Chapter 30: Must You Leave?
Fox Zi had only wanted to watch the show, so she hid behind a tree to peek.
She had originally wanted to see Hu Li feed Hu Bai the Breakup Fruit, and then, ideally, have Hu Li be the one to sever his Mate Totem.
Then she would appear and rescue Hu Bai.
That way, Hu Bai would be grateful to her and willingly become hers.
But Fox Zi never expected things to develop in this direction.
Hu Bai had actually turned the tables, and *he* was the one who severed Hu Li’s Mate Totem!
Fox Zi clapped a hand over her mouth in astonishment.
She clearly remembered her mother, Fox Xin, saying that Hu Bai’s lineage possessed an Ancient Bloodline, but no one in the Fox Clan had successfully awakened it for hundreds of years.
It was precisely because Stone Village had lost its Ancient Bloodline Awakeners that it had declined step by step into its current state.
Stone Village, which was supposed to be a Strong Beastman Village, was now barely stronger than a Weak Beastman Village.
’But Hu Bai... has he really not awakened? He probably hasn’t, right? I didn’t see any Beast Pattern.’
’But can he be this powerful even without a Beast Pattern?’
Nine males actually couldn’t defeat that sickly Hu Bai, and some of them were even awakened Beast Warriors.
’How terrifying.’
Fox Zi stopped caring about Hu Li. She quickly turned and left.
...
Nan Zishi and the two cubs returned, their arms full.
When they got back, the cave was clean inside and out, with no trace of a conflict whatsoever.
"Is the IV finished?" Nan Zishi placed the wild vegetables she had gathered on the ground, then went into the cave to clean up the medical waste.
Hu Bai’s body was much better than before, and for some reason, his mood seemed to have calmed down considerably.
His expression held a hint of faint grievance, but his tone was steady. He asked, "Nan Zishi, is there anything I can do?"
Nan Zishi smiled. "Wash these vegetables. I’m going to start a fire in a bit and stir-fry them."
"Alright."
He went to work as Nan Zishi had instructed.
While starting the fire, Nan Zishi taught the two little cubs how to do it. Fox Qi and She Yang ended up with their faces smudged with soot, making Nan Zishi laugh out loud.
Hu Bai stir-fried the vegetables, and Nan Zishi served the food. Everyone ate until their plates were clean.
"Delicious! The food Father makes with fire is so good!" Little Fox Qi said.
"Pretty sister, once you’re gone, I bet Father won’t cook with fire for me anymore."
Little Fox Qi looked up at Hu Bai.
’Father is clearly biased toward pretty sister. But he insists on being so cold to her.’
’So hard to understand.’
Nan Zishi ruffled Little Fox Qi’s hair.
The atmosphere was very harmonious.
That evening, Nan Zishi sat at the cave entrance with Fox Qi and She Yang in her arms, looking up at the stars.
"There don’t seem to be many stars tonight. I wonder if it will rain tomorrow," Little Fox Qi said.
Nan Zishi nodded. "It’s the short rainy season now, so a little rain is normal."
Fox Qi sat up and looked at Nan Zishi. "Pretty sister, are you really leaving?"
"Mhm."
"Why? Why do you have to go?"
’Why?’ To be honest, Nan Zishi didn’t understand the "why" herself.
The first time she transmigrated, she was forcibly bound to the Childbirth System and forced to bear cubs. Back then, she at least knew why she had come to the Beast World and what she was there to do.
This time, however, she couldn’t sense the system, and no one had given her a mission. She had no idea why she had come to the Beast World this time.
’But...’
"I’m not from Stone Village," Nan Zishi said, stroking Fox Qi’s head. "I have to leave eventually."
She had to leave. She needed to find out why she had come to this world again; she had to find an answer.
"Aqi doesn’t want you to go..." Fox Qi hugged Nan Zishi. "Pretty sister, I’m sure my father doesn’t want you to go either. Can’t you stay?"
Nan Zishi held the little cub.
For some reason, even though she was someone who wasn’t particularly fond of children, she found herself really liking the two little cubs, Fox Qi and She Yang. She genuinely couldn’t bear to part with Little Fox Qi.
"Pretty sister doesn’t want to leave you either..." Nan Zishi said.
"Do you have to go?"
Fox Qi took off the small Beast Tooth he always wore and placed it around Nan Zishi’s neck.
"Pretty sister, this Beast Tooth came from prey that my father and I hunted together. I’ve always worn it. Now, I’m giving it to you."
The little fox cub buried his head in Nan Zishi’s embrace, clinging to her tightly. "Aqi really, really doesn’t want you to go..."
Sitting on a treetop, Hu Bai gazed at the nearly invisible stars. He had heard every single word of the conversation below.
That night, Nan Zishi slept on the stone bed with the two cubs.
And Hu Bai spent the entire night in the treetop, watching for stars that weren’t there.
Sure enough, a fine drizzle began to fall early the next morning.
The short rainy season was always like this, full of rain. But looking at the sky, the dark clouds seemed to be gathering, threatening an even heavier downpour.
Nan Zishi fed the little wolf cub its milk. The cub had already grown quite a bit. It was well-behaved and clingy; it seemed like it would grow up to be a good dog.
After taking care of the wolf cub, Nan Zishi went to check on Hu Bai with her stethoscope.
Hu Bai gently lifted his Beast Skin Skirt, revealing his firm chest and eight-pack abs.
The male was slender, yet he didn’t lack a single ab, and they were the sexy, lean kind.
Nan Zishi’s mind went blank for a moment. Suddenly, her thoughts turned lewd, and with a rush of blood to her head, she nearly got a nosebleed.
’Nan Zishi, oh, Nan Zishi, you’re a Beast Doctor!’
’This is your patient! A patient! What is a patient in your eyes? Just a piece of meat!’
’Right! This is just a piece of meat!’
With a trembling hand, Nan Zishi used the stethoscope to listen.
THUMP-THUMP.
GURGLE-GURGLE.
Finally, she heard his lung sounds. ’Mhm, his lungs are all clear.’
"Your pneumonia has cleared up," Nan Zishi said, putting away her stethoscope. "But you still need this last IV drip."
Hu Bai offered her his hand, his snow-white eyes gazing at her softly.
"After this IV is done, you’re leaving?" Hu Bai asked.
Nan Zishi replied, "You already know how to remove the needle. So once I’ve inserted it, I can go."
Hu Bai’s expression faltered. He looked at her with some urgency. "Are you really leaving? Do you have to go? Won’t you consider staying?"
Nan Zishi smiled at Hu Bai and shook her head.
Hu Bai averted his gaze, staring at Nan Zishi’s hand as she prepared the needle. He even twitched his hand, hoping she would miss and have to stay a little longer.
Nan Zishi actually did miss once. She quickly pulled out the needle and gave him a helpless smile. "Hu Bai. Don’t move."
Hu Bai leaned back against the head of the bed, pressing the back of his other long, beautiful hand against his forehead, trying to control his emotions.
After carefully inserting the needle, Nan Zishi tidied up a bit and glanced at the sky outside.
In that moment, countless ways to make her stay flashed through Hu Bai’s mind. Yet, he didn’t act on any of them.
His thin lips trembled slightly. "It’s raining today. Why don’t you wait for the rain to stop before you go?"
Nan Zishi smiled. "It rains often during the short rainy season. There’s no difference between leaving early or late. The rain isn’t too heavy yet, so I can go now."
She thought that she could go to the Wolf King’s cave to remove the she-wolf’s stitches today. After that, she would be free to leave.
Even if she got trapped by a heavy downpour, spending the night in the Wolf King’s cave wouldn’t be a problem.
"I won’t say a long goodbye." Nan Zishi gave Hu Bai a brilliant smile. "Hu Bai, I’m leaving!"
"Nan Zhi..." When Hu Bai opened his eyes, all he saw was Nan Zishi’s back as she disappeared into the curtain of rain.
The adult Male Beastman could no longer hold it in. His eyes quickly filled with tears, and two silent streams trickled down his face.
"...shi."