Chapter 51: Starting to Vie for Favor

Chapter 51: Chapter 51: Starting to Vie for Favor

Que Hongjin came back to his senses, squeezing Qiao Suluo’s hand in return. With a gaze as gentle as water, he said, "Wife, I believe you. I cannot bear to leave you, so I will live on properly."

If she said she could detoxify and cure him, he believed her. He believed whatever she said.

The antidote’s prescription automatically flashed through Qiao Suluo’s mind. She analyzed it for a moment. The herbs required for the prescription were all common ones; it just needed a wide variety. The amount of each herb was different, requiring a highly precise ratio. Actually, even without the prescription, if she used the Pill Furnace to absorb enough medicinal efficacy from herbs and converted it into Healing Ability, she could use her superpower to expel the poison from his body. That would cure him just as well.

Qiao Suluo looked at him earnestly. "Hong Jin, I absolutely won’t let anything happen to you."

Que Hongjin gently pulled her into a tight embrace. "Wife, it’s so wonderful to have met you. It makes me wonder how I can ever love you enough." He had truly found a treasure. "Right now, I’m incredibly grateful to those people in the Capital City for making me your Beast Husband."

If those people knew how wonderful Qiao Suluo was, who knows how much they would regret it. But for now, they remained ignorant. He wished he could hide her away perfectly, keeping her from everyone’s sight. Yet, he also knew that with a wife this amazing, she couldn’t belong to him alone. Whether it was Bai Qianluo, Yue Hanzheng, or the others—as long as they interacted with his wife, they would definitely discover her goodness, be moved by her, submit to her, and willingly become her Beast Husbands. Just thinking about this made a sour feeling well up in Que Hongjin’s heart.

Qiao Suluo knew Que Hongjin must be feeling awful right now, and she didn’t know who could be cruel enough to drug him with such a secretive poison. Even an Imperial Physician couldn’t detect it through a pulse diagnosis. Had she not inherited the legacy of the Divine Doctor, she wouldn’t have been able to spot it or feel it in his pulse either.

Feeling a lingering fear, Qiao Suluo hugged him back. "Hong Jin, don’t let anything happen to you. I care about you a lot, too."

Since she transmigrated to this unfamiliar world, he was the only one who knew she wasn’t the original owner of this body. He was the only one who understood her, giving her a slight sense of belonging in this place. She dared not imagine how heartbroken she would be if anything happened to him.

At this moment, being held by Qiao Suluo and listening to her words, Que Hongjin felt a warm current of joy surge from the depths of his heart. It flowed through his limbs and bones, warming his very soul. The corners of his lips curled up uncontrollably, blooming into a smile more captivating than peaches and plums in March.

"A Luo, how can you be so good?" he whispered. He could feel her care, and his sorrowful mood seemed to be completely smoothed over. "I suddenly feel that if all my past sufferings were meant to lead me to you, then they were all worth it."

Hearing this, Qiao Suluo couldn’t help but ache for him. "You’re wonderful too. No matter who hurt you, I’ll stand by you to get your revenge."

She knew he definitely harbored his own hatred deep inside. All five of her Beast Husbands bore the weight of enmities to some degree. If they hadn’t been persecuted, they wouldn’t have ended up in such a state.

Hearing these words, Que Hongjin felt his heart pound violently. He felt that words were too pale; right now, all he could do was lower his head and kiss her lips, fiercely transmitting his affection. Qiao Suluo eagerly responded to him. It was only after a long while, when Qiao Suluo could barely catch her breath, that Que Hongjin released her.

He chuckled softly. "Wife, I’m so happy. With you here, I feel that this world is beautiful."

In the past, he only had hatred in his heart, which was never a comfortable feeling, but at this moment, he was genuinely happy.

After steadying her breathing, Qiao Suluo sensed that Que Hongjin’s mood had recovered. She breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I’m going to eat first. Once I’m done, I’ll head into the mountain forest to look for some herbs." No matter what kind of herbs they were, as long as their medicinal efficacy was absorbed by the Pill Furnace in her hands, her Healing Ability would grow stronger.

"Alright," he replied.

When Qiao Suluo finally got out of bed and arrived at the kitchen, she found Bai Qianluo continuing to add firewood to the stove to heat the food. Hearing the noise, he seemed to sense her presence and said softly, "Wife, you’re awake."

"Mhm."

Pausing for a moment, Qiao Suluo looked at Bai Qianluo. She noticed his complexion wasn’t looking great, and his voice was a bit hoarse, as if he hadn’t slept well. "Bai Qianluo, did you not sleep well last night?" she asked. His figure seemed even more desolate. He was already weak to begin with, but right now, he looked as though a gust of wind could blow him away.

A suffocating feeling gripped Bai Qianluo’s heart. He knew they had formed a Contract last night. He muttered desolately, "Do you even care about me, Wife? Or am I just being presumptuous? Even if I suffer from insomnia, no one cares."

When Bai Qianluo spoke, his tone was incredibly sorrowful and bleak, even carrying a trace of self-loathing. Yet, the moment he finished, he immediately felt a wave of remorse. How could he say such things, sounding like a resentful husband? But he simply couldn’t control himself. He realized that, at some unknown point, he had developed feelings for her. When she and Que Hongjin formed a Contract, he minded it; it kept him awake all night.

Qiao Suluo didn’t quite understand why Bai Qianluo was talking like this. She figured that when someone didn’t rest well, especially due to insomnia, they would definitely feel unwell and their mood would naturally be foul. So, she tried to comfort him. "Of course I care about you. If you don’t rest well, it matters to me. Are you feeling unwell? How about I check your pulse first? Or maybe I can soothe you with my spiritual power?"

When she formed the Contract with Que Hongjin last night, the soothing effect of her spiritual power on him had been optimal. However, even without forming a Contract, she could still provide mental soothing through physical touch.

Thinking about the effects of her spiritual power soothing him, Bai Qianluo feared he wouldn’t be able to hold back from doing something to her; he was afraid he would become completely unlike himself. The chaotic emotions in his heart right now already proved everything. He knew that he cared about her—more than he had ever imagined. How could his wife be so wonderful, acting like a little sun to pacify the restless turmoil inside him?

"You must be hungry since you just woke up, Wife. Eating is more important right now," he said, unable to bear the thought of letting her go tired or hungry.

The fact that she was only getting out of bed now meant that Que Hongjin must have thoroughly exhausted her last night. His mind involuntarily conjured up images of her begging for mercy in Que Hongjin’s arms when she got too tired. The tone of Que Hongjin’s voice this morning was more than enough to prove that his body and soul had been completely satisfied.

Before they married, the men were specifically taught certain unique pieces of knowledge by their families—knowledge regarding the Contract. This was to ensure they could properly serve their wives when forming a Contract, preventing any reckless behavior from hurting them. At the time, he had thought he would never put it to use, yet now he couldn’t help but think about all of it.

Qiao Suluo asked, "By the way, have you guys eaten yet?"

Bai Qianluo shook his head. "No. We were waiting to eat together with you, Wife."

"If I wake up late in the future, you guys can eat earlier," Qiao Suluo said. Given Que Hongjin’s earlier demeanor, she worried that she might wake up even later tomorrow. However, she had to try her best to get up early since there were still things to do; tomorrow she planned to go to the county town to check on Yue Hanzheng.

Hearing this, the hand Bai Qianluo used to carry the food trembled slightly.

By the time Que Hongjin had tidied up the bedding and come over, Bai Qianluo and Qiao Suluo were already sitting at the table. He walked over and sat down to eat. Que Hongjin naturally picked up food for Qiao Suluo with his chopsticks. She wanted to reciprocate but noticed that Bai Qianluo seemingly hadn’t touched his chopsticks at all.

"Bai Qianluo, why aren’t you eating?" She wondered if something was really wrong with his health since he couldn’t sleep or eat.

Bai Qianluo coughed lightly a few times, his entire body exuding a fragile, broken weakness. He said feebly, "COUGH, COUGH... Wife, my eyes might be a bit uncomfortable. I can’t see very clearly. Could you pick up some food for me, Wife?"

He wasn’t good with words, but he feared that if he didn’t fight for it, there wouldn’t be a place for him in his wife’s heart.