Chapter 126 A Long-Premeditated Scheme – How Could It Be So Good?
The astringent, grassy scent in the air, mixed with the dampness of sweat, grew stronger and stronger.
The wolf cub stood stiffly, staring silently at the crack in the rock at its feet.
The rough vines dug into his palm, sticky and itchy, as if urging him to loosen his grip, but he unconsciously clenched them tighter, as if he were holding a murder weapon he dared not let anyone discover.
The empty cave was filled with soft rustling sounds, interspersed with a few light humming words. Everything slowed down, and even the crimson firelight seemed to be imbued with a sense of leisure and tranquility.
Qi Tang leaned against the cave wall, a large clump of vines piled up behind her waist, engrossed in weaving a fishing net.
She lowered her head, every inch of her flesh relaxed, completely defenseless, her back to the wolf cub.
Completely unaware of how heavy the person behind them was breathing.
His neck and back were straighter than a wooden stake, as if locked by invisible shackles, and the muscles in his throat were unconsciously contracting.
—It's very noisy.
A buzzing sound filled her ears: the crackling of firewood, the cacophony of rain outside the cave, the groans behind her, the rustling of weaving, even the sound of stones rolling at her feet as she swayed slightly—all these assaulted her eardrums, amplified, amplified still.
His heart pounded anxiously.
Seemingly unable to bear it any longer, his chest heaved a few times, and he raised his arm, which felt strangely heavy, and placed the object in his palm on the back of the fawn like a tossed pebble.
Almost instantly, the chaotic noise around me receded like a receding tide, giving way to an almost eerie silence.
He suddenly turned around and unconsciously pinched his arm.
The cave was completely silent, save for the dull, rapid thumping sound, as if coated with a sticky, viscous liquid, pounding against the chest under immense pressure.
He could lie still in the wilderness for days and nights, but now, in just a few breaths, the anxiety in his heart felt as if it were about to burst through his ribs.
The urge to bite his arm suddenly surged up, and he gripped the pebbles beside him, scraping them roughly and abruptly with his fingertips.
With a 'sizzle' sound—
He followed Yu Guang behind him.
The sound of fingernails scratching was sharp and piercing, and it stirred up a series of tiny goosebumps as it slid across the ear canal.
Qi Tang turned around alertly, then crawled two steps on her knees. The ground was covered with pebbles and vines, and her knees ached a little when she rolled over them, but she didn't care. She grabbed A Leng's drooping hand.
The traces of powder remaining on the smoothed-out part of the index fingertip—what else could that be but evidence?
Qi Tang glared at him, squeezing the wolf cub's palms roughly while pretending to be fierce, and said, "Don't scratch him like that!"
Before she could finish speaking, she couldn't help but pinch his cheek again, drawing out the threatening tone, "Did you hear that?"
He didn't answer, suppressing an indescribable feeling of suffocation, staring at the ring on the edge of her skirt, its leaves crushed and the vines twisted, before suddenly turning away.
His breathing was broken into segments. He pursed his lips and was about to pick up the stone when his hand was lightly slapped.
A sweet yet somewhat irritating voice kept whispering in his ear, and the wolf cub suddenly withdrew his hand, becoming sullen and no longer moving.
Qi Tang was getting thirsty from talking, but the usually well-behaved wolf cub turned its back and refused to turn around.
She was starting to wonder if she was dreaming all afternoon.
Was I too fierce just now?
Or did we do something wrong?
Could it be that she's hungry again?
......
Just as I was lost in thought, a weight suddenly came down on my lap.
Looking down, he saw that the wolf cub had turned around at some point and was expressionlessly withdrawing its hand.
Qi Tang paused for a moment, then subconsciously looked down at her knees.
The grayish gauze skirt was piled up like flower buds, and the folds above the knees were covered with mud. But now it was adorned with small patches of tender green. The delicate leaves were curled up, and the vines were roughly woven. It was obviously a child's toy and could hardly be called exquisite.
The words that were originally on the tip of my tongue have taken a turn and disappeared, like a butterfly gently landing on something soft. After a moment of stunned silence, my heart carefully sinks in.
Qi Tang was caught off guard and hesitated for a moment before gently taking the small vine ring.
It feels slightly prickly to the touch, and through the uneven gaps between the vines and leaves, it's as if you can glimpse how the wolf cubs clumsily weave intricate circles.
Perhaps it was preconceived notions, or perhaps she had been bitten by him too many times, but she never imagined that a wary and highly aggressive wolf could have such a straightforward and pure moment.
She couldn't help but look at him, only to see the wolf cub's fluttering eyelashes, the shimmering green inside completely concealed, leaving only a hint of awkwardness after trying hard to hide it.
Qi Tang gripped the vine ring in her hand tightly, feeling as if a crack had been pried open in her chest, and warm water flowed in, enveloping her heart from all sides.
—Really.
According to the size of the rattan ring, it slid quickly between her fingers. The size was just right, suitable for proper storage. Qitang rubbed it a few times with delight.
Ah Leng paused, as if something had suddenly blocked her throat. She unconsciously pursed her lips and looked up and down.
Overwhelmed by a surge of satisfaction and joy, Qi Tang was completely oblivious to his sullenness. She cupped the wolf cub's lowered face in her hands, nuzzling and hugging it tightly, feeling as if the cutest little wolf in the world was in her arms.
It wasn't a waste of money!
The easily satisfied sword spirit couldn't help but press her cheek against his soft flesh, saying sweetly, "How can you be so good!"
"Ah Leng is the best girl!"
......
Perhaps it was because he had eaten too many pastries on a regular basis, but he started showering the wolf cub with sweet words and compliments, kissing and rubbing him until his blood vessels were burning from the irritation he had been experiencing.
Without needing to understand any words, the wolf boy's ears were already red enough to bleed.
This intimacy is different from the fur under the mother wolf's belly when she was a cub, the pieces of meat she carried to the cave, and the calls in times of danger, which are more intense than a burning campfire, burning his chest full of spikes as if no one else is around.
The attacking spikes were scalded and curled up, revealing the withered and shriveled heart inside.
For the first time in my life, without the presence of blood or raw flesh, an indescribable sense of shame mixed with unfamiliar emotions made my heart pound faster and faster.
......
The feeling of being seen and responded to was so wonderful that Qi Tang was happy all night long. She only drifted off to sleep when the rain outside the cave gradually stopped.
The flickering firelight faded and the breathing behind him gradually subsided.
Ah Leng's ear tip twitched slightly, and it took her a while to stand up.
The toes touched the ground first, like a falling leaf brushing the ground, making almost no sound.
On the cave wall illuminated by the campfire, a thin shadow swayed as it moved forward, only to freeze in place once it reached the other end.
The rustling sound of wolf skin rubbing against each other gently brushed against her ears. Qi Tang subconsciously frowned in her sleep, about to turn over, when suddenly a slight, tingling itch rose between her fingers.
She groggily opened her eyes a crack and saw only a small, blurry figure swaying about. After a moment, she laboriously lowered her head.
All I could see was a sea of green.
Next to the finger joint already wearing the rattan ring, another identical rattan ring appeared, fitting perfectly under the second phalanx, silently and completely embracing the glaring scar.
Qi Tang, still half-asleep, didn't understand what he meant and thought it was just a sudden whim in the middle of the night.
Little did they know it was a long-planned scheme.
After the little incident, Qitang quickly fell into a deep sleep.
To my surprise, I was shocked when I woke up the next day.
—Upon raising his eyes, he was met with a pair of cold, blue eyes. A wolf cub, draped in a wolf skin, stood silently before him.
If that were all, there would be no reason to be frightened.
But... overnight, he grew much taller, like a willow branch sprouting new shoots, and his eyebrows and eyes also matured, making him look about the size of an ordinary seven or eight-year-old child.
This is really abnormal.
Qi Tang swallowed subconsciously, then suddenly sat up, looked down and touched her neck. It was smooth to the touch, with no trace of scars.
Is this... a dream that lasts two or three years?
She didn't ask a question, but suppressed her shock and stared at the wolf cub with some curiosity for several moments.
A strange feeling of raising a child inexplicably arose in my heart.
How did you grow so much taller all of a sudden? Could it be that in just a few days you'll be taller than her?
When A Leng saw that she was awake, she turned around and left without looking back.
Unfortunately, the footsteps behind him did not sound for a long time. His nostrils flared, and his eyes glanced back subtly.
The pebbles at his feet were kicked aside lightly, seemingly unintentionally.
With a 'click' sound.
Qi Tang snapped back to reality, stood up abruptly, and hurriedly asked, "Where did A Leng go?"
She rubbed her eyes, not expecting a reply, bent down to pick up the fishing net she had been weaving for a while, and curiously followed after them.
.
After the sudden rain, the air was filled with the moist scent of earth and the fragrance of grass and trees.
The bushes were still wet. Qi Tang watched as he skillfully crawled in. His bare skin was tightly wrapped by the rough, prickly branches and leaves. Tiny flying insects clung to his soft nape and ankles, stinging slightly with each bite. But he seemed used to it, not even blinking, and his muscles relaxed.
Knowing that he was going to hunt, Qi Tang tightened the fishing net in her arms, rubbed his head, and raised the fishing net in her hand to signal him.
He lightly rested his head on his knees, looked away, and showed no reaction.
The food stored in the cave had been used up. In order not to let the wolf cubs go hungry, Qitang did not linger any longer. After casting a net by the river, she ran into the deep mountains.
She remembered seeing sage somewhere before, and wished she had picked some back then.
Ah Leng quickly looked away and continued to stare at the path by the lake.
The bush had many irregular cuts, and he found dug-up soil and fallen leaves in several places, with hoof prints split in two with sharp tips, indicating they were from a roe deer.
The roe deer is one of the few prey that can be hunted alone, and there was no fishy smell on the nearby trees and rocks, so it is very likely that it is a female roe deer.
Lacking tusks and even more delicate than a deer, it is more suitable as a granary.
Deer prefer to eat lichens and mushrooms, and the early morning after rain is the best time to ambush them.
Even with these thoughts in mind, the wolf cub found himself inexplicably irritable and agitated, his patience in waiting for his prey seemed to have slipped away, and he was inexplicably anxious.
His chest heaved a few times, then he suddenly lowered his head, his sharp teeth piercing down, and bit his own arm, desperately sucking the blood from the flesh.
The fishy, sweet taste spread wildly in my mouth, and the flesh was instantly bitten and turned white.
But he finally found peace of mind in the throbbing in his chest.
Deep within the shadowy foliage, only the eerie sound of swallowing and a growing, ever-brightening green light could be heard.
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Author's note: pps Smilax china is mint
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