Cang Zhuonian had been holding it in the entire journey. The moment he entered the temporary residence Wu Zhengming had arranged for them, he could not wait any longer and blurted out, “Mistress, why did you come here?”
Yunyang walked all the way to the sofa in the living room and sat down before signaling for Xuan Yu to explain the reason to Cang Zhuonian.
Xuan Yu first poured her a glass of warm water, then said, “The Mistress is going to Bug Star to help.”
Cang Zhuonian’s gaze tightened.
The Mistress was really going to Bug Star?!
“Mistress, do you really have to go?” Cang Zhuonian asked worriedly. “Bug Star is even more dangerous than the Frontier Star, and there’s also the Bug Mother…”
The Bug Mother’s abilities were not limited to laying eggs.
In terms of offensive power, the Bug Mother was in no way inferior to a ninth-level bug, and might even be stronger than one.
If classified by level, the Bug Mother was at least level ten—equivalent to an ultra-SSS-rank esper in the Federation.
Cang Zhuonian knew his own limits. Even he and his eight rivals combined might not necessarily be a match for the Bug Mother, to say nothing of the countless bugs stationed on Bug Star.
“I have to go.” Yunyang nodded.
Only by going to Bug Star and helping the Federation’s army deal with the bugs would she be in a position to ask the Empress for what she wanted.
Cang Zhuonian stopped trying to dissuade her.
He should have known.
Since the Mistress had already appeared on T05 Star, and was there together with the Empress, there was no room for turning back now.
He crouched down in front of Yunyang and gently took her hand.
“Mistress, I’ll protect you no matter what. Once we reach Bug Star, please don’t leave the range of my ability, all right?”
Although he was an ultra-SSS-rank esper, there was a limit to the range of his ability. The more people he covered at the same time, the smaller that range became.
But until the moment he died, he would not let a single bug break through his defenses and hurt his Mistress.
The other beast husbands had already said similar things aboard the starship, but Yunyang still patiently agreed. “All right. I promise I won’t leave the range of your ability.”
She thought her beast husbands were being a little too nervous.
In fact, she valued her life much more than they imagined.
If she were not absolutely certain that she could retreat unscathed in the face of danger, she would never have volunteered to go to Bug Star to help.
But her beast husbands were only nervous because they cared too much about her. As long as it did not cause any trouble, she could let them worry a little.
Only after receiving her promise did Cang Zhuonian feel slightly reassured.
He stood up and asked proactively, “Mistress, is there anything you’d like to eat tonight? I’ll cook!”
“No need to trouble yourself. Rong Jin made a lot of food last night.”
They would be setting out for Bug Star tomorrow night. Yunyang had decided that, for the next two days, she would not let any of her beast husbands cook. They would simply eat what Rong Jin had prepared.
Rong Jin, who had been mentioned by name, swished the tip of his large tail into view. After casting Cang Zhuonian a smug glance, he squeezed onto the sofa beside Yunyang.
“Mistress, you’ve been sitting on the starship all day. How about I give you a massage and help you relax?”
Pei Wenye, who had just managed to claim the spot on Yunyang’s right, immediately put him down. “Mistress, Rong Jin’s massage skills aren’t very good. Let me do it instead.”
“You can both massage me.”
Yunyang had no intention of answering such a ridiculous either-or question. With so many beast husbands, of course she wanted all of them!
And so, out of her seven beast husbands, two massaged her shoulders, two massaged her legs, two rubbed her waist, and one fed her fruit.
Cang Zhuonian was one of the two rubbing her waist.
Yunyang had spent the previous stretch of time helping out in the Purification Tower, so she had been forced to stop exercising. Although she still had visible abs, the flesh around her waist was clearly less firm than before.
As Cang Zhuonian kneaded her slightly firm waist, the thoughts in his head gradually began slipping out of control.
He had been the Mistress’s beast husband for quite some time, yet he had only joined with her through their mental forms once. He had not even been marked by her before they were separated for so many days.
Now that he was finally reunited with the person he had missed every night, it was hardly his fault that his mind was filled with improper thoughts.
Cang Zhuonian swallowed, lowered his head, and said in a low voice, “Mistress, my contamination level has risen quite a lot again these past few days.”
“Is it very high?” Yunyang quickly swallowed the melon in her mouth and turned to look at Fu Shiyi.
Fu Shiyi saw through Cang Zhuonian’s little scheme at a glance.
Whenever he wanted to get intimate with the Mistress, his eyes looked exactly like Cang Zhuonian’s did now.
But Cang Zhuonian’s ability would be the most useful for protecting the Mistress when they went to Bug Star. If his contamination level spiraled out of control, it would instead put her in danger.
So he answered honestly, “Mistress, Cang Zhuonian’s contamination level is currently eighty-six.”
“How did it get so high?”
Only after asking did Yunyang remember that Cang Zhuonian and the other two beast husbands had returned to their base nearly half a month ago.
During that time, they must have been fighting bugs constantly, so naturally their contamination levels had risen quickly.
The little Qilin’s contamination level was high, and the Tiger Cub’s and little fox’s probably weren’t much better.
Once she had figured that out, Yunyang straightened her posture before Cang Zhuonian could say anything.
“Cang Zhuonian, open your mental landscape. I’ll purify you.”
What Cang Zhuonian wanted was naturally not this kind of purification, but he did not refuse Yunyang. He cooperatively opened his mental landscape.
The white clouds inside had once again been dyed gray.
Yunyang had not used any of her mental energy that day, so she immediately used eighty percent of it to help Cang Zhuonian lower his contamination level to forty-seven.
Since his contamination level had not exceeded ninety, purifying him was much easier than before.
Seeing that Yunyang had already withdrawn her mental energy, Chen Yueli, who had just finished pounding her legs, immediately spoke up. “Mistress, do you want to recover your mental energy first?”
Of the three rivals from the Frontier Star, he was the only one who had yet to be chosen this round.
Yunyang did indeed need to recover her mental energy.
Ever since she had gone to T01 Star to help, she had developed the habit of keeping her mental energy at its peak whenever she was on the Frontier Star.
She also understood that the Little Black Leopard was trying to seize an opportunity.
Yunyang opened her mouth, but before she could speak, she met Cang Zhuonian’s pitiful gaze.
“Mistress, I hurt my back fighting the bugs yesterday. It suddenly started hurting badly just now. Could you help me apply some medicine?”
Chen Yueli wanted to seize an opportunity. Did Cang Zhuonian not want one too?
He was the only beast husband who had not yet been marked by the Mistress.
Thinking about how Yunyang had ignored him at the military port, Cang Zhuonian decided that, no matter what, he had to seize his chance tonight.
He refused to become a beast husband who had fallen out of favor!
“You’re injured?” Chen Yueli’s clone appeared directly behind Cang Zhuonian. “Come here. Let me take a look.”
Cang Zhuonian: “…”
Did having the ability to make clones make him so impressive?
He did not know what to say, so he could only continue looking pitifully at Yunyang, while making sure to keep showing off his abdominal muscles.
Yunyang silently swallowed.
Why did it feel as though the little Qilin’s abs looked even better after not seeing him for half a month?
She was not a Mistress who insisted on absolute fairness. She nodded at Cang Zhuonian. “Come on. I’ll apply the medicine for you.”
Cang Zhuonian’s eyes lit up. He immediately stood and swept her into his arms.
Chen Yueli could only withdraw his clone, but he was not overly jealous of Cang Zhuonian.
After all, he had been by the Mistress’s side throughout the past half month, while Cang Zhuonian had not.
He would reluctantly let Cang Zhuonian have this chance.
The other beast husbands thought more or less the same thing as Chen Yueli. They watched as Cang Zhuonian carried Yunyang into the room.
The moment the door closed, Cang Zhuonian’s kiss landed on Yunyang’s lips, urgent and impatient.
“Female master, my contamination level is still so high. Will you help purify me?”
