Chapter 115: Chapter 115: Secret Relationship

The next day, just as dawn was breaking.

Chang Xia was still lazing in bed, refusing to get up, when lively voices drifted in from the courtyard outside the yaodong (cave dwelling).

Hearing the commotion, Chang Xia opened her sleepy eyes, mumbled a couple of complaints, yawned, and finally got up. She peered through the ironwood lattice window into the courtyard.

What she saw was—

Gen and Muqin standing in the yard with some of the clan members. Several wicker baskets were set beside them, covered with leaves.

Chang Xia didn’t need to look to know the baskets were packed full—though she wasn’t sure if it was sugar, meat, fruit powder, or something else.

Today, Su Ye and Bai Qing were setting off for the Kanasha Holy Mountain Witch Hall.

Gen would probably escort Su Ye and Bai Qing back to the Witch Hall, but Muqin likely wouldn’t go. Usually, it was the totem warriors who escorted Su Ye, since the Twilight Forest wasn’t exactly peaceful.

Wild beasts were everywhere, not to mention the threat of wolf packs.

“Witch, you’re leaving this early?” Chang Xia stretched, opened the door, and asked.

Su Ye turned to look at the just-awakened Chang Xia and replied, “The earlier we leave, the sooner we’ll reach the Witch Hall. We’ve already stayed here at the Heluo Tribe for seven or eight days—there’s probably a pile of things waiting for me back there.”

“Oh! Then I’ll go to the kitchen and help pack up the stewed meat for you…” Chang Xia said, heading toward the kitchen.

But just as she took a step, Muqin stopped her. “Chang Xia, you don’t need to. Shen Rong already packed everything up. If you’re still sleepy, go back and rest a bit more. We’ve got it all sorted.”

“So fast!” Chang Xia exclaimed in surprise.

Su Ye watched Chang Xia’s dramatic reaction. Ever since she’d recovered, her personality had changed a lot—Su Ye thought it was a good thing. Chang Xia always liked to tease Bai Qing, not realizing that as a child, she’d been exactly the same as Bai Qing.

But Chang Xia didn’t like people bringing it up, so Su Ye just let it be.

“Just stay home and wait for me. At most, I’ll be gone seven days—maybe only three or five. I’ll send you a letter when I get back,” Su Ye promised with a smile.

At first, Chang Xia didn’t quite understand.

But once Su Ye finished, she got it.

It must be about trading the white fruit recipes with other beast tribes.

This was important for whether Chang Xia could travel safely in the Twilight Forest in the future—she was overjoyed.

She grabbed Su Ye’s hand and shook it excitedly. “Grandma Su Ye, I’ll be waiting for you!”

Gen and the others watched Chang Xia act all affectionate with the Witch, full of envy.

Don’t be fooled by Su Ye’s usual kindly, smiling face—when she gets angry, it’s like the sky is falling. So, almost no one in the Twilight Forest dares to act spoiled in front of her. Chang Xia is probably the only exception.

“All right, just wait for my good news,” Su Ye said, ruffling Chang Xia’s hair. Then she motioned for Gen and the others to pick up the baskets, and they set off for the Witch Hall.

Chang Xia followed them all the way out of the tribe, only leaving when Su Ye and Gen shooed her away.

“They’re gone?” Shen Rong asked as he washed his face.

Last night, after bathing, he’d gone back to his room. Chang Xia had gone to bed early, so Shen Rong didn’t knock on her door—he just slipped into the neighboring yaodong and fell asleep.

“Mm!” Chang Xia nodded. After Shen Rong finished washing up and fetched her some water, she washed her face and rinsed her mouth, then asked, “What do you want for breakfast?”

She’d thought Su Ye would have breakfast before leaving for the Witch Hall, but they’d set off at the crack of dawn.

“How about cold mung bean noodles?” Shen Rong suggested.

“Sure. There’s some leftover stewed meat—did you pack any for Grandma Su Ye?” Chang Xia asked.

“No, I left the scraps in the wooden basin,” Shen Rong replied. He’d sneaked a taste—the stewed meat was tender and delicious.

“Cold noodles with stewed meat, then,” Chang Xia decided.

She lit the stove, cleaned the bone pot, and started steaming the noodles.

Soon, the noodles were ready. She sliced them, added seasoning and stewed meat, then called Shen Rong to come eat breakfast in the kitchen.

The weather was clear, so the two of them squatted outside the kitchen corridor to eat.

By the time they finished, the sun had risen above the horizon, waking the Twilight Forest from its slumber. The once-quiet yaodongs began to stir. Shen Rong climbed onto the yaodong roof, and Chang Xia helped pass up wooden planks.

When Yadong and Kongshan arrived, Chang Xia and Shen Rong got busy working with them.

No small talk—just straight to work.

Soon after, Shankun and Nuanchun arrived with their kids.

Only Nan Feng hadn’t shown up—she’d probably been up late and was still sleeping in.

“Yadong, are you building a corridor and eaves for your yaodong?” Chang Xia asked.

“Yeah. Kongshan says females like that kind of yaodong. If I build one, maybe I can find a mate sooner. The chief and elders keep nagging me about it, but none of the tribe’s females are interested in me…” Yadong said, looking dejected.

He wasn’t bad-looking, but for some reason, none of the females liked him.

Kongshan wasn’t as good-looking as he was, but he had a mate… As soon as his yaodong was finished, they’d get married.

Jealousy, envy, resentment—those summed up Yadong’s mood right now.

Pfft!

Chang Xia couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

Yadong’s expression was just too funny.

“Kongshan has a mate?” Chang Xia asked, covering her mouth in surprise.

Kongshan looked a little embarrassed and replied softly, “Maple Leaf.”

“Maple Leaf? The Maple Leaf I know?” Chang Xia blinked at him for confirmation.

“Yeah, her. She said we’ll get married as soon as the yaodong is finished,” Kongshan nodded.

Maple Leaf was three years older than Nan Feng, and also a totem warrior—stronger than Nan Feng, in fact. She kept her hair short and looked valiant. Nan Feng used to copy her style a bit.

“Kongshan, not bad! You actually snagged Maple Leaf—impressive!” Chang Xia gave him a thumbs-up. Maple Leaf was a famous female totem warrior in the tribe. People used to wonder who would win her over—no one expected it would be Kongshan, quietly and out of sight.

“She’s always wanted to come over, but… she was too embarrassed because of appearances,” Kongshan said with a laugh. It was rare to see the usually cheerful Maple Leaf with such a conflicted expression, and Kongshan had secretly laughed at her several times.

Like Nan Feng, Maple Leaf had always looked after Changxia since they were little.

Her relationship with Kongshan had always been kept private; they’d never told anyone in the tribe. Now, suddenly having to tell her little sister Changxia, Maple Leaf felt extremely awkward.

So, she’d been avoiding Changxia and hadn’t dared to come over.

If Yadong hadn’t suddenly brought up the topic of mates, Kongshan wouldn’t have taken the initiative to mention it either.

But once it was out in the open, everything became much simpler.

“What’s there to be embarrassed about?!” Changxia glared at Kongshan and said, “At noon, go bring Maple Leaf over. We’ll all have lunch together. Since we’ll all be living at White Lake from now on, we should spend more time together.”

“Alright!” Kongshan replied happily.

With Changxia’s blessing, if he went to invite Maple Leaf, she wouldn’t be able to refuse.

Honestly, Kongshan had wanted to make their relationship public for a while. But Maple Leaf kept feeling embarrassed, so they kept it secret. Sneaking around was exciting, but also a hassle!

After all, the tribe elders weren’t fools.

Luckily, they’d been fortunate so far and hadn’t been caught.

If they did get caught, wouldn’t that be social suicide?!