The patriarch's tent was the largest in the tribe. In truth, it was made from three tents joined together. The outer section was a dome-shaped tent used to receive visiting tribesmen and hold meetings with the elders. Behind it stood two large triangular tents. The one on the right served as Lia's treatment area, where the injured and sick were cared for, while the one on the left belonged solely to Bei and Lia as their private living quarters.
By the time Xue carried Ziqian inside, the night had grown quiet. The chaos outside felt distant, muffled by the heavy hides and thick tent walls.
He brought Ziqian straight to the left area of the tent and carefully set him down on a pile of soft furs.
"I'm sorry," Xue suddenly said.
Before Ziqian could react, Xue leaned down and pressed a kiss to his forehead. It was so brief, gentle, and full of sincerity that it made Ziqian stunned and made his heart pound wildly.
"What for?" he asked after a moment, his voice softer than usual.
Xue lowered his gaze. "I failed to protect you," he answered.
Ziqian blinked.
"You got hurt."
Xue had tried his best to keep their fight away from Ziqian, but in the end, the sub-beast still got hurt.
He reached for Ziqian's hands first, turning them over with care. The slender fingers and fair skin were now marred by scratches, dirt, and bruises.
Xue's expression darkened as he examined them. Then he checked Ziqian's legs as well, where the same marks had spread across his calves and knees.
"I'm fine," Ziqian muttered.
Xue stood without a word, walked to a nearby table full of herbs and potions, then returned with a wooden tube filled with medicinal paste. He crouched in front of Ziqian once more.
"Xue, really, it doesn't hurt that much."
"You cried earlier," Xue said flatly.
"That was because I was scared!"
"And now you are injured."
Xue dipped two fingers into the concoction and carefully applied it to each scrape and bruise, his touch unexpectedly gentle for someone with such large hands. Every movement was slow and careful, as if he feared causing even the slightest pain.
Ziqian bit his lip as he watched Xue carefully apply the concoction to the scratches on his hands. Warmth spread in his chest at the man's actions, but it was mixed with a sharp ache.
He only had a few scratches and small bruises. Xue, on the other hand, was covered in large, deep wounds. Some of them had already stopped bleeding, but a few still oozed blood, a stark contrast against the man's pale skin.
And yet, instead of treating himself, Xue was attending to him first.
"Xue…" Ziqian's voice slightly trembles. "You're the one who's hurt."
"It can wait."
"It can't," Ziqian frowned. "You're still bleeding. Mine were scratches that could barely be called injuries," he then lowered his gaze, looking at a blood drip down from a wound on Xue's chest.
Xue looked up, meeting his eyes. "You come first," he said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Those simple words struck Ziqian harder than any grand speech. His throat tightened, and for a moment, he did not know what to say.
Ziqian tried to compose himself and gather his courage because this was the right time to clear everything and say what he truly felt. "Xue, I have something to tell you."
Xue's hand, which was applying the medicine, paused for a second. "Mm," he hummed.
That calm response only made Ziqian more nervous.
Ziqian drew a deep breath while the four guardians bounced excitedly, silently cheering him on.
With his eyes closed, he whispered. "Xue… I like you."
This time, Xue's hand trembled, almost dropping the wooden tube. His head snapped up at once, and for the first time, his usually emotionless face was filled with surprise.
Ziqian's ears burned, and his heart pounded so hard it felt ready to burst from his chest. But with a now-or-never determination, he repeated his words once more, louder this time, each word clear and steady.
"Xue, I like you so much."
"..."
Xue did not respond. He simply stared at Ziqian.
The tent fell into complete silence.
Ziqian slowly opened his eyes and stared back at Xue, his cheeks burning from the man's intense gaze as he anxiously waited for any response from him.
But as the silence stretched so long, Ziqian's confidence began to crumble.
"…Xue," he called softly, reaching out to hold Xue's calloused hand.
Xue snapped out of his daze and immediately lowered his eyes to their joined hands. The warmth he could feel on his hand was real, proving that he was not dreaming. "But…" he mumbled, his voice uncertain. "Earlier… I heard you say you like Huo."
Ziqian did not have heightened senses, and despite how close they were, he could not make out what Xue had said. He only saw the slight movement of the man's lips and the troubled look in his eyes.
Instead, he asked the question that was weighing on his heart at that moment. "Xue, do you like me too?"
"Yes," Xue answered at once, without the slightest hesitation. His hold on Ziqian's hand tightened as if afraid he would slip away.
The quick reply made Ziqian's heart flutter, and with a soft chuckle, he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around the neck of the man crouching in front of him.
"Xue, I know all of you have realized that I'm different from everyone else," Ziqian said softly. "I think that's also why all of you call me God's messenger. I really came from a world that is very different from Gaia. That's why there were so many things I didn't know yet."
Xue said nothing, but he wrapped an arm tightly around Ziqian's waist. A sudden thought that Ziqian might return to his original world at any moment only deepened the fear he was trying to hold back.
"The Beast God really did send me here, but whatever the gods planned, I have no idea." Ziqian let out a shaky laugh. "What matters to me is being happy and living this new life to the fullest."
Ziqian nuzzled against Xue's neck, inhaling the man's cold and refreshing pheromones that help calm his racing heart.
"And during that time, when everything around me had changed… when I was afraid and uncertain… and when I finally decided I wanted to be happy… the first person I met was Huo."
Xue remained silent, but he felt a sudden pang of regret in his heart. He regrets that he was not the one Ziqian first met.
"I started relying on Huo without even noticing," Ziqian continued. "I never knew I could be that weak."
"You are not weak," Xue said quietly.
Ziqian smiled bitterly.
"I've been through a lot before this. That's why I built walls around myself, to keep people away and protect myself from the pain of being abandoned." His voice grew softer with every word. "But those walls seemed to crumble the moment I came to this world."
"And before I even realized it…" His voice broke. "I fell in love with Huo."
The confession made Ziqian's throat tighten.
Tears streamed down his cheeks once more. It was never easy for him to open up, and he had never imagined he would confess like this. He felt exposed and vulnerable but, in a strange way, lighter.
Ziqian's shoulders trembled slightly as he struggled to steady his breathing.
After seeing the two men he cared for hurt each other because of him, Ziqian felt as though something inside him could no longer bear the weight.
If he didn't let all his feelings out tonight, he felt he would suffocate to death.
Ziqian had always told himself he would live this life differently, but somehow he had still dragged the pain of his past into it.
When Xue felt the warm tears on his shoulder and neck, he quickly pulled back, panic flashing across his usually calm face.
"Ziqian—" Xue cupped his face, his movements hurried but gentle, his thumbs brushing away the tears that wouldn't stop falling. "Don't cry," he said, his voice low and tight.
Ziqian's eyes were red-rimmed, swollen, and puffy. Even as Xue kept wiping away his tears, they wouldn't stop falling.
Ziqian continued, his breaths shaky. "Then I got to know you. And in the short time we've spent together, I couldn't help but fall in love with you too, Xue." His voice was already hoarse from crying.
Xue's hand, which had been gently wiping Ziqian's tears, suddenly stilled.
"You really love me?" he asked. His voice was low and edged with disbelief.
For a moment, it was as if everything else Ziqian had said simply faded into the air. Out of all those words, this was the only part Xue seemed to hear.
"Yes," Ziqian replied softly. "I really love you, Xue."
When Ziqian first said he liked him, Xue thought he was dreaming. The words didn't feel real. Then Ziqian mentioned falling in love with Huo.
Right… he must have misheard earlier.
No matter what, it didn't change anything. Xue had already made up his mind. Even if the sub-beast pushed him away, he would stay by Ziqian's side for the rest of his life.
But now—
Ziqian had clearly said that he loved him.