[Ding—Tradable items detected!]
[Items: Twenty-three extra-large rabbits, dead for 24 hours!]
[Value: Three High Level Crystal Cores]
[Transaction Plane: Apocalypse]
This time, the panel appeared automatically before Chu Liangyu even touched anything.
Perhaps the few small trades she’d made had given it enough energy to start auto-detecting.
[Do you wish to trade?]
"Yes."
The ground seemed to dip slightly—it was the few pits that had just been dug.
’That’s convenient,’ she thought. ’Saves me the trouble of digging them up myself.’
If it weren’t for Wen Yan’s disgusting actions and the sense of crisis Xiong Xianhui gave her, she wouldn’t have resorted to this.
Call her ruthless or hypocritical—Chu Liangyu didn’t care anymore.
’But this Wen Yan... I need to think of a good way to teach him a lesson...’
He was afraid the cubs would have no one to look after them if he died, and he figured the other Beast Husbands would never kill Chu Liangyu, so he’d shamelessly used her as a human shield.
He was truly shameless. To think Chu Liangyu had actually felt guilty and indebted to him for a while.
"Two cores less... is it because they’re not fresh?"
’It makes sense,’ she mused. Food was scarce in the apocalypse; any food was good.
But fresh was always better than something that had been sitting around. It was only natural that it would be more valuable.
Still, she didn’t know what made High Level Crystal Cores different. Curious, Chu Liangyu absorbed two of them.
Almost instantly, her body became scorching hot, and a faint red glow began to emanate from her skin.
It was particularly conspicuous in the dark night—and admittedly, a little frightening.
But Chu Liangyu felt wonderful, a comfort that Intermediate Crystal Cores couldn’t compare to. It was as if she were lying in a hot spring in a sea of clouds.
It was soft and fluffy, yet also warm, putting her completely at ease. She wanted to stay in this moment forever.
She unconsciously sat down cross-legged, immersing herself completely in the sensation of this change.
Perhaps her body temperature was too high. The moment she sat down, the grass beneath her let out a SIZZLE and was instantly scorched.
If that’s what happened to the grass, you can imagine what happened to her clothes...
They, of course, were gone.
The night breeze was cool, but she was like a human furnace, so she didn’t notice anything amiss.
An unknown amount of time passed before the clear, sweet chirping of birds reached her ears. Sunlight, devoid of any warmth, filtered through the gaps in the trees and fell upon Chu Liangyu.
Standing up and stretching, Chu Liangyu felt as light as a feather. She was filled with power from the inside out, feeling as if she could take down Xiong Xianhui with a single punch.
As she thought this, Chu Liangyu unconsciously threw a punch.
"What? Is this some new way of begging for mercy?"
Xiong Xianhui had appeared behind her at some point, and her casual punch had just grazed his cheek.
His tan face showed displeasure, but his eyes couldn’t help but roam over her body.
Ever since she had last given birth to cubs, Xiong Xianhui hadn’t had a chance to be intimate with her.
First, her other Beast Husbands were growing stronger. Second, he was busy raising the cubs and had neither the time nor the inclination.
Now, seeing her alluring form again, Xiong Xianhui’s heart pounded wildly, as if it would burst from his chest at any moment.
But then he thought of his dead cub, and he ruthlessly suppressed the strange feelings stirring in his body.
A light breeze blew past, and only then did Chu Liangyu realize why Xiong Xianhui had said what he did.
But she wasn’t embarrassed. She stood there boldly and retorted, "Oh? If that’s what you think, so be it. Now go find me something to wear."
"Why should I listen to you?"
"Fine, don’t. I’ll just go out like this. They’re all my Beast Husbands here anyway, not outsiders. It’s no big deal if they look."
In the sunlight, she seemed to emit a soft glow, both bewitching and sacred—a confusing contradiction.
Xiong Xianhui gritted his teeth in hatred. What she said was true, but the cubs were outside. What would they think if they saw this?
"Wait. Wear this."
Finding clothes was impossible. Forget him—none of the other Beast Husbands had the time to make such things for her. Who had that kind of leisure?
Xiong Xianhui stripped off the beast pelt from his upper body, revealing his solid muscles and broad chest.
That wheat-toned skin, that slightly exotic face, and that physique—who could possibly resist!
Chu Liangyu took the pelt, her eyes sweeping back and forth across his chest, and then she let out a small laugh.
"You—what are you laughing at!"
"Nothing. So, have you decided how you’re going to punish me?"
At the mention of this, Xiong Xianhui’s expression changed completely, a stark contrast to his lively demeanor from moments before.
"That useless trash won’t be able to hunt for the next few days, so I came to claim you. They didn’t object."
"So, you’re coming with me now."
Judging by his reaction, he was serious. As for what price she’d have to pay, she would find out soon enough.
Speaking of which, the quality of the beast pelt he gave her wasn’t bad. It was soft and comfortable, just a little ugly.
There was no strange smell; in fact, she could faintly detect the scent of fresh grass.
But it was, after all, a pelt from his torso. No matter how big the height difference was, it still felt small on Chu Liangyu, like an unconventional, tight-fitting, hip-hugging dress.
Wild and sexy, a complete departure from her usual style of dresses.
***
"Where are you taking her?"
"You have the nerve to ask that? You should be more concerned with how you and your little good-for-nothings are going to survive."
Wen Yan’s complexion was a little better than last night, but his voice was still weak when he spoke.
He glanced at Chu Liangyu behind Xiong Xianhui, his gaze lingering on her clothes.
Belatedly, he noticed Xiong Xianhui’s half-naked torso. A thought seemed to strike him, and he lowered his head, abashed.
He stepped aside to let them pass, as if he had just happened upon them and asked a casual question.
Only after they were far away did Wen Yan murmur, "I really thought you... It seems I was overthinking things."
Seeing that Chu Liangyu was deliberately stalling for time, Xiong Xianhui’s patience ran out.
He grabbed her by the scruff of her clothes and marched her away. Before long, they reached the outskirts of Niu Shou Mountain.
But Xiong Xianhui didn’t stop there. He continued to drag her deeper into the mountain.
The farther in they went, the more the temperature dropped. Towering trees were everywhere, blocking out almost all light.
The occasional ray of sunlight that pierced through was like a beam shining into an endless abyss, its light swallowed whole.
"Heh, this is the place. Enjoy yourself!"
Chu Liangyu was suddenly released, and she plummeted from a towering tree.
’From this height, won’t I be splattered into pieces when I hit the ground?’
A cold sweat instantly broke out on Chu Liangyu’s back. Spotting a vine, her eyes lit up, and she quickly reached out to grab it.
With that one move, she finally stabilized her fall, and a wave of relief washed over her.
’Thank goodness for this vine, or I would’ve been a goner.’
But... why didn’t the vine feel rough? On the contrary, it was a little soft, and cold to the touch.
Chu Liangyu stiffly raised her head. This wasn’t a vine at all—it was a snake!
Its color was too similar to the tree bark, and with the poor visibility, it was no wonder she hadn’t noticed until now.
HISS HISS HISS...
The snake, hurt by her grip, hissed angrily at her and assumed an attack posture.