Book I : Guardians of Love in the Beast World (BL)

Hou was reluctant to leave Tangtang alone. He just met the sub-beast today, but he doesn't seem to want to be separated from him anymore. If it isn't inappropriate to be alone with a sub-beast who is not yet married, he still wants to be with Tangtang for a long time.

Hou advised Tangtang to rest for a while and look for him if he needed anything before reluctantly leaving. He was on his way to the boundary of the tribe when he suddenly remembered what his mother said.

What if Tangtang changes his mind and decides to stay in his tent? It would be too embarrassing if Tangtang saw how dirty and smelly his place was. Hou happily strutted back to his tent to clean up.

Tangtang, who was left alone, sighs.

He looked around the tent. On the left side near the entrance, a hearth that was clean from the ashes and had several woods arranged and ready to use was placed. In the other corner, a large bed made of soft grass rested, its quilts neatly folded. There are many things in the tent, but they are all orderly organized.

The person living here obviously has OCD.

Tangtang walked towards the bed to rest when he saw the four fluff balls huddled together in a corner. "What are you guys doing?" he asked.

Hearing Tangtang's voice, the four fluff balls happily fly towards him. "We're just talking about the twins," Phi honestly said.

"What's wrong with them?"

"Nia has great affinity with Hou, while I am with Xue," Gae happily answered.

It is relatively rare for a guardian to find someone who can attract their attention. The fact that Gae and Nia have met someone they connect with upon arriving in a tribe makes them happy.

The four fluff balls were so immense in their happiness that they didn't notice Tangtang's confusion.

Shouldn't it be Gae with Hou and Nia with Xue?

How come the hot-blooded Hou has an affinity with the silent Nia? Anyway, it doesn't matter as long as the four fluff balls were happy.

"Congratulations to the two of you," Tangtang said as he softly kneaded the white and blue furballs. "Let's check the rewards for my first quest," he added after being satisfied kneading the two.

When Tangtang reached the Winged Tiger Tribe's entrance, he received a notification saying that his first mission was finished and his rewards were now in the inventory.

Tangtang opened the blue interface and clicked a treasure trove icon. The empty box before now had two items, a small pouch and a scroll. The scroll must be the brick recipe stated in the quest reward, and the pouch is the points he accumulated.

Upon clicking the scroll, information flooded into his mind, making him a little dizzy. The brick recipe was simple, and it is said that all the materials needed can be found in this world. For people who are still living in a tent, this recipe will help them build brick houses.

Then he clicked the pouch and got 70 points. Tangtang was surprised; he didn't expect to receive a large amount of points as a reward on his first quest. He only now needs 30 points to open the shop.

"It is because you still have 7 hours left on the quest countdown," Gae explained.

Tangtang nodded, feeling satisfied with the rewards he received.

It is getting dark outside, and the smell of roasted meat has slowly spread throughout the tribe.

On top of the soft grass that is covered by a soft monster's skin, a figure is quietly lying, dazed.

Tangtang is not a fan of taking a nap. He is used to sleeping for 2 to 3 hours a day. That's why his mind is currently wandering, listening to the chitchat of the bustling crowd outside the tent.

"What's wrong?" Phi asked, noticing Tangtang's sudden silence.

Tangtang is uncertain. He feels elated at one moment and melancholy the next second. He knew that what he was feeling right now was normal and he shouldn't rush himself to accept everything at once, but he still can't help overthinking about the future.

Tangtang didn't answer and asked instead. "When will the next quest appear?"

"Just wait for a few days. For now, rest and try to familiarize yourself with the tribe," Gae answered.

"Okay."

And with that, a week has passed in the blink of an eye.

Tangtang immediately became accustomed to living in the tribe and became friends with some females.

The hide and fur gifted to him by Lia that night helped him easily blend in. Wearing it was uncomfortable at first, but he got used to it after a few days.

Tangtang, who was used to socializing, thought that as a newcomer, it was normal to be friendly to the others. He was used to bowing down as he greeted people above him and not giving air even if favored.

Unfortunately, not everyone can be pleased.

Because of the sub-beasts rarity, they were all well protected and cared for, making some of them haughty and unapproachable. That's why when the beautiful new sub-beast always greeted them with a smile and talked to them without any air, the females and beasts readily welcomed Tangtang in the tribe.

The moment Tangtang first stepped on their tribe, he instantly attracted everyone's attention, making the other sub-beasts displeased, and now his actions make them look bad. Some sub-beasts ignored him, but others openly treated him coldly and even secretly mocked him in passing.

It is impossible for Tangtang not to know all this, with the four fluff balls informing him about the happenings in the tribe.

"Envy and jealousy really can give birth to hatred," Phi said with a sad tone.

"Because they aren't as pretty as Tangtang, they like to badmouth him at every turn," Ero angrily said, with his red fur a few shades darker.

"What do you want to do, Tangtang?" Gae asked. His childish voice was full of seriousness. Because of the restrictions, they cannot do anything to these people, but they can still help Tangtang plan a perfect punishment that will surely make them shut up for life.

"Kill!" The always silent Nia commented.

Tangtang was already used to these kinds of people. In his previous world, he met a lot of people who treated him well, but once he was out of sight, they would make up rumors and gossip about him.

Tangtang doesn't want to pay attention to them because compared to those people on Earth, the sub-beast's actions were too childish. As long as they don't make the first move, he will just ignore them.

"No!" Tangtang hurriedly said after hearing Nia. "It is part of human nature to gossip around, so it is not a big deal," he added.

"I see," Gae replied.

"Humans were really hard to understand," Phi said as he rubbed his yellow furball on Tangtang's cheeks, trying to comfort him. "Don't worry, Tangtang. We will look out for them and will immediately inform you once they plan something bad."

Tangtang sighed.

The secrets of all the sub-beasts that were spreading rumors about Tangtang were discussed by the four fluffy balls.

Taking advantage of the fact that only Tangtang could see them, the four guardians began visiting the evil people's tent to find out their most humiliating secrets. Each time they discovered anything new, they would inform Tangtang about it and encourage him to use it as a means of blackmailing the others.

Naturally, Tangtang has no intention of doing so, not until they hit his bottom line.

"I want to wash. I feel sticky," Tangtang said as he got up and took some clothes, leaving the four fluffy balls behind who were so engrossed in their discussions. He wants to go to the nearby stream to take a quick bath.

Tangtang recently joined a group of females in picking up red roots. Red root was the common food for sub-beasts and females; it tastes like sweet potato, while beasts were more reliant on monster meat.

Every morning their group will go up to the mountain to gather some red roots, and if they are lucky, they might find some wild fruits.

As a sub-beast, Tangtang was not obligated to hunt or gather food for the tribe and could only do some menial tasks within the tribe. Looking for food is a laborious and dangerous task that may cause some casualties.

But for a week now, other than roasted meat, Tangtang has only been eating boiled red root, and he is starting to get sick of it. If not for the heart-shaped fruits he harvested before, he will not last long. Tangtang gave some of his fruits to Lia, and there are still a few remaining, but it will only last for a few more days. That's why he chose to join the team with some familiar members, in hopes of finding some edible fruits.

What's more unbelievable is that they have salt, but they don't use it to season the food. Instead, the high priest used it for a ritual to ward off monsters and negativities in the tribe.

Tangtang also heard this kind of practice on Earth before, but he believed that salt is best to use in food.

When he came out, Tangtang was greeted with some beasts and females passing by. He smiled politely and waved his hand in response, then he continued to walk in the direction of the stream.

While walking, Tangtang was thinking of ways to improve their food, not only for the tribe but also for himself. He doesn't want to eat boiled root and roasted meat every day.

Immersed in his own thoughts, the blue interface suddenly popped out in front of him.

[Generating 2nd Main Quest...]

A few seconds later another screen popped out.

[Main Quest #2: Find 10 edible fruits and 10 edible vegetables.

No time limit

Reward: Food Encyclopedia

Failure: None]

'Food encyclopedia?'

The four fluff balls who were left behind in the tent suddenly appeared beside Tangtang.

"It is an accumulation of information on every edible food in this world," Gae answered.

"Hey! That's a very nice reward."

The reward for the second quest is really useful. He only needs to find 10, and identifying edible plants and monsters in the future will not be a problem anymore.

Tangtang gets excited to go out tomorrow. Then he suddenly recalled that throughout the three days he had been a part of the team, they had only collected red roots in the same location close to the tribe.

'How can I find ten fruits and ten vegetables?' Tangtang thought.

His initial excitement subsides and turns to worry. It is because even though the quest doesn't have a time limit, it is still impossible to find that many fruits and vegetables if he continues to follow the team.

If only he could go out alone, but asking for permission will be troublesome.

Tangtang sighed.

Until he arrived at the stream, he still didn't know how he could ask Lia and Bei to let him wander the forest alone.

Tangtang scoops the clear water to wash his face. The water is cold and refreshing to the skin. After a day of walking and digging roots, Tangtang has an urge to take off his clothes and soak. He is about to strip when a familiar voice calls him, "Tangtang!"

Before he could even turn around, he was hugged from behind.

"Hou?" The man didn't answer and just buried his head in his neck, making him feel a little ticklish. "What's wrong?" he asked, but the man still didn't answer.

In this one week, Tangtang's relationship with Hou became much closer. The man never failed to visit him and accompany him every day. The man even volunteered to become their group's escort every time they went out.

Hou was sweet, stubborn, and clingy, but based on others, he is aloof and scary, always getting angry about everything. This contrast only shows how cute Hou is. Of course, Tangtang knew why Hou was treating him differently.

He gently patted Hou's head and softly said, "Aren't you still happy when we parted earlier? Is there something that makes you upset?"

"Tangtang."

"Hmm?"

Hou didn't respond again, and Tangtang didn't talk anymore, just letting the man hug him. Until he felt the man sniffing his nape, making him giggle.

"Stop it, Hou!"

The man stopped, and Tangtang heard him mutter. "Tangtang, I like you. I like you so much."