Chapter 434: If You Don’t Want to See Him, Then Don’t
The Feather Palace wasn’t in a remote location. Qiao Xixi figured the Beast King had them stay here for easier surveillance.
The furnishings inside the Feather Palace were so crude they didn’t even compare to the dilapidated stone houses of their tribe.
Jin Ling and the others looked grim as they stared at the house, which was covered in cobwebs and dust, but Qiao Xixi wasn’t bothered in the slightest.
"You’ll be staying here for now."
The beastman soldier turned to leave as soon as he finished speaking.
"Wait."
Qiao Xixi called out, stopping him.
The beastman soldier turned back. "Is there something else?"
Qiao Xixi ran her hand over the door, showing him the thick layer of dust she’d wiped off. "Just look at how filthy this place is. Do you honestly think anyone can live here?"
The beastman soldier frowned. "This is the Beast King’s command."
"It’s completely unlivable. If you don’t have it cleaned, I’ll go raise a fuss with the Beast King. We’ll see who she punishes then—you or me."
The beastman soldier’s expression soured. He glared at Qiao Xixi and said through gritted teeth, "Wait here. I’ll get people to clean it up right away."
"And another thing. Bring us all the proper provisions. I don’t want a single thing missing."
The beastman soldier stomped off in a huff.
As soon as he was out the door, the beastman soldier saw the father and son, Han Lie and Yu Ye, standing outside.
"Shaman, Yu Ye."
Yu Ye glared toward the Feather Palace and snorted. "She certainly thinks highly of herself!"
Han Lie was unconcerned by such trivial details. He simply told the beastman soldier, "Give her whatever she asks for."
"Yes."
After the soldier left, Yu Ye complained, "Father, why are you indulging them? They’re dead men walking. Besides, who knows if her method for refining Crystal Stones is even real? What if she’s just lying to stall for time?"
But Han Lie replied, "Even if she doesn’t know the method, she certainly knows where that Crystal Stone came from. We’ll keep her alive for now."
Yu Ye didn’t dare argue with Han Lie, but he resolved to find out what tricks Qiao Xixi and her group were trying to pull.
The beastman soldier quickly returned with others and cleaned the stone house. They also delivered daily necessities like tables, chairs, stools, and animal-hide blankets.
The stone house still looked old, but it was a vast improvement.
Though old, the house had many rooms. Once everything was tidied up, Qiao Xixi quickly sent Jin Ling and the others to their individual rooms to rest.
Qiao Yi’s brows furrowed deeply as he watched her bustle about, running from one room to another.
Qiao Xixi was just coming out of Feiyan’s room, about to head to Xijing’s, when Qiao Yi grabbed her arm.
"Father, what’s wrong?"
Qiao Yi led her to a stool in the main room. "You need to rest. Aren’t you tired from running all over?"
Qiao Xixi shook her head. "I’m not tired."
To be clear, she absolutely trusted her father; she was simply concerned about her mates and wanted to check on their wounds herself.
"You said you came here to find information about the source of the Dark Origin Stone. Do you know where to look?"
The truth was, Qiao Yi was still very uneasy about Qiao Xixi staying in the royal palace. It was too dangerous here.
Qiao Xixi shook her head. "Not specifically."
The little spirit had only said that information about the source was somewhere in the royal palace. Strangely, the information wasn’t in the form of a map, so it couldn’t detect its exact location.
"So, where do you plan to start?"
Qiao Xixi wrung her hands. ’The little spirit said this matter is related to the royal family,’ she thought, ’so I’ll have to start with one of them.’ After a moment, she said aloud, "I haven’t figured it out yet. Father, did you ever hear anything about this back then?"
Qiao Yi shook his head. "Never."
As Qiao Xixi mulled over where to find a breakthrough, Qiao Yi had already risen and gone to the kitchen out back to prepare a meal.
Heeding Han Lie’s orders, the beastman soldier didn’t dare give Qiao Xixi’s group the cold shoulder. After the cleaning was done, he had a large amount of raw meat delivered.
When Qiao Xixi entered Sunxiao’s room, he wasn’t resting in bed as she’d instructed. Instead, he was sitting up, leaning against the head of the bed.
His cold, stern features softened the moment he saw her enter.
Qiao Xixi walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. "Why aren’t you resting?"
Sunxiao swept a long arm around her, pulling her into his embrace. The recent ordeals had stripped away what little flesh remained on his face, making the angles of his profile even sharper.
He leaned forward, pressing his face gently against her shoulder. His cool breath tickled her ear, and she instinctively flinched.
"I’m tired of lying down."
Qiao Xixi glanced at the dark circles under his eyes. ’He’s not tired of lying down,’ she thought. ’He has something on his mind and can’t sleep.’
She shifted, leaning back into his embrace and letting him rest some of his weight against her.
"Are you thinking about your father?"
His cool lips brushed against her neck, a touch filled with warm affection.
Qiao Xixi could feel his mood softening. She took his slender hand, her fingers gently playing with his pale fingertips. Her small, soft hand felt like cotton, seeming to steep Sunxiao’s entire heart in its gentleness, until the last of his rigid defenses completely crumbled.
"Yeah."
Seeing Sunxuan hadn’t left Sunxiao as indifferent as he appeared. After the initial shock came anger, followed by a trace of hurt that he desperately wanted to ignore.
’Hurt.’ Sunxiao despised the feeling. It was an emotion that should have been completely eradicated back when he was a cub.
"Do you remember what happened back then?"
"Some of it. Most of it’s a blur."
He only remembered that when he was very young, his father had taken him all over in search of the Sacred Crystal. They needed it to break their curse.
He had been too young then. All he knew was that after he accidentally fell off a cliff, Sunxuan had abandoned him and left without a second glance.
He had never seen him again.
He had assumed his father died long ago.
And his father had likely assumed the same of him.
Sunxiao let out a low laugh, his crimson serpent eyes filled with endless mockery.
"But now, he’s alive."
"Do you want to ask him?" she murmured. ’Ask him why he left without looking back.’
"No."
Qiao Xixi looked up at Sunxiao. They were so close that she only had to lean forward to kiss the corner of his mouth.
"Then we won’t ask. If seeing him makes you unhappy, then we won’t see him."
"Okay."
Sunxiao lowered his gaze to meet hers. Qiao Xixi could see her own reflection, sharp and clear, in the depths of his crimson pupils.
Her heart suddenly beat faster, and her hands, clutching his clothes, tightened unconsciously.
He was so thin now that his Adam’s apple was even more prominent.
Qiao Xixi lowered her eyes. Then, on a sudden impulse, she leaned in and pressed a kiss to the sharp cartilage. She felt it bob as he suppressed a wave of desire, and her own breath hitched.
The desire she had been forcibly suppressing threatened to erupt.
From entering the Thunder-swallowing Forest to leaving the Watchtower, she had expended far too much energy. She desperately needed to replenish herself.
A darker shade of crimson swirled in his pupils. His cool palm settled on her waist, pulling her closer.
A low moan escaped Qiao Xixi’s throat. The moment her lips left his skin, his mouth descended in a dominant kiss.