Ch85 - Pineapple Flavored Beastman Gong (3)

Translated by Hua Li ^_~

With a creak, the wooden door was pushed open, startling the black wolf who was peacefully sleeping.

A person sneaked in, peering cautiously into the room. Upon seeing the massive black wolf lying inside, their eyes widened in surprise, and they blinked, saying, “Awuu?”

Meng Hui, fully awake now, perked up his ears at the sound, and a glimmer of light appeared in his dim eyes.

Gou Liang thought, “Brother-in-law, you’ve got a difficult path ahead. This poor child is destined for tragedy.”

He cautiously approached, extending a hand to touch the wolf’s fur and then leaned in to sniff. He confirmed the familiar scent but hesitated to reveal himself.

“Hui?”

Meng Hui looked at Gou Liang, who was now fitting into the image of Lang Xi in his memory, although entirely different from his usual self. He emitted a low growl, unsure of how to face him.

Gou Liang wasn’t as complicated as Meng Hui had anticipated. He joyfully pounced on him, exclaiming, “It’s really you! Grandpa Woqing said I slept for over ten years, and everyone has grown up. It’s true! You’ve even grown as big as Dad. That’s amazing, hahaha!”

“Awuu~~”

Meng Hui, enjoying the long-lost intimacy, was even more straightforward in expressing his emotions in his beast form. He used his head to nuzzle Gou Liang affectionately.

Gou Liang, while being nuzzled, said with delight, “Your fur is still so coarse. It’s not as comfortable as Brother Meng Hao’s.”

Thinking about how Meng Hao had ignored him earlier that morning, Gou Liang waved for Meng Hui to lower his head and grabbed his ears, scolding him playfully, “XiaoHui, your brother Meng Hao is so mean. I just woke up, and he ignored me. Quick, let’s go bite his tail! See if he dares to do that next time, hahaha! Hurry up, hurry up!”

Meng Hui struggled to rise on his front paws, but his weak hind legs made it difficult for him to support his own beastly form, let alone discipline someone else.

Gou Liang, not knowing why, encouraged him, saying, “Come on, wake up quickly. I can smell him around. Let’s quietly sneak up, surprise him from behind, and playfully grab his tail. I bet Brother Meng Hao will jump in fright.” Imagining that scenario, Gou Liang chuckled with a victorious smile, gently brushing the hair from his face and urging, “Don’t stay in bed too long; rise and help me with my little revenge. Come on, wake up!” Meng Hui made another attempt, but he struggled just to get up on his feet.

“Don’t touch him.”

Seeing his younger brother on the verge of tears, and Gou Liang, who was oblivious to the extent of his actions, Meng Hao stopped him from going further.

“Brother Meng Hao?”

Gou Liang sniffed around, ensuring it was Meng Hao’s scent, and his eyes lit up. His previous determination for revenge was entirely forgotten as he enthusiastically jumped at Meng Hao, who promptly avoided him.

Meng Hao dodged and told Meng Hui,”Stay down. Don’t move around.”

“Meng Hao, why aren’t you talking to me?”

Even with the mentality of a five-year-old, he had an acute intuition. Sensing Meng Hao’s coldness, Gou Liang’s joyful expression faded, replaced by a mixture of anxiety and confusion, which eventually turned into tears. No longer as carefree as before, he asked with caution, “Is it because Xiaoxi was too sleepy, and that’s why Brother Meng Hao is upset with me? Brother Meng Hao… have you stopped liking me, woo woo…”. He didn’t want to cry but couldn’t help it.

“Awuu!”

Meng Hui called out anxiously.

Seeing Gou Liang cry while Meng Hui struggled to stop him, constantly wiping his own eyes as he hesitated to approach and then backed away, Meng Hui felt a deep sense of distress. He looked at his brother, using his beastly language to implore him not to make Gou Liang sad.

Meng Hao remained cold and didn’t say anything, but he pushed Gou Liang away, allowing him to fall onto the ground while he clenched his fists.

Meng Hao wore a stern expression and initially avoided paying attention. However, when he noticed Meng Hui’s attempt to hug Gou Liang, he reluctantly clarified, “You’re growing up soon, Xiaoxi. You should maintain some distance from other orcs. Moreover, you, as a female blessed by the Beast God, and I, a white orc, getting too close might bring you misfortune—”

“But you’re not!” Gou Liang protested, throwing himself into Meng Hao’s embrace. He clung tightly to him, releasing his pent-up sorrow as he cried out, “Brother Meng Hao isn’t bad luck! Xiaoxi doesn’t want to grow up! I don’t want to form bonds with others. Xiaoxi wants to be with Brother Meng Hao all the time!”

Meng Hao gently pushed him away, but Gou Liang held on even tighter, as if he had poured all his strength into the embrace and refused to let go.

“Brother Meng Hao, please don’t ignore Xiaoxi, okay? Didn’t we agree that once I received the Beast God’s blessing, you would show me the Silk fruit forest you discovered and take me to explore the grasslands beyond our tribe, the forests where the wild beasts roam, and the fields of red moon flowers in full bloom… woo woo woo. You promised, and you can’t break your promise!”

He cried like a child, shedding tears when he was sad, and smiling when he was happy, a simple and pure child.

Meng Hao was stiff all over. He was working outside just now and was only wearing a short white animal skirt. His exposed chest was already soaked in tears. This liquid was hotter than the sunlight of the red moon season, as if it could scorch his skin…

Seeing that Gou Liang was crying harder without any comfort and not realizing how unreasonable he had been, Meng Hui finally turned back into his human form. He awkwardly reached out to pat Gou Liang’s back, trying to console him, “Xi, don’t cry. He didn’t mean it. He doesn’t dislike you. Please, don’t cry.”

He looked at Meng Hao, pleading with his eyes, hoping for his brother’s support.

Meng Hao still wore a cold expression and didn’t say anything. He just pushed Gou Liang away with his hands, hanging them on his sides, clenching his fists, trying his best to endure.

Feeling his brother’s concession, Gou Liang clung to him even tighter, crying openly, his face buried in Meng Hao’s chest, releasing all the pent-up sadness.

After venting his feelings, he held his painful belly, choking out, “Meng Hao, my stomach hurts…”

“Bear with it.”

After pushing him away again, he lowered his head to look at his chest, which was now drenched. He tightly furrowed his brow. These furs were meant to keep his little brother warm; using them to wipe tears was a waste.

Meng Hui observed that although Gou Liang appeared to have stopped crying, he still wore a discontented expression. Just when Meng Hui thought things might settle down, Gou Liang, with reddened and swollen eyes, spotted his legs, which were twisted and disabled. Surprised, Gou Liang asked, “Hui, what happened to your legs?”

This sight caused Meng Hui’s heart to constrict. He reverted to his animal form, using his tail to shield his hind legs, bowing his head and choosing silence.

“Xiao Hui?”

Gou Liang had a puzzled expression. He forgot about the pain for a moment. He released his grip on his stomach and knelt down, grabbing Meng Hui’s concealed legs and using the same technique as the old priest when checking injuries to feel for what was wrong.

Meng Hui’s fur bristled all over, and he wanted to refuse but didn’t dare to use his tail to sweep Gou Liang away. He let out a few sad, low howls.

“I know! You fell again, didn’t you?” Gou Liang concluded, mocking him. “Hui, you’re so clumsy. You fell from a tree not too long ago, and you couldn’t move for an entire red moon season. How come you’re still so clumsy even after I’ve been asleep for so long? Haha, now you’ll have to stay in bed like me, unable to go anywhere, right?”

“Awuu…”

Meng Hui, feeling dejected, lowered himself to the ground, his head resting on his front paws, almost on the verge of tears.

Gou Liang chuckled, trying to console him. “Don’t cry, Hui. Brother Meng Hao will bring you some twin-horned beast meat, your favorite. Don’t you love that?”

Seeing Gou Liang casually messing up Meng Hui’s fur, accompanied by a mischievous laugh, Meng Hao couldn’t help but feel a sharp pain in his heart. He said in a cold voice, “He didn’t break his leg; he got injured while fighting a monster. His legs can no longer support him, and he can’t be the tribe’s top warrior as you thought. You should find someone else, don’t bother him anymore.”

Gou Liang’s laughter came to a halt.

He looked at Meng Hao in shock and then at Meng Hui, who used his tail to hide his legs again. The latter wished he could bury his head inside his own body to avoid the disappointment in his brother’s eyes.

For a long time, Gou Liang didn’t speak, but soon, tears welled up in his eyes and fell on Meng Hui’s dull fur like raindrops from a severed line.

Meng Hui opened his eyes, noticing something unusual.

— Gou Liang was crying, but no sound came out.

Whether it was due to overwhelming sadness or sheer fright, he remained silent.

“Awuu.”

Meng Hui was at a loss and instinctively sought help from his older brother. Meng Hao, however, turned his head away, pretending not to see.

“Little Hui… Does that mean you’ll have to live in the mountains like Uncle Del and never come back? You shouldn’t go, okay? Grand Priest Woqing can cure you. It will get better…”

He carefully touched Meng Hui’s injured leg, his eyes filled with deep concern.

Meanwhile, the Meng brothers remained silent.

Uncle Del was once a young warrior of the tribe, but he lost a leg in battle, rendering him unable to hunt. One day, he left the tribe and disappeared into the sacred mountains. Everyone knew he chose not to burden the tribe by living as a cripple for the next two or three hundred years, just like young or elderly beast people. Ultimately, he would die alone in the wilderness, unnoticed by anyone.

Unfortunately, Lang Xi was the last person to see him. At that time, Del had just left the priest’s place when he ran into young Lang Xi. To prevent Lang Xi from revealing his secret, Del lied, saying he had gone to gather some delicious food secretly and promised to bring Lang Xi his favorite Green Silk Fruit.

Lang Xi agreed happily but overheard a conversation between his father and the old priest later, discovering the truth.

Even though he didn’t fully grasp the concept of death at the time, he fell seriously ill as a result and had nightmares for a long time.

Seeing the fear in his eyes, Meng Hui tried to comfort him with a howl.

He wouldn’t do anything like that.

Because that wouldn’t ease anyone’s burden; it would only hurt those who loved him. Especially since Meng Hao’s situation in the tribe was already difficult. Meng Hui knew that if he gave up on himself, his brother would undoubtedly leave the tribe, just like many other white beast people who didn’t want to bring disaster to the tribe, living alone and eventually dying in the wilderness when no one was around.

However, Meng Hao said cruelly, “The High Priest has already said that he can’t do anything for Hui.

He didn’t regard Gou Liang as a typical five-year-old child; perhaps he simply yearned for this mischievous troublemaker to depart from his brother’s company and cease his brother from entertaining the notion of marrying Lang Xi. He intentionally ignored Gou Liang’s current circumstances.

Seeing that he couldn’t understand, Meng Hao said more bluntly,”The priest can’t cure Hui either. He can’t clean up after you anymore, so don’t bother him.”

“What do you mean he can’t do anything?” Gou Liang, still looking confused, interrupted. “Meng Hao, Hui will definitely get better. We can pray to the Beast God, right? The Beast God is all-powerful; he’ll definitely heal him!”

“It’s useless.”

Meng Hao said coldly, “The High Priest has prayed for him many times, but this is the result.”

“No, Grandfather Woqing said that the Beast God is the most compassionate. He won’t just ignore us. I can pray for Hui too! Yes, I can. Why didn’t I think of that?”

Gou Liang was eager to pray, just like the young Lang Xi had revived the withered herb. He prayed directly and innocently, “Beast God, please save Hui. It’s really painful without legs. You love him the most; please, please save him…”

“Your prayer power has long—”

Meng Hao’s voice suddenly stopped.

He felt a strong surge of prayer power, and soon, the silver moon flowers grown in the priest’s courtyard seemed to be drawn into the room. Silver petals and tender green leaves surrounded Gou Liang like they were responding to something. His prayer had been heard by the Beast God!

Both brothers couldn’t help but hold their breath, their expressions solemn and respectful.

[System: Master, there’s interference from the current world’s source power. Should we continue as planned?]

[Gou Liang: Can my host now accommodate this power?]

After careful exploration, the system quickly gave a negative answer. Although the source power had appeared, it hadn’t accepted their command, as if it were observing something and couldn’t be fully harnessed for Gou Liang’s use.

[Gou Liang: Then let’s continue.]

[System: Isn’t it too risky? What if we’re discovered…]

[Gou Liang: Meng Hui is the only breakthrough point for my conquest target. Success or failure hinges on this move! Otherwise, even with my efforts, his affection won’t increase enough, and he won’t fall in love with a child who’s only five years old. I’d rather spend the next two or three hundred years searching for him in another world, where no one else can take him away!]

[System: …Fine.]

The 2999-point Flesh Reshaping item was deployed on Meng Hui, and at Gou Liang’s command, the system, on high alert, adjusted the reshaping efficiency to the lowest setting. Gou Liang pressed the confirmation button—

The silver moonflower leaves that had been circling around Gou Liang suddenly multiplied, swirling rapidly around him. It was as if they were confirming whether the strange sensation in that moment originated from this young female praying to them.

The pressure it exerted made Gou Liang’s face turn deathly pale, and cold sweat formed on his forehead.

[In his consciousness, the system, panicking: Master, m-m-m-master, what should we do?]

[Gou Liang: Stick my neck out when necessary. I don’t believe that even the damn god would do anything to me when he’s asleep. As long as I don’t violate the god’s rules, what can he do to me?]

With determination in his heart, Gou Liang continued to pray with unwavering devotion. “Kind Beast God, little Hui is a good boy. He hasn’t done anything wrong, and he’s not greedy or lazy. He’s a hero who protects the tribe. Please, look at his legs. Don’t make him live in the sacred mountain forever, never able to come back. Please don’t let him go; he will be scared…”

The silver moonflower leaves continued to accumulate, and the power of his prayer attracted the attention of the old priest and the females in the front yard. They rushed to the backyard and were surprised to see Gou Liang praying for Meng Hui.

The silver moonflower petals and tender green leaves, glowing with silver light, floated down around Meng Hui as Gou Liang passed his hand over the black wolf’s fur. Gradually, not a trace of the black fur remained visible; it was completely covered by the petals and leaves. Only a pair of golden eyes conveyed reverence to the Beast God.

Ga’er, the first to notice the change in Gou Liang’s complexion, looked at Gou Liang, who had just recovered from a severe illness. His face was now snow-white, and even his hair was soaked in sweat.

“Xi—”

The old priest stopped him and hastily chanted, “In the name of the Beast God, please forgive this overanxious father.”

Ga’er realized the situation and quickly apologized to the Beast God.

The tribe’s females watched this scene with astonishment; they had never expected “Lang Xi” to possess such powerful prayer abilities.

Even Yue Jin, while taken aback, thought that since “Lang Xi” hadn’t died because of him and had received the Beast God’s blessing, regaining his ability to pray, it wasn’t surprising.

Seeing Gou Liang taking the spotlight, Yue Jin couldn’t help but feel a bit uncomfortable. However, he quickly suppressed those feelings, thinking about how he had been given the greatest gift by the Beast God – a chance to change his miserable fate in his second life.

“Beast God, please help him. From now on, Xi will save all his favorite Green Silk Fruits for the Red Moon Festival and give them to you. Please save him…”

After praying for an unknown amount of time, Gou Liang’s voice became hoarse.

Finally, Meng Hui emitted a painful grunt.

Meng Hao’s entire body trembled. He took a step forward and was about to disturb Gou Liang’s prayer, but he stopped abruptly, more worried about his younger brother.

Gou Liang was overwhelmed with joy, saying, “Beloved Beast God, Xiao Xi adores you the most. Thank you…”

He appeared to finally relax and lost consciousness.

Meng Hao, by his side, instinctively caught him. After observing his pallid face, he couldn’t leave him unattended even for a moment. Fortunately, Ga’er rushed over promptly, took charge, and embraced Gou Liang.

“Hui, what’s wrong with you?”

“Awuu…”

“What? Can you feel your legs?!”

Meng Hao was overjoyed. He was about to find a priest to examine his brother when he noticed that the old priest was checking Gou Liang’s condition seriously. He suddenly felt guilty; Gou Liang had fallen into a coma because of his younger brother, and he had been neglecting him. It seemed unfair.

“High Priest, is Xi okay?” Meng Hao asked.

Crying Ga’er also anxiously looked at the old priest.

After a thorough examination, the old priest finally breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness, he’s just exhausted. Let him sleep quietly and have some nourishing food; he’ll recover. How about Meng Hui?”

The last sentence was directed at Meng Hao.

Meng Hao, relieved, said, “Hui says his legs hurt.”

“Really!”

The old priest, more surprised than relieved, said, “Pain is a good sign, a very good sign… Meng Hao, you help Ga’er take Xi back. I will take care of your brother.”

After everyone else had left, only his successor, Sang Mi, stayed to assist.

Inside Gou Liang’s room…

When Meng Hao was about to leave in a hurry after putting down his son, Ga’er couldn’t help but call him.

“Meng Hao, I know that Xi has made many mistakes over the years…” Ga’er said, “It’s all my and his father’s fault. We raised him poorly. I dare not ask for your forgiveness, but right now, Xi only has memories from before he turned five, still the same good child who grew up with you and was raised by the High Priest. At that time, he liked and relied on you so much. I remember it clearly even now.”

“So, can we please consider that the current Lang Xi is innocent and not make him… too miserable, alright?”

Meng Hao: “Uncle Ga’er, I won’t forgive him for hurting Hui. Moreover, one day, he will remember or grow up again, understand how the status of White Beastmen and Injured Beastmen are. Being in contact with us too much isn’t good for him.”

“Well, can you give him some time?” Ga’er pleaded. “Please don’t let him bear condemnation and pain that a child can’t understand and endure during the time when he likes you the most, when he’s the most innocent.”

Meng Hao fell silent for a moment and then nodded.

[Author’s Note: Mini Theater]

In the sea of consciousness:

Seeing his master with vacant eyes, the system, scared, clung to itself. “Master, what, what’s wrong with you?”

Gou Liang: “I had a dream.”

The system didn’t understand.

Gou Liang: “I actually had an X-rated dream…”

System: “Huh???”

Gou Liang continued, “It must be that little leather skirt! That well-endowed chest, that slim waist that’s great to hold, those long legs, and that seductive outfit… Do you know how hard it was for me to resist not getting excited on the spot?!”

System: …Forget it. (#‵′)凸