Chapter 448: What Did She Ever See in You?
Just as Qiao Yi and his group concealed their auras and hid in the shadows, they saw Han Lie emerge from the Beast King’s palace, his face dark and grim.
Following behind him were several beastmen who served Yu Ling.
The group walked past the spot where Qiao Yi and the others were hiding. Suddenly, a Golden Lion male trailing behind them stopped, his sharp gaze darting toward their location.
Han Lie sensed the change in his aura and halted. "What is it?"
The Golden Lion male said, "Over there. I sense an unusual aura."
Han Lie’s eyes snapped toward the direction where Qiao Yi’s group was concealed. He then ordered the beastman soldier behind him, "Go take a look."
Sangze crossed his arms, leaning against the wall with a raised eyebrow. ’This Golden Lion male is pretty sharp.’
Qiao Yi released a burst of his own aura. "You all stay here."
Jin Ling and the others didn’t move.
The moment the beastman soldier approached, Qiao Yi stepped out from the shadows.
"Qiao Yi." Han Lie’s snake-like pupils narrowed as he sized Qiao Yi up and down.
Han Lie frowned. "What are you doing here?"
Qiao Yi replied without a change in expression, "The Beast King took my cub. What do you think I’m doing here?"
A bit of the tension left Han Lie’s face. He knew Qiao Xixi was in the Beast King Palace, so it wasn’t strange for Qiao Yi to come looking for her.
"She’s only staying here temporarily. Don’t do anything rash."
Qiao Yi didn’t answer him, instead asking, "You still haven’t found your cub."
At his words, Han Lie’s expression grew even darker. "This has nothing to do with you. Even if my cub is missing, certain things won’t fall to your cub. Leave."
Once he confirmed Qiao Yi was only there for Qiao Xixi, Han Lie couldn’t be bothered to waste any more words on him. He turned and left with his men.
After they were gone, Jin Ling and the others emerged from the shadows.
Qiao Yi said in a low voice, "I’ll keep watch here tonight. The rest of you, go back."
The Feather Palace was being watched by beastman soldiers. If everyone was gone for too long, it would arouse suspicion. It wasn’t that Qiao Yi couldn’t force the issue with them, but he didn’t want to ruin Qiao Xixi’s plan.
「Inside the stone room of the palace.」
As the beast-hide tunic slid off, Qiao Xixi pressed against his cool chest, trembling slightly.
"Cold?"
A low, hoarse voice sounded by her ear. Qiao Xixi let out a soft, breathy "Mhm."
A kiss with a trace of coolness pressed against the hollow of her chest. She held onto his shoulders to steady her lifted body.
A teasing nibble made her breath catch.
"Sunxiao..."
"One place... is scalding hot."
Her pliant body slowly lowered. Qiao Xixi’s brows knitted slightly, her hands clutching him a little tighter.
At the peak of their passion, a low growl of pleasure escaped Sunxiao’s throat. The small hands clutching him were clenched so tight the knuckles turned white.
The fervent spray sent waves of heat across her lower back. What she didn’t know was that the pattern there was silently tracing itself anew, forming a breathtakingly beautiful image.
But as their breathing gradually evened out, the pattern faded away.
Qiao Xixi leaned against Sunxiao’s chest as if she had no bones, listening to his strong heartbeat and his steady, deep breaths, feeling an unparalleled sense of peace.
For the next two days, there was still no trace of Yu Ling or Yu Ye in the palace. It was as if the two of them had vanished into thin air, completely gone.
During these two days, the Beast King was initially wary of Qiao Xixi approaching the secret passage on her own.
But by the third day, when Qiao Xixi went to the secret passage again, the Beast King couldn’t be bothered to follow her anymore.
As the ruler of Beast King City, although she doted excessively on Han Lie and his two cubs, it didn’t mean she had no other beastmen mates.
It was just that over the years, under Han Lie’s domineering presence, those other mates rarely had a chance to get close to the Beast King.
Now that Han Lie was busy searching for Yu Ye and Yu Ling, he couldn’t always be by the Beast King’s side, giving the other mates an opportunity to approach her.
Early in the morning, Qiao Xixi arrived outside the Beast King’s inner chambers again. Just as she reached the door, she heard decadent sounds from within. Not only did she not shy away, she leaned against the door, guessing which mate was taking the opportunity to vie for favor today.
After the commotion inside died down, a handsome fox male walked out a short while later.
He glanced at Qiao Xixi, a trace of unfulfilled desire still lingering in his eyes. Upon seeing her, he even shot her a hostile glare.
Qiao Xixi raised an eyebrow. ’Is he blaming me for interrupting their tender moment?’
’That can’t be right. I’ve been waiting quietly at the door ever since I arrived. If he wants to blame someone, he can only blame himself for being too quick!’
After the Beast King had tidied herself up, Qiao Xixi went inside.
"Beast King, I’d like to go down and take another look."
The Beast King was reclining on the bed, her beast-hide tunic slightly open, bearing the lingering marks of what had just transpired.
Hearing the movement, she slowly opened her half-closed eyes, her gaze fixing on Qiao Xixi without a trace of warmth.
"If you can’t find that thing, then I suppose I’ll have to offer you as a sacrifice."
Qiao Xixi’s brow twitched. "Beast King, didn’t you say after this cold season?"
The Beast King snorted in annoyance.
"It’s all your fault that the monsters in the forest haven’t all disappeared, which led to Yu Ling and Yu Ye being taken by them! As long as you’re sacrificed, the monsters will vanish, and they can return safely. Compared to them, what does anything else matter?"
Although she had long known that she was just a sacrificial offering in the Beast King’s eyes, hearing her say something so dismissive of her life still infuriated her.
It wasn’t because of some illusory familial bond, but rather the sheer arrogance of someone who treated a life as if it were nothing that enraged her.
"Fine, I agree."
"What?"
The Beast King was suddenly wide awake.
Qiao Xixi looked at her with a smile. "I said, the Beast King can sacrifice me right now to save your cubs."
The Beast King was stunned, but her brow quickly furrowed. "What kind of trick are you trying to pull now?"
Qiao Xixi shrugged nonchalantly.
"Nothing. I just think it’s pointless. I’m going to be sacrificed sooner or later anyway, so it might as well be now. But... whether or not Yu Ye and the others will actually return after I’m sacrificed, I have no idea. However, before that happens, I’ll tell the City Lord of Tiger Beast City the method for refining Crystal Stones. And Wing Beast City, too. Oh, and isn’t there an Elephant Beast City as well?"
The Beast King’s expression was so dark it could have dripped ink. "You’re threatening me."
Qiao Xixi’s eyes were innocent. "If the Beast King says so, then I must be."
The Beast King was furious. She wished she could just crush Qiao Xixi to death right then and there, but she knew that if something really happened to Qiao Xixi now, Qiao Yi and her beastmen mates would be capable of anything.
"What are you still doing here? Weren’t you going down? Get lost."
Qiao Xixi raised an eyebrow and walked to the wardrobe, opening it. But she didn’t hurry down. Instead, she looked at the Beast King with a puzzled expression. "I’m honestly confused. What did your mother ever see in you to let you inherit the throne?"
The Beast King was so enraged she grabbed a cup from the table and hurled it at her. "You’re courting death!"
Seeing that she’d apparently hit a sore spot, Qiao Xixi arched an eyebrow. ’Looks like there was something strange about her succession back then.’