| GB | Unwell | 19
“Bond?” Yu Bai murmured softly, not understanding the meaning of the word, yet his heartbeat still quickened uncontrollably.
Was it what he thought it was?
He asked doubtfully, “A’Li, what does it mean to make a bond?”
This time it was A’Li’s turn to stammer. He let out an “ah” and stared blankly, seemingly in disbelief.
“...it’s like my father and mother. When two orcs bond, they’ll live together for the rest of their lives, and then... and then they’ll have cubs...”
Yu Bai’s face instantly turned hot. He muttered, “I see.”
So it really did mean marriage.
After trying to calm his racing heart, he took several deep breaths, his voice trembling slightly as he spoke.
“That’s impossible. How could I possibly bond with Huo Duo’er? A’Li, you’re thinking too much...”
Yu Bai said this to A’Li, but also to himself.
He wasn’t very old, but because of illness in the past, he had missed many opportunities to connect with people his own age.
A lifetime was such a distant yet fleeting concept had always felt too far away, too uncertain for him to even consider matters of the heart.
Although he had come to another world, his body was still the same one.
Even though he could live normally now, could he be sure it would always stay that way?
Yu Bai didn’t know whether the disease within him had truly been eradicated. If it hadn’t disappeared completely, how much time did he have left?
Half a year, a year, or maybe two…
Yu Bai didn’t dare think too deeply about it.
From the moment he decided to live seriously, he knew he shouldn’t get caught up in this question anymore. No matter how long he had, every moment was a hard-earned second chance.
His illness was like a hidden ticking bomb, because of that, Yu Bai had never considered finding a partner.
He forced a smile, "It's impossible."
Then he added, "Huo Duo’er will leave eventually to find his people and reunite with his tribe, and return to their homeland."
A'Li: "..."
Yu Bai looked up at the sky, trying to suppress the ache in his chest.
"Is there anything else you want to ask? If not, I need to get busy. I can't let Huo Duo’er do all the work."
Just as Yu Bai was about to head inside, A'Li suddenly shouted and blurted out, "Bai, would you be willing to bond with me?"
Yu Bai froze in place, momentarily not processing the question.
"...Huh?"
A'Li's dark face turned almost painfully hot, redder than a wild chicken egg left in boiling water.
His tongue stumbled, but when his gaze met Yu Bai’s soft and misty eyes, the courage in his heart swelled all at once.
“Let’s form a bond, let me take care of you…”
Yu Bai was the first orc A’Li had ever liked. He wanted to protect him.
Yu Bai was stunned, and it took him a while to come back to his senses.
He revealed a small, white-toothed smile and said gently, “A’Li, we’re friends, and I don’t have that kind of feeling between us. How could we form a bond?”
Besides, both he and A’Li still looked quite young, how could he take on the responsibility of caring for another person?
Yu Bai gently turned down A’Li’s offer. Thankfully, the other didn’t get upset.
A’Li scratched his head, a little shy. “Th-then will we still be friends?”
Yu Bai smiled, “Of course. Since I came to the tribe, you’ve been the kindest to me. If there’s ever anything you need help with and I can do it, I’ll definitely try my best to help you.”
A’Li nodded vigorously. “Mm!”
As A’Li walked away, his young shoulders slumped, and the head that had been held high lowered gradually.
He no longer had the lively spirit he’d arrived with, he only had a look of quiet disappointment.
Yu Bai watched him go, then turned to close the door.
Just as he did, his gaze caught a shadow slipping around the corner of the stone wall. He let out a soft “huh?” and peeked his pale little face out again.
“Huo Duo’er?” he said, slightly awkward. “Why didn’t you say anything when you got back?”
Huo Duo’er was holding dripping animal pelts in his hand. He gave a small, silent nod.
Yu Bai felt even more self-conscious.
His hand gripped the door handle, a suspicion rising in his heart, had Huo Duo’er heard his conversation with A’Li? The thought made his cheeks burn a little in embarrassment.
“Don’t just stand out there… come in already,” he said.
Huo Duo’er had just finished thoroughly washing the tanned wolf hides, and three thick pelts were hung neatly on the rack to dry.
As Huo Duo’er turned around, he almost bumped into a little sub-female trailing behind him.
Huo Duo'er’s eyes flickered slightly, and Yu Bai was startled too.
He had originally wanted to explain what had just happened with A’Li, but since Huo Duo'er didn’t bring it up, he didn’t know how to mention it either.
“Bai, did I step on you?”
Yu Bai shook his head. “N-no, you didn’t.”
Then he asked, “Huo Duo'er, is something on your mind?”
Even though Huo Duo'er wasn’t the talkative type and usually kept to himself, Yu Bai could sense something was different about him today.
“Bai, I won’t leave right now.”
Yu Bai gave an awkward smile. “So you did hear.”
Huo Duo'er: “I will take care of you.”
Yu Bai made a soft sound in response, his long lashes quietly lowering.
He hadn’t known Huo Duo’er for long, and their time spent together hadn’t been much either.
“Is it because I saved you?”
Huo Duo’er couldn’t quite say. Maybe that was part of it, but he also couldn’t bear to leave someone as young and vulnerable as Yu Bai alone.
That day, Yu Bai tried several times to speak up, but each time the words got stuck in his throat.
He was never particularly good at expressing himself. After hesitating for so long, he felt mentally drained and deflated.
He carried two large wild melons from the house and slowly began peeling them with a stone knife, planning to use them for soup that evening.
Huo Duo’er took the bow from the wall, with the dagger Yu Bai had made tucked at his side.
Their gazes met briefly, and Huo Duo’er said, “I’m going to take a walk out the mountains nearby.”
Yu Bai responded with a soft “Mm,” but didn’t follow him out this time.
—
As winter set in, the sun fell quickly. The sky turned a dull gray, and overnight, the air grew much colder.
Yu Bai felt the biting wind and only then realized, it was truly starting to get cold.
He brought everything inside, then stepped out again for a quick look, but Huo Duo’er was still nowhere to be seen.
The wind in the courtyard was strong, so Yu Bai had no choice but to go back inside.
He sat on a stone block in front of the hearth, tending the fire absentmindedly.
Only when he heard movement outside did he quickly get up to open the door.
Huo Duo’er had returned, carrying a string of fish.
Through the crack in the door, he caught a glimpse of Yu Bai’s flustered, worried face. Huo Duo’er immediately grew concerned. “Bai, did something happen?”
Yu Bai cleared his throat. “The wind was really strong today. I was worried it might not be safe for you out there.”
Then added, “I’ll make fish soup tonight and eat something different for a change.”
Huo Duo’er: “Mm.”
He set aside two fish and put the rest into a stone jar to keep them fresh.
Yu Bai pointed to the remaining bowls and jars. As their stockpile of food grew, the dishware was starting to run short.
Now that the weather had turned cold, orcs rarely went out anymore. He discussed with Huo Duo’er the idea of digging up some clay from the riverbed while they still could, so they could fire more pottery once it became too inconvenient to go out.
No sooner had they finished the discussion, Huo Duo’er immediately went out, saying he was heading to the river for clay.
Yu Bai: “…”
He let out a soft laugh, then sliced up the melons he’d peeled earlier in the afternoon and tossed them into the pot, along with some wild ginger and sun-dried mushrooms.
Huo Duo’er came back with a generous haul of clay and stacked it in a corner.
Yu Bai called to him, “Come quickly and try the fish soup!”
Once all the ingredients had cooked through, the aroma was rich and savory.
Yu Bai picked out a big piece of fish, added half a bowl of broth, and handed it to Huo Duo’er.
“Go on, try it.”
Huo Duo’er said, “Bai, you eat first.”
Yu Bai didn’t hesitate and poured himself another bowl. He added some tender fish, delicious little mushrooms, and fresh, sweet wild melon to the broth.
Huo Duo’er watched him quietly and then lowered his head to try a bite.
The fishy taste was much reduced, and the soup was rich and sweet.
Yu Bai explained, “This ginger helps remove the fishy smell. When cooking meat, adding ginger can improve the flavor and texture.”
He ate slowly, and surprisingly, he felt full quite quickly. Huo Duo’er waited for him to finish before he polished off the rest of the large pot of fish soup.
Huo Duo’er seemed to want to say something but held back.
He was curious about Yu Bai, such a young sub-female, yet he knew so much. Where had he learned all this?
But then, recalling the conversation Yu Bai had with A’Li earlier, he fell silent once more.
—
Late at night, just as Yu Bai was dozing off under his furs, he was suddenly jolted awake by a loud noise.
The pounding sound from outside the door startled Yu Bai. Before he could figure out what was happening, Huo Duo’er had already gone outside to check.
A full-grown yak had somehow appeared, crashing into the stone wall and making a high-pitched squealing noise.
The yak was strong and large, and with each collision, the wall seemed to weaken, threatening to collapse.
Huo Duo’er frowned, quickly telling Yu Bai to stay inside, before grabbing a bow and stone knife from the wall and heading out.
Yu Bai didn’t have time to shout after him. Anxious and panicked, he hurriedly opened the door just a crack to observe.
He saw Huo Duo’er leap over the wall, then, with a sharp command, grab the yak’s tail.
With his powerful arms, the giant flung the full-grown yak outside.
Bang!
The yak slammed into the nearest stone pile. The ground shook, the rocks cracked, and sharp stone shards embedded themselves into its body.
“Raaaagh!”
The yak let out a furious scream, but the stones lodged in its body didn’t seem to cause it much harm.
It rose from the pile of rocks, and with its sturdy, muscular legs, it pushed off with great force and charged at the giant, opening its mouth to snap and tear at him.
Yu Bai stood behind the small courtyard door, his eyes gradually adjusting to the dim environment, enough to make out the situation.
His heart raced, blood rushing to his head. The moment the yak charged at Huo Duo’er, Yu Bai screamed.
If his legs hadn’t been so weak, he would’ve likely run outside.
“Huo Duo’er—!”
Huo Duo’er met the yak’s charge head-on with his bare hands, his palms splitting the yak’s jaws apart as he took a half-step back.
In a battle of strength, the giant’s arm stretched wide and, with a powerful motion, tore the adult yak’s mouth open.
Yu Bai clutched his mouth and nose tightly, horrified. He watched as Huo Duo’er’s expression turned cold and he drew his stone knife, thrusting it into the yak’s throat with one swift motion.
The knife sank deeply into the wild creature’s throat, and blood sprayed out like a fountain, drenching Huo Duo’er’s upper body.
The air was instantly thick with the heavy, metallic scent of blood, and the sight before Yu Bai was gruesome and violent.
He fought the nausea rising in his stomach, his eyes flickering in distress.
When he caught sight of Huo Duo’er, now covered in blood, approaching him, Yu Bai stepped back repeatedly, clearly frightened. His body showed signs of fear, and he seemed wary of the giant.
“Bai…”
Huo Duo’er’s gaze was filled with concern.
Looking into those eyes that showed care and worry, Yu Bai struggled to steady his breathing, reminding himself that Huo Duo’er had been protecting him just now. He shouldn't be afraid.
His body suddenly went limp, feeling drained of all strength.
Huo Duo’er held him firmly, but as his blood-soaked palm touched Yu Bai's hand, the latter immediately pushed him away with a startled cry, before kneeling down and vomiting some bile onto the ground.
Seeing this, Huo Duo’er understood that the sub-female was afraid of him, and a shadow of gloom crossed his face.
He walked to the stove to heat some water, then used several basins of cold water to rinse the blood off his body.
The night was cold and silent. Huo Duo’er brought the warm water inside, gently taking Yu Bai’s hands in his and helping him clean the bloodstains from his skin.
Neither of them spoke during the process.
It wasn’t until Huo Duo’er had carefully cleaned both of Yu Bai’s hands that the latter came to his senses. His pale lips trembled slightly as he whispered.
“I—I was just a little scared. It was my first time seeing something like that.”
Seeing Yu Bai speak up on his own, Huo Duo’er felt a sense of relief. “Mm, just sleep it off, and everything will be forgotten by morning.”
Huo Duo’er blamed himself for being careless. Yu Bai was a weak, young sub-female, and it was no surprise he’d be frightened by such a violent scene.
He softened his tone and gently helped the young sub-female back onto the bed.
“Bai, just rest well.”
Yu Bai nodded, his expression dazed. His long eyelashes fluttered, then he quickly reopened his eyes.
Huo Duo’er’s strong, steady figure remained by his side, and slowly, Yu Bai’s heart began to settle. The shock, the fear, and the overwhelming violence he’d witnessed earlier made him feel mentally exhausted. It wasn’t long before he drifted into a deep sleep.
The next day, as the gray light of dawn broke, Yu Bai woke from a nightmare.
He turned his head, feeling disoriented, his vision blurry and ears ringing, his entire body aching.
Yu Bai’s elbow, propped weakly against the edge of the bed, gave way, and if Huo Duo’er hadn’t come in just in time to catch him, he would have likely crashed headfirst to the floor.
“Bai?!”
Huo Duo’er held him in his arms like cradling something soft and fragile, afraid that if he gripped too tightly, it might break.
Concern flashed through the giant's eyes. He gently touched Yu Bai’s face, feeling the warmth. A soft flush colored Yu Bai’s cheeks as he leaned against Huo Duo’er’s neck, his body still limp.
Yu Bai seemed to hear someone calling his name. His long eyelashes trembled slightly, and he let out a muffled “hmm” as he nestled closer into Huo Duo’er’s neck, refusing to move.
“…I feel unwell.”
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