Chapter 446: What Secret Is Hidden
This jolted Sangze and the others awake.
This time, it was the Beast King.
The Beast King’s face was grim. The moment she entered and saw Qiao Xixi, she demanded, "Where did you hide Ling’er and the others?"
Qiao Xixi nearly scoffed. "Beast King, who’s Ling’er? A pet beast of yours?"
Hearing this, Sangze gave a wild smirk. "A pet beast? That name makes it sound like a rather low-grade one."
The Beast King was left speechless by their retorts, her expression growing even darker.
"Stop playing dumb. Yu Ling and Yu Ye are my cubs. The beast soldiers said you clashed with Ling’er yesterday. You were jealous she had my favor, so you made a move against her. Tell me, where on earth did you hide them!"
Killing intent flared in the eyes of Sunxiao and the others.
Qiao Xixi wasn’t angry. After all, she wasn’t the one in a hurry. She stepped aside and made a welcoming gesture toward the Beast King.
"If you don’t believe me, Your Majesty, feel free to have your people search. This is your palace, after all. Surely you know better than anyone whether we could hide someone here."
The Beast King snorted and waved her hand, ordering the beast soldiers to search.
Qiao Yi’s face darkened with anger when he heard the commotion and came over.
"Father, don’t be angry. Let them search."
The males’ gazes were grim as they coldly watched the beast soldiers search the stone huts one by one.
But Feather Palace was just their temporary residence. Each stone hut was small enough to be seen in its entirety from the entrance; there was nowhere to hide anyone.
The beastmen monitoring Feather Palace also reported that Qiao Xixi’s group hadn’t left since returning yesterday.
But when her cubs couldn’t be found, the Beast King’s first suspicion still fell on Qiao Xixi’s group. It was simple: she believed that if Qiao Yi could whisk Qiao Xixi away from right under her nose all those years ago, they could certainly snatch her cubs now.
But there was nothing. The beast soldiers completed their search without finding any trace of Yu Ling or the others. Not a single person, not even a single strand of hair.
"Your Majesty, we found nothing."
"We didn’t find anything either."
Qiao Xixi crossed her arms, looking completely at ease. "You see, Your Majesty? We’re truly innocent."
The Beast King snorted coldly. "If I find out you had anything to do with their disappearance, you will regret it!" With that, she turned to leave.
’Ha, she came here and walked all over me. I can’t just let her leave like that.’
"Your Majesty, I have a bold theory. I wonder if you’d care to hear it?"
The Beast King paused, her skeptical gaze landing on Qiao Xixi with palpable weight.
"What is it?"
Qiao Xixi leaned in close to the Beast King, lowering her voice and putting on a mysterious expression.
"Your Majesty, could it be possible... that their disappearance is related to the source of the Darkness Ore?"
"Impossible!" the Beast King denied instantly.
Qiao Xixi said patiently, "Don’t be so quick to deny it, Your Majesty. Just think. Isn’t it possible that those monsters in the forest—the ones that weren’t completely wiped out—also know how important it is? They know you’re looking for it. If you find it first, how would they get it from you?"
This time, the Beast King only frowned, not rushing to refute her.
"What if," Qiao Xixi continued, "they kidnapped your cubs first? They could wait until you’ve found the item, then use your two children to threaten you into handing it over."
The Beast King’s eyes shifted. Qiao Xixi knew she was getting through to her.
’It’s not my fault for bluffing,’ she thought. ’Desperation makes people irrational. The best time to deceive someone is when their focus is elsewhere and their judgment is clouded by emotion. That’s when you have the highest chance of success.’
"How would the monsters know about this?"
"Why couldn’t they know? The monsters are the ones who best understand the power of the Darkness Ore."
The Beast King was now sixty percent convinced. Her gaze shifted to Qiao Xixi. "What’s your plan?"
"The priority is to find the source of the Darkness Ore. Then, we can release some information to lure the monsters out. However, I have no more leads on my end. I don’t suppose Your Majesty has any..."
The Beast King’s expression shifted several times, but she didn’t respond.
Qiao Xixi knew she was tempted.
"Your Majesty... no matter what, I am still your cub."
The look Qiao Xixi gave her was filled with a tangible, deep-seated affection. The Beast King was another ten percent convinced.
"You, come with me."
"Xixi."
Qiao Yi’s tone was heavy.
Qiao Xixi looked back and gave Qiao Yi a reassuring smile. "Father, I’ll just go with the Beast King for a bit. I’ll be right back."
But Qiao Yi was still worried. "If you go, we all go."
The Beast King frowned in displeasure and said only to Qiao Xixi, "Handle it." With that, she turned and walked out the door.
Qiao Xixi went to Qiao Yi and the others. "Father, all of you, don’t worry. I’m still useful to her right now, so she won’t harm me. And even if she tries anything, I can protect myself. Please, don’t worry."
Sunxiao and the others were very unhappy, but Qiao Xixi insisted on going with the Beast King, and they couldn’t stop her.
Soon, Qiao Xixi caught up with the Beast King.
Watching them leave, the males exchanged a look.
The Beast King brought Qiao Xixi to her own palace.
After entering, she dismissed the beast soldiers behind her, leaving only the mother and daughter in the inner hall.
"Follow me."
The Beast King glanced at Qiao Xixi, then led her to a large wardrobe. She opened it, pushed aside the fur clothes inside, and walked straight through.
Qiao Xixi raised an eyebrow. ’Looks like there’s a secret passage in here.’
When the stone wall behind the wardrobe opened, a flight of stone steps appeared before Qiao Xixi, descending into darkness.
The Beast King stepped inside without hesitation.
The passage wasn’t dark. Both walls were embedded with glowing pearls, casting a soft, non-glaring light that illuminated the tunnel.
At the bottom of the steps, the Beast King opened a pair of stone doors, and the space suddenly opened up.
Beyond the stone doors was a large cavern. Its walls were studded with countless pearls, bathing the entire space in light.
But here, aside from the pearls on the walls, there was nothing unusual.
"What is this place?"
"This is a place every Beast King visits before their ascension. My own mother brought me here once."
’And then what?’
The Beast King turned to Qiao Xixi. "My mother’s death was very sudden. There were things she didn’t have time to tell me."
"Your mother brought you here before she died?"
"That day, she was feeling a bit better, so she brought me here. But just as she began to speak about the source of the Darkness Ore, she... she passed."
For years, she had been trying to figure out what her mother had wanted to tell her, but she had never found the answer.
Qiao Xixi recalled what Yaoxi had said and guessed the Beast King was likely telling the truth.
The previous Beast King must have been about to reveal the secret of the Darkness Ore, but died unexpectedly before she could finish. That means this place must be related to that secret.
Qiao Xixi slowly ran her fingertips over the glowing pearls.
’What secret is hidden here?’