Su Mingyue stayed perfectly still. The next moment, she heard soft rustling sounds behind her, followed quickly by a warm breath brushing against the back of her head.
She flinched sharply and froze even more.
“Such a tiny little thingbarely three years old, not even enough to make a single bite.”
Hu Lingxuan spoke lazily. Shifting fully into his form as a magnificent golden tiger, he sprang lightly onto the bed, raised his head, and opened his jaws wide as if to snap at her.
But having seen many tigers around the compound lately, Su Mingyue had grown quite used to them. Even seeing this still half-grown young beast now, she felt no fear at allif anything, she was tempted to reach up and pat him on the head.
Seeing she showed absolutely no reaction, Hu Lingxuan grew a little bored. It had been a long time since he had stayed in his beast form, and it felt wonderfully freeing. He stretched his large body luxuriously, then settled down comfortably across Su Mingyue’s bed.
As she stared at the tiger’s face right before her eyes, a familiar image suddenly flashed through her mind.
She slapped her forehead.
“That’s it! I… I remember now!”
Her sudden exclamation startled Hu Lingxuan. Though he had shown her his true form more than once, he found her complete lack of surprise and fear rather irritating.
“Hey! Little morsel, what are you going on about?”
“I finally remembered where I’ve seen Handsome Brother-in-law’s true form before!”
She was excitedshe had been thinking about it for more than a day, and now that she had finally recalled the answer, she felt overjoyed. More importantly, this discovery might just change Qian Wei’s fate entirely.
“Handsome Brother-in-law? True form?” The smile faded from Hu Lingxuan’s face. “You mean that hybrid?”
The word “hybrid” made his voice turn cold and sharp.
“Are hybrids really that terrible?” Su Mingyue asked.
The great golden tiger lifted one soft, padded paw. In an instant, a flash of golden light gathered above it, bursting into a small ball of flickering golden flame.
“See this? Every race on this continent possesses one unique special ability, usually linked to the forces of nature. Those of the same kind mostly share similar powers, differing only in how strong they are.”
“But hybrids? They can wield all sorts of strange and unpredictable powersno one knows how many they have, how they work, or even what their true nature really is. Creatures like them are said to bring disaster wherever they go!”
As soon as he finished speaking, the golden flame vanished without a trace.
Disaster?
How could that be true?
Su Mingyue’s mind raced. She remembered exactly where she had seen that creature before.
Back in college, she had done a research project on folklore. Originally she had planned to study the legendary Nian beast, but by chance she had also looked into other auspicious mythical creatures.
And one of them was the Qilin.
The Qilinsaid to be both male and female in essence, with the head of a dragon, the body of a deer, hooves like a horse, and a tail like an ox.
That description matched Qian Wei’s true form perfectly!
So even though everyone called him a hybrid, he was actually a Linthe male form of the Qilin! One of the most revered and sacred divine beasts in all of legend!
“Tell me,” Su Mingyue asked hopefully, “does this continent have any legends of divine beasts… or sacred beings?”
“Of course there are old tales of ancient divine beasts,” Hu Lingxuan answered without hesitation. “But no one has ever seen one. Who knows if they even exist?”
“Is there one called the Qilin?”
Su Mingyue’s eyes shone bright as stars. Looking up at him like that, Hu Lingxuan felt as if he was being caught in her gazeno escape.
Thank goodness he was in his tiger form; otherwise, his fair skin would surely have shown how flustered he felt. Though she was so small, she probably wouldn’t understand anyway.
He turned his head away, his furry ears twitching slightly.
“Who… who remembers such things? Those legends are only carved into old beast-skin scrolls. I hate reading that stuff!”
“Can you take me to see them?”
What use would a three-year-old child have for ancient records? That was what he thoughtbut this was the very first time she had ever asked him for anything. For the first time, Hu Lingxuan found himself unable to refuse.
Later that night, under the cover of darkness, Su Mingyue never imagined her first time flying through the air would be while riding on the back of a young golden tiger!
Her stomach churned wildly, but she clenched her teeth and fought the urge to be sick. She had no doubt that if she threw up, this proud beast would toss her straight down to the ground mid-leap.
“Take a good look! This is one of the few chances you’ll ever get to ride on the back of a tiger!” Hu Lingxuan declared proudly, his head held high.
“And not just any tigerthe most handsome and capable future heir of the entire Tiger Clan!”
His nose was practically pointing toward the sky. True enough, the moment he spoke, he felt her small hands grip his fur even tighter.
He chuckled more deeply. “Oh? Now you’re feeling nervous? The Tigers are one of the strongest races on this continent. I’ll give you a chanceflatter me now, and it’s not too late to earn my favor.”
Su Mingyue: …
She knew very well what the future held for Hu Lingxuan. In the later chapters of the novel, he would grow into a fearsome and invincible warrior. Alongside his brother, he would lead the Tigers to dominate the entire continenta path drenched in blood and cruelty, turning him into a cold, ruthless, and terrifying beast.
Of course, she had no intention of gambling with her own life. As soon as she found a safer, more stable place to belong, she would leave without hesitation. In this world ruled by strength and danger, she was far too fragile to take unnecessary risks.
But right now, there was an even greater crisis unfolding.
Biting back the rising nausea, she called out softly, “Brother Xuan…”
“Have you finally thought of how to praise my courage and handsomeness?” Hu Lingxuan asked smugly.
He would never admit it, but deep down he was actually looking forward to hearing it.
Then, the next moment, a weak little voice drifted up from his back.
“If we don’t get there soon… I… I really am going to… throw up…”
Her words were cut short by a growl from Hu Lingxuan, his voice tight with fury.
“Little morselif you dare throw up all over my beautiful fur, which I just washed this morning… I swear, this time I really will swallow you whole!”