When the faint glow surrounding Huo's body completely faded, his physical wounds didn't heal, but his complexion had visibly improved, and his breathing had become much steadier.
"Huo…" Ziqian called softly.
As if in response, Huo's eyelids twitched slightly, but he remained unconscious.
Lia and Xue had already cleaned and dressed Huo's external wounds. Now, there was nothing else they could do but wait for him to wake up.
The night had already grown deep.
Right now, Ziqian was alone, watching over Huo.
Bei had gone out again to check the aftermath of the twins' fight and to assign other warriors to patrol tonight. Xue's wounds were already treated, and he should have also been recuperating, but he chose to help Lia prepare more medicine for the other beastmen who had been injured during Huo's rampage.
Ziqian was now completely exhausted. Aside from the stinging pain of the bruises and scratches he had suffered earlier, his entire body also ached and felt weak after using his pheromones for the first time.
Despite that, he chose to remain by Huo's side as he anxiously watched the man's every movement.
How is he? Ziqian inwardly asked the four guardians.
"For now, he's fine," Gae replied as he circled Huo. "His soul is still severely injured. One Edea pulp was only enough to stabilize it and stop the damage from worsening, but the effect won't last long."
"We need to buy more Edea pulp, Ah-Zi," Ero added. "Huo will still experience intense pain from time to time until his soul completely heals, especially whenever he feels an intense emotion."
Ziqian bit his lip as his gaze lingered on Huo's pale face.
"How much Edea pulp will he need?" he asked.
"We don't know," Phi answered this time. "It depends on how quickly his soul recovers since each soul has different density, Ah-Zi."
Ziqian slowly nodded.
In the end, it all came back to points.
He didn't know how he could earn enough points to completely heal Huo. He couldn't control the quests he was given, nor did he know when the next one would appear.
But Ziqian couldn't just sit around and wait.
He would continue his current quest while learning everything he could about Gaia. Since his quests were tied to his daily life, perhaps he could trigger sub-quests and earn more points.
If there was something he could do, he would do it.
After a while, Lia returned with Xue.
"Ziqian, did he wake up while we were gone?" Lia asked as soon as he entered.
"No..." Ziqian answered softly.
Xue's gaze immediately fell on him.
Ziqian was still sitting beside Huo, his face pale and his eyes struggling to stay open, but he was forcing himself to stay awake.
Xue walked over and sat beside Ziqian. Without saying a word, he gently took the sub-beast's hand in his and softly massaged his palm. "Rest first," he whispered.
Ziqian slowly shook his head. "I want to stay beside Huo," he replied stubbornly. Just like before, he wanted to be the first person Huo saw when he woke up.
"I understand, but you also need to prepare for the feast tomorrow," Xue replied.
Ziqian stiffened.
The feast...
He had mentioned it to Xue earlier, but after learning Huo's condition, he was so worried that he had completely forgotten about it.
Lia had already explained to him the process of preparing a feast for the Beast God during Eulogia. There were so many steps involved, but since tomorrow was not Eulogia, the preparations would be much simpler.
Even so, it would still be exhausting. After all, the Beast God had specifically requested food. Ziqian doubted it would be the same simple offerings the tribe usually prepared.
At the same time, he wanted to do his best and prepare every dish with care to show his sincerity.
"Or we can move the feast to another day?" Xue suggested after noticing his silence.
"No!" Ziqian blurted out without thinking.
Lia and Xue looked at him in surprise.
He lowered his voice and shook his head. "We can't."
Ziqian couldn't postpone the feast. It was a request from the Beast God Cernunnos himself, and it was to nullify Nia's intended punishment. No matter what, it had to be held tomorrow.
"You're tired."
"I'm fine. The feast has to be held tomorrow."
Xue frowned. "Why?"
Xue knew that the feast was meant to pray to and thank the Beast God. But with Huo unconscious once again and Ziqian clearly exhausted and in no condition to prepare for it, he couldn't understand why Ziqian insisted on holding it tomorrow.
Ziqian sighed before answering honestly. "Because the Beast God requested it."
Now that everyone believed that he was the Beast God's messenger, it wouldn't seem weird if he said that he received a message from the Beast God himself.
Xue's brow furrowed, but after a moment, he nodded in understanding while Lia looked at Ziqian with widened eyes.
"You can talk directly to the Beast God?"
Ziqian shook his head. "No. I can't talk to him. He only sends me messages."
"Messages?" Lia asked. "You mean... an oracle?"
"Yes..." Ziqian answered hesitantly. To him, it wasn't really an oracle but more like the missions his blue interface provided.
"And how do you receive oracles?" Lia asked curiously. He suddenly became interested in knowing how Ziqian, as a god messenger, received an oracle. "For me, they came through my dreams. Every high priest receives the Beast God's oracles differently, but they always come when we are at our most vulnerable."
"At your most vulnerable?" Ziqian repeated.
Ziqian tried to recall the first time that strange, terrifying interface had appeared before him. At that time, he had simply been walking back to the tent with Xue when it suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
No matter how he thought about it, he didn't seem vulnerable at the time. "I received the message... I mean, the oracle while I was walking back to our tent with Xue."
Lia fell silent for a moment before nodding. "Perhaps the Beast God can communicate with you more easily since you are his messenger," he said.
He smiled gently at Ziqian. "Since tomorrow's feast was a request from the Beast God, it cannot be postponed. Ziqian, get some rest for now. Leave Huo to us."
Xue noticed Ziqian's hesitation. "Sleep here," he said, gently patting the empty bed beside them. "I'll wake you as soon as Huo wakes up."
After a little more persuasion from Xue, Lia, and the four fluff balls, Ziqian finally agreed. Lia promised to wake him as soon as Huo regained consciousness. Once Bei returned, Xue would finally get some rest as well, since he also needed to recover from his injuries.
Ziqian leaned down and gently kissed Huo's forehead.
"I'll be right here," he whispered.
He had just stood up and was about to turn around when he felt a faint tug on his hand—it was so weak that he thought it was only his imagination.
Ziqian froze for a moment before slowly lowering his gaze to the hand resting beside Huo.
Huo's fingers were loosely wrapped around his hand. They lacked strength as if they might slip at any moment but stubbornly refused to let go.
"Huo..." Ziqian breathlessly called.
At the sound of his name, Huo's eyelashes trembled.
The tent fell silent.
Lia and Xue immediately gathered around Huo, waiting in bated breath.
After a while, Huo's eyelids slowly fluttered open.
At first, his golden eyes were unfocused and wandered across the ceiling before gradually settling on the person whose hand he was holding.
"Ziqian..." Huo murmured, his voice hoarse and barely audible.
The moment he heard Huo call his name, the worry weighing on Ziqian's heart finally eased. "You're awake," he whispered as he hurried back to Huo's side and gently clasped the man's hand.
Huo instinctively tried to sit up, but Lia immediately placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. "Don't move yet."
Then Lia gently examined him, checking his pulse and breathing. "Your body is still weak. You need to rest and drink the potions I prepared," he reminded softly.
Huo didn't answer.
His gaze never left Ziqian.
Xue watched quietly from the side, his expression unreadable. He then let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.
Huo didn't speak.
He simply continued looking at Ziqian, as if he were afraid that looking away would make him disappear.
After a long while, the corners of his lips lift into a faint smile.
"Let's get married," he whispered hoarsely.
The three quiet words left the tent in stunned silence.
No one reacted. Everyone's gaze was fixed on Huo.
Even the four guardians froze in midair.
Lia blinked, momentarily forgetting the combination of herbs he had been considering for Huo's next concoction.
While Xue stared at his younger brother, his usually calm expression showing a rare hint of surprise.
Ziqian, who was closest to Huo, wondered if he had misheard him. "...What?"
Huo's fingers tightened around Ziqian's hand with what little strength he could muster.
"The three of us… let's get married," he repeated slowly.
This time, Ziqian heard every word clearly. His lips parted, but no words came out.
Huo looked at Ziqian and then at Xue. "I've thought about it." His voice was still hoarse and weak. Speaking even a few words left him short of breath, making him to pause between each sentence.
"I don't want to fight anymore."
He drew a careful breath before continuing.
"I want us to become family."
"The three of us."