“That medicine for your manic episodes only offers temporary calm.
If you use it long-term, you’ll not only develop a resistance, but the episodes will become more frequent, and even more severe.”
During the ten years she was kept by Beastmen, Jiang Mian had become a Pharmacist and a Beastman Doctor.
She was naturally aware that in this era where humans kept Beastmen, all the medicine available had side effects.
After all, Beastmen had an extremely low status in this era.
The medicines humans produced for them were all shoddily made, often with numerous side effects.
‘The Wolf Beastman—Li Yan—is naturally aware of this, but he never expected this idiot Jiang Mian to know too.’
‘After all, humans couldn’t care less about Beastmen.
They didn’t care if a Beastman lived or died, much less whether the medicine they took was safe.’
“What are you trying to say?” Li Yan felt a searing pain course through his body, and his head grew groggy.
His voice became increasingly impatient; he was convinced Jiang Mian was just stalling for time.
A vein bulged on his forehead.
“One more word…”
Jiang Mian saw the veins popping on the fist gripping her collar.
His tan skin was flushed blood-red, and the faint shape of wolf claws flickered in and out of view.
‘This is a common symptom of the manic phase—the constant shifting between his human and beast forms.’
“What I’m trying to say is that I can heal you,” Jiang Mian said, rushing the words out.
“The Healing Power awakened by pure-blooded human women can not only cleanse polluted plants, it can also cure a Beastman’s manic phase.”
When Li Yan heard this, his eyes grew even darker.
No human woman would ever be willing to heal a lowly Beastman, let alone this vicious woman before him.
“Jiang Mian!
My patience is wearing thin…” The rest of his words died in his throat.
He froze, stunned.
The woman before him had risen onto her tiptoes and gently cupped both of his wolf ears in her hands.
Her clear, dark eyes were focused intently on them.
Li Yan froze.
When he realized the woman before him had dared to touch his wolf ears, he exploded with rage.
“Jiang Mian, you’re courting death!”
The hand that had been gripping Jiang Mian’s collar shot to her slender neck.
But as his fingers closed around it, the strength seemed to drain from his arm.
He couldn’t squeeze.
He realized the searing pain of his manic phase was slowly subsiding.
During an episode, the parts of his body that had transformed were always in more agony than the rest.
The burning sensation in his two wolf ears and tail was far more intense than anywhere else.
If his hands had turned into claws, they would have been burning just as painfully.
But now, with the woman’s hands cupped gently over his wolf ears, it felt like a cool breeze was washing over them.
His black wolf ears couldn’t help but twitch in comfort.
When Li Yan realized what his ears had done instinctively, his entire body went rigid.
Jiang Mian felt the ear brush against her palm.
The cool metal of an earring on its cartilage scraped her skin, making her hand itch.
She had a strong urge to give the ear a little squeeze, but she remembered this Beastman wanted to kill her.
To avoid making him despise her even more, Jiang Mian forced herself to resist.
‘Don’t squeeze it.
Don’t squeeze it.’
Jiang Mian peeked at the man in front of her.
Sure enough, his expression had turned even fouler.
‘He already looks this furious just from me touching his ears.
What would happen if I actually squeezed them?’
Jiang Mian warned herself: ‘Don’t squeeze.
Don’t squeeze.
Squeeze and you’re dead.’
A green glow, brimming with vitality, swirled in Jiang Mian’s palms as they gently cupped the man’s bleeding wolf ears.
Jiang Mian focused her attention on healing the Beastman’s manic episode.
In this interstellar world, various plants had been contaminated by “L-element,” drastically reducing humanity’s food supply.
The Healing Power that awakened in adult human women was the perfect counter, capable of purifying these contaminated plants.
Healing Power was graded from lowest to highest: F, E, D, C, B, A, and S.
Each grade was further divided into four tiers.
For example, S-Class was ranked from S+++ down to S.
The original owner of this body only had the lowest F-level Healing Power.
Jiang Mian’s own awakened power, however, was Level 3S.
As she watched the healing take effect, she realized that when she entered this body, her power had come with her.
Li Yan’s palm was still on Jiang Mian’s neck, though he wasn’t applying any pressure.
His rough hand rested against her delicate skin, and he could feel the powerful, rhythmic pulse of the artery beneath, thrumming with vibrant life.
He frowned.
A flash of disgust crossed his dark eyes, and he snatched his hand back.
A moment later, Li Yan’s gaze fell on the woman’s feet again.
She was standing on her tiptoes, shoeless, and her rounded toes were red from the cold floor.
Li Yan’s gaze remained cold.
He pretended he hadn’t seen.
Jiang Mian remained on her toes, her palms cupped over the Beastman’s wolf ears.
The red mark of a handprint around her wrist was starkly visible.
Her wrist ached faintly, and her feet were beginning to go numb from standing on her toes.
Jiang Mian’s long lashes drooped.
Without looking at the Beastman, she spoke softly.
“Lower your head a bit.”
She’d forgotten her shoes.
The floor was cold, and standing on her toes for so long was making them go numb.
After a long moment, the Beastman before her remained standing ramrod straight, as if he hadn’t heard a word.
Jiang Mian frowned and looked up at him.
As if sensing her gaze, the Beastman looked down at her, his dark eyes filled with cold ridicule.
‘This guy is doing it on purpose.’
Jiang Mian was so angry she had to laugh.
‘I’m healing him, and he’s giving me this attitude?
Who’s indebted to whom here?’
She had a temper too.
She released his ears, finally planted her feet flat on the floor, and took several steps back.
Her clear, dark eyes were frosty as she said coolly, “I’m sure you can handle the rest of the episode on your own.”
Li Yan’s gaze swept over Jiang Mian’s pretty, rounded, and very red toes before his cold, sinister eyes landed on her face.
‘It’s the same face, so why does she look so much prettier now?
Her entire aura feels different.’
‘My mania level must have dropped significantly.
There’s still a burning sensation, but it’s not nearly as painful.
I can definitely endure an episode of this intensity.’
“Hah…” A deeply mocking scoff, as if speaking another word to her was too much trouble.
The man didn’t spare Jiang Mian another glance.
He turned and walked away, his tall frame defined by broad shoulders and a narrow waist.
His pants had an opening at the tailbone for his tail to pass through.
A large, scraggly, gray wolf tail hung between his long legs, unnaturally still and restrained.
He was clearly a black wolf, yet his tail was the color of dry, malnourished gray.
The fur was full of split ends, messy, and shedding, leaving bald patches all over.