Clumsy Beast, Keep Your Paws Off novel Chapter 171

Chapter 171: Chapter 171: The Shameless System’s Cultivation Advice

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!"

But as soon as she tried to stand and take a few steps, her legs gave out beneath her. "Ah!" she squeaked, wobbling before landing back down on the stone bed with a soft thud.

Even after healing, her legs still felt weak, like the exhaustion had been carved into her bones.

Just then, the sound of footsteps echoed from the entrance.

Xuan Long appeared, his tall frame filling the doorway, holding something in his hands. The moment he saw her trying to stand, his eyes widened.

"Lan Lan," he said quickly, rushing forward. "Why are you walking? You should have called me."

Before she could protest, he had already scooped her up effortlessly, one arm under her knees, the other around her back. She blinked in surprise, her cheeks turning red again.

"H-Hey! Put me down! I can walk!" she said, struggling lightly in his arms.

"You call this walking?" he replied calmly, looking down at her legs that were barely steady. "You’re still weak."

"I’m not weak!" she snapped, glaring up at him. "It’s all your fault anyway!"

Xuan Long raised an eyebrow, pretending not to understand. "My fault?"

"Yes!" she said angrily. "If you hadn’t... hadn’t..." Her voice trailed off as her face turned crimson. She looked away, mumbling, "You know what you did..."

The corner of his mouth twitched with amusement. "Ah. That," he said softly, his voice teasing. "I thought you enjoyed it... so much."

Her head shot up instantly. "You...!"

Before she could finish, he chuckled quietly and set her down gently on the stone bed again. His movements were careful, as if she were something fragile. He placed the bowl in her hands.

"Drink this," he said. "It will help your strength return."

She pouted but took the bowl anyway, muttering, "Hmph... still acting like a gentleman after bullying me all night."

He leaned down, his voice brushing against her ear. "I can be gentle again tonight," he whispered.