Chapter 4: The Only Sea Beast That Can Make Salt

So that's what they're after—getting her to bleed so they can terminate the contract quickly.

Li Yue's mind instantly clarified. These beast husbands were all eager to shed the burdens left by the original owner, and they were certainly direct about it.

But that was for the best. At least it meant they had no ulterior motives for now.

With the Contract Beast Seal binding them, they wouldn't dare harm her. Her earlier worries about being poisoned seemed unnecessary.

With this realization, the tension in her shoulders completely dissipated.

But she couldn't agree to terminate the contract so quickly.

If she gave Chi Yu her blood now, and he completed ten drops to break the seal, given that fox beastman's vengeful nature, he'd probably turn around and bite her neck off.

Li Yue raised her eyes, meeting Chi Yu's cunning gaze. A slow, meaningful smile curved her lips. "You think a meal of roasted meat is enough to earn a drop of my blood?"

Chi Yu's smile froze, then twisted into a mocking grin. "Then what do you want?"

Li Yue leisurely swung the roasted meat in her hand. "How about this: you make me five meals, each as thoughtfully prepared as today's, and I'll give you one drop of blood per meal. What do you say?"

He had made the offer casually, never expecting Li Yue actually to accept.

Five meals for one drop of blood, and fifty meals would terminate the contract.

Chi Yu's eyes lit up instantly. After a moment, he asked cautiously, "Is this true? Do you dare swear an oath to the Beast God?"

In this world, the Beast God was the supreme deity, and oaths sworn to him carried real weight.

Li Yue calculated mentally. Fifty meals should be more than enough to last until she found her Father.

Without hesitation, she raised her right hand and declared loudly, "I, Li Yue, swear to the Beast God that for every five meals Chi Yu cooks for me, I will give him one drop of blood to terminate the contract. I will never go back on my word!"

The moment she finished speaking, Chi Yu's eyes blazed with wild joy.

His smile became genuinely warm as he pushed the green leaf forward. "Eat quickly. It'll taste bad if it gets cold."

Only then did Li Yue take a bite of the roasted meat. The crispy exterior and tender interior were indeed good, but after a few chews, she frowned. It had no flavor at all, as bland as plain water.

"Why isn't there any salt?" she couldn't help asking.

Chi Yu's smile faded slightly, and his tone carried a hint of mockery. "You've forgotten? You dissolved all the salt into brine to soak the whips, claiming it would make our beatings more painful. Where do you think we'll find any salt now?"

Li Yue froze. The memories of the original owner of her body surged up—it was true. She couldn't help but frown. Not even enough salt to eat, and it was used to soak whips?

She furrowed her brow. "Then what do we do? We need energy to keep traveling. We can't just keep eating unsalted food."

Chi Yu suddenly tilted his chin, his gaze falling on Lanxi in the wooden tub. His tone held a playful edge. "Lanxi is the only Merfolk in the Sea Tribe who knows how to make salt. If we're out, he can make some."

Following Chi Yu's gaze, Li Yue looked into the wooden tub. Lanxi was submerged silently in the water, his beautiful eyes like ice, locked coldly onto her. His tail swayed gently in the water, revealing scales with faint red edges.

Li Yue's heart sank. Although Si Qi's treatment had scabbed over her wounds, the scales that had been ripped out had left behind shallow pits. Whether they would grow back was still uncertain.

Of the males present, Lanxi likely harbored the most intense hatred.

But with no other options, Li Yue took a deep breath and approached the wooden tub. She leaned forward slightly, striving to keep her voice calm: "Lanxi, can you help me make salt? It won't be for nothing—I'll give you a drop of my blood to terminate our contract."

Lanxi's gaze swept over her face, and he remained silent for a long time, only the sway of his fish tail growing more vigorous, splashing tiny droplets of water.

What's going on? Li Yue wondered.

Ever since her Father brought him here, Lanxi hadn't spoken a word. Could he... be mute?

Her eyes instinctively darted to his arms. Most male beast-folk have Beast Rings on their arms, each color signifying their power level. Yet Lanxi's arms were completely smooth, without a trace of any mark.

This is strange.

Though her Father doted on her, he was never one to judge solely by appearance. How could he have arranged a contract with a male lacking a Beast Ring?

Li Yue tried to recall the novel's plot. Lanxi was later revealed as the continent-shattering villain, unrivaled in the seas. So how does he not even have a Beast Ring now?

Seeing that Lanxi remained unresponsive, she decided it was pointless to press him and turned to leave.

"Is what you're saying true?"

A voice suddenly rang out behind her, clear and resonant like mountain spring water flowing over jade, with a subtle ripple. Though a question, it was as soft as a feather brushing against the heart.

They said the Merfolk Tribe's songs could bewitch the heart, but even his ordinary speech was this enchanting. The faint breathiness at the end of his words was more refreshing than the purest spring water.

"Of course it's true," she replied, turning and nodding vigorously, afraid he wouldn't believe her. "As soon as you make salt, I'll immediately give you my blood. I'll never deceive you."

Lanxi's eyelashes trembled, and a sliver of ice seemed to melt in his violet eyes. After gazing at Li Yue for a moment, he raised his hand and pointed to a large, dust-covered earthenware jar in the corner of the cave.

"There... is seawater. You'll need seawater to make salt."

Li Yue followed his gaze and saw a half-human-height jar standing in the corner. Its opening was covered with a tattered beast hide, and a thin layer of dust lay on top, clearly indicating it hadn't been moved in a long time.

She turned to Chi Yu and said, "Bring that clay jar over for Lanxi to use."

Chi Yu immediately put on his most alluring smile and asked, "If I carry it for you, is there a reward? Like... letting me have a drop of your blood in advance?"

Li Yue was speechless. "You want a reward just for carrying a jar?" she snapped, her tone sharp.

She shook her finger, which had just stopped bleeding, and her voice was clearly displeased. "Doesn't taking blood hurt?"

Seeing that she was genuinely angry, Chi Yu wisely dropped his smile.

He hadn't really expected to get a drop of blood for such a small favor. He just wanted to take advantage of Li Yue's obviously abnormal behavior today to probe for weaknesses and see if he could exploit any openings.

Without another word, Chi Yu turned and walked to the corner of the cave, hefting the heavy clay jar.

The seawater sloshed softly inside as he carried it to the wooden tub.

Lanxi stared at the jar, a faint glint in his eyes, now within arm's reach.

With a gentle flick of his tail, he slid from the tub into the jar.

The seawater rose just past his waist, shimmering with tiny waves.

Li Yue, standing close by, was splashed in the face by the water from his tail.

She instinctively wiped her face and leaned closer, her eyes sparkling as she watched the activity inside the jar.

She was genuinely curious about how the Merfolk Tribe made salt.

Chi Yu, however, narrowed his eyes slightly.

Something's wrong. Terribly wrong.

In the past, Li Yue would have exploded if splashed like this, either yelling at them for ages or grabbing her whip to lash out. How could she be acting so normal now, just wiping her face and acting as if nothing had happened?

Today, she was like a completely different person.