Su Yu's body was naturally weak.
In her past life, she couldn't even touch cold water, let alone in this Beast World where she was saddled with a double debuff. The combined frailties of two lifetimes made her as fragile as a porcelain doll.
When the fever hit, it came on with a vengeance, frightening Shi Wei so much that he rushed down to bring Granny Wu Zhi up.
After examining Su Yu and asking Shi Wei where he'd taken her, Granny Wu Zhi learned about the trip to the creek and immediately chewed him out.
"Don't you know how fragile her body is? And you still let her bathe in the creek in early spring? Did you think she wasn't dying fast enough?"
Looking utterly regretful, Shi Wei said, "I thought nothing would happen if she just took a bath."
It wasn't that there weren't other frail females in the tribe, but they were always fine after bathing. He had thought Su Yu would be the same...
He had no idea Su Yu was this fragile.
Gazing at Su Yu, who lay unconscious with fever on the stone bed, Shi Wei's heart ached with regret and worry. At the same time, a sliver of self-doubt crept in.
'She's so delicate. Can I really provide for her all by myself?'
"Those females are fine bathing because they're healthy! You—you—you're infuriating! Single males just don't know how to care for a female!" Granny Wu Zhi scolded him a few more times in her anger before stepping forward and using her Healing Ability to ease Su Yu's pain.
Only when she saw Su Yu's furrowed brow relax and the flush on her face recede did Granny Wu Zhi withdraw her Healing Ability. She shot Shi Wei a glare and said gruffly, "Alright. Come get some medicine for her later and she'll be fine."
"If you don't want her taking medicine, then you should mate as soon as possible. Once she receives your Beast Mark, her body will be nourished and she'll feel much better."
Shi Wei pressed his lips together and nodded. He saw Granny Wu Zhi out, then hurried back into the cave to care for Su Yu.
Su Yu felt like her whole body was on fire. Even the air she exhaled was scorching, and her mind was a complete haze.
Shi Wei brought a hint of coolness with him when he sat on the stone bed. Subconsciously, Su Yu wrapped her arms around his lean waist and nuzzled against his side.
Shi Wei's body went rigid. He remained perfectly still, letting her cling to him like a spoiled cub.
250 seized the opportunity to entice Su Yu: [Host, hurry and pounce on him! Get his Beast Mark and you won't be in so much pain.]
A clear-headed Su Yu would never have been swayed by it. After all, despite her bold talk, she was still a little conservative at heart.
Pouncing on a man while fully conscious was a challenge of epic proportions for someone who'd never even dated before.
But right now, her mind was muddled.
And her body felt like it was being scorched by fire.
She let out a soft gasp and, as if possessed, climbed off the stone bed and threw herself into Shi Wei's arms. Shi Wei gazed down at her, his eyes deep and dark, and slowly lowered his head...
Su Yu felt as though she were being roasted over a fire, sweating profusely. In her daze, she tried to bat away the encroaching flames, murmuring, "Hot… Shi Wei, move the fire away…"
She vaguely thought she heard a deep chuckle, but she was too exhausted to rally, and finally sank into a deep sleep.
On her chest, Shi Wei's Beast Mark slowly materialized—
An exquisite, compact, yet incredibly imposing black wolf's head.
-
When Su Yu finally woke up, well-rested, Shi Wei was not in the cave.
He had cleaned her up afterward, and now her body felt clean and refreshed. Aside from a slight ache in her lower back and legs, she felt perfectly fine.
Su Yu's eyelashes trembled. Remembering her wild night with Shi Wei, she couldn't stop her face from flushing an even deeper shade of red.
She never thought she'd get sick and end up sleeping with a man... no, a beast.
Still, she had to admit that after receiving the Beast Mark, her body didn't feel so powerless. She had a little more strength, and the constant tightness in her chest had eased considerably.
250 made a cheeky announcement: [Ding! Congratulations, Host, on successfully mating with Shi Wei. The first mission has been successfully completed.]
[Reward: 1x Newbie Gift Pack, 1x Talent Draw, 50 points.]
[The System Mall is now open!]
Su Yu blinked and opened the Newbie Gift Pack first.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You have received: Multi-child Pill x3, One-shot Fertility Pill x3, degradable sleep pants x6, toilet paper x5 packs, refined salt x5 portions, Iron-cutting Dagger x1]
Simultaneously, Su Yu felt a number of items materialize on the stone bed where she was sitting up.
She groped for the nearest item and found that things like the degradable sleep pants were wrapped in Beast Skin, their original packaging removed.
The refined salt was in a bamboo tube.
'This damn system might be a pain, but it's surprisingly thoughtful. And the items in the pack are actually quite practical.'
The System Mall was now open as well.
Su Yu looked inward, scrolling through the screen that the system projected in her mind.
Currently, the System Mall was only at Level 1, selling items native to the Beast World like Beast Skin Clothes, Beast Skin Skirts, and some Coarse Salted Meat.
Accumulating 1,000 points would unlock the Second-level Mall.
She had just received 50 points, but 10 were already gone, leaving her with only 40. The Second-level Mall was still a long way off.
Su Yu sat up on the stone bed, wiped her hands, and said with near-reverence, "I want to do the talent draw."
[Ding! Commencing the talent draw!]
After a series of flashy special effects, 250's voice announced again.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You have drawn the talent: Contract.]
[As the name suggests, the Host can form contracts with Wild Beasts and Exotic Plants to command at will. You currently have only one contract slot! Your Talent Ability is at the One-star low-level, so you can only contract One-star low-level Wild Beasts, you know!]
[As long as the Host wills it, a soul contract will be automatically formed, regardless of whether the Wild Beast is willing! The contract can only be broken with the Host's permission!]
Su Yu's eyes widened in excitement.
'Isn't this just like being a Summoner?'
'As long as I get strong enough, I can contract powerful Wild Beasts and Exotic Plants. Then my own safety will be guaranteed!'
'If someone tries to attack me, I'll just turn around and summon a pack of Wild Beasts to fight back. How awesome would that feel!'
'Not a bad haul for this mission.'
250: [Now issuing the second mission: Conceive a cub with the Wolf Beast, Shi Wei!]
[Mission Rewards: 100 points, 1x 100-cubic-meter Storage Ring, 1x Beauty and Beauty Pills, 1x Power Pill.]
[Even more lavish rewards will be granted upon the cub's birth!]
When Su Yu saw the Storage Ring, her eyes, already wide, grew even wider.
'A Storage Ring! They actually have a Storage Ring!'
'And that mysterious bonus reward…'
A strange fire ignited in her heart; she wished she could give Shi Wei a whole litter of cubs right then and there.
It was a good thing Shi Wei wasn't around. Otherwise, she might have pounced on him for a few more rounds.
With a Storage Ring as bait, all sense of shame became trivial.
Su Yu reined in her excitement slightly and asked the system, "Hey, can we make a deal? Can you let me read the original novel?"
'If I'd known I was going to transmigrate into a book, I would have swallowed my anger and memorized that Beast World novel by heart instead of rage-quitting halfway through.'
Now she had absolutely no grasp of the plot, which made her feel a little panicky.
250 remained silent for a long time. Just as Su Yu was about to give up, it finally spoke: [The plot of the book changed the moment you entered it, Host. From now on, your life is yours to write.]
[Friendly reminder: the original heroine does not come in peace. Host, please be extra careful when you encounter her!]