Having just confirmed their relationship, both Jian Mo and Wujiong felt a little awkward.
After dinner and washing up, Jian Mo went upstairs first to make the bed.
Wujiong didn’t think much of it, following his usual routine of heading upstairs to transform into his beast form for sleep. But upon entering the room, he saw Jian Mo, dressed in loose-fitting shorts and a T-shirt, standing beside the bed with a smile.
The bed was already made, but instead of separating the bedding into two sides as usual, all the mattresses were joined together to form one large mat.
Jian Mo patted the mat, motioning for Wujiong to come over. “There wasn’t time to make a proper larger mat today. Tomorrow, I’ll sew the pieces together into one big mattress. Anyway, our old ones have been used for a while—it’s about time to replace them.”
Wujiong’s eyes darkened slightly as he responded, “Alright.”
He transformed into his giant wolf form and settled onto the mat.
Jian Mo, wrapped in a fur blanket, walked over and stroked one of Wujiong’s paws. “Can I sleep on you tonight?”
Normally, Jian Mo slept nestled in Wujiong’s embrace, only lying directly on his back when they were outdoors or in inconvenient settings. But from what Jian Mo had gathered, most sub-beastmen typically slept on their partners.
Wujiong’s voice was a bit hoarse. “Of course.”
Jian Mo flopped onto him with his blanket, spreading his arms wide to hug Wujiong’s neck.
The wolf’s fur was long and soft, like clouds—so much softer than a dog’s fur, and without the doggy smell.
Jian Mo buried his face in the fur, rubbing it gently as he smiled. “I’ve wanted to sleep on you for so long.”
The wolf nudged him lightly with his long snout. “I never stopped you.”
Holding the giant wolf tightly, Jian Mo murmured with satisfaction, “It’s different. Before, I couldn’t move around. I had to lie stiffly, like sleeping on the ground.”
The wolf let out a low “Hmm.”
Jian Mo raised his head slightly. “What does that mean? Does it mean I can move around now?”
“For you, yes,” Wujiong replied.
Unable to resist, Jian Mo stroked him again, reaching out to play with his paw. “Why are you so cute?”
The wolf responded, “You’re cuter.”
They chatted and shifted around casually. By the time they realized how late it was and decided they had to sleep, the moon had already moved far across the sky.
As a result, the newly minted couple ended up sleep-deprived and spent the next day stifling yawns.
Wujiong, looking apologetic, told Jian Mo, “We have to go to the Jintu Tribe today to trade for metal ingots. It was planned in advance, so we can’t change it now.”
Jian Mo nodded. “I understand. Just come back soon and be careful on the road.”
Even so, Jian Mo prepared a variety of portable foods for Wujiong, including fish balls, meatballs, fish chunks, meat patties, and Mien Fruit cakes. These could easily be cooked in a clay pot with some salt added for a simple meal.
Wujiong took the food and left without delay.
After the beastmen departed, Zhou Fu and a few others showed up at Jian Mo’s home.
Peering around to confirm Wujiong wasn’t there, Zhou Fu entered with a mischievous grin. “Jian Mo, are you and the chief together now?”
Jian Mo raised an eyebrow. “News travels fast.”
Zhou Fu exclaimed, “Ah-ha! I knew it! You’re really together!”
Beside him, Xi Lu sighed. “The chief always said he wasn’t interested in sub-beastmen, but his actions were quick. Winter isn’t even over, and you two are already a pair.”
Jian Mo set out tea to host them, smiling. “Alright, spill it. How did you find out? Wujiong wouldn’t tell you, and I haven’t said a word. Where’d you hear it from?”
“The wreath, of course!” Zhou Fu gestured animatedly. “Didn’t the chief personally make you a wreath? He brought it back yesterday, didn’t he? He was smiling all morning today, clearly in a great mood. He must have given it to you.”
Jian Mo chuckled. “You’re observant, I’ll give you that.”
Xi Lu added, “Actually, we were already suspicious when the chief claimed his share of the metal. We wondered what he was up to. Then someone from the Dianxin Tribe let slip that the chief asked them to help design a wreath. That’s when we figured it out.”
Only then did Jian Mo remember that Wujiong didn’t have a metal knife and was still using a shell knife. He had assumed Wujiong was being selfless, but it turned out Wujiong had used his share of the metal for something else entirely.
Zhou Fu elbowed Jian Mo. “Can we see the wreath? What kind of wreath did the chief make? It’s your token of love now, isn’t it?”
Jian Mo agreed readily. “Wait here. I’ll go upstairs and get it.”
The wreath was so beautiful that Jian Mo couldn’t bear to leave it hidden away in a box. Besides, Wujiong had made it himself, and Jian Mo felt a little proud to show it off.
Soon, Jian Mo came down, carefully holding the wreath.
Everyone turned to look at him and the item in his hands.
The collision of metal and glass, the contrast of black and vibrant colors, the interplay of hard and fragile—all of it made the wreath strikingly impactful.
Zhou Fu and the others gawked, their mouths hanging open in astonishment.
Jian Mo held the wreath out slightly. “You can look, but no touching. If you damage it, I’ll be heartbroken.”
Xi Lu marveled, “Who’d dare touch such a beautiful wreath?”
Zhou Fu looked like he was about to drool. “It’s so much prettier than real flowers!”
Another sub-beastman observed, “Metal is so hard, and glass so fragile. Imagine how much time it took to make this.”
Xi Lu nodded. “And the chief made it himself, without much experience. That makes it even harder.”
Listening to their back-and-forth, Jian Mo smiled. “Exactly. That’s why I really appreciate his effort.”
Zhou Fu flopped back dramatically. “Ah, amazing! I’m satisfied just seeing it.”
After admiring the wreath, the group settled down to enjoy their tea together.
Zhou Fu’s round eyes gleamed with amazement. “Yesterday, when you said you were volunteering for materials to build a house, we thought you were moving out, and it gave us a scare. Who knew things would turn around so quickly?”
Jian Mo sighed helplessly. “How do you all get your news so fast?”
Zhou Fu grinned. “Qing Kuo stopped the chief on the way and told him. It wasn’t exactly a private conversation—we all heard it.”
Then, with a mischievous smile, Zhou Fu added, “Jian Mo, you did that on purpose, didn’t you?”
Jian Mo admitted without hesitation, “I thought Wujiong wasn’t interested in me, or maybe he was just dragging his feet. I wanted to provoke him a little.”
The group burst into laughter and teasing.
When Jian Mo had first joined the tribe, he was somewhat reserved and timid. Now, he seemed brighter and more confident, almost radiant.
Watching him, everyone felt a mix of admiration and fondness.
After sipping tea for a while, the group presented their gifts to Jian Mo and then took their leave.
As Jian Mo looked at the gifts, his expression grew a little odd, but he said nothing. He simply tucked a small jar of balm deep into a chest.
It’s just as expected—sub-beastmen with partners are incredibly open-minded. And even those with soon-to-be partners are no different.
Wujiong and the others were gone for five days, finally returning at dusk on the fifth day.
In addition to carrying metal ingots, each of them bore four large baskets of ore.
Jian Mo noticed Wujiong had lost some weight and immediately started preparing a lavish meal. “Why did you bring back so much ore? That must have been exhausting.”
Wujiong didn’t try to hide anything. “We didn’t trade for the ore with the Jintu Tribe. We collected it downstream from their territory, in an unclaimed area.”
“That explains why you were gone so long,” Jian Mo said. “I thought you’d trade for the ore directly.”
Wujiong nodded. “If we traded for that much ore, the Jintu Tribe would probably get suspicious. If they found out we can refine metal and noticed we had no ore of our own, it could cause conflict. Worst-case scenario, it might even lead to war.”
Jian Mo nodded in understanding. The Jintu Tribe’s entire livelihood depended on mining; even their food was mostly acquired through trading metal tools. There was no way they would willingly cede control over the metal trade.
Wujiong continued, “We brought back a lot of metal ingots, and we’ll tell everyone our tools are made from them.”
Jian Mo said thoughtfully, “You’ll need to hold a meeting to make sure no one lets anything slip.”
“Of course,” Wujiong replied. “We’ll address it in a couple of days. During our visit, the Jintu Tribe expressed interest in our glass-making technique. After learning that our metal tools are purer than theirs, they also wanted to trade for our metal refining process.”
Jian Mo was surprised that the Jintu Tribe had brought up such a trade. “Did you agree?”
“No,” Wujiong said. “Both techniques came from you, so we told them we’d discuss it with you first. What do you think? Should we trade?”
Jian Mo thought for a moment. “What are they offering?”
“They’re willing to trade a large quantity of metal ingots. If we agree, we’ll have a much easier time disguising the origins of our tools. Refining metal involves many labor-intensive steps—if we can trade for ingots directly, it’ll save us a lot of effort.”
The Jintu Tribe had access to high-quality natural ore deposits and could extract alloys directly. Unlike them, the He’an Tribe had to gather ore, transport it, make charcoal, fire kilns, and refine the metal—all of which required immense manpower and hard work.
Being able to trade for metal ingots would indeed simplify things significantly.
Jian Mo asked, “Do I really have the authority to decide? Can I just say yes or no?”
Wujiong replied, “I’ve already discussed it with Qing Kuo and the others. Trading has its pros and cons, and we’re leaning toward making the exchange. After all, we owe the Jintu Tribe a favor for the ore we took, so it might be best to agree.”
Jian Mo nodded. “We can trade, but not for the glass technique. Glass involves alkali, which can also be used to smelt ore. Sharing that could pose too big of a risk. I think we can trade them our charcoal-making process and upgrade their furnaces so they can refine pure metal themselves. That should be enough.”
Wujiong considered this and agreed. “That’s a good idea. We’ll discuss it at the meeting tomorrow. I also told them that if we make the trade, half of the metal ingots will go to you.”
“That’s too much,” Jian Mo said after some thought. “I’m afraid others might have opinions about it.”
“They won’t,” Wujiong said firmly.
“Even so, I don’t need that much. A third will be enough—I’ll use it to make some medical tools.”
Wujiong shook his head. “We’ll decide at the meeting. A third is too little and goes against the rules. Your willingness to share is kind, but it sets a bad precedent for the next person who makes a major contribution to the tribe.”
Jian Mo understood. “You’re right. We’ll discuss it further.”
As they talked, the meal was ready. The aroma of four dishes and a soup filled the air.
While Wujiong was serving the food, Jian Mo placed two oil lamps on either side of the dishes. When lit, they created an ambiance reminiscent of a candlelit dinner.
Jian Mo looked up at Wujiong and teased, “You’ve been talking business ever since you got back. Don’t you have anything to say about being away for so many days?”
Wujiong’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly. “I missed you. What about you?”
“Of course I missed you,” Jian Mo said with a laugh. “But since you didn’t say anything, I had to ask first.”
Wujiong walked over, gently stroked Jian Mo’s cheek, and leaned down to kiss him. “From the moment I returned, I haven’t wanted to take my eyes off you. That’s why I kept you close, talking about everything.”
Thanks for the chapter!
So sweet