Chapter 137

At noon, Lei Ya and his son, together with Mo De, had been in a meeting with the tribe elders and Chief Fei Ji; when Zhang Fan and the others brought the food over, they didn't rush to eat but first discussed things with everyone for a while, only starting to eat when the food was about to get cold.

At that time, the females at Zhang Fan's table had already finished their meal, cleared the table, and were about to clear the table where the beastmen were sitting, only to discover that they had just begun eating.

Seeing this situation, Zhang Fan and the others were caught off guard; Zhang Fan, Fei Er, and a third person exchanged several glances, said nothing, and directly pulled them together to the courtyard to begin curing meat.

After the male beastmen had finished their lunch and the discussion was largely concluded, they began assigning personnel according to the agreed outcome.

Ba Ke Er and Mo De were naturally assigned to the front line, tasked with gathering specific details, though no time limit was given for the reconnaissance. Everyone understood this implicitly, so there was no further argument.

Lei Ya was also responsible for leading a squad of about ten beastmen warriors to assist Ba Ke Er and Mo De's investigation from the flank, provide cover, and of course bring back the intelligence they gathered to report to the chief and elders.

As for the remaining arrangements, Zhang Fan didn't pay attention anymore, because in his view only Ba Ke Er's safety mattered most! Upon hearing that Ba Ke Er would also be responsible for scouting the situation.

Zhang Fan's heart felt like it was about to jump out—not because he doubted Ba Ke Er's ability to handle the task, but because he feared Ba Ke Er would neglect his own safety out of a sense of duty to the tribe.

Because Ba Ke Er has always been a male beastman with a strong sense of responsibility, Zhang Fan felt an indescribable worry about Ba Ke Er being tasked with scouting.

Zhang Fan dwelled on these thoughts and could not calm down; Fei Er had the same reaction, and at that moment could no longer sit calmly.

At that moment, Fei Er lost emotional control, sprang to his feet, flung himself into Mo De's arms, and began to cry "wu…wu…wu".

Mo De responded with utter helplessness, gave everyone a reassuring look, then raised his arms and began gently patting Fei Er's back, all the while softly comforting him.

"All right, Fei Er, dear, I'll be fine! Don't worry too much—I'm just in charge of scouting the situation, not about to rush into a life‑or‑death battle with those Exquisite Dragon Beasts right away. Besides, Ba Ke Er and I are going together, so you can relax—I'll be okay!"

However, hearing this, Fei Er not only didn't stop crying, he cried even harder! It was literally heaven‑shaking, earth‑moving, ghost‑wailing, god‑weeping! The volume was so loud it almost deafened everyone.

Because of Fei Er's crying, Zhang Fan was pulled out of his thoughts; for some reason, hearing Fei Er weep, Zhang Fan unconsciously found his eyes filling with tears.

From afar, Ba Ke Er saw Zhang Fan's reddened eye sockets and tear‑streaked cheeks; a pang struck his heart, and without thinking he rose from the stone bench beside the stone table, stepped forward one pace at a time, and squatted before Zhang Fan.

As Ba Ke Er drew nearer, he could see Zhang Fan's worry clearly; his hands rose unbidden to cup Zhang Fan's face, and his lips moved instinctively toward Zhang Fan's cheeks.

At last! Ba Ke Er pressed his lips to Zhang Fan's eyes, brimming with unspoken worry; Zhang Fan closed his eyes at the moment of the impending kiss, allowing Ba Ke Er to imprint two gentle kisses upon his eyelids.

After kissing Zhang Fan's eyes, Ba Ke Er gave him a big, tight hug, knowing that only this could steady Zhang Fan's heart.

Indeed, after Ba Ke Er hugged Zhang Fan, his emotions steadied; he stopped shedding silent tears and instead clung tightly to Ba Ke Er, whispering into his ear: "Ba Ke Er, you must stay safe! I'll be waiting at home for your victorious return!"

Upon hearing Zhang Fan's words, Ba Ke Er not only took them in with his ears but etched them into his heart; he nodded his head lightly against Zhang Fan's shoulder and solemnly promised: "Fan Fan, for you! I will return safe and sound!"

After bidding farewell to their respective mates, Ba Ke Er and Mo De did not linger in the tribe; they immediately shifted into beast form and flew outward.

Seeing this, Lei Ya and Chief Fei Ji hurriedly left with the elders to attend to other tribal affairs; meanwhile, Wei Er and Di Er glanced at Fei Er and Zhang Fan, who still hadn't turned back after a long while, and let out a few silent sighs.

By the time Zhang Fan and Fei Er had not yet come to their senses, Wei Er and Di Er had already filled the firewood in the branch shelter, preparing to slip away unnoticed while the two were unaware.

When Zhang Fan turned around, he saw Wei Er and Di Er already at the courtyard gate; he hurriedly called out to detain them, and his voice also woke Fei Er, who likewise urged them to stay, even running over to grab their arms to keep them from leaving.

Given Fei Er's shameless behavior, Wei Er and Di Er could do nothing but agree not to leave.

For the rest of the afternoon, the four of them sat in the courtyard, busy curing meat while chatting, yet for some reason Wei Er and Di Er, as if they had agreed beforehand, silently avoided mentioning the noon's events, perfectly in sync.

Zhang Fan and Fei Er were equally unwilling to bring it up, and so the afternoon passed peacefully.

When it was nearly dinnertime, Lei Ya and Chief Fei Ji came again, this time bringing two whole roasted sheep to serve as dinner for Zhang Fan and the other three; after delivering the meat, they lingered only briefly before hurrying away.

Seeing this, even the dullest could sense that the tribe's atmosphere was off; Fei Er had lost his usual appetite, eating only half his normal portion before stopping.

Zhang Fan, Wei Er, and Di Er were all deeply worried; they urged him to eat more, but Fei Er said nothing, merely waving his hand lightly.

Seeing Fei Er suddenly become so quiet, Zhang Fan, Wei Er, and Di Er grew even more anxious; Wei Er even turned away and began to sob softly.

Upon hearing that familiar sobbing from nearby, Fei Er seemed to wake from a dream, leapt up, flung himself into Wei Er's arms, and, imitating the way Wei Er had once comforted him when he cried, began gently patting Wei Er's back to give him silent solace.

At the same time, Fei Er used his actions to prove to everyone that his worry for Mo De had not robbed him of his ability to act.

That night, after dinner, Fei Er left Zhang Fan's house together with Wei Er and Di Er.

When the house was left with only Zhang Fan, he inexplicably felt very unaccustomed to the sensation of missing a person at home, and to living alone—a taste he had never experienced before.

At that moment, Zhang Fan didn't know why, but he thought of his birth parents—the pair that gave birth to him and then abandoned him; he had not the slightest impression of them.

Zhang Fan even thought that, should they ever appear before him one day, he wouldn't recognize them, nor would he ask why they had deserted him.

Because, since Zhang Fan could remember, he had lived in an orphanage; aside from the orphanage director‑mother and the staff aunts, the only people he knew were the companions who grew up with him.

Moreover, for some reason, his secret attraction to men was discovered by a child who lived near the orphanage, had both parents, and had been his arch‑enemy since childhood; that child even broadcast it widely, so everyone in the vicinity of the orphanage came to know!

As a result, even the friends who had once been especially close to him began to look at him as if he were a monster, as though merely approaching him would cause him to devour them.

That is why, after entering high school, Zhang Fan started boarding at school; aside from part‑time work, he spent his time holed up in the dorm playing games, and fortunately his ordinary otaku demeanor kept others from guessing his preference for men.

Whenever he recalled the past, Zhang Fan could not help but sigh, and after sighing he would fall into endless contemplation.

Only after Zhang Fan finally managed to gather his thoughts did he realize it was already mid‑night with the moon high; he sighed a few times, then washed up before returning to his room to sleep.

At this moment, Ba Ke Er had resumed human form, lying on a large, leafy tree downwind, head lowered as he seriously observed the Exquisite Dragon Beast tribe not far away.

Upon seeing a young dragon beast that had only recently matured and become the herd's leader suddenly let out a roar, all the dragon beasts obediently lay down and began to rest with eyes closed.

Seeing this, Ba Ke Er's thoughts involuntarily turned to Zhang Fan, alone at home.

Ba Ke Er thought: 'I don't know if Fan Fan is asleep yet; this is the first time since I met Fan Fan that I've left him alone at home. I wonder if he can cope, I wonder how his afternoon went… sigh… I really wish I could go home soon, just to see Fan Fan.'

Here Ba Ke Er pined for Zhang Fan, while on another tree Mo De secretly yearned for Fei Er.

For Mo De, this also marked the first time since he partnered with Fei Er that he had left Fei Er alone to sleep at home; merely imagining Fei Er lying solitary on their shared bed made Mo De feel anguished.

Having been apart for just an afternoon plus half a night, Mo De was already longing to the point of sickness.

While Ba Ke Er and Mo De remained immersed in their thoughts, unable to pull themselves away, the Exquisite Dragon Beast tribe underground underwent a change without anyone noticing.