Chapter 85: This Topic Is a Bit Dangerous

Lin Manzhi plans to wait until the rain stops, then go to Kuangsha City to buy some Exotic Beast Jerky to stock up, and trade with others when needed.

Lin Manzhi walks around the living room and bedroom that are covered with a layer of leather rug.

The fifty‑plus square‑meter living room has no furniture and no windows; the three‑meter‑high wide doorway lets in enough sunlight to illuminate the hall, and the light brown‑red leather rug, unrefined and smooth without shine, is matte.

She slowly turns around the house to survey, while faint, almost inaudible footsteps of a man follow behind her.

Lin Manzhi doesn't turn around, walks to the spot where the living room meets the bedroom wall, and in a crisp, slightly chirpy voice says, "How about we go to Kuangsha City next time to buy some wood? We'll bring it back to make a sofa, then add a few cushions on the sofa; it'll be very comfortable to sit on."

From behind, Mo Lie's calm voice sounds, "Fine."

He doesn't know what a sofa looks like; Little Female's description may differ from the tables and chairs in Ansen City, but he is confident he can make what Lin Manzhi envisions.

Lin Manzhi thinks the same; in her mind, Mo Lie is already the most versatile male she has ever seen.

Her mind is filled with everything the house currently lacks; she also wants a matching coffee table for the sofa, and a set of dining tables and chairs for the kitchen, so they won't have to sit on the floor.

The wood that is free in Ansen City is very expensive in this desert, especially wood for furniture; the trees that grow in the wasteland produce timber that is not very suitable.

It cracks easily, the trees are short, and they rot quickly.

In the past Lin Manzhi had nothing much to be picky about, but now she has money, so she naturally doesn't have to compromise herself.

Lin Manzhi turns back to the bedroom and pulls out the small box where she keeps money.

She sits on the bedside, opens the clasp on the small box, revealing a shallow layer of scattered Beast Coins; she doesn't need to count, she knows it's about three hundred twenty Beast Coins.

Last time she earned a lot but didn't buy furniture, because she spent everything on expensive medicines and the most important food.

She glances at the household balance; now going to Kuangsha City she probably can't even buy a single piece of wood, and she doesn't know how much lumber costs—whether it's expensive?

Mo Lie lowers his eyes, his gaze landing on the small box in front of Lin Manzhi.

He leans forward toward Lin Manzhi, extends his hand and lightly taps the box from behind with his fingertips, and asks ambiguously, "Zhi Zhi, do you regret it?"

Lin Manzhi: "Regret what?"

Mo Lie turns his head to look at Lin Manzhi.

His gaze steadies on her black eyes, and he says, "The money you spent on one Spirit Core Repair Elixir is enough to buy any furniture you want."

"What's there to regret?" Lin Manzhi closes the Beast Coin box and says without a hint of hesitation, "Furniture isn't as important as a human body; besides, I'm used to it, and the house always keeps the necessary Spare Medicine on hand."

Mo Lie raises his eyebrows: "I hadn't thought of that, Zhi Zhi, you considered it for me. Without you, I'm afraid I'd still be lying in bed unable to move, or perhaps already dead."

"I want to know how to repay your life‑saving grace." He leans close to Lin Manzhi's ear, his slightly hoarse voice low, and the warm aura that rises as he speaks triggers a slight shiver.

Offer myself in marriage?!

Lin Manzhi subconsciously thinks of the words that usually follow.

She is suddenly startled, shocked by the words she almost blurted out; a faint, discordant secret joy flickers in her heart, along with a few degrees of disbelief and moral condemnation.

Offering oneself in marriage is just using gratitude to blackmail someone for a trade, isn't it? If she swapped for someone else, Mo Lie would think the same; she isn't unique in Mo Lie's mind now.

She has never liked anyone before, never been in a relationship, and at this moment doesn't know how to handle matters of affection.

"It's too complicated!"

She alternates between thinking Mo Lie is the story's great villain and that she is a transmigrator, wondering if she'll be sent back again…

So love can make people so melancholy and overthink, turning them into nervous wrecks?

Lin Manzhi's tangled thoughts leave her a bit confused, unable to pinpoint the source of her irritation, and uncertain about what she wants with Mo Lie.

She seems to feel a subtle string in her heart tugged, and in her usual lighthearted tone she says, "You don't have to worry about it; there's lettuce, and I'm not short of money anyway."

Lin Manzhi rises from one side, walks around Mo Lie's looming silhouette, picks up the small box and heads toward the wardrobe where she places it, saying, "Let's not talk about repaying the favor now; we'll discuss it after your Spirit Core is fully restored."

She closes the wardrobe door, turns to look at Mo Lie, her expression suggesting she doesn't really want to discuss this topic.

Mo Lie remains silent for a moment, then curls his lips and says, "…Hmm."

Lin Manzhi's recent intimate contact with him showed no sign of passion, making him understand even more clearly that Little Female currently likes him, but not with deeper love.

Mo Lie has long realized that Lin Manzhi almost subconsciously treats their Bond as a marital relationship rather than just a Bond.

Why is that… Zhi Zhi doesn't love him, yet she treats him so well?

In Mo Lie's blue eyes, a dim, fleeting glow flickers.

No matter what, he won't let go; since they have already formed a Bond, someday he will obtain Little Female's whole heart.

Since Lin Manzhi showed a retreating attitude, Mo Lie hasn't pursued her step by step, but instead gave her a comfortable distance, leaving her without any discomfort; their interaction now bears little relation to the past.

In a fire‑sea tribe belonging to Ansen City, a thousand li away from Lin Manzhi.

Compared with the Rosanya tribe, which has been raining continuously for over half a month, this tribe sits in a valley between two great mountains, with clear and comfortable weather.

The tribe's rooms are built as two‑story towers attached to giant trees, with pointed wooden domes and walls covered in vines, like a fairy‑tale world hidden in the forest.

"Fang Cixing! Your Tiger Beast Husband was broken in both legs by a Great Exotic Beast while hunting; go quickly and ask the Shamaness to check him," a half‑naked male beast wearing loose pants runs to a tree and shouts urgently toward the house.

The male beast is the hunting team leader of the tribe; this time he led the team out, suddenly encountering a Great Exotic Beast that came out to forage. The opponent's massive, powerful body was three times taller than the male beast's Beast Form, and the hunting team had to give their all to kill the Great Exotic Beast.

Several male beasts were injured in the process; the hunting team leader, seeing that Fang Yue Dan is the clan chief's daughter, personally comes to inform her of the news.

Fang Yue Dan steps out of the house upon hearing the voice, "What! Both legs broken? You must give me a larger share of the meat you just hunted! Hu Ye is useless, don't worry about him…"

Fang Cixing's behavior is rarely seen among females; she lacks a Pheromone Value, and relying on her noble background she married four male beasts in the tribe, treating her Beast Husbands harshly and often abusing several of them.