Xuan kept on playing unconscious beside Chen Mei as she read stories with a flushed face, the memories from moments ago still fresh in her mind.
After a few hours had passed, Xuan acted as if he had been unconscious this whole time and was now regaining consciousness.
"U-Uh-umm, where am I?" He slowly got up, looking around himself, his eyes still hazy from keeping them shut for so long. "Miss Chen, where is this?" said Xuan, appearing clueless.
"Boy, you have finally woken up." Chen Mei got up as she rested the book on the bed. Her eyes sharp, with a smooth emotionless face, and a tinge of redness still present on her dimples. "As for why you're here, don't you remember what happened?"
Xuan feigned ignorance as he shook his head. "Miss Chen, all I remember is that I came here to deliver snacks and tea to you, before suddenly I started feeling extreme breathlessness. As to what happened after that, I can't… s-seem to recall anything clearly."
"Hmph! Good for you. Now come with me. I'll show you your room on the first floor, and in the morning when the doctor of this mansion returns, be sure to visit him and have him check your throat's injury. You can use my name if he asks for money," said Chen Mei as she swiftly left the room. Xuan hurriedly followed after her.
As she was walking down the stairs, Xuan could feel the impact she was exerting on each step. It didn't escape Xuan's senses: Chen Mei was angry. As for why, he could make some guesses.
After getting to the first floor, Xuan was taken to the room beside the garden. One could see the beautiful garden and even pluck fruits off the trees which were just beside the windows of the room. It was a very beautiful room.
As night had fallen, Chen Mei ordered Xuan to speak to Liu Hao and have him make some food for her, and have Liu Hao specifically bring it to her room.
Xuan could guess what was about to happen. "Damn, I think Liu Hao is gonna have a bad time tonight," thought Xuan as he settled into his new abode.
…..
In the mirror of his room, Xuan could see his new body and all of its new traits. Xuan was a rather slender and pale wolf-kin, with two large white wolf ears and a large fluffy tail behind him which he could control just like his hand.
"Damn, it's soo fluffy, ahhhh," Xuan squealed as he enjoyed the fluffiness of his tail, but it was short-lived, as he could hear screams and noises above him on the second floor. "And it has begun. The room directly above mine belongs to Chen Mei, and from the sounds of it, Liu Hao is getting beaten."
Liu Hao screamed, "M-miss Chen Mei, I-I was really in the forests! I wasn't in the mansion when you called, I swear!"
Thump!
Chen Mei grabbed Liu Hao by his head as she lifted him up. "Oh yeah? And why did you go into the forest immediately after I came into the mansion? Do you take me for a fool, you damned dog!" said Chen Mei as she threw Liu Hao at her door.
Liu Hao crashed into the door like a ragdoll as slowly got up and started kowtowing. "Miss, I apologize, b-but I did send Feng Xuan and told him to bring you some snacks…"
Crash!
A chair flew and crashed right beside Liu Hao, breaking into splinters, before he could fully finish his sentence. He immediately bowed down, apologizing profusely, but internally he was seething with anger.
'That Feng Xuan bastard had to fall unconscious right when he was bringing snacks to her room. I'll deal with you later, you trash.'
And while Liu Hao was getting beaten, Feng Xuan had already entered the dream world as he slept peacefully in his room.
…..
The next day, Feng Xuan woke up to find the whole mansion bustling with activity. The many servants and subordinates of the General had all returned. As he went outside, he saw the many servants running around the mansion, cleaning things, reorganizing the various rooms on the first floor.
While Xuan went to the apothecary—his abode was outside the mansion itself, at the far end of the section of the garden where many plants were present—the old badger-kin woman there gave him some medicines to take twice a day after checking up on his wounds.
After having his throat checked by the apothecary, Xuan was called over by Liu Hao and company.
"Feng Xuan, from today you must learn the ways of battle and martial arts. General Yulin will arrive at the mansion within a few days. You must condition your body properly before she returns," said Liu Hao before he handed Xuan multiple scrolls worth of martial arts. "These are martial theories. Our job here is to be hunting partners of the general, as well as her private pleasure tools, and let me tell you, the general hates weak individuals."
Feng Xuan nodded. He could still clearly recall the dead bodies of the beastmen who tried to run away from the battlefield.
"Now, for today, you'd have to condition your body first. Go ahead and make 20 laps of this field."
Xuan nodded. "Thanks for your guidance, senior brother!" He gave a light bow as he immediately began his sprint.
Xuan had worked as a corporate employee for years; he knew very well how to speak in a respectful manner, even to people he didn't like.
But even if he knew how to address people well, mentally he was incredibly fragile when it came to exercising due to his previous life's mostly sedentary lifestyle. He quickly grew exhausted after running 5 laps around the field.
"Haa… ah… haa." Xuan breathed heavily, this time genuinely feeling breathless. "Wow, I actually runned five laps in one go. This wolf body is no joke... ouch."
Xuan felt a rock hit him in the back. As he stared back, Liu Hao and company were standing far away with stones in their hands.
"Hey, don't slack off! A wolf-kin growing exhausted after just five laps! Do you think we are fools? Stop acting and start running!"
Xuan gritted his canine teeth in anger as he began running again. "These bastards, to think I'd be accused of acting when I'm actually being genuine!" As Xuan ran two more laps, he fell flat on the sandy training ground, exhausted. "Huh, maybe he is right. It's kinda odd for a wolf to grow this tired after just seven laps. Maybe it's because even if I'm physically capable of running more, mentally I haven't yet fully adjusted to my body. Yeah, that could be a reason."
Xuan slowly looked back, fully expecting Liu Hao to scream at him from afar for "slacking." "And they're gone. Phew, now I can train at my own pace without getting stoned to death."
Xuan kept on running, taking breaks in between as he trained his body, and the one thing he was most anticipating finally happened.
[You have leveled up! 1 => 2]
Xuan grinned his teeth in satisfaction as he mentally ordered the system to open his stats screen.
[Opening 'Status']
Name: Feng Xuan
Race: Wolf-kin
Race Rank: Warrior
Level: 2
Mana: (180/180)
Essence Points: 5
Attributes:
Strength: 10
Intelligence: 9
Stamina: 15
Vitality: 20
Perception: 13
Blank Points: 3
Abilities: Beastly Aura (Exclusive), Beastly Essence (Common)
"Oh, now there's a bar. The essence is, I have five. Don't tell me it's from when I ate that omelette at breakfast." Xuan felt odd. "That egg was from a monster then? They sure eat monster eggs rather casually…"
"Anyway, that's good for me as I can get essence points easily, but these essence points would be useless until I fully seduce Chen Mei. Let's see, where should I put these three blank points?"
Currently, Xuan found the strength stat most appealing to raise, as with enough strength he'd be able not only to prevent Liu Hao from bullying him, but also to use the giant heavy swords that he had seen Liu Hao practice with in the morning.
"But since I don't have any skills that need tons of mana, I should focus my stats on strength and vitality for now," thought Xuan as he considered the aspect of monster hunting.
Liu Hao and the rest went monster hunting, and Chen Mei also mentioned the general could in future have him tie the forest to "refine" his manliness. It was only logical to invest in stats which would allow him to hit hard while also being able to take hits.
"Can't become a glass cannon who gets one-shotted when the general sends me into the forest to hunt."
Xuan thus put two points in strength and one in vitality. He immediately felt a faint rush of strength in his body. It wasn't some waves of power rushing through him like he expected, but his body felt more energized, and his fists felt noticeably lighter.
"Now let's do some more exercise. Gotta make sure to gain as many levels as I can from these physical exercises!" as Xuan immersed himself in exercises, he recalled something he had been forgetting, "ah, I forgot to open that mystery box I got after completing the quest!"