CHAPTER 227: CHAPTER 218 REGRET OF DELUSION_1

From atop a tree in White Eagle City, a white eagle with long, snowy feathers emerged from Si Yan’s tree hollow.

He gazed at the sky, his brows knitted in concern, but his square pupils no longer shifted.

A small Golden Dragon materialized on his head.

The little Golden Dragon had been gravely injured—its body completely destroyed, resembling nothing more than a gecko.

The gecko perched on Bai Feng’s head, mumbling to himself like an outsider, "It seems that Si Yan, She Wang, Bai Feng, Ming Yan, Tai Seng, and Yin Hong have all lost their memories."

The Legacy World was fair. Although Bai Feng had initially found a loophole, once the main event began, his conditions became exactly the same as everyone else’s.

The gecko scratched his chin. "Actually, if this silly bird hadn’t meddled, Si Yan wouldn’t have resisted She Wang like this. If Si Yan hadn’t resisted him, the earthquake would have, at most, led her to inadvertently save him. Once the catastrophe passed, she would have let him leave. It’s not like now, where they’ve directly established a guardian relationship."

Leisurely, the gecko continued, "Bai Feng has regrets, and so do the other males, each with their own."

"Ming Yan regrets the death of his father beast and his mother’s descent into paranoia, losing the beautiful family he once had. Hence, the Ming Yan here has loving parents in a harmonious relationship—he is cherished and blissfully happy."

"Tai Seng regrets that his father beast didn’t return to his maternal tribe but was instead bullied to death by his own mother. Therefore, the Tai Seng here grew up among the Silver Wolf tribe with his father and brothers. Owing to his talents, he became the Young Master of the Silver Wolf tribe."

"As for She Wang... it seems he doesn’t regret his mother abandoning him."

The little gecko was somewhat puzzled. "His past hasn’t changed at all. What is his regret?"

"And what, I wonder, is my dear grandchild, little Si Yan’s regret?"

The earthquake truly came!

The earth shook and mountains swayed; countless White Eagle Beastmen flung themselves into the sky.

Some clutched their young; others seized their possessions as they circled overhead, avoiding disaster.

The little cold-blooded snake Beastman wrapped his arms around Si Yan and, after a few quick steps, ran to an open area.

Sweat trickled down his forehead, and his brows furrowed ever so slightly.

Si Yan asked, "Wang, does your wound hurt?"

The little cold-blooded snake Beastman glanced at the little female and said, "Not only does my wound hurt, but I’m also very hungry. Do you have anything to eat?"

Si Yan felt around on her person and found a small piece of meat she had intended to feed a cat.

She said, "This piece of meat is damp."

The little snake Beastman didn’t care whether it was damp or not and stuffed the meat into his mouth.

But after a couple of bites, he paused and looked at Si Yan.

This female had been keeping the meat so close to her body.

The meat even carried her body’s scent.

After the snake Beastman swallowed the meat, his stomach finally stopped rumbling.

He picked a large leaf off the ground and held it aloft, shielding both himself and Si Yan.

Si Yan looked up at the large leaf and asked, "What are we doing?"

The snake Beastman explained to Si Yan, "During an earthquake, open spaces are the safest."

Si Yan inquired, "How do you know?"

The snake Beastman looked around and said, "I just feel that, when an earthquake hits, the likelihood of standing directly on a ground fissure is very small. However, fissures can cause trees to break, buildings to collapse, and rocks to fall. The danger from falling trees and rockslides is much more severe than from the fissures themselves. Therefore, I believe that open spaces are the safest."

Si Yan nodded in agreement. "I think you’re right. So, do we just stand here and wait for the earthquake to end? But it’s raining heavily, and it’s a bit cold. This rain is supposed to last for three days and nights; we two young ones probably can’t stand out here that long. We’ll freeze stiff."

Si Yan had stumbled and fallen twice while searching for him, slightly injuring her leg.

The snake Beastman examined the wound on her leg. He found a nearby herb, chewed it for a moment, then found a vine. Tearing a strip from his own beast-skin skirt, he wrapped the chewed herb in it and carefully bandaged her wound with the vine.

"I’m a cold-blooded Beastman; I can’t help you get warm. You’ll have to think of a way yourself."

Si Yan looked down as the snake Beastman stood up after treating her wound. For some reason, a strange feeling welled up in her heart.

It was as if he and the terrifying Beastman she remembered from before her rebirth were not the same person at all. How could a Beastman so considerate, one who noticed her injuries, possibly be the same cold-hearted individual who had buried a female alive merely because she admired him?

"What are you thinking about?" the little snake Beastman looked down at her.

Si Yan quickly turned her head away, as if afraid he had somehow overheard her thinking ill of him.

She rubbed her arms and said, "Nothing, it’s just a bit cold."

The ground trembled. Si Yan swayed and took two steps back, instinctively leaning against the little snake Beastman.

The little snake Beastman sensed her fear and remained still.

As Si Yan leaned against him, a sense of security settled in her heart, and she too became still.

"It’s not because I’m scared," she said. "I’m just... worried you might not be steady on your feet."

The little snake Beastman uttered an, "Oh." He looked up at the sky.

"What are you looking at now?" Si Yan asked.

The little snake Beastman said, "Si Yan, I have some bad news."

"I don’t want to hear any bad news at all!"

The little snake Beastman pursed his lips.

Si Yan tugged at him. "What bad news? Hurry up and tell me!"

The little snake Beastman said, "This earthquake will likely last the entire day."

Si Yan felt a chill run from head to toe.

Seeing Si Yan frozen and shivering, the little snake Beastman turned to face her. With one hand, he held the large leaf aloft, and with the other, he touched her slightly chubby arm.

"What are you doing?"

Before Si Yan could back away, the little snake Beastman began to rub her arms with his small hands.

"I’ve seen other Beastmen warm people up this way," the little snake Beastman said.

Si Yan was speechless.

She stood still, lifted her head to look at the little snake Beastman, and asked, "What about you? Has anyone ever rubbed you like this to keep warm?"

The little snake Beastman said, "I’m a cold-blooded Beastman. I only feel external heat; I’ve never experienced true warmth."

After rubbing for a while, the little snake Beastman asked her, "Feeling any better?"

Si Yan nodded.

He glanced around. "Stay here and don’t move. I’ll go find some food."

"Wang!"

The snake Beastman suddenly stopped and turned his head to look at her.

The little snake Beastman said, "Actually, I don’t like my name. It was given to me by someone I despise."

The Jackal Beastman who had abducted him had brought him into the Beastman world and given him this name he loathed.

"Later, I asked around and learned that ’Wang’ means absurd and arrogant. And... it’s a homonym for ’forget.’ It holds no positive meaning whatsoever."

Si Yan said, "...I’m sorry." She didn’t know how to comfort him.

Si Yan didn’t understand why he was suddenly telling her this.

"It has nothing to do with you."

The little snake Beastman turned, his small, thin hand grasping hers.

"Forget it. You’d be scared if I left you alone. Come with me."

Witnessing this, the gecko hiding in the rain suddenly slapped his thigh.

"Aha! I understand now!" he exclaimed. "That serpent’s regret isn’t his mother or his miserable childhood—it’s the past!"

"He wants to be a part of Si Yan’s past!"

He had unconsciously formed a pair bond with her and was unaware even when they had offspring. Si Yan’s relationship with him had begun as a calculated, purposeful pursuit on her part. These were his regrets.