He couldn't help but feel a desire to tease her. His purple eyes narrowed, and he languidly lay down on a large rock nearby, propping his head with his hand as if to rest his eyes.
"Release it," he said with a mocking smile.
Xiāo Zhāozhāo fumbled for a moment and then took a non-existent pill from her embrace. She then shuffled her feet reluctantly and walked towards him.
I'm going to die. I just said that off the cuff; where would I get an antidote?
If she's discovered she's been deceived, this dead snake will surely get angry. What if he swallows me alive then?
So, she pretended to be calm and extended her hand, pouting her lips. "Eat up."
Xīng Yú looked at her guilty expression. His pupils turned into terrifying, ferocious vertical slits. Did this Female think he was stupid?
His eyes blazed with astonishing killing intent, and his voice dripped with unconcealed mockery: "Xiāo Zhāozhāo, do you think I'm stupid? What do you have in your hand?"
"You can't see it?" Xiāo Zhāozhāo covered her mouth in surprise.
"It's clearly there... Oh, right, only smart people can see the medicine in my hand."
He'd be an idiot to listen to her nonsensical rambling. Annoyed, he got up and walked over, his imposing figure casting a shadow over her.
"Alright, I lied to you. I'll tell you the truth... I was actually worried your injuries would get infected and you'd develop a fever at night, that's why I did it." Seeing that he was about to kill her, Xiāo Zhāozhāo's mind raced, and she started playing the emotional card, looking pitiful.
"I didn't even use any grass juice on you. I just said that casually."
"I've truly reformed. Selling you was a moment of madness. I promise I'll never do anything like that again... Can you give me a chance and stop thinking about killing me every day, okay...?"
She pouted, her hand trembling as she reached out to touch his beast hide, tugging at it in a plea for mercy.
Given the backward medical standards of the beast world, it was uncertain if they understood infection. Fever was the common term in the beast world, meaning high temperature. It usually broke out on a large scale during the summer.
"Hmph, now that you're about to die, you finally realize your mistake," Xīng Yú said irritably, though the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up. His gaze was devoid of any pretense.
Strangely, the face before him was still extraordinarily ugly.
What was this infection thing the Female was talking about? He knew what fever was.
There's hope!
She hadn't expected Xīng Yú to be someone who couldn't take it when the pressure was on. She'd start here; she didn't believe she couldn't win him over!
However, her hopes were shattered in the next second!
Soon, Xīng Yú sat back down, seemingly ignoring her fawning attitude. He grabbed a large piece of rhino meat from beside him, tore it in half, and laughed maliciously.
With a "rip," it was brutally torn to shreds.
His upper body transformed into a snake's form. His bucket-sized head was covered in fine scales, and his pair of demonic purple snake eyes were cold and bloodthirsty.
He opened his gaping maw, swallowed twice, and dozens of pounds of rhino meat were gone.
Xiāo Zhāozhāo, terrified by his crude eating habits, collapsed onto the ground, retching.
"Hurl."
Having vomited everything in her stomach, Xiāo Zhāozhāo felt nothing but extreme anger towards him.
She knew he hated her, but she hadn't expected him to resort to such despicable means. The impact of his massive snake eyes made her tremble slightly.
None of the men she had to win over were easy to deal with. She forced herself to suppress her fear and mustered the courage to negotiate.
"There won't be a next time."
"...If you still want to break our contract, do as I say. Otherwise, I'll break my contract with the other beast mates and make you support me alone."
Xīng Yú was completely taken aback by her shameless words.
He then transformed back into his human form and occupied the cave's only bed.
Well, if it could even be called a bed. It was simply two horizontal logs with a large stone placed on top, covered with a piece of beast hide.
Seeing her nervous and defensive posture made Xiāo Zhāozhāo's lips twitch: "I don't have any ulterior motives regarding you... It's not that serious."
Xīng Yú, however, looked as if he understood, his eyes showing a peculiar glint. He still maintained a defensive stance, as if warding off a lecher.
Crazy snake.
Xiāo Zhāozhāo rolled her eyes. She noticed how dark the cave was, with only a few slivers of moonlight penetrating it.
It was indeed fitting for a snake's dark, light-avoiding nature.
Taking advantage of the moonlight, which provided just enough illumination, she went out and picked a few large leaves. She wrapped the beast meat in them, then felt the soft soil.
She dug a small pit on the spot and carefully placed the meat inside.
The beast world was in summer, and she was worried the meat wouldn't keep. It would be a waste if it spoiled.
Fortunately, this crazy snake's cave was cold enough; it shouldn't spoil too quickly.
She'd figure out other preservation methods later. She wanted to lose weight; she couldn't eat huge chunks of meat like before. What Female didn't want to be beautiful?
Her gaze swept around the cave. It was extremely bare, with only a stone bed.
Soon, she found a pile of beast hides inside the cave, already washed and of just the right thickness.
She glanced at Xīng Yú. Seeing him sneer and not stop her, her courage grew.
She took out three beast hides. Aside from a slight bloody smell, the fur was still soft.
She couldn't help but recall how, before their relationship soured, the beast mates would occasionally give her beautiful beast hides.
She figured they must have been from their hunts. The original host had been so terrible that even if they were infuriated, they wouldn't give her anything.
Sighing helplessly, Xiāo Zhāozhāo laid down a layer of beast hide at the cave entrance, then lay down herself, and covered herself with two more layers of beast hide.
She finally felt a bit warmer.
The wind blowing near the cave entrance stung her skin. Xiāo Zhāozhāo's gaze fell on Xīng Yú's bed, but she didn't dare move closer, resigning herself to covering her head.
She didn't want to court death at this critical juncture; being thrown out would make her a meal for wild beasts.
Perhaps it was because she was tired from running around all day, or perhaps she had been on edge for too long, but she fell asleep as soon as she touched the beast hide.
The night was quiet, with only the occasional sound of cicadas and Xiāo Zhāozhāo's loud snoring disturbing the peace.
Unbeknownst to her, Xīng Yú was looking at her with suspicion, his sharp gaze seeming to dissect her.
He hadn't expected Xiāo Zhāozhāo to not try to seduce him and even give him the only bed.
A strange feeling welled up within him. A peculiar gleam appeared in his eyes, and inexplicably, he found himself staring at the bulky lump under the hides, a smile forming on his lips.
He wasn't arrogant as usual; there was even a hint of... pity.
Xīng Yú couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh. Was he going mad to pity this ugly and lazy Female Master?
It was all her own doing.
His gaze, as cold as ice, fell upon the more than a dozen beast hides in the corner. This malicious Female always wasted things.
The beast hides he had given her before were either carelessly given away to others or discarded after use, with no effort to clean them.
Over time, they all hid them away themselves, vowing not to offer their thoughts again, even if they threw them out.
Letting her waste another clean one for nothing.
"You brought this upon yourself," he muttered out of nowhere, then turned over and fell asleep.