The movement from inside the cave was all the permission Han Jue needed. He came quickly, rushing into the dark cave only to immediately find Su Qinglan sitting on the stone bed.
Her hand was clutching the small hide to her full chest, but it was a futile effort. The hide could not hide it all; her soft curves were peeking from the sides, and, worse, her entire back was exposed to his view.
His eyes, which he tried desperately to keep fixed on the wall, betrayed him. They roamed from her bare shoulders down the soft curve of her back to the gentle dip of her hips.
His throat instantly tightened to the point where he couldn’t swallow. But what truly made him shudder were the numerous red marks...the clear signs of Hu Yan’s intense passion scattered across her soft, pale skin.
Han Jue’s whole body shuddered.
"L-Lan Lan... you... You’re awake..."
Su Qinglan froze like she’d been caught stealing fruit.
Her eyes shot wide open.
Then she turned tomato red.
She realized she was not wearing anything, and Han Jue came, but most important, she felt guilty. She blushed with shame.
But the funniest part?
Han Jue’s face was ten times redder than hers.
Seeing him more embarrassed than her made her lips curl up instantly.
Her eyes turned into little crescents as she smiled softly.
"Han Jue... You’re back," she said sweetly.
He nodded stiffly.
"A-ahem. I—I am."
She then looked down at what her husband was clutching in his hands: a small, carefully carved stone bowl.
Han Jue looked at the bowl too, as if surprised to find it there. He stammered, "Y-yes, it is, ahem, for you."
"For me?" Su Qinglan raised a curious brow. "Is it something to eat?" she wondered, but she couldn’t smell any delicious meat or broth. Instead, a strong, fresh fragrance, like crushed, cooling mountain herbs, wafted up to her.
Han Jue was internally cursing Hu Yan and Rong Ye. Damn that Hu Yan! How could he disappear for so long after mating with the female? Does he not know she needs him after waking up?!
The poor tiger was probably getting beaten up by Rong Ye right now, who was still furious. Rong Ye couldn’t stand a chance against that sly snake, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t bear this simpleton tiger!
Han Jue cursed them both, but he knew he couldn’t delay. Since there was no sign of them, he decided to do the task himself.
He knew just how rough beastmen were: after mating, the females were always sore for many days, and it could even hurt when they walked.
The tribe elders taught all the young males these things...how to properly take care of a female’s comfort. So, he had immediately gone and gathered the freshest cooling herbs and immediately ground them into a soothing paste.
But now, holding the bowl and staring at her perfect, exposed back, he realized his fatal flaw.
He knew what to do, but he had no idea how to gently offer to apply it to her lower back and hips...the areas that had clearly been subjected to the tiger’s speed.
He was too shy. He looked down at the green paste, then back up at the soft slope of her neck, feeling his knees wobble.
Han Jue stood frozen for a few agonizing seconds, gripping the stone bowl of green paste as if it were a fragile bomb.
He watched Su Qinglan’s eyes twinkle with amusement, and her subtle smile only fueled his burning embarrassment. He was the quiet, sharp-tongued one! He should not be stuttering like this!
Finally, with a visible effort that made his whole body stiffen, Han Jue mustered his courage and approached the edge of the stone bed. He leaned forward, holding the bowl out stiffly.
"Lan Lan...It is for you," he said quickly, his voice tight. "Ahem. I mean... for your... that."
He immediately regretted the word "that." He couldn’t bring himself to say "hips" or "lower back" or, beast gods forbid, the actual part that was currently aching.
He almost wanted to cry; he had never imagined a day where he, the sharpest talker in their group, would stutter so miserably.
He knew he had to get the explanation out, or he would surely explode from shame. He took a single, desperate, deep breath to steady himself.
"Ahem. Lan Lan, females always apply this to that part after mating," he rushed out in one long, breathless go. "It will help them relieve the pain and soreness."
Having delivered the necessary medical instruction, his face turned such a deep, aggressive shade of red that Su Qinglan genuinely thought steam might start coming out of his ears. He looked everywhere but at her, focusing intensely on a crack in the cave wall.
She was thoroughly entertained. Her eyes were twinkling merrily at the sheer embarrassment of Han Jue.
She had always known him as the cool, slightly grumpy beastman whose tongue was as sharp as a blade. She never, in her wildest dreams, thought she would see him turn into a blushing, stuttering wreck in broad daylight.
She decided to tease him more.
She tilted her head innocently. "That part? What part is that part, Han Jue?" she asked, batting her eyes.
In reality, she was quite curious about the medicine. She could tell by the fragrance that the herbs were really good; they had a cooling and clear healing ability, which would be very effective for bruising and swelling.
It seemed the beast world was not completely oblivious to basic medicine after all, which was a relief.
But that was a thought for another day. Right now, she wanted to focus on her handsome beast husband, who was currently as shy and adorable as a little puppy.
Han Jue’s throat tightened again, and he took another ragged breath. He couldn’t say it. He absolutely could not.
"L-LAN, YOU KNOW WHAT PART IT IS, DON’T MAKE ME SAY IT PLEASE." He screamed internally but was too timid to say it aloud.