After washing the grapes, Elvis ordered the group to carry them back to the stone castle. He then handed Gu Mengmeng over to Lea, while he went to the forest to find a suitable tree to make wooden barrels to store the wine.
Lea maintained a faint smile throughout the entire journey back. He ignored Gregory’s lingering looks at Gu Mengmeng. Exhibiting no signs of jealousy, it was as if Lea completely did not care.
The stone castle housed two Beast Kings and the Ninth Highness, so outsiders were naturally not allowed to enter at will. Therefore, apart from those helping to carry the grapes back, the rest of the tribe returned to their own homes after washing the grapes.
Only Gu Mengmeng, Lea, Gregory, Auretin and Sandy’s family were at the stone castle.
Gu Mengmeng filled two large basins with grapes. She gave one to Sandy for her to bring back to eat. For the other one, she asked Lea to keep for their own consumption.
Gu Mengmeng then asked the small snakes to crush the remaining grapes to pulp, like they did last year.
Sandy was very curious about this process and showered Gu Mengmeng with questions, to which Gu Mengmeng answered them all patiently.
Only when Elvis and some other men returned with the newly-created wooden barrels and the temporary seals for the stone basins, did Sandy finally settle down. She tugged at Gu Mengmeng. “Eh, that fellow is looking at you all funny.”
Gu Mengmeng turned to look and Gregory instantly shifted his gaze. His movement was very stiff, which made him look rather suspicious. Nonetheless, Gu Mengmeng didn’t think much of it. After all, he had declared right from the start that he didn’t fancy her. He wouldn’t be slapping himself in the face like that now, would he?
Sandy clicked her tongue when she saw that Gu Mengmeng was not interested. She then went to poke at Lea. “Eh, that bird beast is powerful and good-looking. He is on a completely different level from you and Elvis. If Gu Mengmeng accepts him, you might lose your most favored status.”
Lea just smiled nonchalantly. “What can I do? Our Mengmeng is so exceptional that it is inevitable that others will fall in love with her on first sight. If I have to guard against every one of them, then the whole world would become my love rival.”
Sandy raised one brow. Did Lea get slammed in the head? Why had his personality suddenly changed? Wasn’t he always treating her as a love rival and threatening her?
What did he say the previous time? That she should be thankful she was a female or he would have definitely killed her in case she tried to snatch over Gu Mengmeng’s affections.
Why was he pretending to be so magnanimous now?
Lea seemed to have seen through Sandy’s thoughts. “Anyway, Gregory is only staying here for a month, and will be returning to the Motou mountains after that. Even if he mates with Mengmeng now, he can only be her lover for about 10 more days… as for me, I can bear anything as long as Mengmeng is happy. So if Mengmeng wishes to accept him, I can endure those 10 days.”
Gregory clenched his fists at Lea’s words.
His heart constricted unbearably, but he could not fathom why.
He had set down the deadline himself, to leave in 10 days time.
He was the leader of the vulture tribe and had only come down to fulfill the marriage contract. But the Heart of the Desert now resided in the body of a male, and he could not fulfill the contract anymore. There was no longer any reason for him to stay on.
He had to return to the Motou mountains to continue protecting the sacred grounds of the vulture tribe.
He would probably never ever descend the mountains again.
So, he would never see her again after 10 more days?
That radiant her.
That assertive her.
10 more days…
And then he would never see her again?
Why was he feeling so uncomfortable all over?
Gregory’s brows were deeply furrowed. He could not explain this bizarre phenomenon happening to his body.
Perhaps he had been down from the mountains for too long, and was not used to this type of environment.
10 days.
He could return in 10 days.
Everything would be fine after he returned… right?