Chapter 66: Side Quest

She paused in her actions, stunned for a moment.

Before she could react further, a series of system chimes rang out in her mind.

"Ding! Congratulations to the host. Mo Lin's favorability has increased by 10, bringing the current favorability to 10. Please keep up the good work, host."

"Ding! Congratulations to the host. Bai Qi's favorability has increased by 10, bringing the current favorability to 15. Please keep up the good work, host."

"Ding! Congratulations to the host. Qing Zhu's favorability has increased by 10, bringing the current favorability to 30. Please keep up the good work, host."

"Ding! Congratulations to the host. Xuan Ming's favorability has increased by 10, bringing the current favorability to 25. Please keep up the good work, host."

Hearing the rapid succession of notifications in her head, Su Xiyue froze in place.

When it finally registered, an overwhelming surge of joy filled her heart.

She quickly pulled up the system interface.

Host: Su Xiyue
Age: 16
Charm: 55
Appearance: 55
Health: 75
Weight: 180 jin (currently exceeding the standard)
Skills: Wood-attribute superpower (Level 2)
Capture targets and favorability:
Ye Ling: 0 (Indifferent)
Mo Lin: 10 (Indifferent)
Qing Zhu: 30 (Indifferent)
Bai Qi: 15 (Indifferent)
Xuan Ming: 25 (Indifferent)

Su Xiyue scanned the data quickly and noticed that all her stats had increased comprehensively.

Her charm had risen from 45 to 55, and her appearance had also gone from 45 to 55.

Her weight had dropped further, going from 210 jin down to 180 jin. In a few more days, she would likely reach a normal physique.

By then, her appearance score would finally pass the passing mark.

In a good mood, she continued reading downward.

Her wood-attribute superpower was already at Level 2, and the favorability ratings of all five beast-husbands had universally increased.

Even that scoundrel Ye Ling's favorability had entered the "indifferent" category.

He no longer hated her.

Thinking of the bright, sparkling large eyes rewarded by the system, she threw aside the puzzled gazes of the surrounding beasts and females.

She quickly got up and ran over to a wooden bucket filled with clear water.

She leaned down and peered at her reflection in the water.

Originally, the eyes of this body were far from attractive; they were especially small, and combined with her heavy weight, they were all squeezed together into mere slits.

Not only had they become larger and much more luminous now, but they were also classic peach blossom eyes—elongated in shape, with a hazy, alluring charm when she wasn't smiling, and curving into crescent moons that utterly captivated the soul when she smiled.

Elation filled her heart. These eyes were truly gorgeous, elevating her entire temperament significantly.

She turned back to look at the beast-men and females who were staring at her strangely.

A thought flickered in her mind, and she batted her eyelashes at them.

Everyone felt a slight, tingling current ripple through their bodies, as if they were entranced by those expressive, watery eyes, and could not help praising them in their hearts.

Those eyes were simply too beautiful!

Yet, as realization set in, doubts arose in their minds: Were Su Xiyue's eyes always this bright and lively?

Even Ye Ling, Mo Lin, Bai Qi, Qing Zhu, and Xuan Ming had experienced a momentary illusion of being electrocuted, unable to stop themselves from taking a few extra glances as their hearts fluttered with an unfamiliar stir.

Remembering his reaction just a moment ago, Ye Ling's handsome face darkened.

This fat woman was getting more and more bizarre by the day.

Mo Lin, Bai Qi, Qing Zhu, and Xuan Ming also wore unnatural expressions.

They quickly averted their gazes, refusing to look at her.

This female was weird; it was best to look at her as little as possible.

Noticing the expressions and actions of the five beast-husbands, Su Xiyue curled her lip and mentally cursed them: They are all a bunch of scoundrels.

Just as she was about to resume smoking the saber-toothed tiger meat, the system's voice rang out in her mind once again: "Congratulations to the host for unlocking a side quest: Please engage in mating with any one of the five beast-husbands within one month. Upon completion, the reward will be 50 packs of toilet paper, with 10 rolls per pack."

Hearing this task, she stumbled and almost fell flat on her face.

She pressed a hand to her forehead, covered in black lines. What kind of damned quest was this? Mating with any one of the five beast-husbands? System, are you seriously not messing with me?

How could such a quest be assigned to a pure and innocent young maiden like her?

While she roared internally, a suspicious flush crept across her face.

She cast a stealthy glance at the five beast-husbands not far away. Every single one of them possessed exploding good looks and a top-tier physique, but the mere thought of "deep communication" with any of them made her heart race, leaving her flustered and completely at a loss as to where to begin.

That scoundrel Ye Ling was the most handsome, but also the hardest one to handle.

Judging by his aloof, overbearing, and supreme attitude, if she threw herself at him, she would likely be kicked away in the next second.

And Mo Lin? He seemed indifferent, but inside he might be burning with passion.

Still, she had no desire to take that risk.

Bai Qi was too beautiful—so breathtakingly beautiful that she felt deeply inferior by comparison.

Mate with him? She was afraid she would suffer from terminal self-doubt.

As for Qing Zhu, that sharp-tongued man, if she dared to approach him, she would probably be mocked until not a single shred of dignity remained.

Xuan Ming possessed a wild, untamed aura, but he was equally resistant to her approach, even warning her that morning not to harbor any thoughts of mating with him.

Angering that jerk meant getting beaten up.

She had no wish to be battered, so Xuan Ming was instantly relegated to her blacklist.

Su Xiyue wailed inwardly, "Little System, are you certain this isn't a joke?"

"Host, this is a side quest. You may choose to accept or refuse. However, the reward is quite generous—50 packs of toilet paper, 10 rolls per pack, which will be more than enough for you to use for quite a while."

The system's voice was dripping with temptation.

She bit her lower lip in conflict as a fierce battle raged inside her.

Toilet paper! This era completely lacked toilet paper; people usually wiped themselves with leaves, which was extremely inconvenient.

With toilet paper, she would never have to wipe herself with leaves again.

It was safe to say her quality of life would improve drastically.

She wrestled with her thoughts.

A moment later, she finally nodded in agreement, "Fine, I accept the mission."

Then, remembering something, she hastily added, "If I fail to complete it, will there be any punishment?"

If there was a penalty, she would definitely refuse.

"Rest assured, host. There is no punishment for failing the quest, though you simply won't receive the toilet paper reward," the system replied.

Su Xiyue let out a sigh of relief. As long as there was no penalty, that was fine.

She cast a glance at the people staring at her curiously and offered an awkward smile.

Then, acting as if nothing had happened, she returned to the smoking rack, intending to continue curing the saber-toothed tiger meat.

Only to discover that, because her mind had wandered, the strips of saber-toothed tiger meat originally hung on the rack for smoking had all been charred pitch-black by the smoke, looking just like chunks of black charcoal.

Gazing at the blackened strips hanging on the frame, the corners of her mouth twitched violently.

Oh, my goodness! Can these even be eaten?

The beast-men and females present had no idea what smoked meat was supposed to look like, so even though they had watched it turn into charcoal, none of them had interfered.

They had simply assumed that was how it was supposed to turn out.

"Is this the smoked meat you were talking about?"

Ye Ling stood there with an aloof expression, his silver eyes narrowing at her as he pointed to the charred strips of meat on the rack and mocked her.

If smoked meat looked like this, he would rather starve to death than eat it.

Su Xiyue looked at the charcoal-like smoked meat on the rack with an awkward expression.

Although being mocked by that scoundrel felt irritating, she explained anyway, "Smoked meat isn't supposed to look like this. Although the Beast God taught me in a dream, this is my very first time doing it, and my technique isn't skilled yet..."

Before she could finish, Ye Ling interrupted, "So, are you saying that all of us are expected to try this pitch-black thing along with you?"

He raised an eyebrow, his magnetic voice tinged with ridicule.

Was this jerk doing this on purpose?

Annoyance flared in Su Xiyue's chest. She glared at him and snapped ungraciously, "Didn't I just make a mistake? Everyone makes mistakes sometimes, and besides, I never said I wasn't going to fix it. What are you rushing for?"