Chapter 99: Chapter Ninety-Nine: Loving family

"Alas, my beautiful Wanwan, your tracking skills are far too superior for a humble reptile," Qin Mo murmured smoothly, a deeply affectionate, doting smile breaking across his handsome face as he floated back down to the ground.

He carefully scooped the two laughing, squirming cubs into his long arms, completely unbothered by how they had totally messed up his perfect hair. "The princes insisted on using my shoulders as a vantage point to survey the battlefield, so I had no choice but to sacrifice my perfect hiding spot for their happiness."

"We almost beat you, Mother! We were super invisible!" Xiao Rui babbled excitedly, kicking his tiny legs as he tried to climb onto Qin Mo’s head.

As Lanying stepped out from a genuinely clever hiding spot behind a thick cluster of spiritual herbs, her blue eyes crinkling with deep warmth and laughter, the entire bamboo grove echoed with the beautiful, echoing sound of a complete, unbreakable family unit sharing pure, lighthearted joy inside their peaceful sanctuary.

The high energy excitement of the hide-and-seek game had completely spent the triplets by the time the evening sky of The space transitioned into a deep, soothing velvet indigo.

Inside the master bedroom, the warm glow of the floating spiritual crystals was dimmed to a soft, amber ambiance, creating a perfectly cozy and peaceful haven.

A massive, incredibly plush fur mattress occupied the center of the room, piled high with soft silk pillows and thick woven blankets that smelled faintly of the sweet herbal laundry from the day before.

Lin Wan sat cross-legged in the very middle of the grand bed, her long hair draped loosely over her shoulders, wearing a comfortable, relaxed robe that lacked her usual cold, formal armor.

Clustered tightly around her lap were her three chubby silver leopard cubs, their heavy, synchronized purring creating a deep, rhythmic rumble that made the entire bed vibrate pleasantly.

Xiao Jue was resting his chin directly on her knee, while Xiao Rui and Xiao Chen were curled together like a single, giant ball of white fluff against her thigh, their large blue eyes blinking sleepily up at her face.

"Alright, you three little troublemakers, you’ve spent the entire day running around, climbing the kings, and shouting at the top of your lungs," Lin Wan said, her voice dropping into an incredibly tender, soft murmur as she gently stroked the soft fur behind Xiao Chen’s ears.

"Since you can speak perfectly now, it is officially time for your very first toddler lesson. I am going to teach you how to count, and then I am going to tell you a story from my hometown ."

"A story about Blue Star? Yes! Please, Mother, tell us!" Xiao Rui babbled cutely, his small voice instantly losing its sleepy edge as his fluffy tail let out an excited, energetic thud against the mattress.

He scrambled up her lap, burying his wet nose right under her chin with an eager grin. "We want to know everything about the place where Mother came from! Are there giant dragons and powerful snake kings there too? Do the people there have cool beast transformations like Daddy Zhan?"

Before Lin Wan could answer, the heavy wooden bedroom doors silently creaked open, and two massive, towering figures stepped into the quiet room with hilarious, incredibly exaggerated caution.

Long Zhan and Qin Mo had completely shed their heavy weapons, armor, and sovereign boots, walking into the bedroom in simple, soft silk indoor robes.

The two terrifying supreme kings looked completely out of place trying to tiptoe across the floorboards, their massive frames casting long shadows as they quietly approached the edge of the bed.

"Uh... hey, Wanwan," Long Zhan whispered, his thunderous voice sounding ridiculously muffled and strained as he tried to speak in a quiet, indoor tone.

He rubbed the back of his neck, his violet eyes flashing with an incredibly eager, almost childlike curiosity as he pointed toward the floorboards right next to the bed mattress.

"The boys said you were going to tell a story about your old world... do you mind if me and the snake sit down and listen too? We promise to keep our mouths shut and not disturb the lesson."

Qin Mo glided forward without a single sound, smoothly folding his long legs as he sat cross-legged directly on the plush rug by the bedside, his elegant silver robes pooling around him like water.

He rested his handsome chin on his pale hand, his silver eyes completely locked onto Lin Wan’s face with an expression of pure, unadulterated devotion.

"A refined guardian must always be present to ensure the children are receiving a proper, high-quality education, Wanwan. Please ignore the loud reptile’s clumsy breathing and begin. I am highly fascinated to learn more about the traditions of your homeland."

Lin Wan couldn’t help but let out a soft, amused huff, shaking her head at the sheer absurdity of two world-renowned, invincible beast-kings sitting on her bedroom floor like eager school children waiting for a fairy tale.

"Fine, both of you can stay, but if either of you starts bickering or wakes up the cubs, you are both getting thrown out into the hallway immediately. Now, boys, look at my hand. Let’s practice counting first. One... two... three..."

The three little cuties turned their round heads, their big blue eyes watching her long fingers with absolute, intense focus as they tried to mimic her words with their cute, babbling voices.

"One... t-two... t-three!" Xiao Chen chirped happily, accidentally letting out a tiny, high-pitched squeak that made Long Zhan instantly grin from ear to ear, his massive hand reaching up to gently pat the cub’s round belly.

"Excellent job, little ones," Lin Wan murmured proudly, her cool eyes melting completely into a soft, maternal warmth before she settled back against the pillows. "Now, for your story. Back on the Blue Star planet, we don’t have magical beast clans or powerful spiritual energy. The wild animals there cannot speak, and they certainly cannot turn into humans. Instead, we have old stories called fairy tales that mothers tell their children before bed. One of the most famous ones is called ’The Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf.’"

The bedroom fell into a deep, completely captivated silence as Lin Wan began to weave the classic tale, her clear, soothing voice description painting a vivid picture of the little human girl walking through the deep, quiet woods to visit her grandmother.

The three chubby cubs listened with absolute awe, their fluffy ears twitching in unison with every single sentence, completely fascinated by a world where humans were so small and fragile.

However, the peaceful lesson didn’t stay completely quiet for long. The moment Lin Wan reached the climax of the story, describing how the sneaky, villainous Big Bad Wolf wore the grandmother’s clothes and tried to aggressively pounce out of the bed to eat the little girl—Long Zhan’s violet eyes instantly flashed with a fierce, outraged light.

The dragon Lord completely forgot his promise to stay quiet, slamming his heavy fist against the edge of the mattress with a loud snort.

"Wait a minute, Wanwan! That story makes absolutely zero sense!" Long Zhan barked right out, his voice full of pure, unadulterated professional warrior criticism.

"What kind of weak, pathetic excuse for a wolf needs to put on an old female’s dress just to hunt a tiny, defenseless human child? If he was a real predator from the canine tribes, he should have just activated his bloodline speed, smashed through the wooden front door, and executed the target cleanly from the shadows! He’s an absolute embarrassment to the wild beast lineage!"

Qin Mo pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a sharp, deeply irritated hiss as he threw a freezing, thoroughly disgusted glare at the shouting dragon.

"You uncultured, brainless brute... it is a moral fable meant to teach human children about the dangers of deception and treachery, not a military tactical manual for your brainless Northern Peak army. Your loud, aggressive grunting is completely interrupting Wanwan’s beautiful voice and startling the young ones."

"What did you say, you slippery worm? I’m just stating a tactical fact!" Long Zhan bared his sharp fangs, leaning over the bed to glare back at the snake king. "A real warrior doesn’t wear dresses to hunt! Right, boys? Tell this skinny reptile that a real wolf should just use his claws!"

The three chubby dandelions on the bed didn’t look startled at all; instead, they burst into an absolute storm of uncontrollable, high-pitched baby giggles, rolling around Lin Wan’s lap as they thoroughly enjoyed the ridiculous spectacle of their two powerful step-fathers arguing over a simple children’s story.

"Daddy Zhan is taking the wolf story way too seriously!" Xiao Rui laughed loudly, his tiny paws kicking the air as he snuggled deep into Lin Wan’s side.

As Lin Wan sighed with an amused smile, leaning down to kiss the top of her children’s round heads, the quiet, cozy bedroom was completely enveloped in the warm, perfect harmony of an unbreakable family bond.