Chapter 479: Maternal Half-Brother
A halo of light formed a strange rune in the air, then suddenly shot through Qiao Xixi’s body.
The moment the halo passed through her, a star-like pattern appeared on Yaoxi’s arm.
Yun Ji stopped what he was doing and looked at the two of them.
"The Contract Ceremony is complete."
Yaoxi stood up and walked over to Qiao Xixi.
"Xixi, with the Guardian Contract in place, you can finally rest easy. I know that even as I say this, you won’t believe me, but I truly never intended to do anything to harm you."
"At this point, whether I believe you or not is completely irrelevant, isn’t it?"
Yaoxi was at a loss for words. After a helpless sigh, she said nothing more.
"Sacred Priest, I have done what I promised. Can you rest assured now?"
"Mmm."
After Yaoxi left, Yun Ji took Qiao Xixi back to his quarters.
"Are Yu Ye and Aunt Yaoxi the only candidates for the succession now?"
’Yu Ye must be a serious competitor for Yaoxi,’ Qiao Xixi thought. ’Otherwise, why would she agree to a Guardian Contract with me just to get help from Yun Ji and the others?’
"There’s one more person."
Qiao Xixi was confused. "Who else?"
"Xueche."
Qiao Xixi froze. "Xueche? He’s the Beast King’s son? He’s my half-brother?"
Yun Ji nodded. "That’s right."
"Then... then why would she... Don’t tell me his father was another one arranged for her by her parents, someone she used and then cast aside?"
"It’s more than that."
"What other reason is there?"
"Xueche’s father bore a resemblance to your father."
Qiao Xixi laughed, speechless. ’So the Beast King’s hatred extends to anyone who even looks like him.’
"So Xueche’s mistreatment... was that also condoned by the Beast King?"
Yun Ji lifted his gaze to Qiao Xixi. "She wanted to kill them before."
He normally wouldn’t get involved in the affairs of the royal family, but he had saved the two of them that time, allowing them to live in Beast King City.
But as the Sacred Priest, he couldn’t possibly monitor their situation at all times, so he hadn’t known they were being constantly mistreated.
"As someone with the Beast King’s blood, he is also qualified to inherit the throne."
"Then... am I also eligible?"
’The reason Yaoxi let the fire spread toward the Feather Palace that night was simply because I also have the Beast King’s blood, which means I’m also qualified to inherit the throne.’
’One more competitor was one more threat to her.’
"Do you want to?"
Qiao Xixi quickly shook her head. ’No, I don’t.’ If it hadn’t been for the restrictions she faced as a Wandering Beast, she never would have become a Clan Leader. If she didn’t have a specific goal in mind, she really disliked shouldering such heavy responsibilities.
Yun Ji glanced at the darkening sky outside and asked, "Are you hungry?"
Qiao Xixi glanced at the half-eaten fruit she’d left on the table. ’I wasn’t hungry before, but after all that running around, I am now.’
"I’m hungry. Are we eating fruit for dinner tonight?"
Yun Ji stood up with a hint of resignation. "No. Wait here, I’ll be right back."
With that, Yun Ji descended the stone steps and left the main hall.
’This place seems so detached from worldly matters,’ Qiao Xixi wondered. ’Could there possibly be a kitchen here?’
Qiao Xixi picked up a fruit from the table and started eating.
Before long, she caught the faint scent of cooking smoke.
’There really is a kitchen here!’ she thought in amazement.
She walked out of the main hall, following the scent around to the back.
There was a small stone house back there, and she could faintly see Yun Ji’s figure moving about inside.
Qiao Xixi didn’t go in. Instead, she found a stone stool to sit on, resting her chin in her hand as she ate her fruit and watched the busy figure in the kitchen.
’Yun Ji is so smart,’ she thought. ’Everything seems to come so easily to him.’
But...
Seeing the figure in the kitchen seeming a little clumsy and flustered, she swallowed the last of her fruit and decided to go inside.
"What are you making? Let me help."
Yun Ji was holding a bone knife, apparently about to cut some meat. The meat must have just been delivered; it looked very fresh. Fresh meat always tasted good, no matter how it was cooked.
Yun Ji looked at her, a flash of awkwardness in his eyes, but he quickly regained his usual composure.
"Xixi, teach me."
’If you don’t know something, you learn. Not bad.’
Qiao Xixi taught him how to cut the meat for the best texture when roasted.
She also told him what to add to the soup to make it taste better.
Qiao Xixi only had to explain it once for Yun Ji to remember everything and do it perfectly.
All she had to do was sit on a nearby stone stool and tend the fire.
Soon, she could smell the fragrant aroma of the meat stew coming from the pot.
’I have to admit, his cooking is almost as good as mine.’
Yun Ji served the food and placed it on a small stone table outside the kitchen.
Qiao Xixi raked through the embers of the fire, pulling out several roasted Yellow Earth Fruits.
"Wow, that smells amazing."
After setting out the bowls and utensils, Qiao Xixi sat down at the stone table.
She looked around. The sky had grown dark, and the pearls embedded in the stone walls cast a soft, lustrous white glow in the moonlight, illuminating their small corner.
Qiao Xixi took a stone bowl and filled it with a generous portion of stew for Yun Ji.
"Go on, try it. You’re the one who cooked it, after all."
Yun Ji took the stone bowl and nodded slightly. "Alright."
Yun Ji watched as Qiao Xixi produced some green leaves from somewhere. She picked up a piece of roasted meat with a leaf, placed some crushed fruit on top, and then rolled the leaf up.
"Here, open your mouth."
Yun Ji opened his mouth as she’d said, and before he knew it, she had popped the meat-filled leaf wrap into his mouth.
"It tastes better this way."
As she spoke, she made one for herself and popped it into her mouth.
Yun Ji chewed slowly. The first taste was the freshness of the green leaf, followed by the savory richness of the roasted meat, which then blended with the sweet and sour notes of the fruit. It was a novel and delicious combination of flavors.
"Is it good?"
Yun Ji nodded and ladled a bowl of soup for her, too.
The leaves Qiao Xixi used for the wraps were vegetables she had stored in her dimensional space, which she had brought from her tribe.
Both of them were incredibly satisfied with the meal.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Yun Ji led her down to the forest below the main hall.
The forest was close, and in it was a large, natural pool.
The view here was wide and open. The full reflection of the moon on the water’s surface made it feel as if the sky itself was in the pool.
"Go on and wash up. I’ll wait for you on the bank."
"Okay."
With that, Yun Ji let go of her hand and turned away.
Qiao Xixi took off her pelt clothes and slowly waded into the water.
She had expected the water to be ice-cold, but surprisingly, even this high up on the mountain, it was warm. Her body relaxed completely as the water enveloped her.
Once relaxed, she slowly submerged herself, intending to wash her hair as well.
After she finished washing, she surfaced and glanced toward the bank, only to find she had drifted quite a distance from the shore.
Just as she was about to swim back, a shadow suddenly fell over her from the sky.
Qiao Xixi looked up to see a pair of sharp talons swooping down toward her.