Zuzhou Nuo's Selfishness

Drip, drip.

Yun Lei was not having a very pleasant time. He felt so exhausted that he was on the verge of passing out. But lying under a leaky tent with drops of water splashing on his face every few moments was not his ideal way of sleeping, to say the least.

It had been too late to set up the tents they had gotten from the hunters so Yun Lei had ended up sleeping under the tribe leader's tent. It was the middle of the monsoon, for it to start raining without much of a warning was not something unexpected.

Drip.

Being cold, wet, and hungry didn't do his exhausted body any favours. He had snacked on a few of the fruits he had gathered but most of it had been given to the Deers. He was nowhere close to full.

Having nothing better to do, Yun Lei just left the tent. He was still half-naked so the rain started falling on his exposed torso, chilling him even further. He swiftly made his way next to the fire in an attempt to warm himself up.

Most of the Deer seemed to have no problems falling asleep in those conditions. There were a few who were too wary of Yun Lei to fall asleep properly so they were just pretending to sleep.

"Ah, my clothes probably got wet again." He muttered as he rubbed his hands, trying to heat himself up. He had left his clothes to dry on a branch near the river but he didn't have the opportunity to retrieve it back due to the circumstances.

Given that he was planning to help the tribe find another place to settle down, it didn't seem like an opportunity would arise any time soon.

It would take him two hours to get to the cave from the clearing the tribe were settled down in; a round trip to get his clothes would take about four hours.

Should I just go get it right now? He thought as he saw the first signs of dawn on the horizon. The Deers would be moving to a new spot which meant that they needed to pack up camp. They had yet to distribute the pills and food he had given them, so that would take some time as well.

All in all, Yun Lei thought he would be able to make the trip by the time the Deers were ready.

He wore his quiver around his hips and slung the bow over his shoulders. He also grabbed his shiny new pouch.

His cloth pouch did its job but the pouches he had gotten from the hunters were far better. He had grabbed one of them for his personal use. He kept his profound crystals and his knife in it, alongside the Blood Clotting Pill he had saved for emergencies.

"Are you leaving us?" Yun Lei heard someone speak.

Zuzhou Nuo had been roused from her sleep because of Yun Lei's movements. She had come out of her tent, only to see that he had grabbed all of his stuff and was walking out of the clearing.

"Oh, I just had something to do. I'll be back in a bit."

"Can I come with you?" Zuzhou Nuo spoke without any hesitation. The reason she wanted to go with him was simple.

She was afraid. She was afraid that he would never return after leaving. Yun Lei had helped them so much and he had asked for nothing in return. He was no doubt a generous man but his generosity was bound to run out. What if he has gotten tired of helping us? What will happen to us then? It was natural for her to think these things.

She knew she was being greedy. She had no right to keep him there. She had no right to ask him to help them any longer than he already had, without even giving him anything as compensation.

She knew all this, yet she couldn't let him go. Without Yun Lei, perhaps, her tribe would have already ceased existing. She wanted to hold on to him, even if it was just a day longer. As long as Yun Lei is here, our tribe will be safe. That was what she thought.

Without even realising it, the young doe had already built a great dependency upon Yun Lei's presence. The thick smell of blood he seemed to permeate gave her a sense of security. The thought that he would go away made her anxious and filled her with worry.

"Sure, you can come with." Yun Lei said, unaware of what was going through the girl's head. He was just going to grab his clothes, after all. There was no reason Zuzhou Nuo couldn't come.

"Let's go."

Yun Lei had already memorised the map of the area so he knew exactly where to go. Zuzhou Nuo walked behind him in her human form.

The drops of rain hitting the trees were pleasant to the ears but Yun Lei would have preferred to not be under it. Seeing him shiver because of the cold, Zuzhou Nuo slowly crept closer to him.

The Deer Tribe had warm bodies so they were better off in cold environments than humans.

The riverbanks would no doubt be very windy and Yun Lei didn't feel like dealing with that. So, the duo travelled through the trees. They also got a little bit of protection from the rain that way.

"Thank you for helping us." Zuzhou Nuo spoke softly. Their shoulders were practically touching as they walked.

"You don't have to thank me. I had my own selfish reasons for wanting to help you."

The girl couldn't help but turn towards the young man with an odd look on her face. Her heart didn't want to believe his words yet it also told her that he wasn't lying.

"Can I know what those selfish reasons are?" Zuzhou Nuo could think of hundreds of things that he could have wanted from them. The only thing she could say he didn't want with a hint of certainty was to harm them.

But whatever it was that he wanted, she would try her hardest to give it to him. Even if he wanted her to be his slave for the rest of her life, she would agree to it without hesitation as long as he agreed to help her tribe and keep them safe.

"If I am being entirely honest," Yun Lei spoke, "I don't remember how I got to this forest. I don't even remember what kind of life I used to live. The only thing about myself that I can remember is my name. Of course, I remember lots of other things but none of it can help me know who I am."

Yun Lei had initially felt apprehensive about telling the doe all this. After all, he didn't want to make it seem like he was easy to take advantage of. He also didn't know the full force of the doe's people. He was afraid that speaking the truth would cause him harm.

But now that he had met the White Deer Tribe, he didn't think there was any point in hiding all that from Zuzhou Nuo. After all, even if he stood still with his hands raised in the air, he didn't think any of the Deers would attack him. Even if they did, a small bit of his aura would be more than adequate to neutralise the threat.

"I wanted to use you to find a way out of this forest."

Both of them didn't speak a word for some time after Yun Lei was done speaking. He thought that being honest about his intentions would be the best course of action. He didn't want to deceive her, even if speaking the truth would make her dislike him.

"So that's why..." Instead of being angry or disappointed at the fact that Yun Lei outright told her that he wanted to use her, Zuzhou Nuo had a look of realisation on her face. "It all makes sense now."

"What does?" Yun Lei asked in surprise.

"If a wolf was being kind to a deer, would you not think it weird?"

"And I suppose I am the wolf in that simile?"

"You smell like one but you don't act like it. To me, you seem like a kind person stuck in the body of a killer."

Yun Lei was amazed at how accurate the doe's judgement was. He too had thought he was stuck in somebody else's body. That was, until he saw his reflection in the river. It was undoubtedly his face. Even his body structure and muscle density were exactly how they were supposed to be.

He had been curious why Zuzhou Nuo kept mentioning the smell of blood but not curious enough to ask her about it.

"I AM a killer." He said with a smile. "But the only ones I remember killing are those five hunters. Given how easily I did it, perhaps I have done it before."

"You definitely have. Perhaps saying your body has, would be more appropriate." Zuzhou Nuo explained. "We, the White Deers, are very sensitive to blood. Not just the blood that stains your body but the blood that stains even your soul. Perhaps nature felt sorry for us and gave us that power so we could avoid danger."

"Doesn't seem all that useful."

Zuzhou Nuo winced when she thought of the arrow that had been lodged in her body.

"I was distracted. I smelled something extremely fragrant from the north and I was drawn towards the scent. But it suddenly disappeared. I was desperately searching for it and that was why I was caught off guard."

Did she smell me making the Blood Clotting Pills? Yun Lei thought of the possibility.

"But why were you desperate enough to throw all caution to the wind?" Yun Lei heard his companion draw a deep breath before speaking.

"My mother is very ill. She does not have much to live. I got the feeling that whatever was letting off that fragrance might help my mother feel better."

Yun Lei had already suspected that the tribe leader was dealing with some health problems, given that she had coughing fits every few minutes. The problem was that he couldn't tell what she was suffering from.

He had read many books regarding diseases but still, they were merely books. Without practical knowledge, it was almost impossible to actualise an accurate diagnosis. He had thought about it a little but he quickly gave up since he had more important things to deal with at that moment.

Yun Lei pulled out the Blood Clotting Pill from his pouch before holding it in front of Zuzhou Nuo's face.

"Do you want me to eat it?"

"No. Smell it."

Seeing the girl's facial expression change from confusion to surprise to shock told him everything he had wanted to know. She had indeed smelled the fragrance released because of the pill manufacturing process.

"Unfortunately, this thing won't help your mother. You know the effect of this pill; you already ate one. I'm surprised you couldn't immediately identify it given how good your sense of smell is."

"This is the same pill you fed me?"

"Yes."

"Well, the thought of my impending death made it seem like it was pointless to try to smell anything. Then, after my injuries healed, I was busy thinking about how I could kill myself so you wouldn't be able to torture me."

"Do I seem like someone who would torture someone?"

"Yes." Zuzhou Nuo answered without a moment of hesitation.

Yun Lei let out a small laugh at her prompt response. Hearing his sonorous and melodic laughter for the first time almost hypnotised Zuzhou Nuo. She found herself wanting to hear him laugh again and again before she bit down on her tongue, forcefully bringing herself back to reality.

Everything about this man is dangerous, she thought while shaking her head.

"Where are we going?" She asked as a means to distract herself from her unnecessary thoughts.

"To get me some clothes." Yun Lei said before turning towards her with a smirk on his face. "Or perhaps, you would prefer me half naked?"

Yun Lei hadn't missed how fast her heart was beating so he couldn't help but tease her.