Werebeast Gongs CH 051 Lei Jin Is Saved
Today marked the eighth day in the jungle. Early in the morning, the werebeasts woke up, started a fire to cook, and washed by the river. The sky was dim, and after eating roasted meat, they dug up some damp soil to cover the fire and continued deeper into the jungle.
The morning went smoothly as usual, with plenty of game hunted. By noon, everyone had a simple meal. Seeing the sky darken, they hurried to reach the next cave where they could take shelter from the rain.
"Are you feeling unwell?" Moya noticed that Lei Jin's face had looked off all morning, but when he reached out to touch him, Lei Jin subtly dodged his hand.
"I'm fine, just a little tired." Though Lei Jin's physique was decent, he couldn't compare to the werebeasts. After seven or eight days of running around the jungle, with heavy physical activity, drinking cold water every day, and sleeping outdoors on the ground, it was tough even for the werebeasts, let alone Lei Jin. Despite the care provided by Xiya and Moya here and there in subtle ways, he was mentally and physically exhausted.
"If it's too much, we'll carry you," Xiya suggested, seeing his condition worsen. "Don't push yourself."
"It's fine, it's only one more day. I can make it." Lei Jin replied, seeing everyone already packing up. He quickly stood up, but as he did, his vision blacked out for a moment. Xiya, quick to react, steadied him.
"We should carry you," Xiya insisted, looking at him worriedly.
"I said I'm fine, I don't need any special care." Lei Jin pushed Xiya away gently, steadying himself, and picked up his bow and the dried meat from the ground.
Xiya and Moya knew Lei Jin's stubbornness and didn't insist further, instead keeping a watchful eye on him.
An Bu, the tribe leader, had already begun rallying the group to move. From a distance, they could hear the distant rumbling of thunder. The werebeasts were familiar with the terrain and knew where they could take shelter, so they started taking shortcuts.
Xiya and Moya kept Lei Jin protected in between them.
The werebeasts leading the way suddenly stopped, and Xiya and the others, walking behind, didn't know what had happened until after a while, when they heard that an injured little dragonbird had been found.
As mentioned earlier, the meat of the little dragonbird was unusually delicious and tender, favored by the females and children of the tribe. Though they were in a hurry, they couldn’t pass up the opportunity to catch the injured dragonbird. However, its claws were sharp and dangerous, and no one could handle it immediately. Since Xiya and Moya had caught one before, they stepped forward. The weak spot of the dragonbird was its tail. Though it was called a bird, it didn’t have feathers and had a smooth, sleek body with a long tail. If they could pin down its tail, the dragonbird's temper would cause it to lose control, making it easier to catch. Following Xiya's advice, someone sneaked around to the back of the dragonbird and, when it wasn’t paying attention, pinned its tail to the ground with a sharp wooden spike. The dragonbird screeched loudly, but with the combined effort of the group, it was eventually subdued.
Before they could celebrate, a piercing shriek sounded from above, and a massive shadow broke through the trees, diving down at incredible speed. The group had no time to react.
Moya, closest to the dead dragonbird, was the first to be struck by the giant bird's claws. Blood poured from his shoulder.
"Moya!" Lei Jin shouted, instinctively reaching for his bow and shooting an arrow at the dragonbird's eye. Although Lei Jin had only practiced archery for a short time and was only decent at hitting targets, this time, he somehow managed to perform exceptionally well, shooting the arrow directly into the dragonbird’s right eye. The dragonbird, in pain, released its grip on Moya, flapping its wings fiercely, breaking the arrow lodged in its eye. It then lunged at Lei Jin.
"Lei Jin..."
"Lei Jin..."
Xiya and Moya both rushed toward him, but their speed was no match for the crazed dragonbird, which was already in a frenzy. The flight speed of an adult dragonbird was faster than that of most humans, and only the Feather Clan of the continent could keep up.
Lei Jin felt pain shoot through his shoulder as the massive claws of the dragonbird dug into him. The wind whistled past his ears as the jungle faded into the distance. At first, he could still hear Xiya and Moya calling out to him, but gradually the pain spread throughout his body, and blood soaked through his shirt. His vision blurred, and the last thought in his mind was: I guess I won't make it back after all. Looks like this is the end for me today.
Lei Jin was awakened by the rain. The dragonbird was still holding him, flying through the air, and the rain had grown heavy. Lei Jin looked down and saw nothing but a vast expanse of water below. His arms were numb from pain, but he knew that if he didn't escape the dragonbird’s grip in this body of water, and it took him elsewhere, his chances of survival would be slim.
With his arms hanging by his sides, Lei Jin thought of the knife that Moya had given him earlier, still sheathed in wood, which was fastened to his waist. As the water area approached, Lei Jin gritted his teeth, moved his right hand, drew the knife, and with his last strength, stabbed it viciously into the dragonbird’s abdomen.
The dragonbird let out a long cry and released its claws. Lei Jin fell straight down, crashing heavily into the water. Luckily, the water was deep enough, and he didn’t hit any rocks. He tried to move his limbs, but had no strength left. Violent water rushed into his mouth and nose, and his consciousness began to fade, feeling himself sinking deeper and deeper…
When Xiya and Moya arrived, they saw only the dragonbird in death throes at the water's edge. Moya recognized the knife sticking out of its abdomen as the one he had given to Lei Jin. A bad feeling crept into his heart. The two of them didn’t bother dealing with the dragonbird but followed the riverbank to search. About a hundred meters from the dragonbird, they found several pieces of dried meat washed ashore.
The heavy rain had diluted Lei Jin’s scent, and the fact that he had fallen into the water made it even harder to track. Even with their keen sense of smell, the werebeasts couldn’t pick up his trail.
Strictly speaking, they were still within the jungle’s bounds. This was an area with a massive waterfall cluster, with intertwined rivers and swift currents, hidden underground rivers, and an extremely complex terrain. Lei Jin had sustained serious injuries and fallen into the water. The chances of survival were slim, and his chances of being found were incredibly low.
An Sen and An Luo arrived with a few other werebeasts. Upon seeing the situation, they understood immediately what had happened.
In such a scenario, the others were silent, unsure of what to say. Who could accept the disappearance of their mate right before their eyes? Moreover, they all liked Lei Jin, so An Sen and An Luo couldn’t offer comfort either. But as the children’s fathers, An Sen felt he had to say something.
The usually steady An Sen hesitated and then spoke, “I know how you both feel, but you can see the situation here. Lei Jin...”
“Father, please don’t say anything more. I’ve decided to search for Lei Jin, regardless of whether he’s alive or dead. I will find him.” Moya’s grip on the pieces of dried meat tightened, his expression resolute.
“Moya...” An Luo called out to him.
“Father, don’t try to stop him. I feel the same as Moya. No matter what, we have to find Lei Jin.”
“Xiya, you...”
“Let them do as they wish.” An Sen patted An Luo’s shoulder and sighed. He understood all too well. After all, he had gone through the same thing, and though he was worried about his children, he had no choice but to let them go. They had grown up, and their mate was now their responsibility. Besides, Lei Jin had risked his life to save Moya, which led to this unfortunate situation.
“You two go ahead. We’ll explain everything to your papa. Whether you find him or not, please return home early. Don’t forget that your papa is waiting for you at home.” An Sen wasn’t good at expressing affection, but the worry and love in his eyes were evident.
Xiya and Moya nodded in agreement. They immediately transformed into their beast forms and began searching down the river. The river connected to the sea, and if Lei Jin had been swept out to sea, there would be no hope for his survival.
The two searched for an entire day and night. Apart from finding a piece of Lei Jin’s clothing on a rock, they found nothing else. By noon the following day, they reached a fork in the river. The river split into two, and no one knew which direction Lei Jin had been swept towards. So, the two decided to separate and search. They both understood that if they didn’t find him within a month, it would likely be the last time they could search.
That morning, at the Tiger Clan village, the females went to the river to fetch water and saw something drifting downstream. As it got closer, they realized it was a female. Just as Jing Yue was passing by the riverbank, the females quickly called out to him.
Without hesitation, Jing Yue jumped into the river and rescued the unconscious female.
“It’s him,” Jing Yue said, placing the person on the ground and brushing aside the messy hair from his forehead. The face revealed was the same alluring female from the Leopard Clan whom he had encountered in the jungle.
“You know him, Brother?” Jing Yue’s younger brother, Jing Ping, asked when he heard his brother’s words.
“Not really. I’ve just seen him once.” Jing Yue answered.
“Oh, Brother, he looks seriously injured. We need to take him to the healer in the tribe right away.”
“En.” Jing Yue nodded, then picked up the unconscious Lei Jin and ran toward the healer’s house.
The tribe’s healer, Mu Yue, had Jing Ping help him while pushing Jing Yue out of the way. The two of them worked together to undress Lei Jin, and Jing Ping gasped in shock. The female had suffered serious injuries, with abrasions all over his body. The most severe injury was a bloody wound on his shoulder, clearly caused by something that had ripped it open.
"Is there any hope? Healer Mu Yue." Mu Yue was the newly appointed healer of the Tiger Tribe. Though young, he was highly skilled in medicine, which was why Jing Yue had brought Lei Jin directly here.
Mu Yue did not answer immediately. He carefully examined Lei Jin from head to toe, then paused and said, "He’s very strong, still trying to hold on. I’ll apply some medicine first. These abrasions are not too bad, but the wound on his shoulder needs proper treatment. Otherwise, it’s hard to say what will happen to his arms in the future."
Mu Yue applied the medicine to Lei Jin. Noticing he had no clothes, he found some of his own and helped him change, then called Jing Yue inside. He instructed him to take good care of him, to administer three doses of the herbs daily, and to change the medicine on his wounds every two days.
"When will he wake up?" Jing Yue asked carefully, holding Lei Jin gently as if afraid to jostle his injuries.
"This is hard to say. After all, his injuries are severe. It's not something that one can just wake up from," Mu Yue replied, noticing Jing Yue’s anxiety.
"I understand. One last question—adding jade mugwort to the medicine, that won’t cause any issues, right?" Jing Yue asked solemnly.
"Jade mugwort?" Mu Yue finally understood why Jing Yue was so concerned. It turned out he had been thinking of the person as his mate. Indeed, many tribes had such rules: whoever found the female first had the right to pursue them, though the final choice still lay with the female. But with Jing Yue’s good qualities, no one would likely refuse. Thinking this, Mu Yue answered, "The jade mugwort doesn’t conflict with any medicine. If you want to add it, go ahead."
Lei Jin woke up on the evening of the fourth day after arriving at the Tiger Tribe.
Jing Ping, who had been sleeping in the same room as him, saw Lei Jin's eyelids flutter and quickly called Jing Yue into the room.
Jing Yue eagerly looked at the female on the bed. Lei Jin’s long lashes trembled slightly before his eyes finally opened. His once sparkling eyes now held a trace of exhaustion. His voice was a bit hoarse, but it didn’t stop Jing Yue from hearing his clear question: "Who are you?"