Help! I transmigrated to a Beast World-Chapter 91: Between the Bone and the Beast

Zi Jue gasped.

She felt his hand push deeper, felt his fingers wrap around something vital and essential in her chest.

Her heart.

"I wish," Sha Chen said, "it hadn’t come to this. I truly wish."

Then he PULLED.

Zi Jue’s scream cut off, and her eyes went wide.

She looked down.

At Sha Chen’s hand.

At her HEART.

Still beating in his palm.

"Oh," she whispered.

"Oh."

"Oh no."

Then she fell, her body hitting the ground with a dull thud.

Still.

Silent.

Dead.

Sha Chen stood there, still holding Zi Jue’s heart in his hand, and watching it give one last feeble beat.

Then stop.

He dropped it.

Let it fall beside her body.

And stared at what he had done.

His hand was covered in her blood. Dark. Thick. Still warm, and he looked at it. The blood dripping from his fingers. The flesh under his claws.

He let out a long, heavy sigh.

"Hmm."

This. This was who he was.

A wolf with quite the temper.

Always swinging between extremes. Cruel one moment. Almost kind the next. Never quite balanced. Never quite stable.

It was exhausting.

He looked down at Zi Jue’s body. At her face, frozen in shock and terror.

Cruelty.

The word echoed in his mind.

He had killed Měi Lán’s mate once. Years ago. Had slaughtered her entire tribe just to take her. Because she was beautiful. Because he wanted her in his harem.

He remembered the way she had screamed. The way she had fought. The way she had eventually......given up.

And now she lived in his territory. Comfortable. Resigned. Broken.

Sha Chen let out another sigh, this one much deeper and heavier.

There it was again. That feeling. That awful, gnawing feeling he tried so hard to ignore.

Self-loathing.

He hated himself.

Sort of.

Not completely. Not enough to change, apparently. But enough to feel it like a weight in his chest. He did not have to be cruel.

Mama had taught him that. Had shown him there were other ways to be strong. Other ways to lead.

But old habits were hard to break.

He had torn Xin Yi from Qing Lin. Had threatened the snake king’s life. Had forced her into his harem through manipulation and fear.

And now he had killed Zi Jue.

His jaw clenched.

She tried to kill Xin Yi, he reminded himself. She broke into her room with a knife. She would have murdered her in her sleep.

He was not sorry for killing her.

She deserved it.

But......

"If only it hadn’t come to this," he whispered to the darkness.

If only Zi Jue had controlled her jealousy. If only she had listened to his warnings. If only she had been less consumed by rage.

Then maybe she would still be alive.

Maybe.

He looked down at her body again. Then began the grim work of finding a burial spot.

~

The grave was deep. Hidden. Far from any path where someone might stumble upon it.

Sha Chen laid Zi Jue’s body down with surprising gentleness. Arranged her limbs, closed her eyes.

"You were loyal," he said quietly. "For three years. You served well. I failed you. I should have......I should have been clearer. Firmer. Should have removed you from the harem when I saw how bitter you had become."

He started covering her with earth.

"But I did not. And now you are dead. And I am....." He paused. "I am still here. Still cruel. Still unable to control this thing inside me."

The last of the dirt covered her face.

Sha Chen stood, looking up at the full moon hanging large and bright in the night sky.

Beautiful.

Serene.

Mocking him with its peace.

It would be nice to go on a run. To let the wolf take over. To stop thinking. Stop feeling. Yes, that would be nice.

He shifted.

Bones cracking, fur sprouting, his form expanding until a massive white and black wolf stood where the man had been.

And he ran.

Through the forest. Over streams. Past sleeping prey. Under the moonlight.

Just running. Trying to outrun the guilt. Trying to outrun himself.

~

Morning came too quickly.

Sha Chen had returned to the settlement just before dawn. He bad washed the blood from his hands and then changed into clean clothes.

Now he stood in the main courtyard, preparing for the journey to the Temple of Mán Shū.

Xin Yi emerged from her room, dressed in traveling clothes that Ài Yún had prepared. Her beautiful hair was braided, much better than what Zhao Li had done during the ceremony.

And she was looking around. Searching.

"Where is Zi Jue, Sha Chen?" she asked. "I want to give her a piece of my mind for trying to kill me! Where is she?"

Sha Chen’s expression remained perfectly neutral. "She is dead."

Xin Yi froze.

Completely froze.

"Wh......what?"

"Dead," he repeated, his voice flat. "She will not bother you again."

"But... how? When? What—"

"Does it matter?" He looked at her directly. His eyes were distant, but he had some bags under them. "She tried to murder you. The penalty for that is death."

Xin Yi’s face had gone pale. "You......you killed her?"

"Yes. I ripped out her heart."

Xin Yi took a step back, her eyes wide with fear. He killed Zi Jue? Just like that?

"Oh." Her voice was small. "I.....I see."

[DING! (⁠・⁠o⁠・⁠)]

[Host is SCARED of Sha Chen now]

[Can’t say I blame her!]

[He literally ripped someone’s heart out! ☆]

Měi Lán appeared, carrying supplies. "Alpha, I have prepared food and water for the journey. I will accompany you to—"

"No," Sha Chen said.

She blinked. "What?"

"You will stay here. Only Xin Yi and I will go to the temple."

"But Alpha, the path is dangerous! Surely you need—"

"No," Xin Yi interrupted. Her voice was shaking slightly but firm. "Ài Yún must come. At least one of them. I will not go alone with.....with..."

She could not finish the sentence.

With a killer.

With someone who could rip hearts out.

Sha Chen’s jaw clenched. He wanted to argue. Wanted to say she would be safe with him. That he would never hurt HER.

But the fear in her eyes stopped him.

"Fine," he said. The word came out harsh. "Ài Yún can come."

Ài Yún looked between them nervously. "I......of course, Alpha. I would be honored."

Sha Chen walked to the center of the courtyard. "We leave now. The temple is half a day’s journey. We will need to move quickly."

He began to shift, his body expanding. Fur rippling across his skin. Bones reshaping with those awful cracking sounds. Within moments, a massive wolf stood before them.

White fur with black markings that looked like ink stains. Easily the size of a horse. Maybe a little larger. His white eyes glowing in the morning light.

Magnificent.

Terrifying.

Beautiful.

Despite her fear, Xin Yi found herself staring, admiring the sheer power and grace of his wolf form.

"Wow," she whispered.

[DING! (◕‿◕)]

[Host is impressed despite being scared!]

[Typical! ☆]

Sha Chen lowered himself slightly, making it easier to climb onto his back.

Xin Yi hesitated, and cast a glance at Ài Yún.

Ài Yún had also shifted. A smaller wolf with silver-gray fur. She nodded encouragingly.

Taking a deep breath, Xin Yi approached Sha Chen. Placed her hand on his fur.

Soft. So soft.

She climbed on carefully, settled herself on his back, and gripped his fur tightly.

"Hold on," his voice rumbled. Deeper in this form. More animal.

Then they were off. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

RUNNING.

No. Not running.

FLYING across the ground.

Trees blurred past. Wind whipped through Xin Yi’s hair. The world became a streak of greens and browns and blues.

"AHHHHH!" She clutched his fur tighter, pressing her body flat against his back.

[DING! (≧▽≦)]

[Host is experiencing SPEED!]

[Wolf form = VERY FAST!]

[Try not to fall off! ☆]

It was exhilarating.

And absolutely terrifying.

Xin Yi squeezed her eyes shut, and tried not to think about how fast they were moving. How high they were jumping over obstacles. How ONE wrong move could send her flying.

Instead, her mind drifted back to last night.

To Zi Jue.

Dead.

Killed by Sha Chen.

She had tried to kill Xin Yi, yes. Had come into her room with a knife. With murder in her eyes.

But still......

To have her heart literally ripped out?

That was brutal. Savage. Cruel.

And Sha Chen had done it without hesitation.

What kind of man—what kind of WOLF—could do that so easily?

A dangerous one, she thought. A very, very dangerous one.

She was going to the temple with him. Alone. Well, with Ài Yún, but still.

What if he decided SHE was a threat? What if she made him angry? What if—

"Stop thinking so much," Sha Chen’s voice rumbled beneath her. "You are safe with me."

"How did you—"

"I can feel your heart racing. Feel your fear." He sounded......almost sad. "I will not hurt you, Xin Yi. I promise."

She said nothing.

Just held on tighter.

And tried to believe him.

But the image of Zi Jue’s heart in his hand kept flashing through her mind.

He killed her. He killed her. He killed her.

"System," she thought desperately. "Will I be safe? With him?"

[DING! (⁠;⁠ŏ⁠﹏⁠ŏ)]

[Statistically speaking? Probably!]

[He seems VERY protective of you!]

[But also VERY unstable!]

[So......70% safe? Maybe 65%? ☆]

"That is NOT reassuring!"

[Would you prefer I lie to you?]

[Because I can totally do that!]

[You’re COMPLETELY safe! Nothing bad will happen! Trust the murder wolf! ☆]

"I hate you so much."

[Love you too, Host! (◠‿◠)]

Xin Yi opened her eyes slightly. The landscape was still blurring past. The mountains were getting closer. Taller. More imposing. Somewhere up there was the Temple of Mán Shū. Somewhere up there were answers.

About her mark. About the goddess. About why she had been brought to this world.

About why transmigrators existed at all.

She needed those answers.

She closed her eyes again.

And held on.

~

[DING! (◕‿◕)]

[Journey Progress: 25%]

[Estimated Arrival: 3-4 hours]

[Host’s Terror Level: Still High!]

[Sha Chen’s Guilt Level: Also High!]

[This is going to be an INTERESTING trip! ☆]