CHAPTER 22: CHAPTER 22: SUSPICION

In the pitch-black corner, three strong males formed a circle, ruthlessly beating a male clad in white feather robes.

The leading male stomped twice, spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, and cursed viciously, "Pah! Damn trash, daring to resist after a few days without a beating! Today, let’s see if you can remember this lesson!"

"Hit him! Beat him into a crippled beast, let’s see how that wasteful female owner of his can still be arrogant!" He waved casually, and the other two males started hitting harder, punching at vital spots, causing the male to curl up his body, clutch his head in distress, and spit out large gouts of scarlet blood onto the ground.

Seeing how the male was just taking his beating passively, they became even more aggressive, grabbed the male by the collar, lifted him up, and smashed his mask with a heavy punch.

Sharp fragments pierced the male’s skin, making his entire face drip with blood.

Despite such severe injuries, the male didn’t utter a sound.

In the tribe, conflicts between males were commonplace and Wu Xuan didn’t pay much attention, quickening his steps to bypass it, fearing he might frighten the females.

However, when Wen Shu saw the male being lifted up, she froze completely.

That back... looked too familiar.

Recognizing the male, her heart trembled, and she subconsciously slowed her breathing, "Wu Xuan, don’t move yet."

Wu Xuan stopped at her words and followed her gaze to see that the bloodied male was the female’s beast husband, Nan.

Wasn’t this weak male Snowy Owl severely injured, incapable of even moving in the cave? How could he be here?

He suspiciously moved his lips, but the focused female raised her hand to stop him.

"Don’t speak."

Wen Shu lowered her brow, staring ahead with doubts in her heart. Before she fainted by the river, she had seen a hazy figure.

That male wore snowy robes, his tall figure gave her an abnormal sense of familiarity.

It wasn’t until she saw Nan now that she understood where that sense of familiarity came from. They were just too alike, almost as if they were one person if judged only by their shapes!

Perhaps they were, in fact, one person.

The so-called meekness and gentleness were merely disguises.

Wen Shu watched the scene of the males beating Nan. These few males had malicious intent, seemingly truly wishing to cripple someone.

If it was a disguise, it would eventually show flaws.

Her gaze didn’t waver, and her slightly cold voice quietly sounded, "Wu Xuan, be quiet, let’s wait here for a while."

Wu Xuan didn’t understand the female’s intention but didn’t have the mind to think about it either.

The female’s fingertip was almost touching his lips, separated by less than a finger’s distance. Even without direct contact, he felt as though he could sense that delicate soft touch on his lips...

His heart throbbed restlessly, causing dizziness. He couldn’t help but sniff, catching a faint warm scent, the fragrance on the female’s body probably?

He thought dazedly, focusing again on Wen Shu’s fingertip, an urge to... lick it arose, would the female slap him again for it, could he then get angry and press her directly under him...

Wu Xuan felt an intense thirst, his eyes growing increasingly obscure.

Beside him, Wen Shu was entirely unaware of Wu Xuan’s predatory gaze; Nan was already more exhaling than inhaling from the beating!

She furrowed her brow tightly, starting to lose her composure.

If Nan was innocent, what if she was wrong, was she to watch him die without helping?

She was a Healing Ability User, always healing and saving, never letting anyone die before her.

Unable to wait any longer, she grabbed Wu Xuan’s arm, lowly requesting, "Please help me with something..."

Another brutal kick, Nan’s leg resounded with a scalp-numbing snap, and he clenched his teeth, catching sight of a sandbag-sized male fist heading straight for his face!

He was forcefully knocked several meters away, sprawling on the ground, his mouth filled with dirt, tasting salty blood as he spat it out, finding mud mixed with blood and a tooth wrapped in it.

Damn it! He glanced indifferently at the corner to his right, the figures were still there, the female intimately nestled in the male’s arms, chatting excitedly.

Were they finding his beating that amusing?

Nan curled his lips indifferently, his eyes brimming with a vicious killer instinct; she was lucky this time, but next time, she wouldn’t die so easily!

Too bad his superpower was intermittent now, otherwise, she wouldn’t live through the night.

"That ugly sneer is unsettling!" The leading male looked disdainful, kicking toward his face, "That face is just right for that malicious female! I’ll kick it until it’s shattered, better suited to her taste!"

Nan raised a hand to protect his face, but the other two males stepped on his wrist harshly, another pressed down on his neck, pinning him to the ground.

"Why dodge?" The male slapped his face, bloodied his hand, wiped it disdainfully on the animal hide, "Today’s your luck for having such a fine female owner, who dared to offend my Belinda! If you can’t take this, go back and perish with your female!"

The male laughed maliciously, lifted his foot, and viciously kicked towards Nan’s eye!

Nan abruptly clenched his fists, his dark pupils shrinking to pinpoint-like dots.

Would he really be forced to such a point one day?

Perhaps from the beginning, he should have resigned to fate? Ultimately, the result was the same, subject to bullying.

In an instant, he seemed to return to his childhood, sudden betrayal, unavoidable beatings, and brutal fights, the scenes spinning and twisting in his mind... perhaps he should have accepted his fate long ago.

Self-destructive thoughts grew wild again, and suddenly, he deflated, slowly releasing his clenched hands, his body going limp, laying on the ground like a lamb awaiting slaughter, eyes tightly closed.

... Let it be.

Seeing him like this, the beasts laughed exaggeratedly, their deafening jeers like evil spirits devouring him.

"Stop!"

Yet at this moment, a clean, cold voice suddenly pierced through, breaking the shroud of hazy white fog in the corner.

The beasts, interrupted, turned back grumbling, "Who dares to meddle!"

"Ha, it’s you! So, what do you want, you..."

Before the male could finish, he was abruptly kicked in the mouth, followed by a bout of crackling fight sounds from the corner.

"Nan, are you okay?"

That voice had somehow arrived at his side.

It sounded somewhat familiar.

Nan’s turbulent emotions hadn’t settled.

Immersed in the grim memories, it took a while before he faintly realized that someone had come to rescue him...

In his mind, the boy covered in scars was stunned; had someone finally come to save him?

He thought the world had abandoned him, but was there actually someone willing to save him?

The boy, timid yet greedy, tremblingly reached out his emaciated arms...

Nan slowly opened his eyes, looking through the faint light in the night mist toward the source of that voice.

Then, he saw the female’s face.

Under the pitch-black night, the female sat on the ground, wrapped in a layer of dark animal hide, her cheeks extraordinarily pale in the darkness, like a white butterfly falling from the night sky.

Her clear, bright eyes looked at him, hiding honeyed concern within.

The surrounding noise vanished instantly, leaving only these eyes.

Nan became addicted, not immediately recognizing her.

Until Wen Shu spoke again, "Nan, are you okay?"