The others nearby stared.
Realizing what had happened, the youth looked around in horror. The weight of their stares made him want to dig a hole and bury himself alive. He clutched his tail tight against his back and bolted, ears burning red all the way.
From behind, a mature beast man snorted coldly.
"Tsk! Blinded, the fool. He doesn't know the true character of Su Qinglan. Bewitched by her abilities, that's all. So what if she looks clean and pretty now? She's still the arrogant female who bullied others, stole food, and even beat the cubs."
His mutter was not loud, but everyone heard it clearly.
The older beast's mutter didn't stay alone for long.
"Hah, that little pup… just stepped into adulthood and already wagging his tail at females," one beast said with a chuckle as he adjusted the hide on his fellow beatman's arm.
Another snorted, rolling his eyes but keeping his hands steady as he wiped blood from an injured warrior's brow. "Meanwhile, the rest of us are still single. Tch, it stings a little."
A third beast sighed, shaking his head while pressing herbs into a wound. "Years of fighting, years of service, and what do we get? Not even a warm hand to hold. Then this brat, barely grown, is out there blushing and stammering. Life is so unfair."
Their low grumbles turned into a round of chuckles.
"Shameless, that one."
"Mm, maybe, but at least he's got guts. You'd never catch me chasing after a female that strong."
"Ha! You're just scared she'd crush you with one slap."
For a little while, their chatter made the depressed atmosphere feel lighter. Like things were normal again.
Su Qinglan finally stumbled her way back into her cave. Each step felt heavier than the last, her body screamed at her to stop moving.
She realized with a dull ache that she hadn't eaten anything since waking up. But right now, she wasn't in the condition to cook, hunt, or even chew anything hard. Her head pounded with every heartbeat.
So, with a long sigh, she half-heartedly tidied the bed, brushed off everything on it, and collapsed face-first onto the crude surface. She didn't care about anything else. She just needed rest. Sleep to restore her energy.
By the time she opened her eyes again, the shadows in the cave had stretched long and thin. It was already late noon, the sun hanging low in the sky, almost ready to dip. She stretched her arms lazily above her head, yawned wide enough to make her jaw ache, and felt a bit of relief, the exhaustion from earlier had faded.
Then her stomach betrayed her with a loud, angry growl.
"...Right. Hungry," she muttered to herself, patting her belly.
Just as she was thinking of dragging herself to find food, a shout echoed from outside the cave.
"Female, Su Qinglan!"
She blinked, startled, and walked out. Standing there was one of the beastmen who had been beside Han Jue earlier when she saved him.
In his hands was a massive slab of raw meat and a bundle of fruits wrapped neatly in a broad leaf. His expression was awkward, but he managed to blurt out, "Thank you for saving Han Jue. This is… a gift."
Before she could even open her mouth, he dropped the items to the ground and bolted, sprinting away as if wolves were chasing him.
Su Qinglan narrowed her eyes at his fleeing back. What's with him? Running like I'd bite him…
Her gaze dropped to the bundle.
"Tch… why put it on the ground?" she muttered in disgust, grimacing. Still, when she noticed the fruits had been placed on a wide, clean leaf, she felt a little better. At least it wasn't directly on the dirt.
She bent down and picked them up, lips twitching as another thought crossed her mind. Wait. Don't tell me… He thought if he stayed another second, I'd drag him into my cave?
Su Qinglan froze, then slapped her forehead. … I really feel like I just swallowed a fly.
"Hmph! Whatever. At least I got free food out of it."
She sat back inside, wiped the fruits with her hands, and bit into one without hesitation. Washing? As if. She didn't even have water in her cave. And going all the way to the river just to rinse fruit? Please. Let her fill her stomach first.
The sweet juice burst across her tongue, and her eyes widened slightly.
Delicious.
So delicious, in fact, she devoured every single one.
It was her first time eating such fresh, perfect fruit in years. In the apocalypse, fruit barely existed.
What little she'd seen had been rotten, shriveled, and crawling with bugs. She had never dared waste her plant ability on growing fruit trees...it consumes too much energy, and besides, where was she supposed to find seeds in that ruined world?
She licked the last bit of juice from her fingers, leaning back with a satisfied sigh.
Yes. This was the first time in forever she'd eaten something so sweet.
And for a fleeting moment, she almost forgot where she was.
Su Qinglan looked around her cave and grimaced.
Dirty and smelly.
No wonder everyone thought the original owner was a tyrant—who could survive living in this mess? Rotten meat was piled in one corner, the hides on the ground reeked so badly she had to hold her nose, and dust clung to every stone like it had been waiting centuries for her touch.
"Hahh… this won't do."
She got to work.
First, she tossed out all the rotting vegetables and meat one by one, gagging more than once at the slimy texture. Then she bundled up the dirty hides and tossed them aside. "Tomorrow. You'll get washed tomorrow," she muttered, refusing to wrestle with them any further tonight.
But she didn't stop there. She stepped outside, snapped a few branches from the trees beside her cave, stripped the leaves, and bundled them together with twine into a crude broom.
It wasn't pretty, but it worked. With her makeshift sweeper, she started brushing out all the dust and garbage, driving everything to the cave entrance and kicking it out.
When the floor was finally clear, she wiped her forehead and glanced at the stone bed.
"…This thing is filthy too."