Chapter 17: He

Lin Manzhi thought curiously.

Yang Suo at the counter looked over, quickly called the shop's male beast who sells potions over here, stepped out from behind the counter, smiled and asked, "Xi Tao, you're here, how was today's harvest?"

As he said, Yang Suo did not approach the regular customer Xi Tao, but instead gestured toward the Xi Tao and her companions in front of him, leading them familiarly toward the shop's back door, arriving at a half‑open courtyard.

In the middle of the courtyard lay a thick carpet; compared with those seen before, its bright floral pattern was extremely splendid, and at a glance its price must be high.

Xi Tao had Beast Husband Cihe take the Sand‑tail Grass Stalks out of the bag, placed them one by one on the carpet, and said, "We dug twenty‑six stalks today, each whole. I also brought you a new customer; give us a higher price."

Yang Suo looked up at the words, turned toward the tightly wrapped figure beside Xi Tao, whose slender, delicate frame was clearly female, with only a pair of black eyes exposed, shining like a night sky.

What beautiful eyes…

Just from seeing a pair of eyes, Yang Suo felt that this female must be growing quickly, and couldn't help staring a little longer.

Suddenly, his scalp felt like it exploded; Yang Suo, after a long time, seemed threatened with life and death, and every muscle in his body tensed.

He froze his head and looked back, meeting a pair of faint blue eyes; although the other person was also tightly wrapped, they did not appear as delicate and pitiful as that beautiful female.

Instead, the thin clothing outlined a body of near‑perfect muscles; standing there motionless, it made Yang Suo, from the bottom of his heart, believe that if the other wanted, his head could be off his neck in the next second.

Very powerful, extremely powerful.

Yang Suo broke out in cold sweat; such a powerful male beast, his beast form must be extraordinary. Though he didn't know why he appeared in this poor tribe, that was not something he could control.

Yang Suo's heart instantly became honest; he put away his thoughts of flirting with the female before him and dared not stare at her any longer.

Mo Lie stepped forward, passed Lin Manzhi, bent down, took the Sand‑tail Grass Stalks from the bag one by one, and placed them on the carpet.

He straightened his back, stepped back to Lin Manzhi's side, narrowed his eyes slightly, and his blue irises instantly became slitted, the cold, silent aura deepening:

"22 stalks, flawless in appearance."

Lin Manzhi asked eagerly, "How much can each sell for?"

Under pressure, Yang Suo solemnly examined each Sand‑tail Grass Stalk on the carpet, saying, "Fresh and whole, each head is just right. This time I'll pay 22 Beast Coins per stalk; yours total 484 Beast Coins, Xi Tao's 572 Beast Coins, I'll give them to you."

Lin Manzhi didn't understand how that price compared.

After all, in the original book, Lin Ling's arrival here was written as flirting with a male beast, unrelated to food or daily necessities.

She looked at Xi Tao beside her.

"Alright." Xi Tao was pleased, having even forgotten about Mo Lie beside her, whispered to Lin Manzhi, "Usually it's 18 Beast Coins per stalk; today's price is quite good."

Yang Suo counted the Beast Coins nearby, adding, "My usual purchase price is 15 to 25; the color of yours today is a bit light…"

"Price by color? Is the light color because it hasn't fully matured?" Lin Manzhi noted, thinking she could select a deeper yellow next time she gathers.

Yang Suo said, "I… don't know either. I buy according to the Luo Lai Caravan's requirements; whatever quantity you have later, I'll take, and I'll definitely give you the best price."

Lin Manzhi stopped asking, took the Beast Coins Yang Suo handed over, counted them, placed them into the Beast Skin Bag, and when parting from Xi Tao, returned the borrowed small bag and the Wooden Knife.

Lin Manzhi walked back with Mo Lie, feeling the Beast Skin Bag at her waist; her fingers no longer hurt as much.

Selling Sand‑tail Grass Stalks is really profitable; a single stalk's price almost matches a kilogram of Small Exotic Beast meat!

She was just getting the hang of it today; tomorrow she can dig more.

Actually she had thought of planting the Sand‑tail Grass Stalks into a spatial Spiritual Field, so she wouldn't have to dig so laboriously; a single click would harvest perfectly whole stalks.

But it was only a thought.

She only has one plot of Spiritual Field right now, and lettuce is even pricier than Sand‑tail Grass Stalks.

Lin Manzhi felt a pang of regret; if she had a fully‑leveled Spiritual Field… she could plant anything she wanted without such meticulous calculations.

But this is still quite good; now she can earn enough Beast Coins each day just by digging Sand‑tail Grass Stalks to buy meat, and even if Mo Lie doesn't hunt food, it's fine.

She won't let Mo Lie end up like in the original book, bedridden from a serious illness, unable to move, with Wife Master ignoring him while he constantly suffers inexplicable scoldings and endures chronic hunger.

She can raise Mo Lie… without any resentment toward herself.

Lin Manzhi and Mo Lie walked into their home, one after the other.

Opening the door, passing through the stone gate, and seeing fresh meat piled like a small mountain in the courtyard, Lin Manzhi opened her mouth in astonishment, frozen in place:

"What is this??"

The Exotic Beast meat had been cleaned thoroughly, the skins completely removed and stacked on the courtyard ground; each was about half her height, and counting them yielded twenty‑five in total.

Mo Lie lowered his gaze, his eyes landing on Lin Manzhi's pale, slender hands now stained with soil; his blue eyes lost their usual coldness as he said:

"I hunted this morning, Wife Master; you don't have to laboriously dig Sand‑tail Grass Stalks."

Lin Manzhi gasped, "Aren't you with a shattered Spirit Core… you can't force the Beast Form, what if it gets worse?"

Is this caring for me?

Mo Lie's gaze fell on her face; the female's black eyes were sincere, with a hint of urgent worry, something he had never found unfamiliar.

Under the stare of those black eyes, Mo Lie unusually paused and said, "It's just a bunch of Small Exotic Beast meat; I didn't use Beast Form."

He then added, "You can hunt Exotic Beasts and sell them daily; you won't need to gather anymore."

Lin Manzhi, lacking the resolve to be a freeloader, blurted out, "Then how can I not go? Sand‑tail Grass Stalks are so valuable!"

Mo Lie: "…"

He stared steadily at Lin Manzhi, knowing Wife Master would not heed the Beast Husband's words, and whispered, "I'll go to the lake later to clean the Exotic Beast skins, and I'll cook for you first."

Saying that, he walked forward, bundled the Exotic Beast skins together and piled them on the ground, then turned and entered the kitchen.

He had rushed back, only managing to take a shower to wash away the blood scent before meeting Wife Master, so the Exotic Beast skins hadn't been processed yet.

Indeed, being in Human Form is far less convenient for hunting than Beast Form.

Lin Manzhi stood in the courtyard of the meat mountain, took a deep breath, and finally recovered from the shock of suddenly acquiring so much food.

She smiled and shook her head; the better Mo Lie's health, the better for her—though they hadn't untied yet, they now counted as a small family.

He's good, I'm good.