Upon hearing this, varying degrees of displeasure crossed the males' faces.
The Empire had installed a wristband on every adult male to prevent riots.
Once the contract was signed, they had to strictly abide by it. Otherwise, they would not only be punished by the wristband but also face prison time.
Chi Yun, who had the worst temper, couldn't hold back. "On what grounds?!"
"Then just wait to be forced into marriage." Jiang Qingli spread her hands. "Anyway, the Empire stipulates that a female can have up to ten Beast Husbands. I can always find new ones. But you... you'll be stuck with me for life."
She flashed a saccharine smile, making them grind their teeth in frustration.
Chi Yun cursed, "Jiang Qingli! Are you insane?!"
Jiang Qingli crossed her arms, her voice growing cold. "I spent all of last night in the Underground City. Perhaps I did go insane."
The five men's faces stiffened instantly.
Chi Yun's bluster faded, but he remained stubborn. "You're the one who carelessly wandered into the Underground City. What does that have to do with us...?"
Ling Qing cut him off, saying coldly, "We agree to your conditions. Let's go handle the paperwork now!"
The others nodded in agreement.
They were all S Level High Level Beastmen; they felt no attachment whatsoever to a malicious female like Jiang Qingli, who had status but no Superpower.
After annulling a marriage contract, a Beast Husband had to wait through a one-year cooling-off period before binding with another female. They didn't want to wait a single day longer!
Jiang Qingli wasted no words. She drafted a contract on her terminal, had all of them sign it, and then headed to the Marriage and Offspring Center with them.
But she didn't ride in the same hovercraft. Instead, she used her terminal to summon her butler.
A handsome butler with upright gray wolf ears, dressed in a black tailcoat, appeared in a hovercraft and respectfully addressed her as "Young Miss."
Seeing such a handsome face look at her so deferentially made Jiang Qingli feel much more at ease.
'That's right. With so many handsome men in the world, why hang myself from just five trees?'
Just as she settled into the hovercraft, the butler suddenly spoke. "Young Miss, you have a spot of mud on your shoe."
He then knelt by her feet, lifted her shoe with one hand, and took out a handkerchief to gently and meticulously wipe it clean.
Jiang Qingli remembered his name was Yi Nuo. He was the post-nuptial butler her brother had sent over a few days ago.
As he worked, the fluffy ears atop Yi Nuo's head twitched slightly.
Finding this amusing, Jiang Qingli reached out and touched his upright ears.
'They're so soft and springy. Good doggy.'
Yi Nuo froze. He glanced up at Jiang Qingli for a second before hastily averting his gaze, his movements flustered as he returned to his task.
Watching them, Chi Yun grew irritated. "Jiang Qingli, why do you always have to make things so complicated?"
Jiang Qingli shot him a glance and said languidly, "Watch your mouth. You're still my fiancé. Keep shouting, and see if I don't just annul the contract with the other four, keep you, forcibly mark you, and make you serve me every single night."
She delivered the crude threat in a placid tone, causing Chi Yun's face to flush crimson. "You—!"
The other Beast Husbands frowned, unable to understand how Jiang Qingli had changed so drastically.
'Did her time in the Underground City really scare her into becoming a lunatic?'
'Whatever. As long as we can get out of this engagement, we'll just have to tolerate it for now.'
-
Unlike the Underground City, the Central City was dazzlingly bright and prosperous. Skyscrapers stretched toward the heavens as hovercrafts zipped between them, a scene more fantastical than any sci-fi film.
Jiang Qingli sat in the hovercraft, her head resting gently against the window. She wearily rubbed the corners of her eyes.
In the hovercraft flying parallel to hers, Chi Yun frowned deeply.
'Crying?'
'But I guess that makes sense. For the past year, she's done nothing but chase after the five of us, fawning over our every move. Now that we're ending the engagement, it's inevitable she'd be heartbroken.'
'All that tough talk earlier must have just been a front.'
Chi Yun sneered. 'Serves her right.'
Ten-some minutes later, they stopped at the entrance of the Marriage and Offspring Center.
As Jiang Qingli stepped out of the hovercraft, her gait was a little unsteady. Yi Nuo supported her arm and asked with concern, "Miss, are you not feeling well?"
"Just a little tired." Jiang Qingli placed a hand on her lower back.
'Playing the villain is exhausting. I barely slept a wink last night, and my back is killing me. I almost dozed off in the hovercraft just now.'
She reached up to rub her sleepy eyes, only to hear Chi Yun's harsh voice. "Can you stop your crying and hurry up!"
Jiang Qingli: ?
'Who's crying?'
She looked up and, through the crowd, her gaze met a pair of pure, innocent, doe-like eyes.
"You're all so slow," Bai Yiyi said, walking over quickly with a smile for them.
The moment the five Beast Husbands saw Bai Yiyi, they flocked to her side, their gazes fixed warily on Jiang Qingli.
Bai Yiyi bit her lip. "Don't worry. Qingli won't do anything to me. Besides, you're still engaged. You should be taking care of her..."
Ling Qing took Bai Yiyi's hand, his arrogant expression softening. "A person like her isn't worthy of your concern."
Chi Yun, who had just been trading insults with Jiang Qingli, grabbed Bai Yiyi's other hand to pledge his loyalty. "Sister Yiyi, not for long! Once the one-year cooling-off period is over, we'll all be yours!"
As he spoke, he shot Jiang Qingli a heavy-handed sneer.
A blush crept onto Bai Yiyi's cheeks.
Jiang Qingli and Bai Yiyi both came from noble families. They were relatives, and also long-time mortal enemies. The scene immediately drew the attention of onlookers.
A few passersby at the Marriage and Offspring Center glanced from the intimate group of six to the solitary figure of Jiang Qingli and began to whisper.
"Jiang Qingli is so unlucky. Her own Beast Husbands are cheating on her right in front of her."
"They were never really hers to begin with. Those Beast Husbands are all S Level. How could they possibly be with someone who doesn't even have a Superpower..."
"True. The system matches Beast Husbands based on ability. Only the most capable females get five. In her case, she'll probably only get the guaranteed minimum of three."
As more mocking gazes fell upon her, Chi Yun watched Jiang Qingli warily, afraid she would cling to them, crying and making a scene to embarrass Bai Yiyi, just like she used to.
But Jiang Qingli didn't even spare them a glance. She went straight to get a number and found a staff member to process the annulment.
She was so calm, it was as if they were complete strangers.
The Beast Husbands exchanged glances. While they were relieved, they also found her behavior unsettlingly unfamiliar.
Five minutes later, the marriage contract was annulled.
A translucent panel materialized in front of Jiang Qingli.
[Esteemed Miss Qingli, please wait. The system is now conducting genetic matching for you.]
[Estimated number of matched Beast Husbands: 3. Average Beast Husband Level: A...]
The nearby onlookers tutted in amusement. Surrounded by the five Beast Husbands, Bai Yiyi arched an eyebrow, completely unsurprised.
The number of Beast Husbands was determined by the system's evaluation of a female's overall capabilities. Most females were allotted four. Jiang Qingli's guaranteed minimum of three was a complete laughingstock.
'As for the A Level, that's probably just due to her noble bloodline.'
'If the Jiang Family found out, they'd probably humiliate her in public all over again.'
A gleam of amusement flashed in Bai Yiyi's eyes. Yet, just as her lips began to curl into a smirk, the screen flickered!
Someone shouted, "The number's changing!"
Everyone stared. After flickering for a few seconds, the number of Beast Husbands on the screen changed from "3" to "5"!
But the average level of the Beast Husbands changed from "A" to "F"!
The system had matched Jiang Qingli with five Beast Husbands!
Five of the lowest-ranking males in existence!