Transmigrating to the BeastWorld,I Picked Up an Adorable BeastHusband!-Chapter 52: Was she leaving me?

[Task 3 was completed and the reward was exchanged for an antitoxin.] Doudou stated.

[Now. Task 2, which was to get acquainted with the females of this tribe, especially Una. Though the duration for this task had run out before the task was completed, I will give you a pass. Why? Because you passed with flying colors. You managed to make four friends in less than two days and even managed to win Una over. She seems to hold you in high regard and does not see you as a rival. You keep surprising me with each task.]

Doudou sounded like a proud teacher.

[All my tasks are there for you to grow, both physically and mentally. I won’t put you in a situation that will harm you. I will put you in the most realistic situations so you can learn for yourself. Now, you have completed the tasks within close proximity; now you have to find the herb. I’ll advise you to find it before tomorrow evening because you wouldn’t be able to leave the settlement then.]

Ningning sighed then nodded. "Alright. I got it—find the silver vein herb."

For now, she couldn’t leave the tribe as they were making preparations for her wedding, so she had to be present.

And she couldn’t go at night. Who knew the kind of predators roaming around at night?

She had to find time between 2-4pm to get her things done or she’d have to forfeit the task.

And she couldn’t ask Weijie to go with her, nor did she have a direct map to where it was.

Her biggest bet was to find Tolief and get him to be her guide.

He loved to explore, so he would definitely be interested.

[There should be some free time between lunch; best to leave then. Cause they’ll come for you again at night.]

Ningning nodded; she’ll just have to escape these girls and find a way to get to Tolief without them knowing she was there.

And she absolutely could not let Weijie see her.

"Alright. Time to ditch these girls." she murmured and began taking off the clothes carefully.

"Ahem..." she coughed slightly. "It’s a bit hot in here, so I’ll just go out for a little stroll to catch my breath."

Una gave her a side glance then shook her head.

"Just be back before dark. Knowing Weijie, he’ll come to find you at some point..."

Ningning nodded before stepping out of the cave.

She took a deep breath; now it was time to find Tolief without the men, especially Weijie, noticing her.

Ningning knew the men were gathered near the lower falls for the "groom’s" side of the preparations. If she was going to find Tolief, she had to head straight into the lions’ den but stay on the periphery.

She crept toward the sound of rushing water and loud, boisterous laughter.

Peeking through a thicket of ferns, she spotted them.

Hauk was currently trying to see how many large river stones he could carry at once, while Loki was loudly critiquing his form.

Weijie was standing a bit apart, his arms crossed over his chest, looking impatient and slightly murderous—likely because he hated being away from her.

And there, sitting on a flat boulder about twenty yards away from the chaos, was Tolief.

He had a piece of slate on his knees and was completely engrossed in it, ignoring the shouting and the splashing as if he were in a silent void.

[High-risk maneuver detected,] Doudou whispered. [Weijie is facing north. If you circle around the back of the boulder, you can snag the scholar without the ’Groom-in-Chief’ spotting you. Just don’t step on a dry twig, or we’re cooked.]

Ningning moved like a shadow, heart hammering against her ribs. She skirted the edge of the clearing, using the roar of the waterfall to drown out her footsteps.

When she finally reached the back of Tolief’s boulder, she reached up and hissed his name.

"Tolief!"

The man didn’t jump.

He slowly tilted his head down, looking over the edge of the rock at her. He didn’t look surprised; he looked like he was observing a particularly interesting insect.

"Ningning." he murmured, his voice barely audible over the water. "The statistical probability of you being here, given the female tribal laws, was less than five percent. You are a consistent outlier."

"I need your help." she whispered urgently, glancing back to make sure Weijie was still occupied. "I need you to be my guide; I’m looking for a silver vein herb..."

Tolief raised a brow; why was she looking for a silver vein herb?

It only grew in damp lowlands or near underground springs, places where moisture lingered year-round and sunlight barely touched the soil.

"Alright. It’s obvious you snuck out to meet me and you don’t want Weijie seeing you, so let’s go..."

Ningning nodded as she turned back, using the same route she used.

Tolief jumped down the rock, putting the slate under his arm as he followed her.

Ningning let out a sigh of relief as soon as they were out of the danger zone.

"Let’s get going if you want to get back before it gets dark. I’ll carry you once we’re out of the tribe."

-*-

"No worries. I can walk myself."

Tolief laughed when he heard that, making Ningning stiffen from embarrassment.

"Let me carry you if you want to return on time..."

Ningning opened her mouth to argue, to insist that she had been working on her stamina and could keep up just fine but Tolief didn’t give her the chance.

As soon as they cleared the immediate rocky perimeter of the settlement and hit the softer dirt paths leading toward the open plateaus, the scholar shifted.

With a fluid, startling grace, his human legs merged and elongated, his skin shimmering as it transformed into the powerful, muscular tail of a snake.

He towered higher now, his torso balanced perfectly over the thick coils.

"No need to dawdle." Tolief said, his voice dropping into a more serious tone. Before she could protest, he reached down, scooped her up with surprising strength, and settled her securely against his side.

"Hold on."

In an instant, they were moving. Tolief didn’t just walk; he slithered with a terrifying, rhythmic speed that turned the surrounding greenery into a blurred smudge of emerald and brown.

The wind whipped past Ningning’s face, forcing her to tuck her head against his shoulder just to breathe.

[Speed check: 35 miles per hour and climbing] Doudou noted, sounding quite impressed. [I retract my previous statement about walking. At this rate, we’ll reach the grassy lowlands in under ten minutes or more. Just try not to get motion sickness, Dumpling.]

What neither of them realized was that a very angry Weijie was watching them leave.

"I thought she said she didn’t want him? Just where are they heading?"

Weijie stood frozen, his fingers digging into the rough bark of the tree he was leaning against.

The boisterous laughter of Hauk and Loki seemed to fade into a dull, distant roar, replaced by the thundering beat of his own heart.

He had seen it all.

He had seen Ningning, his mate, the woman he had just knelt before in total vulnerability, whispering to Tolief. He had seen the way Tolief, usually so indifferent to the world, had dropped everything to follow her.

And then, the sight that felt like a spear through his chest: Tolief shifting into his serpent form and whisking her away, Ningning clinging to his shoulder as they vanished into the distance.

Was she leaving him?

The thought was a cold, sharp blade.

Was she running away with Tolief? 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Why him? Because he is a scholar?

Because he is gentle and smart, while he was just a warrior who knows only how to hunt and kill?

He gripped his chest, right over the spot where his heart was hammering.

It was a physical ache, a raw, hollow feeling he had never experienced before.

Even when facing a wounded mammoth, he had never felt this kind of fear. This wasn’t the fear of death; it was the fear of being unwanted.

Did she choose Tolief over me? Was her ’approving nod’ back in the cave just a lie to keep me calm?

He remembered his own words from earlier: "I’m nothing but an ordinary man... I have neither gold nor precious gems." Maybe he was right. Maybe an "ordinary man" wasn’t enough for a woman who fell from the sky.

"Weijie!" Hauk’s voice broke through his spiral. "Are you going to stare at that bush all day or are you going to help us move these boulders?"

Weijie didn’t turn around.

His tail lashed out behind him, striking a rock with a crack like a whip. His blue eyes were no longer tender; they were darkened by a storm of hurt and budding rage.

"I have something to attend to." Weijie rumbled, his voice vibrating with a dangerous edge.

"Now? But the ceremony—"

"Now." Weijie barked, silencing Hauk.