Chapter 10: A Strange Feeling
With a soft sigh, Wen Nanxi gently smoothed her hair.
“As long as you’re alright.”
“You’ll catch a cold coming out with wet hair. Let’s go back inside.” With that, Wen Nanxi gently scooped her up into his arms and carried her into the house.
Su Muyao hadn’t expected him to be the one to initiate contact. Caught completely off guard, she reflexively wrapped her arms around his neck. As he held her, Wen Nanxi could smell the faint, fragrant scent coming from her.
Seeing Wen Nanxiāof all peopleāholding Su Muyao was so unprecedented that both Xiao Jihan and Hua Linye stared in utter shock. Wen Nanxi might seem as gentle as jade, but he wasn’t an easy person to get along with. In the past, whenever Su Muyao had tried to get close to him, she had never succeeded. And now, he was holding her voluntarily.
Complex expressions flickered across Xiao Jihan and Hua Linye’s faces. They followed them into the courtyard, shutting and locking the gate behind them.
At that moment, the Pocket Dimension System’s excited voice rang out in Su Muyao’s mind. “Host, quick, get him to hold you more! If you hug him back, hold on tight and kiss him, you might unlock some access and get a resource drop!”
The system knew how badly its host needed supplies.
If I do that, he’ll probably throw me across the room, Su Muyao thought back.
“Host, the fact that he’s holding you means he doesn’t dislike you! For the sake of supplies, you have to be bold! Go for it! Think of all those warehouses you stocked, Host! So many of them!”
Su Muyao was indeed tempted. But she wasn’t about to throw herself at him. Still, since he had been the one to pick her up, surely it was okay to hold on for just a little longer, right?
Wen Nanxi, of course, was oblivious to her internal debate. He carried her into the room and gently set her down on the bed.
Su Muyao didn’t let go, keeping her arms around his neck while she silently pleaded, Come on, System, unlock something!
Noticing that she wasn’t releasing him, Wen Nanxi looked down at her, his voice gentle. “Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”
Su Muyao bit her lip, squeezed her eyes shut, and braced herself. “I’m a little scared,” she forced out. Goodness knows, after saying that, she wished she could find a hole to crawl into.
Hearing this, Wen Nanxi’s heart softened. He held her a little tighter, comforting her in a soft voice, “Don’t be afraid. I’m right here. I won’t let any mutated beasts hurt you.”
That was the scene Xiao Jihan and Hua Linye walked in on. For reasons neither could explain, a strange emotion flickered through their hearts. Their gazes were drawn involuntarily to Su Muyao. Tucked into Wen Nanxi’s embrace, the scarred half of her face was hidden, leaving only one perfect cheek visible. In the lamplight, her skin was as fair as snow. Having just bathed, she seemed to exude an ethereal, otherworldly aura.
Both Xiao Jihan and Hua Linye’s gazes wavered. They had never really looked at her closely before.
Just then, the system squealed with excitement. “Host, some seasoning packets have been released into the dimension! You can let go of Wen Nanxi now!”
Hearing this, Su Muyao quickly pulled away from his embrace.
“I… I’m okay now!” She didn’t dare look at Wen Nanxi, afraid he would see that she was just using him as a tool.
Wen Nanxi gave a warm smile. “Your hair is still wet. You’ll catch a cold.” He took out a clean cloth and began to dry her hair.
Hua Linye hesitated for a moment before stepping forward. “Let me.”
As he spoke, he activated his ability. A scorching heat radiated from his palm, drying her hair instantly. Su Muyao was amazed; this was far more effective than any hairdryer. What surprised her even more, however, was that Hua Linye, who despised her so much, would offer to do this. According to her predecessor’s memories, he had never done anything like this before.
As he drew closer, Hua Linye caught a faint, pleasant scent, like warm pheromones. It was completely different from her old scent. As a fox-beastman, his sense of smell was extremely acute. A suspicious look appeared on his face; he found it hard to believe. But as he focused, he was certain her pheromones had changed. Before, her scent had been dark, cold, and repulsive. Now, it was as warm as sunshine, making him unable to resist the craving to get closer.
A dazed, almost intoxicated look appeared in Hua Linye’s foxy eyes. He nearly lost control of the heat he was emitting, and a small flame shot out from his fingertips.
“Careful!”
Xiao Jihan instantly extinguished the flicker of fire with a blast of cold air.
Hua Linye snapped back to his senses, apologizing hastily. “I’m sorry!”
Su Muyao waved her hand. “It’s fine, it’s fine.” She secretly suspected that he hated her so much he actually wanted to burn her to death. “In any case, thank you all for protecting me tonight.” She still needed them, so it was best to keep things on good terms.
“Protecting you is our duty,” Wen Nanxi said gently.
Su Muyao didn’t buy it. In the past, when mutated beasts had appeared in the middle of the night, they hadn’t killed them in time, and one had gotten into the yard. The shock had made her predecessor sick for days. Even if they couldn’t let her die, they had plenty of ways to torment her. This time, their swift and decisive action deserved acknowledgment.
“To show my gratitude, I’ll make you all something delicious tomorrow. I’ll handle breakfast.”
Hua Linye spoke up. “I will take care of you tomorrow, my lady.” It was indeed his turn to stay home and look after her, while Wen Nanxi and Xiao Jihan went out to hunt.
Su Muyao secretly wished Wen Nanxi could stay with her, but she felt that would be unfair, since hunting was dangerous.
A thought then occurred to her. “What’s the deal with these mutated beasts?” It seemed that even staying within the tribe wasn’t entirely safe. When faced with any trouble, her predecessor would just hide in fear, so she knew nothing about them. But Su Muyao was no clinging vine; she wasn’t used to relying on others. She had no choice but to depend on them while she was weak, but once her strength returned, she would kill these beasts herself.
Wen Nanxi explained, “Wild animals mutate after they are corrupted by a strange black energy. Once they become mutated beasts, their strength increases inexplicably, and they instinctively attack and kill beastmen. Normally, they only roam in the mountains and forests and avoid beastmen settlements. But on the night of the full moon, they will charge into the tribes and attack recklessly. Their meat is poisonous and fatal if eaten…”
He gave her a brief overview of the situation.
Su Muyao’s expression grew serious. Corrupted by a dark energy?
“Do you know what kind of dark energy it is?”
“No one knows,” Wen Nanxi said in a low voice. “The farther north you go, into the colder regions, the more mutated beasts there are. That’s why most beastmen who commit crimes are exiled here, to the Beiluo Tribe.”
With so many mutated beasts here, it was convenient for the exiled beastmen to kill them. It was also a way of letting them fend for themselves. The Beiluo Tribe may seem to have a large population, but the number of casualties each year was also very high.
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