15. The Pink Energy Sphere
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He had gone out of town today to hunt fierce beasts, yet on the way, he thought of Ruan Li three hundred and fifty-two times. If Shiyu were here, he would add that he had smiled foolishly ninety-seven times, looking utterly worthless.
“Hm, you all worked hard today,” Ruan Li said.
Shijue swiftly stood up from the sofa, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. “Not hard at all. Once beastmen reach adulthood, hunting is a must.”
They exchanged only a few words before Bai He brought the simply prepared meal to the table. For a moment, only faint sounds filled the air.
Dinner ended before seven o’clock. After placing the dishes into the dishwasher, Shijue asked Ruan Li, “Want to watch a drama?”
Ruan Li, having no other evening entertainment besides browsing her smart brain, gladly agreed.
Bai He went upstairs early. Zheye, never interested in dramas, remained absent from the living room, leaving only Ruan Li, Shijue, and Xumo on the sofa.
Fortunately, the sofa was large enough that the two beastmen sitting on either side of Ruan Li didn’t feel crowded.
Shijue tuned to his favorite channel.
Seeing the melodramatic show, Xumo snorted coldly, “It’s shows like this that ruined your brain.”
“Better than the idiotic dramas you like!” Shijue retorted.
Unaware of the gravity of the situation, Ruan Li still hadn’t grasped the problem.
“The Beast Husband Returning to the Village” tells of a male beastman, A, who loses his special powers protecting a female. Though she promises to stay with him forever, she soon falls for another beastman, B, and abandons A on a barren planet. Unexpectedly, A is a lost member of the royal family. The royals find and cure him, restoring his powers. At a banquet, he encounters the female again; she regrets her betrayal and tries to win him back, but he refuses. Their hearts are torn, entangled in old flames and painful love, eventually leading to a happy reunion.
After half an hour, Ruan Li was embarrassed by the plot. Shocked for half an hour and hesitating for another, she finally suggested switching to a different drama.
Xumo immediately grabbed the remote, smugly declaring, “Look at this trash plot—no one could tolerate it.”
He changed the channel.
“The Little Female Descends from Heaven” is about an adorable young female who time-travels from the future to a wild land. The prince believes she is a goddess, and they are mutually attracted. She shares many modern ideas and gadgets with him, and they successfully become a couple.
Ruan Li instantly thought that with her vast drama-watching experience, perhaps she could be a famous screenwriter.
She found an excuse to go upstairs. Seeing her leave, Shijue also stood up to follow.
Xumo leaned against the sofa, suppressing a smirk as his eyes flicked indifferently over the two who were almost glued together.
“Ruan Li, I’ll go upstairs with you.”
“Ah, okay.”
Hearing their footsteps and conversation fade, the man on the sofa snorted coldly, “Let’s see how long you can keep up the act.”
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The man, annoyed by the loud volume of the drama, lowered it a few notches. Watching the male and female leads sweetly declare their love onscreen, an uneasy feeling stirred in his chest.
“What a lousy show.”
He turned off the projector and went upstairs, only to find the two standing outside Ruan Li’s door.
His fox ears twitched.
“Ruan Li, did you have fun today?”
“Hmm, it was okay.”
“Th-then that’s good. Tomorrow I’ll accompany you. Where do you want to go?”
“Is there anywhere you want to go? I’m fine with anything.”
“Ah… how about the mall?”
“No.”
“Hm? Then the park?”
“Okay.”
“Hehe, then get some rest early. No need to get up too early tomorrow.”
Xumo’s hand gripping the doorknob veins bulged.
Tsk, she fell for it so easily.
“Xumo, were you eavesdropping on us?” Shijue asked, noticing the fox outside the door lingering without entering.
Xumo gave him a disdainful glance. “Who’d bother eavesdropping on you?”
With that, he opened the door briskly and slammed it shut.
Night fell, and silence enveloped all.
In the calm city, the sky was suddenly shrouded in a dense red mist, bringing with it endless danger.
Ruan Li was jolted awake by the alarm on her wrist smart brain.
[Alert! Alert! Unknown red mist detected within the safe zone of Planet A. All male beastmen must ensure the safety of their female hosts!]
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, Ruan Li was still trying to make sense of the alarm when a knock came at the door.
“Ruan Li, are you awake?”
She was about to respond when the sharp sound of shattering glass interrupted everything.
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Cold wind surged like a tidal wave through the broken window, the silk curtains billowing violently.
Squinting, Ruan Li barely made out her surroundings in the darkness.
The black night sky was veiled in red mist, which poured inside through the shattered window, thick and dense like ink. The mist seemed conscious, rushing directly toward Ruan Li.
Everything happened so quickly she didn’t even have time to cry out. Instinctively, she raised her wrist, forgetting her fragile flesh and blood.
The beastmen outside reacted instantly, kicking the door open.
A shocking scene unfolded.
In the warmly pink room, a delicate girl wearing a thin nightdress, hair tousled adorably, raised her slender, pale arms to shield her face. The ominous red mist coalesced into a dense, almost solid sphere attacking her, but she blocked it entirely with her thin arm.
The expected destruction and injury never came. Gentle pink energy enveloped the girl, forming a protective barrier around her. It collided with the red mist without wavering, softly yet powerfully encasing her within an absolute sanctuary.
“What is that?” Zheye frowned deeply, puzzled.
“That is her healing ability,” Bai He said calmly and confidently.
Only he knew how truly astounding this was.
No female beastman had ever manifested her healing power as a tangible, proactive shield.
Moreover, this pink energy sphere had already formed an absolute domain.
Bai He failed to detect Ruan Li’s aura.
Yet all the beastmen present could feel the threat lurking within the red mist.
Hidden inside was an even more dangerous fierce beast.
They did not understand how the beast could transform into mist, nor why these beasts were able to bypass the safe zone’s defenses and brazenly invade.
“Forget all that for now. Protecting the female host is the priority!” Shijue growled, leading the charge to attack the red mist with his powers.
The red mist, seemingly enraged, surged toward the beastmen at the door.
These were evolved beasts, their powers not to be underestimated. Though only two beasts were in the mist, the four struggled to fend them off.
Seeing the danger subsided, Ruan Li watched the red mist rush at the beastmen, confusedly glancing at her arm.
What was that pink thing just now?