Chapter 444 - 442: A Slight Hitch in Breath

Chapter 444: Chapter 442: A Slight Hitch in Breath

Bai Wanwan could faintly hear their voices, but she paid them no mind.

She held Snowball, huddled together with Hua Han, Jiao Yin, and the cubs.

Hua Han silently wrapped another layer of his own relatively dry animal hide around Bai Wanwan and the cubs. Jiao Yin kept a vigilant watch on the village below, rainwater dripping endlessly from his handsome jawline.

Time passed slowly amidst the cold, dampness, and anxiety.

After a chaotic day, the cubs were already fast asleep. Bai Wanwan was also getting drowsy, though she fought to stay awake.

Plus, her rain-soaked clothes left her very cold.

When Hua Han noticed, he moved to hold Bai Wanwan, but she leaned away, pulling the animal hide tighter around herself.

His hand froze in midair, but he still said what was on his mind. "Wanwan, you’ll sleep more comfortably if you lean on me."

Bai Wanwan was well aware of how much they had helped her, but she already had several Beast Husbands.

So she had to steel her heart and refuse. "No, thank you. I’m fine leaning here."

She leaned against a wooden plank, ignoring the water seeping through it. With one hand protectively on the cub beside her, her head slowly drooped forward.

Hua Han waited quietly until she was asleep. The moment her hand fell limply to her side, his outstretched arm moved, finally wrapping around her waist just as he’d wanted.

He pulled her into his warm embrace. In her sleep, Bai Wanwan seemed quite content. She shifted slightly, found a more comfortable position, and buried her face in the crook of his neck.

Hua Han’s breath hitched, and the hand around her slender waist tightened noticeably.

Hua Han tilted his head, his lips brushing against her forehead.

And this very scene was witnessed by Jiao Yin, who had just walked in.

’Has Wanwan already accepted Hua Han?’

The realization sent a sharp pang through his heart.

He immediately suppressed the feeling. ’His clansmen’s fates are still unknown,’ he thought. ’This isn’t something I have the right to wish for.’

"How are things outside?"

Sensing Jiao Yin’s entry, Hua Han reluctantly pulled his lips away from her forehead.

"The rain is heavy. Almost all the Beastmen in the village are getting soaked, and they’re all blaming us."

Hua Han snorted. "Blaming us for not going back? If you ask me, we should have just left them."

But then he remembered it was Wanwan’s decision and promptly shut his mouth.

Outside on the high platform, the females were clamoring.

"Clan Leader, look! My cub is soaked to the bone. What if he catches a fever?"

"Exactly! We’ve lived here for decades without any trouble. It can’t be that dangerous."

The Clan Leader bore the brunt of their complaints. "Just wait a little longer," he said. "If you really can’t stand it, you can go back."

As soon as he said that, some of the bolder ones who didn’t take the warning seriously actually took their females and cubs and headed back.

The downpour continued. Just as the resentment was about to boil over, and even the Clan Leader was beginning to waver...

RUUUUMBLE!

A deep rumble, seeming to rise from the very depths of the earth, drowned out the rain and all the complaints.

It was followed by the unending, horrifying sound of trees snapping and boulders crashing—a noise that set their teeth on edge.

All the Beastmen looked down the mountain in terror.

In the ghastly white flashes of lightning that tore through the night, they witnessed a horrific sight they would never forget. The great mountain behind their village, like a slumbering behemoth suddenly enraged, was collapsing. Half the mountainside had turned into a black, molten slurry, roaring down with unstoppable force, carrying countless boulders and splintered trees in its wake!

The turbid mudflow instantly swallowed the foot of the mountain and the area near the new river channel. The caves they had left only moments before were crushed like fragile eggshells, wiped from existence in the blink of an eye!

The mudslide surged into the village, destroying everything in its path. Murky water, thick with debris, instantly flooded the low-lying areas, turning them into a deathly swamp.

A few cries for help from distant Beastmen were heard, but they were quickly silenced by the surging mud and rock.

The entire sacrificial platform fell deathly silent.

There was only the sound of the rain and the stifled whimpers of terrified cubs.

All complaints and doubts dissolved, replaced by the chilling fear of survival and the dawning horror of what they had just escaped.

The immense commotion woke Bai Wanwan as well. She had no time to wonder how she had fallen asleep and ended up in Hua Han’s arms.

She rushed to the entrance of the wooden shelter and looked out.

Even with her system, she could only feel a sense of awe in the face of such a natural disaster.

The Beastman who had been complaining the loudest earlier, his face now ashen, dropped to his knees with a thud. He kowtowed deeply in Bai Wanwan’s direction, his voice hoarse and trembling. "Female Bai Wanwan... Th-Thank you! It was you... You saved my Wife and my cub’s life!"

His female, holding their stunned cub, already had tears streaming down her face.

Immediately, like a chain reaction, countless grateful gazes focused on Bai Wanwan, and a low murmur of thanks filled with awe and relief rose from the crowd. "Thank you, female!"

"You saved the entire clan!"

"Beast God above, bless the female Bai Wanwan!"

But Bai Wanwan remained unmoved by their gratitude.

Their earlier insults still rang in her ears.

She had only warned them because she wasn’t so cold-blooded that she could simply stand by and watch so many Beastmen and cubs perish.

It was destined to be a sleepless night. Bai Wanwan paid no mind to the gratitude of the Beastmen nearby.

After observing for a little while, she returned to the wooden shelter.

After a groggy and restless night, she heard the mudslide had passed and the rain had subsided to a light drizzle.

The Clan Leader led his people to the wooden shelter where Bai Wanwan and the others were staying.

The weathered old man’s eyes glistened with tears of lingering fear. He bowed deeply to Bai Wanwan. "Female Bai Wanwan, you are the savior of our clan! The lynx clan will forever remember this debt of gratitude!"

Hua Han and Jiao Yin flanked her, protectively keeping her and the cubs between them.

Cuddling the warm bundles in her arms, Bai Wanwan looked down at their home, now ravaged beyond recognition by the mudslide, and felt a storm of conflicting emotions.

"That’s not necessary," she said. "We are only staying here temporarily. Last night’s warning was simply to repay the Clan Leader’s kindness in letting us stay. Other than that, I would appreciate it if you all left me alone."

She spoke bluntly, making it clear she neither wanted their thanks nor a closer relationship with them.

The Clan Leader sighed and immediately shooed away the clansmen behind him. At last, it was quiet.

"Female Bai Wanwan, rest assured, I will not allow my people to disturb you. But if you need anything at all, please don’t hesitate to ask."

"Mm."

Knowing they were in the wrong, the Clan Leader didn’t disturb her further and slowly departed.

"We should go back, too," Jiao Yin said, walking over and taking the tiger cubs from her arms.

Bai Wanwan felt sticky and uncomfortable all over. She nodded. "Okay. Let’s go back and get some proper sleep."

But who could have known that after Bai Wanwan returned, washed up, and fell asleep, she would develop a high fever.

"Jiao Yin, quick! Get in here! I think Wanwan has a fever!" Hua Han yelled to Jiao Yin outside, his voice filled with anxiety.