Letting go was out of the question.

Xu Shuangci was thus forced to rest for four days; only when Qing had no choice but to go out hunting was he finally granted his freedom. Having been forced to experience this coercion, Xu Shuangci felt…

Good?

One could only say there was something a bit off with him.

In any case, as soon as Qing left and the constraints were gone, he immediately resumed his salt-making endeavors. Qing had said there would be heavy rain in a month, and now there was less than a month left.

Xu Shuangci first went up the mountain to flood the salt pans. After ensuring there were no leaks, he left them to dry in the sun and headed down the mountain to check on his clay pots. Six days had passed, and the heat inside the kiln had completely dissipated.

Xu Shuangci carefully opened the sealed kiln; a faint, stifling heat escaped, warming his face.

Inside, the neatly arranged pottery of various sizes glowed in the light, taking on a reddish hue. The massive clay pot stood out in particular, its tiger-claw feet on its plump belly looking both imposing and adorable.

Xu Shuangci turned away, coughing twice, and sat down on the mound to catch his breath.

There was ash inside the kiln, so he covered his nose and mouth with an animal hide before carefully carrying the items out one by one. The first batch he had fired consisted mostly of kitchenware—pots, bowls, gourd ladles, and the like.

He had only fired ten small clay pots for boiling salt.

The entire batch consisted of twenty pieces. Fearing they might all be destroyed at once, he had placed one large pot and one large jar separately. These two took up the most space, but fortunately, after checking, neither was cracked or broken.

There were also five earthenware basins: two large ones for washing, and three small ones used as bowls for the big cat. Unfortunately, all of the big cats’ bowls were broken—not a single one remained.

There were also all sorts of bowls for serving rice and dishes, as well as jars for spices, and so on. After bringing everything out, the success rate was sixty percent.

Out of twenty items, eight were broken, three of which were the big cat’s bowls.

Xu Shuangci laughed so hard his shoulders shook.

He was fairly satisfied with this firing. Upon closer inspection of the broken pottery, most of the damage was caused by Big Cat’s claws. This meant he still had a natural talent for pottery.

He placed all the pots and jars into a wicker basket and made several trips back and forth by himself to carry them all back to the cave. He had originally planned to fire another batch today, but just moving this small amount of stuff had already left him exhausted, with sweat pouring down his face. It wasn’t the heat; it was sheer exhaustion.

If he pushed himself any further, Big Cat was bound to get angry.

If he were to kick him out of the cave in a fit of anger, he’d have nowhere to go. Xu Shuangci decided to just lie down on the rattan chair and get some proper rest.

After resting for a while, he turned the eggs over in the animal skin. Then, dragging his unusually heavy legs, he washed the clay pot clean. He tossed a sweet root into the fire, then took the last piece of meat Qing had left behind.

He sliced the meat and tossed it directly into the pot to stir-fry.

He tossed in some herbs with a ginger and garlic flavor, added a pinch of salt…

The long-missed aroma of stir-fried food instantly whetted Xu Shuangci’s appetite.

A plate of stir-fried pork belly, a plate of stir-fried tree shoots, and a vegetarian soup made from green ear vegetable shoots. He scraped the roasted sweet root from the fire to serve as the main dish.

Two dishes and a soup—that’s all it takes!

Xu Shuangci sat down excitedly in the rattan chair, looked at the dishes on the rattan table, then glanced at the huge, empty rattan chair across from him. The smile faded from his face.

The table was set with a proper spread, yet the cave was completely empty. It was utterly pointless.

Sitting there with his stomach growling, Xu Shuangci picked up his chopsticks and, bit by bit, worked his way through the entire spread.

He left half of it untouched, washed the dishes, and then curled up back in his animal skin.

As night fell, the forest echoed with the mixed cries of all manner of wild beasts.

Xu Shuangci was dozing fitfully when he suddenly heard a crackling sound from the firewood. He opened his eyes, alert. The cave was empty; there was nothing there.

Qing hadn’t returned yet.

Usually, Qing would be back before dark, or at the latest within an hour after dark. It must be around midnight now. Xu Shuangci wasn’t sleepy anymore. Wrapped in his animal skin, he opened the door and peeked into the neighboring cave.

No game had been brought back. He stood at the cave entrance.

As far as the eye could see, the mountains and forests were shrouded in shadow, and the space between the intertwining trees was pitch black. Even if he wanted to go out and search, he wouldn’t know which direction to head in.

A cold breeze blew, and Xu Shuangci sneezed. He hid his inner confusion, glanced at the woods, then went back into the cave, closed the door, and sat down inside his animal skin. If Qing came back and saw him sick again, he’d be on a leash for the rest of the month.

So he sat with his knees drawn up, leaning against the stone wall, and waited.

His eyes fixed on the cave entrance, he wondered when that door would finally swing open.

The birdsong in the mountains grew chaotic, and a sliver of morning light filtered through a crack into the cave. Xu Shuangci leaned against the stone wall, furrowing his brow as he drifted off to sleep.

“Thump, thump, thump—”

Xu Shuangci was startled.

Without even bothering to put on his shoes, he pulled the door open barefoot.

“Qing!”

Qing, carrying a heavy catch on his back, called out in response and went to set it down first.

Xu Shuangci’s gaze followed the big cat when, suddenly, he heard a high-pitched, childlike voice coming from beneath his feet.

“Shuang!”

Xu Shuangci’s instep went limp as something incredibly soft pressed against him. He looked down and saw it was a kitten.

“A-Mao, A-Wu? Priest!” 

“Why are you here?”

No sooner had he asked than a furry tail hooked around his waist. Xu Shuangci let out a muffled groan as he was flung onto Qing’s back. Qing scowled. “Put on your shoes.”

Xu Shuangci muttered, “I’d been waiting for you for ages and didn’t see you come back. I thought it was you knocking, so I rushed out in a hurry.” Qing led Xu Shuangci over to the animal-skin rug by the fire and set him down.

“Cat Priest, take a look at him.”

The priest smiled and walked over to Xu Shuangci. The height wasn’t right, so he hopped onto the rattan chair beside them.

“Qing told me you had a fever earlier. He was worried, so he traded some game to have me come take another look.”

“Bow your head.”

Xu Shuangci glanced at Qing, then bent over toward the Cat Priest. His paw pads brushed from his forehead down to the side of his neck.

The Priest asked a few more detailed questions before saying, “He’s too thin and too weak. Make him a soup with divine flower herbs. Have him drink it several times, and then eat plenty of meat so he can slowly recover.”

Divine flower herb—tonics. Suitable for patients recovering from serious illness. Xu Shuangci had studied this.

Xu Shuangci smiled gently. “Thank you, Priest.”

“If you’re going to thank anyone, thank Qing.” The Priest had lived for several decades; he could easily see what was going on between the young couple. They were most likely just having a spat.

So he added, “Keep your spirits up. That’s very important.”

Xu Shuangci’s condition was closely tied to his state of mind.

Xu Shuangci was taken aback for a moment.

Qing, however, nodded, indicating he understood.

After the Priest finished speaking, the two little kittens curled up on Xu Shuangci’s crossed legs.

They propped their paws against Xu Shuangci’s chest, stood up, and stared at him intently with their round, round eyes. A-Mao: “Shuang, you’re so pitiful.”

Xu Shuangci smiled and ruffled the kitten’s head.

“I’m fine now.”

A-Wu: “No, you’re not. The divine flower herb is only used for very serious conditions.”

The Priest had once said that it was the best tonic for the body, but also the hardest to find.

Xu Shuangci couldn’t ignore Qing’s intense stare from the side, so he pinched the kittens’ ears to silence them. Turning to see the Priest curiously examining the new objects in the cave, he said, “Those are pottery, made from clay.”

“The chairs and tables are woven from rattan.” The Priest: “May I pick them up and look at them?”

Xu Shuangci: “Please, go ahead.”

The priest wandered enthusiastically among the clay pots.

The two kittens on Xu Shuangci’s lap were also drawn to the novelty; they hopped over to the Priest’s back and joined in the viewing. So, only Qing and Xu Shuangci remained in the animal hide.

Xu Shuangci hesitated for a moment, not quite ready to make the first move. Before he could, a tail wrapped around his waist, pulling him directly onto the big cat’s belly to rest against it.

“Are you still feeling unwell?”

Xu Shuangci smiled.

His lips were pale, but he seemed to be in good spirits.

He waved at Qing.

Qing tilted his ear.

The warmth of Xu Shuangci’s breath tickled his ear; he flinched, his hand brushing against his lips. Xu Shuangci sniffed, his nose grazing his rounded ear, then opened his arms and wrapped them around Qing’s neck. “You nearly gave me a heart attack. You didn’t even say a word about coming back late.”

Qing tilted his head, his nose almost touching Xu Shuangci’s. He ran his tongue over Xu Shuangci’s face; seeing the flush there made Xu Shuangci look healthier, and only then did he find him pleasing to the eye.

As if he knew what Xu Shuangci was thinking, he said, “I won’t leave.”

“Mm.” Xu Shuangci buried his face in his fur and didn’t pursue the topic any further. He mumbled, “I’d like to treat the Priests to a meal. Is that okay?” 

Qing: “Sure.”

Xu Shuangci’s eyes crinkled.

Then he remembered how he’d previously refused to let his pet him, saying it would make him scratch his tail. Since the mood was relaxed now, he blurted out the question.

“Why didn’t you let me touch your tail before, but you let me now?” Qing lifted a paw to hook around Xu Shuangci’s back, tucking him deeper into the fur. “Only partners can touch it.”

“Ah…” Xu Shuangci looked up.

He honestly hadn’t thought of that.

Didn’t that mean all his previous actions had been an offense?

“Why didn’t you say so sooner? If you’d told me, I wouldn’t have touched it.”

“Go ahead.” Qing watched the cat priest gaze intently at the mud sculptures, then lowered his head to smooth Xu Shuangci’s hair. Xu Shuangci, with a strand of hair sticking up, looked confused: “But I’m not your partner.”

Qing: “Would you be willing?”

Xu Shuangci’s eyelid twitched.

His Adam’s apple bobbed. Human and beast…

“I’m human, and you’re a tiger. How could that work?” 

“I can be human, too.”

“What?”

“Do you want to?” Qing’s eyes were fixed on the tiny version of him, making Xu Shuangci’s heart pound wildly. This… no! How did things get to this point?

“Shuang, you don’t want to.” Qing’s ears drooped, his clear eyes brimming with disappointment. Beastmen were straightforward: willing meant willing, and unwilling meant unwilling.

Even when proposing, they ask directly.

Xu Shuangci’s head went hot, and he blurted out, “If you were human, I’d say yes.” A flash of amusement flickered in Qing’s eyes.

He nuzzled his big head against Xu Shuangci’s neck.

“Okay.”

“I’ll do my best to become human.”

Try to become human?

Do you think you’re The Little Mermaid or something?!

Xu Shuangci didn’t dwell on the matter. Instead, after feeling sufficiently secure with Qing, he stood up to invite the Priest to have a meal there. No sooner had he spoken than the Priest eagerly pointed at the clay pot and asked, “Can we trade?”

Xu Shuangci: “What?”

The priest said solemnly, “I’ll trade with you in the name of the Cat tribe.” Xu Shuangci paused for a moment, then nodded.

“It’s fine, but I haven’t fired many yet.”

“Then we’ll exchange them once you’ve made more.”

Xu Shuangci smiled. “Alright.”

“I’ll cook. Would the Priest like to see how this works?”

The Cat Priest nodded. “I’ll take a look.”