Clan Building System: I'm not the Protagonist?!-Chapter 81: Meet the Saberfang [3] [pt.2]

Chunks of bark, shrapnel of exploding wood, and shockwaves of spiritual pressure tore into the clearing, flinging dirt, leaves, and beastly roars in every direction.

Fang Yuan spun and stared for a split second.

The beasts reared back, snarling as the barrage knocked the mid-stage ones off-balance.

Even the peak-stage Saberfang was momentarily slowed, its advance staggered by the terrain collapsing into a smoking mess of shattered trunks and jagged roots.

In the aftermath, Lin Zhaoyue landed lightly beside Fang Yuan, her hair fluttering like silk in the breeze, lips curled in smug satisfaction.

She gave a little twirl, graceful, theatrical, as if performing for an invisible audience and then shot him a radiant smile.

"Look at that, husband," she said, brushing off imaginary dust from her robe sleeves. "I’m the most useful woman you’ll ever find."

Fang Yuan’s eye twitched.

Not because she was wrong.

But because somehow, despite the literal life-or-death escape, she still had the energy to flirt.

He took a deep breath, steadying his qi.

They weren’t out of danger yet.

There was still much to be done.

First, he needed to check the system reward, the one he had completely ignored mid-chaos.

And next...

A grin tugged at the corner of his lips, sharp and silent.

But before any of that.

"Let’s get out of here. Now," he said, scanning the treeline for a safe route.

Without hesitation, he summoned his flying sword.

With a pulse of spiritual energy, the sleek blade hovered in mid-air, humming with anticipation.

He leapt onto it with practiced ease, only to hear a familiar voice behind him.

"Wheee~!"

Lin Zhaoyue jumped on the moment after, landing flush against his back, arms wrapping tightly around his waist as if this were some romantic outing rather than an emergency escape.

Fang Yuan’s jaw tightened.

This woman...

"Hold on tight!" Fang Yuan growled, channeling a surge of spiritual energy into the blade.

With a blast of qi, the sword rocketed into the air, trees whipping past in a blur of motion as wind screamed around them.

Below, the woods erupted in chaos as the four Saberfangs gave chase, crashing through the underbrush, snarling and leaping up in pursuit.

The very forest trembled under their fury.

Fang Yuan didn’t look back but he heard it.

A roar, deep, guttural, and filled with absolute rage shook the sky itself.

Fang Yuan gritted his teeth and flew faster, qi surging violently through his meridians.

Behind him, Lin Zhaoyue leaned in, her breath tickling his ear as she whispered, sultry and breathless,

"Hehe... you’re so warm, husband~."

Fang Yuan didn’t even turn his head.

His voice was flat, but the tips of his ears betrayed him, dusted faintly red.

"Stop talking," he muttered.

She pouted, of course, but the mischievous lilt in her voice didn’t fade.

"So where are we headed, husband?"

Fang Yuan, already drained from the emotional weight of being chased by a peak Nascent soul realm beast, didn’t bother to correct her on the ’husband’ again.

"The Gu family estate."

That was when her body tensed against his back.

Subtle, but he felt it.

Her tone dropped a degree colder.

"...You’re going to drop me off there?"

Still focused on balancing their flight atop the sword, Fang Yuan replied calmly,

"No. But we’ll part ways near there."

A long pause.

Then came her voice, smooth, low, and suddenly sharp like a knife wrapped in velvet.

"You have a girl you want over there, is that it?"

Fang Yuan blinked, thrown off.

"Huh? No!"

Her tone deepened ominously.

"Then... that prostitute in red you promised to spend the night with after you got out of the Dark Forest?" 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"What the heck?!" Fang Yuan nearly tripped mid-air from shock.

"I gave her a single coin and walked away! That wasn’t even flirting!"

"Still a gold coin and you promised her," she hissed.

There was a sharpness to her words now.

"Flirting with mortals... even when you already have me. You really are cruel, husband."

Then she grabbed him, arms tightening possessively, her grip like iron across his waist.

Fang Yuan stiffened, trying to keep balance as spiritual pressure began to bleed from her.

This girl... is unhinged!

But worse, he could feel her mood shift, like a brewing storm.

And right now, she was strapped to his back while they soared through the sky.

One wrong move, and she’d both flirt and murder him.

She then suddenly sighed, voice melting into a soft, almost melancholic murmur.

"Fine... as long as I’m the first wife, you can have as many as you want."

"...Huh?"

Fang Yuan blinked, completely thrown off.

Just a second ago, she was about to choke him mid-air, and now... this?

There was no outrage or a murderous jealousy... just a quiet embrace, and those bizarrely generous words.

Before he could even process it, Lin Zhaoyue leaned in again, hugging him from behind with a lightness that felt... off.

It wasn’t teasing nor possessive, just... gentle.

Before long, they landed the sword a fair distance away from the Gu family estate to avoid attracting attention.

The area was quiet, a patch of forest overlooking the high walls of the estate not far off.

She stepped down from the sword behind him without a word.

There was no snark, gigglings or her usual flirtings.

Nothing!

Just silence.

A low, unfamiliar ache settled in his gut, like he had just missed something important and irreversible.

He didn’t dare look back, and yet...

The silence was too quiet.

His brows furrowed and then he turned, slowly.

Lin Zhaoyue stood with her hands folded in front of her, gaze downcast, expression unreadable.

Her usual brightness dulled, her posture calm, too calm.

And Fang Yuan felt a strange twist in his gut.

Why was she acting like this? Was she angry?

She also didn’t look mad. Or if she was... it was a kind he had never seen before.

She just stood there... quietly.

His heart ticked once.

"Was it... something I said?"

The thought echoed through him, unbidden.

Why does this feel so wrong?

He’d faced assassins. Starved in the wilderness. Been ambushed by beasts and cultivators alike.

But this silence?

This uncertainty?

It unsettled him far more.

His mind raced, turning over a million thoughts, yet none of them gave him the answer he needed.