"What is… biyun?"
With Pei Chongqing at home keeping her company, Yu Ning wasn't afraid—but she was worried about Jiang Xian.
The monsters here wouldn't actively step into the courtyard or attack people inside the house, but they would do everything in their power to lure people out and kill them.
This was Yu Ning's hard-earned experience; she'd nearly walked right into the tiger's mouth before. If Pei Chongqing hadn't returned in time, she might have been dead by now.
High-tier monsters could affect a person's mind—it wasn't just about overpowering humans with sheer brute force.
Pei Chongqing had given her a stone that could steady her mind and protect her from the monsters' allure. She'd had it made into a pendant and wore it every day, which was the only reason she'd been spared their interference.
She suspected another high-tier monster had set its sights on this place, harassing Jiang Xian from time to time and causing his condition to deteriorate. Every day when she brought him food, Jiang Xian seemed distracted and absent-minded, his doors and windows sealed so tightly that not a ray of light could get in.
Now Jiang Xian had gotten so bad that he refused to see anyone and couldn't eat. Yu Ning planned to hang her jade pendant outside his door.
She was just about to take it off when Pei Chongqing suddenly reached out and stopped her, saying in his cold AI-like voice, "No."
He spoke haltingly, his pale face expressionless, making his voice sound especially firm: "This is. Yours. No. Taking off."
Pei Chongqing didn't like her coming here to see Jiang Xian, but he always accompanied her anyway. Taking advantage of the moment he turned and walked away, Yu Ning had tried to sneakily remove the pendant—only to be caught red-handed.
Strange. Did he have eyes in the back of his head? And he'd already walked several meters away—how had he suddenly reappeared?
Yu Ning's heart pounded with fright. Under his cold gaze, she lowered her head guiltily and explained in a small voice, "I… I know… but his condition is too terrible right now. I'm afraid something will happen to him."
"No." Pei Chongqing's attitude remained firm.
After all, it was a gift from him, so Yu Ning didn't blame him for refusing. Besides, she herself felt embarrassed about taking it off to give to another man as a protective charm.
She steeled herself and asked, "Then… do you have any more of this stone?"
Pei Chongqing didn't answer. After a moment, he said, "Live. Or die."
Normally, Yu Ning would be happy that he'd learned new words, especially four-character idioms. But now her eyes went wide, and his cold-heartedness made her scalp tingle.
How could he be like this?
No—she couldn't blame him for being heartless. He and Jiang Xian weren't close to begin with. Not only did they repel each other like opposing poles, but he might also be angry that she'd tried to take off the pendant.
Yu Ning didn't actually want to take it off either. First, she couldn't bear to part with it. Second, she was afraid. She was used to wearing it every day; taking it off would leave her feeling unsettled. What if she'd been too well protected by the pendant and couldn't withstand the monsters' influence without it?
She was just being selfish.
So when Jiang Xian first started acting strangely, she'd deceived herself and made excuses. Only now was she thinking about mending the fold after the sheep were lost.
In the end, the pendant stayed on.
On the short walk back home, Yu Ning was weighed down with worry but still couldn't bring herself to be ruthless. She'd locked all of Jiang Xian's doors and windows to prevent monsters from getting in—or him, in a confused state, from opening them himself.
She couldn't bear to let Jiang Xian die. He was, after all, a man she'd rescued and carefully nursed back to health, and one of the few friends she had here. And if he died and turned into a monster, she wouldn't be able to live here in peace either—she'd have to find a way to move.
Yu Ning made up her mind. She would approach Pei Chongqing again and plead with him, whether or not he understood, whether or not he was willing.
She was a deeply emotional person, and as she spoke, she couldn't hold back her tears. After all, that was a human life.
Pei Chongqing listened in silence, his expression unchanged.
Heartless man. Yu Ning cursed him inwardly, her head growing hot from crying.
Just as she was about to get up and leave, Pei Chongqing suddenly reached out to wipe the corner of her eye. "Can't."
"Cry."
His phrasing was bizarrely broken. Yu Ning froze, not quite understanding, and sniffled through her reddened nose as she asked, "Is it 'can't,' or is it that I'm not allowed to cry?"
The translation device at Pei Chongqing's neck repeated, "Can't. Cry."
Yu Ning pressed her lips together and tested the waters. "Then do you agree?"
She wanted Pei Chongqing to search for supplies outside and, while he was at it, find a protection stone for Jiang Xian. It was a compromise—besides, they were running low on cooking oil at home, and she needed new underwear. He went out once a week anyway; going a day early shouldn't matter.
Pei Chongqing didn't reply, his silver-white eyes fixed heavily on her.
Yu Ning's heart fluttered with unease. She shuffled over on her knees across the sofa, pressed a kiss to his cheek, and then to his lips.
Coaxing usually worked on a man.
Pei Chongqing didn't refuse her kiss. In fact, he never refused. He was addicted to this sort of thing—as long as she got even slightly close to him, he would quickly have a physical reaction, just like those lower animals.
Before they got together, Yu Ning didn't dare offend him, and she had nowhere to hide, so she could only share a room with him, handling all her daily needs there.
During that time, she had no dignity at all. She felt like a dog he kept, and he, the master, would have a physical reaction every time he watched her use the bathroom or bathe or change clothes.
At first, it was just a tent pitching, and he did nothing. Then it became him relieving himself. The man had no sense of shame and never hid it from her. When she caught him, he would even extend an invitation.
That was also how Yu Ning learned he didn't eat people—he had a different kind of feelings for her.
At the time, Yu Ning wasn't keen on giving herself to such a crude brute, but seeing how good-looking he was and how capable a fighter, she gradually came to accept it… Still, she found it hard to get used to his sudden surges of desire.
Every time before they parted, to coax him into leaving, Yu Ning had to go through a battle-like session of lovemaking with him.
She felt like crying but had no tears, since she usually gave him plenty of favors anyway.
Just as her thoughts drifted for a moment, the person behind her suddenly tightened his grip around her waist and leaned down with a thrust. "Injection."
"Marking."
The cold voice brushed past her ear. Yu Ning froze, barely having time to ponder the two words he'd said before letting out an "ah" as she was pressed against the back of the sofa, completely immobilized.
After coming out of the bathroom from her shower, Yu Ning's legs were still trembling.
Afraid Pei Chongqing would get worked up again, she clenched her teeth, refused his embrace, and crawled onto the bed in fits and starts before lying down.
Pei Chongqing came over from the other side, pulled her into his arms, and pressed her head against his chest.
Remembering they hadn't used protection, Yu Ning sat up slightly and grabbed some medicine from the nearest cabinet.
"Sick. Are you?"
Pei Chongqing's question came from behind her.
Yu Ning took two pills, swallowed them, put the rest back, and turned to look at him, shaking her head. "Not sick. It's contraception."
Pei Chongqing narrowed his eyes, a hoarse sound from his throat resonating with the translation device. "What is, biyun?"
Yu Ning didn't know how to explain it to him—she had never taught him that word before. It wasn't difficult to explain, really, but she was afraid he might misunderstand or get the wrong idea.
Pei Chongqing had already learned how to use the safety sheath—it was a mandatory step she had required before sex, though she had never explained why. So Pei Chongqing had no idea that the sheath's purpose was contraception. He treated putting it on like a ritual, the same way one washes hands before eating, and had even asked her whether he looked better wearing it.
His mind was too crude, too animalistic. Yu Ning worried he had a breeding urge and would pester her day and night to bear his child, even though he had never brought it up. But with how frequently he acted, if they didn't take precautions, pregnancy was only a matter of time.
Yu Ning was a fairly traditional woman—she hadn't never considered having children. But having a baby in this godforsaken place? Only if she were out of her mind.
If she could go back, she would accept it.
For the first time, Yu Ning felt a longing to return to the normal world—because of childbirth, because of Jiang Xian. Thinking of his current muddled state, her heart felt heavy with suffocating oppression.
She shook her head and brushed it off casually: "It's a supplement. I take it to boost my blood."
"Sleep."
Yu Ning lay down and tucked the blanket around herself.
Pei Chongqing sat there for a long while before lying down beside her. He never let them sleep apart—he always reached out to pull her into his arms. His massive body ran cooler than an ordinary person's, so Yu Ning didn't feel stifled by the heat, though being held so tightly did make it hard to breathe.
He liked to bury his face against her chest—sometimes simply resting there, sometimes gently suckling like a young animal… without any lewd intent, but she still felt embarrassed by the fullness in her breasts.
Yu Ning couldn't figure out why he liked doing this so much. Was he weaned too early?
His lips pressed against her, moist and warm, then grew bolder as he started nibbling with his teeth. Yu Ning could no longer close her eyes and ignore it. She pushed him away. "Stop… I'm so sleepy… I can't fall asleep with you doing this."
Pei Chongqing's uncovered eyes gleamed in the night with a faint silver-white crescent light, like a feline's vertical pupils. Yu Ning knew he wasn't ordinary—otherwise he wouldn't have survived in a place like this—but sometimes his overly conspicuous strangeness made her heart pound. She couldn't help but wonder—was her husband really human?
A soft, wet warmth spread across her palm. Yu Ning froze slightly, realizing Pei Chongqing was licking her hand with his tongue. She immediately pulled it back, but he caught her wrist firmly in his grip.
Pei Chongqing stared at her, the translator at his throat clicking out each word: "You. Are cold. To me. Worse. Than him."
He hadn't taken off the translator—he hadn't even removed it to sleep. He used to hate wearing it.
Yu Ning's mind wandered for a moment—just one second—and his grip on her wrist tightened.
She frowned and let out a sharp hiss: "…Pei Chongqing, you're hurting me."
"I've been in a bad mood and haven't been sleeping well lately. I just want to rest now. Can you not do this?" She spoke in a conciliatory tone, though a hint of reproach slipped through.
They stared at each other in silence for a few seconds. Pei Chongqing released her hand. She pulled it back and gently massaged it, then tried to lie down and sleep again, but he sat there unmoving like a stone statue.
Yu Ning wanted to say something to soothe him, but her heart felt clogged and she was a little annoyed, so she said nothing at all and simply lay down with her back turned to him.
The gaze behind her remained scorching and intense. Yu Ning pretended not to notice anything, closing her eyes on her own to cultivate drowsiness. She was truly exhausted and had no energy to soothe the man. Besides, by tomorrow, Pei Chongqing probably wouldn't hold a grudge over such a trivial matter.