Li Zhu was awakened by the warmth pressed against her.
Her eyelids felt heavy and sticky; she struggled to open a small slit, taking in the familiar yet strange patterns of the cave ceiling.
This wasn’t her little den at her mother’s—it was hers and Ze Yu’s cave!
A crisp scent of pinewood lingered in her nose, the unique aroma of Ze Yu.
She moved her fingers and touched a patch of warm skin, instantly waking herself more fully.
The person lying beside her slowly opened his eyes; his dark pupils rippled gently in the morning light.
Seeing her awake, he pulled her closer, pressing her against him and rubbing his chin against the top of her head.
“Awake?”
“Ah Ze…”
Li Zhu’s voice was still thick with sleep as she propped herself up slightly.
“When did you come back?”
Ze Yu bent down and kissed her forehead.
“I got back late last night. You were sleeping so deeply, I couldn’t bear to wake you.”
“Then… how did I get back here?”
Li Zhu clearly remembered falling asleep in her original little den. Could last night’s rocking…?
“I carried you back. I used my psychic power to shield us, so neither your father nor mother noticed.”
Ze Yu’s voice was a little hoarse with fatigue, his eyes shadowed by dark circles.
He was truly exhausted.
The dangers deep in the Black Forest were trickier than expected. To return before sunrise, he had almost completely drained his energy running back.
But when he touched her warm cheek, his tense nerves relaxed, and suddenly everything felt worth it.
Seeing the dark circles under his eyes made Li Zhu feel both tender and sorrowful. She instinctively snuggled closer.
“Then… should we sleep a bit more?”
Ze Yu let out a low laugh. The vibration of his chest pressed against hers felt like springtime thunder—muted yet warm.
“Alright.”
He shifted them both, letting her lie on his chest.
Listening to his steady heartbeat was like hearing the most comforting drum, and her eyelids began to droop again. Sleepily, she mumbled,
“Just a little longer…”
…
When Li Zhu woke again, the rocks outside were scorched by the sun, and sunlight streamed into the cave, bright and piercing.
Wait… it already looked like mid-morning?
Good heavens, she had only intended to sleep a little longer.
“Awake? Hungry?”
A deep, pleasant voice spoke beside her.
Li Zhu looked up and met his eyes—endless and dark, holding a light hotter than the sun outside.
Her face flushed, and just as she tried to look away, he grabbed the back of her neck and kissed her.
The kiss carried the exhaustion of a long journey, yet also the treasure of reunion, until both were breathless.
Ze Yu rested his forehead against hers, his voice rough and low.
Once they tidied themselves and stepped out of the cave, they heard Li Cheng and Ming Yuan talking at the entrance of the neighboring cave.
Seeing them, Ming Yuan waved a wooden bowl with a smile.
“Finally awake? Come eat.”
On the wooden table were glossy roasted beast meats and Li Zhu’s favorite bone broth, the aroma winding through the air.
Ze Yu pulled her to sit and naturally ladled a bowl of soup for her, his fingertips brushing hers unconsciously, like an electric spark.
“Yesterday we hunted a Snowhorn Deer; I made a soft pad from its hide for you,” he said, placing some meat in her bowl as he spoke.
“Good.”
They quickly finished their meal.
Afterwards, Ze Yu approached Li Cheng with a request—to learn how to cook.
After all, he was now Li Zhu’s mate and eating daily at her family’s home. How could he just rely on her forever?
Hearing this, Li Zhu insisted she would teach him herself!
So she pulled Ze Yu back to their den.
When her father had tidied up the cave, he had prepared all the tools needed for cooking, including everyday items like wooden buckets, tables, and stools.
Ze Yu hadn’t wanted to trouble her and planned to ask her father for guidance. But seeing how excited she was, he went along.
He would just watch and follow her instructions.
Once back in the cave, Li Zhu first had Ze Yu clean the stone pot and place it on the stove—actually just three stones stacked like a triangle.
She then took out a stone mortar, ready to teach him how to make meat broth.
Watching him fumble with the mortar, pounding the beast meat into paste, Li Zhu couldn’t help but smile.
It was the feeling of… a celestial being, untainted by worldly dust, suddenly falling into the mortal realm, lovingly preparing a meal for the one they adore.
It was touching and delightful at the same time.
Perhaps Ze Yu hadn’t controlled his strength properly, because bits of meat splattered everywhere.
Li Zhu stifled a laugh and held his hand.
“You need to pound along the edge of the mortar, so it won’t splatter.”
He looked down at her hand clutching his, the warmth pressed between their palms so intense it made even his ears flush slightly.
“I’ve learned.”
He replied softly, his gaze glued to their intertwined hands, motionless for a long moment.
“Idiot, you can add a little water too.” Li Zhu patted the back of his hand, only for him to grip it with the other hand.
Ze Yu’s voice was low and carried a teasing laugh.
“Good thing you’re teaching me.”
The sun moved westward.
For over two hours, they had been working together.
The scent of minced meat filled the cave, sunlight streamed in from the entrance, and it fell on their joined hands, warm enough to seep into their bones.
“Finally, we did it!”
On the wooden table sat a bowl of meat soup, some fried meat, and roasted sweet potatoes.
Li Zhu had even thoughtfully prepared a small portion of sweet berry juice.
“Try it. See if you like it.”
This was his first time cooking. Previously, he had mostly eaten in beast form, devouring raw meat—very strong in odor. Occasionally, in human form, he would just roast the meat over fire.
Li Zhu carefully scooped a spoonful of the meat soup and tasted it eagerly.
“Mmm! Not bad! It’d be perfect with a little salt.”
Their tribe was extremely poor, and salt was rare; getting some was nearly impossible. Every time they traded for salt, it was carefully rationed for the whole tribe, used sparingly for a long time.
“Salt?”
Ze Yu suddenly remembered. When his father and mother were around, they would sprinkle some salt on roasted meat. After they left, the leftover salt had been stored in his spatial pocket.
With a flick of his hand, a mountain of salt appeared on the ground, laid over a beast hide. The piles were so large that chunks of hard salt stacked atop one another.
“…!?”
Li Zhu’s face froze in shock.
“Where… did all this salt come from?”
There was enough for the entire tribe to eat for a month; rationed carefully, maybe even two months.
“In our Western Continent, there are many salt lakes, so we’re not short of salt.”
“So this salt came straight from salt lakes, ready to eat?”
“Yes. But it tastes a bit bitter.”
That was normal. On the Beast Continent, lake salt always had a bitter taste, though sea salt was slightly better.
She had thought about processing it, but the tribe was already poor and couldn’t afford much salt. If they tried to refine it, the tribe might refuse to use it at all.
“You see, salt from salt lakes contains many impurities. Eating too much can harm your body. The salt our tribe buys comes from seawater and contains fewer impurities.”
Li Zhu began to suspect something. Perhaps the reason the Bai Ze Tribe had difficulty reproducing, now leaving only Ze Yu, was because of overconsumption of lake salt.
Even though the continent was pure and unpolluted, with extremely low heavy metal content, lake salt had less iodine and more impurities.
Compared to sea salt, lake salt was potentially more harmful.
“Impurities? Harmful substances?” Ze Yu asked, puzzled.
“Yes. That’s why we need to process lake salt before eating, so it won’t taste so bitter. It’s not as good as sea salt, but better than nothing. When we go to the seaside, we can collect more sea salt.”
“Li Zhu… you want to go to the sea someday?”
He had never thought of such a possibility. In the Beast World, unless absolutely necessary, most beasts avoided wandering; they preferred stability. He assumed she did too.
“Of course! I’ve been in the tribe for sixteen years, never seeing the outside world. The world is so big; of course we should go explore.”
Her past life had been poor and unlucky, with no money or time to travel.
This life, with no need to work and a strong mate by her side, there was no reason to waste it in this tiny forest.
“When our cubs are born, we’ll explore the outside world together. You, Ze Yu, know so much already—you’ll be our guide,” she said cheerfully, genuinely looking forward to that life.
No worries about money or time; they could go slowly, see the world at their own pace.
Ze Yu watched her animated expression, smiling, though a trace of worry lingered.
In this dangerous Beast World, a defenseless female faced not only wild beasts but also wandering beasts, threats they had to constantly guard against.
With just one beast mate, taking a partner and cubs on a long journey was almost impossible.
“Alright.”
Still, he smiled and agreed, already having made a crucial decision in his heart.
“Okay, first put away the salt. Tomorrow, I’ll teach you how to make even better edible salt!”
Then Li Zhu tried a bite of the fried meat and couldn’t stop praising it.
“Wow, this is amazing! Ze Yu, you’re incredible! In just one day, you learned to cook and it’s so delicious!”
Hearing his partner’s praise made him incredibly happy.
If his prior goal had been only for offspring, now it had to include protecting Li Zhu and making her happy.
They quickly finished all the food.
Li Zhu then carried a small wooden stool to the cave entrance, watching the sky light up with a brilliant sunset, holding a cup of sweet berry juice, occasionally sipping and glancing at her mate washing the dishes.
Ah~ perfection~
She enjoyed working with family and friends; it was fulfilling and joyful.
But now, full and lazy, she didn’t want to move. Hehe.
“Ze Yu~ thank you for your hard work~”