Chapter 225: Chapter 225: Rejection

Ares, who was in the middle of eating, froze. His white wolf ears twitched at Lu Xiao’s words. He was suddenly rather grateful he was in his beast form; otherwise, he definitely wouldn’t have been able to handle her teasing.

After speaking, Lu Xiao gave the white wolf’s head another rub, her affection plain to see.

“You’re adorable like this, but I hope you get better soon, Ares. I like you best when you’re healthy and strong.”

Ares let out a low `awoo` in response.

Lu Xiao smiled as she fed him the last piece of meat. “The food here is a little rough and doesn’t have much flavor, but the plants are so lush. Maybe we can find some seasonings.”

Lu Xiao spoke softly to Ares about these things, just as if they were still at home in the Empire and nothing had changed at all.

“Lady Lu Xiao, the water’s boiled,” Admiral Fred’s voice came from outside the window. Lu Xiao stood up and said to Ares, “I’ll go get some water.”

As he watched Lu Xiao leave, Ares tentatively moved his injured leg. He quietly breathed a sigh of relief when he realized he could still feel it.

’I don’t want to become a cripple and a burden to Lu Xiao.’

Lu Xiao, unaware of Ares’s thoughts, soaked an animal hide and used it to wipe her face and hands. The conditions here made it impossible to bathe, but a simple wash-up was manageable.

After she had cleaned up, she rinsed the hide and went back inside to help Ares clean the grime from his fur. Just like that, Ares was once again a beautiful, pristine white wolf.

With all that done, Lu Xiao didn’t bustle about anymore. After wishing Fred goodnight, she climbed into bed with Ares, snuggled against him, and fell asleep.

With Ares by her side, his warmth spreading to her, she slept soundly. Even in a strange world and an unfamiliar place, having someone she knew close by gave her peace of mind.

When Lu Xiao woke the next morning, she was still a bit dazed. She buried her face in Ares’s fur and nuzzled him. “Good morning, Ares. Are you feeling any better today?”

As soon as she asked, the great white wolf beside her let out an `awoo`. She couldn’t understand the sound, but knowing Ares, she was sure he was telling her he was fine.

Lu Xiao smiled and gave him a kiss before sitting up. She carefully lifted the leaves covering Ares’s wound and saw that the area slathered with herbs had already begun to scab over.

’Beastmen really do heal incredibly fast.’

At this rate, his other injuries would be fully healed in a few days. The leg wound was the only one left that would require more time, but it was just a matter of waiting. There was nothing to worry about anymore.

“After we eat, I’ll change your dressing,” Lu Xiao said, ruffling the fur on Ares’s wolfish head. She climbed out of bed and went into the courtyard to prepare some breakfast.

But when she came out, she saw C Luo walking in, holding a wild rabbit in one hand. A flicker of restraint crossed his face when he saw her.

Lu Xiao’s gaze swept over his other side, where an arm was missing. She couldn’t quite name the feeling inside her; it wasn’t pity or sympathy.

She only felt a sense of helplessness.

“Lady Lu Xiao, I caught a wild rabbit for your meal.”

Sensing C Luo’s cautious and deliberate attempt to please her, Lu Xiao said, “That’s not necessary. You keep it for yourselves. We have enough food from what the tribe provided.”

C Luo seemed to have expected the rejection. He just stood there, still holding the rabbit. “I’m sorry, Lady Lu Xiao.”

His apology was heavy with meaning, but Lu Xiao didn’t respond.

’At this point, all apologies are meaningless.’

“Go on, get out of here. And don’t come back unless you have a reason. If you’re all truly sorry, you’ll stop bothering Lady Lu Xiao.” Seeing that Lu Xiao wasn’t going to reply, Fred added a cold rebuke, “Know your place.”

C Luo didn’t retaliate in the face of such humiliation. He simply nodded and left with the rabbit.

After C Luo was gone, Lu Xiao went to sort through the food that had been delivered that morning. It was, once again, all meat. It seemed the people here ate nothing else.

Lu Xiao wasn’t a picky eater, but the thought of eating meat for all three meals a day filled her with despair.

’It wasn’t long ago that I finally had culinary freedom, and now I’ve ended up in a culinary wasteland. I have to find some other edible plants today when I have the time.’

After a simple breakfast, Shield came to see her again.

He was even more deferential than the day before when he saw her. “Lady Lu Xiao, good day.”

“Good morning, Shield. Has Hunt’s condition improved?” She knew perfectly well that Shield was here because of the S-Class male she had treated yesterday.

Sure enough, at her question, Shield’s expression softened. “I went to see Hunt this morning. He’s awake, and he seems much more peaceful and gentle. I was hoping I could ask you to check on him again today?”

“Of course. Let’s go now. Besides, I have something I’d like to ask you,” Lu Xiao said. She turned to say a word to Fred before leaving with Shield.

On the way, Shield suddenly spoke up. “The male in your household seems to be quite fond of you.”

Lu Xiao paused for a moment, realizing he was talking about Fred. She felt a bit helpless. “But we’re just friends.”

At her words, Shield suddenly laughed. “You truly are the most unique female I’ve ever met. How is your mate doing now?”

“Yes, your herbal medicine works very well. He’s recovering nicely.”

“That’s good. It’s clear you care for your mate a great deal. He’s a very fortunate male.” Shield couldn’t imagine how wonderful it must be for a male to be his female’s only one.

“I’m very happy, too. My mate is very good to me. By the way, Shield, do you all normally eat anything besides roasted meat? What I mean is, do you gather any other food?”

Shield understood her meaning. “We have gathering teams, but they find very little, and what they do find belongs to the individual. That’s why we haven’t offered you any. If you need some, I can…”

“Could you just tell me where you gather? I can go myself. There’s no need to trouble you to provide anything for me. Would that be alright?”

“You want to go gathering yourself? How could you? You’re a female!” Shield looked as if he couldn’t believe his ears.

How could a female go gathering herself? In the tribe, females weren’t required to do anything at all. They just had to wait for the males to do everything for them.

Lu Xiao smiled. “I enjoy it. The process of finding food is its own reward. Just remember to tell me later. Perhaps I’ll find something that can improve the tribe’s diet. If that’s the case, you can consider it my contribution to the Canghe Tribe.”

Hearing this, the way Shield looked at Lu Xiao changed. He realized that the young female before him wasn’t rejecting the idea of becoming part of their tribe.

To them, gaining the approval of the witch doctor was an immense honor.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep