Chapter 52: The Main Quest

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Bai Qi seemed not to have expected her to ask such a question, and he froze for a moment.

Meeting her nervous yet hopeful gaze, he felt something stir within him. The refusal already on the tip of his tongue somehow refused to come out.

Especially when he thought of how much she had changed lately. She had not only become more diligent and clever, but also more considerate, learning to think of others...

After a brief silence, he finally said slowly, “Your recent changes have indeed been remarkable. You’ve really made people look at you in a new light...”

Before he could finish, Su Xiyue interrupted him. “So that means you like the current me?”

Bai Qi: “...”

Looking at her smiling face, the corner of his mouth twitched violently. He was rendered speechless.

He had not exactly said that, had he?

Su Xiyue did not care whether he had said it or not. She simply took his silence as an admission, and her smile grew even brighter. “Since you’re not saying anything, I’ll take that as a yes.”

Bai Qi: “...”

The corner of his mouth twitched even harder, and his expression became indescribably complicated.

He opened his mouth, intending to say something, but when he met her radiant smile, he ultimately said nothing.

Forget it. As long as she was happy.

The two of them soon arrived at Su Xiyue’s cave.

Bai Qi stopped and looked at her gently. “Go inside and get some rest early.”

She nodded slightly, a smile rising on her face. “All right. I’ll go in, then. You should go back and rest early too.”

With that, she turned to enter.

Then, as if remembering something, she paused and looked back at Bai Qi. “Oh, right. There’s still some venison in the pot. I stewed it tonight, and it tastes pretty good, though it may not be very hot anymore. Would you like some?”

Bai Qi had already smelled the aroma of meat drifting through the air. It had been wafting over all afternoon, stirring his appetite.

Hearing her offer, he nodded almost without thinking. “All right.”

But after speaking, he felt somewhat embarrassed, as though he had appeared overly eager.

Su Xiyue naturally did not mind. Smiling brightly, she said, “Then wait here a moment. I’ll go serve some for you.”

Bai Qi nodded and watched her enter. She soon came back out carrying a wooden bowl filled to the brim with venison. The meat had been cut into pieces and was soaking in a vivid red broth, with a few green leaves floating on top. The fragrance was rich and utterly enticing.

Although he had already eaten the pork intestines saved from lunch that evening, along with a piece of roasted meat, and was not hungry at all, he still could not help swallowing when he saw the venison before him.

He reached out to take it. “Thank you.”

Su Xiyue looked at him with an amused smile. “We’re mates. There’s no need to be so polite. Wasn’t that what you said?”

This was the only bowl left in the pot. She had originally intended to give it to Ye Ling, hoping it might ease the tension between them.

But Bai Qi was here, and he had even escorted her back, so she gave it to him instead.

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Bai Qi had no idea what she was thinking. He shook his head with a quiet laugh. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have said that.”

After exchanging a few more words, he turned and carried the venison back with him.

The moment Su Xiyue returned to her cave, the system’s voice sounded in her ears.

“Ding! Congratulations, host. Bai Qi’s affection has increased by five points. His current affection level is five. Please keep up the good work.”

Her eyes filled with delight. Five points was not much, but at least it was a positive number. It was a good beginning.

“Host, the affection levels of Mo Lin, Bai Qi, Qing Zhu, and Xuan Ming have all entered the indifference stage. Only Male Lead Number One, Ye Ling, remains. As soon as his affection is no longer negative and also reaches the indifference stage, the side quest can be unlocked. Completing the side quest will grant rewards. Please conquer Ye Ling as soon as possible...”

The system’s voice continued, carrying a faintly seductive lilt.

Su Xiyue raised her brows, surprise flashing across her face.

The main quest was to win over five beast husbands, but this was the first time she had heard of a side quest.

That wretched system had never mentioned it before.

It had only told her that her task was to win over five beast husbands, and that she could receive rewards each time one of them advanced to a new stage.

Perhaps it was only her imagination, but she had the distinct feeling that the system was digging a pit and waiting for her to jump into it.

Even so, she still intended to give it a try.

After all, the system’s rewards were genuinely generous.

What Su Xiyue did not know was that the system’s side quest truly was a massive trap—a bottomless pit from which there would be no climbing out once she fell in.

Of course, that was a story for later.

For now, all she could think about was how to win over Ye Ling and raise his affection to the indifference stage as quickly as possible, thereby unlocking the side quest.

She decided to go find Ye Ling first thing the next morning and make herself more noticeable to him.

After scrubbing the stone pot clean and washing the bowls and chopsticks, she searched through her basket and found a clean animal-skin skirt. Holding it in her arms, she left the cave and made her way to the river to bathe.

Before leaving, she did not forget to bring her body wash.

It had come from the beginner’s gift package: a vintage wooden-style bottle containing a thousand milliliters.

She used it every night when she bathed, but she only dared to squeeze out the tiniest amount. Once it was gone, it would be gone for good.

It was not something she could buy anywhere, either.

Even now, more than half the bottle remained.

Carrying the animal skin and body wash, Su Xiyue headed toward the river in high spirits.

Along the way, she inevitably heard the sounds of beastfolk and females mating in the tribe—rhythmic cries that made her face flush and her heart race.

No matter which shadowed corner she passed, those sounds seemed to emerge from it.

Passionate and uninhibited, they happened anywhere and anytime.

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The corner of her mouth twitched violently. Fortunately, she had been in the beast world for some time now and had developed at least a little immunity to such sounds.

She was no longer as embarrassed as she had been when she first heard them. She simply treated them as if everyone were singing.

The night was hazy, and the moonlight flowed like water. Her steps were light, and she even hummed a little tune.

When she reached the river, she looked around. Only after confirming that no one was there did she boldly remove her animal-skin skirt, leaving on only the close-fitting undergarment she had made from animal hide.

Barefoot, she stepped into the cool river water.

The river was crystal clear, its bottom visible beneath the moonlight. The light scattered across the surface in glittering ripples, creating a breathtaking scene.

Su Xiyue found a flat stone and sat down. She squeezed a little body wash into her palm and began scrubbing herself at a leisurely pace.

The foam was rich and silky, carrying a faint, clean fragrance that seemed particularly alluring in the quiet of night.

She was enjoying her bath when she suddenly heard footsteps. Someone appeared to be approaching.

Her heart jolted, and she hurriedly turned to look.

A tall figure emerged from the darkness, his silver eyes shining brilliantly beneath the moonlight.

Who else could it be but Ye Ling?

He wore only a strip of animal hide wrapped around his waist, leaving his powerful upper body bare. The smooth, strong lines of his muscles radiated virile charm from every inch of his skin.

Moonlight spilled over him as though coating him in silver. He was devastatingly attractive.

Startled by the sudden appearance of the man, Su Xiyue accidentally knocked the bottle of body wash from the stone beside her. It dropped into the water at once.

Her heart lurched. Without thinking, she bent down to retrieve it.

If the river carried it away and she could not recover it, she would cry herself to death.

Though she reacted quickly, the bottle drifted away even faster.

Growing frantic, she watched as the wooden bottle floated farther and farther downstream.

She could no longer worry about anything else. She stepped directly into the river, her heavy body splashing through the water as she reached out for the bottle.

But in Ye Ling’s eyes, her actions created an entirely different scene.

Beneath the moonlight, she wore only a close-fitting undergarment made of animal hide. Its design was so unusual that he had never seen anything like it before.

The garment clung to her body, outlining her ample figure and making his blood rush.

She was still quite plump, but the unpleasant rolls of fat around her waist had disappeared, replaced by the beginnings of graceful curves.

As a result, her chest and hips appeared even fuller—so full that the sight was startling.

Especially when she bent over and splashed through the water, those two soft mounds seemed almost ready to spill free.