Following Kunlin’s instructions, Qiao Xixi hung a strip of red beast hide on the rooftop. He had said that once he saw it, he would find his own way there.

What she didn’t know was that Kunlin was in the forest at that very moment, licking his wounds.

He had clawed Jin Ling, but he had sustained quite a few injuries himself.

Huang Ying glanced at the wounds on Kunlin’s body and approached him with a look of concern. "Did a male from the Black Panther Tribe do this to you? No, that’s not right. To be precise, it must have been Qiao Xixi’s mate who injured you, wasn’t it?"

Kunlin merely glanced at her and said nothing.

Huang Ying didn’t get angry. She even reached out as if to treat his wounds.

Fenglin, who was watching from the side, pressed his lips together. Although his mistress acted indifferent toward Kunlin, he could tell she treated him differently.

Whenever Kunlin was around, she always paid more attention to him.

But as for him, even though he had been by his mistress’s side countless times, she had never truly seen him.

"These are from tiger claws. Was it that Golden Tiger Beast named Jin Ling?"

Just as Huang Ying was about to touch Kunlin’s wounds, he shot to his feet, picked up his beast-hide clothes from the ground, and put them on.

"If you have time for this, you should be thinking more about Yaya."

Huang Ying’s expression darkened. "You’re just blaming me for losing Yaya, aren’t you? Did I lose her? It was clearly her who was being disobedient and ran off!"

The chill in Kunlin’s expression intensified. "If you were like that female, Qiao Xixi, and actually took proper care of her, she wouldn’t dislike you."

Huang Ying froze, staring at Kunlin in disbelief. "Kunlin, what do you mean? Did you see Qiao Xixi today?"

Kunlin didn’t deny it. "I did."

Huang Ying’s fists clenched. "So you were captivated by her? You think she’s better than me?"

Kunlin frowned. ’There’s something wrong with her head.’ He couldn’t be bothered to answer.

But to Huang Ying, his silence was an admission of guilt.

’First her cub, and now her mate. What kind of spell did Qiao Xixi cast on them to make them all turn to her side!’

’Huang Ying was absolutely furious. She didn’t even realize that this rage was making her angrier than the prospect of failing her mission!’

’Who did Qiao Xixi think she was? She’d been working against me from the moment she arrived. If it weren’t for her, I would have completed my mission long ago and returned to a life of wealth and glory.’

’She ruined everything I was supposed to have, and now she’s even trying to steal my mate and my cub.’

’How could I possibly stand for this!’

"Kunlin, sooner or later you will pay the price for your foolishness!"

With that, Huang Ying turned, leaped into a tree, and transformed into her beast form before shooting into the sky.

"Mistress, wait for me."

Fenglin shot Kunlin a glance before quickly chasing after her.

Kunlin pulled his gaze away, leaped into a tree, and looked toward the Black Panther Tribe’s settlement on the mountain.

The eyesight of the Wing Clan was superb—more than three times better than that of the Land Beasts and sea beasts. So, the moment he was in the tree, he spotted the strip of red beast hide hanging from the eaves.

Kunlin’s pupils constricted. He remembered what he’d said. ’Could Yaya have appeared in the tribe again?’

Ignoring his injuries, Kunlin transformed into his beast form and shot into the sky, flying toward the tribe.

This time, however, he didn’t enter from the front of the settlement but approached from the secluded forest behind it.

Qiao Xixi hadn’t expected Kunlin to arrive so soon after she’d hung up the strip of beast hide.

"That was fast."

Kunlin stared at the female before him, stunned.

Unlike during the day, she was now wearing only a single, sheer piece of Jue Sha. The gauze garment perfectly clung to her exquisite figure, and the faint, amorous marks on her exposed neck and collarbones exuded an alluring aura.

Kunlin’s breath caught, and he quickly averted his eyes.

"I saw the strip of beast hide and came right away. Have you seen Yaya?"

"Yes. You might not believe this, but she said she ran back to the tribe on her own and hid under my table. I only just found her. Wait here, I’ll go bring her up to you."

"Alright."

Qiao Xixi turned to leave. Kunlin’s gaze instinctively followed her figure, but he quickly looked away.

A tall figure was hidden in the shadows. Kunlin, suddenly alert, turned to look in that direction.

But when he sensed no malicious intent from the figure, he refrained from making any rash moves.

"Kunlin."

The voice was hoarse and gravelly, yet resonant and powerful.

Kunlin was stunned. He was astonished by the man’s power, as he hadn’t sensed his presence at all.

"And you are?"

"You’re Kunjue’s kid."

A crack of astonishment finally appeared on Kunlin’s perpetually ice-cold face. "You know my father."

Qiao Yi grunted, not answering the implied question. "Your father... really... had terrible judgment."

Kunlin frowned, not understanding what Qiao Yi meant.

"In a moment, take your cub and get back to Wing Beast City. Don’t come here again."

"I won’t disturb the Black Panther Tribe."

"See that you don’t."

Just then, Qiao Xixi returned, carrying the sleeping Yaya.

Qiao Yi’s figure melted back into the darkness, as if he had never been there.

Qiao Xixi handed Yaya to Kunlin. As he took her, Yaya subconsciously tried to snuggle back into Qiao Xixi’s arms.

Qiao Xixi gave a small, resigned sigh but let Kunlin take the cub.

"She might be a little fussy when she wakes up." As she spoke, she took out a flower garland and placed it on Yaya.

"Your cub loves pretty things. If she gets really fussy, just make her a few more flower garlands like this one. A flower skirt would also work. Just praise her whenever you can. As long as she’s happy, she won’t cause a fuss."

Kunlin looked at her, astonished, as if seeing her for the very first time.

"You’ve... only spent such a short time with Yaya, yet you already understand her personality so well."

Qiao Xixi raised an eyebrow. ’I deal with several cubs with completely different personalities every day. Remembering their quirks and handling them with different little tricks has long since taught me the skills to get along with them.’

"It’s not that difficult. I’ve heard the Phoenix Clan’s bloodline is thin, so you should probably spend more time with your own cub."

After speaking, Qiao Xixi put some distance between herself and him.

"I’ve said too much. You should go."

Kunlin gave her a deep look, nodded, then turned and spread his wings, disappearing into the night with Yaya.

This time, he didn’t fly back toward the forest but headed directly for Wing Beast City.

"See? They look so right together. That’s why I said it was a pity."

Qiao Xixi turned to look at Qiao Yi. "Langqi, why are you here?"

Qiao Yi stepped out of the shadows. "With a bird that big flying over, if I couldn’t even notice that, I’d have truly lived my life for nothing."

"Langqi, you seem to know a lot of people."

"Mm. I ran all over the place when I was young. It’s no surprise I got to know a few idiots. Now, go to sleep. If you don’t, the sun will be up before you know it."

"Okay. You should head down too, Langqi. I don’t think Kunlin will be back."

Qiao Yi nodded and walked ahead of Qiao Xixi.

"Langqi."

"Hm?"

"Do you have any cubs?"

Qiao Yi’s footsteps stopped dead.