Su Qinglan packed up quickly after finishing the wine. She was still so excited about the rice that she could barely sit still. She checked everything one last time and then turned to Xuan Long with a bright grin.
"Let's go now!" she said eagerly, already stepping toward the cave entrance.
The air outside was warm and clear, and the forest stretched endlessly under the blue sky. Su Qinglan's heart fluttered with excitement. But when she looked back, Xuan Long was still standing inside the cave, not moving even a little.
She blinked. "Xuan Long? Aren't you coming?"
He looked at her calmly, his emerald green eyes steady. "You can't walk that far."
"What?" she asked in a confused tone. "Why not? You said it's close!"
"It is close," he said evenly, "if I walk in my beast form. But if you walk, it will be night before we reach there. And you are carrying cubs. It's not safe to walk so far."
Su Qinglan stared at him for a second, then frowned. "Wait, so what do we do then?"
