"Feng Huang—"
"Hmm?" He didn't stop. His mouth continued its maddeningly slow trail up her neck, his tongue tracing the sensitive curve of her ear.
"Feng Huang, please," she whispered, her hands tangling in his vibrant red hair. Her resolve was melting faster than ice cream in a volcano.
[OOH! ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)]
The blue System screen flickered into existence right above his head, blinking rapidly.
[Is this it, Host? Is the big moment finally here? Are you going to mate with the big, pretty kitty? I've already prepared the 'Congratulations on Losing Your Virginity' confetti! ☆]
"Shut up!" Xin Yi hissed, though it came out as more of a whimper.
Feng Huang pulled back just enough to smirk, his golden eyes dark with a heat that made her toes curl. "Is that a yes?"
"I... I..." Her brain was absolute mush. He looked like a god, and his hands were doing very persuasive things to her waist. She was about two seconds away from saying 'to hell with it' and dragging him down with her.
[YES! SAY YES! (ノ◕ヮ◕)ノ*:・゚✧]
The System cheered.
[Think of the System Points! Think of the—wait.]
The screen suddenly turned a frantic, flashing red.
[WARNING! (⊙_⊙)]
[Intruder detected! Host, your 'me-time' is being interrupted!]
Feng Huang's smirk vanished instantly. His ears twitched, and he scrambled up from the moss, his entire body tensing as he sniffed the air, his nostrils flaring.
"Who is interrupting it?" Xin Yi whispered.
"Show yourself, Panther!" Feng Huang roared, as if responding to her, his voice dropping into a lethal, animalistic growl.
Panther? Xin Yi sat up, clutching her top, her heart hammering against her ribs.
The bushes rustled, and a sleek black panther stepped into the clearing. To Xin Yi's shock, the cat began to shift, the bones popping and fur receding until Mei Hu stood there, naked and smirking, her blue eyes narrowed with pure venom.
"Well, well," Mei Hu drawled, her gaze raking over Xin Yi's disheveled state. "Isn't this the Alpha's little female? Rolling around in the dirt with a Tiger?"
Xin Yi's face went from flushed to furious in record time. "Mei Hu? What are YOU doing here? Hei Yan banished you!"
Mei Hu chuckled, a cold, grating sound. "Indeed he did. I thought I would give him some time to realize how much he missed me. Instead, I find him replaced by this.….scrawny, pale-skinned little thing." She sneered, pointing a clawed finger at Xin Yi. "You're nothing but a fragile piece of meat."
"Hey!" Xin Yi scrambled to her feet, her temper finally snapping. "At least I'm not a backstabbing snake-baiter!"
"You—!" Mei Hu lunged forward, but Feng Huang stepped between them, his teeth bared.
"If you know what is good for you, Panther, you will return to your banishment," he snarled. "You are not welcome in these woods."
Mei Hu didn't flinch. She just smirked at him, then back at Xin Yi. "Oh, I'll go. But first, I have news for the Alpha. News he'll find very.…..interesting."
"What news?" Xin Yi demanded.
Mei Hu leaned in, her voice dripping with mockery. "Aren't you too busy getting your face licked by a Tiger to care? Honestly, you're nothing but a common whore."
[DING! (╬ Ò﹏Ó)]
The System screen turned a violent shade of purple.
[HOST! Are you really going to take that?! She just called you a common whore! PUNCH HER! PUNCH HER IN HER STUPID PANTHER FACE! I'll give you a 50-point 'Self-Defense' bonus! DO IT! ☆]
Xin Yi didn't need the bribe. She went absolutely feral. With a scream of pure frustration, she lunged around Feng Huang and threw a punch with everything she had.
SMACK!
Her fist connected with Mei Hu's jaw. For a second, Xin Yi felt like a total badass.
Then Mei Hu's eyes turned cold. "You little.….brat."
Before Xin Yi could even blink, Mei Hu's hand shot out, grabbing her by the front of her leaf-dress. With the terrifying, supernatural strength of a beastman, she flung Xin Yi backward like a ragdoll.
CRACK!
Xin Yi slammed into a massive oak tree, the sound of the impact echoing through the silent forest. She hit the ground in a heap, the world spinning in nauseating circles.
"Xin Yi! Little Xin Yi!" Feng Huang's voice sounded like it was coming from underwater.
"You bastard!" He growled at Mei Hu who didn't even flinch.
[WARNING! (O_O)]
The System screen appeared, hovering right in front of her fading vision.
[Host is experiencing significant structural failure!
* Detecting 3 cracked ribs!
* Detecting 1 minor concussion!
* Detecting extreme loss of dignity!
(Note: On the bright side, the ribs will heal in like, two days because of Beast World magic! So.….yay?)]
Mei Hu stood over her for a second, a cruel smile on her lips, before shifting back into her panther form and vanishing into the undergrowth with a final, triumphant snarl.
"Xin Yi.….stay with me..." Feng Huang was kneeling over her, his hands hovering over her as if he was afraid he would break her further.
"Stupid... system..." Xin Yi wheezed, before the darkness finally pulled her under.