22: Your totem mark

Nan Zhisui took out a piece of beast skin to wipe the water off Little Aqi's body, and Hu Qi obediently let her help him.

Seeing the snow-White Fox mark on Nan Zhisui's collarbone, Hu Qi was a bit surprised. "Pretty Older Sister, you have a fox totem mark on you!"

"Are you talking about this?" Nan Zhisui gently pulled at her clothes, revealing the fox mark inside.

Hu Qi looked down, his eyes lighting up.

"Sister, there's a little green leaf next to your fox mark. That proves you and your fox beast husband have a little fox cub!"

Hu Qi curiously touched Nan Zhisui's totem mark, and she didn't pull away.

There really was a little green leaf; she hadn't noticed it before.

"The little leaf is very tender; your cub doesn't look very old yet. That's wonderful."

As the little fox spoke, he suddenly felt a bit sad again. "I wonder if my mother has a mark like this on her body too."

Nan Zhisui patted the Little Cub's head. "I'm sure she does."

After tending to Hu Qi, Nan Zhisui realized that White Fox had been watching her the whole time. She didn't know when he had started.

She handed the beast skin to White Fox. He paused for a moment, then took it to wipe the water off himself.

Hu Qi said with a smile, "You didn't come back for so long, Father Beast and I were so worried about you."

"You were both worried about me?" Nan Zhisui glanced at White Fox nearby. "I believe you were worried, but as for your Father Beast..."

Hu Qi quickly added, "It's true! Father Beast was even more worried than I was. He kept asking me where you went and what you were doing. When he heard you went into a Wolf Den, he almost went crazy with worry."

White Fox explained coldly, "Anyone would be worried hearing that a weak Female entered a Wolf Den."

Nan Zhisui looked up and explained to White Fox, "Other Wolf Dens might be dangerous, but these wolves aren't. I've already tamed them."

White Fox still frowned; even though he saw the Wolf King, he found it hard to understand the act of taming wild beasts.

Could wild wolves really be tamed by beastmen?

Nothing like this had ever happened in Stone Village before.

The rain continued to fall outside. There was no firewood in the Cave, and it was becoming increasingly damp.

In the soggy environment, even the air felt sticky, making everyone feel uncomfortable.

"We have beast skins at home, but there aren't even any here. How are we going to spend the night?" Hu Qi sighed.

The little wolf in Nan Zhisui's arms whimpered with hunger again. Nan Zhisui prepared more Goat Milk Powder, took out the syringe she had used before, and continued to feed the little wolf.

As Nan Zhisui fed the little wolf, Little Aqi watched with great curiosity.

"Pretty Older Sister, so this is how you feed a Little Cub."

Nan Zhisui gave a hum of agreement with a smile.

White Fox glanced at her. She hadn't fed Hu Qi for even a single day, yet she was so patient in feeding a little wild beast?

He looked at Nan Zhisui, then at the Little Wolf Cub, his brow furrowing again.

There were many things he couldn't figure out.

For instance, why did she abandon him and Hu Qi?

Why was she willing to be so kind to a wild cub, yet unwilling to give even a bit more motherly love to Hu Qi?

Had she forgotten him? Had she never missed him?

Was she really so heartless as to sell him as a Beast Slave?

White Fox stared at Nan Zhisui with unfocused eyes.

Nan Zhisui noticed his gaze, looked up, and suddenly gave White Fox a smile.

White Fox was startled, and his ears suddenly felt hot. He quickly turned his head away.

Pathetic. White Fox, you're really pathetic.

A strange atmosphere spread through the Cave, and it suddenly fell silent.

Just then, the growling of Hu Qi's stomach broke the silence.

White Fox also touched his own stomach.

Neither of them had eaten dinner before coming out to find Nan Zhisui, and they were both very hungry now.

Nan Zhisui couldn't help but laugh when she heard it, and she pulled Hu Qi into her arms.

Hu Qi's little face was flushed. "Pretty Older Sister, Aqi is hungry."

White Fox suddenly looked toward the Wolf King.

A ready-made wild beast; it could be eaten if killed.

The Wolf King suddenly tucked its tail, its ears drooping as it retreated a few steps, whimpering.

He's going to eat a wolf, he's going to eat a wolf. Terrifying. Truly terrifying.

Nan Zhisui quickly intervened. "This is a little dog I've tamed, a good dog! You can't eat him."

The Wolf King: "Ying ying ying, ying ying ying." It lay on the ground, acting cute and showing its belly.

To prevent White Fox from eating the wolf, Nan Zhisui quickly said, "Since you're hungry, I'll find a way to get you something to eat."

Nan Zhisui reached into her pocket, pretending to take things out, but she actually pulled several Ham Sausages and two vacuum-sealed chicken drumsticks from her space.

"Ta-da! Something delicious!"

"Wow!"

Nan Zhisui tore open the packaging on the spot and gave the Ham Sausages and chicken drumsticks to White Fox and Hu Qi.

White Fox sniffed them lightly and looked at Nan Zhisui again.

He had smelled her earlier, and she definitely didn't have the scent of these two types of food on her.

She had secrets.

However, he didn't intend to pry.

White Fox looked at the unfamiliar food before him and ate it without hesitation.

Little Hu Qi cheered excitedly while gnawing. "It's delicious! So delicious! Pretty Older Sister, this stuff is really super tasty!"

After taking a bite, White Fox's eyes also lit up slightly. He picked up his pace of eating, but then remembered Nan Zhisui was watching, so he resumed eating in a slow and refined manner.

Nan Zhisui admired the fox father and son as they ate.

As expected of elegant foxes; they could make eating a Ham Sausage look noble.

Little Hu Qi finished the Ham Sausage in a few bites and started on the chicken drumstick. Little Snake Yang watched, drooling, and although Little Aqi was very reluctant, he still shared a tiny bit with him.

As Little Aqi ate the chicken drumstick, his eyes sparkled more and more.

"So gud, so gud!"

He couldn't help but finish the drumstick in a few bites, then gnawed on the bone, and finally sucked his fingers repeatedly.

Savoring the aftertaste.

"What is this? It's really delicious!"

"Food from my Hometown," Nan Zhisui said with a smile.

"Is it food from Sister's Hometown?" Hu Qi thought of something and suddenly asked, "Then is there not much left? If I eat some, will Sister have less?"

White Fox suddenly stopped eating.

Nan Zhisui felt this Little Cub was very sharp. She stroked Hu Qi's head and smiled. "It's okay. Food is meant to fill stomachs. Besides, you both braved the rain to find me; what's wrong with treating you to some food?"

"Thank you, Sister!" Hu Qi's eyes were bright.

Nan Zhisui casually ruffled Hu Qi's hair and ears.

White Fox glanced at Nan Zhisui ruffling Hu Qi's ears, and his own ears twitched accordingly. He turned his head away, frowning slightly... A Cave full of people, beastmen, and wild beasts were all waiting for the rain to stop, but the rain just wouldn't quit.

As the sky grew darker, so many people were trapped inside the Cave.

The adults and cubs looked at each other, and Nan Zhisui also looked at the sky with worry.

Having company was indeed nice, but how were they going to spend the night now?

Nan Zhisui sat cross-legged against the stone wall of the Cave, with Little Snake Yang wrapped around her arm and Little Aqi transformed into a little fox curled up in her lap.

The two little ones were carefree; once they found a comfortable position, they fell straight asleep.

As the night deepened, Nan Zhisui also grew increasingly sleepy.

The Cave was damp and cold, but fortunately, Little Hu Qi was furry and warm, making her feel a bit better.

Sitting on the other side, White Fox watched Nan Zhisui. The Little Female's head nodded occasionally as her eyelids struggled to stay open.

Seeing her grow colder, she hugged Little Aqi tighter and closed her eyes.

She was still very cold and curled herself up.

The Wolf King suddenly whimpered and hid in a corner.

A beautiful, large, snow-White Fox didn't even give the terrified Wolf King a single glance.

He lightly leaped to her side, letting her sleep against his belly, his snow-White Fox fur wrapping around her completely.

In her dreams, Nan Zhisui felt as if she were placed among soft clouds—fluffy and warm...