Chapter 5: A Fox with Ten Scheming Hearts

Su Mo fell asleep only in the latter half of the night.

Before bed, she planted the remaining herbs and the mushrooms and wild greens she had picked from the mountain into the Spirit Spring Space.

These simple plants grow at an astonishing speed in the Spirit Spring Space.

She should be able to harvest one tomorrow morning.

Yue Ying also went to the thatched cottage around that time, but he simply couldn't sleep.

In the middle of the night he sneakily went to take a look at Su Mo.

Su Mo's sleeping pose was quite odd; her slender legs were crossed, gripping the animal-skin blanket, and her body half-hung over the edge of the bed.

A few strands of hair fell loosely, and her whole person exuded an inexplicable languor and intimacy.

This face really isn't good-looking, moreover sallow and thin, yet one can't quite say what's different about it.

As a Fox Beast Person, Yue Ying is more perceptive and thoughtful than ordinary Beastmen, and he is confident that his intuition will not be wrong.

While covering her with a blanket and preparing to leave, he heard the person on the bed murmur: "Dead Fox!!! Beat him to death! Who wants five animal pelts… sniff… three will do!"

He couldn't help but chuckle lightly—how much she must hate him, even dreaming of selling him off!

When Su Mo woke up the next morning, the sun was already high.

She had just opened her eyes when she heard a "ding"—

"Congratulations, Host. Yue Ying's Affection Level decreased by 45; the system has deducted ten points from your debt, and has prepared a kitchen seasoning gift pack for you, already placed in your System Backpack."

Su Mo muttered dazedly, "How did the fox's Affection Level go up on its own overnight?"

But earning these points is really slow.

It would be faster to just cure that dragon.

She threw off the blanket and went out to wash up.

Then she prepared breakfast, lifted the pot lid, and found a bowl of warm mixed-grain porridge made from cornmeal and various beans ground up.

Su Mo frowned slightly. "Was this made by that fox?"

She took a light sip; it was passable, after all the crops in the Beast World have no pollution, and the texture is still quite good.

If the powder were ground a bit finer, the texture would be better.

After finishing breakfast, Su Mo washed the bowls and chopsticks, then took out some mushrooms and wild greens from the space, along with bird eggs.

Just then, Yue Ying returned from outside.

He was still holding two fish and a piece of meat.

The man narrowed his extremely handsome fox eyes and smiled, "This is our lunch for today."

Su Mo eyed him suspiciously, thinking 【He hasn't left yet? What evil scheme is he cooking up?】

Yue Ying's warm, moist eyes gazed at her as he spoke gently, "Earlier, I, as your fiancé, neglected my duties; I hope Wife Master won't hold it against me. Since we will eventually live together, getting used to each other early can't be bad, right?"

"……"

【Who wants to live with you? A fox has ten scheming hearts; this miss doesn't want to spend all day battling wits with you!】

Yue Ying lifted what he held, smiling innocently, "If Wife Lord truly doesn't welcome me, I'll take these things and head back first?"

【Forget it, for the sake of the food, let him stay for now. When soldiers come, we'll block them; when water comes, we'll earth‑plug—this miss isn't afraid!】

Su Mo narrowed her eyes and smiled: "Of course not! Thank you for your hard work, Yue Ying; thanks for breakfast—I'll make lunch later."

Yue Ying chuckled, "Serving Wife Lord is my honor."

Su Mo's mouth twitched 【His acting skills are almost catching up to mine!】

"Later, could you help me deal with these things? I'm going to check on that patient."

Yue Ying wore a gentle smile and replied obediently, "All right, Mo Mo."

This address made Su Mo instantly break out in gooseflesh.

She turned and fled the scene quickly.

【Too terrifying—could the dead fox be going into heat? Or I should find a chance to kick him out ASAP!】

Yue Ying: "……"

Su Mo returned to the room and saw the two dragon hatchlings already awake.

They were staring at the big guy on the bed, sniffling and crying.

"Major General Long Yan, please wake up soon~ sniff sniff sniff, how did you get so badly wounded~"

Su Mo raised an eyebrow, "You're willing to forgive this guy for being called Long Yan?"

I recall the book saying he is a Dragon Clan Minor General, not from their tribe, and he hasn't had much screen time early on—so how did he end up in this miserable state?

The other little one cried, "Major General sacrificed himself to save me; I should atone with my death!"

Saying that, the little dragon cub pulled a dagger from his pant leg, intending to commit suicide.

Su Mo stopped him: "If you die like that, what meaning would his wounds have?"

"Sniff, but as an attendant of the Major General, letting him get hurt for me—I deserve to die ten thousand times!"

The little one cried while wiping his tears, looking so pitiful.

"Don't worry, he won't die just yet. Go fetch some water for me so I can examine his wound."

The two little ones looked at Su Mo with hope: "Are you a Shaman Doctor?"

"I'm not, but I can save him."

Hearing that, the two dashed off like a gust of wind and soon returned with two basins of water.

Su Mo unfastened Long Yan's clothes and checked his wound.

Fortunately, there was no bleeding.

As long as we keep it from getting inflamed, it should gradually heal.

As for the poison on his body, it seems to have been temporarily restrained and hasn't spread to his meridians.

Su Mo didn't expect that her blood could actually use Poison Counterattack.

After applying the medicine to Long Yan, Su Mo's gaze began to wander again.

【These abs, that mermaid line, they truly pull me eight hundred times a day!】

【Since no one's watching now, sneaking a little shouldn't be a problem, right? His life was rescued by my aunt, so I should repay something, right? I only have this tiny request, not unreasonable!】

Thinking that way, Su Mo felt justified and prepared to act.

The next second, "Bang"—

The door was suddenly kicked open.

Su Mo jumped in fright and hurriedly withdrew her hand.

Yue Ying hurried over, glanced at Long Yan on the bed, then at Su Mo's slightly flushed cheeks.

【Dead Fox, you never come early or late, yet you show up right now! I haven't even gotten a hold of you yet!】

Yue Ying breathed a sigh of relief; it's good she didn't get a hold.

He heard his warm, mellow voice say, "All the dishes are ready; I'll help him change the medicine."

"There's no need, I…"

"Don't be formal!" Yue Ying directly took the Medicine Jar from her hand.

Su Mo gritted her teeth, got up, and walked out.

When Yue Ying finished and came out, Su Mo and the two Dragon Cubs were bustling in the kitchen.

One tended the fire, the other handed dishes.

She was in charge of stir‑frying.

The stove still held several bottles and jars he hadn't seen before.

Su Mo used to be able to cook, and did it well, but now with the system's recipes, the flavor seemed even better.

The aroma of the food made the cravings in people's stomachs almost crawl out.

The braised pork in the pot bubbled, its rich, fragrant meat scent wafted in fine threads into the nostrils, making mouths water.

Even just the scent was more enticing than the taverns in town.

Yue Ying paused, shaking his fan‑waving hand, and asked, "When did this woman learn to cook?"

Females generally don't cook, and those who can make such delicacies are even rarer.

How many things has she actually hidden from them?

The two Dragon Cubs, enticed by the scent, drooled and stared longingly at the pot.

Su Mo squinted and picked a piece of meat for each, "Is it tasty?"

The Dragon Cubs nodded wildly!

When the stir‑fry was done, they helped carry it out.

Yue Ying fetched the bowls and chopsticks, sat down, and stared blankly at the dishes.

Su Mo's meat was especially delicious, the fish looked appetizing, and the vegetables were presented beautifully.

Seeing him not pick up his chopsticks, Su Mo urged, "Why are you spacing out? Eat."

Yue Ying picked up a piece of fish and widened his eyes in surprise.

"What did you cook it with?"

This flavor is simply more delicious than the tavern dishes in town.

Su Mo squinted and smiled, "Unique Secret Recipe!"

Yue Ying took another bite of the braised pork, tender, flavorful, fatty yet not greasy.

The vegetables were also very crisp.

"Delicious!"

The two Dragon Cubs were so busy eating they couldn't even open their mouths to speak.

After the meal, Yue Ying washed the dishes and told Su Mo he needed to go back for a while.

Su Mo's eyes lit up, "You're not coming tonight, right? Then I won't prepare your dinner…"

Yue Ying, fanning his hand, softly interjected, "Of course I'll come; I'm just going back to fetch some personal clothes."

"Ah~" Su Mo stammered, "Having you stay in the Thatched Cottage feels a bit awkward; maybe you should… "…Don't come, then!

Yue Ying's eyes flashed, and he leaned close to her ear, softly saying, "It's fine; being with Wife Lord (Honorable) makes me happy wherever we live."

The tingling voice at her ear made Su Mo instinctively flinch, "I…"

"I'll be right back; I'll change Long Yan's medicine when I return."

Yue Ying gave her no chance to continue speaking and turned and left.

Su Mo watched his back, helplessly thinking, what on earth is this fox up to?

Forget it, she'll go take a nap.

When Su Mo woke from her nap, it was already near dusk, time to prepare dinner again.

She slept so deeply that she had no idea what had happened outside.

At this moment, members of the Tribe were dragging Fei Yan and the Shaman Doctor toward her.

Someone narrated vividly, "High Priest, Shaman Doctor, this female Su Mo has gone mad! She failed to scheme against Mo Xiao, and now has set her sights on the Dragon Clan Minor General! He's in her room now; you two go check!"

"The Dragon Clan has always been at odds with us, and she actually flirted with our mortal enemy's Major General! If the Dragon Clan pursues this later, won't we all suffer because of her!"

"Exactly, she used force against the Dragon Clan Minor General; later, where will our Tribe's reputation stand? She even injured someone—it's outrageous!"

The bald Shaman Doctor standing in the middle frowned and said gravely, "This Su Mo is simply beyond reason! I think we must report to the Tribe Chief and expel her from the Tribe!"

Fei Yan said calmly, "We should hear what Su Mo has to say first."

The female beside him spoke, "She will surely force a clever defense; the Shaman Doctor is right—we should drive this disaster out of the Tribe."

Fei Yan frowned in displeasure, glanced at that female; he was clear about last night's whole story, Su Mo was rescuing people, not scheming at all.

But when it reaches these people's mouths, it becomes another version.

But now he has no way to explain for Su Mo; even if he said it, these people wouldn't believe it, thinking he is deliberately favoring.

For now he can only wait until they reach Su Mo's residence to speak.

The party marched grandly toward Su Mo's residence.