novelraw Chapter 320: Insensitive enough
Chapter 320: Insensitive enough
Chapter 320 Completely Dull
Ling Chengen was a little startled by his hot tears, and gently stroked his cheek to comfort him.
Bai Qingyu closed her eyes, took a deep breath, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, turned to look around, and asked, "Where is he?"
"They went to the sea."
"We're going back inland, so I asked him to catch some seafood to eat on the way back."
Bai Qingyu reached out and let her hair fall loose, covering the mottled hickeys on her neck. He tilted his head and sniffed the back of her neck, then asked in a low voice, "Have you passed the breeding season?"
"Hmm." Ling Chengen took his left hand, looked into his eyes, and thought about how to explain.
Bai Qingyu lowered his head and gently kissed her, then looked down and said, "No need to explain."
He no longer needs to explain.
In life-or-death situations, who you spend your breeding season with becomes less important.
The ice sheet quickly reached the shore. After the huge ice sheet washed ashore, it slowly melted under the scorching sun. After Bai Qingyu helped break the ice that was frozen to the foot of the bed, Ling Chengen put it back into his space.
Ling Chengen sat on the beach, watching Bai Qingyu re-treat her wounds, and tilted her head, asking, "What's the situation in Beast City now?"
Bai Qingyu stared intently at the wound on her arm, feeling that it was showing signs of worsening. He disinfected the wound with a cotton ball soaked in alcohol, frowning as he said, "With Yu Heng in Beast City, there's nothing to worry about. What you should be worried about now is your arm. Although the wound doesn't look deep or big, it's been so many days and it still hasn't scabbed over. Aren't you afraid that this hand will cause problems?"
Ling Chengen felt a little pain from the alcohol stinging him, and said with pursed lips, "My hand can move normally. I can go back to Yuheng for treatment."
Bai Qingyu suddenly reached out and pinched her face, saying angrily, "I hate this kind of attitude of yours that doesn't take your body seriously!"
Ling Chengen leaned back, dodging his hand, and pointed to the wound on his arm, saying, "I poked you, I poked you, it hurts—"
Sure enough, Bai Qingyu immediately stopped, supporting her arm from below, and gently blowing on her wound.
Ling Chengen chuckled and said, "Why do you think blowing on it can relieve the pain? It's not like it's a burn."
“Blowing on a burn won’t help.” Bai Qingyu glanced at her, “But when I was little, my mother did the same thing when I fell and got hurt. I’m used to it.”
Ling Chengen rarely heard him mention his mother. As far as she knew, he had passed away very early, apparently from some kind of illness. During the cold season when medical care was scarce, he endured several months of suffering, but the cold season in the Northern Wilderness was too long, and his mother still did not live to see the spring of the following year.
The two waited on the shore for about an hour before Shi Ruoan finally came ashore with a full load of seafood.
When he saw the person sitting next to Ling Chengen, he paused noticeably as he walked ashore, but then approached again with a normal expression.
Looking at his wet hair and the water droplets rolling down his skin, Ling Chengen turned his head and said, "It's still early. Let's head back first, find a place to rest and eat tonight, and then continue our journey tomorrow morning. We should be able to get home by tomorrow night."
Shi Ruoan nodded slightly and said, "I've frozen all the seafood, so we can set off immediately."
Bai Qingyu glanced at him, said nothing, and transformed into beast form, carrying the two of them into the sky.
The temperature was low at high altitudes and the wind was strong, so Ling Chengen wore a jacket and sat cross-legged on Bai Qingyu's back, staring blankly with his eyes down.
Shi Ruoan sat behind her, watching the clouds drift by, took a deep breath, and asked, "What do you plan to do after we get back?"
Upon hearing this, Ling Chengen turned around and hesitated, asking, "Are you referring to the affairs of Beast City? Or my attitude towards you?"
"Daxing Tribe." Shi Ruoan glanced at her helplessly, then put the hat that had fallen off her back on her head. "Are we just going to let the ambush at Zhaoshi Mountain go like this?"
Based on his understanding of Ling Chengen, this possibility is unlikely.
Ling Chengen turned to Bai Qingyu and asked, "During the days I was missing, was there any movement from the Daxing tribe? And from Zhaoshi Mountain?"
Bai Qingyu pondered for a moment and said, "I'm not quite sure. During this time, we've been focusing on finding your whereabouts. However, when news of your disappearance first reached Beast City, Su Weihua led a team to Zhaoshi Mountain, mainly to investigate the entire process of your incident."
"How is the battle between Arisu and the surrounding tribes going?"
"The losses of the Awami were heavy. The half-dog orcs and the cave bear orcs had completely broken off relations and the two races split up. The half-dogs later deserted in the face of battle, leaving the cave bears to hold out for half a day. It is said that they were all captured and their whereabouts are currently unknown."
"But it's very likely that they were sent to the Daxing tribe to be slaves."
Ling Chengen took a deep breath and said, "The situation at Zhaoshi Mountain has probably changed as well."
Bai Qingyu said calmly, "The orcs of Zhaonan tribe got a good deal, but the orcs of Goan tribe are not in a good situation. It seems that they were driven out of Zhaoshi Mountain and have been accepted by Huinan tribe at the foot of the mountain."
Because he had been wandering in the middle and lower reaches of the Huiye River for a long time, he did not deliberately inquire about some news, but he could still hear some of it.
Ling Chengen sighed: "What's the situation with those tribes in the central region?"
“In the central region, the tribes near the Beast City have almost all chosen to submit.”
“Some small tribes on the periphery are still hesitating, while others are considering relocating their tribes.”
"The main reason for the relocation was the fear that Beast City would become like those beast cities ruled by nobles in the Southern Plains, where once they submitted, they would be constantly exploited and humiliated. So, the idea of these people was that they couldn't afford to offend them, but they could avoid them."
Ling Chengen sighed and said, "Let's try our best to talk first. If they're too wary, let them be."
The reputation of the beast cities in the Southern Plains is already terrible. It's understandable that the beastmen who have never seen the true face of the Beast City in the Northern Plains would worry that this city will become a replica of the beast cities in the Southern Plains.
But time will tell.
Bai Qingyu has been searching tirelessly for the past few days, so her physical and mental state is quite poor.
So instead of traveling through the night, they found a suitable cave to rest after nightfall.
This cave is located on a steep rocky mountain.
The cave is located at least 30 to 40 meters above the ground. The entrance is long and narrow, but the interior is surprisingly spacious.
Ling Chengen placed the bed against the wall and urged Bai Qingyu, who was walking unsteadily, to rest.
But as soon as she turned to leave, Bai Qingyu grabbed her wrist, sat on the edge of the bed, and buried his face in her waist and abdomen.
He was completely listless, looking like he was overly tired, but he kept forcing himself not to sleep.
Ling Chengen reached out and touched the back of his head, saying, "Lie down for a while, I'll go prepare some food, and then I'll sleep with you after we eat."
Bai Qingyu said in a muffled voice, "And what about him?"
“Shouldn’t someone stay on watch tonight?” Ling Chengen turned to look at Shi Ruoan, who had already started preparing the seafood, and gently rubbed his ear. “He’ll keep watch for the first half of the night, and I’ll keep watch for the second half. Tomorrow you’ll lead the way.”
Bai Qingyu nodded, knowing he shouldn't stop her anymore, so he reluctantly let go of her hand.
Ling Chengen watched him lie down, covered him with the animal skin blanket, and seeing that he still refused to close his eyes, he simply covered his eyes with his hand: "Go to sleep."
People who are reluctant to fall asleep actually find their breathing becomes long and regular within two minutes of closing their eyes.
Ling Chengen moved his hand away, looked at his still furrowed brows as he slept, and sighed deeply.
She turned and walked to the fire, beginning to process the bread crabs, swimming crabs, and many mantis shrimps that Shi Ruo'an had caught, as well as large lobsters, octopuses, squid, and countless abalone and various shellfish. Several bamboo buckets were piled high with frozen seafood. Because the seafood was all very fresh, Ling Cheng'en made a lot of seafood dipping sauces.
Seafood marinated in sauce can be left to sit for a while longer, and the longer it marinates, the more flavorful it will be.
The best time to catch brown crabs is from September to March of the following year.
March is almost over, but the bread crabs still taste great.
Crabs are delicious no matter how they're cooked, as long as they're fresh.
Ling Chengen didn't make it too complicated. He directly made two large basins of spicy crab, and also disassembled the two-meter-long crab that looked somewhat like a king crab, steamed it in a pot, and then prepared several kinds of dipping sauces.
There are many ways to cook abalone.
Perhaps because she had wounds, the food that Shi Ruoan prepared for her during this period was very bland.
Ling Chengen was craving strong-flavored dishes, so he made a braised abalone.
Ling Chengen also made stir-fried squid with scallions, garlic butter shrimp, and spicy octopus.
The butter was something I only figured out last year, and the quantity was very small.
She only had a little bit stored here, and it was all used up in one meal.
As the dishes with strong flavors were placed on the table, Ling Chengen inhaled the aroma and felt dizzy.
Looking at her radiant face, Shi Ruoan smiled and said, "You like seafood so much?"
"It's usually hard to find a wide variety of fresh seafood."
"These were all caught today; we can't let them go to waste."
Ling Chengen first used his chopsticks to pick up a piece of spicy crab and sat on a small stool to eat it.
Shi Ruoan turned to look at the bed and asked, "Should we call him to eat with us? Or should we let him continue sleeping?"
Ling Chengen thought for a moment, ate the small piece of crab meat in his hand, stood up and said, "I'll go call him. I guess he hasn't been eating properly lately."
The main dish was very simple; we just steamed a whole wooden bucket of rice.
When Bai Qingyu was woken up, she was still groggy.
Ling Chengen reached out and patted his face twice. Seeing that his eyes were gradually clearing, he said, "Eat first, then go back to sleep."
Bai Qingyu was pulled out of bed, but her head was still spinning, as if filled with mush.
He was pulled to sit down at the table, and splashed water on his face. The coolness chased away most of his sleepiness, and his mind finally started working again.
Ling Chengen served him a large bowl of rice, put chopsticks in his hand, and urged, "Eat quickly."
Looking at the spicy octopus in the bowl, Bai Qingyu stuffed it directly into his mouth. The familiar taste awakened his taste buds. He slowly sat up straight, looked at the sumptuous dinner on the table, and suddenly smiled and said, "It feels like a dream."
Ling Chengen glanced at him and said, "Why don't you go back to sleep for a while? I can eat these for two or three meals by myself."
Bai Qingyu immediately started picking up food and said with a smile, "It's not easy waiting for you to cook. I haven't had such a sumptuous meal in a long time."
Ling Chengen, holding a braised abalone, said, "Thanks to Shi Ruoan, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to get so much seafood."
Shi Ruoan ate quietly the whole time. When she heard her name called, she looked up at the two of them, unsure of what to say.
It seems like nothing I say would be appropriate.
Bai Qingyu glanced at him, as if she had figured something out, and bowed slightly to Shi Ruoan, saying, "Thank you."
Shi Ruoan held her chopsticks, not understanding what he was thanking her for.
Bai Qingyu lowered her eyes, picked up a piece of spicy shrimp, and said, "Dinner, about Enen."
Shi Ruoan gave a muffled "hmm," then said, "You're welcome."
Bai Qingyu: "..."
Ling Chengen was exasperated by Shi Ruoan's insensitivity, and finally ignored the subtle tension in their conversation, focusing on eating.
Although a lot of food was prepared, the group hadn't eaten properly for the past few days, so there was hardly any food left.
Ling Chengen was the first to put down her chopsticks, because she had actually eaten quite a lot on the reef island.
She had thought Shi Ruoan wouldn't eat much, but tonight his appetite... seemed much better than usual.
Shi Ruo'an doesn't like spicy food, but he seems to enjoy dishes with rich, oily sauces.
Especially braised abalone and seafood in a light sauce.
These ordinary seafood items, which were not previously on his menu, are now something he eats without any resistance.
After dinner, Shi Ruoan was about to clean up the leftovers, as well as the tables, chairs, and dishes.
But Bai Qingyu accepted his offer, saying, "I'll take care of these. I need to stretch my legs after eating."
In reality, he couldn't accept the care from his rival and partner with a clear conscience.
He doesn't like Shi Ruoan.
But he had to admit that without Shi Ruoan, he might not have been able to find Ling Chengen for a long time.
So he chose to accept it, but the process was still somewhat difficult.
He could only constantly remind himself to stay calm and not show jealousy or any other dark emotions...
After cleaning everything, Bai Qingyu returned to the cave and looked at Shi Ruoan, who had also set up a single bed on the other side of the cave. Her gaze was slightly hesitant, but she still walked to Ling Chengen's side and lay down next to her.
Perhaps because I took a nap, ate a full meal, and did some physical work, I suddenly lost my sleepiness.
He lay on his side on the bed, looking at Ling Chengen in front of him, quietly reaching out to wrap his arms around her waist, slowly moving closer to her, and gently resting his chin on the top of her head.
Ling Chengen also couldn't sleep. He was probably sleeping too much these past two days, so he was unusually energetic today.
Feeling Bai Qingyu's hand, she thought for a moment, then turned around in his arms and gently touched his face.
"I'm sorry," she said earnestly.