008, go ahead and hit.

Anxious? Of course she was anxious!

Li Yue waved her hand without a second thought. She had to find her father as soon as possible; otherwise, he would be in danger. Her father was her only pillar of support now, and she dared not imagine the consequences if he were to meet the same tragic fate as described in the book’s plot.

"Then let's use our beast forms. Every bit of speed helps."

As soon as she finished speaking, the several beast-husbands suddenly fell silent.

Li Yue blinked, looking bewildered. "What is it? Is there a problem?"

You Lie stepped forward, his dark red eyes slanting toward her. The mockery in his tone was practically overflowing. "Using our beast forms to travel is fine, but whose back do you intend to sit on?"

These words hit Li Yue’s mind like a stone. She suddenly remembered how the original host had ridiculed their beast forms.

The original host had said You Lie’s snake form was slimy and disgusting, and that it felt filthy just to touch it. She had said Si Qi’s crane form, while appearing noble, was actually as dull as a block of wood, and that the flapping of his wings made her dizzy—a waste of such large wings. She had called Chi Yu’s red fox form sinister and cunning, claiming his red fur looked blood-stained and unlucky. She had mocked Jin Ye’s lion form as looking mighty but being as stupid as a pig, with a tangled mane like a pile of dead grass, and complained that his running shook the ground and gave her a headache. As for Lan Xi, she had mocked him for being clumsily pathetic out of the water, saying his scales looked like the peeled skin of a fish and that even the scavengers in the creek looked better than him.

Li Yue stood there, her throat tightening. She did not believe they would be willing to carry her after suffering such humiliations. The only way forward was to use the promise of her blood again.

Just as she was about to speak, she saw Jin Ye suddenly step forward, his tall figure shielding her.

"Sit on my back. My mane is long, so you’ll have something to hold onto." His voice was low, devoid of any discernible emotion.

Li Yue’s eyes brightened instantly. She hadn’t expected anyone to actually agree. She nodded immediately, afraid he might change his mind. "Okay! I won't ride for free. Every two days, I will give you a drop of my blood, I promise!"

Jin Ye was stunned, clearly not expecting her to be so generous. He had originally intended to intentionally jolt her a few times once she was on his back to make her suffer. But hearing her offer "a drop of blood for two days of riding"—which was even more cost-effective than the "three bandages" mentioned earlier—his desire for revenge suddenly faded, and he even felt a bit sheepish.

"Actually, you don't have to..." Jin Ye’s smile was somewhat awkward.

Li Yue shook her head. "I must. You let me ride tomorrow, and I’ll give you a drop of blood tomorrow night."

She knew that only by showing them tangible benefits could she slowly dissolve their hostility; otherwise, she might not even survive to see her father.

The other beast-husbands watched this scene, their eyes filled with envy. If they had known that carrying her would earn a drop of blood every two days, they would have been the first to offer. After all, carrying a delicate female was no burden at all for a male beast-man.

Seeing that Jin Ye had no objections, Li Yue breathed a sigh of relief. She turned back into the cave and picked up a hide bag containing some items. This bag was meant to cover for her spatial storage; if she needed to pull items out of it, a hide bag provided a convenient explanation.

Once she had packed, she said to the beast-husbands outside, "The rest of you, bring everything from the cave. The meat, the hides, and the salt—pack it all up."

You Lie, Si Qi, and Chi Yu responded and entered the cave, soon emerging with several bulging hide bags. They subconsciously took stock of the items, feeling that the hides and wild fruits seemed slightly fewer than yesterday, but they didn't think much of it. After all, Li Yue had often acted erratically and thrown things away; perhaps she had simply tossed some aside last night.

Lan Xi walked over to the wooden barrel, gave his fish tail a gentle flick, and curled it around the small clay pot of salt, placing it into one of the hide bags.

With everything ready, the beast-husbands exchanged glances and transformed into their beast forms simultaneously.

You Lie turned into a giant, silvery-white snake, his scales shimmering coldly in the sunlight; his coiled body was thicker than a water barrel, a sight that made one shudder. Si Qi transformed into a pristine white crane with a wingspan of two meters; his feathers were as white as snow, his beak tipped with pale gold, looking as noble as a divine bird descended from the clouds. Chi Yu’s red fox form was particularly eye-catching, his red fur glowing like a burning flame, his tail as fluffy as a giant velvet flower. Jin Ye’s lion form was the most powerful, a size larger than an ordinary lion, his black mane looking exceptionally majestic. Lan Xi remained in his mermaid form, the wound on his tail now scabbed over, glowing with a faint pink hue in the sun.

Li Yue looked at the diverse beast forms before her, unable to help but marvel inwardly. They were truly the males of the beast world; even their beast forms were so magnificent.

Jin Ye walked over to Li Yue and bowed slightly, signaling for her to climb on. Although his mane looked coarse, it felt surprisingly soft against her fingertips and was not prickly at all.

Li Yue took a deep breath, cautiously climbed onto Jin Ye’s back, and gripped his mane tightly with both hands.

"Hold on tight," Jin Ye said.

As soon as Li Yue nodded, Jin Ye started to run toward the Black Forest.

You Lie led the way, the crane circled in the sky on guard, the red fox darted nimbly through the woods, occasionally snatching up wild fruits to toss into a hide bag, while Lan Xi stayed inside a large wooden barrel filled with water, which You Lie carried by wrapping his tail around it.

The moment Jin Ye began to run, Li Yue felt a jolt. She subconsciously pressed her body closer, clutching the mane behind his neck with all her might.

Jin Ye’s stride faltered almost imperceptibly before returning to normal, though there was a hint of stiffness in his pace that even he didn't notice. The female’s body was pressed extremely close, the soft sensation feeling like a warm cloud gently covering his back. Her breath carried a faint, fresh fragrance, and occasionally, strands of her slightly curled purple hair brushed against his neck, making his heart tingle with an itchy sensation. This feeling was so foreign that it left him somewhat at a loss.

Although Jin Ye did not try to jolt her on purpose, this was the first time—whether for the original host or for Li Yue herself—that she had sat on the back of a running lion. She struggled to stabilize herself, but as Jin Ye picked up speed, her arms began to ache.

She bit her lower lip and buried her face in Jin Ye’s mane. She knew that a female without a beast form had very poor stamina, but she hadn't expected to be this weak; she was barely hanging on just by lying on the male’s back. Several times, when they hit a bump, she nearly fell off, gritting her teeth and clinging to his mane to stay on.

By the time the sun reached its zenith, the beast-husbands arrived at a small river and decided to rest.

As soon as Jin Ye stopped, Li Yue slid off his back using both hands and feet. Upon landing, she couldn't steady herself, stumbling to lean against a nearby tree trunk, her face pale. She shook her numb arms and sat down at the base of the tree to rest.

"Phew..." She exhaled a long breath and looked up, only to meet Jin Ye’s complex gaze.

Just as she was about to ask him what was wrong, Jin Ye pulled a whip from a hide bag and shoved it into her hand.

"Go ahead and hit me," he said, kneeling down before her.