Daily Survival After Inheriting a Harem (GL) - Chapter 25

The hypnotic singing continued melodiously, and Qiu Qi’s eyelids grew heavier and heavier. Fortunately, this body had a damage-reduction buff, so she could still hold out for quite a while.

“Stop.”

Seeing that Qiu Qi had already closed her eyes, Shi Luoning spoke and made An’an, who was singing, stop.

She moved closer to Qiu Qi, who had tilted her head and fallen asleep, reached out, and untied the string fastened beneath her chin. The hat fell off, and the pair of beast ears that had been confined for so long sprang out with a whoosh, standing straight toward her. They looked as if they were quietly saying to her: Come touch me!

Shi Luoning really did exactly that. Everyone said Qiu Qi’s original form was an incomparably ugly vicious beast. She had not expected her to have such an adorably silly appearance.

A soft laugh slipped from her nose, and Shi Luoning said,

“This has truly broadened my horizons.”

The beast ears in her palm were incomparably soft. And because ears were the weak point of most beastmen, their bodies would go soft as soon as they were touched. So at this moment, even when Shi Luoning pinched Qiu Qi’s ears into any shape she wanted, Qiu Qi looked completely unable to resist. Shi Luoning, whose attention was on the ears, did not seem to notice Qiu Qi’s small movements.

The hand Qiu Qi had behind her back moved inside her sleeve, undoing the thing tied to her arm and gripping it in her palm.

When those wicked hands finished rubbing her ears and prepared to attack downward, Qiu Qi, whose eyes had been tightly shut, finally reacted. She suddenly opened her eyes. Looking into them now, where was there even the slightest trace of confusion?

But Shi Luoning seemed to have noticed long ago. With one hand, she blocked Qiu Qi’s movement and grabbed the thing.

She lowered her head and saw the long, round object in Qiu Qi’s hand. Complicated patterns were carved into its metal shell. Its shape was like an “L,” and its whole body was smooth. Aside from its harder material, one could not tell what offensive power this weapon had.

“What is this?”

Shi Luoning frowned slightly. The force with which she gripped Qiu Qi’s wrist was astonishingly great, leaving the other woman no possibility of moving.

“Do you have confidence that you can beat me with this little thing?”

Qiu Qi narrowed her eyes and smiled.

“Won’t we know if we try?”

“Acting tough?”

Shi Luoning hooked up Qiu Qi’s chin.

“I’d like to see how long you can hold out. If I guessed correctly, the effect of that incense should have already reached the limit of what you can endure, right? Why not just give in to me?”

“You can guess whether I’m acting tough or not.”

After saying that, her finger lightly curled and pulled the trigger. The smell of gunpowder wrapped around the pointed metal bullet, and with a bang, it rushed out from the copper barrel, tearing a bloody opening in Shi Luoning’s unguarded waist.

Although the backward craftsmanship of this era could not guarantee bullet distance or shooting accuracy, at such a face-to-face distance, there was no possibility of missing the target.

“Ugh—”

Shi Luoning’s face turned deathly pale. The smugness from before instantly vanished.

With a burst of intense pain, the wound burned violently. The bullet had passed straight through her body and flown out. At this moment, the bloody hole was gushing blood as if it cost nothing.

She covered the wound and staggered one step back. The blood spilling from the corner of her mouth dyed her lips even redder. Yet in this state, she curved her lips and let out waves of soft laughter.

That laughter seemed to come from the depths of the underworld, carrying a sinister chill that gave people the terrifying feeling of white claws scraping across their skulls.

Qiu Qi guardedly took a step back and quickly loaded a new bullet into the hand cannon. Holding it high with both hands, she aimed it at Shi Luoning’s head.

“Don’t come over. The next one won’t hit somewhere painless.”

“Good… good, good, good… hahahaha.”

Shi Luoning’s slender neck turned. Her head hung at a strange, twisted angle. At this moment, even the whites of her narrow fox eyes were soaked blood-red.

“Interesting. Too interesting.”

As Shi Luoning’s body expanded, the air in the room seemed to be instantly drained. Qiu Qi steadied her trembling arms and watched with her own eyes as the gorgeous woman before her transformed at an unimaginable speed into a huge red fox. She was forced to tilt her head back to see the other party’s eyes.

Beastmen could freely control the transformation between beast form and human form. Generally, in beast form, beastmen had even stronger explosive power.

Qiu Qi had not expected that her shot would fail to cripple the woman and instead knock her into evolution.

Would it still be too late for her to act cute and say, “Sister, please spare me”?

She took a deep breath, controlled her body so it would not become too stiff, straightened her arms, and worked hard to aim the hand cannon at the red fox’s head.

Of course Shi Luoning noticed her intention. She opened her mouth and roared. A wind even fiercer than a level-eight typhoon instantly blew Qiu Qi to the ground, and the hand cannon in her hands flew away too.

Qiu Qi anxiously crawled toward it. Just as her fingers were about to touch it, the fox’s hoof stepped on her hand. That hoof ground down elegantly, seemingly without using much force, but Qiu Qi felt as if the bones in her hand were about to shatter.

“Ah! It hurts!”

She cried out pitifully.

“It is supposed to hurt,” Shi Luoning said. “But this is still not even one-thousandth of mine.”

“What do you want to do?”

No one answered Qiu Qi’s words. Behind her, the green-tea sisters lowered their eyes and stood like wooden stakes. This eerie silence made the atmosphere in the room even stranger.

In the middle of this deadlock, there was only an earth-shaking sound. The wooden door behind Shi Luoning was violently broken open by an external force, and flying wood splinters scattered across the entire room.

Everyone present covered their mouths and noses and coughed softly.

“Stop.”

When Qiu Qi heard the familiar voice, she lifted her head to look at the slender figure standing at the doorway. Her eyes lit up instantly.

“Madam, you came to save me!”

Because of Pei Yuqing’s appearance, Shi Luoning removed her foot and turned to face the doorway in a defensive posture. Qiu Qi therefore regained her freedom and immediately shot out like a rabbit, flinging herself into Pei Yuqing’s arms.

“Madam, you’re finally here. Wuwuwuwu, you have no idea how miserably I was bullied.”

Shi Luoning, standing at the side with a large hole in her stomach still gushing blood: Should we compare who’s more miserable?

Pei Yuqing reached out to support her and steady the impact. Only then did she lower her head to look at the person in her arms.

Her hair was messy, and her pair of beast ears drooped. No one knew what dispute had happened just now, but even her clothes had been pulled open. Her thin, snow-white shoulder was exposed in the air and trembling slightly, like a frightened rabbit.

Pei Yuqing keenly smelled the thick scent of blood in the air and hurriedly asked,

“Are you injured?”

Qiu Qi nodded gloomily and raised her right hand, which had just been stepped on. Her slender, pretty fingers were stained with dirt, and her fingertips were red, looking somewhat swollen and scraped.

Pei Yuqing took it and brought it close to her eyes to look.

“It is all right. Nothing serious.”

“How is this nothing serious?”

Qiu Qi unconvincedly curled her fingers, revealing the other side.

“Look carefully again. Here, here. Such a big cut. It even bled.”

Because she had shouted loudly several times just now, her voice had turned hoarse. Her weak voice sounded even more pitiful. Although what she said was all pitiful acting filled with excessive performance, it still made people unable to help being pulled along.

Pei Yuqing blew on it.

“How about this?”

The corner of Qiu Qi’s mouth lifted, and there was a trace of slyness in her eyes. Her fingers tugged at Pei Yuqing’s sleeve.

“It still hurts. I need Madam to hug me.”

Shi Luoning, who had been left to the side for ages, turned green in the face.

“Are you two treating me as if I don’t exist?”

Only then did Pei Yuqing place her gaze on Shi Luoning, who had already recovered her human body. Her eyes were chilly.

“I was wondering why I smelled a fox stench from so far away. So it really was a furry fox.”

Shi Luoning gritted her teeth and counterattacked,

“What did you say? Bald-winged elf.”

Because the elf race’s wings were semi-transparent, and they were rarely seen using them, other races who could not stand their proud and cold personalities had given them this unpleasant nickname.

“If you enjoy hearing it, you can have them recite it to you every day.”

Pei Yuqing did not show anger. She pointed at the two green-tea sisters shrinking in the corner as she spoke.

“Madam… I want to go home… I feel awful…”

The situation had been urgent just now, and Qiu Qi had relied entirely on forcing herself to avoid losing control. Now that Pei Yuqing had appeared, she had a way out and someone to rely on. Her nerves instantly relaxed completely, and once she relaxed, the drug’s effects rose again.

Pei Yuqing noticed that the arms wrapped around her waist tightened somewhat. Qiu Qi’s burning body pressed against hers. Carefully, she smelled the faint trace of candle fragrance on the other woman. Her brows furrowed, and she reached out to lift Qiu Qi’s reddened face.

“What happened to you, my lord?”

Shi Luoning rubbed a little of the remaining incense ash on the tablecloth between her fingers. A victorious smile rested on her lips.

“No matter how ignorant and ill-informed you are, surely you can recognize this. Do not hold on to a lucky mentality.”

Yes, Pei Yuqing did indeed have a guess in her heart.

She reached out and touched Qiu Qi’s forehead. This person’s body temperature was usually high, but now she was shockingly hot, like water freshly boiled in a pot. Pei Yuqing immediately lost the leisure to spend time arguing with Shi Luoning.

“Steward Yan.”

Pei Yuqing’s voice sank, calling out Yan Wan, who had been hiding in the shadows all along.

“Madam Pei.”

Yan Wan bowed slightly.

“End this quickly.”

Pei Yuqing sent her a look.

“Also, remember to bring back that sheep over there too.”

“Yes, Madam Pei.”

Pei Yuqing bent down and directly picked up the feverish, muddled person in a bridal carry. Under the gazes of the crowd of melon-eating onlookers downstairs, she flew into the air and left.

Qiu Qi pressed her face against Pei Yuqing’s neck. The other woman’s cool body temperature was like a fever patch for her. Damp hot breath sprayed against Pei Yuqing’s ear.

“Madam, don’t be angry. Don’t leave me behind.”

Pei Yuqing’s breath caught. She tightened her arms and said in a hoarse voice,

“I will not leave you. I am taking you home.”

…

After returning to the courtyard, Pei Yuqing walked straight toward the bathing pool.

The pool was filled with icy water cold enough to pierce the bones. Holding Qiu Qi, Pei Yuqing jumped straight in without blinking, instantly soaking them both.

Qiu Qi felt as if she were being roasted inside a giant fireball. The more she was roasted, the hotter she became, as if her skin were about to burn. She only knew she had to get closer to the cool object in her hands. Closer, even closer.

“My lord, wake up.”

“Mm?”

Qiu Qi’s brows furrowed lightly. She clearly reacted to this voice.

Pei Yuqing wiped the water droplets from her face, brushed away her wet hair, and exposed that flushed face. She moved a little closer.

“My lord, can you hear me speaking?”

“Uu… it’s Madam…”

Qiu Qi struggled to open her eyes a crack. What entered her sight was Pei Yuqing’s pair of concerned eyes.

Because they were soaking in water together, Pei Yuqing was naturally also wet. The damp skin at her neck shone with water. A little further up were Pei Yuqing’s red lips opening and closing as she spoke.

As if bewitched, Qiu Qi raised her hands and wrapped them around Pei Yuqing’s neck, randomly murmuring her name.

“Madam, Madam.”

Pei Yuqing thought she wanted to stand a little straighter, so she reached out to support her back.

“I am here.”

The force against her back seemed to give Qiu Qi an invisible support. She did not hesitate much before boldly pulling Pei Yuqing’s neck closer and pressing herself up.

Scorching heat covered cool lips. Pei Yuqing froze, as if thinking about whether everything before her was real, and because of that, she forgot to push Qiu Qi away at once.

Borrowing this gap, Qiu Qi kissed her messily like a child searching for milk, gnawing and biting at her lips without any technique. She even kept testing, wanting to push past Pei Yuqing’s tightly closed teeth. Seeing that the other woman gave no reaction, she even hummed pitifully through her nose, accusing with a heavy nasal voice,

“Madam, help me.”

Pei Yuqing tightened the hand around Qiu Qi’s waist. Her throat moved, but she bit Qiu Qi’s lip instead. Taking advantage of the moment Qiu Qi opened her mouth in pain, she lifted her and held her away.

She raised her hand and rubbed her knuckles against her lips, as if trying to chase away the sensation that had nearly made her reason collapse.

“My lord, I will help you. But you must first stay obediently. All right?”

Pei Yuqing’s voice was somewhat dark and hoarse.

“No… I want Madam…”

Qiu Qi swung her arms, as if wanting to rush over and stick herself to Pei Yuqing again.

“My lord, listen.”

Pei Yuqing’s tone grew heavier. She pressed Qiu Qi back with one hand, placed her palm against Qiu Qi’s forehead, and sent in some pale-blue spiritual power.

An aphrodisiac was essentially a stimulant. Physical cooling might take effect slowly, but in the end, it was still effective.

Because of the spiritual power entering her body, or perhaps because she heard the seriousness in Pei Yuqing’s words, Qiu Qi lowered herself halfway into the water like a scolded milk cat that had done something wrong. She let out a low whimper and did not dare move.

“Madam, bad.”

Being accused for no reason, Pei Yuqing opened her mouth, but could not say anything to refute her.

“I will go get medicine first. Before I return, stay here properly and do not move around. Do you understand?”

Qiu Qi, submerged in the water, blew out a string of little bubbles and angrily did not answer.

Thinking that this little bit of water depth could not drown Qiu Qi, Pei Yuqing stood up to get the medicine. Yet in the time it took to go up and down, when she turned back, she discovered that Qiu Qi in the water had very disobediently stripped herself almost bare.

The person who had been embarrassed a few days ago because she had revealed her half-human, half-beast form in front of Pei Yuqing now had a face thick enough to build a city wall. Not only did she openly reveal her skin, her pair of burning eyes also stared straight at Pei Yuqing.

Pei Yuqing’s footsteps paused. She somewhat did not want to enter the water anymore.

“Take the medicine.”

Pei Yuqing crouched by the pool and reached out to hand the medicine to Qiu Qi.

Although this sedative could not completely cure the poison, it could make Qiu Qi feel a little better.

Qiu Qi swam to the side of the pool and slowly raised her hand. But when she was about to touch the medicine bottle, she quickly reached forward and grabbed Pei Yuqing’s wrist, pulling her into the water and toward herself. Her damp eyes were now filled with desire, and her voice was soft enough to wring out water.

“Madam, I…”

As long as one was not a three-year-old child, one could understand the meaning of this sentence.

Pei Yuqing pressed against Qiu Qi’s shoulder and pinned her against the pool wall to control her. Just as she was about to open her mouth and scold her with anger, she saw Qiu Qi’s ears tremble. Qiu Qi flattened her mouth and preemptively made an expression as if she had been bullied.

“I want to hug Madam…”

Qiu Qi’s robe was half undone, and the skin exposed was warm pink like peach blossoms. On her raised face, her lips had already been bitten by her own teeth, leaving marks of endurance. Seeing these, Pei Yuqing discovered that she could not scold her no matter what.

When she had burst into the room earlier, she had also inhaled some of the remaining fragrance while unguarded. Even though she had not inhaled as much as Qiu Qi, she could still feel heat continuously rising inside her body, unable to be suppressed.

But she was still fine and could forcefully control it with spiritual power. Qiu Qi, however, was different. So the fact that Qiu Qi could endure until now was already not easy. Moreover, at that time, Shi Luoning had still been in the room, and who knew how she had teased Qiu Qi.

Shi Luoning?

Once she thought that Qiu Qi might have been alone with that fox for so long in this state, Pei Yuqing’s eyes cooled involuntarily.

She pinched Qiu Qi’s burning red face and stared into her eyes.

“Just now, what did that fox do to you?”

Qiu Qi frowned in distress.

“Nothing. She didn’t do anything to me, and I didn’t touch her either.”

Pei Yuqing’s expression did not change, as if she were measuring the truth of Qiu Qi’s words.

Qiu Qi grew anxious and immediately continued,

“Even if I’m lecherous, I still pick who it is. I only like Madam!”

After she said this, she saw Pei Yuqing press her lips together, and her eyes also seemed somewhat moved. But just as Qiu Qi wanted to press the advantage and say something more, her mouth was covered.

“Stay obediently. Take the medicine, then soak in the water a bit longer and calm down.”

Qiu Qi swayed her tail, stirring the water in the pool into messy circles, and opened her arms toward Pei Yuqing, asking for a hug.

“Drink the medicine first.”

Pei Yuqing did not move.

“Mmph, mmph, mmph…”

Qiu Qi pointed at her mouth, signaling for Pei Yuqing to move her hand away.

Pei Yuqing released her.

“Hurry and drink it. If you play any more tricks, I will leave you here alone to fend for yourself.”

Qiu Qi swallowed the pitch-black pill in one gulp. A cold breath surged into her body along her esophagus.

She opened her mouth.

“I ate it. Now can I get a hug?”

After saying that, without waiting for Pei Yuqing’s reaction, Qiu Qi wrapped herself around her like an octopus. Then she buried her face in Pei Yuqing’s neck and rubbed against her, pushing her luck.

“I don’t care. I was very obedient just now, so now I want a reward.”

Pei Yuqing’s hand stopped in midair. Her palm clenched once, and in the end, it still lowered, allowing Qiu Qi to do as she wished.

“Just for a while.”