After Pampering Her 5 Beast Husbands, the Villainess Struck It Rich

Chapter 22: Chapter 22: You Should Return It to Me

The mere thought made Bai Zhi shiver.

Hu Yan said thoughtfully, "But this induction grass today was a bit strange. A moment ago, besides the urge to go into heat, I also felt somewhat manic."

Hearing this, Lang Qiu’s expression changed. He frowned and asked, "Are you saying their motive isn’t simple? That it might be more than just petty revenge?"

Hu Yan replied pensively, "I’m not sure, but that reaction wasn’t normal. This is just a birthday banquet. If their only goal was to ruin it, there would be no need to add anything else."

Lang Qiu’s expression grew grim. "A lot of military personnel are here today. Are you suggesting they’re the target?"

Hu Yan glanced toward the door. "We’ll know what’s going on if we go take a look."

Yue Junxiao and Yan Yichen hadn’t paid any attention to their own reactions. Hearing the other two’s exchange, they were completely baffled. ’How did this suddenly turn into a conspiracy theory?’

’But Bai Zhi was listening. Although she didn’t remember the details perfectly, she vaguely recalled that not long after this birthday banquet, word got out that the heroine’s first Beast Husband’s spiritual power had been degraded. At the same time, an anomaly was discovered in an Insect Cave, and the Alliance Army Warship sent to investigate disappeared. A great war seemed to follow. Even with his degraded spiritual power, the heroine’s Beast Husband still went to the front lines, where he lost contact. But then he had a stroke of luck—his spiritual power not only recovered but he also earned merit for repelling the Insect Clan.’

’Could today’s incident be related to the Insect Clan?’

’But that doesn’t seem right. If the Insect Clan was behind this, it wouldn’t be so simple.’

’Yet, judging by what Hu Yan was saying, this was definitely not simple.’

Coincidentally, she still needed to find Yun Xi to get her Energy Stone. So, Bai Zhi said, "Let’s go take a look."

The group exited the room into a silent, empty corridor.

When they returned to the banquet hall, just outside the entrance, they saw several Beastmen engaged in... indescribable acts.

It was Bai Zhi’s first time seeing such a thing in person, and she immediately looked away after just one glance.

’My eyes!’

Some of them were in their half-beast forms, which looked terrifying.

’They looked nothing like the handsome Hu Yan; it was just plain scary.’

The farther they went, the more complex the smells became. A mixture of various scents hung in the air, forcing Bai Zhi to cover her mouth and nose with the handkerchief Hu Yan had given her earlier. She kept her gaze fixed forward, not daring to peek to the side.

’It was, to put it mildly, not a pretty sight.’

Many couldn’t even maintain their beast forms—though that could have just been a personal preference, of course.

But they all had one thing in common: they had lost all reason, driven only to engage in that one type of act.

More importantly, their spiritual power was leaking out of them. The farther one walked from the entrance into the hall, the more potent the ambient spiritual power became.

Lang Qiu’s brow was tightly furrowed. He said grimly, "Just as we thought. There’s something wrong with this induction grass."

The spiritual power inside the banquet hall was chaotic. Lang Qiu used his own spiritual power to create a small protective barrier around Bai Zhi to shield her from the effects.

They followed the scent to where the smell of induction grass was strongest. Hu Yan scooped up a bit of residue and sniffed it. His expression changed instantly. "Silver Blue Grass."

At his words, the expressions of the others changed dramatically. "It’s Silver Blue Grass!!"

Bai Zhi asked, confused, "What’s Silver Blue Grass?"

’If she could make a guess about induction grass from its name, she was completely in the dark about Silver Blue Grass.’

Lang Qiu’s face was grave. "Silver Blue Grass is a plant that grows on the borders of Insect Clan territory. It’s rare, but it’s harmful to a Beastman’s spiritual power."

Yue Junxiao roared, "It has to be the Insect Clan! No one else has this grass! The Insect Clan has always been our enemy, and with so many military personnel here today, they must be trying to use this opportunity to damage their spiritual power. That way, our forces will be severely weakened when we have to face them, and we’ll be helpless!"

Lang Qiu shook his head. "While there are military personnel here today, none of them are high-ranking officials in the Alliance Army. If the Insect Clan really wanted to do this, they would choose an occasion when more important figures are present. A highly provocative attack like this feels more like a personal vendetta, with someone making the Insect Clan the scapegoat. After all, everyone knows Silver Blue Grass is unique to the Insect Clan. The moment anyone hears its name, they’ll immediately suspect an attack by them."

Hu Yan added, "This is no small matter. The Alliance Army will certainly investigate it thoroughly. We’ll find out the truth then."

Hearing this, Bai Zhi nodded in agreement. ’The Alliance Army certainly knows more about these things than we do,’ she thought. ’I’m just a minor side character, not the heroine. It’s not my place to worry about matters of state.’

’In any case, Yun Xi and her family will have to give an explanation for what happened today. We’ll find out the truth eventually.’

With that, Bai Zhi stopped worrying about the conspiracy and began searching for Yun Xi.

’I have to get my Energy Stone back today, no matter what.’

Bai Zhi searched for a long time but couldn’t find any sign of Yun Xi.

Seeing her scanning the area, Yan Yichen asked curiously, "What are you looking for?"

"Yun Xi."

Hearing that, Yan Yichen followed her gaze with a strange expression, scanning the crowd but seeing no one. "Why are you looking for her?"

Bai Zhi’s face was taut, her expression serious. "She took something of mine. I need to get it back."

Seeing her earnest expression, Hu Yan figured something must have truly been taken from her. "If she’s not here," he said, "then she probably did the same thing we did and found a private room."

Hearing Hu Yan’s suggestion, Bai Zhi’s eyes brightened. ’Why didn’t I think of that?’

And so, Bai Zhi began searching room by room. At last, in one of them, she found Yun Xi in the middle of some... "exercise" with her Beast Husband.

Although Yun Xi’s Beast Husband had noticed something was wrong right away, he couldn’t avoid being affected. After the two of them had relieved their urges a few times, some of their senses returned.

Just as Bai Zhi approached, the door was kicked open with a BANG. Yun Xi’s Beast Husband immediately pulled the blanket over her, covered his own lower half, and demanded with a dark expression, "Who are you? What do you want? Who sent you?"

The one who had kicked the door open was Yue Junxiao, a stranger to him, so he instinctively assumed they were the masterminds behind the day’s events.

Hearing his interrogation, Bai Zhi stepped out from behind the others. "It’s me. I’ve come to get something back from Yun Xi."

When Yun Xi saw Bai Zhi’s vaguely familiar face, her own face twisted for a second as she recalled being interrupted. "Bai Zhi!" she shrieked, her voice filled with uncontrollable rage.

Anyone would be furious if they were interrupted during such an intimate moment.

Averting her gaze, Bai Zhi picked up a piece of clothing from the floor and tossed it to Yun Xi’s Beast Husband for him to wear.

’She might enjoy looking at handsome men, but that didn’t mean she wanted to see *just anyone*.’

Bai Zhi walked to the side of the bed and stopped, looking down at Yun Xi. "It’s time you returned the Energy Stone you took from me."