Shengqing had been watching Su Yu’s every move.
When he saw her fumbling her way toward the stone bed, only to suddenly stop for some reason, a sudden realization struck him.
With a grave expression, Shengqing walked over to Su Yu and asked hesitantly, “Can you…
not see?”
Su Yu managed to pull herself out of her embarrassment, nodding.
“Yes.
It’s congenital.
I can’t see clearly.”
It dawned on Shengqing.
‘No wonder.
After she rolled down the mountainside yesterday, she didn’t even look at me or call for help.
It was because she couldn’t see.’
A trace of heartache appeared in Shengqing’s eyes as he looked at Su Yu.
He reached out and took her hand.
“Come on, I’ll lead you.”
Su Yu obediently let him lead her to a stone stool by the bonfire.
Shengqing carefully cut the roasted meat into small pieces, wrapped them in a large, heat-insulating leaf, and placed the bundle in her hands.
Then, he asked with some hesitation, “Do you need me to feed you?”
Su Yu shook her head gently.
“No, that’s alright.
Thank you.”
Perhaps because she was starving, Su Yu found the roasted meat incredibly fragrant and satisfyingly chewy.
They chatted as they ate, and she told Shengqing her name.
Before she knew it, Su Yu had finished the large handful of roasted meat Shengqing had wrapped for her, but she still wasn’t full.
Shengqing cut some more for her.
It wasn’t until she had eaten another handful and a half that her stomach was finally full.
He asked considerately, “Yu Yu, are you full?
Do you need me to roast a little more?”
Su Yu patted her slightly bulging belly, a little embarrassed.
“No, I’m full.
Thank you.”
She was even shocked by her own explosive appetite.
Back in the Liaoshui Tribe, she could only manage one large piece of roasted meat per meal.
‘But…
I must have eaten the equivalent of three or four pieces just now.’
Su Yu’s hand moved down to her still-flat abdomen.
‘Is it because of the pregnancy?’
She felt a little uneasy, and her mind started to race.
‘I ate so much.
This male Beastman isn’t going to get disgusted with me and just abandon me here, is he?’
Only after confirming she was full did Shengqing pop her leftovers into his own mouth and finish them.
Seeing how much Su Yu could eat, Shengqing let out a sigh of relief.
‘It’s good that she can eat.
A good appetite means the little female’s body is recovering.’
A truly gravely ill female couldn’t even drink water.
He had been genuinely afraid just now that Su Yu wouldn’t like the meat he roasted.
What would he have done then?
Seeing that she enjoyed it made Shengqing very happy.
Whether it was because of the pregnancy or simply having a full stomach, Su Yu’s spirits recovered quickly.
She pleaded with Shengqing to take her for a walk outside the cave to get some fresh air.
Most importantly, she wanted to go outside and leave her scent around the cave so that Shi Wei could pinpoint her location as soon as possible.
Su Yu pursed her lips, her hand going to the spot on her chest where Shi Wei’s Beast Mark was.
‘I’ve been missing for almost two days.
Shi Wei must be worried sick.’
Naturally, Shengqing wouldn’t refuse her request.
He wrapped her up snugly in a Beast Skin and carefully escorted her out.
Holding her hand, they walked slowly around the cave until she grew tired, at which point he helped her back inside.
When it was time to sleep that night, Su Yu felt awkward.
She couldn’t possibly take the stone bed and make her savior—oh, no, her benefactor beast—sleep on the ground, could she?
Shengqing noticed her dilemma and said considerately, “You can keep sleeping on the stone bed.
I’m used to sleeping in my beast form at night.”
Su Yu was a little curious.
“Shengqing, what is your beast form?”
The only time she had seen Shengqing’s beast form was on the first day when she tried to escape the cave.
But she couldn’t see clearly; all she could make out was a large, blurry blue mass.
Shengqing looked at her hesitantly.
After a moment, he asked with some apprehension, “I…
I’m a Snake Beast.”
As he said it, Shengqing braced himself to see repulsion on Su Yu’s face.
He knew that females generally disliked Cold-blooded Snake Beastmen; some even loathed them.
This was also why there were so many Cold-blooded Beastmen among the Wandering Beastmen.
Without a female’s comfort, they would be affected by impurities, lose control, and become cold and brutal.
This, in turn, made them even more disliked by females.
To alleviate the suffering in their bodies, Wandering Beastmen would resort to snatching females, leading to conflicts with other tribes.
It was a truly vicious cycle.
Su Yu was indeed a little surprised, but she wasn’t afraid of snakes, nor did she dislike them.
In fact, in her previous life, she had been quite fond of the cute white corn snakes she saw online.
Unfortunately, her poor health had prevented her from keeping pets.
Seeing her silence, Shengqing said anxiously, “Yu Yu, don’t be afraid of me.
I won’t hurt you.”
“If you don’t like my beast form, I’ll sleep outside the cave tonight.
I’ll watch over you.”
Su Yu snapped back to her senses and quickly said, “I don’t dislike it!
I like it very much.”
“It’s just that I can’t see clearly, so I don’t know what your beast form looks like.
But I’m sure it’s very beautiful.”
Shengqing froze for a second, and his face instantly flushed red.
‘Is Yu Yu…
confessing to me?’
‘I like her so much, too.
I want to become mates with her.’
‘But I can’t.
Yu Yu is pregnant and still weak.
I have to wait.
I’ll ask her to be my mate after she’s recovered more.’
After the initial joy, Shengqing’s heart ached for her again.
He said solemnly, “Yu Yu, don’t worry.
I will find a way to make you see.”
Su Yu just smiled, not taking his words to heart.
For the next few days, Su Yu stayed in Shengqing’s cave, focusing on her recovery.
Once she was better, she planned to ask Shengqing to take her back to the Liaoshui Tribe.
At first, Su Yu had worried that Shengqing would be cold and gloomy, like the Snake Beastmen described by authors in books.
But as they spent time together, she discovered that Shengqing was so gentle and considerate that he didn’t seem like a Snake Beastman at all.
He was also very innocent.
Whenever he happened upon her washing up in the cave, he would panic, transform into his beast form, and run outside to stand guard for her.
During these days, Su Yu also did what little she could to help.
After all, Shengqing wasn’t her Beast Husband, just her benefactor beast.
She couldn’t just freeload with a clear conscience.
And so, several days passed peacefully.
One day, Shengqing returned from a hunt.
The moment he entered the cave, Su Yu smelled the thick scent of blood on him.
Being pregnant, Su Yu couldn’t stand the smell.
Shengqing had been butchering his prey outside these past few days.
For him to bring the scent of blood back with him now, there could only be one reason.
He was injured!
Suppressing the urge to gag, Su Yu fumbled her way toward him and asked with concern, “Are you hurt?”
She couldn’t see, so of course she didn’t know that the aura of the Shengqing standing in the cave had completely changed.
His former gentleness was replaced by a chilling gloom, and his azure snake eyes were staring at her coldly, sizing her up.
‘So this is the little female that idiot brought back?’
‘So weak.’
‘Her neck is so slender, I could snap it with one hand.’
‘No wonder that idiot was so gentle and meticulous in caring for her.’
‘A female this weak would be killed by Wild Beasts in less than half a day if left in the wilderness.’
Su Yu keenly sensed that today’s Shengqing seemed different.
She stopped her steps as she approached him and asked uncertainly, “Shengqing?”
Shengqing watched her with dark, inscrutable eyes.
He tossed the blood-dripping prey out of the cave and slowly walked toward Su Yu.
For some reason, the Shengqing of today gave Su Yu a sense of danger.
She looked at him in confusion, her feet instinctively taking a step back.
“Shengqing?”
She had just taken one step back when an arm suddenly wrapped tight around her waist, and Shengqing pulled her into his arms.
Flustered and helpless, Su Yu asked, “What’s wrong with you?”
Shengqing’s large, well-defined hand gripped her chin, forcing her to look up.
His eyes bored into hers for a few seconds before he suddenly lowered his head and kissed her fiercely.
Su Yu’s mind went blank.
When she came to her senses, she panicked and tried to pull away, pushing against his hard chest with both hands.
“Shengqing!
What are you doing?!”
Shengqing’s gaze darkened as he followed, pinning her down on the stone bed.
His voice was deep and chilling.
“Su Yu, my mating period has begun.”
He commanded her domineeringly, “You will help me get through my mating period.”