Just as Su Qinglan was groaning into her hands, still mortified over her "mating breakthrough," a cheerful, overly familiar voice suddenly echoed in her mind.
"Congratulations, Host! You have successfully unlocked the proper way to cultivate your ability!"
Su Qinglan froze. Her entire face darkened.
"...Xuyu." Her voice was low and dangerous. "Don’t. Tell. Me. You. Knew."
The system went completely silent.
Su Qinglan’s eyebrow twitched. "You knew, didn’t you?"
In her mind, Xuyu could almost be seen sweating in his little digital space. For a second, he considered pretending to crash again. But then he puffed himself up like a brave soldier about to face execution.
"O-of course not, Host!" he said quickly, voice trembling slightly. "Xuyu absolutely did not know beforehand!"
"Really?" she said, her tone deadly flat. "Are you sure? Because this feels exactly like something you would set up just to watch me suffer!"
"No, no, no! Host, please believe Xuyu! This discovery had to be made naturally! It is part of your... ah... growth journey!"
Her eye twitched again. "Naturally? You call that natural?!"
Xuyu coughed nervously in her head. "I-I mean... if Xuyu had told you earlier, you might have refused to form such a deep, ah, bond with your partner. Then how would you have advanced, hmm?"
She gasped, outraged. "So you did know!"
"No! Absolutely not! Xuyu is innocent! Totally innocent!" he cried quickly. "Xuyu doesn’t have access to such personal data! Some things must be discovered by the host herself!"
Su Qinglan folded her arms and muttered darkly, "You sound way too confident for someone who’s lying through their teeth."
"Confidence is key to professionalism, Host," Xuyu replied proudly, trying to sound wise.
Su Qinglan sighed, rubbing her temple. "Fine, whatever. Just tell me one thing... what kind of ridiculous cultivation method is this? If I didn’t have a mate, how was I supposed to advance my ability?!"
There was a pause. Then, Xuyu’s voice turned oddly matter-of-fact.
"Ah, that’s because in the beast world, females don’t have beast cores, Host."
She blinked. "What?"
"Yes! Only beastmen have cores. That’s why they can cultivate, transform into beasts, and fight better. Females, on the other hand, can’t form cores naturally."
Su Qinglan frowned. "Then how do we grow stronger?"
"Through bonding with your mate, of course!"
Her eye twitched again. "...You mean mating."
"Eheh... well, yes. That’s the polite term, Host."
She groaned, "Unbelievable. So basically, I can only level up through mating with my beast husbands?! How is that fair?!"
"Host, you see, this cultivation method is actually very efficient! You don’t need to go out fighting monsters, breaking your bones, or starving yourself in caves! You just need to... ahem... grab your handsome husband and... ta-da!... instant level up!"
Su Qinglan stared at the cave ceiling, expression blank. "You sound disturbingly excited about this."
"Excited? Of course, Host! It’s a win-win! You gain strength, your partner gains satisfaction, and the universe maintains balance!"
She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Xuyu, your idea sounds really shady."
"Hey, hey! It’s not shady! Think about it logically! Other people work hard for years to get a small power boost, and you just need a few rounds with your beast husband. It’s practically divine efficiency!"
Su Qinglan choked. "A few rounds?! Do you have any idea what those ’few rounds’ cost me last night?! I couldn’t even sit properly this morning!"
"Host, great power always comes with great soreness."
"..."
"Besides, imagine it! Each time you ’bond,’ your ability will bloom stronger, your plants will grow faster, your healing will improve, and your husband will be very... very motivated to help your progress!"


VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Clumsy Beast, Keep Your Paws Off