In the backyard, Huo Zhanting stood before a massive iron cage.
Inside, a Silver Giant Wolf, standing three to four meters tall, was thrashing and gnawing at its own body, letting out one pained howl after another. Now and then, blood dripped from the wounds it had torn into its own flesh. This creature, acting like a rabid beast, was none other than the Empire’s genius Major and the pride of the commoners: Suxing Ye.
Yulan, who had rushed over clutching the Palliative Serum, arrived just in time to witness this scene.
The sound she made alerted the Silver Wolf. It whipped its massive head around, glaring at her with eyes of deep, icy green filled with murderous intent. The moment its gaze locked onto Yulan, the very air seemed to heat up, growing stifling and anxious.
The giant wolf lunged toward her with savage force, causing the reinforced steel cage to clang violently. Yulan recoiled in terror, nearly collapsing onto the ground. She had no doubt that if not for the cage, this rampaging beast would have lunged at her and torn her throat out.
Suppressing the tremors in her heart, Yulan wobbled over to Huo Zhanting. She held out her small hand, revealing a vial of deep blue liquid.
"P-Palliative Serum."
"Is it still any use to give it to him now?"
"When I first bought it, the merchant said the stimulant wouldn't take effect so quickly."
Yulan looked up at Huo Zhanting’s cold, sharp profile, her words stumbling out in a jumble. She truly couldn't understand it. Even in the original plot, Suxing Ye shouldn't have suffered a mental breakdown from being soothed so soon. Yet here she was, facing the nightmare herself. Yulan’s heart hammered against her ribs.
Before Huo Zhanting could speak, the guards watching nearby huddled together, whispering.
"What’s the point of bringing the Palliative Serum now? Major Suxing has already shifted into his beast form."
"The end result will be him losing his mind entirely and becoming a wild animal."
"A man as proud as Major Suxing might choose to end his own life before he loses his sanity completely."
"Actually, there is a way," one guard muttered. "If the Palliative Serum is injected within the first five minutes of the beast shift, it can still work."
"But in beast form, the male’s territorial instinct is immense. Aside from a female, anyone who enters will be torn to shreds. None of us can get near him right now."
"There’s no time to find a female, and besides, no delicate, precious female would risk her life to enter that cage and inject a serum into Major Suxing."
"It’s a pity. The Major’s SS-grade Talent is a rare sight, and now he’s reduced to this."
The guards didn't lower their voices, perhaps out of lingering resentment on Suxing Ye's behalf. Yulan heard every word. Watching Suxing Ye continue to roar in the cage, his sharp fangs dripping with saliva, her face turned paper-white, and the hand holding the serum began to shake.
Seeing this, a look of undisguised mockery flickered in Huo Zhanting’s golden eyes. Yulan saw it clearly, and a flush of humiliation rose on her cheeks. In Huo Zhanting’s eyes, she was the primary culprit behind all of this; she couldn't exactly tell him that a different soul had taken over her body and that she hadn't done anything.
A second later, Yulan looked at Suxing Ye, who was banging his head against the iron bars in agony, his once-sleek silver fur now matted and filthy. She bit her lip and gathered her courage.
"I’ll go."
"This matter started because of me. I am willing to go inside and inject Suxing Ye."
"You are willing to go?" Huo Zhanting looked at her with a half-smile, his golden eyes filled with deep skepticism.
But the more he doubted her, the calmer Yulan became. She took two deep breaths to steel herself.
"I am willing. And besides, there are no other females to be found right now."
"Isn't it said that males are born with an instinct not to harm females? Let me try—it shouldn't be dangerous, right?" Yulan whispered, testing the waters.
Huo Zhanting did not answer. He looked down at the cage with his beast-like golden eyes, lifted his chin, and spoke in a cold, ruthless voice.
"Open the cage. Let her in."
"Marshal!" a guard exclaimed. "She is..."
Yulan was a princess. Even if she was a useless female with no healing ability, she was still a princess. If the Queen found out she had been sent into such danger! Furthermore, the rule that males wouldn't harm females applied only to ordinary beasts. When a high-ranking male went berserk, only a female of equal rank could soothe him. Major Suxing was an SS-grade male.
Huo Zhanting’s face darkened, and his voice became as cruel as black ink.
"Open the cage. Let her in."
"Yes!"
The guards approached the cage tremulously and opened a small side door. It was only wide enough for a human to pass through, and the giant wolf form of Suxing Ye would be firmly blocked inside.
The closer Yulan got to the door, the faster her heart beat. Her palms, clutching the serum, were slick with sweat.
Inside the cage, the giant silver wolf seemed to sense someone approaching. It crouched by the opening, its deep green eyes locked onto Yulan’s advancing figure, its nostrils flaring with heavy, ragged breaths. Each breath was louder than the last, pulsing against Yulan’s heart. She kept chanting to herself that males wouldn't hurt females, that she wasn't afraid, that she wasn't afraid at all.
Standing nearby, Huo Zhanting watched Yulan’s slender silhouette as she prepared to step into the cage. He thought cruelly that if she saved Suxing Ye, this matter would be settled. If she failed and died on the spot, then she was only getting what she deserved.
Under everyone’s gaze, Yulan moved closer and closer to the gate. The Silver Giant Wolf’s breathing grew heavier; its rough tongue flicked out to graze its sharp fangs. Its front paws dug into the ground, and its back arched slightly—the clear precursor to an attack.
Yulan, having never owned a dog or a wolf, had no idea what this meant. As her toes crossed the threshold and she stepped fully into the cage, the Silver Giant Wolf let out a thunderous, sky-shaking howl, bared its fangs, and lunged directly at her.
"Ah!" Yulan shrieked.
Every guard at the scene shut their eyes, unable to watch.
*So fragrant!*
*So fragrant!*
*She smells so sweet!*
From the moment Yulan appeared, Suxing Ye’s wet nose had been twitching frantically. His instincts screamed at him to close the distance, to press against her, to swallow her whole. The reinforced iron cage was the only thing holding him back. Seeing her step inside, the wolf was overcome with maddening excitement.
She was close. Finally, she was close.
The wolf’s jaws were wide open, as if to swallow her in one bite, the sharp tips of his fangs glinting with lethal intent.
But as he looked at her up close, his deep, cold, and ruthless beast eyes reflected Yulan’s beautiful, delicate face. Her palm-sized face, her thick, seaweed-like black hair, her straight, elegant nose, her red lips—at this moment, because of fear, her eyelashes were tightly shut and trembling like butterfly wings. Her body was slender and frail; he could crush her with a single paw.
A soft, beautiful, fragrant... female.
The Silver Wolf changed his mind.
A second later, a thick, barbed tongue extended and quickly licked across Yulan’s face.