Su Qinglan froze.
Second… beast husband?
When did she gain a second beast husband? She still hadn't even formally met the first one!
Her brows twitched. Then the answer came to her—ah, right. This was the second beast husband chosen for her by her father, the tribe leader. But they had never mated.
Her gaze returned to the bleeding arctic wolf sprawled on the ground. Han Jue.
… No wonder the name had tugged at her memory.
Like a brick falling on her skull, it hit her, the original Su Qinglan had never seen his beast form. That was why she hadn't recognized him.
Su Qinglan stared at him, blood still pouring from his wound, hostility still burning in those ice-blue eyes.
Her lips twitched.
Wonderful. My fake husband's first reaction to me is to bare his fangs.
Before she could move, the system's clear chime rang in her ears again.
[New Mission: Save second beast husband, Han Jue.]
Su Qinglan's expression stiffened. "…System, are you joking with me? I never acknowledged any second beast husband. So why are you calling him this?"
For a second, there was silence. Then XuYu's voice rang brightly, as if pretending nothing was wrong.
[Host… ah… well, you see, there seems to be… a slight glitch in the system.]
Su Qinglan's brow rose higher.
[Yes, a glitch! I'll just… go repair it. In the meantime, please continue completing your first mission, yes? Xuyu loves Host, Xuyu trusts Host… Xuyu—]
The voice stuttered, warped strangely, then fizzled out into static.
"…"
Su Qinglan's mouth twitched violently.
Why did her system feel less like one of those mighty, domineering, all-powerful systems and more like a half-broken toy someone had picked up off a scrap heap?
Unreliable thing.
She dragged a hand down her face and sighed heavily.
Well, whether the system glitched or not didn't matter. Mission or no mission, she wasn't about to let the arctic wolf bleed out here. Not just because he was supposedly her "second husband," but because she wasn't stupid.
If she saved him, it would improve her image in the tribe. Right now, everyone saw her as a useless, dirty female who only knew how to cause trouble. Saving a four-striped beast warrior in front of so many witnesses… that was the kind of thing that could shift her reputation overnight.
Her fox eyes narrowed slyly.
Time to act.
She rose slightly, looking down at the wolf and the protective beastmen around him. Her tone dropped low, carrying just the right mix of sadness and rebuke.
"If you really want him to die," she murmured, "then keep stopping me. It won't be long before he goes to the Beast God."
The words fell like heavy stones.
Gasps rippled through the crowd. The beastmen who had been glaring at her suddenly turned pale, their expressions flickering with hesitation.
Su Qinglan lowered her gaze and let her lashes flutter as if weighed down with sorrow. Her voice came soft, almost pitiful. "The witch left me some herbs… simple medicine for wounds. But if you all insist on blocking me… then when he dies, who will answer to the witch? Who will answer for the loss of a four-striped warrior?"
The murmurs broke into uneasy silence.
Slowly, Su Qinglan rose to her feet, her movements heavy and exaggerated. She even let out a long, trembling sigh, as if her poor heart could not bear the tragedy. Then she lifted her short, chubby leg with great effort and began stepping away, like a girl too sad to even stay and watch.
Her acting was flawless.
Truly top-notch.
Every line of her posture screamed innocence and helplessness, as if she had truly only wanted to help and had been cruelly stopped.
The beast warriors surrounding Han Jue glanced at one another. Guilt flickered in their eyes. Their grips on his body loosened. Even their hostility dimmed, replaced with the uncomfortable awareness that maybe they had gone too far.
Su Qinglan caught their wavering expressions from the corner of her eye and smirked inwardly. Hmph. Serves you right. Who's the troublemaker now?
Even the arctic wolf, who moments ago had bared his fangs, had gone still. He no longer had the strength to snarl. His breaths were shallow, his hostility fading beneath the heavy weight of his wounds.
She glanced down at him one last time.
Don't worry, wolf. You may hate me now, but later you'll be wagging your tail in front of me, hmph!
Outwardly, though, she only sighed again, her voice dripping with tragic melancholy.
"What a pity… such a strong warrior, and no one willing to let me try."
The crowd shifted uneasily.
The tense silence stretched. The younger warriors shifted uneasily, some still bristling with suspicion, others clearly wavering. If they let her touch Han Jue and he died, they would be blamed. But if they stopped her and he bled out here, the witch and the tribe leader would skin them alive.
Before anyone could decide, a calm yet firm voice rose from the crowd.
"Let her treat him."
The warriors turned. An older female, her long orange-streaked hair tied loosely, stepped forward. Her presence carried authority that silenced even the most stubborn youths.
It was Su Lian, Su Qinglan's aunt, her father's half-sister.
"If something happens to Beast Warrior Han Jue," Su Lian said steadily, her gaze sweeping over the crowd, "I will take responsibility."
Her words hit the warriors like a hammer. Murmurs spread instantly...if the elder was willing to shoulder the blame, then none of them would be punished.
"Yes… better let her try."
"Even if she fails, at least we didn't just stand here watching him die."
"And if the witch truly entrusted her with medicine, then that means she trusted her!"
"Better to let her try, than stand by and watch Beast Warrior Han Jue die and return to the Beast God."
"Step aside," Su Lian ordered, and the circle of beast warriors slowly parted, leaving a narrow path that led straight to the bleeding wolf.