44: Two beastly husbands living in harmony?

"What... happened to me?"

Xuan Mo was the first to look away, his tone stiff as he avoided the main topic: "It's nothing. I just brought you to Hundred Beasts City to detoxify you."

Bai Yao frowned slightly and tried to move her body. A feeling of weakness and exhaustion washed over her, but the chilling, sharp pain inside her body was gone.

She vaguely felt that it wasn't as simple as just detoxification. But seeing Xuan Mo's refusal to talk about it, she turned her gaze toward Lin.

"Lin, why are you here?"

Lin glanced at Xuan Mo, and only after seeing no objection did he reply, "Xuan Mo informed me. He said you were recovering here and asked me to take you back to the Tribe."

Bai Yao was even more confused. Xuan Mo actively informed Lin?

This was even more unbelievable than the sun rising in the west.

Something major must have happened between them, but these two men seemed to have reached a tacit agreement not to elaborate.

She wasn't one to press, so since they didn't want to talk, she temporarily suppressed her doubts and softly hummed in acknowledgment.

Just then, the door was pushed open, and Caesar walked in. He still maintained that noble and arrogant demeanor, his golden pupils scanning the room.

His gaze lingered on Bai Yao for a moment, and he slightly nodded: "It seems you've recovered well."

Bai Yao met his gaze, feeling an instinctive panic. This man was also one of the future "Great Villains."

Although he showed no malice right now, the oppressive feeling belonging to a superior still made her uneasy.

Caesar didn't mind her subtle nervousness and continued, "Since you are awake, you should recuperate in Hundred Beasts City for a few more days. The city has prepared a welcoming banquet for you tonight, and a servant will guide you when the time comes."

These words were mainly directed at Xuan Mo, carrying an obvious intention to win him over.

Xuan Mo only gave a short, guttural "hmm" from his nose, counting as a response. Lin also nodded silently.

Having achieved his goal, Caesar didn't linger. He turned and left, leaving the room to fall back into a subtle silence.

Bai Yao took a deep breath, deciding that some things needed to be cleared up.

She looked at Lin, speaking with a hint of apology, "Lin, there's something I need to tell you. Xuan Mo and I have become mates."

She paused, carefully adding, "I hope you two can get along well."

To her surprise, Lin's reaction was unusually calm. He even gently squeezed her hand and whispered, "I know. When we entered the city, I felt the aura of the Mate Contract between you two."

He looked up, casting a complex glance at the uncomfortable Xuan Mo beside him. "I... accept it."

Bai Yao breathed a sigh of relief, then looked anxiously at Xuan Mo.

What she worried about most was actually Xuan Mo's attitude. She had experienced firsthand how strong this snake's possessiveness and exclusivity were.

Xuan Mo pressed his lips together. Finally, he just turned his face away and squeezed out a single phrase from his throat: "Suit yourself."

This was the greatest concession this proud Snake Beast could make.

The great stone in Bai Yao's heart finally settled. Although the process was unclear, the result was much better than she had expected.

Remembering their cave life, she asked Xuan Mo, "Once I'm better, when should we return to the forest?"

"We're not going back to the forest."

Xuan Mo interrupted her, his gaze heavy as he looked over. "I'm going back to the Tribe with you."

"What?"

Bai Yao was genuinely astonished. Xuan Mo, who had once scorned Tribe rules and preferred to live alone in the wilderness, was actually willing to enter the communal life he once despised, all for her?

"You are my mate,"

"Wherever you are, I will be."

He didn't seem used to saying such things. After speaking, he immediately looked away again, his earlobes faintly and imperceptibly turning red.

Watching his awkward demeanor, Bai Yao felt as if something had gently bumped her heart, leaving her feeling both bittersweet and tender.

She stopped pressing the issue and simply nodded softly.

That night, the main hall of Hundred Beasts City was brightly lit.

The atmosphere of the banquet seemed harmonious on the surface.

As the host, Caesar behaved appropriately. His words maintained the pride of the Lion Clan Young City Lord while fully expressing respect and an attempt to win over Xuan Mo.

He knew it wasn't easy to get Xuan Mo to owe a favor, so he had to strike while the iron was hot.

Xuan Mo remained silent most of the time, only offering one or two precious words in response when Caesar raised his cup or asked a crucial question.

Even so, it was enough to satisfy the high-ranking officials of Hundred Beasts City.

Lin sat quietly on Bai Yao's other side.

Bai Yao's injuries hadn't fully healed, and her face was still pale. She just sat quietly, nibbling on the food that Lin and Xuan Mo occasionally placed for her.

She noticed that when Xuan Mo awkwardly imitated Lin, silently placing a perfectly roasted piece of tender meat onto her plate, her heart was touched once again.

Was this snake clumsily changing in his own way?

However, the peace was shattered as the banquet neared its end.

Just as Xuan Mo was preparing to leave the table with Bai Yao, a black shadow darted out from the corner like a phantom, a cold, gleaming Long Spear aimed directly at Bai Yao's heart.

The speed was astonishing, the target clear, evidently intending to kill.

"Watch out!"

Lin reacted extremely quickly, pulling Bai Yao backward.

But someone was faster than him.

Xuan Mo had turned around the instant the killing intent appeared, completely shielding Bai Yao with his broad back.

Without hesitation, he fiercely slammed out a palm strike filled with rage. The immense power directly sent the Assassin, man and spear, flying backward to crash into a distant stone pillar with a muffled thud.

However, the Assassin seemed oblivious to pain, struggling to get back up.

At the same time, several masked Beastmen leaped out from the surroundings, attacking them simultaneously. They were clearly prepared, their target explicitly being Bai Yao.

"Protect the Female."

Caesar roared sternly, his golden pupils instantly blazing with fury.

Attacking on his territory was tantamount to declaring war on Hundred Beasts City. He and his Elite Guards immediately joined the fray.

Lin immediately shielded Bai Yao tightly behind him, forming a small protective circle with Xuan Mo, Caesar, and the others.

The scene immediately descended into chaos, filled with the incessant clashing of weapons and the roaring of beasts.

Although Xuan Mo's old chest wound burst open due to the sudden exertion of force, blood quickly stained his robe.

But his fighting strength was still terrifying. His strikes were vicious, almost every move carrying lethal power, and he quickly dealt with the two Assassins who were attacking him.

Soon, under the combined efforts of Xuan Mo, Caesar, and Lin, all the Assassins were subdued, either dead or wounded.

A faint smell of blood permeated the hall. Bai Yao looked at the mess on the ground, her stomach churning, and her face grew even paler.

Just then, she suddenly noticed the rapidly expanding patch of dark red bloodstain on Xuan Mo's chest.

"Xuan Mo! You..."

She cried out in surprise, pulled free from Lin's hand, and rushed to him, her fingers trembling, afraid to touch the wound. "You're hurt? When did..."

She had clearly seen that the Assassins hadn't injured him just now.

Xuan Mo tried to pull away, but she gripped his sleeve tightly. His face was pale from blood loss and pain, but he still insisted, "It's a minor injury, nothing serious."

He didn't want to show weakness in front of her, especially with Lin and Caesar present. He gently pushed her hand away, his voice low, "I'll go deal with it."

After speaking, without waiting for her reply, he left the main hall with slightly hurried steps.

Bai Yao watched the direction he left, her heart enveloped by immense unease. She suddenly turned to Lin, her voice urgent: "Lin, tell me, isn't this injury of his from before..."

Lin looked at her anxious face, sighed internally, and knew he couldn't hide it anymore.

He supported Bai Yao's slightly trembling shoulders and finally revealed the whole truth:

"Yao Yao, the poison you were afflicted with had already invaded your Heart Meridian. It was Xuan Mo—he dug out his own heart-protecting scale to use as a Medicinal Primer, which allowed him to persuade the High Priest to act and forcibly extend your life and detoxify you."

heart-protecting scale... Bai Yao felt like she had been struck by lightning, freezing in place.

Even if she didn't fully understand the Beastmen's power system, she knew what the heart-protecting scale meant to a powerhouse like Xuan Mo—it was the core of his strength.

He actually... paid such a price just to save her?

That domineering and obsessive Snake Beast, the Wandering Beast King who had once made her fearful and uneasy, had silently, without her knowledge, traded virtually his own life for hers?

An indescribable mix of bitterness and shock surged into her heart, instantly drowning all her thoughts.