When Bai Ning woke up the next day, she was in a daze, momentarily losing track of time and place. It took a good while for the reality to sink in: she had finally left the apocalypse behind.
“Tongtong, what time is it?”
“Sister, it’s 10:20 AM!” Tong Tong’s milky, childish voice rang out, making Bai Ning’s heart feel soft and warm.
Bai Ning froze. It was already that late! She stretched her stiff, aching body and asked casually, “10:20? Then what time did I go to sleep last night?”
“Um… 8:32 PM.”
“I actually slept that long?” Bai Ning was shocked. But on second thought, it made sense. During her days in the apocalypse, she never had a moment of true rest. Now that she had suddenly relaxed, her mind simply couldn’t hold out any longer. A long sleep was only natural.
Tongtong nodded her little head somewhere out of sight. “Yeah, Sister! You have no idea—that guy Beichuan came in several times while you were asleep.”
“What was he doing in here?” Bai Ning panicked. She hadn’t sensed his presence at all. If he had any ulterior motives, wouldn’t she have been…
She felt a wave of frustration. In the apocalypse, the slightest sound would wake her. How could she be so oblivious here?
“He came in twice during the night to add firewood,” Tongtong explained. “He came in once this morning carrying roasted meat—probably to bring you food—but he left when he saw you weren’t awake. Then he came in again a little while ago. He touched your forehead to see if you had a fever, then left again. I bet he’ll be back any minute…”
Before Tongtong could finish, the animal-hide curtain was lifted.
“See? I told you he’d be back. He really cares about you, Sister.”
“…”
Beichuan stepped into the cave. Seeing that Bai Ning was actually awake, his tense expression softened instantly, and his lips curled up involuntarily.
“Bai Ning, you’re awake!”
He had heard movement from outside and feared his ears were playing tricks on him. If she hadn’t looked peaceful with steady breathing and no fever, he would have run to find the Priestess long ago.
Bai Ning felt a flash of embarrassment. She really had slept too long. To have zero vigilance on someone else’s turf…
Noticing the look on her face, Beichuan quickly explained, “I don’t mean to reproach you. The Priestess said you need more rest to heal faster. I was just worried you’d be hungry.”
Heaven knew how panicked he was when she wouldn’t wake up. He was terrified she had developed a high fever and would slip away just like that.
“I know…”
With Bai Ning awake, the weight on Beichuan’s heart lifted. He turned and brought in the freshly roasted meat. He had prepared food early that morning, but it had gone cold while she slept. Since he couldn’t give a female cold food, he ate it himself and roasted a fresh portion. This cycle had repeated several times until he was stuffed; fortunately, she woke up before he ran out of fresh meat for the day.
Bai Ning looked at the food by the bed. She was about to ask how people here cleaned their teeth when Beichuan turned and hurried out again. She swallowed her words.
Forget it, no rush, she thought. In the apocalypse, even drinking water was strictly rationed; there was never any extra for brushing teeth. A little longer wouldn’t hurt. She’d ask when he came back.
However… there was something else far more urgent than eating.
While debating where to “handle” her business, Bai Ning reached for the crutches leaning against the wall. Just as she managed to stand up, Beichuan came back in, lugging some supplies.
Seeing her trying to move on her own, Beichuan was so startled he dropped everything on his shoulder to the floor and rushed to her side, his face full of anxiety.
“Why are you down by yourself? Why didn’t you call me? Do your legs hurt? Your arms? What about your wounds?”
Startled by his sudden charge, Bai Ning took a step back and bumped into the bed behind her. Steadying herself, she looked up at him and explained, “I’m fine. I just… need to relieve myself.”
“Relieve yourself?” Beichuan was confused. Did she find something “inconvenient” in the cave?
“Uh… for excretion.”
Bai Ning felt a bit shy saying it, but quickly shook it off. Everyone eats; it’s a natural human need. Nothing to be ashamed of.
Beichuan froze for a second before his face turned beet red. “I’m sorry! I forgot! The tribe has a designated area for females to… uh, relieve themselves. It’s not far. I’ll carry you there! Later, I’ll find a way to set something up near the cave entrance so you don’t have to go so far.”
As he spoke, he leaned down to pick her up. Bai Ning didn’t refuse this time, letting him carry her while she held onto her crutches.
Outside, the sun was bright, and a gentle breeze brought the scent of wildflowers. As they passed a patch of tall grass, Beichuan stopped and plucked a handful of broad leaves, handing them to her.
Bai Ning was confused at first. What are these for? Then, it clicked. Her face flushed instantly. How could she have forgotten about “toilet paper”?
When they reached the designated area, Beichuan set her down gently. “Are you okay on your own? Should I carry you in?”
“No need! Isn’t this area just for females? It wouldn’t be right for you to go in. Don’t worry, I can manage!” Holding the leaves, she turned down his offer.
She looked at the designated area and was surprised. It wasn’t what she expected. She had assumed beastmen just found a secluded bush, but this area was actually enclosed with wood and large leaves.
Leaning on her crutches, she headed inside under Beichuan’s worried gaze. When she saw the interior, she was even more stunned. Inside were dry toilets—the kind used in rural China back in the 60s and 70s. There was even a row of five!
If Tongtong hadn’t told her this world was guarded by a Beast God and hidden from outsiders, she would have suspected a fellow transmigrator had been here before. It seemed the beastmen weren’t as “clueless” as the novels made them out to be!