Chapter 4: Life's Ups and Downs
“The black wolf pup was definitely pretending to be asleep. He must know that Master secretly came to help treat his injuries. He's probably incredibly touched!”
007 was so excited that it didn't sleep all night, even more thrilled than An Yao.
However, from deep into the night until morning, they didn't hear the celebratory sound of points being added to their account.
“Uwu, we’ve worked so hard for nothing.”
An Yao reached out and patted its dejected little head, shaking her head with a smile. “It's not that simple.”
“The wolf pup still has his guard up against me. He probably suspects I have ulterior motives for helping him. We should be thankful that he doesn't turn into the antagonist; it's unlikely that we'll gain any points.”
“What should we do then?”
007's little face wrinkled, full of worry.
If their progress decreases while the female lead's side advances, the system will likely wipe them out with a self-destruct sequence.
An Yao rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
“Currently, the wolf pup is very guarded. We can't rush things. We need to take it slow, step by step, and let him gradually adapt to my kindness and realize that there’s no hidden agenda.”
She thought about the hatred and killing intent she just saw in the wolf pup's eyes and sighed to herself: the path of redemption is indeed long and difficult.
But there's a saying goes, dogs are easily appeased. Give them some good food, and they'll wag their tails at you.
Wolves... should be somewhat similar, right?
She wondered.
The next day, as the sky was just beginning to brighten, An Yao got up early and prepared to cook.
She went into the forest and collected a bunch of firewood and dried grass, stuffing them into the stone stove. Then she realized... there was no fire.
Exasperating.
She should have spent some points to buy a lighter!
“What are you doing?”
A cold and deep voice came from the doorway.
Jin had awoken and entered the room, only to discover An Yao huddled on the floor, fumbling with the stove. Her face was pitch black, and she resembled a leopard cub who had rolled around in the dirt.
“Hungry, cooking, no fire.”
She looked up at him with a pitiful expression, making her blackened face even more comical. Yet, there was an inexplicable charm in her helplessness.
“...,” Jin's gaze paused, and he hurriedly averted his eyes, thinking he must have gone crazy. He couldn't believe he had found this malicious female cute.
“Rest assured and leave the chores to me, this slave of yours.”
Most of Jin's injuries had healed. He took a few strides with his long legs, picked up the pile of firewood, and walked out of the house.
An Yao sniffed the smoke outside and, in a short while, Jin came back with a bunch of sparking firewood.
He squatted down, pushed the firewood into the bottom of the stove, blowing air expertly into the stove's opening. Sparks flew, and smoke billowed.
“Cough, cough!”
An Yao was choked by the smoke and stepped back a few paces, tears welling up in her eyes.
Seeing the flames rise in the stove, her eyes lit up. “Impressive!”
It was her first time witnessing someone start a fire from scratch in real life.
Jin heard her praise but remained unfazed. He continued to add more firewood into the stove, blocking the opening with his slender body.
The water in the stone pot began to boil.
Since Jin couldn't go hunting due to his injuries, their food supplies at home were nearly depleted. All that was left were a few pieces of darkened, dried meat hanging on the wall.
They were preserved with coarse salt crystals and could be stored for a long time.
An Yao didn't mind and scooped a large basin of water from the stone trough near the door. She took a piece of dried meat and washed it, scraping off the layer of black mold and charcoal on the surface with a stone knife to reveal the red meat underneath.
She sniffed it; there was no odd smell. It should be edible.
Jin took the piece of dried meat from her hand, and his right hand transformed into a wolf claw.
In a few swift movements, he sliced the whole piece into thin strips and threw them into the stone pot to cook. Even though he didn't add any seasoning, the thick white broth bubbled with a delicious aroma.
An Yao reached out and took the bowl of meat soup Jin handed her.
However, it was so hot that it scalded her. She dropped the bowl on the ground, and most of the piping hot soup splashed onto Jin, who stood nearby.
“So hot, it's scalding me!”
She blew on her reddened and swollen fingers, shouting as if she were about to explode in anger.
Jin stood motionless on the spot. His gaze fell on her hand that had turned red and swollen from the burn. He had forgotten that females had more delicate skin than males, more susceptible to burns. He should have wrapped the bowl of meat soup with animal hide before handing to her.
She probably hates me now and will be angry enough to beat me.
Is her true nature finally about to be revealed?
Jin stood there motionless, as if awaiting the impending punishment that would befall him.
His expression was gloomy and silent, resembling a stagnant well that couldn't stir the slightest ripple. He had grown accustomed to this from childhood, this demeanor of melancholy and silence.
It was a state he had lived with his whole life, becoming second nature to him.
“Hey, why are you still standing there like an idiot? Hurry up and bring me a basin of cold water! Ouch, it hurts so much!”
An Yao saw him standing there like a clueless fool and couldn't help but feel irritated. Her eyes welled up with tears as she urged him.
Jin finally snapped back to his senses and quickly fetched a basin of water from the trough.
An Yao placed her swollen fingers into the cool water, feeling much better.
“... Sorry, Female Master. I didn't mean to.”
The young man knelt on the ground and spoke softly.
“Ah, it's alright. It's not that serious. Thanks for bringing me this basin of water. I feel much better now!”
An Yao was generous in her character.
As she focused on soaking her fingers, she didn't notice Jin's stunned and searching gaze beside her. His sharp, gloomy wolf eyes were fixed on her as if he were reevaluating her.
... This female not only didn't scold or hit him, but she also forgave him so readily?
Jin clenched his fists again.
Was her nature truly changing, or was she playing some other scheme?
After An Yao finished soaking her fingers, she turned her head and saw that Jin had brought her another bowl of meat soup.
The soup had been left to cool, and the rim of the bowl was carefully covered with two pieces of animal hide.
An Yao's stomach rumbled, and after thanking him, she accepted the bowl and enjoyed the meat and soup heartily.
In the underdeveloped beast world, there were no seasonings, but luckily, the salt-cured dried meat carried its own salty flavor, making it passable to eat.
After the meal, Jin went to the yard to tan animal hides, but his mind wasn't on his work. He frequently glanced towards the house and his narrow green eyes showed a deep sense of irritation and curiosity.
He was annoyed with himself for even thinking about that peculiar and malicious female again.
She had allowed him into the house to eat, didn't hit him, and even secretly helped treat his injuries last night...
Jin's thoughts were a mess, and he turned around, striding out of the yard in frustration.
In the beast world, females hardly did any work; everything was taken care of by the males who hunted and managed the household.
So, after finishing her meal, An Yao leisurely lay down on the stone bed, rubbing her slightly bloated belly, pondering how to redeem the wolf pup who refused to be swayed.
[Ding—Antagonist Jin's Little Gray Heart -1, Darkening Value decreased. Reward: Conversion Points +10!]
Huh?
After a meal, the wolf pup's Darkening Value had decreased?
An Yao was overjoyed.
It seemed that influencing the wolf was easier than she thought.
But before An Yao could fully break into a smile, the sound of the system notification chimed again.
[Alert! The antagonist Jin's Darkening Value is rapidly increasing. Host, please stop this process!]
[Once the antagonist becomes fully corrupted, the mission will be deemed a failure, and the system will eliminate the host along with it!]
Oh my god.
An Yao was horrified, her mood plummeting from a high peak to a deep valley.
She jumped up from the bed in shock.
Wasn't everything just fine a moment ago?
What on earth had happened??
She rushed out of the room, but Jin's figure was nowhere to be seen in the yard. It seemed he had gone out.
Could he have run into danger accidentally?
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone