Chapter 187: Purpose About to Be Exposed, Zerev is Returning

Chapter 187: Chapter 187: Purpose About to Be Exposed, Zerev is Returning

Meanwhile, in the Holy Capital, Jiuying led a male wearing a beast-hide cloak into the room.

Zerev immediately stood up when he saw the two of them.

"Master," Jiuying and the male said as they knelt on one knee.

"Mm, look up," Zerev said. He lowered his gaze and scrutinized the male, noting that their builds were roughly similar. "Take off the hood."

The male obediently followed Zerev’s order and removed the hood covering his head. A face with sharply chiseled features was revealed. The male had narrow eyes with long lashes, and his thin pink lips were pressed together in a serious expression.

"A striking resemblance indeed," Zerev remarked, raising his hand to let them rise. "Do you know what you are here to do?"

The male nodded.

"Master," Jiuying said. "I have already explained the task to him, and he has sworn the Beast Oath. Now, all that is left is to establish the Master-Servant Contract with you, and everything will be ready."

Zerev nodded. "Since Jiuying has already explained it to you, once the matter is settled, I will dissolve the Master-Servant Contract and reward you handsomely."

"Thank you, Master." The male knelt again in gratitude.

The two then signed the Master-Servant Contract.

"You will remain in the Holy Capital, and I will go there myself." Because an outsider was present, Zerev did not specify the location.

"But Master, it’s not safe for you to go alone," Jiuying said, clearly uneasy.

"You are the person I trust most. If you are not in the manor, they won’t believe it."

He and Jiuying were never apart; wherever Zerev was, Jiuying was sure to follow. Therefore, to be on the safe side during his absence, Jiuying had to stay behind. Furthermore, if things were exposed in the future, Jiuying might be able to help cover it up to some extent.

"Understood, Master," Jiuying replied.

That very night, after arranging his body double, Zerev quietly snuck out of the Holy Capital.

Once he was a good distance away, he transformed into a Winged Dragon. Flapping his massive wings, he flew in the direction of the Ten Thousand Beasts City.

Meanwhile, Ophelia remained on high alert against Tiger, the spy sent by Brada.

After observing him for three consecutive days, Tiger had behaved perfectly. He went out hunting at dawn every day and returned with his prey at dusk, showing no unusual behavior whatsoever.

"Could we have guessed wrong?" Tyler asked, puzzled.

"I don’t know, but I still feel that there’s something off about him," Ophelia replied.

Klein nodded. "It’s never a bad idea to take extra precautions."

"Right. Let’s observe him for a few more days."

Two days later, Ophelia was shocked to spot Tiger in the inner city.

However, she didn’t alert him. Instead, she secretly sought out the male guards stationed between the inner and outer city gates.

"I just saw Tiger enter the inner city," she said. "He’s a single male. How did he get in?"

She had placed all single males in the outer city, though not to stop them from pursuing young females. While she didn’t allow single males to enter the inner city, she didn’t forbid single young females from visiting the outer city to play. Furthermore, if the young females wanted to visit the perimeter shops, they had to pass through the outer city, giving them ample opportunities to interact with single males.

One of the guards thought for a moment before speaking. "It’s Kelly. He’s been getting very close with Kelly lately, and he often escorts her back to the inner city.

"So, we just let him in."

Ophelia frowned. "Have I or have I not stated that single males cannot enter the inner city?

"Even if a young female intends to become partners with a single male, he still cannot enter the inner city."

Faced with Ophelia’s stern reprimand, the guard hurriedly explained himself.

"We didn’t agree to let him in at first either. But Kelly insisted on it. Besides, he volunteered to let us follow him to ensure he wouldn’t wander off anywhere else.

"We assigned someone to tail him every time, but seeing that he never did anything suspicious other than escort Kelly home, we felt reassured.

"Clan Leader, we know we were wrong. We are willing to accept our punishment."

Looking at the guilt-ridden faces of the males, Ophelia opened her mouth but remained silent.

After pondering for a long time, she finally said in a calm tone, "We will discuss this matter later.

"From today onward, single males are forbidden from entering the tribe. If you let them in again, I will banish you from the Fuzu Tribe."

Seeing how serious Ophelia was, the males didn’t dare to take her words lightly. They had only bent the rules secretly because they knew how difficult it was for males to court young females. They had assumed the Clan Leader would turn a blind eye, never expecting her attitude to be so resolute.

Ophelia had no mind to guess what they were thinking. She just wanted to return to the stone house as quickly as possible to share this information with Tyler and Klein.

Just as she returned to the three-story stone house, she unexpectedly caught sight of Tiger near the corner of the building.

Seeing Tiger standing on his tiptoes and peering through the window into the house, Ophelia’s heart immediately leapt into her throat. Then she remembered that her little dragon cubs were safely tucked away in her spatial dimension, so even if Tiger peeked, he wouldn’t be able to see them.

"What are you doing here?" Ophelia shouted.

Tiger turned around. There was no trace of panic on his face; instead, he appeared exceptionally calm.

"Clan Leader Ophelia, I wish to become partners with Kelly," he said. "She told me that I need your permission to do so."

This was true. To prevent young females from being deceived by malicious males, Ophelia always conducted background checks on the males they wished to partner with. Only after confirming that a male had good character would she grant her approval.

"That is the rule," Ophelia said. "But you’ve been in the Fuzu Tribe for less than ten days, and you’ve barely spent any time with Kelly. Are you really in such a rush to formalize your relationship?"

If this were the modern world, it would be considered a flash marriage.

Tiger’s cheeks flushed slightly. "I... I liked Kelly the moment I saw her, so I really want to become her mate.

"If you feel it’s inappropriate, Clan Leader, I can wait a little longer."

His expression remained steady, showing no signs of irritation at Ophelia’s questioning.

"I need to meet with Kelly first before deciding on this," she said. "You may go back for now."

"Understood, Clan Leader Ophelia."

Without the slightest hesitation, Tiger turned and walked away briskly, making it seem as if his only purpose for coming had indeed been to request permission for their partnership.

Watching his retreating back, Ophelia called out to him again. "Wait a moment."

Tiger looked delighted. "Clan Leader Ophelia, are you agreeing to let Kelly and me become partners?"

"No," she replied. "I’m telling you that our Fuzu Tribe forbids single males from entering the inner city. I won’t pursue what happened in the past, but once you step out of the inner city today, you are not allowed to come back in.

"Otherwise, I will banish you from the Fuzu Tribe."

Tiger hadn’t expected her to say this. He looked slightly taken aback, but quickly recovered his composure.

"Understood, Clan Leader. I will keep that in mind."

Still uneasy, Ophelia stealthily trailed behind Tiger, only returning to the three-story stone house after watching him leave the inner city with her own eyes.

Anxiously waiting until dusk, she immediately recounted the day’s events the moment Tyler and Klein returned.

"He’s already hooked up with a young female after only being here for ten days?" Klein’s face darkened.

"Given how hasty he’s being, I’m afraid there really is something fishy going on." Tyler, too, was now convinced that Tiger’s joining of the Fuzu Tribe was far from simple.