Free Web NovelChapter 391: Chapter 391: I’m Sorry
Qiao Xixi hmphed and jumped up, pinching both of his fluffy ears.
Feiyan let out a soft grunt but didn’t resist. He even lowered his head to make it less strenuous for her.
"Xixi, I still need to go get water."
"Jin Ling and the others have already gone. We won’t die of thirst without your two buckets."
Feiyan let out a muffled grunt. He reached out as if to hug her, but his hand froze in mid-air.
Qiao Xixi’s eyes narrowed. She let go of him and turned to head upstairs.
"Xixi."
Feiyan panicked and hurried after her. Just as Qiao Xixi was about to shut the door, a fluffy fox tail slipped through and carefully wrapped around her hand.
In the end, Qiao Xixi couldn’t bring herself to shut the door and catch his tail in it, but she didn’t drop her assertive act. She yanked his tail, pulling him into the room, then kicked the door shut and pinned him against it.
Feiyan stared, dumbfounded, at the face just inches from his own.
Qiao Xixi studied his face intently. ’Her mates were all incredibly handsome, and what was even more remarkable was how each was good-looking in a completely different way.’
As a Snow Fox Beast, Feiyan’s face perfectly embodied the alluring charm of his kind. ’If he just kept his mouth shut, who would ever guess this guy was so hopelessly straight-laced?’
The pad of her finger slowly traced over his brow and eyes, brushed against his straight nose, his sensual lips... and continued down to his prominent Adam’s apple...
Their eyes met, and Qiao Xixi could clearly see her own reflection in his light brown pupils.
"Aren’t you going to tell me the truth?"
His Adam’s apple bobbed frantically, and his breathing grew ragged.
"I’m sorry, Xixi."
Now it was Qiao Xixi’s turn to be stunned. ’Why on earth is he apologizing to me?’
"Hmm? What are you sorry for?"
"That night... I almost hurt you. I felt awful afterward. I blame my beast soul energy for not being strong enough. That’s why I couldn’t suppress the frenzy of my heat right away."
Now Qiao Xixi was truly dumbfounded.
"So, you’ve been avoiding me today because of that?"
Feiyan lowered his gaze, all his usual bold arrogance gone. "Yeah."
He was thankful that Jin Ling and Sunxiao had noticed something was wrong in time. He didn’t dare to imagine how much he would hate himself if he had really hurt Qiao Xixi in his frenzied state.
"I forgive you."
His eyes widened in shock as he stared at her. "Xixi, you’re not angry?"
Qiao Xixi really wasn’t angry. After all, it had been an accident.
"I’m not angry. It’s you being so awkward and hesitant that’s making me angry. Next time, don’t bottle things up. Can you even hide anything? Your face is an open book. You’re so silly."
The moment she finished speaking, he pulled her into a tight embrace. "Xixi, I’ll be gentler next time, I promise."
Annoyed, Qiao Xixi bit down on his ear. The warm, wet sensation sent a numbing tingle through Feiyan’s body. His arms around her tightened instinctively, and his temperature began to rise...
「Meanwhile」
Jin Ling and the others were carrying wooden buckets toward the water-gathering spot.
The water source was in a clearing, where a steady stream of groundwater bubbled up from an opening that resembled the mouth of a well.
Xijing had already checked; this water source was completely safe.
"Theoretically, the river water is also groundwater, so why is it contaminated?" Jin Ling asked Xijing, watching the beastmen lining up to collect water.
"It’s a different source. This water likely flows from the snowy mountains."
Jin Ling noticed that many of those fetching water were beastmen who lived in Beast King City.
The two of them got in line behind the others.
The male Gray Mouse Beast in front of them looked incredibly small and frail. The wooden bucket he carried was nearly half his height.
After filling his bucket, he prepared to leave, but it was so heavy that he nearly fell after taking just two steps.
To his surprise, however, the full bucket didn’t spill. He looked up to see Jin Ling holding it steady for him.
"Are you all right?"
The male Gray Mouse Beast scrambled up, his face full of gratitude. "Thank you so much. I’m just old and useless now. Back in my day..." He trailed off, sighing and shaking his head.
Jin Ling easily lifted the two buckets. "Where do you live? I can carry these for you."
The male Gray Mouse Beast wanted to refuse, but his knee was throbbing from the fall and wouldn’t straighten properly. "Thank you. You’re a truly kind person."
Jin Ling glanced at Xijing, signaling for him to head back first. Xijing nodded and started the walk back, carrying four buckets of water.
The male Gray Mouse Beast lived in a completely different direction. The street was much narrower here, the stone houses lower to the ground. Jin Ling could see at a glance that most of the residents were smaller beastmen.
At the sight of Jin Ling’s tall frame, they flinched back into their homes, somewhat intimidated.
The male Gray Mouse Beast pointed to a stone house up ahead. "My home is right there," he told Jin Ling.
The Gray Mouse Beast pushed open the old wooden door and went inside. Jin Ling had to duck to follow him in. The ceiling inside was slightly higher than the door suggested, allowing him to stand almost completely upright.
Behind the stone house was a small courtyard fenced in with wooden planks. The Gray Mouse Beast lit a torch he’d gotten from somewhere and led Jin Ling to a large water cistern.
Jin Ling promptly helped him pour the water into the cistern.
"Thank you so, so much. If it weren’t for you, my whole trip tonight would have been for nothing."
Jin Ling discreetly surveyed his surroundings, noticing signs that more than one beastman lived here.
"Where’s your son? Why don’t you have him do this sort of thing?"
At this, a profound sadness washed over the Gray Mouse Beast’s face. "He’s dead. The Beast Guards took him to the Thunder-swallowing Forest for his trial, and he never came back."
Seeing Jin Ling’s confused expression, the Gray Mouse Beast asked, "You’re not from Beast King City, are you?"
Jin Ling shook his head.
The Gray Mouse Beast pulled over two stools and gestured for him to sit.
"Here in Beast King City, every male beastman who comes of age has to go to the Thunder-swallowing Forest for a trial. The Beast King says that only males who pass this trial are considered worthy to live in the city."
"The Thunder-swallowing Forest... is it that dangerous? What do people who’ve been there say about it?"
"It’s dangerous. It’s filled with all sorts of ferocious beasts. Many of the young ones who’ve just come of age go in and never return." After saying this, the Gray Mouse Beast suddenly lifted his small, beady eyes to Jin Ling and lowered his voice. "And that’s not all. There are monsters in the Thunder-swallowing Forest..."
"Monsters? What kind of monsters?"
Just as the male Gray Mouse Beast was about to speak, the sound of heavy footsteps came from outside. He shot up in a panic, pulling Jin Ling to his feet and shoving him toward the back door.
"They’re here looking for someone. You have to go, quickly."
Jin Ling could also sense the powerful presences outside. "Looking for someone? Who?"
"Adult males. Strong ones. If they find you, they’ll take you and throw you into the Thunder-swallowing Forest for sure. Now go..."
The male Gray Mouse Beast gritted his teeth and shoved Jin Ling out the door.
From the shadows of a street corner, Jin Ling watched from a distance as the squad of Beast Guards passed the male Gray Mouse Beast’s home. Only after they were gone did his figure melt back into the darkness.
