Hu Lingxuan felt a restless, sour feeling rise in his chest, though he could not quite put it into words. He simply turned away, let out a sharp huff, and stormed out of the room.
The Tiger Clan was a people who chose their mates quite early in life.
Hu Lingye, just eighteen years old, already had three male partners, each with a completely different look and temperament.
In the Tiger Clan, strength was the only thing that matteredregardless of gender. If a male was powerful, he could have as many females as he wished. And if a female was exceptionally strong, she could claim as many males as she pleased, with no one daring to question her.
Hu Lingye was a perfect example of this.
Though Hu Lingze and Hu Lingxuan were still young, males generally sought mates earlier than females. On top of that, the two brothers’ reputations had already spread far and wide throughout the clan. Even other tribes heard their names and kept their distance. The females within the Tiger Clan viewed it as the greatest honor to be chosen by them, and often competed secretly for their attention.
“I hear the Second Young Master prefers quiet, gentle types. Females with bold, wild looks like yours are much too forwardhe would never give you a second glance.”
The speaker was Hu Mei, one of the most beautiful females in the clan. She had a pair of long, almond-shaped eyes that gleamed with a seductive, fox-like charm.
It was said that long ago, one of her ancestors had mated with a fox spirit, making her bloodline somewhat mixed and impure. Even so, this unusual heritage made her especially attractive to many males. Though only in her early teens, she already had many suitors. But her standards were high; she set her sights entirely on the two sons of the chief and paid no one else any mind.
“Is that so? If he doesn’t care for bold types, what makes you think he would look at you?” the other females asked, their voices tinged with jealousy, though they tried not to show it openly.
As much as they hated to admit it, they could not compare to Hu Mei when it came to looks.
“Pfftwhether he likes me or not hardly matters,” Hu Mei said, adjusting her hair ornament with a smile. “I’ve never been fond of him anyway. I much prefer the Third Young Masterso wild, free-spirited, and brimming with youthful boldness. Did you see how he carried himself tonight? Unmoved by anyone’s gaze, commanding respect wherever he went. He has the makings of the future ruler of the Tiger Clan.”
“Shh! If the Eldest Young Mistress hears you say that, she’ll snap your neck right off!”
It was an unwritten rule that Hu Lingye was the rightful heir to the clan. Besides, the siblings were extremely close; they did not care much about who would eventually take the chief’s throne, but they had zero tolerance for anyone trying to stir up trouble or sow discord.
“Who dares repeat such idle gossip?” Hu Mei laughed, looking completely unconcerned. “If any of you dare speak of this, it will be the Eldest Young Mistress who tears your throats out first.”
She spoke with such confidence for good reason. Her father, Hu Feng, was the chief’s most trusted right-hand manhis personal bodyguard and commander in every battle against other tribes. In the hierarchy of the clan, he held a position equivalent to that of a prime minister.
Even if word did get back to Chief Hu Zhanxiao, no one could say for sure whether he would punish Hu Mei severely.
Realizing this, the other females fell silent, unwilling to risk trouble for nothing.
“I don’t know if the Eldest Young Mistress will deal with youbut I absolutely detest females who whisper behind others’ backs. Do you believe I wouldn’t tear off your tiger head right now and serve it to Hu Feng as a side dish?”
A voice rang out, half amused, half burning with anger.
There stood Hu Lingxuan, dressed in a long black robe made of beast hide. Around his neck hung a necklace strung with tiger and wolf fangs, and his hair was tied high, revealing one strong arm decorated with intricate patterns painted in gold pigment.
“T-Third Young Master!”
The females immediately dropped to their knees, trembling.
Hu Mei had not expected him to be nearby. She quickly bowed her head, stammering, “Third Young Masteryou… you must have misheard. Those words were not what I meant… I…”
Before she could finish, a pair of slender, pale hands shot out and seized her by the neck.
Her throat tightened instantly, cutting off her breath. Hu Lingxuan lifted her clear off the ground, his fingers pressing hard into her skin.
“I was already in a foul mood tonight, and then I have to deal with a nuisance like youhow utterly irritating. If not for the fact that your father Hu Feng has saved my father’s life time and again, I would have skinned you right here and used your pelt as a rug to walk on!”
His voice was cold and sharp, still carrying the faint tone of youth, yet terrifying enough to make anyone shudder. “Watch your tongue. If I hear even one more word of nonsense from you, I will pull every single one of your teeth out. Then we’ll see which male would want a toothless female.”
Hu Mei’s face turned deep red, her eyes bulging as she struggled for air. Just as she was about to lose consciousness, Hu Lingxuan tossed her roughly aside. She hit the ground hard, immediately shifted into her tiger form, and darted into the bushes, fleeing for her life.
The rest of the females scattered like frightened birds, vanishing without a trace.
Hu Lingxuan frowned, staring after them with disgust. His mood grew even worse. He thought again of that tiny “morsel” who had received so much affection and attention from his parents that very night. Never in his life had he been outdone by something so small and weak.
It was infuriating.
Judging by the hour, his parents should be resting now, and his older siblings probably asleep as well.
I wonder if that little morsel is asleep yet?
A glint of mischief flashed in his eyes, and the corner of his mouth lifted into a smirk. If she’s sleeping soundly, she must be quite shameless indeed.
As it turned out, Su Mingyue was wide awake.
After winning the favor of the highest-ranking members of the Tiger Clan, her circumstances had shifted overnight from hell to heaven. She was given her own small room, and even assigned two female servants to attend to her.
Hu Zhiyue had carried her gently into the room right next to her and her husband’s chamber, treating her as if she were a precious newborn treasure.
This kind of warmth and care was something she had not felt in agesit almost brought tears to her eyes.
She had spent so many days fighting for her life on the brink of death, suffering every hardship imaginable.
But she was not the type to get lost in comfort for long. After transmigrating, facing death time and again, even a fool would understand: the memories she held of that novel from her past life were her greatest hope for survival in this world.
The problem was, the story she remembered began seven or eight years from now, when Hu Lingze would become the main character. The events leading up to that time were only briefly summarized in a few short paragraphs.
She needed to recall every single detail of those sections as quickly as possible. Even one extra word could be the difference between life and death later on.
She sucked on her thumb, still tasting the sugar dust left from the sweet rice cake Hu Zhiyue had fed her. After going hungry for so long, it was the most delicious thing she had ever eatenshe had finished an entire plateful. Hu Zhiyue had been so pleased that she immediately ordered the kitchen to prepare the same treat for her every day from then on.
Everyone assumed she was nothing more than a lucky charm, too young and simple to understand anything. So Su Mingyue played along, acting like a clueless little child, knowing that the more innocent she seemed, the more protective they would feel toward her.
Beneath the dark sky and rustling wind, she waited until her two servants thought she was fast asleep and quietly stepped out of the room.
Only then did she slip out of bed. The room was beautifully furnished, with all the necessities she could ask forincluding a desk, ink, paper, and brushes.
She chose a short brush, since her tiny hands could not manage anything longer, and gripped it clumsily like a stick.
Slowly, she began to scrawl crooked characters across the paper.
No one in this world should be able to read the writing from my old life, she thought. As long as I write it this way, no one will ever discover my secret…
“Hu Lingze… seventeen years old…”
Waitwho is reading out loud what I just wrote?
Before Su Mingyue could make sense of it, every hair on her body stood on end. She froze, then slowly lifted her head.
There sat Hu Lingxuan, perched casually on the crossbeam of the ceiling, arms crossed over his chest, looking down with a triumphant expression as if he had just caught her red-handed.
His voice was cold and sharp: “So it seems, little morselyou are far more trouble than you appear to be!”