Free Web NovelChapter 89: Chapter Eighty-Nine: Red Fox
The high, narrow mountain passes finally broke open, revealing a sight that made heavy breath catch completely in the throat.
Lin Wan sat near the curtained window of the heavy royal carriage, her gaze fixed on the sprawling horizon.
For days, she had heard the ministers and soldiers speak of the capital in hushed, reverent tones, but the sheer, staggering reality of the Beast City far exceeded any primitive expectation she had harbored.
It was a vertical kingdom of green and gold.
As far as the eye could see, massive, ancient Trees, each trunk easily the size of a modern skyscraper, stretched toward the heavens.
Their colossal branches interwoven to form a secondary canopy floor high above the forest ground.
Built directly into these living wooden giants was a bustling, highly organized metropolis.
Thousands of intricate treehouses, crafted from dark, polished timber, clung beautifully to the massive trunks.
Winding wooden staircases wrapped around the bark like climbing vines, connecting the lower levels to the bustling platforms above, while heavy, suspended rope bridges swayed gently in the wind, creating a web of pathways between the trees.
Down on the main paved thoroughfares below the canopy, the city was alive with vibrant energy.
There were street markets lined with stalls selling exotic beast skins, glowing crystals, and fragrant herbs.
Taverns and multi-level wooden restaurants sprouted alongside the roads, with smoke curling from their chimneys and the distant, lively chatter of citizens echoing through the air.
It was a literal city, civilized and beautifully synchronized, far removed from the muddy, isolated burrow huts of the Orycto tribe.
Lin Wan’s lips parted in a rare, faint expression of genuine amazement. The sheer beauty and scale of the architecture were breathtaking.
"Beautiful, isn’t it, Wanwan?" Qin Mo’s smooth, elegant voice purred beside her.
He was leaning against the velvet cushions of the carriage, his long silver hair neatly tied back with a silk ribbon, his eyes fixed entirely on her face rather than the city outside.
A deeply satisfied, proud smile curved his lips.
"This is my kingdom. The center of the northern realm. Everything you see belongs to you now. If you see a shop or a restaurant that catches your eye, you need only point, and I will have it brought to your feet."
Before Lin Wan could reply, the carriage door’s side window was abruptly obscured by a massive, rugged face.
Long Zhan was riding his giant phantom beast right alongside the royal carriage, his thick elegant eyebrows knitted into a heavy scowl as he glared through the glass at the smug snake king.
"Don’t listen to his flashy words, Wanwan!" Long Zhan roared over the sound of the marching vanguard’s heavy boots. He puffed out his massive chest, his violet eyes flashing with intense jealousy. "It’s just a bunch of overgrown weeds and oversized twigs! The Northern Peaks have real stone fortresses that don’t shake when the wind blows! If you like markets, I can build you a market ten times bigger out of solid gold and river rock!"
Qin Mo didn’t even bother to glance at the window. He merely reached out, his long, elegant fingers catching Lin Wan’s hand beneath her thick white fur mantle, squeezing it with lazy arrogance. "Pay no attention to the barking lizard, Wanwan. He knows nothing of refinement."
Lin Wan let out a long, quiet sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. The caravan hadn’t even reached the palace gates, and the two kings were already at each other’s throats.
The imperial vanguard marched with mechanical precision, their silver armor clanking in perfect unison as they cleared the main avenue.
Thousands of Beast City citizens, leopard beastmen, tiger warriors, and various high-grade bird clans, crowded the wooden balconies and platforms above, their eyes wide with profound awe as they watched the endless sea of silver standard flags.
The rumors had already reached the Beast City and spread like wildfire: their cold, solitary King had not only returned alive from a world-shattering heavenly storm, but he had brought back a mysterious, legendary female and three royal heirs.
The grand procession finally reached the very heart of the capital, where the largest, most ancient Tree stood.
Its trunk was so wide it looked like an insurmountable wooden wall, its roots burying deep into the earth like mountain ridges.
Nestled within its lowest, grandest branches was Qin Mo’s sovereign palace complex.
It was a magnificent, three-story wooden fortress designed with sweeping roofs and elegant balconies, looking less like a house and more like an imperial palace.
Surrounding the main structure were dozens of smaller, one-story pavilions, manicured stone courtyards, and private guard quarters, all elevated safely above the common city streets.
It was an absolute symbol of supreme power.
The heavy iron-reinforced wheels of the carriage came to a halt in the main palace courtyard.
The moment the door opened, Qin Mo’s doting, relaxed expression instantly vanished, replaced by an icy, terrifying mask of absolute sovereign majesty.
He stepped out first, his silver robes rustling under the morning sun, his terrifying pressure instantly causing the surrounding palace guards to drop straight down onto their knees in the dirt.
Long Zhan leapt down from his phantom beast, instantly marching to the other side of the carriage door.
He carefully extended his massive, calloused hand to help Lin Wan step down, his face pale with sudden, frantic concern. "Wanwan, move slowly. The wind is a bit sharp on this platform. Don’t let a single breeze hit your neck," he muttered, aggressively pulling the high collar of her immaculate white fur robe tighter around her chin, ensuring she was completely protected.
Lin Wan stepped into the courtyard, her sharp eyes scanning the grand entrance of the palace. But before she could even take a step toward the wooden porch, the heavy doors of the main pavilion were thrown open from the inside.
A female stepped out onto the elevated walkway, surrounded by a large entourage of noble maids.
She was a stunning, high-ranking female from the Red Fox Clan. Her long, fiery orange hair flowed down her back like liquid flame, and her sharp, beautiful eyes were rimmed with heavy charcoal.
She wore luxurious, flowing silk robes of deep crimson, her hips swaying with practiced, haughty elegance.
Unlike Mei Xiu, who was just a orange-ranked female, this female radiated a sharp, entitled pride. Her family was incredibly powerful in the capital, and she had refused to take any ordinary male mates, firmly believing that only the Supreme Teng Snake King, Qin Mo, was worthy of her high-grade bloodline.
While Qin Mo had been missing, she had essentially marched her family’s private guards into the palace, taking over the smaller pavilions and bossing the royal servants around as if she already wore the crown of the Queen.
Lady Hu Mei looked down from the porch, her gaze instantly landing on Lin Wan, who was wrapped securely in Long Zhan’s heavy furs.
A flash of burning jealousy and deep disdain crossed her flawless features, before her lips curved into a sharp, mocking smile.
"Oh, Your Majesty! You have finally returned!" Hu Mei called out, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness as she glided down the wooden steps, completely ignoring the terrifying, freezing aura radiating from Qin Mo.
She stopped a few paces away, tilting her chin up as she looked at Lin Wan with absolute superiority. "I was so worried when the tracking arrays failed. I have been tirelessly managing your household in your absence, keeping these lazy servants in line."
She then turned her sharp, critical eyes fully toward Lin Wan, her voice dropping into a condescending, arrogant sneer. "And who is this... rural ground-beast female you have brought back from the backwater valleys? Really, Qin Mo, if you required a plaything, you should have left her in the mud where she belongs. As your ’Official fiancée, I cannot allow such an uncultured, plain creature to defile our imperial nest."
The entire courtyard fell into a dead, suffocating silence. The kneeling guards stopped breathing, their faces turning completely pale.
Qin Mo’s silver eyes narrowed into two razor-thin, lethal slits. His fangs extended slightly beneath his top lip, and his fists clenched so hard inside his wide sleeves that his veins pulsed with a terrifying, murderous energy. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
The air pressure in the courtyard dropped instantly, a heavy, suffocating weight slamming down over Hu Mei’s noble maids, making several of them drop to their knees, trembling in pure terror.
Before Qin Mo could speak a single word to order her execution, a loud, booming laugh suddenly erupted from the side.
Long Zhan threw his head back, his massive chest shaking with pure, unadulterated amusement as he pointed a mocking finger at Qin Mo’s face.
He looked absolutely delighted by the sudden drama, his violet eyes gleaming with a malicious, fanning-the-flames satisfaction.
"Pfft! Hahaha! Did you hear that, Wanwan?!" Long Zhan roared, stepping right next to Lin Wan and leaning down to whisper loudly in her ear, his voice carrying across the entire courtyard. "I told you! I told you this slippery, underhanded worm was completely unfaithful! He’s got an entire harem of fiery foxes hidden in his bushes while he’s out there wearing a pink apron in ’our kitchen! He’s a liar, Wanwan!"
Long Zhan turned a thoroughly smug, self-righteous glare toward Qin Mo, before looking back at Lin Wan with an expression of dramatic, protective outrage. "Wanwan, you shouldn’t tolerate this garbage for a single second! Look at her, she’s already calling herself the lady of the house! This lizard suggests we chase this unfaithful snake straight out of the city! Come back to the Northern Peaks with me, my nest has zero foxes, zero worms, and absolute loyalty!"
"Shut your mindless mouth, brute!" Qin Mo hissed, his voice dropping into a low, terrifying growl that rattled the wooden beams of the palace porch.
He turned his chilling, murderous gaze back to Hu Mei, his aura sparking with a raw, unyielding anger that promised absolute slaughter.
Lin Wan stood perfectly still between the two bickering kings, her face completely calm and unreadable.
She looked at the fiery red fox female standing on the steps, then at Qin Mo’s dark, furious expression, and finally at Long Zhan, who was still eagerly trying to fan the flames of her anger.
With a slow, cold exhale, she adjusted the white fur mantle around her shoulders. The journey to the Beast City was officially over, but it clear the real battle for her nest had just begun.
