Chapter 3: Do You Believe Me Now?

Si Qi's lowered eyelids trembled violently, and for the first time, his amber eyes, hidden beneath silver-white hair, flickered with emotion.

"If you truly wanted to leave, you would have terminated the contract long ago. Why wait until now? Is this just another one of your new tricks?"

Si Qi was different from the other beast husbands. Father hadn't captured him; he had come of his own accord. He seemed to have known the original owner since childhood, though Li Yue couldn't tell from the original owner's memories whether the contract had been voluntary.

But judging by his words now, he probably wanted to terminate the contract too, right?

Li Yue glanced at this man who would one day become a formidable villain capable of summoning storms and rain. "I've told you, my goal is to have you all accompany me to find Father."

She paused, casting a glance at the dying Lanxi. "Si Qi, use your spiritual power to heal Lanxi's wounds, and I'll give you my blood right now."

Si Qi was a priest, possessing spiritual power that allowed him to heal others. Yet Li Yue had prevented him from treating even his own wounds.

Now, she was actively suggesting he heal Lanxi's wounds and even offering her blood to terminate the contract?

Although Si Qi didn't fully believe Li Yue's words, Lanxi's injuries were indeed severe. He decided to go along with it to see what she was up to, so he nodded and stepped forward to treat Lanxi's wounds.

A faint white light emanated from Si Qi's fingertips—the spiritual power of a Yellow-rank Priest. He gently placed his hand on Lanxi's fish tail, and a soft radiance seeped into the wound. The mangled flesh began to stop bleeding and scab over at a visible rate.

A faint sigh of relief flickered in Lanxi's amethyst eyes. His tense body gradually relaxed, and a hint of color finally returned to his pale face.

Si Qi withdrew his hand, a thin sheen of sweat forming on his forehead beneath his silver-white hair. His breathing was slightly labored, his spiritual power depleted. He looked up at Li Yue, his gaze sharp and skeptical, clearly not expecting her to keep her promise.

Li Yue removed the necklace from her neck—a sharp, adult-finger-length ornament of unknown material. Her Father had stumbled upon it years ago and had it specially polished into a protective charm for her.

Clutching the necklace, she took a deep breath and abruptly slashed her fingertip.

A sharp pain shot through her finger as crimson blood welled up instantly.

She walked to Si Qi and raised her hand, pressing the drop of blood on her fingertip against the Scorpion Beast Mark on his chest.

The originally deep purple Scorpion Beast Mark seemed to fade slightly upon contact with the fresh blood, its edges blurring.

Though still clearly visible, it had visibly lightened by a shade.

The cave fell completely silent.

Si Qi's eyes snapped open. He instinctively reached up to touch the Beast Mark. The warmth of the skin beneath his fingertips and the visibly faded mark confirmed that this was no illusion.

You Lie stared intently at the Beast Mark on Si Qi's collarbone, his pupils constricting. His Adam's apple bobbed uncontrollably.

He had never heard of a female actively using blood to terminate a contract, nor had he ever seen a Beast Mark fade.

The mockery on Chi Yu's face vanished completely, replaced by shock. He subconsciously touched his own Beast Mark.

Jin Ye's breathing suddenly grew heavy, disbelief swirling in his eyes. He looked from Si Qi to the drop of blood on Li Yue's fingertip, momentarily speechless.

Lanxi, struggling in the wooden tub, sat up straight. In his amethyst eyes, the fading Beast Mark on Si Qi's collar was reflected. For the first time, his eyes held an emotion other than hatred—a faint glimmer of hope.

"Do you believe me now?"

Li Yue pressed her bleeding fingertips together, trying to stop the bleeding.

The five males remained silent, their gazes complicated as they looked at her. Doubt lingered, but it was no longer as firm as before. The transformation of the Beast Mark was ironclad evidence they couldn't ignore.

Si Qi was the first to recover. Watching the beads of blood continue to seep from Li Yue's fingertips, his Adam's apple bobbed. He wanted to speak, but ultimately just tightened his lips.

You Lie took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart. His dark red eyes grew more solemn. "You said you want us to take you to your Father?" He paused, then asked the crucial question: "But we don't know where he went."

Her Father was a nomadic beast whose whereabouts were always unpredictable. This time, he hadn't specified his destination, leaving them clueless.

Li Yue recalled the novel's plot. "Father should have gone to the Eagle Tribe. Before he left, he said he was going to bring back an Eagle Tribe Beast Husband for me."

Si Qi was startled, his brow furrowing slightly. "The Eagle Tribe is on the edge of the Black Forest, at least a seven-day journey from here."

"Then we'll go to the Eagle Tribe," Li Yue declared resolutely.

The matter was settled.

Noticing their lingering wariness, Li Yue said, "I'm tired and want to rest. You all should... prepare yourselves. We'll depart at dawn tomorrow."

You Lie gave her a deep, unreadable look before turning and walking out.

Si Qi followed closely, his steps faltering briefly as he passed Li Yue, but he didn't look back.

Chi Yu cast a meaningful glance at the bloodstain on her fingertip, a smirk playing on his lips—whether mocking or something else, it was hard to tell. He followed the others out.

Jin Ye took one last look at Lanxi in the wooden tub before striding out.

Finally, only Li Yue and Lanxi remained in the cave.

Lanxi's eyes were filled with curiosity, but he said nothing, simply soaking quietly in the water.

Li Yue turned and collapsed onto the bed of thick, dry grass, letting out a long sigh.

Leaning against the cool rock wall, she finally felt her taut nerves begin to relax.

At least, she had given those beast husbands a glimmer of hope and temporarily stabilized them.

But that wasn't enough.

She knew all too well that the deep-seated hatred left behind by the original owner couldn't be erased simply by her initiating contract termination. The prospect of ending the contract primarily drove their willingness to protect her now.

Yet once the contract was truly terminated and the Beast Mark's restraint vanished, their bone-deep hatred would likely still doom her to death.

Therefore, finding her Father was only the first step.

Before that, she had to find a way to change their perception of her.

At the very least, she needed to stop being the object of their burning hatred.

Once their relationship had eased somewhat, she could peacefully terminate the contract and then find a few desirable males to form new contracts with.

The males of the Beast World were all so handsome. Since she had been transported here anyway, she might as well find a few more.

As she was lost in thought, she heard faint footsteps approaching the cave entrance.

Chi Yu held a large green leaf, on which lay several glistening pieces of roasted meat. The edges were slightly charred, and the meat emitted an enticing aroma—clearly expertly roasted, with a crispy exterior and tender interior.

Chi Yu stopped a few steps away from Li Yue, his tall figure casting a long shadow. A captivating smile played on his lips as he extended the leaf forward, his voice deep and magnetic: "Hungry? Want some?"

No reason for kindness without ulterior motive.

Could he be trying to poison her?

Li Yue eyed the smiling fox beastman warily when he added, "If you eat roasted meat, can you give me a drop of your blood?"