After I Dumped 7 Beast Husbands and Ran

All the Beastmen stared at Nan Zishi.

If she could, Nan Zishi would have crawled into the nearest hole in the ground.

She stubbornly craned her neck. "Of course not!"

Xuan Jin was speechless. ’This is the first time I’ve seen the little female tell such a bald-faced lie.’

Chi Xiao clearly didn’t believe her. "Really??"

’That hair color, those eyes, the sound of her voice...’

Chi Xiao pointed at her. "It’s obviously you!"

Nan Zishi was at a loss for words. ’Dammit!’

All the Bird Beastmen were staring at her.

"The Lord himself said it’s her, so it must be!"

"How could she be so irresponsible! After having his child, she won’t even acknowledge the Lord or her own son?"

"Our Lord was abandoned. He’s so pitiful."

Ying Meng gritted her teeth.

As the focus of everyone’s attention, Nan Zishi’s scalp prickled with anxiety.

’That damn Xuan Jin, this is all his fault! Why does he love Xiong Jing so much?!’

Xuan Jin, standing to the side, simply raised an eyebrow.

"It’s really not me." Nan Zishi decided to stick to her story no matter what.

"It’s not her?" the Bird Beastmen murmured, confused.

"Did our Lord get the wrong person?"

Seeing Nan Zishi’s firm denial, Chi Xiao began to doubt himself.

’Could I have been mistaken?’

’I was very weak that day, and I didn’t get a clear look. Maybe I really did get the wrong person.’

"If it’s not you, then never mind." Chi Xiao flapped his wings, somewhat disappointed.

Nan Zishi breathed a sigh of relief.

’I finally bluffed my way out of that one.’

But just then, Huo Jun approached, slowly walking over while holding Little Fu.

The young eagle holding a Little Mermaid was a particularly conspicuous sight among the flock of Bird Beastmen.

"Huo Jun? Little Fu?" Nan Zishi’s scalp prickled again.

’Little Fu is with Huo Jun?’

"Is it really not you?" Huo Jun’s arms around Little Fu tightened.

"Sister Nan, are you really not my mother?"

The air grew still. Facing her firstborn, Nan Zishi found she couldn’t lie.

"When I was little, I always wondered what my mother would be like."

"She saved my father, gave birth to me, and then left. I always thought she must be a very special female."

"So, why would such a special female abandon me? Is it because I’m no good? Because I’m blind and disabled? Is that why she didn’t want me?"

"No!" Nan Zishi blurted out. The moment the word left her lips, she knew she was finished.

All the Bird Beastmen stared at her intently.

’What now? Even if I’m caught, I have to finish what I started.’ A chill ran down her spine. She stiffened her neck and said, "Huo Jun, I’m sorry. Your mother never, ever thought you weren’t good enough. You are wonderful."

All the Bird Beastmen gasped in unison.

"She fucking finally admitted it."

"That female! She actually tried to deny it!"

"Young Master Huo Jun is amazing! He found his mother!"

He Xian, worried about Huo Jun, reached out to steady him, but Huo Jun shook him off.

Clutching Little Fu, he scrambled over the tangled branches and ran toward Nan Zishi.

Nan Zishi was at a loss, but in the end, she let go of her reservations and pulled both Huo Jun and Little Fu into a tight embrace.

"So you really are my mother," Huo Jun’s voice was muffled. "My mother really did come looking for me."

"Mother!"

Her eldest son’s voice trembled, and it sounded like he was secretly crying.

Nan Zishi’s eyes stung with tears.

’I was wrong. I shouldn’t have run away. I shouldn’t have denied my own child.’

"Huo Jun, Little Fu was with you?"

"Yes. Little Fu calls you Mother. She’s my sister, isn’t she?"

"You’re so clever." Nan Zishi stroked his hair. "Little Fu is your sister."

Little Fu wanted to say something, but she saw how close her mother and brother seemed in that moment. She decided to stay quiet and give them their space.

As for Chi Xiao, his expression had completely shattered.

And it wasn’t just Chi Xiao; Han Feng’s expression had shattered too.

The other Bird Beastmen wore various expressions as they watched the drama unfold.

After the initial panic subsided, Nan Zishi’s heart began to pound. THUMP-THUMP.

’It’s all happening too fast. So many things happened today, all in a blur.’

"Do you blame me?" Nan Zishi’s voice trembled slightly. "I never took care of you, Huo Jun. I thought... I thought you would hate me, or even despise me."

Huo Jun shook his head.

Xuan Jin frowned slightly.

’Strange. It seems She Yang and I weren’t the only male and child she abandoned.’

’Looks like this Bird Beastman father and son were abandoned by her too.’

’Don’t tell me... she abandoned all of her Beast Husbands and their children?’

’Why?’

He glanced at Chi Xiao, who looked as dazed as if he’d been struck by lightning. Suddenly, Xuan Jin understood why Nan Zishi had dragged him into this.

’I did something stupid and gained another rival for no reason.’

’So much for starting a Xiong Jing.’

Han Feng shooed away the surrounding Bird Beastmen who had been watching the spectacle.

Now, inside Nan Zishi’s cave, Chi Xiao, Xuan Jin, Han Feng, along with Huo Jun and Little Fu, sat in a circle around her on the ground.

Nan Zishi was like a misbehaving child, head bowed, awaiting judgment.

Chi Xiao, the brawny, two-meter-tall male, had finally come to his senses, a faint blush coloring his face.

’Strange, why is my heart beating so fast?!’

Xuan Jin tutted. ’Is this damn bird stupid?’

’When he asked if Nan Zishi was his female master, she denied it outright.’

’She only admitted it when his son asked if she was his mother.’

’What does that prove? It proves she doesn’t want you. And you’re blushing? What is there to smile about?’

The tall, powerful male’s face grew redder and redder. He stammered nervously, "So... so you are... you’re my female master?"

Nan Zishi felt this was not going at all how she had imagined.

’This big bird... doesn’t seem to want to kill me?’

Nan Zishi asked, "You’re not angry with me?"

"Angry? Why would I be angry?" Chi Xiao asked, tilting his head.

Nan Zishi said, "You were severely injured and very weak back then. I took advantage of you to form the contract. And... I left right after I gave birth to Huo Jun."

Chi Xiao replied, "You’re a witch doctor, aren’t you? You saved my life."

Chi Xiao wasn’t a stubborn person.

He had indeed struggled and resisted while he was delirious, but this female had saved his life when he was on the brink of death, and then she had even left him an egg.

He had forgiven her quickly.

He had searched for her for a while afterward, but to his frustration, he could never find her.

Then Huo Jun hatched. Huo Jun was a clever and sensible child. He saw that other children had mothers, but he did not, so he asked Chi Xiao about it.

So, Chi Xiao told Huo Jun the story of him and Nan Zishi.

Even though their story was incredibly short, little Huo Jun had listened with rapt attention.

"Daddy, you mean Mother saved you, gave birth to me, and then ran away?" he had asked, then burst out laughing.

Those words left a deep impression on Chi Xiao. He, too, desperately wanted to know why she had run away.

’Was I not presentable?’

Six years was a long time. Chi Xiao had long since forgotten his own words: "Female, if you dare touch me, I’ll kill you."

Instead, he had grown curious about what kind of female she was.

That curiosity and imagination had built up, bit by bit, over six years, leading to this very moment.

Chi Xiao’s face was flushed.

He secretly sized her up.

’Good-looking. Beautiful.’

’And Junjun likes her a lot, too.’

Chi Xiao spoke cautiously to the petite female. "Junjun and I have never been angry with you. We’re very happy that you came to find us."

Xuan Jin cut in, "She wasn’t looking for you."

Chi Xiao pretended not to hear him.

Nan Zishi was still stunned by this answer.

"Really? Neither of you has ever been angry with me?"

"Well, maybe a little bit of resentment. We just really hoped you would come looking for us."

Huo Jun smiled. "Mother, Junjun has always wanted to meet you."

Chi Xiao asked nervously, "And you? You don’t hate us, do you?"

Nan Zishi shook her head. "Of course not."

’I must have been influenced by all those angsty novels I read in my past life. To think I was so worried about Chi Xiao’s threat to kill me all this time.’

Meanwhile, Han Feng, her new brother-in-law, was wrestling with a storm of conflicting emotions.

’The female I had my eye on is now my brother’s female master... my sister-in-law.’

’Do I still have a chance?’