Chu Liangyu’s hazy consciousness cleared for a single moment, but only for an instant before it was drowned by endless lust, and she was utterly consumed.
After a long while, the shameless sounds finally ceased.
At the same time, the heat left Chu Liangyu’s body, and her mind cleared.
Other than feeling utterly exhausted, she felt no discomfort. On the contrary, she felt quite content.
As Chu Liangyu stared into space, she suddenly felt a scorching gaze fixed on her.
She instinctively glanced back. The usual indifference in Hu Qiumu’s eyes was gone. They were now tinged with red, and as he looked at her, they seemed to brim with deep affection.
Those fox-like eyes were endlessly alluring, making Chu Liangyu’s heart flutter. She cleared her throat. "Why are you here?"
"That’s a question you should be asking yourself, Female Master."
"Hm? Ask me?"
Chu Liangyu blinked, not quite understanding.
"The Black Snake Blood acts as an aphrodisiac. It would be best if you applied less next time, Female Master." The corners of Hu Qiumu’s lips curved upward, his tone unreadable.
’Too clever by half.’ The phrase suddenly came to Chu Liangyu’s mind, and she slowly felt her face grow hot.
But it wasn’t a total loss. At least now, Xiong Xianhui wouldn’t be so biased against her.
As for Hu Qiumu’s attitude, that was an unexpected bonus.
"Yes, I know."
The blush faded from Chu Liangyu’s face, her tone returning to normal as she responded.
Seeing her about to get dressed and leave the bed, with no intention of speaking to him further, the warmth that had filled Hu Qiumu’s heart instantly turned to ice.
"It’s so dark out. Where are you going, Female Master?"
Chu Liangyu’s body stiffened. She had, of course, noticed the change in his tone.
He had a point. It was this late; where could Chu Liangyu possibly go?
Clearing her throat, Chu Liangyu put on a smile, her voice turning alluring and soft, full of seductive promise. "In that case, I won’t go. I’ll stay here and keep you company tonight."
"If you want to leave, Female Master, I won’t stop you."
Chu Liangyu scoffed inwardly. ’So much for women being the ones who say one thing and do another; men are just the same.’
’From the look in Hu Qiumu’s eyes, if she dared to step out of this room, she could forget about ever seeing him again.’
’Still, he was a man. All it took was a little sweet-talking.’
"I wasn’t leaving. I just wanted to go wash up in the stream."
"See? I’m all grimy. I must stink."
Every inch of her was like a divine work of art; even the filth on her skin was like icing on the cake.
A single, casual movement from Chu Liangyu could reveal endless allure.
Hu Qiumu watched her quietly, his eyes dark and profound, like a long-starving wolf.
"A bath? In that case, I’ll accompany you, Female Master."
Chu Liangyu sighed. She said nothing, and the two of them simply walked out the door.
The stream water was cool. It took Chu Liangyu a long while to get used to it.
On the bank, Hu Qiumu watched her without a word.
In that moment, he looked like an elegant, abstinent young master.
"Aren’t you going to wash?"
"What, does my Female Master want me to join her?"
Chu Liangyu chuckled, a little exasperated by his outwardly cool but inwardly passionate nature. She decided to play along. "Yes, I want you to join me."
Hu Qiumu, who had been desperately trying to restrain himself, finally lost the battle. With a SPLASH, he landed precisely next to Chu Liangyu.
As for how wild the rest of the night was... well, that is not for outsiders to know.
Meanwhile, the gullible bear who had been sent away on a fool’s errand had no idea he’d been tricked again. Worse, he had been backstabbed by Hu Qiumu, a friend he’d always thought he was on good terms with.
At that moment, he was glaring murderously at Wen Yan, his tone explosive. "Wen Yan, you’ve got some real nerve. To think I misjudged you!"
Anyone would have been stunned by such an abrupt accusation, and Wen Yan was no exception.
He stopped what he was doing and stood up.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he retorted, "What are you talking about? This is ridiculous. I don’t understand a word you’re saying."
Xiong Xianhui sneered. Without offering an explanation, he instantly transformed into his beast form and charged toward Wen Yan.
Clearly, he already had his suspicions.
Hu Qiumu’s hint had only served to confirm them.
But the speed with which he’d figured it out clearly exceeded Wen Yan’s expectations, leaving Wen Yan himself momentarily uncertain.
But at the same time, if this was true, it would be a lie to say he wasn’t shocked. After his expression flickered through several changes...
...he finally reacted, transforming into his beast form and dodging out of the way just before Xiong Xianhui reached him.
"I didn’t expect a fool like you to guess so quickly. I’m truly impressed."
Wen Yan’s usual gentle, easygoing demeanor was gone, replaced by a torrent of sharp words the moment he opened his mouth.
"So what if I killed Xiong Yi? If I could, I wouldn’t spare a single one of those vicious cubs."
"You should be grateful I only killed one."
As Wen Yan spoke, he scraped at the ground with his rabbit paws, the gesture full of defiance.
A cornered rabbit doesn’t just bite; it hurls insults, too. And indeed, as Wen Yan watched the face of the bear opposite him grow uglier and uglier, he, in contrast, felt a profound sense of glee.
’He was well aware of how weak his bloodline and strength were among Chu Liangyu’s many Beast Husbands. That’s why, at first, he had no intention of competing for her favor. He just wanted to raise his own cubs to adulthood in peace.’
’But did these people ever give him that chance?’
’Clearly, they hadn’t!’
’Whether it was Xiong Xianhui letting his own cub bully his rabbit kits, or the time they forced him to draw lots.’
’They might not have been so forceful on the surface then, but the look in their eyes made him understand that refusal was not an option.’
’He hadn’t thought there was anything wrong with taking care of his Female Master, but the sheer number of cubs who had died this time made him realize he could no longer afford to be weak!’
On the other side, Xiong Xianhui clearly noticed the change in Wen Yan, and his heart grew heavy. He felt something was off about Wen Yan.
He had become somewhat crazed, reckless.
It was a world apart from his usual demeanor. ’Could it be this rabbit had been pushed too far?’
"I have one question. Why did you deliberately make your move after our Female Master had already injured him?"
"Why? You ask why? HAHAHAHA..." Wen Yan laughed like a madman. "You really are a fool. I might as well tell you: I did it precisely because I knew you couldn’t do anything to our Female Master. That’s why I shifted the blame to her."
’So much for thinking he’d suddenly gotten smarter. That was just an illusion.’
’It must be because someone whispered something in his ear.’ As this thought occurred to Wen Yan, Hu Qiumu’s face flashed in his mind.
Wen Yan paused, then, as if fearing the bear was too slow to understand, he kindly explained, "If you had known it was me from the beginning, we would’ve ended up in this exact same situation. It’s just that some sort of accident must have occurred; things didn’t go quite as I expected."
"But it doesn’t matter. So what if you know now? What’s done is done."