254: Chapter 254 Now, they can be together.

Due to the properties of the love-testing stone, Tang Ruan could only dream of parts related to her feelings for Heng Zhou.

In the dream, she appeared to be about eight or nine years old in human years.

Because she had been unable to use her Supernatural Ability, she was thrown into a monster's cave by the Beast God.

The Beast God instructed Heng Zhou that he absolutely must not help her.

If she still could not learn to use her Supernatural Ability, it would prove that she was a "defective product" he had created.

Then, if the monster bit her to death, she would simply die.

She was cornered by the monster, and a large gash was bitten into her leg.

But no matter what, she could not use her Supernatural Ability; she didn't even know what her Supernatural Ability was supposed to be.

Having lost too much blood and hovering on the brink of death, she felt that everything around her was too terrifying, and perhaps it would be better to just die...

But just at that moment, a figure appeared at the cave entrance.

The setting sun stretched his shadow out very, very long.

She looked up and felt that Heng Zhou seemed exceptionally tall today...

Heng Zhou saved her.

Upon finding out, the Beast God was furious.

Because this was the first time he had defied the Beast God's will.

The Beast God used a whip with thorns to lash Heng Zhou twenty times.

His skin and flesh were torn open, and he was nearly beaten to death.

That day, she finally discovered that her Supernatural Ability was to absorb and release Energy, and that she could achieve healing effects by releasing Energy.

—Because she absolutely had to heal Heng Zhou's wounds!

From then on, that tall shadow became the image that would appear whenever she missed him.

The second time her heart fluttered was when she complained, "Why does her Energy always have to come at the cost of absorbing others' lives?

It would be great if there were a way to obtain Energy without needing to sacrifice others."

And so, later—

Heng Zhou transported almost all the crystals in the Beast World to Beast God Mountain and fashioned these crystals into a cave.

He let her live inside so she could absorb Energy continuously.

He also helped her find a very rare fruit tree.

That was the later spirit fruit tree; as long as she ate the fruit, she could obtain Energy.

This time, besides being happy, she also felt a genuine flutter of her heart.

However, such behavior from Heng Zhou made the Beast God notice something unusual.

Heng Zhou should not like "anyone"; he fundamentally should not have the emotion of "liking" someone.

Consequently, to prevent the Beast God from separating them or doing something to hurt her, Heng Zhou began to deliberately distance himself from her.

If she said east, he would insist on west.

If she said good, he would definitely say bad.

He went against her in everything.

As time passed, he felt that perhaps she had misunderstood.

Heng Zhou did not like her at all, and perhaps even—hated her.

All the kindness he showed her was merely to help her grow quickly and become an asset to the Beast God.

But this secret love, buried deep in her heart, vague and uncertain,

was still confirmed by her after she reached adulthood.

She intentionally got close to him and said things like "I want to leave Beast God Mountain and live with you."

Thinking back now, Heng Zhou must have been very happy at the time, as he really wanted to be with her.

However, to prevent the Beast God from realizing that she also possessed the ability to "love,"

Heng Zhou acted very coldly toward her.

Once, in order to train them, the Beast God threw them both into a place with complex terrain, where hundreds of monsters were lurking.

She fought against dozens of monsters alone for two days and two nights before she managed to escape.

When she emerged, Heng Zhou was resting under a tree, eyes half-closed.

She angrily questioned him, "Why did you abandon me?"

And Heng Zhou's reply was— "It was too dangerous there."

Yet in reality, he had never abandoned her.

In fact, he was the one who had killed most of the monsters.

He had simply hidden on purpose, letting her believe he had abandoned her.

Just so that she would not like him anymore.

Because only in this way could they continue to be qualified pawns for the Beast God.

Otherwise, they might have their memories wiped.

That day, she said to Heng Zhou, "I think I was wrong; you are no longer the Heng Zhou of the past."

Afterward, their relationship became distant.

The Beast God also felt at ease handing over the two newly born servants to each of them to raise.

Heng Zhou took charge of raising Duan Shi.

She took charge of raising Fentian.

These two servants of the Beast God were in the form of adult Beastmen from the moment they were born.

Perhaps having her as a precedent, the Beast God felt that the process of waiting for a Cub to grow up was truly long and boring.

Watching her and Fentian together day after day, Heng Zhou was filled with jealousy.

But he comforted himself that at least this way, they could still "be together."

They would not have their memories erased by the Beast God and become tools like walking corpses.

However, the Fentian she was raising was "very silly."

When he liked someone, he could give everything for her; his way of expressing love was direct and passionate.

He stood up for her time and time again, risked his life to protect her again and again, and wished that everyone in the entire Beast World knew—that he loved her.

She was moved by Fentian's love, and she fell completely in love with Fentian.

Watching them inseparable,

Heng Zhou could no longer control himself and confessed his feelings to her.

But she told him, "I have never met a Male Beastman who was willing to risk his life just because he didn't want me to suffer even the slightest harm."

The "harm" he had once inflicted upon her finally, after many years, struck him right between the eyes.

Her love with Fentian was intense and passionate.

The Beast God naturally discovered it too...

Consequently, before Heng Zhou could think of a countermeasure,

they entered a cycle of having their memories erased and falling into "slumber," only to briefly awaken to help the Beast God "restart" the Beast World...

Later, during those brief lives, Heng Zhou discovered the Beast God's weakness; he was not—unkillable.

Thus, he led his "younger brothers and sisters" to initiate the plan to kill the Beast God.

However, before taking action,

Heng Zhou did not want to leave any regrets, so he confessed to her one last time.

He told her everything he had done for her over the years, as well as the reason he had deliberately distanced himself from her.

At that moment, she was shaken.

However, in the generations of the Beast World they were experiencing at that time, a Female Beastman could only have one partner.

Under such rules, she felt that if she were with Heng Zhou, she could not be with Fentian.

He watched her torn between choices, crying incessantly.

Only then did Heng Zhou realize that she loved him more—than he had imagined.

In order not to affect the battle the next day,

Heng Zhou made a decision: he wanted them—to stop loving.

Thus, he implanted a Heart Curse into both himself and her.

Hers was— "She only sees him as an older brother."

Heng Zhou's was— "He loves her, but she will always reject him."

He wouldn't let her love anymore...

But he still couldn't bear to lose the feeling of loving her.

So, he just told himself that he would be rejected.

He would not confess, just love her silently...

Tang Ruan jolted awake from her dream.

She heard someone rummaging through things outside the room.

"Hu Niu!" she called out in a hoarse voice.

"Sister!" Hu Niu's voice came from outside the room.

"Hurry up, I want to go out!"

Tang Ruan's tears fell like beads with broken strings.

She knelt on the bed, wiping her tears while throwing the obstacles in front of her backward.

She had to get out; she had to tell him.

Now, they can be together.