Chapter 24: Chapter 24: The Long Night

Night fell.

Chen Rong returned to the beast den from White Lake.

“Hm?” As he entered, he was startled to see Chang Xia’s bright, alert eyes. Surprised, he asked, “Chang Xia, why aren’t you asleep yet?”

There was a hint of concern in his gaze. Had she been working too hard these past few days?

Chang Xia waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t overthink it. Come here… sit.”

She patted the woven mat beside her, signaling for Chen Rong to sit down so she could check his health.

But Chen Rong misunderstood her gesture.

Immediately, a blush crept across his pale, handsome face, and his steady steps faltered and became awkward. He nervously pinched the bridge of his nose and said softly, “Chang Xia, now… isn’t the right time. Maybe we should wait a bit?”

“Wait for what?” Chang Xia was confused, staring at Chen Rong in puzzlement.

She really didn’t get what he was thinking. She just wanted to check his health—what was there to wait for? And since when did health checks have to be done at a specific time?

Suddenly, her gaze fell on Chen Rong, and realization dawned.

Ahem—

She cleared her throat, her cheeks flushing red.

“Chen Rong, what are you thinking? I just wanted to check your health, nothing else,” Chang Xia explained.

Both of them were still weak. Now was not the time for those kinds of thoughts.

Chen Rong froze, his handsome face full of embarrassment, and a faint sense of disappointment followed.

“Check my health?” Chen Rong asked in surprise. He walked over to the mat where Chang Xia was sitting and sat down cross-legged, imitating her posture. “Did you learn healing arts from the shaman?”

“I’ve been sick for so long, I learned to treat myself,” Chang Xia said calmly.

In the apocalypse, she was a famous healer. In this life, she’d been ill for over a decade. Of all the plants in the Twilight Forest, the ones she knew best were medicinal herbs. Just thinking about it made her feel a little bitter.

“I was weak since childhood, bedridden for years. I’ve drunk more medicine than I’ve eaten grilled meat.”

The more she spoke, the more pitiful she felt.

Sometimes, she even thought her body carried the scent of medicine.

Luckily, her tribe never disliked her for being a walking medicine jar.

“That’s really tough,” Chen Rong said with a gentle smile, reaching out to ruffle Chang Xia’s hair. “So, how do you want to check?”

Every shaman had their own way of diagnosing illness.

Chen Rong looked at Chang Xia, curious. She had been brought to the Heluo Tribe by the shaman, and in a way, she was like the shaman’s child. Maybe the shaman had taught her some healing arts.

So, Chen Rong didn’t mind letting Chang Xia check his health.

“Give me your hand,” Chang Xia said.

Chen Rong held out his hand to her.

Chang Xia placed her fingers on his pulse, and a trace of her wood-type ability silently flowed into his body. According to what she knew about the beast people, her wood-type ability would be considered a bloodline power among them.

Beastfolk who awakened their bloodline powers were called totem warriors.

The Heluo Tribe’s bloodline power was strength.

For the most part, beastfolk bloodline powers were all about strength.

Birdfolk are usually known for their speed, while Fishfolk excel at water manipulation. Of course, there are exceptions.

Wu is one such exception.

Wu’s abilities are quite similar to Chang Xia’s.

Among the Beastfolk, Wu’s powers are referred to as witchcraft.

Wu never explained the details to Chang Xia; she only had a general idea.

The Heluo Tribe is the most powerful Beastfolk tribe in the Twilight Forest, boasting hundreds of totem warriors. All these warriors have awakened their bloodline abilities, which greatly enhance their strength, allowing them to battle the fierce beasts of the forest barehanded.

Additionally, each totem warrior has a brown crystal inside their body.

This crystal is called a beast core, believed to be a gift from the Beast God.

“The beast core has turned gray!” Chang Xia exclaimed in shock, looking at Chen Rong in surprise. As a totem warrior herself, Chen Rong wasn’t surprised.

In the tribe, everyone Chang Xia had met—Nan Feng, Ya Dong—were all totem warriors.

Even the young Bai Qing, though not yet an adult, was already a totem warrior. Bai Qing’s early recognition as Wu’s successor was inseparable from his talent.

“You know witchcraft?” Chen Rong was astonished.

Could Chang Xia be a Wu?

But then, why didn’t the Heluo Tribe know about it?!

Chang Xia shook her head and explained, “This is my bloodline ability. It’s different from Wu’s powers.” She didn’t want to be mistaken for a Wu, nor did she want to live secluded in the Wu Hall. That’s why she never revealed this special ability in front of the tribe.

“This poison is really fierce. What kind is it?”

“Insect venom. A kind I’ve never encountered before—it’s corrosive.”

Whenever Chen Rong tried to use her bloodline ability, the insect venom would keep eating away at her body. Still, it was thanks to this poisoning that she was able to leave the Tianyuan Tribe.

Her male parent, Yuan Hou, was from the Tianyuan Tribe.

The Tianyuan Tribe is the strongest tribe in the Western Continent, and also one of the most warlike. Ambitious, they seek to unify the West.

In his youth, Yuan Hou traveled across the continent, eventually reaching the Eastern Continent and entering the Twilight Forest. There, he unexpectedly met Chen Rong’s female parent, Xing Ya. The two fell deeply in love and had Chen Rong.

Chen Rong was born with an atavistic trait, inheriting the Tianyuan Tribe’s most powerful bloodline—the Battle Wolf bloodline. Yuan Hou came from the noble Yuan family, where bloodlines are highly valued. He was overjoyed at Chen Rong’s birth and immediately decided to take Xing Ya and their child back to the Tianyuan Tribe.

Unfortunately, Xing Ya died from blood loss after giving birth to Chen Rong.

By the time Yuan Hou recovered from the excitement of Chen Rong’s birth, Xing Ya had already passed away.

Grieving, Yuan Hou bid farewell to Xing Ya’s Beastfolk tribe and left the Twilight Forest with Chen Rong. That’s why Chen Rong says she’s from the Twilight Forest—this is her homeland. Compared to the warlike West, she prefers the peaceful East.

“It’s very aggressive!” Chang Xia said seriously.

After speaking, she looked at Chen Rong curiously and asked, “How did you get poisoned?”

Chang Xia had a vague feeling this insect venom was not simple.

But she wasn’t a Wu and didn’t know much about poisons, so she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what felt off.

Maybe, they’d have to wait for Wu to come.

Let Wu check again, confirm the cause, and prescribe the right treatment.

“I was set up by a schemer,” Chen Rong said with a bitter smile, her expression full of complexity and loneliness. In noble families, there’s never a shortage of intrigue.

Being able to leave the Yuan family and the Tianyuan Tribe—

For Chen Rong, it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

It’s just a pity she couldn’t see her old friends anymore. The Western and Eastern Continents are separated by a vast sea—most people can’t cross it in a lifetime.

Seeing that Chen Rong didn’t want to talk more, Chang Xia didn’t press further.

After all, in the apocalypse, there was nothing and no one she hadn’t seen before.

“I’ll use my bloodline ability to help ease your pain. For a real cure, let’s wait until Wu checks you out,” Chang Xia said cautiously.

Chen Rong nodded quietly. Soon, her beast core felt a warm power.

Her body, cold from the poison, gradually warmed up, as if she were soaking in hot water—comfortable and soothing.

“This power is really special,” Chen Rong marveled.

Chang Xia was pleased by the praise and said softly, “I only survived to adulthood thanks to my bloodline’s power nourishing my body—and, of course, Wu’s precious medicines. The Beastfolk’s Wu are truly powerful.”

Even though Chang Xia had been a top-tier healer in her previous life,

She still considered Wu the strongest.

Of course, that was also because she didn’t know much about the plants and animals of the Twilight Forest yet.