028 She wanted to end the contract early and completely free herself from them?

Chi Yu felt uneasy. Although he loathed this vicious female to the core, every move she had made over these past few days tugged at his heartstrings, stirring a sense of panic within him.

She had scarred his face—the feature he was most proud of—leaving behind a wound that would never fully heal. Perhaps everything she was showing them now was merely a new way to deceive them. She must be trying to make them fall for her, only to torment them once they were vulnerable. That approach would certainly inflict more pain. You Lie and Jin Ye had clearly already been swayed, but he could not afford to fall into her trap.

Lan Xi’s emotions were particularly complex. Li Yue’s changes over the last few days had worn away most of his hatred. Coupled with the memory of him choking her earlier, a sense of guilt had gradually given rise to other, more complicated feelings. Just now, for instance, he found himself wishing that he were the one in heat, so he could openly hold her and lie with her on the hay… But as soon as this thought surfaced, he frowned deeply and forced it down.

Li Yue was oblivious to the undercurrents swirling through the room. Nestled in You Lie’s cool embrace, she thought about the advantages of her personal space and soon fell soundly asleep.

The next morning, she was awakened by the aroma of roasted meat. When she opened her eyes, the hay pile beside her was empty; You Lie was nowhere to be seen. As she sat up, Chi Yu walked in carrying a piece of golden-brown roasted beast meat. He handed it to her with his usual seductive smile.

"Freshly roasted and no longer hot. Eat something to fill your stomach, and we’ll set off once you’re done."

Li Yue took the meat and took a bite. The savory fat and the tang of salt blossomed on her tongue. As she chewed, she looked up and asked, "Have you all eaten?"

Chi Yu nodded. "Yes, we’ve all eaten. Chief Qingshan gave us the leftovers from last night. It’s enough for tonight and tomorrow, so we won't need to hunt tonight."

Li Yue’s eyes brightened, and the meat in her mouth seemed to taste even better. "That’s great! It won’t delay our journey, and you won’t have to run out in the middle of the night to find prey. It saves us a lot of trouble."

She spoke with genuine sincerity. To her, anything that saved time on hunting was for the best. Chi Yu caught the spark in her eyes and her unfeigned smile, and he felt a momentary tremor in his heart. But the next second, he cursed himself for being spineless. It was just a simple word of concern, and he had almost forgotten her past cruelty!

He steadied himself and returned to the subject. "Including this morning, I’ve cooked five meals for you. You said before that five meals would be worth one drop of blood…"

"I remember. I haven't forgotten."

Li Yue nodded immediately, swallowing the meat. "I’ll give you the blood as soon as I finish eating. I won't go back on my word."

Chi Yu frowned slightly. He had expected Li Yue to act as she used to—either making excuses to delay or showing immense impatience. Instead, she agreed readily, without a hint of annoyance, and even seemed rather relieved. A thought suddenly occurred to him: had he been wrong all along? Was she not trying to find a new way to torment them, but truly wanted to break the contract and be rid of them as soon as possible? This thought made his chest feel inexplicably tight.

Li Yue, unaware of his thoughts, finished the meat, stood up, and walked to the clay pot in the corner. She carefully washed her hands with fresh water and took off the necklace from her neck, rinsing it repeatedly. Although the cut on her finger wasn’t deep, cutting it so frequently could lead to infection, so she had to keep it clean. If only there were alcohol, but this was the ancient world; such advanced things were non-existent here.

After washing the necklace, she turned to Chi Yu. "By the way, where is Lan Xi? We didn't finish giving him his blood last time, so let's do it together now."

Chi Yu snapped back to reality, suppressing the strange emotions in his heart, and turned to walk out the door. "They are all outside packing. I’ll go call them in."

As he pushed the door open, the morning light spilled in. You Lie was leaning against the doorframe, his silvery-gray hair tinged with pale gold by the sunrise. He held a leather bag in his hand, clearly ready to go. Jin Ye and Si Qi were sitting on a nearby stone, one filing his nails while the other organized herbs. Lan Xi was soaking in a wooden barrel, his tail fin occasionally splashing water, though his gaze drifted toward the cabin from time to time.

"Li Yue wants you to come in," Chi Yu said, his voice lower than usual.

You Lie paused, a flicker of imperceptible anticipation crossing his dark red eyes, and he walked quickly toward the cabin. Jin Ye stopped what he was doing and followed, his icy blue eyes full of urgency. Si Qi also packed away his herbs and rose lazily, and Lan Xi climbed out of the barrel, walking inside with a blank expression.

When they entered the cabin, Li Yue was already sitting on the hay, frowning slightly as she held the necklace. Even though the spirit spring water could heal wounds, cutting her finger still hurt. The blood-letting required a certain amount—one drop wasn't enough—so the cuts were never shallow.

Seeing them enter, she looked up and smiled. "Sit down, it won't take long."

Li Yue took a deep breath and squeezed the necklace tightly. A sharp pain instantly radiated from her fingertip, and a drop of bright red blood welled up. She didn't dare look, walking straight to Chi Yu and letting the blood drip onto the beast mark on his chest.

The moment the scorpion mark touched the blood, it shimmered with a faint light. Its color visibly faded, and its edges became blurred. Chi Yu frowned slightly. He had been so looking forward to breaking the contract, yet now that Li Yue had actually done it, he didn't feel as happy as he had expected; instead, his chest felt heavy.

"Done."

Li Yue pulled her hand back. Her fingertip was still bleeding, so she instinctively pressed it with her other hand and turned toward Lan Xi. "Your turn. After today, that makes three times."

But just as she reached Lan Xi, her wrist was suddenly gripped. His hand was cool, but his grip was firm, making her wrist ache slightly.

"No need. Keep it for next time," Lan Xi said, his voice lower than usual, avoiding her gaze.

Li Yue frowned. "Why? When you saved me last time, I promised to give you three drops of blood. Let's finish it today so we don't have to keep track of it." She truly didn't want to cut her finger again; it was painful, and she worried about infection.

Lan Xi opened his mouth, his Adam's apple bobbing, but he couldn't come up with a reasonable excuse. What Li Yue didn't know was that once a female gave blood five times, although the contract wasn't fully broken, the males involved could no longer bond with her. Even if they mated, the male’s beast mark would not appear on the female. He didn't want the mark to fade so quickly; he didn't want to be any closer to breaking the contract.

He didn't let go of her wrist. Li Yue struggled, but couldn't break free, and the blood from her fingertip dripped onto the floor, creating a small red stain.

Li Yue sighed. "Let go. If you don't want it now, you can owe it to me and tell me when you're ready. My wound is still bleeding, don't waste it. Let's do Jin Ye's."

Lan Xi finally loosened his grip. The warmth of her wrist lingered on his fingertips, leaving him with an inexplicable sense of emptiness. Li Yue rubbed her sore wrist and walked toward Jin Ye with her bleeding finger. Just as she raised her hand, Jin Ye recoiled sharply.

"No!" Jin Ye’s eyes went wide, filled with panic, and he waved his hands frantically. "I’ve only been carrying you for a day and a half, not two full days yet! According to our agreement, you can't give me blood! Don't just give it away!"