Mu ger shook him off, trembling as he pointed at the leader. "You... You were so obsessed with your own ger that you couldn’t hear anyone else! Blinded by him, you let A-Yuan and Xiao Ruo follow you to rescue others, but why didn’t you save A-jin?! You share the blame for his suffering!"
Mu ger's emotions surged violently, his chest heaving. Suddenly, he clutched his stomach. Lai Yuan panicked, quickly supporting him, but he kept his hateful gaze locked on the leader as if he were his sworn enemy.
"Just you wait... When Brother Heng returns... He’ll definitely avenge A-jin! He could never bear to see A-jin suffer... He will... He will..."
As he spoke, his breath hitched, and he suddenly fainted.
"A-Mu!" Lai Yuan cried out in alarm. Xi ger hurried forward. "Let me check."
After examining him, Xi ger said urgently, "Bring him inside. The shock has disturbed the fetus."
"Mm..." Xiao Ruo supported Xi ger while Lai Yuan carried Mu ger back into the house.
"......" The crowd in the courtyard fell silent, Mu ger’s resentful words still echoing in their minds.
"Just you wait... When Brother Heng returns... He’ll definitely avenge A-jin!"
Indeed, everyone in the tribe knew just how inseparable Wang Jin and Yuan Heng were...
Now, while that man was away, his ger had been wronged, framed, and abandoned...
If he returned and found out... A collective shudder ran through the crowd.
They couldn’t even imagine how Yuan Heng would react toward the Danmu tribe...
Originally, both of them had contributed greatly to the tribe, they should have been its blessings.
Yuan Heng was someone who could survive alone in the wilderness. A man like that, living freely with his ger, would surely have a better life than staying with the tribe...
Their tribe had been fortunate to have them, yet...
Regret filled their hearts, and none of them dared to think of what was to come...
This time, the tribe had barely prepared any food. Who knew if they would even survive the beast horde...
When Wang Jin woke up, his head was resting on something warm and soft. He shifted slightly, squinting as he took in his surroundings.
He realized he was in a cave, the entrance blocked by a massive boulder, with only faint flecks of light seeping in from outside.
By that dim light, he saw that the warm, soft object beneath him was the white fox. Now, the fox was covered in blood, curled into a ball with its head resting on its front paws, looking battered and exhausted.
He froze, memories of before his faint flooding back.
He suddenly remembered, it was this fox that had saved him...
Struggling to sit up, the moment his head left the fox, the fox's eyes snapped open in alertness.
The fox’s pupils were silver, faintly shimmering as if flowing with light. Seeing it was Wang Jin who had woken, the wariness in its eyes eased slightly, and it lazily rested its head back on its paws, eyelids drooping as if conserving energy.
Seeing the fox ignore him, Wang Jin continued trying to rise. But the moment he moved, pain wracked his body as if his bones had shattered.
The last time he had felt such pain was when he first arrived in this world—before Yuan Heng had taken care of him...
Thinking of Yuan Heng, Wang Jin’s heart ached. He didn’t know if he had returned yet, or if he even knew he was missing...
Gritting his teeth, he leaned against the stone wall and checked his injuries.
His clothes barely covered the essentials, the rest torn to shreds. Two bloody puncture wounds marked his calf, and his shoulder bore deep teeth marks... Aside from that, there were bruises and scrapes everywhere.
His skin was mottled with blue and purple, a horrifying sight.
Every movement sent sharp pain through his bones— he couldn’t tell if any were broken.
"It hurts..." Even sitting still, the wounds burned fiercely. Wang Jin had the lowest tolerance for pain. Earlier, survival had pushed him past it, but now that he was safe, the agony was unbearable.
He whimpered, his face pale.
The white fox, which had been half-asleep, turned its head to look at him at the sound of his complaints.
The ger’s clothes were in tatters, barely covering him. His fair skin was covered in bruises, which would have looked gruesome on anyone else—yet on his delicate frame, they carried a strange, haunting beauty.
His face was pale, his lips a faint pink, his delicate features slightly twisted as he leaned against the stone wall, softly whimpering in pain. His voice was sticky and sweet, like a mewling kitten, cooing and acting spoiled one breath after another.
The white fox curled its lips, revealing sharp teeth, its pale silver eyes flashing with disdain.
This ger is just the same as before, nothing but a spoiled, coquettish brat who acts sweet to anyone in sight! Disgusting to even look at!
The fox shifted its body, moving to another spot and turning its head away, its back now facing Wang Jin.
The sudden movement startled Wang Jin, freezing him in place. But the fox simply settled down again in a different position.
Only when it moved did Wang Jin notice the fox was also badly injured—a pool of blood beneath its tucked front leg, and several bloody holes in its abdomen, likely bitten by a savage beast.
Wang Jin paused, glancing down at the medicine jar he had just pulled out.
This was a habit instilled in him by Yuan Heng. Since he was prone to injuries, Yuan Heng always carried a jar of medicinal paste on him and would, without fail, tuck one into the small pocket of Wang Jin’s outer robe every day. That way, whenever he put on his robe, the medicine would always be with him, ready whenever needed.
Who would have thought this little habit would now become his lifeline?
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