Chapter 2: Snake Beastman Mu Qing

Awake? Want some water?

Mu Qing seemed to also know his face likely wasn't liked by females; seeing the little female freeze upon seeing him, his gaze darkened, and he moved away a bit under the pretense of pouring water, giving her a relaxed space.

Mm, yes.

Hearing that, Yun Li came to, answered, but when she realized, she found she had hardly any strength.

She had no choice but to look at Mu Qing, brows slightly furrowed, softly asking for help: 'I have no strength, can you come over and help me?'

Mu Qing's eyes flickered, and he walked over holding a bowl of water.

The female was very thin, a fact he already knew, yet holding her in his arms again, he still couldn't believe there was such a thin female in the tribe.

Her past days must have been not good at all.

Thinking this, Mu Qing felt his life was okay, at most he'd never find a female in his lifetime, but at least he wouldn't almost starve to death like the female.

Yun Li didn't know what the male was thinking; after drinking two sips of water from the wooden bowl, she felt her stomach emptily awful, which also made her panic terribly.

Any food? I want to eat meat.

Regardless of who arranged this male to come and how long he could care for her, Yun Li must seize this chance to eat her fill now, otherwise if she died she'd be reborn as a starving ghost.

Yes, I'll go get it.

Although he knew giving his food to the female would likely result in her not acknowledging it after eating, Mu Qing understood that if he didn't even bring out this bit of food, he'd have even less chance to form a mate bond with the female.

Upon leaving the door he met the Witch Doctor's disciple guarding the entrance; Mu Qing nodded at him and took in the food he had prepared earlier.

I don't even know if it'll work.

Speaking, the little beastman couldn't help but curiously peek inside.

Take it easy, no beastman will fight you for it.

Mu Qing saw Yun Li not disliking his food, his heart involuntarily relaxed, but the next moment he saw the female eating too hastily and choking violently.

He quickly patted her back and handed her water, after which he saw her recover.

Thanks, sorry for the trouble.

Thanks to him watching nearby, otherwise Yun Li would not have starved to death but would have choked to death.

Thinking this, she looked at Mu Qing and couldn't help but start having thoughts.

Although he looked a bit fierce, she initially worried this male would be hard to get along with, but seeing he didn't mind her unwashed, messy-haired state and still cared for her without change, it was clear his temperament was much better than she imagined.

Hmm.

Mu Qing gave a low 'hmm' and then sat farther away.

Yun Li, however, after eating and drinking her fill, began observing Mu Qing, making his body somewhat stiff.

I've never seen you before; what's your name? I'm Yun Li.

The original owner was Yun Li, which happens to be a homophone of her name, so she doesn't need to bother changing her name later.

Mu Qing.

The male spoke his name with some nervousness.

Who let the males in the tribe, to avoid being mistaken by females as snake beastmen, have no beastman dare share his name?

This also meant that even though the original owner had never contacted Mu Qing before, it didn't prevent her from hearing from other females who Mu Qing was.

But Yun Li's focus was elsewhere: 'Mu Qing? Aren't you one of the only five Qing Rank beastmen in the tribe? Your strength must be strong, right?'

Beastmen, regardless of gender, if they can cultivate, their strength is ranked red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple; the later the rank, the stronger the strength.

And the original owner's several suitors at strongest were only Yellow Rank.

Mu Qing glanced at Yun Li in surprise, but thinking of her near-starvation, his heart moved, and he nodded:

Not bad; at least after feeding myself I still have plenty left to last through the cold season.

Yun Li instantly stared at Mu Qing without blinking, about to boldly ask if he liked any female, and if not, what he thought of her.

But before she could speak, Mu Qing interrupted her.

Then you...

Are you afraid of snake beastmen?

Mu Qing bluntly said, 'I promised the Witch Doctor to come care for you, and even brought my own food over, just to find a female who isn't afraid of me.'

If you're afraid, I'll leave the food I brought in the stone hut next door; you can take it all when you leave tomorrow, and I won't bother you afterward.

Then what if I'm not afraid?

Yun Li blinked and asked.

She thought she didn't need to actively pursue males anymore, since a long-term meal ticket had come to her door.

You need a male to support you; I can do that, but the precondition is we must form a mate bond.

Mu Qing's purpose was clear; after speaking he stared intently at the female, trying to see hesitation or reluctance on her face, and if she showed the slightest unwillingness, he would not force Yun Li.

Even if he is a snake beastman, he also wants a female who can treat him normally.

But Yun Li merely nodded, 'Forming a mate bond is no problem. But I have some unpleasant things to say up front: I'm very hard to support, and not just ordinarily hard to support.'

She had no objections to Mu Qing's proposal of a mate bond; after all, she couldn't just eat his food, drink his, live in his place, and then only give him a 'good beastman card'—what would that make her?

Something the original owner never did, how could this modern soul that transmigrated possibly do such a shameless thing?

Moreover, if she truly didn't like it later, she isn't unable to look for another beast husband.

Here Yun Li's mental calculations raced, while Mu Qing stared blankly, seemingly not expecting Yun Li to so readily agree to form a mate bond with him.

As for Yun Li saying she's hard to support later, Mu Qing didn't take it to heart; if he had a female, no matter how hard she is to support, he said he'd support her no matter what.

'Speak. If you truly willingly become my female, no matter what you demand, as a male this is naturally what I should do.'

Mu Qing had already prepared for being made difficult; after all, these years he'd often been looked at by females with fear and dread, and he'd long grown used to it.

Now Yun Li suddenly agreed to form a mate bond with him, he merely thought she wanted to use the mate bond as an excuse to find a male to support her first, and later, when she had a better option, she'd probably abandon him.

But...... his situation, no matter how bad, couldn't get worse; it'd be better to listen to how she plans to make things difficult for him.

You said that!

Hearing that, Yun Li instantly broke into a smile, thinking that this person who had come to her door was actually so easy to talk to, so she must seize the opportunity.

Mm.

Mu Qing's eyes were involuntarily shaken by the female's smile, and his heart jumped twice at that moment.

Yun Li began to state her requirements: 'First, I don't want to join the gathering team, but if other females have it, I want it too.'

This means that even if Mu Qing goes out hunting, he must still ensure Yun Li has a daily supply of fresh wild fruits and vegetables.

If a female's household has multiple males, this requirement is naturally not a big deal.

But Mu Qing just calmly nodded, 'Understood.'

He is a Qing Rank Beastman; even if he doesn't let his female join the gathering team, he can still get his share of fresh wild fruits and vegetables daily from the tribe's warehouse.

'Second, I'm not good at cooking, so if you go out hunting or have other matters, you must prepare my food for a day in advance.'

Moreover, I don't want to eat only roasted meat every day, so you must learn to make other foods, three meals a day, each meal at least two different kinds of food for me.

For example, the first meal on the first day is wild fruit with meat soup, the second meal must be something else... Anyway, I can't eat the same thing every day, I'll get sick of it.

Yun Li, fearing he might not understand, also carefully gave an explanation.

'Third, I don't like being yelled at by beastmen; this is very important, more important than the previous two.'

After we become mates, if you dare to yell at me even once, I will absolutely detest you; if you still dare to rely on being my male to hit me or force me to do things I dislike, I will immediately go to the chieftain to dissolve our mate bond.

In beastmen society, females appear to hold dominant status, but given the huge disparity in strength between her and Mu Qing, who knows after becoming mates he might not yell at her for some reason, or force her to do things she dislikes.

Therefore, Yun Li must definitely bring this point up beforehand and make it clear.

After that, there are fourth, fifth, sixth, altogether nine requirements, which all boil down to one meaning: Yun Li is very pampered; after becoming mates, Mu Qing must treat her well, otherwise the only outcome is to dissolve the mate bond.