Her body aching all over, Feng Si’s pupils contracted in shock. As if struck by lightning, she looked up, her face pale.
The man’s face was fully revealed in the sunlight.
He was tall, his figure completely enveloping her in its shadow. His handsome face had its eyes tightly shut, and an arm, resting on its side, was loosely wrapped around her waist. His short black hair was splayed across the pale white rock. His skin was even paler, making the clean lines of his broad shoulders stand out unmistakably.
Startled, Feng Si scrambled backward.
And then she saw more.
Not only was the young man before her exceptionally handsome, but his physique was also to die for. It was only at this moment that she truly appreciated just how perfect his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and long legs were.
The young man’s body was covered in just the right amount of muscle. Even in a relaxed state, it was easy to see it was brimming with explosive power, like a male cheetah napping after a hearty meal, resting with powerful self-assurance.
Feng Si pressed a hand to her lower back, frowning in pain. She also understood in her heart what the "medicine" she drank upon waking up was. ’It was this world’s version of an aphrodisiac!’
’Damn it. The hearts of beasts are treacherous, and of course, it’s a female making things difficult for another female...’
Feng Si’s chest ached with anger. Her first time, across two lifetimes, had been spent just like that, out in the open wilderness.
But as she looked down at the handsome young man lying on the ground, the thousand curses in her mind got stuck in her throat.
’Forget it. He’s so handsome, after all.’
’Besides, by the rules of this world, this poor little beast before me might be the truly unlucky one.’
Feng Si gave the sleeping youth a complicated look, then picked up her tattered clothes and began to dress. Finally, she took the man’s black clothes and draped them over herself, cinching the belt at her waist as a ruthless thought crossed her mind.
’That’s right.’
’This poor little thing is just unlucky, because I have no intention of taking responsibility for him.’
’A low-level female like me can only attract a low-level male beast. If I remember correctly, I’m currently fleeing an arranged marriage and running for my life.’
’How can I possibly bring a low-level male beast with me?’
’If I’m unlucky enough to get caught, I might just lose my love and my body. But he could lose his life!’ Gritting her teeth, Feng Si hardened her heart and severed the strange emotion stirring within her.
She glanced down at the nameless young man one last time, then turned and limped into the forest. As she held her hands to her waist, she suddenly felt a green Jade Pendant in her sleeve.
It was a round, pure green Jade Pendant, about the size of her palm. The creature carved on it was exquisitely detailed, its scales so lifelike it seemed to breathe. It was a hornless dragon, a familiar sight often seen on ancient architecture.
A Chi.
Feng Si froze. ’Did this belong to the original owner of this body? I can’t remember.’
’But there’s no time to investigate the Jade Pendant’s origin right now. I need to escape as quickly as possible.’
’The sun is up now. Without me as her substitute, what will Feng Lian do?’
As Feng Si thought of her, Feng Lian was riding on the back of a gray wolf, her entire family of eight also on the road, moving house.
Unlike Feng Si, who was all alone, Feng Lian had her mother with her and her older brothers to protect her. It was less of an escape and more of a country excursion.
The moment the gray wolf had returned, panicked and terrified, without bringing Feng Si back with it, Feng Huan had made a decisive call.
The entire family was to move out overnight.
At that moment, two delicate females sat atop a tall gray wolf, while the other sub-females walked alongside, carrying the family’s belongings on their backs.
Feng Lun, carrying a large bundle on her back, walked beside the gray wolf and grumbled, "Feng Si must have been caught. She’s probably covered in wounds by now, locked in a basement by male beasts for mating, just a trophy to be shown off at their banquets."
Hearing this, Feng Huan frowned. She had lost one female, and in order to protect the Advanced Female who was their ticket to wealth and glory, she had been so worried she hadn’t slept all night.
Hearing Feng Lun’s spiteful words, she snapped irritably from her seat on the wolf’s back, "If you have so much spare energy, you can go hunting with your sisters during the midday break."
The head of the family had spoken, so the other sub-females didn’t dare say a word. Feng Lun’s face was full of resentment, but she didn’t dare to talk back, resorting to cursing silently in his heart.
’If Feng Si hadn’t run away, our family would have received the coins from Black Snake and would be living the good life by now.’
’Even if we had to move, we wouldn’t be walking. We could have just bought carriage tickets for a fast and steady journey, instead of trudging along miserably under the scorching sun like this.’
It wasn’t just Feng Lun; the entire family was complaining about Feng Si, completely unaware that they didn’t need to flee in such a hurry.
This was because late last night, Black Snake had been jolted awake by a terrifying aura that erupted from the high mountains south of the city. Immediately after, he received a panicked report from a subordinate.
He was told that *He* had arrived!
How could he dare to bully females and dominate sub-females now? He didn’t have the nerve.
But Black Snake had his own selfish plans. He had previously used money to silence the Sacrificial Hall of Cang City, hoping to suppress the news that another Advanced Female had appeared in the city. That way, he could quietly bring the destitute female home to enjoy all by himself.
He could wait. After that great personage left, he would go and retrieve the Advanced Female he had his eyes on.
So Black Snake thought.
「Meanwhile」
For Feng Si, who was entering Cang City for the first time and had just found her way to the commercial district, it was a truly shocking sight.
The streets here were smooth and level, and the district was a nexus of interconnected roads. The buildings were uniform seven-story high-rises constructed from red brick, all arranged in neat, square blocks.
The people on the street were dressed in bright, fashionable clothes. The sidewalks were lined with shops displaying a dazzling array of goods, offering everything from apparel and jewelry to all kinds of daily necessities.
The most surprising thing was that they had electronic products just like in the modern world! In fact, they were even more advanced—they were holographic.
Feng Si stood on the main street and blinked.
’I’ve been too hasty.’
’I thought this was a primitive, rustic Beast World, but it turns out to be a highly advanced civilization.’
She also came to a deep understanding of just how far the Feng family had fallen. They couldn’t even afford a single piece of high-tech equipment, still stuck in the relatively backward stage of cooking with firewood and lighting their home with crude oil lamps.
The gap between the rich and the poor here was enormous.
Feng Si was stunned for a few seconds, but the thought of her current plight—running for her life—quickly brought her back to her senses. Her eyes scanned the shops on the street with precision, and with a clear objective in mind, she located her target in a small alley.
A bartering shop.
Feng Si touched the only possession she had on her, steadied her nerves, and stepped into the shop, which had a sign that read "Goods for Exchange."
The shop was nearly empty. A short-tailed sub-female sitting behind the counter looked up at the sound of footsteps, a flash of astonishment in his eyes.
The young woman before him had long, curly red hair that cascaded down to her waist. Her features were delicate and stunning, but the slight redness at the corners of her eyes added a bewitching, captivating charm.
Beneath the oversized black clothes, her skin was even smoother and whiter than the finest white jade, without a single flaw to be found.
The sub-female’s eyes lit up, his gaze fixed on Feng Si. As she drew closer, something flickered in the depths of his eyes.
’Oh, wait, there is one thing after all.’
’This female has faint love bites on her exposed neck. That fragile, broken look just makes her even more beautiful!’
"Do you take items for trade here?" Feng Si asked before she had even reached the counter.