Chapter 21

Wei Shu stood in the shallow water, bending over to pick up a large clam. A starfish the size of a palm lay on a rock, its countless tentacles stretching out from its underside as it tried to inch its way back into the sea.

Wei Shu helped it along with her small axe, giving it a gentle flick that sent it flying seven or eight meters away.

“Hey, Wei Shu, you did that on purpose!” Li Yuanxi watched the starfish curl up motionless at her feet, the splash from its landing spraying her face with water.

Li Yuanxi roughly wiped the seawater from her face, putting on a furious expression as she charged toward Wei Shu. She deliberately stomped hard to create big splashes, but slowed her pace at the same time.

Seeing that Li Yuanxi had actually taken it seriously, Wei Shu’s brows jumped and she quickly waved her hands in explanation. “I was just doing a good deed! How was I supposed to know it would land so close to you?”

“I don’t want to hear it, I don’t want to hear it. You did it on purpose!” Li Yuanxi set down her bucket and started shouting like a shrew in a TV drama, her loud cries of “I don’t want to hear it!” making Wei Shu burst into laughter.

Li Yuanxi bent down and scooped up a handful of water, splashing it all over Wei Shu. Now Wei Shu wasn’t about to let that slide. The two of them started an incredibly childish splashing fight in the shallow seawater.

“Hahaha, Li Yuanxi, enough! The sun’s getting higher and higher. If we don’t pick up the seafood soon, it’ll be roasted to death!” Wei Shu couldn’t dodge Li Yuanxi’s splashes fast enough and had to resort to a tactful plea for mercy.

Li Yuanxi wasn’t about to give her that chance. She quietly turned around, planning to dump the seafood from her bucket to pull off a big one. Seeing this, Wei Shu directly lifted her own bucket, scooped up half a bucket of seawater, and struck first.

Li Yuanxi was caught off guard by the bucketful of water dumped over her head. She blinked in bewilderment. Wei Shu pursed her lips in an apologetic smile, hiding her bucket behind her back as she slowly backed away.

Li Yuanxi instinctively licked the salty seawater from her lips. “Ah!! Wei Shu, I’m going to get you for this!!” She dropped her bucket and lunged at Wei Shu, wrapping her arms around her and pulling her close.

“Hahahaha, Li Yuanxi, I didn’t mean it! You were the one who was going to splash me with your bucket first, so I was just defending myself! Hahaha, no tickling! Stop it~~”

Wei Shu was trapped in Li Yuanxi’s arms, being tickled mercilessly. Li Yuanxi fought dirty, going straight for the most ticklish spots.

Wei Shu laughed until she was shaking, tears streaming down her face. She twisted and struggled in Li Yuanxi’s embrace, but Li Yuanxi held her tight, refusing to let her escape.

The two of them rolled around on the beach, locked together in playful roughhousing like a pair of inseparable lovers. Wei Shu leaned back against Li Yuanxi, panting. “I’m tired. I quit.”

“I’m a bit tired too.” Li Yuanxi let out a breath, resting her chin on Wei Shu’s shoulder as they sat there, holding each other in silence, breathing steadily.

“Hey, look. A seagull.” Li Yuanxi pointed at a seagull diving into the sea. It was the first time she had seen one hunting.

Wei Shu looked at the arm protruding from under her own armpit and froze. She realized their position was… wrong. Too intimate.

They weren’t in that kind of relationship anymore. They weren’t lovers. Sleeping curled up together at night was one thing, excused by the cold. But this during the day was just too much.

“Ahem. Let go. We need to hurry and pick up the seafood before the gulls steal it all.” Wei Shu shifted her body, signaling Li Yuanxi to release her.

Li Yuanxi, belatedly realizing the situation, forced a change of subject. “Ah, haha, yeah, let’s pick up the seafood. Pick up the seafood.” She quickly let go and ran off to retrieve their discarded buckets.

Wei Shu took the bucket Li Yuanxi handed her, and they each picked up the seafood that had scattered across the sand.

The little octopus had scuttled a dozen meters away before Li Yuanxi caught it again. After that, they both bent down and slowly searched for more seafood.

An hour passed. Their buckets were piled high with all kinds of clams, octopus, crabs, and conches, along with a rare large sea cucumber that Li Yuanxi had dug out of a tidal pool.

A bright red fish, about the size of a palm, writhed and struggled in Li Yuanxi’s hand. “This fish looks really pretty. I’ll take it back for Wei Shu to eat.” Li Yuanxi rinsed it in the seawater and tossed it into the bucket.

The sun overhead grew larger and larger. The sky was a flawless blue, with only a single dazzling sun hanging in the heavens, too bright to look at directly.

“Come on, the tide is almost fully out. Let’s go check out the reef area we baited a couple of days ago.”

Li Yuanxi shook the water from her hands and met up with Wei Shu. Seeing the exposed skin on Wei Shu’s arms and legs turning bright red from the sun, she said, “You wait for me on the beach. I’ll go check the tidal pools.”

Wei Shu nodded. She really was tired. Yesterday had been a full day of exertion, and bending over for so long today had left her back and hands aching and sore.

Li Yuanxi dumped half a bucket of her own seafood into Wei Shu’s. With the seawater and the catch, Wei Shu’s bucket was nearly full. They had achieved complete seafood self-sufficiency for the day.

“You should rest too. Let me check your wound to see if it’s opened up.” Wei Shu grabbed Li Yuanxi’s arm as she was about to go wading for fish. She squinted, shielding her eyes from the blinding sun.

Li Yuanxi lifted her t-shirt, revealing her toned stomach. The purple bruise on her ribs had faded, and the purplish-red scab was still intact. It wouldn’t fall off for at least another three or four days.

During this time, Wei Shu had seen her body every day. What had started as uncomfortable had become routine. It was like being on vacation, at the beach. Who wears too many clothes on the beach anyway?

“Mmm, it hasn’t opened up. Put your shirt down.” Wei Shu patted the dead log they usually sat on. Li Yuanxi glanced at the sun. “No need, right? The midday sun is going to be even stronger. I’ll just go quickly, catch what I can, and we’ll go home and eat seafood.”

Wei Shu raised an eyebrow. It seemed Li Yuanxi was really looking forward to a big, nourishing seafood meal. “Go on, then.”

With permission granted, Li Yuanxi scampered off happily. She had been looking forward to checking her bait spot for a while now. The tide had come in again last night; surely there would be a bigger catch this time.

Since it wouldn’t rain for the next few days, she planned to dry all this seafood in the sun. It would keep much longer. She was serious about stockpiling food.

With salt for pickling, and the strong sun and sea breeze, she had everything she needed to make dried, wind-cured seafood.

Li Yuanxi rushed excitedly to the reef area. She stared, dumbfounded, at the empty tidal pools after the tide had receded. There were only a few sea fish hiding in the sand beneath the rocks.

“You’ve got to be kidding me?” Li Yuanxi circled the reef area, stepping on the smooth rocks. Her eyes fell on the inlet on the right side of the reef cluster. Seawater kept flowing in and out from there.

Li Yuanxi slapped her forehead. At the time, she had only wanted to leave that hole as an inlet. She hadn’t expected the storm last night to pull the incoming water back out, taking her big catch with it.

The few fish left in the reef area had probably just failed to find the exit and were stuck.

Li Yuanxi’s face fell. Dejected, she went into the water to catch the remaining big fish. She used her bucket to block a grouper’s escape route, careful not to get pricked by its sharp fins.

A grouper weighing about two or three jin was dumped into the bucket, thrashing and struggling violently. The small bucket could barely hold it.

The other fish weren’t as troublesome. Li Yuanxi moved quickly, tossing an unfamiliar bright red fish into the bucket to keep the grouper company.

Using a pile of entrails as bait, she ended up catching only five fish. But considering their weight, it was still a decent haul.

Something seemed to be moving in the murky, blackened water beside the reef. Li Yuanxi cautiously approached and probed it with a stick. A very long antenna emerged from beneath the surface.

Li Yuanxi’s eyes lit up. A lobster! She used the stick to block its escape route. The stick was suddenly struck with force—the lobster’s usual method of propelling itself away.

But the lobster hadn’t expected its retreat to be cut off. It brandished its claws menacingly, only to have its back grabbed and its feelers seized in a firm grip.

“Wei Shu! Look! It’s that big lobster you like! Hahahaha!” A colorful, massive lobster, much longer than Li Yuanxi’s hand, thrashed its tail, trying to break free.

Wei Shu came out from under the shade of a tree. Seeing the huge lobster in Li Yuanxi’s hand, she gave her a thumbs-up. “Impressive.” Li Yuanxi puffed out her chest proudly.

“We can’t finish all this seafood in one meal.” Wei Shu looked at the grouper still struggling in the bucket and started worrying about how to preserve the food.

“I’m thinking of digging a pit here and putting the fish in it. That way, we can have fresh fish whenever we want.” Li Yuanxi looked at the still-lively seafood and proposed the least reliable method.

She thought for a moment. They didn’t have enough salt to pickle all the fish, and there were too few fish to bother drying—they’d probably eat them before they were even properly air-dried.

“Are you sure they won’t escape?” Wei Shu looked doubtfully at the reef area. “I’ll plug up that big hole, so the seawater can still come in, but the fish won’t be able to get out.” Li Yuanxi explained her plan.

Over the next hour, she did exactly that. She walled off a small pond within the reef area, using black rocks to seal the large opening.

Wei Shu washed her hands clean and stood by, watching Li Yuanxi release the fish back into the seawater. The water, already knee-deep, was enough to keep them alive.

“Whew, all done. Let’s go home.” Li Yuanxi let out a few breaths and rolled her neck, longing for a rest. The scorching sun overhead made her whole body feel like it was burning.

“Have some water.” Wei Shu handed Li Yuanxi a bottle of lukewarm, boiled water. Li Yuanxi took a few big gulps before pouring the rest over her head to cool down. The water streamed down through her shoulder-length hair.

“Come on, let’s go home and rest.” Wei Shu felt a bit dizzy, and her stomach was uncomfortable. Her body swayed, and Li Yuanxi quickly steadied her.

“What’s wrong? Did you get heatstroke?” Li Yuanxi helped her sit down in the shade of a tree. Wei Shu opened her mouth, trying to breathe properly. “Maybe a little,” she said, uncertain.

“I told you not to come down to the beach with me, but you wouldn’t listen.” Li Yuanxi grabbed a large, yellow-brown coconut leaf and started fanning her vigorously.

Wei Shu rubbed her temples. Her breathing grew heavier, and a wave of heat pulsed from the back of her neck. She touched the pheromone gland, where she usually wore a barrier patch, and felt it burning hot. Her heart sank.

Wei Shu’s face paled. She bit her lower lip in distress. Damn it. Her Bonding Heat had come early.

Li Yuanxi was still fanning her vigorously. The cool breeze provided some relief, but it did nothing to quell the heat surging through her body.

This was just the prodromal phase. She still had, at most, two days before her actual Bonding Heat began.

Wei Shu looked at Li Yuanxi, who was still fanning her anxiously. Her gaze flickered. She knew Li Yuanxi wouldn’t do anything to her. She might even try to avoid her. But she…

Wei Shu gripped her knees tightly, stopping Li Yuanxi from fanning her. “I feel a bit better. Let’s go back to the cave first.”

“Take it easy for a while. There’s no rush.” Li Yuanxi reached out and felt Wei Shu’s cheek and hand, making sure she wasn’t running a fever.

Wei Shu grabbed Li Yuanxi’s hand and managed a weak smile. “I’m fine. Let’s just go back. I’m hungry.”

Li Yuanxi couldn’t argue with her, so she helped her up. She walked behind Wei Shu, carrying the bucket of seafood, ready to catch her if she stumbled.

Back at the cave, Wei Shu immediately took some water to wash up. Li Yuanxi brewed a cup of cool tea with dried mint leaves for her, so she could drink it when she was done.

Li Yuanxi separated the remaining seafood, washed it clean, and put it back into two buckets to let it purge its sand.

She picked out the sea cucumber, which was nearly dead. After a moment’s thought, she squeezed it hard to expel its entrails, blanched it in boiling water, and carefully scrubbed off its slimy outer layer.

“I wonder if Wei Shu can even stomach this.” Li Yuanxi was doubtful. She tossed the sea cucumber into the iron pot and went to deal with the lobster.

For lunch, they’d have the lobster and a fish about a jin in weight. That was enough for the two of them. In the afternoon, Li Yuanxi planned to go into the forest to look for some carbohydrates.

Wei Shu, her face flushed, covered her pheromone gland, trying to stifle the floral scent of her pheromones as it kept leaking out.

Li Yuanxi’s nose twitched, as if she had caught a pleasant floral scent. She stepped out of the cave and took a deep breath, but smelled nothing. She turned and went back to making lunch.

The cooked lobster was a brilliant, appetizing red. The deer oil in the pot was sizzling. She placed the cleaned fish into the pot to fry.

When Wei Shu came out, she was hit by a strong fishy smell. She nearly threw up.

Her sense of smell had sharpened. Wei Shu frowned. An enhanced sense of smell was meant to help an omega detect the pheromones of her alpha. She had always wondered if losing her sense of smell would eliminate the Bonding Heat. But science had taught her that was impossible. Heightened olfaction was just one part of the process.

Finally, the sea cucumber was done. To make it a bit more palatable, Li Yuanxi had added a few mint leaves to the pot. It smelled a bit odd.

“Come eat!” Li Yuanxi called Wei Shu over. She eagerly picked up the large sea cucumber and put it into Wei Shu’s bowl, looking at her expectantly, waiting to see her reaction.

Wei Shu: …She didn’t dare to react.

Wei Shu reluctantly picked up the sea cucumber and sniffed it. A wave of nausea hit her, and she nearly dropped her bowl.

“Still feeling sick?” Li Yuanxi quickly took the bowl and patted her on the back.

“I can’t eat this. My stomach doesn’t feel right.” Wei Shu pushed Li Yuanxi’s hand away.

“Oh, okay, then don’t eat it.” Li Yuanxi, a bit dumbfounded, took the bowl back and told Wei Shu to drink some water. The cool, refreshing scent of mint helped Wei Shu feel a little better.

Li Yuanxi dumped the sea cucumber into her own bowl, cutting a large piece of lobster meat for Wei Shu. She bit into the black sea cucumber and found it surprisingly tough.

A burst of watery liquid squirted into her mouth. The overwhelming fishy taste was so strong she spat it out immediately. “Is that how sea cucumber is supposed to taste?!” she exclaimed.

Wei Shu pursed her lips and smiled. Sea cucumber was difficult to prepare. It was nutritious, but its flavor was equally strong.

In the end, Li Yuanxi had to cut the sea cucumber into many small pieces and force it down in big mouthfuls, tears streaming from her eyes, her face twisted in a grimace.

Wei Shu kindly handed her a cup of water to rinse her mouth, delivering the final blow: “Don’t you dare spit it out. It’s a real tonic.”

Li Yuanxi gave Wei Shu a resentful look. She took big gulps of water and spat them out, repeating the process several times until the fishy taste finally left her throat.

Wei Shu took her bowl and filled it with fish soup and lobster meat, telling her to eat something decent.

Li Yuanxi took a fierce bite of the lobster, forcing down the urge to gag.

Wei Shu ate her own portion slowly and deliberately, occasionally giving Li Yuanxi a gentle smile. Li Yuanxi turned away, refusing to accept her kindness. Wei Shu didn’t mind. She was in a pretty good mood.

Every time she felt down, Li Yuanxi would show up, and her mood would lift.

After they finished eating, Li Yuanxi left the dishes for Wei Shu to clean. She was going out to find some carbohydrates and fibrous plants. She was starting to feel a bit… blocked up, and she knew she needed more fiber.

“Before you go.” Wei Shu called out to Li Yuanxi, who was changing her pants. “Hmm? What is it?” Li Yuanxi pulled up her pants and looked at Wei Shu, waiting for her to continue.

“It’s okay if you can’t find anything. But don’t take any risks. Watch every step you take.” Wei Shu fixed her gaze on Li Yuanxi, waiting for a promise.

“Alright. Wait for me to come back.” Li Yuanxi patted her chest, promising to be careful. Falling once had been painful enough. She had learned her lesson.

Wei Shu watched her head into the forest once more. The throbbing pheromone gland at the back of her neck was a constant reminder. She needed to find a safe place to wait out her Bonding Heat.