Free Web NovelChapter 161: Chapter 161: An Irritable Male in His Susceptible Period
He Hanshi wanted to give her a gift, and Shi Lan was very much looking forward to it.
However, she didn’t expect that she still hadn’t received the gift after two or three days. During this time, she unexpectedly received another gift, this one from Yan Huoshui. He had probably asked Mu Tangfeng for their address, and the package was delivered directly to their home.
The only reason she knew who the gift was from was because there was a note inside. It had a few caring words telling her to take care of herself and was signed by Yan Huoshui.
Shi Lan put the note away and opened the gift to find some Red Crystals. She asked Yan Huoshui in surprise, "Why did you suddenly send these?"
Yan Huoshui quickly replied, "I heard it gets quite cold on Yaoxing during the winter, so I sent you some Red Crystals to keep warm. If it’s not enough, just let me know."
Shi Lan had some recollection of Red Crystals. They were a special kind of ore from Red Flame Star, where she had stopped over before. At the time, he had suggested that she could buy one or two to warm herself if she had the chance.
At first, Shi Lan had thought the effects of this Energy Stone were exaggerated, but she discovered it was actually incredibly useful. If she placed one in her bed at night, even if she only slept with a thin blanket in winter, her entire body would stay toasty warm. Even her feet, which were usually the first to get cold, would be warm and dry when she woke up.
Shi Lan immediately fell in love with Red Crystal Stones. This time, Yan Huoshui had sent dozens of them in a special energy-storing box. Worried she might run out, she considered stocking up on more in her Space Bag and decided to look up the price online. She found that a single Red Crystal the size of a baby’s fist cost over a hundred thousand Star Coins, and that the price increased for larger, more translucent Energy Stones.
Shi Lan compared the crystals Yan Huoshui had sent to the ones online and estimated that each one was worth at least 500,000 Star Coins. After all, every Energy Stone he sent was pure in color, beautiful to look at, and even bigger than her own fist.
She counted them carefully. Sixty. That added up to over thirty million. He was outrageously rich.
Shi Lan couldn’t help but ask, "Isn’t this a bit too valuable?"
Yan Huoshui quickly replied, "Lanlan is worth it. Besides, they’re just little stones. Their true value is only realized when they make Lanlan happy and feel useful."
"Oh, right. I’ll let you in on a little secret. I actually got these Energy Stones by robbing a mining merchant back in the day. He’d bought the mining rights to Red Flame Star, so they were basically free~"
Reading these words, Shi Lan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
She knew Yan Huoshui used to be an interstellar pirate, but she never imagined there was a story like this behind these Energy Stones.
But even if they were free for him, people would still be willing to pay a high price for these Energy Stones if he sold them, so they were still fundamentally very valuable items.
But she could tell that Yan Huoshui was just saying all this to make her feel at ease about accepting them.
Shi Lan stopped being polite and trying to refuse; pushing it further would just seem distant.
She accepted them without any more fuss. "Well then, thank you, my outrageously rich big boss! I’ll be sure to cling to your thigh!"
Far away on the Capital Star, Yan Huoshui, who was in the middle of a male training class, found the fake smile on his face becoming much more genuine.
Just then, a student doing a weighted wall-climbing exercise slipped and fell. The student’s heart clenched, expecting to be assigned twenty laps of weighted running and harshly criticized, just like the classmates who had made the same mistake before. But this time, Teacher Yan only gave him a passing glance, adjusted the glasses on his face, and pointed out his shortcoming concisely. "Your lower body’s center of gravity is unstable. Focus more on balance training. I want to see results by the next training session."
Yan Huoshui mostly taught combat instruction classes, which mainly focused on methods for fighting the Insect Clan and team practice drills. Physical training classes like this were usually only once a week.
Although he hadn’t said much and his tone was still cold and severe, compared to before, the student still felt a warmth as gentle as a spring breeze.
He secretly let out a sigh of relief and nodded, taking the instruction to heart.
But thinking about how Teacher Yan’s expression had softened considerably while he was looking at his chip and sending a message, the student couldn’t help but wonder who the mystery person on the other end was.
In truth, part of the reason he’d slipped was because he’d been distracted by sneaking glances at him. Of course, he wouldn’t dare mention that.
Yan Huoshui paid the student no more mind. He glanced at his chip again, and just by looking at Shi Lan’s message, the corners of his mouth uncontrollably curled up. Beneath his glasses, his deep, brilliant red eyes revealed a galaxy of doting affection.
—
Jiang Xia’s rut period was still ongoing. During this time, Mu Tangfeng was the one who brought him his meals. However, on the afternoon of the fifth day, Jiang Xia took advantage of a moment of inattention, transformed into his beast form, and darted right past him.
Both of their Spiritual Power Levels were double S, so Mu Tangfeng couldn’t stop him in time.
By the time he realized Jiang Xia had escaped, he rushed downstairs only to find the Pallas’s cat plastered all over Shi Lan.
He had actually jumped directly onto Shi Lan’s lap and was writhing on her legs like a twisted snake, constantly pawing at her hands, trying to get her to pet him.
He shamelessly murmured in a syrupy, lover-like whisper, "Lanlan, I feel so awful. My body is all hot and swollen... P-Pet me, okay? If you pet me, I’ll feel a little better..."
Shi Lan had been sitting at the dining table waiting for Mu Tangfeng to eat with her. Now, her hand was frozen in mid-air, held there by Jiang Xia’s furry paws, unsure whether she should actually go along with his request and pet him.
She had read on the Star Network that a female’s simple, soothing touch could have some effect on a male in his rut period, but it could also be like drinking poison to quench a thirst.
Shi Lan didn’t dare to make a rash move.
Just then, Mu Tangfeng came downstairs with a dark expression. He stared menacingly at Jiang Xia on Shi Lan’s lap, and as he heard the words tumbling from his mouth, his brow twitched. ’That shameless bastard,’ he thought.
Meanwhile, Jiang Xia, deep in his rut, seemed to sense the presence of another male. The Pallas’s cat who had just been begging for pets instantly bristled, its fur standing on end. It jumped to the side of Shi Lan’s legs, glaring viciously at the approaching Mu Tangfeng as if guarding its most precious treasure, refusing to let him get any closer.
Mu Tangfeng paid his antics no mind; he just wanted to lock him back in his room as quickly as possible. But when Jiang Xia saw him getting closer and closer to Shi Lan, he ground his teeth and actually leaped to attack him. This attack was far more vicious than the neck-wringing incident from before.
Mu Tangfeng dodged just in time, but Jiang Xia quickly pounced again, looking determined to tear a chunk of flesh off him.
At first, Mu Tangfeng had just assumed Jiang Xia’s mind was muddled from the rut period, but seeing him genuinely go for the kill, his dismissive attitude grew a little more serious.
And so, a bird and a Pallas’s cat began chasing each other and fighting in Shi Lan’s room, though they were still considerate enough not to damage any of the furniture.
Shi Lan never expected things would escalate to this point over a simple meal. She quickly activated her Wood Ability; by now, she could control three plants at once.
And soon enough, weeds from outside shot up at a startling speed, snaking through the cracks in the room to bind the two of them tightly from the left and right, bringing the fight to an abrupt halt.
Mu Tangfeng struggled against the bindings, though he didn’t dare use much force. He just stared at Shi Lan in astonishment.
He could feel the aura of Shi Lan’s spiritual power on the plants. Perhaps because they had formed a Spiritual Connection, his perception of her spiritual power aura had become much sharper.
But he hadn’t expected that besides her mushroom spirit body, Shi Lan also had this... grass?
Mu Tangfeng had never seen a situation like this before, so he mistakenly assumed this was another one of Shi Lan’s spirit bodies.
Jiang Xia, on the other hand, immediately became as docile as a lamb the moment he sensed Shi Lan’s aura. He retracted all of his aggression, and the furious rage in his eyes slowly subsided.
