TFBAT -Chapter 63

In an instant, Chi Yuyang realized the source of the “Xiao Xiao Fruit.”

According to the clan leader, the trees bearing Xiao Xiao Fruit only grew near the Snake Tribe’s territory. And since Hu Jin had been almost inseparable from her, there was no way he had picked it himself.

—So it must have been either that Elder Xue gave Hu Jin an extra one, or he received it from the clan leader.

But why did Hu Jin hide it?

At this point, though, she might not even understand his explanation.

And right now, the answer wasn’t especially important.

Before the white tiger could open its mouth to howl, Chi Yuyang hugged its head and started rubbing it wildly.

“Hu Jin, you’re amazing! Hahahahaha! No matter what that little fox was planning, his scheme has completely failed!” She laughed while hugging Hu Jin.

The little fox’s sudden actions had indeed caught her off guard, but surely it didn’t know that Hu Jin still had another Xiao Xiao Fruit hidden on him.

As for the little fox switching sides, Chi Yuyang guessed it was most likely related to the Lion Tribe.

The semi-enclosed cave echoed with her laughter, which was amplified infinitely in the ears of the highly sensitive white tiger.

Feeling the influence of her laughter, the white tiger softly “howled.”

Chi Yuyang slowly walked to the white tiger’s side and then sat down in its embrace.

“Hu Jin, the Xiao Xiao Fruit is safer with you.” She returned the fruit in her hand to Hu Jin.

Sleepiness overcame her, and Chi Yuyang yawned several times in a row.

As if by reflex, Hu Jin immediately curled his body around her.

Perhaps aware that he was still in beast form, Hu Jin silently withdrew his forepaws from her waist.

Even though he had already retracted his sharp claws into the soft pads of his paws, he handled her as if she were something fragile, even more cautiously than usual.

His gaze casually swept over the wound on Chi Yuyang’s arm, which still showed no signs of healing.

Hu Jin thought Chi Yuyang hadn’t noticed his gaze.

But to her, an ordinary human with no special power, a tiger’s stare was even more imposing than Hu Jin’s human form.

Chi Yuyang touched Hu Jin’s drooping ears, imagining that if he were in human form now, his expression would be filled with overwhelming concern.

“A nap will fix it.”

She wasn’t just talking about her wound—maybe after a nap, Hu Jin could turn back into human form.

As usual, Chi Yuyang said goodnight: “Hu Jin, let’s go to sleep.”

“Howl.”

It was already midnight, and exhausted, Chi Yuyang quickly closed her eyes.

Hu Jin, however, only pretended to sleep.

After the person in his arms breathed steadily, he quietly stepped outside the cave.

Before he fully left, he already heard the sound of rain outside.

Hu Jin continued walking into the rain without turning back.

If he went any further, he’d be too far from his wife.

Realizing this, Hu Jin immediately stopped.

He looked down at his reflection in the pond.

A soaked tiger, its fur no longer fluffy.

The rain seemed to wash away the color from his vertical pupils.

Hu Jin reached out a paw to touch the reflection, and the image of the rain-soaked tiger in the water shattered into pieces.

“Howl…”

He still couldn’t turn back into human form.

Unwilling, Hu Jin shook his ears several more times.

The rain gradually intensified.

Animals around had already hidden from the rain, some braving it from tree holes or perching in trees, secretly observing the strange tiger.

They didn’t know this tiger in the rain was a shapeshifter.

But among themselves, the animals whispered: had this tiger lost its mind to stand in the rain?

Even animals knew hiding from rain was instinct.

Hu Jin paid no attention to their judgment.

He was thinking.

As a cub, the other tigers in the clan had said he was born faded in color, which was why he became an ugly white tiger.

They mocked his genes and claimed he could never become a powerful shapeshifter.

Later, he had proven them wrong with his strength.

In reality, he had just been poor at words and didn’t know how to express anger or refute them.

If he had faced his wife in human form today, he would have quickly reverted to beast form out of shame.

Fortunately, she hadn’t been angry.

The clan leader was the best tiger for him in this forest, but his wife was the best being for him in the world.

How could he allow her to get hurt…

If he had advanced before meeting his wife, would she have avoided injury today?

But if he had advanced then, would he have even met her later?

He had been arrogant, underestimating the little fox, but even the little fox had been a fourth-rank shapeshifter before failing its trial.

Ultimately, it was his own pride.

He shouldn’t make excuses.

After being cooled by the heavy rain, Hu Jin calmed down.

His father had said, advancing to the fifth rank didn’t follow a single path.

Most shapeshifters needed to abandon things that shook their will to prove their strength.

And he…

Hu Jin lowered his head, gazing at the water.

The familiar face slowly reassembled in the rippling pond, his mandarin duck eyes regaining their original luster.

He wanted to become stronger and prove with actions that he could protect his wife.

Besides that, he felt he should do something more for her…

In an instant, the proud white tiger standing in the rain disappeared.

The watching animals hadn’t even reacted before paying the price for their foolish thoughts.

…

When Chi Yuyang woke, she habitually felt the spot next to her.

The texture confirmed it: the soft fur of Hu Jin in beast form.

“Howl.” Hu Jin greeted her good morning.

Chi Yuyang opened her eyes.

Above her, the white tiger watched with large, round eyes.

For some reason, she felt like Hu Jin was a husband caught hiding secret money, trying to please his wife.

It must be an illusion.

She didn’t blame Hu Jin for hiding the Xiao Xiao Fruit, though she realized her tone last night had been a bit harsh.

So she reached out to touch the fluffy top of the white tiger’s head.

Hu Jin licked the injured part of her arm gently, carefully avoiding the wound. She smiled, “Good morning, Hu Jin.”

Hearing her voice, the white tiger excitedly rubbed her face, “Howl!”

“It tickles…” Chi Yuyang laughed, holding the tiger’s big head.

The next moment, her smile froze.

“Hu Jin, you still can’t turn back into human form?”

After a night had passed, Hu Jin remained in beast form.

“Howl.” The tiger on top of her rolled to the other side.

Chi Yuyang was about to explain that she didn’t dislike his beast form, but she noticed several items in her view now that the tiger’s body was no longer blocking them.

Meat.

All neatly divided.

Clearly Hu Jin’s handiwork.

He had collected wood for her to start a fire.

The cave had previously housed shapeshifters, so there was plenty of firewood, which was why Hu Jin chose this cave to rest.

“Wait, Hu Jin…” Chi Yuyang looked at the quantity of meat. “How many did you catch? Isn’t this too much?”

Hu Jin shook his tail proudly and nudged the firewood toward her.

Chi Yuyang felt as if she had gone back to months ago, before she knew Hu Jin could take human form.

Back then, even stranded in another world, she considered it extremely fortunate to have a tiger who understood human speech.

The tiger would catch food every morning and obediently wait by her side for her to wake and cook the meat.

After cooking, he’d let her eat first, and only eat what remained.

Later, the tiger became human.

She gradually forgot that Hu Jin had been a tiger.

When she first met him, he had been a real tiger.

Chi Yuyang looked at the fire before her, eyes slightly misty.

She thought for a moment and decided to speak her mind: “Hu Jin, I’m sorry.”

The white tiger turned his head, confusion and puzzlement in his eyes.

Chi Yuyang met his gaze sideways. “I told you I’m human. I don’t belong to this continent and have never seen a shapeshifter before.”

“I thought I could accept your beast form…” she paused, “…but honestly, I’m still a little afraid.”

This fear had arisen since he was no longer a cub, slowly growing over time and causing her inner uncertainty.

Hu Jin silently stared at her face.

He had been waiting for her to bring this up.

When she finally did, he didn’t know what to say.

Fortunately, he remained in beast form.

Chi Yuyang took a deep breath. “I don’t know how to handle this… I didn’t expect that because of the little fox’s interference, you couldn’t turn back into human form…”

At the mention of “little fox,” Hu Jin subconsciously rubbed his forepaw on the ground.

“In that case,” Chi Yuyang rubbed Hu Jin’s cheek, “let me spend more time with your beast form.”

Previously, Hu Jin had always reverted to human form for her. Even if she wanted to get used to his beast form, he would switch to human for communication.

Now, it was her chance to understand another side of him.

Chi Yuyang, always optimistic, could find ways to accept even the worst situations.

“Besides, your beast form is really handsome, Hu Jin.”

Unlike modern tigers, Hu Jin’s beast form had slightly longer, soft fur.

Chi Yuyang looked at his blue-green heterochromatic eyes, so much like a Persian cat’s. Without the four black stripes on his back and the “king” mark on his forehead, Hu Jin truly looked like a giant cat.

“Howl!” Hu Jin nodded, seemingly relieved. His tail swished in the air.

“Are we going to the Snake Tribe later?” Chi Yuyang asked while feeding Hu Jin, inquiring about the day’s plans.

“Howl, howl, howl!”

Realizing that his wife couldn’t understand him, Hu Jin grabbed a branch and drew a “口” (mouth) character on the ground.

“口?” Chi Yuyang read aloud. “Does this mean mouth?”

“Howl!” Hu Jin nodded with his head.

Then he pointed to the food in front of him.

“You mean we go after eating?” Chi Yuyang asked hesitantly.

“Howl!” Hu Jin nodded again.

Half guessing, half asking, Chi Yuyang finally understood from the “口” on the ground.

She recalled that Hu Jin only wrote characters of five strokes or less, and suspected he had written only half of the character.

He probably meant to write “吃” (eat).

In a way, communication between two “illiterate” beings of different species was indeed challenging.

One couldn’t understand Tiger language, the other couldn’t fully recognize human writing.

At this moment, Chi Yuyang decided that when they returned to the Tiger Tribe, she would make Hu Jin attend the clan leader’s lecture with her.