Rebirth with the Beast_2

Chapter 27 continued…..

…fine and delicate, with slightly upturned eyes that were very alluring. If not for the perpetual gloom in his expression, he would be no less attractive than a female. Maybe that was why those beastmen had once taken advantage of Ian.

Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the hotpot, and Su Yi got a clear read on everyone’s tastes. Ian, like Xinuo, loved spicy food; Aisbi liked it too but couldn’t handle much. Dilson, Tyler, and Mino couldn’t handle spice at all. As for Jero and Jels, they ate plenty from both the numbing-spicy pot and the mild one. Little Eli, meanwhile—Su Yi was basically raising him like a baby—wasn’t allowed too much spice.

“I think this house is great. I want to build one for myself in the future,” Dilson said, pointing at Su Yi’s home while eating fruit after the meal.

Su Yi gave him a teasing look. “And who are you going to live there with?”

Dilson was about to answer when he noticed Mino pricking up his ears beside him. He hesitated and mumbled, “If—if he’s willing…”

“‘He’ who? Which ‘he’?” Su Yi took a big bite of fruit and leaned into Xinuo at his side. Xinuo slipped an arm around Su Yi’s waist from behind and bent his head to take a bite out of the fruit in Su Yi’s hand.

“Of course it’s… it’s him!” Dilson glanced at Mino. Because Mino had been watching Dilson the whole time, he clearly caught that look. His face flamed and he turned and ran.

Seeing Mino bolt, Dilson—without knowing why he was in such a rush—immediately chased after him.

“You’re at it again,” Xinuo said with a laugh.

Su Yi looked back with a grin, about to speak, when Ian suddenly said from the side, “Those two… suit each other.”

Ian hadn’t spoken loudly, but everyone heard it. Su Yi glanced at him curiously; Ian’s long lashes fluttered, very striking.

“I think so too. They’re both kind of silly—life together would be pretty fun,” Su Yi said, smiling.

Jero, however, disagreed. “Dilson’s actually very smart. He’s just slow when it comes to feelings.”

They chatted a little longer, and then Little Eli started getting sleepy, so everyone dispersed.

Su Yi and Xinuo moved everything from the cave into the new storeroom for now. Although it was the last month of the hot season, the weather was still muggy. Su Yi picked a few hides with less fur to serve as mattresses for the time being, planning to weave a couple of grass mats tomorrow if he had time.

He set up the kids’ room first. Since the entire floor was basically a sleeping platform, Su Yi was a little jealous. Come winter, when they heated the kang, those rooms would be toasty warm.

When it was time for bed, Little Eli suddenly threw a tantrum. Because Mino was temporarily sharing a room with Aisbi, Little Eli was expected to sleep alone. In the past he had always slept with Su Yi, or at least with Xinuo. Now that they had a new home, being made to sleep by himself put him in a very bad mood.

Su Yi’s heart softened and he started to carry Eli back to his own bedroom. He had barely picked the child up when he saw Xinuo standing in the doorway with a slight frown. “Su Yi, you spoil him too much. Let him sleep on his own.”

On the orc continent, because living conditions are harsh and families share a single cave, people aren’t used to having separate rooms. Now that the house was built, the question of the two kids sleeping independently had come up. Su Yi also felt little ones shouldn’t be overly coddled, but Eli was only a bit over two. “How about… we wait until he can take human form to split rooms?” he suggested to Xinuo.

Xinuo looked at Su Yi without speaking; a hint of disapproval flashed in his beautiful eyes. But even if he didn’t agree, he still chose to yield.

“Fine. We’ll take it slow.”

Eli won a great victory and wagged his tail happily in Su Yi’s arms.

In truth, Su Yi had been thinking they could finally have some time alone tonight—he wanted to cuddle up properly with Xinuo at bedtime. They’d been busy building the house, and it had been ages since they’d been intimate.

But Su Yi forgot he had a kid now, so the plan had to be scrapped.

Near dawn, Eli actually woke Su Yi up by choking him; whatever the kid was dreaming about, he spent the whole night tossing and turning. Xinuo was a light sleeper. When Su Yi frowned and reached for his neck, Xinuo woke first, quickly moving Eli to the far side of the bed. Su Yi rubbed his eyes and stared blearily at Xinuo’s face looming close.

“Let me see. It looks a little red.” Xinuo gently touched Su Yi’s neck, and then, seeing Su Yi still sleepy and dazed, he felt a tug at his heart and kissed Su Yi on the cheek. Because he was serpent-kin, his body temperature ran cool; his lips were cool too. When those thin lips brushed Su Yi’s cheek, Su Yi finally came to—was his Xinuo… flirting with him? Su Yi’s eyes curved, a mischievous glint flashing through them. After a big stretch, he crawled over hand and foot like scaling a ridge, toppled onto Xinuo, and bit him hard.

Chapter 28

Xinuo glanced at the sleeping Eli, then lifted Su Yi with one arm and carried him straight into Eli’s room. Since the new house didn’t have doors or windows installed yet, neither of them dared make much noise. Xinuo fell onto the bed with Su Yi in his arms and was just about to press him down for a good, thorough kiss when Su Yi muffled, “No— we can’t do that on our kid’s bed. That’s way too embarrassing.”

Xinuo lowered his pale lashes to study Su Yi’s face, trying to see any trace of that so-called embarrassment—only to find Su Yi touching his solid arm with a strange expression. If Xinuo had known the term “lecher,” he would have swapped “strange” for that immediately.

He knew Su Yi liked his face; seeing Su Yi now stroking his body made him secretly happy. It seemed his partner was satisfied with more than just his looks.

“So what do you want to do?” he murmured by Su Yi’s ear.

Su Yi tore his gaze away from that well-built body and found Xinuo looking down at him. In those eyes Su Yi loved so much, he saw his own slightly nervous reflection. He did like being close to Xinuo, but he had been a straight guy, after all—someone who always imagined being the one on top. Suddenly flipping the script to be the one underneath… ahem. It felt a little terrifying.

“Let’s wait until the house is completely finished,” he said through gritted teeth.

Xinuo lowered his head and brushed Su Yi’s lips. “Alright.”

Su Yi reached up to smooth Xinuo’s hair. “We’ve still got a lot to do today. I really want to stay curled up with you a bit longer.”

Lying beside him, Xinuo picked up Su Yi’s hand to examine it. Lately Su Yi had taken a beating for this house. His once fair, tender palms were covered with peeled skin where blisters had burst. He’d done it all so they could live better, so they wouldn’t freeze when winter came. Xinuo wasn’t a man of many words; most of the time he simply listened quietly while Su Yi talked. But he noticed everything.

Su Yi was just drifting when warmth touched his palm. He opened his eyes to find Xinuo gently kissing the wounds there. Su Yi turned his face and stared, a bit entranced. If Xinuo were in the civilized world, even if he weren’t a global superstar, he would still have captivated countless girls: great build, handsome face, gentle and steady personality, and—most of all—so considerate. What had Su Yi ever done to deserve such a wonderful lover? He couldn’t help but smile. Those who had hurt Xinuo in the past must have been blind. A treasure like this, treated as if he were venomous—well, their loss, Su Yi’s gain. He’d picked up a gorgeous man for free… with a little bun, Little Eli, as a bonus.

Hearing Su Yi chuckle, Xinuo asked, “What are you laughing at?”

Su Yi burrowed into his arms. At about 1.8 meters tall, Su Yi wasn’t exactly small, but compared to 2.1-meter Xinuo, they were the cutest height difference. No matter how many times Su Yi tried to unleash his inner tough guy, biology had the final say—he couldn’t budge Xinuo. Like now, his intention had been to hold Xinuo; yet somehow he was the one tucked in.

Xinuo found Su Yi’s eager cuddling very gratifying. Those long arms wrapped around him, and Su Yi was surrounded entirely.

Back then, Dong Xiaoxiao had pointed at a magazine model and said she’d only date very tall men so she could sleep sprawled across them without worrying about falling off. She also wanted to sit in her boyfriend’s lap like a human sofa while they gamed and watched dramas together.

Su Yi had volunteered himself, but she’d rolled her eyes and said, “Forget it, Captain Su. You’re handsome, sure, but lately I keep shipping you with Brother Chu. In my subconscious, you two are a couple.”

Had Dong Xiaoxiao predicted he’d bend back then? “Brother Chu” was a high-ranking official Su Yi had crossed, and because of that he was transferred to Vice—well, to the anti-vice squad. After that, Brother Chu had come by to see him a few times; Dong Xiaoxiao always felt there was something between them. To her, lovers-to-enemies was peak romance.

Now Su Yi wondered—had he fulfilled a wish she couldn’t?

Mino made breakfast. Su Yi and Xinuo ate a bit and then went out to find suitable lumber.

In the end, Su Yi chose a very sturdy redwood—lightly reddish and extremely solid—and had Xinuo fell two trees. Outside, they stripped the bark and split the trunks into planks. Felling was easy, debarking was easy; making perfectly even doors was the hard part. Su Yi measured the door openings with rope, marked the shapes with his dagger, and Xinuo shaved the uneven parts smooth with a bone blade. It took them the entire day to make just a few doors.

By the time they got back, it was already night.

Mino told Su Yi that Dilson and the others planned to build houses too, and asked if Su Yi could come advise when he had time.

Munching wild strawberries, Su Yi asked, “What kind of place are they planning?”

“Dilson said they’re all single for now, so they want to start with a bigger place for everyone to live together. They more or less get how to build now, but they still hope you can look things over.”

Su Yi nodded. “Dilson plans to live with them? You’re not planning to live with him?”

Mino flushed again and stammered.

Su Yi flicked a finger against his forehead. “Mino, listen. If you like someone, say you like them; if you don’t, say you don’t. If you like him, say it openly—don’t waste Dilson’s time. If you stay timid your whole life, then even if he’s an outcast, he’ll grow disheartened by your hesitation sooner or later. If you miss him and regret it later, don’t come crying to me.”

Su Yi rarely spoke so sternly. Mino was clearly startled, but he could tell Su Yi meant well. He twisted his hands together anxiously and whispered, “I—I’ll go find him now.”

Chapter 29

What Mino and Dilson said to each other, Su Yi didn’t know. He only learned the next day that Dilson intended to build his own house—meaning he wouldn’t live with the other beastmen. No one said anything; they just exchanged looks whose meaning was obvious.

Since everyone else was busy building, fewer people were going out to hunt. Because they’d all helped with his house, Su Yi decided to help hunt for them. Dilson’s group sent out one hunter each day, and when Su Yi offered, Dilson hurriedly refused. In their eyes, Xinuo had to support two little ones and two females by himself. They didn’t know Su Yi could hunt too.

It was still the hot season, so game wasn’t hard to find. Su Yi wanted to stock up while he could; hunting would be harder in the rainy season, and after that came the snowy season—and there was no way he’d let Xinuo go out in the snow. He pulled a small crossbow from his space, planning to practice his hunting skills while he had the chance.

He and Xinuo went farther afield. Serpents are very good at hiding; even though Xinuo’s beast form was huge and pure white, he could vanish from sight as soon as he wished. At first he stuck close to Su Yi, ready to take down anything Su Yi couldn’t handle.

Su Yi’s first target was a red-eyed beast that looked like a rabbit but was the size of a piglet. Its eyes were bright red as if it had just been crying; its huge ears stood straight up, and its body was so fat the meat wobbled with every step. Su Yi’s weapon was a spear with a grass-rope tether; the point was a bone blade Xinuo had made for him. Not as sharp as the dagger, but decent enough.

He kept the crossbow in his backpack; it was too small to drop a large animal in one shot, better suited to smaller prey. Spear in hand, he slipped toward the red-eyed beast. When he was seven or eight paces away, he lunged and drove the tip straight for its neck. The creature let out a piercing scream. The rope went taut as it thrashed, dragging Su Yi forward a few steps. Blood pumped from the wound, flowing faster as the beast struggled. Su Yi yanked out the dagger at his waist, darted in, and with a quick slice cut its windpipe.

Since that fight with the winged-leopard tribe, Xinuo knew Su Yi was formidable—but seeing that bone-deep ferocity again still left him a little stunned.

Su Yi yanked the spear free and gave Xinuo, hidden nearby, a proud grin. “Well? You can relax now, right?”

Xinuo emerged from cover, pinched Su Yi’s nose, and said, “Strong.”

“Let’s leave this red-eyed beast here as bait. It’ll draw plenty more.” Su Yi wiped the blood off his dagger. He’d considered setting traps, but that wouldn’t hone his skills. Since laboring over the house had strengthened him, he’d shelved the running practice—hauling stone and building every day was workout enough.

They each climbed a different tree and waited.

The heavy scent of blood would surely bring predators. Xinuo hadn’t liked the plan—he could always take off, being winged—but a swarm might prove dangerous for Su Yi. Su Yi reminded him he could always duck into his spatial pocket if things got dicey, and Xinuo relaxed a little.

After half an hour or so, beastly cries rose around them. From the sound, four or five. Su Yi narrowed his eyes toward the noise and saw a handful of green, raptor-like creatures burst from the brush. Smaller than many others—about a meter and a bit tall—with slender yet powerful limbs and necks, and full mouths of sharp teeth.

He didn’t know the species, but their light frames and fangs marked them as trouble. He’d hoped for plump prey, not a pack of vicious predators—more like forest hunting dogs: not so strong alone, but deadly in coordination.

When they began tugging at the red-eyed beast, Su Yi drew the crossbow and, taking aim at an eye, loosed a bolt. As he fired, Xinuo shifted into his beast form and charged. One look at that massive serpent and the pack dropped the carcass to flee—but leaving wouldn’t be so easy. Xinuo’s tail whipped and sent one flying. Su Yi slid down his tree the moment Xinuo sprang, and when the flung one hit the ground, Su Yi went in without mercy to finish it.

Xinuo snapped two more in his jaws.

Su Yi raised the crossbow and shot a fleeing one in the left leg. It pitched forward with a scream, and Su Yi was already there with his spear, driving it into the slender neck. Blood sprayed; gripping the rope, he hauled the body back a little at a time.

Author’s Note:

(^Д^) I’m hopeless at naming! Haha.

Recruiting a few names from you little angels:

1. The dragon bro’s future female
2. A gaggle of annoying cannon-fodder females
   Come on, hit me with ideas!

Chapter 30

“What are these? I’ve never seen them,” Su Yi asked, wiping blood from his wrist as Xinuo shifted back to human nearby.

Xinuo first checked Su Yi for injuries, and only when he confirmed the blood wasn’t Su Yi’s did he answer: “They’re called thorn-drakes. They like to hunt in packs.”

Su Yi grinned. Though smaller than red-eyed beasts or fanged boars, each one still weighed 140–150 catties. “Let’s clean them up, then I’ll pop into the space.”

Xinuo nodded, grabbed two thorn-drakes in one hand and the red-eyed beast in the other, and headed for a nearby brook. Watching him walk off so easily, Su Yi looked at the two still on the ground. He’d planned to swagger in hauling both, but after dragging one a ways and trying to take the second too, he gave up on that idea. The brook was a bit off; no point exhausting himself. As he trudged along with one, Xinuo was already striding back.

They met midway, and Su Yi suddenly found that handsome, white-haired face enlarging before him. In the sunlight, Xinuo’s eyes dazzled. Su Yi was about to say “You’re fast,” when Xinuo dipped his head and brushed a soft kiss against Su Yi’s cheek. He pulled back slightly, pale lashes fluttering.

“Wait for me.”

Wait? Su Yi blinked, about to ask what he meant, when Xinuo was already behind him, picking up the last carcass.

When Xinuo reappeared carrying it, Su Yi curled his lip but couldn’t help the smile in his eyes: Hmph, so what if you’re strong? This is sacred hunting time—how do you still have the mood to flirt? Not doing your job! And yet, as Xinuo came closer, Su Yi’s mouth quirked higher.

Xinuo took the thorn-drake from his hands. “How about I carry you?” he offered, holding out his free arm.

If Su Yi were the type to obey, he wouldn’t be Su Yi. He strode off at once, protesting as he went: “We don’t even know who runs faster.” He took off first.

Xinuo only lengthened his stride, not truly racing. He simply kept close behind. In his heart, if his partner wanted to win, then his job was to lose.

It didn’t take long for Su Yi to realize Xinuo was letting him. Being humored by someone actually older than him was a little embarrassing—but also inexplicably sweet.

At the brook, Xinuo didn’t want Su Yi handling the carcasses, but Su Yi insisted on learning to skin them. So Xinuo taught him hand-over-hand. At first it was exactly that: one teaching intently, one learning intently. How did a blood-and-guts task like skinning turn into… something else? Su Yi wanted a replay. Had he done something suggestive first, or had Xinuo just gotten carried away?

They’d started sitting opposite each other; somehow Su Yi ended up sitting between Xinuo’s legs. At over 1.8 meters, Su Yi wasn’t small, but in the arms of the over-two-meter Xinuo, he was easily encompassed. He leaned back against Xinuo’s chest, dagger red in his right hand; his left hand, though, was interlaced with Xinuo’s, while Xinuo bent to kiss his neck.

Su Yi knew Xinuo probably wanted more. Ahem. He wasn’t the old Miril anymore; far from disliking Xinuo’s touch, he often initiated kisses and caresses. And he had promised—once the house was finished. Now Xinuo clearly didn’t want to wait. Su Yi turned his head and gave him a quick kiss, voice trembling slightly: “Let’s… finish processing this first, and then…”

He trailed off, face flushing to the roots. So much for mocking Mino before.

Faint scale-marks appeared beneath Xinuo’s eyes, the snowy white gleaming in the sun—eerie and mesmerizing. For a moment, Su Yi thought Xinuo looked less like a serpent and more like an enchanting mer-being.

After that, both were a little absent-minded as they worked. Su Yi’s nerves tangled while Xinuo’s hungry gaze made his skin prickle—as if he were a maiden being stalked by a wolf: shy and awkward. But whenever he saw the restraint in Xinuo’s eyes, his heart softened. Truly, Xinuo was his kryptonite.

Once everything was processed, Su Yi stowed the meat and hides, then stepped into Xinuo’s arms. “Let’s bathe first. We reek of blood—it’s too much.”

Xinuo’s cheeks flushed; his pupils tightened. He lifted Su Yi and pressed a slow kiss to his lips.

Bathing did not go smoothly.

Su Yi hadn’t expected Xinuo to be clingy too. Maybe because Su Yi had accepted his suit, Xinuo grew possessive, “helping” in ways that made washing impossible. In the end, Su Yi didn’t get his bath—Xinuo carried him into a hidden cave instead. Inside, Su Yi realized he’d been set up. He’d always thought of himself as the civilized one, so clever compared to the people here. But looking at the neat spread of hides and the floor strewn with vivid petals, his face twitched violently. Was it too late to back out now?

He cleared his throat and pointed at the flowers. “When did you do all this?”

Xinuo lowered his lashes; a flicker of unease passed through his mismatched eyes. Perhaps because they were unusually clear, every feeling in them showed more starkly than in others.

Author’s Note:

Correct update time: 12:30.

If you see updates at other times, I’m squashing bugs!

Chapter 31

“I asked Mino. He said females like this sort of thing. I did it last night,” Xinuo said, a little afraid Su Yi would be angry. Most females didn’t particularly enjoy intimacy with beastmen; the difference in physique could make it painful. He suddenly worried—without any experience, would Su Yi be reminded of their first time?

Seeing the swirl of emotions—and that fleeting trace of inferiority—in Xinuo’s eyes, Su Yi felt a pang. An outcast with no parents to teach him, of course Xinuo wouldn’t know how to please a mate.

“Xinuo, look at me.” Su Yi slipped off his grass shoes and stepped onto the flower-strewn bed.

Xinuo looked up at his words. Their gazes met, and both hearts gave a little tremor.

“We’re partners. Whatever you want to do, just do it. I don’t want to see any inferiority or unease in your eyes. Remember what I say: you’re a beastman, and you’re no worse than any other. In my eyes, you’re truly, truly wonderful.”

He’d barely finished when Xinuo swept him into a tight embrace, lowering his head to breathe in that uniquely sweet scent. Once, he had wished to be a normal beastman with a lover and a home. Later he had had Miril, yet still felt lonely. Then, after a serious illness, his mate seemed to become a different person. The change had been so great it felt like a different soul—but as time passed, he realized he could no longer live without this mate.

Pinned into the sea of petals, Su Yi wrinkled his nose, on the verge of sneezing. He really wanted to roast this “flower bed” idea, but thinking of Xinuo sneaking out at night to pick them, he swallowed the complaint.

Compared to others, Xinuo’s body ran cool—one reason Su Yi loved curling up with him in the hot season. That broad, cool chest felt indescribably comfortable. Xinuo’s heterochromatic eyes darkened; carefully, almost reverently, he touched Su Yi’s skin. Su Yi’s body had improved—his once too-pale complexion now kissed a bit by the sun, his figure tight and lean without being overly muscular, his face striking, altogether giving off a unique allure. Xinuo, by contrast, stayed pale no matter how much sun he saw. Su Yi cupped his face and kissed him; Xinuo’s slightly narrow eyes half-closed, soft with tenderness. Su Yi nipped at the corner of his thin lips, a little devil in his heart howling: Pounce on him—pounce!

He had never imagined a day he’d be excited by a man’s beauty. He flipped Xinuo beneath him and stared at that spill of snow-white hair on the petals. Xinuo never bothered with his hair, yet it was soft and smooth. Many times Su Yi had wanted to cut it, but when it came down to it, he couldn’t bear to. It suited him—especially that pure white.

While Su Yi was dazed by Xinuo’s “beauty,” Xinuo sat up slowly, settling Su Yi face-to-face in his lap. His gaze lingered on Su Yi’s graceful collarbones; he dipped to nuzzle and lightly kiss along the side of Su Yi’s neck. Su Yi tilted back, ticklish and laughing as he tried to dodge. The more Su Yi leaned away, the more Xinuo followed, as if there were some irresistible flavor in him. If not for Xinuo’s arm supporting his back, Su Yi would have toppled. One hand braced him while the other tugged impatiently at his hide shirt. As Su Yi’s torso was bared, Xinuo’s warm lips and tongue shifted lower. When he lightly took a sensitive point into his mouth, heat flooded Su Yi’s face. Mortified, he rallied and tried to push back. Xinuo chuckled, released that point, and caught Su Yi’s protesting mouth in a firm kiss. Lips sealed, Su Yi felt his breath stolen away. Annoyed, he nipped Xinuo’s lip; Xinuo didn’t get angry—he actually let him. The taste of blood hit Su Yi’s tongue; heart clenching, he opened his eyes to find Xinuo gazing at him gently. Su Yi pulled back, glared at the cut in distress, and leaned in to soothe it with a lick. Then they were kissing again. Dimly, Su Yi felt a hand slip under his hide skirt. One arm wrapped around Xinuo’s neck; the other tried to stop that wandering hand—only for Xinuo to catch it.

“Su Yi, I want you,” Xinuo said, holding Su Yi’s…