Chapter 466: A Problem with the Body
A fierce longing sparked in Yaoxi’s eyes, tinged with a hint of caution.
"How could I? You have a mother, after all."
Qiao Xixi shrugged nonchalantly. "She doesn’t like me, and I don’t like her. I would never consider her my mother." ’If it weren’t for keeping the beast world stable, she would’ve wanted to off the Beast King.’
’It’s not that Yu Qing can’t die, just not right now. That last remnant of dark power hasn’t been found, and if someone were to use it to stir up trouble while Beast King City had no one in charge, chaos would easily break out.’
’Qiao Xixi was no saint, but she didn’t want to see countless innocent beastmen get dragged into the carnage.’
Considering everything the Beast King had done to Qiao Xixi and her father, it was no surprise she felt that way.
"Alright. From now on, Auntie Yaoxi will think of you as my own cub."
"Mm-hm."
As they cooked, Qiao Xixi told Yaoxi amusing stories about her and the cubs, and Yaoxi listened intently.
"If I ever get the chance, I’d love to see those adorable cubs for myself."
"Of course you’ll have a chance. Auntie Yaoxi, if you want to leave, you can do so at any time. The Beast King won’t be able to stop you if you’re with us."
Yaoxi was tempted, but not wanting to be a burden to Qiao Xixi, she changed the subject.
Qiao Xixi simmered a pot of meat soup, stir-fried another meat dish, and prepared a cold meat salad.
Yaoxi was amazed, watching how deftly and quickly Qiao Xixi prepared all three dishes.
"Xixi, it’s so rare to see a female willing to do so much for her beast husbands."
Qiao Xixi brought out the bowls and chopsticks. She smiled at the comment. ’Gu Man said something similar to me once.’
’The common understanding in this world was that beast husbands should be the only ones to give in a relationship. But to Qiao Xixi, that was unfair. She would never hold back when she had the ability to contribute.’
"Auntie Yaoxi, please eat first. I’m going to take some food to Jin Ling and the others."
"Let me help."
When Qiao Xixi carried the food into Jin Ling’s room, he was already lying down but not yet asleep. Seeing her enter, he put down what was in his hands and sat up.
"You could have just called me when it was ready. Why did you bring it all the way over?"
Qiao Xixi set the food on the table. "I told you to get some proper rest. Now eat. Once you’re done, you can rest some more."
A soft look filled Jin Ling’s eyes. ’Xixi always has a way of making me feel, in these small moments, that being her beast husband is the most fortunate thing in the world.’
Qiao Xixi glanced toward the bed. "What were you doing just now?"
Jin Ling turned and retrieved an unfinished wood carving from the bed.
When Qiao Xixi saw what the carving depicted, her expression softened as well.
"It’s An’an."
Jin Ling nodded. "We’ve been away for so long. I wonder how the cubs are doing."
’Cubs grow up so fast, especially tiger cubs that age. The little guy will probably be a whole size bigger by the time we get back.’
"I miss the cubs too."
Jin Ling carefully set the carving aside and took her hand, lending her his warmth and strength. "Once we find that remnant of the dark source stone’s power, we can go home."
"Mm-hm. When that time comes, we should go into town and bring them back some fun toys and tasty treats."
"Alright."
"You eat first. I’m going to go check on Feiyan and the others."
Qiao Xixi left the stone house and brought food to Feiyan and Xijing in turn. Although their faces were pale, their eyes were bright, which put her somewhat at ease.
When she pushed open the door to Sangze’s room, it was silent inside. Sangze was still lying on the bed, seemingly fast asleep.
She set the food on the table, then walked over to the bed. She placed a hand on his forehead and found it was ice-cold.
Qiao Xixi was taken aback. ’Sangze is just like Jin Ling and Feiyan; their normal body temperatures are usually a little higher. Why is his so low right now?’
She felt his body, and it was just as cold.
"Imp, what’s wrong with Sangze? Are his injuries too severe? His temperature isn’t right. Quick, help me figure out what’s going on."
"Let me take a closer look. Host, try not to panic."
Qiao Xixi frowned and squeezed Sangze’s hand, waiting in silence.
"Hiss... This is a bit tricky."
Qiao Xixi’s heart sank. "What is it?"
"The reason Sangze is in this state is because he was given a forbidden medicine. My recent scan detected the power of a refined dark source stone within his body. To put it simply... Sangze’s Undying Body and his immense combat strength are partially due to the power of that dark source stone. Although his power is slightly different from the stone’s origin, it’s still influenced by it."
"In other words, now that the power at the origin has been greatly weakened, the energy within Sangze’s body will be weakened as well."
"And what will be the result of that?"
"Hiss... it’s hard to say. There’s no precedent for this. Originally, the dark power and the forbidden medicine in his body were counteracting each other—neither could overwhelm the other. But now that one of the forces has weakened, it’s difficult to predict what effect the other will have on his body."
Qiao Xixi’s brow furrowed into a deep knot.
"Isn’t there a solution?"
"There is, Host, but there’s a condition. You have to find the formula for this forbidden medicine first. Only then can I analyze it and figure out a countermeasure. As for Sangze, you can only wait for him to wake up to see what his condition is."
Qiao Xixi’s grip on Sangze’s hand tightened. She suddenly thought of something, and her pupils contracted.
’Does that mean... Sangqi’s body will be affected in the same way?’
"Yes."
The color drained from Qiao Xixi’s face in an instant.
"But Host, you don’t need to be too alarmed. Their lives aren’t in immediate danger. You just need to figure out the formula for this forbidden medicine as quickly as possible."
"Right. I understand."
Qiao Xixi tucked the blanket around Sangze, then pushed open the door and went outside.
Yaoxi, who was waiting outside, noticed at a glance that something was wrong with Qiao Xixi.
She assumed Qiao Xixi was worried about her beast husbands’ injuries and tried to comfort her. "Males’ bodies are much more resilient than ours. Xixi, you don’t need to worry so much. They’ll be fine before you know it."
Qiao Xixi responded distractedly, but not wanting to make Yaoxi worry, she forced a smile and helped her bring the rest of the food into the main room.
Qiao Yi returned before nightfall.
When Qiao Yi entered, he was a little surprised to see Yaoxi there, but he quickly composed himself.
Yaoxi, on the other hand, seemed uncomfortable seeing Qiao Yi. ’She had always felt she was part of the reason the Beast King despised him.’
"Thank you for speaking up for my daughter and me today."
Yaoxi waved her hand, her tension easing. "I should have spoken up long ago. I always treated her like a younger sister who didn’t know any better... I never thought she could be so foolish."
Qiao Xixi looked at Qiao Yi, noticing the somber expression on his face. "Father," she asked, her curiosity piqued, "where did you go just now?"