Wake up, lazy raccoon! It’s Day 5 and you STILL haven’t managed to make Ruì Xuě smile!
Bai Yue’s eyes flew open with a gasp. "Ehh??? What is going on??"
She bolted upright, her heart hamring in her chest as she looked around wildly. This wasn’t her hut. The furs were soft, and the walls were decorated with intricate carvings she definitely didn’t own. And there was a distinctly masculine scent in the air that made her brain short-circuit.
Wait. Is this...?
She turned her head slowly, dreading what she might find.
Zhāo Yàn was on the bed.
Right next to her.
SHIRTLESS.
His orange hair was ssy from sleep, falling into his face in a way that was frankly illegal. His chest rose and fell with slow, peaceful breaths, and one of his arms was stretched out across the furs, dangerously close to where she had been sleeping.
"EHHHHHHH?!" Bai Yue’s brain exploded into a thousand panicked pieces.
Her head felt fuzzy, like it was stuffed with cotton. She pressed her palms against her temples, trying desperately to rember what happened yesterday.
They went.....Ruì Xuě played with the cubs... and... and...
The mories ca back in fragnts. The evening al. Soone, she thinks it was Mo Xiao, bringing out fernted berry wine to celebrate the cubs playing together so peacefully. Zhāo Yàn challenging her to a drinking contest to test out whether she had actually changed. Apparently the old Bai Yue was a notorious drinker.
She rembered laughing. A lot of laughing. And drinking. So much drinking.
And then... passing out?
"Ehh?" she whispered to herself, clutching the furs to her chest even though she was relieved to find she was still fully clothed in her wrap and skirt.
"Did you miss ?"
The voice of Tiān-Mìng suddenly bood in her skull, dripping with amusent.
Bai Yue scowled, pressing her fingers harder against her temples. "You thrice-cursed rat! Why would I miss you?!"
"Awww," the goddess cooed mockingly. "My feelings are hurt! And here I thought we were bonding!"
"We are NOT bonding!" Bai Yue hissed under her breath, trying not to wake the sleeping Fox Lord. "You abandoned with a dragon and a monkey army! So goddess you are!"
"Hehehehe," Tiān-Mìng giggled. "Well, I’m back now! And you’re running out of ti, sweetie! Better hurry up and make that snowflake smile!"
"In case you haven’t noticed," Bai Yue growled, "I have a DRAGON to deal with! His trials start today!"
"Hmm, the monkeys will drag out the trials for maximum embarrassnt," the goddess said airily. "Should give you plenty of entertainnt! Good luck, raccoon! Don’t die!"
"Wait! Wait!" Bai Yue started, but the presence in her mind vanished with a pop.
"Who are you talking to?"
Bai Yue shrieked and nearly fell off the bed.
Zhāo Yàn was awake, propped up on one elbow and squinting at her through his ssy hair. His red eyes were slightly bloodshot, and he was rubbing his temple with a grimace that suggested his head hurt as much as hers did.
"I—uh—hmm..." Bai Yue stamred, her face heating up. "No one! Just.....talking to myself! Perfectly normal! Not strange at all!"
Zhāo Yàn looked at her for a long mont, then, slowly, his lips curved into a small smile.
"I am nearly convinced you have completely changed, Bai Yue," he said softly, his voice rough from sleep. "The old you could drink an entire barrel of our wine and still have a mind like lightning. You would have woken up yelling at for hogging the furs."
He sat up fully, the furs pooling around his waist, and Bai Yue’s brain very helpfully reminded her that he was STILL shirtless and VERY close.
"Hmm," he continued, his gaze drifting over her face. "Do you rember what happened yesterday? With the kits?"
"Yes!" she said quickly, desperate for sothing to focus on that wasn’t his bare chest. "I—Ruì Xuě played with Yòu Lín and the others! They fought evil carrots! It was adorable! And then we had dinner and—"
She trailed off, her mories getting hazy again.
Zhāo Yàn stood up from the bed smoothly, and Bai Yue’s eyes widened as he moved closer to where she sat.
"Hmm," he murmured, looking down at her with an expression that made her heart do dangerous things. He reached out, his fingers gently wrapping around her arm, and pulled her to her feet. She stumbled slightly, and suddenly they were very, very close.
His eyes dropped to her lips.
Bai Yue’s heart started racing like it was trying to escape her ribcage. Her palms were sweating. Her brain was screaming. What is happening? Why is he looking at like that? Is he going to—?!
Zhāo Yàn stepped even closer, his face inches from hers. His hand ca up to cup her cheek, his thumb brushing against her skin with heartbreaking gentleness.
Bai Yue panicked.
"YOUR BREATH!" she blurted out, slapping a hand over her own mouth imdiately.
Zhāo Yàn froze, his eyebrow furrowing in confusion. "My... what?"
Oh no. Oh no no no. "I—I just ant—morning breath! Bad morning breath! Both of us! Very bad!" She was backing away now, her face the color of a tomato. "We should—we should rinse! With water! Separately! Far apart!"
Zhāo Yàn stared at her for exactly three seconds.
And then he started laughing.
"Hahaha! My breath?" he wheezed, clutching his stomach. "You—you just—hahaha!"
"Stop laughing!" Bai Yue wailed, covering her burning face with her hands. "It’s not funny!"
"It’s very funny!" Zhāo Yàn managed between gasps. He wiped at his eyes, still grinning like a fool. "The old Bai Yue would have grabbed by the neck and—" He paused, his smile softening. "You really are different."
Before she could respond, a voice that could shatter glass echoed across the entire village.
"BAI YUE! WHERE IS THAT CURSED, STONE-STEALING FEMALE?! THE TRIALS BEGIN NOW!"
Bai Yue sighed deeply, her shoulders slumping. "Duty calls."
She scrambled out of the hut, Zhāo Yàn following behind her with an amused smirk still playing on his lips.
~
After she freshened up, she arrived at the central clearing to realize it was packed.
It looked like every single beastman, female, and cub in the tribe had gathered to witness what was clearly going to be the most entertaining morning of their lives.
The Monkey King, Hóu Wáng, sat perched on a makeshift throne made of twisted branches and woven vines, looking like he was about to announce the greatest show on earth. His grandson, Hóu Xián, hung upside-down from a nearby tree, grinning like a maniac.
Dozens of golden monkeys filled the surrounding trees, chattering and chittering with barely-contained excitent.
And in the center of it all stood Cāng Jì, looking like he wanted to burn the entire forest down and then salt the earth for good asure.
Bai Yue spotted the cubs imdiately. The panther triplets were wrestling near one of the fire pits, their giggles mixing with the excited chatter of the crowd. The snake twins, Shé Yì and Shé Èr, were coiled around each other on a rock, watching the monkeys with obvious suspicion.
"I don’t like them," Shé Yì hissed, his forked tongue flicking out nervously. "They’re too.....swingy."
"And too loud," Shé Èr added. "And they sll strange."
"Everyone slls strange to you," Miao Miao pointed out, pouncing on Xiao Hei’s tail.
But one cub was missing from the group.
Ruì Xuě.
Bai Yue’s heart sank a little. Of course Han Shān wouldn’t bring him to this chaos. He probably took him sowhere quiet and safe, far away from the "cursed female" and her dragon problems.
"MAMA!"
The shriek nearly made Bai Yue jump out of her skin.
Yòu Lín ca sprinting across the clearing like his tail was on fire, his orange fur fluffed up with excitent. He launched himself at her legs and started climbing up her body like she was a tree, his little claws digging into her wrap.
"Mama! Mama, look! The monkeys are here! Are they going to make the shiny lizard-man dance? Can I watch? Can I? Can I?" He scrambled up to her shoulder and perched there, his tail wrapping around her neck.
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