CHAPTER 27: CHAPTER 27: GOD GAVE HIM EVERYTHING BUT SENSE

The lazy figure on the rock finally moved. The six tails swayed once, lazily, as if he was too bored to even get angry. He turned his head slowly, violet hair sliding over his shoulder, and revealed a face so dazzling that even the sunlight seemed to pale in comparison.

Those fox eyes narrowed, full of contempt. His lips curled into a smirk.

"Steal?" His voice was smooth and lazy, dripping with arrogance. "What nonsense. How dare you say something like that to this young master? Do you think I would steal?"

Su Qinglan froze on the spot.

The moment she saw his face, her brain short-circuited.

Damn.

Her eyes were going to go blind.

If Hu Yan was all cold beauty with a hidden softness, then this man was the exact opposite. He was pure temptation. His beauty was sharp, seductive, and dripping with arrogance—as if he was born to sit above everyone else, as if mortals should kneel just to look at him.

He looked like sin itself. A devil carved too perfectly, who smiled while plotting how to devour a person whole.

Su Qinglan felt her throat dry. Without even realizing it, she nodded at his words.

Yes... yes... he really didn’t look like a thief...

Wait.

What was she doing?!

Her cheeks heated, but her eyes still refused to move away.

Hu Yan noticed. His face darkened instantly.

Meanwhile, Rong Ye leaned back against the rock, six tails flicking lazily, his purple-tipped ears twitching. He smirked at Hu Yan’s furious face, completely unbothered.

"Steal food? Hmph. This young master doesn’t need to lower himself to such shameless acts." He waved his peacock feather fan slowly, eyes half-lidded as though the whole world bored him.

But thought to himself, What can you even do? Who would believe your words? Me, the almighty Rong Ye, stealing food? Nonsense.

Su Qinglan almost choked on her own saliva.

He said it so shamelessly. He was the thief, yet his face didn’t even twitch while denying it.

Hu Yan’s jaw tightened. His golden eyes burned with anger, his voice like ice.

"Rong Ye," he said lowly, "don’t test my patience. I smelled your stench in the cave. You dare steal, and then deny it?"

Rong Ye only laughed, a soft, mocking sound.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about." His eyes glittered with arrogance, his smile infuriatingly smug. "Hmph. What proof do you have?"

Hu Yan’s expression turned stormy, darker than a thundercloud.

Su Qinglan gulped. She quickly stepped aside, because she could already feel the air between the tiger and the fox starting to crackle like lightning.

This wasn’t going to end peacefully

Hu Yan’s fists clenched, golden eyes locked on the fox. His body leaned forward, ready to pounce. The air grew sharp, heavy with killing intent.

Rong Ye, however, just stretched lazily, flicking his six tails like a cat bored with a toy. He smirked. "Oh? The tiger wants to fight? Come, then. This young master will humor you."

Su Qinglan’s heart jumped into her throat. She rushed a step forward...only for her foot to slip on a small rock by the grass.

"Ouch...!" She stumbled hard and fell on her knees, her hands smacking against something flat and heavy.

She looked down.

Her eyes went wide.

In her hands was a stone pan. A very familiar stone pan. The rim still had a faint shine of oil, and the smell...

The smell of her stir-fried pork!

Su Qinglan: "..."

Her lips twitched violently. Damn it. So the thief didn’t even bother hiding the evidence properly?

Hu Yan’s sharp eyes dropped instantly to her hands. His whole face went cold. "Rong Ye!"

Rong Ye froze for a fraction of a second—then shamelessness flooded his expression. He raised his chin arrogantly and muttered, "So what if I ate it?"

Both Su Qinglan and Hu Yan: "..."

Rong Ye smirked wider, his purple eyes gleaming. "It is your blessing that this master has tasted your food. Instead of gratitude, you dare accuse me? Hmph, truly ignorant."

Su Qinglan’s jaw dropped. "..." Blessing? My ass!

But before she could say anything, Rong Ye’s gaze flicked toward her. His tone turned lazy, almost mocking.

"You, fat female. Are you angry that I ate your food?"

Su Qinglan nodded on reflex. "Yes!"

The fox beastman’s eyes widened. For once, he actually looked shocked.

"...You nodded?" He stared at her as if she had just grown horns. "Shouldn’t you be happy? Don’t you realize? Females usually beg for this young master’s favor. And you..." his jaw tightened, almost insulted, "you dare nod?!"

Su Qinglan blinked at him, utterly baffled. Wait a damn minute. Fat female? Did this shiny jade-faced fox just call her fat?!

Her face darkened, but her hand still clutched the pan tightly.

Hu Yan, on the other hand, looked like he was about to tear Rong Ye’s tails out one by one.

Rong Ye’s ears twitched, the purple tips catching the sunlight as his gaze slid back to Su Qinglan. His smirk deepened, eyes half-lidded with disdain.

"What’s with that face? Don’t tell me you’re angry. Hah." He flicked his fan open with a snap, lazily fanning himself as if her existence itself was a joke. "You should be thanking me. A lowly fat female like you, having this young master eat your food... do you know how many would kneel for such an honor?"

Su Qinglan: "..."

Her veins almost popped.

But Rong Ye wasn’t done.

He tilted his head, pretending to study her seriously, then shook it with exaggerated pity. "Tsk, tsk. Heavy body, round face, clumsy hands. No wonder you guard food like treasure. If I looked like that, I’d cry every day too."

Su Qinglan almost dropped the pan just to throttle him with her bare hands.

Rong Ye, still lounging like a king, added one last dagger, voice syrupy sweet but words cruel as hell.

"Be grateful, fat female. Even if the heavens favored me with beauty, talent, and brains... I still lowered myself to taste your cooking. That’s the greatest achievement of your pitiful little life."

Su Qinglan: "..."

Su Qinglan froze.

Her jaw slowly dropped.

Then her nostrils flared.

This damn fox!

She clenched her fists until her knuckles cracked. For a moment she forgot how beautiful his jade-like face was, how those violet eyes sparkled like gemstones under the sun. In her mind, she only saw a smug bastard who deserved a good beating.

Even if he had the face of a fallen immortal... even if god himself had clearly been biased and given him beauty, charm, and an unfair number of tails... what use was it, when his mouth was this rotten?!

Su Qinglan’s inner voice screamed: God gave him everything except a good brain!

Her eye twitched violently.

She took a step forward, ready to swing the heavy stone pan still in her hand straight at his perfect head. "You...."