denying anything. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was helpless. She turned to the balcony and beckoned, ¡°G¨³n G¨³n,e. I¡¯ll blow you dry.¡± G¨³n G¨³n meowed twice and walked towards her. He had only taken a step when cold eyes swept to the side and frightened him back immediately, hiding on the balcony. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u protested, ¡°Ryan, stop frightening him. He¡¯s very timid.¡± Ryan finally looked up, his blue eyes staring silently at her, ¡°Why did you bathe it?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stumbled, ¡°Because, he won¡¯t. . .¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t help me bathe,¡± Ryan didn¡¯t change his expression, and his voice even sounded calm, ¡°I won¡¯t either.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .¡± As early as the first day, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had already taught him how to use the toilet and shower nozzle here. He learned quickly and did not need her to teach him a second time. But now, he said ¡°no¡± with such a solemn face, even J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u almost believed him. So, in order to reflect ¡°fairness¡±, after helping the kitten take a shower, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u would have to help the big cat take his. But the bathroom was small and the water mist shrouded everything, so it was easy to have an ident while bathing. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was brought out of the bathroom by Ryan, her newly changed pajamas wet and clinging tightly to her contours. Like a freshly picked peach. Ryanid her on the bed and leaned over, pressing to set his mouth against hers again. When Ryan was about to enter again, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u suddenly remembered something and turned to say urgently, ¡°Ryan, wait, wait.¡± She squeezed out from under Ryan and pulled open the bedside table to take out what she had bought earlier that day and said, blushing, ¡°Put this on. . .¡± Ryan frowned and look at it, ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°You wear it first. . .¡± After a while, Ryan voiced, ¡°How?¡± . . . Ryan was impatient: ¡°Too tight.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t put it on.¡± ¡°You humans like to wear these things?¡± . . . . . . * The next day, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u went to school to get a book and handled the procedures for withdrawal. Her legs were too soft and she almost couldn¡¯t drive. Last night, the box of condoms had no use. Ryan eventually waved them away and tossed them into the trash. He learned the use of condoms and tossed her mercilessly. Regardless of how J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u exined that ¡°didn¡¯t want to give birth to his offspring¡± meant ¡°didn¡¯t want to give birth so soon¡±, it was useless. Later, she cried too much and her pillow was soaked in her tears. Ryan just licked her tears away. So, when J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u woke early that morning, her eyes were red and swollen. She iced them for a long time before it went away. On the road, because her legs were weak, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u used the gas several times instead of the brake and almost caused a traffic ident. After the third mistake, Ryan finally could not stand it anymore and asked, ¡°Do you need me to help?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked at him strangely, ¡°You know how to drive?¡± Ryan raised his eyebrow, ¡°It¡¯s not that difficult.¡± He had watched her many times and was fairly proficient in theory. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was slightly surprised. It had taken her three months to learn, how could Ryan figure it out in just a few days? Even so, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u didn¡¯t dare give him the steering wheel. Ryan didn¡¯t have a driver¡¯s license. If he were found, and he didn¡¯t have an identification card. . . the consequences would be disastrous. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u would rather stumble to school, then put Ryan in any danger. When she got to school, it was already 11am. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u parked the car outside and let Ryan sit in the car to wait for her. The people ready to receive the books was more than J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had imagined. Together with herte night, she ended up waiting in line for an hour. After getting the book, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u paid close attentino to the time and went back to her dormitory to handle her withdrawal. The school didn¡¯t force the students to stay so J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u managed toplete it smoothly. Once everything was finished, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was about to head for the school entrance. But her roommate came downstairs and warmly called out to her. The roommate and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u walked side by side along the road and they talked about J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s affairs along the way. ¡°Xi¨£o ¨­u, why¡¯d you ask for such a long vacation? You¡¯re noting this semester? Where are you going? What happened at home?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u shook her head but couldn¡¯t tell her the truth so she only said, ¡°No, I have something else.¡± After asking a few other questions, the roommate finally epted reality admented, tightly hugging J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s waist, ¡°Once you go, who¡¯ll help me get up, and upy my seat, and give me a meal, ah . . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u chuckled and said her other two roommates¡¯ names, ¡°Won¡¯t they still be there?¡± ¡°Those twozy persimmons, they won¡¯t get up early enough, they might as well expect the sun to rise from the west. . .¡± . . . The two girls walked alongughing the entire way and came to the school gate where they heard a noise up front. The two looked up and saw the students at the entrance of the school were frightened and avoiding it. There stood arge wild dog baring his teeth and growling. The dog was infamous at the school and very hostile. Usually the students that saw it were desperate to hide. Today, somehow, the wild dog suddenly went to the entrance of the school and was barking at one person more than the others. The man opposite it wore a ck overcoat and his long legs were propped on the ground as he leaned against the gate, his brows cold and expressionless. He seemed to be waiting for someone and his blue eyes slightly rotated through the crowd, bored. The dog barked so loudly in front of him but he didn¡¯t even set eyes on it. It wasn¡¯t until the dog¡¯s teeth came close to him that he raised a leg and stepped on its head. The dog was put in ce, pushing at his front paws but couldn¡¯t even move. ¡°Woof, woof¡ª¡ª¡± The man finally set eyes on it and emitted avery low, irrefutable threat, ¡°Get lost.¡± The wild dog¡¯s eyes were shocked and even its barks stopped. Then he dropped his fierce eyes and lowered his tail, barking quietly. The man dropped his eyes to it and listened to the dog¡¯s lower voice. It backed away a few steps and fled in despondency. ¡ª¡ªAs if the devils and its monsters were after its tail. . . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s roommate dragged her over by the arm, ¡°Xi¨£o ¨­u, look at the guy. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u naturally set the scene in her eyes but she thought differently from her roommate. A leopard running out and crazy wild dog. . . when Ryan came to this world, did they lose sense? The roommate¡¯s voice continued, ¡°Ah, ah, ah, he¡¯s looking at us. . .¡± Not only her roommate, but several girls around them weren¡¯t calm. Even if he wore a coat, it couldn¡¯t hide the beastly nature of Ryan¡¯s body. Like a sturdy facade to hide the poised beast, it could tear off someone¡¯s neck any time. But this dangerous was the most attractive to women. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u smiled and walked toward him. Suddenly a boy came up to her side, holding a basketball in his hands. He had just looked down from the sports field and saw J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. He said directly, ¡°Elder sister, where are you going? I¡¯ll help you get your books.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stepped back. She didn¡¯t know him, so she shook her head and said, ¡°No, I can take it myself. . .¡± ¡°So many books, Elder sister aren¡¯t you tired?¡± The boy was very enthusiastic and wanted to take the books from her arms, ¡°This kind of thing, let the boys handle it.¡± The roommate automatically retreated to the side to watch with excitement. Everytime she went out with J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, they always met up with one or two boys, this wasn¡¯t surprising. Only this time, the boy was particrly difficult and even though J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u said, ¡°No,¡± several times, he still refused to leave. ¡°Where is elder sister going? My car¡¯s parked right outside, why don¡¯t I give you a ride?¡± he asked. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u tried to exert, ¡°My boyfriend is waiting for me outside.¡± The man at the gate had stepped over and was walking over. The boy still insisted on helping her with the books, ¡°Elder sister, why don¡¯t you leave your phone number? If it¡¯s convenient, I¡¯d like to contact you. . .¡± ¡°Sorry, it isn¡¯t convenient,¡± The low and cold refusal rang overhead. Ryan took the boy¡¯s arm in one hand and took J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s books in the other. His cold gaze swept over, a cold winter brwince blowing across, ¡°Stay away from her, or I won¡¯t spare you.¡± The boy¡¯s arm was pinched and he asked in surprise, ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Her spouse,¡± Ryan dropped this sentence and took J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s hand to walk outside the school. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u trotted along behind Ryan until they were at the gate, then remembered to wave goodbye to her roommate. In the car, Ryan¡¯s face wasn¡¯t very good and his eyebrows were furrowed, ¡°Who was that idiot?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u honestly shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t know he is.¡± Ryan licked his teeth, disbelieving her, ¡°Don¡¯t know but he stopped you?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u nodded, very seriously, ¡°Well, human males often like to stop unfamiliar women to talk.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Ryan supported his chin and looked indifferently at her, ¡°So to say, many people often stop you to talk?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .¡± . . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u dug herself into a whole but managed to get out of it when she received a text from her roommate. Her roommate was shocked, ¡°Xi¨£o ¨­u, your boyfriend is very handsome, ah, ah, ah.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could almost imagine her surprised expression and couldn¡¯t help butugh, turning to look at Ryan. He was still expressionless with his furrowed brow and lips tilting downward. His legs were casually folded and he still looked a little unhappy. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u dipped her eyes and sent back a smiley face. Well, she thought, he was very handsome. Next Part >>> Chapter 75 part2 Gentle Beast Chapter 75 part2 Driving from T city to S city, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u didn¡¯t go straight home, first dropping by a nearby supermarket. There wasn¡¯t much food at home and G¨³n G¨³n¡¯s cat food was almost finished. There was also some small household items that needed to be purchased. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and Ryan walked into the supermarket and it was rush hour, so there were many people in the market bustling about. You couldn¡¯t walk to and from anywhere. Fortunately, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u wasn¡¯t in a hurry and she pushed the cart slowly alongside Ryan with an inexplicable sense of security. This novel experience was one she had never had. Before, when J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and Ryan were together, it was a matter of hunting or be hunted. Never had she thought they would walk hand in hand through the supermarket someday. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u took the items from the shelves as she walked and stuffed them into the shopping cart. Inattentively, a cart was rushing through the crowd and directly toward her. By the time she noticed, it was toote and she was about to be hit by the cart when arms took her by the waist from behind and lifted her off the ground and to the side. With only a ¡°bang,¡± the shopping cart rammed into the shelves and the goods were scattered across the floor. A mother led her child from across the way and constantly apologized toward J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and Ryan. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u didn¡¯t know what to say. She and Ryan had nothing to do with it, so she just smiled and said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± After that, there was no mood to continue visiting the supermarket so J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and Ryan went to buy G¨³n G¨³n¡¯s cat food, a pair of slippers, a toothbrush, towels, and other toiletries suitable for Ryan. Then they pushed the cart to the cashier ready to check out. There were many people at the registers, and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u picked a rtively short line. When it was their turn, the cashier set their ount and politely asked, ¡°Is there anything you need help with?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was ready to say, ¡°No, thank you,¡± when Ryan¡¯s low voice spoke up from the said, ¡°Do you have a big one?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ??? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u followed the sound with her gaze and saw his was fixed low at the neatly arranged condoms on the shelves. Not waiting for her reaction, the cashier nodded without his face changing in the slightest, ¡°Yes, just a moment.¡± Then he took a few different boxes and carefullyid them out for Ryan. This one was strawberry vored, that one was banana vored, and the other was spiral-patterned. . . Ryan¡¯s expression was unchanging as always when he selected one, then he turned his gaze to J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was petrified until Ryan curled his fingers and knocked her forehead, then she remembered to check out. All the way to leaving the supermarket, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was still stupefied. ¡°Ryan, why. . .¡± Wasn¡¯t he angry that she wanted to use a condom? Ryan was carrying the shopping bag in one hand and the other held J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s small palm as they walked down the stairs. ¡°Eh?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u titled her head, ¡°You dislike it. . . though?¡± The corner of Ryan¡¯s mouth pulled and he said frankly, ¡°I really don¡¯t like it.¡± ¡°Then why do you still. . .¡± Ryan paused and bent to gently lick her mouth, whispering, ¡°My woman cried all night, how could I refuse?¡± ¡°. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s cheeks flushed red. She hadn¡¯t been crying to beg him, it was obviously that he hurt her. . . But Ryan had listened to her, something she hadn¡¯t expected. A human¡¯s pregnancy was about ten months, which was longer than the leopards¡¯, whose females only needed three months to give birth. In addition, humans needed an additional month of recovery time. Add it all up to a total of a full year. In other words, a whole year that Ryan could not touch J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. ¡ª¡ªThat was what Ryan could not bear to withstand. He just got her and wanted to have sex with her every day. It was impossible to imagine what it would be like to not touch her for a year. What¡¯s more, the way humans fed their offspring was different from them. The leopard n advocated independence and once the offspring was weaned at one year old, they could live alone and did not need their mothers. But humans didn¡¯t. Ryan had discovered that humans, whether they were a year or a dozen years old, they would be at their mother¡¯s side. If his offspring were to haunt his woman like a human cub, he would probably throw it out mercilessly. So, before that, Ryan could endure the difort that the condoms brought him. Under the premise that he could put it on. . . . Once out of the elevator, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u put her hand in her backpack looking for her key, strangely asking, ¡°Leopards don¡¯t have to recover for a month?¡± Ryan said: ¡°The leopard females can go hunting the day after the offspring is born.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u found the key and was ready to open the door, ¡°But that would damage the body. . .¡± ¡°Naturally, that¡¯s what you humans say,¡± Ryan pinched her soft face and rubbed it with his thumb, ¡°Delicate.¡± ¡°. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was trying to think of a retort when there was sudden movement on the other side of the door, like footsteps on the floor. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought it was from G¨³n G¨³n inside hearing their voices and wanting them to open the door. When the door was opened by a hand, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u saw a figure in the doorway and only just found something to be wrong, her heart jumping violently in her chest. She wanted to grab Ryan¡¯s hand and run when Mrs. J¨« stood in the doorway, ¡°Little Darling, how are youing back now? G¨³n G¨³n was starving when we got here and you¡¯re father. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s head was spinning and her speech wasn¡¯t quick, ¡°Mom, mother. . .¡± Mrs. J¨« waited for a moment and saw her standing motionlessly in the doorway, ¡°Why aren¡¯t youing in, still standing there with nothing to do?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .¡± Her mother lifted her gaze and finally found Ryan standing behind J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and she blurted out, ¡°Who¡¯s this?¡± * ¡°He, he¡¯s the electrician I just invited,¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s brain spun quickly and she blurted out, ¡°Mother, the lights in my room are broken so I asked him to take a look.¡± Mrs. J¨« walked a circle around Ryan and smiled kindly, ¡°There¡¯s such good-looking electricians this year.¡± ¡°. . .¡± Her mother looked at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, ¡°I just went into your room to look and didn¡¯t find anything that looked broken.¡± ¡°Yes. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u responded guiltily, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s okay. Since there¡¯s nothing wrong, then I¡¯ll go send him down.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s mother politely asked, ¡°Since he came, why not invite him toe in and sit?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u shook her head like a rattle and answered for ¡°him,¡± ¡°No, you and father rest first, I¡¯ll send him back immediately.¡± . . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u ran down the stairs, her heart still beating loudly. She had never expected her mom and dad toe back early. Didn¡¯t they say in thest video chat that it wouldn¡¯t be until next month?? Why were they back now? And to not speak to her in advance, she wasn¡¯t prepared at all. . . Ah, ah, ah, what to do? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was confused. Would her mother find out about her and Ryan. . . If mother knew she was in love with a beastman, would she faint? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was frustrated and hadn¡¯t noticed that Ryan¡¯s footstpes had stopped. ¡°Little one,¡± the palm of Ryan¡¯s hand held her chin and pressed his nose to hers, ¡°You¡¯d better exin why I¡¯m running away with you.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u wanted to cry but had no tears to shed, ¡°My mother and father came back. . .¡± Ryan: ¡°So?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t told them about us. . .¡± ¡°Then go up and say it now,¡± Ryan picked her up and walked back to the elevator. ¡°No, no,¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u wrapped her arms around Ryan¡¯s neck and quickly stopped, ¡°Saying it now will frighten them. . .¡± Ryan frowned: ¡°I¡¯m scary?¡± ¡°. . . Of course not,¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u said sullenly, then she pleaded, ¡°Let me first tell them, okay? Wait until I¡¯m finished, then I¡¯ll take you to see them again.¡± The little one was anxious and red-eyed. Her arms were trembling slightly and Ryan finally stopped, freeing a hand to rub her wet eyshes, asking, ¡°After that, we¡¯re going back to Bornia?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u paused for a moment and softly nodded, ¡°En.¡± Next Part >>> Chapter 75 part3 Gentle Beast Chapter 75 part3 Back upstairs, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u switched her shoes and put the things she and Ryan had just bought at the market in the kitchen. There was only her food and cat food. Ryan¡¯s slippers and toiletries had been put into her space. ¡°Dad, mom,¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u walked into the living room and said in her usual demeanor, ¡°How did youe back so early?¡± Her mother had already cleaned up the house and her father was sitting on the sofa drinking tea. G¨³n G¨³n was at his feet, his amber eyes subconsciously looking behind J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. Her father drank tea then invited J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u to also pour a cup, ¡°Dad got into contact with a school over there for you, and since school will start soon, we thought ofing back early lest the learning process be dyed and I was too eager to return, so I didn¡¯t have any time to tell you. . .¡± Even though she had guessed it eight or so times, to still hear it from her father¡¯s mouth, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was shocked. Mr. J¨« continued, ¡°Dad has alreadypleted the formalities and an uncle is willing to be our guarantor for us three. After you¡¯re finished with everything, we¡¯ll be able to move next month. When you¡¯re free, you can tidy up the things you¡¯ll need. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u bit her lip and finally couldn¡¯t help but interrupt her father¡¯s words, ¡°Daddy, I don¡¯t want to go to Irnd.¡± ¡°Why, can you tell me the reason?¡± Although he had listened to his wife beforehand, he was still somewhat surprised. He thought that he hadn¡¯t made it clear on the phone and came back to discuss it face to face with her, that his daughter would change her mind. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stared at her finger and whispered, ¡°I am reluctant to leave.¡± Mr. J¨«: ¡°Would you be willing to stay without your mother and father?¡± ¡°. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u lifted her eyes, her dark eyes wide and with a trace of hopelessness, and felt embarrassed, ¡°I. . .¡± Of course she couldn¡¯t bear to. But if she went to Irnd with her parents, she would never see Ryan again. She couldn¡¯t be without Ryan. ¡°Can¡¯t I go see you oftenter?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u pursed her lips into a tline, a little sad and helpless. ¡°Little Darling, mom and dad cannot bear to leave you alone in the country. We really don¡¯t trust it.¡± Mrs. J¨« said, unsure of what to think, and her eyes got wet, her voice trembling, ¡°We cannot lose you again. . .¡± ¡°. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought of her high school disappearance. Her parents had spent three months looking for her at that cliff, where they had looked at each other and promised, ¡°This kind of thing couldn¡¯t happen again. . .¡± To this kind of sentence, she could say no more words of refusal. . . . That night, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­uid in her bed restlessly and could not sleep. When she thought of Ryan¡¯s words, she thought of her parents¡¯ words and then she thought of the beast world. . . until there was a knot in her head. The clock swayed on the wall and quietly pointed to 1 o¡¯clock, even though she could not see it. The night sky was silent and aze with lights. Traffic flowed like water at the food of the high-rise buildings. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u didn¡¯t know how many times she rolled over until she rolled into a familiar embrace. She froze and soon reacted, ¡°Ryan?¡± Ryan had an arm around her waist and his dark blue eyes were like jewels on the seafloor, ¡°En.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was surprised, ¡°How did you get out?¡± She had done like with T¨¢o T¨¢o earlier that day and put him into her space. Ryan¡¯s nose was at her neck, sniffing her sweet scent, ¡°It¡¯s too stuffy.¡± And he wanted to hold her. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u didn¡¯t say anything and shifted aside to give him more room, ¡°Do you want to get under the quilt?¡± Beastmen didn¡¯t need the quilts, since their temperature was so high. It was a question J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u always had to ask. In the past, Ryan may have refused but today, he especially wanted to hug his little female, so he wasn¡¯t polite and lifted her quilt to bring her into his arms. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s cheek rested against his chest and after brewing for a long time, honestly confessed, ¡°Ryan, I still haven¡¯t told mom and dad. . .¡± Ryan: ¡°What?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u bit her lip and muttered, ¡°I haven¡¯t told them we¡¯re in love.¡± Ryan smiled a little, ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t find an opportunity,¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u rubbed against his chin a bit intive, ¡°I¡¯ll say it tomorrow.¡± Ryan held the back of her head and licked her lips, lowering to her throat to say slowly, ¡°Then say it tomorrow.¡± Oddly enough, even though J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u couldn¡¯t sleep no matter how she tried, after Ryan arrived, she soon fell asleep. * Early the next morning, the dazzling sunlight passed through the thick curtains and cast mottled rays onto the floor of her room. ¡°Darling, are you up?¡± Mrs. J¨« knocked on the door then pushed it in, ¡°It¡¯s time to have breakfast.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u suddenly opened her eyes and subconsciously looked around but didn¡¯t see Ryan. She sighed with relief and pressed her cheek against the pillow, responding in a voice thick with sleep, ¡°I know, mom, I¡¯ll get up.¡± Her mother closed the door and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u got out of bed. She stepped into cotton slippers and looked around again, still unable to find Ryan. Where did he go? Did he automatically go back to her space? But J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u searched her space and couldn¡¯t find him there either. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was a little worried, thinking about his whereabouts while brushing her teeth. It wasn¡¯t until her mother rushed out that she spit out the foam in her mouth and walked to the dining room in her pajamas. Breakfast was a sweet purple potato corn porridge with pancakes and sugar poached eggs. All three of the J¨« family liked a Chinese breakfast and every morning, her mother would make it. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u scooped up a bowl of porridge and sat in the outermost position with a preupied look. Aside from worrying about Ryan, she also had to think about how to speak with her parents today. Yesterday, she had thought about it all night and still didn¡¯t want to go to Irnd. Even if there was no Ryan, she still didn¡¯t want to go. All her friends and ssmates were at home, if she were to go to a strange country, she would have none. It would mean having to start her life all over again. Even if she loved her mom and dad, she could not always live under their wing. She was always independent. She could not falter, because once she did, she would never walk out again. Only, yesterday, her mother had uttered that sentence and taken away her ability to refuse. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u gently sighed, such a dilemma. After breakfast, Mrs. J¨« was dressed neatly and standing on the porch ready to go out to finalize everything for J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u to go abroad. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stood in the entrance and looked at them, ¡°Mother. . .¡± Mrs. J¨« did not seem to see her abnormality and even remembered to say, ¡°Little Darling, don¡¯t forget to give G¨³n G¨³n his food. Father and I will be back in the afternoon and you¡¯ll have to do something about eating at noon. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u opened her mouth, ¡°Mother, I have something to say. . .¡± ¡°What is it? Say it when we get back, Little Darling, mom and dad have appointments iwth people and we¡¯ll bete.¡± Mrs. J¨« said, touching J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s head, and she was ready to push the door out. Just as she held the door and opened it, she hadn¡¯t taken a step when she froze. Outside the door stood a tall man with deep facial features and blue eyes, his hand raised to knock. Meeting Mrs. J¨«¡¯s gace, he quietly withdrew his hand and nodded slightly, calling out a greeting. Mrs. J¨« was startled then realized he was the ¡°electrician¡± who repaired the bulb yesterday and smiled politely, ¡°Hello, excuse me. What do you need?¡± ¡°I came for my,¡± the other side went straight to the point, his voice muffled maically, and he hesitated, then said, ¡°girlfriend.¡± . . . . . . Mr. and Mrs. J¨« sat on two sides of the single sofa with Ryan in the middle, his eyes narrowed. The usually spacious sofa had suddenly narrowed a lot because of Ryan. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u went to the kitchen to pour three cups of water and ced them in front of her parents and Ryan. Her mother saw the cup in front of Ryan was cold and couldn¡¯t resist asking, ¡°Darling, why didn¡¯t you give him hot water?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u blurted out, ¡°His temperature is high and he doesn¡¯t like to drink hot water.¡± ¡°. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s face suddenly changed and she said nothing else. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u just realized what her mouth had leaked and bit her lip, quickly running to the side as she knew nothing. Her motherughed and looked at Ryan, ¡°Yesterday I didn¡¯t have time to ask you, what is your name?¡± Ryan looked away from J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and said, ¡°Ryan.¡± ¡°Unlike the Chinese,¡± Mrs. J¨« said, looking at Ryan¡¯s deep contours, then his blue eyes, ¡°I take the liberty to ask, where is your hometown?¡± Ryan: ¡°Bornia.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s mother: ¡°. . .¡± Mrs. J¨« circled her brain for a while but could not find the country¡¯s name, it had little impression. She looked at her husband and saw it was also vacant and at a loss. Her mother tentatively asked, ¡°Can you tell us where? The southern or northern hemisphere?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u couldn¡¯t help but interrupt before Ryan could reply, ¡°Mother, it¡¯s very far away and very few people know about it.¡± Mrs. J¨« looked at her and felt angry that she had hid this yesterday and was now angry she had interrupted, ¡°Darling, this is not for you. Go back to your room.¡± ¡°Mother, can¡¯t I stay here?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u didn¡¯t want to go back, she wanted to listen to her parents and Ryan¡¯s dialogue. Her mother said heavily, ¡°No.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u pursed her lips, spoiled, and resigned herself to turning around and going back to her room slowly. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s room was very far from the living room, across the corridor and the door of her house had good sound instion. She couldn¡¯t hear a thing from outside. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u tried putting her ear to the door but it had no effect. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u didn¡¯t know why Ryan had suddenlye over. He probably wouldn¡¯t know what to say to her parents. It was false to say she wasn¡¯t disturbed. She knew her parents¡¯ character. They were meticulous and regardless of the issue, particrly serious. ¡ª¡ªEspecially now that they knew Ryan was her ¡°boyfriend.¡± She didn¡¯t know what they were asking Ryan. What would Ryan say? Would they find out Ryan was a beastman? . . . A series of problems surfaced in her mind and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was restless. Sheid in bed with the quilt over her head and rolled around for a while. Then she suddenly sat up and stood. She looked at the clock on the wall, it had been five minutes. She sighed deeply and rested her arms on the edge of the bed, her chin on the backs of her hands and forced herself to be calm. Time passed by and about half an hourter, the conversation still didn¡¯t seem to be over. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s arm pillow had soured and she took another posture, holding her hands to her cheeks to wait. Over the next half hour, the conversation continued. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u finally couldn¡¯t restrain herself and opened the door. She crossed the corridor to the kitchen to get some water and quietly observed the situation in the living room. The conversation between her parents and Ryan seemed to be nearing its end. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u couldn¡¯t see Ryan or her father¡¯s expression, but her mother¡¯s mouth was slightly curved and she didn¡¯t look displeased. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u set down the cup and her heart was like it, finally dropping back down. Walking back to her room, she vaguely heard a conversation between her father and Ryan. Her father¡¯s voice was a serious, ¡°How long can you take care of my daughter?¡± Ryan was silent for a moment then frank, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Mr. J¨« was angry, ¡°You. . .¡± However, then Ryan¡¯s steady voice said, ¡°It depends on how long a lifetime can be.¡± * February 15th. The air was clean and the blue sky washed clear of clouds. The long absent sun had finally exposed itself, the golden sun covering the earth and shuttling across the entire city. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u got up early and rushed to the airport with her parents. They picked up the tickets, checked the baggage and checked into security. Outside the window, a ne took off down the runway, carrying passengers onto the next journey. But J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stopped there. Although countless tears had flowed the night before, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u still couldn¡¯t help but cry with her mother. Mrs. J¨« endured the tears and wiped her tears away, saying softly, ¡°Little Darling, you have to take good care of yourself, don¡¯t let mom and dad worry.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u nodded, ¡°Mom needs to take good care of dad too. You have to contact me when you get there.¡± Mrs. J¨« said, ¡°We will.¡± The mother and daughter talked then cried again. Her father couldn¡¯t but persuade, ¡°Aren¡¯t we going to meet again? How can you still cry? Little Darling, be obedient and put away those tears. In the future, if you think of it, you cane to see us any time.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u wiped her tears with her fingers and sobbed, ¡°En.¡± Despite that, there was still moments of parting. Her parents ne was about to take off and they had to get through security so they said goodbye to J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. Looking at her parents¡¯ figures disappear in the distance at the end of the security line, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s tears started again. The airport saw this every day and her tears didn¡¯t draw any attention. Footsteps passed by her like a never stopping train. People came and people went. . . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u silently stood in the airport hall crying for a long time until she had no more tears to cry and she slowly stopped sobbing. She stretched out her hands and rubbed her eyes then looked at the airport door. Outside, the sun was dazzling and the golden light seemed to be cast over a huge flower bed until it peeled away to form a tall silhouette. Ryan seemed to smell her and as soon as she walked out, his sight shifted andnded on her with precision. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s footsteps became lighter and lighter until she rushed at him. Ryan stooped to catch her and held her in hisp, kissing her. After a long time, Ryan finally let go of her and pressed his lips against hers, whispering softly, ¡°Can we go back?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u knew that by ¡°Going back¡± definitely didn¡¯t mean going back to her family home. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u pressed her forehead to his and her thick eyshes swept across his nose, then she nodded, ¡°En.¡± Ryan asked: ¡°When?¡± ¡°When do you want?¡± ¡°Now.¡± . . . . . . (End of Text) || >>> Chapter 76 Gentle Beast Chapter 76 The car traveled down the winding mountain road, elerating then flowing into a free drift. The rows of tall buildings were getting farther and farther away, covered with a thick mist until they disappeared into the mountains. The sound of wind was loud and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was stunned to the extreme. When Ryan said he could help her drivest time, she thought he was just saying it casually and hadn¡¯t taken it to heart. Even if he could, it should only be as skilled as she was. But now, he had only been behind the wheel for half an hour and after adjusting to it, he waspletely at ease with it. . . How did he learn? When did he learn how to drift??? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stared at Ryan in the driving seat and felt rather bad. Luckily, she didn¡¯t promise to let him drive in the city, she thought, or she¡¯d be scared to death. Ryan loosened his right hand on the steering wheel and stretched it out to J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s face, lightly touching her dropped jaw, and he asked with amusement, ¡°Is this it?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u closed her mouth and turned to look. It was the cliff above the tree engraved with ¡°1001.¡± She nodded and turned big eyes at Ryan, remembering her questions, ¡°Ryan, how did you learn to drive?¡± Ryan opened the side door and circled around to pull J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u from her seat and said honestly, ¡°I didn¡¯t learn.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u hugged his neck and found it difficult to understand, ¡°Then how do you drive so well?¡± Ryan: ¡°It said in the box the other day.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was silent, then realized that Ryan meant the TV by ¡°box.¡± But when did she set the channel to one about driving? Ryan saw she looked confused and closed the door then set her on top of the car, taking a bite, ¡°When you gave the stupid cat a bath.¡± ¡°. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u recalled it and finally understood how it happened. That night she broughtG¨³n G¨³n back, she had casually turned on the TV and went to the bathroom. Because G¨³n G¨³n was so lively, the sound of the TV stabilized everything. Later, when she went tot he bathroom, she didn¡¯t pay attention to the program. Now that she thought of it, it seemed to be a professional rally? J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked at Ryan¡¯s eyes and glowed, her dark eyes bright, ¡°Did you understand it?¡± Ryan raised his brow and said it was easy. This thought had such a great impact, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u didn¡¯t think anything else could top it. Then Ryan took out a rectangr case from the trunk and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u asked, ¡°What is it?¡± Ryan opened the case in front of her and said cidly, ¡°A gun.¡± . . . !!! When J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u saw the thing in the box, her whole body was shocked frozen. The box held three guns, their dark barrels exuding the unique coldness of the weapon. Although J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s understandings of guns wasn¡¯t that deep, she could recognize a pistol, a rifle and a sniper rifle. . . The case was well equipped and there were two grenades in the corner. ¡°Ryan. . . where did you get this?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s voice changed and she asked incredibly. Ryan pulled the pistol and tucked it into his waist, then left the rest in the case, ¡°ck market.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°You even know the ck market??¡± ¡ª¡ªWhere had he gone in the real world? She remembered that he had always been with her and hadn¡¯t gone out alone! Ryan leaned over her little face and kissed the corner of her mouth, ¡°Scaring you?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u nodded honestly, really afraid, ¡°That. . . how did you buy it?¡± Even if J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u hadn¡¯t been to the ck market, she also knew that the transaction price wasn¡¯t low, and Ryan was a beastman from another world, so he wouldn¡¯t own any kind of currency. Ryan said calmly, ¡°Didn¡¯t buy it.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u widened her eyes, ¡°How did you get it?¡± Did he steal it? Ryan curved his index finger and knocked it to her forehead to stall the chaos in her head. Of course, robbing wasn¡¯t impossible, but the world¡¯s legalities were too much. One error and it would involve J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u, and he didn¡¯t want to cause trouble for his little one. Ryan: ¡°Exchanged for it.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°Exchanged what?¡± Ryan no longer answered, his deep voice full of temptation, ¡°Be obedient. You do not want to know.¡± The ck market was free of the market¡¯s naturalws. In that ce, piging, killing, trafficking and violence ran rampant. There were more ugly things there than in the beast world. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was slightly surprised. Seeing that Ryan wasn¡¯t joking, she pulled his sleeve and asked, ¡°Then tell me, when did you start to go out alone?¡± Ryan tacitly admitted, ¡°The next day.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .¡± In other words, he went out alone the day she went back to school. He promised her that he wouldn¡¯t go out! J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was a little angry and silently put the car into her space then went down the cliff to the tree with her engraving. Ryan picked her up from behind and his hand settled her head against his shoulder, ¡°Do you not wnat to talk to me?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u didn¡¯t utter a response. Ryan rubbed her head with the palm of his hand, ¡°Well, Little Darling?¡± Since Ryan knew this was her nickname, he like dot call her that from time to time. His voice was very low but the words ¡°Little Darling¡± were spoken softly and even with the vibration in his chest, there was a different sort of gentleness in his words. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u bit his shoulders andined, ¡°Do you know how dangerous it is?¡± Ryan pulled at the corner of his mouth and cooperated, ¡°Now I know.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u loosened her bite and straightened out, her small hands holding his face, and she said seriously, ¡°Then, promise me. You won¡¯t do it again.¡± Those kinds of things were very dangerous, much more dangerous than the beast world, and what would she do if something happened to him? Ryan, as if to see through her thoughts, reassured, ¡°Rest assured, I will keep my life to take care of you.¡± Hearing that, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u couldn¡¯t help but remember what he had promised her father and couldn¡¯t help but cry, ¡°Ryan. . .¡± Ryan walked to the edge of the cliff and, holding her hips, jumped down in a series of leaps and arrived under it, ¡°Hm?¡± She asked the question that had been suppressed in her heart for a long time, ¡°What did you say to my parents that day?¡± They had been determined to take her to Irnd anyway, but Ryan had only talked for about an hour and they changed their minds. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was curious. Had the talk with her parents gone so well? How did Ryan do it? Ryan stretched his long legs and headed for the tree, ¡°You want to know?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u nodded forcefully. Ryan¡¯s hand reached into the upper pocket of his coat and took out a red book. ¡°Remember what you told me that only the soldiers have the right to have a gun?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°I remember that.¡± But what did that have to do with persuading her parents. Ryan set the book in her hands, ¡°Later I understood that you humans seem to attach a great importance to military marriage.¡± After learning over the days, he knew what human ¡°marriage¡± was. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked down and saw the red book cover was impressively written, ¡°Military Certificate.¡± ¡°You. . .¡± Ryan: ¡°Open it and see.¡± She obediently opened it and inside was a piece of paper. She unfolded it and incredulously found her and Ryan¡¯s ¡°marriage application.¡± Her mouth dropped open in surprise. The information was urate and even the seals at the bottom were without w! Ryan: ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, it¡¯s a crime to destroy a military marriage?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s head went nk and she tried to organize her words, ¡°You. . . how did you, this is fake. . .¡± Ryan raised his brow, nomittal. She shook her head, ¡°How could you deceive my parents. . .¡± Ryan suddenly stopped and his pupils stared at her, ¡°Or else? Wait for you to with them to some ghost ce called Irnd?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .¡± Every time when it came to this problem, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was wrong. Sheid her head on Ryan¡¯s shoulder and thought. It seemed there was nothing wrong. Although the means weren¡¯t right, they only had this method at the moment. Now that she thought about it, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u finally understood why, the day after Ryan left, her mother refused to talk to her all day. It was because she didn¡¯t let her decide her wedding affairs! J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u felt very wronged, obviously she was the one that was ¡°married¡±. . . * Standing under the ¡°1002¡± tree, they were once again looking at the distant Camuda Valley spread out before them. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u actually had a treacherous illusion. She and Ryan had been away for one and a half months, and it was still a cold winter. The rolling mountains were covered in snow and the whole of Bornia was still a vast expanse of white. The snow blew on the wind and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s nose was frozen red in an instant. Her hands and feet were tucked into Ryan¡¯s embrace. Ryan took off his overcoat and wrapped it around her, blocking her from the wind and carrying her toward the leopard tribe. A man was standing on the lookout at the entrance of the race and saw a man wearing strange clothesing towards him. He thought it was the wolf n¡¯s conspiracy and immediately raised his spear, stabbing it forward as he said, ¡°Stupid wolf, get back to your race!¡± Ryan stepped to the side and extended his arm to throw the spear aside and his eyes narrowed. ¡°Fool, open your eyes and see who I really am.¡± The other looked up at Ryan¡¯s blue eyes and was surprised, ¡°Chi-Chief?!¡± . . . During the time Ryan was away, everything with the leopards was normal. Thest month there was continuous snowstorms, and it had buried the entire Camuda Valley. The surrounding tribes weren¡¯t spared and moved to high ground. Fortunately, the blizzard finally stopped after a few days or the leopards would also have to move. So when J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and Ryan came back, all they could see was white. Elder Berson and Winter led the n to clean up the snow but because Ryan was away, no one dared to entire his yard. So, when J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u opened the door, she was almost blown away by the flood of heavy snow. Ryan managed to catch her in time but the snow poured out the door for a long time. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .¡± ¡°Wait a minute, I¡¯ll clean things up.¡± Ryan set her aside and called several people over to clean up. Two hourster, the yard had been cleared of snow. But the house had been without a fire for so long and it was as chilly as an ice house, uninhabitable by people. Ryan temporarily had J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stay at Winter¡¯s nearby house. Then he went about starting the fire in the house and the once it was warmed up, he went to take her back. Winter and Suzanna were both under the impression that Ryan had taken J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u to the cave. Suzanna even stared at her stomach and looked at her seriously for a time, ¡°Has Chief Ryan impregnated you?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s cheeks were rosy and she denied, ¡°No. . .¡± ¡°Why did Ryan take you away?¡± Suzanna said, ¡°You herbivores are so squeamish.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .¡± Speaking of that, Suzanna seemed to be interested. She didn¡¯t acknowledge J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s After a while, Suzanna turned her head and continued, ¡°But, rather soon after Winter and I became a pair, we had Wenrick. ording to Ryan¡¯s strength. . . wouldn¡¯t he be more efficient than Winter?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .¡± Speaking of that, Suzanna seemed interested and didn¡¯t acknowledge J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s embarrassment. She sat with her and her tail swayed in the air as she asked, ¡°When you mate with Ryan, don¡¯t you find it difficult? I¡¯ve heard that. . . Ryan¡¯s ,¡± she paused and said, ¡°is very big. . .¡± While saying that, she looked done at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s slender hips. ¡ª¡ªIt wasn¡¯t a matching size at all. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s expression was strange and she said after a long time, ¡°. . . how do you know?¡± Suzanna confessed, ¡°I heard from Winter that the men often swim in the back of the mountain. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I haven¡¯t seen it.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°Oh. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought that she wasn¡¯t a very conservative woman, but discussing her spouse¡¯s ''size¡± face to face with someone was even beyond her eptable range. Suzanna didn¡¯t get her response and eventually got bored so she no longer asked and did other things. Ryan went to pick her up and heard Suzanna say in the back, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve got a medicine that¡¯s very good. If you get hurt, you cane find me any time.¡± As for where she got ¡°hurt¡±. . . it was self-evident. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u put her face in Ryan¡¯s neck and felt very embarrassed said thank you in a very small voice. Outside, Ryan looked at the little one in his arms and saw there were no signs of injury, ¡°Suzanna¡¯s giving you medicine for what?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u shook her head, not wanting to tell him, ¡°Nothing.¡± Ryan stared at her flushed ears and raised his brow slightly, but did not ask further. * J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had fully prepared when she came thing time and had ns to reform Ryan¡¯s house. Not only did she bring mattresses, but she also brought sheets and quilts, pillows and rugs, curtains and a coat rank. . . everything she needed. But it order to avoid being found strange by others, she only furnished her and Ryan¡¯s bedroom. As for the other rooms, they remained intact. Additionally, she brought G¨³n G¨³n. She could not keep leaving G¨³n G¨³n at her friend¡¯s house and she couldn¡¯t bear to give him away so she had talked with Ryan for several days before he agreed to let the cat live with them. Ryan had said: ¡°If one day it goes into one of the people¡¯s bellies, I¡¯m not saving it.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u seriously thought about it. The cat was in the same family of animals. . . leopards shouldn¡¯t like eating cats? And most of the time he was stuck to her side and he rarely went out alone, so it shouldn¡¯t be a problem. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u left him be with confidence. . . . Unfortunately, the first night G¨³n G¨³n stayed in the leopard race, he wasn¡¯t very popr. G¨³n G¨³n had been brought to a strange ce so he was a bit uneasy and he wanted to sleep together with her. Who knew that when Ryan came back he would ruthlessly drive the cat off the bed and close the bedroom door. The cat meowed outside the door scratching at it and his cry was particrly pitiful. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u wanted to go bring him back but Ryan stopped her. Ryan said in her ear, ¡°I don¡¯t want to mate with a stupid cat onlooking.¡± After a while, the cat found that he couldn¡¯t open the door and he stopped crying and returned to the main house. The firece was low to the ground and he found a ce next to it to sleep. At noon the next day, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u made afortable nest for him and ced it next to the firece. There were also a lot of his favorite toys. G¨³n G¨³n seemed to like the small nest and rolled around in it for a while, holding a ball of yarn to y. At night, ht was also very happy toy there and sleep soundly. He no longerpeted with Ryan over J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s embrace. ¡ª¡ªRyan was happy with it. Of course, if the next bedroom the voices could be quieter in the evening, G¨³n G¨³n would sleep more soundly. ¡°Wait, Ryan, you haven¡¯t worn it yet. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u urgently said. ¡°What?¡± Ryan¡¯s voice was hoarse. ¡°. . .¡± . . . After a few rustling sounds, Ryan wrinkled his eyebrows and looked at the thing in his hand, still too tight. ¡°Your human men. . .¡± Ryan licked his dry lips and said, ¡°Are they all so useless?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s cheeks burst into distressed red. How could he call them useless? Obviously he was ¡°too useful¡±. . . The little girl¡¯s mind was simple and everything was written on her face. Ryan lips touched her ears and confessed generously, ¡°How else could I meet my woman?¡± ¡°. . .¡± So that box of ''strawberry vor¡± didn¡¯te in handy and was abandoned in the corner. However, after J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s parents returned, Ryan didn¡¯t touch her again. The movement was too intense and identally injured her most delicate ce. The next day, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­uid in bed and felt sore whenever she moved her legs. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was a bit unbearable and remembered Suzanna¡¯s words yesterday. She was hesitant to go find her, but when Ryan returned at noon, he had a y pot in his hands when he walked into the room. Ryan rubbed her red eyes and asked, ¡°Does it still hurt?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u honestly nodded in pain. Ryan opened her quilt and held her ankle, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll help with the medicine.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u heard him and quickly stopped him, ¡°No. . . I¡¯ll do it myself.¡± Ryan¡¯s lips crooked, ¡°Can you see?¡± ¡°. . .¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± Ryan said, pulling apart her delicate legs, ¡°After all, I hurt it.¡± . . . After the medicine, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u tightly wrapped herself in the quilt and her cheeks were even hotter than usual. Ryan stretched out his tongue and licked his ws. Looking at the little on the bed, he showed a rare smile and touched the top of her head, ¡°Suzanna said it has to be applied twice a day, I¡¯ll do it again tonight.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u pushed an arm from under the quilt and pushed at him, particrly embarrassed, ¡°no, you¡¯re going out.¡± Perhaps it was because Ryan had left the race too long, he had been busy and was dealing with things almost every day. But even if he was busy, he woulde back every night and eat dinner with her. Three dayster, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s injury was finally better and she didn¡¯t need to take the medicine anymore. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u heaving a long sigh. Now that she was afraid of more medicine, but every time Ryan watched her while applying the medicine, it felt like he would try to eat her a second time. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u could only bear such pressure for so long, she¡¯d rather have him directly have her. . . * Then one day, Ryan went very early. By the time J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u woke, she couldn¡¯t see head or tail of him. She dressed and got out of bed. He took some cat food out of her space and fed the cat. Then she prepared to go to the kitchen to eat. At a nce, she could see a bowl of fish stew on the stove top. Ryan had prepared it for her before he left. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u took a spoon and tasted it. It was a bit cool but it smelled and tasted unexpectedly delicious. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u ate the whole bowl and just after eight o¡¯clock, returned to the house holding G¨³n G¨³n. At around ten, her eyes were drooping and she fell into a doze. These days, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had found it particrly easy to fall asleep. She had slept very wellst night, but so soon after getting up, she was dozing again. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u didn¡¯t think too much and put G¨³n G¨³n in the house to rest. She dozed until five thirty that afternoon and it was quiet outside, silent. Ryan hadn¡¯t returned. Usually, Ryan returned around this time and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u wasn¡¯t in a hurry, so she sat tat the threshold with his clothes. It wasn¡¯t until the sky was dark and night had fallen, and still, there was no Ryan. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u thought, had something been dyed? She stood at the door and waited, but she didn¡¯t see him. So she simply took out her shlight and prepared to look outside. Just as she put a hand on the bolt, the door was pushed open from the outside. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u quickly retreated. Seeing Ryan¡¯s face, her vignt heart could finally let go. ¡°Ryan, how did you get back. . .¡± Ryan still felt a little cold as if he had been in the wild and after a long time, he saw that she was ready to go out and asked, ¡°Where are you going?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u sniffed, ¡°I saw you didn¡¯te back and wanted to go ask Winter if he knew where you were.¡± She looked up, ¡°Ryan, where have you been?¡± Ryan didn¡¯t answer her directly and stooped to pick her up, speaking into her ear, ¡°I¡¯ll take you to a ce.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°What ce?¡± Ryan held her sides, ¡°You¡¯ll know when we get there.¡± Jumping onto the roof, he headed off. The leopard roofs were patchwork and Ryan jumped passed them with ease, his long tail trailing alight behind him. In the distance, the moon hung in the sky like a huge silver ce. Both bright and faint. Ryan carried her for a long time and across several valleys then finally settled on a mountain. ¡°Here it is.¡± Ryan said calmly as he ced her on the ground. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u followed him out of the forest and through the thick branches, could finally see overhead. A splendid aurora burst across the sky from the distant horizon and spreading far. Countless bright stars floated in the distance as if painted in the sky, rending the night sky in little lights. The green glow surrounded her and Ryan. It was incredible. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u stared at this wonder and almost forgot her words. After a long time, she asked in pleasant surprise, ¡°Ryan, how did you find this ce?¡± Ryan stepped forward and scratched the red tip of her nice. ¡°Didn¡¯t find. Your man¡¯s been here for several days.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u blinked. He hade here to watch? Was it because of this that he kept returningte? ¡°Why?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u asked. Why did he bring her here to see the aurora? Ryan asked her, ¡°You don¡¯t like it?¡± ¡°Like, ah.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s eyes were bright and her pink lips tilted up, ¡°Especially like it.¡± Then, Ryan couldn¡¯t help but kiss her lips. It seems that these days of hardship hadn¡¯t been wasted. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u blinked and kissed him then turned, ¡°But. . . how did you know I would like it?¡± Ryan looked at her, ¡°Don¡¯t humans like it?¡± Although in his eyes, it was an extremely ordinary phenomenon. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°You know a lot about humans.¡± Ryan chuckled and grasped her little hand. His voice was low, ¡°I also know that humans like to propose to their spouses under this kind ofndscape.¡± His fingers were cold and J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u gave a slight shiver. Then he lifted her left hand and brought it to her eyes. She had a diamond ring on her finger and the gorgeous aurora overhead. ¡°. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was a little shocked. Ryan slowly knelt down and took her fingertips, looking at her as he asked, ¡°If I ask you to be my spouse and spend a lifetime with me, will you agree?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was still in shock, ¡°But, you don¡¯t need to propose. I already promised. . .¡± ¡°Now the same,¡± Ryan interrupted her and whispered, ¡°I want to give you everything you deserve.¡± . . . After a while, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u opened her mouth, her voice a little wronged, ¡°But, Ryan. . .¡± She said: ¡°You put it on the wrong finger. . .¡± . . . . . . J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u sat on Ryan¡¯s leg with the ring on the right finger and carefully observed it. She couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Ryan. . . where did this ringe from?¡± Ryan¡¯s palm wrapped around her cold hand and he rested his chin on her head, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I didn¡¯t steal it.¡± ¡°. . . was it also an ¡®exchange¡¯?¡± ¡°The exchange only provided a way, the ring was personally selected.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u looked at him and tried to see his face, ¡°Ryan, tell me about where you went, okay?¡± The little one¡¯s bright eyes were shining as if reflecting the whole gxy. Ryan had no reason to refuse so he wrapped his arms around her soft body and recounted the entire trip. From the day she went to check in, he had shifted into his other form and walked along the high-rise silently to see the entire city. . . . . . While he spoke, the little girl in his arms didn¡¯t move. Ryan looked down at her face and saw J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s eyes were closed. Her thickshesid against porcin white skin and her breathing was smooth. She had fallen asleep. She had just wondered where he had gone and fell asleep in a blink. Ryan gathered her up in the coat and wrapped her tightly then plunged into the forest and headed back toward the leopard tribe. . . . || >>> Chapter 77 Gentle Beast Chapter 77 ¡¾·¬Íâƪ£º¸ñÀ׸¥µÏ ¨C Epilogue: Greverdy¡¿ ¡°Ka¡ª¡ª¡± A tall, ferocious beastman quickly caught his prey, his ws buckling the other¡¯s throat and tossed it over his shoulder to the ground. The prey¡¯s chin was dislocated and their pupils werex. A foul saliva curled over the corners of its mouth and it looked painful. The beastman stepped a head on the prey¡¯s head and put away his ws. Then he turned his dark eyes and looked at the child behind him, ¡°Did you see clearly?¡± Under the tree, wearing animal skins, the little boy with the same deep blue eyes nodded, ¡°Saw clearly.¡± The beastman heard this and doubted his ability. Pointing to a horde of hyenas down the slope, he cruelly said, ¡°You can only return after resolving those.¡± The hyenas counted at twenty or thirty heads and each had a cheeky grin and a savage face which wasn¡¯t all that good to see. The little boy had the appearance of an eight year old boy and his facial features were exquisite. His eyebrows weren¡¯t as rough as the beastman, but rather clear and delicate, more like a human child. However, in the next second, he grit his teeth and exposed sharp fangs and his beastly nature was revealed. ¡°I can see my mother once I¡¯m done with these?¡± The boy asked. The beastman said, ¡°Only once a week. That is what we originally agreed.¡± The boy retorted, ¡°That¡¯s because mom things you¡¯re teaching me survival skills! If mom knew those so-called survival skills was throwing me into the wolf n to die, she would never forgive you.¡± The beastman grinned and looked at the child, ¡°So she will never know.¡± Heid his hand on the boy¡¯s head and coldly reminded, ¡°Listen. Don¡¯t threaten me with your mother all day. She is my woman, and I will always stand in the same position. You should thank me for throwing you into the wolf n. Being a leopard, if the stupid wolves cannot even deal with our offspring, what is the difference between you and trash?¡± The little boy cleared his throat and remembered that nightmarish night, so he said nothing else. After a while, the boy said, ¡°I will not tell my mother. In exchange, you mustn¡¯t tell her I hunted several deer the other day.¡± The carnivorous species preyed on the herbivores and there were no problems hunting the others, but only the deer didn¡¯t work. ¡ª¡ªBecause his mother had friends in the deer n. The beastman lifted his brow and had no apparent objection to his son¡¯s behavior. ¡°Of course.¡± The boy lowered his heard and leaned forward, rushing toward the hyenas in front of him. When they saw he was only a young leopard, they didn¡¯t care much about it. But when the boy rushed forward, he was ready. Who knew that when he opened his mouth and disyed sharp teeth that their venomous bite would snap around the neck of the hyena closest to him. Now waiting for them to react, the young leopard darted between two hyenas and, learning from what Ryan had done just before, struck his ws into their throats and mmed down on their shoulders, forcing them to fall forward! With two ms, the two hyenas were sessfully removed of their chins. . . . The hyenas surrounding him were enraged and rushed toward him. One by one, the boy evaded them and stepped onto the back of one to leap onto another, stretching out his arm. He hooked around the other¡¯s neck and twisted his chin for half a circle¡ª¡ª The hyena immediately fell to the ground. Before the others could pounce, the boy mmed his feet to the ground and jumped far off. Wiping his mouth, he said, ¡°It¡¯s so dirty.¡± Ryan¡¯s arms were crossed over his chest as he watched his son who was besieged by the hyenas, unmoved. A hyena saw the leopard leader didn¡¯t move forward to help and secretly approached from behind, exposing his dirty ws to try and scratch his back. He was unsessful because he was kicked far off by Ryan. Ryan dropped his long leg to the ground and said to the cub, ¡°Remember to wash before you go home. She doesn¡¯t like blood.¡± Greverdy nodded once and snapped the necks of two of his prey, then he looked back to find Ryan had already left. * In the house,J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was reading a letter from her parents. The letter had been retrieved thest time she went to the real world and had been sitting in her mailbox for two months. Since she had graduated, she rarely went back. Her mother and father thought that she lived with Ryan and there was no doubts. The letter said that her father was in poor health, that his memory was getting worse, and that he wanted J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u toe see them. ¡ª¡ªBut to also bring their grandson. Her father only knew that J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had given birth to a son, but they had never seen their little grandson. It wasn¡¯t that she deliberately hid him, but Greverdy, the little guy, grew too fast! It stood to reason that he was only two years old this year, but already looked like he was bing a human teenager. If her parents saw, wouldn¡¯t they be scared to death? When she first gave birth to Greverdy, she had taken a look at him one day and her own fright wasn¡¯t light. Later, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u learned from Elder Berson that young leopards grew at a rate five times as fast as humans. Speaking of that, ever since she had found out she was pregnant, she hadn¡¯t felt at ease. She was worried that the different races would produce an unhealthy child, and she hadn¡¯t graduated from college yet, and she dared not want a child. Ryan had learned that abortion would affect her health and insisted on her giving birth. Later though, he ended up regretting the decision. During her pregnancy, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u took a year off and because she was so worried about their future child¡¯s health issues, her mood was very unstable. She became more and more fragile than ever before, and even became angry easily. During the entire time, Ryan was tortured. The hardest thing every day was how to make his little woman happy. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u vented all her tempers on him. Giving him headaches and frowning. Who called this child half his responsibility? On one of J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s whims, she suddenly wanted to eat braised eel. She woke him up in the middle of the night and told him to go get fish from the east for her to eat. There were thousands of kilometers between them and the east, and it took Winter a month to get there. Ryan didn¡¯t say anything, bit her mouth, and forced himself to go to the eastern sea. Ten dayster, he came back with two lively eels in hand. When he finally did manage to cook the braised eel, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u felt nauseous and wanted to vomit. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u still remembered the look on Ryan¡¯s face at the time. His teeth were bared and he wanted to teach her a lesson, but he saw her bending over for something and couldn¡¯t spit on her pitifulness. So he softened and kissed her head and threatened, ¡°Never again.¡± . . . But the next time, he still willing let her instruct him. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u didn¡¯t know what to think when she was pregnant. Holding the letter, she didn¡¯t know someone was watching. Ryan looped his arms around her waist and asked, ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u turned and curled her lips, ¡°Laughing at you.¡± Ryan raised his brow as if to ask what was so amusing. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about ittely. You don¡¯t like Grevery too much. Is it because I tortured you so?¡± Ryan didn¡¯t even want to see the kid, but it had nothing to do with that, ¡°Are you going topensate me?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u tiptoed and kissed his throat, ¡°How about we recreate another kid?¡± Ryan looked pale and held her waist tightly with his ws, ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± A descendant was already taking too much of her attention and he wouldn¡¯t have the patience for another one. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u pursed her lips and was dissatisfied with his answer, ¡°But Greverdy is too independent, he isn¡¯t close to me. . .¡± Speaking of this, she looked behind Ryan and didn¡¯t see Greverdy, ¡°Huh? Didn¡¯t you go pick him up?¡± ¡°He isn¡¯t finished with today¡¯s task. I won¡¯t let hime back,¡± said Ryan without blinking an eye. No doubt it was some brutal and heinous ¡°task.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was a little upset, ¡°Ryan, can¡¯t you be a bit more tolerate with him? He¡¯s only two!¡± Ryan said: ¡°Leopards can live independently from the age of two. Living with their parents for too long can reduce his instinct for survival.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .¡± Only this, she could never refute. The circumstances surrounding leopard and human offspring were so different. She hadn¡¯t even tasted the experience of motherhood, and her child had grown up! Ryan saw her look so mncholy and couldn¡¯t help but bow to kiss her lips, ¡°If you want to be close,e find me.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s cheeks went red and she wanted to retort but he was already kissing her. While J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was pregnant, he couldn¡¯t touch her and he had already tasted her entire body. Now that J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was kissed by him, she subconsciously trembled. Soon, she melted into the kiss and a soft moan escaped her lips. Ryan originally only wanted to kiss her, but her body was so wonderful that the sound made it unbearable. He picked her up andid her on the table and his hand went to undo her clothes to make arrangements right there¡ª¡ª Suddenly a boy broke into the house, saw the two people on the table and turned a blind eye to it, saying happily to her, ¡°Mom, I¡¯m back.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u hurriedly shoved Ryan aside and jumped from the table, her cheeks red like ripe apples. In the next second, all her attention was focused on the son who she hadn¡¯t seen for a week, ¡°Greverdy, you¡¯re back. Was this week good?¡± Grevery nodded, ¡°Good. Father prepared a lot of prey for me. I didn¡¯t worry about being bored.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u gave Ryan a look and turned to Greverdy, ¡°Don¡¯t listen to your father. If you feel bad outside,e home.¡± Greverdy shifted into a leopard cub and jumped into J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s arms, rubbing against her chest, ¡°No, mom. I like hunting.¡± Ryan narrowed his eyes and saw that the little devil had not only interrupted his intimacy but had also snatched the site. ¡°Greverdy, I¡¯ll count to three. If you don¡¯t get down, I¡¯ll throw you into the saber-toothed tigers tomorrow.¡± The little leopard went stiff and he waited for Ryan to call out ¡°One¡± then jumped down from her arms! J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°. . .¡± She seemed to finally understand why her son wasn¡¯t close to her. . . * Dinner was prepared with the prey Greverdy had caught. After eating, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u tended to the wound on the back of her son¡¯s hand and asked, ¡°Do you want to go see your grandmother and grandfather?¡± Greverdy licked the wound on his other hand and his pretty little face hinted with doubt, ¡°What is grandfather and grandmother?¡± The leopard race rarely had a rtionship between three generations of parent-child. Even if they did, they were never in contact so Greverdy had never touched upon those two words. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u said: ¡°It¡¯s my mother and father.¡± The boy thought for a moment and said frankly, ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u choked, ¡°Why?¡± Greverdy: ¡°I only need mother. No mother¡¯s mother is needed.¡± ¡°. . .¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u had no choice but to go see her parents with only Ryan. Who knew that on the day of departure, Greverdy suddenly changed his mind and wanted to go with them. Every year, his parents would go to a tree and cross to another world, that he knew. But what the other world looked like, he had never seen before. He had little interest in that world before but he had seen the gun in his father¡¯s case yesterday and changed his mind. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u didn¡¯t know what he was thinking and was very happy to take him along. There was only one headache. How could she exin to her parents how she had such a big son? When she arrived in Irnd, she discovered that her fears were superfluous. Mr. J¨« was suffering from Alzheimer¡¯s and he couldn¡¯t remember many things clearly, even her own age he didn¡¯t know, much less the age of his grandson. As for her mother. . . she had already guessed the man her daughter married wasn¡¯t an ¡°ordinary person.¡± She had checked carefully and there was no country in the world called Bornia. Unfortunately, she was already abroad and even if she had regrets, it wouldn¡¯t help. Fortunately, her daughter was very happy the past few years and she would rather close one eye and pretend not to be aware of it. Now there was such a lovely grandson and her heart¡¯s troubles instantly disappeared. She just wanted to get close to Greverdy. Unfortunately, Grevedy had never seen his grandparents since he was a child and didn¡¯t like touching strangers. In the face of Mr. J¨«¡¯s enthusiasm, he licked his lips. ¡°Verdy,e. . . grandmother and grandfather.¡± Since Mr. J¨« had fallen ill, he had rarely smiled. Greverdy looked at the old man in front of him and said aloud, ¡°Grandfather, my name is Greverdy.¡± He paused and then added, ¡°Augustus Greverdy.¡± Mrs. J¨« looked at J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u andined, ¡°What is with thatplicated name? Your father and I cannot read it.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u smiled, ¡°Hold onto one¡¯s beloved and not demand enlightenment, mother, isn¡¯t that what you have always taught me?¡± Mrs. J¨« startled and immediately chuckled, saying nothing else. But, Greverdy heard this sentence and was curious, ¡°Mom, what does my name mean?¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u touched his head and tilted her own, ncing at Ryan, ¡°It means mother has you so I don¡¯t have to go looking for anything.¡± Ryan understood the little one¡¯s meaning and looked at his son, who had quietly smiled and grinned. Fool, your mother is confessing to your father, you¡¯re blind to be so happy. * J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u staying in Irnd for ten days with her family and didn¡¯t know back until winter hit. Her parents sent them off to the airport and were very reluctant to part with their grandson. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u promised to bring Greverdy to see them often and they were satisfied. Greverdy grew too fast, and in just three years, he would go from an eight or nine year old boy to a seventeen or eighteen year old teenager. Not to mention her parents being surprised, but even J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u when she saw this son of hers so much taller and stronger than herself was startled. Wouldn¡¯t he also die prematurely? Ryan bent a finger to press against her forehead and dispelled that messy idea, ¡°The leopards slow their grown after adulthood. We have the same lifespan. You won¡¯t have to worry about that.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u let her heart settle back down. It was a pity that before Greverdy had reached adulthood, her father suddenly died of pneumonia. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u learned of her father¡¯s death and rushed to Irnd to see her father onest time. Mrs. J¨« couldn¡¯t ept her husband¡¯s sudden death and she cried in mourning with J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u. Ryan let her appese her mother and single-handedly arranged for the burial. After the funeral, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and her mother¡¯s mood had stabilized. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u pondered for a while then said to her, ¡°Mom, don¡¯t you like Greverdy? Later on, won¡¯t youe stay with us?¡± ¡°Little Darling,¡± her mother said, ¡°Mother has lived here her whole life. There is no way to ept a new world.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u¡¯s eyes widened in surprise that her mother had discovered it. Her mother said, ¡°Mother respects your choices, and I hope you¡¯ll respect mother¡¯s. Little Darling, I want to stay here in your father¡¯s ce.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was silent for a long time and found it hard to say, ¡°. . . I know, mom.¡± Probably because of the guilt in her heart, from that time onward, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u traveled between the worlds frequently. However, the frequent travel through time and space wasn¡¯t healthy for the body. During that time, her body quickly thinned and she was very tired, sometimes she would fall asleep even while speaking. Ryan was distressed and asked her to reduce the number of times she went, but she refused anyway. ¡°Ryan, my mother was forty four when she gave birth to me. This year, she is sixty nine. The life span is only seventy years. If I don¡¯t go see her now, how many times will I get to see her?¡± She held his neck and seriously asked. Ryan didn¡¯t answer the question. For him, there was no difference between seeing more or less, because he could not understand this affection. For him, her health was most important. Fortunately, two yearster, her mother finally passed away. Although she had been mentally prepared, when she looked at her mother, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u still couldn¡¯t help but cry. Mrs. J¨« had already prepared everything before she died and she was buried next to her father. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u and Ryan buried her that day when the weather was clear and sun was bright. After the funeral was dealt with, J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u left the cemetery and was about to look back to find Ryan when she fell straight to the ground. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was unconscious for three days and when she woke up again, they had returned to the leopard tribe. Probably due to that, illness came upon her like a mountain and sheid in bed for half a month. When she was sick, Ryan hugged her and sat on the roof under the sun, and he opened his mouth to bite her cheek. J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u whined, ¡°Why did you bite me?¡± Ryan replied, licking the teeth mark, ¡°Next time you don¡¯t take care of your body, it won¡¯t just be a bite.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u was silent for a moment then hugged his neck and promised, ¡°There won¡¯t be a next time. . .¡± After all, she had lost her parents, and she didn¡¯t want to lose anyone else. Ryan saw her thoughts and his hand held her chin, ¡°Little Darling.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u: ¡°Eh?¡± Ryan: ¡°You know, besides your parents, you have me.¡± He kissed her lips, ¡°You will never lose me, so you can put all your feelings on me.¡± J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u pulled the corners of her mouth into a smile and looked into his blue eyes. ¡ª¡ª¡±You will die after me?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡±Of course.¡± End Chapter 77 End Gentle Beast Oh my good heavens! It¡¯s over. Like, it¡¯s actually done. I can¡¯t believe it. I just cannot believe that I have actuallypleted this. I am so proud of myself. I never thought I¡¯d actually get it done, even though I hoped. I¡¯m so happy to all of you that stuck through to the end, and even those that dropped it part way. I know that some people were upset with the way things progressed once their romantic rtionship really kicked off, and I get it, but. . . sometimes, creative allowances have to be made. I am happy that J¨« Xi¨£o ¨­u is happy, whether what makes her happy would make me happy. . . that is not my concern. Blessed be, I love you all. Happy reading henceforth! The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!