006 Three times in total, bleeding once.

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Li Yue was dreaming of her father handing her a skewer of sizzling, dripping roasted beast meat when suddenly she felt something tighten cruelly around her neck. A wave of suffocating panic surged over her. She struggled desperately, trying to call out, but no sound came. The roasted meat blurred into a dark shadow, and all her strength seemed to vanish. Her eyelids felt glued shut, unbearably heavy.

“Ugh…” A faint whimper escaped her throat as her consciousness wavered on the edge of clarity.

The flickering torchlight cast Lan Xi’s shadow tall and imposing against the cave wall.

His eyes were lowered, long lashes shadowing the area beneath, yet his violet, crystal-like eyes churned with an impenetrable, sinister darkness. His fingers tightened relentlessly around Li Yue’s neck.

Her face flushed red, then gradually turned a bruised purple. Her trembling lips quivered, and tears welled naturally at the corners of her eyes, trailing down her cheeks to her temple.

Just as her awareness began to slip away, a sudden powerful grip seized Lan Xi’s wrist with such force it seemed capable of crushing bone.

He was forced to release her. Li Yue collapsed limply like a marionette with cut strings, falling onto the dry grass as she coughed violently, gasping for breath. Her chest heaved fiercely.

“Lan Xi, have you gone mad?” A cold voice, sharper than ice, cut through the air.

That gaze fixed on Lan Xi, dark red eyes brimming with fury. “Do you want all of us to die with you?”

The law of the beast world was ironclad: if a bonded female was killed by her mate, all males bound by the same pact would suffer a backlash from the beast mark and die instantly, their bodies bursting.

Lan Xi did not turn to look at You Lie. His gaze remained locked on Li Yue’s trembling form, the chill in his eyes capable of shattering stone.

After several seconds, he suddenly withdrew his hand, said nothing, and strode out of the cave, the green beast ring on his ankle flickering faintly.

You Lie frowned deeply, watching him disappear.

He understood Lan Xi’s hatred—the ripped-off scales, the torment endured day and night. Were it him, he too might lose control.

But tonight’s Li Yue… was undeniably different from usual.

He turned his head toward Li Yue, who was still coughing.

She was clearly not fully conscious yet, likely because Lan Xi had just used his spiritual power to trap her in confusion.

Tears still clung at the corners of her eyes, mixed with bits of dry grass, making her look especially pitiable.

You Lie’s gaze fell upon her hand resting at her side. The wound sliced by the necklace was still open, its edges reddened and glaringly raw.

He fell silent for a moment, then, without quite knowing why, crouched down.

From his bosom, he pulled out a small handful of dried hemostatic herbs—something Si Qi had given him earlier, which he had never dared to use.

You Lie placed the herbs in his mouth, chewing carefully until the bitter taste spread across his tongue.

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With a stiff motion, he lifted Li Yue’s hand and applied the mashed herbs to her wound.

The cooling sensation caused Li Yue to flinch slightly, a faint whimper escaping her throat.

You Lie hesitated for a moment, then tore off a relatively clean strip of beast hide and carefully wrapped it around her fingertip, knotting it securely.

Having done all this, he stared at his herb-stained hands, suddenly feeling awkward. He abruptly stood, turned, and went to the cave entrance, standing guard like a stone statue with his back to Li Yue.

Only the steady rhythm of Li Yue’s breathing and the occasional crackle from the fire filled the cave.

Li Yue was awakened by a parched itch in her throat. Opening her eyes, she felt as if her neck had been crushed by a blunt instrument, every movement dragging a web of pain.

She propped herself up, attempting to call for water, but her hoarse voice startled even herself.

“Hiss…” She gasped, instinctively reaching for her throat. Her fingertips touched scorching skin, slightly swollen.

What was happening?

Li Yue staggered to a clay jar of water and bent over to peer into its murky surface.

The reflection was blurred, only faint red marks visible on her neck, but the exact shape was unclear.

“Maybe I caught a chill last night,” she murmured, scooping water to splash on her face.

In this beastly world lacking medicine, even a cold was no trivial matter. Mild cases left one dizzy and weak, serious ones could debilitate the body.

But thinking of her father possibly in danger, she dared not delay.

Right now, her father was her only support; she could not afford to let a mere cold slow her down.

Even if the weather outside was storming knives, she had to set out today.

She rinsed her mouth simply with water and wiped her face. The cool touch helped clear the fog in her mind.

Raising her hand, her fingertips brushed against the rough beast hide. Only then did she realize the wound from yesterday had been carefully bandaged, a thin scab formed. The cooling herbs seeped through the hide, and the pain was gone.

Li Yue was stunned.

Who had done this?

She clearly remembered curling up to sleep, hearing no one enter… Could it have been one of the beast men?

Whoever it was, such an act deserved encouragement.

She must praise them immediately to earn their goodwill.

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Though she knew their kindness was not sincere, it could at least soften some of their hatred.

Li Yue steadied herself and walked to the cave entrance. Clearing her still-raspy throat, she called out, “All of you, come inside.”

At her summons, several figures appeared one after another at the cave mouth.

Si Qi, You Lie, Chi Yu, Jin Ye, and finally Lan Xi brought up the rear. The five beast men entered the cave in single file, their gazes simultaneously fixed on her neck, their expressions turning complex.

Si Qi’s lashes fluttered, and he instinctively clenched the herb pouch in his hand.

Chi Yu raised an eyebrow, his eyes flicking back and forth between Lan Xi and You Lie.

Jin Ye frowned deeply, his ice-blue eyes filled with complicated emotions.

Only Lan Xi and You Lie avoided eye contact—one with lowered eyelids, the other staring at the ground, their expressions unreadable.

The other three exchanged a glance, clearly having guessed something from Lan Xi and You Lie’s reactions.

Something must have happened last night, and it was probably related to Lan Xi.

Li Yue missed their silent exchange, smiling as she asked, “Who treated me last night?”

The cave fell silent for a few seconds.

Clearly, Li Yue had discovered something—she was about to find the culprit.

Even if they hadn’t done much before, she would always find an excuse to torment them. Now, with something as serious as choking, surely she wouldn’t want to kill them outright?

Suddenly, Lan Xi stepped forward, his violet eyes carrying a reckless coldness, his voice clear yet tense: “It was me.”

He looked up at Li Yue calmly. “Punish me however you want, but don’t involve the others.”

His response caught Li Yue off guard. “Punish you? Why punish you?”

She shook her bandaged finger, her smile growing more genuine. “You helped me with my wound—I should be thanking you. How about this? Whoever treats my wounds three times, I’ll give them a drop of my blood. Deal?”

Her words stunned not only Lan Xi but also the other beast men.

She wasn’t talking about the wound on her neck, but the bandaging on her finger?