Chapter 513: He Also Has His Own Way of Coaxing
"Unless... you take me."
The moment Sangze spoke, he transformed into a cloud of black mist and wrapped himself around Sunxiao’s waist.
For once, Sunxiao didn’t throw him off. Instead, he shifted into his beast form and started heading back with him.
After traveling for a while, Sunxiao clearly felt the force wrapped around his serpentine body slacken.
He caught the falling Sangze with a sweep of his long tail.
Sangze had reverted to his human form and had already passed out.
Sunxiao placed him on the ground, shifted back into his human form, and knelt in front of him. He then gathered a ball of energy in his hand and slowly sent it probing into Sangze’s body.
The instant his power entered Sangze, he sensed three different forces pulling against each other inside him. Sangze had likely fainted again from the exhaustion caused by this internal struggle.
Sunxiao tried to use his own power to calm the turmoil, but the moment it entered, the muscles in Sangze’s body tensed uncontrollably.
Sunxiao’s pupils darkened. He quickly withdrew his power, changed back into his beast form, coiled his body around Sangze, and continued toward the tribe.
As night fell, Qiao Xixi gently placed the sleeping tiger cub in her arms onto the bed, her eyes softening as she kissed the little one’s tender cheek.
’By the time Jin Ling gets back, this little one will probably be walking.’
"Oh, An’an," she murmured, "what do you think your father and the others are doing right now?"
The tiger cub wrinkled her nose as Qiao Xixi poked her, letting out a little grunt as she rolled over.
Qiao Xixi smiled, tucked her in, and left the room.
Just as she stepped outside, she saw Feiyan leaning against a pillar on the veranda.
The faint glow of the sea pearls on the veranda scattered across him, elongating his tall, slender figure.
His arms were crossed over his chest, and his pair of strikingly handsome, fox-like eyes stared right at her, as if trying to peer into the depths of her soul.
Qiao Xixi walked over, wrapped her arms around his firm, powerful waist, and buried her face in his chest. The faint scent of mist on him calmed her frantic heart.
Feiyan loved how much Qiao Xixi relied on him. Even someone as unrefined as him could sense her unease.
He reached out and gently wrapped his arms around her, his large palm softly stroking her back.
’Jin Ling usually did this sort of thing. How did Jin Ling comfort people again?’
Feiyan suddenly felt a headache coming on. ’I have to say something,’ he thought. ’I need to show Xixi that I have my own ways of comforting her!’
After a moment of deliberation, the great fox spoke.
"The stew tonight was pretty good, wasn’t it?"
Qiao Xixi was utterly baffled.
Qiao Xixi thought about the large pot of stew Feiyan had cooked for dinner.
’Well... it was cooked, but it wasn’t exactly what you’d call delicious.’
’But it seems the great fox needs some positive reinforcement, doesn’t he?’
Qiao Xixi hummed in agreement. ’He’s my mate, after all. A little white lie won’t hurt.’
"Then I’ll make something else for you and the cubs tomorrow. I’ve had Ma Qing’s cooking, and it tasted pretty good."
Qiao Xixi was speechless.
’There’s really no need.’
’Maybe I should just go back to bed.’
But his clumsy attempt at banter had managed to clear away much of her troubled thoughts.
"Time for bed."
Feiyan swept her up into his arms and walked toward the room.
Qiao Xixi let him.
Once inside, Feiyan placed her on the bed, but Qiao Xixi kept her arms wrapped around his neck, not letting go.
The gentle halo from the sea pearls fell upon her lovely face, making her glistening, rosy lips seem especially enticing.
Feiyan’s breath hitched for a moment before he gently lifted her chin and kissed her.
Qiao Xixi tilted her head back, meeting his kiss, which was tinged with a hint of urgency.
Even in intimate moments, Feiyan’s actions perfectly matched his one-track mind: always charging straight ahead with an irrepressible urgency.
Qiao Xixi sighed in resignation and squeezed his fluffy ear, parting her lips slightly to guide him, little by little, toward the right way.
The great fox wasn’t stupid. After her brief lesson, he learned quickly. The clumsy, chaotic kiss transformed into a gentle, lingering one.
Qiao Xixi’s gaze grew hazy.
Feiyan’s arms around her tightened, and his body temperature shot up. Just as he was about to lose control, he took a deep breath and reluctantly let her go.
The sudden withdrawal left a brief look of confusion in Qiao Xixi’s eyes.
Feiyan rested his forehead against hers, panting softly. "Sunxiao and the others aren’t here. I don’t feel right at night. I have to go stand guard outside. You should sleep first."
Qiao Xixi understood his worry, but she had deliberately tried to keep him there so he could get a good night’s rest.
"You haven’t slept properly these past two days."
"I have been. Besides, I’m a high-level beast soul male. I’d be fine even without sleep for a few days." Feiyan gave her another reluctant kiss on the lips. "When Sunxiao gets back, I’ll spend some real time with you."
Seeing she couldn’t persuade him, Qiao Xixi didn’t press the issue. "Fine. Drink all the Spiritual Spring water on the table before you go."
"Okay."
Only after Feiyan left did Qiao Xixi lie down on the bed.
She lay in bed and checked Sunxiao and Sangze’s locations, finding that the two were together. This meant Sunxiao had already found Sangze.
After confirming their whereabouts, Qiao Xixi closed her eyes, feeling slightly more at ease.
The instant she closed her eyes, a figure flashed past the window, a black shadow sweeping before her eyes.
Qiao Xixi’s eyes snapped open, and she walked to the window.
It was pitch-black outside. Only the faint moonlight illuminated a few corners.
She focused, trying to sense any lingering aura in the air, but detected nothing.
Just then, a figure slowly flew across the sky. As it passed, another black shadow flitted past her window.
Qiao Xixi looked up and confirmed it was a member of the Wing Clan patrol. Only then did she return to her bed and lie down.
Once her breathing became slow and even, a figure slowly appeared at her window. A pair of black-and-red eyes stared intently at her sleeping face.
Qiao Xixi’s sleep was restless. She constantly felt as if a pair of eyes were staring at her from the darkness, but each of the several times she opened her eyes, she found nothing out of the ordinary.
She could only chalk it up to her frayed nerves causing hallucinations.
The next two days passed peacefully in the tribe, though the patrols sent to track the monster found no new clues.
"This is strange. Based on their distance, Sunxiao and the others should have been back at the tribe long ago. Why aren’t they moving?"
Qiao Xixi had been calculating the time, waiting for Sunxiao’s return.
Logically, they should have arrived yesterday. But when she checked their location yesterday, they had stopped moving.
"Did they run into some kind of trouble?"
"System, does this location tracker have a communication function?"
"Yes, Host. However, it requires points to activate. A single activation costs one thousand points."
’One thousand points for a single call? That’s ridiculously expensive.’
"How long has it been since you gave me a mission? How am I supposed to earn points without any missions?"