When Mo Jingxing returned carrying his prey, it was precisely the moment Chu Xuan finished her two-hour horse stance training.
As soon as the time was up, Chu Xuan’s legs went weak, and she collapsed straight forward.
This was exactly what Mo Jingxing saw upon entering the courtyard. Although he deeply disliked this female, his body’s instinctive reaction made him immediately drop his prey and rush to Chu Xuan at top speed, reaching out to steady her.
Protecting females was the responsibility of every Beast Husband.
“What’s wrong with you?” Mo Jingxing asked with a frown.
Chu Xuan desperately clutched Mo Jingxing’s collar, then raised her tear-filled eyes, pitifully pleading:
“Could you take me back to my room? My legs are too weak to walk.”
The former Chu Xuan had always carried herself with arrogance in front of others—the kind of arrogance that trampled everything underfoot.
But now, with tears welling in her eyes and appearing delicate and vulnerable, she looked utterly heartbreaking.
Mo Jingxing didn’t know what came over him, but the softest part of his heart was deeply stirred. As if bewitched, he bent down and picked her up, carrying her back to her room.
Sitting on the bed, Chu Xuan continued in her frail, delicate voice: “Could you bring me some hot water? I feel all sticky and want to wash up.”
“Wait a moment.”
Mo Jingxing turned and went to the kitchen. Fifteen minutes later, he returned with heated water, pouring it into the bathtub in Chu Xuan’s room.
“Jingxing, thank you,” Chu Xuan said softly.
Having never seen Chu Xuan so gentle before, Mo Jingxing’s face instantly flushed with two patches of red.
“I’ll be right outside. Call me if you need anything.”
After speaking, he lowered his head and left the room, closing the door behind him, then stood guard outside.
Just then, Yu Jinglan emerged from his room and saw Mo Jingxing standing at Chu Xuan’s door, his wolf face as red as a monkey’s bottom, and felt puzzled.
“Mo Jingxing, why is your face so red? And why are you coming out of that female’s room? What were you two doing?”
Yu Jinglan’s words instantly snapped Mo Jingxing back to reality.
Only then did he belatedly realize what he had just done.
He had actually carried that female, brought her back to her room, heated water for her, and was now standing guard for her…
What in the world was he doing??
As the realization dawned, Mo Jingxing felt a surge of irritation. But recalling the sensation of holding Chu Xuan—soft, fragrant, like warm jade—it actually felt… rather nice.
He didn’t feel repulsed at all; in fact, he somewhat enjoyed it.
What the hell was wrong with him? Mo Jingxing shook his head fiercely, dispelling those lingering thoughts, then went to the courtyard to process the prey he had brought back earlier.
[Ding! Mo Jingxing affinity points +10, reward Points +10.]
Inside the room, Chu Xuan sat in the bathtub, listening to the system announcement, and cheerfully hummed a little tune.
What a fool. She had lived in the Hehuan Palace for nearly three hundred years—if she hadn’t eaten pork, she’d at least seen pigs run. She had watched her senior sisters’ tactics for handling men countless times. With just a little cunning on her part, this little black wolf would be easily subdued.
Chu Xuan lifted her leg to scrub it, only to find her legs felt as if filled with lead, completely immovable.
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and began circulating the Returning Spring Heart Sutra within her body.
The Returning Spring Art belonged to the healing category and was quite effective for treating injuries, but its ability to alleviate fatigue and soreness was somewhat lacking—better than nothing, but barely.
If Xie Xingwen hadn’t been earnestly helping her build a foundation, Chu Xuan would have suspected he was deliberately retaliating against her.
[Host, the Points Store has recovery potions that can quickly eliminate physical fatigue. Would you like to exchange for one to try?] System 38’s voice timely echoed in Chu Xuan’s mind.
“There’s such a good thing?”
Chu Xuan’s eyes lit up. She opened the Points Store and indeed found recovery potions—five Points per bottle. For her current situation, it was a bit expensive but still affordable. She decisively exchanged for one.
After drinking it, Chu Xuan felt all her fatigue and soreness vanish completely. Every pore in her body seemed to relax, leaving her feeling unprecedentedly light and refreshed.
After bathing, Chu Xuan went straight to the kitchen, where Jian Ze was busy working.
He was handling the beast meat using the method he’d observed from Chu Xuan’s daytime cooking.
It had to be said, Jian Ze truly had a talent for being a chef. Having only watched from afar through the window during the day, he’d already grasped the basics.
“Female Master, you can rest over there. I’ll call you when dinner is ready,” Jian Ze said calmly upon seeing Chu Xuan enter.
Chu Xuan smiled. “Since I’m free anyway, let me help you cook!”
With that, she rolled up her sleeves and began preparing ingredients.
“Besides this beast meat, do we have any other ingredients?”
“Only these for now. If you want others, we can hunt more beasts in the forest tomorrow. When the Mutual Market opens in a couple of days, we can trade for other items,” Jian Ze explained.
To the west of Tianshui City, a Mutual Market area had been established. It opened for trade on days ending with the number seven each month. Anyone with goods could set up a stall there.
Items in the Mutual Market were only exchanged, not sold. As long as one could offer equivalent goods, they could obtain what they wanted.
Chu Xuan nodded. She decided she would visit the Mutual Market to see what items were available for exchange.
Jian Ze added firewood to the stove while Chu Xuan processed the beast meat.
She cut off the tenderloin section to make Sweet and Sour Pork, chopped some ribs for braising, and minced some meat for meatball soup.
Jian Ze assisted her, watching her work with some surprise. “When did you learn to cook, Female Master?”
He voiced the question that had been lingering in his mind since daytime.
“I’ve always known how,” Chu Xuan began fabricating. “I just didn’t cook much before. But now I understand—what matters most is our family living well together. So I won’t treat you all like I used to.”
“Will you believe in me?”
Chu Xuan looked into Jian Ze’s eyes with utmost sincerity.
Facing such clear, honest eyes, Jian Ze found himself nodding almost instinctively. “If you truly intend to change, of course I’ll believe you.”
[Ding! Jian Ze’s favorability +5. Reward Points +5.]
Hearing the reward Points notification, Chu Xuan curled her lips in satisfaction.
It seemed winning over these Beast Husbands wouldn’t be too difficult after all!
When she absorbed the original host’s memories and learned how the previous owner had treated these Beast Husbands, she feared they must be itching to skin her alive and feast on her flesh. She hadn’t dared imagine how to win over these Beast Husbands.
But now it seemed her Beast Husbands were quite simple-minded. With just a few sweet words, she had coaxed them into voluntarily offering their affection points. It appeared her conquest was within reach!
[Hehe, Host, I told you the conquest mission would be easy,] the system suddenly chimed in. [Keep working hard to raise your Beast Husbands’ affection. When your Points reach one thousand, you’ll unlock more exchangeable items in the System Shop.]