Chapter 4: The Appearance of Space

Wen Nanxi’s elegant, painting-like eyes darkened as he quickly engaged in combat with the massive beast.

Despite his usual gentle and refined demeanor, when he truly fought, he carried a cold, piercing aura like frost and snow.

The oppressive pressure he radiated was immense.

The bone knife in his hand spun rapidly, shooting toward the beast like a whirlwind of wind blades.

The beast did not seem weak either; its reaction speed was incredibly fast, allowing it to evade the lethal strike.

However, the spinning bone knife flew back into Wen Nanxi’s hand as it completed its rotation.

Leaping down from the air, Wen Nanxi drove the bone knife straight through the beast's neck.

As he pulled the knife out, blood splattered.

Yet, he evaded the spray with such elegance and ease that not a single drop touched him.

*Thud!*

The beast collapsed with a heavy crash, the impact causing the very ground to tremble.

Watching this scene, Su Muyao’s eyes widened.

She could tell that Wen Nanxi hadn't used even a fraction of his true strength to deal with the beast so easily.

It was clear that his gentle refinement was merely a facade; in reality, he was incredibly powerful.

The previous owner of this body hadn't possessed even a shred of supernatural ability—how did she dare provoke these beast-men?

And she had abused them so cruelly one by one; wasn't she afraid they would kill her if they couldn't take it anymore?

Even though she was their wife-master and they would have to die with her if they killed her, there were surely secret methods to kill someone so stealthily that no one would ever know!

Thinking of the five beast-men the previous owner had broken ties with—each of them looking at her with eyes that screamed a desire to kill her—Su Muyao felt like crying.

"Wife-master?"

Seeing that Su Muyao had no reaction, Wen Nanxi leaped up into a tree.

Startled by the sound, Su Muyao snapped back to her senses, only to find herself staring directly into Wen Nanxi’s beautiful, refined features.

It was so sudden.

"Ah!"

Su Muyao instinctively tried to avoid him, stepping backward reflexively.

But she was amidst the branches of a tree.

As she stepped back, she tumbled straight off the tree.

Wen Nanxi lunged downward, catching Su Muyao mid-air.

"Are you alright, wife-master?"

Held in Wen Nanxi's arms, Su Muyao could smell his elegant, pleasant scent, which seemed capable of easily bewitching one's mind.

Thinking of how he had just killed the beast and how the previous owner had abused him, her body involuntarily stiffened.

"Um, I'm fine. Just... just let me go. Yes, just put me down."

As Su Muyao spoke, she didn't dare touch him.

Each of them loathed her touch; it was better not to provoke them.

In the apocalypse, instances of mutual slaughter were far too common, and Su Muyao’s self-protection instinct kicked in.

Wen Nanxi looked down at Su Muyao in his arms.

This was the first time he had held her, yet the person in his arms showed no sign of pleasant surprise; her face was pale, her expression wary, and her body was rigid.

Her long eyelashes fluttered like feathers.

Unlike the obsessive and crazed gaze she used to have, her eyes were now clear and pure.

She truly was different from before.

Wen Nanxi’s expression darkened for a moment before a shimmering light flickered in his eyes. He leaned in and whispered hoarsely in her ear, "Wife-master, are you afraid of me?"

Su Muyao bit her lip and whispered, "No, how could I be!"

But as soon as she spoke, she froze.

She looked up at Wen Nanxi, only to meet the dark, shimmering depths of his eyes, which felt like a dark vortex threatening to swallow her whole.

Su Muyao suddenly felt that she might not understand this snake-beast-man, Wen Nanxi, at all.

At this moment, he looked extremely dangerous, a far cry from his usual gentle self.

Could that gentleness have been his camouflage?

She wanted to get down, but Wen Nanxi held her firmly without letting go.

Su Muyao struggled, but she couldn't move.

Her abilities were still too weak to contend with Wen Nanxi's strength.

"In the past, you used to like it when I held you like this."

Su Muyao’s eyelashes trembled. The previous owner *did* like it, but she was not the previous owner.

She gave a faint, awkward smile and said sheepishly, "I'm just... trying to turn over a new leaf!"

Su Muyao instinctively felt that Wen Nanxi was suspicious of something.

She wanted to say more, but at that moment, a soft, cute voice suddenly rang out in her mind: "Host, I'm finally awake!"

"I'm so happy! The host is still here!"

Hearing the voice of the Spatial System in her mind, Su Muyao communicated with it via thought: "It's good that you're okay. Are the things I stockpiled in my space still there?"

Since she had gained consciousness as a child, the Spatial System had been with her.

In the apocalypse, her ability to easily stockpile supplies and awaken her powers to survive was thanks to the help of the Spatial System.

Moreover, it was very protective of her.

Even though it was a system, they had developed a bond.

The Spatial System explained softly, "Host, after your ability upgraded and you underwent your tribulation during the apocalypse, you traveled to this world, and I was injured along with you. Now, my spatial authority is limited; it only covers half an acre. Those supplies can only be unlocked bit by bit after an upgrade."

Su Muyao had stockpiled countless supplies in the apocalypse, all kept in her spatial villa.

Her space was originally very large, but since the supplies were temporarily inaccessible, there was nothing Su Muyao could do but feel anxious.

"Then what is the trigger for the upgrade?"

The Spatial System replied, "It is for the host to have intimate contact with her beast-men, which will release different levels of authority."

"This time, because the host had an intimate hug with a beast-man, I was able to wake up."

Su Muyao sighed inwardly; she never imagined the trigger for the space's awakening would be something like this.

And to unlock more authority, she had to have intimate contact with the beast-men?

As if thinking of something, the Spatial System added, "Host, if you have a substantive relationship with a beast-man—you know, the *doing that kind of thing*—the space will upgrade much faster, and you can unlock the supplies quickly."

Su Muyao's mouth twitched. "If you want me to stay alive, stop saying things like that."

It seemed she would have to rely on herself to find food for now.

Wen Nanxi looked down at Su Muyao. Seeing the colorful expressions on her face, a hint of mischief flashed in his eyes.

She was much more interesting now.

After communicating with the Spatial System for a while, Su Muyao snapped back to reality.

By then, Wen Nanxi had set her down.

Su Muyao hurriedly kept her distance from Wen Nanxi and approached the dead beast, asking, "Is this beast meat edible?"

"That beast cannot be eaten; it is a mutated beast."

Su Muyao knew that while there were many beasts in this forest, there were also mutated ones. Mutated beasts were poisonous and inedible.

It was just like mushrooms—some are poisonous, while others are safe to eat.

Su Muyao stopped worrying about the dead beast and continued to pick tomatoes seriously.

Wen Nanxi didn't say anything else and stepped forward to help her.

Soon, the basket was filled with tomatoes.

She wanted to look for other foods or perhaps some medicinal herbs.

As Su Muyao was searching nearby, the Spatial System suddenly said excitedly, "Host, I can now detect things within a hundred-meter radius! There are sweet potatoes under the grass one hundred meters ahead!"