Chapter 173

Chapter 173

When Xue Tuan opened his eyes again, he found himself back home in the Mountain Water Tribe. Unfortunately, he didn’t stay conscious for long before closing his eyes once more.

In his dazed state, he noticed an extra wooden bed beside him—likely for Zhong Yan, who was also injured. Had they been placed together for easier care?

He could also hear the voices of Ye Cong, Ye Ke, Yun Lu, and his fathers in his room, seemingly discussing something.

“…The antidote pellet has been administered…”

“The wounds are healing very slowly…”

“…I’ll go and see if I can think of something else…”

These fragments allowed Xue Tuan to piece together a lot of information. But his weakened body couldn’t sustain further thought, and he fell asleep again.

This happened two or three more times. Each time he opened his eyes, he could vaguely see everyone who had come to visit him.

His fathers and Bing Qiu were the most frequent visitors. Sometimes it was Ye Ke or Ye Cong, other times Uncle Shi Hu or Yun Lu, along with the elders and his little friends…

Even someone as slow on the uptake as Xue Tuan would have sensed something was wrong.

Although his claw wounds looked frightening with the amount of blood, the first strike had been blocked by the wooden box. By the time the evil beast’s claws struck him, the impact was much less severe. He shouldn’t be this weak.

The problem must lie in the fact that it was an evil beast that injured him! Perhaps different evil beasts had different ways of harming beastmen…

The Winged Evil Beast was probably the reason his and Zhong Yan’s wounds were so hard to heal. Damn that evil beast, such a scourge!

A few more days passed, and the medicinal herbs from Brother Ye Cong and the others seemed to take effect. Xue Tuan’s periods of wakefulness grew longer. Though he still couldn’t stay awake for too long, it was a sign of improvement.

Sometimes when he woke, Xue Tuan would delightedly find a few fluffy creatures keeping him company!

Sometimes it was the sun bear, the red fox, or the brown-eared leopard. Thankfully, his room was spacious enough; otherwise, it really wouldn’t fit these giant fluffballs.

During these times, Xue Tuan would make an effort to reach out and stroke the adorable fluffy creatures. It felt as if each touch recharged him, making his spirits lift a little more.

This time, when Xue Tuan woke with clear consciousness, he knew Uncle Yun Lu’s herbs had fully taken effect. So effective!

However, Xue Tuan’s excitement didn’t last long, because he immediately saw his fathers keeping watch by his bedside. Just seeing this scene made him feel a bit uneasy.

Even his usually stoic father had frighteningly red eyes, let alone his once so emotional dad.

Since his injury was on his back and shoulder, he spent most of his time lying on his side or stomach. So, Xue Tuan twisted his mouth into a comical grin and greeted them with a dry laugh, “Dad, Father, good morning!”

“It’s already noon,” Feng Yan said expressionlessly. As soon as he finished speaking, the door was pushed open, and Bing Qiu walked in carrying a small wooden tray.

Seeing Xue Tuan awake, Bing Qiu smiled. “Great! Brother Ye Cong is truly amazing. He said you’d wake up soon, and right on cue, you did.”

Bing Qiu placed the wooden tray holding a bowl of plain porridge on Xue Tuan’s bed.

Then, Bing Qiu helped Xue Tuan sit up and brought over a basin of water for him to wash up. They were all very familiar with this routine, as this was how everyone had cared for him during his rare bouts of illness or fever in the past.

While Xue Tuan was washing up, Bing Qiu kept trying to subtly signal something to him.

He either made gestures or winked, but his acting was too poor, leaving Xue Tuan utterly confused. In any case, it was definitely related to the current situation.

Because throughout, his fathers had been staring at Xue Tuan without saying a word, making him squirm.

“Father, Dad, you should go eat too.” Don’t just watch me here; it’s making me a bit nervous.

Xue Tuan complained inwardly, not daring to say it out loud.

“We’ve already eaten,” Rong Shan finally spoke.

Hearing that his dad was still willing to talk to him, things probably weren’t too serious. Xue Tuan secretly felt relieved and asked, just to make conversation, “What about Zhong Yan?”

He remembered seeing an extra bed beside him while he was unconscious, but now it was gone.

Rong Shan replied calmly, “He recovered faster than you and has already returned to his own home.”

“Oh.” That’s good! Those with strong constitutions were different from him. They suffered more injuries but healed faster. Damn unfair heavens!

Xue Tuan turned his frustration into hunger, holding the spoon with one hand and scooping faster.

Having just woken up, he was very hungry. Though the porridge was plain, Xue Tuan ate it with relish. After finishing a large bowl, he felt about fifty to sixty percent recovered. Comfortable.

Except his wrist still hurt a bit and was bruised. All because that guy Zhong Yan had used “underhanded tactics.” Next time he saw him, he’d have to give him a good scolding.

Full and starting to feel drowsy, Xue Tuan struggled to act like a normal person. If he fell asleep now, who knew when he’d wake up again.

However, Xue Tuan was, after all, the kid they’d raised from a cub. None of his little actions could escape Rong Shan and Feng Yan’s notice.

Before Xue Tuan could say anything, he saw his fathers already getting up to leave.

“Huh? Why are you leaving? I haven’t ‘chased the guests away’ yet,” Xue Tuan said, trying hard to keep his eyes wide open.

Bing Qiu stood up, bundled Xue Tuan into bed, then picked up the small wooden tray Xue Tuan had finished. “Just stop talking. We’re going out now.”

Seeing Xue Tuan’s state, they knew he was definitely getting sleepy. Of course, they had to leave.

“Alright,” Xue Tuan replied weakly, curled up under the quilt. He had slept for several days but still felt somewhat weak. Being sick was truly unpleasant.

Feng Yan and Rong Shan walked out of the room first, with Bing Qiu lagging slightly behind. Just as he was about to close the door, Bing Qiu suddenly turned back and whispered gleefully, “You’re done for. You’re grounded.”

Xue Tuan’s eyes, which were about to close, snapped wide open again. On what grounds?!

He was a Subbeastman about to reach adulthood, yet he could still be grounded?! He was the unlucky one, the injured one, and now he was the one being punished? Was there no justice?

Indignantly, Xue Tuan glared at Bing Qiu’s retreating back and gritted his teeth. “Why are you so happy that I’m grounded?”

The door slammed shut, shutting in Xue Tuan’s frustration.

Only after leaving the room did Rong Shan let out a deep sigh. Feng Yan turned and pulled Rong Shan into his arms, patting his shoulder comfortingly. “It’s okay. Our good boy is getting better. Don’t worry.”

“Mm,” Rong Shan hugged Feng Yan back.

The past few days had been hard on both him and Feng Yan. Every time Xue Tuan fell ill, they would be scared out of their wits, as if they had lost their souls.

If Xue Tuan’s wounds didn’t start healing soon, Rong Shan feared he’d be the first to break down.

“It’s alright, Dad. I think Tuanzai will definitely recover quickly. He even scolded me just now.”

Bing Qiu didn’t mention a word about how he had secretly cried under the covers a few days ago. Now he acted as if nothing had happened.

Bing Qiu said, “Xue Tuan and Zhong Yan can be considered as contributing to the tribe, providing such valuable information about the Winged Evil Beast!” Once Bing Qiu’s mood improved, he couldn’t resist teasing Xue Tuan.

As soon as the words left his mouth, Bing Qiu noticed Feng Yan’s sharp look fixed on him. Bing Qiu immediately made a sharp excuse to slip away. “Ah, I have something to do. I’ll be going now!” With that, he took off like a shot.

Bing Qiu actually had nothing to do. He had already entrusted the post station matters to his colleague Xiao Peng.

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Xiao Peng had more or less watched Xue Tuan grow up and treated him like a half-brother. He was also very concerned about Xue Tuan's injuries and immediately agreed to Bing Qiu's request, telling him not to worry about things over there and to leave everything to him.

So, like his fathers, Bing Qiu moved most of his work home.

Over the next few days, visitors trickled in to see Xue Tuan.

However, Zhong Yan never showed up, which was really strange. Xue Tuan wasn't about to ask his fathers, so he had to ask Bing Qiu instead.

Now Xue Tuan could start eating rice again, mixed with shredded meat—finally something with a bit of taste to it. "Was Zhong Yan also grounded?" Why hadn't he come to visit?

Bing Qiu, holding a bowl and eating with Xue Tuan, replied casually, "Of course." And he caught an earful too. Did you think you were the only one being punished?

But what struck Bing Qiu as even stranger was when their fathers asked how he and Xue Tuan had suddenly been attacked.

Zhong Yan only said it was his own carelessness and not Xue Tuan's fault.

This was extremely odd and completely out of character for Zhong Yan. Not only was this guy terrifyingly strong, but his alertness in the wild was also frighteningly high. He could hear birds hopping on branches dozens of meters away—just another day for Zhong Yan.

If Xue Tuan was with him, Zhong Yan would be even more vigilant. How could a vicious beast manage a surprise attack? None of them could figure it out.

But since Zhong Yan really didn't want to talk about it, they couldn't force him. So, they could only let Zhong Yan stew at home.

"He volunteered for this." Being grounded wasn't the main point. But not being able to see Xue Tuan? That was the real punishment.

Actually, Rong Shan and Feng Yan hadn't forbidden Zhong Yan from visiting Xue Tuan.

So, this must be Zhong Yan punishing himself. Xue Tuan quickly put two and two together.

But to be fair, it couldn't be entirely blamed on Zhong Yan. When it comes to feelings, few people can stay calm all the time.

That surprise attack by the vicious beast was the only time the "invincible" Zhong Yan ever showed a flaw.

Bing Qiu lowered his voice mysteriously, "But I suspect Dad and Father have figured out what's going on between you two."

What's going on between us? What do you mean? What do you even know about us? Xue Tuan thought Bing Qiu was trying to trick him, so he blinked his big eyes innocently and said:

"What thing? That we went to the Dawn Dusk Tribe?"

Bing Qiu took a deep breath. He was indeed trying to trick Xue Tuan, but he didn't expect his own brother to keep even him in the dark. Ever since they returned, he had noticed something was off between Zhong Yan and Xue Tuan. "Keep playing dumb."

"As for the Dawn Dusk Tribe matter, don't worry. Zhong Yan woke up several days before you and has already explained everything clearly," Bing Qiu finally said.

Xue Tuan nodded, indicating he understood. With winter just days away, the alliance ceremony would likely be postponed until spring.

At night, the tribe's drum sounded, marking nine o'clock. Usually, in the morning, it would be the bell, hence "morning bell, evening drum."

Lying in bed, Xue Tuan suddenly opened his eyes, turned on his side to look at an open window on his left, and waited silently.

Before long, a faint rustling came from outside the window, and then a figure appeared by the windowsill.

A smile tugged at Xue Tuan's lips. After so many days, he knew this guy Zhong Yan absolutely couldn't resist coming to find him.

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Author's Note: Thanks for the nutrient solution [heart]