Chapter 83
Pain, so much pain…
The upper left arm, bitten by the anaconda, was in agony, as if thousands of ants were simultaneously burrowing into his flesh and gnawing at it. The deep, bone-deep pain had forcefully woken Hua Shi’an from his sleep.
He hadn’t been able to hold on last night and had fainted with a blackout.
He was still alive, still breathing. It seemed their luck was good. They had escaped from the black bear’s claws.
But… it hurt so much. The wound hurt, and his chest also hurt!
His consciousness had returned, but his body had yet to fully awaken. Hua Shi’an wanted to open his eyes, but his eyelids were heavier than lead. After a lot of effort, his eyelids only twitched.
“Shi’an, what’s wrong? Does the wound hurt?”
As his eyelids twitched, an overly hoarse voice instantly sounded in his ear. As he spoke, a faint, warm breeze gently blew over the wound.
Wanting to relieve his pain, the beastman tirelessly blew on the wound. At the same time, a large hand held his shoulder, patting it a couple of times from time to time, comforting him in a low voice, “It’s okay, it’s okay, Shi’an. I’m here.”
He didn’t know if it was a psychological effect, but the wound really didn’t hurt as much anymore. Hua Shi’an’s eyelashes trembled slightly. He tried again, and his eyes, which had been eroded by darkness, finally saw the light.
It was dawn. It seemed he had slept for a while.
He blinked repeatedly to adjust to the light. After looking around, Hua Shi’an realized that they were not at the foot of the tree where they had rested. They were in a narrow and cramped crevice between rocks, only half a person high.
The crevice was very narrow, only able to accommodate one person. The beastman had placed him in the crevice, which was sheltered from the wind and rain, and was squatting outside himself. He didn’t know where Hong Yong and Yan Qiuyu had gone. The back baskets with the water and food were also gone. There was a layer of leaves under him, and on the ground beside him were knives and more than ten violently cut open green coconuts.
Coconuts. These were good things. Normally, Hua Shi’an would have been excited, but he had no time to care where the coconuts came from now. His eyes lifted slightly, and he looked at the beastman who had been guarding him and blowing on his wound.
He hadn’t noticed that Hua Shi’an had woken up. The beastman was earnestly comforting his wound.
He had clearly not slept all night. Mo Huaishan was visibly haggard, his lips dry and chapped, his eyes slightly red and swollen. His once healthy and rosy face had lost its color, and he was more haggard than ever before.
It’s only been one night. How did he get himself into such a state? Hua Shi’an’s heart ached. He lifted his uninjured right hand and gently stroked Mo Huaishan’s red and swollen eyes.
His fingertips touched the skin. Mo Huaishan was slightly taken aback and suddenly looked up.
Seeing Hua Shi’an, who was weak but had opened his eyes, his dull eyes instantly lit up. He excitedly held Hua Shi’an’s hand. “Shi’an, Shi’an, you’re awake! How are you? Are you still uncomfortable anywhere? Does it still hurt anywhere?”
The wound hurt, and his chest also hurt. But the beastman wouldn’t be able to treat it. Telling him would only add to his worries. Hua Shi’an shook his head slightly. “I’m fine, Huaishan. I, I’m much better.”
His voice was extremely hoarse, almost a whisper. He was even scared by his own voice.
Mo Huaishan finally reacted. He let go of Hua Shi’an’s hand and picked up the coconut that had been hacked open with a random knife. “Drink some water, Shi’an. I picked this fruit last night. There’s water inside. I, I’ve tasted it. It’s not poisonous. You can drink it without worry.”
The sitting position was perfect for being fed. Hua Shi’an did not refuse the water that was brought to his lips. He tilted his neck back and took several gulps of the clear and sweet coconut water.
After a few sips of coconut water, he was completely awake. Hua Shi’an pushed Mo Huaishan’s hand, his eyes lowered as he looked at his left arm, which was constantly throbbing with pain.
This was the first time he had faced the wound directly. It was even more ferocious and terrifying than he had imagined. The anaconda’s sharp fangs had bitten two thumb-sized bloody holes. And the fangs were embedded too deeply. When the beastman drove it away, he hadn’t been able to pull them out in time, and it had also cut a two-inch-long, little-finger-thick gash on his inner arm.
The bleeding had stopped, but the flesh was turned out, the skin was broken and the flesh was exposed. It was said to be a bite, but it looked more like he had been cut twice by a sharp knife. It was a very serious wound, the kind that would require a few stitches in modern society, and it would be difficult to heal in a short time.
More than healing, Hua Shi’an was more afraid of infection. The rainforest was humid and had many bacteria. If the wound was not handled properly, it could easily get infected and cause complications. But the wound seemed to have been cleaned. The blood had been washed away, leaving three wounds with whitish edges.
He stared at the wound without speaking, and the air froze.
Mo Huaishan couldn’t help but feel nervous. He let go of the coconut and held Hua Shi’an’s hand again, his lips trembling slightly. “Does it hurt a lot? I don’t recognize most of the plants here. I couldn’t find any dandelions. I, I didn’t dare to apply any herbs randomly. I just cleaned it simply with the fruit water.”
Such a large wound could not be directly applied with herbs. The environment was harsh, and the conditions were limited. Using the relatively clean coconut water to clean it was already the best way to handle it.
Hua Shi’an looked up at the worried beastman, the corners of his mouth slightly lifted, and he forced a not-so-good-looking smile. “Don’t worry, it doesn’t hurt as much anymore. You handled it very well. And thank you for coming in time last night. You saved me again, Huaishan. I almost thought I would never see you again.”
“No, not in time at all.”
Mo Huaishan quickly shook his head. His already red and swollen eyes became even redder, and tears glistened in his eyes. “I was too late. If I had been faster, a little earlier, you wouldn’t have been injured. No, that’s not right either. In such a dangerous forest, I shouldn’t have let you go into the bushes alone. I should have followed you, guarded you every step of the way.”
“Pfft.”
Hua Shi’an let out an inappropriate laugh. His body trembled, and he accidentally moved his wound, causing him to suck in a breath of cold air in pain.
He stayed still for a few seconds to recover. When it didn’t hurt as much anymore, Hua Shi’an scratched Mo Huaishan’s palm, a smile still on his lips. “I was going to relieve myself. You wanted to guard me every step of the way? What were you thinking?”
“It, it doesn’t matter, right?” Mo Huaishan’s face turned slightly red. “We, we’ll be mates soon.”
Hua Shi’an: “No, even mates can’t do that.”
Thinking that Hua Shi’an was unwilling to be close to him, Mo Huaishan was both self-reproachful and dejected. He grunted sullenly, and the tears in his eyes could no longer be held back, falling down with a “pat pat.”
Warm tears fell on the back of his hand. Hua Shi’an’s heart tightened, and he held the beastman’s hand in return. “You’re such a big person. Why are you crying? Don’t cry, don’t cry. I’m fine, aren’t I? Don’t always blame yourself. You came very quickly and in time.”
“But, but…”
Mo Huaishan’s shoulders trembled slightly, his voice choked and hoarse. “I almost lost you, Shi’an. I was scared, so scared.”
Seeing the sub-beastman tightly bound by the giant snake, on the verge of death, Mo Huaishan’s eyes were about to split. He was not well at all. And after he was freed and fell into a coma, looking at Hua Shi’an, who was frowning in his sleep, and his bloody arm, his heart was as if it were being tightly held in someone’s hand, about to be crushed at any moment.
He was so close, so close to losing his sub-beastman.
Mo Huaishan was extremely sad. His shoulders twitched, and tears uncontrollably slid down his cheeks.
He really wanted to hug Hua Shi’an now, to hold him tightly, to rub him into his body, into his flesh, to become one with him, and never be separated again.
He couldn’t move because of his injury, but his eyes, which were blurred by tears, were filled with an unusual, strong possessiveness.
His thoughts were written on his face. The beastman’s thoughts were simply too easy to guess. Hua Shi’an suppressed the sourness that was rising in his nose. His left hand, which he couldn’t move freely, beckoned to him. “Come here, come a little closer, Huaishan.”
Mo Huaishan also guessed his intention. He wiped his tears haphazardly and shook his head. “No, you’re injured. I can’t hug you.”
Hua Shi’an’s brow moved slightly, and he squinted. “You can. Come here.”
The clear voice seemed to have a kind of magic. Mo Huaishan was bewitched. He unconsciously approached Hua Shi’an and sat down beside him, face to face.
The distance was very close. He could have wrapped his arms around the sub-beastman with just a reach. But out of consideration for his injury, Mo Huaishan did not move. Just as he was thinking about how to hug him, Hua Shi’an’s voice sounded again, “Lower your head.”
Lower his head? Mo Huaishan was bewildered but obediently did as he was told. And the next second after he lowered his head, a touch of warmth blocked the mouth he had just been about to open.
Warm and soft, this was—the sub-beastman’s lips.
Realizing that Hua Shi’an was kissing him, Mo Huaishan froze, and his mind exploded with “crackles.” Forgetting where he was, forgetting who he was, his mind instantly stopped working, a complete blank. He subconsciously held his breath, not daring to move.
A soft laugh brushed past his ear. The lips that were blocking his mouth moved, and a few words slowly came out, “Don’t be in a daze. Open your mouth.”
He had never even touched a sub-beastman’s hand since he was little. How could Mo Huaishan know how to kiss? He did whatever Hua Shi’an told him to do. His lips parted slightly, and he rubbed against the sub-beastman’s soft lips.
It was more intimate than a hug, a more effective comfort. Just the touch of their lips made Mo Huaishan’s fingertips tremble, and his heart pounded. He was a greedy beastman. He wanted more, but he didn’t know how to ask for it.
Hua Shi’an had never kissed anyone either, but he had seen a pig run even if he hadn’t eaten pork. He held the initiative, lifted his chin, and pried open the beastman’s lips and teeth, exploring inch by inch, and gave the beastman the clear sweetness that remained on the tip of his tongue to taste.
The sound of his Adam’s apple rolling was swallowed by the sound of his heartbeat. The two of them kissed in the cramped crevice without touching. The hot and romantic atmosphere fermented in the small space. The beastman turned from passive to active, restrained and gentle, sometimes lingering and shifting the kiss, sometimes pecking lightly, feeling his beloved person over and over again.
The door to a new world had been opened. Mo Huaishan couldn’t get enough of kissing. In the end, Hua Shi’an was almost out of breath and had to bump his forehead to finally end it.
When they separated, both of them were a little out of breath. Mo Huaishan was a little awkward. He quickly averted his gaze with a red face, not even daring to look at Hua Shi’an.
He was thin-skinned, so it was normal to be shy. Hua Shi’an thought so, but when his peripheral vision swept over the tent that was propped up high by his coir skirt, he raised an eyebrow in surprise and understood everything.
Now was not the time to think about these things. Hua Shi’an turned his face away and pretended not to see, coughing lightly. “Well, the wound might still need to be treated. Where are our back baskets? Where did we leave them yesterday?”
“That’s right.”
“You hadn’t woken up yet, so I didn’t dare to leave you and go back to get our things. I could only wander around. Do you need something from the back basket? I’ll go and get it now.” Mo Huaishan was about to stand up, picked up a stone knife, and placed the sharper bone knife beside Hua Shi’an.
Hua Shi’an squinted his eyes. “Is it far?”
“Not far, but not close either.”
To ensure Hua Shi’an’s safety, Mo Huaishan had carried him and run for most of the night. If calculated in Hua Shi’an’s time, it would probably take two hours to go back and forth.
Hua Shi’an pouted. “I can’t even move now. I’m as weak as a chicken. Are you going to leave me here alone?”
“No, no,” Mo Huaishan quickly explained. “I’m afraid that wild beast hasn’t gone far and we’ll run into it again. I can’t take you with me.”
Hua Shi’an: “You don’t have to take me with you. You stay here with me. Let Hong Yong and Yan Qiuyu go back and get them. By the way, where did they go? Why haven’t they come back yet?”
At these words, Mo Huaishan’s face, which had just regained its color, instantly turned pale.
A bad premonition welled up in his heart. Hua Shi’an’s breath hitched, and he quickly asked, “What’s wrong? What on earth happened? Where did they go? Did something happen?”
The four of them had been together all along. Hua Shi’an had naturally assumed that the two of them had also run over here. When he woke up and didn’t see them, he had thought they had gone to find food. But now, looking at Mo Huaishan’s reaction and the only two knives…
“You, you were bleeding a lot at that time. The smell of blood attracted the attention of the black-furred wild beast. They, they were afraid the wild beast would come after us. They took the initiative to attack the wild beast with their bone spears and held it back, letting me take you and go first.”
“I also left marks on the way, but a whole night has passed, and they still haven’t, haven’t found us.”
Something happened!
In an instant, fear and worry swept over Hua Shi’an.
