Qin Muye spoke as he tapped his terminal.
A translucent electronic screen appeared before Jiang Qingli.
From top to bottom, a dense list of Qin Muye's assets filled the screen.
Jiang Qingli had thought Qin Muye was here to cause trouble, but now it seemed he was actually being quite sincere.
'He's loaded with Gold Coins.'
The girl's finger slid down the screen, her dark eyes sparkling with a joyful smile.
Qin Muye leaned back in his chair, appreciating Jiang Qingli's money-grubbing expression.
It was a much more pleasant sight than when she was arguing with him just now.
The moment that thought popped into his head, Qin Muye forcefully suppressed it.
'Pleasant, my ass.'
Not only was Jiang Qingli the infamous female of the First District whom everyone avoided, but her shameless chasing of males was a well-known disgrace.
'What's so good about a female like her?'
'After three years, today is finally our divorce day!'
Qin Muye let out a heavy snort.
After taking stock of her (future) assets, Jiang Qingli's expression turned serious. "Seeing as you've shown some sincerity, I agree to the divorce."
'Qin Muye didn't seem to have much of a storyline in the original novel.'
'There are no feelings between us, and Qin Muye isn't much of a threat. Getting divorced and taking the money is the best possible outcome.'
Satisfied, Qin Muye raised an eyebrow and handed over the contract he had prepared.
Jiang Qingli read it for a moment, then said, "I have a question."
Given her cooperative attitude, Qin Muye's expression softened slightly. "Go ahead."
Jiang Qingli said, "The contract says I can't touch you without your consent, but what happens if you touch me?"
Qin Muye found the idea absurd. "Me? Touch... you? Absolutely not!"
Jiang Qingli retorted, "A male's physical abilities far exceed a female's. It's a possibility."
She made a logical point. Qin Muye closed his eyes as a vein throbbed uncontrollably on his forehead.
"Then what do you propose?" Qin Muye asked through gritted teeth.
"We'll write a new clause," Jiang Qingli said. "If you do anything to harm me, I can deal with you as I see fit, and neither the Imperial Family nor the Shen Family can interfere."
Qin Muye's father, Shen Zhixue, was an S-Level Snow Leopard Beastman who had served as an Admiral. He and the Emperor had a loving marriage, but a few years into it, Shen Zhixue was assassinated while protecting the Emperor during an inspection tour of the Twelve Cities.
To compensate for this loss, after Qin Muye was brought back to the Imperial Family a few years ago, both the Shen Family and the Emperor constantly provided him with resources.
They all hoped he would differentiate into a High Level Beastman and continue his father's legacy of glory.
Unfortunately, on the day of his superpower evaluation at age twenty, Qin Muye's Thunder Ability was rated F Level.
He became the laughingstock of the entire Empire.
But even as a laughingstock, the Shen Family still placed great importance on him.
'The system is currently offline, so I have to ensure my own safety.'
Qin Muye's chest heaved violently with anger a few times, but in the end, he compromised.
'It's not like he would actually do anything to her, anyway.'
After signing the contract, Qin Muye sneered, "Taking everything you can get... I've never seen a female like you!"
Having gotten what she wanted, Jiang Qingli didn't bother arguing with him. "For someone so 'bad' to be your female master, I'd say you're pretty lucky~"
The girl raised an eyebrow with a hint of smugness, her unconcealed smile making her look just like a triumphant little fox—sly and radiant, yet impossible to dislike.
Qin Muye was momentarily dazed. Realizing he was staring at Jiang Qingli, he abruptly turned his head away with another heavy snort.
*
Having reached a temporary truce, Jiang Qingli had no intention of staying any longer.
She opened her map, planning to go find Ye Linyuan.
Not long after she left the aircraft, a piercing alarm blared from behind her. Dozens of Imperial military drones surrounded the area where Jiang Qingli was, their lights flashing red.
The crowd of people walking around her suddenly panicked, scrambling to find cover.
A robotic, electronic voice broadcast from the drones' speakers: "Attention, an out-of-control Beastman has appeared in the Central District, Sector C-09. Identity confirmation in progress..."
Not far away, dozens of Beastmen in neat military uniforms brandished their weapons, trapping a magnificent, crimson-red giant bird inside a huge iron cage. They surrounded it warily.
The crimson bird seemed to be in a frenzy. It flapped its wings relentlessly, flames from its tail feathers swirling with the wind. It let out a sharp cry, forcing the guards to back away steadily.
"A Vermilion Bird?!" a nearby Beastman gasped. "You'd need an S-Level female to control that!"
Whenever a male Beastman uses an offensive-type Superpower, it generates Spiritual Pollution.
Their Spiritual Domain is then continuously eroded by a dark side until they lose control.
The higher a Beastman's level, the more Spiritual Pollution they generate when using their Superpower. Once it exceeds a certain threshold, they face the risk of complete Beastification, unable to change back to their human form.
The higher a female's spiritual power, the stronger her Healing Power. A High Level S-Class female can even completely purify the Beastification.
Someone turned, saw Jiang Qingli, and quickly shouted to the guards, "There's a female here! Let her try!"
But someone else immediately recognized her and laughed mockingly. "Miss Jiang has no spiritual power. How is she supposed to try?"
"Everyone in Central City knows that Jiang Qingli doesn't even have spiritual power. She's useless!"
"Shh, keep your voice down! Be careful, she might get violent..."
"Hey, can you army guys hurry it up?! Don't let it burn down the whole street, we need to take pictures later!"
The residents of Central City were all either rich or noble, so the guards didn't dare to be slow. They quickly said, "Everyone, please remain calm. We have already found an S-Level female. She is expected to arrive within three minutes!"
Just as they spoke, a girl in a white dress arrived, surrounded by an entourage of dozens of people.
Jiang Qingli took one look. 'Oh-ho, a familiar face.'
Their eyes met. Bai Yiyi lifted her chin, a provocative smile on her lips.
Seeing that a female had arrived, the guards automatically parted to make way.
Bai Yiyi walked up to the Vermilion Bird. The beast stopped its frantic movements and lowered its head to look at her.
Bai Yiyi smirked and reached her hand toward the Vermilion Bird's head.
However, just as she was about to touch it, the Vermilion Bird suddenly erupted in an even more frenzied shriek. The soundwave sent Bai Yiyi and all the guards flying!
CRACK! CRACK!
The cage was smashed open by the Vermilion Bird's wings. It let out a long cry to the heavens, and the wind from its wings carried flames that instantly set the greenbelts on both sides of the road ablaze!
The crowd scattered in a panic as alarms blared through the streets.
The once-bustling street now looked like a living hell.
Five Beast Husbands hurriedly sheltered Bai Yiyi in their arms. As they retreated, someone gave Jiang Qingli a shove, and she fell to the ground.
The Vermilion Bird tilted its neck, its blood-red eyes narrowing as it locked onto Jiang Qingli.
In the span of a single breath, the Vermilion Bird dove down and landed in front of her.
Terrified screams erupted all around. The more timid females buried their heads in their males' chests.
A sharp pain stung her palm. Jiang Qingli didn't have time to figure out who had pushed her. Facing the Vermilion Bird, which was more than three times her height, she could only instinctively raise her hands to protect her head.
The world seemed to fall silent in that second.
Everyone held their breath.
Jiang Qingli's heart was pounding uncontrollably. She squeezed her eyes shut, cursing the useless system in her mind for not even leaving her a golden finger!
However, the expected pain never came.
Instead, she felt a fluffy sensation in her palm.
Jiang Qingli gathered her courage and opened her eyes, only to be completely stunned—
The Vermilion Bird, which just moments ago had been rampaging as if to destroy the world, had now retracted its flames and its arrogance. With its wings tucked in, it was eagerly trying to nuzzle its head into her palm.