SGSHE73

When Jing Heguang felt the other tail tip brushed against him — brother Xing must definitely be falling for me!

However, he guessed that brother Xing’s tail wasn’t as sensitive as his own. Thus, AXing’s feelings likely weren’t as clearly defined as the emotions Jing Heguang was experiencing. Jing Heguang mused on this as he watched the look of helpless resignation on AXing’s face.

Still, the mere hint of a spark made Jing Heguang happy.

A little bit of liking, for all intents and purposes, that’s love!

Delighted by the thought, Jing Heguang’s own tail swished forward to wrap around the big cat’s tail.

With his tail suddenly enveloped by the cub’s fluffy one, AXing nearly recoiled and pulled it back.

AXing: …

This was the consequence of not making things clear, the cub had developed a habit of playing with tails.

However, having their tails entwined like that was too stimulating, AXing couldn’t pretend to be unaffected anymore.

He let the cub’s tail rub against his for a moment before pulling his own away. “Alright, time to make something to eat. Aren’t you hungry yet?”

Jing Heguang had spent the day stomping on beastmen, that’s hard physical labor.

“I am hungry. Let’s cook! Let me try roasting the meat today.” Jing Heguang was eager to give it a go.

They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. His own stomach had already been conquered by AXing’s cooking, so he needed to practice hard. He couldn’t let AXing do all the cooking alone!

AXing took out the meat he had marinated earlier, skewered it, and handed it to Jing Heguang to roast over the fire.

Meanwhile, he set about making a soup dish.

For beastmen, soup usually meant simply boiling leafy greens in water, it was considered good for the body. Thus, even though beastmen generally disliked eating leafy greens, they still made these soups.

AXing knew to add the greens later and turn off the heat early; otherwise, boiling them too long would ruin the taste. Therefore, before Jing Heguang had even finished roasting the meat, AXing had already prepared the soup.

The soup needed to be served in bowls. AXing took two bone bowls and filled them up.

Jing Heguang took one and sipped the soup while watching the meat sizzle and drip with fat.

However, after a couple of sips, he glanced at AXing and noticed that the bowl in the other man’s hands looked…strangely familiar.

Jing Heguang couldn’t help but take a few more looks. AXing, puzzled, reminded him, “AGuang, flip the meat.”

“Oh, right.” Jing Heguang turned the meat over, feeling a bit dazed.

But his mind was racing: That bowl brother Xing is drinking from, isn’t that the very same bowl I used to sleep in?!

The thought made him feel a strange sense of embarrassment, as if he were the one who had been licked clean.

After flipping the meat, Jing Heguang asked hesitantly, “Brother Xing, is that bowl you’re drinking from…the one that used to hold me?”

AXing, who had been wondering if the little cub was finally catching on after all those glances, thought: …No.

“It is the bowl that held you,” AXing said. “The other bone bowl at home cracked, so we’re down to just two. I need to get a couple more later.”

AXing suddenly gave Jing Heguang a playful wink and teased the little cub, “It still has your scent on it, you know.”

Perhaps because his beast form coloring leaned towards cooler tones, AXing didn’t have the bronzed skin typical of other beastmen. Instead, his skin was a cool, pale white.

He was highly sought after by many sub-beastmen not only because he was a formidable hunter, but also because his human form was incredibly handsome.

When AXing flashed that handsome face and blinked those clear, blue-black eyes, Jing Heguang felt his heart explode.

And what kind of bold, suggestive remark was that?!

What did he mean, ‘it still has your scent’???

It sounded as if he were eating him.

Jing Heguang blushed and said, with a touch of shamelessness, “Then you should have some more.” Realizing how shameless that sounded, he quickly added, “Eating plenty of greens is good for your health.”

After saying that, Jing Heguang began to seriously consider the idea of ​​confessing his feelings.

If he didn’t confess soon, with brother Xing going around casually flirting, he might just lose his cool. He might even lose his restraint and impulsively pin the man down!

The emotional foundation for a confession was already there. He liked brother Xing a lot, and brother Xing liked him a little, too. Averaging it out, it meant they really liked each other.

What did a confession require?

The word flowers popped into Jing Heguang’s mind, followed immediately by a specific type: pink china roses.

He even knew their flower language: first love.

Jing Heguang found this odd. He hadn’t been that attentive to detail in his modern life, nor had he ever dated, so how did he know such specifics about flower meanings? He really should only have known about standard roses.

As he pondered this, Jing Heguang thought back to when he first transmigrated into this world and the many questions he’d had.

He had wondered why he felt such a special connection to AXing. He had also wondered how he knew he was looking for someone, and that someone is his Xingxing.

These details must have stemmed from experiences already etched in his mind.

Jing Heguang boldly hypothesized: He and brother Xing must have loved each other in the past, they were a couple!

Some accident had brought them both here, causing them to forget one another.

But they were a match made in heaven, their hearts were naturally drawn to each other!

That explained why, even though Jing Heguang was inhabiting the original owner’s body, brother Xing could see his true worth. Brother Xing treated him completely differently from how he treated the terrible original owner, and he never held the original owner’s past actions against him.

Come to think of it, ever since Jing Heguang arrived, brother Xing had never once mentioned, or gotten angry about, any of the outrageous things the original owner had done. Instead, he had been devoted and meticulous in caring for him from the very beginning, treating him with nothing but kindness and gentleness.

The mere thought of the tenderness with which brother Xing used to rub his paws made Jing Heguang’s heart melt.

The confession, he had to confess! He needed to make it happen right away.

As he roasted the meat, Jing Heguang pondered the details of the confession.

As for flowers, if he could find them, he would use the pink roses from his memory. He was certain they held significance for both of them.

He also needed a token of commitment. In the beastman world, this usually meant the tooth of a hunted animal, that was a must. While modern customs called for a ring, a ring wasn’t practical here, so he planned to ask the shaman to craft a necklace instead.

Bonding rituals also required plenty of meat and fruit to share the joy with the entire tribe.

AXing watched as the little cub suddenly brightened up and began grinning foolishly to himself.

Once the meat was roasted, Jing Heguang handed a portion to brother Xing.

AXing took the meat and asked curiously, “What were you thinking about just now? You were smiling so happily.”

Jing Heguang smiled back at him, his tail wagging behind him. “You’ll find out later, brother Xing!”

AXing wasn’t satisfied with that answer.

The little cub had his own secrets now. And he’d been smiling so happily earlier, happier than when he was talking to him.

AXing looked at the meat the cub had roasted and took a hearty bite.

Jing Heguang asked solicitously, “Brother Xing, are you hungry? I’ll roast some more for you!”

***

The two of them ate their fill at the afternoon meal. The meat had come directly from the lion tribe, they didn’t know what kind of prey it was, but the fresh meat turned out quite tender when roasted.

With over a dozen new sub-beastmen joining the tribe and having received so many supplies from the lion tribe, they decided to hold a bonfire gathering that evening to welcome the new members.

Jing Heguang took a nap and finished his plan for the confession. By the time he was done, evening had arrived.

Jing Heguang and A-Xing arrived at the gathering spot and received grass wreaths from the shaman to wear on their heads.

Jing Heguang took the wreath, noticed a pink rose on it, and asked the shaman happily, “Shaman, what kind of flower is this? Where does it grow?”

The shaman smiled gently. “That’s a yueyue flower, a moon flower. It grows over in the Hot Valley. It blooms every month, which is why it’s called the yueyue flower.”

As he spoke, the shaman handed the wreath to Jing Heguang. “If you like it, AGuang, here’s one for you.”

Jing Heguang took the wreath and asked AXing, who was standing behind him, with a smile, “Brother Xing, shall I put this on you?”

AXing glanced at the wreath, the kind usually worn only by sub-beastmen, and said to his clumsy little cub with a resigned smile, “You can put it on me.”

Jing Heguang had a youthful delicate face, his eyes and the corners of his mouth seemed to hold a perpetual smile. However, he was tall enough that AXing didn’t need to lower his head, he simply placed the wreath directly onto AXing’s head.

After placing the wreath on AXing, the two of them walked further inside.

The shaman and the sub-beastmen behind them were smiling. Some of the sub-beastmen even had their eyes light up as they gazed at the two beastmen.

Huang Hua, a newcomer, knew that the beastmen receiving the wreath was a mutant from the tiger tribe. The one who had defeated the black lion must be that beastman with eyes like the starry sky!

That beastman was so formidable yet had such a good temper, Huang Hua was instantly smitten.

Meanwhile, two young sub-beastmen from their own tribe looked at Jing Heguang with eyes full of admiration.

“AGuang has really turned over a new leaf, he even knows how to go out hunting now!”

“Mm, and he’s so strong! He’s handsome, too. Even if he’s a bit lazy, it doesn’t matter, he could just wander out for a bit and bring back plenty of prey!”

Sub-beastmen favored stronger beasts, strength meant more prey and a longer life. After all, who wouldn’t want a partner to grow old with?

***

The two beastmen who had walked inside were unaware of what was going through the sub-beastmen minds.

Jing Heguang and AXing were happily tasting the roasted meat and trying various fruits.

A bonfire crackled in the center of the clearing, where some beastmen and sub-beastmen were dancing.

Just as they were half-full and Jing Heguang was about to pull AXing onto the dance floor, the Maltese tiger was called away by the patriarch.

Left on his own, Jing Heguang glanced at the dancers but decided to go back to eating and wait for him.

Seeing him alone, Huang Hua walked over. “You’re AGuang, right? I’m Huang Hua, the new sub-beastmen.”

The white tiger standing not far behind Huang Hua: …

Sub-beastmen really do prefer stronger beastmen, the white tiger sighed inwardly. Jing Heguang nodded. “I’m AGuang. What’s the matter?”

Knowing that this was the sub-beastman the white tiger was pursuing, Jing Heguang even smiled a little.

Seeing the young beastman smile, Huang Hua breathed a sigh of relief and asked, “I’m new to the tribe and there are some things I’m not clear on. Your brother Xing doesn’t have a sub-beastman mate yet, does he?”

Jing Heguang: ???

What did that mean? Was he interested in his brother Xing?

It would be one thing to be interested in his brother Xing, but to actually tell him to his face that they wanted to poach his brother away?!

Jing Heguang’s expression turned cold. “No, he doesn’t.”

Seeing the young beastman become unhappy the moment the topic of his brother finding a mate came up, Huang Hua became even more convinced that the rumors were true!

Earlier, some young sub-beastmen standing behind Huang Hua had mentioned that this young beastmen was lazy. If he was lazy, his older brother must have constantly looked after him.

In the tribe, when beastmen brothers found mates, they would move out to live with them. After all, sub-beastmen mates could be quite possessive. They generally wouldn’t tolerate a beastmen constantly providing for an adult brother, unless that brother was in poor health.

But this young beastman looked perfectly healthy. If his brother found a mate, the young beastman would surely lose out on a lot of benefits!

The tribe’s original members, both beastmen and sub-beastmen, had been considerate enough not to mention the lion tribe, fearing it would upset newcomers like Huang Hua. Therefore, Huang Hua was unaware that the Jing Heguang standing right in front of him was actually the tribe’s strongest warrior.

Huang Hua smiled and made a promise to the young beastmen: “AGuang, introduce me to your brother. If I end up with brother Xing, I’ll agree to let him keep taking care of you!”

Huang Hua presented this seemingly easy and tempting proposition: “You just need to put in a good word for me and sing my praises a bit!”

He added a bit of reasoning: “Brother Xing is bound to find a sub-beastman partner sooner or later, right? It might as well be someone who treats you well, don’t you agree?”

The more Jing Heguang heard, the darker his expression became.

Only when Huang Hua stopped speaking did Jing Heguang ask, “Are you done?”

Huang Hua nodded, feeling a bit puzzled. Why didn’t the young beastmen seem as happy as he’d expected?

Jing Heguang said, “Brother Xing is about to have a partner!”

It! Is! Me!

Upon hearing this news, Huang Hua finally understood why the young beastmen were unhappy.

So, the powerful maltese tiger had already found a partner. The young beastmen was going to lose out on the benefits he enjoyed, so naturally, he was upset.

Huang Hua felt deeply disappointed. “I guess there’s nothing left to say, then.” He turned to leave.

Huang Hua didn’t catch the underlying meaning, but the white tiger felt…like he had just realized something.

He was close with brother Xing and lived nearby, yet he had absolutely no idea which sub-beastman brother Xing was getting close to.

The white tiger thought to himself: The person brother Xing has been closest to lately is none other than AGuang.

Recalling the moment AGuang touched brother Xing’s tail, the white tiger became certain, the young beastmen had fallen for brother Xing!

As for brother Xing…he seemed to treat the young beastman very well, too, didn’t he?

The white tiger watched as Huang Hua walked away, looking dazed and distracted.

Although Huang Hua didn’t like AGuang, he had his eye on brother Xing, he still didn’t like him, the white tiger. So, the white tiger decided he wouldn’t like Huang Hua either.

***

The white tiger didn’t expect that, as he walked away, he would stumble upon another scene.

Beneath a large tree. A young sub-beastman was speaking with a flushed face, standing opposite the tall maltese tiger, AXing.

With a look of hopeful anticipation in his eyes, the young sub-beastman stammered, “B-brother Xing, has AGuang really become more diligent lately?”

He had actually liked the young beastman AGuang’s looks for a while, but AGuang used to be so lazy that he hadn’t dared to speak up.

Now that he knew AGuang had grown stronger, and heard he wasn’t as lazy anymore, he wanted to verify the rumors.

If…if it were true, he would go tell AGuang that he had his eye on him! The thought made him so shy that heat radiated from his face, and he lowered his head.

AXing looked at the young sub-beastman and sighed. “I made him roast some meat today, and he burned it to a crisp.”

Little guy, don’t go eyeing my man.

Startled, the young sub-beastman looked up, his eyes wide. “Burned to a crisp?!”

T/N: Poor little white tiger, always seeing thing he shouldn’t have (*ฅ́˘ฅ̀*) .｡.:*♡