Chapter 5
That Transformation Is Just Too Cool
Jiang Xi turned the corner with a swift step.
It was already too late to retreat.
A cute female with wheat-colored skin and black hair, wrapped in animal fur, stood behind the fence of her yard, holding a little yellow lion cub in her arms. Her big eyes widened at Lu Liufeng.
Jiang Xi appeared silently in her line of sight.
Before she could decide whether to pretend she hadn’t seen the woman—or to actually not see her—
The other woman suddenly screamed, “Ah!” Her face filled with horror as she clutched the cub tightly and bolted back into her house, slamming the door shut with a loud bang.
Jiang Xi: “…”
She raised her hand and touched the animal skin covering her face.
Wasn’t she wrapped up properly?
Was she really that scary?
She searched her memory but couldn’t recall exactly who that was.
After all, Jiang Xi had argued with so many females before—almost all of them in the tribe, actually. She’d accused them of coveting her beast husbands, yanked their head ornaments, pushed them into the water, burned their furs…
Well, she decided to assume that was just one of the many who’d once been scolded bloody by her.
“Female master,” Lu Liufeng’s amber eyes flickered with panic as he hurried to explain,
“Please believe me, I have nothing to do with her. I’ve never gone to her for power-channeling, nor have I ever gone to any female for it.”
None of Jiang Xi’s beast husbands had ever had their powers soothed by another female.
Jiang Xi coughed lightly.
“It’s fine, you don’t need to explain.”
“After all, I’ve already promised you—if you can find the Golden Soul Fruit, I’ll cooperate with you and dissolve our marriage bond, right?”
“So, if there’s a female you like, feel free to develop that early. I won’t say anything, and I won’t blame you. It doesn’t count as infidelity.”
Jiang Xi spoke calmly, her dark eyes clear and untroubled.
After finishing, she started walking again.
Lu Liufeng stood frozen for a moment, a dazed look on his face. He didn’t know what to do.
This time… his female master really seemed serious.
He quickly caught up with her.
After turning several more corners, they suddenly ran into a group of energetic young beastmen.
The boys immediately covered their faces the moment they saw Jiang Xi and squeezed against the wall to scurry away.
Even after they’d run far off, their muttering could still be heard faintly:
“Run, run! Don’t let her see my handsome face!”
“Yeah! What if she falls for me and tries to force me to marry her?!”
Jiang Xi: “…”
In the Cursed Lands, there were no “Holy Females” or “Blessed Females.” Even ordinary females were extremely rare.
It was perfectly normal for one female to have a dozen or more beast husbands.
But someone like Jiang Xi—banished for half a year, with her number of husbands actually decreasing instead of increasing—was one of a kind.
Lu Liufeng quickly spoke up, “Please don’t be angry, Female Master. They’re just newly transformed young beasts who don’t know any better. In time, there might not even be any females who’ll take them.”
In the Cursed Lands, single beastmen were everywhere. And since there was no Holy Temple like in the Holy City to help them soothe their powers…
They all met one of two fates: either dying from power frenzy, or being corrupted by the curse—turning into lifeless husks or vanishing entirely.
Jiang Xi responded with a quiet “Mm,” showing she wasn’t angry.
She wasn’t that desperate—she didn’t want just any beastman.
Still, the sight reminded her: all those furry little creatures in the tribe were actually untransformed young beasts.
Only after adulthood could they take human form.
Lu Liufeng kept glancing at her cautiously. Seeing no trace of anger in those clear black eyes, he finally relaxed.
The rest of the journey passed uneventfully.
Once they left the tribe, Lu Liufeng spread his massive wings. The feathers were a deep brown-black with amber streaks, stunningly beautiful. The rest of him, though, remained unchanged—
His black hair fell over his shoulders, his skin pale as snow, and his amber eyes gentle yet bright.
Jiang Xi’s eyes lit up.
It wasn’t about attraction—she was just amazed.
That transformation was so cool!
He’d grown wings out of nowhere—and the fur cloak hadn’t even ripped!
Curious, she peered at his back. There was a slit in the animal skin where the wings emerged, and beneath it she caught a glimpse of his pale skin.
Lu Liufeng’s wings twitched downward, self-consciously trying to cover himself.
Though he knew she’d seen already, her curious gaze made him stammer an explanation.
“This is my half-beast form. It’s better for short-distance flying.”
For long-distance flights, he’d have to fully transform into an eagle—otherwise, he wouldn’t last.
Jiang Xi nodded enthusiastically, eyes bright.
Her fingers itched to touch those beautiful feathers.
But remembering that they might dissolve their bond soon, she restrained herself.
“Female Master, I’ll take you up the mountain,” Lu Liufeng said, bending slightly. “Forgive the offense.”
With that, he scooped her up in his arms. His wings flapped once—and they shot into the sky.
Jiang Xi gasped. As gravity fell away, she instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.
Cold air whipped past from all directions as her vision opened wide.
The tribe below shrank smaller and smaller. Before long, an enormous red-brown wall loomed before her eyes—towering and endless, stretching along the forest as far as she could see.
At its base yawned a massive breach, filled with dark wooden beams.
As they climbed higher, Jiang Xi’s view expanded again—revealing the world beyond the Guardian Wall: the Cursed Lands.
Her mind went blank in sheer shock.
Before her stretched a land of crimson and black, as if molten lava and dark blood flowed together. Even under the blazing sun, a gigantic red moon hung over the horizon, sinking into the cursed earth.
Or perhaps—it wasn’t the moon that was red.
It was the curse that had dyed it so.
Because in Jiang Xi’s memory, the moon over the Holy City was pure and white, sacred and serene—
Not blood-red and ominous like this one, staining the land beneath with its glow.
The feeling of floating in the air made Jiang Xi unconsciously clutch Lu Liufeng tighter.
Her animal-skin mask slipped halfway down her face, and her warm breath brushed against the side of his neck—
Leaving a faint blush in its wake.
Jiang Xi didn’t notice; her gaze was still fixed on the breathtaking view below.
This feeling of soaring in the sky—it was incredible!
Lu Liufeng flew for a long while before landing on a snow-covered mountain dotted with massive exposed rocks.
Between the stones lay patches of snow and clusters of vegetation—some lush and green, others withered and white—forming a strange, beautiful contrast.
Jiang Xi was surprised at first, but once they landed, she understood why.
From above, her view had been blocked—she hadn’t noticed the pools hidden among the rocks.
Hot steam and cold mist mingled in the air above them.
They were hot springs.
Lu Liufeng’s ears were still faintly red as he noticed her gaze drawn to the pools. He said softly,
“Female Master, there are warm springs here. You can rest and bathe. I’ll go hunt nearby.”
Jiang Xi blinked, then couldn’t help but laugh.
“You really think I came here just to see the snow and have fun?”
