"If the Female Master complains to the interstellar court that her Beast Husband used improper means to get a divorce, our fate will be worse than death!"
Hua Xi choked on his words and fell silent...
"But speaking of which, what just happened with Ye Kuo?" After treating Jiang Xinli, Sheng Tianze gently laid her on the sofa. He then stood up, strode over to Ye Kuo, and bent down to examine him closely.
"No idea." The others all shook their heads, their faces filled with confusion. "Is he alright?"
"He just fell asleep." Sheng Tianze stood up, brushing non-existent dust from his hands. His gaze subconsciously shifted to Jiang Xinli, and his eyes darkened.
'Her face was gentle and serene, her eyes shut tight. Her long lashes cast small shadows on her eyelids. Compared to her usual sinister, vicious expression, it was as if she were a completely different person...'
"Ye Kuo's Uprising Value may have dropped, but once she wakes up, he's finished for good," Yue Hua Yin said, staring at the slumbering Jiang Xinli, his brow knitted with worry.
"During a marriage, domestic violence against a Female Master is a serious crime punishable by the interstellar court. At best, they'll cut off his hands and feet. At worst, he'll be flayed alive and have his tendons ripped out—a fate worse than death. And that's not even mentioning that Ye Kuo is suspected of attempting to murder his Female Master."
After he spoke, Xuan Ying shot Jiang Xinli a cold, venomous glare. "And with her vicious nature, she'll just make his life a living hell."
"But didn't you notice she was a little different just now? Her eyes, her aura, the way she spoke… it was like she wasn't the she-Demon we knew at all." Hua Xi slowly circled Jiang Xinli, twirling the Seven-Colored Feather Fan in his hand, his gaze probing.
Hearing this, Xuan Ying scoffed. "Don't be fooled by this temporary act. It's always the same. When she's not having an episode, we're her 'little sweethearts.' But when she acts up… Hah!"
"Shh—" Having finished checking on Ye Kuo, Sheng Tianze stood up and raised a hand for silence.
"Ye Kuo will likely be asleep for a long while. Tonight is Xuan Ying's turn on watch. Hua Xi, Yue Hua Yin, you two watch over him."
Hua Xi gave Sheng Tianze a suspicious look and couldn't help but ask, "And you?"
"I'll watch over her." Sheng Tianze's gaze softened. Carefully supporting Jiang Xinli's injured neck with one hand, he scooped her unconscious form up with the other. His movements were as gentle as if he were holding a priceless treasure as he turned and headed for the room upstairs.
"This—" Hua Xi stood frozen to the spot, snapping out of it only after a long moment. He subconsciously pointed his Flower Feather Folding Fan at Sheng Tianze's back, then turned to Xuan Ying and Yue Hua Yin. "Xuan Ying, Yue Hua Yin, have you noticed? He's not acting normal tonight either."
Yue Hua Yin reached up to scratch his wolf ear, his expression puzzled. "Maybe it's not that viper who's sick… maybe it's him?"
"How foolish. I see he's determined to learn the hard way." Xuan Ying sneered with utter contempt. With that, he grabbed his weapon and walked out the door.
Only Hua Xi and Yue Hua Yin were left in the small living room, staring blankly at each other.
A very faint snore soon came from Ye Kuo on the sofa.
Their eyes flew wide. They exchanged a look of utter shock.
For them, the sound of snoring was something they had rarely heard since turning eighteen.
After a Male Beastman awakens his superpower, it causes turmoil in his Spiritual Sea. The higher the Uprising Value, the more severe the complications, such as headaches.
So, it was hard for them to sleep well, let alone enter a deep sleep.
Unless, of course, a female with extremely high spiritual power helped to soothe it.
"Let me check." Yue Hua Yin stared at Ye Kuo, closing his eyes to concentrate for a moment. When he opened them again, they were wide with astonishment.
"His breathing is steady, and he's sleeping very soundly. Logically, his current Uprising Value shouldn't allow him to sleep this well… unless a Mid-high Level female performed a deep soothing of his Spiritual Sea."
Hua Xi's curiosity was piqued, and he pressed, "Could it really have been her?"
Yue Hua Yin immediately shook his head, his tone certain. "Impossible. A female whose spiritual power hasn't reached B-level can't even enter a Male Beastman's Spiritual Sea."
"Then who could it be?" The two of them turned in unison to glance at the half-open window. Outside, the night was dark, and the wind howled.
They looked away from the window and glanced upstairs.
It was quiet upstairs. All they could hear were faint, steady footsteps—Sheng Tianze's footsteps.
After gently placing Jiang Xinli on the bed, Sheng Tianze took a bottle of red potion and a soft, white neck brace from his Space Ring.
His movements were gentle. Just as he finished supporting Jiang Xinli's neck with the brace, her eyelids fluttered, and she slowly woke up.
"I—" Jiang Xinli looked around the unfamiliar room, a flicker of confusion in her eyes. She quickly searched the original owner's memories and realized she was in the master bedroom.
'Or rather, the only bedroom in this small house. I was exiled to this Deserted Star, and it was only because females are considered precious that I was allotted a bedroom with an en suite bathroom.'
'As for my five Beast Husbands, when they weren't on night watch or out on forced labor assignments, they had to spend at least four hours a day locked in a dark dungeon.'
'To put it bluntly, the original owner was the one who committed the serious crimes, but it seemed like her five Beast Husbands were the ones being punished.'
Internally, Jiang Xinli cursed the stupid, vicious original owner for the hundredth time.
"You're awake." A gentle voice came from beside her. Jiang Xinli turned her head and saw Sheng Tianze.
The corners of his mouth were slightly raised in a faint smile, but a barely perceptible, probing look flashed in his eyes behind his glasses.
Only then did Jiang Xinli realize she couldn't move her neck. "Is Ye Kuo alright?"
'The wound on my neck has actually been mostly healed by the Dodder Flower.'
'But that's my secret.'
'After all, in the interstellar beast world, it's impossible for a female to awaken a superpower.'
Hearing Jiang Xinli's question, Sheng Tianze's fingers, which were preparing the potion, froze. A flash of surprise crossed his eyes before his probing gaze returned to the girl on the bed, a smile touching his lips as he spoke.
"So, our Female Master has learned to care about others?"
Jiang Xinli was speechless. She opened her mouth, but not knowing how to reply, she chose to remain silent.
When she didn't respond, Sheng Tianze's gaze grew heavy. His expression became placid again as he said flatly, "He's asleep."
"Since you're awake, Female Master, drink this." Sheng Tianze adjusted the gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose and held out a vial of red-and-black potion.
"This—" Jiang Xinli frowned. Looking at the vial, she thought the color resembled some kind of horrifying concoction, and a pungent smell assaulted her nostrils, making her wrinkle her nose.
"It helps you heal. It's not poisonous." Sheng Tianze saw her hesitation, and the corner of his lip curled up, as if finding her reaction somewhat cute. "I'd forgotten, our Female Master's neck is injured, leaving you unable to move. However—"
A smirk touched his lips, and a teasing glint flashed in his eyes. "I could feed it to you."
Before Jiang Xinli could even react, he had already taken a mouthful of the potion and was slowly leaning down toward her…