Chapter 431: Keep you hooked

Rory felt that Wen’s obedience and innocence were entirely an act. His current rank-ten ability status was probably faked, too.

Hearing this, Wen let out a soft chuckle. He then leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

"Female Master, why don’t you take a guess? What rank am I?" He leaned in and lightly nibbled her earlobe. "If you guess right, there’s a reward!"

So he really had suppressed his rank, hadn’t he?

Rory raised her hand and lightly pinched Wen’s chin. "If I guess correctly, what’s the reward?"

How tragic. She had originally thought there was another innocent beastman in this house to keep Nix company. Who would have thought she’d ultimately discover that Nix was the only truly naive one after all.

Wen took Rory’s hand and pulled her down with him into the water bed. They were enveloped by the water, yet not a single drop dampened them.

"Since it’s a reward, I naturally can’t reveal it until the Female Master guesses correctly." He looked at her, his eyes overflowing with tenderness. "But you only have one chance, Female Master."

"Rank eleven?" Rory looked at Wen, taking a tentative stab at it. The strength he had shown before was rank ten. She figured that if he was hiding his true power, he was probably around rank eleven, just like Paros.

Wen shook his head. "You guessed wrong, Female Master."

Guessed wrong? So he wasn’t rank eleven?

"Is it rank twelve?" Rory stared at him in shock.

Wen didn’t confirm it. Instead, he channeled a gentle current to caress her skin, whispering, "Since you got it wrong this time, Female Master, you’ll have to wait until your next guess to find out."

Why was he being so mysterious? Rory slapped away his reaching hand. "You hook my curiosity but won’t give me the answer. Wen, are you treating me like a fish? Trying to keep me on your line?"

"The Female Master is absolutely right." Wen nodded. "In the past, I was merely your follower. Before you accepted me, even if I had tricks up my sleeve, I had nowhere to use them. I could only quietly stay by your side to keep you safe."

"Now that you’ve finally accepted me, Female Master, I naturally don’t need to put on an act anymore. So... I wanted to use a few minor tricks to keep you hooked. That way, you’ll be thinking about me all the time." Having said this, Wen kissed the tips of Rory’s fingers. "Female Master, what rank I am isn’t important. You only need to remember and know that you are my Female Master, and you are more important to me than my own life. That is enough."

With that, he lifted her out of the water bed. "It’s getting late; you should head back to your room to rest, Female Master. I’ll take you back."

"Wait a minute!" Rory wriggled out of his embrace and narrowed her eyes at him. "You’ve hidden yourself so deeply. Aren’t you afraid I’ll find you dangerous and tell Yuel and the others?"

Wen chuckled and shook his head, entirely confident. "You won’t do that, Female Master. If you wanted to, you would have messaged Yuel and Vincent just now instead of waiting until now."

He leaned in close, meeting her eyes. "I see the trust you have in me. If you truly want to know, I can tell you right now, but wouldn’t that take all the fun out of it? This is our little game—I think you’d rather figure it out on your own."

This fish was pink in name only. Inside, he was pitch black. He practically radiated dark cunning.

Rory grabbed Wen’s hand and suddenly bit down hard on the back of it.

"Ah!" Wen let out a soft gasp but let her bite him without pulling away.

Only after leaving a clear set of teeth marks on the back of his hand did Rory release him with satisfaction. "Just you wait. I’ll definitely figure out your real rank tomorrow."

If it wasn’t rank eleven, it had to be rank twelve.

It couldn’t possibly be rank thirteen, could it?

As expected of the other overlords of the sea besides the dragon clan, he hid his secrets deeper than the ocean itself.

Seeing Rory’s defiant expression, Wen’s eyes filled with amusement. He gently pulled his shirt open, exposing his fair, smooth chest.

"Female Master, would you like to take a bite here too? You can bite as hard as you want."

Rory shot him a glance. She really hadn’t pegged this fish to be a man of such peculiar tastes.

"If I do that, wouldn’t I just be rewarding you instead?" She wasn’t falling for it.

Wen leaned closer, his voice dropping to a whisper right against her ear. "Female Master, there’s a surprise waiting. Are you sure you don’t want to try?"

Because of their height difference, Rory’s mouth was perfectly aligned with his chest, right over his heart. All she had to do was open her mouth, and she could bite him.

This fish really knew what he was doing. The moment he made his move, he first hooked her with his rank, and then lured her in with a surprise. Rory felt that she was the actual fish, and Wen was the true master angler.

"I’ll bite, then. You asked for it."

Rory opened her mouth and bit down on Wen’s chest. She only applied a little force, but to her surprise, her teeth pierced his skin. Fresh blood carrying a strange, alluring fragrance instantly stained her lips red.

Startled, Rory instinctively tried to pull back. But Wen suddenly raised his hand, cradling the back of her head and refusing to let her retreat.

"Be good, Female Master. Don’t move," Wen muttered, his deep voice carrying a strained, suppressed breath.

As his fragrant blood stained Rory’s lips, waves of warm energy surged from Wen’s chest, slowly pouring into her body. As the energy continued to swell, Rory felt her own ability rank—which had been stagnant for the longest time—begin to skyrocket.

Her vision went momentarily white, and her chest felt so hot it was as if she were about to burst.

"Endure it a little, Female Master. It’ll be over soon," Wen’s deep, breathless voice came again, carrying a heavy note of pain himself.

Rory couldn’t speak.

Time ticked away, second by second. After about a minute, the burning sensation in her chest faded, but her body suddenly grew warm. It wasn’t uncomfortably hot; rather, it felt as if she were enveloped in a warm, gentle current, which felt incredibly soothing. It made every pore in her body open up, and something seemed to be emerging from within.

Rory leaned against Wen, her body feeling soft and thoroughly relaxed, though she didn’t have a single ounce of strength left.

"It’s done."

Seeing a flash of pink light on Rory’s chest, Wen picked her up and laid her back down on the water bed, which he had gathered before them once again. He then reached out, gently removing her clothes, letting the warm current tenderly wash over her body.

Enveloped in the warm water, Rory felt her eyelids grow heavier and heavier, and she soon fell into a deep sleep.

Looking at the sleeping Rory, Wen placed a deeply cherished kiss on the space between her brows.

Time ticked by. Rory had no idea how long she had slept.

By the time she woke up, she found herself fully dressed in a pale pink gown made of shark-silk—the exact same color as Wen’s tail. She was lying on a massive bed crafted from a giant seashell.

Not far away, Wen was standing with his back to her, busy with something.

Rory propped herself up on her elbows. She realized her body felt exceptionally light and refreshed.

"Wen?" Rory called out to the man standing a short distance away.

Hearing her voice, Wen turned around and walked over. "You’re awake, Female Master. Do you feel any discomfort anywhere?" His voice was incredibly gentle, and his eyes overflowed with intense affection as he looked at her.

"Did you change my clothes?" Rory’s face flushed slightly as she recalled the scene before she fell asleep.

She really hadn’t seen it coming; Wen had hidden himself so deeply. Far deeper than she could have ever imagined.

"There’s no need to be shy, Female Master." Seeing Rory’s reaction, Wen smiled and pulled her into his arms, his long fingers resting over her chest. "We’ve already formed our mate bond. As your partner, it’s only natural for me to look after you like this."