The sound of rushing wind filled his ears. Yu Jiu was carried by the monster, his head buried against its chest.
The monster’s skin was rough, like a piece of hardened leather covered in shimmering scales. They were larger than fish scales and seemed to still be wet, as if the creature had just emerged from the water.
The muscles were hard as well. Yu Jiu felt dampness on his nose; it was the water clinging to the creature.
The monster was fast. When it snatched him, it even managed to dodge Lu Shiyue’s attacks, spiriting him away right under everyone’s noses.
Yu Jiu did not know where the monster was taking him, whether it intended to use him as a hostage for leverage or drag him away as a sacrificial offering.
His thoughts drifted as the cool night wind blew over him. Feeling cold, he instinctively burrowed into the monster’s chest like a cat searching for a heat source.
Whatever the outcome, he could not afford to catch a cold.
He could clearly feel the monster’s body stiffen. The beast’s claw, which held him, loosened slightly, and a sharp tip tore through Yu Jiu’s clothes.
The bowtie at his chest was sliced open, revealing a large expanse of glowing, pale, and delicate skin. Through the parted lapels, even the soft, pink-tinted skin underneath was visible.
Cold wind whistled inside. Yu Jiu did not care about being exposed; he was simply afraid of the cold.
The soft, fragrant bundle in its arms was trembling gently. The monster snapped to its senses and cast an annoyed glance at its own oversized claws. Trying its best to avoid touching Yu Jiu’s skin with the sharp tips, it managed to pull him tighter into its chest and continued to sprint madly.
The monster’s towering frame blocked most of the night wind, and Yu Jiu nestled securely in its embrace.
The night was late, and it was his usual bedtime. Sleepiness surged over him; his eyes grew heavy and unable to stay open. The monster’s arms were broad and warm, and Yu Jiu’s head gradually began to droop, pulling him into a murky dream.
The top of his soft head rubbed against the monster’s chest, causing an itchy, tingling sensation.
Even the breath he exhaled was sweet. The monster held him so tightly that the fragrance emanating from Yu Jiu, the sweet scent released with every opening and closing of his red lips, seemed to disperse within the narrow confines of the monster’s arms.
He did not know how long they had been running when Yu Jiu’s head bumped against the monster’s pectoral muscle again, causing the beast to come to a halt.
Perhaps just waking from his slumber, Yu Jiu’s emerald eyes were clouded with mist and shimmering with a crystalline sheen. A faint pink impression was left on his soft cheek where he had been pressed, his hair was a mess, and the ends were still damp with water from the monster.
The monster set him down. It was very dark in the mountains, and the monster, a massive, ink-black presence, nearly blended into the night.
Yu Jiu could only identify the sturdy body that almost completely enveloped him. The darkness blurred the monster’s face; except for the claws, he could not discern any other features.
The place where the monster had stopped was a bush. It carefully avoided the thorny branches and placed Yu Jiu in a small clearing.
Yu Jiu sat on the ground while the monster half-crouched. Its claws pressed against his shoulders; the same tips that had torn his clothes were now angled outward, taking great care not to come into contact with his skin.
The monster could not have been using much strength, but Yu Jiu was even weaker; he could not struggle, nor did he know what the creature intended to do.
He felt the monster’s approach, the cool, icy scent of lake water and an indescribable, viscous sensation.
Terrified, he closed his eyes, imagining the monster opening its bloody maw the very next second. “091, is it going to eat me?”
Before 091 could answer, the monster moved its head closer.
Furry, slightly coarse hair tickled the back of Yu Jiu’s neck. The monster was nuzzling his neck.
It was nuzzling him eagerly, just like a large dog playing with its master.
The breath the monster exhaled was hot and ticklish, turning the soft skin on Yu Jiu’s neck a vibrant red.
So fragrant. The intoxicating fragrance eroded the monster’s brain; it had wanted to do this for a long time.
While holding him, the little creature it had set its sights on constantly emitted an enticing scent, coiling around it in delicate, persistent wisps.
Yu Jiu felt uncomfortable being nuzzled. His slender, white wrists pushed against the monster, but his strength was too feeble, akin to scratching an itch; he could not shake the heavy body at all.
He smelled sweet, and every part of his body was impossibly soft. The tender flesh on his neck sank in with the slightest touch.
His face was tiny, his limbs had little strength, and the drowsy, moist glance he cast in its direction toward the monster’s heart was intoxicating.
It wanted to, it desperately wanted to, carry this bundle of softness back to its nest, place him in a well-built burrow, and keep him as its little wife.
But it was not the time yet. As if suddenly waking from a dream, the monster lifted its head from the crook of Yu Jiu’s neck. It was not the time; it had to wait a little longer.
When the timing was right…
Yu Jiu watched as the monster ceased its obsessive movements and stood up without warning.
In the darkness, Yu Jiu could only make out a towering, mountain-like silhouette. The monster seemed to glance back at him once before turning and disappearing into the ink-black forest within a few steps.
For some unknown reason, it seemed he had been abandoned.
A burning, sharp pain flared in his ankle. The injury he had sustained during the day had not healed fully, and as the effects of the medicine wore off, the pain returned.
Yu Jiu sat alone in the bushes, which formed a natural barrier protecting him from wild beasts.
But he could not walk.
What could he do? Should he wait for other players to save him?
Lu Shiyue? Yu Jiu pictured the red-haired man’s impatient expression in his mind and shook his head.
Lu Shiyue probably wished he were as far away as possible, or better yet, lost in the dungeon, finally ridding the Sharp Blade captain of the source of distraction.
The temperature began to drop, and Yu Jiu curled into a ball. He wrapped his arms around his knees and buried his head against his chest, trying to prevent the cold air from slipping into his torn clothing.
091 felt heartbroken, cursing the monster that had walked away so easily and Lu Shiyue for being useless when it mattered most.
“Baby, I have exchanged some heat packs from the main system. Use them quickly.”
A system panel appeared in Yu Jiu’s mind, the usage request from 091 popping up before him.
Items requested from the Quick Transmigration Bureau system required the host’s consent to be used.
Yu Jiu shook his head gently; he did not want 091 to spend its own points during the mission.
As his consciousness drifted, he saw light shining through the gaps in the bushes.
The rustling of footsteps drew closer; someone was coming.
Before Yu Jiu could react, a pair of hands parted the dense shrubbery.
Light spilled in unexpectedly. Yu Jiu lifted his head, and his eyes, accustomed to the darkness, shed tears from the sting of the glare.
After parting the branches, Ling Xiye witnessed the sight before him.
The beautiful, ethereal little beauty in the woods had tears streaming down his cheeks.
The tears fell from his sharp chin onto his neck, leaving his collarbone wet and glistening.
His eyes were an incredibly rare emerald green, currently clouded with a layer of tears that made him look pitifully fragile.
His chest was exposed, revealing a portion of a smooth, pink-tinted shoulder and half-bared, pale, delicate breasts. His black hair was scattered in disarray, with the ends stuck to his neck; several strands disappeared into his deeper clothing, hidden from sight.
There were red marks on his fair, tender neck that looked like they had been rubbed fiercely by something, marks that looked like hickeys, a provocative and striking shade of red.
His entire person radiated an intense air of desire, as if he had been ruthlessly bullied, an overripe, seductive aura nearly overflowing from him.
He must have been toyed with by someone and left here to fend for himself.
With tear-stained cheeks, disheveled clothing, and an overly delicate, beautiful face, he appeared out of place, like a woodland sprite suddenly materializing here.
Yu Jiu’s eyes adapted to the light. The person holding the lantern was very young, with clean-cut, handsome features. He wore a uniform-like outfit and looked at him with a scrutinizing, high-and-mighty gaze, one filled with disdain.
Though young, his presence was imposing, his brows sharp. As his gaze swept over him from top to bottom, an invisible sense of oppression weighed down on him.
“Are you going to get up yourself, or should I tie you up?”