‘This system…
I just finished a task this morning, and it really won’t give me a break.’
‘But the timing is just perfect.’
‘In that case, I’ll show you, my little taskmaster, what Shu Ning is made of!’
‘So now…
who should I go find?’
‘Xuan Lin?
We’re not close.
I already saw what he’s like on my first day, so I don’t dare provoke him for now.’
‘Xuan Mo?
We’re not close.
I was just attacked by the Black Snake Clan this morning, so I definitely don’t dare to look for him now.
Even though he saved me the day before yesterday, who knows if he was involved in the attack.’
‘Yiyuan?
He often brings me food, but that’s because I saved him before.
The original owner held that favor over his head, so that’s not a great option.’
‘Jintong?
We’re not close.
Just this afternoon, he told me he wished I’d never bother him again.’
‘Mo Li?
Heh, now he might be an option…’
‘Even though they all seem to despise me, the feeling I get from Mo Li is that…
he probably doesn’t hate me quite as much.’
After applying the pearl powder, Shu Ning set off for Mo Li’s cave once more.
This time, she chose to use Instant Teleportation.
She didn’t want to appear before him covered in sweat.
In the blink of an eye, Shu Ning appeared at the entrance to Mo Li’s cave—
“Mo Li…
Mo Li…” Shu Ning called out at his cave entrance.
‘Is Mo Li not in his cave again?’
‘Or maybe he’s already asleep.’
“Why are you looking for him again?”
Just as Shu Ning was about to go inside to check, she heard a deep, clear voice, its tone laced with impatience.
‘That familiar voice, that familiar tone…
It had to be that little fox.’
Shu Ning turned, about to talk back to him, but then she had a second thought.
‘I can’t do that.
He’s my Beast Husband, and I have to win him over, too.’
‘Besides, Mo Li probably isn’t in his cave, and I have no idea when or if he’ll be back tonight.’
“I…” She bit her lower lip gently, looking flustered and momentarily at a loss for words.
‘What excuse would be both reasonable and not make him dislike me even more?’
“You what?” Jintong asked, an indescribable emotion stirring within him as he watched her.
“I came to see if his wound is any better, and also to find you!” Shu Ning said, tilting her chin up to appear more credible.
When the man heard her say she was looking for Mo Li, his brows furrowed slightly.
‘She’s that concerned about him?’
“What do you want with me?” Jintong hadn’t expected her to say that, and for a moment, his deep eyes seemed to glitter like stars.
‘Then again, what else could a female be looking for a male for this late at night?’
‘This plump female couldn’t be thinking of…’
At that thought, a flash of disgust crossed Jintong’s fiery red eyes, and his handsome brows knitted together.
‘Yeah, what *do* I want with him?’
Shu Ning was once again plunged into an awkward silence.
‘I can’t just say I came to sleep with him.’
…
‘I’ve got it!’
“I came to tell you that I haven’t used your knife yet, so I’ll have to return it to you a little later,” Shu Ning said confidently.
‘I already saw the look of disgust in his eyes just now.’
‘This guy is going to be tough to win over.
I’d better back off for now.’
“Just for that?” Jintong looked at Shu Ning skeptically, his tightly furrowed brow relaxing a bit.
“Mhm.”
Seeing Shu Ning nod, he fell silent for a moment before his tone softened slightly.
“A little later is fine.
Just be quick about using it.”
With that, he left.
“You won’t be able to wait for Mo Li.
He just went out.
I’d advise you not to wait,” Jintong’s voice drifted back, fading into the distance.
Hearing Jintong’s last sentence, Shu Ning instantly deflated.
‘If I can’t find Mo Li, then I’ll just have to…
switch to another Beast Husband!’
But who should she find?
Shu Ning pondered this as she walked.
‘The other three…
they’ve all been on the receiving end of the original owner’s “tactics.” None of them are going to be easy to win over.’
Shu Ning decided to go find Yiyuan.
By now, the sky was completely dark.
The path was hard to make out, there was no moonlight, and she didn’t quite dare to walk alone at night.
She decided to use her Instant Teleportation ability again.
“Yiyuan…” Seeing a cave entrance, Shu Ning called out excitedly.
Hearing the female outside the cave calling another male’s name, Xuan Mo frowned slightly, not wanting to bother with her.
But the female kept shouting, grating on his nerves.
Shu Ning didn’t see Yiyuan and was about to head back when she suddenly saw a tall figure emerge from the dark cave, striding out slowly on long legs.
Shu Ning watched with anticipation, which then turned to confusion—
‘This figure…
doesn’t quite look like Yiyuan…’
‘It’s Xuan Mo!’ Shu Ning was stunned.
She reflexively clapped a hand over her mouth.
‘Did I use Instant Teleportation to the wrong place?’
Beneath the man’s jet-black hair were delicate features on a handsome face.
His skin was as cold and pale as ice, radiating a frosty air, and his beautiful eyes were glaring furiously at Shu Ning.
After getting a clear look at the female before him, the fury in his eyes vanished, replaced by a flash of astonishment.
‘It’s only been two days, but she doesn’t seem as plump as before.
Her face is cleaner, too.’
Seeing Xuan Mo staring at her with a strange expression, Shu Ning finally snapped back to her senses.
‘How could I have mixed up Yiyuan’s and Xuan Mo’s caves!’
“Um, sorry…
I came to the wrong place…” Shu Ning apologized.
After meeting the gaze of this divinely handsome male, Shu Ning turned away, her face burning and her heart pounding.
‘I don’t know if it’s because I’m flustered, or because I’m scared of him…’
Then she turned and bolted.
Ducking into the forest, Shu Ning prepared to use Instant Teleportation again.
‘I can’t mess up this time!’
…
When she opened her eyes again, she was at another cave entrance.
Shu Ning cautiously scanned her surroundings before breathing a sigh of relief and saying with certainty, “This should be the right place this time!”
“What’s the right place?” Yiyuan asked, looking down at Shu Ning.
He was lying on a tree branch in front of the cave, planning to sleep there for the night.
He had just closed his eyes when a female’s voice reached his ears.
‘But when did this female appear?’ He was a little surprised.
With his extremely strong Perception Power for ground vibrations, it should have been impossible for him not to notice any nearby movement, especially from this plump female.
Startled by the sudden voice, Shu Ning looked toward the sound and saw Yiyuan lying on his side on the thick branch of a crooked tree.
One hand propped up his handsome head while the other toyed with a leaf, his eyes fixed on her with amusement.
“N-Nothing.” Looking at the handsome man in the tree, Shu Ning remembered why she was here and spoke shyly.
“Are you getting ready to sleep?”
‘He’s not going to just sleep in the tree, is he?
What am I supposed to do then?’
“What do you want?” Yiyuan asked, continuing to toy with the leaf without looking at her.
Shu Ning swallowed hard, mustered her courage, and asked tentatively, “Um…
can I sleep here for a night?”
“Don’t you have your own cave?
Why must you come here?”
His gaze was deep, a faint smile in his eyes.
His stare lingered on her as if waiting for her next move.
“It’s not safe for me to be alone.
Can I just sleep here for one night?
I’ll have a door installed tomorrow, and then I won’t have to bother you again.”
“Why not go to the others?” Yiyuan asked, a playful look in his eyes.
‘This female always used to sleep by herself.
Why has she suddenly become so timid?’
“I don’t dare.
Because of how I treated them before…”
“Heh…
so you do remember what you’ve done in the past?” Yiyuan said mockingly.
…
“Didn’t you just take in two new Beast Husbands?” His tone soured as he thought about her recent activities.
“They…”
‘How was Shu Ning supposed to explain?
One of them couldn’t stand her, and the other was nowhere to be found.’
“Can’t I just sleep here with you?” Shu Ning blurted out, her face bright red.
She lowered her head, not daring to look at him anymore.
‘This is mortifying.
What girl is this forward?’
‘Will he agree?’