Bai Di, Shuang Yun, and Sang Ye more or less had some abrasions on their bodies. Huanhuan crushed the fragrant and crispy fruits into a paste and applied it on their wounds.

As for Xue Ling, he was not injured at all.

If not for the faint smell of blood on his body, Huanhuan would have thought that this guy had just slept at home last night and did not go to the battlefield at all.

After eating and drinking their fill, no one went back to their rooms to rest. Instead, they sat lazily on the carpet and discussed the cause of the beast tide.

In the end, they couldn’t come to a conclusion after discussing it for a long time.

The beast tide this time came and went inexplicably.

They couldn’t figure out what was going on.

Huanhuan listened to them for a while before suddenly saying, “Those animals became irritable because they inhaled the fragrance powder made with rosemary. That should be the main reason why the beast tide suddenly appeared.”

Hearing her words, Xue Ling remembered the fragrance he had smelled.

“I did smell a faint scent on those animals,” he said.

Huanhuan continued, “Rain can neutralize the effect of the rosemary. You just have to drench those animals with water. That’s why I held a sacrificial ritual and tried to beg for rain.”

Everyone was stunned.

Shuang Yun asked in surprise, “Did you beg for that heavy rain last night?”

Huanhuan nodded.

Sang Ye asked, “You know witchcraft?”

Huanhuan quickly said that she didn’t.

“If you don’t know witchcraft, why are you able to beg for rain by way of sacrifice?”

Huanhuan scratched her cheek. “Maybe it’s because of the Dance of the Gods.”

Xue Ling approached her. “Did you dance the Dance of the Gods again?”

“Mmhm.”

Xue Ling looked into her eyes. “If I ask you where you learned the Dance of the Gods, you wouldn’t tell me, right?”

Huanhuan did not know how to answer and looked a little embarrassed.

“Forget it. It doesn’t matter if you don’t want to tell me.” Xue Ling moved back a little. “But I have to remind you to try not to dance it again.”

“Why?”

Xue Ling asked, “Didn’t the person who taught you the Dance of the Gods tell you the origin of this dance?”

“I was only told that it’s a dance used in sacrificial rituals.”

“Yes, that’s the right answer. Many years ago, before the Divine Wood died, the temple of the City of 10,000 Beasts would choose the most beautiful young female from the Divine Wood clan to perform the Dance of the Gods for the sacrificial ritual. From there, they would pray for the gods to protect the beast continent.”

Huanhuan was very engrossed. “And?”

No one else said anything either. They listened quietly to Xue Ling continue telling them the story.

“Then, the Divine Wood clan became the guardians of the beast continent.” At this point, Xue Ling smiled mysteriously. “Unfortunately, the Divine Wood clan fell and could no longer hold sacrificial rituals. The Divine Wood clan was also wiped out, and more than half of them died. Now, the remaining dozens of clansmen are all living in the Divine Wood Palace.”

Huanhuan still didn’t understand. “What does the Dance of the Gods have to do with it?”

“The temple claims that the Dance of the Gods can summon gods to protect the entire beast continent, but think about it. If that’s the truth, why don’t the prophets and priests dance it themselves? Why do they have to choose a young female from the Divine Wood clan to dance it? Those old guys dream of getting the favor of the gods. They can see the gods through a dance. Why would they be willing to give such a good opportunity to others?”

Huanhuan thought about it seriously. “Could it be because females look better when they dance?”

Xue Ling: “…”

He was speechless.

Bai Di cleared his throat. “You’re saying the Dance of the Gods isn’t as simple as the temple advertised it to be. There must be another secret.”

Xue Ling said, “Well, for safety’s sake, Huanhuan had better not dance this dance again before we figure out what this secret is.”

Huanhuan didn’t have a good impression of this dance to begin with. Hearing him say this, she agreed without hesitation. “Alright.”

“As for the person who taught you this dance, you’d better not trust them too much.”

Huanhuan was puzzled. “Why?”

“That person must have taught you the Dance of the Gods because they want to use you, just like how the temple of the City of 10,000 Beasts used the Divine Wood clan. Later, the Divine Wood clan lost the protection of the Divine Wood and almost died. That’s a lesson learned. You can’t repeat the same mistake.”

Huanhuan’s heart skipped a beat. Was Little Brat using her?

No, no!

It wouldn’t do that!

Huanhuan tried to convince herself not to doubt System 438.

Bai Di stroked her head and said gently, “Xue Ling just wants you to be more careful and not be fooled without realizing it.”

Huanhuan felt suffocated.

The system was the one thing she trusted the most in this world. She even trusted the system more than Bai Di, Shuang Yun, Sang Ye, and Xue Ling.

After all, she was bound to the system. It definitely wouldn’t harm her.

But what Xue Ling and Bai Di said pierced Huanhuan’s heart like a needle.

It didn’t hurt particularly, but it mattered a lot.

Huanhuan said, “I want to see Big White and Little White.”

Bai Di offered to go with her, but she refused.

She went up to the second floor alone and first went to check on the tiger babies. Seeing that they were sleeping soundly, she closed the door and returned to her bedroom.

Huanhuan climbed into bed and sat down.

After a long silence, she mustered her courage and said, “Little Brat, I have something to ask you.”

The system said, “What is it?”

“You heard what Xue Ling said just now, right? Shouldn’t you give me an explanation?”

Huanhuan knew that she was not smart. She was not good at guessing other people’s thoughts, so she simply opened herself up and wanted to make it clear in person.

The system asked, “Would you believe me if I said I wouldn’t harm you?”

Huanhuan, who had always been slow, was rarely sharp.

She caught the key word and pressed, “You said you wouldn’t harm me, but you didn’t say you wouldn’t use me. In the end, you’re still using me, right?”

The system stopped talking.

Not saying anything was tacit agreement.

Huanhuan’s heart gradually cooled. The corners of her mouth twitched into a bitter smile. “I thought you wouldn’t betray me even if the entire world betrayed me. It seems I was too confident in myself to have had such naive thoughts.”

“I didn’t betray you.”

“Yes, you didn’t betray me. You were just using me, and I foolishly believed everything you said. Do you think I’m especially stupid and gullible?” Huanhuan said as tears fell.

“Don’t cry.”

Huanhuan wiped her eyes hard. “I’m not crying!”

The system’s voice was very low. “I apologize if I’ve hurt you.”