Qiao Xixi was startled to see the color drain from his light brown skin in an instant.
"Are you okay?"
Jin Ling felt something surge up his throat.
PTHOO!
A mouthful of fresh blood sprayed out, and Jin Ling fainted dead away.
Qiao Xixi reached out to check Jin Ling's pulse.
'Damn it, there's no pulse!'
Panicked, Qiao Xixi called out to her system.
"System, get your ass out here! Didn't you say that medicine was a cure-all? How did it kill the beastman?!"
"Calm down, Host. I'll run a diagnostic."
A moment later, the system's voice rang out.
"This Golden Tiger Beast previously suffered severe damage to his cardiac meridians. The medicine is helping him rebuild them, which is why his heart appears to have stopped beating. He will wake up once the process is complete."
'Good, as long as he's not dead.'
Qiao Xixi didn't want her good intentions to backfire. Even though she had her own agenda, she definitely didn't want to kill Jin Ling.
Qiao Xixi stayed by his side while waiting for him to wake up, just in case there were any complications.
Just as she sat down, she saw a golden light erupt from Jin Ling's body.
Wherever the golden light touched, his wounds began to heal at a rate visible to the naked eye.
Qiao Xixi's eyes widened in shock. 'This pill is incredible! Even the mangled wound on his leg has healed completely!'
Jin Ling opened his eyes, a warm current suffusing his body. The once-dull beast tattoo on his hand now seemed to be gilded in bright gold, shimmering even in the dim cave.
He stood up, his molten gold eyes becoming dazzlingly brilliant in that instant.
"Are your injuries… completely healed?"
When Qiao Xixi stood before him, she realized just how tiny she was in comparison. His mere presence was overpowering.
Jin Ling took a deep breath. The stabbing pain in his chest was completely gone. He looked at Qiao Xixi in disbelief.
Qiao Xixi suddenly felt a flicker of uncertainty. 'What if this male goes back on his word?'
"Thank you. I'm completely healed. I will do everything in my power to escort you to the Black Stone Tribe to repay you."
Qiao Xixi secretly let out a sigh of relief at Jin Ling's promise.
'This male is a decent sort.'
"I'm Qiao Xixi."
"Jin Ling."
With the agreement made, Qiao Xixi's anxious heart settled somewhat.
Although the road ahead was still uncertain, having a male with high Combat Power on their side greatly increased their chances of reaching the tribe safely.
Jin Ling walked to the mouth of the cave and checked the conditions outside.
"The snow is getting heavier. We can't delay here any longer. We'll set out first thing tomorrow morning."
Qiao Xixi nodded in agreement. "Okay."
"I'll go find firewood."
"Okay."
After Jin Ling left the cave, Qiao Xixi turned back into the ice cave. The moment she stepped inside, she was met by three pairs of wide eyes.
They had just seen Jin Ling walk out of the cave completely unharmed, the very aura of death around him gone.
They were all curious as to how Qiao Xixi had healed the male so quickly.
But they were still just children, and the question didn't linger in their minds for long.
"Mother, is that big male coming with us?"
"Yes, he's going to escort us to the nearest tribe. Let's hurry and cook all the meat. We need to be ready to travel in the morning."
There was a lot of raw meat; by evening, they had only cooked about half of it.
Seeing the three little ones were getting drowsy, Qiao Xixi adjusted the roasting spits, then rose and picked up Qiao Qiao, who was closest to her.
Qiao Qiao instinctively started to struggle, but she froze when she met Qiao Xixi's smiling eyes.
'The stupid female hugged Brother, so I want her to hug me too.'
Qiao Qiao circled Qiao Xixi's neck with her arms and rested her small face on her shoulder, feeling a sudden sense of security.
Qiao Xixi carried Qiao Qiao back into the main cave, laid her down on the animal hides, and then returned to the ice cave.
She moved to pick up Qiao Ang and Qiao Lie, but the two little ones stood up on their own, their faces clearly saying they did not want to be held.
Qiao Xixi didn't force it.
When Qiao Ang saw that Qiao Xixi didn't come to pick him up, he puffed out his cheeks in a small huff.
'That stupid female is playing favorites. She held Qiao Qiao but not me.'
'Hmph! I'll never want a hug from that stupid female again!'
Qiao Ang ran back into the main cave with a huff and deliberately turned his back on Qiao Xixi.
Qiao Lie shot Qiao Ang a disdainful look. 'So childish.'
Once the three little ones were lying down to sleep, Qiao Xixi took out a bone knife and began slicing the rest of the meat.
Taking advantage of Jin Ling's absence, she placed all the partially cooked meat into her void space. This stored food would be their final safety net.
When Jin Ling returned, he was carrying a large bundle of branches.
"Is this enough?"
Qiao Xixi nodded. "It's enough. You should rest."
Instead of resting, Jin Ling walked over to her side.
"I can help."
Qiao Xixi looked up in surprise. "You're not afraid of fire?"
Jin Ling shook his head. "I've used it before."
Qiao Xixi knew that few beastmen from small tribes knew how to use fire. However, she didn't press the issue. They were just partners in a security arrangement for now; there was no need to probe into his background.
But it seemed Jin Ling thought otherwise.
The firelight reflected in his molten gold eyes, lending them a hint of warmth.
"Where's your mate? Why isn't he with you?"
In the Beast World, all males considered it their duty to protect females.
This was especially true for a mated female. Even though Qiao Xixi was a Wandering Beast, she was still a female. Once a male formed a mating bond with her, he was obligated to care for her.
Qiao Xixi didn't even raise her head.
"I don't have a mate."
Jin Ling hadn't expected that answer.
He had clearly seen strands of a different color in her hair—a sign that she had mated with a male. So how could she not have a mate?
Jin Ling could only think of one possibility.
"Did a male Wandering Beast abduct you and force you to bear his cubs?"
But Jin Ling quickly dismissed that idea. He could smell the scent of the Exile Flower on her.
There are two types of Wandering Beasts in the Beast World. The first are criminals exiled from the various tribes or Beast City. These criminals are fed the Exile Flower upon their banishment.
The Exile Flower becomes part of the criminal's bloodline, and its scent is passed down to their descendants.
The other type of Wandering Beast consists of those exiled due to injury or disability.
While they don't carry the scent of the Exile Flower, their obvious disabilities make them easy to distinguish.
Qiao Xixi carried the scent of the Exile Flower. She had the blood of a Wandering Beast.
"No male forced me. I gave birth to my cubs willingly."
'Qiao Xixi had no intention of letting Jin Ling know she had forced males to father her three cubs. It wasn't exactly something to be proud of.'
Jin Ling could tell Qiao Xixi didn't want to discuss the matter further, so he didn't press her. Instead, he helped her cook the remaining meat.
Qiao Xixi discovered that Jin Ling was a quick study. At first, he couldn't quite get the hang of roasting the meat and ended up burning it several times.
But after she showed him how, he learned immediately. The meat he cooked turned out even better than hers.
"You go rest. I can handle roasting the rest," Jin Ling said, looking at Qiao Xixi, whose eyelids were fighting to stay open.
Qiao Xixi was indeed exhausted, so she didn't argue. She got up and went back into the main cave to lie down.
When she opened her eyes again, it was already bright daylight outside.
Qiao Xixi sat up, every hair on her body standing on end.