Gentle Beast

The rows of tall buildings were getting farther and farther away, covered with a thick mist until they disappeared into the mountains.

The sound of wind was loud and Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu was stunned to the extreme.

When Ryan said he could help her drive last time, she thought he was just saying it casually and hadn’t taken it to heart.

Even if he could, it should only be as skilled as she was.

But now, he had only been behind the wheel for half an hour and after adjusting to it, he was completely at ease with it. . .

How did he learn?

When did he learn how to drift???

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu stared at Ryan in the driving seat and felt rather bad.

Luckily, she didn’t promise to let him drive in the city, she thought, or she’d be scared to death.

Ryan loosened his right hand on the steering wheel and stretched it out to Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu’s face, lightly touching her dropped jaw, and he asked with amusement, “Is this it?”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu closed her mouth and turned to look. It was the cliff above the tree engraved with “1001.”

She nodded and turned big eyes at Ryan, remembering her questions, “Ryan, how did you learn to drive?”

Ryan opened the side door and circled around to pull Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu from her seat and said honestly, “I didn’t learn.”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu hugged his neck and found it difficult to understand, “Then how do you drive so well?”

Ryan: “It said in the box the other day.”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu was silent, then realized that Ryan meant the TV by “box.”

But when did she set the channel to one about driving?

Ryan saw she looked confused and closed the door then set her on top of the car, taking a bite, “When you gave the stupid cat a bath.”

“. . .” Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu recalled it and finally understood how it happened.

That night she brought Gǔn Gǔn back, she had casually turned on the TV and went to the bathroom. Because Gǔn Gǔn was so lively, the sound of the TV stabilized everything.

Later, when she went tot he bathroom, she didn’t pay attention to the program.

Now that she thought of it, it seemed to be a professional rally?

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu looked at Ryan’s eyes and glowed, her dark eyes bright, “Did you understand it?”

Ryan raised his brow and said it was easy.

This thought had such a great impact, Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu didn’t think anything else could top it.

Then Ryan took out a rectangular case from the trunk and Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu asked, “What is it?”

Ryan opened the case in front of her and said placidly, “A gun.”

. . .

!!!

When Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu saw the thing in the box, her whole body was shocked frozen.

The box held three guns, their dark barrels exuding the unique coldness of the weapon.

Although Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu’s understandings of guns wasn’t that deep, she could recognize a pistol, a rifle and a sniper rifle. . .

The case was well equipped and there were two grenades in the corner.

“Ryan. . . where did you get this?” Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu’s voice changed and she asked incredibly.

Ryan pulled the pistol and tucked it into his waist, then left the rest in the case, “Black market.”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu: “You even know the black market??”

——Where had he gone in the real world?

She remembered that he had always been with her and hadn’t gone out alone!

Ryan leaned over her little face and kissed the corner of her mouth, “Scaring you?”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu nodded honestly, really afraid, “That. . . how did you buy it?”

Even if Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu hadn’t been to the black market, she also knew that the transaction price wasn’t low, and Ryan was a beastman from another world, so he wouldn’t own any kind of currency.

Ryan said calmly, “Didn’t buy it.”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu widened her eyes, “How did you get it?” Did he steal it?

Ryan curved his index finger and knocked it to her forehead to stall the chaos in her head. Of course, robbing wasn’t impossible, but the world’s legalities were too much. One error and it would involve Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu, and he didn’t want to cause trouble for his little one.

Ryan: “Exchanged for it.”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu: “Exchanged what?”

Ryan no longer answered, his deep voice full of temptation, “Be obedient. You do not want to know.”

The black market was free of the market’s natural laws. In that place, pillaging, killing, trafficking and violence ran rampant.

There were more ugly things there than in the beast world.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu was slightly surprised. Seeing that Ryan wasn’t joking, she pulled his sleeve and asked, “Then tell me, when did you start to go out alone?”

Ryan tacitly admitted, “The next day.”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu: “. . .” In other words, he went out alone the day she went back to school. He promised her that he wouldn’t go out!

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu was a little angry and silently put the car into her space then went down the cliff to the tree with her engraving.

Ryan picked her up from behind and his hand settled her head against his shoulder, “Do you not wnat to talk to me?”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu didn’t utter a response.

Ryan rubbed her head with the palm of his hand, “Well, Little Darling?”

Since Ryan knew this was her nickname, he like dot call her that from time to time.

His voice was very low but the words “Little Darling” were spoken softly and even with the vibration in his chest, there was a different sort of gentleness in his words.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu bit his shoulders and complained, “Do you know how dangerous it is?”

Ryan pulled at the corner of his mouth and cooperated, “Now I know.”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu loosened her bite and straightened out, her small hands holding his face, and she said seriously, “Then, promise me. You won’t do it again.”

Those kinds of things were very dangerous, much more dangerous than the beast world, and what would she do if something happened to him?

Ryan, as if to see through her thoughts, reassured, “Rest assured, I will keep my life to take care of you.”

Hearing that, Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu couldn’t help but remember what he had promised her father and couldn’t help but cry, “Ryan. . .”

Ryan walked to the edge of the cliff and, holding her hips, jumped down in a series of leaps and arrived under it, “Hm?”

She asked the question that had been suppressed in her heart for a long time, “What did you say to my parents that day?”

They had been determined to take her to Ireland anyway, but Ryan had only talked for about an hour and they changed their minds.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu was curious. Had the talk with her parents gone so well? How did Ryan do it?

Ryan stretched his long legs and headed for the tree, “You want to know?”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu nodded forcefully.

Ryan’s hand reached into the upper pocket of his coat and took out a red book. “Remember what you told me that only the soldiers have the right to have a gun?”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu: “I remember that.” But what did that have to do with persuading her parents.

Ryan set the book in her hands, “Later I understood that you humans seem to attach a great importance to military marriage.” After learning over the days, he knew what human “marriage” was.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu looked down and saw the red book cover was impressively written, “Military Certificate.”

“You. . .”

Ryan: “Open it and see.”

She obediently opened it and inside was a piece of paper. She unfolded it and incredulously found her and Ryan’s “marriage application.”

Her mouth dropped open in surprise. The information was accurate and even the seals at the bottom were without flaw!

Ryan: “If I’m not mistaken, it’s a crime to destroy a military marriage?”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu’s head went blank and she tried to organize her words, “You. . .  how did you, this is fake. . .”

Ryan raised his brow, noncommittal.

She shook her head, “How could you deceive my parents. . .”

Ryan suddenly stopped and his pupils stared at her, “Or else? Wait for you to with them to some ghost place called Ireland?”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu: “. . .”

Every time when it came to this problem, Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu was wrong. She laid her head on Ryan’s shoulder and thought. It seemed there was nothing wrong.

Although the means weren’t right, they only had this method at the moment.

Now that she thought about it, Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu finally understood why, the day after Ryan left, her mother refused to talk to her all day.

It was because she didn’t let her decide her wedding affairs!

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu felt very wronged, obviously she was the one that was “married”. . .

*

Standing under the “1002” tree, they were once again looking at the distant Camuda Valley spread out before them. Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu actually had a treacherous illusion.

She and Ryan had been away for one and a half months, and it was still a cold winter. The rolling mountains were covered in snow and the whole of Bornia was still a vast expanse of white.

The snow blew on the wind and Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu’s nose was frozen red in an instant. Her hands and feet were tucked into Ryan’s embrace.

Ryan took off his overcoat and wrapped it around her, blocking her from the wind and carrying her toward the leopard tribe.

A man was standing on the lookout at the entrance of the race and saw a man wearing strange clothes coming towards him. He thought it was the wolf clan’s conspiracy and immediately raised his spear, stabbing it forward as he said, “Stupid wolf, get back to your race!”

Ryan stepped to the side and extended his arm to throw the spear aside and his eyes narrowed.

“Fool, open your eyes and see who I really am.”

The other looked up at Ryan’s blue eyes and was surprised, “Chi-Chief?!”

. . .

During the time Ryan was away, everything with the leopards was normal.

The last month there was continuous snowstorms, and it had buried the entire Camuda Valley. The surrounding tribes weren’t spared and moved to high ground. Fortunately, the blizzard finally stopped after a few days or the leopards would also have to move.

So when Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu and Ryan came back, all they could see was white.

Elder Berson and Winter led the clan to clean up the snow but because Ryan was away, no one dared to entire his yard. So, when Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu opened the door, she was almost blown away by the flood of heavy snow.

Ryan managed to catch her in time but the snow poured out the door for a long time.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu: “. . .”

“Wait a minute, I’ll clean things up.” Ryan set her aside and called several people over to clean up.

Two hours later, the yard had been cleared of snow.

But the house had been without a fire for so long and it was as chilly as an ice house, uninhabitable by people.

Ryan temporarily had Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu stay at Winter’s nearby house. Then he went about starting the fire in the house and the once it was warmed up, he went to take her back.

Winter and Suzanna were both under the impression that Ryan had taken Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu to the cave.

Suzanna even stared at her stomach and looked at her seriously for a time, “Has Chief Ryan impregnated you?”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu’s cheeks were rosy and she denied, “No. . .”

“Why did Ryan take you away?” Suzanna said, “You herbivores are so squeamish.”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu: “. . .”

Speaking of that, Suzanna seemed to be interested. She didn’t acknowledge Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu’s After a while, Suzanna turned her head and continued, “But, rather soon after Winter and I became a pair, we had Wenrick. According to Ryan’s strength. . . wouldn’t he be more efficient than Winter?”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu: “. . .”

Speaking of that, Suzanna seemed interested and didn’t acknowledge Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu’s embarrassment. She sat with her and her tail swayed in the air as she asked, “When you mate with Ryan, don’t you find it difficult? I’ve heard that. . . Ryan’s ,” she paused and said, “is very big. . .”

While saying that, she looked done at Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu’s slender hips.

——It wasn’t a matching size at all.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu’s expression was strange and she said after a long time, “. . . how do you know?”

Suzanna confessed, “I heard from Winter that the men often swim in the back of the mountain. Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t seen it.”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu: “Oh. . .”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu thought that she wasn’t a very conservative woman, but discussing her spouse’s \'size” face to face with someone was even beyond her acceptable range.

Suzanna didn’t get her response and eventually got bored so she no longer asked and did other things.

Ryan went to pick her up and heard Suzanna say in the back, “Yes, I’ve got a medicine that’s very good. If you get hurt, you can come find me any time.”

As for where she got “hurt”. . . it was self-evident.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu put her face in Ryan’s neck and felt very embarrassed said thank you in a very small voice.

Outside, Ryan looked at the little one in his arms and saw there were no signs of injury, “Suzanna’s giving you medicine for what?”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu shook her head, not wanting to tell him, “Nothing.”

Ryan stared at her flushed ears and raised his brow slightly, but did not ask further.

*

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu had fully prepared when she came thing time and had plans to reform Ryan’s house.

Not only did she bring mattresses, but she also brought sheets and quilts, pillows and rugs, curtains and a coat rank. . . everything she needed.

But it order to avoid being found strange by others, she only furnished her and Ryan’s bedroom.

As for the other rooms, they remained intact.

Additionally, she brought Gǔn Gǔn.

She could not keep leaving Gǔn Gǔn at her friend’s house and she couldn’t bear to give him away so she had talked with Ryan for several days before he agreed to let the cat live with them.

Ryan had said: “If one day it goes into one of the people’s bellies, I’m not saving it.”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu seriously thought about it. The cat was in the same family of animals. . . leopards shouldn’t like eating cats?

And most of the time he was stuck to her side and he rarely went out alone, so it shouldn’t be a problem.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu left him be with confidence.

. . .

Unfortunately, the first night Gǔn Gǔn stayed in the leopard race, he wasn’t very popular.

Gǔn Gǔn had been brought to a strange place so he was a bit uneasy and he wanted to sleep together with her.

Who knew that when Ryan came back he would ruthlessly drive the cat off the bed and close the bedroom door.

The cat meowed outside the door scratching at it and his cry was particularly pitiful.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu wanted to go bring him back but Ryan stopped her.

Ryan said in her ear, “I don’t want to mate with a stupid cat onlooking.”

After a while, the cat found that he couldn’t open the door and he stopped crying and returned to the main house.

The fireplace was low to the ground and he found a place next to it to sleep.

At noon the next day, Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu made a comfortable nest for him and placed it next to the fireplace. There were also a lot of his favorite toys.

Gǔn Gǔn seemed to like the small nest and rolled around in it for a while, holding a ball of yarn to play.

At night, ht was also very happy to lay there and sleep soundly. He no longer competed with Ryan over Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu’s embrace.

——Ryan was happy with it.

Of course, if the next bedroom the voices could be quieter in the evening, Gǔn Gǔn would sleep more soundly.

“Wait, Ryan, you haven’t worn it yet. . .” Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu urgently said.

“What?” Ryan’s voice was hoarse.

“. . .”

. . .

After a few rustling sounds, Ryan wrinkled his eyebrows and looked at the thing in his hand, still too tight.

“Your human men. . .” Ryan licked his dry lips and said, “Are they all so useless?”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu’s cheeks burst into distressed red. How could he call them useless? Obviously he was “too useful”. . .

The little girl’s mind was simple and everything was written on her face.

Ryan lips touched her ears and confessed generously, “How else could I meet my woman?”

“. . .”

So that box of \'strawberry flavor” didn’t come in handy and was abandoned in the corner.

However, after Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu’s parents returned, Ryan didn’t touch her again. The movement was too intense and accidentally injured her most delicate place.

The next day, Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu laid in bed and felt sore whenever she moved her legs.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu was a bit unbearable and remembered Suzanna’s words yesterday. She was hesitant to go find her, but when Ryan returned at noon, he had a clay pot in his hands when he walked into the room.

Ryan rubbed her red eyes and asked, “Does it still hurt?”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu honestly nodded in pain.

Ryan opened her quilt and held her ankle, saying, “I’ll help with the medicine.”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu heard him and quickly stopped him, “No. . . I’ll do it myself.”

Ryan’s lips crooked, “Can you see?”

“. . .”

“I’ll do it,” Ryan said, pulling apart her delicate legs, “After all, I hurt it.”

. . .

After the medicine, Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu tightly wrapped herself in the quilt and her cheeks were even hotter than usual.

Ryan stretched out his tongue and licked his claws. Looking at the little on the bed, he showed a rare smile and touched the top of her head, “Suzanna said it has to be applied twice a day, I’ll do it again tonight.”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu pushed an arm from under the quilt and pushed at him, particularly embarrassed, “no, you’re going out.”

Perhaps it was because Ryan had left the race too long, he had been busy and was dealing with things almost every day.

But even if he was busy, he would come back every night and eat dinner with her.

Three days later, Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu’s injury was finally better and she didn’t need to take the medicine anymore.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu heaving a long sigh. Now that she was afraid of more medicine, but every time Ryan watched her while applying the medicine, it felt like he would try to eat her a second time.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu could only bear such pressure for so long, she’d rather have him directly have her. . .

*

Then one day, Ryan went very early. By the time Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu woke, she couldn’t see head or tail of him.

She dressed and got out of bed. He took some cat food out of her space and fed the cat. Then she prepared to go to the kitchen to eat. At a glance, she could see a bowl of fish stew on the stove top.

Ryan had prepared it for her before he left.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu took a spoon and tasted it. It was a bit cool but it smelled and tasted unexpectedly delicious.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu ate the whole bowl and just after eight o’clock, returned to the house holding Gǔn Gǔn.

At around ten, her eyes were drooping and she fell into a doze.

These days, Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu had found it particularly easy to fall asleep. She had slept very well last night, but so soon after getting up, she was dozing again.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu didn’t think too much and put Gǔn Gǔn in the house to rest.

She dozed until five thirty that afternoon and it was quiet outside, silent. Ryan hadn’t returned.

Usually, Ryan returned around this time and Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu wasn’t in a hurry, so she sat tat the threshold with his clothes.

It wasn’t until the sky was dark and night had fallen, and still, there was no Ryan.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu thought, had something been delayed?

She stood at the door and waited, but she didn’t see him.

So she simply took out her flashlight and prepared to look outside.

Just as she put a hand on the bolt, the door was pushed open from the outside.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu quickly retreated. Seeing Ryan’s face, her vigilant heart could finally let go. “Ryan, how did you get back. . .”

Ryan still felt a little cold as if he had been in the wild and after a long time, he saw that she was ready to go out and asked, “Where are you going?”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu sniffed, “I saw you didn’t come back and wanted to go ask Winter if he knew where you were.” She looked up, “Ryan, where have you been?”

Ryan didn’t answer her directly and stooped to pick her up, speaking into her ear, “I’ll take you to a place.”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu: “What place?”

Ryan held her sides, “You’ll know when we get there.” Jumping onto the roof, he headed off.

The leopard roofs were patchwork and Ryan jumped passed them with ease, his long tail trailing alight behind him.

In the distance, the moon hung in the sky like a huge silver place.

Both bright and faint.

Ryan carried her for a long time and across several valleys then finally settled on a mountain.

“Here it is.” Ryan said calmly as he placed her on the ground.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu followed him out of the forest and through the thick branches, could finally see overhead.

A splendid aurora burst across the sky from the distant horizon and spreading far.

Countless bright stars floated in the distance as if painted in the sky, rending the night sky in little lights.

The green glow surrounded her and Ryan. It was incredible.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu stared at this wonder and almost forgot her words.

After a long time, she asked in pleasant surprise, “Ryan, how did you find this place?”

Ryan stepped forward and scratched the red tip of her nice. “Didn’t find. Your man’s been here for several days.”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu blinked. He had come here to watch? Was it because of this that he kept returning late?

“Why?” Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu asked. Why did he bring her here to see the aurora?

Ryan asked her, “You don’t like it?”

“Like, ah.” Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu’s eyes were bright and her pink lips tilted up, “Especially like it.”

Then, Ryan couldn’t help but kiss her lips. It seems that these days of hardship hadn’t been wasted.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu blinked and kissed him then turned, “But. . . how did you know I would like it?”

Ryan looked at her, “Don’t humans like it?” Although in his eyes, it was an extremely ordinary phenomenon.

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu: “You know a lot about humans.”

Ryan chuckled and grasped her little hand. His voice was low, “I also know that humans like to propose to their spouses under this kind of landscape.”

His fingers were cold and Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu gave a slight shiver. Then he lifted her left hand and brought it to her eyes.

She had a diamond ring on her finger and the gorgeous aurora overhead.

“. . .” Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu was a little shocked.

Ryan slowly knelt down and took her fingertips, looking at her as he asked, “If I ask you to be my spouse and spend a lifetime with me, will you agree?”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu was still in shock, “But, you don’t need to propose. I already promised. . .”

“Now the same,” Ryan interrupted her and whispered, “I want to give you everything you deserve.”

. . .

After a while, Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu opened her mouth, her voice a little wronged, “But, Ryan. . .”

She said: “You put it on the wrong finger. . .”

. . .

. . .

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu sat on Ryan’s leg with the ring on the right finger and carefully observed it. She couldn’t help but ask, “Ryan. . . where did this ring come from?”

Ryan’s palm wrapped around her cold hand and he rested his chin on her head, “Don’t worry about it. I didn’t steal it.”

“. . . was it also an ‘exchange’?”

“The exchange only provided a way, the ring was personally selected.”

Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu looked at him and tried to see his face, “Ryan, tell me about where you went, okay?”

The little one’s bright eyes were shining as if reflecting the whole galaxy.

Ryan had no reason to refuse so he wrapped his arms around her soft body and recounted the entire trip.

From the day she went to check in, he had shifted into his other form and walked along the high-rise silently to see the entire city. . .

. . .

While he spoke, the little girl in his arms didn’t move.

Ryan looked down at her face and saw Jǐ Xiǎo Ōu’s eyes were closed. Her thick lashes laid against porcelain white skin and her breathing was smooth. She had fallen asleep.

She had just wondered where he had gone and fell asleep in a blink.

Ryan gathered her up in the coat and wrapped her tightly then plunged into the forest and headed back toward the leopard tribe.

. . .

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