Free Web NovelChapter 393: Chapter 393: Please Keep It a Secret for Me
JINGLE, JINGLE.
A sudden jingling sound rang out.
Qiao Xixi lowered her gaze and saw the Bone Bell hanging from Xueche’s waist shaking violently.
His expression changed slightly as he stood up. "Sorry, my father is looking for me. I have to go back now."
Qiao Xixi hadn’t realized he lived with his father and didn’t dare delay him. "Then you’d better get going."
Xueche nodded, turned, and quickly left.
But just as he reached the door, he almost collided with the approaching Huang Yue.
With quick reflexes, Kunlin stepped in front of Huang Yue and shoved Xueche aside with his shoulder.
The force was too much for Xueche, and he stumbled sideways before crashing to the ground.
"Ah!"
The loud commotion outside startled Qiao Xixi inside the stone house.
She got up curiously and walked into the courtyard, where she saw Xueche on the ground.
"What’s going on?"
Jin Ling strode forward and pulled Xueche up from the ground.
Kunlin’s gaze swept coldly over Xueche. "He almost ran into the City Lord."
Xueche winced and frowned. "I’m sorry. I was in too much of a hurry and wasn’t paying attention."
When Xueche raised his head, Huang Yue’s casual gaze quickly focused on his face.
He took a surprised step forward, staring intently at Xueche’s face.
Xueche’s muscles tensed, and he stared back at him warily.
Huang Yue subconsciously began to pat his own robes. When he pulled out a round, plump, red fruit, his agitated movements settled.
"Snow leopard beastman, is your father’s name Xue Feng?"
Xueche was startled. "You know my father?" he asked in disbelief.
Huang Yue stood up straight, stroking the fruit as he said in a low voice, "Where is he now?"
Xueche frowned and didn’t answer immediately, only saying warily, "I don’t know you, and I see no reason to tell you."
Huang Yue let out a heavy breath. "He’s still alive. That’s good enough. You can go."
’This old bird is so weird and cagey,’ Qiao Xixi thought. ’He never gives a straight answer, just like when he talks about my father. It’s so annoying.’
"City Lord Huang Yue, you know Xueche’s father?"
Huang Yue nodded and took a bite of the fruit.
However, he hadn’t expected that with one bite, the fruit would be dry and mealy, completely lacking the satisfying burst of juice he’d anticipated. His expression immediately darkened, and he quickly looked toward Xueche, who had already reached the gate.
"Tell your father that Qiao Yi is not dead."
Xueche glanced back at him in confusion, then strode away without any further hesitation.
’So Xueche’s father is connected to my father, too?’
Qiao Xixi decided she had to get some clear answers out of Huang Yue today.
"City Lord Huang Yue, I bought a lot of fresh, juicy fruits from the market yesterday. Would you like to try some? I knew you were coming, so I bought them especially for you."
Qiao Xixi deliberately emphasized the last sentence.
Huang Yue’s eyes lit up. "You’re much more considerate than your father. Let’s not all stand around outside. Come inside and sit."
Qiao Xixi was speechless.
’Whose stone house is this, anyway?’
At Qiao Xixi’s request, Feiyan brought out all the fruits they had bought the day before.
Huang Yue was truly overjoyed.
He had long since grown tired of the fruits outside Wing Beast City and had been looking forward to savoring the local varieties after arriving in Beast King City.
But, looking at the table full of fruits, he really didn’t know where to start. ’Which one, though?’
Qiao Xixi selected an entirely golden fruit from the pile and handed it to him. "This one. It’s sweet and sour and very delicious."
Huang Yue took a bite. Not only was it sweet and sour, but it also had a particularly refreshing flavor.
’Delicious!’
Huang Yue was so satisfied his eyes narrowed into slits.
Qiao Xixi seized the opportunity. "City Lord Huang Yue, how did you and my father meet all those years ago?"
Huang Yue leaned back comfortably in his chair and began to recall events from many years ago.
"Back then, I was surrounded by Mutant Beasts in the forest, and it was your father who saved me. That... was a very, very long time ago."
A trace of wistfulness for his youth appeared in Huang Yue’s eyes.
"In those days, none of the Beast Cities, tribes, or even Beast King City were as peaceful as they are now. The mountains and forests were teeming with Mutant Beasts and Demonic Beasts. They were terrifyingly powerful."
Huang Yue explained that the Demonic Beasts of that era were constantly expanding their territory and had slaughtered the beastmen in the tribes on several occasions. Back then, many tribes were wiped out completely.
"But even so, those Demonic Beasts weren’t satisfied. They continued to push into the larger tribes and Beast Cities. The previous Beast King worried that if their expansion continued, we beastmen would have no space left to survive. So, he had the Wing Clan issue a decree, ordering all the powerful warriors from the tribes and Beast Cities to gather and resist the Demonic Beast invasion. Your father and I met during the battle against the Demonic Beasts."
As Huang Yue spoke, he looked at Qiao Xixi, but his gaze seemed to pass through her, as if looking at someone else.
"Your father was truly a valiant and skilled warrior—unbelievably so. His ability to slay Demonic Beasts was quickly noticed and appreciated by the Beast King, who had him lead the Beast Guards to carry out further exterminations. He didn’t disappoint anyone and successfully forced the great Demonic Beast army to retreat."
’Everything sounded like it was heading in a good direction,’ Qiao Xixi thought.
"And then what happened?"
Huang Yue’s gaze on Qiao Xixi deepened. "After that... the Beast King hoped he would become the mate of the next heir and kept him in the royal palace."
"My father was unwilling?"
"Oh, he was willing. Why wouldn’t he be? After the old Beast King abdicated, the new Beast King took the throne. For some reason, she and your father had a dispute, and your father nearly killed her. The Beast Guards captured your father, injected him with the Exile Flower, and were going to expel him from Beast King City."
Qiao Xixi was stunned. "Wait, are you saying my father became mates with the current Beast King, and then they had me?"
Huang Yue slowly ate his fruit, his speaking pace slowing down as well. "In theory, yes."
"Attempting to assassinate the Beast King is a grave crime. Your father probably couldn’t accept it, or perhaps he couldn’t bear to leave you behind. When he was being driven out of Beast King City, he found you and escaped."
When Huang Yue finished speaking, the room fell silent.
Although Jin Ling and the others showed no change in expression, they were inwardly reeling from the shock. ’Xixi is actually of the Beast King’s bloodline?’
"So, all these years, Beast King City has never given up on hunting my father and me."
Huang Yue nodded. "That’s right."
For some reason, after hearing Huang Yue’s words, the doubts in Qiao Xixi’s heart weren’t resolved. Instead, she had even more questions.
’I know my father. If he had simply made a mistake, he would never have dragged me into it, much less gone to such lengths to take me with him. His desperation to get me away from there back then could only mean one thing: I would have been in danger if I had stayed in Beast King City!’
Qiao Xixi looked up at Huang Yue and said solemnly, "Regarding these matters, I must ask you, City Lord Huang Yue, to keep them a secret for me."
Huang Yue swallowed the fruit in his mouth and slowly sat up straight.
"Rest assured, I won’t let anyone in the royal palace know about this."
