Chapter 3: Pitiable “Puppy”
There was a water basin near the door.
An Yao fetched a basin of water and placed it by the bed. She also grabbed a clean piece of beastskin cloth, dampened it, and carefully cleaned the wounds of the unconscious young man on the bed.
After changing the water five times, An Yao finally managed to clean off all the dirt and blood from his body, revealing the originally pitiable, fair little face of him.
Although Hu Lie's cheeks were slightly thin due to years of not having enough to eat, his facial features were sharp and flawless—long eyelashes, a straight nose, soft lips, and a well-defined jawline.
His shoulders and neck were broad and his Adam's apple protruded sensually from his throat, giving him an appealing and attractive appearance.
An Yao couldn't help but recall that glimpse earlier.
The young man's pair of dark green eyes were classical yet sharp, concealing intense hatred, as if he wanted to devour her alive…
She couldn't resist reaching out and touching the scar above his right eye. Without this scar, his face would have been a masterpiece.
However, perhaps due to his severe injuries and blood loss, the young man's complexion was even paler and more fragile than those wild, dark-skinned beastmen. His cracked lips lacked trace of blood, exuding a sense of delicate and pitiable beauty.
…
The beating from the sticks, one after another, was agonizing, to the point that Jin, for a brief moment, felt like he might be beaten to death.
And when he was on the brink of death, the wicked female who was responsible for everything ordered the punishment to stop.
What was she scheming this time?
Planning to torture him again using a different method?
“Ugh…”
Jin abruptly opened his eyes, his breathing chaotic and rapid. The stone house had only one narrow window, casting dim light into the room.
He had to squint his eyes and dilate his pupils.
In this enclosed darkness, he seemed to be able to hear his heartbeat, which was slightly faster than usual, pounding like a drum.
Beneath him was a stone bed covered with layers of dry hay and beastskin.
The original slave stared blankly at the unfamiliar ceiling.
Just a moment ago, he had accidentally knocked out that malicious female, and the tribe leader had taken him away for punishment.
He was about to be beaten to death. But then, when that malicious female regained consciousness, she saved him…
Thinking up to this point, his memories resurfaced. Jin quickly propped himself up to look at the bedside.
“Awake?”
An Yao returned with a fresh basin of water, pushing open the door. The light spilling out illuminated the dim stone room, bringing a touch of warmth.
She placed the water basin on a low table and sat down by the bedside. Her gaze met the young man's flustered eyes.
“How do you feel now?”
His tall wolf ears drooped cautiously over his hair.
Limp.
He didn't dare to lift his head to look at her, his gaze revealing a hint of hidden fear.
“Master, the system has detected that the Antagonist Jin is very wary of you. In order to reduce his Darkening Value, you need to lower his level of alertness!”
007 reminded her.
An Yao looked at the wary young man and felt a headache coming on. She had no choice but to soften her voice as much as possible.
“Do the wounds on your body still hurt? Should I clean them again for you?”
Although these words were meant to console him, the young man seemed to hear an underlying implication.
He was but a slave, the lowest existence in this beastly realm, and his fate hung in the hands of the female who held his indenture. He should never have allowed himself to resist, let alone harm her. Such an act was an outright defiance and offense—an unpardonable transgression.
With these thoughts weighing upon him, he nearly tumbled from the bed, dragging the animal-skin blanket down to the ground. The young lad hastily covered his lower half (for his animal-hide skirt had been torn to shreds), and he lowered his head, his ears tinged with a rosy hue.
How could he resemble a virtuous man who had been taken liberties with?
An Yao couldn't help but quirk a corner of her mouth in amusement.
Jin kept his head low, his voice trembling as he said, “I apologize, Female Master. I, I never intended to harm you.”
His forehead was nearly touching the ground, his words squeezed out between fear and panic.
“If you're still angry, please feel free to scold or punish me again. I promise not to resist again...”
His muscles trembled slightly from the tension. His back and arms were covered in wounds, a mix of fresh and old injuries.
The still-bleeding wounds were from the recent beating, while most of the older scars were accumulated over time from his previous owner.
Was she going to beat him again?
Jin thought to himself, would it be a stick this time, a bone knife, or a thorn whip?
He instinctively closed his eyes, clenched his lower lip, and his eyelashes trembled. He awaited the punishment that should have befallen his frail body.
However, unexpectedly, a soft hand gently cupped his face, tilting his head up to face her.
“Why would I scold or beat you?” She looked puzzled.
“It's because I committed an unforgivable mistake. I accidentally knocked you out and hurt you...”
“Oh, you're talking about that incident. I'm perfectly fine now, right? So, I don't want to punish you anymore.” She spoke casually.
A heinous crime in his eyes seemed like a trivial matter when spoken by her. There was no hint of blame in her words.
Jin stared at her in shock, unable to say a word for a moment.
The female in front of him had changed into a clean, new beastskin skirt.
It seemed like she also had just taken a bath in the river, her hair tied up with a faint dampness, and the ever-present odor that clung to her was gone, replaced by a light, pleasant fragrance.
She bent down, her brows and eyes curved as she looked at him, her lips gently curled. A softness he had never seen before shimmered in her eyes.
Jin's gaze remained fixed on her for a long time. This malicious female seemed to have suddenly transformed into a different person.
As she continued to speak, the system reported a decrease in his alertness towards her.
She maintained her soft tone and said, “Moreover, you've already endured that beating. Even if I wanted to punish you, I've already punished you by getting hurt. So, most of my anger has dissipated, and I don't want to punish you anymore.”
“If I really wanted to continue punishing you, I wouldn't have stopped the chieftain earlier, right?”
Jin's gaze lingered on her, seemingly struggling to determine the authenticity of her words, to confirm that she truly had no intention of punishing him further. Only then did he awkwardly climb up from the ground.
An Yao tossed a new beastskin skirt to him and turned away.
The young man accepted it in a fluster, fumbling to put it on around his slender waist. He whispered, “I've done, Female Master.”
An Yao turned around at this point.
However, she noticed that he didn't go back to lying on the bed, but instead went into the kitchen.
An Yao was momentarily confused before she remembered that in this beastman world, low-ranking males naturally served the females.
Moreover, he was the lowest of the low as a male slave. Not only did he have to endure beatings and curses from his owner, he also had to cook and work for her every day without complaint.
Considering the personality of the original An Yao, she definitely wouldn't have allowed him to enter the house to eat, deeming it a waste of precious food.
She also wouldn't have allowed him to sleep indoors. Even on rainy days, she would have made him sleep outside in a makeshift grass nest.
An Yao pursed her lips, trying to explain, “You should eat your meal first. Come inside and sleep here tonight.”
After all, she was here to be a conversion angel. How could she let the little cub sleep outside?
The young man paused at her words, then turned around, lowered his head, and clenched his fists at his sides. His chest heaved heavily.
In his mind, this malicious female's behavior today was too strange.
She saved him, treated his injuries, and now she was being kind to him...
Could it be that she was up to something, planning to continue tormenting him?
Last time, she nearly blinded his left eye.
Was she going to aim for his right eye this time?
[Oh no, alarm, alarm—the Antagonist Jin's Darkening Value is increasing!]
An Yao saw the five small gray hearts above his head, with one of them turning gray very soon. She was utterly shocked!
“Master, something's not right! According to the system's speculation, Jin suspects that you're being unusually nice to him and wonders if you have ulterior motives to harm him!” 007 urgently explained.
“Okay, understood.”
This was a stubborn baby who only yielded to force but rejected a soft approach.
An Yao immediately dropped the tenderness from her face, pretending to be unreasonably rude to avoid going out of character,
“Although you hurt me, you were also hurt pretty badly. I've made it clear just now. We don't owe each other anything now, so don't give me that look!”
“You're seriously injured. What if you catch a cold and get a fever from sleeping outside? You could die! If you die, who will attend to me?”
“Our family has been feeding and supporting you for so many years, wasting so much food. I can't just watch you die.”
So that's how it is.
Huh, he knew this malicious female could never be this kind-hearted.
The young man's tightly clenched fists loosened, and he stopped looking at her.
He turned around and staggered away, “...No need, I won’t easily die.”
An Yao finished the soup in the bowl in one gulp, almost choking.
Then, she hurriedly got up, tore off two pieces of animal hide from the wall, grabbed the stone pot, and thrust it into his arms, “Here, take this! Did you make this big pot of meat soup just to feed me to death?”
“Go pour it out. Don't let me catch you eating it! Otherwise, I'll kill you!” she threatened fiercely.
“...”
Jin received the stone pot filled with half a pot of meat soup.
The tantalizing smell of meat wafted around him, making it hard for him to move his feet.
“Oh, by the way, there’s fruit too. I took a bite on the way and it’s so sour!”
An Yao's expression was one of “Why am I so unlucky?” as she stuffed a piece of fruit into his arms, “Throw this away too; it's disgusting!”
Jin cautiously and suspiciously looked at her.
If it was really that bad, why didn't she just throw it away on the way home?
Why bring it all the way here?
He took a piece of the fruit and put it in his mouth.
It tasted... sweet.
After delivering her stern words, An Yao paid no more attention to him and climbed onto the stone bed to rest.
She closed her eyes, and the air in the room became quiet and tranquil.
After a while, she heard the footsteps start again, followed by the sound of the wooden door opening and closing.
Only when she was sure the footsteps had receded did she quietly get off the bed. She gently pushed open a gap in the door and looked outside.
She saw Jin was squatting on the ground not far away and eating the leftover from the pot. He wolfed it down as if he hadn't eaten in a long time.
Even though he should be a strong male beastman, his body was much thinner than the other males in the tribe. His ribs and bones were easily visible.
Not to mention the numerous scars on his body, making him look even more pitiful and frail.
This boy obviously grew up in suffering, no wonder he would later turn into a major antagonist.
The female lead just gave him a little kindness and food, and he treated it like a sincere affection and gave her his true heart.
Using the remaining points in the space, An Yao bought a small bottle of alcohol, a pack of cotton swabs, and a small bag of basic hemostatic powder.
She wrapped them all in a piece of animal skin.
When night fell, Jin transformed into his beast form and lay down on the pile of grass to sleep after grooming his fur.
An Yao took the package and left the house.
The black wolf in front of her was also quite thin and weak, its skin and bones clearly visible. Its black-gray fur was dull and lacked any luster.
It looked like a pitiful big dog.
An Yao felt a pang of pity and approached quietly, then squatted beside the black wolf. She took out a cotton swab and alcohol to disinfect its wounds.
As she wiped his wounds with the alcohol-soaked cotton swab, the black wolf's body trembled violently, its muscles tense to the extreme.
However, its eyes remained shut, not opening.
If An Yao hadn't noticed the little gray heart on his head turning black, she would have thought he had passed out.
Tsk.
He was quite the actor.
The immediate task was to treat the wolf pup's wounds.
An Yao knew from the original story that the wolf pup's moon wolf bloodline was sealed, preventing it from advancing in strength.
Despite almost reaching adulthood, it was still the weakest first-tier beastman, often called a waste and bullied by the original host and other male beastmen in the tribe.
Due to its weak strength, its wounds were difficult to heal and scab over.
The constant beatings and bullying from childhood left behind many irreversible problems in its body, intensifying its hatred for beastmen and the world.
When the female left, the black wolf opened its eyes in the darkness, its gloomy olive-green wolf pupils overflowing with killing intent.
What did that female just do to him?!
His wounds stung as if he'd been stung by wasps.
Sure enough, he knew she was acting unusually today.
It turned out she had malicious intentions, attempting to lower his guard before poisoning him!
Even if he had to die, he would drag her down with him.
The black wolf's eyes darkened with an ominous light. He wanted to rush into the house and put an end to this malicious female, but he realized something was off after taking a couple of steps.
He lowered his head and saw that all his wounds had scabbed over. Even the pain in his legs had reduced by a large margin. He couldn't help widening his eyes in disbelief.
How... how was this possible...
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone