Transmigration:The Villain Wants A Happy End Without His BeastHusbands-Chapter 126: Do Not Speak His Name

"What are you doing here, Lan Meishan?" Yan Wuhen asked as he approached.

The celebration still continued in the main hall of the manor but the atmosphere had long since turned tense. Eyes lingered on Lan Meishan, who sat quietly at a table laden with untouched dishes and wine. He neither ate nor drank, merely endured the weight of attention with composed indifference.

Lan Meishan lifted his gaze and regarded him with the same impassive calm.

"What do you mean?" he asked mildly.

Yan Wuhen stared at him, disbelief flickering openly across his face.

"The Phoenix Clan is currently under the control of serpent beasts," he said slowly. "Serpent beasts closely tied to your father. And you—" his eyes narrowed, "—are bound to Ningyan, who is wanted by—"

He stopped.

A quiet exhale followed.

"...Where is Ningyan?"

"Do not speak his name."

Lan Meishan’s tone did not rise but it cut cleanly.

At that very moment, something shifted within his sleeve.

His hand slipped inside, fingers closing around a familiar object.

A flute. Ningyan’s flute.

For the briefest instant, something flickered in his emerald serpent eyes before the object vanished without a trace.

He rose to his feet.

The movement drew attention once more.

Yan Wuhen frowned, unease creeping into his expression as his thoughts began to turn.

Lan Meishan did not speak. He simply turned and began walking toward the exit.

"Your Highness!" Madam Qin Lihua’s voice rang out, smooth yet edged.

Lan Shiyu, who had been glaring daggers at his brother, shot her a sharp look but Meishan stopped nonetheless.

He turned.

Madam Qin wore a perfect smile. "It is an honour to have you here. Truly. But... you are leaving so soon?"

Lan Meishan regarded her without warmth. "Do you expect me to stay longer?"

A ripple of soft laughter escaped her lips, though her eyes remained sharp. "We are all aware that you have been disowned, Your Highness. Your titles stripped from you. So I find myself curious..." Her gaze sharpened slightly. "Why would you choose to attend my celebration of all places?"

Lan Meishan said nothing.

Around them, whispers stirred like wind through dry leaves.

"What is going on...? Why is he really here?"

"Lan Shiyu looks ready to explode."

"They’re still addressing him as ’Your Highness’..."

Lan Meishan observed her quietly.

This was the woman who sought his husband’s death.

Without a word, he reached into his robes and withdrew a scroll, extending it toward her.

Madam Qin hesitated. Then accepted it, confusion flickering across her face.

The moment her fingers closed around it, an emerald formation ignited beneath Lan Meishan’s feet.

A portal.

Before anyone could react, his figure sank into the glowing array and vanished.

Silence.

Then, murmurs erupted.

Madam Qin stood frozen, scroll in hand, as curiosity surged through the hall. No one dared approach her, though every gaze burned with the same question.

What was written within it?

Just then, just as two serpent beastmen entered.

Both bore long black hair and fiery serpent eyes, clad in red and gold robes.

One wore a permanent, arrogant smile, his fingers stained with fresh blood.

Su Hengyue.

The other moved quickly to her side, concern etched across his face.

"Mother, what’s wrong?" Su Qiyuan asked.

"Tell her what happened," Hengyue said coldly.

Qiyuan frowned at him then looked back at his mother. "Mother..."

"Where have you two been?" Madam Qin demanded instead, already beginning to unroll the scroll.

"It’s Nianci," Qiyuan said. "We can’t find her anywhere. She’s not in the manor."

Then, flatly, he added, "Hengyue already killed all her servants for losing her."

Madam Qin Linhua’s fingers tightened around the scroll but just before her eyes could fall upon its contents, she looked away.

"Must you speak so loudly?" she said coldly.

Su Hengyue rolled his eyes, utterly unimpressed. "Ah, there it is. The beast-pleasing act." His lips curled. "You’ve never been good at pretending, Mother. Everyone knows how cruel you truly are."

Madam Qin Linhua’s gaze sharpened dangerously.

But Hengyue did not flinch.

Su Qiyuan, however, frowned. "Why are we not focusing on the real issue?" His voice carried a note of urgency. "Nianci is missing. Today is her name day. She wouldn’t leave of her own accord. Not when she personally invited Yan Wuhen."

Hengyue let out a low chuckle. "I heard Yan Wuhen already beat Mingze half to death."

Madam Qin Linhua exhaled slowly, irritation mounting.

Nothing was going according to plan.

This celebration was meant to display her influence, her power. A grand occasion that would be whispered about across the beast clans.

Yan Wuhen’s acceptance of the invitation had already been unexpected.

But Lan Meishan’s appearance... That had been something else entirely.

"I am certain she will be—" Her gaze dropped back to the scroll.

This time, she read.

Silence fell within her mind as her eyes moved across the ink.

I have your daughter.

Lift the bounty on my head... or prepare to collect your daughter’s corpse.

For a moment, nothing moved.

Then, a sharp breath escaped her lips.

Disbelief and rage.

Her grip tightened, the scroll trembling faintly in her hand.

"...Su Ningyan."

Across from her, Su Hengyue and Su Qiyuan halted mid-argument, their attention snapping toward her at once.

"Where?" they demanded in unison.

But Madam Qin Linhua had already lost control.

A violent surge of red spiritual energy erupted around her, swirling like a storm barely contained.

"That bastard has my daughter!"

The scroll disintegrated in her grasp.

Without another word, she turned and strode out of the hall, her robes whipping behind her like flames.

Su Hengyue and Su Qiyuan exchanged a brief look of shock before quickly turning to the gathered guests.

Su Qiyuan stepped forward, offering a stiff bow.

"The celebration is over," he announced. "Please, take your leave."

Then the two brothers hurried after their mother.

The hall erupted into restless murmurs.

"What kind of disrespect is this?"

"Did you hear her? She said Ningyan—"

"The phoenix with the bounty?"

"If that’s the case... did he take Su Nianci?"

"What is going on?"

Before the whispers could settle, a figure rose abruptly.

Yan Wuhen.

Without a word, he turned and strode out, his guards falling in step behind him.

Moments later, Lan Shiyu rose as well, his teeth clenched, fury still radiating from him after Lan Meishan’s earlier appearance.

One by one, the hall began to empty.

But the storm had only just begun.