Thanks to the good food and drink he’d enjoyed during the three months since arriving here, and the physical exercise he’d gotten from following Qing into the woods to forage, he’d recovered by the next morning.

The entrance to the cave was closed, and a blazing fire burned inside.

With his skin pressed directly against the warm fur, Xu Shuangci opened his eyes and instinctively curved his lips into a smile.

“Qing…” His hand sank into the fur on Qing’s chest, feeling the firm, defined muscles beneath his palm.

Hmm, the texture felt a bit like the beauty from his dream. Qing looked down.

The sub-beastman didn’t look like he was going to die; his cheeks were flushed, and his eyes were bright. His gaze swept over the hand pressed against his chest.

The white fur, the white wrist pressed against it—but the red mark left by the vine stood out like a sore thumb. As Qing stared, he lifted Xu Shuangci’s wrist with his paw pads and raised it above his head.

“Hey! Big Cat?”

A wave of heat washed over his wrist, and Xu Shuangci’s eyes widened.

“Don’t—don’t lick it. It tickles…” Xu Shuangci struggled with a laugh, burying himself under Qing’s belly. Qing withdrew his paw, pressing his large paw against Xu Shuangci’s back. A single paw could cover his entire back. Qing’s gaze grew slightly cold.

He would make those two wolves pay. Breakfast was eaten while Qing kept him confined to the bed.

A sweet root bone broth, made with salt spring water, had a faintly salty flavor. Though it was the simplest of stews, the resulting soup was so rich it was almost too good to be true. After eating and drinking his fill, Xu Shuangci found himself pinned beneath the big cat’s belly once more.

Winter was long, and since Qing rarely showed such affection, Xu Shuangci was more than happy to stay in the den and pet the cat. He dared not move too boldly; the moment he touched one of the large paws, the cat immediately lifted its head to look at him.

The sub-beastman’s eyes shone brightly, like stars in the night sky. Qing’s massive paw swept over the sub-beastman’s head, pressing him back into the fur. His long tiger tail wrapped around the sub-beastman’s ankle, as if it were chained there.

Qing thought to himself, “From now on, wherever I go, I’ll take him with me.”

The sub-beastman was too fragile—he couldn’t stand the cold or be hurt.

The slightest carelessness could kill him.

If he hadn’t come back early this time, he might have actually dug a hole and buried the sub-beastman. The thought of that possibility made Qing feel uneasy.

Xu Shuangci was bored lying there, so he carefully slid his hand down Qing’s chest. He asked, “What happened to those two wolves?”

“They ran away.”

The sub-beastman tilted his head back, his chest no longer pressed against his fur. Qing sighed and gently pressed his back down again.

“Mmm…” Suddenly buried in the soft fur, Xu Shuangci closed his eyes in comfort. He added, “I heard those two wolves can talk, too.”

Qing: “They all can.”

Xu Shuangci rubbed his chin against the fur, his eyes widening in surprise. “Do the animals here all speak the same language?” Is there no language barrier between species?

Qing: “Yeah.”

Xu Shuangci: “Well, they took a lot of food with them. Will what’s left be enough for us to get through the winter?” Qing licked his forehead.

“We won’t go hungry.”

“We won’t go hungry” meant he himself wouldn’t go hungry.

Xu Shuangci had seen the game Qing brought back every day; the haul wasn’t exactly bountiful. What the two wolves had taken amounted to a third of the remaining game.

He thought about it, his brow gradually furrowing.

“What if it’s not enough?”

“You don’t eat much.”

“I could survive on your leftovers, but yours just doesn’t seem like enough…”

The cave was warm, and hot soup simmered constantly in the stone pot.

On the bed made of thick hay and animal hides, the massive silver tiger lay on its side in a protective stance. A golden pelt was draped over the silver tiger.

If you weren’t paying attention, you wouldn’t even notice the black-haired young man cradled against its belly. The fire crackled.

The scent of burning wood was soothing.

Qing responded to Xu Shuangci’s endless chatter; gradually, his soft, faint voice grew quieter, becoming sticky and soft. Qing pressed the tip of his nose against the sub-beastman’s forehead.

Watching the person with their head buried in the fur, he licked the exposed, fair cheek. Soft and tender—better than any meat he’d ever tasted.

Qing would not leave the cave again until winter ended. As for those two wolves, the time would come to deal with them. After three days of recuperation, Xu Shuangci finally got out of bed without being pulled back into the den by the big cat’s tail.

He was physically well and in good spirits.

But when he saw his own torn nightgown—which he’d searched for so long—lying beneath the animal-skin mat, he was momentarily at a loss for words.

The moment Qing saw him pick up the clothes, he turned his head away. Seeing his guilty expression, Xu Shuangci laughed, his shoulders shaking.

He couldn’t really blame him. Xu Shuangci could only wash the nightgown in hot water, lay it by the fire to dry, and then use woolen thread to mend it once it was dry.

It was his only set of pure cotton clothes. There was no way he could throw it away.

In the eyes of the beastmen, Xu Shuangci was quite handsome.

He was gentle and refined, appearing completely non-threatening. His almond-shaped eyes were perpetually moist, as if a spring lake would ripple at the mere sight of him.

At that moment, the young man sat by the fire, threading a needle.

Bathed in the warm glow, his demeanor had settled into a calm, gentle serenity.

Qing lay sprawled beside him, his large head resting on his paws. His height was level with Xu Shuangci’s knees as he sat on the wooden stump. A young man like this was undeniably captivating.

Qing had seen quite a few sub-beastmen, but one like him was truly one of a kind. He felt a bit reluctant to send him back to his tribe.

With the big cat’s head right within reach, Xu Shuangci could touch it simply by raising his hand.

He wasn’t sure if it was because of what had happened earlier, but Qing seemed closer to him than before.

He wouldn’t mind being petted—he wouldn’t shy away, though he might shoot a sharp glance his way. But touching his tail was off-limits, and petting him for too long was out of the question. Xu Shuangci was a contented man.

As long as he’s allowed to pet him, that’s enough.

Once the clothes were sewn and he’d changed into them, he went back to weaving the rattan table he’d left unfinished. After resting for three days, Xu Shuangci was full of energy.

Qing didn’t stop him; he just lay in the cave taking a nap. It wasn’t long before Xu Shuangci asked about patrolling the territory again, and Qing answered a few questions.

“It’s snowing in the southern part of the territory too, though not as heavily as here.”

“We didn’t move to the south because it’s peaceful here—no beastmen come to bother us.”

“There are not only wolves here, but also elephants, leopards, foxes… They all speak the language of beasts, but I don’t really interact with them…”

And so on.

Xu Shuangci was a talkative man. In the past, when he was alone—with no friends and little to say to his colleagues—he liked to talk to himself when he was by himself.

He still kept that habit now.

But now that Qing was in his life, his soliloquies had turned into conversations with him. So at first, Qing didn’t think Xu Shuangci’s talkativeness was just his imagination.

He was afraid of loneliness, so he used talking to ease it.

Halfway through weaving the rattan table, Xu Shuangci got hungry. He’d been eating stewed soup for days and didn’t want the leftovers in the pot, so he gave them directly to Qing. He planned to make something with more flavor.

Xu Shuangci stood up to fetch some ingredients from the food cave, but just as he passed Qing, his waist was caught by the tiger’s tail. The tiger’s tail was as thick as his arm; he couldn’t wrap his hand around it.

As he was ensnared, Xu Shuangci felt a sudden weight on his waist. 

Qing: “Where are you going?”

Xu Shuangci: “To get some meat.”

Qing’s tail pulled back firmly, and Xu Shuangci had no choice but to step back with the force. Qing lazily opened his eyes: “How much?”

Xu Shuangci: “Enough for you and me to eat. I also need fish, my seasoning plants, and some greens…” Qing released his tail and stood up, swaying it slowly as he walked to the cave entrance.

He swiped the door open with a paw and strode straight out.

A cold breeze blew in through the open door, and Xu Shuangci shivered.

He took out a stone slab that hadn’t been used in a long time and washed it clean. He heated the slab and first cut some fatty meat onto it to render the fat. When Qing came back in with the ingredients, Xu Shuangci washed them clean with water from the stone basin.

With so many ingredients, washing them was a hassle. Xu Shuangci said, “Qing, if you have a moment, could you bring out a few more wooden basins?” 

Qing: “That’s not what claws are for.”

“It’s not like you’ve never done this before. Give me a hand. I’ll grill you some fish when we’re done.” No sooner had the words left his mouth than Xu Shuangci saw Qing walking toward the pile of wood by the stone wall.

He pressed his lips together and smiled faintly.

He hurried to wash the vegetables in the hot water that was starting to cool.

Qing didn’t bring back wide varieties of vegetables; the one they’d eaten most often these past few months was that leafy green that had turned the whole pot green—it’s called green ear vegetable.

This vegetable is available year-round, though it’s much scarcer in winter—you have to dig through the snow to find it.

It’s a deep, rich green, shaped like a round ear the size of a palm. It feels thick to the touch, has a slippery texture when eaten, and cooks down easily. It can be eaten raw and has a slightly sweet flavor.

Another is the yellow tip vegetable that thrives in damp environments. This variety is common in the fall.

It looks somewhat like bamboo shoots and grows in clusters among piles of decaying leaves. It’s the color of yellow chives, slender as a thumb, and has a crisp, refreshingly sweet taste.

That’s right—sweet again.

Many of the things Qing took him to find had a sweet flavor; perhaps the wild animals in this area all have a sweet tooth. Aside from these two abundant varieties, the rest are best used as seasonings.

There was a spicy grass that could be used for heat, much like spicy weed; sour vine fruit, bursting with tartness; and yellow roots that looked just like ginger but were several times larger.

After washing them all clean, the ones meant for seasoning were pounded to a pulp with a stone mortar. He sliced the meat, giving the larger pieces to Qing and keeping the smaller ones for himself.

Qing had already found some suitable wood and was now crouched to one side, planing away with a rhythmic scraping sound.

Xu Shuangci was in high spirits as he pan-fried the meat and added the seasonings. Especially when he sprinkled on that fine white salt, the flavor really came through. He ate as he cooked; the pieces of meat he set aside for Qing were cut to the size of a palm. After seasoning them, he wrapped them in green ear vegetables and pushed the plate right in front of him. Qing stared at the glossy green leaves, motionless.

Xu Shuangci smiled warmly. “Try it. It’s delicious.”

Qing opened his mouth, his tail thumping against the ground. As he chewed, the tip of his tail stood up, swaying gently back and forth. Xu Shuangci ruffled the big cat’s head, then ran back to the stone slab with a smile.

Few can resist the taste of grilled meat.

With a few extra seasonings, Xu Shuangci could recreate both sour-spicy and sweet-spicy sauces.

They ate the grilled meat and mixed a glass of fruit juice with jam. Even Qing was tempted to drop the piece of wood and sit down next to Xu Shuangci. Xu Shuangci didn’t have a big appetite, so after he was full, he began to feed the big cat earnestly.

He served him grilled fish, cutting the meat into bite-sized pieces just for him. The meal stretched from noon into the afternoon.

Qing collapsed on the ground and let out a satisfied belch; his lazy posture made Xu Shuangci lean over and snuggle up to him. Qing licked his lips, wrapped his large paws around Xu Shuangci, and purred contentedly.

Xu Shuangci yawned and burrowed into the fur on Qing’s chest. Now that’s what living is all about.