183: Chapter 183 A Must-Win Situation, A Fight to the Death

Looking at Feng Yuan alone, he possessed the high-spirited aura of a hegemon, yet he also carried an intangible sense of decadence and gloom. The combination of the two made him a walking contradiction.

However, these two unique temperaments also added a great deal of charm to him. Coupled with his handsome face that had already been restored to its original state, he was extremely striking when standing alone.

Chi Yu also spotted him, and his arm tightened around Sang Qing. "Should I drive him away?"

Sang Qing's expression remained calm, her red lips parting slightly. "No need."

The area outside the manor wasn't her territory. Besides, now that his identity was clear, she didn't have to worry about him being a bad beast or anything of the sort.

Let him be. In two more days, he would no longer be able to pester her.

The cold wind whipped the male's cloak. He stood across the fence, gazing at the delicately nurtured flower with a determined look in his eyes.

Sang Qing, you are mine.

—

After a bout of indulgent passion, Aniel embraced the drowsy Sang Qing from behind. He rubbed his head against the top of hers, his voice faint. "Sister..."

Tomorrow was the day of his duel with Feng Yuan.

At the thought of his mate's heartless words, his blood felt like it had stopped flowing, and a numbness left his mind blank.

What should he do?

If he lost, would Sister really not want him anymore?

Regret flooded his heart. Aniel, who rarely shed tears, held the female's soft body and grieved silently.

No, he must defeat Feng Yuan.

Sister was his mate. They had clearly done the most intimate things in the world and shared countless mushy words of love; Sister couldn't give up on him.

In a daze, Aniel slowly closed his eyes.

The next day, accompanied by wind and snow, a tall and powerful beast appeared outside the manor early in the morning.

They had agreed to hold the duel within the manor.

Sa Yu had just cleared a patch of open ground. Snow was still falling from the sky, though it wasn't heavy, drifting down sparsely.

Gazing at Feng Yuan's figure, Sa Yu leaned on his broom, his eyes searching.

So this was the guy who wanted to challenge them?

When Xing Jiu was seeing the Cubs out the door, he met Feng Yuan's fiery gaze. It was so intense it seemed capable of melting the snow between heaven and earth, a terrifying heat that made his heart tighten.

Could Aniel really win against Feng Yuan?

Herman gave him a tug. "Hurry up and get the Little Cubs to school. I still want to come back and watch the show."

Xing Jiu withdrew his gaze just as Chi Yu came out and led Feng Yuan into the manor.

Because of today's duel, all the beasts had paused what they were doing and were waiting at home.

Facing those pairs of eyes filled with warning, Feng Yuan showed no fear. He calmly took off his hat, revealing a neatly groomed head of silver-gray short hair.

This was his first time entering the manor.

Before, he couldn't get in no matter what. Now, he could finally stand here openly and honorably.

In the future, he would stand here as well.

Sang Qing had just finished her meal and was preparing to nurse the Little Cub.

She hadn't expected him to arrive so early.

Feeling in a reasonably good mood, she looked at Feng Yuan and spoke politely, "Please have a seat for a moment."

She wasn't finished with her tasks yet.

Feng Yuan nodded and sat down somewhat nervously, his gaze following her constantly, filled with longing.

Although he had promised Aniel not to appear before her before the duel, surely stealing a few glances didn't count as breaking the rules.

Sang Qing felt that his gaze carried a heavy element of covetousness, making her feel like there were needles in her back.

Sigh~

At the thought of the stupid thing that idiot Aniel had done, she wished she could personally give him a beating.

Cradling the cub, Sang Qing quickened her pace upstairs.

Fu Ning followed behind his mate, giving him a soft snort, his eyes filled with blatant disdain.

Aniel sat down across from him, his thin lips pressed slightly tight, his eyes somber. "Can you really not give up?"

"What do you think?" Feng Yuan looked up. His protruding brow bone made his eye sockets look deep and well-defined, and his gaze was wild and arrogant.

Aniel felt stifled and slowly clenched his fists. "I..."

If he had known, he shouldn't have helped Feng Yuan.

Xuan Xiao came out of the Kitchen after washing the dishes. He took off his apron and met Feng Yuan's gaze with a peaceful expression.

They had met before in the forest, so they weren't exactly strangers.

Looking at the male whose every feature exuded happiness and softness, Feng Yuan suppressed the bitterness and chill in his heart and raised an eyebrow slightly.

Xuan Xiao was very polite, assuming the manner of the master of the house as he even poured a cup of water for Feng Yuan. "You're here quite early."

"The sooner it's resolved, the sooner I can..." Feng Yuan's sexy lips moved, his voice deep and magnetic. When he slightly drew out his words, they were full of provocation.

"...get what I want."

Get what he wants? In his dreams.

Xuan Xiao gave him a fleeting glance and spoke nonchalantly, "Then sit for a while. I'm going up to watch Qing Qing feed the cub."

Unsurprisingly, Feng Yuan was affected.

A cub... Xuan Xiao was truly lucky to have a cub with Sang Qing.

He suddenly remembered what Sang Qing had said before—that she was infertile.

But now... His heart sank a few more notches.

He had almost forgotten that there was another conflict that had stood between them back then.

Despite his thoughts, he couldn't let it show.

Feng Yuan simply gave Xuan Xiao a casual smile.

Their identical auras clashed, and invisible smoke seemed to waft through the air, carrying a tense pressure.

Aniel's palms were covered in sweat.

Sa Yu and Chi Yu exchanged a glance and coughed twice, interrupting their confrontation.

Hurry it up; they didn't want to see Feng Yuan here.

After a while, Sang Qing changed her clothes and came down holding the Little Cub.

Since they were going outside, Fu Ning was carrying a beast-skin coat for Sang Qing.

In front of the open ground, the swirling snowflakes had grown larger. The ground that had just been cleared was already covered in a thin layer of snow, a vast expanse of white.

Feng Yuan took off his cloak and looked at the group of beasts opposite him, his heart terrifyingly calm.

Because he had only one thought, there was no need for fear.

Aniel took a deep breath and glanced at his mate.

But her gaze wasn't on him, and he couldn't help but lower his eyes in disappointment.

Helplessly, he took a step forward with a nervous heart.

A heavy palm landed on his shoulder. Aniel looked sideways to see Xuan Xiao walking straight past him, striding toward Feng Yuan.

???

Herman and Xing Jiu had returned just in time and came to Sang Qing's side with puzzled expressions.

"Isn't Aniel the one going up?" Herman asked in confusion as he held Sang Qing.

Equally confused was Aniel, who was extremely surprised. "Sister?"

What did this mean? Why was Xuan Xiao going up?

Sang Qing glanced at him. "Don't talk, just watch."

How could she possibly feel at ease letting Aniel duel with Feng Yuan? The two of them were clearly not on the same level of power.

As for saying what she did before, it was purely to give him a lesson so he wouldn't make such a mistake again.

Presumably, he had come to his senses over these past few days.

Aniel bit his lip, his eyes pitiful yet moved.

But he didn't know if Sister would still drive him away.

Xuan Xiao arrived opposite Feng Yuan. Their gazes collided, and then each transformed into their Beast Form.

When a giant silver wolf appeared in the snow, Sang Qing's brow twitched.

Feng Yuan's Beast Form was truly massive.

Xuan Xiao was no exception, of course. A giant golden serpent occupied a patch of the world, its bell-like eyes shining with a firm and steady light.

The battle was on the verge of breaking out.

The beasts held their breath.

"Roar~" Feng Yuan let out a roar and took the initiative to attack Xuan Xiao, his sharp claws and teeth on display. Xuan Xiao's pupils constricted, and he raised his tail to defend.

Seizing the opportunity, he coiled around Feng Yuan's body.

But Feng Yuan moved with agility, quickly escaping his first constriction and following up with a return swipe that nearly wounded Xuan Xiao.

"How is Feng Yuan's combat power so formidable?" Herman narrowed his eyes, his brow furrowing slightly as he watched the aggressive Feng Yuan.

"No wonder he dared to accept the challenge from Xuan Xiao and the others." Fu Ning frowned, holding the Little Cub in his arms with a profound look on his face.

It seemed Xuan Xiao had met his match this time.

Aniel clenched his fists, thinking to himself, 'Xuan Xiao, I'm counting on you.'

He really didn't want to leave Sister.

On the open ground, amidst the drifting snow, two swift figures collided and confronted each other. Claws and teeth cut through the wind, tails lashed the ground, and hints of blood filled the air. But because they were locked in such a fierce struggle, Sang Qing couldn't tell who was injured.

Her heart sank; the scene she least wanted to see had appeared.

Herman put his arm around Sang Qing, noticing her melancholic expression, and quickly whispered comfort, "He won't lose. Xuan Xiao is so powerful, he won't lose."

The ruthlessness in Feng Yuan was very obvious; he was fighting with the mindset of a battle to the death.

Xing Jiu's eagle eyes were sharp as he stood on the steps, seriously watching the duel between the two beasts.

He naturally supported Xuan Xiao, but he also wanted to learn something from it.

He was also quite weak, having only just broken through to the eighth rank. Qing Qing had told him not to be too aggressive, otherwise his body wouldn't be able to handle it, so he hadn't dared to train desperately.

Thud~

The two bodies slammed together with a distinct, dull sound. Xuan Xiao gritted his teeth slightly, a flash of blood-red appearing in his eyes.

A trace of blood seeped from the corner of Feng Yuan's mouth, but his gaze remained firm and unstoppable.

For his beloved treasure, the pain was worth it.

After another round of fighting, the two beasts were evenly matched. Xuan Xiao exhaled a cloud of white mist and touched the bloody scratch on his face, his gaze cold.

"You lost!" Feng Yuan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, a wild smile curling his lips as he spoke nonchalantly.

"Interesting. You even calculated that our Snake Tribe lacks strength during the Cold Season..." Hmph, how did he lose? At most, it was a draw.

Xuan Xiao gave him an indignant sidelong glance and turned to walk back.

He would count this round as his loss.

If Qing Qing hadn't instructed him not to use lethal force, he wouldn't have had so many reservations.

Sang Qing took Xuan Xiao's hand, her eyes worried. "Are you alright?"

Xuan Xiao shook his head apologetically, the wound on his face still seeping blood. "I'm sorry, Qing Qing..."

He felt a bit ashamed, but at the same time, he secretly resolved to break through to the tenth rank within two years.

The strong must become even stronger to overwhelm their opponents.

“It's alright. In a match, there are winners and losers; it's perfectly normal.” Sang Qing glanced at the male standing in the wind and snow, patted Xuan Xiao's shoulder, and spoke to him with a smile.

The other beasts were somewhat astonished. Even Xuan Xiao had lost?

Aniel felt increasingly guilty. If it weren't for his meddling, he wouldn't have caused such big trouble for the family.

It was all his fault.

Beside them, Sa Yu stepped out with an expressionless face.

Sang Qing called out to him.

“Wait, Sa Yu.”

“Wait for him to rest a bit and recover his strength.”

Two against one was already unfair to Feng Yuan; they didn't need to push their luck.

Let him rest; it would be fairer that way.

Sa Yu nodded honestly, a touch of solemnity coloring his handsome features.

If he competed against Feng Yuan in his Beast Form, it would be a complete mismatch.

He didn't want to take advantage of him either. If it was to be a fair match, then it should be as fair as possible.

Lest this guy say they were using their numbers to bully him again.

“I know you know martial arts. How about we don't use our Beast Forms and fight empty-handed?”

After a while, Sa Yu approached Feng Yuan and suggested in a calm tone.

Feng Yuan nodded fearlessly, his eyes bright. “Whatever.”

Sa Yu probably knew he had a straightforward personality, as his expression softened slightly, and he took off his upper garment.

He didn't want to ruin the clothes Qing Qing had bought for him.

Feng Yuan glanced at him. Sa Yu seemed a bit younger than him and was about the same height. His muscles were lean and firm, not reaching the broad physique of Xuan Xiao, and he looked a bit slighter in comparison.

But he knew that the male before him was not to be underestimated.

Xuan Xiao had reservations, but this guy had a thick ruthlessness in his eyes, as if he wanted to kill him.

However, he didn't mind.

Bring it on.

Sa Yu clenched his fists, lowered his back slightly, and lunged fiercely toward Feng Yuan's face.

He always liked to take the initiative and keep the offensive in his own hands.

Feng Yuan dodged to the side. Feeling the sharp wind from the punch, he was slightly surprised.

It seemed the mates Sang Qing chose were all very powerful; he hadn't chosen the wrong path.

Indeed, only the strong were worthy of standing by her side.

After a brief thought, Feng Yuan immediately pulled his attention back to prevent himself from getting distracted.

To deal with Sa Yu, he had to be more serious.

Feng Yuan and Sa Yu became entangled, exchanging punches and kicks. The force of each collision made Sang Qing's heart skip a beat.

Although she had studied witchcraft with Song Zhen for a while, it was only for self-defense. Reaching a level where she could strike to kill like them was still far off.

The two figures continued their battle, their moves becoming increasingly brutal. In their exchange, it was almost a case of hurting the enemy at a heavy cost to oneself... Bang!

Feng Yuan fell to half-kneeling, his knee severely damaged, but at the same time, he also turned ruthless. With a sharp crack, he snapped Sa Yu's arm by force.

Sa Yu didn't even flinch. With his other intact hand, he smashed a fist into Feng Yuan's face.

Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Feng Yuan's mind was muddled for two seconds, but he immediately slammed his head into Sa Yu's, showing a determination to take them both down.

“Stop! Stop!”

Sang Qing handed the cub in her arms to Herman and shouted, her expression changing abruptly.

The two of them... were practically throwing their lives away... one was ruthless, the other was fierce!

Sa Yu still wanted to exchange a few more blows with Feng Yuan, but Sang Qing slapped him on the back of the head. “I told you to stop!”

His arm was broken and he still wouldn't give up; he really didn't care about his life.

The ruthlessness in Sa Yu's eyes faded completely, replaced by a look of grievance. He quickly pulled his foot back from stepping on Feng Yuan's knee.

Sang Qing helped him up with heartache. Looking at his deformed arm, tears began to fall. “Do you not want your life anymore? I told you not to go for the kill. If you can't win, then just forget it.”

This wasn't a match; they were about to die together.

“Don't cry, don't cry, Qing Qing. I'm fine.” Sa Yu bared his teeth, his face covered in bruises, looking at her helplessly.

It was just a broken arm; he could just let Chi Yu treat it.

But he would never give up Qing Qing to Feng Yuan.

Feng Yuan stood up shakily, spat out some blood, and his eyes felt sore.

She only saw her mate; his figure would never exist in her eyes.

Fortunately, in this match, he shouldn't be considered the loser.

Witch Doctor Hospital.

Both injured beasts were receiving treatment in the room.

Only Xuan Xiao and Xing Jiu were by Sang Qing's side.

She was currently helping Xuan Xiao tend to the wounds on his face, with Xing Jiu assisting.

Blowing on the wounds, Sang Qing gently applied medicine to Xuan Xiao. Looking at the bloody marks on his face, she shook her head helplessly.

Besides the facial wounds, Xuan Xiao had injuries on his back and chest, but they were internal, so Sang Qing simply gave him a pill.

Xuan Xiao wrapped his arm around Sang Qing's waist. Seeing her calm expression, he couldn't help but ask curiously, “Qing Qing, what do we do now? Admit that we lost?”

It was quite embarrassing. Except for losing to Sa Yu during their mutual training, he had never lost to any beast.

Now, they were going to have another powerful rival.

It was infuriating; he would give Aniel another beating when they got back.

Xing Jiu remained silent on the side, neither supporting nor opposing.

Sang Qing touched the uninjured side of his face and said softly, “If we lost, we lost. Anyway, it's just giving him a chance to pursue me, not agreeing to Pair Bonding with him.”

Feng Yuan was a powerful madman.

But fortunately, he still had a sliver of reason.

Since he was so eager to pursue her, she would satisfy him.

When the time came, she would make him retreat in the face of difficulties.

Xuan Xiao sighed in his heart. Once Feng Yuan recovered, he would have to have another match with him to make up for this loss.

He didn't believe he couldn't beat a wolf.

Su Ran walked out with a light step, her tone playful, “Alright, the treatment is finished. Just go back and rest for a few days.”

“However, City Lord, next time you discipline your mates, you don't need to be so heavy-handed.”

Sang Qing glanced at her with a half-smile. “Thank you so much for your concern.”

When had she ever disciplined them? Don't slander her.

Su Ran shrugged and went back to the breakroom laughing.

Chi Yu followed closely behind. Sa Yu and Feng Yuan were crowding the doorway, neither willing to let the other through.

Sang Qing gave Sa Yu a look, and Sa Yu obediently took a step back, letting Feng Yuan go first.

Order didn't matter; what mattered most was that Qing Qing only looked at him.

Feng Yuan was annoyed. If he had known, he should have shown some grace and let Sa Yu go first.

Sa Yu came to Sang Qing's side. His injured arm was mostly healed, though there were still some external wounds on his face and legs that hadn't closed, but those were minor issues.

Sang Qing looked at Feng Yuan. Her expression was normal and not awkward, though it felt a bit strange. “Go back and rest first. Contact me via light brain if anything happens.”

“I don't have your light brain number.” Feng Yuan looked down at her, his lips twitching slightly; he was clearly in a very good mood.

Sang Qing hesitated for a moment but still exchanged numbers with him.

Feng Yuan left satisfied.

Sa Yu held Sang Qing's arm, leaning his head on her shoulder, and acted spoiled as they walked out. “Qing Qing, it hurts so much!”

“Stop faking. Go back and write a thousand-word self-reflection for me.” Sang Qing walked steadily, her small face tense, speaking with some exasperation.

“Huh?” Sa Yu was stunned.

No way, he was injured and still had to write a thousand-word self-reflection?

He hated writing the most; he didn't want to.

Qing Qing is mean.

He would punish her severely tonight.

At night, Sa Yu was at the table, scratching his head as he wrote his self-reflection. Beside him was Aniel, whose face was swollen again, also writing a self-reflection.

Initially, Sa Yu didn't want to write it, but once he heard that Aniel had to write ten thousand words, he suddenly felt that one thousand words was nothing.

It was all about the lack of harm without comparison.

Aniel wrote his self-reflection while shedding tears.

Of course, he wasn't sad; he was happy.

After all, compared to being kicked out of the house, he would rather choose to write a ten-thousand-word self-reflection.

Fu Ning and the others brought the Cubs back from the hot springs. The Cubs were all exhausted. Each beast carried two Cubs and hurried upstairs.

Sang Qing was currently breastfeeding in the room. When she heard the footsteps coming upstairs, she let out a yawn.

Xuan Xiao sat beside her, his eyes dark as he stared at his mate, his voice husky. “Tired?”

Sang Qing shook her head, stroked the Little Cub's head, her expression slightly weary. “I'm okay.”

Anyway, she could take a bath and go to bed as soon as she finished feeding the cub.

She had been idle lately and had plenty of time to sleep in during the day.

After Little Eight was full, he smacked his lips. His Father took him to burp him for a while, and he fell into a deep sleep again.

Sang Qing tidied her clothes and was about to head back to her own room when Xuan Xiao pulled her back.

“Qing Qing, where are you going?”

“...Is it my turn?”

Every wisp of faint fragrance he smelled in this room was a form of torture to him.

After finally waiting for the Little Cubs to eat and drink their fill, it should finally be his turn... After finally soothing Xuan Xiao, Sang Qing returned to her room with a flushed face.

Sa Yu was lying on the bed, flipping through his self-reflection. Under the soft, warm light, a shadow fell over his high nose bridge. The smooth lines of his face were extremely aesthetic, and his whole body was full of sexual tension.

Wait... Sang Qing slapped his bare back, her eyes twitching. “You're not wearing clothes again.”

She knew something looked off.