After Qing left, Xu Shuangci just lay there with his arms spread wide.

He stared at the cave ceiling, listening to the crackling sound of the firewood curling as it burned. Was the big cat shy?

But it didn’t seem like it.

Recalling Qing’s demeanor just now, the atmosphere had been heavy, and he had rarely spoken to him with such seriousness. So he was angry.

Xu Shuangci lowered his long lashes and gently picked at the animal skin beneath him. He dared to do that only because Qing indulged him.

With that indulgence, he kept testing the waters, which in turn led him to develop a false sense of security. It seemed as though they were inseparable, relying on one another. But looking back now, it was he who had come to depend on the big cat.

He turned to look at the stone wall covered in characters. If he counted carefully, they had only known each other for half a year.

Realizing this, Xu Shuangci slowly sat up and muttered to himself, “I should apologize to Qing.” There would be no next time.

Meanwhile, Qing emerged from the cave. He entered the woods with an air of composure, but then began circling the trees, walking round and round.

Finally, he stopped.

Standing in the circle that had clearly been cleared of vegetation, Qing realized.

“I have to teach him.”

But if the sub-beastmen understood the meaning of these gestures, he probably wouldn’t have been so brazen. Their thoughts were at odds.

One emerged from the cave, the other headed toward it, and they met on the slope in front of the cave entrance.

Xu Shuangci stood by the entrance and, without hesitation, took a few steps down the slope. He was all smiles, still looking as gentle as ever.

“Qing, I’m sorry.”

“I apologize for my earlier behavior. Will you forgive me?”

Qing nodded without a moment’s hesitation. Just as he was wondering whether to speak up now, Xu Shuangci said, “Then I’ll go back to work?” Qing glanced at him and could only nod.

It would be the same if he said it tonight.

Xu Shuangci stepped aside, passing Qing by. Pottery-making required gathering firewood.

There was plenty of dry wood in the woods, though the nearby areas had already been cleared. Xu Shuangci grabbed a wicker basket and a stone knife and headed into the woods. The collected wood was tied up with vines and laid across the basket to secure it.

Xu Shuangci had been busy in the woods all afternoon. When he went over to the small hill, he saw that the dry firewood had piled up like a mountain. He was taken aback for a moment, then heard footsteps behind him. Turning around, he saw Qing emerging from the woods. He smiled. “Thank you.”

Qing glanced at him.

It was the same expression as always, but he was clearly keeping his distance from him.

Qing understood why. He nodded slightly and set the firewood down. He planned to talk to him that evening.

But Xu Shuangci clearly had no intention of resting; after a quick bite to eat, he began working on his pottery. He stayed there day and night.

It was like boiling oil—he had to squeeze every last drop out of himself until he had no energy left.

Realizing that Qing wouldn’t stay with him forever—that he would eventually be like the cats of the Cat Tribe, finding a mate, having kittens, and building a family of his own, while he would ultimately be alone—Xu Shuangci quickly gathered his composure and returned to his former self.

The first step to living well is having enough to eat and wear—for now, he relied on Qing for that. The second step was a comfortable living environment.

He needed to create this himself and, as a token of gratitude, give some to Qing.

Xu Shuangci tended the pottery kiln day and night. Though exhausted, he felt a deep sense of fulfillment.

Qing felt as though he were seeing him in the same state as when he first arrived, and could only watch helplessly from the sidelines.

Once the kiln was fired, it couldn’t be stopped. The moment Xu Shuangci removed the last log, Qing wasted no time and forcibly led him back to the cave. Xu Shuangci was so exhausted now that he could pass out the moment he closed his eyes.

That familiar sensation of numbness yet fulfillment, that familiar physical state, gave him a profound sense of security.

Glancing at the large tail around his waist, he let his head droop and let the force carry him forward.

His feet felt too heavy to lift; he stumbled, tripping over the grass, but the large tail steadied him, flinging him directly onto the big cat’s back.

Xu Shuangci silently reached out to wrap his arms around Qing’s neck, his grip loose and tentative. This was allowed.

The soft fur and the other’s body heat felt so comforting that he wanted to rub his face against them, but such intimacy clearly wasn’t appropriate for Qing anymore. So he shifted his focus to the unfinished business.

The pottery kiln had already been extinguished; they would return in a few days to open it.

Xu Shuangci ran through the rest of his to-do list in his head. Oh, right—he still hadn’t checked the eggs.

His eyes, which had been on the verge of closing, snapped open, watching the blurry pale green flash past him. Until they entered the cave. Inside, Qing crouched down on his haunches.

Xu Shuangci rolled over and sat up, smiling gently. “Thank you, Qing.”

As he spoke, he hurriedly pulled back the animal hide to check on the eggs by the fire.

He picked them up one by one, examining them closely in the firelight, turning them over to make sure they were all right before letting sleep overtake him.

Like a wandering spirit, he washed himself in a daze, then collapsed onto the bed under the animal hide and fell into a deep sleep almost instantly.

Qing lay on the animal hide, having watched the entire scene.

He got up, walked to the bedside, and pulled the animal hide covering Xu Shuangci’s head back slightly. But Xu Shuangci’s body trembled, and he opened his eyes in surprise.

Seeing it was Qing, he finally exhaled and smiled, his voice hoarse with exhaustion. “I’m going to sleep for a bit. Don’t worry about me.”

He rolled over and curled up, assuming the posture of a sleeping infant.

Qing waited a moment before climbing into bed. His tail slid along the animal hide until it brushed against Xu Shuangci’s hand.

Those hands should have been slender and fair, but now they looked a bit ashen, with many small cuts on both the palms and backs. After a long wait, the tip of the tail tensed.

Qing’s ears twitched slightly, and he lifted his paw pads ever so slightly as the sub-beastmen turned over, clutching his tail.

Watching the sub-beastmen nestled in his arms again after several days, Qing gently rested his chin on the creature’s head. Let him touch me, then.

He didn’t like this kind of overly cautious sub-beastman.

Xu Shuangci slept for a full day and night, but when he woke, he didn’t feel ravenously hungry.

He vaguely recalled being woken up at some point during that time and having something shoved down his throat while his eyes were still closed. He gently brushed the fur on his face, then paused again.

Just as he was about to pull away, he realized the pads on its back were clamped tightly around him.

“Qing…” Xu Shuangci was pressed so tightly against the fur on Qing’s chest that he couldn’t even tilt his head back. “Did you sleep enough?”

“Mm. How long have I been asleep?” 

It was still dark outside. “A little over a day.”

Even through the fur, Xu Shuangci could feel the vibrations from Qing’s chest. He closed his eyes to collect his thoughts, then patted the big cat’s paw.

“You can let go now.”

Qing lifted his paw.

Xu Shuangci rolled to the side and settled into a supine position. It was still dark outside; he wouldn’t be able to go light the kiln until tomorrow morning. He folded his hands and placed them over his stomach.

“Did you feed me?” 

“I did.”

“Did you have dinner?” 

“No.”

Xu Shuangci felt a warm glow in his heart. The big cat was still so kind.

“Want some grilled meat? I’ll make it for you.” As he spoke, he was already getting up. Qing’s tail swept across the bed. “Okay.”

Xu Shuangci’s eyes crinkled as he reached out to touch Qing’s forehead, but paused before his hand made contact. Seeing that Qing didn’t object, he gently brushed his hand over the fluffy head. With such a light touch, it was almost as if he hadn’t touched it at all.

Qing straightened his neck slightly and pressed his forehead firmly against Xu Shuangci’s palm. His blue eyes gazed at him with complete sincerity. It was precisely that pair of eyes that was most likely to melt anyone’s heart.

Xu Shuangci sighed inwardly.

He obediently rubbed the big cat’s head.

When he saw Qing’s eyes narrow, he slowly withdrew his hand and smiled. “I’ll go get the meat.” If he didn’t leave now, he’d have to carry it up again.

While the meat was grilling, Xu Shuangci took another look at the egg he’d brought back.

Large shadows had already formed inside the egg; the little creature within was slowly taking shape. It would hatch in no more than another half a month.

He prepared a feast for Qing and ate a little himself.

Xu Shuangci boiled some water, then used a corner of the animal hide to create a sheltered spot in the corner of the cave entrance, where he gave himself a thorough wash. After sitting by the pottery kiln for two days, even after wiping himself down with a cloth, his body was still covered in a layer of dust.

Qing caught the faint fragrance wafting from his, his gaze sweeping over the slender legs peeking out from beneath the animal hide, a hint of worry flickering in his eyes. It was still cold out; sub-beastmen simply weren’t meant to get wet.

Sure enough, that very night, Xu Shuangci came down with a fever.

He looked healthy on the surface, but his constitution had always been weak.

The relentless busyness of recent days had drained the strength he’d worked so hard to build up. Combined with the early spring weather, even after bathing, drinking hot soup, and warming himself by the fire, Xu Shuangci couldn’t withstand the onslaught of this fierce cold.

In the middle of the night, Qing was awakened by the shivering sub-beastmen in his arms.

Hearing him alternately cry out that he was too hot and then too cold, he pressed his nose against his forehead—it felt like a boiled egg, frighteningly hot.

This illness seemed far more severe than before. Countless beastmen had died from it.

Qing gathered his composure, deeply grateful that Xu Shuangci had studied herbal medicine during their visit to the Cat Tribe.

It was a good thing he’d taken notes and Qing had learned to read; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to make out the notes written on the tree bark.

Qing transformed into human form, dashed out, and quickly gathered several herbs from the medicinal garden. After washing them, he tossed them into the pot, added water, and set it to boil. He stoked the fire until it nearly engulfed the entire stone pot. Once the water came to a boil, the scent of the herbs instantly filled the entire cave.

While tending the fire, Qing fed Xu Shuangci the saltwater.

Once the medicine was ready, he hurriedly carried it outside to the cave entrance to let the breeze cool it down.

When he tried to feed Xu Shuangci the medicine, the man clenched his jaw tightly.

Qing’s heart raced with anxiety, and his already stern features grew even colder. He forced him down onto his lap, pried open his jaws, and poured the medicine down his throat. Xu Shuangci choked and coughed, tears streaming down his face.

He let out a faint, weak whimper; his lashes were wet, as if he’d suffered the greatest injustice.

The medicine was finally downed.

Qing saw him with his eyes closed, tears streaming down his face, so he simply shifted into his human form, produced a tail, and pressed it into Xu Shuangci’s hands.

Xu Shuangci hugged it tightly, pressing his face against the tail until the fur was instantly soaked with his tears. He whimpered a few times before finally settling down.

Qing kept him in his arms, waiting for the medicine to take effect. That night, Xu Shuangci’s fever spiked twice.

Qing doubled the dosage, practically stripping the fever-reducing herbs bare from the medicinal garden outside the cave before Xu Shuangci finally settled down.

After all that turmoil, the sub-beastman finally settled down. Only then did Qing transform into a large cat and wrap him in his fur. But it was at that very moment that a sense of lingering dread began to creep into his heart.

This illness had made Xu Shuangci even thinner.

The flesh on his face had completely vanished, his waist was nothing but a thin strip, and when he pulled back his fur coat, he could see his protruding ribs. He looked listless, yet he was still thinking about firing the kiln.

Qing simply tied the person to his tail, taking him everywhere he went; after all, he hadn’t let him out of his sight. Only he knew how dangerous last night had been.

“Qing… could you let me go?” Even when Xu Shuangci started pinching his tail, Qing still wouldn’t let go.

Even when Xu Shuangci tried all sorts of moves that would have made a cat jump in fright if he’d ever tried them before, Qing simply turned him over, pinned him down on the animal hide, and rubbed him back in the same way.

Xu Shuangci lay on the animal skin.

His face was flushed red from being licked, his black hair was disheveled down to his ears, and his eyes glistened with tears. Weakly, he tugged at the fur on his tail.

“Let me go…”