25: His bravery, my hidden worry

Tu Nan woke up with a start as the long night was about to break.

Her whole body ached, as if it were falling apart.

Li had unleashed his anger on her, and Tu Nan had embraced it all.

She had consciously indulged him.

She offered her slender shoulder to his mouth, begging for his gnawing—which resulted in bloody teeth marks on her shoulder.

Without looking, she knew the rest of her body was also covered in bruises.

Li's movements were too rough; when he couldn't control his emotions, even a slight increase in his grip could leave Tu Nan covered in bruises.

This was the price.

Li slept soundly beside her, and Tu Nan tugged at the corner of her mouth. She had temporarily appeased his emotions. If his trust had collapsed, he wouldn't still be asleep when she turned to look at him without waking.

As long as there were no sudden incidents, she could continue to let Li treat her as an expensive item, placed according to his will.

As long as... there were no accidents.

Closing her eyes again, she deliberately nestled herself completely into Li's embrace.

***

When she woke again, Li was not in the cave.

His saber and bag were in the room, so he must not have gone far.

Tu Nan carefully washed up, chose a wide-collared top and loose, open-legged trousers. She selected a thin, golden chain belt, letting its end hang down to her thigh.

Then she sat before the dressing mirror, taking a comb and meticulously styling her black hair, stroke by stroke.

So, when Li pushed the door open and returned, this was the scene he witnessed.

Tu Nan's profile was almost completely hidden by her black hair, revealing only a hint of her upturned nose and a slightly parted, bloodless lip.

The collar of her shirt on her shoulder rose and fell with the movement of her hands, and the wounds on her shoulder appeared and disappeared beneath the fabric.

Her bare feet almost hung in the air; even on tiptoes, she could barely touch the ground.

Her slender ankles swayed pitifully within the wide pant legs.

Hearing the sound, Tu Nan turned back blankly. Seeing it was Li, her eyes immediately burst with a brilliance she didn't even know she possessed, and her whole being exuded a pure admiration, yet, combined with her current appearance, there was a tempting, fragile... sense of brokenness.

Li unconsciously softened his movements.

He gently closed the door and stood still.

After a moment, he approached Tu Nan, took the comb from her hand, and wanted to help her style her hair.

If he were a complete beastman, what he would want to do most at this moment is for both of them to transform into Beast Form, and then he could meticulously lick her fur.

Tu Nan flinched when he touched her, her hand gripping the comb trembling unconsciously.

She grew more flustered, apologizing repeatedly.

"I... I didn't mean to, Lord Li."

Li's hand paused.

Lord Li... he had already discovered the pattern.

Tu Nan would unconsciously use the address 'Lord' when she was nervous and scared; only when she let down her guard again would she softly call him—Li.

Regret appeared in his eyes. He had indeed scared this little thing yesterday.

From where he stood, through her loose collar, Li could see patches of purplish-blue marks on Tu Nan's fair skin.

His grip on the comb tightened, and the comb made a faint cracking sound.

He quickly regained his composure, focusing wholeheartedly on combing Tu Nan's black hair, watching as Tu Nan gradually relaxed her tense shoulders and back in this intimate and relaxed atmosphere.

Li showed a subtle smile.

This Foster Mother's dependence on him was undeniable; he had been irritable this time, but it didn't matter, he would always compensate her, after all, they still had a long time together... But the beast god clearly didn't think so. No matter how peaceful the atmosphere in the cave was at this moment, He seemed to deliberately mock Li's delusion, immediately making him realize the foolishness of a Mortal.

Faint screams came from outside.

The entire River Valley was like a heated pot of water, gradually churning, the chaotic commotion growing louder and louder.

Li listened for a moment, then turned to grab his curved saber and instructed Tu Nan.

"Don't run around. I'll go check the situation."

Tu Nan's hearing was not as good as Li's, but soon she also heard those ominous sounds, and the angry shouts of people outside.

"Earth-traveling Worms!" they roared.

Putting on her shoes and socks, Tu Nan changed into her Soft Armor and wrapped herself in a cloak.

After thinking for a moment, she took a small dagger and tucked it into her waist, then pushed the door open and walked out of the cave.

From the rock wall of her cave, she could clearly see everything happening in the River Valley.

Upstream of the underground river, in that darker, unlit, seemingly boundless place, three giant worms were being attacked by a crowd.

They were huge centipede-like worms, with off-white carapaces and very sharp-looking mandibles.

Many beastmen had already transformed into their original forms and were attacking in turns, but unfortunately, only a very limited number of attacks could harm those worms.

A single roll and sweep from the worms could knock down several beastmen.

Li had already rushed to the lowest level.

By some strange impulse, he looked up and actually found the delicate Foster Mother watching everything from above. He roared at Tu Nan.

"Go back, close the door! I'll take care of these worms."

He sprinted along the riverbank towards the chaos, carrying his curved saber. Many beastmen he passed cheered and followed him forward.

In a short time, Li had already made a name for himself in the River Valley; everyone spread word of his martial prowess. Tu Nan watched him, like a sharp blade, a banner, piercing into the core of the battlefield, with the beastmen behind him instinctively coordinating their attacks with his.

Li quickly jumped onto the head of an Earth-traveling Worm, clinging tightly to the gaps in its carapace. Other beastmen constantly harassed its vision from the front, preventing it from rolling.

He raised his curved saber high, and even from such a distance, Tu Nan could see the cold, stern gleam of the blade cutting through the semi-lit, semi-dark space.

"Ha!"

Li roared loudly, firmly plunging his curved saber straight in.

The Earth-traveling Worm struggled wildly. He held the saber, appearing to be thrown off, but in reality, he was merely using the inertia to neatly widen the wound along the gap.

When he landed, the Earth-traveling Worm writhed for a moment behind him, and green blood spurted from the semicircular incision.

The worm's body stiffened and crashed to the ground.

The crowd erupted in enthusiastic cheers.

In that cheer, Li knelt, looked up, and held his curved saber horizontally to his forehead, raising it towards Tu Nan's direction.

He was demonstrating his reliability to Tu Nan.

This was their eternal method of pursuing Females—flaunting their martial prowess.

But Tu Nan couldn't smile. Her breathing was rapid, and her heart rate was erratic.

It wasn't because she was attracted by his rare, dazzling fighting moves, but because she couldn't help but ponder a question.

Namely: Why did the Earth-traveling Worms appear?

Are there only these three?

Tu Nan's smile gradually faded, but Li had already set his sights on the next Earth-traveling Worm.