Once Si Shuo was settled, Zhi Le stood up. With a few swift leaps, he was already out of the tribe's territory. He passed through the canyon and headed west along the Divine Mother River.
Unlike a modern city with its towering skyscrapers and bustling traffic, this place was a picturesque landscape of beautiful mountains and clear waters. The weather was clear, everything was flourishing, and it was enough to make one forget all their worries and sorrows.
The Snow Leopard ran at an incredible speed, the surrounding scenery blurring into afterimages. Si Shuo clung tightly to his back, a sense of security finally settling in her heart.
Before long, they arrived beside a crystal-clear stream. It was surrounded by plenty of rocks. 'What a great place to take a bath!'
After Si Shuo dismounted, Zhi Le transformed directly into his human form, not giving her any time to turn away. Fortunately, he still had some Beast Skins on to serve as clothes, so he wasn't completely naked.
"Find a shallow spot to wash up. I'll be nearby. Call me if you need anything." He tugged at her hair with two fingers, his disdainful expression completely unconcealed. "And give your fur a good scrub!"
Si Shuo puffed out her cheeks and huffed. Holding her clothes in one arm and the Crystal Core in the other, she went to find a spot to bathe.
She had expected to take a cold bath, but the stream flowed down from a mountain hot spring, so the water was still warm, with wisps of steam rising from its surface.
Her features relaxed as she submerged herself in the tepid water. She finally had a moment to continue studying the system.
'Right after I first opened my eyes, I think I heard something about a "binding gift package"!'
Si Shuo mentally commanded it to open. Three empty slots appeared in her mind, and the system's voice sounded.
"To better serve the host, this gift package has been divided into three wishes: one for the host, one for your partner, and one for your offspring. Please consider carefully, Host. A windfall like this only happens once!"
Si Shuo's eyes lit up as she quickly made up her mind. "I want a powerful superpower, a shareable, upgradable space that I can access with my partner through our Beast Mark, and for my cubs... well, let's give them nine lives, just like cats."
After a moment of silence, the system chimed, DING! "Three prize wheels have been prepared for the host."
Si Shuo couldn't help but rub her hands together. She offered a quick prayer to every deity she could think of, then closed her eyes and decisively spun all three prize wheels at once.
Three consecutive messages popped up from the system. "Congratulations, Host, on obtaining the Wood Element Ability, which contains the power of life! This superpower possesses a decent Healing Ability, and as its Level increases, it will be able to bring the dead back to life and regrow flesh on bones!"
"Congratulations, Host, on obtaining a shareable, upgradable space! The space is one cubic meter, can currently only be used for storage, and time within it is frozen!"
"Congratulations, Host, on obtaining the inheritable 'Nine Lives Cat' fate for your offspring!"
Si Shuo's round, almond-shaped cat eyes widened even further. Holding her breath, she couldn't help but ask, 'System, what exactly do you mean by an inheritable "Nine Lives Cat" fate? Does this mean I have nine lives too?'
System: "Yes. Only if the host has a sufficient number of lives can the trait be passed on to your offspring."
'That's a pretty good explanation!'
She closed her eyes to carefully examine her body, but felt no difference. 'System, where's my superpower?'
System: "The superpower the host has obtained requires specific circumstances to be activated. It is a type of rare superpower exclusive to a Female Saint."
As long as she had the superpower, activating it sooner or later wasn't the critical issue. Si Shuo moved on to examining her new space.
She opened her eyes and saw a small fish nibbling at her fingertips. With a single thought, the fish vanished. Inside the space she could now perceive mentally, the fish lay perfectly still.
With another thought, the little fish reappeared in its original spot. However, it was now floating belly-up on the surface of the water, clearly dead as a doornail.
After playing with storing and retrieving things for a while, she had soaked long enough. Si Shuo scrubbed the grime from her hair and body, then comfortably dried herself off and changed into her new clothes.
Zhi Le heard her footsteps and turned his head to look.
Si Shuo's damp white hair cascaded down, revealing her delicate and beautiful face. Against her fair skin, her dark brows, blue eyes, and pink lips stood out like strokes of ink in a painting.
The fiery red Beast Skins she wore made her look as delicate as a porcelain doll, exceptionally beautiful.
He took the piece of Beast Skin from her hand and roughly dried her hair. Once it was mostly dry, he led her by the hand to the campfire and thrust a fragrant, grilled fish at her.
Si Shuo sat on a rock that had been covered with a Beast Skin. Holding the fish with one hand, she used the other to pick off pieces of meat and pop them into her mouth.
The large fish had been cleaned meticulously, its skin scraped off and a layer of coarse salt sprinkled over it. The meat was savory and firm. On top of that, she was a starving Cat Beastman. She devoured it with her head down and eyes narrowed in pleasure, an involuntary purr rumbling in her throat.
When she was full, she couldn't resist licking her fingers. A moment later, she froze, embarrassed, and lowered her hand.
Just then, Zhi Le handed her a large leaf piled high with purple wild strawberries.
Si Shuo accepted the leaf, which filled her arms. 'This has to be at least five pounds! My boy is just too earnest.'
She popped one into her mouth. It was sweet and refreshing, bursting with juice!
Tiny flecks of joy sparkled in her azure eyes. She picked up another one and pushed it toward Zhi Le's mouth.
Zhi Le stared blankly for a second before opening his mouth to accept it. His lips tingled faintly where her fingers had brushed them. He chewed with a deadpan expression. The moment he swallowed it, she fed him another.
In no time at all, the entire leaf of wild strawberries had been devoured. Si Shuo had secretly "smuggled" a third of them into her space!
When it was time to go back, Zhi Le wrapped up five cooked fish and another twenty that had been cleaned but were still raw.
By the time they got home, Si Shuo was so exhausted she fell asleep the moment she touched the bed.
Zhi Le squatted beside her, watching her sleep soundly and unguardedly, still stubbornly clutching the Crystal Core. He felt a mix of exasperation and an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.
He glanced around the small, empty cave, frowning in thought for a moment. Then, he walked outside and leaped down…
"Si Shuo!" Hearing Yu Jiao's voice in her sleep, the still-groggy Si Shuo instinctively stored the Crystal Core she was holding into her space before she even opened her eyes.
Sure enough, a moment later, Yu Jiao walked right in, shook her awake, and immediately began to flaunt.
Si Shuo's mind was still blank, but Yu Jiao assumed she was devastated, and the corners of her mouth curled up uncontrollably. "Si Shuo, you have to cheer up. Partnering with Zhi Le was just a matter of convenience.
Now that you have a Beast Husband, you don't have to go to the female cave. Females are precious. So what if you can't have children? There are plenty of males who'd want you.
I heard that after the tribe holds its spring hunt, they're going to organize a group of females to go to Nanye City and choose powerful males to partner with.
We can go together. It's far away, so no one there will know about your situation. You might even find a few more powerful Beast Husbands and have an easy time getting through this year's rainy season and the coldest season…"
'The original owner's memories of the rainy and coldest seasons were all too vivid. Each time, she had barely survived, left with just a breath of life. This last time, the original owner hadn't made it through. She went to meet the Beast God, leaving me with a body that was nothing but skin and bones!'
'But I have my space. As long as I can figure out the rules for upgrading it, and if Zhi Le and I work diligently to stockpile food, Beast Skins, and wood, we won't have to fear the rainy season and the coldest season, right?'
'Compared to the climate, aren't Yu Jiao and her three powerful Beast Husbands the biggest threat?'
She mimicked the original owner's mannerisms, tilting her head and offering a faint smile.
"Just listen to your big sister, Si Shuo." Yu Jiao said, looking at the now clean and refreshed girl. "I heard from Liwa that Zhi Le is on the list for this spring hunt. With his current strength, I'm afraid his chances of survival are slim…"