CHAPTER 41: CHAPTER 41: BATHING TURMOIL

Wen Shu met the questioning golden eyes above her, her half-extended hand froze and then withdrew back into her embrace. She pulled at the corners of her mouth, smiling, "It’s... it’s like this. I’m fine, Wu Xuan, you don’t need to worry too much."

Only then did Wu Xuan stop, carefully examining the female in his arms. Her cheeks were a healthy blush, and her luscious lips were full of color—nothing about her seemed unwell.

It’s all right, the female is fine!

Wu Xuan’s tense expression eased a little, and he let out a long breath, his eyes tinged with a reproving smile. "Female, next time you want us to stop, just say it directly..."

Halfway through speaking, he remembered that the female had already tried to stop him, but jealousy had completely clouded his judgment.

What was so good about that spider anyway? A cold-blooded creature that couldn’t even warm the bed during winter—how could the female choose him as a Beast Husband?

Thinking of this, Wu Xuan felt discouraged, and the smile on his face gradually froze.

Even so, the female had only met the male once, yet she’s willing to take him as a Beast Husband, but with him...

He tightened his grip around the female, a taste of bitterness rising in his throat, and he buzzed softly, "Do you really dislike me that much?"

His vague murmur was quieter than a mosquito, completely dispersed by the biting cold wind.

Wen Shu only caught the word ’like’ and thought Wu Xuan was expressing his feelings.

Her heart indeed stirred, but still unsure if she should respond, she turned her face aside to avoid it, "Let’s go back."

This reaction thoroughly wounded Wu Xuan. Was the female tacitly agreeing?

His body froze for a moment, followed by an indescribable heartache.

He had already decided on the female, wanting only to be with her for life, willing to wait no matter how long it took. But what if the female never liked him, would never accept him?

In a daze, he brought Wen Shu back to the cave, then left alone, looking as dismal as a walking corpse.

Watching his lonely back, Wen Shu’s heart was also gripped tightly. Perhaps...

Perhaps once she completely escaped her destiny, she could take Wu Xuan with her and leave together?

With this thought, Wen Shu’s mood suddenly brightened.

She brushed off the clean sand from her body, planning to sit down and rest for a while, only to find that the clean sand had hidden in the crevices of the animal hide.

Seeing her distressedly shake off the animal hide, Nan, who was tidying the bedding, paused and kindly suggested, "Female, would you like to take a bath?"

Bath?

Wen Shu answered without hesitation, "Yes!"

She was covered in sand, and the smell was quite pungent, causing her nose to ache from the prolonged exposure. Besides, since crossing over and being entangled in various affairs, she had indeed not taken a good bath yet.

But...

She scanned the cave from left to right. Besides a stone bed, tables, and chairs, there was a simple stone cabinet. Where could you possibly bathe here?

Nan wasn’t planning to take her to the river for a bath, was he?

Unable to hold back, Wen Shu asked, "Where to bathe? Is there hot water?"

Since determining she had changed internally, it was the first time Nan had seen such an innocent, animal-like confusion in her usually calm eyes.

The female was a very cautious Beastman. This state only appeared when she was genuinely relaxed.

His heart softened, lingering his gaze a bit longer. Before the female could become suspicious, he curved his brows and eyes, saying softly, "Wait for me a moment."

He put down what he was holding and walked into the storage cave. After a series of clangs and clatters, he came out with a half-human tall bath barrel carved from bluestone, embedded with smooth pebbles at the bottom.

He placed the bath barrel in the main cave and then went to the kitchen to fetch two stone buckets. Smiling gently at Wen Shu, who stood at the cave entrance unsure of what to do, he said, "Leave it to me. You just wait here."

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Wen Shu wanted to follow him, but Nan quickly left the cave after speaking.

When she stepped out of the cave, she only saw a pure white Snowy Owl comically clutching two stone buckets, flying toward the distant back mountain.

Unable to help with anything, she returned to the main cave, planning to find a new animal hide to change into.

But when she opened the original owner’s stone cabinet, she found that all the animal hides consisted of tube tops and micro-skirts, except for the one she wore, which was slightly longer and at least covered her knees.

Wen Shu was a bit of a headache. Such clothes were inconvenient, restrictive even for fighting, not to mention escaping later.

With no other choice, she decided to take out the animal hide robe the original owner wore in winter, planning to wear one for a couple of days and alter the other into new animal hide shorts.

By the time she finished estimating her size, Nan had returned. He poured cold water into the bath barrel and then half-filled it with the heated water, smiling as he called the female to bathe, "Female, the water is ready. Come and bathe."

Wen Shu didn’t delay. She immediately put down the animal hide, replying with a smile, "Coming, coming."

Her tone was calm and gentle, but these ordinary exchanges left Nan momentarily lost.

This interaction was very much like his affectionate parents.

Through the rising steam, he looked at Wen Shu’s gentle profile. It felt like a taste of happiness lingered on his lips. He never dared to dream of such a scene, but just now, for a fleeting moment, he felt he had found his belonging...

"Nan, thank you!" Wen Shu approached slightly excited, tested the water temperature, and then prepared to remove her animal hide. But she saw Nan standing dazed beside her.

She pulled at the animal hide, waving her hand in front of his eyes, "Nan? Nan, I’m going to bathe now."

Hearing what she said, Nan snapped out of his blissful daze. His gaze shifted from the bath barrel to her face, his ears slowly turning red, "Right, I’ll... I’ll go make dinner."

He tried to remain calm, but he still stammered a bit.

As he lowered his head to leave, his gaze accidentally landed on the slightly loose animal hide of the female. Something crossed his mind, and his ears turned completely red, "Female, take your time bathing."

His steps were steady as always, yet when he reached the cave entrance, he nearly tripped over himself.

Wen Shu looked puzzled, checked her collar; nothing was exposed, so why was he blushing?

Unable to figure it out, she decided not to dwell on it. She quickly removed the animal hide and slipped into the bath barrel, the warm water instantly enveloping her body.

Wen Shu stretched her arms, feeling as if the soreness in her limbs finally eased, her whole body relaxed!

She couldn’t help but sigh contentedly, washing her hair with the floral essence Nan had prepared. She completely unwound and soaked in the bath barrel, soon feeling so comfortable she began to get sleepy.

Still, afraid of catching a cold while sleeping, she forced herself to stay awake, washed her body first, and reluctantly rose, stretching her leg to reach the shoes at the side of the barrel as she stepped out.

But as soon as her toes touched the back of the shoes, a gust of cold wind swept through the cave entrance.

Immediately after, a dusty figure appeared inside the cave.

Mious had heard about today’s events and was eager to confirm the female’s safety. But as he walked into the cave and saw the figure amidst the misty water vapor, his usually indifferent green eyes showed a rare shock.

The female had just finished bathing, her long hair clinging like water snakes to her soft cheeks, winding down her butterfly-like graceful back. A few strands slipped over her delicate collarbones, clinging to her fair and enchanting figure...

Dazed, his throat moved uncontrollably twice, as if he’d consumed several kilograms of intoxicating fruit as a youngster. His vision blurred with dizzy enchantment, and a warm current surged within him, igniting his entire body in an unbearable surge of excitement.

Having just steadied herself on one foot, Wen Shu shivered at the cold wind brought by the male.

She was caught off guard when she met Mious’s eyes, and she immediately grabbed the animal hide to cover herself, regardless of whether she had put on shoes.

Seeing that his face remained unflushed, his heartbeat steady, yet his eyes were fiery and stared fixedly at her, Wen Shu’s expression turned cold, "Get out! Mious!"