Nan's injuries were severe. Wen Shu disregarded everything else and, with Tas's help, brought him back to the cave to settle him in.
After sending Tas away, Wen Shu sat on the edge of the stone bed and began to treat the unconscious Nan.
She forcefully activated her ability, a faint white light illuminated the cave, and within seconds, it waned.
However, fortunately, her energy was abundant, and the effect was quite remarkable.
Most of Nan's surface wounds had healed, and his complexion was much rosier, but a bone in his chest was fractured and would require a few more treatments.
"I'm sorry."
Wen Shu covered Nan with a blanket, feeling a bit guilty. Although it wasn't intentional, Nan was injured because of her, and until he recovered, she would do her best to take care of him.
"Growl--"
Within just one morning, after undergoing treatment twice, Wen Shu's stomach, which she had just filled, was once again growling from excessive energy expenditure.
In her hurry back, the stone pot was left in the square, but she didn't want to go back there again. The overly enthusiastic males made her feel a bit overwhelmed.
Moreover, she wasn't yet fully familiar with many things in this world, and appearing in a crowd again could easily lead to more trouble.
"Sigh--"
Wen Shu had never thought there'd come a day when she would worry about food.
She was truly curious about how those nearly starving beastmen managed to survive…
Thinking of this, Wen Shu's eyes lit up, as she thought of a place!
Taking a pot from the kitchen, Wen Shu left the cave in a rush. As soon as she stepped out, she almost bumped into a solid wall of flesh, nearly losing hold of the pot in her hand.
"Hiss, who is it?"
Wen Shu rubbed her forehead where she'd bumped it red, then looked up at a pair of familiar golden eyes and froze.
Suddenly crashing into a warm, soft body, Wu Xuan was also stunned in place.
Seeing Wen Shu's bewildered face, his gaze drifted, and his ears gradually turned red, "Female, why are you suddenly so passionate..."
He had been following the female all the way back and had hesitated at the cave entrance for a long time. Just when he finally decided to approach her, the female unexpectedly threw herself into his arms!
What was initially a movement meant to push away boldly changed direction, as he secretly embraced Wen Shu's waist, "Are you going to accept me?"
Sensing the roaming hand on her waist, Wen Shu furrowed her brows, forcefully pushing Wu Xuan away and slapping him across the face.
"What are you touching for?"
Harassment became quite common in the post-apocalyptic world, but ever since she became a top-level superpower user, no one dared to touch her again.
This Black Panther was practically dancing in her prohibited zone!
Wu Xuan didn't dodge, taking a solid slap across the face, a bit of confusion still on his roguish, handsome face.
He didn't understand why the female was angry, but the cold gaze she directed at him felt like a sharp silver hook... Dangerous yet alluring!
Moreover, the female's hitting wasn't painful. Her soft palm on his face instead produced a kind of itch, crawling from her fingertips to the tip of his heart.
So even getting hit by the female he liked was so exciting!
Seeing that Wu Xuan, after being slapped, wasn't angry, but his gaze grew increasingly peculiar, Wen Shu frowned puzzled.
"Stay away from me."
She stepped around Wu Xuan, quickly leaving the cave entrance and walking to the edge of the tribe.
The boundary between the tribe and the dense forest was marked by a fence approximately two meters high, made of variously sized wooden posts. A guard stood every ten meters along its length.
But today, with the gladiatorial tournament taking place and the young males participating in the event, nearly half the guards were away.
Wen Shu circled the fence and, sure enough, found a half-human-high hole in the corner.
This hole was discovered by the female protagonist.
There was a group of elderly bachelors in the tribe, with no offspring to support them and unable to hunt anymore. They had to find their own way to fill their stomachs, so they made a hole to fish in the safe river close to the tribe.
In the future, the female protagonist would empathize with their plight and propose a retirement system, winning unanimous acclaim from the beastmen of the Empire.
But for now, she needed to rely on this hole to survive.
Is this the difference between the female lead and the supporting role?
Reflecting on this internally, Wen Shu crawled out through the hole, reaching back to grab the pot left on the other side.
Just as her fingers touched the edge of the pot, a pair of long, sturdy legs appeared in her line of sight.
"Female, what are you doing here alone? Didn't anyone tell you that it's dangerous outside the tribe?" The male squatted down carelessly, his animal skin skirt resting at his thighs, barely covering anything.
Witnessing the overly impressive assets of the male beastmen, Wen Shu's pupils quaked as she quickly looked away, rapidly retrieving the pot and standing up like a startled rabbit.
"It's you again!"
Recognizing the person, Wen Shu's expression cooled, "Are you following me?"
Seeing her displeased expression, Wu Xuan hurriedly waved his hand, nervously explaining, "It's not like that, did I scare you? I apologize, I won't hurt you, I just..."
As he spoke, his roguishly handsome face blushed from his chin to the roots of his ears, "I just want to pursue you, to mate with you and always be together with you!"
Of course, Wen Shu knew his intentions, but her thoughts were also clear, "I've said it before, I'm not taking a new Beast Husband, and I don't like you. Even more, I don't like people touching me without permission. You better not follow me anymore."
After saying that, Wen Shu gave the male a warning look before turning her head and walking into the depths of the dense forest.
Everything here matched the original owner's memories exactly.
A boundless sea of lush green foliage stretched out before her, the ground covered in dense, man-high flowers and grasses.
Towering trees rose skyward, blocking out the overhead sun, with only a few rays of sunlight slipping through gaps, casting warm patches on the ground and greenery.
The wind stirred, causing an icy rustling of the massive leaves above.
Wu Xuan stood in place, his forlorn gaze following Wen Shu tightly.
It seemed he had messed up, the female didn't like him…
But he wasn't discouraged. He had determined she was the one at first sight; how could he easily give up! He would definitely try hard to show the female his worth!
Wu Xuan's eyes regained their resolve, quickly following after her, "Female, wait for me!"
Wen Shu followed the already blazed path, pushing through the slanting grasses with hands and feet, hearing the footsteps behind her but not looking back, "You should go back, I'm not going to mate with you."
Wu Xuan turned a deaf ear, taking over the pot in her hands, leading the way in front, quietly changing the subject, "The dense forest is too dangerous, it's safer with me accompanying you. Are you looking for food?"
He was right. Despite the sparse appearances of mutant beasts near the tribe, it couldn't guarantee absolute safety, and having a high-level male around was a bit more reassuring.
Wen Shu refrained from saying anything more about making him leave, nodding her head before adding, "When we return, I'll split the food with you."
"No need!"
Wu Xuan instinctively wanted to shake his head, indicating everything he had belonged to the female.
But he held back his words abruptly, looking back at her with a smile, tentatively asking, "I'm still learning how to cook and might ruin the food. Can I eat at your place later?"
Though the male's appearance was somewhat fierce, when he looked down at Wen Shu, his expression softened unexpectedly, with a cautious tenderness.
Wen Shu looked at him in surprise, finding it somewhat amusing.
She had thought the male had a straightforward personality. She didn't expect that, after a short while, he'd figured out the art of indirect tactics.
Wen Shu met his moves with her own, "I remember you're called Wu Xuan?"
Suddenly asked his name, Wu Xuan's action of brushing aside grass stalled, the deer in his heart began leaping around again.
His name sounded so pleasing coming from the female's lips!
Wen Shu curved her lips, "I've remembered it. When the food is ready, I'll have someone send it to you."
Wu Xuan was left speechless.
The metaphorical deer in his heart stumbled, crashing headlong into the ground.