Favorite of the Beast-world: I Got Rich Through Farming-Chapter 231 - 168: Cub, Energy Ore, and Hard to Tame

Chapter 231: Chapter 168: Cub, Energy Ore, and Hard to Tame

’It’s practically a natural, green Energy Ore!’

An Jin browsed the surrounding stalls until afternoon. Just as she reached for the Beast Skin Bag at her waist to pay for something...

—she suddenly realized there were still several vials of medicine inside the bag.

Only then did she remember the poor, injured little thing she had left behind in the forest cave.

"Oh, crap," An Jin cursed under her breath in frustration. Without even taking the item the stall owner was handing her, she spun around and rushed off. "Something came up, I have to go! Save this stuff for me, I’ll be back for it tonight!"

Outside the city, she entered the lush, primitive jungle. The dense thorns and undergrowth blocked nearly all lines of sight, making it impossible to get one’s bearings.

An Jin had to rely on her spiritual power, following the hazy path in her memory. After many twists and turns, she finally found her way back to the part of the jungle she had visited yesterday.

The black-haired boy was unconscious in the depths of the cave. When An Jin rushed over, she found he was barely breathing.

She touched his face. It was scorching hot. He had developed a high fever.

His condition was even worse than yesterday!

An Jin scanned her surroundings, her gaze finally landing on the medicine she had left, now discarded in an inconspicuous corner.

’...’ ’Does this kid have too much faith in his own healing abilities?’

He was so severely injured, yet he hadn’t even deigned to take the medicine.

’I’ve got to admit, he’s one tough kid.’

"Ngh..." His body was burning up, and it was hard to breathe. A crushing weight, as if a massive stone were pressing on his chest, caused Qi Yuan to curl his frail body in discomfort.

He was thirsty and wanted to find water.

But his eyelids were so heavy he couldn’t open them, no matter how hard he tried.

’It’s happening again. Again and again, it’s always the same. I’m all alone.’ It was as if Qi Yuan was reliving that same nightmare.

He was abandoned in the dark jungle by his father-beast, left to fend for himself.

"Black is an ill omen. How could our Qilin clan give birth to a black cub?"

"He doesn’t even have the fire source inheritance in his bloodline, only this dark, wicked Energy. What a disgrace!"

"She died to give birth to you. You... you should never have been born into this world..."

"..."

’No, that’s not me. I don’t want to be abandoned in that cold, dark forest.’

Ravenous beasts eyed his small, weak form greedily. In the beginning, he was too young to even find food to survive. If it weren’t for that person, he would have been devoured by wild animals long ago.

He was a weed, a thorn growing in the bottom of a deep, dark valley—an unlucky thing that had to be hidden from sight, never to glimpse a single ray of light.

Jolting awake from the nightmare, Qi Yuan leaned against the wall, head down, gasping for air. His wide, downcast black eyes were filled with terror and helplessness as large beads of cold sweat rolled down his face.

The beauty mark near the corner of his eye gave him a somewhat pitiful look.

His nose twitched. He caught the pungent scent of herbs in the air, along with the familiar scent of the female.

"..." Qi Yuan froze.

He leaned stiffly against the stone wall, blinked, and turned his head toward the slender figure slowly coming into focus not far away.

The scene before him was just like yesterday, and a brief look of confusion flickered across his face.

"...It’s you again?"

She had actually come back.

Why was she so persistent in helping him?

Having never been nourished by kindness as a child, Qi Yuan was instantly on guard. His whole body tensed up like a pitiful stray kitten as he coldly stared at the hand extended to help him.

’This female must want something from me.’

"Sorry, I meant to come check on you earlier, but I got held up by something."

Just like the day before, An Jin offered him the medicinal soup.

This time, he only hesitated for a moment before lowering his head and silently accepting the wooden spoon she held out.

The strong, pungent taste of the herbs exploded on his tongue, a strange sensation.

After he finished drinking, she withdrew her hand.

"Answer my question. Why did you come back to help me? Look closely, I’m not your cub," Qi Yuan interrogated, his voice weak yet cold. He narrowed his gloomy eyes and shifted into a more comfortable position.

’Cub??’

’Did I hear that right?’ An Jin dug a finger in her ear, completely dumbfounded. How old was he? Thirteen or fourteen at most?

’Do I look that old?’

’There’s a five-year age gap between us at most!!’

Seeing the female’s expression instantly sour, Qi Yuan belatedly realized what a stupid question he had just asked. He ducked his head in embarrassment, his lips pressed into a thin line.

It was all because of the long period of killing; time had passed so quickly that he had almost forgotten his own age.

’But females are only this nice to their cubs and their mates.’

’Could it be... she wants to take me as her mate?’ Qi Yuan couldn’t help but wonder.

He was still young, not yet an adult. He hadn’t awakened his reproductive memories and wouldn’t be swayed just because she showed him a bit of kindness.

An Jin had no idea that while the boy in front of her maintained a cold expression, a war was raging in his mind, his imagination running wild with increasingly absurd conclusions.

Seeing him silent and brooding, she didn’t disturb him. She walked over to the cave entrance on her own. "You’re seriously injured, so you probably can’t hunt. You must not have eaten properly these last two days, have you?"

"I’ll go find you something to eat."