Engagement Annulled? Now The Husbands Kneel and Beg for Her Favor

The door opened, and Jiang Qingli entered the hospital room.

As if sensing her presence, the young man on the bed twitched his fingers, his tightly shut eyelids fluttering.

The instruments restraining him retracted, and he unconsciously reached forward, grasping the girl’s slender, warm fingers.

As if by instinct, his long, calloused fingers slipped between hers, locking tight and refusing to let go.

His grip was so tight his knuckles turned white, but Jiang Qingli didn’t even frown, simply stroking Qin Muye’s face with her other hand.

She gave a small smile, closed her eyes, and slowly pressed her forehead to his, entering his Spiritual Domain.

After a few seconds of darkness, the sound of a torrential downpour grew steadily clearer.

Heavy rain hammered down, splashing up murky mud and masking the young man’s faint breathing.

It took Jiang Qingli a moment to realize that Qin Muye was lying down.

He seemed to be severely injured, struggling even to walk. He could only suppress his breathing, hiding his presence in the overgrown grass.

Suddenly, the faint sound of flapping wings grew closer.

Before Jiang Qingli could react, Qin Muye suddenly rolled hard to the right, dodging a surprise attack from the sharp beak of an avian Mutant Beast.

The Mutant Beast stood over a meter tall, its feathers pitch-black. As it flapped its wings, the surrounding raindrops froze in mid-air, all aimed at Qin Muye.

High Level Mutant Beasts could wield Superpowers; this had to be a B Level or higher Water Element Mutant Beast.

Jiang Qingli’s heart leaped into her throat.

This type of avian Mutant Beast was typically gregarious. Seeing one meant the rest of its flock was nearby. If he were to use a Superpower, he would very likely be discovered and swarmed.

Qin Muye must have already realized this, for he didn’t move a muscle.

The Mutant Beast fluttered its wings and retreated several meters, its blood-red eyes locked onto Qin Muye.

Qin Muye pushed himself into a sitting position, his hand resting on the hilt of a weapon at his lower back as he held his breath and focused.

Tempered by countless battles, the young man’s aura was no longer just domineering; it now possessed a deep-seated calm, a sign of his absolute mastery over his power.

The raindrops transformed into sharp projectiles, flying forward as the low-humming Mutant Beast charged.

Qin Muye braced himself against the assault of raindrops. Then, as the Mutant Beast lunged with its beak, he seized the opportunity and grabbed its long, slender neck.

With a flash of cold steel, the bird was cleanly sliced in two.

Qin Muye stabbed it a few more times for good measure, then suddenly frowned.

The sound of frantic wingbeats echoed again. Qin Muye tsked and, without even looking, hurled his dagger behind him.

”It’s me, it’s me!”

A young man’s hushed voice came from behind him.

As Qin Muye turned his head, Jiang Qingli saw a red-haired young man hurrying toward them, a pair of fiery wings spread wide behind him.

He caught the dagger and tossed it back to Qin Muye. ”You nearly scraped off my meticulously groomed feathers!”

Qin Muye said, ”My hand slipped.”

But with not a trace of guilt on his face, it was obviously intentional.

Que Feiling said, slightly miffed, ”I already told you I grabbed your hair yesterday because I mistook it for a weed! It was only a few strands. Do you really have to be so petty?”

Qin Muye replied languidly, ”And I already told you, my hand slipped.”

Que Feiling was so mad he nearly fell out of the sky.

Jiang Qingli couldn’t help but smile.

’These two really are archenemies. They can’t exchange two words without starting a fight, and they bicker like a couple of kids...’

Annoyed as he was, Que Feiling got back to business. ”I’ve already sent the other three back; they’re getting medical treatment. Where did you get hit when you shielded them? I brought some basic styptics. We can apply them on the move. It’s getting dark. The Black-winged Birds gather to hunt at night, so we’ll have to walk back.”

As he spoke, he took something out and tossed it over.

Qin Muye caught it, gave himself two injections, then sheathed his dagger and started walking.

Not long ago, he had shielded three teammates from an A Level Mutant Beast’s attack. Now, his steps were unsteady, and he had to lean against the trees for support as he walked.

Que Feiling walked ahead to clear a path, grabbing a few large leaves and placing them on his head, looking quite tense.

Qin Muye frowned. ”What now?”

”What do you know?” Que Feiling said glumly. ”The rain in this place is corrosive. I have to cover up. Can’t let it make me go bald, the female master wouldn’t like it...”

Qin Muye: ”...”

He strode forward, snatched the leaves off Que Feiling’s head, and roared, ”I fucking knew it! You damn bird, you still haven’t given up on being the other man!”

”None of your business!” A flash of guilt crossed Que Feiling’s face, but it was quickly overshadowed by panic over his potential baldness. He grabbed another handful of leaves to cover his head, retorting defiantly, ”Besides, according to the ranking, I’m the Sixth, and you’re the third.”

Qin Muye’s wounds hadn’t fully healed, and hearing this made him so angry they started bleeding faster. ”You! Shut your damn mouth!”

”You’re the one who should shut up!” Que Feiling’s eyes widened. ”I flew all the way from the base to get you. Can’t you say one nice thing? You have such a foul temper. I have no idea what the fem—what she even sees in you...”

”Hmph.”

Qin Muye snorted loudly, looking as smug as a favored imperial consort.

They walked on for a while before the sound of birds chirping echoed from the distance. A shadow passed overhead; Black-winged Birds were flying by, a hundred meters up in the sky.

The two of them were well-hidden, but they still immediately dropped into a defensive stance.

But the flock of Black-winged Birds didn’t seem to notice them, flying single-mindedly in one direction.

A great shadow passed over them, converging toward a single point in the distance.

Que Feiling stared in that direction, then froze, and was just about to head over.

Qin Muye stopped him. ”You’re going after them?”

”I heard a faint bird call. It wasn’t from the Black-winged Birds. A higher-level Mutant Beast might be controlling them.” Wings erupted from Que Feiling’s back as he pulled out a thumb-sized device and pressed it a few times. ”It’s safe here. Wait for about fifteen minutes. I’m going to check it out.”

Qin Muye disagreed. ”Don’t get yourself killed.”

”Haven’t the researchers been wondering why the beast tides are so much fiercer this year? This could be our chance.” Que Feiling tossed the device to him. ”It’s a recorder.”

With that, he shifted into his beast form.

The fiery Vermilion Bird shook its body, and its feathers instantly turned pitch-black.

He was about to fly off when he caught a glimpse of something behind Qin Muye. His pupils constricted, and he suddenly dove back, shielding the young man with his wings.

BOOM—

The sound of something heavy crashing down exploded next to his ear.

Pain.

So much pain.

It felt as if his body had been torn apart in an instant. Intense pain erupted from every inch of his being, and each breath was a fiery agony.

His vision went completely dark.

”Qin Muye—”

Jiang Qingli’s eyes snapped open. Her vision was filled with nothing but cold, sterile white.

Her hand reached out, as if trying to grasp something, but closed on empty air.

As if her nerves had yet to disengage from the scene and the searing flash of pain, Jiang Qingli gasped for breath, her body trembling slightly.

Suddenly, a hand gripped her shoulder, and she was pulled into a warm embrace.

The scent of antiseptic filled her nose, soothing her frayed nerves.

Jiang Qingli looked up, her gaze meeting Qin Muye’s gray-blue eyes.

The calloused pad of his thumb gently brushed the corner of her eye, wiping away a trace of moisture.

Qin Muye’s voice was hoarse as he spoke their first words to each other since reuniting. ”I’m not dead. What are you crying for?”