Surviving in the Beast World with a System

She turned her head and met the Beastman’s deep eyes. ’Well, well. You, sir, have successfully caught my attention.’

With such a handsome man before her, she... she really... She silently raised a hand to wipe away a pathetic trickle of drool, forcibly peeling her ogling eyes away from the Beastman’s well-defined chest.

Then, she adopted a serious expression once more. "Ahem. I was just thinking about how to extract the fibers from inside these plant husks."

Yuan Lang raised an eyebrow as he watched her struggle to look away, the corner of his mouth lifting into a smirk. ’She’s putting up a good front, trying to resist temptation. Looks like I’ll have to up the ante next time.’

’He glanced down at his bare torso, and then further down...’

’Never mind. That might be going too far.’

Looking at her as she wiped her mouth, Yuan Lang raised a subtle eyebrow. ’Only remembering to wipe away the drool now? A little late, don’t you think?’

’I knew you were lusting after my body all along. Heh heh!’

"Are you trying to weave cloth?"

Back at the military camp, many of the soldiers came from poor families. Their womenfolk could only go into the mountains to cut flax and weave their own cloth.

But even that cloth would be carefully packed and taken to the city to be exchanged for Silver Coins to support their households.

Many of the soldiers would speak of how their mothers, wives, and daughters stripped flax fibers by hand, working day and night just for those Silver Coins to support their families, their eyes brimming with tears as they told the stories.

Hearing this, Wu Yue’s face immediately scrunched up. Even though she had Healing Witch Power, the memory of the sharp pain from the plant husk cutting her palm was still vivid, and she had no desire to feel it again.

"Let me try."

As he spoke, Yuan Lang sat down on the stone stool beside her and meticulously began to strip the fibers, an operation that left Wu Yue completely dumbfounded.

She stared in disbelief at the tall Beastman beside her.

But soon, beads of sweat broke out on Yuan Lang’s handsome face, and his movements were no longer as smooth and composed as they had been at the start.

"Alright, alright, that’s enough. I’ll figure something out myself. Worst case, I’ll just get a few friends to help."

As she spoke, she reached over to take back the plant husks he had started working on.

Yuan Lang frowned. ’This weaving business really isn’t for me. I’d rather go fight a few rounds on the battlefield.’

But he couldn’t let her see him fail; he would lose too much face. And just like that, his proud, prickly side surfaced.

’He couldn’t bear to take it out on her, but redirecting his frustration to a measly plant husk... that should be fine, right?’

And so... as she reached for the plant husk, the cunning Beastman Warrior stealthily extended his sharp claws. There was a smooth SHREDDING sound.

The air was suddenly, terrifyingly still.

Staring at the bundle of soft plant fibers now draped over the Beastman’s thigh, Wu Yue was floored. Her eyes sparkled as she gazed at Yuan Lang.

"So you really do know how! You looked so uncomfortable just now, I thought you were bluffing."

’My bad. I actually was bluffing.’

Yuan Lang grumbled inwardly.

But in the next moment, he couldn’t suppress a smug look. "I am a General who is attentive to the people’s needs. A trivial matter like this is nothing, naturally."

Wu Yue looked at him, her face full of reverence. A moment later, she slapped her hand down hard on the Beastman’s bare arm...

Wu Yue: "..."

’Don’t ask why his arm. I couldn’t reach his shoulder...’

"You must be a great General, devoted to your country and your people."

Yuan Lang, feeling guilty, glanced up at the blue sky and coughed twice. "W-Well... of course."

Seeing that she was about to say something else, he quickly changed the subject. "I have to go work on the city wall later. Let’s use the time we have to finish stripping these fibers for you."

Wu Yue’s attention immediately returned to the task at hand. The two of them set to work, one using his claws to strip the fibers, the other organizing them to dry in the sun.

It didn’t take long to process the relatively small pile of plant husks.

"The sun’s been strong lately. They should be about... done by tomorrow, right?"

Seeing her sparkling eyes turn to him again, Yuan Lang felt a sense of dread for the first time. "I only know a part of the process. After all, I’m a General with a busy military schedule; I can’t possibly handle every little thing myself."

Wu Yue nodded solemnly. "That’s true."

Secretly wiping away a bead of sweat, Yuan Lang saw that her attention was fixed on the fibers on the drying rack. He decisively made a break for the gate.

"I’m going to go check on the city wall construction, make sure those guys aren’t slacking off."

By the time he finished speaking, he was already gone from the courtyard.

Wu Yue stared at her front gate in confusion. ’Did the sun rise in the west? He usually acts like he wants to plant roots here. Why did he run away so fast today?’