Chapter 545: How Do You Want Me to Thank You?

Jin Ling and Qiao Xixi were both stunned.

Lan Yue’s face, however, was grim with worry. “Your father surely doesn’t know you’re back. You have to go, quickly! Don’t let him find you.”

Qiao Xixi gently took Lan Yue’s hand, her expression firm. “Mother, he’s dead.”

Lan Yue froze, staring at Qiao Xixi in astonishment, thinking she must have misheard.

“What?”

Qiao Xixi repeated, “Jin Wei is dead. All of his schemes have been exposed. He can never do anything to harm you again.”

The astonishment on Lan Yue’s face gradually faded into a daze. Just as Jin Ling thought she was about to have an episode, a single tear rolled down her cheek.

“He’s dead… That evil beast is finally dead!”

Qiao Xixi and Jin Ling helped her back to the bed to sit down.

Jin Ling recounted the events of the past few days, carefully selecting the less bloody details to share with her.

When Lan Yue learned that Jin Yao had become the new City Lord, she looked at Jin Ling in astonishment once again.

“Jin Ling, you’re the eldest brother…”

Jin Ling shook his head and held Qiao Xixi’s hand. “Mother, I just want to be with Xixi. An’an is also back in the tribe, waiting for us.”

“An’an?”

“He’s my cub with Xixi.”

Lan Yue’s eyes widened in shock. She knew. She knew that Jin Wei had harmed Jin Ling, causing physical damage. The witch doctor had secretly told her that it would be impossible for Jin Ling to have a cub.

But now, not only was he alive, but he also had a cub of his own.

Lan Yue gripped Qiao Xixi’s hand tightly, tears threatening to fall again.

Qiao Xixi quickly soothed her, “An’an is very cute, but he’s also extremely mischievous. He’s so strong, and he loves to stuff everything into his mouth. You can’t take your eyes off him for a second.”

Her words immediately distracted Lan Yue. “How old is An’an? He’s a tiger cub.”

“Yes, he’s only a few months old.”

“Cubs that are a few months old are all like that. Being mischievous means he’s healthy. He’s just as boisterous as Jin Ling was when he was little. It’s a good thing.”

Qiao Xixi realized that Lan Yue truly adored cubs. After learning about An’an, she held onto Qiao Xixi’s hand and wouldn’t stop asking about him, wishing she could fly to the tribe right then and there to see her grandcub.

They chatted for a long while. When Qiao Xixi saw fatigue creeping onto her face, she stood up and helped her lie down on the bed.

“Mother, you’re tired. Get some rest. We’ll come back to see you tomorrow.”

Lan Yue had grown very fond of Qiao Xixi and still had so much more she wanted to say to her.

But she was truly exhausted. After lying down, she could barely keep her eyes open.

“Alright, alright… But don’t you two hurry off.”

“Okay.”

Qiao Xixi tucked her in. Lan Yue closed her eyes, and in just a moment, the sound of her steady breathing filled the room.

Qiao Xixi looked at Jin Ling and whispered, “Mother’s asleep. Let’s head out for now.”

“Okay.”

The two of them left the palace and started walking back.

“Xixi, thank you.”

Qiao Xixi hugged his arm and looked up at him with a smile. “A verbal ‘thank you’ isn’t enough.”

Jin Ling stopped in his tracks. He looked down at her blossoming smile, then reached out and swept her up into his arms. His voice was low and husky. “How does Xixi want me to thank her?”

Qiao Xixi wrapped her arms around his neck and thought for a moment. “I haven’t thought of it yet. I’ll tell you when I do.”

“Alright.”

Since they had promised Lan Yue they would come back to see her tomorrow, they decided to stay the night in the inner city.

That night, Jin Yao had someone prepare a lavish dinner.

Qiao Yi, Sunxuan, and the others had all returned.

“Father, you’re back.”

Qiao Yi walked straight to Qiao Xixi’s side and sat down. Yun Ji, who had just been approaching her, paused for a step, and Qiao Yi took the spot.

He could only walk to her other side, but before he could even sit down, Sunxuan plopped down into the seat.

Yun Ji: …

Sunxuan glanced back at Yun Ji. “Holy Priest, did you need me for something?”

Yun Ji: …

Yun Ji glanced at the bowl on the table in front of Qiao Xixi. Just as he was about to reach for it, Xijing beat him to it, picking it up and filling it with roasted meat for her.

“Xixi, the roasted meat is ready. Eat it while it’s hot.”

“Okay.”

Yun Ji: …

Yun Ji looked up at Jin Ling.

Jin Ling had just finished speaking with Jin Yao. When he turned and met Yun Ji’s gaze, he froze for a moment.

However, seeming to understand something, he walked over to Sunxuan. “Suxuan Beast Guard, there’s some raw Wild Bull Beast meat over there that you like.”

For a brief moment, the crimson, serpentine pupils dilated. In the next instant, the still-indifferent Sunxuan stood up decisively.

“It’s a bit crowded here. I’ll move over there.”

Yun Ji looked at the spot Sunxuan had just vacated. Before he could move, Jin Ling sat down in it.

Jin Ling even thoughtfully pulled out a stool for him. “Care to sit here?”

Yun Ji, “Thank you!”

“We’re all family now, no need to be so formal. Although I was the first beast husband to bond with Xixi, we don’t rank by seniority at home.”

Yun Ji: …

‘When it comes to who was first, who could possibly have been before me?!’

The Holy Priest, who had always been filled with great love for the world, confronted the malice in his own heart for the very first time.

‘Right. After pretending for so long, he really started to think he was some ascetic god. Back then, he would get upset if Shuishui even gave another male a second glance!’

“Yun Ji, this is delicious. Hurry and try some.”

Yun Ji snapped back to reality. He looked at the bowl of meatballs in thick soup that had been pushed in front of him, and the gloom that had clouded his pupils gradually dispersed.

Shuishui remembered what he liked. She knew he preferred rich, flavorful soups.

“Doesn’t Yun Ji usually prefer lightly flavored food?” Xijing asked, confused.

Yun Ji held the bowl elegantly, the upturned corners of his eyes revealing his delight and a hint of smugness.

“It seems only Xixi knows I like thick soup.”

Qiao Xixi had indeed remembered it recently. Seeing that Yun Ji seemed to have something on his mind, she had ladled a bowl for him.

Xijing bit fiercely into a piece of meat. ‘Damn it, he got to show off!’

Just as all the dishes were served, Lan Yue arrived. The moment she entered the hall, she began to search anxiously for Qiao Xixi.

When Qiao Xixi saw her, she also rose happily. “Mother, you’re here.”

Lan Yue nodded slightly and walked over to her. Jin Ling tactfully stood up and moved to sit on the other side of Yun Ji.

Yun Ji saw that there wasn’t a single beast husband next to Qiao Xixi now and felt that the soup in his bowl tasted even more fragrant.

He had just put down his bowl when another was placed in front of him.

He was just about to smile at Qiao Xixi when he was met with Jin Ling’s smiling face.

“If you like it, have some more.”

Yun Ji: ‘Suddenly, I don’t like it that much anymore.’

Throughout the meal, Qiao Xixi was quite happy. She really enjoyed chatting with Lan Yue, discovering that she wasn’t as fragile as she appeared, but was actually very knowledgeable and worldly.

Toward the end of their conversation, Lan Yue happily took Qiao Xixi’s hand. “Xixi, don’t any of you leave tonight. Why don’t you sleep with me?”

As soon as she said this, Jin Ling’s movements paused, Xijing lifted his head, and the upward curve at the corner of Yun Ji’s eyes dipped slightly.

Qiao Xixi felt that Lan Yue had just saved her. She quickly grasped her hand and nodded. “Of course! I have so much more I want to talk to you about, Mother. I’ll sleep with you tonight.”

“You agreed! That’s wonderful.”

As Lan Yue spoke, she took Qiao Xixi’s hand and started to lead her out of the hall.

“You all continue eating. I’m going to take Xixi to rest.”