Daily Survival After Inheriting a Harem (GL) - Chapter 4
Under the bl00d-red moonlight, a slender figure in white flashed past the main courtyard. Its long shadow stretched across walls and eaves, finally settling behind an inconspicuous rockery in the backyard.
Pei Yuqing walked behind the rockery, parted the drooping willow branches, and pressed a mechanism. The stone door swung open. After she entered, the door quickly closed automatically, leaving no trace of anyone having passed through.
This spot was the closest to a water source in the entire courtyard. Qiu Qi disliked damp environments, so she rarely came here. Typically, the concubines she neglected resided in this area.
However, in this man-eating courtyard, being forgotten was a blessing.
After a long corridor, a room at the very end was filled with people awaiting her news.
When Pei Yuqing opened the door and her delicate, indifferent face appeared before everyone, the first reaction of those present was a collective sigh of relief. The sadness in their eyes lessened somewhat. But soon, they realized that if Pei Yuqing returned alive, it meant Qiu Qi hadn’t died either.
“Sister Pei, you’re finally back.” Zu Mianmian frowned, looking worriedly at Pei Yuqing, who was seated in the high chair. “That demon didn’t do anything to you, did she? I heard Yin Ci say that the previous concubines who served for the night screamed terribly; their voices were worse than chickens being slaughtered. Hiss—just thinking about that scene gives me goosebumps.”
Zu Mianmian’s beast form was a sheep. Her usual personality was similar to her gentle appearance: lazy, prone to sleep, afraid of trouble, and disliking conflict. Her looks made her seem particularly easy to bully, but those who underestimated and provoked her because of her appearance all met tragic ends.
Pei Yuqing walked to the main seat and sat down. Yin Ci, on her right, twitched her nose and looked down, seeing Pei Yuqing’s bleeding right hand. “You’re injured?”
Yin Ci’s beast form was a wolf; beastly instincts were ingrained in her bones, making her particularly sensitive to bl00d and killing intent.
Pei Yuqing lowered her eyelashes, glanced indifferently at her still-bleeding palm, and nodded uncaringly. “It’s nothing.”
“But…”
“The plan failed. The demon isn’t dead.” Pei Yuqing interrupted Zu Mianmian, delivering the result in the most time-efficient way.
Next to her, a gray-blue mountain sparrow, not yet fully transformed into human form, fluttered its wings and flew towards Pei Yuqing.
“Chirp…” It landed on Pei Yuqing’s shoulder, weakly chirping to her, “Master… don’t abandon me.”
It was originally Pei Yuqing’s mount, having grown up with her since childhood. All its spiritual power came from her. Now, with much of Pei Yuqing’s power sealed by Qiu Qi’s collarbone rings, it was struggling to even maintain its human form.
The chubby little sparrow painstakingly moved its claws, rubbing its plump head tearfully against Pei Yuqing’s cheek. “W-w-ch-chirp.”
“Alright, I’m not dead yet.” Pei Yuqing couldn’t stand its appearance. She sighed and reached out to lift it in front of her. “Stop crying, it’s ugly.”
Pei Yuqing knew the temperament of this creature she had raised. If she had told it the plan beforehand, it would have surely cried a river through the entire backyard, making her intention to go to her death known to everyone, which would have ruined the plan by giving the demon a heads-up.
—Though the plan still failed anyway.
“So, what happened tonight?” Yin Ci spoke up. This was what they were most curious about now.
Pei Yuqing set down her teacup. “Up until I personally watched her swallow the Beast Core Orb, all steps were flawless. The only possibility is that the Human Witch’s spell didn’t work.”
“At first, she did faint, looking very pained.” Affected by the servant contract, Pei Yuqing also felt her own life force draining. But at a certain point, that suppressive force suddenly dissipated, and with Qiu Qi’s awakening, her consciousness also returned to clarity. “However, after the demon woke up this time, her personality was… vastly different from before.”
“How so?”
Pei Yuqing recounted how she had ambushed Qiu Qi without the latter noticing, and how her mind-reading ability had failed, successfully eliciting shocked expressions from everyone.
“This is just the tip of the iceberg. As for the rest, you might have to see it with your own eyes to know.”
Just talking about it, they probably wouldn’t be able to visualize it very well.
“Then could it be that the spell still had some effect? Although it didn’t kill her, it caused a problem with the Beast Core Orb?”
The Beast Core Orb within Qiu Qi’s body was bound by countless wronged souls. In an ordinary person, it would likely cause their body to explode within three days, but the original owner had remained unharmed because of her impenetrable, indestructible body.
Now, although the Human Witch’s curse didn’t instantly kill her, perhaps it weakened some of her power, leading to Qiu Qi’s inability to fully control the Beast Core Orb, which indirectly caused her memory and personality deviations.
Zu Mianmian hugged her arms and shivered. “She changed again. Will she become even more terrifying than last time?”
The original owner, when out of control, had once engaged in the insane act of slaughtering half the beast-folk in the courtyard for entertainment, simply because the weather was bad that day.
“It’s hard to say for now.”
“Then the assassination plan…”
Pei Yuqing looked down at her bloody palm. With this current frail body, even a small spell that she could once cast with a flick of her finger now consumed so much of her energy. It was truly laughable.
“The assassination plan, as usual.”
••••
Qiu Qi’s sleeping habits were always terrible. On her 1.5-meter bed in her rental apartment, she’d often go to sleep with her head at the headboard and wake up on the floor.
So this morning, when she woke up to find herself drooling all over someone’s waist, she wasn’t surprised at all.
—Mainly, it was just embarrassing.
Worried that the person beside her might suddenly jump up and strike her, Pei Yuqing actually hadn’t slept all night. Yet, in the three hours after she returned, nothing happened.
If anything, Qiu Qi, who had originally been sleeping at the very edge of the bed, gradually moved closer and closer to her as she slept.
Qiu Qi’s clothes were originally loose, held together only by the ties around her waist. But even the most sturdy clothes couldn’t withstand her ten sleeping positions during the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Before long, she had pulled her hem up to her upper thigh, just a finger’s width away from exposing herself.
Pei Yuqing lowered her eyes, glanced calmly at Qiu Qi’s exposed, smooth thigh, then reached out to pull the hem down to cover her body again. Her gaze remained composed throughout, completely devoid of any sensual or lustful expression.
“Mmm… hot…” The sleeping person mumbled, randomly scratching at her neck, then trying to pull at her hem again.
The wide neckline spread open, exposing a slender, fair shoulder with a few fresh scratch marks self-inflicted by the body’s owner.
Pei Yuqing lowered her gaze and, without a change in expression, helped pull the clothes back.
“Hot…”
“You’ll catch a cold, My Lord.”
“But it’s really hot…” The original owner disliked cold and feared heat due to a physical condition, which Qiu Qi wasn’t used to.
The two went back and forth until the eighth time Pei Yuqing pulled the clothes back, when Qiu Qi, who was good at sleeping in, finally decided to wake up.
She opened her eyes, her first instinct to reach for her phone under the pillow. But her hand stretched out and didn’t touch the cold, rectangular object she remembered. Instead, she grasped a handful of warm softness.
Hearing a suppressed groan from above, Qiu Qi froze for a moment as last night’s memories flooded in.
Oh right, I transmigrated. I’m now the Beast God who presides over a harem of lovers (assassins).
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.” The first time she said this, it might have had some credibility, but after how many times Qiu Qi had said it, the title of “King of Taking Liberties” was probably already firmly established in Pei Yuqing’s mind.
This hand landed directly on the shoulder held captive by the profound ice ring. Pei Yuqing, of course, assumed Qiu Qi was doing it on purpose. Her lips tightened into a cold, hard line, and her tone was icy. “Yes, My Lord.”
Qiu Qi withdrew her hand, saw the crimson bloodstain on her fingertips, and only then truly realized what was going on.
“Let me see.” Qiu Qi frowned, reaching to lift Pei Yuqing’s collar.
Last night, she had only casually glanced at it from behind. Now, observing it up close, the shock of the iron ring piercing through flesh was even more intense. Qiu Qi pressed her lips together, her eyes filled with pity and distress.
Pei Yuqing lowered her head, seeing a patch of red bleeding through her clothes on her shoulder. It seemed that this last action, the other party hadn’t held back at all, aiming solely to torment her.
This profound ice ring was somewhat better when she wasn’t injured, but as soon as there was a wound, even as thin as a hair, combined with the thousand-year-old cold qi circulating within her body, it could make her, who feared cold, wish for death.
For a moment, Pei Yuqing had been relieved, thinking that Qiu Qi might genuinely have amnesia. But now, it seemed she was the one who hadn’t learned her lesson.
Qiu Qi didn’t miss Pei Yuqing’s instantly pale face and quickly sorted out the reason from the original owner’s chaotic memories.
“I’m sorry, I swear I absolutely didn’t do it on purpose.”
Pei Yuqing closed her eyes. Her gray-white eyelashes cast a cold shadow over her pupils. The bone-chilling cold invaded her flesh and bone inch by inch with the bl00d from the wound, as if countless ants were biting all over her body. The pain wasn’t something that would pass and be fine; it was a continuous gnawing at her taut nerves.
In such a state, facing this face she hated to the core, Pei Yuqing couldn’t speak or act with any pleasantness. “What exactly do you want? If you want to kill or skin me, just do it decisively. Being wishy-washy isn’t like your usual style.”
Qiu Qi met Pei Yuqing’s cold, sharp gaze, and her heart sank. She knew she had truly caused trouble now.
Last night, she had just narrowly escaped death and hadn’t even had time to celebrate her lucky survival. This morning, one slap had undone all her previous efforts. If this misunderstanding wasn’t cleared up, she could guarantee that tonight, tonight! The greatest certain-forbidden manga artist of the 21st century would perish!
Thus, driven by her will to survive, Qiu Qi’s mouth drooped, her reddened eyes welled up with tears, and the words “pitiful and helpless” were written all over her face. She spoke with a trembling voice, “Madam, you… you still doubt me…”
Pei Yuqing looked at her moist eyes, momentarily stunned.
Thinking of the 101 tragic ways she could die, Qiu Qi acted even harder. She blinked, and large teardrops rolled down her cheeks.
“I know you’ve suffered many grievances in the past, so I sincerely want to compensate you. I like you so much, I want to hold you in my palm and cherish you properly. I dare to swear by everything I possess right now that this feeling is absolutely genuine. How could I, like this, want to kill you?”
A few falling tears landed on Pei Yuqing’s hand, feeling somewhat hot. She looked down at the glistening drops on her skin. Undeniably, this indeed disrupted her previous calm rhythm.
If one were to list things that could make this demon laugh, she could immediately name ten. But… cry?
No one had ever heard of the current Beast God shedding tears over anything.
Regardless of the sincerity of these tears, their rarity alone was as extraordinary as the sun rising from the west.
Pei Yuqing also hadn’t expected this person to transform so much after just one sleep and wake cycle, displaying so many unprecedented tricks.
“Alright, I know, words are not enough.” Qiu Qi raised her arm and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. “I’ll go find a way to unlock this ring right now, so you can see my sincerity.”
Pei Yuqing felt strange, unable to fathom what the other party was truly planning, but for now, she could only wait and see, responding to each move.
“I await good news.”
If Pei Yuqing knew how to remove this ring, she would have solved it herself long ago. But the difficulty lay in the fact that this thing was easy to put on and hard to remove.
Firstly, the profound ice ring had been embedded in her body for many years, already fused with her flesh. Removing it would inevitably involve painful torment. But if it were just that, Pei Yuqing could certainly endure it. Her concern was the second point.
If forceful means were used to pull off the ring, the tearing of flesh would undoubtedly create large wounds. With her current weakened body, facing extensive bleeding combined with the cold poison entering her system, she might not survive the night.
And lastly, the profound ice ring’s material was rare, with a high melting point and resistance to high temperatures. It was extremely sturdy. Apart from the matching key, it would be very difficult to forcibly break it using external force. And only Qiu Qi herself knew where this key was kept.
Qiu Qi wasn’t thinking that much right now. She just wanted to stop the bleeding on Pei Yuqing’s body first.
She got up and rummaged through a cabinet in the room, pulling out a bottle of wound medicine. The original owner used this type of medicine for injuries, so it should be very effective.
“Madam, bear with it. I’ll help you stop the bleeding first.”
Pei Yuqing nodded, gently closed her eyes, looking completely at their mercy.
Qiu Qi lowered her head, looking at the wound on her shoulder. When her gaze met the crimson bl00d, she distinctly felt her body tremble, and the Beast Core Orb in her chest began to stir restlessly.
Qiu Qi bit her lip, using all her strength to calm the surging energy in her body. She knew this was proof of the bloodthirsty Beast Core Orb’s greed for bl00d. Her body’s instincts were urging her to transform into a beast and pounce to devour the slender, innocent beauty in front of her.
Pei Yuqing waited for quite some time, but didn’t feel the sharp stinging pain she imagined. Instead, her wound was touched with a cotton swab, with extremely gentle force, followed by a slightly cool breeze.
“Whoosh…” Qiu Qi applied the medicine and gently blew on it, then raised her eyelids and quietly asked Pei Yuqing, “The bleeding has mostly stopped. Does it still hurt?”
Pei Yuqing’s gaze fell on Qiu Qi’s face, not missing the slightly deep teeth marks on her lower lip and the faint red under her eyes that hadn’t had time to fade.
As mentioned before, it was already extremely difficult for the original owner to coexist with the Beast Core Orb for so long, so she never tried to suppress it. But now, not only had she succeeded, but she could also continue speaking to her without a change in expression.
“Does it still hurt?” Qiu Qi blinked, then lowered her head again, pouting and blowing. “Puff puff… all the ouchies fly away.”
A slightly cool breeze brushed over her delicate skin, causing an indescribable tingling sensation, as if it wanted to dismantle the hard barrier she had built. Pei Yuqing’s fingers on her knee twitched… then she decisively raised her hand and covered Qiu Qi’s mouth, ruthlessly cutting off that strange feeling. “Don’t blow, it’ll hurt more the more you blow.”
“…Oh.”
Qiu Qi: All that effort, enduring goosebumps to say those cheesy things, turns out it was all for nothing! 🙂
Author’s Note:
It won’t be for nothing.
Thank you all so much for your support, I will continue to work hard!
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