Chapter 9: You Said You Would Take Responsibility for Me

In the thick darkness, the female’s slender, fair fingers were exceptionally conspicuous.

The black snake leaned back slightly, staring at Jiang Qingli with vigilance.

The other snakes also retreated to varying degrees, following Jiang Qingli’s movements.

This scene made Jiang Qingli want to laugh.

Ye Linyuan was so arrogant and domineering on the outside, yet his mental projection was actually cautious and timid—it was inexplicably cute.

Jiang Qingli didn't have much experience with snakes. She thought back to her experience petting cats and beckoned to the little snake, making a few "psst-psst-psst" sounds.

The black snake tilted its head, blinking its blood-red eyes.

Jiang Qingli didn't move; she just smiled at the black snake.

After staring at each other for a few seconds, the black snake slowly crawled toward Jiang Qingli, flicking its tongue in a rhythmic manner.

Jiang Qingli didn't know this was a sign of the snake being interested in something; she waited patiently.

Crawling to her side, the black snake’s head pressed against her palm.

Immediately after, the snake narrowed its eyes, leaned its head in, and rubbed against Jiang Qingli’s cheek.

The surrounding snakes saw this and followed suit, but were warned off by a glare from the black snake.

Jiang Qingli stroked the snake’s body, trying to soothe its emotions according to the method Ye Linyuan had mentioned.

After a while, the snakes in the surroundings disappeared.

And Jiang Qingli discovered that the land beneath her feet had changed.

The originally cracked earth slowly healed, and the black mist gathered in the air dissipated somewhat, greatly increasing visibility.

A blurry shadow appeared not far away. Jiang Qingli walked closer, wanting to see it clearly.

But before she could, a sharp, piercing pain struck her brain, and she fainted on the spot.

***

In a daze, Jiang Qingli heard someone calling her name.

Someone was whispering something in her ear; she tried to listen clearly, but her consciousness became even more blurred...

Jiang Qingli opened her eyes to see a blinding white light and the gorgeous canopy of the bed.

Dazed for a few seconds, Jiang Qingli realized it was the next morning.

The sensation of something wrapped around her waist was impossible to ignore. Jiang Qingli looked down and, sure enough, saw a snake tail moving slowly.

Jiang Qingli: "..."

The same scene as yesterday; she was inexplicably getting used to it...

"Awake?"

Ye Linyuan, who was holding her, felt her movement and pressed closer, nibbling on her earlobe while his snake tongue wandered wantonly.

The ticklish sensation made Jiang Qingli instinctively try to dodge to the side.

Ye Linyuan seemed to be tethered to her; wherever she dodged, he followed.

Such a large bed suddenly felt very cramped.

Jiang Qingli grew impatient and slapped his snake tail: "Put it away."

"I'm in my rut."

If the level of mental pollution is high enough, male beastmen in their rut find it difficult to maintain their human form, becoming uncontrollably semi-beastified.

Thinking of this, Jiang Qingli said: "Then let go, you're pressing on me and it's very uncomfortable."

This time, Ye Linyuan was obedient.

The snake tail loosened and stopped coiling, instead resting against her leg.

Jiang Qingli felt dizzy, and her stomach was uncomfortably hungry.

She guessed that Ye Linyuan’s condition was too severe, and since she had just awakened her mental power, it was difficult for her to handle.

Fortunately, Ye Linyuan was much more normal now.

She sat up and discovered her white dress was tattered, so she kicked Ye Linyuan in anger.

Ye Linyuan’s gaze swept over her skin, his Adam’s apple rolling involuntarily, his breathing deepening: "There are new ones in the wardrobe."

That was more like it.

Jiang Qingli got up to go to the walk-in closet to change into a blue long dress, and while she was washing up, she ordered breakfast.

Breakfast was delivered by a round, chubby robot.

Jiang Qingli was starving. Just as she was about to walk over to grab it, her wrist was gripped by slender fingers.

"Don't move, there's something wrong with it."

Black mist enveloped the robot in an instant, and when it let go, the robot had fallen apart into a pile of fragments, with the food scattered all over the floor.

The snake tail picked a circular object the size of a finger out of the pile of debris and showed it to Jiang Qingli.

"It's a military surveillance device," Ye Linyuan’s voice was cold.

Jiang Qingli shivered, a dense layer of cold sweat breaking out on her back.

She curled her stiff fingers: "Is it monitoring you?"

"The monitor is facing you," Ye Linyuan tossed the device to her. "I cut the power."

The implication was that if she didn't believe him, she could take it back and have someone check it.

Jiang Qingli took it and placed it on the coffee table.

The breakfast was ruined on the floor, and Jiang Qingli was no longer in the mood to order more; who knew if it might be poisoned.

She closed the door, rummaged through the suite’s cabinets, found some snacks, opened the packaging, and handed them to Ye Linyuan: "Do you want to eat?"

Ye Linyuan: "..."

So she was using him as a food taster...

He casually picked up a piece and tossed it into his mouth: "Not poisoned."

Jiang Qingli then ate with peace of mind.

Thinking of her confusion from last night, she continued the conversation: "Why did you change my beast-husband matching? Also, aren't everyone in the Underground City unregistered? How did you get here?"

She was very close, and Ye Linyuan could smell his own scent on her.

He couldn't help but use his snake tail to coil around her and pull her into his arms, hugging her waist from behind and pressing his face against her neck.

"I have a legal identity."

As for why...

Ye Linyuan closed his eyes, his voice hoarse: "You said you would take responsibility for me."

Jiang Qingli choked: "...Didn't you not agree at the time?"

"I didn't refuse, either," Ye Linyuan said, sounding quite righteous.

Jiang Qingli thought for a moment: "You need me to help you with mental healing, right?"

His fingertips rubbed against her waist for a moment before Ye Linyuan reluctantly admitted: "You could say that."

"Are you really F-rank?" Jiang Qingli asked.

"Never tested," Ye Linyuan’s voice was lazy. "Boring."

As expected.

Jiang Qingli didn't press further; she was more concerned about another question: "Besides you, who else was added?"

"Don't know."

"Don't know?" Jiang Qingli turned back, staring into his eyes. "You aren't lying to me, are you?"

"Is there a need?" Ye Linyuan raised his eyes, took Jiang Qingli’s hand, and pressed it against his heart.

There was a black thorn-rose totem imprinted there—this was Jiang Qingli’s mark.

It was also the shackle that bound Ye Linyuan to be loyal to Jiang Qingli.

He truly had no need to lie.

"But who is the other person?" Jiang Qingli frowned. "Didn't you see when you went into the system to modify it?"

"When I went in, there were already four names in the system," Ye Linyuan said.

Jiang Qingli bit her lip, feeling very irritable.

Because of the camera incident just now, Jiang Qingli was worried that it was an undercover agent coming to assassinate her.

"Ye Linyuan," Jiang Qingli looked up. "How about we make a deal?"

Ye Linyuan raised his eyes.

Jiang Qingli said: "How about this: you protect my safety, and I’ll help you with mental healing."

Ye Linyuan gave a faint response.

Having received an affirmative answer, Jiang Qingli extended her pinky finger toward him: "Pinky promise!"

Ye Linyuan realized that Jiang Qingli didn't seem to understand the rules of the world.

She was the female master; as long as she gave an order, she didn't need to make a trade.

And a pinky promise... how childish.

But meeting the girl’s smiling eyes, Ye Linyuan was speechless for a moment.

After a pause, the Underground City Lord, known for being fierce and cruel, raised his hand and childishly made a pinky promise with the female.

***

Because Ye Linyuan was still in his semi-beastman form, Jiang Qingli let him stay there and returned to her villa alone.

Actually, Jiang Qingli should have lived at the Jiang family home.

But at eighteen, because she couldn't awaken her mental power, a violent argument broke out between her and the Jiang family. She eventually moved out to live on her own and refused to have any contact with them.

It was only a few days ago, because she was getting married soon, that she accepted Yin Nuo, the butler sent by the Jiang family’s eldest son, Jiang Youchen.

At the entrance of the villa, Jiang Qingli saw Yin Nuo standing at the door, talking to Qin Muye.

Qin Muye was furious, while Yin Nuo stood in front of him, his expression serious, not giving an inch.

"What's going on?" Jiang Qingli walked over and asked.

Hearing Jiang Qingli’s voice, both of them turned their heads simultaneously, their gazes locking onto her, clearly expecting her to be the judge.