Chapter 86: Chapter 86: Sharing a Bed

“Is that… really possible?” Changxia asked excitedly.

Su Ye smiled, reached out to ruffle Changxia’s hair, and said gently, “Whether it’s possible or not, I’ll have to meet with the other tribes first. But don’t worry—the Heluo tribe’s territory is big enough for you to explore for now.”

“Hehe!” Changxia grinned, understanding Su Ye’s meaning.

When it came to tribal territories, every beast tribe was extremely cautious.

But with Su Ye’s support, Changxia believed the other tribes would likely agree.

After all, she only wanted to look for new plants and animals, not take over anyone’s land. It was a win-win for everyone.

“While you have free time during the rainy season, work on making the dried powder,” Su Ye said. “The beast tribes have always lagged behind the bird and fish tribes, and we’ve suffered a lot because of it.”

“Don’t worry, Granny Suye. I’ll do my best.” Changxia clenched her fist and said earnestly.

Wherever there are people, there’s a “jianghu”—a world of intrigue and rivalry. Scheming and competition are never in short supply. It’s just that the Heluo Tribe had protected Changxia so well, she’d never been exposed to such things.

“What are you two talking about?” Shen Rong returned, his hair still damp, with Bai Qing following behind him as they entered the kitchen together.

As soon as they caught a whiff of the pungent scent of soapberry liquid, both of them covered their mouths and noses, quickly retreating a few steps. With alarmed expressions, they silently asked what on earth was happening inside.

Seeing their reaction, Changxia smiled and explained, “We were just chatting. Granny Suye gave me some soapberries, so I boiled them into soapberry liquid. I’ll use it to wash my hair and bathe later.”

“No wonder we smelled something weird as soon as we walked in—” Shen Rong craned his neck to look at the clay pot filled with soapberry liquid. Soapberries were unfamiliar to him.

He’d used shampoo before, but never knew what it was made from. Unlike purple grass balm, which he’d made a point to learn about.

“The soapberry liquid made by a shaman doesn’t smell this strong,” Bai Qing complained.

“The cave is small, so the smell is a bit stronger. I’ll try it out in a bit and see if it works,” Changxia said. “I’m going to wash up now. You two should go rest! We’ll be busy tomorrow—probably no time to slack off.”

She poured a little of the cooled soapberry liquid into a clay jar, fetched some water, and got ready to bathe.

“Alright, but don’t take too long. It gets chilly at night—don’t catch a cold,” Granny Suye reminded her, then left with Bai Qing.

Before leaving, she gave Changxia and Shen Rong a meaningful look, then left the space to the two of them.

“Need any help?” Shen Rong cleared his throat and asked softly.

Changxia had noticed the look on Granny Suye’s face before she left—there was no hiding the implication in her expression. Changxia felt embarrassed and awkward, her cheeks flushing red. She waved her hand, turned away, and didn’t dare meet Shen Rong’s eyes. “No need. You go rest in the cave. I’ll go wash my hair and bathe first.”

She’d slept in the same animal den as Shen Rong before, but maybe it was Granny Suye’s odd look tonight—Changxia just felt weird, uncomfortable, and self-conscious.

A fleeting smile flashed in Shen Rong’s eyes, but he didn’t push her.

He didn’t want to scare Changxia. He had time to let her slowly get used to him.

“Alright, I’ll go make the bed,” Shen Rong replied.

His low, deep voice sounded even more husky and sexy in the darkness.

Hearing him, Changxia couldn’t help but shiver. She felt a rush of heat shoot from the soles of her feet straight to her head, making her whole body feel soft and weak.

She quickly hurried into the storage room, deciding to take her time bathing tonight—hopefully, by the time she returned to the cave, Shen Rong would already be asleep.

That way, all her awkwardness would disappear.

Late at night, the soft glow of luminous stones filled the cave with a cozy light. The pale radiance cast gentle, flickering shadows, making everything look warm and inviting.

Changxia sat by the stove, drying her wet hair, occasionally glancing at her own cave. Granny Suye and Bai Qing’s room was already dark—they were clearly asleep.

Only her and Shen Rong’s cave was still lit.

Before moving into the cave, Changxia had thought about suggesting separate rooms to Shen Rong. But with Granny Suye and Bai Qing living at home, and the tribe keeping an eye on them, she didn’t dare bring it up.

“Coward! All bark and no bite,” Changxia muttered to herself.

She was smitten with Shen Rong’s looks, but too nervous to get close to him.

Even on previous nights, after helping Shen Rong recuperate, she’d obediently lain on her own vine mat—she didn’t even dare get close to him, let alone take advantage.

She was hopeless.

As she dried her hair, Changxia inwardly wailed, wondering what to do.

Soon, her hair was half-dry. She yawned repeatedly, feeling very sleepy.

After psyching herself up for another two minutes, she put out the fire in the stove, picked up a luminous stone, and headed toward the cave.

“Asleep—”

“Not asleep!”

“Asleep, not asleep…”

Muttering to herself, Changxia arrived at the entrance of the cave she shared with Shen Rong. She pressed her hand against the ironwood door and gently pushed it open, poking her head in to look around. She saw Shen Rong lying silently on the kang bed.

Huh! Was he asleep?

For a moment, Changxia felt a little disappointed.

She couldn’t say why she felt that way.

She walked in, glanced at the bed again to confirm Shen Rong was indeed asleep, and let out a quiet sigh of relief. Carefully, she removed the luminous stones from the cave and put them, along with the one in her hand, into a wooden box.

Then she tiptoed over to the bed, slipped off her vine sandals, climbed up quickly, and lay down, falling asleep almost instantly.

Thump-thump, thump-thump.

At that moment, Changxia could only feel her heart pounding wildly, as if it were about to burst.

Ugh—why was her heart racing when nothing had even happened?!

In the quiet of the night, Changxia lay with her eyes closed, acutely aware of Shen Rong’s presence beside her—the strong, masculine scent he gave off.

It was completely different from when they’d shared the animal den.

Changxia bit her lip, trying to calm herself.

It must be the beautiful moonlight tonight—she was just overthinking things.

After repeatedly reassuring herself, Changxia finally drifted off to sleep.

As soon as her breathing evened out, Shen Rong suddenly opened his eyes. The corners of his mouth curled up in a smile, and in the darkness, his deep, restrained gaze fixed on Changxia’s face, filled with wild, domineering intensity.

He turned on his side, quietly watching Changxia’s sleeping face.

Reaching out, he traced her cheek in the air with his fingertip, over and over again.

Then he leaned in, lingering over her lips for a few seconds.

"Good night!"Following Chang Xia and Nan Feng’s lead, Shen Rong softly said his goodbyes to Chang Xia. Maybe because she was feeling shy, tonight Chang Xia didn’t help Shen Rong groom his body like she usually did.

Still, thanks to her earlier care,

the hidden injuries in Shen Rong’s body had already healed.

Now, all that was left was for Su Ye to help him detoxify. Once the poison was cleared, Shen Rong would finally be fully recovered.

When that time came, whether it was hunting or foraging,

they wouldn’t have to stay confined to this little corner of White Lake anymore.

The night grew deep, with only the sound of insects chirping.

All of White Lake fell silent.

Two hearts gradually drew closer, finally beating as one, in perfect sync.