Werebeast Gongs CH 066 Accepting Xiya
Moya hadn’t exhaled for long before his ears caught the faint, distant sound of footsteps. This land of the underworld was eerily silent, like a graveyard. If not for the occasional swaying of the seaweed, Moya would have thought the seawater was completely still. After spending so much time in the darkness and silence, if he was forced to find a benefit it was that his hearing seemed to have improved.
So, even though the approaching person's footsteps were light, muffled further by the thick mud and sand at the seabed, Moya was still able to detect them before they arrived. He loosely fastened the chains on his body, making them appear intact, though they would come undone with just a small movement. Choosing the most comfortable position, he leaned against the reef behind him, appearing relaxed and at ease.
Barefoot and dressed in a flowing white robe with a loose collar and wide hem, Berg seemed to be in a rather good mood. He smiled as soon as he arrived.
“Moya, I only have one request. Look, if you take me back to the Leopard Tribe, I’ll set you free. That’s all there is to it.”
Moya didn’t respond.
“What, you don’t believe me? I even brought the key.” Berg dangled a long, thin black object in his hand.
Trust was never the issue between them—it was simply a coincidence that they met, a coincidence that he had saved him. Besides, given how things had escalated, no matter what Berg’s urgency to leave was, Moya had no intention of cooperating.
Moya lifted his eyelids slightly, signaling him to leave.
Berg knew Moya would never forgive him, but he hadn’t expected him to be so indifferent, not even sparing him a glance. He had originally planned to say something soft to ease the situation, but seeing Moya’s attitude, he lost interest. Taking two steps forward, he spread his palm open in front of Moya and smirked.
“Look at this. You should know whose it is.”
Only then did Moya look up. In Berg’s palm were a few strands of glossy black hair. Even with his eyes closed, Moya could recognize them as Lei Jin’s—after all, scent never lies. His gaze locked onto Berg.
“Where is he?”
Moya’s deep green eyes shimmered in the dark sea, giving the illusion of profound tenderness. But Berg knew it was just that—an illusion. No matter how real it seemed, it couldn’t change the fact that Moya wanted to kill him right now.
“Your big brother and that female care about you a lot—they actually tracked you all the way here. But they’ll never reach the seabed without the help of us merfolk. And if they stay here too long, who knows, I might just go and strangle that female you keep thinking about. You should know how easy that is for a male.” Berg idly scattered the hair into the water and continued, “Looks like your female was pretty badly hurt. When I hit him, he couldn’t even get up from the ground.”
The calm in Moya’s eyes finally shattered upon hearing this, leaving only an icy, bone-chilling hatred. He no longer bothered to hide it. He shook off the chains on his body, stood up, and asked, “How do I get out of here?”
Berg instinctively stepped back, shocked that Moya had managed to break free. But before he could escape, Moya grabbed him by the throat.
“How do I get out?” Moya’s grip tightened. “If you don’t answer, you’ll be the first to die.”
Berg gasped for air, his hands clawing at Moya’s grip in a desperate struggle. But Moya didn’t loosen his hold in the slightest. In that moment, Berg knew Moya truly wanted to kill him, and a strange sense of calm washed over him.
“I won’t tell you,” he forced out. “If I die, you’ll never leave either. We’ll both die here.”
Moya’s grip tightened, but at the last moment, he let go. As Berg collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, Moya said coldly, “You should be grateful to my papa. He’s the only reason you’re still alive.”
His papa had taught him that unless it was a matter of life and death, he should not kill other werebeasts recklessly. And certainly not females.
Since the normal way out was blocked, he would have to find another way.
“Moya, you can’t go there! That’s the true Nether Sea—no one has ever come out of there alive!” Berg shouted desperately as Moya turned and walked toward the ruins at the seabed.
But it was too late. Moya’s slender figure quickly vanished into the eerie shadows of the ruins.
Behind the crumbling walls lay a deep-sea trench, overgrown with thick underwater forests and massive coral reefs. The seawater was completely still, the temperature plummeting, and visibility was poor. The hazy outlines of a sunken city loomed in the murky depths. Many of its structures had already collapsed into the sand. Moya reached out and brushed against a building, feeling a layer of brittle crust crumble away beneath his fingers, revealing intricate murals beneath. Though they were too damaged to decipher, that wasn’t his concern.
Estimating his direction, he moved toward the center, stopping in a dense cluster of stone pillars. This should be the temple. He still remembered the maps his papa had drawn—this so-called city’s layout was almost identical.
“In every temple, there is a passage beneath it. The key lies at the third star point of the engraved track,” Moya recalled his papa’s words. But he had used a black stone to activate it, and he had nothing now. He could only try his luck.
Running his fingers over what seemed to be the temple’s gate, he found a stone lodged at the third star point. Temples were always built facing north, so he turned the stone from east to west.
With a deafening boom, the entire seabed trembled.
“Moya!” Berg could no longer hesitate. He rushed inside, but in the swirling darkness, there was no trace of Moya.
Back at the riverbank, Xiya listened silently as Lei Jin finished speaking. Without a word, he pulled Lei Jin close, tipped his chin up, and studied him for a moment before pressing a fiery kiss onto his lips.
Lei Jin frowned but quickly regained his senses, biting down hard. The metallic taste of blood spread between them.
“If you want to do it, just do it,” Lei Jin sneered. “No need for these tricks. Disgusting.”
He saw the flicker of hurt in Xiya’s expression but didn’t care. He needed to do something—anything—to smother the suffocating frustration in his chest.
“…Forget it. You should rest. I’ll make some fish soup. You’re still injured, so you need the nourishment. There are clouds gathering and it will likely start to rain. Wait here for me while I cook and then clean up the cave otherwise we won't have a place to stay for the night.”
Xiya rambled, crouching down to clean the remaining fish.
Lei Jin exhaled sharply, then suddenly smirked. “Fine, Xiya. You’re the one who rejected me today. Don’t you dare touch me in the future.”
“The firewood is running low. I’ll go gather some later,” Xiya muttered, his golden hair falling over his face, concealing his expression. His fingers, seemingly pricked by a fishbone, briefly went to his lips.
Lei Jin was about to retort when he suddenly froze, his eyes widening in fear.
Because not far behind Xiya, hidden in the grass, a pair of blood-red eyes stared at them. A green-scaled creature, its long tongue flicking out, crept closer. It was only a meter away. Its vision seemed to be weak, it's short limbs crawled very slowly, but it was still without a doubt moving in Xiya's direction.
“Xiya, don’t move.” Lei Jin’s voice softened unnaturally.
"What?"
Xiya found Lei Jin’s sudden change in demeanor strange. He looked up at him, only to see Lei Jin staring intently behind him. Instinctively, he was about to turn around.
"Don't turn around, Xiya."
Lei Jin’s hands were trembling with fear. In the natural world, anything with such bright colors was bound to be extremely poisonous. He didn’t know what it was, but he knew it was dangerous.
He would rather it be staring at him instead.
At this moment, he finally admitted to himself—Xiya was no longer someone he could live without. If something were to happen to Xiya now…
Unconsciously, he took a step forward. The creature, hearing the movement, shifted its red eyes toward him.
So it really does track by sound.
He took another step. Sure enough, the creature adjusted its direction and began crawling toward him.
"Xiya, I need some time alone. Don’t come over and bother me."
Lei Jin spoke with a calm expression, then immediately turned and ran.
The creature, which had been slow before, suddenly darted through the grass with astonishing speed. The moment it rounded a bend, it sprang into the air.
Lei Jin caught a glimpse of it from the corner of his eye, his mind in chaos.
At least Xiya is safe.
But I still haven’t found Moya.
Just as the creature was about to reach him, a shadow flashed before his eyes.
Lei Jin was tackled to the ground, but the pain he expected never came. Instead, the familiar warmth surrounding him told him exactly who it was—Xiya.
At the same time, Xiya swung his right hand fiercely, slamming the creature onto a nearby rock. It was instantly smashed to pieces.
The sky had darkened, thick clouds gathering overhead.
Xiya hovered over Lei Jin, staring at him without saying a word. His hands worked hurriedly, stripping Lei Jin’s clothing, his palms running feverishly over Lei Jin’s body.
Suddenly, a torrential downpour began, but it couldn’t quench the fire that had already ignited between them.
Lei Jin, still caught in the adrenaline of near-death, responded to Xiya’s passion with equal intensity. His breathless moans echoed in the rain as he clung to Xiya, craving more. It felt as if Xiya kissed him everywhere, over and over, searching for more.
"Give me, Xiya…"
Lei Jin parted his legs, hooking them around Xiya’s waist, desperate to confirm that this person was still here with him.
"This is the first time, what a loss."
Xiya chuckled tiredly, giving Lei Jin a soft smile before resting his head against the crook of his neck.
"Xiya…"
Something suddenly occurred to Lei Jin. He looked down at Xiya’s hand, still resting on his waist.
There were two deep bite marks on Xiya’s right hand. The blood seeping out had already turned black.
After what felt like an eternity in darkness, Moya finally broke through the surface of the sea.
It was pouring. Thick mist rolled across the water. He closed his eyes briefly. The dim lighting was still a little painful after so long without sunlight.
Swimming toward shore, he pushed his wet hair out of his face. He thought back to his old cave—it was the closest to the sea.
His older brother and Lei Jin would probably have chosen there too.