CHAPTER 80: CHAPTER 80: PUNISHMENT

"Miss Ruan’s medical report is out, and the situation is not good. She is malnourished, and her skin has suffered slight sunburn from ultraviolet exposure in the desert. We’ve already prepared the most suitable nutritional plan and skincare regimen for Miss Ruan." The assistant held a booklet, reporting everything to Lu Mufeng.

Lu Mufeng nodded, his dark eyes already brewing a storm.

After the assistant left, Lu Mufeng dismissed everyone else, leaving only Bai He and Bai Ci.

The atmosphere was tense to the extreme, Bai He looked up and confronted him.

"Is this how you take care of the Female Head? Take her on a trip, get attacked by unknown forces, and end up with Little Li stranded in such a lawless area, only then coming to me for help."

Lu Mufeng spoke each word slowly, his entire being exuding a cold aura that left the two Beastmen speechless. The solemn pressure of a seasoned ruler poured out at this moment, as he pressed his brows together, the coarse ends of his eyebrows raised, displaying his anger.

Bai He lowered his gaze, saying, "It was my negligence, I shouldn’t have taken the Female Head out to play at that time."

Lu Mufeng’s gaze settled on Bai He, like the night enveloping the earth inch by inch, "Little Li has a good nature and won’t fuss with you, but as her brother, it’s my duty to discipline certain Beast Husbands who made mistakes."

Upon hearing this, Bai Ci, who initially planned to comply with the brother-in-law, suddenly dropped the idea, glaring at Lu Mufeng furiously. Bai He, seeing his impatience, turned and frowned at him, Bai Ci perceived his brother’s warning, and the anger that had just ignited in him immediately subsided.

"Please speak, Marshal Lu. I will certainly reflect deeply."

Lu Mufeng heard his empty promise and let out a cold laugh, "Reflection is necessary, of course, but if it’s just reflection, who knows what might happen next time."

"Once back on S Star, you will receive twenty lashes of the disciplinary whip and kneel in penance, a minor punishment with a major warning."

For disobedient or erring Beast Husbands, the Female Head has the right to punish them with the disciplinary whip, as permitted by interstellar law, and even if it causes death, no responsibility will be pursued.

But twenty lashes of the disciplinary whip can almost take a Beastman’s life.

Made of special materials, the whip creates wounds that are extremely difficult to heal, and without medicinal aid, ten lashes alone could cause a Beastman to bleed to death.

Bai He grabbed the impulsive Bai Ci beside him, slightly raising his head to look at Lu Mufeng, "When I return to S Star, I will accept the punishment myself."

Lu Mufeng gave them a cold glance and then turned to leave.

"Bro! He’s just Ruan Li’s nominal brother, what gives him the right to punish you under the name of the Female Head!"

Bai He calmly said, "We indeed didn’t consider things thoroughly, so punishment is warranted." If physical pain could reduce the guilt in his heart, he would rather be punished.

Bai Ci thought he was crazy, "Bro, it’s not even your fault!"

"If we hadn’t been careless, directly taking Ruan Li to the Cosmic Star System, how would such a thing have happened?"

"But, but..."

"This time we were just lucky, if anything had happened to Ruannuan, I would never forgive myself for the rest of my life." Bai He gave Bai Ci a deep look, then walked away.

Bai Ci stood in place, his gaze following Bai He’s departing figure.

Bai He was right... At the time, they didn’t have enough weapons and mindlessly brought the female head on a flight within the Empire’s star systems, even venturing beyond the Empire’s protective zone.

As their craft flew beyond the Empire’s protective range, it came under attack, and the smashed craft left no recording devices intact, unable to determine who had attacked their craft at that time.

But clearly, the target was Ruan Li.

The only fortunate part in this misfortune was that Ruan Li wasn’t in life-threatening danger.

...

Inside the resting room, Ruan Li was lying on the bed deeply asleep, receiving an IV drip to replenish trace elements and nutrition.

Bai He sat at her bedside, his gaze tracing over her face, which had grown sharp with angularity.

In these ten days, he initially dragged along his pain and anxiety, searching through the nearby star systems one by one. On the fifth and sixth days, he even thought of that terrifying possibility... But he dared not accept it, the person who was laughing and joking in front of him a few days ago was now missing, of uncertain life or death.

He even thought these past few days were a dream, that in reality, they hadn’t left M Star, and waking up, he would see Ruan Li sleeping by his side...

The intense wrenching pain turned his face pale as he clutched his chest, gasping heavily.

Ruan Li was sleeping soundly; after all, this soft comfy bed was much better to sleep on than that creaky plank.

She heard some faint noises and slowly opened her eyes to the sight of Bai He’s pained expression.

"Bai He? What’s wrong?" Ruan Li immediately sat up from the bed, grabbing Bai He’s hand.

"It’s... it’s nothing..."

This didn’t look like nothing, Ruan Li pressed the call bell, and the medical staff rushed over, "Miss Ruan, how may we assist you?"

"Please check on Bai He, what’s happening to him?"

The medical staff helped Bai He to the nearby companion bed, and after a simple examination, they concluded, "This Beastman has undergone extreme exertion in a short period, his body is too fatigued, and just now, the excessive fluctuation in his emotions triggered chest wrenching pain, bodily disorder, and a series of over-fatigue syndromes. Nothing serious, just needs a good rest."

"However, it might be difficult for his emotions to stabilize quickly, he will need to cooperate with some sedative medication."

Without hesitation, Ruan Li asked them to quickly administer a sedative to Bai He.

The man’s thin pale face bore no trace of color, lying calmly on the companion bed next to Ruan Li, perhaps due to the sedative, Bai He’s face was exceptionally serene, and Ruan Li still remembered his handsome appearance at their last meeting, but now it’s not an exaggeration to describe him as haggard.

How could he let himself get so miserable?

Ruan Li felt a dull ache in her heart, she quietly watched Bai He, observing his steady breathing, which brought a hint of comfort to her heart.

A knock on the door sounded.

"Come in."

Bai Ci entered the room and saw Bai He asleep, asking in a lowered voice, "How is my brother?"

Ruan Li replied, "What happened these past few days, how did Bai He get overworked?"

Bai Ci uncharacteristically pursed his lips, a look of hesitation on his face.

"Tell me, I promise Bai He won’t be mad at you."

"After you vanished, he searched for you frantically day and night; if I hadn’t forced him to drink a nutritional solution daily, he might have starved en route. Over these ten days, he only slept four or five hours in total..."

He opened his mouth but swallowed back the matter of Marshal Lu wanting Bai He to take the punishment.

As for himself... he had enjoyed a bit more sleep than Bai He, sleeping over twenty hours, and could take care of himself, so he decided not to mention it to Ruan Li. His brother was so exhausted and hadn’t complained once, his deeds didn’t even measure up to his brother’s; he didn’t want to boast...

Bai Ci sat in the corner, the two patients in the room having both fallen into slumber, and all his guilt transformed into a complex look that fell on Ruan Li.