Werebeast Gongs CH 068 Moya At Peace
Moya noticed the struggle in Lei Jin's eyes and understood that the days and nights Lei Jin had spent with Xiya had inevitably fostered feelings between them. This was the very reason Moya had left back then. Now that it had become a reality, he should feel relieved. The slight feeling of suffocation in his heart was probably just an adjustment period. It would pass with time. After all, the fact that the three of them could be together was already a rare blessing, and they should cherish it.
But right now, he needed to clear his head. Moreover, since they had encountered the blue-tailed lizard this time, there was no guarantee they wouldn't run into more dangerous creatures in the future. It was better to be prepared. This time, they had been lucky that Elder Brother was unharmed.
Despite Lei Jin's objections, Moya ventured out into the rain. The stone orchid grew in the crevices of rocks, its leaves edged with blue serrations. This season, it should have been blooming with pink flowers. The forest was muddy from the heavy rain, but Moya managed to find a large bundle of stone orchids and tucked them into his arms. Thinking that the cave was running low on food, he also hunted some game, which took a bit more time.
Since the path he had taken was downhill, and the rain made it difficult to climb back up, Moya decided to take a different route. He also wanted to check the cliff where he had saved Berg.
Originally, he had planned to let bygones be bygones, just hoping to return safely to the tribe with Lei Jin and Xiya. But since Berg had hurt Lei Jin, Moya couldn't let it go.
As Moya approached the cave, the animals sheltering inside sensed his presence and fled. He had enough game and didn't bother chasing them. Tightening the vine around his body, he bent down and entered the cave. The interior was damp from the rainwater. After searching for a while, Moya found a conch half-buried in the dirt. When he had saved Berg, this conch had been with him. The moment Berg saw it upon waking, his face had turned pale with fear—a genuine, bone-deep terror that couldn't be faked. Moya believed this conch held a secret that Berg feared, and it might be the key to avenging Lei Jin. He tucked it away, planning to study it later.
On his way back, Moya heard a loud rumble from the mountain, and the ground shook violently. It took a while for the tremors to stop. Having experienced this twice in a short time, Moya felt a bit dizzy.
When he returned to the cave, Lei Jin was gone. Elder Brother was still unconscious, but his breathing was steady, so he should be fine. But where had Lei Jin gone? Moya set down the game and went out to look for him.
Although the rain had washed away much of the scent, Moya could still track Lei Jin's recent footsteps. Following the trail, he realized Lei Jin had gone in the direction he had taken. Moya quickened his pace and soon saw Lei Jin running ahead. Just as he was about to call out, Lei Jin slipped and fell into the mud, struggling to get up.
Moya rushed over to help him up. "Why did you come out in this rain? You could have waited for me. Your arms are still injured..."
He stopped mid-sentence when he saw Lei Jin's red-rimmed eyes glaring at him. As soon as Moya approached, Lei Jin kicked him.
Moya followed Lei Jin's gaze and understood. The continuous heavy rain had caused a landslide, burying the forest he had hunted in under rocks and mud. Only the branches sticking out of the dirt showed that there had once been a dense forest there.
When he had left, Moya had specifically told Lei Jin he wouldn't go far, just to the nearby woods, to avoid worrying him.
"I'm fine. I'm right here, Lei Jin. I'm here," Moya said, pulling Lei Jin into a tight embrace and gently patting his back. At this moment, Moya felt truly at peace. Knowing that this person cared for him so deeply was more than enough.
Moya carried Lei Jin back, trudging through the mud. The rain continued to pour, but Moya's heart was calm.
Lei Jin rested quietly on Moya's back and called out, "Moya..."
Moya smiled and replied, "En?"
"Moya..."
"En..."
Every time Lei Jin called, Moya answered.
Lei Jin mumbled something else, but Moya didn't catch it.
"What did you say?" Moya turned his head to ask.
Lei Jin grumbled, "Nothing. Just walk faster. After being out in the rain, I'll probably catch a cold."
Moya lowered his head, a sly smile playing on his lips. He hadn't managed to hear it a second time, but since there was a first time, there would surely be a second.
Back in the cave, Moya quickly helped Lei Jin out of his wet clothes. This time, he didn't tease him. Although a hot bath would have been ideal, they didn't have the means for it, so he settled for drying Lei Jin off and helping him into the new clothes.
Moya stoked the fire and prepared the three pheasants he had caught, stuffing them with mushrooms he had picked along the way. He roasted them over the fire and boiled water in a bamboo tube.
"Are you cold?" Moya asked, sitting close to Lei Jin after finishing his tasks.
"A little," Lei Jin admitted. He knew that in the wilderness, where medical supplies were scarce, it was better to be honest about any symptoms. Pretending to be fine would only cause more trouble.
Moya knelt beside Lei Jin, took his hands, and began to warm them with his breath, rubbing them gently until they were no longer cold.
"What are you doing?" Lei Jin asked in surprise as Moya moved to his feet.
"If your hands and feet are warm, your body won't feel cold," Moya explained, holding Lei Jin's feet firmly in his hands.
But feet were even more sensitive than hands, and Lei Jin couldn't stop trembling from the ticklish sensation. "It tickles, stop, it's too ticklish!"
"Just wait a moment. It'll feel better soon," Moya insisted, holding Lei Jin's feet steady.
True to his word, after a while, Lei Jin felt a warm sensation spreading from his feet throughout his body.
Seeing Lei Jin's complexion improve, Moya smiled. "See? I told you it would work. Feeling warmer now?"
Lei Jin nodded, his eyes half-closed in contentment.
Moya moved to the other foot, continuing to massage it. Watching Lei Jin relax like a lazy cat, he said, "As long as you feel comfortable. When we're old, I'll still do this for you."
Lei Jin's drowsiness vanished at those words. He looked up at Moya with a complex expression, silent for a long time.
The pheasants weren't ready yet, but the water had boiled. Moya washed his hands and Lei Jin's, then poured two cups of hot water. He fed one to Lei Jin and added a pinch of salt to the other, blowing on it to cool it before helping Xiya sit up and drink.
"Is Xiya doing better?" Lei Jin asked.
"Not yet. Even though the venom wasn't strong, he'll need to sleep for a couple of days," Moya said, setting the cup aside and letting Xiya lie back down.
Lei Jin vaguely remembered hearing that poisons often contained anesthetic components. Xiya's deep sleep was probably due to that. And since Moya said it was normal, Lei Jin trusted him.
"Elder Brother's body is even warmer than yours. Feel it," Moya said, placing Xiya's hand on Lei Jin's.
It was the familiar warmth Lei Jin knew.
The cave was filled with the aroma of roasted pheasant. Moya first picked out the mushrooms from the pheasant's belly and fed them to Lei Jin. The mushrooms, soaked in chicken fat, were tender and delicious.
Seeing Lei Jin enjoy the food, Moya leaned in and bit the other half of the mushroom Lei Jin was about to eat. The two of them playfully fought over the food, and in the end, Moya held Lei Jin's head and thoroughly explored his mouth with his tongue, licking the oil from Lei Jin's lips.
Like this, they continued eating, sharing bite by bite, for over half an hour until the meal was finished.
Xiya woke up once in the middle of it, saw that Moya had returned and Lei Jin was safe, then closed his eyes and fell back into a deep, peaceful sleep. Lei Jin tried to wake him a few times to eat, but Xiya didn't stir. Moya had no choice but to continue feeding him salted water to maintain his strength.
Lei Jin was so worried that Xiya might not wake up that he got up several times during the night to check if he was still breathing. Only after confirming that Xiya was alive would Lei Jin return to sleep in Moya's arms until dawn.
The only bedding in the cave was occupied by Xiya, so Moya couldn't let Lei Jin sleep on the cold ground. Instead, he transformed into his beast form and curled around Lei Jin, using his belly as a warm cushion.
It was the first time Lei Jin had seen Moya's beast form. The black panther was majestic, with sleek, shiny fur and an elegant build. But before sleep, Moya would often lick Lei Jin's face, leaving him covered in saliva and ruining his dignified image.
At first, Lei Jin mentioned he had heard that a panther's tongue had barbs that could scrape off flesh.
Hearing this, Moya, in his beast form, looked at Lei Jin with a mysterious glint in his large, round eyes and said, "If that were true, there would be no babies in the werebeast tribes."
Lei Jin initially thought this meant that if it were true, the females would be licked to death, and no one would be left to have babies. It wasn't until much later that Lei Jin truly understood what Moya meant by those words. But by then, it was too late for Lei Jin to do anything about it.
Lei Jin nestled into Moya's embrace, feeling the soft, warm fur of his belly, and closed his eyes, falling into a peaceful sleep.