174: Chapter 174 Let's eat some more melon seeds

Bai Wanwan stood on her tiptoes and quickly kissed him back on the cheek, lowering her voice to a whisper: "Tonight, I'll come find you."

The corner of Xin Feng's mouth lifted, his voice gentle: "Alright, I'll wait for you."

Just then, the Cubs ran over to his feet, clamoring. Xin Feng had to bend down and scoop them up. "Wan Wan, I'll go prepare some food for you."

"Okay, I'll have a little more melon."

Her attention had already shifted back to Zhuo Ling and Jin Yi outside.

It wasn't that she was being nosy, it was just that life in the Beast World was dull, with too few forms of entertainment.

Having finally stumbled upon a bit of amusement, she wished she could plant her ears right next to the two of them to listen.

She saw Zhuo Ling walk up to Jin Yi. Their eyes met...

Tsk tsk, were their gazes practically forming threads of connection?

And at this moment, Zhuo Ling's eyes welled up with tears, her voice trembling slightly: "Jin Yi, are you really going to treat me like this?"

After seeing her sorrowful expression, the coldness in Jin Yi's eyes softened somewhat.

"Zhuo Ling, those are all things of the past. I will ensure your life in the Golden Lion Tribe, but anything more... I truly cannot give you."

Zhuo Ling's face instantly paled. She bit her lip, a hint of a sob in her voice: "But you once said you would always care for me..."

Jin Yi shook his head, his gaze calm yet distant: "That was a promise from our youth. You already have a Beast Husband. That's all in the past."

Zhuo Ling refused to accept it: "Then are you going to remain alone forever?"

Jin Yi had never considered this question. If he never met a Female he wished to spend his life with, then he would devote everything he had to protecting the Golden Lion Tribe.

"Zhuo Ling, it's getting late. You should go back and rest." He did not wish to continue this topic with her.

Seeing the distance and evasion in Jin Yi's eyes, Zhuo Ling controlled her emotions and forced a strained smile at him. "Alright. Since you don't want to see me right now, I'll leave."

Zhuo Ling turned around, as if leaving in a huff.

In the end, Jin Yi's heart softened a fraction. He instructed the Male beside him: "Escort Female Zhuo Ling back to her quarters."

Hearing this, Zhuo Ling's heart sank.

She didn't want to push too hard; she wanted to slowly reawaken his feelings for her.

But Zhuo Ling suddenly felt that the current Jin Yi had matured, giving her a sense of being beyond her control.

She couldn't help but glance back, but all she saw was Jin Yi's tall figure under the moonlight.

He left without any hesitation, his steps crisp and decisive.

Zhuo Ling felt a wave of intense unease, sensing that the Jin Yi who once cared for her was gradually slipping further away.

If, back then, when Clan Leader Jin Cang pressured her into the Pairing Ceremony, she hadn't wavered but had insisted on staying with Jin Yi, would the outcome be different now?

But at that time, she hadn't wanted to give up other Males for Jin Yi's sake.

Now she had four Beast Husbands, yet combined, they couldn't compare to a single Jin Yi.

She didn't know if what she had done was right or wrong.

Just as she was about to leave, Zhuo Ling saw a flicker of light from that Stone House in the distance.

Large Tribes situated away from forests had already learned to use fire.

Most beastmen in the Golden Master Tribe still maintained primitive eating habits, not consuming cooked food, but they would make fire for illumination.

Therefore, in the Golden Master Tribe, fire was not a rare thing.

But for that vacant Stone House belonging to Jin Yi to be lit up with firelight... that was wrong!

She immediately halted her steps. "Are there beastmen living there?"

"Yes, Female Zhuo Ling."

Zhuo Ling's face was full of surprise. She had also taken a liking to that spacious, vacant Stone House some time ago, especially after learning it was intended for Jin Yi's future residence. She had immediately wanted to have Jin Yi's people arrange for her to move in.

But that Male had said the Clan Leader forbade any beastmen from living there, except for the Young Clan Leader and his future Female.

Involving Clan Leader Jin Cang, Zhuo Ling didn't dare make further demands.

Whether she could continue living in the Golden Master Tribe at all still depended on Clan Leader Jin Cang's goodwill.

She knew that Clan Leader Jin Cang did not accept her becoming Jin Yi's Female due to her status and fertility.

So she hadn't mentioned it again.

But she never expected that in just over ten days, beastmen had actually moved in there.

"That Stone House... wasn't it reserved for Jin Yi? How could beastmen have moved in?" Her tone carried a hint of accusation.

The Male cleared his throat awkwardly and explained, "It was arranged by the Clan Leader, to temporarily house a few Outsider Beastmen."

"Outsider Beastmen?" Zhuo Ling's expression instantly turned ugly. "Is it a Female named Bai Wanwan?"

The Male nodded: "Yes, it's her."

An unprecedented sense of crisis surged in Zhuo Ling's heart.

Why would Clan Leader Jin Cang arrange for Bai Wanwan to live there?

Could it be that Clan Leader Jin Cang wanted Jin Yi to become Bai Wanwan's Beast Husband?

Realizing this, Zhuo Ling panicked.

Jin Yi cared for her; she still had hope!

She stared in the direction of the Stone House for a long time, her eyes dark and inscrutable.

"Female Zhuo Ling?"

Zhuo Ling snapped back to attention, having already reined in her emotions. "Let's go. It's getting late. I'm heading home."

Bai Wan had been watching with great interest, but the two hadn't embraced and kissed. That Male named Jin Yi seemed to have maintained his distance from Zhuo Ling the whole time.

He even turned and left rather quickly.

With no more show to watch, Bai Wan was about to close the door when Zhuo Ling actually looked over in this direction.

Her hand on the door stilled. Through the crack, she saw Zhuo Ling staring this way for at least five minutes.

Did Zhuo Ling know she lived here?

Even if she knew, what was she staring at for five minutes?

Just as she was feeling suspicious, Yan Lie's head leaned in.

He exuded the scorching aura characteristic of a Male.

The weather was gradually getting warmer. His proximity made the surrounding air feel somewhat hot and stuffy.

"Wan Wan, what are you looking at?"

He asked while leaning close to the door crack to look out with her.

"That Female... is that Zhuo Ling?"

A relaxed smile had been on Yan Lie's face, but the moment his gaze fell on the distant Zhuo Ling, the smile instantly vanished.

Yan Lie closed the door crack as if he'd seen something filthy, taking Bai Wan's hand. "What's so good about looking at her? Look at me..."

Bai Wan smiled, tilting her head back to look at his clean, sunny face. She raised her hands to cup his cheeks and gave them a gentle rub. "She really isn't as good-looking as you."

Yan Lie was coaxed back into a smile by her. "That Female is no good. Wan Wan, you should stay away from her in the future."

Bai Wan thought to herself that it was probably because he had lingering psychological shadows from being affected by the poisonous flower by Zhuo Ling last time.

"Alright, I'll stay away from her."

Although Zhuo Ling had never openly opposed her, her schemes and methods could only deceive the Females of this era, not her.

As soon as she finished speaking, Yan Lie wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in the crook of her neck and taking a deep breath. "Wan Wan, you're so good to me."

Bai Wan leaned against his chest, a slight curve lifting the corner of her mouth. "Then can you tell me how you detoxified after being affected by the poisonous flower last time?"

As soon as these words were spoken, some images suddenly flashed through Yan Lie's mind.

His cheeks and the roots of his ears simultaneously flushed a deep red.