Before Ruan Fu could refuse, An Rui had completely climbed into her bed, his ice-cold body instantly pressing against hers.
The sudden contact made Ruan Fu shudder uncontrollably. Still, she bit her lip and protested, "This... this isn't right!"
"What's not right about it?"
An Rui leaned in closer as he spoke. His distinct scent immediately flushed Ruan Fu's cheeks crimson. She reached out to shove him away, but the man was completely naked; every push meant direct contact with his bare skin. Finding nowhere appropriate to place her hands, the tips of her ears burned even redder.
Seeing this, An Rui pulled her down. He wrapped his arms around hers, locking her firmly in his embrace while resting his head in the crook of her neck. His prominent nose brushed against her skin, and the warm breath he exhaled sent another tremble through Ruan Fu's body.
"You..."
Before she could finish, An Rui gently nuzzled against her. "I just shed my skin and I'm still in my sensitive period. I'll sleep much more soundly with you." He looked down at the person in his arms, a hint of grievance in his eyes. "You aren't unwilling, are you?"
Ruan Fu's hands had been pressed against his chest, but upon hearing his words, she gave up her resistance. She closed her eyes, allowing herself to relax in An Rui's steady embrace. However, it wasn't long before she clearly felt a hard object pressing against her waist. And there was more than one.
Letting out a long sigh, Ruan Fu opened her eyes and looked up at him. An Rui's eyes were tightly shut, his thick eyelashes casting faint shadows over his cheeks. His breathing was even, making him look as if he were fast asleep. Yet, the things pressing against her lower body were still moving.
Puffed up with exasperation, Ruan Fu couldn't help but say, "Hey, wake up. Stop pretending."
An Rui's eyelashes fluttered. The next second, he opened his eyes, his hazy emerald pupils making it seem like he had just woken up.
"What is it?"
"I can't sleep with you poking me down there."
"Down there?" An Rui chuckled softly, tightening his grip on her as he lowered his voice. "It's a natural reaction. Or... or maybe you could help me out?"
"No." Ruan Fu rejected him without a moment's hesitation. "How about you just turn back into your true form?"
"Aren't you afraid of snakes? Would you really be able to sleep if I reverted to my true form?"
Ruan Fu nodded. If she had to be poked like this all night, either An Rui wouldn't be able to stand it, or she wouldn't. Seeing that An Rui remained silent for a long time, she pressed on. "Either turn back into your true form, or go back to wherever you came from."
"Fine, fine, fine."
Accommodating her request, An Rui shifted back into his snake form. However, this time he was much larger than when he had first arrived, nearly as thick as her calf. His tail coiled its way up from Ruan Fu's lower leg, while his head returned to its resting place in the crook of her neck. He stared at her with his large, emerald-green eyes, looking somewhat adorable.
Ruan Fu's fear gradually faded. She wrapped her arms around him, closed her eyes, and drifted off to sleep.
She slept soundly until broad daylight. Sunlight poured through the cave entrance, spilling over Ruan Fu's face. Rubbing her eyes, she slowly opened them. An Rui was no longer beside her, making everything that happened last night feel like nothing more than a dream. Stretching lazily, she prepared to head over to the Shaman Clan to get her bandages changed for the day.
She had barely taken a few steps out of her cave when she heard the other females gossiping.
"Did you hear? Guna woke up this morning with a broken arm. She ran to the Shaman Clan for help, and the Shaman Clan said she must have fallen on it herself, but Guna doesn't remember a thing."
"Do you think we're being haunted? Or maybe Guna was sleepwalking and forgot?"
"Who knows? She's always throwing her weight around just because of her high fertility rate. Maybe it's karma."
Listening to their chatter, Ruan Fu couldn't help but curl her lips into a smile. She hadn't expected An Rui to act so quickly; he had already exacted revenge on her behalf. She fought hard to suppress her gloating smirk.
By the time she arrived at Chief Nian's cave, she found that Ruan Ning was also there. Catching sight of her, a flash of surprise crossed Ruan Ning's face. She turned to Chief Nian and asked, "What is she doing here?"
Chief Nian paused. Just as he was about to speak, Ruan Fu answered naturally, "I'm here to change my dressing."
Ruan Ning glanced at the wound on her arm and sneered. The insults she had been ready to hurl were already on the tip of her tongue, but upon seeing Chief Nian, she swallowed them back. Turning her head to avoid looking at Ruan Fu, she offered Chief Nian a gentle, amiable smile. "I'll leave it to the Shaman Clan to prepare the items, then. I'll come by later to pick them up."
"Mm."
Ruan Ning stood up and left in high spirits.
Ruan Fu watched her retreating figure, pondering the plotline to come. If she remembered correctly, it was almost time for Ruan Ning to establish her romance with the chief of the Tiger Clan. While lost in thought, she turned back to find Chief Nian already crouching in front of her, carefully unwrapping the bandages on her arm.
Ruan Fu looked at him and asked tentatively, "If I were to ask you what she wanted you to prepare, would the Shaman Clan tell me?"
Chief Nian's hands paused. He looked up at her, just in time to catch the lingering slyness in her eyes before it could fade. It seemed like a foolish move, exposing her true colors to him so blatantly. Lowering his head, he resumed his work, though he answered her nonetheless, "Tomorrow, she is going out to hunt beasts together with the males of the Dragon Clan."
"Hunt beasts?" It was exactly as the plot dictated. In that case, she had to figure out a way to tag along.
Just as she was thinking this, a sudden stab of pain flared from her wound. Ruan Fu cried out. She instinctively tried to pull her arm back, but Chief Nian gripped her wrist firmly.
Chief Nian raised his eyes. A dark, gloomy look flashed across his crimson pupils before he returned to gazing at her as gently as he had when they first met. However, his tone was freezing cold. "You want to go?"
Though phrased as a question, he spoke with the certainty of a statement. It was as if he was already well aware of her true motives.
Ruan Fu didn't shy away from his gaze in the slightest, continuing to stare back at him with an expression of pure, innocent ignorance. "Yes, I want to go." So what if he saw through her? She had left those flaws for him to find on purpose. She reasoned that Chief Nian would inevitably conjure up a perfectly justifiable excuse for her apparent slip-ups. After all, he was a good person. He was so good-natured that he believed the world had already wronged her by making her an infertile Holy Female. In his eyes, any dark thoughts she harbored would be completely justified.
Ruan Fu continued to stare straight at Chief Nian until he finally lowered his head and went back to applying the medicinal herbs to her wound. Only then did she let out a long sigh. Her voice was soft and sweet, laced with a touch of pitiful grievance as she said, "I'm just curious about what my sister does every day. After all, I—"
"That's enough." Chief Nian cut off whatever she was about to say, standing up and walking to the side to pack up his things. "If you want to go, talk to Ruan Ning. She might take you along."
"Mm." Ruan Fu replied, standing up and walking up behind him. Just as he was about to turn around, she reached out and grabbed the hem of his clothes. "Chief Nian, do you hate me now? Or..." Her voice trembled slightly, and her fingers were shaking.
Chief Nian felt somewhat helpless. He set down the items in his hands and turned around. Ruan Fu was standing right behind him with her head bowed. He didn't even need to look into her eyes to know that she was afraid. Leaning in, he brought his line of sight level with hers.
"No. I just hope you won't be so foolish next time."