Werebeast Gongs CH 053 The Effect Of Jade Mugwort
The Tiger Tribe's settlement was located in a quiet valley running east to west. The mountain walls surrounded them on both sides, with lush trees covering the slopes. A river, rich in water, flowed through the valley, its surface rippling gently. The banks were covered in fragrant grasses, with wildflowers growing amid the trees. The roads were wide and straight, and in the shrubs at the foot of the mountain, wild rabbits could occasionally be seen hopping around. The werebeasts typically ignored these small creatures, and the females couldn’t do much about them either. These little animals seemed content to stay near the werebeasts' village, digging holes and building nests, where they could avoid predators.
Before Xiya had even reached the entrance to the Tiger Tribe's settlement, the patrols stationed at the valley’s entrance had already received word and relayed the information to the tribe. Although there had been no major natural disasters or calamities in recent years, the jungle and grassland provided enough prey, and there had been no significant conflicts between the large werebeast tribes. Relations between them were relatively peaceful, but not to the point where they visited each other casually. Therefore, Xiya’s arrival, especially as a single individual, aroused some curiosity.
Of course, among those curious individuals was not Jing Yue. Although the scent on Lei Jin had faded somewhat, single werebeasts were particularly sensitive to the scent of females, and Jing Yue could still detect it. He had also seen Lei Jin holding a Leopard Tribe werebeast before. Now, after having saved Lei Jin, the Leopard Tribe werebeasts who normally did not step foot in the Tiger Tribe arrived right after. It was hard to believe such a coincidence. Even using his back legs to think he couldn’t come to that conclusion.
Jing Yue wondered how to send the new arrival away quickly.
Xiya had already arrived at the entrance of the Tiger Tribe.
"Why has a Leopard Tribe werebeast come to our Tiger Tribe?" Two werebeast guards stood at the entrance, and one of them blocked Xiya's way and asked.
Xiya stopped and took a breath before replying, "I’m looking for someone."
"Looking for someone in our Tiger Tribe?" The Tiger Tribe werebeast looked at him strangely and asked, "Who are you looking for?"
"A female with black hair and black eyes." Lei Jin's eye color was quite rare, and anyone who had seen him would likely remember. In case they didn’t recognize him, he added, "He’s injured. Have you had any injured females in your tribe recently?"
The two werebeasts exchanged a glance. In the tribe, everyone knew each other, and when an unfamiliar face appeared, it didn’t take long for the tribe to be aware. Besides, it was a female, and it was likely that by now everyone knew that the tribe leader had an injured female staying in his house. Lei Jin had been active in the tribe, and many had seen him, noting his unusual black eyes.
Xiya noticed the change in their expressions, and his heart skipped a beat. The sudden joy took him by surprise. He was alive! Lei Jin was still alive! Xiya had never imagined that he would feel the truth of this moment. He had come to the Tiger Tribe on a whim, not wanting to miss any chance, and now it seemed that Lei Jin was indeed here and still alive.
"He’s my mate. We got separated in the jungle due to an accident. Someone must have seen him, right?" Xiya knew how to appeal to the werebeasts. After all, a mate was extremely precious to a werebeast.
Seeing the hesitation in their expressions confirmed it.
"I just want to know—he’s injured, is he okay now?" Xiya pressed, his violet eyes filled with unmasked anxiety and concern. Part of it was real, part of it was intentional, to show the two werebeasts.
"He..." One of them couldn’t help but speak up.
"We don’t have anyone like you’re describing in our tribe." Jing Yue stepped out from behind.
The first werebeast seemed reluctant, glancing at Xiya before retreating to his original position. After all, he knew where his loyalty lay. Jing Yue was his own kin, and this Leopard Tribe werebeast was an outsider. Even though he sympathized with the stranger’s plight, he couldn’t betray his own tribe.
"Jing Yue?!" Xiya recognized him, surprised to see him.
"You know me?" Jing Yue furrowed his brows, looking at the person before him. His golden hair was striking, and his violet eyes were deep. He had an extraordinarily handsome face. He was certain he hadn’t seen this person before, but how did this person know his name?
"Where’s Lei Jin?" Xiya asked. He had seen Jing Yue when he gave his clothes to Lei Jin. He and Moya had observed from a distance when Lei Jin casually put on clothes from another werebeast. At the time, Xiya had been so angry he wanted to rush over and tear them off him. But after thinking about it, he decided that wearing someone else's clothes was better than entering the tribe naked, offering everyone there a spectacle. If not for their sudden appearance being suspicious, he and Moya would have offered their clothes to Lei Jin.
At that time, Jing Yue’s gaze directed towards Lei Jin had been strange. Now, seeing the reactions of the two werebeasts when seeing Jing Yue, it was clear. Lei Jin had definitely been hidden by this Jing Yue.
"I don’t know what you’re talking about." Jing Yue flatly denied it. After all, he was on his own turf. What could this Leopard Tribe werebeast do?
"You know he has werebeast mates." Despite his reluctance to admit it, Xiya was secretly relieved that the previous night Moya and Lei Jin had been intimate. Even if he had fallen into the water the next day, Lei Jin’s body would still carry Moya’s scent.
"I’ve never seen the person you’re talking about." Jing Yue nervously rubbed his hands behind his back. He would deny it no matter what. After all, Lei Jin was in his house, and the Leopard Tribe werebeast wouldn’t be able to see him.
"You should know that females with mates cannot perform ceremonies with others." Xiya gave him a pitying look.
"As long as Lei Jin is willing, it’s fine." Jing Yue blurted out, then immediately realized his mistake when he saw the triumphant look in Xiya’s eyes. It was too late to take it back.
"Anyway, he doesn’t want you. You can go now." Jing Yue, now irritated by the Leopard Tribe werebeast, thought he was quite malicious, even setting a trap for him.
"Is his injury better?" Xiya asked, though he wasn’t sure how bad Lei Jin’s injuries were. After being captured by the dragonbird for so long, his wounds couldn’t have been light.
"He’s not dead yet. You couldn’t even protect him properly, what right do you have to come looking for him?" Seeing how badly Lei Jin was injured, it was obvious that the werebeasts had failed to protect him properly.
"I want to see him." Xiya didn’t want to argue with Jing Yue anymore; he just wanted to see Lei Jin as soon as possible.
"Moya, stop dreaming." The person he had saved was his female, so why should he give him to someone who didn’t appreciate him?
"How do you know Moya?" Xiya asked, and he noticed that Jing Yue referred to him as Moya so matter-of-factly. How was he so sure that it was him?
"You aren't Moya?" Jing Yue asked. He clearly heard Lei Jin muttering Moya's name in his delirium.
"I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Xiya."
"Then who is Moya?" Jing Yue had an inkling about who Moya was.
"He’s my younger brother," Xiya answered.
"So Lei Jin is your shared mate?" After all, this kind of thing wasn’t exclusive to the Leopard Tribe. There were plenty of brothers in the Tiger Tribe who shared mates as well.
"Just like you think, we’ve performed the ceremony and are officially mates." To find Lei Jin, Xiya started lying through his teeth. Heaven knew that Lei Jin’s body had never been touched by him. It was Moya who had explored every inch of Lei Jin’s body. But not all of it was a lie—sooner or later, Lei Jin would be his.
Xiya’s confidence was truly unshakable.
Thinking about the sweet moments he would share with Lei Jin, Xiya smiled, his eyes crinkling with joy.
Seeing him smile like that made Jing Yue feel even more uncomfortable. He said, "Lei Jin is my female now." He didn’t want Lei Jin to know, but it was obvious that Lei Jin liked that Moya guy, and now here was Xiya, also his mate. Jing Yue had thought that saving Lei Jin was fate giving him a chance, and he had even used the jade mugwort.
The jade mugwort, though precious, had great benefits for a female’s body. He didn’t mind giving it to Lei Jin, but handing Lei Jin back to them... he just couldn’t accept it. He’d tried every method over the past month but still couldn’t make Lei Jin truly accept him. It was frustrating.
"It’s so late, are you really going to make me rest at the entrance of your tribe?" Xiya decided to take a roundabout approach and enter the tribe first.
Jing Yue looked at the darkening sky. He wanted to say, "Go wherever you want, as long as it’s far enough away," but Lei Jin...
Forget it...
"Come with me," Jing Yue said reluctantly.
Once inside, Xiya realized the valley was quite large. The center was wide and flat, and the two ends were narrower, forming a natural barrier. Though it was a valley, the Tiger Tribe clearly didn’t like living in low-lying areas. The houses started halfway up the mountain and became more densely packed as they went higher. The north side of the mountain had more inhabitants than the south. The few houses on the south slope were mostly concentrated at the top.
Now, Jing Yue was leading Xiya up the south slope of the mountain. The slope was gentle, and stone steps wound upwards. Xiya had long realized that Jing Yue was taking him up and down the same path, repeatedly, as if playing some sort of game. How many more times would they go back and forth? But since Jing Yue saved Lei Jin, Xiya didn’t mind letting him have his way. Still, it was already dark, and he was starting to get annoyed.
Finally, Xiya plopped down on a nearby stone and decided he wasn’t going to play along anymore. "When are you going to take me to see Lei Jin?"
"Who said I’m taking you to see Lei Jin?" Jing Yue asked, feigning confusion.
"Then why are you dragging me all over the mountain?" Xiya nearly wanted to punch him but restrained himself. Considering that Jing Yue saved Lei Jin, he held back.
"Lei Jin is already asleep. I’ll take you to stay at my uncle's house for the night," Jing Yue finally said.
"Why is he already asleep? Is his injury really serious?" Xiya got up and followed.
"You’ll know when you see him."
As they spoke, they arrived at a house. There were no lights on inside, but this didn’t hinder the werebeast’s sight. Jing Yue knocked, and a golden-haired, green-eyed werebeast, who resembled Jing Yue in appearance, stepped out wearing a robe.
Jing Yue explained the situation, and his uncle, Hao Yang, gave Xiya a quick once-over before nodding in agreement. Jing Yue didn’t want to talk more with Xiya, so he sprouted his wings and, after bidding his uncle goodbye, flew toward the northern mountain slope. Xiya paid attention to his flight direction, guessing that Lei Jin was probably in that area. He stared at the direction for a moment.
"There’s a spring behind the yard. Go wash up while I heat up some meat for you," Hao Yang said.
Xiya went to the back yard and, as expected, found a spring hidden among the trees, with clean water. He shook the dust off his clothes and draped them over a nearby branch. Now that he was sure Lei Jin was still alive, he felt a lot more at ease. He relaxed and took a comfortable bath. After changing into clean clothes, he felt refreshed. No wonder Lei Jin loved bathing so much.
When he returned to the house, the meat had been served in two large bowls, along with a jar of fresh water.
Xiya thanked Hao Yang and, feeling famished, began to eat. The three brothers had been raised under Roger’s strict training, so despite being hungry, Xiya still managed to eat elegantly.
Hao Yang glanced at the young man with slight surprise but didn’t comment. After a while, he said, "Once you’re done eating, just leave the bowls there. I’ll clean up tomorrow. You’ll sleep in that room." Hao Yang pointed to a room on the east side of the main house.
Xiya nodded in agreement.
Hao Yang turned and went back to the room on the west side, casually closing the door behind him.
After eating, Xiya stacked the bowls, went outside to wash his hands, then returned to his room to sleep. He hadn’t slept well for over half a month and was exhausted.
But as soon as he closed his eyes, he heard the sound of the main door opening. Just as Xiya was about to get out of bed to check, he heard the sounds of shuffling. "Lighter, lighter... Someone is here tonight..."
"Who?"
"It's a friend of Jing Yue."
After saying that, the two seemed to have gotten tangled up again, and from the noise, it was clear they were two werebeasts in a passionate embrace.
Xiya thought to himself, no wonder Jing Yue had arranged for him to stay here. It turned out that this house didn’t have any females at all. It must be said that he had thought things through so carefully. But perhaps he was truly exhausted, as he soon fell into a deep sleep with no dreams until dawn.
Several days passed, and there was still no sign of Jing Yue. Xiya thought to himself that the month-long deadline was nearly up, and if Moya didn’t hear from them soon, he would likely lose hope.
"I can’t sit still. I have to find Lei Jin quickly," Xiya thought, but as a Leopard Tribe werebeast, if he recklessly searched around the Tiger Tribe’s settlement, he would be mistaken for an intruder and hunted down by the entire tribe.
After much deliberation, he finally thought of a plan—though not a perfect one.
That evening, just as the sky darkened, Xiya prepared to act. Though the werebeast’s vision was the same day or night, at night, they rested, and the darkness could provide some cover.
After dinner, Xiya went to his room to rest early, then quietly climbed out of the back window, flying toward the direction Jing Yue had gone in.
Landing at the high mountain peak on the north side, Xiya recalled that there weren’t many houses in the area where Jing Yue had landed, but there were still five or six. With no better options, he decided to check each one.
Lei Jin didn’t know that Xiya had come. Coincidentally, he couldn’t sleep that night, so he decided to practice moving his arms in the dark. Over the past few days, something had felt off—his body felt as if there was a fire burning inside him, but there was no way to relieve it. Could it be that after being with Moya a few times, he had become addicted to it?
How could that be? Lei Jin immediately dismissed the thought. Although Moya was special to him, he hadn’t reached the point where he couldn’t live without a man, right?
Lei Jin walked a couple of steps along the wall, and when he thought he had done enough, he moved away and carefully began swinging his arms back and forth. He walked forward, and today’s practice had gone well, taking him all the way to the door.
"Let’s stop here for tonight," Lei Jin thought, about to turn around. But he overexerted himself, and without the support of his arms, he lost balance. Despite trying to steady himself, he fell hard to the ground.
Lei Jin tried to get up, repeatedly shifting his body but falling back each time. He was drenched in sweat, his clothes covered in dirt. If he shouted out, someone would definitely come to help, but he held back, determined to get up on his own.
"Lei Jin?" Xiya called tentatively.
Lei Jin turned his head slightly, looking at the person who had suddenly arrived. His face was unclear in the dark, but judging from the voice, it should be... How did Xiya end up here in the Tiger Tribe at night? He asked, "Xiya?"
Once Lei Jin spoke, Xiya was sure.
"Lei Jin, what are you doing on the ground?" Xiya reached out to help him up.
"Lei Jin, your arms?" Xiya had just helped Lei Jin, but his arms were limp at his sides, with no strength at all.
"It’s paralyzed," Lei Jin pulled away from Xiya's embrace and said indifferently.
"Lei Jin..." Xiya reached out, afraid he would fall again. He finally understood why Lei Jin had fallen earlier.
"You have some nerve, sneaking into my home at night," Jing Yue had actually been awake the moment Lei Jin left the house. Seeing Lei Jin fall, he had wanted to help, but seeing him repeatedly try to stand up on his own, he suddenly felt he shouldn’t intervene, until Xiya showed up.
"Lei Jin, let me see," Xiya ignored Jing Yue and focused on Lei Jin.
"It’s all because of you guys. You’re his werebeast mate, yet you didn’t protect your female properly."
"Who is his…” Female? Before Lei Jin could finish his sentence, a wave of heat spread through his body. He felt weak, nearly unable to stand. Lei Jin gritted his teeth.
"Lei Jin, what’s happening?" Xiya immediately realized something was wrong and quickly held him, but Lei Jin’s body was burning with heat.
Jing Yue couldn’t ignore Xiya anymore and rushed over. Seeing Lei Jin's condition, he said, "It’s probably the effect of the jade mugwort acting up again."
"What? The jade mugwort? You actually gave him the jade mugwort?" Xiya glared at him angrily. They hadn’t dared to use it themselves even after so long, and even though Moya and Lei Jin had been together many times, he hadn’t dared to trick him into using it either. But this person had carelessly given it to Lei Jin.
"Females, when they first arrive at a tribe, will always take jade mugwort. It doesn’t harm their body." Jing Yue retreated two steps under Xiya's murderous gaze but was still unwilling to give up and continued speaking.
"But the key point is, he's never taken it before!"
"What?!"
"Find a room for us."
"What is jade mugwort?" Lei Jin, though weak, wasn’t unconscious. He had heard every word they said, and it seemed like his current condition was related to that plant.
"It’s fine, it will get better soon." Xiya half-supported him, not daring to pick him up directly. he probably knew about Lei Jin’s taboos.
Regarding the jade mugwort, at the moment he dared not let Lei Jin know anything.