A moment of silence—
“Go on,” Yiyuan said.
“Thank you!”
With his permission, Shu Ning’s expression relaxed, her eyes shining with joy.
“What about you?”
As she was about to go inside, a thought occurred to Shu Ning, and she turned to ask.
“What?
You want me to come in and sleep with you?”
Yiyuan raised an eyebrow slightly, a flicker of amusement in his eyes.
The corner of his mouth curved into a barely-there smile.
Faced with his unreadable expression, she averted her gaze, not daring to meet his eyes.
A hint of panic flashed in hers.
‘That’s exactly what I was thinking, but I’ve only been here for two days.
My body hasn’t changed much at all.’
‘Even with the system’s “help,” I’ve lost a fair bit, but it’s not that noticeable yet.’
‘I’m guessing the original owner weighed over three hundred and thirty pounds, maybe even five hundred and fifty.’
“You… Don’t get the wrong idea!
I was just asking.” After saying this, she practically fled into Yiyuan Cave.
‘I don’t want him to be disgusted with me.’
Lying on the bed, Shu Ning organized her thoughts.
‘My ability level is now Level 1, so I can use Instant Teleportation five times a day.’
‘Back at Level 0, every Instant Teleportation used up my fat energy.
Now that I’m Level 1, does it still consume energy?’
‘If it doesn’t, how am I supposed to lose weight quickly?’
“007, if I use Instant Teleportation now, will it still consume energy?”
“It will.” The system’s cold, mechanical voice sounded.
“A Level 1 ability user consumes less energy for Instant Teleportation than at Level 0.
The higher the Level, the lower the energy cost.”
“Can you be more specific?” Shu Ning asked.
“At Ability Level 0, one use of Instant Teleportation consumes 10 pounds of fat energy.
At Level 1, it consumes 9 pounds; at Level 2, 8 pounds; at Level 3, 7 pounds, and so on.”
“Now I can use Instant Teleportation 5 times a day.
Will I still faint after the last use?”
“You will not.”
“That’s good.”
‘In that case, with five uses of Instant Teleportation, I can lose almost 50 pounds a day.’
“007, do you know how much I weigh right now?” Shu Ning was desperate to know.
“450.”
‘That’s pretty close to what I guessed!’
‘If I use all my teleports every day, I can get down to the one-hundreds in just seven days!’
‘I’ve used it three times today.
I still have two left.
Can’t let them go to waste.’
Shu Ning glanced at a nearby rock and quickly used her remaining two charges of Instant Teleportation.
「Early the next morning.」
Shu Ning stretched, and when she got out of bed, she found a few wild fruits by her bedside.
She went outside to look but didn’t see Yiyuan.
‘Looks like he was up long before me.’
After finishing the fruit, she used Instant Teleportation to return to her own cave.
Looking at the large tree by the entrance of her cave, she decided it was time for some serious renovations.
She pulled a chainsaw from her space and got to work.
…
She didn’t finish until the afternoon.
“I’m such a smart and capable woman!”
Shu Ning admired her finished work, which had taken nearly the entire day, and couldn’t help but praise herself.
She was exhausted and drenched in sweat.
After a short rest, she decided to go to the river to bathe.
One Instant Teleportation [1 use] brought her to the same spot by the river where she had bathed before.
This time, she’d brought a 3-in-1 body wash and planned to give herself a thorough cleaning from head to toe.
Shu Ning caught her reflection in the water and was amazed to see that the acne and sores on her face were mostly gone.
‘It looks like the pearl powder Shuting gave me really works!’
Excited, Shu Ning splashed the water, humming a tune as she continued to wash.
‘This body wash is surprisingly good.
And it smells nice, too.’
Shu Ning’s mood improved even more.
After finishing her bath and getting dressed, Shu Ning decided to take a walk along the riverbank.
The towering trees, the fish in the water, the birds and beasts—everything seemed to exist in perfect harmony.
‘Sleeping in Yiyuan Cave last night probably doesn’t count as completing the mission.
Looks like I’ll have to figure something else out.’
Before she knew it, she had wandered back to the tribe.
But today, a commotion was centered around the Sacrificial Altar.
Beastmen were flocking to the area.
“Did you hear?
They’re holding a sacrificial ceremony over at the Sacrificial Altar!”
“I heard.
They say the Beastman being sacrificed committed some kind of crime.”
“What’s going on?” Shu Ning was curious and went over to see what the fuss was about.
She pushed through the crowd and looked up.
To her shock, Xuan Mo was the one tied up.
He was covered in wounds, with blood trickling from his mouth.
His eyes were lowered, making it impossible to tell if they were open or closed, and his head hung limply.
She quickly stepped forward and furiously demanded, “Why did you tie up Xuan Mo?”
“He harmed a Wolf Clan Beastman, so he must receive his due punishment,” the High Priest said.
“Harmed a Wolf Clan Beastman?
When did he do that?!” As soon as the words left her mouth, Shu Ning remembered what had happened the day before.
“The Black Snake Clan that attacked us yesterday, have you forgotten?” one of the Wolf Clan Beastmen exclaimed.
It was one of the Beastmen who had returned from the Jiao Clan with her the day before.
“He wasn’t even there yesterday!” Shu Ning shot back, her voice rising with agitation.
“He’s the only Black Snake in the entire Wolf Clan!
He must have tipped off the Black Snake Clan.
How else could it be such a coincidence?”
“Exactly, we almost died there!” another Wolf Clan Beastman chimed in.
“Just because he’s a Black Snake, you’re concluding he was involved?
If you’re sure he was an accomplice to that group from the Black Snake Clan, then present your evidence!”
The memory of being ambushed by the Black Snake Clan yesterday was still fresh in her mind, but she was certain Xuan Mo hadn’t been there.
He had just saved her the day before.
As a Wolf Clan Beastman, her sense of smell was keen; she knew his scent.
The two Beastmen she had called out were momentarily speechless.
They exchanged a glance, their eyes betraying a hint of panic.
“We saw him,” a Beastman said suddenly.
“Right, right, we saw him!” the other one chimed in.
“Alright.
Is there any other evidence?”
“No,” a Beastman said.
A crafty glint flashed in Shu Ning’s eyes.
“I saw you steal my necklace yesterday.
Give it back,” Shu Ning said, holding her hand out to the Beastman expectantly.
“You’re talking nonsense!
When did I steal your necklace?
Do you have any proof?” The Beastman blurted out before realizing his mistake.
“So, you have absolutely no evidence.
You just made up a story that Xuan Mo attacked you and tipped off his clan?” Shu Ning pressed.
“High Priest, you heard them.
I accuse these two of falsely accusing my Beast Husband!” Shu Ning said, turning to the High Priest beside her.
“Granted,” the High Priest said.
“Guards, drag them away!”
Shu Ning watched the two Beastmen being dragged away, then quickly ran to Xuan Mo’s side to untie him.
“It’s over.
Everyone, disperse,” the High Priest called out.
The crowd began to disperse.
The moment he was free, Xuan Mo collapsed.
Shu Ning rushed to support him.
Shu Ning was horrified when she saw the grievous wounds covering his body.
“Xuan Mo?
Xuan Mo, wake up!
Wake up,” Shu Ning pleaded, carefully supporting his back.
His body wracked with pain, Xuan Mo struggled to lift his heavy eyelids, but he couldn’t open them.
He only saw a blurry figure and heard someone calling his name.
And then he passed out cold.