If one were to describe his appearance carefully, there was a kind of sharp and profound beauty — like an ancient deity carved in stone, cold and distant, chilling and untouchable.
She quickly snapped back to reality and, following her memory, headed toward the back mountain. Towering ancient trees stood tall, old vines entwined everywhere, filling the air with the aura of a primeval forest.
Not far away, a small river flowed quietly. The water was crystal clear, revealing many fish and shrimp swimming inside.
The fish and shrimp were much larger than those in the apocalypse, and completely natural and unpolluted.
Su Xiyue swallowed hard, feeling thirsty and quite hungry.
But she didn't rush forward.
She closed her eyes and tried to connect with the surrounding plants.
During the apocalypse, her special ability was wood-based, and she had cultivated it to level 7.
She could not only accelerate plant growth, use vines to attack or bind things, but also heal simple wounds and detect movement within a certain range.
In the apocalypse, this power had helped her scavenge plenty of supplies.
Unfortunately, she had been blown up by a particularly powerful zombie.
Soon, a thin green vine appeared in her palm.
Her heart leapt with joy — her ability was still intact, though for some unknown reason, it had dropped to level 1.
No matter, level 1 was level 1. The spiritual energy in this beast world was abundant; sooner or later she would level up again.
Under her control, the vine in her palm shot out swiftly, wrapping tightly around a nearby large tree before flying back to her hand.
Looking at the lush green vine, she felt extremely happy.
Having this ability gave her some guarantee of survival in this world.
Su Xiyue retracted the vine and crouched by the riverbank.
She cupped some water and washed her face. The icy cold water eased some of the summer heat, but the feeling on her skin was off — her face felt rough and oily, with pits and bumps.
It made her feel disgusted.
Gazing at her reflection in the water, her hair was a tangled, sticky mess, with unknown dry leaves stuck in it.
She wore a tattered animal-skin skirt, dirty and torn, emitting a foul odor that nearly made her vomit.
Her face was even worse — sallow, rough, greasy, covered in pimples and pustules, some oozing yellow pus. The sight was truly revolting.
Her eyes were small and murky; her nose was flat and broad; her mouth large and thick-lipped, with protruding buck teeth.
Her figure was fat and bloated, as if all the flesh was squished together, without a hint of a waistline.
Su Xiyue was shocked by her own ugliness and couldn't help but gag, "Ugh…"
She immediately vomited uncontrollably, nearly emptying her stomach bile.
"Oh my god, this is way too ugly," she thought, her mind on the verge of collapse. She wasn't exactly a beauty, but she had always been delicate and pleasant-looking. When did she become this hideous?
With this face, forget about men — even she herself felt disgusted.
No, she had to wash up properly and tidy her face well.
Although Su Xiyue wasn't obsessed with beauty, she still cared deeply about her personal image and would never allow herself to be so sloppy.
It was too nauseating.
She raised her hand to her face — oily and disgusting — and quickly withdrew it in disgust.
Grimacing, she began to wash her hair. It was filthy and stinky, caked with mud, grease, and tangled knots that wouldn't untangle.
Using her hands as a comb, she struggled for a long time to smooth it out a little.
But no matter how hard she tried, it wouldn't get clean. The river water at her feet turned dark, but her hair remained greasy.
Sigh, if only she had some shampoo.
Just then, a sudden "ding" sounded in her mind.
"Ding! Super Charm System activated."
"Ding! Welcome host to the beast world. I am your system assistant, happy to serve you."
Su Xiyue blinked in confusion. A Super Charm System?
As a seasoned novel fan in her past life, she naturally knew what a system was.
It was the must-have cheat tool for any transmigrator!
Could it be that she had just awakened her golden finger?
Her heart soared with joy.
But what exactly was a charm system? Was it supposed to make her a heartthrob?
"Um, system assistant, can you first explain what you do?" she asked while washing her hair.
The system chuckled softly, then explained, "This system's purpose is to help the host increase personal charm, court target individuals, and earn their favor. Each time you increase favor to a certain level, you receive rewards."
"Court target individuals? Favor? Rewards?"
Su Xiyue pondered those keywords with interest. "Can you be more specific? Who do I need to court? How do I gain favor? And what are the rewards?"
She was most curious about the rewards, though.
"The targets are the original owner's five beast husbands: Ye Ling, Mo Lin, Qing Zhu, Bai Qi, and Xuan Ming. You need to interact with them to raise their favor towards you. Favor levels are: Disgust, Indifference, Like, Love, and Deep Love. Each level up grants generous rewards. Reaching the highest level unlocks the ultimate grand prize."
The system explained quietly, then continued, "Rewards vary — beauty pills, weight loss pills, survival skills, daily necessities, health potions, and rare treasures. Of course, shampoo is also available, just like you wished."
Su Xiyue raised an eyebrow. This system actually sounded pretty interesting.
But the thought of courting those five men gave her a headache, especially Ye Ling, who was so fierce. She didn't want to tempt bad luck.
And there was also Chu Youyou, the female protagonist player.
"So, what are their current favor levels toward me? At what stage?" Su Xiyue asked, not rushing to agree yet.
"Host, you can see for yourself."
As the system's voice faded, an electronic screen appeared before her eyes.
Target Character Favorability Panel
Host: Su Xiyue
Age: 16
Charm Value: 0
Appearance Score: 10 (Extremely Ugly)
Health: 60 (Max 100)
Weight: Severely Overweight, hindering movement.
Skill: Wood-type Ability (Level 1)
Targets and Favorability:
Ye Ling: Disgust (-100)
Mo Lin: Disgust (-90)
Qing Zhu: Disgust (-90)
Bai Qi: Disgust (-85)
Xuan Ming: Disgust (-90)
Su Xiyue stared at the row of negative numbers — all around minus 90 or 100 — and her mouth twitched sharply.
She had known the beast husbands disliked her, but she never imagined it was this bad.
A heavy gloom settled over her.
"Look, I can't complete this mission. You'd better find someone else," she said flatly.
She had her apocalypse-awakened ability to rely on and could survive in this world alone. Why bother trying to ingratiate herself with people who clearly hated her?
More importantly, there was no guarantee she could succeed.
It was just asking for trouble.
The system sounded anxious, "Host, don't be so quick to refuse. Although you have abilities, this world is dangerous — full of powerful beasts and even supernatural forces. With the system's help, you will survive much better."
Su Xiyue's heart stirred. The system wasn't wrong.
This world was even more perilous than the apocalypse. With the system's aid, life could indeed be much easier.
But the thought of having to court five men who all hated her…
Especially Ye Ling, with a perfect -100 favorability score. Just thinking about his cold, piercing gaze sent chills down her spine.
Even if she was shameless enough to be a doormat, completing this task seemed almost impossible.