Mingye gazed at the hatred in Su Yaoyao’s eyes and felt a sharp pang in his heart.

The sting was like a splash of icy water, instantly extinguishing the strange heat in his heart and bringing him back to his senses.

’He had ordered the Flying Ship to be shot down, leaving her Beast Husbands’ fates unknown. Even if the little female was naive and kind, how could she possibly not hate him deep down?’

Mingye took a deep breath, trying to forcibly suppress the turmoil Su Yaoyao had stirred within him and revert to his usual cold demeanor.

"Let’s make a deal. You’ve been wanting to know if your Beast Husbands are dead or alive, haven’t you? I can send people to find them."

Su Yaoyao’s hateful expression faltered, and a flicker of incredulous joy flashed in her eyes. "Are you serious?" she asked urgently.

"I am. If they’re alive, I’ll have my men bring them back to the base safely. If they’re dead, I’ll bring their remains back for you to see." Mingye’s gaze locked onto Su Yaoyao, each word spoken with absolute certainty.

"And the condition?" Su Yaoyao quickly composed herself. She knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.

"Your Beast Husband stole my Snow Spirit Flower, which I cultivated for decades. Therefore, you will take the Snow Spirit Flower’s place by my side for ten years. During these ten years, whenever I need it, you must soothe me."

Mingye paused briefly before adding, "In return, I will give you anything you desire, as long as it’s not excessive. Furthermore, I will allow you to move freely within Snake Scale City. No one in the city will be able to harm you."

This was the greatest concession he could possibly make.

Su Yaoyao bit her lower lip. She had to know what happened to Bai Lian and the others. "Fine. I agree."

Having received her answer, Mingye gave a swift and decisive order into his communicator.

Soon, the roar of engines sounded from outside the window as dozens of aircraft took off one after another, streaking across the sky.

Su Yaoyao watched the aircraft recede into the distance, her hands unconsciously clasped together as she prayed silently. ’Bai Lian, Reg, Pani... you have to be alive.’

"I’ve sent my men out. Now it’s your turn to give me my end of the bargain," Mingye said, slowly extending a hand toward Su Yaoyao.

Su Yaoyao looked at the hand he offered, understood his meaning, and after a moment’s hesitation, took it.

Then, she slowly closed her eyes, focused her mind, and released her spiritual power, carefully channeling it into Mingye’s body.

At the same time, her Power of Resonance activated, and the emotion she received was sincerity. This meant Mingye wasn’t playing any tricks with this deal.

Mingye felt himself enveloped by the warm and gentle spiritual power. His whole body, once like a taut string, went slack, becoming relaxed and serene.

Just then, his Light Computer indicated that his Rage Value had dropped from 97% to 87%.

’Just from First-Order physical contact, the soothing effect is this powerful?’ Mingye couldn’t help but marvel internally. ’Su Yaoyao, just how strong are you?’

Every inch of his body trembled slightly, as if rejoicing. It was a sign of their high compatibility, and a frantic voice deep inside him screamed for more of this soothing.

"What... what Order female are you, exactly?" Mingye couldn’t help but ask, his voice tinged with unconcealable excitement and curiosity.

Su Yaoyao slowly pulled her hand back. She had no intention of eliminating Mingye’s Rage Value all at once. She simply said flatly, "I already told you. S-Class."

Mingye fell silent, his fingers subconsciously rubbing together as if still savoring the sensation of Su Yaoyao’s touch.

’No, she’s definitely not just S-Class,’ Mingye thought with conviction.

Noah, who had been watching the entire exchange with green-eyed envy, couldn’t hold back his frustration. "Big Sis, I want to be soothed too!" he whined.

"My deal was with Mingye, not you." Su Yaoyao crossed her arms and huffed indignantly. She hated being lied to, and she was still holding a grudge over how Noah had tricked her earlier.

"But I was injected with a Frenzy Agent! If you don’t soothe me, I’ll die." Tears instantly welled up in Noah’s eyes. Looking utterly pitiful, he even shrank his form and pounced into Su Yaoyao’s arms like a little furball, whining "Big Sis" over and over again.

Su Yaoyao started, her face a mask of surprise. "Wasn’t the Frenzy Agent just an act you two put on for me?"

"The agent was real," Noah mumbled, burying his face in Su Yaoyao’s embrace and putting on a show of bawling his eyes out. ’Big Sis smells so good,’ he thought to himself.

Having been tricked by Noah before, Su Yaoyao narrowed her eyes. A hint of suspicion flashed across her face as she activated her Power of Resonance to test the truth of his words.

But the result she got was still a dark, insincere emotion.

"You’re lying to me!" Su Yaoyao realized instantly. She grabbed Noah by his little ears and forcefully yanked him away.

"OW, OW, OW!" Noah yelped as she pulled, his face contorting in pain.

"Hmph!" Su Yaoyao sat back down on the bed in a huff, turning her back to Noah and ignoring him completely.

Noah rubbed his reddened ears, feeling utterly wronged. He shot a look at Mingye, his eyes seeming to ask, *How did she know?*

Mingye looked back at Noah, his gaze dripping with unconcealed mockery, as if to say, *I told you your acting was terrible.*

"Alright, alright, I’ll tell the truth! The agent is a failed version of the Frenzy Agent. I told you that from the start. So... it has no effect."

Seeing that the cat was out of the bag, Noah had no choice but to surrender. He tapped his fingertips together, glancing cautiously at Su Yaoyao.

Hearing this, Su Yaoyao just let out a soft "hmph," deliberately pretending she hadn’t heard him. Without turning around, she focused all her attention on the little green snake in her arms.

She muttered, "My little snake is still the best-behaved one."

She gently stroked the green snake’s scales, her fingers slowly gliding from its head to its tail. A tender smile graced her lips, her mind completely focused on playing with the little serpent.

The green snake seemed to understand her words and feel her affection. It happily flicked its tongue, then coiled itself around Su Yaoyao’s waist, affectionately nuzzling its head against her.

Its soft body wrapped around her waist again and again, as if trying to curry favor with her.

Noah stood to the side, watching this scene with a sour feeling churning in his stomach.

He pouted, a look of dissatisfaction and jealousy on his face. He snuck a glance at Mingye and said in a deliberately passive-aggressive tone, "This snake is awfully clingy. I wonder if it’s in heat."

When Mingye heard this, his expression instantly turned awkward. He quickly coughed twice, trying to cover his embarrassment.

But his ears turned red against his will, the blush spreading from the lobes all the way to the tips.

"Snakes aren’t only clingy when they’re in heat..."