novelraw Chapter 117 - 99: Compensation
Chapter 117 - 99: Compensation
An Jin knocked on the door hesitantly. "Mi Yin, are you in there?"
’No response. Strange. Did he go out to hunt? But with his lazy personality, he doesn’t seem like the type to go out hunting in this heat.’
An Jin stood at the door for a long time, debating with herself whether she should call out again.
After a moment, she heard the scraping sound of a snake’s tail.
Then, a faint "mhm" came from inside the room.
Puzzled, An Jin asked, "Why didn’t you answer just now?"
"I was sleeping. I didn’t hear you."
She could tell he wasn’t in a good mood and that his answer was perfunctory. She nodded, a little unhappy herself. "Alright then. I won’t disturb you. You get some rest..."
The sound of her light footsteps outside the door faded into the distance.
In the darkness of the room, the python huddled in the corner lifted its head, its crimson pupils flashing. As it realized the female was walking away, an overwhelming sense of panic surged through it.
It suddenly arched the upper half of its body and slithered rapidly toward the door, wanting to coil around the female and drag her back. But just as its head was about to touch the door, it recoiled abruptly as if it had been shocked.
"HISS~"
’He wanted to make Jin’er realize he was unhappy. That’s why he hadn’t gone out to eat for two days. But her attention was always focused on that Wolf Beast.’
’Just as I thought. No one cares about Wandering Beasts.’
’She probably only accepted me because of the mate mark. In her heart, I’m not that important at all, am I...’
At this thought, Mi Yin grew even more dejected. The massive, ten-plus-meter-long black-and-red python slowly coiled itself up again, circle by circle, forming a tight disk in the corner, completely still.
However, to his surprise, her footsteps returned a short while later, accompanied by the rich aroma of food.
A knock came at the wooden door, followed by her gentle, concerned voice. "It’s evening now. I noticed you haven’t eaten anything today, so I stewed some chicken soup for you. Do you want some?"
The python tucked its head deeper into its coils, its body tightening as it said in a muffled, sulky voice, "Leave me alone. I’m not hungry."
An Jin, "..."
’He’s acting like a pouting child.’
She rubbed the bridge of her nose. She realized this snake was genuinely sulking with her. She never thought the ruthless and aloof Mi Yin could be so childish when he was angry.
’I have no experience with this sort of thing.’
She placed the steaming chicken soup by the door and waited for a long time, but he still didn’t open it. An Jin’s patience was wearing thin, but she still spoke in a gentle tone. "Stop being angry and eat first. I’ll agree to whatever you want as compensation, how about that?"
"..."
Only after the footsteps outside faded away again did the wooden door creak twice and open a small crack.
The tip of a snake’s tail snaked out from inside, firmly wrapped around the pot of chicken soup, and dragged it in. Then, the tail quickly pulled the door shut...
’I can’t let the soup Jin’er made with her own hands go to waste.’
When An Jin returned with a plate of roasted meat, she saw from a distance that the large bowl of chicken soup by the door was gone.
’He really is like a little cub. He gave up on the silent treatment so quickly.’
A smile tugged at her lips. She knelt to place the roasted meat by the door, but before she could even knock, the door clicked open.
A shadow flickered before her eyes, and she was pulled by a pair of long, powerful arms into a cool, firm embrace. The wooden door then slammed shut with a BANG, plunging her vision into darkness.
Mi Yin leaned down, his thin lips brushing against her ear as he murmured, his slender fingers landing on her abdomen and trailing downward. "You said you would compensate me."
"..."
An Jin looked up, speechless. The light was too dim; she could only see the man’s blurry outline. His deep, searing red eyes were gazing at her, a pair of beautiful orbs one could easily drown in.
"Can’t you show a little self-control?" It wasn’t that An Jin didn’t want to be with him, but the mere thought of a Snake Beast’s stamina made her back ache and her legs go weak.
’Sooner or later, he’s going to squeeze me dry.’
"You’re my mate. Of course I’m going to come to you," Mi Yin said, his voice full of longing and a hint of grievance.
That feeling was addictive. One taste was enough to make him crave a second.
Besides, it wasn’t that he was that desperate. It was just that they hadn’t been together in a long time. An Jin’s mind was completely focused on the tribe, leaving precious little time for him.
On top of that, the peaceful life in the tribe was simply too boring for Mi Yin.
He was usually lonely and bored. Other than sleeping, his only pastime was pestering her for some excitement.
An Jin couldn’t resist Mi Yin’s passionate advances and ultimately surrendered. He pressed her against the wall, and they moved through every corner of the room.
He usually preferred to be quiet, and out of consideration for her, he had always been relatively restrained and gentle. This time, however, he completely let loose. He was exceptionally fierce, as if venting his jealousy.
Blushing, An Jin buried her face in his firm chest. "Be a little gentler..." she pleaded uncomfortably.
She cast a nervous glance at the wall. Ling Hong and Xi’s room was right next door. ’It would be mortifying if we woke them up in the middle of the night.’
However, Mi Yin seemed to be deliberately trying to make her louder. Humiliated and angry, An Jin bit down on his muscular arm several times, trying to break free.
"...Don’t move," he said, his voice strained as he buried his face in her neck.
An Jin truly didn’t dare to move again. It wasn’t because she was being obedient; it was because she could feel the snake’s barbs.
As Wandering Beasts, most Snake Beasts took females by force. Through millennia of evolution, they had developed barbs to prevent females from escaping, allowing them to forcibly complete the mating process.
In the darkness, Mi Yin’s ragged breaths subsided a little. The more she struggled, the more it drove him into a possessive frenzy.
But he didn’t want to do that. It would hurt her.
By the time the first light of dawn broke through the darkness, Mi Yin had thoroughly exhausted An Jin. He finally let her go, shifting into his snake form and easily encircling her with his coils.
He watched her sleep soundly with her eyes shut tight. Her sweat-dampened black hair, her small, flushed face—every single detail about her was utterly mesmerizing to him.
’Once she’s exhausted, she won’t have the energy to go looking for other males.’
As a Wandering Beast disliked by females, Mi Yin was both proud and insecure. When he was with An Jin, however, all that remained was a profound sense of inferiority.
He could only mask this insecurity with a fiercer, more domineering facade.
’If she really takes another mate, or if she accepts that Wolf Beast, she’ll definitely stop liking a Snake Beast like me.’
This was the only way Mi Yin knew to confirm her feelings, assert his presence in her life, and fill the emotional void in his heart.
Based on past experience, Mi Yin predicted she would sleep until that afternoon. As the sky began to grow faintly light, he carried her to bed, carefully tucked her in, and prepared to go out.
The moment he opened the door, he saw the Wolf Beast pacing in the main hall. He gave two cold chuckles and, with a sway of his snake tail, moved forward to confront him without a sideways glance.
The Silver Wolf’s eyes were bloodshot as it stared intently at the approaching Snake Beast. The tension between them was thick enough to cut with a knife.
He had been woken up by the noise in the middle of the night. ’How dare that Snake Beast treat An Jin so crudely! Just as expected of a Wandering Beast—they have no idea how to cherish a female!’
The more Ling Hong thought about it, the angrier he became. He was a Sixth Rank Beastman now; he no longer had to be subservient like before. Finally, he could have a satisfying, all-out fight with him!
"GRRROWL!" Spurred into a fighting frenzy by his rage, the Silver Wolf lowered its body and leaped, its massive jaws lunging to rip and tear at the snake’s tail.
As a Wolf Beast, its bite force and fighting prowess were already formidable. Now they were terrifying. A single bite could tear a wild beast to shreds.
But the scales covering the python’s tail were like armor forged from metal and stone. The bite only left a few teeth marks; it didn’t even draw a drop of blood. Ling Hong was aghast. ’This level of defense... it’s not something an ordinary Sixth Rank Beastman can possess, is it?’
’Even if he isn’t Seventh Rank, he must be on the verge of a breakthrough.’
In the brief instant Ling Hong was stunned, Mi Yin seized the opportunity. His body instantly transformed into a giant python, pouncing on the Silver Wolf and ensnaring it in his thick tail. His sharp fangs immediately sank into the Silver Wolf’s flank.
Blood soaked its silvery-white fur.
"HISS~ So this is your strength now? Pathetic."
Mi Yin had no intention of delivering a killing blow; he hadn’t even used his venom. With the air of a victor, he tossed the injured Silver Wolf to the ground like trash. His upper body transformed back into that of a bewitchingly handsome man as he mocked him without restraint. "I deliberately waited for your injuries to heal. I wanted to test the strength of a Sixth Rank Wolf Beast, but I never expected you to be so pathetic."
The Silver Wolf glared at him and snorted in fury, but ultimately lowered its head, crestfallen. It lay silently on the ground, licking the blood from its wounds.
’He didn’t want Ren Anjin to wake up and see him in such a pathetic state.’
Xi was woken by the commotion. When he opened his door, he nearly died of fright.
Seeing the two of them locked in an earth-shattering battle, he hid far to the side. As a mere Third Rank Beastman, he couldn’t afford to be accidentally injured.
"HISS~"
Mi Yin shot Xi a cold glance.
A chill shot through the Little Merfolk, and he froze in the doorway, not daring to move a muscle. Thankfully, Mi Yin only gave him a passing glance before swaying his snake tail and leaving in a hurry.
...
An Jin woke up in the evening, rubbing her eyes wearily. She stared blankly at the ceiling for a good while before her senses returned. She slowly climbed out of bed and opened the door.
The main hall was a complete mess.
"..." She froze for a moment, her eyes darting around until she saw Ling Hong and Xi tidying up the room.
Mi Yin, however, was nowhere to be found.
She went out to help them tidy up. "What happe—" She cut herself off when she saw Ling Hong’s injuries, particularly the two bloody, unhealed gashes on his flank.
She immediately understood most of what had happened.
’That Mi Yin...!’
’Honestly!’
An Jin was so angry she wanted to curse. ’Was he that bored at home? Why did he start bullying Ling Hong again?!’
An Jin put the stone basin back in its place and walked over to the dejected Ling Hong. Looking at his wounds, she said worriedly, "Let me help you clean and bandage those wounds. They might get infected otherwise."
"There’s no need."
Ling Hong shook his head, refusing her kind offer. He listlessly continued to clean up the shattered stone bowls on the floor. "These wounds will heal on their own. Herbs are precious. Save them for the tribe members who need them."
For a Beastman, being injured by a rival in a fight over a female was a deeply humiliating experience. He couldn’t accept the female’s concern with a clear conscience.
Ling Hong, with his reserved personality, could endure it in silence, but Xi couldn’t stomach the injustice.
That Snake Beast’s glance had been icy and bloodthirsty. Lingering fear still clung to Xi’s heart. It was obvious the Snake Beast had wanted to swat him to death with his tail.
Thankfully, the Snake Beast looked down on him for being just a Third Rank Beastman. Otherwise, he would have been the first to be taken out.