CH 49

translator: baumkuchen

“Qingjiu, your face is so red.” Upon seeing Lu Qingjiu curled up in his quilt, Yin Xun exclaimed in shock, “Do you have a fever?” 

Lu Qingjiu’s head was a little heavy. For a time, he couldn’t understand what Yin Xun was saying, and just stared at Yin Xun blankly.

Seeing Lu Qingjiu like this, Yin Xun knew that he had to be sick. He said hurriedly, “I’ll go get a thermometer, wait a moment.” After saying this, he ran to the place in the living room where they had put the medicine box.

Bai Yuehu’s hand then landed on Lu Qingjiu’s forehead. His hand was ice-cold, making it so Lu Qingjiu couldn’t help but want to move even closer to it, so he naturally rubbed his forehead on the back of Bai Yuehu’s hand.

Bai Yuehu followed Lu Qingjiu’s actions, moving his hand and pasting it gently against his flushed cheek, feeling the burning heat of Lu Qingjiu’s skin. Ordinary humans were truly fragile, even low temperatures could cause problems in their bodies. Bai Yuehu quietly gazed at Lu Qingjiu. His eyes fell on Lu Qingjiu’s neck. The neck had always been the most vulnerable part of the human body. If he just bit down gently, he would hear a snap, and the person before him would belong to him completely. He wouldn’t need to ever worry about losing him for some dull reason……  

When Yin Xun came back with the thermometer, he saw Bai Yuehu lick his lips at Lu Qingjiu, his black eyes tinted slightly red. Even though he couldn’t see very clearly, it was enough to make anyone tremble with fear.

Seeing that the situation wasn’t good, Yin Xun yelled out loudly, “Lu Qingjiu!”

Bai Yuehu turned, seemingly having been snapped out of that state by Yin Xun’s yell. The red in his eyes began to fade rapidly, returning to their usual darkness.

“I brought the thermometer.” Yin Xun pretended to not have seen Bai Yuehu’s strangeness. He walked straight over to Lu Qingjiu, and pushed the thermometer to his lips. “Hold it in your mouth for a moment.” 

Lu Qingjiu was in a complete and utter daze, not knowing at all what was happening. He obediently held the thermometer in his mouth and mumbled, “Am I having a fever?”

Yin Xun said, “You should be.” He scratched his head, “To tell the truth, I haven’t been sick in a very long time……”

Lu Qingjiu was a little helpless. “Right, I’m the only ordinary human here.”

After getting his temperature, it was 39 degrees Celsius. Sure enough, he had a fever. Fortunately, Lu Qingjiu had prepared a lot of commonly used medicine when preparing for winter, in case of anything unexpected happening. Following Lu Qingjiu’s instructions, Yin Xun got some medicine and fed it to Lu Qingjiu, while Bai Yuehu prepared several cold towels to use as a cold compress and placed it on his forehead. 

“Ai, why did I suddenly fall ill.” When he spoke, his voice was even a little nasal. Lu Qingjiu curled up on the bed, looking sickly. “I haven’t had a fever in such a long time.”

“Could it be that you’ve been too tired?” Yin Xun said, “Or that you accidentally fell into melted snow?”

Lu Qingjiu shook his head, expressing that he didn’t know. Things like sickness always came very suddenly, if people knew the specific reason, perhaps no one would ever fall sick.

He originally felt really cold, but after the Kang heated up, he felt a little too hot. He wanted to shuck off the quilt on his body to air himself a little, but was stopped by Yin Xun. Yin Xun said anxiously, “Don’t, first wipe off your sweat, or else your cold will get even worse.” 

Lu Qingjiu was a little uncomfortable. “But it’s so hot…” 

Yin Xun advised him against it, saying, “Just bear with it, okay?”

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“Huh?” Lu Qingjiu asked.

“I need to go home to keep the candles lit,” Yin Xun said in a trembling voice, “I won’t be able to come back until tomorrow.”

Lu Qingjiu sensed something strange in Yin Xun’s words, “…What’s wrong?”

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Yin Xun solemnly urged, “Qingjiu, after I leave in a bit, when you and Bai Yuehu are alone, don’t sleep. Do your best to stay awake.” 

Lu Qingjiu asked, “Ah? Why?” 

Yin Xun said, “He likes you too much.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Qingjiu was stunned for a moment, but still wasn’t able to understand why Yin Xun was suddenly saying this. “What?”

Yin Xun said, “You don’t know, but their race has a certain custom. They swallow everything they like down into their stomachs. You didn’t see how he was looking at you when I came in just now, I was truly afraid that he was going to swallow you whole.” Even though the words he was saying were a little inconceivable, Yin Xun’s serious expression told Lu Qingjiu that he truly wasn’t joking. 

Lu Qingjiu said, “I… I understand, you can go.”

“Do your best to not fall asleep, okay?” Yin Xun was a little anxious. “If you just get through this night, it should be fine after!”

Lu Qingjiu nodded, agreeing to Yin Xun’s instructions.

Just as the two were done speaking, Bai Yuehu walked into the room with a cup of water. He placed the cup by Lu Qingjiu’s mouth, watching him drink it down bit by bit. 

Yin Xun said, “Then… I’ll be going now, see you tomorrow morning.”

“En.” After drinking the water, Lu Qingjiu felt a little better. “See you tomorrow, stay safe.”

Yin Xun waved, then turned and left. It was just that the look in his eyes as he left told Lu Qingjiu, he was still very worried that Bai Yuehu would do something that irreparable.

After Yin Xun, who was the most talkative, left, the room quieted down. Lu Qingjiu leaned back against his headboard. Because he was sick, his face looked even paler than usual, but his lips were rosy and bright. He looked particularly delicious. 

Lu Qingjiu was made a little uncomfortable by Bai Yuehu’s stare. He racked his brain for a conversation topic, wanting to turn Bai Yuehu’s attention away from him. “What did you guys eat tonight?”

Bai Yuehu said, “I didn’t eat.”

Lu Qingjiu was stunned, “Why didn’t you eat? Didn’t I make some chicken soup?”

Bai Yuehu said, “Not hungry.” 

In his mind, Lu Qingjiu thought, since you’re not hunger, don’t look at me with those eyes that look like you want to swallow me whole. He thought of what Yin Xun had just said. It seemed that Yin Xun hadn’t been exaggerating even a little. The moment he slipped up, Bai Yuehu might really eat him.

Lu Qingjiu sensed the potential danger, but miraculously, he actually wasn’t very scared, rather, he felt even like it was a little funny.

Lu Qingjiu said, “I’m a bit hungry, what now?”

Bai Yuehu’s eyebrows furrowed. “I’ll bring you some chicken soup.” 

Lu Qingjiu said, “Then help me make some chicken soup with rice, then get some pickled vegetables and place them inside.”

Bai Yuehu nodded, then swiftly got up and left. Not long after, he came back with the food that Lu Qingjiu had wanted. The chicken soup was piping hot, in it floating soft grains of rice, and on top was actually sprinkled a layer of green onions. In the little bowl next to it was neatly chopped pickled vegetables. It could be seen that Bai Yuehu had put in some thought.

Lu Qingjiu took the bowl, scooped up a spoonful of food and slowly sent it into his mouth. The mild, delicious taste of the chicken soup soothed his hungry stomach, and the pickled vegetables were crisp and refreshing. On it was even spread a bit of Lu Qingjiu’s favourite chili oil. After eating for a while, a few beads of sweat appeared on the tip of his nose, and he felt a lot more awake.

“You’re really not hungry?” After he was done eating, Lu Qingjiu placed the bowl down. 

Bai Yuehu shook his head. 

Lu Qingjiu asked, “Really not hungry?”

Bai Yuehu said, “Not hungry.”

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Lu Qingjiu blinked. Actually, he didn’t really believe Bai Yuehu’s “not hungry”. After all, Bai Yuehu ate a lot for every meal, but maybe because he ate a lot, it took a little longer for him to become hungry? 

As Lu Qingjiu thought and thought, he started feeling a little cold again. He said, “Is the charcoal in the Kang going to go out soon?”

Bai Yuehu glanced at it. His eyebrows furrowed slightly. “The fire’s really big.”

“Then why do I still feel cold…” Just now, when he was in a daze from the fever, Lu Qingjiu had felt unbearably hot all over, but now, he felt a little cold again. Lu Qingjiu wrapped his quilt tighter around him, but it didn’t have any effect. “So cold.”

Bai Yuehu, “You’re still cold?” 

Lu Qingjiu firmly nodded.

Bai Yuehu thought for a moment, then sat down by Lu Qingjiu side. Following that, nine fluffy tails poked out from behind him and wrapped around the Lu Qingjiu before them.

These tails were a little warmer than an ordinary person. Wrapped up in them, Lu Qingjiu felt like he had fallen into a soft and warm pile of cotton. He couldn’t help but let out a comfortable moan.

Looking at Lu Qingjiu being buried in his fur, Bai Yuehu asked, “Do you feel a little better?” 

“It’s so comfortable and so soft.” Lu Qingjiu stroked Bai Yuehu’s tails, stupidly happy. “I feel a lot better… Are you not cold?” In this weather, Bai Yuehu was only wearing a thin coat. Just looking at him made Lu Qingjiu’s neck feel cold.

“Not cold,” Bai Yuehu replied.

Now that he was warm again, on top of the fact that he’d just eaten something and taken medicine for his high fever, even though Lu Qingjiu told himself to do his best to hold on, he couldn’t help but start to feel sleepy.

His head full of a drowsy fog, Lu Qingjiu kept on yawning as he chatted with Bai Yuehu, forcing himself to not fall asleep. 

Bai Yuehu’s voice was soft, “Are you sleepy?”

“A little…” Lu Qingjiu rubbed his eyes. “A little sleepy.”

Bai Yuehu said, “If you’re sleepy, just sleep.”

Lu Qingjiu replied in a muffled voice, “If I sleep, are you going to eat me?” 

Bai Yuehu hadn’t thought that Lu Qingjiu would ask this outright. Hearing this, he laughed. He said, “I’ll try my best to control myself.”

“Just control?” Lu Qingjiu said asked helplessly, “Can’t you give me a guarantee or something?”

Bai Yuehu frowned, a little troubled. “I can’t give you a guarantee, you look too delicious.” He reached out a finger, and lightly placed it on Lu Qingjiu’s chin, then slowly slid it downwards, finally stopping on Lu Qingjiu’s slightly bobbing Adam’s apple. “I’ll try my best.”

Lu Qingjiu couldn’t help but laugh, “I’ll have to trouble you.” 

Bai Yuehu didn’t speak. He licked his lips.

Lu Qingjiu really wanted to stay awake, but he really couldn’t hold on any longer. He was basically fighting his eyelids. He even confirmed that if he just closed his eyes for three seconds, he would fall asleep. After fighting a hard battle with his sleepiness for a long time, in the end, Lu Qingjiu still chose to give in. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to keep going, but he really couldn’t hold on any longer. In the moment before his eyes slowly closed, Lu Qingjiu saw a red gleam appear in Bai Yuehu’s eyes… He probably… really was going to be eaten. Lu Qingjiu drifted off into a deep sleep.

translator: baumkuchen

He slept very comfortably. The fluffy tails were firmly wrapped around Lu Qingjiu’s body, making him feel like he was sleeping on a warm, soft cloud. His illness seemed to have been cured, and his heavy body began to become light. 

However, this comfortable feeling didn’t last very long. Pain awoke Lu Qingjiu from his dreams. He opened his eyes in a daze. He felt someone lying on his body, the heavy weight making him unable to get up.

And from his neck came the feeling of being stabbed by a sharp object, making Lu Qingjiu snap awake. He realised, there was someone burying their face into his shoulder, and was biting his neck—— Without a doubt, this was Bai Yuehu.

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“Yuehu…” Lu Qingjiu’s desire for survival made him force out his voice. He placed his hands on Bai Yuehu’s shoulders, wanting to push him off his body. But the gap between humans and non-humans appeared in extreme saturation at this time. He used up all the strength in his body, but Bai Yuehu didn’t move an inch.

“Ah!” He felt teeth pierce the skin of his neck. Bright red blood dripped onto the pillow. Lu Qingjiu cried out in pain, saying, “Bai Yuehu—— Stop——” 

Upon hearing Lu Qingjiu’s voice, Bai Yuehu’s movements stilled. He raised his head slightly, looking towards the Lu Qingjiu below his body.

Lu Qingjiu could now see Bai Yuehu’s face. Even though his expression was peaceful, exactly the same as usual, but his lips were stained with bright red blood, giving him a strange charm. He called out to him, “Qingjiu.”

As Lu Qingjiu heaved a few ragged breaths, he asked, “Bai Yuehu, are you hungry?”

Bai Yuehu said, “I’m not hungry.” 

Lu Qingjiu swallowed. He said, “If you’re not hungry, what did you bite me for?”

“Are you scared?” Bai Yuehu suddenly asked. His hand touched the bite wound on Lu Qingjiu’s neck. He scooped up some blood with his index finger, then placed it into his mouth and slowly sucked. Following that, the corners of his mouth hooked up in a smile, as if extremely satisfied. “Just as delicious as I imagined.”

Lu Qingjiu forced himself to calm down. He asked, “You’re… planning on eating me?”

Bai Yuehu replied, “What do you think?” 

Lu Qingjiu said, “I think, you’re not going to eat me.”

Bai Yuehu didn’t speak, and just gazed at Lu Qingjiu quietly, as if trying to judge something.

“If you were going to eat me, you would definitely swallow me whole, why wake me up from pain?” Lu Qingjiu asked, “Right?”

Bai Yuehu was silent for a long time. Just as cold sweat began to drip down Lu Qingjiu’s back, he nodded and said, “Yes.” 

Lu Qingjiu let out the breath he’d been holding.

But just as Lu Qingjiu relaxed, Bai Yuehu bent down once more, moving close to Lu Qingjiu’s neck. Then, he began to meticulously lick the blood that had flowed down off of Lu Qingjiu’s neck. This meticulous attitude of his made Lu Qingjiu think of how he treated precious food… Not willing to let even a single bit go to waste.

Lu Qingjiu could only lay down on the bed and let Bai Yuehu do as he wished, not daring to make a move in fear of stimulating him. What had happened just now, had let him confirm that Bai Yuehu truly wanted to eat him, skin and bone alike, the type where he couldn’t bear to waste a single bit.

After an unknown period of time, just as Lu Qingjiu was even beginning to think that he was about to fall asleep, Bai Yuehu’s movements finally stopped. 

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Bai Yuehu replied, “You’re really not afraid of me?”

Lu Qingjiu said, “Well… Not very.”

Bai Yuehu observed Lu Qingjiu’s expression. Only after confirming that the person before him wasn’t lying, did he completely get off of Lu Qingjiu’s body. It was then that Lu Qingjiu clearly recognised, that there seemed to be some life-threatening danger hidden in the question he’d just asked. If he really began to fear Bai Yuehu because of this incident, avoiding meeting his gaze, perhaps in the next moment, this inhumanly beautiful man before him would turn into his original form and swallow him whole.

Bai Yuehu didn’t like people being afraid of him. He also didn’t need to live with someone who was afraid of him. 

Fortunately, Lu Qingjiu, as he’d showed, wasn’t very afraid of Bai Yuehu, so he’d been lucky enough to get through this with his life.

Bai Yuehu had gotten off of Lu Qingjiu’s body, but those nine fluffy tails were still wrapped around Lu Qingjiu. Lu Qingjiu reached out and touched the wound on the side of his neck, finding a bite mark without any incident.

Lu Qingjiu thought of something. His expression became serious.

Bai Yuehu asked, “What are you thinking about?” 

Lu Qingjiu said, “That… Foxes are canines, right?”

Bai Yuehu replied, “En?”

Lu Qingjiu said, “Since I’ve been bitten by a canine, do I need to get a rabies shot?”

Bai Yuehu, “…” 

“But it seems like you bit me in your human form.” Lu Qingjiu became a little confused. “Then in the end was I bitten by a human, or was I bitten by a fox?”

The two stared at each other, not speaking for a long time.

In the end, it was Lu Qingjiu who gave up first, saying that there would probably be no problems, even asking Bai Yuehu if he had bitten someone else before.

“No,” Bai Yuehu expressed, firm, “I’ve never bitten anyone.” 

Just as Lu Qingjiu was going to let out a smile, he heard him unfeelingly add on a line, “I’ve always swallowed them whole.”

Lu Qingjiu asked, wronged, “Then why did you bite me?”

Bai Yuehu said, “You looked too delicious, it would have been a bit of a pity just swallowing you whole.”

Lu Qingjiu, “…” 

Bai Yuehu said, “Who knew that after just getting a little taste, you woke up.”

Lu Qingjiu, “…” Why does your tone sound so regretful, if I hadn’t woken up, would my life have really just ended today?! It seemed like there was some truth in what Pang Ziqi had said. Wild beasts didn’t have any logic…

Lu Qingjiu said weakly, “Then what do you think of the taste?”

Bai Yuehu said, “Delicious.” 

For a moment, Lu Qingjiu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He hadn’t thought that Bai Yuehu would have learned this slang. 

For the remaining half of the night, Lu Qingjiu didn’t dare to sleep too deeply. However, it seemed like Bai Yuehu already had no plans on eating him. At dawn, Yin Xun hurried over from his home despite the wind and the snow. When he saw the whole and hale Lu Qingjiu, he let out a big sigh of relief.

Lu Qingjiu got Bai Yuehu to leave the room, asking him to get him a basin of hot water, then told Yin Xun about everything that had happened that night. 

Yin Xun looked at the bite mark on the side of Lu Qingjiu’s neck and said, trembling with fear, “Fuck, weren’t you scared?”

Lu Qingjiu said, “…Maybe I was muddled from the fever, but I wasn’t particularly afraid.”

Yin Xun said, “That’s too terrifying. If it were me, I might have peed on the spot.” To bite someone’s neck was like biting their lifeline. As long as Bai Yuehu increased his strength even  in the slightest, his weak neck would let out a crack, and just like that, it would neatly snap into two. It was fortunate that Lu Qingjiu could be so calm.

Lu Qingjiu replied, “What are you scared about? Aren’t you made of water?” 

Yin Xun, “Even though my body is made of water, my heart is as crystal clear and fragile as glass.”

Lu Qingjiu made a gagging expression. Yin Xin continued to disgust Lu Qingjiu with a shy smile.

After gagging, Lu Qingjiu said, “But speaking of, it’s because he likes me that he wants to eat me?”

Yin Xun said, “Yep.” 

Lu Qingjiu felt like that logic wasn’t quite right. He asked, doubtful, “Then since he didn’t eat me, does that show that he actually doesn’t like me all that much?”

Yin Xun thought for a moment. “I think it’s that he likes you too much, that he didn’t eat you.” Actually, he could really understand Bai Yuehu’s mindset. Usually, it was still okay, but once Lu Qingjiu fell ill, he gave people a sense of vulnerability, making it so they couldn’t help but think that humans were so easy to lose, and losing them would end up making them feel sad, so they would be better off just placing them into their stomach in advance, that way, they would never have to worry about being separated ever again. However, what Yin Xun had never expected was that, even though Bai Yuehu had taken a bite, he had actually controlled his hunger and left Lu Qingjiu a path to survival. When he’d come over today, he’d truly been terrified of seeing only Bai Yuehu left in the room, and an empty bed…

Lu Qingjiu felt like he couldn’t understand this group of non-humans. But it didn’t matter if he couldn’t understand them, as long as he was still alive it was fine.

On his end, Bai Yuehu had gotten the warm water and come back. In the room, Lu Qingjiu used the hot water to wash his face, but still felt like his entire body felt stick, and wanted to go take a shower. 

“You still want to shower?” Yin Xun said, “I’m worried that you’ll have a relapse afterwards.” Just now, he’d taken Lu Qingjiu’s temperature, and found that he had recovered, going back to a normal temperature. But currently, it was too cold, and Lu Qingjiu’s health wasn’t very good.

“Then what?” Lu Qingjiu said, “I can’t just keep on being dirty.”

“It should be fine if you just wipe yourself down with hot water. This room is so warm, you should be fine even if you strip,” Yin Xun said.

“Alright.” Lu Qingjiu didn’t try to force it. He didn’t dare fall ill again. He would have to suffer from sickness, and on top of that, there would be a greedy fox spirit watching him like prey from the side. This time, he’d just given him a bite mark. Next time, if he didn’t wake up, who knew if he would be able to open his eyes ever again… 

Lu Qingjiu then simply wiped himself down in the room, mainly to wipe the sweat off his body. As he wiped and wiped, he suddenly thought of something. “Right, where’s the little fox kit?” He remembered that he went to sleep yesterday, it was still by his side, but after he woke up, it was gone. Could Bai Yuehu have…

In the face of Lu Qingjiu’s stare, Bai Yuehu frowned. “What are you looking at me for, it has so little meat, I’m not interested in it.”

Lu Qingjiu said in a small voice, “I actually don’t have a lot of meat on me either.”

Yin Xun nodded together with Lu Qingjiu. “Right, right, see, Lu Qingjiu’s practically all bones.” 

Bai Yuehu said, “It’s okay, you still have room for development.”

Lu Qingjiu, “…” Thank you for your consideration, but I’d rather not have it.

Bai Yuehu said, “It’s sleeping together with the two pigs outside, it’s perfectly fine.”

Only then did Lu Qingjiu let out a sigh of relief. Actually, he’d also felt that Bai Yuehu probably wouldn’t have eaten the little fox kit, after all, they were both of the same race— maybe. However, it seemed like Yin Xun had long since known what exactly Bai Yuehu was, but Lu Qingjiu couldn’t find it in him to ask. After all, Bai Yuehu was reluctant to eat him because he liked his cooking, and Yin Xun clearly wasn’t as lucky. 

The worst part was that if Bai Yuehu ate half of Yin Xun, Yin Xun would be able to grow back the next day. He was simply the best self-replenishing food source.