Translated by Eve
Edited by Kara
Although he knew Sui Yuan wasn’t actually the least bit injured, Zhao Xihe still acted excessively, placing him down very carefully on the softest pelt carpet.
Bai quickly took over, taking over the most advantageous spot that was previously occupied by Zhao Xihe, and began to check Sui Yuan’s wounds. Meanwhile, although Zhao Xihe was rather discontented, he still slightly made way. After all, he knew that if Bai didn’t check him over, he would not let the matter drop. Therefore, he was too lazy to do such meaningless actions.
Xiao Hei also came over with a "wuwu." However, he was unobtrusively blocked by Zhao Xihe. He could give the protagonist gong and shou some face, but where did this passerby come from? And, he wants to rub against Sui Yuan?!
Xiao Hei raised his head to look at Zhao Xihe. He immediately shrunk back in fear when facing the other’s icy eyes and ran away with his tail between his legs.
Meanwhile, Lei also did not stay idle. He had a careful eye over Zhao Xihe’s every movement. He naturally noticed how the other had frightened Xiao Hei.
It had to be said that the Crystal Beast’s illusion skill was very powerful. Furthermore, Bai did not dare to casually touch the seemingly fierce-looking wound on Sui Yuan.
After giving the other a general look-over and confirming that Sui Yuan’s wounds had been dealt with appropriately, Bai’s gaze towards Sui Yuan became increasingly tender. Just as Bai reached out to rub Sui Yuan’s head, he suddenly saw a gray pup that looked just like him move out from underneath of Sui Yuan.
Bai："......！！！！！！"
He widened his eyes. Bai’s first reaction was that Sui Yuan unexpectedly had had a child! However, very soon, he realized that this wasn’t possible. He had been aware of every single one of Sui Yuan’s actions—he knew him like he knew the back of his hand. No female beasts had come close to him. Furthermore, he hadn’t gone missing long enough for a child to be born. It was clear that he had been thinking too much. It was just that this pup was too similar to Sui Yuan when he was young. It was like they had gone back in time.
"This pup is..." Bai looked inquiringly at Sui Yuan, wanting an answer.
However, Sui Yuan only tilted his head and gave him a puzzled look. Not being able to communicate was honestly too good. When he didn’t know how to explain, he could just pretend he didn’t understand!
While Sui Yuan was pretending to be dumb, Zhao Xihe had already long since thought up of an explanation. He calmly answered Bai’s question, "Is this pup not your pack’s? When I found him, he had this little thing with him."
Bai, who had the question turned back onto him, was dumbstruck. While he was puzzling over this, the person he was asking was logically even more puzzled, so he could only stuff this question down his stomach for now and choose an appropriate explanation to persuade himself, "It’s probably a pup from another pack that had gotten lost. Hui probably jumped into the ice cave to save it...."
——As for whether there was another group of animals just like this and why such a young pup would get stranded, there was no need to look into such matters so deeply....
Sui Yuan：".........................................."
——Although this reasoning sounds so glorious and righteous, I had just slipped and fallen in a moment of carelessness....
Even if Bai blamed this little thing for Sui Yuan’s heavy injuries and near death, his conscientiousness made him feel responsible for it. Furthermore, it looked just like Sui Yuan, making Bai feel an innate sense of goodwill towards it.
Bai reached out to the Crystal Beast, wanting to pick it up. Moreover, the Crystal Beast always like people as pure as Bai, so it acted lovably and did not reject. It was just a pity that it happened to see Zhao Xihe’s menacing expression just as it was about to be picked up by Bai and immediately evaded the other’s touch with tears, maintaining a certain distance from him.
Bai, who was "disliked," felt rather awkward. However, he understood the dependency the pup would hold towards Sui Yuan. He stood up and turned to look at Zhao Xihe. He decided to first deal with this love rival of his, "Again, thank you for saving Hui. However, this winter is very long. We are already strapped and have no food to repay you with or things to entertain you with...."
Zhao Xihe furrowed his brows as if he didn’t understand Bai’s erudite words. Therefore, Bai directly tore off his pretense of cordiality and spoke words with the intention of ushering the other out, "You should go back to your group. We cannot provide you with food."
Zhao Xihe’s expression was puzzled. He then slightly raised the corner of his lips and spoke rather satirizing, "I can find my own food. I can even provide for him. After all, it is the responsibility of every male to provide for their mate, no?"
"What——!" Bai was very shocked. He was just about to refute when he saw that Zhao Xihe didn’t pay him any mind. The other turned around and left the cave. He then spread his wings and soared into the sky.
Clearly, he had intended to chase him out. Instead, the other took the chance to announce his ownership. Bai felt very gloomy. He also didn’t believe in Zhao Xihe’s boasts. It was not spring right now, when resources were abundant. Their pack’s male beasts could run about for an entire day, and it still would not be for certain that they would come back with prey. Zhao Xihe on his own...how would that be possible?!
It was just unfortunate that while Bai’s thinking was correct, reality would give him a heavy blow. A moment later, Zhao Xihe unexpectedly came back with some prey. It was also a rather impressive prey.
When Zhao Xihe carried the prey into the cave, he attracted the gazes of all the beasts. How long had they gone without seeing meat?! Only, even if the delicious scent of flesh encircled their noses, and their stomachs were gurgling, no beast dared to act blindly without thinking. First of all, they were afraid of Zhao Xihe’s strength. Second of all, they knew that it would not be easy to steal the "guest’s" prey.
Under everyone’s gaze, Zhao Xihe approached Sui Yuan and knelt down on one knee. He easily tore open the prey’s thick coat and then took out a small knife. He cut off a part of the most tender and delicious meat.
Bai was stunned to see Zhao Xihe light a fire and roast meat so skillfully. For a moment, he couldn’t help but doubt himself. He had originally thought that this was a world where they devoured meat raw, and he was the first person to bring in "advanced" technology. However, reality gave him another blow yet again.
First, there was Lei who could speak and use tools just as he could. It was just that Bai had thought that this was just an inevitable development. After all, Lei’s tools were very primitive, so with a bit of imagination and creativity, one would be able to make it. However, seeing Zhao Xihe now, Bai was no longer so certain.
Indeed, in Zhao Xihe’s hands, the tool was made of primitive material, but the craftsmanship was exquisite. If Bai and Lei were in the Paleolithic era, then Zhao Xihe had evidently already stepped into the Neolithic era.
Of course, Bai was not an arrogant person. Since he was able to transmigrate, then perhaps there are senior generations that have also done so, ne? Besides, even if he wasn’t here, didn’t humankind also develop gradually in this way?
Very quickly, Bai collected himself and began to pay attention to how Zhao Xihe’s tools worked. He tried to gain some knowledge to improve his own.
Zhao Xihe very magnanimously allowed him to observe. He even answered quite a few of Bai’s questions. Sui Yuan swished his tail rather uneasily and asked via the systems: "Where did you get that from? This won’t expose you, right?"
Very soon, Zhao Xihe’s reply came, "Exchanged with points. Relax, I’ve examined it. There’s no issue. Nothing that isn’t supposed to crop up will pop up."
Since Zhao Xihe had made such a vow, Sui Yuan relaxed. He began to anticipate the other’s cooking. And, it was very clear that Zhao Xihe would not let him down.
The fragrance of the roasted meat permeated throughout the entire cave, causing the originally starving beasts to become even more agitated. The adult beasts could control themselves, but the pups were not as firm.
Several braver pups cautiously approached Sui Yuan’s side, acting cute to get a little to eat. As soon as he saw that there were so many furry pups trying to "compete for favour" with it, the originally peaceful Crystal Beast instantly exploded. It drilled out from Sui Yuan’s side and blocked the pups. It stuck up its tail, bore its teeth, and growled. Even if it had left its original world, the Crystal Beast’s standing amongst animals did not change.
Although it had only done this a little bit, this small amount of menacing was like overkill against these pups. Sui Yuan watched as his pet bullied the little animals with no misgivings and couldn’t help but feel rather helpless. He reached out a paw to pull the Crystal Beast back into his arms and then gently consoled the terrified pups with a cry.
Compared to the beasts who had been starving for days, Sui Yuan actually wasn’t hungry. After tasting a piece of meat, he very generously gave the rest of the meat to the rest of the pack. After all, they were his pack and therefore, his responsibility.
Bai’s expression was complicated as he watched the pups bark happily and swarm Sui Yuan. Soon after, it was the pregnant female beasts. Meanwhile, Zhao Xihe sat by Sui Yuan’s side throughout and did not show any discontent towards his decision.
To the beasts, food was extremely important, especially during a winter as harsh as this one. They had to fight with all they had for every bite. If it wasn’t because his feelings towards Sui Yuan was deep, how would Zhao Xihe permit the other to give the food that was full of his love to other people, ne? Especially when these people had nothing to do with Zhao Xihe.
Zhao Xihe’s indulgence towards Sui Yuan logically gave Bai an extremely terrible premonition. He found it unbelievable that the two of them had developed such a close relationship in the span of a few short days. However, what he saw before his eyes made him unable to deceive himself.
Furthermore, what happened during the period of time afterwards only further deepened the feeling of danger within Bai.
He didn’t know where Zhao Xihe had found so much prey from, but every time he left the cave, he would come back with full arms. Not only could he provide for himself and Sui Yuan, but he could also save all the other beasts that were on the brink of dying from starvation within the cave.
——Neither he nor Lei could do this. Doesn’t that mean Zhao Xihe was just way stronger than them? The beasts were simple, and they knew how to go after profit while avoiding harm. The female beasts would always choose a powerful male beast. Therefore, Zhao Xihe, who was able to obtain so much food in a winter in which the beasts had been starving, was undoubtedly very popular. He had the most strength. Then, was Sui Yuan also attracted to the other because of this and thus, accepted the other’s approach?
After getting benefits from someone, you must help them in kind. After receiving many presents from Zhao Xihe, the beasts no longer treated him with the earlier vigilance and rejection from before. Instead, they gradually treated him with awe and worship. The ones that acted the most exaggeratedly were the pups. They unexpectedly began to copy Zhao Xihe’s actions. They would climb up onto a big rock and jump off, trying to learn how to fly.
The pups would always imitate those they worshiped the most—the strongest seniors. Zhao Xihe was undoubtedly this kind of existence. The adult beasts didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. They tried their best to tell the pups that no matter how hard they worked, they would not sprout wings. However, when the Crystal Beast, who was now basically one of the pups, heard these repeated warnings, it suddenly tilted its head. Suddenly a pair of rather big, especially beautiful, white wings sprouted from its back.
The adult beasts that had just finished speaking before getting slapped in the face：".............................."
The pups with starry eyes that were full of adoration ："！！！！！！"
Bai, who felt that this scene was very familiar：".............................."
Lei, who had once tried to use a hybrid pup to act as his and Sui Yuan’s child：".............................."
Sui Yuan, who was about to kneel to his pet’s indulgence in fantasy：".............................."
During this moment of deathly stillness, Zhao Xihe happily quirked up his mouth and beckoned to the Crystal Beast that was shaking its wings as if flaunting, "Come here."
It was rare to see Zhao Xihe look at it with a good expression, so the Crystal Beast felt overwhelmed with favour. Although it didn’t like to get close to Zhao Xihe, who had complicated thoughts, its instinct to seek profit and avoid harm made it subconsciously curry favour. When it was called like this, the Crystal Beast naturally swaggered over towards Zhao Xihe without any hesitation. It was then carried into the other’s embrace, body stiff, as the other stroked its fur and pinched its wings.
Sui Yuan was also frozen as Zhao Xihe brought the Crystal Beast over to him. The two beasts looked at each other in a deadlock. Soon after, Sui Yuan heard Zhao Xihe tease meaningfully, "Do you like it? If we have a child, they would look like this."
Sui Yuan：..................This phrase sounds very familiar._(:з)∠)_
Bai：..................I feel like I’ve heard this phrase before......
Lei, whose line was stolen：........................Hehe.
Sui Yuan, who finally reacted, turned his head silently towards 5237, who was trying its best to hide. He just couldn’t tell if it was his system or Zhao Xihe’s. To live off of one person while secretly helping another like this, was there really no issue?!
5237 forced a laugh and was left unable to respond. It wasn’t that it had dug a pit for its host. It was just that Zhao Xihe dada was really too fierce. Whenever the other asked, it would always have to respond. It could not just say nothing. It could only...choose small details that weren’t too inappropriate but were also "very interesting" to tell.
In any case, there had been the cat-dog hybrid before. A dog-bird hybrid...wasn’t too unacceptable. This was also a useful explanation for why the Crystal Beast had been "abandoned" by its group. After all, not every group could accept this kind of "abomination."
Like this, with Zhao Xihe’s involvement, the long winter passed without incident. When the ice and snow finally thawed, and the pack stepped onto the prairies they had not seen in so long, they practically cried tears of joy. As for Sui Yuan, who finally "healed," he was also allowed to leave the cramped cave to stretch his muscles. However, he was still not allowed to participate in the hunts.
Laying under the sun, bored to death, Sui Yuan watched as the Crystal Beast and the pups played next to him. He lazily turned to ask Zhao Xihe, "My death in winter can’t happen now. The protagonist gong and shou will probably be even more vigilant now. What should we do, ne? It couldn’t be that we have to stay in this world until we die of old age?"
"Why not? In any case, the natural type’s lifespan is shorter than that of the variant types. Or, is it that you can’t bear to hurt the protagonist shou’s heart and let him see you die of old age?" Zhao Xihe, who had turned into his bird form to accompany Sui Yuan as he basked in the sun, shook out his feathers. Although he was using typed letters, it was still full of the scent of vinegar, spraying all over Sui Yuan’s face.
Sui Yuan turned to glance at Zhao Xihe and silently drew back. Meanwhile, Zhao Xihe stood up and suddenly spread his gorgeous wings.
Sui Yuan was stunned as he watched the bird circle around him while undulating in a strange rhythm. Zhao Xihe looked like he was currently...dancing (?). Sui Yuan tensed his body, and his muscles grew taut, "What do you want to do?"
Zhao Xihe glanced at him as if it was below his dignity to respond. However, he still continued to perform his "strange" actions meticulously. That is, until Zhao Xihe explained via 5237, "Unlike the coarse method of forcing others that your pack uses, the courting method of birds is much more graceful. They will show off their feathers, sing, and even dance. Can’t you see? I’m performing a mating dance."
The hairs on Sui Yuan’s body all stood on end, and he couldn’t help but step backwards, "Are you in your mating period? Can you control yourself?"
Zhao Xihe："..................Why do I have to control myself?"
Sui Yuan："..................Because, it’s a bit shameful?"
The magnificent dance suddenly stopped. Zhao Xihe rescinded his gorgeous plumage and stared at his unromantic lover, speechless. Meanwhile, Sui Yuan blinked innocently, indicating that he couldn’t really bear this.
——Of course, he will admit that he had enjoyed the beautiful, big bird’s dance. However, when he thought about how the soul controlling that bird was Zhao Xihe, Sui Yuan felt unwell all over!
At this time, Bai and Lei, who had come back from hunting, had long since been alert towards the peculiar actions of Zhao Xihe and Sui Yuan. When they discovered that Sui Yuan had "rejected" the other, they finally sighed in relief. They then pressed on over with vigour...to attack their rival-in-love.
Eve: I...find this world so goddamn hilarious. Zhao Xihe performing a bird’s mating dance thinking he’s hot shit I....
In related news, here’s a link to a mating dance I’ve watched in class for a course on comparative cognition before. It’s hilarious.
Kara: LOLOL why is he such an embarrassment? I can’t even (*￣∀￣) I am still lowkey bummed that this world is going to end in a weird love harem for SY with not much resolution, it seems like. But, hey, beggars can’t be choosers. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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