Chapter 248: Restraint

Chapter 248: Chapter 248: Restraint

After watching Yan Lie and his older brother leave, Bai Wanwan was about to head inside when she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure in the distance.

Zhu Xiu was walking toward her.

The corners of her lips curled up unconsciously, so she simply stood at the door and waited for him.

A gentle breeze scattered the sun’s scorching heat.

Zhu Xiu, too, saw Bai Wanwan waiting by the door.

His mate was exceptionally beautiful, especially when she smiled. Her eyes would curve into crescents, as if they were filled with starlight.

That image had long been seared into his heart, an indelible brand.

As he drew near, Bai Wanwan reached out to him, wiggling her fingertips slightly in the air in a silent invitation.

In two strides, Zhu Xiu closed the distance and enveloped her soft hand in his palm.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked, his voice low and deep, laced with a hint of barely perceptible tenderness.

"I saw you were back, so I decided to wait for you," she said, beaming up at him, her tone light and cheerful.

Zhu Xiu said nothing. He simply bent down, wrapped an arm around her, and swept her up into his arms.

Bai Wanwan immediately wrapped her arms around his neck. "Where are you taking me?"

"Inside, to rest."

Just as he spoke, they came face-to-face with Xin Feng, who was walking out with a cub in his arms.

"Who was that male with Yan Lie earlier?" Zhu Xiu asked casually, without breaking his stride.

"Yan Lie’s older brother. He must have come to the Golden Lion Tribe specifically to find him."

Zhu Xiu hummed in acknowledgment and asked no more. Sidestepping Xin Feng, he walked straight inside.

He gently placed Bai Wanwan on a low couch covered with soft pelts, then crouched down in front of her.

Even so, his frame was so tall that Bai Wanwan still had to tilt her head up slightly to meet his gaze.

Thinking about her unrestrained night with Yan Lie, she felt a pang of guilt and decided to make a preemptive strike.

She raised her hands to cup Zhu Xiu’s face, her fingertips gently tracing his tense jawline. "I have some good news for you," she said with a smile.

Zhu Xiu grasped her wrist, but his gaze fell to her red, swollen lips, where obvious bite marks remained.

Lower down, her slender neck was dotted with red marks, painfully conspicuous, as if she had been claimed by a wild beast.

His eyes darkened instantly, a suppressed storm raging in their depths.

His hand at his side clenched into a fist, knuckles turning white. His lips pressed into a hard, cold line.

Bai Wanwan sharply sensed the shift in atmosphere. The air seemed to freeze solid, the cold piercing to the bone.

She instinctively pulled her collar tighter, but in the next second, her gaze met Zhu Xiu’s scarlet eyes.

His gaze churned with savagery, possessiveness, and some other emotion that was on the verge of spiraling out of control.

Her heart leaped. Bracing herself, she forced her voice to sound natural. "Zhu Xiu, in just a few more months, I’ll be able to completely lift the Dark Curse from you. You won’t have to risk searching for Energy Stones anymore."

This was undoubtedly fantastic news for Zhu Xiu, but his expression remained grim, showing no flicker of emotion.

He slowly raised a hand, the pad of his thumb dragging across the red marks on her neck.

Bai Wanwan’s breath caught. She could feel the emotions churning within him.

"Does it hurt?"

Zhu Xiu stared at her, the darkness in his eyes deepening, like a Fierce Beast lurking in an abyss.

Bai Wanwan was immensely relieved that Yan Lie wasn’t there.

She quickly threw her arms around his neck with a smile. "It doesn’t hurt. What did you find out over the last couple of days? Tell me."

All she could do now was try her best to distract Zhu Xiu.

Zhu Xiu was trying to rein in his emotions, but the bloodthirsty possessiveness of a cold-blooded creature made it impossible for him to simply accept the situation and pretend nothing had happened.

Zhu Xiu was silent for a long time, apparently needing the moment to regain his composure.

"Yes, I’ve found some leads. There are too many Beastmen in the Golden Lion Tribe, so I started by investigating the males associated with the females you’ve had conflicts with. I discovered that over a dozen of these females have Yellow Rank Golden Lions as Beast Husbands, along with some from other races."

Something suddenly occurred to Bai Wanwan, and she blurted out, "Is Zhuo Ling one of them?"

Zhu Xiu nodded. "Yes, she is one of those dozen or so females."

Her intuition told her that those males had been acting on Zhuo Ling’s orders. After all, Zhuo Ling had plotted against her back in the Black Dog Tribe.

’If it was her...’

A sharp glint flashed in Bai Wanwan’s eyes. ’This time, I definitely won’t let Zhuo Ling off easy!’

"Zhu Xiu, I need you to investigate her Beast Husbands thoroughly. I suspect her."

Xin Feng came in carrying a tray of fruit, placing a stone bowl filled with fresh berries on the low table in front of Bai Wanwan.

"Wanwan, have some fruit."

Bai Wanwan smiled at him. "Alright."

Xin Feng sat down beside them. He had also heard their conversation.

"If it is Zhuo Ling, Wanwan, what do you plan to do?"

"If it was her, then it’s an eye for an eye. She wants my life, so I’ll take hers!"

Bai Wanwan had never been a soft-hearted person. She hated intrigue and backstabbing.

But if anyone thought she was an easy target and decided to come after her, she would make them feel a world of hurt and teach them the consequences of crossing her.

"Good."

Xin Feng’s elegant face remained as warm and gentle as ever, yet he didn’t hesitate for a second in backing Bai Wanwan’s decision to take Zhuo Ling’s life.

If a male as gentle as Xin Feng could be so ruthless toward a female, there was no need to even mention Zhu Xiu.

He would have no qualms about eliminating the female who had tried to harm Wanwan.

"But... let’s not be hasty. Zhu Xiu, keep investigating carefully, and see what she’s planning next. If it really was her, just killing her would be letting her off too easy."

"Alright. I’ll keep an eye on them."

*******

「Meanwhile」

Under the Clan Witch’s attentive care, Jin Yi’s injuries were improving by the day.

He was draped in a beast-pelt robe, the collar slightly open, revealing a sturdy chest and abdomen crisscrossed with several gruesome scars.

Although the wounds had scabbed over, the scars remained shocking to behold, a silent testament to the brutality of the beast tide.

"The beast tide... has it completely subsided?"

His voice was deep and low, his gaze casually glancing out the window.

"Rest assured, Young Clan Leader. The beast tide has long since receded, and all is well in the tribe."

The male beside him replied respectfully, "The Hunting Teams have had bountiful harvests lately, our food reserves are plentiful, and the tribespeople are all at ease."

Jin Yi gave a slight nod, his expression softening a little.

After a moment of silence, he asked with feigned casualty, "And what of Bai Wanwan? How has she been lately?"

"With the hot weather, the female Bai Wanwan rarely goes out. She spends most of her time in her residence."

A flicker of something crossed Jin Yi’s eyes. His fingertips unconsciously traced the edge of the pelt as he gave an order, "Go to the ice cellar, fetch some blocks of ice, and send them to her."

Zhuo Ling, who had just reached the doorway, froze in her tracks when she heard his words.

Her fists clenched. She struggled to maintain the gentle smile on her face, but a flash of jealousy and panic flickered in the depths of her eyes.

Jin Yi hadn’t been to see her once since he returned, nor had he ever sent a Beastman to deliver ice to her.

’So why was he ordering a Beastman to send some to Bai Wanwan?’

As her thoughts swirled in turmoil, Jin Yi’s cool voice called from inside the room, "Who’s at the door?"