Xia Ming dug her fingers into the inside of his arm, pinching with all her might. But his muscles were as hard as rock, and the effort only made her fingers ache.

Unable to break free and failing to inflict any pain by pinching, she gave up and bit down hard on his neck.

How much strength could she possibly have? The soft touch of her lips and the puff of her warm breath against his skin made Yi Wan’s entire body freeze.

He couldn’t help but tilt his neck back, letting her continue. His breathing grew slightly ragged as he said, "Ming’er, I’m sorry. I broke my promise. But from now on, I will stay by your side and yours alone!

I’m the High Priest of Golden Lion City now. In a few days, many Warriors from all over the Southern Continent will be competing in the arena. I’ll pick a few for you..."

Xia Ming wanted to bite him hard enough to hurt, to teach him a serious lesson. But after gnawing on him for what felt like an eternity, all she’d managed to do was leave two rows of crimson teeth marks. He didn’t even flinch, while her own jaw was starting to ache.

Hearing his infuriating words, Xia Ming irritably shoved the jerky in her hand into his mouth to shut him up. "Then I suppose I should thank you for being so concerned," she said with a cold laugh.

"Fine. You might as well handle it all at once and pick out a dozen or so powerful Beast Husbands for me. From now on, *they* can take care of everything for me. I won’t have to trouble you anymore!"

Yi Wan clenched his fists. Just imagining the scene she described sent a pang of agony through his heart, followed by a violent urge to kill someone.

When Zhi Le returned carrying four cleaned long tusked piglets, his two and a half sons and his daughter in tow, he was confused to see the couple, who had been clinging to each other inseparably just moments before, now sitting on opposite sides of the campfire with sour looks on their faces.

The adult and the children exchanged a look. ’What on earth happened?’ Zhi Le handed one of the piglets to the two Flying Beasts; the one for his own mate had already been put away in his dimensional space.

"Father, how did you manage to anger Auntie?" Zhi Le asked, amused as he watched Yi Wan, who had voluntarily taken on the task of roasting the meat. ’I never knew Father had such a talent for this.’

Yi Wan shook his head, his voice sullen. "Mind your own business, you little brat!"

"Father, I’m a father myself now. I’m an adult male, capable of helping you with your troubles," Zhi Le said, exasperated. "I may not have your life experience, Father, but when it comes to getting along with females, perhaps I’m better off than you. Are you sure you don’t want me to give you some advice?"

Yi Wan shook his head. ’What’s the point of advice? I don’t have a Beast Mark anymore. It’s impossible for me to be with Xia Ming. I gave up everything to bring her back; all I want is for her to live a peaceful and happy life.’

’I won’t let her be wronged!’

Zhi Le gritted his teeth. "Father, it’s not good to make a woman angry; it can harm her health. The barrier between life and death itself was broken for you two. What conflict could you possibly have that you can’t resolve? Auntie just came back to you, and you’re already fighting with her? Are you happy with yourself?"

Yi Wan mumbled, "It’s your auntie who’s ignoring me. How would I dare ignore her?"

"Father, don’t tell me you don’t even know what you did wrong," Zhi Le couldn’t help but ask.

Yi Wan truly didn’t understand...

"Then tell me what happened just now, and I’ll help you analyze it. Conflicts between partners need to be resolved immediately. Otherwise, they’ll snowball until they’re almost impossible to solve."

’He’d lost count of how many times his own mate had drilled that into his head. He and his brothers treated it as gospel.’

Yi Wan glanced at Xia Ming, who was pointedly showing him only the back of her head. He had no choice but to recount the whole affair. "Xiao Le, if it were you..."

Zhi Le quickly cut him off. "Stop, Father. I’m here to give you advice, not for you to Curse me! My mate and I have a great relationship; there are absolutely no ’what ifs’ for us.

Father, what’s all this fuss about? You were the one who wanted Auntie to come back to you. Now that she’s here, you’re the one pushing her away.

She doesn’t have any memory of the last twenty years. All she has is her bond with you from when you were childhood sweethearts. You’re her only family, the only one she can rely on!

Why don’t you ask her if she minds that you don’t have a Beast Mark? Stop taking things for granted and making all her decisions for her...

Either become her Beast Husband or stay out of her business completely. So what if you don’t have a Beast Mark? Your situation is complicated, sure, but that shouldn’t be a reason you can’t be together.

You and Auntie have suffered too much. You’re alive and can finally enjoy life, so why are you overthinking things?"

Zhi Le’s words were like a sudden revelation to Yi Wan. A smile touched his lips as he patted Zhi Le’s shoulder. "You really have grown up to be a father. You make a lot of sense."

Zhi Le chuckled softly. ’In the past,’ he thought, ’I probably would have been just like Father Yi Wan, tying myself in knots and painting myself into a corner. But my mate taught me so much. She taught me to live in the present and to always tell the people who care about you what’s truly on your mind, whether it’s good or bad...’

Just then, the skewers he was holding were cooked through. Yi Wan walked over and sat down beside Xia Ming. "Ming’er, are you hungry? It’s time to eat. I also made the roasted flatbread you like. It’s made from pure Floating Wheat flour—it’s so fragrant and crispy!"

Xia Ming wanted to refuse out of pride, but it was long tusked piglet stuffed with mushrooms and greens, glazed with honey, and a Floating Wheat flatbread. She took the food and began to gnaw on it viciously, as if she were tearing into him instead.

Yi Wan’s eyes darkened. He handed her a cup of honey water. "Ming’er, don’t rush. Eat slowly. There’s plenty more.

After we eat, let’s have a proper talk. Don’t be angry anymore. I don’t want you to get so full on anger that you can’t eat, and then start crying about it later."

"You’re the one who cries!" Xia Ming blushed and continued to chew on the meat. But feeling Yi Wan’s searing gaze on her, her mood began to lift. She started eating more slowly, afraid that he would say something to pierce her heart again.

When Xia Ming finished eating, Yi Wan handed her a small apple. He looked at her seriously and said, "Ming’er, I’ve thought of you every day since you left. But... one time, I was drunk and someone drugged me. I was forced to take a partner.

She was Zhi Li’s mate. I was completely heartbroken and just drifted through life in a daze. After Zhi Li passed away, I stayed to raise Xiao Le...

Now, I don’t have a Beast Mark. I can’t pledge my loyalty to you, and I can’t sense how you are.

Ming’er... do you mind having someone like me by your side?"

His few simple words glossed over twenty years of history. Xia Ming’s heart felt heavy, but she knew there was no point in dwelling on the past.

You could only say fate had played a cruel joke on them. Now that they had the chance to be together, she didn’t want to be apart from him for a single moment.

"So you’re not going to be my ’brother’ anymore?" Xia Ming asked, tilting her chin up.

"Ming’er, I have only ever wanted one thing, from beginning to end: to be your Beast Husband!" Yi Wan answered, his voice firm.

Xia Ming was finally satisfied. The corners of her mouth turned up uncontrollably, though she tried her best to suppress the smile. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Yi Wan added, "However, this tournament really is a great opportunity. I can’t take proper care of you all by myself, Ming’er. I’ll have to pick out a dozen or so powerful Beast Husbands for you. Just... don’t you dare forget your old love for your new flames, Ming’er..."

Xia Ming threw herself into his arms. "There won’t be a dozen Beast Husbands!" she huffed. "I was just saying that to make you angry!"