Ye Lan hurried out of the cave. Seeing Beichuan busy processing prey, she quickly waved him over.
“Beichuan, come here quickly!”
Hearing her voice, Beichuan set down the long-eared beast he had just caught and strode toward her. “Priestess Ye Lan, what’s wrong? Is something the matter with the little female?”
Ye Lan waved her hand. “No, no. She’s awake and seems to be doing well. It’s just that her arms and legs are broken; she’ll need to rest and recover for quite a while.”
“Both her arms and legs are broken?” Beichuan froze. Involuntarily, an image surfaced in his mind—a tiny, soft, delicate girl, limping as she walked, unable even to use her arms… For some reason, the thought made his heart ache with a sudden pang of bitterness.
“Yes,” Ye Lan said, struggling to contain her excitement as she relayed Bai Ning’s words. “But she said she has a way to make them heal properly.”
“Fix them with wooden boards? That simple?” Beichuan was skeptical. He suddenly remembered that when he first found her, she seemed to be wrapping sticks around her leg. Was she trying to treat herself even then?
“It sounds simple, but her reasoning is very sound,” Ye Lan explained. “Look at Muyu and Xixi. Both broke their legs before. Muyu had his father to look after him and did nothing during his recovery; his leg healed perfectly. But Xixi was all alone and had to do everything himself. Now his leg is deformed. It’s likely because the bone shifted while he moved. If what she says is true, Xixi’s leg might still be saved. He’s just a cub—it would be a tragedy if he stayed a cripple. Then there’s Hong Shu and the others—they are the tribe’s warriors. If there’s a chance to recover, they’d definitely want to try.”
She paused. “I’ll wait a bit before telling them, though. Beichuan, when you go get the wood, find me a few docile small beasts and bring them to me with their legs broken.”
Beichuan immediately understood her plan to test the method. He nodded, glanced toward the cave, and then back at Ye Lan. “Priestess, I’ll go now. Please… take good care of her.”
A glimmer of amusement sparked in Ye Lan’s eyes. This kid definitely had feelings! “Don’t worry,” she teased. “I’ll take good care of your little female!”
Beichuan’s face turned crimson instantly.
Your little female… Your little female… My… little female…
Those words looped in his mind, his heart racing so hard it felt like it might burst from his chest. He didn’t understand why he was reacting like this; he had never entertained the thought of taking a mate before. But from that first moment in the forest, when he held her soft, fragile body in his arms, it felt like his heart had been struck by something powerful. It was a strange, wonderful feeling—a primal urge to protect her and to see her open her eyes and look only at him.
Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Beichuan turned and ran toward the edge of the tribe. Now wasn’t the time for daydreaming; the little female and the Priestess were waiting.
Inside the cave, Bai Ning had no idea what Beichuan was thinking. Having eaten her fill, her long-strained nerves finally relaxed, leaving her drowsy.
While Tongtong was busy repairing the system, Bai Ning glanced outside and listened, but heard nothing. One yawn followed another until she finally succumbed to exhaustion and fell into a deep sleep.
…
“Sister, Sister! Wake up, someone’s coming!”
At Tongtong’s voice, Bai Ning snapped her eyes open. Her body trembled uncontrollably, and her breathing came in ragged gasps.
“Sister, what’s wrong?” Tongtong asked worriedly.
Bai Ning took several deep breaths to calm her racing heart and shook her head. “It’s nothing… just a dream.”
She had dreamed of the moment she was pushed into the arms of the zombies. But in the dream, no one saved her. The foul-smelling monsters had opened their maws and sunk their teeth into her. The agony of her flesh being torn away felt so real that even in sleep, she wanted to scream.
The animal hide at the cave entrance was lifted once more. Bai Ning turned her head to see Ye Lan entering, followed by a male.
Wait… he looked familiar.
It’s him! The beastman from the forest!
Bai Ning was suddenly wide awake. She stared fixedly at Beichuan. During their first encounter, she had lost consciousness too quickly to see his face clearly. Now that she could, her inner voice was screaming.
Aaaahhh! He’s so handsome! How can someone be this good-looking? He’s exactly my type!
No wonder those girls in the web novels wanted to transmigrate to the Beast World! Forget the face for a second—those eight-pack abs and that hint of a V-line were enough to make anyone drool. Add to that his icy blue eyes—clear and enchanting like Lake Sayram—a high bridge of the nose, sexy thin lips, and a sharp jawline…
She felt like the fitness models she used to see on TikTok were absolute jokes compared to this man.
Beichuan, of course, felt her intense gaze. He tried to remain stoic, but his thumping heart and the darkening red of his earlobes betrayed his internal chaos.
Ye Lan saw the way they were looking at each other and smiled silently. However, they had work to do. She cleared her throat twice to snap Bai Ning out of it.
Realizing she had been ogling her savior right in front of the Priestess, Bai Ning’s face turned beet red. she hurriedly looked away, overcome with embarrassment.
With the burning gaze gone, Beichuan secretly let out a sigh of relief. Suppressing his agitation, he followed Ye Lan to the bedside.
“Hehe… Little female, this is Beichuan. He’s the one who brought you back from the forest. I had him prepare the wood you asked for. Have a look and see if it works?”
Since her recovery was at stake, Bai Ning pushed her embarrassment aside and looked at the wood in Beichuan’s arms.
Beichuan stiffened slightly, but he stepped forward, holding the boards out so she could see them clearly. Bai Ning was surprised to see how neatly and evenly the wood had been cut. She wondered how they managed such precision.
“Little female,” Beichuan asked softly, “can these boards be used?”