Chapter 567 - 564: Welcoming Back the Family

Chapter 567: Chapter 564: Welcoming Back the Family

A few of the older males came forward and clapped Yan Lie hard on the shoulder. Their voices were hoarse but sincere.

"Yan Lie! Good man! You came back just in time!"

"That’s right! If you hadn’t rushed back with these powerful friends, the Leopard Clan... we would have been completely finished today!"

Yan Lie shook his head. There was no joy on his face, only a heavy burden. "I was still too late... If only I’d gotten here sooner..."

His voice choked as he looked at the collapsed homes and his dead clansmen.

An older female with bloody scratches on her face cut off his self-recrimination. "Silly cub, how could this be your fault? You didn’t cause any of this! Who... Who could have possibly imagined that our own people would suddenly turn on us so lethally..."

Her words silenced all the clansmen who had gathered around. The atmosphere grew incredibly heavy and oppressive.

Kin turning on kin was far more heartbreaking and difficult to accept than an invasion by an outside enemy.

Yan Lie took a deep breath, suppressing the turbulent emotions. Now was not the time to wallow in sorrow.

He pulled himself together and began giving orders in a clear voice. "Everyone, pull yourselves together! The injured, help each other tend to your wounds! Those who can still move, form small teams and immediately search the nearby forest for clansmen in hiding. Bring them back safely! Stay alert—there may still be enemies scattered about!"

The tribe was in ruins, casualties were heavy, and the survivors were scattered. There was a mountain of urgent matters to attend to.

The clansmen knew the situation was dire. Swallowing their grief, they all nodded and dispersed to carry out Yan Lie’s orders.

After giving the orders, Yan Lie turned back to his wife and Father Beast.

He hadn’t expected that in such a dangerous situation, Wanwan would disregard her own safety, bringing Xin Feng and Hua Han to protect his gravely injured Father Beast and even treating him personally...

Seeing the clear improvement in his Father Beast’s complexion, he was moved beyond words. The look he gave his wife was so intense it felt tangible, filled with love, gratitude, and lingering fear.

’I will spend the rest of my life loving her with everything I have!’

He reined in his emotions and looked at his Father Beast. "Father Beast, I’m going to bring Mother and the others back now. It’s not completely safe where they are either."

Yan Shan struggled to stand up. "I’ll go with you!"

Yan Lie immediately frowned in protest. "Father Beast, you’re not healed yet. You need to rest..."

"Rest? What for!" Yan Shan’s voice grew stronger, tinged with an insistence that couldn’t be denied. "Wanwan’s medicine is miraculous. I feel much better now; I’m not about to die! The priority is to go get your Mother and sister. And let your Mother meet your Wife sooner rather than later. She’ll be overjoyed when she finds out!"

As he spoke, his gaze on Bai Wanwan was full of affection, growing more and more pleased with every passing moment.

Hearing his Father Beast’s words and imagining his Mother’s delighted surprise upon meeting Wanwan, Yan Lie’s heavy heart lightened, and a smile spread across his face.

He turned to look at Bai Wanwan and saw her watching him gently. Her clear eyes were filled with understanding and comfort, like the softest moonlight, instantly calming the frenzied storm that slaughter and rage had stirred in his heart.

His heart, which had been raging like a volcano moments before, was now enveloped by a profound sense of joy and bliss, so warm it felt ready to overflow.

He couldn’t talk his insistent Father Beast out of going, so he had no choice but to turn to Bai Wanwan. "Wanwan, I’ll have Zhu Xiu and Xin Feng stay here and protect you. My Father Beast and I are going to get my Mother and the others. It’s not far. We’ll be back quickly."

"Okay, you can go. Don’t worry about me. With Zhu Xiu and the others here, I’ll be very safe."

Bai Wanwan nodded, but after a moment’s hesitation, her gaze shifted to Yin Ze, who was standing guard quietly nearby. "Yin Ze, you should go with Yan Lie and his father. The situation is complicated, and it’s better to have more people watching each other’s backs. If anything unexpected happens, with your speed, you can get back here the fastest to deliver a message."

Yin Ze nodded at once. "Alright, I’ll go with them."

This time, Yan Lie didn’t refuse.

After what had happened to the tribe, he knew full well that the forest outside wasn’t completely safe. It was best to go and return quickly, with people to watch each other’s backs.

"Alright! Let’s go now!" Yan Lie no longer hesitated. He carefully helped his Father Beast to his feet while Yin Ze moved to guard them. The three of them then moved quickly toward the hidden entrance of a secret path on the mountain behind the tribal grounds.

Bai Wanwan watched their figures disappear into the dense woods, the tension that had just begun to ease in her heart tightening once more.

She turned to Zhu Xiu and Xin Feng. "We shouldn’t just wait here idly. Let’s find a good spot to meet them on their way back. I just... I have a bad feeling."

Zhu Xiu’s snake tail swished gently. "Those mind-controlled males have all been tied up. Don’t be afraid. Everything will be fine."

Xin Feng nodded as well. "Yan Lie will be back before you know it. Don’t worry."

Hua Han also sidled up, intentionally distracting her with amusing stories from their childhood.

And so, escorted by the males, they moved slowly, eventually stopping in a clearing on slightly higher ground that offered a faint view of the forest’s edge.

Time seemed to pass with excruciating slowness.

With every passing second, Bai Wanwan found herself irresistibly looking toward the woods, which were almost unnaturally silent.

Zhu Xiu and Xin Feng were even more focused, their senses on high alert for the slightest disturbance.

Just as Bai Wanwan’s patience was wearing thin and she was about to ask Xin Feng to scout ahead, a sound finally came from the woods!

First, Yin Ze’s graceful form came leaping over the dense canopy of trees.

"Wanwan, everything went smoothly. They’ll be here in a moment."

After landing steadily, Yin Ze took his place by Bai Wanwan’s side.

A few minutes later, a large group of people began to emerge into Bai Wanwan’s view.

Bai Wanwan saw Yan Lie emerge, supporting his Father Beast. Behind them...

...followed several females and young males.

Yan Lie’s older brother, Yan Chi, whom she’d met in the Golden Lion Tribe, was also among them.

Flanked protectively by Yan Lie’s two older brothers was a female who appeared slightly older. Her eyes and brows bore a resemblance to Yan Lie, but she possessed an astonishing resilience and a radiant, loving aura.

A young female walked beside her. Though their clothes were disheveled and their faces pale with exhaustion and lingering shock, neither appeared to be injured.

The moment Yan Lie’s Mother stepped out of the forest, her eyes began to search eagerly. When her gaze fell upon Bai Wanwan, who was standing between Zhu Xiu and Xin Feng with a striking presence, her eyes instantly lit up.

Bai Wanwan let out a sigh of relief. A genuine smile bloomed on her face as she hurried forward to greet them.

Yan Lie saw them too. A relieved smile spread across his face as he quickened his pace. "Wanwan, why did you come all the way out here? Didn’t I tell you to wait back at the camp?" His tone was tinged with worry, but held an even greater, unconcealable warmth.

"I was too anxious to wait, so I came to meet you," Bai Wanwan explained with a smile, her gaze already settling on the female who was staring intently at her.