I'll Never Trust You Again
Three days later, Feng Rumeng yawned. She hated Ling to death. He'd gone on about how wonderful the hot spring was: they could soak after doing it, then do it again after soaking, moving seamlessly from one to the other and saving firewood they would otherwise have used to heat water.
She glanced sideways with sleepy eyes, anger welling up. "I'll never trust you again."
Laughter rippled in Ling's purple eyes as he lowered his head and kissed her forehead. "I knew Little Meng'er cared about me."
Feng Rumeng couldn't be bothered to argue with her. She pulled the animal hide over herself and went to sleep.
As noon approached, the sun shone brightly.
Ling was carrying Feng Rumeng toward the tribe when he caught the aroma of roast duck.
"Rumeng," a pleasant female voice called.
Ling's face turned cold again, and he looked toward the voice.
When Bai Feifei saw Ling's gaze, cold enough to serve as air conditioning, she stopped where she was and grumbled inwardly:
Fuck, bro, it's not even summer. I don't need air conditioning.
Feng Rumeng looked up at Bai Feifei, who stood nearby with an enticing, enormous roast duck in her hand.
"Feifei." Feng Rumeng waved and got down from Ling's arms.
Bai Feifei walked over and handed the duck to Feng Rumeng. "A roast duck can't repay you for saving my life, but it's a small token from me."
Feng Rumeng accepted the roast duck, its skin crisp and fragrant. "Life isn't easy. We help when we can. I'll accept the duck, but don't talk about me saving your life anymore."
Bai Feifei smiled and nodded. "I'll get going then, sis. Come to my cave when you have time, and I'll make you something even tastier."
"Okay," Feng Rumeng said.
Bai Feifei waved and left.
Feng Rumeng watched her go. "Ling, don't you think she looks a lot thinner?"
A look of disdain crossed Ling's handsome face. "I don't know."
Bai Feifei, Bai Feifei. Feng Rumeng repeated the name twice. Where had she heard it before? She thought for a long time but couldn't remember.
Feng Rumeng tore off a duck leg and gave the rest to Ling.
Ling lowered his eyes to the roast duck, Hu Yun's words still ringing in his ears. He raised a hand to stop her. "Little Meng'er, don't eat it. What if that female..."
Feng Rumeng interrupted him, her almond-shaped eyes curving. "Even if she put an aphrodisiac in it, I wouldn't be afraid. I have you as the antidote. What the kidney would I be afraid of?"
She took a bite, and her amber eyes suddenly widened. "This taste..." She was so surprised that she didn't move for a long moment.
Ling's heart jolted. He threw the duck aside. "What's wrong, Little Meng'er? Were you poisoned?"
"She dared to drug you? I'll skin her alive. Hang on, I'll take you to the witch doctor." He scooped Feng Rumeng up, ready to run to the tribe.
Feng Rumeng patted Ling's arm, her voice soothing. "I'm not poisoned, Ling. I just suddenly remembered a taste from far away."
Ling brushed the dampness beneath her eyes with his thumb. "Little Meng'er, wait a little longer. I'll definitely reach the sixth rank within two years. Once I've awakened an ability, I'll go back to your tribe with you."
Feng Rumeng murmured in assent. Though she knew she could never return to her hometown, she was still deeply comforted that Ling would say that.
Ling studied Feng Rumeng's expression. "Since you like it, Little Meng'er, I'll take some Beast Crystals to that female tomorrow and learn how to make it. Then I'll make it for you every day."
Feng Rumeng chewed the duck leg, nodding and shaking her head indistinctly.
"Little Meng'er, let's go back."
"Okay." Feng Rumeng finished the duck leg in a few bites, wrapped the duck Ling had thrown away in leaves, wiped her hands, and put it in her space. "Let's go."
"Little Meng'er, the roast duck is dirty. Don't eat it," Ling said. He was very worried that his mate would get sick from eating something unclean; her body was simply too frail.
Does Ling really think I'm that greedy? Feng Rumeng pursed her lips, then said with a cheerful smile, "I'm keeping it because I have a use for it. Don't worry, I won't sneak a bite. I know my limits."
Ling bent down and picked her up. "Okay."
After returning to the cave, Feng Rumeng washed up, lay down on the bed, and closed her eyes.
Ling tucked the animal hide around Feng Rumeng, then went to sit at the cave entrance. He couldn't sleep anyway.
He took the snakeskin he had shed as a young snake out of his space, preparing to make animal-hide clothing for his mate. The shed skin was light and breathable, perfect for her to wear during the hot season.
The animal-hide clothes his mate wore were unusual, completely different from those of the tribe's females. Every day, she wore layer upon layer of animal hides.
He extended his sharp beast claws and kept the sound of cutting to a minimum. He worked until the latter half of the night, making two sets of two-piece outfits with long, slit skirts and one casual tracksuit.
He stroked them with satisfaction. Imagining his mate wearing them, he grinned foolishly to himself for a while longer, then folded the clothes neatly and put them in his space.
After lying down on the bed, he kissed Feng Rumeng's slender neck and smooth, tender shoulder, then drew her into his arms, their bodies pressed close together:
Little Meng'er should like clothes made from my shed skin, shouldn't she?
Birdsong rang out clear and bright, and the spring scenery was lovely.
After breakfast, Feng Rumeng stopped Ling from going to Bai Feifei's and took him to the trap instead.
She had Ling break off some thick branches, sharpen them to points, and stick them into the bottom of the pit. Then she tore the roast duck in half, putting one half in the trap and the other on the leaves covering it.
Ling patted the dirt from his hands. "Little Meng'er, is this how that third-rank black panther hunted?"
Feng Rumeng shook her head. "This trap works on small wild beasts, but not on ferocious beasts."
She looked around at the giant trees, found a suitable spot, and had Ling take her up to wait for prey to take the bait.
Even after a night, the roast duck still smelled wonderful. With animals' keen noses, it took less than a quarter of an hour for a third-rank ferocious beast to arrive.
Ling watched a black wolf emerge from the forest and whispered, "Here it comes."
Feng Rumeng glanced down. "Be careful."
The black wolf swept its green eyes from side to side. Seeing no danger, it stepped toward the roast duck on its beastly paws.
Whoosh. A leaf spiraled down onto the roast duck. Bang. The giant wolf slid down the tree trunk, twitched a few times, and went still.
Feng Rumeng hadn't even gotten into position to cheer from the tree before Ling finished it with a flick of his tail.
Feng Rumeng smiled knowingly. As expected of her man.
Ling put the prey in his space and teleported to Feng Rumeng's side. "Little Meng'er, your method is wonderful. It lures them out on their own and distracts them from being on guard."
"Of course. Just look who I am," Feng Rumeng said with a smile. "There's less risk this way, and you need crystals to advance, too. Let's hunt more over the next few days."
Ling looked at Feng Rumeng, starlight shining in his purple eyes. His mate truly was the best female in the beast world. Not only did she not look down on him, she helped him too. He was truly lucky to have met her.
He had no shortage of those few crystals; the ones in his space were already piled into a small mountain. But hunting with his mate meant something different, and he enjoyed the process.
Before long, another one came. This time, it was a second-rank Parrot Beast that could fly.
The Parrot Beast didn't land. It flew low, reaching out with its claws to snag the roast duck.
Feng Rumeng aimed her slingshot at the base of the Parrot Beast's wing. The stone flew out, and the bird let out a shriek and flapped its wings.
Ling slid down silently from above, opened his snake jaws, and bit at the Parrot Beast as it lost its balance.
Working together like this, the couple hunted more than a dozen ferocious beasts over the course of the day, including three at the fourth rank. Ling didn't have so much as a scratch on him.
He gazed at Feng Rumeng with tenderness in his purple eyes, feeling that his mate didn't seem all that foolish after all. Relieved, he picked her up. "Little Meng'er, let's go back."
Feng Rumeng nestled in his slightly cool embrace. "I want noodles for dinner."
"No problem." Holding her, Ling jumped down from the tree trunk.
On the way back, Feng Rumeng spotted some white vine fibers and had Ling get her some more.
They returned to the tribe and finished dinner.
Feng Rumeng asked Ling to take out the colored stones. She planned to make some accessories as gifts for Ling's mother when they visited her the next day.
She set to work at once, picking out colored stones of suitable sizes and having Ling pierce small holes through them with a bone needle. Then she took out the vine fibers she had gathered and busied herself matching the colors.
When the moon came out, the two of them stopped working.
Ling slipped a strand onto his wrist, delight showing in his purple eyes. In the firelight, the bracelet shimmered like a miniature rainbow.
Feng Rumeng picked up a strand and examined it closely. These were definitely diamonds, and their purity was top-tier.
If this were her old world, just one strand would put her at the top of the xxx list.
She looked at Ling's flowing purple hair. Purple and blue should look beautiful together!
She got up and took a dried ferocious-beast sinew, then carefully made a few hair ornaments.