Chapter – 20
The Sneaky Little Thief
Originally, there were only two wooden huts in the courtyard—one used as a kitchen and the other as living quarters.
However, the beast husbands were unwilling to live together with the female master, so each of them built their own wooden hut.
As a result, there were now a total of seven small wooden huts scattered around the large courtyard.
Beastmen had highly developed senses and excellent hearing. Even though each hut was separated by a few steps of distance, they could still clearly hear sounds from outside.
Mu Ling had transformed into a giant gray wolf and was lying on a fur mat.
His wolf ears were perked up. He heard the sounds outside—and also heard the female master knocking on Lu Liufeng’s door.
He pulled the animal hide over his head, pretending he hadn’t heard anything.
Eating was eating. Sleeping was sleeping.
He, Mu Ling, would never offer himself up just for a bite of food!
But then another thought crept in—what if the female master came knocking on his door, and he refused to open it? What if she never let him eat those delicious foods again?
Mu Ling fell into deep turmoil. His thick claws scratched at his head, pulling out several strands of wolf fur, yet he still couldn’t figure out what choice to make.
In the courtyard, Jiang Xi saw that Lu Liufeng’s amber-colored eyes were filled with gentle affection as he looked at her.
She froze for a moment, then lowered her voice.
“There’s a thief in the kitchen!”
“Hurry, come with me to catch the thief!”
Jiang Xi wasn’t stupid enough to rush in by herself.
After all, it could very well be a beastman inside. As a female, how could she possibly defeat one?
Not to mention that beastmen had abilities and could transform—she wouldn’t even survive a single slap from them.
Lu Liufeng was momentarily stunned.
Then he cast a strange look toward the kitchen.
“A thief?”
Jiang Xi nodded vigorously and reached out to pull him along.
“Hurry! Don’t let the thief get away!”
There was braised pig head meat she had prepared for the night inside!!
The security of this tribe was way too bad!
Lu Liufeng was just about to say something when he was already being dragged toward the kitchen.
Snowflakes drifted down from the sky. He suddenly noticed that the animal hide wrapped around the female master was so thick that she looked almost like a bear.
His gaze froze.
That’s right—she was a female. In the freezing winter, she couldn’t transform into a beast form to keep warm. The nights must be terribly cold for her.
Other female masters had beast husbands to keep them warm, but because they refused to approach her, she could only wrap herself in animal hides and shiver alone in the darkness.
A trace of guilt flashed through Lu Liufeng’s eyes.
The next moment, a piece of firewood was shoved into his hand.
Jiang Xi also picked up a piece of firewood as a weapon. She turned her head, nodded at Lu Liufeng, then raised her hand and gestured forward, signaling an attack.
Then she kicked open the kitchen door, lifted the firewood, and shouted loudly:
“Don’t move!!”
Inside the kitchen, the charcoal in the fire pit was still glowing red, and the room was much warmer than outside.
After two seconds of silence, Jiang Xi saw a pair of icy blue eyes light up in the darkness at the far end of the room.
Her heart skipped a beat. She quickly hid behind Lu Liufeng.
“It’s a beastman thief! Catch him!”
Lu Liufeng snapped back to his senses. Seeing the beastman inside the kitchen, he coughed awkwardly.
He pulled the female master out from behind him. “Female master, it’s Yi Yuexi.”
“Ah?” Jiang Xi exclaimed.
When she looked into the kitchen again, the fire in the pit flared up.
The firelight illuminated the room. Yi Yuexi was squatting beside the stone pot of braised pig head meat, his mouth full of oil. His hands were hidden behind his back, and his beautiful icy blue eyes were filled with evasiveness and guilt.
Jiang Xi: “……”
Did he really have to be this sneaky?
She had never said he wasn’t allowed to eat, right?
Beastmen had keen senses, including their sense of smell.
Lu Liufeng didn’t detect the scent of any other beastmen and knew that their home hadn’t been robbed.
But he hadn’t expected Yi Yuexi to be sneaking food in the kitchen.
The air fell silent, broken only by the sound of wind and snow outside.
Yi Yuexi stood up, his eyes darting about. He coughed lightly.
“I’ll definitely catch prey tomorrow. I won’t eat for free.”
With that, he walked straight out.
As he brushed past, Jiang Xi noticed his white hair was messy, with dry twigs and leaves tangled in it. The animal hide on his body bore scratches of varying depths and was smeared with dirt.
She subconsciously reached out.
But her hand was stopped by Lu Liufeng.
Lu Liufeng shook his head at her.
“No need to worry about him.”
“He’ll bring back prey tomorrow.”
Wrapped in the warmth of his hand, Jiang Xi felt a little awkward and withdrew her hand.
“That’s not what I meant.”
She had wanted to ask whether he was injured.
Before the marriage bond was dissolved, they were still a collective. There was no deep hatred between them—having one more healthy laborer would make life better for everyone.
But since he had already returned to his hut, she didn’t bother to speak up again.
Lu Liufeng glanced at the night sky and asked,
“Is the female master going back to rest?”
The moment Jiang Xi thought of the bone-chilling cold in her hut, she shook her head immediately.
“You go back first. I’ll stay in the kitchen for a while.”
As she spoke, she walked straight into the kitchen. The warmth made her rub her hands together and blow a breath into them.
Lu Liufeng was momentarily stunned, then understood.
Since last night, the snowfall had intensified, and the temperature had dropped sharply.
After a few moments of silence, he spoke.
“Female master, come sleep in my hut.”
Jiang Xi turned back, confused. “Then where will you sleep?”
Lu Liufeng’s cheeks warmed slightly, his voice hoarse.
“N-naturally… I’ll sleep in the hut as well.”
Jiang Xi shook her head rapidly.
No. That wouldn’t do.
They were about to dissolve the marriage bond anyway. Cooking together was one thing—but sleeping together? What would that even mean?
She pushed Lu Liufeng toward the door, her tone relaxed and casual.
“You go back first. I’ll sit for a bit and then leave.”
With that, she shut the door right in front of him.
That should make him leave now, right?
Jiang Xi squatted by the fire pit to warm herself. The temperature inside gradually warmed her body.
She let out a long, comfortable sigh, thinking that a heat source really was essential.
If only there were central heating… or at least a heated brick bed.
After warming herself for a while, she prepared to lie down on the straw mat for the night.
But just as she was about to lie down, her gaze drifted toward the tightly closed door.
As if possessed, Jiang Xi walked over and opened it.
She was immediately startled.
“What are you doing standing here?!”
Outside, Lu Liufeng was covered in snow, even his eyelashes dusted white—just like the first time she had seen him.
Jiang Xi quickly pulled him into the kitchen and brushed the snow off him.
Her tone turned sharp.
“Why didn’t you leave?! Do you have any idea you could freeze to death standing out there?!”
Lu Liufeng wiped away the melting snow from his face. His amber eyes lowered as he spoke with self-reproach.
“Failing to keep the female master warm… this is all Liufeng’s fault.”
Hearing this, Jiang Xi first guessed that he had figured out she planned to sleep in the kitchen, then felt helpless.
This world’s system of one female with multiple beast husbands was simply too twisted—almost like a form of slavery, where everything revolved around the female master.
She didn’t want Lu Liufeng to feel uneasy, so she said,
“You don’t need to blame yourself. What does cold weather have to do with you? Relax—even if I freeze to death, I wouldn’t blame you.”
The moment she said it, she realized the problem with her words.
If she died… wouldn’t they all die with her too?
