Chapter 815: Was This Really a Second Chance?

Chapter 815: Chapter 815: Was This Really a Second Chance?

Inside the quiet room, Su Qinglan leaned her back heavily against the closed wooden door. Her eyes slowly shut as she took a deep breath. Then another.

But no matter how deeply she inhaled, the suffocating heaviness sitting on her chest refused to vanish.

She walked slowly over to the bed, sat down on the edge, and stared blankly at the floor.

The old man’s haunting words kept repeating in her mind like a relentless curse.

You don’t have much time here. Your journey is coming to an end. Your daughters’ destinies are not much better than yours...

Su Qinglan clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white.

"Impossible..." she whispered into the empty room, her voice trembling. "It can’t be true..."

But deep down, absolute fear gripped her heart.

The old man knew things he shouldn’t have known...things that no ordinary stranger in this world could possibly fathom. He had known about her past life. He had known about her daughters. He had even known details that she had never uttered to a single living soul.

If everything he said was mere nonsense, then how had he known?

Su Qinglan slowly lay back on the bed, staring blankly up at the ceiling with empty eyes. If even a fraction of what he had said was true, then she was truly doomed.

The thought made her entire chest ache with raw agony.

She had genuinely believed that after reincarnating into this world, she had finally escaped her miserable, tragic fate.

She had thought her second life was a divine gift, a rare chance granted by the heavens to reclaim everything she had lost, a chance to have a family, to love, and to be loved in return.

She had thought she could live peacefully, grow old beside her devoted husbands, watch her daughters blossom into strong women, and see her chubby cubs grow into adults.

She had thought there would be a tomorrow.

Her fingers slowly curled into the soft blanket beneath her. "Why?" Her voice was barely audible.

"If the heavens are going to take everything away from me in the end..." Her throat tightened painfully. "...then why did you give me a second chance?"

Silence was the only answer that returned to her.

Her eyes slowly welled up with red-rimmed tears. "Why let me taste true happiness... if I was never meant to keep it?"

A bitter, heartbroken smile appeared on her face. "Was this really a second chance? Or was it just another cruel punishment?"

She let out a soft, breathless laugh, but there was not a single trace of joy in it.

"I was greedy," she whispered, covering her eyes with the back of her hand. "Yes... I was too greedy."

She hadn’t been satisfied with simply surviving. She had wanted a home. She had wanted a loving family.

She had wanted her husband to stay forever by her side. She had wanted to see her children grow up. She had wanted everything.

"Was that too much to ask for?" Her voice cracked. "I only wanted a little bit of happiness..."

She lowered her hand. A hot tear slowly rolled down the side of her cheek.

"I just wanted to keep living."

The single tear slipped into her hairline and vanished. Su Qinglan closed her eyes tight. She didn’t want to cry, nor did she want to make anyone worry.

Most of all, she didn’t want her husbands to look at her with pity. So she lay there in absolute, suffocating silence.

Outside the room, however, none of her beast husbands were remotely calm.

Hu Yan had gathered the eight cubs around him, sitting them down on his lap and the wooden porch.

Normally, the courtyard would be filled with their energetic squeals, but even the little ones seemed to understand that something terrible was wrong.

Xiao Yi quietly looked up at the closed door, his tiger ears drooping. "Mother..."

Hu Yan gently rubbed the chubby cub’s head, keeping his voice soft. "Don’t worry, little one. Your mother is just tired."

But even Hu Yan didn’t believe his own comforting words.

A few steps away, Rong Ye stood with a rigid posture. His face was dark, and his hands were clenched into tight fists. An Mo stood beside him, his eyes locked onto the locked door.

"She is hiding something from us," An Mo said coldly.

Rong Ye nodded grimly. "I know."

"We should go inside."

"I tried." Rong Ye’s eyes darkened further. "She won’t answer."

An Mo walked up to the door and knocked firmly. "Qinglan."

No answer.

He knocked again, harder this time. "Open the door."

Silence.

"Qinglan, talk to us."

Nothing.

An Mo’s jaw tightened. He pressed his broad palm against the cool wood of the door. "At least tell us that you’re alright."

Still, no sound came from within.

The beastmen exchanged grim, highly alarmed glances. They could easily shatter the door to pieces.

They could force their way inside in a heartbeat. But they knew Su Qinglan. If she had locked herself away, pushing her would only make her feel trapped.

So they could only stand there, agonizing over the silence.

Hu Yan stayed with the cubs, Rong Ye paced back and forth like a caged predator, and An Mo stared unblinkingly at the handle.

Finally, Rong Ye stopped pacing. His violet eyes turned razor-sharp and cold as ice. "The old man."

Everyone turned toward him instantly.

Rong Ye’s voice was low and lethal. "He’s the reason she’s like this."

An Mo’s aura flared with suppressed killing intent. "Obviously."

The two of them exchanged a brief, unspoken look. Neither needed to say another word. A second later, they turned on their heels and strode straight out of the courtyard.

They had one burning question: What the hell had that old man said to their female? And they were going to get an answer immediately.

The ancient old man had not gone far. His walking speed was painfully slow.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

He leaned against his twisted tree crutch as he ambled down the quiet dirt road leading out of the city center.

The deep wrinkles on his face were relaxed, carrying a faint, unbothered smile. He seemed completely unconcerned with the world around him.

But suddenly...

BOOM!

A terrifying, explosive force slammed directly into his back!

The old man’s frail body was blasted forward, tumbling several times across the dusty ground before coming to a hard halt against the dirt. A thick cloud of dust filled the air.

The ancient bark crutch slipped from his hand, rolling away into the grass. The old man lay motionless on the ground for several long, silent seconds.