Now that she’d said it, Xia Ming no longer hid her previous feelings. She began nuzzling Zhi Li’s neck, confessing the secret thoughts she had never dared to voice before.

"Zhi Li, you were once a Warrior of our Luoni Tribe. Was there any female in the tribe who didn’t want to be your partner? I wanted to be, too, but I knew you were destined to be with Ping Mei. I knew I wasn’t that fortunate.

Back then, I desperately suppressed such improper thoughts, and gradually, I even managed to deceive myself.

The truth is, I never wanted you to be my brother at all!

Zhi Li, I’m just going to be brave this one time. If you don’t have feelings for me, if you want to wait for a female you like more in the future, then just push me away..."

By the end, Xia Ming’s voice grew frantic and was tinged with a sob. She immediately took back her words. "Zhi Li, please don’t push me away, okay? I like you. The kind of like where I *really* like you.

Back then, besides waiting for Yi Wan, I was also waiting for you to come find me. The Beast God has given us a chance to be reborn. You’re not tied to Ping Mei anymore. Let’s become partners, okay?"

Zhi Li tilted his neck up slightly. "Little Ming’er, do you know what you’re saying?"

"I do!" Xia Ming nibbled his neck lightly. "Zhi Li, I want you. Won’t you want me too?"

"Yi Wan..." In the last moment before his reason fled, Zhi Li asked hesitantly.

"Before I was reborn, Yi Wan said many times that he deeply regretted not becoming Couple Brothers with you..."

With her words, Zhi Li could hold back no longer. He turned and pressed her back onto the stone bed, his eyes tinged with red. "Little Ming’er, you won’t regret this?"

The corners of Xia Ming’s eyes were flushed as she looked up and gave him a kiss, her own eyes shining. "No, Zhi Li. I want to be with you always. Ping Mei never cherished you, but I will..."

Zhi Li silenced her with a fierce kiss. A longing, years overdue, now ignited, became a raging fire that completely consumed them...

The next day, his face flushed red, Zhi Li served Xia Ming in front of all the juniors in the courtyard, making trip after trip with water and food. His eyes were brighter and more satisfied than ever before.

His Beast Mark had actually transferred to Xia Ming’s collarbone. All his joy and devotion now had a place to call home.

Once he had served Xia Ming until she was ready to get up, he went back to learning how to cook. This time, however, he wasn’t as focused as he had been the day before. Instead, he would glance at Xia Ming from time to time, and whenever their eyes met, they would just break into silly grins...

Zhi Le couldn’t even bear to watch. He shoved a bottle of Bone Marrow Cleansing and Vein Cutting Pills into Zhi Li’s hand.

Zhi Li had been reborn. To be precise, he had traveled twenty years through time from the moment before his death to arrive here. In his previous life, when he was with Ping Mei, someone grew jealous of his outstanding talent and had Ping Mei constantly demand Crystal Stones from him to feed on. Regardless of their Level, Crystal Stones were very harmful to the body. They were like layers of murky Spiritual Energy that the male would have to filter, nourishing the female with the resulting pure Spiritual Energy.

The residual impurities and toxins from so many Crystal Stones, a burden that should have been shared by all the males in a family, all fell on Zhi Li alone. This caused his talent to fade and made it difficult for him to advance in Level.

This was the kind of treatment reserved for males who were ostracized by their Couple Brothers and not valued by their female partner.

"Father, this is a Bone Marrow Cleansing and Vein Cutting Pill," Zhi Le said with a light laugh, and proceeded to explain the elixir’s benefits.

Zhi Li stared at the Jade Bottle in his hand in disbelief. It suddenly felt as heavy as a mountain. ’He had always been the one protecting others, earning resources for them. Was I now the one being protected, the one who could enjoy such fine resources?’

Seeing his father’s pitiful expression, like someone who had never been cared for, Zhi Le smiled. "Father, you are our father. Now that you have a female, you can’t let the other males outshine you, right?

We’re your support system now, and of course, we want you to do well.

This is a Dust Cleaning Talisman. After you take the Bone Marrow Cleansing and Vein Cutting Pill, take a bite of this..."

Zhi Li smiled and nodded. He didn’t stand on ceremony. After glancing at Xia Ming and seeing she was fine, he went back to his room to Devour the elixir. The vigorous Spiritual Power within the elixir was like a hooked brush, meticulously combing through every part of his body, bringing a slight itch mixed with a tingling numbness. He endured it with muffled groans as his whole body was scoured countless times, as if he were a sword being refined—repeatedly heated in the fire and beaten with a hammer.

Once the toxins and impurities in his body were cleansed, the dual effect of his own accumulated foundation and the elixir’s abundant Spiritual Power caused Zhi Li’s cultivation to shoot up to Level 8 on the spot!

Before he could even begin to celebrate, the stench from the thick shell of filth covering his body almost made him pass out. He hastily took out the Dust Cleaning Talisman and bit into it. A fresh breeze swept over him, and the shell of grime peeled off, crumbling to dust and carrying the foul stench with it out the window and into the sky. All that remained on his body was the faint, fresh scent of grass.

Zhi Li hurried out of the room, walked up to Xia Ming, and tilted his neck to show her his Beast Pattern.

"Little Ming’er, I’m at Level 8 Peak cultivation now. I should be able to pass the screening for the upcoming tournament and get a spot to train in the Secret Realm," he said, his voice trembling slightly with excitement.

Xia Ming smiled and reached out to touch it. A slight tingle ran through her fingertips. "Zhi Li, two yellow Beast Patterns! You really are Level 8!" she said happily.

Zhi Li pulled her into his arms and chuckled. "I’ll work even harder from now on to make our Little Ming’er feel more secure.

Now that I’ve learned how to make jerky, cured meat, smoked meat, and sausages, I’ll stock up on a lot of meat and pelts when I go to train in the Secret Realm.

This year, during the rainy season and the coldest season, we’ll definitely live well..."

Xia Ming also remembered their difficult childhoods. A fist-sized piece of meat had to last so long they wished they could just gnaw on it, grinding off a little powder to mix with melted snow when they were starving. By the time the long rainy and coldest seasons were over, they were usually just skin and bones.

"Mhm, I want to eat long tusked pork, wild duck, and meat from Golden Headed Chickens! And eggs, and milk..." After just two days of eating with Si Shuo’s family, Xia Ming’s standards for food had skyrocketed, and her horizons had been broadened considerably.

"Okay, okay, okay. When the rainy and coldest seasons come, we’ll just comfortably eat, drink, and relax at home," Zhi Li said with a smiling nod. He truly felt like he could spoil her to the heavens; no matter how much he looked at her, it was never enough.

This atmosphere didn’t last long before it was shattered by uninvited guests at the door.

"Open up!" An extremely loud POUNDING came from the door. It was obvious the visitors had come with ill intent, and the male shouting had a rough, coarse voice.

Before the door was even opened, many Beastmen in the alley were already poking their heads out or climbing walls to watch the commotion.

This seemed to encourage the Beastman outside, who shouted even louder, "What, now that Yi Wan is gone, you’re just going to hide in there like cowards?"

Gong You stood up and went to open the door. The moment it opened, the menacing Beastmen outside tried to charge in. But Gong You stood in the middle of the doorway with his arms crossed, releasing an aura of power so intimidating that even the Level Eleven and Twelve Beastmen felt their courage fail, finding themselves unable to take a single step forward.

"What’s going on? Move!" The Beastmen in the front row were frozen in place, while those behind them, not understanding the situation, tried to shove their way in, pushing and jostling one another.

Gong You’s lips curled into a smirk as he sidestepped. The front row was pushed over, and the second row of Beastmen lost their footing and fell as well. Those in the back couldn’t see what was happening and just kept charging forward, leading to a continuous series of yelps and thuds as they all tumbled down...