The speed at which Hermes acted was incredibly fast, and Lin Kong didn’t even have time to stop him. He stood frozen, staring at the lifeless body in Hermes’ hand, his mind blank. In surprise, he asked, “Why… why did you strangle it?!”
Hermes gripped the motionless zerg tightly, beginning to absorb its rich life force. His eyes narrowed dangerously: [If it doesn’t die, it will cause me trouble.]
The kingworm was naturally greedy, and from the moment it was born, it possessed immense psychic power. When it felt hungry, it would instinctively use its psychic abilities to control weaker animals to search for food.
Although Hermes didn’t know why the egg had hatched, it didn’t stop him from sensing that the creature’s psychic power was a level above his own. If he didn’t want to end up as a puppet, the only option was to strangle the zerg in its cradle. Otherwise, once it passed its larval stage and awakened its true nature, it would be much harder to kill.
Although Lin Kong felt a bit sad, he didn’t say anything after hearing Hermes mention the trouble it would cause. He saw that Hermes was still holding onto the lifeless zerg, and with a twitch of his expression, he turned his head away. “The zerg is dead, why are you still holding onto it? Hurry up and bury it.”
What a sin…
Hermes gave Lin Kong a strange look, always unable to understand his thought process: [Why bury it? Its life force is incredibly strong.]
Stronger than Lin Kong’s.
How could Hermes possibly let go of such a prime opportunity? After speaking, he immediately turned around and sat cross-legged on the stone bed, preparing to quickly refine the life force of the young kingworm, so as not to attract other would-be opportunists.
Lin Kong slowly climbed onto the bed, feeling somewhat frustrated. Lying under the blanket, he tugged at Hermes’ sleeve, propping his head up with one hand as he deliberately teased, “Hey, aren’t you going to sleep with me?”
Lin Kong had the charm to be a star. When he smiled at Hermes, you could sense the subtle scheming behind his expression, but it wasn’t unpleasant. Instead, it came across as genuine and endearing.
However, Hermes clearly didn’t have that “auntie” kind of heart. With his eyes closed, he focused on absorbing the energy. A ball of blue light in his hand gradually took shape, so dense that it almost solidified. His voice was flat and without inflection:
[Sleep by yourself.]
“Fine, sleep by yourself, I don’t even care if you’re not here!”
Lin Kong kicked the blanket irritably and turned his back to him. Hmph, sleep then!
Hermes was exceptionally focused when he was cultivating, so much so that he lost track of time. When he finally opened his eyes again, it was already the morning of the third day. He looked towards the cave entrance, which was now overgrown with grass taller than a person. A pile of dry branches had been tied together with grass ropes into neat, square bundles, stacked orderly beside him. In the corner, there were many small scattered items, but Lin Kong was nowhere to be seen.
Hermes closed his eyes and frowned, extending his senses to check the psychic mark he had placed. To his surprise, he couldn’t detect Lin Kong’s presence. His eyes shot open, his expression filled with confusion and suspicion—
He ran away?!
As this thought crossed his mind, Hermes’ face darkened immediately. He had once left a psychic mark on Lin Kong, and now, the fact that he couldn’t sense him meant that he must be too far away. He could think of no other possibility than that Lin Kong had escaped.
Hermes suddenly sprang up from the stone bed, his sleeve sweeping through the air with force. The pile of firewood blocking his path instantly exploded into a chaotic mess.
Bang—!
Lin Kong, who had been squatting by the stream washing dishes, was momentarily stunned by the deafening noise behind him, thinking someone had blown up his house. Gripping his “new pot” in anger, he marched over, ready to see who had the audacity to do such a thing. But then, he saw Hermes stepping out of the cave, radiating murderous intent. His eyes were blood-red, and a single glance from him made it feel as though one had fallen into a deep pit.
Lin Kong: “…”
Shit, that’s terrifying.
Lin Kong instinctively took a step back, unsure who had provoked Hermes. He glanced around but didn’t see anyone else. A bit slow on the uptake, he asked, “…Hermes, what’s wrong with you?”
Hermes had originally been searching around for Lin Kong, even planning on how to deal with him once he caught him. But he never expected to step outside and find Lin Kong squatting by the stream, barely twenty meters from the door. His expression immediately became rather awkward.
[…]
Hermes miraculously calmed down, like a bucket of ice water being poured onto a fire. There was only a puff of white smoke and a final, futile struggle, but no trace of the fire could be rekindled.
Hermes fixed his gaze on Lin Kong: [Where did you go?]
Lin Kong, hearing this, looked down at himself, his expression puzzled. “I’m right here, aren’t I?”
Lin Kong didn’t like to run off randomly. During the days when Hermes was cultivating, he was worried about large wild beasts passing by, so he dug up a patch of wild grass and buried it at the entrance of the cave. Once it grew tall enough, it would serve to obscure the entrance.
During the day, Lin Kong didn’t go outside much—aside from washing dishes and making fires. So why did Hermes look like he had caught him in the act?
Hearing this, Hermes paused, suddenly unsure of what to ask next. Under Lin Kong’s puzzled gaze, he slowly raised his hand, then placed his index finger against Lin Kong’s smooth forehead, silently releasing his psychic power to probe—
Hermes had forgotten that the psychic mark he had set could only last for fifteen days. Having spent so much time together, inseparable day after day, he had nearly forgotten this fact.
He placed the psychic mark again, and three seconds later, he withdrew his hand.
Lin Kong touched his forehead, feeling nothing. He looked at Hermes’ empty hands and subconsciously asked, “What happened to the zerg’s body?”
[Refined.]
Hermes spoke, and with a flip of his wrist, a bead the size of an egg appeared in his palm. Its color was a deep, oceanic blue, almost solidifying into a physical form. Even from several steps away, one could easily feel the vast energy contained within it.
Lin Kong tentatively reached out and poked it, surprised. “Why is it hard?”
Hermes had seen the life-force orbs from his hunts before. The stronger ones were jelly-like and elastic, while the weaker ones were just a mass of faint light. He had never encountered this kind of texture before.
However, Hermes didn’t explain. He tucked the bead away and turned, stepping into the cave. For the first time, he asked Lin Kong, [Is the food supply enough?]
This question, which resembled concern, was quite rare for a cold-blooded creature like him. Lin Kong followed behind and glanced at him, feeling somewhat surprised. “It’s enough. I’ve saved up a lot. But you’ve been cultivating for three days without opening your eyes. What if next time you cultivate for half a year? The food definitely won’t be enough…”
Before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly noticed that the firewood he had painstakingly tied up over the past few days had been blown into a complete mess. His expression immediately changed. “What happened to the firewood I tied up?!”
Hearing this, Hermes paused for a moment, but then quickly regained his composure. He walked over to the stone bed, raised his hand, and unfastened the black robe he wore. His pale, jade-like, strong physique was exposed to the air. Unfortunately, his silver hair cascaded down to his waist, covering much of it. All Lin Kong could see was Hermes’ red eyes, which seemed a bit seductive, and his lofty expression as he turned to face him.
[I did it.]
What are you going to do about it?
Lin Kong read the almost provocative expression on Hermes’ face and immediately felt his anger rise, but he knew he couldn’t win against him. With a forced smile, he could only endure, saying, “If you want to tear it down, why bother doing it yourself? Next time, just let me handle it so you don’t tire yourself out.”
Hermes, thinking Lin Kong was concerned about him, showed a slight look of satisfaction. [I’m fine.]
Tearing it down wasn’t difficult—it was just a matter of moving his fingers.
If Lin Kong knew what Hermes was thinking, he would definitely have gotten into a fight with him. You just move your fingers and it’s done? It would take him ages to re-tie everything!
Hermes went to the stream to bathe. He hadn’t had this habit before; it was Lin Kong who had gotten him into it. When he returned to the cave, dressed in his clothes after the bath, he saw that the scattered firewood had already been neatly re-tied, and Lin Kong was squatting beside the fire, cooking something.
Lin Kong had stacked a circle of bricks next to the fire, forming a natural indentation in the middle. On top of it, there was a golden “bowl” with some water and chunks of meat inside, bubbling away as it cooked.
Hermes leaned down and squatted, frowning as he asked, [What is this?]
Lin Kong lazily lifted his eyelids. “It’s meat. Don’t you recognize it?”
Hermes lowered his gaze, staring at the thing roasting over the fire. [I didn’t ask about that.]
Lin Kong finally realized what he was asking about. Using a makeshift pair of chopsticks made from twigs, he tapped the bowl. “You mean this? This is the zerg egg shell.”
Although Hermes had said he would take him to find some fruit shells, he immediately turned around and went back to cultivate. The weather had been cooling recently, and Lin Kong didn’t want to drink cold water. So, he had simply picked up the broken zerg egg shell from the kingworm, even though it had some cracks. It was still big enough—about the size of half a basketball—and it was enough to hold a little bit of food. It was even more durable than a metal pot.
After saying this, Lin Kong glanced at Hermes and deliberately added, “You don’t have to take me to find shells anymore. This egg works just fine.”
Male zergs, so unreliable~
Hermes didn’t understand the term “sarcastic”; otherwise, he would have thought it perfectly described Lin Kong right now.
As the water in the bowl boiled, a rich, meaty aroma began to fill the cave. The originally tough pieces of meat grew tenderer with each simmer, and the broth turned slightly milky.
This kind of dish might be considered garbage on Earth, but in the primeval forest, it was a delicacy. Lin Kong used the two thin twigs in his hand to delicately pick at the meat, eating small pieces carefully. When he finished, he drank the broth, feeling a warm sensation spread through his body.
Hermes had been sitting quietly on the stone bed, as if waiting for something. When he saw Lin Kong finish his meal, he curled his finger slightly, his expression unchanged as he uttered two words: [Come here.]
Lin Kong gave him a questioning look. “For what?”
Hermes: [Sleep with me.]
He wanted it.
Lin Kong: “…”
Lin Kong struggled to swallow, unsure how Hermes could say such a thing with a chastely indifferent poker face. Or was it that zergs raised in the wild had lower standards?
But despite his complaints, Lin Kong obediently stripped off his clothes and climbed into the bed. As he wrapped his arms around Hermes’ cold body, a faint smile appeared on his face. His eyes glistened like honey, stretching the moment as he asked, “Do you miss me?”
Did this zerg miss him? Or did he want something else?
[Mm.]
Hermes didn’t know what shame was. Most of the time, he simply spoke the truth. He wrapped his arms around Lin Kong’s warm waist under the blanket, feeling that his muscles were somewhat stiff, though he wasn’t sure if it was from all the wood hauling recently.
“You’re not shy at all.”
Lin Kong pinched Hermes’ nose lightly and muttered something to himself. Then he lowered his head and kissed him. It didn’t take long for the kiss to go from awkward to practiced.
Hermes let out a muffled groan, thick with nasal resonance. He was no longer stiff and motionless in bed; every now and then, he would open those misty, crimson eyes to look at Lin Kong—his gaze dazed—only to be traced over, stroke by stroke, by the other man.
Three days wasn’t a long time, really—but for the two of them, it somehow felt like an eternity.
When desire surged, Hermes’ eyes grew increasingly red. More than once, he worried that he might lose control and devour Lin Kong. After all, he was a beast, lacking the calm self-restraint of a human. But every time, Lin Kong’s gentle kisses somehow managed to miraculously soothe him.
At sunset, Lin Kong carried Hermes to bathe as usual. The water, growing colder by the day, seemed to echo the changing of the seasons. Yet in the dense forest, with its abundance of tree species, some remained evergreen, their leaves showing no sign of withering.
Lin Kong pressed the limp Hermes into the water and kissed him again. To his surprise, he noticed a faint, ancient zerg-like marking occasionally appearing at the back of Hermes’ neck. He reached out to touch it and murmured with an ambiguous tone, “When winter comes, I’m not doing this with you anymore.”
Hermes had been lazily draped over Lin Kong, but at those words, his eyelids suddenly lifted, unable to hide his displeasure: [Why?]
Lin Kong’s reasoning was simple: “It’s cold to bathe in winter.”
After speaking, he pulled Hermes out of the water, dressed him, and brought him back to the cave. He thought to himself that this kind of thing wasn’t meant to be done every day—doing so would wear out his kidneys.
But Lin Kong had clearly underestimated Hermes’ persistence, because the very next day, the latter returned with a red-bellied luan bird covered entirely in golden feathers. With a clang, he tossed it onto the ground, sending up a cloud of dust.
When Lin Kong saw the half-dead bird, he couldn’t help but twitch violently—his eyelid jumping uncontrollably—as he briefly suspected Hermes had gone and hunted down a phoenix. “Is this today’s catch?”
Hermes looked a bit worse for wear today. Lin Kong could clearly see three claw marks on his face—he had no idea who’d scratched him—and even his usually neat and pristine black robe was torn. It was truly a rare sight.
Hermes’ face was a little grim, probably because it had been years since he’d been in such a sorry state. His voice was low as he said, [This prey is yours.]
Lin Kong instinctively got up from the ground, somewhat surprised. “What did you catch to get hurt like this?”
He didn’t immediately think of the red-bellied bird, assuming it was just some small game Hermes had casually hunted.
Hermes didn’t say anything. Instead, he manifested sharp claws and directly slit the red-bellied bird’s throat. From inside, he dug out a blood-red bead and tossed it to Lin Kong. [Take it!]
Lin Kong raised his hand to catch it, only to realize the bead was burning hot. He couldn’t tell if it was because it had just been taken out or something else. “How could there be a bead in this bird’s throat?”
Hermes didn’t explain much. [It grew up eating flame grass, and the bead in its throat is always burning hot. Keep it, and you won’t have to fear the cold in winter.]
Lin Kong paused upon hearing this, then finally realized the bead was meant for him. Slowly, he came to understand what had happened, his surprise growing as he looked at Hermes. “You didn’t go through all this trouble just to catch this bird, did you?”
Hermes remained silent, his lack of response a silent admission.
In that moment, Lin Kong couldn’t quite pinpoint what he was feeling. He noticed that Hermes’ claws were still dripping with blood, and with a frown, he pulled the other man over to the stone bed, crouching down to clean the wounds with a bottle of mineral water. “Even if I said winter’s too cold and I won’t sleep with you, you didn’t have to go this far, did you?”
Hermes’ face was always devoid of much expression. He lowered his gaze and stared at Lin Kong, his red pupils clearly reflecting his face. [With this bead, you won’t be cold in the winter, and you’ll survive. Isn’t that good?]
The red-bellied luan bird was even rarer than the century-old stone-piercing beasts, and it was incredibly swift, making it difficult to capture. Hermes had searched for a long, long time before finally finding one, and even got injured in the process.
In the end, he was still somewhat concerned that this prey might not survive the cold winter. So, he went to great lengths to obtain the bead. As for the matter of sleeping together, it hadn’t even crossed his mind.
As long as Hermes was determined, he didn’t believe Lin Kong would dare refuse him.
Lin Kong’s movements paused as he heard those words. His hand tilted slightly, and the liquid in the mineral water bottle spilled out with a rush. He held onto Hermes’ pale, slender hand, momentarily stunned. After a few seconds, he finally looked up at him. “You found this bead just to help me through the winter?”
Hermes furrowed his brow and asked in return, [What else would it be for?]
“…”
Alright.
Lin Kong didn’t say anything. He lowered his head and carefully used an old piece of clothing to wipe Hermes’ hands, his movements meticulous and deliberate. He found himself thinking about whether animals could be tamed by humans, or perhaps…
They were influencing each other, taming each other.
After Lin Kong finished wiping Hermes’ hands, he gently touched the other man’s injured face, his tone serious. “Don’t do that again next time. You’re too good-looking, it’d be a shame if your face got hurt.”
Every time Hermes returned injured, Lin Kong always reacted—whether in surprise or concern—he would never be indifferent. He realized he didn’t mind this feeling, and perhaps even liked it a little. Hermes responded with a neutral “Mm,” his voice lacking emotion. [I understand.]
Lin Kong crouched on the ground, then suddenly looked up and kissed Hermes. The kiss was soft and sweet, and the words he whispered near Hermes’ ear carried an unspoken, subtle kind of intimacy. “Hermes, thank you for the bead. I’ll definitely survive this winter.”
No matter what, Lin Kong felt that he should try to live fully, for once.
Winter arrived faster than expected. The withering of plants and trees happened in the blink of an eye. Before hibernating, the Zerg King summoned all three of the attendants to the temple. Its body appeared much more yellowed and loosened than last time, and with every movement, layers of wrinkled skin piled up.
[I will enter hibernation in the temple soon. You must gather enough life force for me this winter to aid in my second molting come spring.]
Hermes, dressed in a black ceremonial robe, lowered his gaze, resembling a cold stone statue. He had been indifferent until he heard the Zerg King mention the second shedding. His eyes suddenly snapped open. [Are you going into your second molting?]
The Zerg King’s lifespan was nearing its end, which was why it had been relentlessly devouring energy lately, aiming for the second molting. If it succeeded, it would gain an additional two hundred years of life. But Hermes had always thought of it as an unattainable goal, never expecting the Zerg King to actually achieve it.
The Zerg King’s ancient, rumbling voice echoed in their minds, making their scalps tingle. [Yes, Hermes. You must find more food for me.]
Gayan and Xue Po were equally astonished. They exchanged a glance, and in each other’s eyes, they saw a surge of emotions—an expression that was anything but calm. Their faces reflected a whirlwind of feelings.
Disbelief, surprise, unease, panic—every emotion was there, except joy.
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