The three of them: "..."

’Is he unwilling to say, or does he really not know?’

Their intuition told them it was the latter, but they had no proof.

"She’s asleep. Put her down."

That cold voice spoke again, and Si Xie immediately realized everyone was looking at him.

’Why are they all looking at me?’

He was a little confused. Following their gazes, he looked down. The sight gave him a shock. He... he... he... was still holding that damn woman, and hadn’t even noticed that half his body had gone numb.

Si Xie’s expression instantly turned foul. He mercilessly shoved the woman in his arms toward the bed. Just then, a strong, powerful arm shot out and caught the woman just before she could fall onto the bed.

This sudden turn of events stunned the three of them.

However, what truly shocked them was yet to come.

They watched as the man—who had just successfully advanced, exuding a handsome and cold aura—actually took the woman who had recently dug out his inner core into his arms. Then, he gently placed her on the bed, his movements so careful it was as if he were afraid of waking her.

’Is... this right???’

Ming Ye and Fu Yuan were utterly shocked but said nothing. Si Xie, however, was a different story.

He blinked, and after making sure he wasn’t seeing things, he spoke out in a mix of astonishment and anger. "Jun Yao, are you a fucking masochist? After everything she did to you, you’re just going to let it all go?"

’No way, no way, right?’

’What kind of potion did that damn woman give Jun Yao? How could he still be willing to be her lapdog after she treated him so cruelly and viciously?’

"So noisy!!!"

The woman on the bed frowned, muttered in dissatisfaction, and rolled over to continue sleeping.

Jun Yao turned, his gaze cold as he looked at Si Xie. "Keep your voice down," he said.

Si Xie: "..."

’Damn it, is this still the Jun Yao I know?’

’Is this guy possessed, or did he just lose his mind?’

’Why didn’t his brain evolve along with his genes?’

"Your wound is healed?"

At the sound of Fu Yuan’s astonished voice, several pairs of eyes focused on Jun Yao’s abdomen.

Their attention had been so focused on his advancement that they hadn’t noticed the gruesome wound on his abdomen was gone.

’What’s going on now?’

They had come to see Jun Yao that afternoon. Although there were no signs of festering, the wound was still horrifying. How had it healed so quickly?

"Yes. It might be because of the genetic evolution."

An image of Jiang Yunnuan healing his wound flashed through Jun Yao’s mind. For some reason, he didn’t tell them the truth, just gave a cool, casual reply before telling them to leave.

"It’s almost dawn. None of you have slept all night. Go back and get some rest."

The three of them: "..."

Having been asked to leave, they couldn’t force themselves to stay. They could only swallow the words they wanted to say and turn to go.

The moment the door slid shut, Si Xie couldn’t help but speak in a hushed, low voice.

"Jun Yao actually let that damn woman sleep in his bed. What do you think is going on with him? And his sudden breakthrough and evolution—are you sure there’s nothing more to it?"

Ming Ye and Fu Yuan were silent.

There was definitely more to it, but since Jun Yao didn’t want to tell them, they could only guess.

’Could it really be related to that woman?’

"Why aren’t you guys saying anything? You don’t believe what Jun Yao said either, right? He definitely knows the reason for his evolution but won’t tell us. He’s being so stingy..."

Si Xie was so jealous he could taste it.

His Cultivation had been stuck at the Eighth Rank of the Beast Transformation Stage for a whole year. He desperately wanted to advance too, but alas... SIGH!!!

Every time he thought about his Cultivation, he couldn’t help but bitterly resent Jiang Yunnuan.

If it weren’t for her, with his talent, he would have at least broken through to the Ninth Rank by now. If he were a bit luckier, he might have even reached the Deformation Stage.

"Alright, if Jun Yao can advance, then we definitely can too. It’s just not something you can rush. We can talk about it later. Let’s go get some sleep first."

Fu Yuan patted his shoulder and turned back to his room.

He then looked at Ming Ye. Ming Ye’s brows twitched slightly. "Tired. Going to sleep," he said.

With that, he also turned and left.

Si Xie: "..."

Beastmen have sharp hearing, and after a successful evolution, their five senses become countless times stronger. Therefore, Jun Yao heard every little sound from outside his door.

He looked at the woman sleeping soundly on the bed, his eyes narrowing slightly.

’When I was feverish and unconscious, what did she feed me?’

He had a faint intuition that whatever it was had compensated for the defects in his genes, allowing his Beastman genes to evolve perfectly and enabling him to break through to the next rank.

’And that Healing Ability!’

’Her Healing Ability has improved too quickly. I’ve never seen anyone with such a terrifying Cultivation speed. Coupled with her abnormally different attitude toward me, all signs indicate that she probably wasn’t just being controlled by Ling Ze before. Rather... she’s not the same woman at all.’

’The only thing that can’t be explained is the contract mark.’

’But it doesn’t matter. One day, I will uncover the truth behind everything.’

*

In the afternoon, the sun warmed everything pleasantly.

Jiang Yunnuan opened her eyes to an unfamiliar environment. Her brain short-circuited for a moment, unable to make sense of the situation.

’This isn’t my room. Where am I?’

’And this bed is hard as a rock. It’s made my back hurt. This definitely isn’t my bed.’

"You’re awake?"

A low, pleasant voice suddenly drifted down from above her. Jiang Yunnuan lifted her eyelids and saw a face so handsome it could eclipse the heavens and the earth.

The man had short, pale-gold hair, with a pair of fluffy tiger ears on top of his head. The marking on his forehead was mysterious and beautiful. His eyes were bright and clear, with faint flecks of gold in their depths, like a myriad of stars shining together.

His entire face was perfectly proportioned, as if exquisitely carved. He was impossibly handsome, like a god, and the slightest shift of his gaze carried a hint of wild Charm.

Jiang Yunnuan swallowed hard and struggled to pull herself away from his beauty. Countless memories then belatedly surfaced in her mind.

She shot up from the bed. "You’ve finished advancing?" she asked.

’Damn it, when did I fall asleep?’

’How did I wake up in his bed?’

"Yes."

He grunted in affirmation and said no more. Jiang Yunnuan blinked, feeling wary and puzzled. ’Didn’t this guy want to kill me?’

’Why didn’t he make his move while I was asleep?’

’Did he have a change of heart?’

"Um, so... you’re not going to kill me anymore?"

She tried to hold it in, but in the end, she couldn’t resist leaning closer to ask him.

Hearing this, his eyes flickered. His voice was so deep and magnetic it could make your ears pregnant.

"I just successfully evolved. I don’t want to die just yet."

’Evolution?’

’Oh, right. This guy was evolving.’

A wave of ecstasy washed over Jiang Yunnuan. He said he didn’t want to die yet, which meant he had to protect her, his Contract Master, until he was ready to die. With him around, she would no longer have to fear that bastard Si Xie and his constant threats on her life.

’Wait, he let me sleep in his bed. Does that mean he doesn’t hate me as much anymore?’

Jiang Yunnuan quickly entered the system to check his affinity.