Chapter 866: Who Is Rong Yanchen’s Son?
Ciao Ciao fell silent, his little ears drooping as he thought about it seriously. Then, his eyes suddenly sparkled with fierce determination. He nodded vigorously and waved a tiny paw in the air.
"Of course! That is my rightful position! No one else is allowed to steal it!"
Su Qinglan’s eyes instantly turned sharp and serious. She turned toward the three elders. "Then tell me exactly what happened."
The three elders exchanged quick glances, and the first elder stepped forward. "About a month ago, someone suddenly appeared in Fox Beast City claiming to be the son of our previous clan leader."
Su Qinglan blinked in surprise. "Rong Ye’s elder brother had a son?"
The elder nodded. "Yes. His name is Rong Yanchen."
Su Qinglan’s eyes widened. "Rong Yanchen has a son?!" She immediately spun around to face Rong Ye. "But wasn’t your late elder brother unmated?"
Rong Ye rubbed the back of his neck, looking somewhat helpless. "I don’t know the full details, Lanlan. My eldest brother was much older than me. It’s not completely impossible for him to have had a cub in secret."
"How old was his brother?" Su Qinglan asked the elders.
"He would have been around thirty," Elder Luo answered.
Su Qinglan’s expression shifted. "Thirty?" She looked at Rong Ye, then at the elders, then back at Rong Ye. "That means his son is..."
"About fifteen," Elder Luo confirmed.
Silence fell over the clearing.
Su Qinglan’s face slowly darkened. Thirty years old... and his son was already around fifteen? Yet that same Rong Yanchen had recently tried to pursue her younger sister, Lan Yue, who was only around nineteen! Her eyes flashed with dangerous frost.
However, that wasn’t even the most baffling part. She turned back to the elders, her brow furrowed. "I remember you distinctly telling me that your previous clan leader was never formally mated to anyone."
The three elders suddenly looked extremely uncomfortable. They fidgeted on their knees, their faces slowly turning bright red. None of them seemed to know how to explain such an awkward topic to a female.
Finally, Rong Ye let out a long sigh. "I’ll explain."
Su Qinglan turned her sharp gaze to him.
Rong Ye scratched his cheek awkwardly. "In Fox Beast City... the clan leader can have temporary relationships with various females without actually forming a lifelong mate bond with them."
Su Qinglan frowned. "What does that mean?"
Rong Ye hesitated, raising an eyebrow meaningfully. "If they use... that special flower..."
Su Qinglan understood in a fraction of a second, her expression turning thoroughly strange.
That flower! She had heard about it before in the Beast World. It was a unique herbal plant used when two beastmen wanted to spend a night together without establishing a permanent mate contract.
After consuming it, its neutralizing effect lasted for a full day...even if they mated, no soul bond or physical mark would form. Once the effect wore off, neither party had any binding obligations toward the other.
Su Qinglan’s face dropped completely. "So..." She stared at Rong Ye. "...your clan’s leaders have just been using that flower to indulge themselves without taking responsibility?"
Rong Ye nodded sheepishly. "Some of them did."
Su Qinglan stared at him, disgusted. "That is... completely pathetic."
Rong Ye coughed loudly, not daring to argue. After all, his own father had done the exact same thing!
That was precisely why their generation had so many half-brothers...nearly nine brothers in total, but only three shared the same biological mother. The rest were born from various temporary females.
Su Qinglan finally put all the pieces together. "So Rong Yanchen’s son was likely born from one of those temporary arrangements."
"Most likely," Rong Ye agreed. "And his father never officially mated with his mother."
Su Qinglan’s eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "Because he was saving his official mate spot for a female who could bring him power."
Rong Ye’s tone turned serious. "Exactly." For someone as ambitious as his late brother, choosing an official mate was never about genuine affection. It was a strategic political move.
The stronger and more influential the female’s family, the more it consolidated their hold over the clan.
Su Qinglan’s mind instantly flashed to one person: Lan Yue.
Her face turned icy cold. She remembered how Rong Yanchen had shown so much interest in her gentle younger sister back in the city.
So that was his game! He didn’t care about Lan Yue at all...he only saw her as a powerful stepping stone to secure his claim over the Fox Beast City!
The more she thought about it, the more furious she became. She shot Rong Ye a cold look. "Your family really has quite the talent for scheming."
Rong Ye sighed helplessly. "He has always been ambitious."
Ciao Ciao, who had been quietly listening to the adult talk from his mother’s arms, suddenly raised a tiny, fluffy paw. "Mama!"
Su Qinglan looked down, her tone instantly softening. "Yes, sweetie?"
𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶
Ciao Ciao puffed out his furry cheeks, his tiny chest swelling with pride. "If that fake cousin wants my position, he has to fight me! I won’t let him have it!"
Su Qinglan’s lips curved into a warm, proud smile. She leaned down and planted a soft kiss on his furry head. "Of course, my brave little prince. No one can ever force you to give up what belongs to you."
Hearing those words, the three elders practically sobbed with pure relief! They had finally secured their little savior!
Elder Luo hurriedly bowed his head to the dirt. "Female Su Qinglan, please help us!"
Elder Hu nodded frantically. "Please allow the little prince to return and reclaim his rightful place!"
Elder Shen added earnestly, "Only Prince Ciao Ciao possesses the true nine-tailed lineage to put an end to this farce!"
Su Qinglan did not answer immediately. She held her little fox cub close, her eyes brimming with thoughtful calculation.
If this directly involved Ciao Ciao’s future and standing, she certainly wouldn’t stand by and let some schemer steal his birthright.
But before she made any moves... she needed to thoroughly investigate this mysterious fifteen-year-old nephew who had conveniently appeared out of nowhere.
Because something about this whole situation smelled far more complicated than a simple fight for the clan leader’s throne!