Chapter 653 - 670: Reunion

Chapter 653: Chapter 670: Reunion

She had thought she could remain perfectly calm, but mentioning him was like prodding an old wound, making even breathing a little painful.

Not wanting to continue the topic, she waved her hand wearily. "Forget it. Let’s not talk about him. It just upsets me."

Jinying (Fu Jinsen) opened his mouth. He wanted to tell her how he’d had no choice for the past six months. He wanted to tell her about the heart-wrenching longing he felt every time he had to leave. He wanted to tell her that he was right here, in front of her, right now!

But... he was in Jinying’s body, and he could disappear at any moment.

Rather than clearing up the misunderstanding only to make her sad and heartbroken all over again, it was better... to just leave things as they were.

He thought that if she believed he had hurt her, she would slowly forget him and go on to live happily with her Beast Husbands.

An immense sense of powerlessness washed over him. In the end, all he could do was force down all his explanations, all his frustrations, and all his love, which coalesced into a nearly inaudible choke in his throat.

"I’ll go take care of him. You get some rest."

As if to escape, Jinying (Fu Jinsen) shouldered Roger’s large frame and strode out of the cave.

As the night deepened, Bai Wanwan finally succumbed to her exhaustion, leaning against the cold stone wall and drifting into a hazy sleep.

She didn’t sleep soundly. Her brows were tightly furrowed, and she would occasionally flinch at the faint sounds from far outside the cave.

He didn’t dare leave Bai Wanwan alone in the cave for too long. His initial thought was to dig a pit and bury Roger to prevent his body from being eaten by wild beasts.

But he hadn’t gone far when he found a hollow between the rocks, a perfect spot to place the body and keep it from being desecrated by large predators. He covered it with some branches and stones. "Thank you for saving Wanwan. I hope you have a better life next time."

After speaking, he turned and headed back to the cave without a moment’s hesitation.

He entered quietly. Only after hearing her steady, even breathing did Jinying (Fu Jinsen) approach, cautiously and almost greedily.

He gently rearranged her outer robe, which had slipped down, his movements as delicate as if he were handling a priceless treasure.

And just like that, by the faint light of the campfire, he gazed at her sleeping face, completely unguarded.

His gaze traced her familiar brows and eyes, the elegant bridge of her nose, and her slightly pursed lips.

This was perhaps his only chance to be this close to her, a chance to stop hiding the surging emotions in his eyes and to temporarily forget the chasm of identity and the rift of time that lay between them.

"Since you can’t let her go, why not become her Beast Husband?" Jinying’s voice sounded from the depths of his consciousness.

Fu Jinsen didn’t respond. His consciousness couldn’t return; it would dissipate...

Besides, having to watch Wanwan be doted on by other males in turn, day after day, would be more painful than death.

"I can help you."

As Jinying’s voice faded, Fu Jinsen finally responded. "If Wanwan is willing to accept you, I won’t object. But I hope that if I’m gone one day, you will love her forever and protect her with your life. Can you do that?"

Without a doubt, that was something almost any male could do.

"I will! Perhaps right now I just have a fondness for her that doesn’t match the depth of your feelings, but I believe that in the future, I won’t be any worse than you."

"That’s good. I won’t stop you, but you might not be able to get past her Beast Husbands."

With that said, Fu Jinsen fell silent. He squatted motionlessly beside Bai Wanwan, watching over her like the most loyal guard, like a desperate believer watching over a goddess he had already lost.

The campfire slowly died down, and the light inside the cave grew dimmer, but he could still clearly make out her silhouette, as if trying to etch this very moment eternally into the depths of his soul.

It wasn’t until the latter half of the night that an extremely faint sound came from the cave entrance.

He was instantly jolted from his reverie. A complex emotion flickered in his eyes—part relief, part reluctance.

He rose quickly and moved silently to the mouth of the cave.

The worried and weary faces of Chou Rong, Yin Ze, and Jin Yi appeared before him.

"Where’s Wanwan?" Yin Ze asked anxiously, pushing past him to go inside.

Jin Yi and Chou Rong followed close behind.

Jinying stepped aside, not stopping them.

When their eyes fell upon Bai Wanwan sleeping safely inside, all three men let out a long sigh of relief almost simultaneously, their taut nerves finally relaxing.

"Jinying, thank you!" Chou Rong said in a low voice filled with sincere gratitude.

He couldn’t bear the thought of losing Wanwan. From now on, if Jinying ever needed anything, he and the other males would do whatever it took to help.

Jinying shook his head and stepped aside to let them in, his voice calm. "I just happened to find her. There were too many soldiers in the Beast Army outside, so it wasn’t convenient to bring her back to you. I could only hide first and leave marks for you along the way. I knew you’d find us quickly."

Though their conversation was quiet, it still stirred Bai Wanwan from her light sleep.

Her eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes. After adjusting to the dim light, she saw the familiar figures gathered around her.

"Wanwan!" Jin Yi immediately rushed forward and pulled her into a tight hug, his arms trembling with lingering fear. "Did they... did they hurt you?"

Bai Wanwan shook her head gently in his warm embrace, feeling the sense of security that came with being found. "No."

She paused, then added, "I wasn’t hurt at all."

Her gaze passed over Jin Yi’s shoulder to Chou Rong and Yin Ze, who were looking on with equal worry.

"It was all thanks to Jinying and... Roger," she said, her voice laced with complex, unspoken emotions.

"Roger?" Chou Rong’s brows furrowed.

"Yes. He’s the one who wounded the Beast God, allowing us to escape," Jinying added, not taking credit for Roger’s deed.

"And him? Where is he?" Jin Yi immediately pressed.

’Roger was always a threat. Even though he saved Wanwan, his only goal was to take her for himself. If there was a chance, it would be best to eliminate this threat for good.’

"He’s... dead."

Bai Wanwan’s words left the males slightly stunned. A moment later, Chou Rong came over and scooped her up from the ground. "Wanwan, we need to leave as soon as possible."

"Okay." She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Jinying," Chou Rong said, turning to him after settling Wanwan in his arms, his expression turning serious. "The Elephant Clan is in a critical situation. We have to hurry back."

Jinying had helped them find Wanwan, so they couldn’t just stand by and leave him behind.

Besides, saving the Elephant Clan and preventing more Beastmen from being controlled and turned into enemies was a necessary choice to avoid an even greater crisis.

"Alright," Jinying nodded.

The group immediately prepared to leave.

Chou Rong, carrying Bai Wanwan and flanked by Jin Yi and Yin Ze, quickly but cautiously left the temporary shelter of the cave.

Jinying followed close behind. Before stepping out of the cave, he glanced back one last time at the crude "grave" of piled stones. His gaze lingered for a moment on the branches and leaves covering it before he turned, melted into the night, and hurried to catch up with the group ahead.

Outside the cave, the night wind whimpered, rustling the leaves in the forest and covering up many other faint stirrings.

And within that simple tomb, formed by the hollow in the rocks...

Beneath the dead silence, a faint, almost imperceptible stirring was quietly taking place.