Chapter 404: Jiao Yin

Chapter 404: Chapter 404: Jiao Yin

Back home, the cubs hadn’t returned yet.

Yan Lie went to the kitchen to prepare food for the whole family.

Jin Yi sat with her in the courtyard, basking in the sun.

His wide palm enveloped her small, soft hand. He loved the reassuring feeling, which filled him with a sense of peace and contentment.

Bai Wanwan glanced at him, then pulled her hand from his palm.

Confused, Jin Yi looked up at her. "Wanwan?"

Her slender arms wrapped around his neck. Bai Wanwan leaned in, tilting her head up to look at him. "There are no other males around right now..."

When the red lips before him parted slightly, Jin Yi instantly understood. He lowered his head, covering the crimson he’d dreamt of day and night.

Bai Wanwan relaxed, letting him lead as his scent completely enveloped her.

Then, with a surge of strength, Jin Yi lifted her onto his lap.

The atmosphere grew more intimate, and his kisses began to wander from her lips...

Just then, Yan Lie’s voice echoed from the front yard. "Hey, Wanwan, Jin Yi..."

Jin Yi finally snapped back to his senses. His lips slowly parted from hers, his breathing still heavy.

His eyes were filled with unfulfilled desire.

"So this is where you two were hiding."

Yan Lie strode over. "Jin Yi, come and give me a hand."

Jin Yi had no choice but to release her. "I’ll go see what he needs. I’ll be right back."

"Okay, go on."

Although the house they lived in was in an area where foreign Beastmen congregated, Chou Rong was now the Clan Leader of the Tiger Clan. With Bai Wanwan and a dozen or so cubs living here, he had long ago posted guards outside to ensure the family wouldn’t be disturbed and to provide a certain degree of security.

After Jin Yi and Yan Lie left, one after the other, Bai Wanwan sat down on a stone bench, planning to lean against the wall for a nap.

But as soon as she closed her eyes, she suddenly felt someone staring at her.

Her eyes snapped open. There was nothing in the empty courtyard.

She shook her head, thinking it must have been her imagination. She closed her eyes again, intending to resume her nap.

But this time, she heard the sound of water.

The sound of water...

She needed to bathe often, and the house’s water storage was insufficient.

So, a few of her Beast Husbands had dug a small pool in the courtyard to store water.

’But the pool is filled with still water, so how could it be making a sound?’

Bai Wanwan stood up and slowly approached the pool. Most of it was covered by wooden planks.

She saw something flash past.

"I saw you. Come out on your own, or do I have to get my Beast Husband to throw you out?"

In that brief moment, she had seen the Merfolk’s beautiful, shimmering fishtail.

Shortly after she spoke, another sound came from the pool.

A silver-haired Merfolk surfaced, poking his head out of the water.

His exquisitely beautiful face seemed to glow in the sunlight, creating a stunning visual impact.

But Bai Wanwan didn’t lower her guard. "What are you doing here?"

The Merfolk spoke at once. "Don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you."

Bai Wanwan scoffed. "A bad guy isn’t going to wear a sign on his face saying ’I’m a bad guy.’ Now hurry up and tell me, why are you here?"

Perhaps she seemed too fierce, as the Merfolk sank a little deeper into the water, a hurt look in his eyes.

"I had nowhere else to go, so I followed you here. I won’t hurt you. Can you please let me hide here for a little while?"

"If my Beast Husbands find you hiding here, they’ll just throw you out anyway. You should leave the same way you came in."

Jiao Yin lowered his gaze. "The Beast Pet Merchant is still looking for me. If I go out now and he finds me, he’ll beat me to death..."

As soon as he said this, he seemed to hear something and submerged his entire body in the water.

"Wanwan... what are you doing standing here?" Jin Yi asked as he approached.

Bai Wanwan grabbed his hand and pointed at the pool. "The Merfolk we saw the other day... he’s in our pool now."

In the pool, Jiao Yin went rigid. He never imagined the female would immediately tell her Beast Husband he was there.

He had seen too many females who coveted his people.

He had assumed that by showing himself, the female would keep him—if not as a Beast Husband, then at least as a Beast Pet by her side.

But this female seemed to be different.

Upon hearing her words, Jin Yi pulled her to his side.

"Are you going to come out on your own, or do I have to ’invite’ you out?"

Jiao Yin quickly weighed his options and surfaced again.

The bloodstains and welts mottling his body were clear signs of long-term abuse.

"How did you get in?" Jin Yi cut straight to the heart of the matter.

’There are plenty of Beastmen on guard outside.’

Jiao Yin lowered his lashes, looking rather pitiful. "My Merfolk clan can conceal our presence. I snuck in while they weren’t looking."

"There are plenty of females in the Tiger Clan. Why did you set your sights on mine?" Jin Yi’s gaze was sharp and scrutinizing.

It was as if one wrong answer would earn him a lion’s claw across his fragile throat.

"Because... she was the only one who didn’t look at me with greed. That’s why I felt it would be safest to stay near her for the time being."

"If you want safety so badly, why don’t you leave the Tiger Clan?"

"I can’t be away from a water source for long. Besides, the Merfolk are not strong fighters. If I leave the Tiger Clan, the outside world is fraught with danger. I’m afraid I’d never get the chance to return to my homeland."

Bai Wanwan listened in silence. She couldn’t find any flaws in his explanation.

’It seems he really was driven into a corner by the Beast Pet Merchant, forcing him to take a desperate gamble and follow me back here.’

"So you can’t leave the Tiger Clan, but you don’t want to follow any other female... Does that mean you intend to stick with mine?" Jin Yi’s tone had become extremely dangerous.

But Jiao Yin immediately shook his head. "I’ll only stay for a few days. As soon as I figure out a plan, I’ll leave."

"And what if you can’t come up with a plan?"

Jiao Yin looked into the male’s eyes and made a promise. "I will leave then, too."

Just as he finished speaking, a burst of cheerful noise came from outside. The next moment, the cubs ran into the backyard, chasing each other playfully.

"Mama, what is he? He’s so pretty!"

A few of the cubs walked over to the Merfolk, tilting their heads back to stare up at him with wide, innocent, and curious eyes.

A beautiful creature like a Merfolk was truly unlike any other being on the continent.

The main characteristic of other beings was their combat strength, whereas his most obvious trait was his beauty.

"I’m a Merfolk, a type of Beastman that lives deep in the ocean."

His expression softened as he gazed at all the cubs.

"Deep in the ocean? What kind of place is that?"

Upon seeing the beautiful mermaid, the cubs forgot everything else and crowded around, chattering away with one question after another.

Jiao Yin was incredibly patient, answering every single one of the cubs’ bizarre questions.

Watching this scene, Bai Wanwan couldn’t help but turn to Jin Yi. "What should we do?"

Yin Ze and Xin Feng walked over, one after the other. Seeing the beautiful Merfolk in the courtyard, they both turned to Bai Wanwan. "Wanwan, what’s going on here?"