Chapter 24

Cheng Youyou was speechless. Mu Rui didn’t sound like a shaman—he sounded more like a pimp. According to him, if she didn’t accept his offer, she’d miss out on the most exceptional males in the beast world. To be fair, he was targeting the original host’s weak spot. If the original were here, she might’ve agreed on the spot.

She was a hopeless flirt—always chasing after her beast-husbands and pestering any handsome male she saw, like You Wa.

The square was packed with beastfolk, none of whom had left. All were eagerly listening, waiting for her response.

Everyone assumed Cheng Youyou would accept Mu Rui’s invitation immediately—it was exactly her kind of offer.

Before she could speak, Ji Xuan stepped forward and shielded her, cutting off Mu Rui’s enthusiastic pitch.

“Shaman Mu, if Lord Ling Chuan truly wishes to form a bond with Youyou, her other beast-husbands, and I would be honored.”

“A top-tier male joining our Sunlight Tribe would be a great blessing…”

“No, no, I didn’t mean our leader would join…”

Cheng Youyou couldn’t hear their conversation anymore. She looked up at Ji Xuan. All she saw was his powerful back, muscles sharply defined and rising and falling with his steady breath. He radiated strength and vitality. Just standing there, he was so attractive that it made her knees weak.

No—wait. Her knees really were weak.

Right before she blacked out, she wondered if she was cursed in this beast world. How many times had she fainted already? Was that normal?

What was she touching? Soft, warm, smooth…

She forced open her heavy eyelids. Her vision was blurry, layered like a dream, but slowly came into focus. She was back in her cave, lying on the stone bed. Her hand was resting on the beast-hide beneath her.

She pushed herself up and looked around. The orange-red sun slanted through the cave entrance, casting a warm glow over everything—including her.

Bathed in sunlight without warmth, a sudden loneliness crept in. She felt abandoned by the world.

Just then, Zi Wu entered the cave carrying a few bird eggs. He paused at the sight before him. This Cheng Youyou was nothing like the lively, radiant figure from the square. Now she looked like she didn’t belong here—like a gust of wind could scatter her.

He was losing it. What was he thinking?

That this plump body, which jiggled with every step, could be blown away by the wind? Whatever. He’d deliver the eggs and be done.

Zi Wu cleared his throat, snapping Cheng Youyou out of her thoughts. She looked toward the entrance and saw him standing there, expression unreadable.

“Cheng Youyou, you’ve really outdone yourself—fainting from hunger. Don’t you know where to collect your food rations?” His crisp voice was laced with cold disdain.

Was her father really planning to make her a shaman? Wouldn’t she end up killing beastfolk instead of healing them?

He couldn’t understand what her father had been thinking. Just remembering her father made Zi Wu’s resentment deepen. If she hadn’t begged for rainbow fruit, her father wouldn’t have ventured into the Misty Forest and disappeared.

Seeing Zi Wu’s cold expression and undisguised hatred, Cheng Youyou curled her lip. She hadn’t meant to faint from hunger—it was Lu Xi’s emergency, and this body couldn’t handle even a little starvation.

In the apocalypse, she could go two days without food and still bounce around. Hunger was a daily reality.

Speaking of hunger, she felt like her stomach was glued to her spine. If she didn’t eat soon, she might really die here. She could already smell roasted meat calling to her. Her feet touched the ground—soft as noodles—and she collapsed to her knees.

Zi Wu was stunned. What was she doing now?

“Even if you’re kneeling to apologize, Cheng Youyou, your sins won’t be forgiven.”

Her knees hit the hard ground painfully, her face scrunched into a tragic mess.

Was this guy blind? Who was apologizing?

She was about to curse him when a familiar voice called from the entrance.

“Cheng Youyou, you’re awake?” Lu Xi walked in briskly and hurried to help her up. She shot an annoyed glare at Zi Wu, who was standing like a statue at the door. She knew Cheng Youyou’s beast-husbands didn’t like her, but watching her collapse and doing nothing was too much.

Zi Wu caught Lu Xi’s glare and was baffled. Cheng Youyou had knelt on her own—why was he getting blamed?

Cheng Youyou looked at Lu Xi’s energetic stride and sighed. She was the one who needed postpartum care more than Lu Xi.

Lu Xi helped her back onto the stone bed, eyes full of concern. “Eat something first. Shaman Mu Rui said you fainted from hunger.”

Cheng Youyou’s mouth twitched. Of course, she was hungry. She’d just burned through all her energy in the forest, hadn’t even had a sip of water, then rushed to save someone. She’d drained her powers to help Lu Xi, then forced herself to attend the public trial. The fact that she hadn’t died was a miracle.

After eating the large piece of roasted meat Lu Xi brought, Cheng Youyou finally felt alive again. But her energy wasn’t fully restored—her limbs were still weak and useless. Once full, her body began to recover. The first thing to wake up was her nose.

A wave of putrid stench hit her, making her gag and nearly vomit the meat she’d just eaten.

No way!

Lu Xi’s face twisted in discomfort, too, but she said nothing.

Cheng Youyou followed the smell—and her heart sank. Her prized forest delicacies had gone bad. They were black, rotten, and leaking foul-smelling liquid from the basket. She screamed and lunged toward it.

Lu Xi followed, curious. What was this disgusting mess that had her so worked up? Unable to resist, she asked, “Is that medicine?”

Cheng Youyou dumped the contents of the basket and began sorting through them, hoping to find something salvageable. Without looking up, she replied, “It’s not medicine. It’s mushrooms. Edible ones.”

She finished sorting, but none were usable. Even the ones that hadn’t rotted were contaminated by the foul mushroom juice. Not a single bite was safe to eat.