Qiao Suluo finally managed to bargain with the system and obtained a medical kit.
She carefully took the dagger from Que Hongjin’s hand, quickly placed it far away, and then looked at him. "It was my fault before. I shouldn’t have attacked you like that. Seeing how severe your injuries are, let me stop the bleeding and treat your wounds first."
To show her sincerity, Qiao Suluo deliberately lowered her voice, making herself appear gentle and kind. Although the original owner of this body was a vicious and arrogant person, she was not.
However, as Que Hongjin watched her approach, his body exuded a strong sense of repulsion. His picturesque eyes carried an undisguisable disgust. Suddenly, he smiled, but the smile did not reach his eyes. It held the hues of a clear sky after a rain—cold and elegant, yet easily bewitching. The sight momentarily dazzled Qiao Suluo.
She had to admit, the Beast Husbands of this world were extraordinarily beautiful, like handsome men walking straight out of a shoujo manga.
"It seems my wife has a new trick up her sleeve," he said softly. "As long as you like it, that’s all that matters."
It was nothing more than letting his wounds heal only to tear them open again, finding amusement in repeatedly torturing him. His words sounded like the murmurs between lovers, but only Qiao Suluo knew that hearing them made a chilling cold seep into her very bones.
The hand holding the medicine bottle trembled. She felt like she was constantly dancing on a knife’s edge in front of this darkened Beast Husband, seemingly challenging death itself. The system had warned her that there was another way for her to die: being tortured and killed by the darkened Beast Husbands, who would use the same methods the original owner had used on them, but doubly so. She definitely didn’t want to experience that.
Therefore, Qiao Suluo made her smile look even more sincere. "Let’s stop the bleeding first."
If he misunderstood, then so be it; the priority was treating his injuries and stopping the blood. Given enough time, he would realize that she was changing for the better. She just hoped she could live to see that day.
Qiao Suluo poured out some medicinal powder and began to apply it to his wounds. While doing so, her fingers accidentally brushed against his skin. For some reason, his body temperature was unusually high. Touching him felt almost like being burned, causing her fingers to flinch. And oddly enough, his muscles were incredibly tense and hard.
"If you want to touch me, wife, just say so. There’s no need to torture me like this," he said.
"What?" Startled by his words, Qiao Suluo’s hand shook, and the bottle slipped from her grasp, hitting the ground with a dull THUD and rolling away.
She hurriedly picked it up. "Thank goodness, the powder didn’t spill."
This was an item from the Space Mall, and the system had claimed it was a top-tier medicine. If it was gone, it was truly gone. She couldn’t afford the items in the mall right now. Clutching the bottle, Qiao Suluo turned and looked up at him, her brows furrowed in dissatisfaction.
Terrified that she might blow her top, the system hastily advised, "Host, you’re trying to clear your name. You must stay calm."
Hearing the system’s words, Qiao Suluo calmed down slightly. Looking at his beautiful, tragic, and frail appearance, the words of reproach died in her throat. Besides, given what her predecessor had done, it was normal for him to misunderstand. He didn’t know that she wasn’t the original owner.
Qiao Suluo explained, "This medicine is very precious. I went to a lot of trouble to get it." She thought about how much arguing it took to get the system to hand over the medical kit.
Que Hongjin looked at the Qiao Suluo before him, noting her clear, innocent gaze. Sensing something strange about his body, he glanced down and discovered that his previously bleeding wounds had actually stopped. When he looked at Qiao Suluo again, his cold, picturesque eyes took on a profoundly dark hue. He wondered why she would be so kind as to treat his injuries, let alone be willing to waste medicine on him.
"Don’t kneel anymore. Get up and sit down. It’ll be easier for me to apply the medicine if you’re sitting," she said.
Que Hongjin didn’t seem to believe her. He just knelt there quietly, his picturesque gaze landing on her. Meeting her clear eyes, he simply couldn’t believe she was changing. Every time her attitude improved, it meant she had thought of an even crueler way to torture them. Before she sold Yue Hanzheng and the other two, she had suddenly been exceptionally nice to them. Was it his turn next?
Que Hongjin gave a half-smile and asked, "Is my wife suddenly caring about Hong Jin’s injuries because you feel that a battered body won’t fetch a good price?"
"What?"
Qiao Suluo’s head buzzed. She looked into Que Hongjin’s dark eyes, which were like dissolving ink, and for some reason, felt a stifling sensation in her chest. Recalling what her predecessor had done and connecting it to his words, Qiao Suluo suddenly realized: did Que Hongjin think her sudden change in attitude meant she was going to sell him?
In that moment, she was at a loss for how to explain. What the previous owner had done was simply too much.
"Don’t worry, I won’t sell you," she promised. "I just genuinely figured things out and want to heal your injuries. As for Yue Hanzheng and the other two, I will earn money to redeem them. I won’t let anything happen to them."
Hearing this, the expression on Que Hongjin’s face tightened, revealing a dark, suspicious look. He clearly didn’t believe her. Nevertheless, he slowly stood up as she had instructed. However, likely due to his severe injuries and prolonged kneeling, he immediately fainted.
"Que Hongjin! Que Hongjin..." No matter how Qiao Suluo called out to him, there was no response. "System, what’s wrong with him? He’s not dead, is he?"
Qiao Suluo cautiously reached out to check the breathing under his nose. Finding a faint breath, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"He suffered severe internal injuries earlier," the system explained. "Coupled with the original owner’s abuse, his body couldn’t hold on, so he fainted. But he won’t die. He’ll wake up after a good rest and sleep."
Only then did Qiao Suluo relax. Then, she exerted a great deal of effort to move him onto the bed and lay him down. Afterward, she continued applying medicine to stop his bleeding. Although the night was quite dark, the occasional flashes of lightning allowed her to clearly see the scars and wounds covering his body. Old scars mixed with fresh wounds; it was a shocking sight. It was terrifying that a perfectly good body could be marred by so many injuries.
Once the medicine was fully applied, Qiao Suluo breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to take a break as well. Just then, the system spoke in her ear again. "Don’t just focus on resting, Host. There’s another one kneeling in the courtyard."
Qiao Suluo suddenly remembered that she had punished a crippled, blind Beast Husband by forcing him to kneel in the courtyard. "Oh my god, it’s raining outside!"
Qiao Suluo rushed out of the room and saw a breathtakingly beautiful man dressed in white as pure as snow kneeling in the yard. His snow-white long hair was draped over his shoulders, and his exquisite bone structure gave him an exceptionally ethereal appearance. A white brocade ribbon covered his eyes, further accentuating his cold and solitary aura.
He knelt there quietly, resembling a tranquil ink painting with the temperament of spring rain and apricot blossoms. The rain fell on him with a steady PITTER-PATTER, soaking his body. Though he was in a sorry state, he still retained a sense of unworldly elegance and an understated, peerless magnificence. Just a single glance was enough to shake one’s soul. The wind blew past, lifting a corner of the white brocade covering his eyes, making him look as if he were about to transcend the mortal realm and fly away.
Fearing Qiao Suluo didn’t know, the system elaborated, "Host, this is Bai Qianluo, a White Whale Beastman. His eyes are injured, leaving him blind. For some unknown reason, his Sea Beast bloodline was stripped from him, making his body exceptionally weak. The original owner frequently tortured him, so this man is practically on the verge of death..."
Hearing this, Qiao Suluo couldn’t bear to listen anymore. She braved the rain into the courtyard, intending to help Bai Qianluo up. But just as she approached him, even though he couldn’t see, his hand automatically avoided her touch. His cold and distant demeanor showed extreme disgust toward her.