Hu Lingxuan’s threat worked well enough.
She forced herself to hold it in for a while longer, and finally they reached their destination.
As soon as her feet touched the ground, she doubled over and threw up a little. Weak and pale, she asked, “Brother Xuan… can we… walk back this time?”
Hu Lingxuan: “….”
The Tiger Clan’s collection of beast-skin scrolls was remarkably well-preserved. According to their customs, when elders passed away, their hides were treated and inscribed with records of their experiences, knowledge, and ancient legends.
On the Continent of Shapeshifters, these were called beast-skin booksextremely rare and precious, regarded as sacred treasures of the clan.
Yet Hu Lingxuan treated them as if they were nothing at all; if she wanted to see them, he would just show them to her.
Looking at this easygoing, carefree boy now, it was hard not to feel a pang of sadness, knowing that in the future he would become the terrifying “Second Young Lord of the Underworld,” feared across the entire continent.
But then again, the future had already changed. Maybe… just maybe, he wouldn’t turn out that way anymore?
She pushed those thoughts aside.
The ancient hides gave off a strong, unpleasant odorlike the smell of long-decayed flesh. The characters carved into them were rough and uneven, hard to make out.
After staring at them for a few moments, Su Mingyue’s face fell.
“Brother Xuan… I… I can’t understand a single word.”
Hu Lingxuan chuckled. “Of course not! You’re only three years oldwhat kind of miracle would it take for you to read this?”
Su Mingyue: “….”
“Even if you’re a little white snake whose real age is older than you look, you still wouldn’t get it!”
Su Mingyue: “….”
Why does he have to be so infuriating?
Bearing in mind her own safety, she kept her true thoughts to herself.
She tugged gently at the hem of his clothes and shook it softly. “Brother Xuan, after all, I did save your life once. Can’t you just translate this for me? Please?”
Hu Lingxuan barely remembered the little white snake from his childhood anymore. But having this soft, tiny creature acting all cute and pleading with him like that actually made him feel strangely pleased.
“Hmph. Why should I help you? Besides, I never liked that Qian Wei anyway. A male looking that beautifulit’s indecent! And with Elder Sister so fond of him, he’ll only become a problem for our clan’s future sooner or later!”
The words coming out of his mouth sounded far too mature and sharp for a boy of only ten years old. Even Su Mingyue, who came from a modern world, was taken aback.
In the novel, Hu Lingye and Hu Lingze were both portrayed as heroes, but Hu Lingxuan’s character was mostly described in negative termsruthless, bloodthirsty, and cruel.
At first, Su Mingyue had assumed it was the trauma of losing his family at a young age that had twisted his personality. But now, watching him speak so clearly and decisively, she wondered if that was really the case.
Waging war and expanding a clan’s territory always came at the cost of bloodshed. Perhaps he was truly a genius who understood from the very beginning that if the Tigers were to grow strong and prosper, someone had to do the dirty work.
With his sister too noble and his older brother too kind, had he simply decided to take that burden upon himself?
She shook her head, startled by her own thoughts. Why am I overthinking his intentions again? This has nothing to do with me.
What was the point of trying to guess what went on inside someone else’s head?
“Or maybe… you’re just like meyou can’t read these either, right? After all, you’re only a ten-year-old boy… that’s all…”
Hu Lingxuan glared. “Who says I can’t read them?!”
He probably can’t, she thought, but said nothing. But being ten years old is definitely true.
She bit back a smile and put on a look of sympathy and understanding. “It’s alright, Brother Xuan. I won’t tell anyone. You’re still young, so it’s no shame if you haven’t mastered this yet… I understand, really…”
“LITTLE MORSEL! I CAN READ THEM PERFECTLY FINE! WatchI’ll translate it for you right now!”
Fuming, Hu Lingxuan sat down and flipped open the scrolls.
Su Mingyue watched him from the side, unable to suppress a soft laugh.
He’s actually quite cute when he’s riled up like this.
If Bai Xichen hadn’t woken up and gone for a late-night walk, she would never have witnessed such a striking scene.
She had lived among the Tigers for years, yet she had never seen Hu Lingxuan show so many different expressions before. He had always treated her with indifference, revealing nothing of his thoughts or feelings.
But tonight, she saw a whole range of emotions on his facenone of them directed at her, but all for that strange little newcomer, the Fourth Young Lady.
Add to that the incident earlier, when she had been scolded by Aunt Hu Zhiyue for losing the girl, and Bai Xichen’s dislike for this unknown child grew even deeper.
Beastkind placed great importance on pure bloodlines, for their offspring inherited their appearance and abilities directly.
The White Tiger Clan was already dwindling in numbers; they relied on the Tigers for protection and survival. Though they were a separate branch, they were still considered kin, not outsiders.
And now, pure-blooded White Tigers like herself were becoming rare. If she could bond with Hu Lingxuan, they would surely produce the strongest cubs, and perhaps even establish a new, glorious lineage of their own.
She would never give up on Hu Lingxuan. But this time, she would plan carefullyno more reckless mistakes.
And that meant the Fourth Young Lady had to be removed.
After a long night of searching, Su Mingyue and Hu Lingxuan finally had something to show for their efforts.
In the ancient scrolls Hu Lingxuan had found, there were indeed records of divine beasts. The Qilin was mentioned among thembut here was the problem: there was no description of its appearance.
Even if she knew Qian Wei’s true form was that of a Qilin, what good would it do? No one in the clan had ever seen one; no one would believe her.
“I still don’t get it,” Hu Lingxuan asked, his tone growing sharper. “Why are you going to such lengths to save Qian Wei? He’s arrogant and unpleasanthe can’t have treated you well these past few days in Elder Sister’s quarters, can he?”
Every so often, Hu Lingxuan would ask questions that sent a chill down her spine. They sounded casual, but they always cut straight to the heart of the matter.
He was rightshe had no real reason to save Qian Wei. Not from the clan’s perspective, anyway. And how could she explain that she knew his true feelings toward Hu Lingye only because she had read the novel? Even if she tried, he would never believe her.
“But he truly cares for Elder Sister. He loves her, and she loves him too.”
“Males and females pair up only for companionship and reproduction. Love? I don’t see it. Elder Sister has two other partnersthey’re just away hunting right now. If it’s love, can it really be split into three equal parts?”
Su Mingyue thought of the novel. Hu Lingxuan never took a mate himself; even at the end of the story, he remained the ruthless Second Lord, his life stained with blood.
What would love even mean to someone like him?
“Some people are content even with just a part of someone’s heart. That’s how Qian Wei feels. And besideshe’s a hybrid, like you said. He has all kinds of powerful abilities. If he really wanted to harm Elder Sister or betray us, no one would have been able to stop him.”
“Think about the Wolves tooif Qian Wei hadn’t stepped in, we would have all been killed back there. I’m part of this clan now, aren’t I? If he lives, it’s better for all of us!”
Hu Lingxuan pinched her cheek with a look of disdain. “You’re just a tiny three-year-old snakewhat do you know about big matters like this?”
The words had barely left his mouth when he shifted back into his golden tiger form, lying down beside her and flicking his tail lazily.
“The sky is starting to lighten up. If we don’t get back soon, Father and Mother will find out we snuck into the forbidden archives and read the ancestral scrolls! You want to get us both in trouble?”
Su Mingyue: “!!!???”
Forbidden archives?! Why didn’t he mention that this was forbidden from the very start?!