Feng Mian stopped at the cave entrance, hesitating again.
No… he was really nervous. ╥﹏╥
The evening breeze carried the intermittent scent of cooking, brushing against his cheeks, but it couldn’t cool the feverish heat in his chest.
He drew a deep breath, as if steeling himself for something, and then flung the animal-hide curtain aside and stepped inside.
The cave was brightly lit, the stone table laden with steaming dishes. The Rock Armored Beast meat was pan-fried to a golden-brown sheen, the bamboo-simmered meat glistened invitingly, and a large bowl of milky-white beast-bone soup sent up wisps of steam that blurred the faces around the table.
“Feng Mian’s here? Come, sit down.”
Ming Yuan, ladling soup into bowls, looked up and smiled at him.
“Li Heng? Didn’t he go wash up with you?”
“He… he’s right behind, he’ll be here soon.”
Feng Mian’s voice was tense; his gaze instinctively flicked toward Li Zhu sitting next to Zeyu.
Her cheeks were flushed faintly, the wildflowers in her hair still untouched, looking especially vivid in the lamplight.
He quickly looked away and sat down on the wooden bench next to Zeyu, palms sweating.
No sooner had he spoken than Li Heng, refreshed and tidy, walked in.
“Been waiting for you. Come eat, it’s just out of the pot—nice and hot.”
Li Cheng placed a piece of tender beast meat into Feng Mian’s bowl and personally ladled a portion of the milky-white beast-bone soup for Li Heng.
“You all worked hard today, hunting such a huge Rock Armored Beast. Here, eat up.”
Li Heng: ???
Was Father acting weird today? He actually waited for him to eat? Even served him soup? Something’s fishy!
“N-not hard work.”
Feng Mian carefully lifted his wooden bowl and took the meat Li Cheng had passed over.
Inside his head, he rehearsed the words over and over—“Li Zhu, I want to be your beast husband.”
Nine simple characters, yet despite practicing them dozens of times in his mind, he couldn’t bring them out of his mouth.
Every time he saw Li Zhu’s clear amber eyes, or felt Zeyu’s faint gaze, he froze, like under a spell.
The table was lively, but the liveliness didn’t belong to Feng Mian.
Ming Yuan chatted about their afternoon braiding adventures.
Li Cheng chuckled.
“Yes, I was startled when your mother came in earlier. I wondered whose female it was—so beautiful!”
“Hahaha, upon closer look, it’s mine!”
Li Zhu could feel her father’s pride and bragging, impossible to hide.
“Here, Ming Yuan, eat more. And Li Zhu, you have to teach your father your braiding skills—I want to braid your mother’s hair myself!”
“Father, can you really braid well? Don’t get beaten by Mother later!”
Li Heng teased from the side.
He wasn’t underestimating Father—he just knew braiding required delicate skill, definitely not Father’s forte.
Li Zhu watched Zeyu constantly add meat to her bowl, smiling at him. That smile made Feng Mian’s heart skip a beat—both thrilling and… infuriating.
Several times, Feng Mian thought the moment was right.
When Li Zhu lowered her head to sip soup, or during her laughter-filled exchanges with Ming Yuan, he rehearsed the words… but just as they reached his throat, he swallowed them back.
He feared scaring her, feared… hearing her refusal, seeing the disgust in her eyes.
Zeyu saw it all.
Feng Mian’s hesitant, fumbling demeanor, the glances he kept shooting at Li Zhu—even a fool could see it.
Yet Li Zhu and Li Heng were those two super-dummies: one focused on eating, the other gawking at Zeyu.
Zeyu silently added another piece of meat to Li Zhu’s bowl, his dark eyes betraying nothing.
Feng Mian couldn’t sit still through the meal. He barely touched the meat, though he drank most of the soup, ending up unsure what he had eaten at all. Only when Li Heng began clearing the table did he finally exhale, collapsing back onto the bench like a deflated balloon.
“Li Zhu, it’s getting dark, let’s head back and rest.”
Zeyu stood, naturally taking Li Zhu’s hand.
“Mm.”
Li Zhu nodded, giving Feng Mian a small smile as she stood.
“You worked hard today. You should rest early too.”
That smile was like a feather, gently settling on Feng Mian’s heart, making him even more anxious.
Watching the two of them walk out hand-in-hand, their figures stretching in the light, he bolted upright, almost toppling the bench behind him.
“I… I… Li Heng! Li Heng!”
Sob… he was useless. He still couldn’t do it.
“Are you calling me? Didn’t you see I’m washing dishes!?”
After a full day of hunting, Feng Mian was already exhausted—and now his father had sent him to wash dishes, while Li Heng yelled at him like a maniac!
Feng Mian already had a lot on his mind, and being shouted at made him feel wronged, yet he didn’t dare argue…
He even worried: what if Li Zhu refused to let him be her beast husband just because he treated Li Heng badly?
“Th-then… I’ll help you wash them.”
Feng Mian murmured, taking a step toward the wooden basin.
“You’ve got a problem, huh? Acting like this all of a sudden—people would think I’m bullying you.”
Li Heng looked at Feng Mian’s timid, careful demeanor and got goosebumps all over.
He knew this trick all too well.
Feng Mian had used this exact tactic before to make their mother help him get revenge on their father!
“N-no… it’s just… I like washing dishes! Yes! Look, see how clean I made this bowl?”
Feng Mian held up a bowl that gleamed from his washing.
Li Heng squinted. Something about Feng Mian seemed extremely off.
“Tell me, what guilty scheme are you up to now?”
“I… I didn’t do anything…”
Well… he had a little scheme in mind, but dared not admit it.
“You… you want to be Li Zhu’s beast husband, don’t you?”
Li Heng didn’t believe Feng Mian suddenly decided to help with the dishes for no reason—other than Li Zhu, he couldn’t think of one.
At first, Feng Mian stubbornly denied it.
Then he reconsidered—maybe Li Heng could become a powerful ally!
So he decided to throw caution to the wind.
“That’s right! I want to be Li Zhu’s beast husband!”
“I knew it! And you think Li Zhu is just yours to command?”
Li Heng’s first impulse was to get up and smack him a couple of times—but Feng Mian stopped him.
“Wait! Listen! If you help me become Li Zhu’s beast husband, from now on, not only will I wash my family’s dishes, but also all the dishes here!”
Feng Mian knew Li Zhu and Zeyu sometimes cooked with Li Heng and the others, or sometimes in their own cave—time differences made it so.
Li Heng’s mind began spinning.
He had always known his sister was a total sucker for appearances, and Feng Mian’s looks were impressive.
Sure enough, Li Zhu hadn’t caught feelings yet because Feng Mian wasn’t interested in her—so this deal was a steal!
“You’ll also hunt one seventh-rank wild beast for me every fifteen days!”
Li Heng seized the chance to raise the stakes.
Previously, Zeyu hunted high-rank beasts for him, so now he needed Feng Mian to contribute something.
Seventh-rank beasts were nothing for Feng Mian. He was about to agree when Li Heng continued:
“You’ll also obey Zeyu, whatever he asks, you’ll do it. And you’ll treat his little one really, really well!”
Zeyu’s first-brother-in-law status was unshakable in his mind!
He had saved lives before, and now supplied high-rank crystals.
Feng Mian thought for a moment and nodded. He couldn’t beat Zeyu, and honestly, Zeyu was impressive.
A deal was quickly reached.
By now, the dishes and bowls were neatly cleaned.
Li Heng circled Feng Mian a few times, inspecting him from head to toe, shaking his head and sighing.
“Honestly, Li Zhu likes good-looking beast husbands, but you… you still need a little work.”
Feng Mian felt as if the sky had fallen.
“I… I need what work?”
“Your… aura! You look a bit foolish.”
Li Heng said seriously, completely unaware Feng Mian’s expression was darkening rapidly.
“Li Heng!!! You’re the fool!”
Li Heng laughed loudly, enjoying the sight of him fuming but unable to lash out.
“So… what should I do? I’m… a bit scared.”
His voice softened, tinged with barely perceptible nervousness.
Not just a little—he was genuinely terrified.
“What do you have to be scared of? Just get Li Zhu, that’s all. Zeyu listens to her in everything. Tomorrow I’ll create the chance for you!”
With that, the two made their plan. As the moon rose higher, they each returned to their caves to sleep.