Before Mo Chen completely lost consciousness, he felt something sweet brushing against his lips. Then, it was as if a savage gas—or perhaps a feral beast—was forcing its way into his mouth.
Mo Chen had no strength to resist this invader and could only remain still as his mouth was invaded.
Moments later, a bitter, slightly astringent liquid began to flow down his throat.
He struggled faintly, unwilling to accept it, but the intruder gave him no chance to refuse.
Instead, the other party forcefully tilted his head back, making him open his mouth wider to swallow the liquid.
He didn't stop until Mo Chen had drunk all of it—or rather, until the poor Mo Chen fully passed out, no longer feeling his throat, lips, or anything at all.
[Damn my life…]
That was Mo Chen's last coherent thought. It rang with such clarity and truth as if he no longer cared whether he would wake up or not.
***
"Are you sure the female is fine? If your words are lies, then why hasn't she woken up yet? If you're deceiving me, I'll kill you where you stand and kill everyone here."
"I told you, Valkar, he's fine. Stop stirring up trouble with our tribe. Even if we're weaker than you, that doesn't mean we'll let you slaughter us without a fight. I may despise your kind, but I still have a conscience. I treated the female with care."
"Then why hasn't he awakened?" Valkar shouted angrily.
The old sorcerer snorted with a mocking tone, unafraid.
"Isn't it thanks to your damn poison? How dare you raise your voice at me when you're the cause of the female suffering? Females are sacred beings protected by the Divine Beast itself. All creatures must cherish them. But what did you do? You dug your venomous Talons into his flesh."
"I... I didn't know females were so fragile. I've never been near one before. The poison in my nails is so mild that even the smallest insects don't react to it."
"Fool. Yes, females possess powerful mental healing abilities, but their bodies are incredibly delicate. This one nearly died because of you."
***
At first, Mo Chen could only hear muffled voices, but after a while, he began to clearly understand the two men's conversation.
It seemed the snake-man had brought him to some sort of doctor, and now the two were bickering—right above his head, no less.
Didn't they know a patient needed peace and quiet? Couldn't they take their quarrel somewhere else?
It seems that someone clearly forgot his place—he was a stranger in a strange land, and he ought to be more grateful that his small life had been saved. Instead, he was acting like some spoiled little princess.
Originally, Mo Chen hadn't intended to let the two know he was awake—at least not until he learned more about the nature of this world he'd been transported to, the people around him, and everything else.
But…
Throughout the conversation, the man and the old healer repeatedly referred to him as
"the female."
The female this...
The female that...
Mo Chen nearly choked on his own rage.
No—he literally choked on his own saliva.
Valkar had been just about to respond to the old sorcerer's accusation when he heard a sharp coughing fit coming from the wooden bed behind him.
He rushed over, lifting Mo Chen and helping him sit upright while patting his back.
"Bring some water, old man!" he barked in one breath.
Despite his disdain for Valkar and his kind's practice of stealing females from weaker tribes, the old man couldn't just stand by and let such a delicate, beautiful being choke to death.
He stepped forward with a cup of water.
The cup was wooden, finely crafted, and even had intricate carvings and mysterious symbols etched around its edges.
Mo Chen took the cup from Valkar's hand and drank by himself. After a minute, his coughing finally ceased.
Both Valkar and the old healer stared silently. The female's pale, delicate face had turned red, and even his nose glowed bright pink. His beautiful brown eyes were veiled behind a thick layer of tears—some of which had already fallen, while others shimmered on his lashes like a glistening curtain, giving him an ethereal, fragile beauty.
Valkar had never seen a female more stunning than this.
And lucky for him—he was his now. He wouldn't let anyone else touch his female, let alone take him away.
Forget Valkar, the young adult who had barely reached maturity a few days ago and had seen so little of the world.
Even the old sorcerer Bal, a powerful and seasoned healer who had traveled far and wide through great nations and formidable tribes, found himself bewildered by the female's beauty. In those powerful lands, the females were either too fat, too tall, or downright hideous... None could compare—not even to a single one of those delicate, white jade-like fingers.
"Where do you think you're looking? Want me to gouge out those old eyes of yours, damn old man?"
Valkar's furious face suddenly filled the old healer's vision, snapping him out of his daze and blocking any further view of the divine beauty lying in front of them.
"Tsk." The old man, Bal, scoffed openly, then pushed past Valkar to stand beside Mo Chen.
Mo Chen silently observed the interaction between the two. Despite their sharp tongues, he deduced that their relationship wasn't as hostile as it appeared.
Neither of them had actually tried to attack the other, and there was no murderous intent in their eyes.
Well… except for that moment when the old man stared at him blankly. Mo Chen thought he caught a flash of crimson in those violet eyes.
"Are you feeling any pain?" Bal asked, taking Mo Chen's wrist to check his pulse.
The gesture made Mo Chen feel like he had been transported back to ancient China, where doctors healed patients using herbs and traditional methods.
"No, everything feels fine. Thank you," Mo Chen replied politely with a soft smile.
"Why are you smiling at him?" The giant jar of vinegar barged into the scene, glaring at Mo Chen with a strange mix of anger and... something else.
Mo Chen had no idea why Valkar looked so offended—at least, not until the serpent-man hissed, "I was the one who saved your life. Twice. Once from the Scalepaw beast, and again when I gave you my essence blood to neutralize the venom in your body. It was me, both times. So why are you smiling at this old fossil?"
Valkar's breath was hot—no, not metaphorically.
Literal smoke was rising from his nostrils, and the heat of his breath could scorch the skin.