The system sensed her hesitation and quickly reassured her. "Host, don't worry. I will help you. As a beginner, you also receive a starter gift pack containing some items you really need right now."
As the words faded, a large gift box appeared before Su Xiyue.
She reached out and tapped it open, and three items dropped out: shampoo, body wash, and facial cleanser.
Seeing these, she couldn't help but feel a surge of temptation. These were exactly what she needed most at the moment.
Especially the shampoo — her hair was greasy, and plain water just couldn't clean it.
Su Xiyue looked at the three items, her internal balance slowly tipping.
The system noticed her wavering and pressed on, "Host, for every level of favorability you raise, you'll receive generous rewards. These rewards won't just help you survive better in this world—they can even help you become more beautiful, lose weight, and improve your strength. Think about it: with these tools, will you still have to worry about fierce beasts or supernatural forces?"
At the mention of becoming more beautiful and living better, Su Xiyue's heart jumped violently.
She glanced at her reflection in the river—ugly beyond words—and a powerful yearning surged within her.
Who could stand to be this hideous? Even if she wasn't obsessed with looks, she simply couldn't bear it.
She looked worse than the zombies from her previous life.
After hesitating for a long moment, she gritted her teeth. "Fine. For the sake of the starter gift pack, I'll give it a try. Is there any time limit? Or a penalty if I fail, like an electric shock or something?"
If there was a punishment, she definitely wouldn't accept.
The system quickly responded, "Don't worry, Host. There's no time limit on the tasks—you can take it slow. And we're quite humane; there are no punishments for failure."
"That's good."
Su Xiyue nodded in satisfaction and stopped arguing with the system.
She turned her full attention to washing her hair.
Her hair was filthy beyond normal; foam vanished as soon as she worked it in, forcing her to squeeze more shampoo painfully.
What if she ran out and couldn't buy more?
She washed again and again, scrubbing three or four times before her hair finally felt clean.
The river's surface was now covered in a slick black oil, with unknown leaves floating atop. Even the surrounding water had turned pitch black.
Next, she used the facial cleanser and body wash to clean herself.
Using a large rock for cover, she stripped off her filthy beast-skin skirt and tossed it aside. She submerged herself in the water, scrubbing hard.
Luckily, no one came by, giving her some relief.
The original owner hadn't bathed in who knows how long; thick layers of dried mud clung stubbornly to her skin.
Even the body wash couldn't fully cleanse the grime.
Her fingernails were black with dirt underneath, and the toenails were similarly filthy, hardened and firmly caked with mud—impossible to clean just by washing or picking.
By the riverbank, she found a sharp stone and painstakingly scraped the dirt from under her nails.
For the stubborn patches on her skin, she rubbed roughly with coarse river stones.
Rather than hurting, it felt oddly soothing, like scratching an itch.
No wonder she had such tough skin.
Su Xiyue's lips twitched in disgust. She could hardly imagine how a woman could get this dirty.
Well, in this beast world, they didn't say "woman" but "female," but it was basically the same.
Layer by layer, the grime washed off into the river.
The water around her was so black it could no longer be called murky—it looked like it was stained with ink.
After a long while, she finally managed to clean herself. Fortunately, the weather was hot, so she didn't worry about catching a cold.
Once clean, she felt revived, as if several pounds had been lifted from her body. Her skin was noticeably brighter.
Feeling fresh and comfortable all over, her mood lifted as well.
Just as she was about to stand and head ashore—
A sudden BANG echoed behind her, followed by splashing water and a massive whirlpool forming.
Su Xiyue jumped in fright, thinking it might be an earthquake or a landslide. She instinctively looked toward the noise.
In the river floated a freshly slaughtered wild ox, though it hadn't yet been butchered—someone had apparently thrown it in to clean.
Her gaze flicked toward the riverbank and caught sight of Mo Lin standing there. He was staring at her, his expression stunned, clearly not expecting to find her here.
Su Xiyue wasn't prepared to meet Mo Lin like this—completely naked, her face flushed crimson.
She instinctively crouched down, hiding her body beneath the water, leaving only her head exposed.
Right now, Mo Lin probably thought she'd been waiting here to seduce him on purpose.
The original owner had done all kinds of things just to sleep with the beast husbands.
Just thinking about it made Su Xiyue feel awful.
Mo Lin's gaze grew colder, filled with disgust.
"This female is getting more shameless by the day."
He'd heard from Mia earlier that she'd drugged Ye Ling with an aphrodisiac.
Now, to mate with him, she was resorting to such vile and disgusting tactics.
Truly nauseating.
"Get lost already…"
His icy voice was as cold as midwinter.
Su Xiyue's temper flared. She was the one suffering here, wasn't she?
Why did it sound like he was the victim?
Even though this man was one of her beast husbands and a target she had to woo, she refused to tolerate Mo Lin's foul attitude.
"Is this riverbank your home? You can come here, but I can't? I was here first, bathing, and you just barge in, stare at my naked body, don't apologize, and tell me to leave? Is this the 'rules and etiquette' of you serpent beasts?"
Her words were sharp and well-reasoned, leaving Mo Lin speechless.
He looked at Su Xiyue's face, pockmarked and greasy. Though still far from clean, she appeared fresher than before—not quite so sloppy.
Though surprised by her rare decision to bathe today, he didn't dwell on it.
What puzzled him more was her reaction; he hadn't expected her to speak like this.
Before, whenever this female saw him, she was always infatuated and eager to please. No matter how harshly he spoke, she never retorted—only looked up at him with hopeful eyes, desperate for his favor.
Today was completely different.
Not only were her words clear and sharp, but she even seemed more hygienic.
Mo Lin glanced at the river's surface, thick with oil and debris, a flicker of disgust flashing in his eyes.
"I didn't know you were here."
He dragged the wild ox carcass to the riverbank to prevent it from drifting away, then turned and walked off.
Su Xiyue watched his retreating figure and finally exhaled in relief.
She stepped to the shore, washing her filthy beast-skin skirt clean and slipping it back on—still damp and clinging.
Using the river's surface as a mirror, she examined herself.
After washing, her skin was noticeably lighter. Though her face was still marred by pustules and acne—ugly beyond repair—at least she looked cleaner and more refreshed.
Staring at the pocked, sore-ridden face reflected in the water, she sighed.
The original owner had eaten mostly meat for years, shunning fruits and wild vegetables, causing excessive oil buildup and these dreadful outbreaks.
She vaguely recalled the original owner hadn't defecated in quite a while—at least a week.
Su Xiyue's lips twitched. She was clearly constipated.
Well, that was another problem to solve.
Her gaze drifted to the wild ox by the riverbank. Her stomach growled so loudly it felt like her chest was pressed against her back. Thinking about how Mo Lin had hunted it, she quickly looked away.
Focusing her mind, a slender vine sprouted into her palm.
Her eyes settled on the fish and shrimp swimming in the river. With a thought, the vine shot out, quickly wrapping around several large fish.
She tugged, pulling them ashore.
Su Xiyue stepped forward and smiled with satisfaction as the fish flopped helplessly on the ground.