Chapter 87: At Least He Secured the Position of First Beast Husband
Sang Mo’s words left Bai Zhi a little puzzled. ’Just who were they before my father rescued them?’
’Hu Yan knew people from the Main Star, and Sang Mo had just claimed they could hide where even the great families couldn’t find them. What about Lang Qiu and the others? Are they hiding something too?’
’Or maybe, the original Bai Zhi never even tried to get to know them.’
But it didn’t look like they had any intention of telling her, either.
’When they’re finally willing to talk, perhaps that’s when I’ll know I’ve truly won their hearts.’
Since that was the case, Bai Zhi didn’t press the issue. Instead, she raised an eyebrow at Sang Mo and said, "Don’t you usually hate my guts? And you’re willing to take me in?"
Hearing this, Sang Mo stiffened for a moment. But just a second later, he sneered with a look of disgust and said, "I’m just worried that if they catch you and kill you, you’ll drag me down with you."
Bai Zhi stared at him with amusement for a few seconds before deliberately drawing out her words. "Ooh... so that’s how it is..."
Sang Mo: "..."
Seeing the two of them at odds again, Hu Yan said with a sigh, "Alright, that’s enough. Go and pack. He should be here soon. We need to leave before they find us."
Without absolute power or backing, a female was nothing more than a baby-making machine to the truly powerful factions.
Especially a high-level female like her.
Of course, some females were willing to use this as a way to live a life of luxury and wealth.
Especially in remote and poor star systems, there were plenty who would jump at the chance.
After all, it was the only way to climb the social ladder.
Once Bai Zhi became an SSS-level Purification Master, those factions would have to think twice.
’Ultimately, it’s because I’m still too weak,’ she thought. ’Otherwise, I wouldn’t be in such a passive position.’
Bai Zhi and the others didn’t actually have much to pack. As long as they had Star Coins, they could buy whatever they needed anywhere. The only tricky part was that if her account was being monitored, any spending would expose their location.
’But the system will probably solve this problem for me,’ she mused. ’Otherwise, how could I spend any money? I can’t just go on a shopping spree and then immediately relocate, can I?’
She just didn’t want to go with them and be reduced to a breeding machine for some powerful faction; she wasn’t a fugitive.
Bai Zhi quickly packed a dozen or so outfits for both the current weather and the coming winter, tossing them into her storage space. She suddenly remembered that she’d been so preoccupied with their discussion that she hadn’t given the necklaces Xing Fan made to Hu Yan and the others yet.
She went back out and gave one necklace to each of the five men.
As she handed them out, Bai Zhi said with a deliberate, beaming smile, "You all better keep these safe. They’re matching couple’s accessories, you know. And they’re from the imperial collection!"
Yue Junxiao, like he was showing off a treasure, showed Bai Zhi where he’d put his. "I’m keeping it close to my skin. It definitely won’t get lost."
While Hu Yan and the others didn’t keep theirs right against their skin like him, they all kept them on their person. Even Sang Mo, seeing everyone else wearing theirs, rare for him, didn’t just toss it into his storage space.
He told himself it was only because his storage space was too full to fit anything else.
Seeing that they were all carrying the necklaces, Bai Zhi smiled in satisfaction. "I’m going to pack some of the food we bought so we don’t have to live on nutrient liquid on the road," she said.
Lang Qiu said coolly, "I already put it in my storage space while you were talking with Hu Yan."
Bai Zhi thought for a moment. "Should I make some rations for the road, then?"
Hu Yan replied, "No need. We still haven’t finished the food from the group hunt. There’s enough for several more days."
Not long after he spoke, their visitor chime rang.
Hu Yan glanced toward the door. "He’s here."
He walked over and opened the door. Peering past Hu Yan, Bai Zhi saw a tall, slender Beastman in full tactical gear standing outside.
The man was only slightly shorter than Hu Yan.
When the door opened, he looked up, revealing the face beneath the brim of his cap.
It was an exceptionally handsome face.
The moment he saw Hu Yan, the man looked him up and down, and his eyes instantly reddened.
Bai Zhi was so taken aback she instinctively took a small step back. ’We didn’t do anything to him!!’
’We didn’t even touch him!!’
’Is he here to pull a scam?!’
Seeing his reddened eyes, Hu Yan said with some exasperation, "Come on, I’m fine, aren’t I? Did you get the things I asked for?"
"They’re ready," the man said, handing a package to Hu Yan. "Why did you need me to prepare these, anyway? When have I ever not taken a task from you seriously?"
The moment the man saw Hu Yan, he was clearly dying to talk, his mouth running a mile a minute. "Oh, and since you’re alive, why didn’t you go back? Do you have any idea how long I’ve been looking for you?! Even if you weren’t going to contact *them*, you could have at least contacted me! You have no idea, with you gone, they’ve gotten completely out of hand! And ’that person’s’ health has been failing recently..."
Hu Yan saw he was about to say more, but some of it was clearly not appropriate for the current audience. He quickly cut him off, "Just give it to me. We’ll talk about the rest later, somewhere else."
Only then did the handsome Beastman realize there were other people in the room. He tensed up instantly. ’No wonder Hu Yan cut me off,’ he thought. ’I almost made a huge mistake!’
But then he remembered the items Hu Yan had him prepare were likely for them. He took off his cap, revealing his full face, and peeked his head out from behind Hu Yan. Flashing a friendly, signature smile, he greeted them, "Hello, everyone. I’m a good friend of Hu Yan’s. My name is Zelda, and I’m a Merfolk Beastman. Are you the ones who saved him?"
Bai Zhi looked at the overly familiar Beastman. Her intuition told her he probably wasn’t as simple and friendly as he appeared. ’Anyone who’s good friends with Hu Yan can’t be an idiot.’
Lang Qiu gave him a slight nod. "Hello."
Yan Yichen and Yue Junxiao greeted him as well.
Bai Zhi smiled. "Hello, I’m Bai Zhi, Hu Yan’s wife-master. We weren’t the ones who saved him, though. My father was."
The instant Zelda heard Bai Zhi was Hu Yan’s wife-master, his handsome face twisted in shock, his eyes widening in something close to horror. His voice turned sharp with disbelief as he cried out, "What did you say? Whose wife-master?! Did I hear you right?! You’re *Hu Yan’s* wife-master?!!"
He immediately whipped his head toward Hu Yan, looking for confirmation.
Hu Yan knew he would be shocked by this. He sighed and explained, "This is my wife-master, Bai Zhi. And these are Lang Qiu, Yan Yichen, Sang Mo, and Yue Junxiao. They are also our wife-master’s Beast Husbands."
Zelda’s voice was loud enough to blow the roof off. He pointed a trembling finger at Bai Zhi. "What?! She has this many Beast Husbands?! Who’s the first Beast Husband? Don’t tell me you’re not the first one, I’ll seriously lose my mind! You’re sharing a wife-master with these... these common Beastmen?!"
Hu Yan quickly cut him off, worried he would say something even more out of line. "I’m the first Beast Husband," he said hastily.
Hearing this, Zelda muttered, "Oh, good. At least you secured the position of first Beast Husband."