Chapter 576 - 573: On Tenterhooks

Chapter 576: Chapter 573: On Tenterhooks

Hua Han’s body stiffened almost imperceptibly, his gaze subconsciously flickering away.

He hadn’t had a female he was truly interested in, but when he was younger, his good looks attracted many females. He always had a smile on his face and never put any of them in an awkward position.

So, the young females in the clan were all on good terms with him.

He was so nervous that beads of sweat broke out on his forehead. ’How could I have forgotten about that!’

’Even though I feel like I never had any real involvement with those females, what if Wanwan gets angry?’

’Will she instantly lose the favor I’ve worked so hard to build? Will she despise me all over again?’

Hua Han’s heart was suddenly in turmoil, and his face turned deathly pale.

He wished he could go back in time and tell his past self to never, ever smile at other females.

’If I’d known it would come to this, I would have been a quiet, chaste, and proper Fox Beast!’

"N-Nervous? Who’s nervous...?" Hua Han forced himself to act calm, trying to cover it up. "I just woke up, so I’m still a little out of it. We’re on the right path. Let’s keep going!"

He quickly changed the subject and took the lead, but no matter how you looked at it, his retreating back reeked of a guilty conscience.

Bai Wanwan watched his slightly rushed footsteps, the corners of her lips curling into a smile.

’Clearly, Hua Han is hiding something from me, but I don’t think it’s anything serious.’

Hua Han walked for a long time, but his turbulent heart just wouldn’t calm down.

He knew full well that there was no way to hide his past.

’Rather than wait for her to settle the score with me later, I should just confess and hope for leniency!’

After spending the better part of the day psyching himself up and mentally rehearsing his speech countless times, Hua Han finally mustered his courage and sidled up to Bai Wanwan.

Gazing at her delicate and beautiful profile made his heart beat even faster, a mix of adoration and guilt.

"Wanwan..." His voice was a little dry as he began to speak gingerly.

Bai Wanwan turned her head and patted Yan Lie’s back, signaling for him to stop for a moment.

Then she looked at Hua Han with her limpid, shimmering eyes. "What did you want to say? I’m listening."

Hua Han took a deep breath as if he were about to march into battle, his handsome face etched with nervousness. "I... I have something to tell you."

He tried to preempt her reaction. "Um... after I tell you, please don’t be angry, and don’t ignore me, okay?"

Bai Wanwan found his "facing a great enemy" expression amusing, but she deliberately kept a straight face. Instead, she knitted her brow and sized him up with a scrutinizing gaze. She stared until Hua Han felt like he was on pins and needles, not knowing where to put his hands or feet.

"Well, that depends on what it is."

Bai Wanwan’s voice sounded calm, but it carried a seriousness that couldn’t be trifled with. "If it’s some harmless little thing, of course I won’t be angry. But if it’s a serious matter of principle..."

She paused deliberately. Seeing Hua Han’s Adam’s apple bob nervously, she slowly added, "Then I might not forgive you so easily."

Her words were like a bucket of ice water dumped over his head, and Hua Han’s face paled another shade in an instant.

A frantic struggle raged within him: ’Should I tell her? Or not? What if Wanwan gets really angry? But if I don’t... I can’t hide this. It’ll come out sooner or later, and the consequences could be even worse!’

Finally, he steeled his heart, closed his eyes, and with a ’let’s just get this over with’ mentality, threw all caution to the wind and blurted out, "The truth is... back in the clan, I used to..."

However, it was as if fate was playing a cruel joke on him.

Just as he had begun, at the very moment the most crucial words were about to leave his lips, a familiar, cold, and violent power surged from the depths of his mind without warning. Like a black tide, it instantly submerged the consciousness and courage he had just gathered.

"I... urk..." Hua Han’s words came to an abrupt halt. His vision suddenly went black, and the world began to spin as if all color and sound were rapidly fading and distorting.

He tried to struggle, to finish what he was saying, but his body was no longer under his control.

Right before Bai Wanwan’s eyes, his handsome, lively face became rigid and lifeless.

His beautiful, charming eyes rapidly lost their focus, becoming vacant and blank.

Watching his eyes turn vacant in an instant, Bai Wanwan sighed helplessly. The little flicker of anticipation and playful teasing she had felt at his willingness to confess dissolved into worry and heartache.

"Sigh... you. What happened to that confession you promised?"

Yan Lie glanced at the unresponsive Hua Han and couldn’t help but ask, "Wanwan, what counts as a matter of principle? What if he was involved with females from the Female Cave back in his clan? Would you still want him?"

"That depends on the ’involvement.’ I still don’t know what actually happened, so it’s hard to say. I just hope the secret he’s hiding isn’t too outrageous."

But she didn’t waste any time. She had Xin Feng look after Hua Han, and the group continued on their way.

A few days later, they finally reached the village of the Fox Clan.

The Fox Clan village was hidden deep within a colorful, mist-shrouded maple forest. The entrance was cleverly concealed by a natural barrier of stone formations and vines, making it extremely difficult to find for anyone unfamiliar with the path.

Unlike the tragic state of the Leopard Clan’s village, this place seemed peaceful and serene, as if untouched by the turmoil of the outside world.

However, beneath this tranquility, an undercurrent of high alert was hidden.

Just as Bai Wanwan’s group approached the entrance to the village, several agile figures flashed out from the treetops and from behind rocks like phantoms, blocking their path.

They were the Fox Clan’s guards.

Each of them was handsome, but their eyes were sharp and vigilant. They held poison-tipped Bone Spears or sharp stone blades, warily eyeing the group of powerful, unfamiliar outsiders.

"Halt! Where are you from? What business do you have in the village of the Fox Clan?" the leading Fox Clan male’s voice was cold. His gaze lingered on Zhu Xiu, Xin Feng, and the other males who were clearly from powerful warrior clans, his eyes full of scrutiny.

Xin Feng took a step forward, gently shielding Bai Wanwan behind him, and prepared to explain in a calm tone.

Just then, however, one of the sharp-eyed young Fox Clan warriors suddenly spotted Hua Han, who was being carefully supported by Yan Lie, his eyes vacant and blank.

His eyes widened in surprise. "Hua Han? Is that you, Hua Han?"

They weren’t entirely sure, because something seemed wrong with Hua Han’s condition.

This shout made the other Fox Clan males turn their gazes toward Hua Han as well.

Hua Han was highly regarded among the younger generation of the Fox Clan. His looks and Talent were both top-tier, so many Beastmen knew him.

"Hua Han! It really is you! When did you get back?"

"Hua Han, what’s wrong with you? Why aren’t you saying anything?"

Several of the young males enthusiastically gathered around to greet him, their faces filled with the joy of seeing a clansman.

But no matter how they called out to him, Hua Han seemed not to hear. He showed no reaction, merely staring blankly ahead. He even showed an instinctive resistance, shrinking away as his clansmen approached.

This abnormal reaction instantly caused the joy on the Fox Clan males’ faces to freeze, replaced by alarm and anger.