Seeing that they had returned to the shelter, Xiao Jinsheng skipped and hopped behind the four men who entered the house first.
Naturally, she didn’t notice that the man walking at the rear had a pair of orange-red eyes filled with an inscrutable expression as he gazed at her.
Xiao Jinsheng stood at the door and turned back. Due to the thick fog obscuring the view, she could barely make out Que Zelian’s blurry outline just three meters away.
She called out softly, "Hurry up and come inside. Why are you still stupidly standing at the door?"
Que Zelian sharply raised his gaze, his eyes eerie and deep. Despite the mist, he could clearly see Xiao Jinsheng’s radiant smile directed at him.
His long legs moved gracefully, his orange-red eyes filled with a predatory air.
But as he approached Xiao Jinsheng, his expression reverted to its usual refined and dignified elegance.
The blush on his face, caused by Xiao Jinsheng teasing him not long ago, still hadn’t faded.
Xiao Jinsheng enjoyed the scene, reaching out proactively to pull him into the house.
It was the second day since they arrived at Mist West, sometime around two o’clock in the afternoon.
But today, the sky dimmed even faster than yesterday.
This strange weather was puzzling to Xiao Jinsheng, though the five men with prior mission experience in Mist West seemed unbothered.
"Looks like Mist West is going to fog up these next few days," Huaiqing said.
Noticing Xiao Jinsheng’s puzzled expression, Huaiqing explained, "Mist Continent doesn’t distinguish between east and west; both areas have chances of fog. However, in Mist West, which is already shrouded in Poisonous Fog, the dangers of fog are exponentially heightened."
"At the very least, the durability of our bracelets struggles to hold out under these conditions."
"Our bracelets have a minimum durability of five thousand left. How much longer can we stay in Mist West?" Xiao Jinsheng asked curiously.
"If we encounter fog and provoke groups of Fog Corpses, five thousand durability points will last no more than three days," Huaiqing replied.
"That’s way too little for ten thousand points." Xiao Jinsheng slumped against the back of a chair in frustration.
"Then work harder on your physical training and improve your spiritual power," Yu Yunxiao added from the side.
Xiao Jinsheng blinked and hummed lightly at him, "I’m working hard! I’ve been absorbing Star Stones to enhance my physique, and I’m also brainstorming other ways to improve my spiritual power."
Having overheard, Que Zelian, who had just taken a seat, gave her an imperceptible glance.
Not only had her bonded Beast Husband hoped for her to improve her spiritual power, but Xiao Jinsheng herself seemed extremely eager to enhance it.
Since the fog posed dangers today, the six of them decided against venturing out.
Moreover, they had harvested over two hundred Star Stones earlier in the morning, so the six took turns in groups absorbing the stones.
Yesterday, Su Ye, Huaiqing, and Yu Yunxiao had each ascended by One Star.
Today, Mo Jiao and Que Zelian each ascended by One Star as well, both now at 6 Stars in strength.
Even though Mo Jiao harbored murderous intent toward her, due to the marital bond between them, Xiao Jinsheng wasn’t too alarmed by Mo Jiao’s improved capabilities.
However, Que Zelian’s enhancement had her holding a freshly squeezed glass of orange juice prepared by Huaiqing and delivering it to him. "Thirsty? Have some orange juice; this glass is sweet."
"Brown-noser." A cold sneer passed by from her side.
Xiao Jinsheng turned back to find Mo Jiao carrying dishes to the dining table.
Mo Jiao met her gaze, his eyes darkening, then smirked coldly in a provocative manner.
Xiao Jinsheng raised the orange juice and directly offered it to Que Zelian’s lips. She glared fiercely at Mo Jiao while retorting, "None of your business."
"If you’re not in a hurry to eat dinner, I am," Mo Jiao said as he approached, forcing his way past Que Zelian and Xiao Jinsheng. "Out of the way."
"He’s doing it on purpose." Xiao Jinsheng huffed in anger, pointing toward the right passage out of the kitchen.
She and Que Zelian were standing on the left side near the kitchen, closer to the living room couch.
Clearly, the right path toward the dining room was shorter, yet Mo Jiao insisted on squeezing by her.
"Murderous Intent Bro, you lose another 5 points today!" Xiao Jinsheng shouted toward Mo Jiao, who was already seated at the dining table.
"Still so sentimental, Scoring Girl," Mo Jiao replied with a mocking smile as he turned back.
Xiao Jinsheng ground her teeth in anger at him but saw Mo Jiao resting his chin in amusement, watching her rage.
At that moment, Xiao Jinsheng realized this infuriating black snake was deliberately provoking her.
The angrier she was, the happier Mo Jiao seemed.
Understanding this, Xiao Jinsheng snorted coldly, arching her brow. "Playing hard-to-get?"
"You Beastmen sure know how to lure females—I’ve seen it done plenty of times."
"Fine, I’ll admit it. Your tricks may be cheap, but they successfully caught my attention."
"Tonight, I’ll let you sleep outside my room."
"Just this once, I’ll indulge you, Mo Baby~"
Mo Jiao’s smile shattered bit by bit, his fists clenching as veins popped. He gritted his teeth furiously, "Xiao Jinsheng, don’t you feel disgusting?"
"You annoying little witch. If your goal is to anger me, congratulations, you’ve succeeded."
"Man, don’t forget your place; you’re merely my Beast Husband."
The chair scraped loudly as Mo Jiao furiously dragged it aside.
Fixing his gaze on Xiao Jinsheng’s teasing smile, he stormed upstairs to the second floor without a word: "Can’t be bothered with you."
Xiao Jinsheng wasn’t about to let him off so easily, taking half a step to the staircase and shouting, "You think you can escape?"
"As my Beast Husband, you dare try to run away? Man, who gave you the nerve?"
"I order you to come down and wash the dishes now, heard me?"
The only response Xiao Jinsheng received was the resounding slam of Mo Jiao’s door upstairs.
"Hahahahaha." Seeing Mo Jiao storm off in a rage, Xiao Jinsheng burst into laughter, hands on her hips.
"Alright, time to eat." Que Zelian, repressing his chuckles, pulled her back toward the dining table.
Yu Yunxiao, seated opposite Xiao Jinsheng, immediately waved his hands defensively when their gazes met, "Please don’t say anything like that to me—I don’t want to feel greasy to death."
"Yu Yunxiao." Xiao Jinsheng put down her chopsticks with a stern expression, lifting her chin slightly, "Do you want to play hard-to-ge—mmph."
Before she could finish her domineering line, Que Zelian gently stuffed a bite of meat into her mouth.
"Eat your food. Aren’t you hungry?" Que Zelian tilted his head and asked her warmly.
Today, Huaiqing had made sweet and sour pork using canned pineapple.
Xiao Jinsheng savored the refreshing tangy-sweet flavor, her attention diverted entirely to the food, temporarily abandoning her CEO-esque ambitions.
After the meal, Que Zelian turned his head to look at her and asked casually, "Who are you sleeping with tonight?"
"You, of course," Xiao Jinsheng replied without hesitation.
Huaiqing and Yu Yunxiao didn’t react much, but Su Ye frowned briefly while glancing at Que Zelian.
"Alright, then I’ll go set up the tent for you first," Que Zelian said nonchalantly, unsurprised by her answer.
Su Ye briefly observed Xiao Jinsheng at the dining table, sipping orange juice while humming intermittently. Clearly, her mood was good.
His golden eyes dimmed slightly before he turned to Yu Yunxiao, saying, "You’ll be on my team to guard the first half of the night."
Without waiting for any further reaction, he strode toward the doorway.
"Huh? Oh, okay." Yu Yunxiao blinked in surprise but still nodded and followed.
Xiao Jinsheng pursed her lips and watched Su Ye’s retreating figure.
Considering the shift in Su Ye’s attitude toward her, she thought of catching up to chat and strengthen their relationship. But Que Zelian had already returned, saying, "The tent’s ready. Want to go take a look now?"
"Sure." Xiao Jinsheng adjusted her steps, turning to follow Que Zelian into the room.
It was still the same room as last night, with the tent set up next to the couch. Que Zelian had again laid his clean blanket over the sofa.
Xiao Jinsheng eyed the tent, nervously wringing her fingers, but nonetheless dashed over to sit beside Que Zelian on the couch.
"Your sleeping spot is over there," Que Zelian said with a flicker of darkness in his gaze, though his smile remained gentle, pointing at the tent.
"But..." Xiao Jinsheng looked up at him pitifully, her voice trembling, as she clutched the sleeve of his shirt:
"Today’s Fog Corpse was too terrifying. I’m scared to sleep alone—I’m afraid of nightmares."