“Qian Wei! What do you mean by that?”
She might have put up with his arrogance before, but how could he speak so casually of someone’s death at a time like this?
Su Mingyue was truly furious now. “Regardless of everything else, Hu Lingxuan is still a living being! How can you wish death upon him so easily?”
Qian Wei looked down at the little girl before him cheeks puffed out like round, soft white buns, a face so young and innocent, yet her tone was that of a grown‑up, hands planted firmly on her hips as she lectured him.
It was strangely amusing.
She seemed to know everything, and yet at the same time, seemed to understand nothing of this world.
“Hey, little thing you claim you know what the future holds for this world. Then don’t you understand its rules?”
For once, Qian Wei asked her with genuine patience.
She froze for three seconds, then slowly shook her head.
“Very well, then. I suppose I’ll take the trouble to explain it to you. The fight that little tiger just had with his father is called a Duel to the Death. On the Magical Beast Continent, once such a duel begins, no outsider may ever interfere. To step in would disrupt the beastly energy surging between the two fighters and stir the primal instincts already raging inside them.”
Su Mingyue listened, her expression filled with confusion.
Qian Wei’s voice grew colder still.
“And if anyone does interfere, the backlash of that energy will fall entirely upon the weaker of the two. The feral instinct backlash will affect both, but it will strike the weaker one twice as hard.”
Her eyes widened in alarm. “What does that mean?”
“That little tiger was already on the brink of being beaten to death by his father. Now he has also suffered the double backlash of both energy and instinct. Not even a god could save him now.”
Qian Wei delivered his judgment with absolute certainty.
Su Mingyue felt as if she had been dealt a heavy blow. Her face turned pale, and for a moment she could not speak.
“You two barely know each other anyway only a few days. If he dies, he dies. I’ll just carry him away somewhere out of your sight, so you won’t have to…”
Qian Wei had never been good at comforting anyone, but his intention really was to ease her distress. Instead, his words only deepened the ache in her heart and with it, a heavy sense of guilt.
Because Hu Lingxuan was not supposed to die.
In the novel, he had lived until the very end. His life had been bold and unrestrained; though burdened with darkness and bloodshed, he had always had his elder brothers to protect him. His parents and sister had died in battle, but they had left him with warm memories and a strong resolve. He had carried the hope of reviving the Tiger Clan, rising step by step to the very top, and achieving every goal he had set for himself as a boy.
That was the life he was meant to have.
But because she had arrived here, she had rewritten his fate. Because of her interference, Hu Lingxuan who should have lived a glorious, unforgettable life was now facing a senseless and untimely death.
This was all her fault.
“No…” she whispered.
Qian Wei did not hear her. He went about clearing the cave instead, brushing away the cobwebs and bringing in fresh dry grass from outside, arranging the bedding neatly until it looked somewhat fit to sleep on.
Seeing that the cave was finally beginning to feel like a home, he glanced back at Su Mingyue, who sat beside Hu Lingxuan. He almost frowned and scolded her, but softened his tone instead.
“Stay with him a while longer. I’ll go hunt and be back before dark. At most, by the day after tomorrow, once his body has grown cold, I’ll give him a proper burial in a fine grave. Then… little one, you must try to forget him.”
There was a faint trace of pain in his voice as he spoke.
Yes even now, he dared not speak or think of that name, that face.
Those words were meant as much for himself as for her.
Once a decision was made, whatever had to be buried should be buried completely, no matter how much it hurt.
“Little one we all have new futures ahead of us on this continent.”
With that, Qian Wei shifted into his beast form and left the cave.
But the moment he was gone, Su Mingyue who had remained perfectly still until then suddenly stood up.
Her small figure stood in the moonlight, and on that round, childlike face appeared a maturity and determination far beyond her years.
She did not know who had brought her into this world, but whoever it was had never asked for her consent. Everything that had happened since she arrived was not what she wanted. The story had changed, the whole world had shifted and none of it was her doing.
But since it had already changed… why should she still cling blindly to the so‑called “rules”?
All her choices until now had been made simply to survive. Yet even so, her conscience would not allow her to stand by and watch someone who should have lived die because of her.
Hu Lingxuan deserved to live the brilliant, shining life he was meant to have.
He was supposed to survive.
And she would survive too right alongside him.
No matter what it took.
Firm in her resolve, she began to walk around the cave, hoping to clear her mind and think more clearly. And then, beneath the straw bedding Qian Wei had just arranged… she noticed something glinting faintly in the dim light.
“Thank you, old friends! So kind of you to remember me and give me such a warm welcome!”
Qian Wei returned carrying two rabbits and three squirrels, looking thoroughly pleased.
“Rest assured, I’ll let the little one enjoy you properly. She’s only three years old this should be more than enough for her, right?”
“!!!!!”
“I don’t eat living prey, as you know… but she has to eat. I know it’s cruel, but… what can I do? She’s far too useful to me. So… friends, please make this sacrifice.”
He reached the cave entrance, ready to proudly display his catch to the little “bun‑shaped” girl.
But when he looked inside, both the little girl and the dying young tiger were gone.
He stood frozen for three full seconds.
Had they run away?
It only took a moment, however, to realize his assumption was far too optimistic.
Because the next thing he saw was the near‑lifeless young tiger lying right on top of the bedding he had just worked so hard to make. And beside him sat the little girl, glaring at him fiercely.
“Uncle Qian Wei! If you don’t save him, you’ll be sleeping on this straw mat where a dead tiger has lain for the rest of your life!” she declared sharply.
“……”
“And if you refuse to help, you’ll have to build a whole new cave for yourself.”
“……”
“I don’t know if real estate matters here, but seeing how fond you are of this place after all these years, it must be prime land in the Magical Beast Forest, right? High ground, no mosquitoes, and you can watch the moon rise right from the entrance… it’s perfect. If you want to keep this den, you’d better think of a way to save him. Otherwise, we’ll both die here and turn your home into our tomb!”
“You insufferable little brat!” Qian Wei gritted his teeth in frustration.
He should never have felt soft‑hearted toward her, or gone out hunting for her! She was nothing but a three‑year‑old child why not just let her starve?
“Go ahead and call me insufferable. As long as you’re willing to give up this cave, my death will be worth it…” She lay back down, a faint smile spreading across her lips.
“I always heard dragons love to hoard treasure in their dens, but I never expected you a Lin beast have the same habit! All this gold and gemstones… if we die here, at least we’ll be buried in luxury, won’t we?”
Su Mingyue smiled, her eyes sparkling, and with surprising agility for such a small child, she flipped over and lifted the corner of the straw mattress.
The dazzling glow of the hidden treasure spilled out, blinding Qian Wei’s eyes.