Due to the rainy weather, the senses of the beastmen were greatly affected.
Not only their perception, but also their hearing, sense of smell, and vision were all diminished. Therefore, he had to remain cautious and alert to the surroundings.
He didn't mind for himself, but his top priority was protecting Si Lu's safety.
Time passed slowly, and the sky outside had turned dark, but Cheng Mo and the others had not returned yet. Meanwhile, Si Lu continued sleeping soundly.
Bai Di was already starting to worry, but no matter how anxious he was, there was nothing he could do. His current task was to protect Si Lu.
Fortunately, the rain outside had lessened considerably. Perhaps Cheng Mo and the others would be back soon.
Just as Bai Di had this thought, he heard approaching footsteps and smelled the scent of blood.
Judging by the footsteps, it was indeed Cheng Mo and the others returning, but someone was injured.
Bai Di immediately poked his head out of the tree hole and saw a group of disheveled figures. Behind them, they dragged some prey, but what caught his attention was Hei Yao, who was injured and being carried on the back of a large tiger.
"What happened?" Bai Di asked anxiously as he rushed out of the tree hole.
"We encountered a few magical beasts. They've been dealt with, but Hei Yao got injured. Can you tend to him?" Cheng Mo, his face full of concern, glanced at Hei Yao, who lay limp on the tiger's back.
"Alright, Song Zhan, bring him into the tree hole. He's in beast form, so there should be enough space for him," Bai Di instructed.
"Keep your voice down; Si Lu is still sleeping," Bai Di added, frowning as he noticed the large gash on Hei Yao's tail, which was still bleeding. The situation had clearly been quite dangerous.
Without saying a word, Song Zhan carefully laid Hei Yao inside the tree hole before stepping back. His entire tiger form looked dejected, his wet fur clinging to his body, making him appear both comical and pitiful.
"Alright, you all can shift into your beast forms and come in. There's enough room here, though those with larger forms might want to stay in human form," Bai Di suggested.
They could squeeze in if necessary, and with the rain still pouring outside and no other shelter, they had no other choice.
"We'll come in after we clean up these carcasses and wash ourselves off," Cheng Mo replied. Their bodies were covered in blood and mud, so they needed to freshen up before entering. They didn't want to bring the smell or dirt inside, especially while Si Lu was resting.
"Alright, I'll check on Hei Yao first," Bai Di said as he re-entered the tree hole. He quickly approached Hei Yao, examining the large gash on his tail. Taking out the spiritual spring water Si Lu had provided earlier, he began cleaning the wound.
After washing the wound, Bai Di started stitching it with a bone needle. Previously, he hadn't known how to do this, but after watching how Si Lu had treated Nan Si's injury, he had learned some skills.
Now, he applied what he had learned to Hei Yao's wound.
As Bai Di was stitching, Hei Yao opened his eyes. He glanced at Bai Di, then at Si Lu, who was sleeping soundly nearby, his eyes filled with tenderness. Despite the pain of the wound, he didn't make a sound, not wanting to disturb Si Lu's rest.
He didn't want to wake her.
Recently, Hei Yao had noticed that Si Lu seemed tired. If she could get a good rest, he was willing to endure anything.
Seeing Hei Yao's gaze fixed on Si Lu, Bai Di let out a sigh of relief. He had been worried that Hei Yao might make a sound and wake Si Lu. If she saw Hei Yao in such a state, she would undoubtedly be worried and frightened.
Thankfully, Hei Yao remained silent, enduring the pain of the stitches without uttering a word.
Bai Di marveled at Hei Yao's tolerance. This wound was serious, and he had only stitched half of it. The gash was long and deep, clearly the result of a magical beast's teeth.
Hei Yao had taken the brunt of the attack.
While the others only had minor scratches and small wounds, Hei Yao's injury was the most severe.
Hei Yao didn't speak or show any expression, his focus on Si Lu. After a moment, he closed his eyes, his brows furrowed in pain as he silently endured the stitching.
Bai Di continued his careful work until the wound was fully stitched. He then applied some herbs to the wound and wiped the blood away with a piece of animal skin.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, Bai Di looked at Hei Yao with sympathy. The others soon returned, having dealt with the prey and cleaned themselves up. They hung the carcasses from a nearby tree, high enough to avoid detection by other beastmen, and let the rain wash away the scent.
Cheng Mo chose to remain in human form as he entered the tree hole, sitting next to Si Lu. Song Zhan also shifted back into human form and sat near the entrance, his yellow eyes occasionally glancing at Hei Yao with a complicated expression.
Nan Si, now a small rabbit with pink ears, nestled into a pile of grass. Bai Di transformed into a small fox, his two large tails covering Si Lu to keep her warm.
The tree hole was filled with silence. If Si Lu were awake, she might have felt that the atmosphere was a little off. But for now, the beastmen didn't seem to mind, maintaining a tacit understanding to keep quiet while Si Lu rested.
Time passed, and by late at night, the rain had finally stopped. Si Lu slept soundly through the night, waking only when the morning light began to filter through the tree hole.
Still groggy, she reached out instinctively, her hand brushing against something cold. Startled, she opened her eyes and found herself staring into a pair of gentle purple eyes.
"Ayao!" Si Lu exclaimed in surprise.
"Mm," Hei Yao replied with a smile, reaching out to affectionately ruffle her hair.