"Ziqian!"
Before Ziqian could sink any deeper into his thoughts, a sweet voice called out from behind. Four adorable children peeked out from a big tree not far away.
"Oh! You're all here. I've been waiting for you. Come inside. The snacks are getting cold," Ziqian said. A smile bloomed across his beautiful face as he hurriedly stood up and led them into the tent. The four children obediently followed after him.
Idiot! Gae snapped, ramming into Ero hard enough to send the red fluff ball bouncing into the air.
I'm sorry, Ero replied guiltily. He had been careless. His words had stirred Ziqian's memories, leaving his emotions unsteady once again.
But Ero couldn't help it. He was still furious at that mortal—and at Ah-Zi as well—for failing to realize that the man had been the root of everything that had gone wrong in his life on Earth.
Gae said nothing more and simply followed after Ziqian.
~
In the morning, Ziqian dried the chilies, played with the children, and taught the females how to cook. Then he went straight to Huo's tent for lunch.
In the afternoon, Ziqian then visited Lia to learn potion-making before returning to Huo's tent once more to rest.
Then before sunset, Ziqian went back to their tent to prepare dinner. He would be eating with Huo tonight, since Xue would be returning late. Still, he set aside a portion for Xue to reheat later.
"I'll talk to Xue later when he returns," Ziqian said firmly to the four fluff balls.
"You can do it, Ah-Zi! This is for the sake of your sex life!" Ero cheered, teasing as always.
At the mention of it, Ziqian paused.
Ziqian couldn't even remember the last time he had sex. Giving Xue a blowjob didn't count, of course. It was satisfying to see the man cum because of him, but it did nothing to release his own pent-up stress.
Before his transmigration, it had already been two or three weeks. After crossing over, he had already spent more than a month in this world without action. By Earth's standards, since time in Gaia flowed much more slowly, it had been over two months.
The realization suddenly left him feeling dumbfounded.
Two months? He doesn't think that he would last two months without sex.
…No wonder he was frustrated.
Ziqian had been so busy that he hadn't had time to think about it. But now that it had been brought up, the craving hit him all at once, and his body reacted.
His chrysanthemum unconsciously tightened.
He wanted to have sex badly. This sudden urge strengthened his resolve to talk to Xue tonight.
Ero didn't miss Ziqian's reaction and jokingly asked, "Are there already cobwebs down there?"
"You—! " Ziqian's face turned red as he grabbed the red fluff ball and rubbed him mercilessly.
"AHHH! Stop it, Ah-Zi!" Ero wailed. "Help!"
Gae pretended not to hear a thing. In his opinion, Ero had it coming.
Phi chuckled and even cheered Ziqian on.
Nia said nothing, but his fur trembled slightly. He was clearly struggling to hold back his laughter.
After thoroughly venting his embarrassment, Ziqian finally let go of Ero. While Ero lay limply on the bed, his soft red fur was now standing on end and tangled.
He immediately regretted ever teasing Ziqian.
~
Huo was lying down with his eyes closed, listening to every sound outside the tent as he waited for Ziqian to come back for dinner.
They were together almost the whole day, but he still missed the sub-beast.
Ziqian was really busy.
Cai had mentioned that Ziqian planned to hold a feast for the entire tribe to thank the Beast God for his recovery. That was why Xue was out hunting and wouldn't be back until late.
The thought made warmth bloom briefly in Huo's chest, but it quickly soured.
What did it matter if Xue came back late? Did Ziqian only have time to eat with him when Xue wasn't around?
His lips tugged into a sneer.
Huo could already move normally, but he still easily got exhausted.
His mother, Lia, had told him that this was a normal aftereffect of severe energy depletion. It was especially common among beastmen, whose full transformations consumed more energy than those of females, who could only transform partially.
Over the past few days, Huo had deliberately limited his movements, conserving every bit of energy for what he was planning to do tonight—to find out where Xue was staying after nightfall.
His friends refused to tell him where Xue had been staying.
His mother claimed that Xue was still sleeping in their tent. He simply came back late and left early, and Huo had been asleep both times.
When Huo asked Xue directly, the man brushed him off with a cold response: "You don't need to worry about it."
Huo knew that only Ziqian would tell him the truth. But he didn't have the courage to ask the sub-beast himself. Hearing it from someone else felt easier than learning it directly from Ziqian's mouth.
A sudden, loud laugh echoed inside the tent.
It came from Huo himself—a hollow, self-deprecating laugh.
What was he even doing?
Why did he need to question them? Why did he need confirmation at all? Everything was already obvious, and deep down, he had already known the answer.
Ziqian had never tried to hide anything. He always used "our tent" when speaking with Xue, but Huo had chosen to turn deaf and blind to all of it.
Because it was easier that way.
Huo knew he was a coward who would rather hide behind excuses than face the truth. Afraid to admit that, once again, he had lost to Xue.
Xue had always gotten everything he wanted since they were still cubs—their father's attention, their mother's affection, the respect of the tribe's warriors, and the admiration of the entire tribe. Huo accepted it as a given.
As the weaker twin, he believed he had no right to feel envy. It wasn't Xue's fault for being better at everything.
Hou learned to accept what was left for him. Xue would be the young patriarch, and he will be a strong warrior to support him. They will work together to make the Winged Tiger Tribe the strongest.
And yet, each comparison still hurt all the same. Worse, whenever Xue deliberately yielded to him, the feeling only grew more demeaning. Instead of gratitude, what welled up in his chest was a bitter sense of betrayal.
Was Xue looking down on him? Was he truly so unworthy in his brother's eyes?
These questions never left Huo's mind, steadily eroding the already fragile bond between them.
Now that they had both fallen in love with the same sub-beast, Huo would not back down—no matter what. Ziqian was his to win. He had been the first to meet him, the first to confess his feelings, and he would not allow anyone to take him away—not even Xue.
If Xue chose to concede again, Huo would accept it this time happily and without hesitation. But if he didn't, Xue should show no mercy—because Huo would show none.
Unaware of it, a faint red crept into Huo's eyes.
Hou was immersed in his thoughts when a familiar melodious voice called outside the tent. "Huo?"
"I'm here," Huo replied, sitting up.
Ziqian entered with a smile, carrying a small basket filled with the dishes he had prepared for dinner.
"I cooked a lot, so make sure you finish everything," Ziqian said as he took the bowls from the basket and set them on the low stone table. "You need to regain your strength."
"Whatever you cooked, I'll eat it," Huo said as he helped set the table. "I won't leave even a single strand of meat behind, so the bowls won't need washing," he added, lightly thumping his chest.
Ziqian chuckled.
The chuckle was so pleasant that it made one's ear itch.
Huo couldn't help being affected by it. The redness in his pupils faded, and his golden irises brightened.
I love him so much.
After they finished eating, Huo cleaned up and washed the bowls while Ziqian prepared refreshments from lume fruit.
Once everything was done, they sat together on Huo's bed. Ziqian narrated to him about everything he had done that day, most of his stories revolving around the four adorable children who constantly followed him around and begged him for snacks.
A peaceful, harmonious atmosphere settled between them, so gentle that Ziqian failed to notice when the moon had already climbed high into the sky. He lay with his head resting on Huo's thigh, eyes drifting closed as Huo's fingers slowly combed through his hair.
The comfort felt too natural.
And then Xue crossed his mind. The sudden thought jolted him fully awake.
Ziqian stood up, preparing to leave.
Huo smiled, though the disappointment was evident on his face. "Can't you stay?" he asked.
"Sorry—next time, okay?" Ziqian said. He tidied his hair and pressed a gentle kiss to Huo's forehead before saying his goodbye. Then he hurried back toward their tent with a basket in hand.
Once Ziqian was out of sight, the smile on Huo's face faded and his eyes slowly turned red.