The mermaid’s ice-blue eyes looked at her from the water’s surface and then quickly swam to her feet, raising his entire upper body. The droplets of water slid down his cheek as his webbed fingers reached out, hooking onto Ruan Li’s ankle. Compared to Xi Han in his human form, his pronunciation at this moment was heavy and indistinct, with a delicate tone that barely made his voice audible. Bai He stepped on the water with his two long legs, his slender neck raised high, emitting a clear and melodious cry. The fox in her arms whimpered softly, its sharp claws hooking onto her collar, with a pair of slender and enchanting red eyes watching her, full of moisture. Ruan Li saw that her home was quickly turning into a zoo, but instead of feeling any impatience, her heart melted from the novelty. She held the fox in her arms and gave him two fierce kisses on his furry forehead, and the pair of soft, delicate ears made her unable to let go. The smooth fur felt like the finest silk as she ran her hand from the neck down the back, smoothly stroking the entire fluffy tail. The fox whimpered once, opened its mouth to bite her wrist, holding it loosely with perfect control over its strength. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ NoveI~Fire.net His eyes were full of disbelief as he looked at her. As if he was looking at a little rogue. With all the kissing and touching, wasn’t she just a rogue? The mermaid leaning on the bank saw this scene and couldn’t help but stretch out his webbed fingers to tug at the fox’s tail hanging in midair. The mischievous fox tucked its tail tightly under its tailbone, making it easier for Ruan Li to rub its belly and giving her a chance to lovingly stroke the entire tail. The mermaid let out a jealous roar, the beastial vertical pupils flashing with a fierce light. Ruan Li’s heart trembled with fear, worried he might get angry and fly up to tear Xu Mo apart. So she quickly squatted down, placed the little fox aside, spreading her arms to embrace the furious mermaid. His wet arms wrapped around her back, the fins on his arms and back gently folded to avoid hurting the little female. The ocean’s scent mixed with a faint fishy smell filled Ruan Li’s nose, as the strong and magnificent fish tail swayed in the pool, occasionally splashing water onto Ruan Li. Seeing that it was about time, Ruan Li patted his hair and softly said, "Alright, Xi Han, if this continues, I’ll be completely soaked." Reluctantly, the mermaid released her from his embrace, his eyes filled with such possessiveness it almost overflowed. Seeing Bai He quietly moving over with light steps, he immediately fluttered his ear fins, assuming a defensive stance against Bai He, as if looking at a dangerous beast, emitting a low growl, all while keeping one arm protectively around Ruan Li. Ruan Li reassured, "Xi Han, you can’t do that, you can’t attack the family’s beastmen." Upon hearing her voice, the mermaid gradually restrained the ferocity in his eyes, turning to look at Ruan Li as if to comfort her, his voice clear and melodious, "Li..." The fox slowly passed behind her, its fluffy red tail unintentionally brushing each soft strand of fur against her calf. Whimpering in a coquettish manner, making it impossible to refuse his appeals. Watching this scene, Bai He lowered his head to tidy his already smooth wings with his beak, while discreetly observing from the corner of his eye. Ruan Li was troubled. In his mermaid form, Xi Han couldn’t leave the water, yet it seemed they couldn’t communicate effectively now. After coaxing for quite some time, she finally managed to get Xi Han to reluctantly let her go. At the doorway, the belated Shi Jue appeared. The mermaid once again took up an offensive stance, as if ready to tear him to pieces should he take another step forward. "Xi Han!" Ruan Li raised her voice. The mermaid flapped his ear fins, letting out a rough snort, and the fish scales on his cheeks, glowing blue, flared with dazzling light as the gills moved up and down. He flicked his tail, swimming swiftly to the opposite side of the bank, though not directly facing the doorway, the icy air he projected still alerted the sensitive beastman. Bai He lightly nestled against Ruan Li’s other side, while the distracting fox tail waved before him, seemingly showing off the honor of being embraced by the Female Head. Seeing this scene, Shi Jue, deep in his heart, even wished to transform into a young lion cub. That scheming fox Xu Mo could turn into a little fox and take advantage of the Female Head’s embrace. If he too transformed into his beast form, Ruan Li would surely like him more! "Shi Jue, you’ve returned, where’s Zhe Ye?" "Zhe Ye is still over there arranging some logistics and will come back a bit later." "The beastmen in the residential area have been affected by an unknown gas released within the membrane, unable to transform into human form for the time being," Shi Jue explained the situation to Ruan Li, sneaking a glance at the mermaid, "Some beastmen find it hard to maintain their rationality in beast form, especially those inherently fierce beasts." The fox twitched its ears, seemingly dissatisfied with his words, opened its mouth to lightly bite Ruan Li’s cheek, licking over that spot repeatedly. Shi Jue watched, irritation gnawing at him. He walked over to Ruan Li’s side, picking up the fox, "Especially carnivorous animals require extra caution." The fox turned its head and bit harshly into his arm. "See! He’s nothing but a wild beast!" Shi Jue waved his arm bearing deep bite marks from four fangs in front of Ruan Li, as if to justify his earlier statement. The fox whimpered pitifully, humming toward Ruan Li in grievance. "So when will they be able to revert to human form?" Initially, Ruan Li didn’t intend to indulge Xu Mo more, but she couldn’t resist his watery, pitiful eyes, lightly stroked his sleek, incredibly fluffy tail twice more. Then she entered the house without changing her expression. Shi Jue glanced smugly at the dazed fox who was left untouched, his eyes brazenly ridiculing the loss of favor. "This depends on their superpower levels and the degree of animalization. Beastmen like the mermaid, whose beast nature is hard to change, might take ten days to half a month to control their transformations back to human form. Bai He and Xu Mo only have Five Star superpowers; they should also take seven to eight days to regain control over their transformations." He coughed, as if choking on his own saliva, his cheeks and ears flushed crimson, "During this time, I-b-can spend more time with you." Ruan Li noticed his embarrassment, smiling generously, "Alright." Shi Jue’s face blushed to the point of being at a loss, not even knowing how to smile, laughing foolishly like a village dog suddenly seeing its owner return. After being dumbstruck for a while, it seemed like his brain started functioning normally again. He began inquiring about what exactly she experienced in the password-protected room earlier. Ruan Li believed that Shi Jue and Zhe Ye would never deceive or betray her, so she recounted everything that happened in the room in detail to him. The fox, at an unknown point, had leisurely reached her feet, its entire body of fur rubbing against her legs. "Madam Ruan Ying was the previous Family Head of the Ruan family. At the time, she resigned from her position as Family Head in her thirties, passing it on to her younger sister, causing a significant stir. It was said she retired early because of health issues."