Chapter 35: Chapter 35: The Approachable Shen Rong

Noon.

Gen and Muqin stayed at Changxia’s house for lunch before leaving.

“Shen Rong, are you sure you don’t need our help?” Changxia lifted her chin, standing in front of Shen Rong as she asked.

Shen Rong shook his head lightly and gestured toward Nuanchun, who was lying in the distance, basking in the sun.

“Look at Nuanchun—do you think she’s in any condition to help build the kiln?”

He reached out to gently tuck a stray lock of hair behind Changxia’s ear, and said frankly that having her look after Nuanchun was the best way to repay the kindness Shan Kun and Nuanchun had shown her.

“Changxia, I’d like you to help me take care of Nuanchun. As for building the kiln, we’ve got it covered,” Shan Kun chimed in. He understood what Changxia was thinking—the youngest in the tribe, the little sister they’d always looked after, had grown up.

She wanted to repay them, not just take advantage.

But the truth was, they’d always been happy to take care of her.

When the shaman brought her to the Heluo tribe, Shan Kun and the others were still young themselves—rough-and-tumble, mischievous kids who turned the tribe upside down every day.

But then the shaman brought Changxia.

She caught cold, had fevers.

She was a beast cub on the brink of death.

So tiny—just a bit bigger than their palms.

Just looking at her made your heart ache.

But that wasn’t the worst of it.

The real trouble was that Changxia was born frail, inheriting none of the beast race’s robust constitution.

Forget mischief—she could barely walk or talk.

Even with the shaman and the tribe’s careful care, it wasn’t until she was five that she could stand and walk a little, speak, and transform into human form. At ten, she finally managed to leave the den on her own and see the outside world for the first time.

But even then, she could only walk around near the den.

Back then, the other beast cubs in the tribe didn’t dare go near Changxia, afraid they’d accidentally hurt her. Even talking to her was difficult.

Meeting Shan Kun’s gentle gaze, Changxia felt a little moved.

“Shan Kun, don’t worry, I’ll take good care of Nuanchun. You all go work on the kiln, and I’ll stay here with Nan Feng to experiment with fruit starch. Who knows—maybe tonight we’ll get to eat some delicious rice noodles.”

Changxia didn’t insist on helping with the kiln anymore. She chose to stay at the den to look after Nuanchun and figure out how to turn fruit starch into rice noodles.

“Alright, I’ll leave it to you,” Shan Kun said with a silly grin, clearly pleased.

Nuanchun’s condition was getting stranger by the day. Luckily, she’d been helping out at Changxia’s place lately and didn’t need to go out hunting or foraging. Otherwise, Shan Kun really wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving her alone at the den.

With that settled, Yadong said, “Later, Kongshan will come over. Changxia, you really don’t have to worry about not having enough people for the kiln. If today’s hunt ends early, besides Kongshan, there might be others from the tribe coming to help too.”

Recently, White Lake had been as peaceful and quiet as ever.

But that didn’t mean the tribe wasn’t interested in the cave dwellings.

Every day, when people returned to the tribe from here, they’d get stopped and asked about the progress. Even though no one had openly said they wanted to build a cave dwelling, if they truly didn’t care, why would they ask Yadong and Shan Kun about it every day?

“So I really don’t need to go?” Nan Feng asked hesitantly.

She looked at Changxia, uncertainty on her face.

Changxia didn’t beat around the bush and said directly, “That’s right, you don’t need to go either. Stay at the den with me to work on the fruit starch, and help look after Nuanchun.”

While they were chatting, Nuanchun had already fallen asleep in her wooden chair.

That’s right—she’d just dozed off, without any warning.

Every day, some tribe members went to Mount Kana, and the shaman hadn’t returned from the bird tribe yet. No one could figure out what was going on with Nuanchun, so they could only keep a closer eye on her for now.

“Changxia, do your best. Kongshan has been wanting to try your fruit starch pancakes for ages. If you manage to make rice noodles, I bet he’ll be even happier,” Yadong said excitedly.

Nan Feng rolled her eyes and said, “Whether Kongshan’s happy or not, I don’t know. But you’ll definitely be happy.”

This guy could really eat—Nan Feng could never beat him to the food.

She was all alone.

Unlike Changxia and Nuanchun, who had partners, whenever she was up against Yadong, Nan Feng always lost out.

Once again, Nan Feng and Yadong started bickering.

Off to the side, Shen Rong pointed to the wooden bucket by the den’s entrance and said gently, “Changxia, that bucket of rice noodles at the door is freshly ground. I moved it out for you so you wouldn’t have to lug the clay jar. There are a few wild chickens and other game tied up in the grass shed behind the den. If I’m back late tonight, go ahead and eat first…”

Shen Rong had done all this quietly while Changxia wasn’t paying attention.

He couldn’t bear to see her overwork herself.

With Changxia helping him recuperate, even though he still couldn’t use his bloodline power to fight, the old injuries in his body were gradually healing—he was just one step away from being fully detoxified.

Changxia’s expression shifted, her eyes growing misty.

“Shen Rong, when did you go hunting?” she asked softly.

The fruit starch was easy to explain—he’d been grinding it while they chatted earlier. But the wild chickens? Changxia really hadn’t noticed at all.

She’d been so busy finishing up the cave dwellings lately that she barely thought about food.

Most days, she just ate whatever was at the den.

Except when Nan Feng and the others visited and she made something special, when it was just her and Shen Rong, they’d just throw together some roast meat and soup for a meal.

“When I was checking the fish traps,” Shen Rong replied with a smile.

As he spoke, he gently squeezed Changxia’s small hand resting on his. He was thinking he should find a chance to wander around White Lake.

Shen Rong knew there were certain animals whose fat, when specially processed, could be made into a skin balm. This balm, called “herb cream,” was a luxury used by nobles in the Western Lands—expensive and hard to come by.

As a direct descendant of the Yuan family, Shen Rong had naturally enjoyed such things before.

Besides moisturizing, it also had effects like scar removal and wrinkle reduction.

“Tonight, I’ll make beggar’s chicken,” Changxia said, squeezing Shen Rong’s big hand in return. She whispered, “Both drumsticks are for you.”

“Mm! Great,” Shen Rong replied, his smile dazzling.

Changxia was utterly smitten.

Come to think of it, Shen Rong had only recently discovered this: Changxia seemed to really like his face, especially when he smiled. She couldn’t help but look infatuated.

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Chang Xia thought she was hiding her feelings well.

Little did she know, this scene had already fallen into Shen Rong’s eyes.

In the past, many people had looked at him with that same expression, and Shen Rong had only ever felt disgust and annoyance. After his accident, the Yuan family had tried to arrange a marriage for him.

When he found out, Shen Rong was utterly repulsed.

But Chang Xia’s gaze didn’t make him feel that way.

On the contrary, it brought him a faint sense of joy and happiness.

Chang Xia’s eyes were pure and clear. Even when tinged with infatuation, there was never any greed in them.

“Hey! Chang Xia, what are you two whispering about over there?” Nan Feng called out.

Shan Kun was carrying Nuan Chun into the beast den to rest, getting ready to leave. Seeing Chang Xia and Shen Rong sticking so close together, Nan Feng couldn’t help but interrupt.

Damn—

When had Chang Xia ever acted so clingy with anyone before?!

The cub she’d helped raise was starting to change.

Now, Nan Feng finally understood the frustration and stifled feeling Gen had experienced recently.

Sensing Chang Xia’s embarrassment, Shen Rong turned and gave Nan Feng a gentle smile. He hadn’t said anything, yet Nan Feng inexplicably shivered.

It was nowhere near the cold season, so why did she suddenly feel a chill?

Did she catch a cold bathing in the White River last night? But that didn’t make sense!

Except during the cold season, she’d always bathed in the White River and never caught a chill. Ya Dong shrank into a corner, avoiding Shen Rong’s refined, courteous smile.

That foolish female Nan Feng!

She didn’t even realize she’d caught Shen Rong’s attention—she was doomed!