BTTH: Starting from Capturing the Goddess

When Chen Mo opened his eyes, the sky was already bright. The glaring sunlight streamed through the window, casting its glow on the opposite wall.

"Four-Star Dou Shi!"

Chen Mo rubbed his thumb and index finger together. With a soft crackling sound, a blazing purple flame ignited at his fingertip.

The air around it twisted and shimmered under the scorching heat of the flame.

Fixing his gaze on the flickering purple fire, Chen Mo's heart stirred as he suddenly recalled Xiao Yan's Buddha Fury Lotus Flame from the original story.

Following the same motion, he rubbed his left hand's fingers together, and a thunder-infused blood flame ignited, just as powerful as the purple flame.

The moment the two flames hovered opposite each other, Chen Mo clearly sensed a strong repulsion between them.

Just as he was about to experiment with the method from the original story to see if he could recreate the Buddha Fury Lotus Flame—

Knock, knock.

"Chen Mo, are you awake? C-can I come in?"

A soft, melodious voice rang out from outside the door—it was Die.

"Wait a moment."

Chen Mo quickly extinguished the two beast flames and stood up, preparing to get out of the wooden tub and put on his clothes.

However, at that moment, Queen Medusa's cold voice echoed from outside.

"This is my domain. Does he still need to grant permission?"

With a single motion, Queen Medusa swung the door open.

"Sister, wait—!"

Both Queen Medusa and Die looked into the room—

And then froze in place.

Chen Mo was standing completely naked before them.

His face flushed red instantly, and he instinctively covered himself.

"Didn't I say wait?!"

"Ahh! You scoundrel! W-why aren't you wearing clothes?! Sister, don't look!"

Die cried out, hurriedly covering Queen Medusa's eyes while hastily slamming the door shut.

[Ding! Affection +2. You have received 2 Affection Coins.]

"???"

Chen Mo: "Wait, who's the real scoundrel here?!"

He quickly put on the clothes provided in his storage ring.

Queen Medusa had given him a white robe, and surprisingly, it fit him quite well.

Outside the Room

Queen Medusa calmly pulled Die's hands away from her eyes and furrowed her brows. "Why didn't you cover your own eyes instead?"

"I-I was worried you'd get angry if you saw…!" Die's face was completely red, and her voice grew softer.

"I already saw."

"Ah—!"

Back Inside

"Alright, you can come in now."

Queen Medusa, her expression cold as ever, pushed the door open and walked inside first.

Die followed closely behind.

Then, both of them froze in place once again.

Before them stood a young man dressed in white, with sharp brows, star-like eyes, and strikingly handsome features.

Die's heart skipped a beat, and her face flushed an even deeper shade of red.

[Ding! Affection +1. You have received 1 Affection Coin.]

"Are Your Wounds Alright?"

Die was the first to step forward.

"I'm fine now." Chen Mo cupped his fists toward Queen Medusa and said, "Many thanks for the healing elixir, Your Majesty."

Queen Medusa's voice remained cold. "No need to thank me. If not for my sister's pleading, do you think I would have saved a human?"

Die giggled. "Idiot, it was me who asked my sister to prepare all that for you."

Chen Mo scratched his head. "I see."

"Then, what about this robe and storage ring?"

"Those were from my sister."

Chen Mo turned to Queen Medusa. "In that case, I must still thank Your Majesty."

Queen Medusa's next words sent chills down his spine. "That robe belonged to a dead man. The fabric was of good quality, so I ordered it to be cleaned and kept."

Chen Mo: "…."

She continued. "Otherwise, do you think my Snake-People Tribe would have human clothing just lying around?"

Chen Mo's heart turned cold.

Die, seeing this, spoke up for him. "Sister, how could you do this? Giving him a dead man's clothes?"

Queen Medusa replied indifferently, "It was washed. It doesn't matter."

Chen Mo felt slightly relieved.

Queen Medusa then walked to the wooden tub and glanced at the water, which had turned from vibrant green to a dull shade of green.

"You've recovered well. Heal completely as soon as possible."

Chen Mo thought, "She may be cold on the outside, but she's actually warm-hearted."

However, her next words shattered that illusion.

"Once you're fully healed, you'll serve as my punching bag."

"What?!"

Queen Medusa raised an eyebrow. "Has no one told you that you are now my personal slave?"

"Personal Slave?!"

Before Chen Mo could even react, Die was the one who questioned it first.

Queen Medusa answered calmly. "I took him in, which is already a grave offense in the eyes of the tribe. If I allowed him to stay in the palace without any purpose, I would be ridiculed by my people."

"Oh… Sister, I'm sorry. I misunderstood you." Die lowered her head, apologizing.

Meanwhile, Chen Mo's face twisted in despair.

"Your Majesty, you're a Dou Huang, and I'm just a mere Dou Shi. If I serve as your punching bag, I wouldn't even survive one hit!"

Die quickly chimed in. "That's right, Sister! Instead of that, why not let him serve you in other ways?"

Chen Mo nodded eagerly in agreement.

Queen Medusa smirked. "Serving me and being my punching bag aren't mutually exclusive. Don't worry—I'll suppress my strength to match yours. I won't kill you with one punch."

"???"

"Is this what she considers reassuring?!"

"But with my current strength, I wouldn't even be useful as a training dummy."

"That's true."

Queen Medusa muttered under her breath. Her mind briefly flashed back to the scene from last night—when her robe had been cut apart by his attack.

She waved her hand dismissively. "It's decided. That's all there is to it."

Then, she turned to leave, dragging Die along.

Die suddenly broke free from her sister's grip. "Sister, you go ahead. I want to talk to him for a bit."

"Hmm?"

"Please? Just for a little while." Die clung to Queen Medusa's arm, shaking it slightly.

Queen Medusa sighed. "Fine. One incense stick's time."

With that, she left.

Die smiled brightly and turned back to Chen Mo.

"Don't be fooled by my sister's cold demeanor. She's actually very kind-hearted."

Chen Mo forced a smile. "Yeah… Sure."

"Do You Have Something to Say to Me?"

Die suddenly clasped her hands behind her back, looking shy as she lowered her gaze.

She hesitated for a moment before finally speaking. "Do you… have something you want to tell me?"

Chen Mo blinked. "Huh? What do you mean?"

Die took a deep breath, then suddenly turned to face him, her cheeks flushed red.

"Do you… like me?"

The same question. A different moment.

Chen Mo gazed at Die's delicate and beautiful face.

At first, he had saved her because of the system's task.

But as time went on, he genuinely began to like this sweet and gentle girl.

Chen Mo smiled softly. "Yes, I like you."

[Ding! Affection +8. You have obtained the talent: Top-Tier Fire Control.]

Boom!

Die's face turned completely red.

Too flustered to say a word, she panicked and fled the room.

Chen Mo: "Hey! At least say something back!"

****

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