Werebeast Gongs CH 075 Mingya's Secret Part 2
Life and death can be a matter of a single instant. When the first saber-toothed beast suddenly lunged into the cave, Xiya leaped forward to meet it. Caught off guard, the beast let out a couple of agonized howls before collapsing to the ground, lifeless. Xiya tossed the dead beast far outside the cave and let out a low growl, a warning to the others. Moya and Mingya joined in, their growls signaling that there were three werebeasts here, hoping to scare the pack away.
“We’ve run into the saber-toothed beasts after all. These creatures won’t stop until their prey is dead. The chances of them leaving are slim. Elder Brother and I will go out soon. You stay close to Mingya and don’t leave his side,” Moya said, having shifted into his beast form. He licked Lei Jin’s face and added, “Take care of Lei Jin.” He glanced at Berg, who had also woken up, and added, “And Berg, if you can.”
Berg snorted. “I’m a male merfolk. I don’t need a little werebeast to protect me. Your little brother’s so soft, he’s lucky if he can protect himself.” With that, Berg shifted into his beast form, his massive golden tail faintly visible in the dark.
“Second Brother, Mingya doesn’t want to protect him. He’s not nice to Lei Jin,” Mingya said, pressing close to Lei Jin and rubbing his nose, clearly displeased with Berg.
“Mingya, be good,” Moya said, patting his head. There was no time for more words.
Outside the cave, countless pairs of yellow eyes glinted in the darkness, filled with cruelty and cunning.
Xiya and Moya stood side by side, their long shadows stretching to Lei Jin’s feet under the faint moonlight. The saber-toothed beasts didn’t attack immediately, and an eerie silence fell over the scene.
Facing such a situation, it was impossible not to feel fear. But Lei Jin knew fear was useless. The real question was how to protect himself and not become a burden. Mingya? He was just a child. If it came to it, Lei Jin would let him run. The little guy might not be strong, but he could at least escape.
Suddenly, a long, piercing screech came from outside, and the pack of saber-toothed beasts began to close in.
“Be careful. I don’t have time to clean up your corpses,” Lei Jin couldn’t help but shout, despite his best efforts to stay calm.
Both Xiya and Moya turned their heads, their big eyes shining as they wagged their tails at him.
“Idiots, look ahead!” Lei Jin snapped, exasperated.
Two saber-toothed beasts tried to take advantage of their distraction, lunging forward. But Xiya and Moya, without even looking, swatted them away with powerful blows. The beasts fell to the ground, dead.
Most wild beasts are bloodthirsty, and saber-toothed beasts are no exception—they’re even more vicious. The strong smell of blood only heightened their ferocity.
Xiya and Moya watched as the three dead beasts were quickly devoured by their pack. The fur on their necks bristled. They had seen cruelty before, but this level of savagery—eating their own kind—was rare.
The pack soon launched a full attack. Xiya and Moya fought back, gradually leading the beasts away from the cave.
Inside the cave, Lei Jin, Mingya, and Berg waited, unsure how much time had passed. It felt like an eternity, but it might have only been a short while.
“Why is it so quiet now?” Berg suddenly asked.
Lei Jin’s heart sank. He didn't know whether he had been lucky so far, avoiding large-scale beast attacks since arriving in this world. Even when he and Mingya had traveled through the wilderness, they had never encountered anything like this.
Had something happened to Xiya and Moya? Lei Jin wanted to go out and check, but if they were fine, his presence would only distract them and put them in greater danger. He was torn.
“You two stay here. I’ll go out and see,” Berg said, his expression unusually serious. Despite his fish tail, he moved quickly and decisively.
Mingya, standing next to Lei Jin, perked up his ears, remaining vigilant. Hearing Berg’s words, his pupils contracted. “Don’t go out.”
But it was too late. Berg had already let out a startled cry.
A massive saber-toothed beast stood at the cave entrance, slowly advancing. It didn’t seem in a hurry to attack, but the malice in its eyes was unmistakable. It was larger than any they had seen before, its body nearly five meters long, with a slender neck and a massive head. Its mouth hung open, revealing rows of sharp teeth.
Berg took a few steps back but stopped when he saw Lei Jin and Mingya still inside. He thought, forget it. If I’m going to die, it might as well be here rather than at that man’s hands. Even if it’s not worth it for this annoying Lei Jin, but then again, aside from being arrogant and having a sharp tongue, he hasn’t been that bad to me.
“Mingya, take Lei Jin and run when you get the chance. I’ll handle this thing,” Berg said, his back to them as he kept his eyes on the beast.
“Berg, what are you doing?” Lei Jin was surprised by Berg’s sudden selflessness.
“I’m not doing this for you. Don’t you know I’ve always liked Moya?”
As soon as Berg finished speaking, he launched himself at the beast, swinging his tail hard at its head. The beast dodged, but Berg quickly followed up with another strike. The two were soon locked in combat, leaving an opening on the right side.
“Lei Jin, I’ll carry you out,” Mingya whispered.
“But what about Berg?” Lei Jin asked, watching the fight. Berg was clearly outmatched, relying only on his agility.
“I’ll take you out, hide you, and then come back to help him,” Mingya said, not waiting for Lei Jin’s consent. He wrapped his tail around Lei Jin and, despite his small size, managed to carry him out of the cave.
But they hadn’t gone far when the beast, having cornered Berg, turned and lunged at them. Lei Jin let out a muffled grunt.
“Lei Jin!”
“I’m fine. Keep going,” Lei Jin said calmly, though his back was bleeding from a deep gash.
Mingya didn’t see the wound but heard the beast’s growl. He ran as fast as he could, eventually finding a small tree hollow just big enough for one person.
“Lei Jin, hide here and don’t come out,” Mingya said after listening for any signs of danger.
“En,” Lei Jin nodded. The sky was beginning to lighten, signaling the end of this deadly night. But aside from him and Mingya, the others’ fates were uncertain.
“Why is Mingya’s fur red?” Mingya noticed blood dripping from his back, though he felt no pain.
“It’s Lei Jin’s,” Mingya realized, rushing to Lei Jin’s side. Tears streamed down his face as he asked, “Lei Jin, where are you hurt? Tell Mingya. Mingya will lick it better.”
Although Mingya had run quickly, the beast’s claw had still grazed Lei Jin, tearing off a large chunk of flesh from his shoulder.
There was no time to mourn. The beast, following the trail of blood, was closing in. Behind it were a dozen smaller beasts, each still three times Mingya’s size.
Another pack? Lei Jin thought wryly. I’m not even enough to get caught in their teeth.
Mingya, still crying, carefully licked Lei Jin’s wound, his tears making the pain even sharper.
“Mingya, go find Xiya and Moya,” Lei Jin said. There was no way both of them could escape now. If one could get away, it would have to be Mingya. As for Berg, the beast’s slower speed meant he was probably still alive. Lei Jin didn’t want to owe his life to that annoying guy.
“Mingya won’t leave. Mingya will protect you,” Mingya said, nuzzling Lei Jin.
Lei Jin looked at the little guy’s small frame and sighed. He was about to try to convince Mingya to leave when he noticed something strange. Mingya’s eyes, usually a clear blue, had turned a deep, almost black, shade of blue.
“Mingya?” Lei Jin called, startled.
What happened next was something Lei Jin could never have imagined. Mingya leaped into the midst of the saber-toothed beasts. By the time Xiya and Moya arrived, most of the beasts were dead, and the largest one was barely standing, its body riddled with fatal wounds. Mingya, his once pristine white fur now drenched in blood, seemed to have lost himself in the frenzy of killing. Every beast he attacked was torn to shreds, barely recognizable.
“Mingya…” Lei Jin called, sensing something was wrong.
Mingya turned to look at Lei Jin, his deep blue eyes now tinged with red. His gaze was cold and unfamiliar, making Lei Jin instinctively take a step back.
But Mingya didn’t seem to care. He turned back to continue his slaughter.
Moya, supporting Berg, arrived shortly after. Xiya rushed to Lei Jin’s side. “Are you okay?”
“What’s wrong with Mingya?” Lei Jin asked, his attention still fixed on the suddenly ferocious Mingya.
But when Xiya touched Lei Jin’s shoulder, he felt the blood. “Moya, where’s the medicine? Lei Jin’s hurt!”
Moya, hearing this, set Berg down on a rock and ran over with the medicine pouch. The herb that could stop bleeding quickly had dried out, so Moya chewed it in his mouth and applied it to Lei Jin’s wound. Fortunately, the injury hadn’t reached the bone, and the bleeding soon stopped, though the pain was still intense.
“Mingya, Lei Jin’s hurt,” Moya called out abruptly.
The largest beast was already dead, but Mingya was still tearing at its corpse. Hearing Moya’s words, his small body paused, his big blue eyes filling with tears again. He wanted to go to Lei Jin but hesitated, his body covered in blood. He crouched obediently a short distance away.
After a quick wash, Xiya helped Lei Jin change clothes, while Moya took Mingya to clean off the blood. The stench was overwhelming.
“What exactly happened with Mingya?” Lei Jin asked, still shaken. The transformation had been too sudden, too extreme. Was it some kind of split personality? The thought startled him.
“Lei Jin, don’t be afraid of Mingya. He won’t hurt you,” Xiya said, carefully avoiding Lei Jin’s wound.
Lei Jin raised an eyebrow, urging him to continue.
“Do you know who the previous leader of our Leopard Tribe was?” Xiya suddenly changed the subject.
Lei Jin was about to interrupt, not caring about tribal politics, but Xiya continued.
“It was Dad, An Luo.”
An Luo? The quiet, reserved man who barely spoke to anyone except Roger? He didn’t seem like leader material. Not that leaders had to be talkative, but they needed some outstanding qualities to command respect. An Luo didn’t seem to have any.
“Dad An Luo was the tribe’s greatest warrior.”
Lei Jin’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“It’s true. If it weren’t for what happened with papa…”
“Roger?”
“Never mind. That’s a story for another time. Do you know what white fur means in our world?” Xiya asked, tying Lei Jin’s clothes.
“Either abandonment or becoming the strongest.”
“You mean Mingya…”
Xiya nodded. “Mingya’s power is immense. Dads, Moya, and I all know this. When Mingya’s life is in danger, this power emerges. Only papa refuses to believe it.”
“But this time…” Mingya could have run away. His life wasn’t in immediate danger.
“In his heart, you’re more important than his life,” Xiya said with a sigh, understanding what Lei Jin was thinking.
“Lei Jin, look, Mingya’s clean again,” Mingya said, shaking the water from his fur and happily running over. He carefully leaned against Lei Jin and, exhausted, quickly fell asleep.
“Do you remember the first time you met Mingya?” Xiya asked, smoothing Mingya’s fur.
Of course, Lei Jin remembered. They had been hiding from a wild boar in a tree. After eating its meat a few times, Lei Jin had learned its name.
“That wild boar might be small and timid, but Mingya’s white fur was probably what scared it off. You two had a relatively smooth journey because Mingya scared away many timid creatures,” Xiya explained. Of course, the braver ones had been quietly dealt with by him and Moya.
Lei Jin found this explanation plausible but felt he was missing something. For example, why did Xiya’s account sound like he had witnessed it firsthand? And what about the dream he had after eating the fruit Mingya brought back, where three men had touched him so intimately…
Lei Jin narrowed his eyes, studying Xiya.