Free Web NovelChapter 90: Chapter 90: Treating Ye Ming
That night, Shi Lan lay in bed, flipping through her books again. During her treatment of He Hanshi earlier that day, she had seen the spiritual power threads in his body being devoured by the poison. She wanted to know if a Middle Level collapse value would continue to increase without any new influence from the Insect Clan.
The first book she read yielded no results. After quickly skimming some others, she decided to check the Star Network as well.
She discovered the unanimous consensus was that after getting away from the Insect Clan, low-level and Middle Level collapse values would remain unchanged without treatment.
But no one had mentioned whether it would be different for a High Level collapse value that had been lowered to a Middle Level.
Perhaps such treatment cases were virtually nonexistent, so there was no feasible reference material.
However, Beastmen with a High Level collapse were different—their collapse value would increase even when far away from the Insect Clan. Therefore, this information might not be applicable to He Hanshi’s situation.
Shi Lan estimated that for He Hanshi to recover completely, the web of poison inside him would have to be wiped out. At the current pace of treatment, however, that could take over a month.
But He Hanshi’s condition was no longer dangerous, so she began to wonder if she should switch to treating Ye Ming for a while.
One reason was to verify if the consensus on the Star Network—that a Middle Level value remains stable—applied to He Hanshi.
The second was that Ye Ming’s 70% collapse value was also very high, posing a great risk.
So, ideally, Shi Lan felt it would be better to first lower everyone’s collapse value to the Middle Level, and only then treat them completely one by one.
After all, the collapse value of Beastmen at a High Level of collapse constantly increased.
With this thought, Shi Lan firmed her resolve.
「The next day」
She shared this idea with everyone in the prison, and no one had any objections.
He Hanshi was also very much in favor. As the first Beastman Shi Lan had treated down to a Middle Level collapse, he could clearly feel the stark difference between High Level and Middle Level. Not only could he maintain his human form constantly, but the frequent pain was gone, and his mind was much clearer.
Shi Lan had been a little worried he might mind, so seeing this, she breathed a sigh of relief.
’That’s right. He Hanshi has always been a good person. How could he selfishly only think of himself?’
She smiled and walked toward prison cell three.
"Lord Ye, what do you think?"
She asked again, facing the pitch-black prison cell three.
"...Fine."
After a moment of hesitation, a slightly hoarse, clear voice came from within.
Then, the pitch-black prison cell was suddenly flooded with light.
Ye Ming had actually turned on the lights.
This scene didn’t just surprise Shi Lan; Jiang Xia, who was opposite them, also found it incredible.
The last time he had seen what prison cell three looked like was probably when he first arrived. After so long, he had almost forgotten.
Only now did he realize that the furnishings in prison cell three were basically those of a study. Bookshelves lined three walls, and even the gaps in the spiral staircase leading to the second floor were filled with books.
A sofa sat in the center of the first floor, and a large bed was placed in the corner near a bookshelf.
His eyes widened in disbelief. "Eldest Prince, you read in the dark every day?"
Ye Ming gave him a noncommittal glance. "We of the Black Panther Clan have night vision. It doesn’t affect us."
As he spoke, his gaze fell back on Shi Lan. He paused for a long moment before slowly striding toward the protective door.
The Black Panther looked quite large, but he walked with a light, silent gait. His jet-black fur gleamed as he moved, reflecting a gorgeous, oily sheen of color.
’He’s kept this coat of fur in excellent condition.’
Under the bright lights, Shi Lan didn’t feel afraid. Instead, she stared at him with great interest, sizing him up.
She had rarely seen a Black Panther with such purely black fur. Even the black panthers at the zoo had visible spots on their bodies. Ye Ming, in contrast, had fur so immaculate it looked like a wash of thick ink, with a silky sheen like sprinkled starlight. The tips of his ears even refracted a brilliant green light that complemented his own emerald-green eyes.
Ye Ming seemed to be looking straight ahead, but he was secretly observing Shi Lan’s expression from the corner of his eye.
If she showed any sign of retreat or fear, he would turn off the lights again.
Fortunately, by the time he reached the protective door, Shi Lan hadn’t moved a single step back. In fact, she had even stepped a little closer.
She seemed a bit curious, leaning her head slightly closer to the blue light screen. Her clear, almond-shaped eyes, dark and round, shone with a lively light, making it impossible to know what she was thinking.
But soon, as he drew near, the question in Shi Lan’s mind was finally answered.
She stared at his ear, seemingly finding it interesting, and asked, "Huh? Lord Ye, are you wearing an ear stud?"
Perhaps because he had never turned on the lights before and the room had been too dim, Shi Lan had never noticed the object on his right ear.
Ye Ming’s ear twitched slightly. He swallowed before replying, "Mhm."
"...Does it look strange?"
Worried that she might mind, he asked hesitantly.
Shi Lan shook her head. "No, not at all! It looks great, it really suits you. Just like your eyes, it’s dazzling."
Shi Lan said this from the heart. The ear stud by Ye Ming’s ear was simple—just a pure green gemstone the size of a red bean, crystal clear, and the same color as his eyes.
In the past, although she always felt that his green eyes in the dark made her imagine a pack of wolves hunting at night, she had never thought his eyes were ugly.
Ye Ming carefully studied her expression. When he confirmed that she genuinely liked it, he seemed encouraged, and a hint of a smile touched his eyes.
"Mhm."
In truth, he didn’t originally have the habit of wearing an ear stud.
But back on Capital Star, whenever he, as the heir, led the guards on patrol, a huge crowd of females would chase after him, clamoring to bear his cubs.
Ye Ming disliked being approached by so many people and hated such noisy environments, so he intentionally engaged in some misleading behaviors.
In fact, he was partly responsible for fueling the rumors about him on the Star Network; otherwise, they never would have spread.
Shi Lan watched him for a moment before saying, "Well, Lord Ye, are you ready? Shall we begin?"
Ye Ming nodded, deftly bracing his body against the protective door and extending a dark left paw.
When he lifted his paw, Shi Lan even saw that the pads underneath were pink.
Her eyes widened slightly. ’Who would have thought that besides his eyes, the only other different color on Ye Ming’s body was on the bottom of his paws.’
Perhaps her curiosity was piqued by that fleshy pink color, because during the treatment, Shi Lan couldn’t resist pressing his paw into her palm.
Feeling the soft, warm sensation in her palm, she got so excited her ears turned a little red.
’Whoa, this feels amazing!’
’It’s completely different from the White Lion’s paw.’
’The White Lion’s paws are thick, and touching them feels like sinking your hand into a ball of cotton. But Ye Ming’s paw is like a springy, bouncy jelly. It’s also dry and soft, with a slight firmness near the edges.’
She curiously glanced down again.
’It’s confirmed! Ye Ming’s paw pads really are pink!!’
Ye Ming had never been touched by a female before. It was his first time in contact with one, and it was the female who had captured his heart. His body couldn’t help but heat up, and his ears felt like they were being tickled by a feather, twitching restlessly.
But he didn’t dare rush Shi Lan. In fact, he found it strangely comfortable. freewēbnoveℓ.com
’So this is what a female’s hand feels like. Is it always this soft?’
He sighed inwardly. But Shi Lan was oblivious to his inner thoughts. After all, she wasn’t that close to Ye Ming, so she didn’t dare to be too bold. She had only indulged her curiosity for a moment, and once she confirmed that his paw pads were indeed pink, she reluctantly began the official treatment, feeling like she hadn’t had nearly enough.
