Tears welled up in Chu Xuan’s eyes, hovering on the brink of falling. Her expression, as if she had endured immense grievance yet stubbornly refused to cry, evoked an inexplicable sense of heartache in others.
“Chu Xuan, you—”
Cheng Xu gritted his teeth in fury. Initially, it was this female who had approached him, though he had always looked down on Chu Xuan’s brainless, buxom appearance.
Yet, he couldn’t deny that Chu Xuan was exceptionally beautiful—a captivating kind of beauty, far surpassing that of his own Female Master, Lin Qinghui.
As Lin Qinghui’s Beast Husband, even if Cheng Xu secretly desired Chu Xuan, he dared not show it.
However, after Lin Qinghui detected Chu Xuan’s affection for him, she ordered him to seduce Chu Xuan and drive a wedge between her and her Beast Husband.
Cheng Xu had already wanted to spend a night with Chu Xuan, so when Lin Qinghui gave the command, he feigned reluctance but ultimately agreed.
If he succeeded, he would have tasted this female’s charms and felt fulfilled for life.
But it wasn’t until a few days ago that he learned Lin Qinghui’s true goal was Chu Xuan’s death.
She had him lure Chu Xuan outside the city, then hired assassins from the Dark Sect to kill her.
Not having possessed Chu Xuan left Cheng Xu somewhat disheartened, but Lin Qinghui was his Female Master, and he could not defy her orders.
Amidst those vicious beasts, Cheng Xu had assumed Chu Xuan was dead. To his surprise, he saw her again today at the Mutual Market.
Shock gave way to delight, and he resolved that this time, no matter what, he would first bed this female before sending her to her death.
With many Beastmen gathered at the Mutual Market, it was the perfect opportunity to publicize their relationship and completely shatter her ties with her Beast Husband.
Cheng Xu had envisioned everything perfectly, but Chu Xuan didn’t follow his script. Instead, she berated him harshly.
“What do you mean, ‘you’?” Chu Xuan widened her eyes, glaring at him angrily. “You, a married Male Beast, still trying to seduce me? You’re despicable, vile, and shameless! Does your Female Master know about this? Or is she the one who ordered you to do it?”
Prompted by 38, Chu Xuan had already noticed Lin Qinghui standing not far away, watching the drama unfold.
Hah! Trying to ruin her reputation while staying clean? Dream on!
At Chu Xuan’s words, the surrounding Beastmen began whispering among themselves again. Suddenly, a native Beastman from Tianshui City exclaimed:
“Ah, I remember now! This Male Beast is Lin Qinghui’s Beast Husband!”
“Yes, now I recall! He’s Lin Qinghui’s Beast Husband. I’ve seen him accompanying Lin Qinghui before.”
“Not only that, but a few days ago, Lin Qinghui secretly visited the leopard at Sister Xuan’s place. I saw it with my own eyes.”
Suddenly, a female Beastman pushed through the crowd and stood beside Chu Xuan, speaking earnestly: “Sister Xuan, I’ve told you countless times—you must keep a close watch on your Beast Husband. I think that Lin Qinghui has her eyes on your Beast Husband, which is why she sent Cheng Xu to approach you, sow discord between you, and break you apart.”
The female Beastman who spoke up was named Gui Lianjun.
A year ago, her Beast Husband and Chu Xuan’s father, Chu Xiao, fought together on the battlefield against the Mutated Beast Tide. Had it not been for Chu Xiao’s repeated rescues, her Beast Husband would have perished long ago.
Gui Lianjun was a female Beastman who always repaid kindness. Over the past year, she had shown Chu Xuan considerable care and support.
A few days ago, she had witnessed Lin Qinghui privately arranging to meet Shen Lingjun. At that time, Lin Qinghui’s body was practically pressed against Shen Lingjun’s. To claim there was nothing between them was simply impossible.
Originally, Gui Lianjun intended to immediately inform Chu Xuan about this, but her own Beast Husband had suffered severe injuries from hunting and required constant care from a female.
Unable to break away, Gui Lianjun had to delay the matter for several days.
Fortunately, she encountered Chu Xuan at the Mutual Market today. Who would have thought that Lin Qinghui remained unrepentant, even sending her own Beast Husband to seduce Sister Xuan and tarnish her reputation? Disgusting!
From the original host’s memories, Chu Xuan knew that Gui Lianjun had been caring for her over the past year like a warm older sister. Her words would never deceive her.
Chu Xuan turned to Shen Lingjun: “Don’t you owe me an explanation?”
Shen Lingjun: “…”
What was there to explain? Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t bother explaining anyway. After all, he held no fondness for this female. Whom he associated with was his own freedom.
But today, before so many Beastmen, if he didn’t clarify matters, he would truly be unable to wash himself clean even if he jumped into the Yellow River.
Moreover, for some reason, when he heard Gui Lianjun mention that Lin Qinghui had sought him out, he felt an inexplicable panic, as if he were somewhat afraid of Chu Xuan learning about this.
As for why he felt afraid, he couldn’t quite articulate it.
“She did come to see me,” Shen Lingjun said coldly. “She asked me to dissolve our marriage with you and become her Beast Husband.”
“Then why didn’t you listen to her and dissolve our marriage? You dislike me anyway, right? Wouldn’t it be better to separate?” Chu Xuan asked him.
Shen Lingjun glared at her fiercely: “If I could dissolve our marriage, would I have stayed by your side for so long?”
System 38 timely reminded Chu Xuan: [Host, in the Beast World, only when a Female Master grows tired of her Beast Husband can the marriage be dissolved. Beast Husbands have no right to initiate separation from their Female Master.]
“So that’s how it is. Why didn’t you say so earlier?” Chu Xuan lowered her head, somewhat awkwardly rubbing her nose.
“In that case, after we return, I’ll grant you a divorce document and set you free. Then you can openly be with Lin Qinghui without having to sneak around,” Chu Xuan suddenly declared.
Shen Lingjun: “…”
“Sister Xuan, what are you saying? How can you give such a fine Beast Husband to that vile Lin Qinghui?”
Gui Lianjun looked at Chu Xuan in disbelief, speaking up to stop her, not wanting to see her make a foolish mistake.
“Sister Lian, forced fruits are never sweet,” Chu Xuan patted Gui Lianjun’s hand and said, “Since Lingjun’s heart isn’t with me, why should I force him to stay?”
[Host, Shen Lingjun is your target to conquer. If you sever your relationship with him, you will face system punishment.] 38 kindly reminded her.
Chu Xuan: “Shut up, damn system! Don’t threaten me. I have my own reasons.”
Though she said this, Chu Xuan felt panicked inside, blaming herself for speaking too hastily. Would Shen Lingjun actually take advantage of the situation and agree?
She wondered what the damn system’s punishment would be?
While her heart raced with anxiety, Chu Xuan maintained a calm facade: “Lingjun, what do you think? I know you dislike me, so I’m willing to set you free.”
She cautiously glanced at Shen Lingjun, lightly biting her lip, her eyes shimmering with a mixture of shyness, timidity, restraint, and reluctance. The look stirred an inexplicable anger in Shen Lingjun’s heart.
“Shut up!” Shen Lingjun snapped furiously. “A male does not serve two females—I, Shen Lingjun, have my own principles.”
That female’s gaze clearly showed she was reluctant to part with him, yet she insisted on saying such things. Was she trying to show how noble and righteous she was?
Noble and righteous, my foot! More like her brain’s been addled.
The more Shen Lingjun thought about it, the angrier he grew.