Si Shuo clenched her fists. She never would have guessed that the original owner's fertility had been stolen by her own mother and given to her sister.
For a female, that was the very thing she depended on to survive. Having it taken away was practically a death sentence!
She gently touched her chest. Her heart had long been empty, without a single trace of the original owner's lingering emotions. There was no sense of grievance or resentment—only the relief of being free from all attachments.
Before long, Liwa walked in with a silver-haired young man. "Yu Jiao, Zhi Le and I are here to take you to your new cave."
Yu Jiao looked over. Zhi Le was handsome, but his frame was gaunt, and his cold eyes were filled with deep mockery. Two hideous claw marks ran from his ear to the corner of his mouth. Smiling, she pulled up Si Shuo, who was still staring blankly at the fish in her arms, and pointed at Zhi Le.
"Si Shuo, this is your Beast Husband. From now on, you're his to feed!"
Si Shuo carefully read her lips, tilting her head up slightly to look at the silver-haired young man.
The silver-haired young man wore a white Beast Skin with black leopard spots. His skin was an unhealthy, pale white. Looking past the terrifying scars, his features were actually cold and refined. A pair of gray-blue eyes held a familiar indifference, dejection, and world-weariness she recognized—as if nothing in the world could touch his heart. It was like he was curled up inside a thick shell, not daring to harbor the slightest hope.
When she saw his gray-blue eyes rest upon her, Si Shuo's own eyes suddenly lit up, and a smile blossomed on her lips.
She knew all too well how to use a delicate appearance to produce a smile of pure, artless innocence.
'After all, her smile had been featured in the media. It was shared millions of times overnight, got over a hundred million clicks in three days, and was dubbed the "Angel's Smile" online—a purely healing expression that could touch the very soul.'
Barefoot, Si Shuo hurried over to him. Straining on her tiptoes, she slowly reached out to touch his hair and said, enunciating each word, "White!"
She reached out again, her finger hovering near his eyes, and smiled happily. "Blue... same as... Si Shuo!"
Zhi Le let out an exasperated laugh. He reached out and tugged her ear, watching as a confused sheen welled up in her crystal-blue eyes. "How are we the same? You're a Mutated Cat. I'm a Snow Leopard."
His superpower was gone, his body was weakening fast, and his strength was barely holding at Level 3. He had seen more than his share of pity, gloating, and people kicking him while he was down. He was sick and tired of hearing everyone's snide remarks.
'But surely he hadn't fallen so low as to be lumped in with a small, weak female, right?'
Si Shuo grabbed his hand with both of hers, trying to save her ear. She insisted, "You are... big cat."
Her hands were soft, their grip as light as a tickle. He glanced at the little female's slender neck and could almost smell the sweet freshness of the blood in her veins.
Zhi Le abruptly swept her up into his arms and started walking out. Pausing at the cave entrance, he said coldly, "I'm taking this little female. Remember your words. As of today, we have nothing more to do with each other!"
Liwa said with a helpless sigh, "Zhi Le, we just want you to be able to live the life of an ordinary Beastman. Without our support, you probably can't even feed yourself. How are you going to provide for a female?"
Zhi Le scoffed and strode out.
Si Shuo wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her blushing face in his chest, letting out a small sigh of relief. 'I guess I'm finally married off, huh?'
She spoke haltingly on purpose, but her words were sincere. "From now... on... I'll take care of you."
The young man's steps faltered for a moment before he continued on, carrying her toward the eastern part of the tribe.
The Tai Lu Mountain Range and the Dongye Forest were separated by the turbulent, ten-zhang-wide Divine Mother River. The Luoni Tribe was built into the cliff faces of the southern Tai Lu Mountain Range, next to a canyon that led down to the river and offered a view of the Dongye Forest.
The Luoni Tribe was quite large. Built for both offense and defense, its caves grew more and more numerous as the population increased, clustered together and expanding ever higher up the cliffs.
Carrying Si Shuo, Zhi Le stepped onto a stone staircase that had no railings. With a few leaps, he reached the third level. He passed a dozen or so caves before stopping in front of a tiny one, so small you could take it all in with a single glance.
It was completely empty inside. No stone table, no stone bed, no Beast Skins, no dried meat or fruit—absolutely nothing!
Zhi Le's brow furrowed as he glanced inside. He set her down. "Stay here for a minute. I'm going to get some things."
He had just turned to leave when a slender, fair hand grabbed his.
He glanced down at her hand, his expression turning cold. As he turned his head, the scarred side of his face was turned directly toward her.
In the Beast World, even though Beastmen were physically resilient and their wounds healed quickly, often without a trace, some injuries inflicted with certain toxins were difficult to heal completely.
With the scars on his face and his bone-chilling expression, young beastmen and females alike would give him a wide berth. Some had even been frightened to tears.
But in the little female's pretty eyes, there was only distress and fear—and that fear wasn't directed at him. "Don't go... no female cave... Si Shuo... will be good... can pick... berries..."
'For someone who's world-weary, you have to make them feel needed and valued. That's the easiest way to break through their defenses!'
Zhi Le froze, then it dawned on him. 'This little deaf girl thinks this is a female cave, and that I'm some monster who brought her here to abandon her?'
'Right. When I spoke just now, I wasn't facing her.'
He pressed his lips together. Seeing her tearful pleading, he spoke slowly and clearly, "Females who go to the female cave don't have a Beast Husband. You do. I'm going to get some things now. You wait here for me."
Sure enough, though her eyes were still brimming with tears, she watched his lips intently. Then, her cherry-blossom-pink mouth broke into a smile so pure it was completely untainted, like a small flame searing his skin.
"Aren't you going to let go?" He tugged his hand, his brow slightly furrowed.
Si Shuo quickly pulled her hands behind her back. "Thank you. From now on... Si Shuo has a home... with Zhi Le. Si Shuo will be good... very easy to care for!"
The little female was so gentle and obedient, her eyes filled with reliance, as if in the entire Beast World Continent, he was the only one reflected in those pools of blue.
At that moment, Zhi Le felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness. He regretted going along with those people's wishes just to be free of his shackles. But then, thinking of how pitiful this little thing would look if she were sent to the female cave, a surge of hostility rose within him.
Ever since he lost his powers, he'd been living in a daze, eventually becoming a detached observer. Nothing touched his heart; he was so emotionally numb that he'd barely lift an eyelid if the sky were falling.
'So why can't I be cold to her? Why can't I bring myself to be cruel? It's already hard enough for me to survive on my own.'
Zhi Le snorted, then leaped straight down from the mouth of the cave, landing steadily and with a flourish.
Si Shuo peeked her head out and could still see his silver hair, glinting in the light as it was ruffled by the wind. Her blue eyes crinkled with a smile. 'From now on, he's my Snow Leopard boy!'
A red-haired, round-faced female popped her head out of a neighboring cave. As Si Shuo turned, the female waved. "You're from the Qianmiao Tribe, right? Are you going to pair up with Zhi Le?"
Si Shuo stared intently at the female's mouth, her brow furrowing slightly as if piecing together the meaning. Then, she smiled and nodded vigorously. "Si Shuo... and Zhi Le... pair up!"
The red-haired female stared for a second, then broke into a grin. "Oh, so your name is Si Shuo! You're so pretty. No wonder Zhi Le wanted to pair up with you."
"Before Zhi Le got injured, all the females in our tribe and the neighboring ones were fighting to make him their first Beast Husband."
"My name is Yimei. Are you going gathering tomorrow? We could go together! Spring is here, so there are lots of wild vegetables and mushrooms outside."
Si Shuo looked into the Red Fox female's brown eyes, sensing her simple goodwill. She smiled and nodded vigorously again.
Yimei clutched her chest, her heart fluttering. "Si Shuo, has anyone ever told you that you shouldn't be so adorably earnest?"
'They have,' she thought. 'In my past life...'