Chapter -2
The Female Master Seems… Different
Jiang Xi had once been one of the saint-favored females.
Otherwise, even with a saintly mother, she could never have forcibly claimed the ten most outstanding beastmen of the Holy City.
But after her saintly mother’s death, her externalized spiritual power disappeared.
The Holy City shunned her, claiming her power had only ever been a trick of her mother’s doing.
Now that her mother was gone, her external manifestation vanished as well.
Because of that, Jiang Xi was found guilty and exiled to the Cursed Lands.
Her memories of the Holy City were hazy — fragments she didn’t care to recall.
She thought they were just triggered memories that would come back when she saw familiar faces or objects.
Just like she hadn’t known Lu Liufeng was kneeling outside her door until Mu Ling pushed it open — and only then did she remember: this was her wolf-tribe mate.
If she didn’t deliberately think about it, many memories stayed blurred.
The part about her external spiritual power only resurfaced when she realized she possessed healing abilities.
So she’d used it without hesitation.
Jiang Xi nodded. “It’s recovered a little.”
Lu Liufeng was about to go scout the approaching beast tide. If he went injured, he might get killed.
Jiang Xi had only just arrived in this world, her safety uncertain — having someone to protect her meant an extra layer of security while she planned her next steps.
She had survived ten years in the apocalypse, her healing ability making her a target of every major base. She had faced countless life-and-death situations.
So when she recalled fragments of her original body’s memories, she instinctively realized that even in the remote Cursed Lands, far from the Holy City, she wasn’t truly safe.
After all, the Cursed Lands themselves were the greatest source of danger.
“You two go ahead. I’ll rest for a while.”
Without waiting for a response, Jiang Xi turned and went into her room.
Once inside, she leaned against the door and exhaled deeply.
Traveling to a beastman world wasn’t the scary part. The scary part was — she had ten husbands!
All kinds — tall, wild, elegant — each one absurdly handsome!
Thankfully, only five of them were around now, and they all treated her like a venomous snake, keeping their distance.
Otherwise, growing up under monogamy, Jiang Xi truly wouldn’t know how to face five devastatingly good-looking, loyal, and long-suffering beastmen who wouldn’t fight back no matter how much she hit or scolded them.
Outside in the courtyard, Lu Liufeng and Mu Ling exchanged a glance, doubt flickering in their eyes.
When had their female master ever been this… agreeable?
They didn’t linger.
On the way out, Mu Ling turned to Lu Liufeng. “What happened just now?”
Lu Liufeng described the encounter, nothing unusual in his tone.
Mu Ling frowned.
So it really sounded normal.
Could it be that she was just in a good mood after recovering her spiritual power?
They didn’t have time to dwell on it.
As soon as Lu Liufeng reached the defensive walls, the other beastmen called out in relief.
“Liufeng! Finally! Among all the aerial beastmen, only you can locate where the cursed beasts are coming from!”
Then, seeing the bloodstains on his clothes, one of them looked at him sympathetically.
“Did your female master hit you again?”
“I’m telling you, you all should think about your futures. It’s not impossible to dissolve a mating contract — didn’t Holun do it successfully? There are plenty of females in the Cursed Lands willing to marry you. Once this beast tide is over, go out and see if you can find a Gold Soul Fruit.”
The Gold Soul Fruit grew beyond the Cursed Lands. It was said to be the only way to dissolve a marriage bond with minimal harm.
They’d gone searching many times in the past half year, but without luck.
Only Holun — another of their female master’s lion-tribe mates — had remained outside searching, rarely returning even during the beast tides.
Lu Liufeng nodded, showing he understood.
But what lingered in his mind was the warmth of her hand on his shoulder — the healing light she’d used on him.
She… somehow felt different.
Mu Ling shot him a cold glance, as if reading his thoughts.
“Lu Liufeng, you really are a masochist. Haven’t you been beaten enough?”
With that, Mu Ling’s claws extended, and he leapt up the wall, swiftly disappearing into the battlefront.
Jiang Xi, her energy drained, fell asleep the moment she lay down.
In the middle of the night, the cold woke her.
Half-asleep, she pulled every animal hide she could find over herself before sinking back into slumber.
The beast tide retreated before dawn, but snow fell all through the night.
When Jiang Xi opened the door the next morning, she was greeted by a world of white. Each wooden cabin roof was buried beneath a thick quilt of snow.
A gust of icy wind made her shiver.
Lu Liufeng’s voice came from the side. “You’re awake, female master?”
She turned to see the graceful youth in the kitchen, cooking.
The kitchen door was wide open, steam billowing out and cloaking him in a halo of mist.
Lu Liufeng, surrounded by white vapor, looked almost otherworldly — like an exiled immortal.
Jiang Xi didn’t dare look too long. She murmured an “Mm.”
She walked over and scooped some water from a stone basin to wash her face.
Through the rippling surface, she finally saw her reflection — a face covered in pitted black sores.
One glance made her stomach turn. No wonder no one wanted to come near her.
Then, a ladle of hot water was poured into the basin.
Lu Liufeng’s voice sounded above her. “The water’s too cold, female master. I added some hot.”
Jiang Xi swallowed against the nausea, keeping her head down, afraid to disgust him.
“Thank you.”
Lu Liufeng froze for a moment, unsure how to respond. “It’s… it’s what I should do.”
She had already noticed the strange texture on her face and body last night.
But the room had been too dark, and she’d been too tired to care.
Now, seeing it clearly in daylight, she nearly lost her appetite entirely.
Rolling up her sleeves, she found her arms covered in the same black, uneven growths — like skin that had split and scabbed over and over again.
Jiang Xi crouched by the basin, thinking for a moment. Then she placed her right palm over the mottled skin of her left hand.
A soft green light shimmered to life.
After resting all night, her ability had fully recharged.
She wasn’t sure why, but she wanted to test it.
Soon, a tingling sensation spread across her skin.
The next moment, she saw black liquid oozing from her pores, dripping to the ground with a faint hiss of smoke.
She stopped, staring. The black spots on her hand were visibly shrinking.
Her eyes lit up.
It worked!
Lu Liufeng, hearing the faint hiss, walked over.
“Female master, what happened?”
Then he saw the black stain on the ground — and the dark liquid still on her hand.
His eyes widened in disbelief as he looked up at her.
“Female master… this is—?”
