When Ziqian recovered from his amazement, his gaze fell on Xue—standing still, dazed, holding two massive, black, semi-round stones. Clear droplets rolled down his skin, tracing the sharp cut of his mermaid line, sliding over to his firm pectorals and the ridges of his perfectly sculpted eight-pack.
Unconsciously, Ziqian followed their trail, breath caught in anticipation.
"I wouldn't be surprised if Xue melted under that scorching-hot gaze of yours," Ero snickered.
Ziqian ignored Ero's teasing remark as though he hadn't heard a thing. Instead, he walked over to Xue with an innocent smile, his steps light and unhurried. That seemingly pure expression masked the playful thoughts swirling in his mind. "Are these the blackstones you told me about?"
I really want to take a bite, Ziqian thought as his peach-blossom eyes lingered far too long on the man's dripping figure.
"…Yes," Xue replied absentmindedly, still holding the stones, unaware of the hungry look in Ziqian's eyes.
Xue set the blackstones down under a tall tree, then carefully laid out the tools he would use for carving. While he busied himself with the rocks, Ziqian found his attention drifting toward the waterfall, where mist shimmered in the sunlight and the lush greenery seemed to draw him closer.
"I want to look around a little," he said, unable to resist the pull of curiosity.
Xue's brows knitted instantly. The thought of Ziqian wandering off alone unsettled him—what if a wild monster appeared out of nowhere?
But Ziqian, stubborn as ever, insisted, "I won't go far, I promise. Just a little walk."
Reluctantly, Xue gave a short nod.
Ziqian happily set off with a small basket on his back.
Xue watched him go. Only when the sub-beast vanished from sight did his hands return to the tools, steady, but his ears remained attuned to every rustle of leaves, every splash of water—restless, as though ready to spring to his feet at the first hint of danger.
Two hours later, Ziqian returned, his small basket packed full of oddly shaped potatoes. He had stumbled upon them near the pool, where they were clustered together like a pile of stacked stones, with faint grasses sprouting around them. They might have gone completely unnoticed if not for Phi and Ero.
At the same time, Xue had finished his work. Two cauldrons and two frying pans of varying sizes rested beside him, their surfaces newly carved. He stood under the waterfall, letting the current rush over the blackstone as he rinsed them clean, his calloused hands moving steadily to smooth out the inner walls.
It was already past noon when Xue finally set his tools aside.
They decided to eat first before heading toward the grove of Cinna trees. Ziqian's fingers lingered on the newly carved pans, his eyes shining with the anticipation of finally cooking a proper meal with them. But reality quickly sobered his excitement; the scent of cooking might attract monsters.
So, with a little sigh of regret, he set the pans aside and settled down beside Xue. They shared a simple meal of dried meat and boiled red root.
After they finished eating, Ziqian looked up at Xue with hopeful eyes. "Can we stay a little longer? Let's rest for a while, and I want to talk about something with you."
Xue gave a small nod, settling beside him in silence. The steady rush of the waterfall filled the pause between them.
After a few moments of gazing at the valley, Ziqian tilted his head thoughtfully. "That vacant lot at the edge of the valley near the tribe… can it be used?"
Xue's brows knit slightly. "Used… for what?" He thought about the large space that was full of fruitless trees and weeds. It had always been left alone.
"I want to make it a farm."
"Farm?" Xue repeated, his brows drawn together.
Ziqian smiled faintly. Instead of answering, he asked, "Wouldn't it be better if the females and sub-beasts didn't need to risk going out to gather red roots anymore?"
Xue fell silent, thinking. "If that were possible… it would change many things."
"It is possible," Ziqian said with quiet certainty. He crouched and drew in the dirt with a stick. "Look—right now, we go into the forest to find roots, fruits, and herbs. But what if we take the seeds, plant them in the vacant lot, and grow them ourselves?" He drew rows of little marks. "The plants will keep growing if we water them, care for them, and make sure the weeds don't steal their nutrients."
Xue lowered his gaze to the rows etched in the soil, his expression unreadable, though his eyes flickered with thought.
"A place… where food grows by itself?"
Ziqian chuckled softly. "Not by itself. It needs care. A farm is just a place where we grow our food together. If we plant red roots, herbs, and fruit trees in one safe place, no one has to risk their lives every day. And the more we grow, the more people can eat."
For a long while, Xue said nothing, but his grip on his knee tightened. This idea… it was unlike anything he had ever heard before.
Ziqian then explained to Xue what a farm was—how people could cultivate the land, grow food in rows, and harvest it season after season. He described the tools used to till the soil, how certain plants helped replenish the ground, and even how to rotate crops so the land wouldn't tire out. Every detail he remembered from the books he once read, he patiently shared, using simple words and gestures to make it easier for Xue to understand.
Xue listened quietly, his sharp eyes never leaving Ziqian's face.
"If the vacant lot near the valley is cleared, it could hold at least ten rows of different plants," Xue mused aloud. "But the soil there is shallow… we may need to bring better soil from the riverbank."
Ziqian's peach-blossom eyes curved with delight.
Xue was quick to grasp every detail, his sharp mind weaving possibilities with ease. With just a few words, he was already forming plans, refining Ziqian's ideas, and even suggesting improvements that Ziqian himself hadn't considered.
Wow, he's so smart! Ziqian thought, both surprised and impressed by how swiftly the man absorbed new knowledge.
"It is a wide area, and we will need help from the others. Do you think it is feasible?" Ziqian asked, his hands deftly moving as he began weaving a basket.
Yesterday, when Qiu and Yan saw the basket they were using, they begged him to teach them, but with his quest, he hadn't been able to spare the effort. Now, he decided to weave a smaller one for them first—something simple to repay their enthusiasm. Besides, it gave him an excuse to keep his hands busy, to stop himself from staring too much at Xue.
The man was really irresistible. It wasn't an exaggeration to call him perfect—handsome, strong, and intelligent, yet listening to him so intently as though every word mattered—Ziqian felt his heart skip a beat. He was afraid that if this continued, he might just take a bite before the fruit had ripened.
He quickly lowered his gaze back to the basket, pretending to focus.
Xue watched the basket slowly take form, the corners of his lips curving almost imperceptibly. He admired Ziqian's careful movements—the way his slender fingers bent the vines with patient precision. For a brief moment, he wondered if this gentle sub-beast could truly change the way the tribe lived.
Xue fell silent, thoughtful. His gaze drifted toward the valley below before returning to the sub-beast beside him. "It will be difficult at first, but not impossible. If we divide the work and start small, others will see the benefit. When they realize they no longer have to risk the forest every day, they'll join us."
Hearing his calm and steady answer, Ziqian's lips curved into a smile. His heart swelled with a mix of admiration and warmth.
The more they exchanged ideas, the brighter Ziqian's smile became. And though Xue's expression remained calm and collected, the glint in his eyes betrayed his growing excitement. For the first time, he could see a future for the tribe beyond endless hunts and dangerous foraging.
"Right! Oh… should we build a low wall of stones around it to keep out smaller monsters?" Ziqian suggested, his fingers still working nimbly at the half-woven basket on his lap.
But after a few minutes without hearing any response—or even the faintest shift of movement beside him—Ziqian turned his head. He froze. Two brilliant blue eyes were fixed on him, unblinking, burning with an intensity that stole his breath.
Those eyes—deep and calm like the ocean—shimmered under the sunlight, glinting like the finest sapphire.
"So gorgeous," Ziqian murmured, abandoning the basket completely.
He leaned in and brushed his lips against Xue's, soft and testing. When no rejection came, he pressed another kiss—this time to his cheek, then his nose, then his closed eyelids, as if tracing a path across the man's stoic face.
"Xue... If you don't stop me now, you won't have a chance later," he whispered, voice dipped low and teasing, as he slid onto Xue's lap.
Xue's breathing grew heavy, his body taut beneath Ziqian's weight, yet still he made no move. It was as though he was allowing Ziqian to do as he pleased.
Ziqian kissed Xue once again, softly at first. His lips lingered just long enough to feel the man's warmth before pulling back slightly.
The sight of Xue—his usually calm blue eyes darkening—ignited something inside him. Ziqian leaned in again and deepened the kiss, his tongue brushing against Xue's with teasing insistence—until the man's composure finally fractured, and an unguarded groan slipped past his lips. Heat surged between them, a fire that spread from where their lips met to every inch of their body.
Xue's hands, which had been frozen at his sides, finally moved—gripping Ziqian's waist with trembling restraint. His thoughts screamed for him to push away, to stop before he lost control, yet his body betrayed him, leaning into the touch, answering the kiss with raw hunger.
The world blurred—the roar of the waterfall and the rustling of leaves faded until only the pounding of hearts remained. Ziqian's lips were sweet and insistent, drawing out the side of Xue he doesn't know exists.
"Ziqian…" Xue's voice broke against the kiss, half a plea, half a surrender.
And in that fragile, burning moment, it no longer mattered who started it—only that neither of them could bear to let it end.