Chapter 7

Cheng Youyou cleaned every speck of dust in the cave, then collapsed onto the stone bed, panting heavily.

Can’t help it—at her current size, even the slightest movement left her exhausted. Still, looking around at the now spotless and tidy cave, she felt genuinely happy. Until her stomach let out a familiar protest, instantly ruining her good mood. Her nose was filled with the tempting aroma of rendered fat, and her belly’s complaints grew louder. She sprang to her feet and walked over to the stone platform where the bone knives were kept, selecting one that felt right in her hand.

If she stayed in the cave any longer, she might lose control and start eating again. Better to find something to do.

This jiggling, trembling fat on her body—she couldn’t afford to gain any more. The cave had everything she needed—except pots and bowls. Without a pot, how was she supposed to make her dream chicken-and-mushroom stew?

She remembered there were sandstones by the river and decided to make her own stone pot and bowl set. Following her memory, she walked upstream and finally found stones of the right size.

She struggled to pull one from the river, and when she struck it with the bone knife, she was stunned. She stared blankly at the broken half of the knife in her hand, then at the untouched stone. Was her chicken-and-mushroom stew doomed?

Suddenly, Cheng Youyou remembered something. With a thought, her beast-hide clothing gave a loud rip and was completely ruined. She awkwardly shuffled to the stream and looked at her reflection.

A massive golden leopard pig?

The water reflected a plump, wrinkle-free creature that looked more pig than leopard—no graceful feline curves, just a round, glossy body. Her golden fur gleamed under the sun, slick and shiny.

She leaned closer to the water, her amber-like beast eyes sparkling with human-like curiosity. She raised a paw and examined it. She really had turned into an animal. This beast-world continent was truly magical.

Once she got used to her beast form and the novelty wore off, she glanced at the shredded beast-hide on the ground. Her mouth twitched. How was she supposed to get back?

Sure, in this world, no one cared about running around naked—but she did. Forget it. She’d finish the stone pot first.

She raised her paw and slashed at the sandstone. Where the bone knife had failed, her sharp claws left a deep gash. Her paws weren’t as nimble as human hands, so she huffed and puffed for ages before finally shaping a rough stone pot. Exhausted, she lay on the ground, tongue lolling, panting hard. This wasn’t just hard on people—it was hard on leopards too.

Just as she was about to get up and continue, a loud splash echoed from downstream. She turned her head curiously.

And froze.

Terrified.

The once-clear river was now murky, its bottom churned up by massive claws.

A snow-white tiger stood in the water, droplets falling from its fur. The “王” (king) character on his forehead stood out against the white, and his muscular body radiated explosive power.

The tiger suddenly looked up. Their eyes met—his pitch-black beast eyes locked onto her, radiating such pressure that it made her want to submit.

Mama mia, that’s one huge tiger!

Cheng Youyou’s instincts screamed, and she turned to flee. But she forgot—she wasn’t used to her beast form, let alone running in it. From the tiger’s perspective, she was just a round, waddling leopard pig.

She staggered away, her four paws flailing in an awkward rhythm. The white tiger shifted into human form, standing naked in the middle of the river, laughing heartily. His sun-kissed skin glowed under the light, and droplets fell from his silver hair onto his high nose bridge. They slid down his defined abs, past his V-line, and finally disappeared into the river.

Ji Xuan stopped laughing and walked slowly to the shore. He looked down at the claw marks and scattered stones, his dark eyes glinting.

Tonight, he would lead the tribe’s elite males on a hunt to stockpile food for winter and trade with the sea beast tribe. The prey they were after had an even keener sense of smell than beastmen. He had to scrub every trace of scent from his body. He hadn’t expected to stumble upon Cheng Youyou in beast form.

He’d never paid her any attention before—never cared. Though they were bonded for certain reasons, he’d never considered her his mate. To him, she was just a parasite clinging to males for their reproductive value, feeding off scraps. Her past behavior hadn’t affected him—he’d been through far worse.

His eyes darkened with memories too heavy to dissolve.

After a moment, he snapped out of it and stared in the direction Cheng Youyou had fled. When had she started to change?

She still reeked, but now that stench was laced with faint notes of woodsy freshness. And last night’s strange scene, along with her odd behavior… Things were getting interesting.

Cheng Youyou ran all the way back to the cave, shifted back into human form, and collapsed onto the stone bed. Her heart pounded like a drum, and she gasped for breath. Once she calmed down, she realized her whole body ached.

Looking down—yikes. Bruises everywhere, probably from crashing into trees and rocks. Her palms and soles burned painfully, scratched by thorns in the forest. Tiny splinters were still embedded. She took out a bone needle and picked them out one by one, grimacing with each stab.

“Seriously, Ji Xuan must be insane!” she grumbled through the pain.

That silent appearance—anyone would’ve bolted at the sight of a giant tiger.

These beast-husbands of the original host were all toxic. She needed to stay far away. Her arm still hurt from Mu Yu’s grip yesterday, and now she was covered in injuries. She could use her healing ability to fix herself. Though her healing power wasn’t high-level, it was enough for surface wounds. But she wanted to save it—for repaying the original host’s debts and securing her future peace.

Tonight, Ji Xuan would lead the strong males on a hunt.

Mu Yu would go too. That gave her the perfect chance to sneak over and heal Mu Feng. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If she missed it, who knew when another would come?

Once Mu Feng was healed, she’d cut ties with all of the original host’s beast-husbands. She’d shut her door and live her own peaceful, happy life.