Chapter 73: Strategy Method

Chapter 73: Chapter 73: Strategy Method

At first, Qiao Suluo’s body merely trembled. But as she felt the icy aura radiating from him—and especially hearing the HISS of a snake’s forked tongue right beside her ear—every hair on her body stood on end. She froze, too terrified to move a single muscle.

She squeezed her eyes shut, her eyelashes fluttering wildly as she babbled incoherently. "BOO-HOO! Please, don’t eat me! Don’t kill me!"

Chu Moyuan scrutinized Qiao Suluo, his slit pupils tracing every shift in her expression. Through the snake tail coiled tightly around her waist, he could feel her body shivering in absolute terror. She was afraid of him? Since when had she ever been afraid of him?

In the past, whenever she abused him, she would force him to shift into his snake form. Only then did it seem to bring her a twisted sense of satisfaction. Back then, her eyes had gleamed with wild excitement, tainted by greedy cruelty. She certainly had never looked as terrified as she did now. Moreover, she actually had a waist now; she had inexplicably lost a tremendous amount of weight.

Although he couldn’t hear what she was saying, he could read her lips. Did she really think he was going to eat her? His serpentine head drew closer to her neck, carefully sniffing the aura radiating from her skin. A faint, subtle floral fragrance lingered around her. It was delicate and continuous, a sweet scent underscored by an elegant purity that was both fragrant and refreshing. A flash of doubt crossed Chu Moyuan’s eyes. Even her scent had changed?

Feeling his snake head inching closer, goosebumps erupted all over Qiao Suluo’s body. "Don’t eat me! I really don’t taste good!

"I can cure your hearing impairment! Yes, yes, just feel it yourself! I healed your wounds! I can treat your injuries..."

Caught in a life-or-death panic, Qiao Suluo blurted out these promises. Her brain had completely short-circuited, running purely on survival instincts. She had entirely forgotten that Chu Moyuan couldn’t hear a word she said. While she wasn’t necessarily afraid of death, she refused to die in such a pathetic and horrifying manner. Being swallowed whole by a giant snake was simply too terrifying.

Chu Moyuan’s expression shifted slightly. Only now did he realize that strength had returned to his body. The countless wounds littering his flesh were already half-healed, and the bleeding had mostly stopped. He recalled the moments before he slipped into unconsciousness, fully believing he was going to die. As if remembering something vile, a look of pure disgust flashed through his eyes. "Eating you would only dirty my mouth."

With that, Chu Moyuan retracted his snake tail and shifted back into his humanoid form. He stood up, his noble and towering silhouette instantly casting a sweeping shadow over her.

Her legs giving out, Qiao Suluo slumped onto the ground, gasping for air. She sighed in relief, thankful that he thought she was too dirty to eat.

"Wait a minute. You... you can hear me?" Only then did Qiao Suluo realize something was wrong. Didn’t he have a severe hearing impairment?

Chu Moyuan ignored her question. Instead, he crouched down and reached out, forcing her chin up. A dangerous aura lurked in his cold, dark eyes, and a chilling, murderous intent rolled off his body. "Why are you here?"

Now that Chu Moyuan was back in his humanoid form, Qiao Suluo could see him up close. His features were as flawless as an exquisitely carved jade statue. His deep, frosty eyes emanated an aloof, otherworldly elegance. His tailored, ink-black brocade robe wrapped perfectly around his lean waist, subtly concealing his sharp, explosive power. He exuded a kind of ascetic beauty—mysterious and incredibly dangerous.

Qiao Suluo’s eyes were rimmed with red. Biting her lip, she said, "I had a dream that you were in danger. So, I came to find you. I wanted to save you."

Chu Moyuan let out a cold sneer, clearly not buying a single word. "Tell the truth, or I’ll roast you alive."

Qiao Suluo suddenly remembered that her original body was a cat. Did he actually want to roast and eat her?

"I’m not lying to you! I really came to save you," she insisted. "If you hadn’t interrupted my treatment, I could have fully healed all your wounds.

"If you don’t believe me, just let me try and you’ll see!"

Since he had been unconscious earlier, he naturally hadn’t seen her treating him, nor did he believe she possessed any Medical Skill.

"Heh. Save me? Do you expect me to believe that?" he mocked. "Aren’t you dying for me to kick the bucket?"

If she wasn’t, she never would have sold him to the underground auction house, forcing him to fight for his life every single day in the Beast Fighting Arena. His Spiritual Sea had been agitated to the brink of madness; he had been a hair’s breadth away from permanently devolving into a feral beast. He had nearly died last time, and his only thought then had been to drag her to hell with him.

Yet, against all odds, she had recently pacified his chaotic mind. Still, on the journey here to help the Qin Family search for medicinal herbs, he had encountered several perilous traps, resulting in severe physical injuries.

Qiao Suluo looked up, meeting his gaze earnestly as she explained, "What I did in the past was undeniably wrong. I know that now, and I’ve changed.

"I don’t want anything bad to happen to you. I really don’t." She blinked her eyes rapidly, trying to look as sincere as humanly possible.

The tight grip on her chin was starting to hurt, but it helped her regain her composure. She deduced that he must be reading her lips to understand her.

Chu Moyuan scrutinized her closely. After a long moment, he finally released her chin and pulled out a towel to wipe his hands, treating her like a filthy plague. "Get out of my sight while I’m still in a merciful mood."

Qiao Suluo glanced at her surroundings. Without the system’s help, she had no idea how to navigate her way out of here. Furthermore, the map had automatically shattered. Before the system went into hibernation, it had issued a strict quest: save Chu Moyuan and bring him back with her.

She couldn’t just leave. She hesitated, racking her brain for a way to stay—or better yet, a way to convince him to return with her. This dog of a man had such an atrocious attitude toward her! Then again, she couldn’t really blame him. The previous owner of this body had abused him horribly.

"Still here?" Seeing Qiao Suluo rooted to the spot, a frosty chill swept through Chu Moyuan’s deep eyes. His patience had seemingly run dry.

Qiao Suluo forced a stiff smile. "Um, how about I help treat your injuries?"

"No need," Chu Moyuan rejected coldly. "Just get out of my sight."

Qiao Suluo scrambled to find another excuse. Suddenly, an idea sparked in her mind. "I fell from a really high place up there, and I’m starving right now. I’m going to make something to eat first.

"Otherwise, I’ll starve to death just trying to walk out of here."

If she wanted to win Chu Moyuan over, a good meal was the perfect starting point.

The corners of Chu Moyuan’s lips curled into an icy arc. He turned his back to her and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.

Meanwhile, Qiao Suluo got to work. She quickly built a makeshift stove, placing a thin stone slab on top and lighting a fire underneath. Then, she purchased some pre-marinated meat slices from her Space Mall, tossed them onto the stone slab, and sprinkled a generous pinch of seasoning over them.

When the meat began to SIZZLE on the hot stone slab, the savory aroma exploded like fireworks in the air. The mouthwatering scent wafted upward, drifting straight toward Chu Moyuan and teasing his nostrils.

Chu Moyuan had been trying to circulate the remaining Inner Strength within his body. He centered his mind, refusing to pay any attention to whatever the scheming Qiao Suluo was doing. However, his heightened senses vividly picked up the rich, intoxicating aroma. He had never smelled anything so divine. Even back when he still retained his noble status and dined on countless delicacies, he had never encountered a scent quite like this.

Qiao Suluo had deliberately chosen this exact spot so the wind would carry the smell of the barbecue directly toward him. No matter how much he despised her, he wouldn’t hold a grudge against good food, right? Chu Moyuan had been in this Secret Realm for who knows how long. Surely, he hadn’t eaten anything yet?

In truth, it had been a very long time since Chu Moyuan’s last meal. He initially hadn’t thought much of it; ever since he was married off to this wicked female, starving had become a regular part of his life. But this tantalizing fragrance stimulated his senses, awakening a ravenous hunger that surged through his body.

He kept his eyes shut and remained perfectly still. Yet, as time passed, the scent seemed to linger right under his nose, growing richer and more intense by the second.

When he finally opened his eyes, he saw Qiao Suluo holding several slices of roasted meat wrapped in a large leaf. "Um, I roasted a lot. Do you want to try some?"