The clear, clean river and the distant mountain peaks combined to form a breathtaking landscape painting!
Shu Ning laboriously pulled some vines from a nearby bush.
Finding a rock that fit her hand, she placed the vines on a larger stone and began pounding them with all her might.
‘There’s no way I can wash off all this grime without a tool.’
After pounding it for a while, she shook off the debris, rinsed it clean, and a simple bathing scrub was complete.
Seeing no other Beastmen around, Shu Ning untied the animal skin she was wearing and waded into the clear river.
First, she scrubbed the animal skin clean and spread it out on a large rock to dry.
‘Even without laundry detergent, at least I can wash the sweat out of it.’
Next, she used the freshly made vine scrub to scrape off the layers of dirt from her body, over and over again.
Her oily, knotted hair was difficult to clean.
With no comb, she had no choice but to slowly detangle it with her fingers.
As Shu Ning washed, clouds of filth drifted away behind her in the river…
Humming a song, bathing in the sunlight, with the cool water flowing gently beneath her, Shu Ning, who had been tense all day, finally began to relax.
Looking at her reflection in the water, she saw her face was so fleshy it almost obscured her features.
And all those pimples…
Shu Ning closed her eyes, unwilling to look any longer.
‘The first step to changing myself is to wash this body clean.’
Engrossed in her bath, Shu Ning was completely unaware that a pair of dark green eyes was watching her lazily from a large, nearby tree.
The man’s brows were sharp as blades, his face cold and profound.
His long, muscular body had smooth lines, and every inch of him exuded a charming yet dangerous aura.
‘What is this female up to now?’ The man was puzzled when he saw Shu Ning making the scrubbing tool, but he felt no interest.
The moment he thought of the old Shu Ning—arrogant and domineering, always beating and cursing her Beast Husbands, clinging to them relentlessly—a fierce glint appeared in his eyes.
‘This female couldn’t be thinking of some new way to torment us, could she…’
HUFF…
He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and exhaled with impatience.
When he saw Shu Ning remove the animal skin from her body, Yiyuan’s pupils contracted.
‘What is she doing?
Doesn’t she know how many males are in this area?!’
He glanced around.
There had been plenty of males before he arrived, but ever since his appearance, all the surrounding animals had long since fled.
Because he was the most powerful python in the area.
Who would dare approach a python?
That would be courting death…
Suddenly recalling how the animals had just fled, Yiyuan finally felt relieved.
But then he remembered how this female, Shu Ning, had forced him to repay a debt of gratitude, and a wave of irritation washed over him.
Back then, he had accidentally fallen off a cliff.
He was covered in injuries, winter was approaching, and he desperately needed a large meal.
As he lay on the verge of death, this fat woman, Shu Ning, had found him and taken advantage of his weakness, threatening him to become her Beast Husband.
She would only save him if he agreed to be her Beast Husband.
At this thought, the ferocity in his eyes became fully apparent.
‘What does it matter to me if she gets seen naked!’
‘What’s there to see, with a body like hers.’
‘And that face that’s too ghastly to look at.’
‘Does she think a bath will change anything?
Don’t waste your effort.’
Shu Ning was so absorbed in her bath that she didn’t notice the male behind her, nor his inner turmoil.
After washing in the water for a good while, her originally dark and grimy skin finally became much fairer.
‘So this is my real skin tone!’ Shu Ning was delighted.
Just as she stood up and put on the now-dry animal skin, her stomach suddenly started to RUMBLE.
‘I’m so hungry…’
She hadn’t eaten anything all day, and with her physique, she needed more food than an ordinary person.
It was already evening.
‘Where can I find something to eat?
How did the old Shu Ning find food?’
‘Before she got married, her mother brought her food.
After she got married…
it was that green python…’
As she was spacing out, a large chunk of raw meat suddenly appeared in front of her with a THUD.
“Woah…”
Seeing such a large piece of meat, Shu Ning’s eyes instantly lit up.
“Eat it quickly.
And hurry back when you’re done,” Yiyuan said, his tone icy.
Seeing the female before him, her skin now white after being cleaned, a flicker of surprise, imperceptible to most, flashed in the depths of his eyes.
Only then did Shu Ning notice the man who had suddenly appeared beside her at some point.
The male before her had a cold and somber face.
His long, narrow eyes were as deep as a Deep Pool, his figure was slender, his skin as pale as jade, and his movements were silent.
‘Wait, are all snakes’ skin this pale?!’
‘The big Black Snake I met in the forest was like this, and so is this one.
It’s enough to make anyone envious.’
“Yi…
Yiyuan?” Shu Ning was surprised.
Looking at the handsome man before her, she was sure it was him.
She recalled how the old Shu Ning had forced him to become her Beast Husband, yet here he was, bringing her food.
‘Aren’t snakes supposed to be cold-blooded animals?
After all, I grew up hearing the story of the farmer and the snake.’
‘But when did he show up?
Or has he been here the whole time?
He couldn’t have seen everything, could he…’
At this thought, Shu Ning instantly blushed and lowered her head, not daring to look at him.
Yiyuan saw the blush on Shu Ning’s face.
‘This disgusting female can’t be narcissistic enough to think I was peeping on her bath, can she?’
At this thought, disgust showed in his eyes.
He turned away irritably, no longer looking at her.
“Thank you, but…
how do I eat this?” Shu Ning asked.
She suddenly remembered that the old Shu Ning would ravenously devour raw meat the moment she got it, finishing it in a flash as if afraid someone would snatch it from her.
Yiyuan was stunned by her question.
“Just gnaw on it.
That’s what you’ve always done.”
“Oh…
wait a moment.” The current Shu Ning had no intention of eating raw meat.
Looking at the setting sun, she wanted to see if *that* method would work.
Yiyuan didn’t answer.
‘Didn’t this female always wolf down meat the second she got it?
Besides, she hasn’t eaten all day.’
The Holy Female had stopped bringing her food after she and he became mates, in order to train her survival skills.
Besides him, her other Beast Husbands couldn’t care less if she lived or died.
If it weren’t for the fact that she had once saved him, he wouldn’t care about her either.
‘She woke up so late this morning, and she was busy marrying two new Beast Husbands.’
“…”
For some reason, Yiyuan’s irritation grew even stronger.
After a short while, Shu Ning returned from the nearby woods with some firewood she had gathered.
‘If only I had a knife.’
Looking at the man beside her, she suddenly noticed a sharp animal bone tucked at his narrow waist.
“Um, could I borrow that for a second?” Shu Ning asked, looking at his toned abs and pointing shyly at the bone at Yiyuan’s waist.
“What do you want it for?” Yiyuan looked down, his voice cold.
“You’ll see in a bit.
Just let me borrow it, please,” Shu Ning pleaded.
The sun was about to set; she couldn’t afford to waste any more time.
He didn’t know what she was up to, but seeing the sincerity in her eyes, Yiyuan still took the bone from his waist and handed it to her.
“Thanks!” Shu Ning quickly took the bone.
She sat on the ground, faced the sunset, sharpened a thin stick, and began to rapidly drill it into a thicker piece of wood.
Yiyuan couldn’t understand what she was doing, but he didn’t leave.
He was curious to see what this female was up to.
Shu Ning copied the method of drilling wood for fire that she had seen before, drilling with all her might.
Although the sun was about to set, it was still hot.
Before long, beads of sweat started to form on Shu Ning’s forehead.
…
An unknown amount of time passed.
Suddenly, a wisp of gray smoke began to rise slowly from the point of rotation.
Seeing this, a joyful expression appeared on Shu Ning’s face.
She quickened her hands, ignoring the sweat dripping from her forehead.
The gray smoke billowed, thicker and thicker…
Suddenly, a flame sparked—
She had succeeded!