54: Chapter 54 Tempting Couples

A life-saving favor is never forgotten.

"It doesn't matter, it's just a name." Sang Qing didn't care much; either way, he was just a passing traveler in her life.

Sprinkling seasoning on the roasted meat, Sang Qing handed it to him. "Here, have some food."

Xuan Xiao was overwhelmed by the favor and cautiously took the roasted meat she offered. "Thank you."

Was this actually roasted for him? She was so kind to him.

As he took the meat, his hand brushed against the female's soft, delicate hand, and his ears inadvertently turned a slight shade of pink.

"Can I call you Qing Qing?" He remembered her brother calling her that; it sounded so nice.

Sang Qing frowned and wagged her index finger in refusal. "No!"

They weren't even close; why use such an intimate name?

Xuan Xiao hung his head in disappointment. Indeed, such a request was quite abrupt.

He took a sullen bite of the food in his hand. Phew~ so hot.

He grimaced from the heat, which also tugged at the wounds on his face, nearly bringing tears to his eyes.

"Eat slowly, no one's going to steal it from you." Sang Qing sat beside him, resting her head on her hand, and quickly handed him a basin of water.

Xuan Xiao felt a rare sense of shyness, but he thought the food she roasted was exceptionally delicious—better than anything he had ever eaten.

Blowing on the food in his hand, he began to chat with Sang Qing as he ate.

"How can you be in the forest all by yourself? Isn't your family worried?"

She was alone yesterday, and she was alone today. The forest was full of hidden dangers; wasn't it unsafe for her?

"I'm out gathering herbal medicine. I can manage on my own." Sang Qing added a piece of wood to the fire, her voice indifferent.

Gathering herbal medicine? Xuan Xiao nodded half-comprehendingly and continued to press, "Why don't you have your family accompany you?"

He remembered her Father and brother were both Fourth-Tier Warriors; having either of them accompany her would be better than her coming out alone.

"Father and brother are busy." Sang Qing glanced at him, thinking he was being a bit medsomes. "Besides, I'm very strong myself. You saw that yesterday, so I don't need anyone else to accompany me."

That was true; thanks to her intervention yesterday.

He hadn't expected her to act so decisively and cleanly, without the slightest hesitation.

Moreover, she seemed to have a mysterious weapon in her hand; he hadn't been able to see it clearly yesterday.

No wonder she could walk through the forest alone.

After finishing the food, Xuan Xiao patted his stomach and licked his lips, still wanting more.

The roasted meat she made was so good that he had eaten his fill.

A faint fragrance wafted into his nose, and a hint of obsession appeared in Xuan Xiao's eyes. He stared at Sang Qing's fair profile and thought of something else.

"Speaking of which, how should I thank you?" Xuan Xiao asked with a bit of hidden intent and hope, "Or if you have any requests, I can agree to them—like Pair Bonding with you or something?"

Although his face was injured now, he was still a Sixth-Rank Warrior and the most powerful existence in the forest, so he could still provide her with the happiest life.

Even though he knew the chances were slim, he still harbored a sliver of hope.

Sang Qing's eyes widened instantly. She shifted away in distaste, creating distance between them, and rejected him vehemently. "Who cares about Pair Bonding?"

"Besides, how old are you? Pair Bonding with you would be a total loss."

"You just need to give me more shell crystals. I don't want anything else."

She knew from Chief Mao Shuo that he was already twenty-three, while she was only eighteen. Although she was nearly thirty in her past life, that had nothing to do with this one.

Besides, she wasn't going to engage in Pair Bonding anyway.

She thought he was old?

Xuan Xiao almost coughed up blood. He explained with a look of astonishment, "I... I just had my twenty-third birthday this Cold Season."

"Isn't that old?" Sang Qing looked at him seriously and nodded solemnly.

Five years older than her.

How could he be so ungrateful?

Xuan Xiao was almost driven to collapse by anger, and the wounds on his body began to throb again.

"Hey, are you okay?" Seeing his face turn extremely pale in an instant, Sang Qing couldn't help but feel a bit worried.

Xuan Xiao shut himself off, nearly dying of anger.

"I'm not okay. My chest hurts."

It hurt so much he could hardly breathe.

Sang Qing took it seriously and hurriedly leaned in to check his wounds.

"Look at you, aren't you being a bit too petty? You can't be like this.

You haven't taken your revenge yet, and you haven't paid me the shell crystals. You absolutely cannot die."

As she checked him, she kept chattering away at him, her expression very solemn.

Xuan Xiao didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but he did feel a bit hurt. So the reason she didn't want him to die was just for shell crystals?

"Qing Qing, if you enter into a Pair Bonding with me, I can give you all my shell crystals."

He didn't give up and tried to tempt her once more.

Wasn't it just shell crystals? That was the one thing he had plenty of.

Sang Qing hesitated for a moment and raised an eyebrow tentatively. "Do you have a lot of shell crystals?"

Xuan Xiao nodded, his voice full of temptation. "And I can continue to trade shell crystals for you. I can satisfy whatever amount you want."

To be honest, Sang Qing felt a tiny bit tempted, but she hadn't forgotten that Xuan Xiao was a Golden Snake Beast-person. He had once boldly claimed that their Tribe valued Cubs above all else.

So, no.

Sang Qing immediately retracted her smile. "No need."

"..." She was clearly tempted, so why the sudden refusal?

Did she not believe him?

Xuan Xiao looked confused. Unwilling to give up, he grabbed her hand and said nervously, "Qing Qing, I'm not lying, really."

Sang Qing pulled her hand back, patted his shoulder helplessly, and said earnestly, "You didn't fall for me just because I saved you, did you? Repaying a favor should be done in a way I like.

You're just confusing the gratitude for saving your life with actual liking."

There's no need to stake your whole life on it.

Xuan Xiao's body stiffened. Hearing Sang Qing's words, he fell into self-doubt.

Was that how it was?

But couldn't liking and gratitude exist together?

"I..." Xuan Xiao wanted to explain further, but Sang Qing interrupted him.

"I have to go. Get some rest; I'll come see you again tomorrow."

He should be fine now; he just needed a few days of good rest.

After saying that, Sang Qing slipped away immediately.

Two more days passed. Sang Qing returned from a walk. She had gone to teach Thor and the others how to plant tomatoes and had sat at the Witch's house for a while. Seeing that it was almost time to cook, she headed back.

As she neared her front door, a figure ran past her, covering their face in sadness.

Hmm? Isn't this Dainai?

"Dai—"

Sang Qing opened her mouth, but the figure ran so fast that she vanished in the blink of an eye.

???

Pushing open the fence and entering the house with confusion, Sang Qing looked at Meng Lai, who was finishing up some work in the kitchen. "Brother, was Dainai just here?"

Meng Lai's expression was a bit stiff. He dropped the wood in his hand and scratched his head. "Yeah, she came looking for me."

"Why did you make her cry?" Sang Qing picked up a cup from the table, took a sip of water, and looked at him in confusion.

Meng Lai was irritated by this. He gave a heavy snort, crossed his arms, and complained to Sang Qing, "I didn't provoke her. She's the one who did something wrong. Isn't she supposed to have her Pair Bonding ceremony tomorrow? But she just ran here to ask if I would enter into a Pair Bonding with her instead, saying she doesn't want to do it with Hu Yang."

"Is it fair to Hu Yang for her to say that? Hu Yang started preparing for their Pair Bonding ceremony a long time ago. Hu Yang's Mother and Father have also been sending gifts to Dainai every day."

"Besides, I don't like her. She's so frail and can't do anything right."

"I just criticized her a bit, and she ran off."

Who knew she would cry?

Sang Qing's brow smoothed out. "Alright, I understand."

Does Dainai really like her brother? Then why didn't she say so earlier? She's about to enter into a Pair Bonding with another male, yet she waits until now to speak up.

Whatever, she shouldn't meddle too much; anyway, her brother already refused.

Looking at the significantly expanded kitchen, Sang Qing started cleaning up. After installing the newly customized large iron pot and seasoning it with fat, the new kitchen was officially completed.

The next step was her large oven.

Meng Lai returned from the stream after bathing and washing clothes. Seeing his sister starting to cook, he sat down to help with the fire. "Qing Qing, when are we going to pick those chestnuts you mentioned?"

Didn't Qing Qing say chestnuts could be stored for a long time? That makes them a great food source that shouldn't be wasted.

chestnuts!

Oh my god, Sang Qing really wanted to pry open her own brain to see what was inside. How could she have forgotten about picking chestnuts?

"I don't know if they're ripe yet. Shall we go out and check tomorrow?"

Sang Qing pursed her lips and asked Meng Lai back, raising the kitchen knife in her hand.

After the chiefs of several large Tribes in the forest took their warriors to the Gray Leopard Tribe, the chief of the Gray Leopard Tribe settled down, and peace returned to the forest.

It should be fine to go out tomorrow.

Meng Lai nodded. "Sure."

Early the next morning, Sang Qing was woken up by Meng Lai. After washing up and having breakfast, the whole family went out together.

Sophia sat on Meng Qi's back, Meng Lai led the way, and Sang Qing followed behind him. Soon, the group arrived at the chestnut grove.

There were many chestnuts fallen on the ground. Seeing the chestnuts that had already burst open, a joyful smile appeared on Sang Qing's face.

It seemed the chestnuts were ripe.

It was a rare occasion for Sophia to leave the Tribe, so she ran around the woods joyfully, hopping and jumping with excitement.

Sang Qing looked at her with amusement. "Sophia, don't wander too far."

She had only given Sophia a dagger for self-defense, but with her small stature, she probably wouldn't stand a chance against a wild beast, so she had to warn her.

"Okay, Master." She would just wander around here.

Meng Qi smiled and climbed up the tree in a few bounds. Taking the long pole handed to him by Meng Lai, he began to knock the fruit off the tree.

Meng Lai also climbed up. He first picked a few chestnuts and, mimicking his sister's technique from last time, peeled one open to taste it.

Hmm, it feels like it tastes much better than before.

"Brother, get to work. You can eat slowly when we get back, otherwise, the wild beasts will be out soon." Sang Qing gave him a light kick on the butt, speaking to him quite speechlessly.

What's so good about raw chestnuts? They only taste good after being roasted at home.

"Got it, got it." With his mouth full, Meng Lai quickly swallowed the chestnut and climbed up the tree.

While Meng Lai and Meng Qi knocked the fruit down from the trees, Sophia stayed below, prying open the chestnut shells and putting the nuts into woven bags.

(Any plastic or woven bags used by the female lead are biodegradable.)

Sang Qing patrolled the chestnut grove and found several hundred trees. With just the four of them, they definitely wouldn't finish harvesting today.

After wandering for a bit, Sang Qing returned and started working.

A dark shadow flashed in the distance. Sang Qing whipped her head around, her brow furrowing in confusion.

Why did she feel like someone was watching her?

Hiding in the dense forest, a pair of golden eyes flickered. He stared at the female busy in the trees, his fists clenched nervously.

How could they let a female climb trees? It's so dangerous.

But why are they gathering cici fruit? The fruit inside is astringent and doesn't taste good.

Does the female's family have no food? But the other two males look very sturdy.

Staring at the dense cici fruit overhead, a look of confusion appeared on the shadow's face.

After finishing the chestnuts on one tree, Sang Qing jumped to another. After working for an unknown amount of time, she stopped, rubbed her aching wrists, and sat on a branch to rest.

There were so many chestnuts on the ground that Sophia was clearly struggling to keep up by herself.

Seeing this, Sang Qing had no choice but to jump down from the tree, intending to help peel the shells first.

Taking out her gloves, Sang Qing peeled the chestnut shells, deftly removing the nuts and tossing them into a bag.

But after peeling for a while, she felt something was off. Looking at the growing pile of peeled chestnuts on the ground before her, she tilted her head in confusion.

Hmm? Did she knock down this many chestnuts? And these weren't even knocked down; the stems were still attached.

Scratching her head, Sang Qing stood up and looked all around.

Could there be another beast picking chestnuts here?

Her suspicion grew deeper, and she scanned the surroundings with a wary gaze.

A rustling sound came from the nearby grass. Sang Qing took off her gloves and walked toward it with light steps.

With two steel needles gripped in her hand behind her back, Sang Qing circled a large tree and advanced cautiously.

The figure hidden behind the tree grew nervous, holding his breath and crouching on the ground in fear.

It was too late for him to leave. What should he do? He was going to be discovered.

Sang Qing caught a glimpse of the figure in the grass. She lowered her voice, the steel needles in her hand ready to fly. "Who is it? Come out!"

Who is it?

The figure's shoulders slumped as he slowly stood up.

"It's me!"

"Sa Yu?" Sang Qing looked at him in surprise, put away her steel needles, and strode toward him, her expression softening. "What are you doing here?"

Sa Yu scratched his head and quickly looked down, explaining in a particularly clear voice, "I came out to hunt this morning and spotted you when I passed by here."

Being able to see her again made his mood much better.

"Go on with your work. I'm leaving; I won't disturb you." He only glanced up at Sang Qing briefly before hurriedly turning to leave.

He didn't want her to see his ugly appearance.

Sang Qing frowned. "Wait!"

But Sa Yu didn't listen and continued to run forward.

Anxious, Sang Qing quickly chased after him. "Wait a moment!"

What was this beast so panicked about? She wasn't going to eat him; why run so fast?

"Stop following me."

"What are you running for?" Sang Qing pursed her lips, stepped forward to grab his arm, and forced him to turn around.