64: Crazy Beast King Palm Pet 4

No one had ever dared to call him by his name.

Lie Xiao stiffened, his gaze meeting a pair of clear eyes.

Wen Ci was still seated on the treasure table, her position not having shifted an inch. A few drops of startling wolf blood splattered on her skirt, like red plum blossoms blooming in the snow.

But she didn't scream, didn't faint, and didn't even show the slightest hint of fear or disgust.

Her gaze, gentle and focused, rested on him.

Lie Xiao's heart sank abruptly, as if plummeting into an abyss of ice.

What was he seeing?

She… wasn't afraid of him?

Amidst the terrified and incredulous gazes of all the beastmen warriors, Wen Ci gradually rose and walked towards Lie Xiao.

In his daze, Lie Xiao felt a fair, slender hand, carrying human warmth, gently and unexpectedly caress his arm, which was spattered with wolf blood, taut with muscle, and even trembling slightly.

The sensation was so clear, so warm, like a sudden beam of light in the darkness.

Lie Xiao's entire body stiffened violently! As if struck by the most powerful petrification spell, his blood seemed to freeze at that moment!

He lowered his head, incredulous and stiff.

Wen Ci had leaned slightly forward at some point. She didn't mind the sticky bloodstains on his arm, but instead used her fingertips to very gently, stroke by stroke, comb through the steel-needle-like black fur on his arm, which was bristling and somewhat disheveled from his recent burst of power.

Her actions carried a strange, soothing power, calm and firm.

At the same time, an extremely soft, gentle hum, like a dream whisper, flowed from her lips—tuneless, yet carrying an indescribable tranquility and acceptance, like moonlight spilling onto a violent sea.

“I am here,” her voice was as light as a feather's brush, “I will always be with you.”

That gentle touch and hum, like a warm current imbued with magic, instantly pierced through his iron-hard skin, through the thick, brutal, and ferocious barrier, striking precisely at the coldest, most chaotic, and self-loathing wasteland deep within his heart.

Lie Xiao's pupils constricted to pinpricks! His heart felt as if an invisible giant hand had fiercely squeezed it, then suddenly released it, causing it to pound violently and uncontrollably!

She… wasn't afraid?

She… wasn't disgusted?

She… was… comforting him?!

This realization exploded in his mind like a clap of thunder! It was hundreds, thousands of times more impactful than killing the Rift-Toothed Wolf just now!

All his apprehension, all his self-negation, all his brutality, seemed so ridiculous, so… vulnerable, in the face of her gentle touch and hum.

He suddenly lifted his head, his golden vertical pupils locking onto Wen Ci's face, which was so close. Her clear eyes reflected his blood-stained, demon-like image, yet still… showed no fear, no disgust.

Only a gentle lake, seemingly capable of embracing everything.

An indescribable torrent of immense shock, bewildered helplessness, and a nearly greedy longing he hadn't even recognized himself, surged and roared like volcanic magma in his chest!

His Adam's apple bobbed violently. His voice felt as dry as rubbing sand, carrying a barely perceptible tremor he hadn't even realized, almost instinctively, with an interrogation from the depths of his soul, he blurted out,

“…You… aren’t afraid of me?”

“Afraid?” Wen Ci raised her eyes, her clear gaze meeting the lingering brutality and hidden unease in his eyes. Her voice, soft yet clear, pierced through the silence, “Afraid of what? Afraid of you protecting me?”

Lie Xiao’s breathing hitched abruptly.

Protection? She interpreted his instinctive, anger- and destruction-laden slaughter just now… as protection?

This realization struck his chaotic thoughts like a bolt of lightning.

No one ever… no one! They only feared his uncontrolled power, dreaded his brutal methods, and saw him as an uncontrollable disaster.

Protection? What an absurd and… heart-stirring word.

The churning self-loathing and apprehension in his heart, under the gaze of those calm eyes and that gentle touch, miraculously began to melt away.

In its place was a deeper, stranger stir, quietly entwining around his heart like a vine.

That night.

Deep within the enormous royal tent, the floor covered with animal hides was soft and warm.

Only a few dim animal fat lamps lit the tent, casting a hazy light.

Lie Xiao's tall figure sat on the floor, which was covered with thick fur rugs, his body slightly leaning forward, with an imperceptible tension.

He unusually maintained his exquisitely handsome human form, no longer the half-beast with bulging muscles, covered in fur, and full of primal wildness. Instead, he was a strikingly handsome man with nearly perfect proportions, deeply sculpted features like they were carved by a knife and axe, and full of power. Yet, the lingering malevolence in his brow and the occasional golden glint in his eyes still revealed his non-human essence and dangerous soul.

Wen Ci, holding a basin of warm water with a faint herbal fragrance, knelt before him.

She wrung out a soft cloth and gently wiped his exposed, clearly defined shoulders and back, where dried, darkened bloodstains from earlier still lingered.

As the warm, damp sensation spread, Lie Xiao's body trembled almost imperceptibly.

He was accustomed to coldness, fighting, blood, and pain, but this pure, purposeless tenderness felt strange and… disorienting.

He could even clearly feel the gentle pressure of her fingertips through the cloth, like a feather brushing his heart.

Wen Ci's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, and her movements paused for a moment. She smelled the scent on him, a mixture of blood, sweat, and a certain wild animal musk. Though faint, it was clear at such close proximity.

This subtle change did not escape Lie Xiao's keen senses.

He turned his head almost immediately, his golden pupils flickering with nervous light in the dimness, his voice carrying a hint of urgency and… shyness he hadn't even noticed himself:

“…Is it… that I smell too bad?”

He remembered that humans seemed to dislike their scent.

After asking this, his ears imperceptibly flushed. This feeling was too strange; he was actually… embarrassed about his own scent? This was even more uncomfortable than being slashed by a knife!

Wen Ci saw the fleeting awkwardness in his eyes, and her heart felt as if something had gently bumped it.

This beast king, powerful enough to inspire dread and infamous, now resembled a large boy worried about being disliked. Her lips curved into a gentle arc, genuine laughter rippling in her eyes, her voice as soft as a sigh:

“No. It’s just a bit of blood and dust. It’ll be fine after a wash.”

This was the truth; she liked his scent, it was a captivating fragrance to her, not a bad smell.

She re-immersed the cloth in the warm water, causing ripples. Then, she looked up, her gaze meeting his inquiring and somewhat bewildered golden eyes with frankness, her tone as natural as if stating the most ordinary thing:

“Let me help you wash.”

Boom—!

This sentence was like a giant stone thrown into a calm lake, stirring up monstrous waves in Lie Xiao’s mind!

Let me help you wash.

Five words, clear and gentle, yet carrying an earth-shattering power.

Help him… bathe?

Lie Xiao froze completely, his pupils slightly widening in shock.