She glanced at Lu Yan, who was gazing at her with undisguised eagerness. She Qianshang felt no disdain for Lu Yan's directness, but rather a sense of unpretentious innocence.
Isn't it natural to express oneself?
Seeing that Lu Yan was engrossed in conversation with She Qianshang, Nan An had to muster his strength to stand up. He then pulled her hand with a hint of annoyance, his voice carrying clear displeasure, "Let's go."
Lu Yan felt a pang of reluctance; she hadn't even exchanged a few words with the handsome stranger yet.
However, she couldn't just walk away with a stranger. With an apologetic smile to She Qianshang, she reluctantly followed Nan An.
"Wait." She Qianshang suddenly spoke.
Nan An frowned, "Is there another problem?"
She Qianshang: "It's late now, and wild dog tribes are roaming outside to forage. Are you sure you want to leave? You can stay here until dawn with just a small price, and I'll have the Snake Tribe healers tend to your leg injury."
"Really?" Hearing that there were wild dogs outside, Lu Yan became frightened and quickly asked, "Will you really help him with his leg injury?"
"What do you want?" Nan An was also tempted. His injury might worsen if he continued to travel, and if they encountered fierce beastmen by chance, he might not be able to escape unharmed.
"I want you to lend me the little female for a night." She Qianshang scanned Lu Yan with great interest, as if he had seen right through her.
"Dream on!" Nan An's expression changed immediately. He pulled Lu Yan, intending to leave.
Lu Yan blushed crimson at She Qianshang's blunt words.
Although she felt immense shame, she was even more unwilling to risk venturing outside. She struggled free from Nan An, looking at She Qianshang with a sense of sacrifice, "Can you really find someone to heal Brother Nan's injury?"
"Mm." She Qianshang looked at Lu Yan with a smile in his eyes, his gaze lingering from her fair neck to her slender waist, filled with a hidden desire.
"I don't need it." Nan An had his pride and didn't want his mate to sacrifice herself for him like this.
Lu Yan grabbed Nan An's arm, her eyes moist. "Brother Nan, you were injured by Qiao Ci because of me. I can't abandon you. I know you care about me, but I care about you too. You've sacrificed so much for me, what is a single sacrifice for you?"
"You..." Nan An had always sacrificed for Lu Yan. Hearing her words, his heart overflowed with emotion. However, the more touched he was, the less he could allow her to be with another male. "I will not let you suffer such humiliation! Rest assured, I will protect you even at the cost of my life. Let's go."
"My mind is made up. Brother Nan, I hope you will be well. You must cooperate with your treatment to not betray my sacrifice now." After speaking to Nan An, Lu Yan looked at She Qianshang, "I hope you keep your word and let your subordinates heal him properly."
Nan An naturally refused. She Qianshang summoned several snake beastmen who directly took him away.
Only She Qianshang and Lu Yan remained in the cave.
Lu Yan bit her lower lip in shame, putting on a look of resignation. "Just once, you can't go too far."
"Little female, you won't be saying that later."
"You'll be begging me."
His deliberately lowered voice and suggestive words made the battle-hardened Lu Yan blush and gradually feel a flicker of anticipation.
His true form was a snake...
It should be very different...
The two began an unspeakable interaction.
Until the final moment of breakthrough, the entire cave was filled with the woman's heart-wrenching screams...
Even Nan An, in other caves, heard it. He struggled to go and save Lu Yan but was held down by the snake beastman treating him.
"Don't worry, our leader is very gentle with females. That little female must be a first-timer. Soon she'll be... hehe..." The snake beastman began to chuckle lewdly.
Nan An, however, misinterpreted.
Lu Yan usually enjoyed herself in this regard. Her screams just now were so tragic, she must have been abused by She Qianshang.
He angrily pounded his injured leg. It was all his fault for being so useless, forcing Lu Yan to sacrifice herself to this extent. He vowed to recover quickly and treat her doubly well in the future.
And so, amidst Lu Yan's screams and his self-reproach, the dark night receded, and the light dawned.
Lu Yan opened her eyes, her pale lips cracked.
For some reason, she felt no pleasure with She Qianshang. Instead, it was excruciatingly painful.
Her struggles, kicks, and bites were all in vain, and She Qianshang showed no pity. Like Nan An and Shi Xiao Tian, his eyes were dazed, and he was tireless.
She endured unprecedented pain, so much so that she choked and fainted.
However, when it was all over, apart from the usual soreness all over her body, there was no other feeling.
"My sweet little female, you're awake?"
Hearing this devilish voice, Lu Yan, startled, quickly closed her eyes, feigning unawareness. "I'm not awake, I'm not awake."
He was a snake; he must have poison, which was why she suffered so much.
She regretted it. She should have gone with Nan An then; she wouldn't have suffered this inhuman torment.
Seeing her close her eyes again, She Qianshang's eyes gleamed with interest.
He had stumbled upon a treasure, hadn't he?
This little female was truly unforgettable, just a bit too reserved.
Her reluctance was because of that dejected tiger, wasn't it?
Heh heh, very good. The more she resisted, the more he liked her. He had plenty of time to make her fall in love with him slowly.
"Then you rest."
Nan An had not slept all night. By noon, he still hadn't seen Lu Yan.
Then She Qianshang came to inform him, expressing hope that he and Lu Yan would be guests for a long time, after which he discovered he was under house arrest.
*
Ming Xi observed Qiao Ci all night, concealed by the darkness.
He found that when she slept, she was so docile. The usual spiritedness was gone from her brow, replaced by a serene calm that spoke of peaceful times.
Especially when she nestled into his embrace with trust and dependence, his long-empty heart gradually filled and warmed.
He couldn't get enough of looking at her.
Seeing Qiao Ci showing signs of waking up, Ming Xi immediately closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep.
Qiao Ci shook her head with a helpless, doting smile and gently patted him. "Time to get up and eat something."
Ming Xi had no choice but to feign being woken up. He opened his eyes, his voice still husky from sleep. "Good morning."
This was the beastmen world, and the development of food was still in its nascent stages.
Qiao Ci ate the food in her mouth with little relish.
"Don't like it?" Ming Xi, who had been observing Qiao Ci, couldn't help but ask when he saw her frowning as she ate.
"Mm, the taste is average." Qiao Ci didn't hide her feelings, stating them frankly.
Compared to what her cub made, this was indeed difficult to eat. However, her cub in this life seemed to have not encountered these things, and the culinary skills of the beastmen world were also below average. She'd make do.