Before long, Su Mingyue’s ominous premonition came true.
By early afternoon, soldiers of the Tiger Clan arrived at her quarters. Though they spoke politely of “inviting” her, in reality they escorted her straight to the dungeons where Qian Wei was being held.
Even before they arrived, she had already pieced together what was happening from the servants’ whispers and Hu Lingxuan’s earlier words.
It turned out that Bai Xichen had used the ancient beast scrolls to boldly claim Qian Wei was a divine beast and in doing so, she had conveniently shifted the blame for all the clan’s misfortunes onto Su Mingyue herself.
Well, well. She had never imagined that the gentle, virtuous supporting female character described in the book would turn out to be so ruthless.
No wonder the author had killed her off within the first three chapters. It was only what she deserved!
Now that things had come to this, there was little she could do. If she hoped to escape this predicament, relying on others seemed useless.
But there might just be one person who could help her.
That was Qian Wei the newly proclaimed divine beast. After all, she had given him those two tree crystals when he was in trouble. If she put it bluntly, she had lent him a hand when he most needed it; that made her something of a savior, didn’t it?
Surely he would at least consider returning the favor, right?
Since the claim that Qian Wei was a divine beast had not yet been accepted by Hu Zhanxiao, it had not been made public. For now, Qian Wei remained a prisoner.
By coincidence, Su Mingyue’s cell was right next to his they were neighbors once again.
It was clear someone had made arrangements beforehand; her cell was noticeably more comfortable than his.
Qian Wei was still in his beast form, the same as before. To most, he looked terrifying, but Su Mingyue had always been fascinated by ancient legends of divine beasts in her past life. She never thought she would actually see one up close, and the sight filled her with curiosity.
“Brother-in-law… your beast form is so handsome!”
She gazed up at the magnificent creature with sparkling eyes, her tone almost fawning.
Qian Wei rumbled low in his throat. “Little one, do you know what happened to every beast who has ever said that to me?”
Her eyes lit up even brighter. “Did they become your friends?”
Qian Wei exhaled deeply, and a wisp of cold white mist drifted across the ground, making the air feel icy.
“In a way, yes. They became part of me.”
“…”
It took her three seconds to process his words. Once she understood, she scrambled backward ten paces, clutching the iron bars of her cell and pointing at him with trembling hands.
“Y-you… you’re supposed to be a divine beast! How can a divine beast kill others?”
In truth, Qian Wei never ate living creatures. He had only been teasing her. But he had not expected her to know that fact.
This time, he truly realized this little girl was far from ordinary.
“Who exactly are you? You did not flinch at all when you first saw my true form. Now you call me a divine beast, and you even know I never feed on living prey… I may have lived deep in the mountains and not learned much about beastfolk ways, but I have spent years among the Tiger Clan and know enough. No three‑year‑old beast could think or speak as you do. Tell me who are you really?”
Su Mingyue froze.
Hu Lingxuan already suspected she was no ordinary child, but fortunately he was not the type to dig too deeply. Even if he found inconsistencies in her stories, he would not press further. Or rather, he simply did not care. In his eyes, she was just a weak little creature waiting to be eaten she could not escape, so what harm was there in letting her lie?
Qian Wei was different.
He had grown up in a harsh and complicated world. Abandoned as a cub, he and his sister had survived countless life‑and‑death struggles in the forest. The fact that he had hidden his true identity from Hulingye for so many years showed just how sharp and calculating he was nothing like the easygoing Hu Lingxuan. A simple lie would never fool him.
Worse still, Qian Wei’s illusions could also work like a truth serum, forcing people to reveal their deepest secrets. From every angle, lying to him seemed like a terrible idea.
“If I tell you the truth,” she asked cautiously, “will you promise to do one thing for me?”
Qian Wei found this amusing. “What leverage do you possibly have left to bargain with me?”
“My leverage is this: I know what may happen in the future of this world.”
She spoke slowly and clearly, emphasizing every word.
Qian Wei’s gaze turned cold. “Trying to deceive me is unwise. I have already recovered two‑thirds of my power. These prison bars would be nothing for me to shatter… do you want to test me?”
The imposing aura of a divine beast was undeniable. Su Mingyue felt her chest tighten and her breath grow shallow.
But then again what did she really have left to fear?
“Go ahead and try unless you want to lose the only key to understanding what lies ahead. Or better yet, use your illusions to force the truth out of me. Then you’ll know whether I’m telling the truth or not!”
She summoned every ounce of courage to speak the words.
The moment she mentioned his illusions, Qian Wei’s expression shifted. In just a few words, she had already convinced him she spoke the truth.
For that particular ability was his secret alone. No other living soul knew of it not even his own twin sister. And anyone who had found out had long since turned to dust.
There was no possible way this tiny girl could have learned it from anyone else.
If everything she said was true…
Qian Wei thought of all the humiliation he had endured these past days, and his eyes darkened.
“Very well. What do you want me to do?”
“Mother do you also agree with Father’s decision?”
Inside the main residence of the Tiger Clan, Hu Lingxuan’s voice rang out from the chief’s quarters.
Hu Zhiyue sat resting on a white fur pelt, one hand pressed to her forehead, looking utterly exhausted. Beside her, Hulingye only frowned and remained silent.
Seeing neither of them speak, Hu Lingxuan grew even more determined.
Though he was the youngest, he had the strongest will of the three brothers. Once he made up his mind, nothing could sway him. Just as he had decided from the start that the little girl was his reserved food, so too had he decided that the so‑called “calamity” she supposedly brought could never harm him.
“Fine! When I first brought Little Si back, I did it out of nothing more than boredom. But you people were the ones who insisted she was a hero who saved the clan, and pushed her into this position. Now what? Just because someone calls her the Calamity Maiden, our great and prosperous Tiger Clan suddenly grows afraid?”
“Third Brother! Watch your tongue Father is here!”
Hulingze snapped at him, his face filled with alarm.