Ruan Ning spoke arrogantly, her long, sharp nails almost poking her face.
Looking at that twisted, conceited face, she met Ruan Ning's red eyes and pretended to be panicked and afraid. "Sister, I know that I am only alive today thanks to you. Otherwise, a barren female like me would have died long ago."
"That's more like it. At least you know your place."
As Ruan Ning brushed past her, she suddenly caught sight of faint red marks on Ruan Fu's neck. She couldn't help but narrow her eyes to take a closer look, only to realize that the other woman's body was covered in marks of intimacy.
At the thought that a male as cold as cedar like An Bei would passionately grip her neck and intimately entangle with her, a trace of ruthlessness unconsciously flashed in Ruan Ning's eyes.
She wondered why a barren female should enjoy the title of Holy Female just like her, and even marry so well. She felt that Ruan Fu shouldn't even exist.
Ruan Ning closed her eyes. When she opened them again, her red pupils had returned to their usual calmness. She cast a faint glance at Ruan Fu and said coldly, "Slut.
"Take your filthy things and get out of my sight."
Hearing her words, Ruan Fu's eyes instantly turned red. She grabbed Ruan Ning's hand.
"Sister—"
Before she could finish, Ruan Ning forcefully threw her hand off, sending her crashing to the ground.
Propping herself up on her elbows, she sat up. Through the shadows on the ground, she noticed someone standing outside the cave. Thus, as she looked up, she squeezed out a few drops of tears. "Sister, it's all my fault. Please don't be angry anymore."
"Shut up!"
Seeing her act like this filled Ruan Ning with anger. It made it look as if she were bullying her! It was clearly Ruan Fu's own fault for not standing steady and falling over. What did it have to do with her? Besides, she didn't want to waste her anger on such a lowly female.
Unwilling to spare Ruan Fu another glance, she turned around, only to find their father, Lu'er, standing outside the cave. A hint of panic flashed across her face.
"F-Father, why are you here?"
Lu'er stood outside the cave. Although he wore the same coarse cloth as them, a thick animal pelt was wrapped around his waist, highlighting his status.
Lu'er glanced at Ruan Fu on the ground before walking toward his beloved eldest daughter. "A ning, the people from the Dragon Clan are coming to propose in two days. I came to see if you needed anything."
Seeing that Lu'er completely ignored Ruan Fu, Ruan Ning felt relieved. The corners of her lips curled up as she affectionately wrapped her arms around his arm, acting coquettishly. "You've given me almost all the best things in the clan, Father. What else could I possibly lack?"
Ruan Ning paused upon seeing Ruan Fu climbing to her feet. "Instead, my sister brought me quite a few things, as if she were afraid I've never seen them before."
"Is that so?"
Lu'er turned and sat down on a nearby stone stool, observing Ruan Fu who stood before him.
When she was born, upon learning that she was barren, he had merely taken one look from afar before ordering people to send her away. Now, it seemed she at least had a decent appearance.
Suddenly, Lu'er noticed that Ruan Fu's eyes weren't the red typical of the Rabbit Clan, but brown. He narrowed his eyes slightly and spoke coldly, "Your sister is a Holy Female renowned throughout the entire continent. Did you think she'd be as ignorant as you? Before your mating ceremony, I suggest you obediently stay in your own cave to avoid bringing shame to our tribe."
Ruan Fu lowered her eyes in agreement. She bowed her head to pick up the scattered pearls from the ground, then turned and left.
Only when Ruan Fu's figure completely disappeared did Lu'er turn his head to look at Ruan Ning. "You're being too careless. Don't forget that she is now the female of the Snake Clan's Clan Leader. If the members of the Snake Clan find out we treat her so harshly, they will probably take issue with our Rabbit Clan."
"Father, I just can't stand her behavior. If it weren't for me, how could she possibly marry into the Snake Clan, let alone own animal pelts and pearls?"
Lu'er gently patted Ruan Ning's hand resting on his arm and comforted her. "I know you feel wronged, but do you think a useless female like her will have a good life after marrying him? You're different. You are the pride of our Rabbit Clan. Once you marry into the Dragon Clan and give birth to a few more males, there won't be a single female in the entire Tianbei Continent more noble than you."
Lu'er reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I recently obtained a bolt of cotton cloth. I'll have someone bring it over to you in a bit."
"Okay, Father. I knew you loved me the most."
Meanwhile, Ruan Fu rubbed her aching arm. If she had known that the original owner's father didn't care about this daughter at all, she wouldn't have fallen so hard just now. It looked like the bruises on her arm would take a few days to fade.
As Ruan Fu was walking, a few females suddenly blocked her path.
The leading female, Guna, was short but very well-endowed. Her plump figure made it obvious at a glance that she was highly fertile. Glaring with a pair of red eyes, she looked Ruan Fu up and down. "You're the other Holy Female in our clan?"
Before Ruan Fu could speak, the female beside Guna sneered. "What Holy Female? She's nothing but a barren, useless female. If you ask me, you might as well give up your marriage agreement with the Snake Clan. Our Guna is a female with superior fertility, and she could definitely secure the alliance between our two clans."
So they were here for the marriage agreement.
Then again, it made sense. The Snake Clan was, after all, a top-tier tribe on the Tianbei Continent. As the Clan Leader of the Snake Clan, An Bei was naturally the target of many females' affections. Now that a barren female like her had snagged him for nothing, it was only natural that many people were dissatisfied. Guna and her friends wouldn't be the only ones.
Ruan Fu curled her lips into a smile. "Since Guna wants to take my place, go talk to my father. See if he's willing to agree to it."
"You..."
Guna knew very well that the Clan Leader wouldn't agree. The Snake Clan only agreed to the mating because of Ruan Fu's title as a Holy Female, counting on her to bring good fortune to the clan. How could they possibly be willing to swap her for another female?
She had only come to confront Ruan Fu out of sheer indignation. She wondered why a barren female deserved to be called a Holy Female.
Looking at Ruan Fu's pretty face, Guna's anger flared uncontrollably. She directly reached out and shoved Ruan Fu, not expecting her to be so frail that she would fall straight to the ground.
The skin on her originally fair and tender arm was scraped, and coupled with the previous bruising, it looked exceptionally horrifying. Realizing what she had just done, Guna's face instantly turned deathly pale.
"It was your own fault for not standing steady. It has nothing to do with me." Guna looked around and, seeing that no one was paying attention to this area, she feigned composure and warned, "Even if you complain to the Clan Leader, it won't be of any use. The Clan Leader... he definitely won't believe you."
With that said, Guna grabbed the female who had come with her and ran away.
Ruan Fu gave a helpless, bitter smile. She knew very well that the original owner's father definitely wouldn't care; he might even blame her for running around. Whatever. She would temporarily pin this grudge on An Bei.
Propping her hands on the ground, Ruan Fu prepared to stand up, but a hand suddenly appeared in front of her.
"Little female, are you alright?"
Ruan Fu looked up. A gentle and elegant face, as soothing as a spring breeze, met her gaze. The signature red eyes highlighted his identity as a member of the Rabbit Clan, but his grayish-white hair was interwoven with hair accessories made of colorful feathers, and a necklace strung with variously shaped bones hung around his neck. His entire demeanor felt sacred and mysterious, unlike an ordinary member of the Rabbit Clan.
While she was still in a daze, the male took the initiative to grab her hand. As his gaze fell upon the wound on her arm, a flash of pity crossed his eyes.
"You're badly hurt. Let me take you to get this bandaged." He pulled Ruan Fu up. Seeing the wary look in her eyes, he curled his lips into a smile and explained, "You just got back, so you probably don't know me yet. I am the Shaman Leader, Chief Nian."