Hu Zhuo sniffed the air—there was the scent of a Cub here, but no trace of the Cub could be found.
Something was wrong. The Cub must be here. If he couldn’t detect it, there must be a more powerful expert concealing the Cub’s traces. A Li’s Cub—no matter what, he had to find it.
As a Beastfolk with common Wind Element Cultivation, Hu Zhuo raised his head and let out a long howl. A powerful Hurricane swept through the entire forest.
Seeing that the man and the Cub hidden atop a giant tree were about to be caught in the Hurricane, the man raised his hand and effortlessly dispelled it. He glanced at the Cub. “You’re worried about him?”
“He is my Father Beast. You… let me go.” The Cub knew the man before him was his true Father Beast, but thinking of how he had never cared for his mother, why should he acknowledge him as his Father Beast?
The man sneered. “How interesting.”
Hu Zhuo noticed something amiss to his right. In the next moment, a masked man in a black robe was holding the very Cub he was searching for. Hu Zhuo immediately bared his sharp fangs. “Release the Cub at once.”
The man sneered again. “You are his Father Beast?”
Without hesitation, Hu Zhuo answered yes.
“Hah, if you are his Father Beast, then who am I?”
Instantly, a powerful Aura Pressure erupted from the man, pressing down on Hu Zhuo until he could barely breathe. Hu Zhuo realized this mysterious man was incredibly powerful, likely not even using his full strength. Who was he? As he wondered, he noticed the man’s aura was almost identical to the Cub’s.
Hu Zhuo’s eyes widened. He… was a tiger… and the Cub’s biological Father Beast?
“Now… are you still his Father Beast?”
The man’s expression was icy. Sensing the scent of that Female on the fox below only angered him further. “A worthless creature is not fit to be my Cub’s Father Beast. Get lost!”
With that, he prepared to take the Cub away.
“You cannot take the Cub.” Hu Zhuo assumed a stance to attack.
“I watched the Cub being born. I took care of him day and night. I am his Father Beast. What, you weren’t here when A Li was pregnant with the Cub, but now that the Cub is born, successfully evolved, able to run and play, healthy and strong, you show up? You’re no different from the stray Beastfolk out there—just another cold, selfish creature.”
The man frowned slightly. No Beastfolk had ever dared speak to him like this. These words… angered him greatly, and the consequence of that anger was…
The man raised a finger and pressed downward. Hu Zhuo was crushed to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
The Cub anxiously clutched his sleeve. “Father Beast, I acknowledge you as my Father Beast. Please don’t hurt my Father Beast.”
“Hmm?”
The man’s cold glare frightened the Cub into immediately correcting himself. “Please don’t hurt him… Father Beast.”
Hearing this title reserved solely for him, the man finally released his pressure.
“For the Cub’s sake in pleading for you, I’ll spare you this once. Consider it repayment for the days you cared for him.”
“Why? This is A Li’s child, not yours. You have no right to take him.”
Hu Zhuo mustered all his strength and swiped a claw at the man, but it caused no harm—the man had already vanished and reappeared in another location.
“You’re such a bore. Didn’t I give you a way out? Yet you still come seeking death.” The man regretted not bringing a few subordinates with him. Otherwise, he would already be at the Divine Hall by now, instead of being blocked by a stinking fox. He couldn’t kill it, or else the cub and that Female would hate him.
But… a small punishment would be acceptable.
Pfft—
Hu Zhuo spat out another mouthful of blood and crashed heavily to the ground. This time, he truly had no strength left to fight. That man was too powerful—so powerful that Hu Zhuo couldn’t even discern the nature of his techniques or his Cultivation.
“This is just a lesson. Next time we meet will be your death.”
Just as the man turned to leave, a sharp pain shot through his hand the next second.
A blurry shadow flashed by, and Hu Li steadily caught the falling cub.
Seeing it was his mother, the cub finally relaxed his tense body, clinging to her neck as he burst into messy sobs.
“Mother, you… you finally… came. There’s a bad person bullying… bullying Father Beast.”
A Li gently patted his back. “Don’t be afraid, little one.”
The man’s voice, filled with frustration, rang out. “Stupid boy, can’t you even tell who your Father Beast is by now?”
When Hu Li arrived, she only knew a bad person was fighting Hu Zhuo. She hadn’t expected it to be the cub’s Father Beast—and quite handsome at that. But upon seeing Hu Zhuo covered in blood and lying on the ground, her appreciation instantly turned to disgust.
“Why did you hurt my Beast Husband?”
“Beast Husband? So weak, only you would want him.”
The man’s scornful mockery ignited Hu Zhuo’s fighting spirit. He had to prove to A Li that he wasn’t weak.
The man saw through his thoughts and delivered another taunt. “You don’t even have the right to compete with me in Male Competition.”
Hu Zhuo: Thanks, I’m thoroughly wounded.
Then the man turned to Hu Li again. “I told you, you’re not allowed to take another Beast Husband. Fine, you barely meet my standards. As long as you break the Partner Bond with this lowly red fox, I’ll take you away.”
Hah. Hu Li felt like she was hearing the biggest joke in the world. This man was insane! She coldly spat out two words.
“Not interested.”
The man wasn’t surprised by her attitude. After all, Females were scarce, lazy, and lustful. And given the tone he had used, how could a proud Female agree? But his status was also noble—the Divine Hall never bowed to any Beastfolk.
“If you refuse, then the cub will leave with me.” With a wave of his hand, the cub was in his grasp.
“Little one!”
“Mother!”
This was the first time Hu Zhuo had seen A Li so distressed, and it cut deep into his heart. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he forced himself up, mustering every last ounce of strength to try and reclaim the cub. But he… failed.
The man had lost his patience. The Female’s refusal annoyed him, and in a fit of rage, he unleashed a force the fox couldn’t withstand.
A heavy thud echoed as something crashed to the ground, stirring up a cloud of dust. The man vanished into the sky above. Hu Li rushed over anxiously to check on Hu Zhuo, only to find him lying on the ground with his eyes tightly shut, his breathing faint.
“System, come out quickly and save Hu Zhuo! Come out now!”
There was no response.
Hu Li cursed loudly. “What kind of useless 250 System is this? Why is it never there when you need it?”
Hu Zhuo’s eyelashes fluttered slightly. He could no longer hear what A Li was saying, but he had to speak his heart’s desire in the final moments of his fox life.
He was afraid if he didn’t say it, A Li would never know.
“A… A Li, I really wish… I really wish to be with you… for a lifetime.”
Hu Li couldn’t hear his voice clearly, shaking her head and crying bitterly, “Your voice is too soft, I can’t hear you.”
Then she leaned down close to his mouth, “What are you saying?”
“I want to be your Male for a lifetime, I want to see the long-awaited Fox Cub, I want to see you happy every day, I want…”
Hu Li had already broken down in tears before hearing half of it.
“I promise I’ll definitely give you a Fox Cub, don’t leave me. The reason I can be happy every day is because you’re here! So you can’t leave me.”
Unfortunately, Hu Zhuo still couldn’t hear what Hu Li was saying.