Medusa's Jealousy

The first rays of morning sunlight slipped through the lush branches of the Illusion Dream Tree Demon, scattering flecks of gold across the shimmering lake.

Li Hao sat by the lake, holding the Fishing Rod, which had become unrecognizable, and gazing listlessly at the water.

He wasn't fishing.

He was simply savoring this brief moment of undisturbed peace.

"Dad!"

A clear, cheerful cry shattered the silence.

Xiao Wu bounded over like a happy little rabbit, holding out a handful of bright red wild berries as if presenting a treasure.

Morning dew still clung to the fruit, which gave off an enticing, sweet fragrance.

"I just picked these. They're really sweet!"

Li Hao smiled, took a berry, and popped it into his mouth.

Sweet and sour juice burst across his tongue, refreshing him to the core.

Before he could praise her, another figure appeared silently at his side.

Zhu Zhuqing wordlessly offered him a cup made from a rolled-up bamboo leaf, filled with clear spring water.

She said nothing.

She merely watched him with her golden, slit-pupiled eyes, her gaze utterly focused.

Li Hao took the cup and drank.

The spring water was sweet, with a hint of a plant's fragrance. It was just the thing to cut through the berries' cloying sweetness.

Warmth.

Harmony.

Li Hao relished this feeling.

But not everyone felt the same way.

A short distance away, Medusa leaned against a tree trunk, taking in the heartwarming scene.

A glint of cold light flashed in her captivating emerald-green snake eyes, so faint it was almost impossible to notice.

An inexplicable irritation quietly welled up inside her.

One little girl offered fruit, the other brought water. They'd both beaten her to the things she wanted to do.

She was used to looking down on everything with a queen's bearing.

But in front of this man, the long-dormant possessiveness deep in her heart, that uniquely feminine desire to claim him, kept surfacing beyond her control.

What she longed for was to be his one and only.

To be the sole reflection in his eyes.

Just then, an innocent little troublemaker showed up.

Xiao Wu curiously ran over to Zhu Zhuqing, took her cold hand, and tilted her head as she asked.

"Big Sister Zhuqing, why are you always so quiet?"

"Do you like Dad?"

Boom!

That blunt question caught everyone present off guard.

A rare crack appeared in Zhu Zhuqing's eternally Ice-Sealed, cold and beautiful face.

She stiffly turned her head and shot a quick glance at Li Hao, who was drinking and had nearly choked.

Then, under Xiao Wu's expectant gaze, she actually gave a slight nod.

It was a tiny movement.

But her golden, slit-pupiled eyes were filled with unshakable determination.

There was even a matter-of-fact possessiveness in them, as if to say, "He's mine."

That was the last straw for a certain queen.

"Hmph!"

Medusa snorted.

The next instant, her figure flashed like a specter, and she appeared right beside Li Hao.

Before anyone could react, her supple jade arm had already coiled around his in a lightning-fast embrace.

Her soft body pressed tightly against him, cool to the touch.

The startling sensation made Li Hao's mind go blank.

"Not just any stray cat or dog can approach my master."

Medusa lifted her breathtakingly beautiful face and looked provocatively at Zhu Zhuqing, her emerald-green snake eyes brimming with a queen's domineering claim.

She had to keep her territory firmly in her own hands!

Li Hao was completely dumbfounded.

He felt caught between two invisible magnetic fields.

On one side was Medusa, clinging to him in an unmistakable display of aggressive protection.

On the other was Zhu Zhuqing's silent but unyielding gaze of cold, single-minded devotion.

And beside them was Xiao Wu, eagerly watching the drama unfold with wide, curious eyes, as if she couldn't wait to see the world descend into chaos.

His social-anxiety radar blared a deafening alarm!

Awkward!

So awkward his toes could dig a three-bedroom apartment right into the ground!

What kind of Asura's battleground was this?

He'd only wanted to be a laid-back landlord. How had things turned into this bizarre mess?

Hum!

Just as Li Hao wished he could burrow into a crack in the earth, the Fishing Rod in his hand suddenly trembled.

A strange thought entered his mind.

[Warning: The harem is unstable and bonds are unbalanced. This will severely affect Soul Beast Girl growth efficiency. Host is advised to keep the water bowl level, or risk capsizing!]

"Holy crap!"

"Even my Martial Soul is gossiping now?"

"Keep the water bowl level?"

"Who do you think I am, a master of time management?"

Li Hao ranted inwardly, but his body reacted without hesitation.

If he didn't speak up, he felt those two gazes would roast him alive.

"Ahem!"

He coughed loudly twice, trying to break the frozen atmosphere.

Carefully, he pulled his arm free from Medusa's embrace, which was practically an Entangle to the death.

Then he looked at the displeased Medusa, followed by Zhu Zhuqing, whose face remained expressionless but whose gaze had grown cold enough to freeze the air, and forced himself to speak.

"Medusa, thank you for protecting me all this time."

"And Zhuqing, you've helped a great deal, too."

"You, and Xiao Wu, are all indispensable family in this Paradise."

"Without even one of you, this home wouldn't be complete."

He cleverly sidestepped their ambiguous entanglements and raised the matter to the level of family.

He had to admit, the tactic worked.

At the word "family," the sharpness and rivalry in Medusa and Zhu Zhuqing's eyes softened a little despite themselves.

Medusa pursed her lips. She was still a little reluctant, but at least she didn't do anything else out of line.

Zhu Zhuqing lowered her head. Something seemed to be quietly melting in her cold, golden, slit-pupiled eyes.

"Yay! We're all family!"

Xiao Wu was the happiest of all. She spread her arms, hugged Zhu Zhuqing's arm, and tried to pull Medusa close as well.

Medusa dodged her with a look of distaste.

But the tense atmosphere in the valley finally settled—for now.

Li Hao let out a long breath of relief.

Being a landlord was hard.

Just as he thought this little squabble for affection had finally come to an end,

the Fishing Rod in his hand suddenly began to tremble again, without warning!

This time, it wasn't a reminder about the bonds within the group.

It was an unmistakable signal from a faraway place!

The signal was faint, yet full of helplessness and confusion.

Like a caged songbird trapped in a gilded cage, letting out its final cry.

Li Hao's pupils shrank.

In his perception, the invisible Karmic Thread at the other end of the Fishing Rod crossed endless mountains and forests, pointing toward a place he knew all too well, yet somehow found strange.

The Heaven Dou Empire.

Deep within the imperial city.

In a forgotten corner.

A noble princess, cut off from the world, was sending out a signal for help.