Chapter 22: Your Totem Mark
Nan Zishi took out a Beast Skin to dry Little Aqi off. Fox Qi obediently let Nan Zishi finish.
Fox Qi saw the snow-white fox marking on Nan Zishi’s collarbone and said in surprise, "Pretty sister, you have a fox totem!"
"You mean this?" Nan Zishi gently tugged at her clothes, revealing the fox totem underneath.
Aqi looked down at it, his eyes brightening.
"Sister, there’s a little green leaf next to your fox totem. That means you and your fox Beast Husband have a little fox cub!"
Aqi curiously touched Nan Zishi’s totem, and she didn’t pull away.
’There really is a little green leaf. I never noticed it before.’
"The little leaf looks so new, so your cub must not be very old. That’s great."
As the little fox spoke, he suddenly grew sad. "I wonder if my mommy has a mark like this too."
Nan Zishi patted the little cub’s head. "I’m sure she does."
After she was done with Aqi, Nan Zishi realized Hu Bai had been watching her. She didn’t know for how long.
She handed the Beast Skin to Hu Bai. He paused for a moment before using it to dry himself off.
Aqi said with a smile, "You were gone for so long. My father and I were really worried about you."
"You were both worried about me?" Nan Zishi glanced at Hu Bai, who stood a short distance away. "I believe you were worried, but as for your father..."
Aqi quickly interjected, "It’s true! Father was even more worried than I was. He kept asking me where you went and what you were doing. When he heard you’d gone into the wolves’ den, he nearly went crazy."
Hu Bai explained coolly, "Anyone would be anxious hearing a vulnerable female had entered a wolves’ den."
Nan Zishi looked up at Hu Bai and explained, "Other wolf packs might be dangerous, but not this one. I’ve already tamed them."
Hu Bai still frowned. Even after seeing the Wolf King, he found it hard to understand the act of taming a wild beast.
’Can wild wolves really be tamed by Beastmen?’
’Nothing like this had ever happened in Stone Village before.’
The rain outside continued to fall. There was no firewood in the cave, and it was getting more and more damp.
In the damp environment, even the air felt sticky. Everyone was a bit uncomfortable.
"We have another Beast Skin at home, but there aren’t any here. How are we going to get through the night?" Aqi sighed.
The little wolf in Nan Zishi’s arms began to whimper with hunger again. She mixed up some more goat milk powder, took out the syringe she’d used before, and continued to feed the pup.
As Nan Zishi fed the wolf pup its formula, Little Aqi gathered around to watch with great curiosity.
"Pretty sister, so this is how you feed a baby cub."
Nan Zishi smiled and hummed in affirmation.
Hu Bai eyed her. ’She never fed Aqi for a single day, yet she’s this patient with a wild animal’s cub?’
He looked at Nan Zishi, then at the wolf cub, and his brow furrowed again.
’There were so many things he couldn’t understand.’
’For instance, why did she abandon him and Aqi?’
’Why would she rather be kind to a wild animal’s cub than spare even an ounce of motherly love for Aqi?’
’Has she forgotten him? Has she never missed him at all?’
’Did she really, heartlessly sell him as a Beast Slave?’
Hu Bai stared at Nan Zishi, his gaze unfocused.
Nan Zishi sensed his gaze, looked up, and suddenly gave him a smile.
Hu Bai froze. The tips of his ears suddenly grew hot, and he quickly turned his head away.
’Pathetic. Hu Bai, you’re so pathetic.’
An awkward atmosphere filled the cave, and a sudden silence fell.
Just then, the growling of Aqi’s stomach broke the silence.
Hu Bai also rubbed his own belly.
The two of them had come out to find Nan Zishi without eating dinner, and now they were both very hungry.
Nan Zishi couldn’t help but laugh when she heard. She pulled Aqi into her arms.
Aqi’s little face flushed. "Pretty sister, Aqi’s tummy is hungry."
Hu Bai suddenly looked at the Wolf King.
’A ready-made meal. Just kill it and eat.’
The Wolf King immediately tucked its tail between its legs, its ears flattened, and it backed away a few steps, whimpering piteously.
’They’re going to eat me! They’re going to eat the wolf! So scary! So scary!’
Nan Zishi quickly intervened. "This is the puppy I tamed! He’s a good boy! You can’t eat him."
The Wolf King went, "WHIMPER, WHIMPER," and flopped onto the ground, rolling over to show its belly and act cute.
To keep Hu Bai from eating the wolf, Nan Zishi quickly said, "You’re hungry. I’ll find something for you to eat."
Nan Zishi reached into her pocket, pretending to pull something out. In reality, she retrieved several ham sausages and two vacuum-sealed chicken drumsticks from her dimensional space.
"Ta-da! Something delicious!"
"Wow!"
Nan Zishi tore open the packaging right then and there, handing the ham sausages and chicken drumsticks to Hu Bai and Aqi.
Hu Bai sniffed it lightly, then looked at Nan Zishi again.
’He had scented her earlier, and she definitely didn’t smell like either of these foods.’
’She has a secret.’
’But he wasn’t going to press her for answers.’
Hu Bai looked at the unfamiliar food and, without hesitation, took a bite.
Little Aqi yipped with excitement as he gnawed on his food. "Yummy, so yummy! Pretty sister, this is super delicious!"
After one bite, Hu Bai’s eyes also brightened slightly. He began to eat the meat a little faster, but the thought of Nan Zishi watching made him slow down and resume eating in a deliberate, unhurried manner.
Nan Zishi enjoyed watching the fox father and son eat.
’As expected of such elegant foxes. They can even make eating a ham sausage look noble.’
Little Aqi finished the ham sausage in just a few bites and started on the chicken drumstick. Little Snake Yang watched him, drooling. Little Aqi was very reluctant, but he still shared a tiny piece with him.
As Little Aqi ate the chicken drumstick, his eyes grew brighter and brighter.
"So yummy, so yummy!"
He couldn’t help but devour the chicken drumstick in a few big bites. He then gnawed on the bone and, finally, licked his fingers clean over and over.
He savored the lingering taste.
"What is this? It’s really delicious!"
"Food from my hometown," Nan Zishi said with a smile.
"Food from your hometown?" Aqi’s expression changed as a thought occurred to him. "Does that mean you don’t have a lot? If I eat some, does that mean you have less?"
Hu Bai abruptly stopped eating.
’This little cub is so perceptive,’ Nan Zishi thought. She patted Aqi’s head and laughed. "It’s okay. Food is meant to fill hungry stomachs. Besides, you both braved the rain to find me. It’s the least I can do to give you something to eat."
"Thank you, sister!" Aqi’s eyes sparkled.
Nan Zishi casually ruffled Aqi’s hair and stroked his ears.
Hu Bai glanced over at Nan Zishi stroking Aqi’s ears. His own ears twitched in response, and he turned his head away, frowning slightly.
...
The human, Beastmen, and wild animal in the cave all waited for the rain to stop, but it showed no signs of letting up.
The sky grew darker and darker, and the whole group was trapped inside the cave.
The adults and the young ones looked at each other in dismay. Nan Zishi gazed out at the sky in frustration.
’It’s nice to have company, but how are we supposed to get through the night now?’
Nan Zishi sat cross-legged, leaning against the stone wall of the cave. Little Snake Yang was coiled around her arm, while Little Aqi had turned into a small fox and curled up in her lap.
The two little ones were completely carefree. Once they found a comfortable spot, they fell right asleep.
As night fell, Nan Zishi grew increasingly drowsy.
The cave was damp and cold, but thankfully, the fluffy warmth of Little Fox Qi in her lap made it a little more bearable.
Sitting off to the side, Hu Bai watched Nan Zishi. The little female’s head bobbed as her eyelids fought to stay open.
He watched as she grew colder, hugging Little Aqi tighter before finally closing her eyes.
She was still very cold and curled up.
The Wolf King suddenly yelped and cowered in a corner.
A large, beautiful, snow-white fox didn’t spare the terrified Wolf King a single glance.
He bounded lightly to her side, maneuvering so that she slumped against his belly. His snow-white fox fur enveloped her completely.
In her dreams, Nan Zishi felt as if she were nestled in a soft, plush, and wonderfully warm cloud.
...