Chapter 9: We Ate so that You Won't Have Any

Li Yue stared at the whip in her hand, completely bewildered, question marks practically popping out of her head.

She didn't reach out to take the leather whip, instead looking at Jin Ye with confusion. "Hit you? Why would I hit you?"

Jin Ye looked as if he'd heard something utterly unbelievable. His ice-blue eyes widened instantly as he stared at her in shock.

He took half a step forward, his tall figure casting a shadow over Li Yue, his eyes filled with disbelief.

He made you suffer so much on your back, you vomited, your arms are still trembling, and you're not going to hit him?

He waited for a long moment, but Li Yue didn't make a move to strike him. He frowned slightly and asked, "You really aren't going to hit me?"

Back in the day, just whipping him wouldn't have been enough to satisfy me. At least I'd have soaked the whip in saltwater, or burned him with a red-hot stick.

Li Yue wasn't the original host; she had no desire to hurt people for fun. Besides, she wouldn't dare strike these villains who'd tried to kill her. Even if Jin Ye had some masochistic tendencies and enjoyed being whipped, she didn't have the strength to do it right now.

Leaning against the tree trunk, she closed her eyes, her voice weary. "I'm tired. I want to rest. Don't bother me."

The moment she finished speaking, faint breathing could be heard.

She was utterly exhausted, and having had a nightmare the previous night, she had barely slept. The moment she relaxed, she fell fast asleep.

The beast husbands watched Li Yue, who had fallen asleep leaning against the large tree, their faces filled with complex emotions.

This vicious female, who had never ridden on a male's back before, had been so jolted during the journey that her face had turned deathly pale.

Yet she had uttered not a single curse along the way. At first, they had assumed she was merely frightened and would throw a tantrum once she dismounted. But instead of lashing out with her whip, she had fallen asleep, looking so pitifully vulnerable towards the tree?

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, falling on her pale face. Long eyelashes cast faint shadows beneath her eyes, and the pink of her lips had faded slightly, making her appear fragile and harmless.

The beast husbands gathered around, their faces mix of complex emotions as they gazed at Li Yue, who slept soundly beneath the tree.

Jin Ye's fingers rubbed against the whip, his brow furrowed.

When this whip had struck him before, it had stung with the sting of saltwater. Yet now, Li Yue wouldn't even touch it, saying, "If you're not doing anything wrong, why would I whip you?"

You Lie leaned against a nearby tree, his dark red eyes sweeping over Li Yue's pale lips before glancing at the whip in Jin Ye's hand. He snorted coldly and remained silent.

He had expected Li Yue to cry, throw a tantrum, or curse at Jin Ye after being taken down from his back. Instead, she had fallen into a quiet sleep, without a single complaint.

Si Qi crouched down and examined the still-bruised marks on Li Yue's neck. He frowned slightly but did nothing.

He could have easily healed the marks with his mental power, but he chose not to.

Chi Yu pulled a piece of roasted meat from his animal skin bag and started grilling it over a newly lit fire.

Lanxi sat by the wooden water barrel, his fish tail gently slapping the surface. His gaze lingered on the purple marks on Li Yue's fair neck, but he quickly turned away.

No one spoke. Only the rustling of wind through the leaves and Li Yue's shallow breathing broke the silence.

The beast husbands tacitly spread out, but all kept their resting areas within Li Yue's vicinity.

Regardless of their personal feelings toward her, as long as the Contract Beast Seal remained, they were bound to protect her.

The irresistible aroma of roasting meat woke Li Yue. The savory scent of sizzling fat filled the air, making her stomach rumble insistently. She'd only managed to nibble on two wild fruits that morning, and after being jostled on Jin Ye's back for most of the day—and throwing up everything—her stomach was now hollow and desperate.

She slowly opened her eyes, squinting against the sunlight. The first thing her vision registered was Chi Yu's hand, holding a piece spread out tacitlyof roasted meat. He was squatting by the campfire, his emerald eyes crinkling at the corners, his lips curled into that familiar, alluring smile as he offered her the glistening, golden-brown meat.

"Hungry? Try this. I used Lanxi's salt this time; it should taste better than yesterday's."

Li Yue took the meat, gazing at Chi Yu's captivating smile and couldn't help but marvel inwardly. Beneath his eyes lay an unyielding hatred, yet his face always wore a disarming smile, as if he were wearing a mask. The sight made her skin crawl.

But her hunger was too overwhelming to care. Without overthinking, she took a large bite. The skin was perfectly crisp, while the meat inside remained tender and juicy. The salt's savory tang perfectly neutralized the beast meat's gamey flavor, making it far more delicious than yesterday's saltless roast.

She nodded as she chewed, her eyes lighting up. "Mmm, this is delicious!"

The moment she said it, several pairs of eyes turned to her.

Did I hear that right?

Li Yue is actually praising Chi Yu's grilled meat?

Sensing the stares, she looked up and saw the males busy with their tasks, but none of them were eating. "Why aren't you eating?" she asked.

Chi Yu poked at the fire, his smile unwavering. "We don't have enough meat. It's enough for the females, but not nearly enough for the males."

Li Yue paused, then blurted out, "Not enough? Then why don't you go hunting?"

A hint of mockery almost spilled from Chi Yu's eyes. How ignorant can a female who's never hunted be?

"We'll hunt after we reach our destination tonight. If we hunt now, we won't make it to the resting spot before dark. After dark, the probability of encountering wild beasts increases—it would be too dangerous."

Yet when he spoke to Li Yue, his tone carried a deliberate gentleness.

Li Yue frowned. How can they keep traveling without eating? They're not made of iron.

She glanced over and noticed that Si Qi was holding the animal-skin bag containing the beast meat.

She set down the roasted meat and walked over to tug at the bag in Si Qi's hand. He instinctively loosened his grip.

The bag opened to reveal a dozen neatly stacked pieces of dried beast meat, along with several fresh, raw pieces.

Even for males who could eat so much, wasn't this amount of meat barely enough for one meal?

Li Yue looked up at Si Qi, her tone serious. "Si Qi, is this meat enough for you all for one meal?"

Si Qi's head snapped up, his amber eyes wide with shock, as if the words had burned him.

She had never been like this before. She used to hoard the fattest cuts for herself, and even the scraps would be discarded rather than shared. They could only sneak a few bites of scraps while helping her prepare the game.

Now she had not only voluntarily opened the meat bag, but she was also asking if it was "enough" and even offering to share the meat?

Seeing his silence, Li Yue turned to the other beast husbands. "Is this really not enough for you all for one meal?"

When Li Yue asked her question, the stream bank fell silent, leaving only the crackling of the campfire.

Not only Si Qi but the other beast husbands were stunned, their faces pale as if they'd seen a ghost.

Not enough to eat? How could that be!

The dozen or so pieces of air-dried beast meat, each as large as an adult male's palm, along with the fresh raw meat, would have been a satisfying meal for them.

Yet they had never considered touching the meat. In their minds, it was reserved for the females, not for thick-skinned males like them to covet.

Seeing their silence and their fixed stares at the meat, Li Yue grew even more puzzled.

Si Qi finally found his voice, but his tone was filled with disbelief and hesitation. He looked at Li Yue, then at the meat in the bag, his Adam's apple bobbing.

"If we eat all this meat in one meal, you won't have anything left for the evening."