Raising Beast Cubs to Find a Husband-Chapter 146: The Jade Valley

The rain pattered against the windows of the Little Whiskers Daycare. The party decorations were gone, replaced by maps spread across the kitchen table.

Cassian stood at the head of the table, looking grim. Caspian and Primrose sat opposite him.

"The Jade Valley is not a battlefield you can charge into," Cassian explained, tracing a winding river on the map. "In the North, Rurik survives by being the strongest. In the South, Rajah survives by being the loudest. But in the East? You survive by being silent."

"We aren’t going there to conquer it," Primrose said, her Sun-Fire tail flickering nervously. "We are going to find the antidote for the Hollow Husk. We need to fix Jax."

"And to do that," Cassian sighed, "we must enter the Viper’s Nest. My cousin, Duchess Venetia, will not hand over her secrets willingly. She will smile, offer you tea, and wait for you to make a mistake."

"I am good at tea," Caspian offered helpfully. "And mistakes."

The door to the kitchen creaked open.

Two small figures stepped in. Jasper and Orion.

"We are accompanying you," Jasper stated. His voice was small but unusually poised for a five-year-old. He adjusted his silk collar. "It is a matter of family honor."

Cassian pinched the bridge of his nose. "Jasper, this is not a field trip. It is a rescue mission into hostile territory. You are five."

"I am five and a half," Jasper corrected, gripping his backpack straps. "And you said I was born there. I wish to see our ancestral home. Furthermore... I do not wish for you to face Cousin Venetia alone, Brother."

Cassian softened. He looked at his little brother—the boy he had practically raised himself after escaping the clan.

"I am going for scientific purposes," Orion added, adjusting his tunic sleeves. "The atmospheric pressure of the Valley creates rare alchemical phenomena. Also, someone needs to stop Jasper from touching poisonous frogs. He has no impulse control."

"I have excellent impulse control!" Jasper hissed.

Caspian looked at Cassian. "They have a point. And honestly? I trust them to watch our backs more than I trust most adults."

Cassian sighed, a long, suffering hiss. "Fine. But you listen to me. If I say run, you run."

"And me," a soft voice said from the doorway.

They turned. Luna was standing there. She wasn’t crying anymore. She had packed a bag. She looked pale, but her long rabbit ears were standing straight up.

"Luna," Primrose started gently. "You don’t have to—"

"I have to," Luna interrupted. "Jax... the real Jax... whoever he is... he’s trapped there. I can’t sit here and bake cookies while he’s empty."

She looked at Cassian.

"I won’t be a burden," Luna promised. "I can cook. I can heal. And I can be quiet."

Cassian looked at the motley crew. A Merman King, a Fox Nanny, two prodigy children, and a heartbroken Rabbit.

"Heaven help us," Cassian muttered. "Pack your bags. We leave at dawn."

---

The journey took three days.

They left the open skies of the Central Plains and descended into the Jade Valley. The air here was heavy and wet, clinging to the skin like a warm towel.

The Golden Zephyr couldn’t fly here. The canopy of the Iron-Bamboo Forest was too dense, and strange magnetic currents in the limestone mountains interfered with the airship’s crystals.

So, they took a boat.

It was a flat-bottomed river barge made of dark, polished wood. It glided silently over water that was a deep, opaque emerald green.

Primrose stood at the bow. She fanned herself with her hand.

"It’s so quiet," she whispered.

She was right. The Jungle was loud with life—monkeys, birds, bugs. The East was silent. No birds sang. The wind didn’t rustle the bamboo; the bamboo seemed to sway on its own.

"It is the silence of predators," Cassian said from behind her.

The Snake Lord looked right at home. He wore a loose robe of pale green silk that seemed to repel the humidity. He held a paper fan, moving it with lazy elegance.

Jasper sat close to his older brother. The little boy looked nervous, clutching a book on Eastern Flora. His snake eyes darted around, watching the fog.

"Brother," Jasper whispered, tugging Cassian’s sleeve. "The water is looking at me."

"Don’t look back, Little Snake," Cassian advised calmly. "The river spirits are rude. If you ignore them, they get bored."

Ahead of them, the river narrowed. Two massive limestone cliffs rose up like dragon teeth, blocking the sun. Spanning the gap between them was a bridge made of translucent green glass.

"Listen to me carefully," Cassian said, closing his fan. "This is the first gate. The spirits in this gorge are blind, but they have perfect hearing. If you speak, they will pull you off the bridge. If you scream, they will swarm."

"So we just... walk?" Luna squeaked, clutching her ears.

"You walk," Cassian corrected. "You breathe shallowly. And you do not make a sound until we reach the other side. Understood?"

They nodded.

The boat docked at the base of the cliff. They climbed the mossy stairs to the glass bridge.

It was terrifying. The glass was slippery with mist, and looking down, you could see the drop—hundreds of feet into the churning green water.

Cassian went first. He moved like smoke, his feet making zero noise on the glass. Jasper followed, his small size and natural grace making him perfectly silent.

Caspian and Orion cheated. Caspian summoned a thin film of water under their boots, allowing them to glide frictionlessly across the surface.

Then it was the girls’ turn.

Primrose took a step. Her soft shoes were quiet.

Luna took a step.

Squeak.

Her rubber sole slipped on the wet glass.

Below them, the mist swirled. A shape formed in the fog—a massive, skeletal hand made of water vapor reaching up.

Luna gasped.

Primrose moved instantly. She didn’t shout. She didn’t panic. She whipped her tails around Luna’s waist, pulling the rabbit girl against her chest to steady her. Then, she clamped her hand over Luna’s mouth.

Shhh, Primrose mouthed, her eyes fierce.

The vapor hand hovered near the bridge, searching. It waited.

Primrose held her breath. Luna was trembling so hard her teeth wanted to chatter.

After an agonizing minute, the hand dissolved back into mist.

They walked the rest of the way in terrified silence.

---

When they stepped off the glass onto solid ground, Luna collapsed, panting.

"That," Luna wheezed, "was the worst bridge ever."

"It keeps the tourists out," Cassian noted dryly.

They stood before a massive gate made of black iron and jade. There were no guards shouting challenges. Instead, a single woman stood there.

She was a Cobra-Kin. She wore elaborate court robes of orange and gold, and her hair was pinned up with sharp jade sticks. She had a permanent, polite smile painted on her face.

"Lord Cassian," the woman bowed deeply. "Welcome home. The Valley has missed its wayward son."

"Lady Zhu," Cassian nodded, his face a mask of boredom. "I see you are still the Gatekeeper. Is my cousin expecting us?"

"Her Grace, Duchess Venetia, is eagerly awaiting your arrival," Lady Zhu smiled. Her eyes didn’t smile. They were cold, assessing beads. "She has prepared tea."

A servant appeared silently, offering a tray with steaming porcelain cups.

"Tea at the gate?" Caspian whispered to Cassian. "Is that normal?"

"It’s a test," Cassian murmured back.

He reached for the cup. But as his fingers brushed the saucer, he clumsily knocked it over.

CRASH.

The tea spilled onto the cobblestones. The liquid sizzled and hissed, eating into the stone.

"Oh dear," Cassian said, not looking apologetic at all. "My hands are shaking from the excitement of being home. How clumsy of me."

Lady Zhu didn’t blink. Her smile didn’t waver.

"A pity," she said smoothly. "It was a very rare blend. Please, enter. We have plenty more inside."

---

They walked through the gates and into the city.

It was breathtaking. The architecture was elegant—soaring pagodas with curved roofs, gardens manicured to the millimeter, lanterns glowing with soft green light.

But something was wrong.

Primrose looked at the people.

A street sweeper was cleaning the road. Swish. Swish. He didn’t look up. He didn’t blink. His rhythm was mechanical.

A group of guards marched past. Their footsteps were perfectly synchronized, but their eyes were glazed over.

"They’re all Husks," Primrose whispered, horror dawning on her.

"Not all," Cassian corrected quietly. "But many. The servant caste... the soldiers... Venetia has been busy."

Jasper stopped walking. He was looking at a playground.

There were five Snake-Kin children there. They were playing with a ball. But there was no shouting. No laughing. They passed the ball in perfect silence.

Jasper gripped Cassian’s hand so hard his knuckles turned white.

"Brother," Jasper whispered. "They look like dolls."

Cassian picked his brother up, shielding his eyes. "Don’t look, Jasper. We are just passing through."

---

They were led to the Guest Estate, a beautiful villa surrounded by high walls.

As soon as the servants left, Orion pulled out a strange device—a crystal lens. He scanned the room.

"Listening seals," Orion reported, pointing to the flower arrangement. "And under the table. And inside the tea pot."

"We are in a glass cage," Caspian sighed, flopping onto a silk cushion. "They will hear every word."

"Then we give them a show," Cassian said loudly, pouring himself a glass of water from his own supply. "Ah, it is good to be home! I cannot wait to congratulate my cousin on her success!"

He signaled for the others to stay quiet about the mission.

---

That night, the mist grew thicker.

Luna couldn’t sleep. She sat by the window, staring out at the sleeping city. She was hoping, foolishly, to see a flash of orange fur. To see Jax.

Instead, she saw a procession.

Down on the main road leading to the Palace, a line of figures was walking. They carried torches that burned with green fire.

In the center was a massive, floating palanquin carried by twelve Husks.

The wind blew the silk curtains aside for just a moment.

Luna gasped.

Inside the palanquin, sitting on a throne of black jade, was a man. He wore a simple grey suit that looked completely out of place in this fantasy city. He was reading a book.

Next to him, pulsing with a sickening, rhythmic light, was a massive Green Crystal. The corrupted Celestial Jewel.

The man looked up. He looked directly at the Guest House. Directly at Luna’s window.

The Boss.

He didn’t look scary because his face wasn’t visible. He looked bored.

He raised a hand and gave a small, lazy wave.

Then the curtain fell, and he was gone.