The female's face went ashen with pain, and tears welled in her eyes. Startled, Xi immediately let go of her hand and tossed the sharp object into the river.
His blue eyes grew misty. His heart aching, he took her hand and gently blew on the wound. "Ah Jin, don't cry, don't cry. I'll blow on it, and it'll stop hurting~"
The faint, snake-like pattern on the wound, which had been barely visible before, didn't fade. Instead, upon absorbing her blood, it grew even more brilliant and red, as if it had a life of its own, wrapping around her with aggressive tightness.
'He'd been too reckless.'
He'd seen the females of his tribe break mate contracts this way before. That's why, in his desperation, he had resorted to such an extreme method.
Self-blame and regret flooded his mind. Seeing her small face scrunched up in pain, Xi grew so distraught he was on the verge of tears.
