Lily sat down on the ground, staring at the bag with full attention. "Upon closer look, it looks so much like the abyss I fell into," she thought. "I need a comb," she murmured, but nothing happened. "Why is it not working?" She questioned and recalled the last scene very well. "Oh... I need to dip my hand inside it," she whispered and dipped her hand in. "I need a comb," she repeated, and just as expected, she pulled out the comb. "Wow! This is really magical," she smiled, and her stomach growled again. "Oops, I almost forgot that I haven't had anything in my stomach. I wonder if it can bring me food," she whispered and dipped both her hands inside again. "I want a bowl of rice, chicken soup, and broken snacks," she ordered, but only a bowl of rice was delivered to her.
"What about my chicken soup?" Lily placed the bowl down and dipped her hands inside once again, but there was no response. "Seriously!" She was slightly confused. "Forget it; I should eat first," she murmured and immediately rushed the food.
"Beauty, see what I brought you!" Liam's voice echoed from the entrance as he entered with a sack in hand. Just as he entered, he witnessed the scene of Lily eating rice.
Lily looked at him with a questioning gaze.
"Beauty, what are you eating?" He inquired, running up to her and sniffing the food.
"Oh... I'm eating rice. Would you like some?"
"Rice!" An alarm bell rang in Liam's head, and he immediately took the bowl from Lily and threw it away. "Are you alright? Are you feeling unwell?" He asked worriedly.
Lily was dumbfounded and didn't know how to react. "What just happened?" She looked at the shattered bowl and the spilled rice. "My rice!" She cried inwardly.
"Lily, are you fine? Do you feel a stomach ache? Let's go see the lifesaver immediately," Liam's worried voice echoed as he picked her up, prepared to leave.
"Put me down! Put me down! I'm fine; I'm not dying!" Lily exclaimed.
Noticing Lily's energy, Liam chose to believe her and put her down as she demanded. "You sure you are fine?" he questioned, still worried.
Lily looked at Liam with a killer glare. "Isn't rice a carbohydrate? Why would it cause a stomach ache?" she questioned angrily, her hands on her hips.
"This rice is forbidden food for everyone. Anyone who dares to eat it will die because of a stomach ache, caused by the rice," Liam explained.
"Oh, so rice killed them?" Lily was speechless. "How did this world operate huh!". She was now feeling heartache for the rice.
"Let's see the lifesaver first. You might not feel any stomach ache, but it definitely has hidden effects," Liam insisted, carrying Lily once again, and before she could resist, they were already gone.
...
"Open the door! Open the door!" Liam knocked on the wooden door repeatedly in urgency.
"Liam, I'm really fine!" Lily tried to reason, but Liam wasn't ready to listen and continued knocking with urgency.
"Why are you knocking on my door like that?" An annoyed male voice sounded from inside, and the door opened to reveal a handsome young man with long blond hair. His long tail, swimming left and right, confirmed his identity as a tiger beastman. Upon closer look, there were two brownish dots on his left breast symbolizing his strength. He was just about to curse Liam when his gaze fell on Lily, his eyes wide with shock.
Lily was also stunned. "My goodness! What a muscular man! Why are there so many handsome men in this world?" she exclaimed inwardly.
"Tear your eyes off her before I dig them out for you!" Liam threatened through gritted teeth.
The tiger beastman forced his gaze away from Lily and said, "Is she sick? Come in immediately." His voice sounded even more urgent than Liam's.
Liam stepped inside and placed Lily on the stone bed.
"Surprisingly, this room gives off a medical scent," Lily thought as her gaze wandered around, observing all the herbs. "What a perfect doctor! If he existed in my world and showcased his medical skills, he would definitely snatch the top spot," she mused.
"Help me check her immediately; she ate rice!" Liam's worried voice echoed.
"What!" The tiger beastman exclaimed in shock, immediately taking Lily's hand to check her pulse. After a short period, he frowned. "Did you say she ate rice?" he asked.
Liam nodded.
The tiger beastman took another glance at Lily. "But she's perfectly fine and healthy."
"How could that be?" Liam frowned, recalling the rice. "Though it looked weird, it was really rice,I recognize it scent" he thought.
Lily looked at both of them. "Alright, I told you there's nothing," she stated to Liam.
Hearing Lily's melodic voice, the tiger beastman was in a daze. "What a melodic voice; is she from the mermaid tribe?" he thought. "My name is Ewan; I am from the tiger tribe and am a good lifesaver. I am only a level two strength, and I don't have any mate. Will you consider me to be your mate?" he inquired.
Lily was stunned and blinked repeatedly.
"Get lost!" Liam's anger echoed as he punched Ewan mercilessly, sending him flying.
"Liam!" Lily shouted in shock, watching as Ewan slammed against something and vomited blood. "Do you have to be so rough?" she exclaimed.
"I'm... I'm sorry," Liam apologized immediately and knelt before her.
Lily looked at Ewan with an aching heart. "I'm really sorry; please don't be angry," she pleaded.
Both Ewan and Liam's eyes widened. "She... she apologized! Not arrogant at all!" they both thought.
Ewan smiled and glanced at Liam. "I only found one mate mark on her body, and this doesn't even belong to you; you have no right to decide for her! You cannot have her for yourself alone!"
Liam gritted his teeth and picked Lily up, his eyes darkening as he stated, "I will send you a boar's meat in repayment for your help."
"There's no need," Ewan remarked, looking at Lily. "May I know your name?"
"Angel!" Lily replied with a smile. "Since I will leave here, it's better to go with my unpopular name, she thought, and looked at Ewan. "Thanks for your help," she added.
Liam didn't wait for any further conversation and immediately sped out.
Ewan smiled and touched his heart. "She's just too beautiful!" he laughed. "But wait, what kind of name is Angel?" A confused expression appeared on his face.
...
Back at Liam's hut, he pressed Lily down onto the grass bed and stared deeply into her eyes.
"What... what are you doing?" Lily asked, her heart quickening.
"You never told me that your name is Angel!"
"Well... you never asked."
"Do you like him?"
"Huh?"
"Look at my tails; they are the symbol of my strength. I am at level three already and I will level up again soon, I am a level higher than him; I am more charming than he is, and I have big treasure—mine is thousands of times bigger than his."
Lily looked confused. "What big treasure?" she questioned.
"This..." Liam replied, pressing his hard and hot rod against Lily's thigh.
Lily's eyes widened in shock, and realization struck her. "Pervert!" she exclaimed, pushing him away forcefully. "Can anyone be more of a pervert than him?" she shouted inwardly, her face burning hot.
"Beauty, you don't like me?" Liam moved closer to Lily and gave her a puppy gaze.
Lily found it hard to resist him. "My angel! He's just too tempting; if he were a male model, he would definitely be chased by many women," she thought. But then she shook her head. "What am I thinking? I should only focus on going back home."
"Beauty," Liam called, suddenly capturing her mouth, stunning her.
Lily's head went foggy for a long time before she came back to her senses and pushed him away. "What are you doing?" she questioned, her face red.
Liam didn't respond; he merely hugged her, revealing his sadness.
Lily looked at him with an aching heart. "Am I being too heartless?" she thought, remembering Lu Chen. "But they are different; he also saved me," she contemplated. "No, I just want to go back home; I don't want to involve myself with him. It's better to give him his freedom." She steeled herself, about to explain her feelings when his voice sounded before her.
"Beauty... will you allow me to be your mate if I get you the moon? Or the star?" He gazed at her.
"What!" Lily was stunned.
"Will you?"
"Is that even possible? How can you get it?"
"If you promise me that I will be your mate, then I will surely get you the star."
Lily smiled. "Stop talking nonsense. It's not possible!" she replied, chuckling. "You really know how to joke," she thought.
Liam pursed his lips together. "I'm not really sure if I can get the moon, but I will surely get you the star. This way, I can prove my worth to you," he thought, hugging Lily tightly.
"Err... why am I feeling that this guy is not joking?" Lily pondered, shaking her head. "I must be thinking too much."
...at night....
Lily, wrapped in a sack along with her bag, was lying comfortably on a silver three-tailed fox as they traveled.
"Liam, where exactly are we going?" Lily's low voice echoed.
"We are leaving the village and going to another village; it will be safer there," the silver three-tailed fox, who turned out to be Liam, replied.
"Then be careful."
"Alright," Liam responded, looking up at the night sky, which was filled with stars. His eyes glimmered with determination.
.....
The journey continued, and it seemed endless, yet Liam didn't pause to take a rest. "Isn't he tired?" Lily pondered.
"Um... Liam, why don't you just take a rest here? You have been walking for too long with me on your back."
"I'm fine, not tired at all. We should be able to make it there safely tonight. If you are feeling sleepy, just sleep."
"That won't do; you should rest."
"I'm really not tired."
"It's an order; you must listen to me."
Liam paused for a short while. "Alright, I spotted a cave. Let's go there."
"Mm."
Liam headed to the cave. It was very dark inside and chilly.
Lily got down from Liam's back, and Liam transformed.
"Let me light up the cave first," Liam declared. He gathered some wood together and found two stones, striking them together to create a flame. Soon, the dark cave was brightened.
Lily was impressed to see his method of igniting fire. "What genuine knowledge," she praised inwardly.
Liam looked around, and after confirming that everything was safe, he skillfully prepared a bed for Lily using a sack and encouraged her to sleep comfortably.
"What about you?" Lily asked.
"I will stand guard to protect you. When it's bright, we will continue."
Lily bit her lower lip. "You should come and sleep too. I didn't ask you to stop the journey just to give you another punishment; you need to rest," she insisted.
Liam's mouth was slightly open at her words, but a sweet smile soon appeared on his face as he walked closer to Lily. "Can I sleep with you?" he inquired.
Lily was about to reject him, but seeing the rough ground, she held back her refusal. "Alright, you sleep," she conceded.
Liam immediately pulled Lily down, and both of them lay on the bed, with Lily's face buried in Liam's muscular chest while he held her firmly.
Isn't… isn't this position a little too intimate? "Lily thought, and her heart raced". It should be fine right, he always hug me so it's normal. "She took in a deep breath". Anyway, He smells so comforting. "She smiled and continued admiring him until sleepiness overtook her".
"Beauty, are you asleep?" Liam murmured softly. After waiting for a long time and hearing no reply from Lily, he looked at her and smiled, then stole a kiss from her and drifted off to sleep.
As soon as both Lily and Liam fell asleep, the fire suddenly went out, and a pair of sparkling crimson eyes were fixed on them.