Chapter 19: The Fire Poison
The tingling, trembling sensation that shot through her body left her completely defenseless. Hua Linye’s foxy eyes were slightly hooded, filled with an intense craving. It was an instinctual desire for her, a need to be closer…
It was as if his body was no longer under his control.
It wasn’t enough. Still not enough.
He wanted to press even closer against her. His spiritual form’s nine tails had her completely entangled, yet he was careful not to hurt her. She smelled so good.
“Hua Linye, wake up.”
“Don’t you despise me?”
“Look at me. Who am I?” Su Muyao tried to pull away, but it was useless.
“Don’t… don’t bite…”
His head lowered to her neck. He was still in his fox spirit form, and it felt as if he was about to bite her. Su Muyao’s eyelashes fluttered. But the pain she expected never came. There was only the feeling of warm breath against her skin.
Su Muyao had never been in a situation like this before, and her entire body went limp.
“Hua Linye!”
She hadn’t expected that calling his name would come out in such a soft, sweet voice, almost like she was whining. No, that wasn’t her voice. She refused to acknowledge it.
Su Muyao snapped her mouth shut. If this continued, she was sure he would devour her right here in his sea of consciousness. She knew he was still trapped in his berserk state and wasn’t sure if he had recovered. She once again used her wood-elemental ability to soothe him.
Only when his eyes finally calmed did Su Muyao quickly exit his spiritual sea. But she had used too much of her power. When her consciousness returned to her body, her legs gave out from under her.
Just as she stumbled, Hua Linye, now awake and back in his human form, caught her in his arms.
“Wife Master, be careful.”
He held her in a way that pulled her directly into his embrace. When he looked down at her, his eyes were filled with a gentle, lingering tenderness.
Every time he went berserk, he would be trapped in that scene from his youth, feeling as if he were dying in the snow. Even after waking up, his body would be weak for a long time. But this time, she had broken through it all, appearing before him like a ray of sunlight.
In that moment, he thought she was beautiful. So incredibly beautiful. And her face… it was her true face, without the disfigurement. The scent he had picked up before hadn’t been wrong; her aura was as fragrant as flowers and as warm as the sun. In the chaos of his spiritual sea, his subconscious had instinctively clung to her, pressed against her. He had even wanted to…
A hint of restraint flickered in Hua Linye’s eyes. He held her, unwilling to let go.
Su Muyao gently pushed against his chest, feeling the solidness of his body, the power in the muscles beneath her hand. Her palm felt like it had been scorched, and she quickly pulled it back.
“You can… you can let me go now.”
Just then, the System spoke up. “Host, let him hug you! I got a small upgrade! The farmland in the dimension has doubled, it’s one mu now! And a small well has appeared with spiritual spring water in it!”
“There’s not much, but it’s real spiritual spring water.”
Hearing this, Su Muyao was thrilled. Spiritual spring water could strengthen the body, help with detoxification, refine one’s constitution, and even help restore abilities. The benefits were endless.
Su Muyao sent her consciousness into the dimension for a quick look and indeed saw the well. There wasn’t much water in it, though.
As if knowing what she was thinking, the System said, “As long as the Host has more intimate contact with the beastmen husbands, the spiritual spring water will increase.”
Hua Linye, still holding Su Muyao, felt a deep reluctance when she asked him to let go. He didn’t know what was wrong with him. Perhaps it was because this was the first time his rampaging spiritual sea had ever been soothed, and his spirit had developed a sense of dependency on her.
Hua Linye slowly released Su Muyao. When he looked down at her, his eyes still held a trace of infatuation.
Once he let her go, Su Muyao was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. She looked at him. “How is your body feeling now? Are you better?”
“Yes, I’m fine now.”
“What’s the deal with the fire poison in your body?” When she had channeled her wood-elemental energy into him, she had felt the tyrannical poison raging within him.
Hua Linye’s expression dimmed, a bitter look on his face. “It’s a fire poison they put in me when I was a child.”
“You mean the people from the Xu family?” Su Muyao knew that Hua Linye came from the noble Xu family of the Beast Imperial City. He was the son of the Xu family head, but he didn’t share their surname, having taken his father’s name, Hua.
“Yes. To make me easier to control.”
As if remembering something, Su Muyao said, “I’m sorry. It was because of me that you were forced to marry me and become my beastman husband. You’ve suffered.”
The original owner had abused them so terribly, yet they had endured it. Not only were they mocked and looked down upon because of her, but they were also forced into exile with her. On the road, they had been hunted by countless assassins and beasts, and they had risked everything to protect her, nearly losing their lives several times.
Years ago, at the Imperial Beast Banquet, the original owner had laid eyes on the Xu family’s brilliant heir, Xu Hejing. Relying on her father’s merits and background, she tried to force the young master to marry her. The Xu family had no choice but to agree. But in the end, they pulled a switch, sending the disfavored son, Hua Linye, to marry her instead.
The original owner had been furious but helpless. The Xu family head had promised to give her a son of the Xu family, and Hua Linye was technically a son of the family. The Xu family was in the right. And since they would never give her both sons, the original owner had no choice but to accept it. So, she vented all her rage on Hua Linye, and he had silently endured it all.
Thinking of those memories, Su Muyao sighed. He was a pitiful one, too.
Hua Linye reached out and gently tucked a strand of hair that the wind had blown out of place behind her ear. His movements were tender and meticulous. “It’s not your fault. And leaving the Xu family was the better choice for me at the time. The fire poison was put in me long ago, just as a way to control me.”
As he said this, Hua Linye checked the poison within himself and suddenly froze. “The fire poison… it’s been suppressed. And some of it is gone.”
He looked at Su Muyao in utter disbelief. Her healing ability could cure the fire poison? But how was that possible? The Xu family had sworn that their poison was a unique secret medicine that no one could cure. He had secretly sought out countless powerful shamans, and none of them had been able to do anything.
Su Muyao said seriously, “Don’t worry. Once my ability gets stronger, I’ll be able to remove the poison completely. For now, I can only help you get rid of it little by little. But I can help you suppress it.”
Some of the herbs in the valley were perfect for suppressing fire poison. She had a way to keep it under control so he wouldn’t have to suffer. She couldn’t imagine how he managed to endure the pain of the fire poison all this time, acting as if nothing was wrong. His tolerance was unbelievable.
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