Chapter 10: A Strange Feeling

Wen Nanxi let out a soft sigh and reached out to gently smooth her hair.

"It is well that you are unhurt."

"Your hair is still wet, Mistress; you might catch a cold. Let us return to the room first."

Wen Nanxi reached out and picked her up gently to carry her inside.

Su Muyao had not expected Wen Nanxi to take the initiative to hold her like this.

Caught completely off guard, she instinctively reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck.

As Wen Nanxi held her, he could smell the faint, fragrant scent emanating from her body.

Xiao Jihan and Hua Linye watched as Wen Nanxi did something unprecedented by holding Su Muyao, both wearing expressions of astonishment.

Wen Nanxi appeared gentle as jade, but he was not an easy man to deal with.

Previously, whenever Su Muyao had tried to get close to him, she had never succeeded.

Yet now, Wen Nanxi was taking the initiative to hold her.

The expressions of Xiao Jihan and Hua Linye grew complicated. They followed him into the courtyard, closing and locking the gate behind them.

At that moment, the Space System shouted excitedly in Su Muyao's mind: "Host, quick! Let him hold you more!"

"If the Host takes the initiative to hug him, hold him tight and kiss him, maybe you can unlock some permissions and get some supplies dropped!"

The Space System knew that the Host currently needed supplies from the space.

Su Muyao communicated with the Space System through her thoughts: "If I do that, he'll probably throw me away."

"Host, the fact that Wen Nanxi is holding you shows he doesn't hate you. So, for the sake of supplies, be bold! Go for it!"

"Just think about all the supplies you have stockpiled. There are so many!"

Su Muyao was indeed a little tempted.

However, she wasn't about to go and throw herself at him.

But since Wen Nanxi was the one holding her, surely she could hold on a little longer without letting go!

Wen Nanxi, naturally, was unaware of Su Muyao's internal monologue.

He carried Su Muyao into the room and placed her on the bed.

Su Muyao did not let go; she simply continued to hold him, thinking to herself, *“Space, grant some permissions!”*

Seeing that she wouldn't let go, Wen Nanxi looked down at her tenderly and asked, "Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"

Su Muyao pursed her lips, closed her eyes, and braced herself, saying, "I'm... I'm a little scared!"

Heaven knew that after saying this, she wished she could find a hole to crawl into.

Hearing this, Wen Nanxi's heart softened. He held her a little tighter and comforted her in a low voice, "Don't be afraid. I am right here."

"I won't let the mutant beasts harm you."

Xiao Jihan and Hua Linye saw this scene as they entered the room.

For some reason, a strange emotion flashed through their hearts.

Involuntarily, their gazes fell upon Su Muyao.

At this moment, Su Muyao's partially disfigured face was obscured by Wen Nanxi's embrace, leaving only half of her cheek visible.

Under the indoor lighting, her skin looked as white as snow.

Perhaps because she had just finished bathing, she seemed to possess an ethereal, otherworldly aura.

The eyes of both Xiao Jihan and Hua Linye flickered.

In the past, they had never looked at her closely.

Just then, the Space System said excitedly, "Host, some seasoning packets have been released in the space!"

"You can let go of Wen Nanxi now."

Hearing this, Su Muyao hurriedly pulled away from Wen Nanxi's embrace.

"I... I'm fine now!"

She didn't dare look at Wen Nanxi's expression, fearing he would realize she was merely using him as a tool.

Wen Nanxi gave a gentle smile. "Your hair is still wet, Mistress. You'll catch a cold like this."

As he spoke, Wen Nanxi took out a clean cloth to dry her hair.

Hua Linye hesitated for a moment before stepping forward and saying, "Let me do it."

As he spoke, Hua Linye released his ability; a searing heat radiated from his palm to blow-dry Su Muyao's hair.

Su Muyao was incredibly surprised; this was much more effective than a hairdryer.

However, she was even more surprised that Hua Linye, who had loathed her so much, would take the initiative to dry her hair.

According to the predecessor's memories, he had never done such a thing before.

As he leaned closer, Hua Linye smelled a faint, pleasant scent, much like a warm pheromone.

It was completely different from her previous scent.

Being a fox beast, his perception of everyone's scent was extremely acute.

He wore a suspicious expression, somewhat incredulous.

But as he sensed more carefully, the pheromone scent was indeed different.

Previously, her scent had been dark, cold, and repulsive; now, it was as warm as sunlight.

It made him unable to resist the urge to draw closer.

Hua Linye's fox-like eyes took on a look that was half-intoxicated.

He almost lost control of the heat he was releasing, and a small spark flickered from his fingertip.

"Careful!"

Xiao Jihan immediately sent a blast of ice to extinguish the small flame.

Snapping back to his senses, Hua Linye hurriedly apologized, "I'm sorry!"

Su Muyao waved her hand. "It's fine, it's fine."

She felt that Hua Linye might hate her so much he wanted to burn her to death.

"Regardless, thank you all for protecting me tonight."

She still needed them, so she tried her best to maintain good relations.

Wen Nanxi said softly, "Protecting you is our duty."

Su Muyao didn't believe such words.

In the past, mutant beasts had appeared in the middle of the night; if they hadn't killed them in time, the beasts would have rushed into the courtyard.

Back then, the predecessor had been so frightened that she fell ill.

Even if they didn't let her die, they had plenty of other ways to torment her.

Since they had dealt with the mutant beasts so decisively this time, she felt she should show her appreciation.

"How about this: to show my gratitude, I will make something delicious for you tomorrow."

"I'll make breakfast."

Hua Linye spoke up, "I will take care of the Mistress tomorrow."

It was true that tomorrow was Hua Linye's turn to stay home and look after Su Muyao, while Wen Nanxi and Xiao Jihan were to go out hunting.

Su Muyao actually wanted Wen Nanxi to stay home with her, but she felt that would be unfair.

Hunting was indeed quite dangerous.

As if thinking of something, Su Muyao asked, "What is going on with these mutant beasts?"

It turned out that staying in the tribe was also very unsafe.

Whenever something happened, the predecessor would only hide in fear, having no real understanding of mutant beasts.

But she was no parasite; she was not used to relying on others.

For now, she had to rely on them because she was weak, but once her strength increased, she would kill these mutant beasts herself.

Wen Nanxi explained, "When wild animals are invaded by a strange dark energy, they mutate into mutant beasts."

"Once a wild animal becomes a mutant beast, its strength increases inexplicably, and it develops a habit of attacking and killing beastmen."

"Normally, they only move around in the mountains and forests and do not go to places where beastmen gather."

"But on the night of a full moon, they will rush into the tribes to attack beastmen regardless of the consequences."

"The meat of mutant beasts is poisonous and cannot be eaten; consuming it is fatal..."

Wen Nanxi gave a brief explanation of the situation regarding the mutant beasts.

Su Muyao's expression turned solemn. Invaded by dark energy?

"Do you know what kind of dark energy it is?"

Wen Nanxi whispered, "No one knows."

"The further north and the colder the place, the more mutant beasts there are."

"That is why most beastmen who commit crimes are exiled here to the Beiluo Tribe."

There were many mutant beasts here, making it convenient for the exiled beastmen to hunt them.

It also allowed them to fend for themselves.

The Beiluo Tribe appeared to have many beastmen, but the number of casualties among them every year was also very high.