Chapter 456 - 453: The Mystery of Her Origins

Chapter 456: Chapter 453: The Mystery of Her Origins

A biting wind howled, carrying flurries of heavy snow that painted the world outside the stone house a vast, silvery white. Jiao Yin’s gaze pierced through the snowy haze, discerning two males walking closer.

It was the same two males Jiao Yin had rescued from the edge of the swamp!

"You again?"

Jiao Yin frowned. "What is it?"

Hearing the commotion, Hua Han also stepped out of the house. ’What good could possibly come from them leaving and returning on a snowy day like this?’

His beautiful, fox-like eyes narrowed slightly, glinting with a dangerous light. Sharp claws slid silently from his fingertips.

"Stop! What do you want?" His voice was filled with undisguised vigilance.

The two males were brought to a halt by Hua Han’s hostility and Jiao Yin’s scrutinizing gaze.

They quickly waved their hands, their faces etched with urgency and sincerity. "Please, don’t misunderstand! We are males of the Flood Dragon Clan. We’ve returned to bother you not because we mean you any harm, nor because we covet the female. It’s just that... there’s something we can’t let go of, no matter what!"

Bai Wanwan had been in the inner cave, playing with her well-fed cubs as they purred softly. Hearing the voices, she wrapped the thick animal hide around herself and walked out.

Her clear gaze swept calmly over the two nervous-looking males. Her voice was cool. "Something you can’t let go of? Does it have to do with me?"

It wasn’t a question, but a statement of near certainty.

The two males glanced at each other, seeing the same mix of struggle and determination in the other’s eyes.

Finally, they gave Bai Wanwan a heavy nod, a gesture tinged with almost subservient pleading.

"Wanwan!" Hua Han immediately moved to shield her more completely. "We don’t know where they’re from or what they’re planning! You should go back inside where it’s warm. Jiao Yin and I will handle the questions!"

He was judging them by his own standards. ’How many males could possibly remain unmoved by a female as stunningly beautiful and uniquely charismatic as Bai Wanwan?’

He instinctively felt that these two were just using a high-sounding excuse to get close to her.

Bai Wanwan, however, gently placed a hand on Hua Han’s tense arm.

Her gaze fell upon the two males again, and she keenly noted the way they looked at her.

Their eyes held none of the burning desire or possessiveness a male might show toward a desired female. Instead, they were filled with an inexpressible, complex turmoil and a hint of reverence. This was definitely not the look of a suitor.

"No need," Bai Wanwan’s voice was quiet but firm. "I want to hear what they have to say."

She gathered the animal hide, wrapping herself tighter, revealing only her face, which glowed like jade in the firelight. "You can say it here."

She chose to give them a chance to speak, but only from within the protective reach of Jiao Yin and Hua Han.

Under Jiao Yin’s tangible, icy pressure and Hua Han’s predatory vigilance, the two Flood Dragon Males felt immense stress. Beads of sweat even began to form on their foreheads.

Not daring to hesitate any longer, they took a deep breath and stated their purpose.

"Venerable female, we... we come from the Flood Dragon Tribe. It is one of the oldest and most powerful Super Tribes on this vast continent."

The male’s voice carried a deep-seated pride, which then shifted to one of sorrow. "The reason we have appeared before you again is because... because your appearance is almost identical to that of our Clan Leader’s Wife when she was young! We suspect... that you might be our Clan Leader’s female cub!"

"Might be?" Jiao Yin sharply seized on the doubtful wording.

He took a step forward, his invisible aura seeming to make the very air congeal. "Since when do Beastmen identify bloodlines by looks and not by scent?"

Both males wore expressions of bitterness and confusion. "Exactly! That’s the problem. This female’s scent is indeed wrong! It’s completely different from the scent of our Clan Leader, our Clan Leader’s Wife, or even the entire lineage of the Flood Dragon Royal Family. But..."

He hurriedly added, his eyes filled with disbelief, "The female cub at the Clan Leader’s side has a scent that is undeniably inherited from the Clan Leader’s line, and yet... and yet she cannot gain the acknowledgment of the Life Tree!"

At the mention of the "Life Tree," the two males’ expressions instantly became reverent and sorrowful.

"The Life Tree is the supreme, divine tree of our Flood Dragon Clan. It is the foundation that protects our clan’s proliferation, growth, and the inheritance of our power! It only acknowledges a Holy Female who possesses the purest royal blood!"

The other male chimed in, "But now... the Clan Leader’s only female cub by blood, though her scent matches, receives no reaction from the Life Tree. The divine tree’s power is fading at a terrifying rate. Its branches and leaves are withering, its spiritual light dimming... If this continues, our entire Flood Dragon Clan will face the decline of our bloodline, and even extinction!"

He looked at Bai Wanwan, and a final, desperate glimmer of hope burst forth in his eyes. "So... so when we saw you, looking so similar to the Clan Leader’s Wife, we... we came up with this bold guess! We implore you to return to the tribe with us. We just need you to touch the Life Tree. If, by some chance... by some chance you have a connection with the Life Tree and can earn its acknowledgment, then the hope for our clan’s survival will rest with you!"

Hua Han scoffed, his amber eyes filled with disbelief. "Her scent isn’t even the same. How could she possibly be your Clan Leader’s cub? Besides, Wanwan..."

He looked at Bai Wanwan, his tone certain. "She doesn’t belong to this continent at all! We know her origins better than you do!"

Although Jiao Yin didn’t speak, his furrowed brow and cold gaze showed that he felt the same way.

A storm, however, was brewing in Bai Wanwan’s heart.

Who the original owner’s parents were held little emotional weight for a transmigrator like her.

But ’Life Tree,’ ’unacknowledged royal female cub,’ ’wrong scent but identical appearance’...

These keywords, put together, pointed to an incredibly cliché and conspiracy-filled possibility—a classic case of the switched-at-birth princess!

’It could very well be tied to the truth of how the original owner was poisoned and abandoned!’

She had taken over this body, gained a new life, met her Beast Husbands, and even had cubs.

The starting point for all of it was the original owner of this body.

She truly owed the original owner a massive debt.

And this crisis, which concerned the very survival of a powerful clan, seemed to be inextricably linked to the original owner’s fate...

Seeing Bai Wanwan remain silent, her face showing only deep contemplation and not a hint of being moved, the two males grew even more anxious.

"Female! This truly concerns the survival of the nearly ten thousand members of our Flood Dragon Clan! Please..."

"If I go back with you," Bai Wanwan suddenly lifted her gaze, her stare as sharp as an Ice Cone, piercing the two males, "what will I face?"

Her question was calm and direct, instantly shattering their fantasy of painting a hopeful picture while avoiding the risks.

The two males choked abruptly, their faces showing a mixture of blankness and shock.