Chapter 604 - 601: Heartwarming Family Time

Chapter 604: Chapter 601: Heartwarming Family Time

How long has he even been in there?

Jin Yi was forcefully suppressing the desire and longing for his female that coursed through every cell in his body. Faced with Hua Han’s blunt question, his handsome face darkened. He let out an annoyed snort and shot him a sideways glare from his golden eyes.

"That little bit of time was probably enough for you."

Hua Han could easily see through his forced composure to the unrelieved restlessness deep in his eyes.

Understanding dawned on him. A mischievous, knowing smile spread across his face as he stepped forward and patted Jin Yi’s shoulder in mock sympathy. "Alright, alright," he whispered. "Since you just got back, I won’t fight you for first place."

’But... from now on, it’s every man for himself in the fight for Wanwan’s affection.’

Bai Wanwan sensed the undercurrents in their gazes, but seeing no real hostility between them, she just shook her head, choosing to ignore the males and their little games.

The two beastmen, each holding a cub, gathered the rest of the little ones at the entrance to the Cub Garden. After returning the other cubs to their respective Father Beasts and Mothers, they flanked Wanwan protectively and walked toward the setting sun, heading for their home, a place filled with warmth and life...

Back home, the stone house was immediately filled with the joyful sounds of the cubs playing.

The Golden Lion cubs were especially excited to see their Father Beast, Jin Yi, whom they hadn’t seen in a long time. They crowded around him, rubbing their fluffy little heads against his legs and chattering all at once:

"Father Beast! You’re finally back!"

"Father Beast, how is the Golden Lion Tribe doing now?"

"Father Beast, when can we go to the Golden Lion Tribe? I want to meet the other Golden Lions!"

Jin Yi’s hard heart melted at his children’s innocent words and trusting gazes. He crouched down and stroked the back of the largest cub, which had grown much sturdier. His voice was uncharacteristically gentle. "The Golden Lion Tribe is doing very well. Our people are working hard to rebuild. When you’re a little older, and you’ve become strong and brave enough, Father Beast will take you back for a visit. That place will always be our roots, and it needs powerful Golden Lions to protect it."

His words both soothed the cubs’ longing for their homeland and quietly planted the seeds of responsibility and guardianship in their hearts.

Meanwhile, Bai Wanwan watched this scene with a gentle smile playing on her lips, but her hands never stopped moving.

She took the fresh meat, which Xin Feng had silently processed and cut into uniform slices, along with various washed wild vegetables, and skillfully tossed them into the stone pot of boiling, milky-white broth.

Xin Feng stood quietly to the side, ready to hand her any ingredients she needed or to carefully lift away any mischievous cubs who tried to get too close to the fire pit.

After a short while, steady footsteps were heard from outside the door. It was Zhu Xiu and Chou Rong, returning one after the other. They brought back a bountiful harvest from the day’s work.

The once-spacious stone house suddenly became even livelier. The beastmen exchanged news from the outside, the cubs weaved between their father beasts’ legs, and the air filled with the enticing aroma of cooking food and the warmth of home.

Everyone gathered around the large stone table and began to enjoy this long-awaited dinner where they were all finally together.

Chou Rong cut off a piece of beast meat that was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, looked at Jin Yi across the table, and asked, "Jin Yi, how are things with the Golden Lion Tribe, and what did you see along the way? When Yin Ze came back, he just said things were generally stable. Give us the details."

Only after swallowing his food did Jin Yi reply, his expression serious. "It’s strange. About ten days ago, those who’d lost control—the ones who were carrying out small-scale harassment at the edge of the Golden Lion Tribe’s territory and ambushing lone beastmen on the roads—seemed to vanish. I led my tribesmen in strengthening patrols around the periphery and along the main paths, and it’s been abnormally calm since. We can barely find a trace of them. Even some of the smaller tribes, who were terrified before, seem to have gotten a chance to breathe."

Bai Wanwan was holding a wooden ladle, about to scoop a bowl of meat broth for the little mermaid cub beside her, when she heard this. Her hand paused for a moment.

This was certainly not what she had expected.

’I originally thought that with the dark force behind this having laid the groundwork for so long and taken control of so many beastmen, they must have been preparing for a large-scale offensive. I never expected them to suddenly go quiet.’

’Such an anomaly must mean trouble.’

She set down her ladle, her clear gaze sweeping over her powerful Beast Husbands at the table. Her voice was gentle yet held a clear note of warning. "We’ve already confirmed that this force exists, and we’ve witnessed its bizarre nature and the harm it can cause. Therefore, whether it chooses to stir up a storm or remain unnaturally quiet like it is now, we absolutely cannot let our guard down."

Worry flickered in her beautiful eyes. "A brief period of calm can sometimes be the prelude to an even greater storm. We must remain on guard at all times so we aren’t fooled by this false sense of peace."

Hearing this, Chou Rong nodded in approval, his eyes showing admiration and agreement. "Wanwan is right. The calmer it is, the less we can afford to be careless. The tribe’s patrols must be tightened, especially at night and in the remote corners."

He then turned to Yin Ze, who was sitting on the other side. "Yin Ze, a group of Flying Beastmen recently sought refuge with us. Among them is a male with an Orange Rank Talent. I plan to assign them to the patrol squads. You will lead them, primarily responsible for scouting the airspace and mountain ranges near the Tiger Clan’s territory to expand our early warning perimeter."

Yin Ze set down his bone chopsticks and agreed without a moment’s hesitation. "Alright. Leave it to me."

He was Bai Wanwan’s Beast Husband, and the Tiger Clan was his future home. Protecting this place, protecting Wanwan and the cubs, was both his inescapable responsibility and his heartfelt desire.

"Alright, alright, let’s talk business later! Eat first! The meat’s going to get tough!" Yan Lie’s clear, bright voice rang out.

He came over from the fire pit carrying two large plates of freshly roasted meat that was sizzling with fat. He set them right in the center of the table and then busied himself with handing out skewers of raw meat to everyone.

"Yes, there’s no need to be overly anxious. We just need to be cautious and vigilant. After all, we’re all Red Rank beastmen now," Zhu Xiu said calmly, exuding a powerful sense of security.

He then picked up a skewer of raw meat and began to roast it skillfully over the fire, turning it expertly.

The table became lively again. Everyone ate and drank, and the sounds of chewing, the clatter of bowls and chopsticks, the chirping and squabbling of cubs, and the beastmen’s conversations about the tribe’s defense and the situation outside all mingled together.

Outside the window, the night grew deeper, but the stone house was brightly lit, for a time holding all the unknown dangers of the outside world at bay in the surrounding darkness.

Yin Ze carefully speared a perfectly roasted piece of tender meat with a wooden fork, dipped it into a special fruit-scented sauce made to Bai Wanwan’s taste, and placed it in her bowl.

Xin Feng, sitting on her other side, silently filled a stone cup with juice freshly squeezed from wild fruits, its sweet fragrance immediately wafting through the air.

In the midst of this cheerful and harmonious scene, a series of clear knocks suddenly sounded from beyond the heavy wooden door—KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK—shattering the lively din inside.