nucmednet Chapter 314: I Must Teach Him a Lesson
Chapter 314: I Must Teach Him a Lesson
Xijing felt the fluctuation in his aura and knew he had noticed.
"I caught that male Wandering Beast last night."
He repeated what he had told Feiyan.
Jin Ling’s reaction was more direct. "Where is he? I’ll go see him first."
Until he could be certain the other beastman posed no threat to Qiao Xixi, he would never let him get near her.
"In the empty house closest to the tribe’s main gate."
"Mm."
Jin Ling turned and went downstairs.
But he didn’t leave the inner city. Instead, he went to the kitchen first.
He didn’t trust Feiyan with breakfast.
Qiao Xixi was woken by hunger. The moment she opened her eyes, she smelled the rich aroma of meat broth.
She got up, dressed, and opened her door to see the cubs standing outside. When they saw her emerge, their eyes lit up as they gazed at her.
"Qiao Ang, when did you all get back last night?"
"Mother, we slept at Grandfather’s last night. Grandfather said it was too late and worried we were too tired, so he had us sleep there."
As Qiao Ang spoke, he instinctively started walking toward Qiao Xixi, but he stopped just as he was about to leap into her arms, his little brow furrowed in conflict.
’Father and Grandfather both said we’re grown up now. From now on, we have to be strong, upstanding young males. We can’t be asking Mother for kisses and hugs all the time like before.’
’But I miss Mother so much.’
"Mother~"
How could Qiao Xixi not see what was on their minds? She simply sat on the floor and opened her arms, inviting them all into her embrace.
Qiao Lie and the others broke into wide grins and dove into her arms.
Qiao Xixi had missed them terribly, too. She held them, planting several big kisses on each one before letting them go.
During breakfast, Xijing didn’t bring up seeing Qiao Yi, only telling her about the situation last night.
Qiao Xixi was very surprised. "He’s a Wandering Beastman we’ve had contact with before?"
Xijing nodded affirmatively. "Yes. He’s been through a lot over the years. He’s been staying in the tribe because he recognized the scent of your bloodline, Xixi."
Qiao Xixi felt the reason made sense. After all, the beastman hadn’t actively tried to harm them this whole time.
"I want to go see him."
Jin Ling frowned slightly. "Xixi, can you think of who it might be?"
Qiao Xixi shook her head. "Let’s see him first. Maybe I’ll remember then."
"I’ll go check on him first."
Qiao Xixi didn’t refuse. After all, it was for her own safety.
"Okay."
After they finished eating, Jin Ling was the first to leave the inner city.
The beastmen of the patrol team didn’t fully trust Qiao Yi, so they had posted two guards outside.
When Jin Ling pushed the door open and entered, Qiao Yi was sitting on a stool.
He was still clad in black beast hides that enveloped his entire body, revealing only a portion of his scarred face.
His wolf-like eyes shifted, slowly landing on Jin Ling. His gaze was assessing, openly scrutinizing.
Jin Ling’s expression darkened subtly. While Qiao Yi was sizing him up, he was scrutinizing Qiao Yi in return.
"I heard from Xijing that you’re the Wandering Beastman who once saved him and Xixi. Can you tell me the specifics of what happened back then?"
Qiao Yi withdrew his gaze and chuckled. ’This Golden Tiger Beast... he’s got a sharp mind and isn’t bad-looking either. Ah, my Xixi, she still can’t shake that bad habit of hers—only picking the good-looking ones.’
"You suspect I’m lying?"
Jin Ling’s reply was blunt. "Of course."
Qiao Yi took out a beautiful wolf-shaped wood carving from his clothes. It was an adorable wolf cub.
"This was left behind by her father back then. I found it. She should recognize it."
Jin Ling’s gaze fell upon the wolf cub carving. Judging by its color, the carving was quite old. It had likely been rubbed repeatedly, so its features looked a little dark and worn.
What Jin Ling didn’t know was that Qiao Xixi was already standing outside the wooden house.
She listened to the conversation inside, resisting the urge to go in, until Jin Ling came out holding the wood carving.
"Xixi?"
Qiao Xixi looked at the carving in his hand, and her eyes immediately reddened.
But the image that appeared in her mind was of a tall, handsome figure.
"This is Little Xixi. From now on, when Father isn’t here, how about we let it keep Xixi company?"
"Father, you’re talking nonsense! You’re not going to be gone." The childish voice held a hint of anger, but she quickly snatched the beautiful wood carving away.
"Alright, alright. Father will always be with Xixi, watch Xixi grow up, and help Xixi pick powerful beastman mates."
Teardrops rolled down her cheeks, dampening the old wood carving.
"Xixi..."
Jin Ling couldn’t bear to see Qiao Xixi like this. His heart ached as he pulled her into an embrace, wiping the tears from her cheeks.
Qiao Xixi sniffled and steadied her emotions. "Jin Ling, did he give you this carving? I want to see him."
Jin Ling nodded and led her into the stone house, his arm still around her.
Their figures blocked the light from the doorway. When Qiao Yi heard Qiao Xixi’s voice, he froze on his stool.
Qiao Xixi looked at him, desperately wanting to see something, anything familiar about him.
But there was nothing. Not only was he completely covered, but even his aura was different.
The brilliant blue of her eyes dimmed.
’He... he isn’t my father.’
"Excuse me, how did you get this wood carving?"
’She only remembered dropping the carving when they fled all those years ago. Could he have been the one who found it?’
Qiao Yi raised his head, his gaze heavy as he looked at her.
"Back then, when you were being hunted, I was returning from a hunt and only saw bloodstains in the snow and this blood-soaked carving. Your father and I were friends for many years, but I had left some time before that due to certain matters. You were very young when I left, so you probably don’t remember me."
"How should I address you, Uncle?"
"Langqi. I stayed in the tribe recently because I recognized your scent. I’ve run into some trouble now. I was wondering... could I possibly stay in the tribe temporarily?"
"Of course, you can. I’d also like to learn more about my father from you, Uncle Qi."
Qiao Yi nodded. "There’s a lot to tell about him, many complicated things. I’ll tell you slowly."
"Okay."
Qiao Xixi looked at Jin Ling. "I want Uncle Qi to live in the inner city."
Although Jin Ling still had his reservations about Qiao Yi, he couldn’t stand to see Qiao Xixi looking so sad, so he agreed immediately.
"Alright. I’ll get everything ready."
Qiao Xixi nodded and took a step closer to Qiao Yi, but as soon as she moved toward him, he stood up and backed away.
Qiao Xixi looked at him in surprise.
Qiao Yi said in a deep voice, "My appearance is a bit frightening. I don’t want to scare you."
Up close, Qiao Xixi could see more clearly that the exposed parts of his face were covered in old scars. There was hardly a patch of smooth skin to be seen.
She didn’t want to force him.
"Okay. Then let’s head to the inner city first."
Qiao Yi nodded, walked out of the stone house, and let his gaze sweep coolly over Xijing.
Just as they were about to leave, a voice as deep as a great bell boomed from behind them.
"Xixi, I heard you caught that thieving beast who ate An’an’s pet? Where is he? I’m going to teach him a lesson he won’t forget!"