And so, a soft glow once again emanated from her palm, obediently directing itself toward Yun Li’s wound. Gradually, a gentle and serene halo formed an oval around his chest.
She was pleasantly surprised, it seemed her light-based ability could instinctively discern the extent of Yun Li’s injuries. Enveloping his entire chest meant the damage wasn’t just the claw marks on the surface; his internal organs must have been injured as well.
Yun Li only felt warmth spreading through the areas that had been in pain, soothing the agony. His entire body was enveloped in a cozy, comforting sensation, as if he were nestled in his mother’s embrace.
But Tang Hongluan’s ability was only at the first tier, and before long, she grew exhausted.
Seeing Yun Li’s complexion improve slightly, she decided not to push herself and withdrew her power. Why exhaust herself for these ungrateful men?
With that, she took out her bone knife and sat in the shade of a tree not far from Yun Li, carefully cutting open the watermelon.
Wow! the bright red flesh, the overflowing juice, the intoxicatingly sweet aroma!
Too bad there was no refrigerator. If it had been chilled, it would have been absolutely perfect!
“What’s this?” Yun Li had opened his eyes at some point, shifting into a more comfortable position as he leaned against the tree trunk, staring at the watermelon in Tang Hongluan’s hands. It looked delicious.
Instinctively, Tang Hongluan pulled the watermelon closer to herself. She had seen how Yun Li snatched meat before, who knew if he’d try to take her precious watermelon?
But looking at his pitiful, injured state, she felt a little guilty for being so stingy.
After an internal struggle, she handed him a slice. “It’s watermelon. Sweet!”
Even before tasting it, the sugary fragrance had already drifted into Yun Li’s nose. He eyed Tang Hongluan warily before taking it and taking a small bite.
Huh! So sweet! Juicy and sweet!
But how had this wretched woman gotten her hands on something so delicious?
He took another bite. So good!
Seeing this, Tang Hongluan continued eating her own share. After finishing one slice, she picked up another.
Yun Li, too, ate with increasing delight, the corners of his eyes lifting in satisfaction. Once he finished his piece, his gaze lingered on the remaining watermelon beside Tang Hongluan.
Helpless, and fearing retaliation if she refused, she reluctantly handed him another slice.
Deciding to speed things up, she quickly devoured the rest of the watermelon. Soon, it was all gone.
Her belly was now round and full.
With a satisfied sigh, she exhaled slowly, looking as though she had been reborn.
Yun Li glanced at the two watermelon rinds by his side, then at the seven or eight piled next to Tang Hongluan. His eyes cooled.
The injury in his lungs seemed to have improved, perhaps due to self-recovery, but in any case, he could now stand and walk. Casually surveying Tang Hongluan’s cave dwelling, his gaze paused briefly. Had it become more spacious?
Not that he cared. With a sidelong glance at Tang Hongluan, he left.
Tang Hongluan scoffed inwardly. Eat and run!
Well, good riddance. At least he wouldn’t bother her anymore.
Next, the ever-diligent Tang Hongluan, undeterred by the scorching sun, spent the entire day reinforcing the entrance of her cave. By sunset, she was drenched in sweat, her face and body covered in dirt, utterly transformed into a grimy cave girl.
Though filthy and exhausted, her cave finally looked presentable.
The entrance had now been widened to the height of a person, so there was no need to bend over when entering or exiting. It seamlessly connected with the interior of the cave dwelling, avoiding any abrupt transitions.
She carefully piled the excavated soil to the side, as she still needed to build a heated bed (kang). Tomorrow, she would use this soil to construct one, so she wouldn’t have to sleep on the ground anymore.
She roasted some more of the remaining venison and paired it with the wild fruits she had gathered in the morning, enjoying a satisfying meal.
The days when she could eat meat freely were truly delightful!
After eating her fill, she took the unused animal hides and her only other leather skirt to the river.
Along the way, many women were outside enjoying the cool evening air.
The beastmen hadn’t returned from the hunt yet. Collective hunts deep into the old forests usually took three to five days, so only the elderly, weaker beastmen and some women remained in the tribe.
Without those beastmen around, she could bathe in the river without worry. Although there were no taboos about men and women bathing together in the beast world, she had only recently transmigrated here. If there were men bathing nearby, she would still feel uncomfortable.
“Ugh, why is she so filthy?” someone muttered disdainfully, staring at Tang Hongluan.
“I saw her working on that broken cave dwelling this afternoon…”
“With behavior like this, it’s a waste that she has those beastmen as husbands!”
“Someone this slovenly actually dares to come out to bathe and wash hides?”
There were doubts, scorn, and mockery.
Tang Hongluan didn’t care. Why should she bother with what others said?
After carefully washing the hides, she stepped into the water.
She had no idea how long it had been since the original owner of this body had bathed, her hair was tangled into knots.
Sighing, Tang Hongluan scrubbed for a long time, rubbing off small balls of grime from her body. After one thorough wash, she felt noticeably cleaner.
For the first time, she touched the burn-like scars on her back. They seemed old, but the original owner’s memories held no clues about their origin.
It was as if that part of her memory had vanished, just like the wound on her right hand, its origins unknown.
She gently washed her face, planning to use her abilities to heal it further at night.
She also spent a long time washing her hair, but without any proper cleaning agents, it still didn’t feel entirely clean. At least it was much fresher now, free of that nauseating sour stench.
She was so focused on washing that she completely missed the furious gaze fixed on her from the riverbank not far away.
It was Jiang Xin, glaring at her with gritted teeth.
If Tang Hongluan died, those beastmen husbands would naturally be free to remarry, then she wouldn’t have to worry about not getting them! She would take Xiao Shuo, Yan Chen, Yun Li, Bi Ze, and Qing Yuan for herself!
“Last time, you got lucky and were saved by Xiao Shuo. This time, let’s see who will fish you out!” Jiang Xin sneered as she also stepped into the river, quietly approaching Tang Hongluan.
Since she could mostly only use her left hand, Tang Hongluan washed slowly.
After a long time, she almost thought she was done, until she suddenly remembered her perpetually curled-up right hand, which resembled a chicken claw. The original owner had seemingly never washed it properly, leaving a thick layer of grime in the palm.
A sniff confirmed it was just as pungent as expected.
Disgusted, she wrinkled her nose and began cleaning her right hand.
Although this part of the river was wide and the current gentle, standing in the water still required constant adjustments to avoid being swept away.
She took another step deeper…
Tang Hongluan felt something wrap around her foot.
Then, uncontrollably, she began to drift.
Tang Hongluan panicked a little, what was happening?
“Help! Help!” she cried out anxiously, frantically looking around, only to lock eyes with Jiang Xin’s face not far away.
Jiang Xin stood at a distance, smiling as she watched Tang Hongluan drift downward.
Ah… Tang Hongluan’s heart skipped a beat, was this woman behind it? Sabotaging her?
“Help!” There was no time to think. Tang Hongluan struggled to break free but couldn’t, helplessly carried further downstream.
“Bye-bye, Tang Hongluan!” Jiang Xin laughed, even waving mockingly. She wanted to see who would bother fishing Tang Hongluan out now.
“Sys-” Just as Tang Hongluan was about to call for her system’s help, she suddenly collided with something, her head buzzing from the impact.
Her first thought was that she was saved. She quickly reached out to grab hold.
Then came an earth-shaking tiger’s roar.
Though it was night, the moonlight was bright. By its glow, she could see that what had stopped her was a massive white tiger, its cold, sharp silver eyes brimming with killing intent.