It wasn’t that she was afraid of them, but they would be a nuisance if they showed up at her tribe.
"A Desperate Fruit is worth far more than a male White Tiger. Aren’t you being a bit too greedy?"
Chu Liangyu’s tone was cold as she stared at the stall owner.
The faint, yet palpable, pressure made the stall owner’s heart pound. He unconsciously took a step back. "Then... what do you have to offer?"
Chu Liangyu casually took out a bag of Mermaid Tears and handed it to the stall owner. "This is all I have. If you’re still not willing..."
’Then she’d just have to take it by force.’
The stall owner gulped. Without even looking inside the bag, he immediately untied the little cub’s bindings. "Fine, fine. Take him."
Once she had the little cub safely away, Chu Liangyu’s first question was, "Is your Beast Father dead?"
You couldn’t blame Chu Liangyu for thinking so. While Yu Tu might not have doted on his cub quite as much as Cang Yu, who would die for his children, he wasn’t far off.
Back then, he had claimed her life was what mattered most, but that was only because the cub in her womb wasn’t old enough to survive on its own.
He figured it was better to get on her good side than to be stubborn about the cub.
But the cub’s birth had been unexpectedly safe, though the child was a bit weak.
After that, he’d given her one last, reluctant glance before taking the little cub and leaving without looking back.
She hadn’t seen all of it with her own eyes, but she had heard enough from others to piece it together.
"No, that’s not it. It’s just... things aren’t exactly peaceful for my Beast Father either."
Her interest piqued, Chu Liangyu raised an eyebrow. "Elaborate."
"My Beast Father participated in your... robbery."
Chu Liangyu shot him a sidelong glance as soon as he said that.
The little cub was smart enough to correct himself immediately. "No, I mean, he participated in your rescue mission."
"Afterward, my Beast Father planned to take us back to our clan’s tribe, but someone recognized him. They were angry about what he’d done, so they ambushed us."
"They wanted to capture us to threaten you into handing over the members of the Wood Spirit Clan. My Beast Father fought like a demon to get us out of there, but there were too many people chasing us. He hid us and went to draw the enemies away."
"We waited for a long time, then went to look for him. But we couldn’t find him, and we ended up getting separated."
Chu Liangyu didn’t need him to finish. She could guess the rest: the little cub had been captured by traffickers and brought here.
’Go and rescue him?’
Chu Liangyu rolled her eyes. ’Rescue him? As if. There’s a whole pack of cubs back at the tribe waiting for me.’
’She had neither the time nor the charity for that right now. Dealing with the immediate problem was more important.’
He answered every one of Chu Liangyu’s questions directly.
Once Chu Liangyu had asked everything she wanted to know, silence fell around them.
Chu Liangyu took the golden token Chi Yizhong had given her and approached a recessed slot in the wall.
She noticed the little cub’s hesitation. Pausing, she offered an explanation. "Your brothers and sisters are waiting for me to come back and rescue them. Once I’ve finished things here, I’ll go with you to save him."
"Thank you, Beast Mother!"
Perhaps because they were from Chu Liangyu’s last litter, he and his siblings had been able to sense her emotions even from the womb.
’He knew she didn’t have deep feelings for any of her Beast Husbands. But his Beast Father was the one who had raised him, and he still hoped the man would survive.’
’Whether his Beast Father could hold on until his Beast Mother came to the rescue... that was up to fate.’
"Hm? You actually managed to find this place?"
In an elegantly furnished private room, Jiang Li looked up from the book he was holding, an expression of surprise on his face as he watched them enter.
He cast an impassive glance at Chi Yizhong, who stood beside her, then quickly looked away. ’Although I can use Chi Yizhong to share a portion of his memories,’ he thought, ’I’m often too busy to pay attention every day.’
’As for Chi Yizhong, he’s basically a separate individual. He doesn’t know his true identity, nor is he aware of my existence.’
Chu Liangyu and Chi Yizhong were standing so close that even she couldn’t tell if Jiang Li’s glance was meant for her or the man beside her.
"It’s not easy finding someone as cunning as you."
Tossing her hair back, Chu Liangyu’s eyes filled with confidence. "But what can I say? I’m just that smart."
Jiang Li watched her in silence, a brief flicker of a smile in his eyes. "Your personality has certainly become more... spontaneous than it used to be."
Chu Liangyu nodded, agreeing with his words.
"There are stone stools over there. Please, have a seat."
Jiang Li walked out from behind the desk, brewed a pot of tea, and poured it for each of them.
The tea was scalding hot, the swirling steam blurring the expressions on their faces.
Chu Liangyu eyed the cup of tea but didn’t drink.
"What, afraid I’ve poisoned it?"
A playful expression crossed Jiang Li’s face. He downed his cup in one go and then held the empty cup out for her to inspect.
Only then did Chu Liangyu pick up her tea and take a small sip.
"Yes, I was actually worried you might have poisoned it."
’His smiles hide daggers,’ Chu Liangyu thought. ’You never know when he’ll stab you full of holes. I have to be on guard.’
The expression on Jiang Li’s face stiffened, and his smile faded. "Alright, then. Why did you come looking for me?"
Hearing him ask this, Chu Liangyu was suddenly in no hurry.
"How are those two cubs of ours?"
Jiang Li looked at her in surprise. "They’re fine. Don’t tell me you want to take them back to your tribe?"
After just a brief exchange, Chu Liangyu was almost certain he had nothing to do with the cubs maturing prematurely.
’As for that Feng Qingqing, though,’ Chu Liangyu mused, ’there’s a high probability he’s involved with her.’
There was no point in probing him further.
"If you’d agree, I wouldn’t be against taking them back."
Jiang Li lowered his gaze, refusing. "That won’t be necessary. We get along very well. I’d be loath to let you take them back."
’The cubs carry their bloodline,’ Chu Liangyu considered. ’Their power will naturally be formidable when they grow up.’
’Only a fool like Ye Han would let his temper get the best of him and treat his own cubs like enemies, allowing me to pick up the spoils.’
As for the two cubs by Jiang Li’s side, Chu Liangyu had no intention of leaving them to him.
’Sooner or later, I’ll bring them back to the tribe. But things are still too unstable. Now isn’t the time.’
Chu Liangyu nodded, not at all surprised, and didn’t bring it up again. "By the way, do you know of anything in this world that can make a cub mature prematurely?"
Jiang Li looked up at her, a guess forming in his mind, but he didn’t show it on his face.
After a moment of deliberation, he replied, "Based on my speculation, there is only one thing in this world that could cause such a thing."
Chu Liangyu had only asked on a whim; she hadn’t expected him to actually know something.
"And what is that?"
Chu Liangyu played along and pressed for an answer, but Jiang Li just drank his tea leisurely, showing no intention of answering.
It was obvious he wanted something in return, a fact that wasn’t lost on Chu Liangyu.
"Fine. What do you want?"
Jiang Li didn’t waste words. "Simple. I just need you to stay here and accompany me for a month."
Chu Liangyu frowned, her mind filled with doubt.
’Isn’t this request a little too easy?’
But she wasn’t one to back down from a challenge. "Alright. But only after I’ve resolved this other matter."
"The ones who matured prematurely are all your cubs, right? I’m guessing this doesn’t include the few that Ye Han sent away."
He’d figured it all out, even though Chu Liangyu hadn’t said a word.
Chu Liangyu said nothing, quietly listening to what he would say next.
"The reason is simple. They have half of your bloodline in their bodies."
"Normally, that wouldn’t matter. But because you awakened prematurely, your own power has become immense."
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