After Lin Xi finished building her heated kang bed, she and Wu Chen began a busy period.
The heated kang bed at Wu Feng’s father’s house was completed the next day. This time, Lin Xi didn’t need to do any physical work herself – she merely stood by to supervise and give instructions.
As Bai Nu had promised, the remaining beastmen in the tribe all went to find Wu Feng instead of bothering Lin Xi.
On the third day after salting the meat, Lin Xi took all the meat out of the stone vat, flipped it over in reverse order, and put it back to continue curing.
This was to ensure the salted meat would absorb the flavor more evenly.
While she was turning the meat, Xue Ying happened to come by looking for her to go gather wild fruits in the forest. Soon after, Bai Nu came to find Lin Xi again.
This time, Lin Xi only asked for five giant beasts in exchange.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want more, but since she was living in their tribe, it was necessary to maintain good relationships.
Even among beastmen, social networks needed to be maintained.
The entrance to Wu Chen’s cave had been expanded slightly. The stone vat used for curing meat was too large to fit through the original cave opening.
Two kang mats had been completed and placed on the heated bed. Lin Xi thought she would make an additional animal skin mat for replacement during winter when she had more free time, so she could alternate between them.
Today, Wu Chen hadn’t gone out except for hunting.
He had transformed into a massive black panther, lying on his side on the heated kang bed. Lin Xi was curled up on his soft belly, sleeping restlessly.
The black panther’s thick tail swept back and forth across the kang bed. The strong scent of blood wafting to his nose was emanating from the little female beast sleeping on him.
As time passed, the little female beast remained asleep, but the scent of blood in the cave grew increasingly stronger!
The black panther opened his feline eyes, twitched his nose, and gazed at the little female beast lying on his belly for a while before suddenly transforming back into human form.
Moving slowly and carefully, he shifted the little female beast from his body onto the kang bed and covered her with an animal skin blanket.
Wu Chen got down from the kang bed and retrieved a new cloth bag from a fruit shell container at the foot of the bed.
The cloth bag was already filled with plant ash and animal fur that had been boiled at high temperature. Holding the bag, he walked over to the little female beast and lifted the animal skin mat covering her…
Lin Xi didn’t sleep soundly until much later.
In her dream, she seemed to return to her own world – her home, her room, her parents, her cat, her dog, and the familiar skyscrapers.
The scenes in her dream felt so real that her many days living in the beastmen world seemed more like an absurd dream.
However, the dream soon ended.
Lin Xi lay on the heated kang bed, staring into the darkness with open eyes.
Her lower abdomen felt heavy and painful, her waist was sore and weak. At least she didn’t feel too sticky down below – Wu Chen must have helped change her padding, but the thickness of the homemade “sanitary pad” was quite uncomfortable.
The scenes from her dream were gradually fading from her mind. Those increasingly blurry images intertwined with her current surroundings and sensations. After lying there for a long time, Lin Xi suddenly raised her hand and placed it over her sore eyes.
Since coming to this world, she never seemed to have time to grieve over her situation, and she didn’t dare to cry in front of these beastmen.
Because she really didn’t want to bother explaining anything.
But now, perhaps because her stomach hurt unbearably, or because of something as trivial as not having sanitary pads, she suddenly couldn’t hold back anymore!
How could she convince herself to keep going in this unfamiliar world?
Lin Xi cried silently in the cave for a long time, completely unaware that Wu Chen had been standing at the cave entrance for quite some time.
Outside, the sky had darkened, with only a faint glow from the firelight seeping into the cave. The tall figure of the beastman stood silhouetted against this light, silent and solitary.
After a long while, when the soft sobs from the small female beast on the heated kang bed gradually subsided, the beastman lowered his tail and slowly approached the bed.
Hearing the footsteps, Lin Xi quickly wiped the tears from her face.
But she forgot that even in the darkness, the beastman’s sharp vision could still clearly see the tear stains on her cheeks.
“Xi Xi.”
Wu Chen sat on the edge of the kang, leaning over the girl with a posture that was both intimate and cautious. “Are you… missing your… home?”
A long silence followed.
Lin Xi truly hadn’t expected Wu Chen to ask this question.
She remained quiet for a while before realizing he must have seen her crying.
She softly replied “Mm,” seeing no reason to deny it – she really was homesick.
Looking down at the female beast with slightly swollen eyes beneath him, Wu Chen could clearly sense her sorrow. He reached out and directly lifted her into his arms, holding her close while gently stroking her head,
Just like how his mother used to stroke his head in his memories.
The beastman’s body temperature was slightly higher than a human’s. Lin Xi obediently leaned against Wu Chen’s solid chest, feeling warm and comfortable.
It wasn’t just physical comfort.
“Then… when next spring comes, I’ll take you to find your home… your family?”
Wu Chen’s voice was soft, the unfamiliar words stumbling out, scattering through the cave but causing Lin Xi’s still-dazed mind to tremble with emotion.
She looked up in surprise at the beastman before her. Though she couldn’t see his face clearly, she could make out the concern and sincerity in his bright eyes!
Lin Xi remained silent for a long time,
Then suddenly curved the corners of her lips.
In that moment, certain lingering reservations and wariness in her heart instantly dissolved.
She shook her head, simply sitting up and tucking her legs into the beastman’s embrace: “You can’t find them, Wu Chen. They’re in a place very, very far away.”
After speaking, she rested her chin on Wu Chen’s tense shoulder muscles: “So you have to treat me very, very well!”
Wu Chen’s upper body was bare, allowing Lin Xi to feel the smooth texture of the beastman’s skin. This physical embrace during her emotional low point gradually dispersed her loneliness of being alone in this world.
At least she was still needed, not completely alone.
Lin Xi lingered with Wu Chen in the cave for a long time.
Perhaps due to menstrual discomfort combined with emotional turmoil from her dreams, she found herself unusually clingy.
Until a “grumbling…” sound came from her stomach, waking both of them from their reverie.
Wu Chen carried Lin Xi out of the cave. The fire outside had burned halfway down, so Wu Chen quickly threw two more logs into it.
For dinner, Lin Xi ate Sweetleaf Grass stir-fried with Fleece Beast meat, accompanied by roasted Black Bug Fruit.
The method of stir-frying was something Lin Xi had recently taught Wu Chen. With only two types of seasonings available, the technique remained the same regardless of the vegetables used. Wu Chen picked it up quickly!
Tonight’s moon was exceptionally bright, illuminating the hillside scenery even without a campfire.
As Lin Xi ate, she gazed at the distant landscape. A gentle breeze rustled the wild grass along the path, creating a serene and beautiful scene.
But winter was approaching soon.
During winter, they’d likely have to stay inside the cave most of the time, wouldn’t they?
Staring at the silvery moon for a long moment, she suddenly had an idea and turned to Wu Chen. “Wu Chen, let’s build a fireplace inside the cave!”
Wu Chen met her gaze and nodded. “Alright!”
By the fourth day of her menstrual period, Lin Xi was almost done bleeding.
She had barely set foot on the ground these past few days.
Not that she didn’t want to—Wu Chen wouldn’t allow it.
Although some Female beasts among the Beastmen tribes also experienced “blood tides,” none bled as heavily as Lin Xi!
Despite Lin Xi’s repeated explanations that Female beasts in her clan experienced this roughly every thirty days, Wu Chen had seen how much she suffered and firmly refused to let her walk around.
It wasn’t until the fourth day, when the scent of blood had faded and Lin Xi seemed much more energetic, that she was permitted to go outside.
After breakfast, Wu Chen left the tribe to gather materials for building the fireplace, which Lin Xi had mentioned days earlier.
Lin Xi, carrying a shell full of wild fruits, went to the river to wash them.
These fruits had been picked by Wu Chen during his recent hunts.
Lin Xi hadn’t eaten many, and upon inspection, she noticed that some of the berries had already spoiled. Unable to finish them all at once, she decided to wash the fruits, cut them into pieces, and dry them for later!
The river water was chilly, so Lin Xi worked quickly.
Just as she finished washing the fruits and stood up, a shadow swept overhead.
Puzzled, she looked up and saw a massive bird of prey circling above, descending lower and lower—seemingly aiming straight for her!
No!
It was targeting her!
A sense of dread surged in Lin Xi’s heart.
Though she couldn’t tell whether the bird was a Beastman or just a wild animal, her instincts screamed that it meant harm.
Trusting her gut, Lin Xi immediately dropped everything and sprinted away!
The uphill slope was too steep to run easily, so she dashed toward the Shack at the bottom of the hill.
Deep down, she knew her legs were no match for wings—she could never outrun the raptor.
But she had to try!
The sound of tearing air right behind her signaled the creature’s proximity. Without turning, she could feel its presence and even smell the pungent odor of its feathers.
Just as she felt certain the bird’s sharp claws would snatch her the next second, someone slammed into her from the side. A flash of red filled her vision before she was whisked far from her original spot.
The rush of wind during their swift movement made the air thin and hard to breathe. When her rescuer finally stopped, Lin Xi broke into violent coughs.
Feeling a pat on her back, she took a deep breath and looked up, stunned!
“Hu Cong!”
It was actually Hu Cong who had saved her!
Hu Cong gave her a slight smirk, then released her and looked toward the direction they had run from.
Lin Xi followed his gaze and immediately widened her eyes!
On the slope above the riverbank, two giant eagles were locked in combat with the raptor. Only then did Lin Xi clearly see that the raptor was actually an enormous vulture!
Lin Xi couldn’t help but ask: “Is that vulture… also a Beastman?”
After a long pause, the Beastman beside her lazily replied: “Of course.”
Hu Cong crossed his arms, watching the battle. The vulture was already at a disadvantage, trying to escape but blocked by the brothers Cang Ju and Cang Xing, leaving it with no way out.
By now, Beastmen who had heard the commotion were gradually arriving at the scene.
Yet Lin Xi remained puzzled. She turned to the Beastman beside her: “Then… why did he try to capture me?”
Hearing this question, a shadow of gloom flashed through Hu Cong’s beautiful eyes before calming down.
He looked at Lin Xi with a mocking gaze: “Obviously… to capture you for mating!”