The same familiar river, under the same moonlight, Shu An stared blankly at her dark reflection in the water.
Hei Ting, in turn, stared blankly at her.
"An An, I'm so happy."
Shu An tilted her head to look at him, "You can't bully me anymore, understand?"
Hei Ting reached out a finger and stroked her cheek, "When have I ever bullied you? You just have to not get angry with me for no reason." His voice was very gentle.
Listening to his voice and looking into his eyes, Shu An felt a momentary daze. If only he weren't a fallen beast...
Hei Ting couldn't stand being looked at like that by a female. He was afraid he wouldn't be able to control himself.
He raised his hand to cover her eyes, his voice husky, "An An, don't tempt me..."
Shu An: "..." Who's tempting who!
But the other party didn't give her a chance to argue. Two shadows embraced on the ground.
Hei Ting, abandoning his usual dominance, was focused, meticulous, and gentle. Shu An closed her eyes, carefully savoring the kiss. In this moment, she felt she had grown up.
After a very, very long time, they returned.
Hei Ting felt as though he had obtained the most precious thing in the world.
Shu An had expected that after they made up, Hei Ting would give her more personal space, perhaps let her go out on her own. But that wasn't the case. The two little followers were honorably granted paid leave, and Hei Ting took over accompanying her all day.
Well, as the leader of the fallen beasts, as long as one was strong enough, there wasn't much to do.
They didn't need to build a tribe, nor did they need to manage their clansmen. Fallen beasts had no great ambitions; their days were spent filling their bellies and sleeping with females. They all cherished their lives and rarely engaged in conflict.
These days, Hei Ting took her to see mountains and rivers. When she was thirsty, they drank sweet water from the upper reaches. When she was hungry, Hei Ting roasted meat for her anytime, anywhere. Only when they returned to the tribe did Shu An remember her predicament.
Every time they went out, she yearned for the day when Hei Ting might set aside his status as the leader of the fallen beasts and wander the continent with her. She would have been willing.
Alas!
After playing for a day, it was already dark when they returned to the tribe. Under the envious gazes of other fallen beasts, Hei Ting led his beloved little female back to the cave.
A curtain had been added to the cave. Shu An removed the animal skins wrapped around her feet and rubbed them.
She had run too much today, her feet hurt!
A pair of large hands covered hers, with concern, "I told you to come up, but you wouldn't listen. Your feet must be blistered."
Shu An wanted to pull away, but her ankle was held firmly by the other party, so she had no choice but to comply.
"Eating and sleeping all day, if I don't exercise, I'll get fat as a ball!" She was in a rare good mood.
A smile appeared in Hei Ting's eyes, "I really want to see you get fat as a ball." She would surely be very cute.
Shu An met his smiling eyes, her heart skipping a beat. She unnaturally averted her gaze. He truly resembled a prince, albeit a fallen one.
"Hmph! I don't want to get fat as a ball!"
She didn't realize how shy she appeared. Hei Ting loved seeing her shy demeanor; she was alluring without knowing it.
Ambiguous little bubbles began to float in the cave again, waiting to ferment and grow larger. Just as the atmosphere reached its peak, a sudden shout shattered all the bubbles.
Shu An's eyes snapped open. Shyly, she pulled away, annoyed that her involuntary actions had become more frequent lately!
Hei Ting's face darkened, and he roared impatiently, "What is it!"
A voice from outside shouted, "Leader, the raging beasts are here! Please come and see!"
Upon hearing "raging beasts," Shu An's heart pounded like a drum. It was finally here! httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Hei Ting frowned, "You go first, I'll be right there."
"Yes, Leader." The beastman outside left.
Hei Ting asked her, "An An, do you want to stay alone in the cave, or go to the cave where the females are housed?"
Shu An suppressed her excitement and said softly, "I don't want to be with others. Just have Chou Hua and Hei Niu come and keep me company. Hurry and go, the raging beasts are here!"
Hei Ting thought that if he lured the raging beasts away, the tribe wouldn't be impacted, so he indulged Shu An's wish.
"Alright, before I return, don't go out. Wait for me to come back." He stroked her hair.
Shu An nodded obediently. Watching the beastman turn and leave, she couldn't help but call out, "Hei Ting!"
"Hmm?" Hei Ting, who had reached the cave entrance, turned back to look at her.
Shu An, with a hint of worry, said, "You must come back safely!"
Hei Ting smiled, strode back in, and bent down to kiss her.
"Don't worry." Hei Ting left, a smile on his lips. The little female had extended her tongue for the first time. Did she truly accept him?
Shu An soothed her racing heart and waited for Chou Hua and Hei Niu. The two females were about to go to sleep when they heard about the raging beast attack on the tribe and rushed over.
The tribe was in a bit of chaos now. The females were to be gathered together for easier management and protection by the beastmen, while all other non-essential personnel were to deal with the raging beasts. There were too many raging beasts in the West Sea, and they were all warlike, constantly harassing the beastmen.
Chou Hua and Hei Niu had great faith in their leader's strength and couldn't help but advise the pacing Shu An, "You don't need to worry. Leader is very powerful and will defeat them and return soon."
Shu An absently hummed in agreement, "I know, I just can't help but worry..."
She worried not only about Hei Ting but also about Xiao Si Ge Ge. She hoped Xiao Si Ge Ge would have everything go smoothly.
An hour after Hei Ting left, Xiao Si finally arrived at the cave. The two females were startled. Before they could react to what he was there for, they were knocked unconscious.
"Quick, An An, I'll take you away!"
Xiao Si crouched down, intending to carry her. Shu An glanced at herself, feeling that her human form was too conspicuous, so she said, "Xiao Si Ge Ge, I'll transform into my beast form."
"Alright."
Then Shu An transformed into her beast form and was carried in Xiao Si's mouth, who had also transformed. The two of them slipped away under the cover of night.
Xiao Si flew, dodging people all the way. He wasn't as fast as Ya had been before. It was possible they might encounter one or two beastmen. Others who saw them would simply assume he was carrying prey and wouldn't pay it any mind.
Xiao Si flew for an entire night. As dawn approached, he reached the seaside, not daring to relax at all. He flung Shu An onto his back and flew with all his might!
Shu An flipped in the air and landed steadily on the snake's back, gripping the scales behind Xiao Si's back with her claws. It was a very abrupt patch.
Her heart pounded violently, and her expression was still a little dazed. They had actually escaped so smoothly!
"Xiao Si Ge Ge, it still feels a bit unreal..."
Xiao Si flew at high speed, "An An, I will definitely take you home safely!"
Shu An nodded gently. She believed she would be home soon.
Shui You had no fate with Shu An. Before she could even reach the shore, she was snatched away. He lingered in the vicinity for several days, and apart from occasionally seeing a few flying beastmen, he couldn't see a single female.
Therefore, he held no hope for Shu An's appearance and left alone.
Perhaps the two would never have a chance to meet again.