The only concern was that the little female still looked far too frail—she clearly needed to nourish herself better.
"Put me down," Yue Ling said with a teasing pat on Bai Ying's shoulder.
Only then did Bai Ying gently lower her to the ground, his movements careful, as if she were made of glass. Yue Ling gave him a grateful smile, then turned her attention to Lang You, who lay motionless on the stone bed. His eyes were tightly shut, and an unnatural flush burned across his face.
"If you hadn't come, Yue Ling, we wouldn't have dared touch Lang You at all," the old shaman said quietly.
Although he was the tribe's shaman, after witnessing Yue Ling's miraculous stitching technique earlier that day, he knew all too well how vast the gap between their abilities was. Remembering her stern instructions before she left, he hadn't dared intervene rashly. He feared that one wrong move might cost Lang You his life. If the wolf-man who had just been pulled back from death were to die by his hands instead, the authority he'd built over decades would crumble overnight.
Yue Ling hurried over and pressed her hand to Lang You's forehead.
"So hot…" she murmured, her heart sinking.
He's burning up—this isn't good.
She shot a look at Lang Zuo. "Get a basin of clean water. We need to wipe him down first. Elder Shaman, do you have any herbs that can bring down a high fever?"
The moment she finished speaking, Lang Zuo bolted out of the cave.
Yue Ling remembered System 999 mentioning that shamans in this world mainly treated common ailments—fevers, headaches, childbirth. That meant there had to be antipyretic herbs stored here… right?
The old shaman's expression stiffened, then darkened with embarrassment.
"They're… all gone. We haven't had time to gather more."
He sighed heavily. Age had stolen much of his former strength, and venturing deep into the mountains to forage had grown increasingly dangerous. Normally, younger beastmen gathered herbs for him, but with the cold season approaching, everyone had been busy stockpiling food. The herbs had been neglected.
Yue Ling's eyes widened.
You've got to be kidding me.
On the stone bed, Lang You burned like a boiled shrimp, his skin flushed red from head to toe. Physical cooling might help temporarily, but without medicine, the fever wouldn't break. System 999 wasn't some miracle shop that could hand out divine pills. If this dragged on, Lang You wouldn't just die—he might survive as a mindless shell.
"We go gather them. Now," Yue Ling said firmly.
"At this hour?" the old shaman glanced uneasily at the darkness outside the cave.
"Unless you want him to burn to death," Yue Ling replied bluntly. "I also need herbs to help his wounds heal properly. I'll look for everything at once."
She didn't want to spend the entire night awake, but a living, breathing life lay before her. She couldn't turn away. If Lang You died now, everything she'd done would be meaningless. Worse still, the tribe would never trust her again—and she'd never escape the fate of becoming a public mate.
"I'll go with you," Bai Ying said immediately.
The old shaman nodded. Nighttime in the mountains was dangerous, but with Bai Ying along, the risk dropped sharply. He coughed lightly and added, "Xiong Da, you go with them too."
The beastman called Xiong Da—the bear-man from earlier—stepped forward.
Hearing his name, Yue Ling couldn't help glancing at him twice.
Xiong Da… so is there a Xiong Er? A Guangtou Qiang? A Cuihua?
Sensing her gaze, Xiong Da's wheat-colored skin flushed faintly pink. He stiffened, suddenly unsure where to put his hands.
Bai Ying noticed immediately.
Seeing Yue Ling looking at another male stirred a flicker of irritation across his handsome face. He shot Xiong Da a sharp, warning glare, then stepped forward, deliberately blocking Yue Ling's line of sight. When he spoke, his voice softened again.
"The mountain paths are hard to walk at night. Your feet hurt—I'll carry you."
Yue Ling didn't argue this time. She nodded readily. The body she'd inherited might be native to this beast world, but her feet had shockingly low tolerance. After just a few steps, the pain became unbearable.
Once again, she found herself seated securely in Bai Ying's arms.
Her height lifted, her view of the ground shrinking beneath her, and she couldn't help feeling—oddly—taller, stronger, safer.
VIP transportation really does change your mindset, she thought.
[999, time to work. Scan for useful medicinal herbs when we get there.] Yue Ling called silently.
The system, which never needed sleep or food, responded instantly.
[Understood, Host. System 999 is at your service—fully operational.]
With the moon hanging high above and danger lurking in the forest shadows, the three figures moved swiftly into the night, racing against time to save a life.
Bai Ying carried Yue Ling at the very front, moving steadily through the night, while Xiong Da followed close behind. Watching the scene from the rear, Xiong Da couldn't help the surge of envy rising in his chest.
Before long, the three of them reached a stretch of dense forest. From Bai Ying's arms, Yue Ling scanned her surroundings from above. The moon was large, round, and brilliantly bright, yet it was still deep night. Even with the moonlight, the ground vegetation was hard to make out clearly. If she stayed perched in Bai Ying's arms, she could search until dawn and still fail to find the herbs they needed.
"Bai Ying, put me down," Yue Ling said softly, patting his shoulder, her voice gentle and coaxing.
Hearing that almost-pleading tone, Bai Ying felt a rush of warmth bloom in his chest. But when she said she wanted to get down, he shook his head, his sword-like brows drawing together.
"No. Your feet hurt."
"If I stay up here, I can't see the herbs clearly," Yue Ling insisted. She was genuinely anxious—if they delayed any longer, Lang You might burn himself senseless.
Seeing the worry in her eyes, Bai Ying finally relented. With a quiet sigh, he carefully set her down on the forest floor.
Lang You was his tribesman, yes—but in the beast world, injury and death were part of life. If a male died, it only meant he wasn't strong enough. Had Lang You truly perished this time, Bai Ying would have accepted it as fate.
But Yue Ling was different.
He glanced at her pale face, then turned to Xiong Da with a frown. "Go back and bring a piece of animal hide."
Xiong Da blinked in confusion, then followed Bai Ying's gaze to Yue Ling's exposed, fair skin, already dotted with goosebumps from the cold night air.
Without further delay, he shifted into his massive bear form and thundered back toward the tribe.
Yue Ling: "!!!"
She stared at the trampled patch of grass left in his wake, speechless.
"…Don't move," Bai Ying said.
He crouched down in front of her, gently lifting one of her feet. Using two broad leaves, he wrapped her delicate foot carefully, then secured them with a length of grass vine. He repeated the process with her other foot, his movements slow and attentive.
"This way it won't hurt as much," he said quietly. "When we get back, I'll make you a proper pair of animal-hide shoes."
In their tribe, females didn't wear shoes. But Bai Ying had seen them in beast cities before. With skin as soft and tender as Yue Ling's, walking barefoot on the forest floor must have been agony. The thought made his chest tighten, and his care for her deepened even further.
Yue Ling was genuinely surprised by his thoughtfulness. He noticed things others ignored—small, practical details that made all the difference. Her impression of him rose yet again.
"Bai Ying… you're really good to me."
After finishing with her feet, Bai Ying stood up. Hearing her soft, sincere voice filled him with a deep, quiet satisfaction—greater than the thrill of a successful hunt or the joy of advancing in rank.
"I'll be even better to you in the future," he said, unable to resist reaching out to gently ruffle her fluffy hair.
"Thank you," Yue Ling replied earnestly.
[Host, he's confessing to you.] System 999 said excitedly.
[Stop getting carried away and help me find the herbs.] Yue Ling replied inwardly, forcing herself to stay focused.
She pressed a hand lightly to her chest.
This doesn't count as a formal confession, she told herself—but her heart was already in disarray, especially with such a stunningly handsome face standing right in front of her.
System 999 merely chuckled and said nothing.
Yue Ling took a deep breath, steadied her emotions, and bent down to examine the thick undergrowth with renewed concentration.
[Host, over there—that's a fever-reducing herb.]
[And there—those help wounds heal.]
Guided by the system's calm instructions, Yue Ling moved swiftly through the moonlit forest, hope flickering once more in her eyes.