Watching Beichuan’s figure disappear behind the animal hide curtain, Bai Ning couldn’t help but chuckle. This beastman is truly pure-hearted!
“Sister, have you taken a fancy to this beastman?”
Tongtong’s curious voice rang out. Bai Ning paused for a moment and shook her head.
“I have no thoughts of romance right now. I just want to save up enough points to see my parents as soon as possible.”
“Falling in love doesn’t stop you from saving points, Sister! Besides, the Beast World is dangerous. With a beastman to protect you, you can go further and collect more flora and fauna!”
Tongtong didn’t quite understand. The Beast World was different from the society Sister came from; here, a female could have many males. If she took on a few mates, wouldn’t the collecting go much faster?
Bai Ning was silent for a while before speaking. “Tongtong, you might think I’m being oversensitive, but having lived through the apocalypse, I’ve seen too much death and betrayal. In a world where tomorrow isn’t guaranteed, the bond between people is fragile. For a sip of clean water or a piece of moldy bread, people can turn on each other in an instant.”
A trace of pain flashed in Bai Ning’s eyes. “Partners who once swore to fight side-by-side would eventually plunge a blade into one another just to survive. So, it’s hard for me to easily trust in a relationship again—especially to entrust my life and safety to someone else. He saved me and took care of me; I can’t bring myself to exploit his feelings. I don’t want to become that kind of person.”
Everyone likes beautiful things, but liking something doesn’t mean one must possess it. She appreciated Beichuan, but that didn’t mean she had to be with him. Thinking of what Ye Lan had said, Bai Ning decided she should keep a proper distance from Beichuan to avoid any misunderstandings that might hinder this pure-hearted beastman from finding a mate in the future.
She wondered if there were any empty caves left. If possible, she preferred to move out on her own.
Hearing Bai Ning’s words, Tongtong felt a pang of heartache. The situation back then had been too urgent for it to pick a dimension carefully—otherwise, Sister wouldn’t have been sent to that doomsday world…
“I understand… But Sister, according to my research, when males and females mate in this world, they swear an oath to the Beast God they worship. Once mated, a male beastman cannot betray the female. If the oath is broken, the Beast God will strike them down—at best resulting in severe injury or madness, and at worst, death. Furthermore, there is indeed a mysterious power in this dimension.”
“It feels very similar to the energy shield outside the planet. It must be what the beastmen call the Beast God. But I don’t dare probe too deeply; it would be too dangerous if we were discovered.”
Upon hearing this, Bai Ning’s first reaction was: “There really is a Beast God?”
“It should be true. The universe is vast and full of wonders. This dimension is rich in energy; without protection, it would have been plundered by higher-level dimensions long ago.”
A sense of worry rose in Bai Ning’s heart. “If that’s the case, and the Beast God protects this place so well, he surely wouldn’t want outsiders here. We sneaked in like this—if we’re discovered, will we be wiped out instantly?”
Seeing her worry, Tongtong quickly reassured her: “Don’t worry, Sister! Don’t forget that I am a top-tier advanced system from a high-level civilization! We slipped in quietly through an energy rift. No matter how god-like that Beast God is, he absolutely won’t be able to track our movements.”
Tongtong’s confident words finally put Bai Ning’s racing heart at ease.
“That’s good then… By the way, Tongtong, how is the system doing? How much longer until the repairs are finished?”
Tongtong lifted a small hand, tapped quickly on the virtual screen, and said happily: “Only five more minutes, Sister!”
Bai Ning looked delighted. “Really? Tongtong is amazing!”
“Heehee…”
Being praised, Tongtong covered its face and spun in circles again. Happy, so happy! Sister praised me again!
The moment the five minutes were up, Tongtong’s voice rang out once more.
“Sister, Sister! The system is fixed! The points panel can be opened now. Do you want to take a look?”
“It’s ready?” Bai Ning’s eyes lit up. Just as she was about to ask Tongtong to open the panel, the system warned her that someone was coming. She suppressed her curiosity and looked toward the entrance of the cave.
It was Beichuan.
He was carrying a stone bowl. When he set it down, Bai Ning saw that it contained several red fruits that looked somewhat like tomatoes.
She looked up at Beichuan in confusion. The tall beastman looked awkward and a bit lost. Looking at the few scattered fruits in the stone bowl, his ears turned red again.
“Little female… these… these are Red Fruits, unique to our tribe. I went out too late today and only found these few. I will go earlier tomorrow.”
“Red Fruits?”
Curious, Bai Ning picked one up, looked at it, and brought it to her nose. A rich, fruity fragrance washed over her. She couldn’t describe the scent, but it smelled much more fragrant than any fruit she had eaten on Earth.
Bai Ning couldn’t help but swallow. She looked up at Beichuan. “Are these for me?”
Beichuan pursed his lips and nodded gently. “Try them and see if you like them. If you do, I’ll go pick more for you tomorrow.”
Bai Ning looked down at the Red Fruits, which still had water droplets on them. She raised an eyebrow; she hadn’t expected this beastman to be so attentive.
She put a fruit into her mouth. The juice burst forth, and the rich aroma instantly filled her entire mouth. Bai Ning couldn’t help but squint her eyes in delight.
The Red Fruit was sweet and sour, exactly the type she liked. Even if it had been tasteless, she still would have found it delicious. After all, during the apocalypse, she hadn’t tasted fruit since the very beginning in her original house.
She completely forgot someone was standing beside her, devouring the fruits in a few bites until only the pits remained—she didn’t even miss the tiny bits of flesh left on the seeds.
Only after she finished did she suddenly remember the tall, handsome beastman standing there. There was a moment of awkwardness, but she quickly regained her composure. Her “image” was no longer important to her. If eating like this could dampen his interest in her, that would be for the best—at least she wouldn’t have to worry about how to reject him.
Standing nearby, Beichuan watched Bai Ning. His heart felt as if it were being nipped by ants—both itchy and aching. She must have suffered so much to cherish such ordinary fruit this much.
Tomorrow. Tomorrow he would definitely go out early and bring back plenty of fruit for her.
And prey, too. There hadn’t been enough time this afternoon, so he had borrowed some game from Mu Ming that had been caught for Mu Ming’s female. Tomorrow, he would go and catch the tenderest Multi-Toothed Beast for her.
He would take good care of her. He would never let her be hurt again!