The air inside the cottage had grown stale, smelling of dried herbs and the lingering iron scent of the stag Long Zhan had brought two days ago.

For Lin Wan, the luxury of the Dragon Lord’s protection was beginning to feel like a silk-lined coffin.

Every time she looked at a piece of roasted meat, her stomach did a slow, treacherous flip. Her body was crying out for fiber, for minerals, for anything that didn’t bleed.

"I am going out," Lin Wan announced, her voice ringing with a finality that made Long Zhan look up from the obsidian blade he had been polishing.

"The sun is high, and the wind is sharp," Long Zhan replied, his violet eyes narrowing. "You should rest, Lin Wan. The essence in your blood is still settling."

"If I take another bite of meat, I will throw up," Lin Wan countered, crossing her arms over her chest. "My body cannot survive on protein alone. My race, the humans—require a balanced diet. Without it, the cubs will not have the strength to form, and I will fall really sick."

Long Zhan tilted his head, the term sounding alien to his ears. "Balanced diet? Is this a ritual of your people?"

"It’s a necessity," Lin Wan explained, moving toward the door. "It means eating things from the earth, roots, grains, to balance the strength of the meat. It keeps the blood clean and the spirit steady."

Long Zhan stood up, his massive frame nearly reaching the ceiling. He looked genuinely perplexed, but his protective instinct was already pivoting. "If it is a matter of strength, do not trouble yourself. I will go hunt you a balanced diet immediately. Tell me its tracks, and I shall bring it back to you."

Lin Wan froze, then burst into a fit of genuine, melodic laughter that echoed off the wooden walls. The image of the terrifying Dragon Lord trying to "hunt" a stalk of wild grain or a patch of spinach was too much to handle.

"You can’t hunt a balanced diet, Long Zhan," she said, wiping a stray tear of mirth from her eye. "It doesn’t run away. Why don’t I take you to see? It’s just around the bushes near the slope."

Long Zhan’s expression remained stoic, though a hint of curiosity flickered in his gaze. He didn’t like the idea of her wandering, but the prospect of learning the "secret rituals" of her race was a lure he couldn’t resist. "Very well. But you stay within the shadow of my reach." He wanted to know her more

As they stepped out of the cottage, the bright afternoon sun hit Lin Wan’s face, and she took a deep, appreciative breath of the mountain air. Long Zhan walked a half-step behind her, his presence an invisible shield that made the passing Orycto tribesmen bow their heads in silent awe.

However, as they moved toward the thickets on the eastern slope, the feeling of the open air brought a sudden, sharp pang of memory to Lin Wan’s heart.

The last time she had insisted on going out to see the world, was the day the world had literally washed away. It was that desire for "more" that had led to the separation from Wang and Qin Mo.

A heavy silence fell over her. Her pace slowed, her eyes fixed on the vibrant green of the bushes, but her mind was miles away, tracing the path to a Beast City she had never seen.

Weiwei,’ she called out internally, her voice small and tight.

[I am here, Host. You are thinking of the Leopard and the other male, aren’t you?]

’It’s been too long, Weiwei,’ Lin Wan thought, her fingers absentmindedly brushing against a broad leaf. ’Kray and Juro are Dragons. They can fly across territories in hours. Why haven’t they returned with word? Even if they didn’t find them, they should have reported back by now. I’m beginning to suspect that Kray is taking too long on purpose.’

[Calculations suggest a 78% probability of intentional delay,] Weiwei replied.

[Dragons are territorial and possessive. If the Commander senses his Lord’s interest in you, he may view the arrival of your previous mates as a ’complication’ to be avoided.]

Lin Wan’s heart sank. The thought that her search was being sabotaged by the very people guarding her made her feel a sudden, cold isolation. ’Can you track them? Use the system’s global positioning. I need to know if Wang and Qin Mo are even in the vicinity of the Beast City.’

[Attempting to initialize long-range bio-signature scan...] Weiwei’s voice distorted slightly, flickering like a radio losing its signal. [Warning: Essence levels insufficient. Host, your internal battery is currently at 12%. The cubs are consuming 80% of your current intake just to stabilize their cellular growth. To project a scan beyond a five-mile radius, I would need to draw from your core essence.]

’Do it,’ Lin Wan urged. ’I need to know.’

[I cannot, Host. Safety protocols prevent me from draining you to the point of a coma. You are currently ’red-lining.’ Unless you consume more high-spirit nourishment, like that fruit the Dragon hunk is hoarding, I can only give you a local map.]

Lin Wan felt a wave of frustration wash over her. She was surrounded by the most powerful male in the region, yet she was powerless to find the ones she loved. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

She looked at Long Zhan, who was currently examining a cluster of wild berries as if he were trying to determine if they were worth a battle.

"Is this it?" Long Zhan asked, holding up a small, tart berry. "Is this the ’balance thing’?"

"Yes, one of them," Lin Wan said, her voice sounding hollow even to her own ears. She stepped closer to him, her eyes searching his face. "Long Zhan, your men... Kray and the others. They are fast, aren’t they?"

Long Zhan’s gaze sharpened. He sensed the change in her mood instantly. "They are the swiftest. Why do you ask, Lin Wan?"

"It has been days," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "If they flew to the Beast City, they should have been back. Is the journey truly that long, or... or are they not looking?"

Long Zhan went still. The air around him seemed to thicken, a subtle vibration of power radiating from his frame. He knew Kray better than anyone.

He knew the unspoken loyalty of his men, and he knew exactly why Kray might be "lingering" wherever he is now. But looking at the raw, aching hope in Lin Wan’s eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to confirm her fears.

"The south is chaotic after the floods," Long Zhan said, his voice smooth and controlled. "The terrain has shifted. They must be thorough to ensure they do not miss a trail. I have ordered them to bring back your mates, Lin Wan. They will not return empty-handed."

’He’s lying,’ Lin Wan thought, her intuition screaming. Or at the very least, he was omitting the truth.

She turned away, pretending to focus on a patch of wild greens, but her mind was racing. If the system was too low on energy to track them, she had to find another way to boost her essence.

She couldn’t rely on the Dragons to bring her mates back. She had to become strong enough to find them herself.

"I need more than berries," Lin Wan said, her voice regaining a spark of steel. "I need to find the wild grains. If I can stabilize my own strength, I won’t be a burden."

Long Zhan watched her, his violet eyes unreadable. He could see her pulling away, her mind retreating into a space where he couldn’t follow. It irritated him, the way her heart still belonged to a phantom King in a distant city.

"You are never a burden," he said, stepping closer until his shadow fell over her again. "But if it is strength you want, I will provide it. I will find every green leaf and every root in this valley if it keeps you by my side."

Lin Wan didn’t answer. She just started digging in the soft earth, her fingers searching for the roots of a balanced life, while deep inside, she made a silent vow.

’Wang, Qin Mo... wait for me. If the Dragons won’t bring me to you, I will grow strong enough to walk the path myself.’

[Host, energy levels dropping to 10%,] Weiwei warned. [I suggest you stop digging and start eating. The ’Dragon Pharmacy’ is looking concerned again.]

Lin Wan ignored the system, her heart fueled by a stubborn human will that even a Dragon couldn’t fully comprehend.

Across the valley, hidden by the dense foliage of the upper slope, Su Mei watched them. She saw the way the Dragon Lord leaned toward Lin Wan, the way he hovered over her with a terrifying tenderness.

"Look at her," Su Mei hissed to the small group of females she had gathered. "She makes a lord of such high rank dig in the dirt like a common laborer. She uses her ’weakness’ to enslave him. No true female of the beast world would act so pathetic."

She clutched a small, jagged stone in her hand, her eyes fixed on Lin Wan’s mask.

"Tomorrow is the day of the Moon-Cleansing ritual. Everyone will be in the square. That is when we will see what lies beneath that silk. A demon’s face cannot hide from the light of the full moon."

The trap was laid. While Lin Wan fought to find her mates, Su Mei was fighting to ensure she never had a home to return to.