Transmigration:The Villain Wants A Happy End Without His BeastHusbands-Chapter 105: Because Of Me

The lower district of the Water City was lively as evening settled over the ocean.

Children ran along the shore, laughing as waves chased their feet. Some adults watched from nearby benches while others walked past with baskets and sacks, greeting neighbors as they went. Houses stood scattered across the open space, their residents chatting and enjoying the cool twilight air.

The sky glowed orange as the sun slowly sank toward the horizon.

Inside one of the houses, however, the atmosphere was completely different.

The walls pulsed faintly with deep red light. An isolation barrier meant to prevent anyone outside from hearing what was happening within.

A jaguar beastman sat calmly on a cushion.

He had feline ears and glowing crimson eyes. A terrible burn scar stretched across the left side of his face.

In his hand rested a sword.

The blade hummed softly, dark veins of red energy pulsing through the steel. Blood still stained its edge.

The jaguar beastman stared at the weapon with quiet satisfaction.

At his feet lay the body of a man whose head had been severed.

Nearby, a trembling woman knelt on the floor, clutching her young son tightly against her chest.

The boy was the same child who had given Ningyan the shell the other day and the phoenix gem earlier that day.

"Please..." the woman whispered, tears streaming down her face. "You’ve already killed my husband. Please let us go."

The jaguar beastman’s lips curled into a cruel smile.

"And why would I do that?" he growled. "Your son stole from me."

The woman gasped, her eyes squeezing shut in fear. The boy began to sob loudly.

The jaguar beastman’s expression darkened. He pointed the bloodied tip of his sword toward the boy’s throat.

"Quiet," he snarled. "Or you will join your father."

The boy immediately clamped his mouth shut, his entire body trembling.

The jaguar beastman sighed in irritation.

"Do you know how difficult it was for me to track down this phoenix?" he muttered. "And then your son steals from me and announces my presence."

His crimson eyes flashed with rage. "A presence I worked very hard to hide! Why?"

The boy swallowed, his voice shaking.

"It... reminded me of Beautiful Master," he said quietly. "He’s... a.... A phoenix. I.. I heard Papa say it once."

The jaguar beastman froze. Rage twisted his scarred face.

Then he rose slowly to his feet.

With a single swing of his sword, the woman’s head fell from her shoulders.

Blood splashed across the boy’s face.

Still clutched in his mother’s arms, the child sat frozen in shock, his hazel eyes wide and empty.

The jaguar beastman stepped over the bodies as if they were nothing.

He moved toward the door, wiping the blood from his blade.

"Now then," he muttered to himself. "Let’s see if this phoenix is worth all the trouble."

^°^

"It’s strange seeing you with ears," Lan Meishan said, tilting his head slightly.

Ningyan pressed his hands to the illusion mask on his face, which currently gave him the appearance of a wolf beastman.

"And a tail," Meishan added, the blank expression on his face made him look oddly adorable.

Ningyan turned around and stared at the swaying tail behind him.

"I’ve gotten used to it," he said, picking up his flute and twirling it lazily between his fingers. "Besides, they’re only illusions."

Lan Meishan nodded slowly before walking to the window. Outside, the sky had already darkened.

"We should leave now," he said. "The beast who is meant to receive us will be waiting in the main city."

Ningyan sighed.

He removed the illusion mask, his appearance immediately shifting back to normal. His expression turned wistful as he looked around the room.

He was really going to miss this place.

"Perhaps I’ll return here," he said softly. "Once all of this is over."

Lan Meishan walked toward him and gently brushed a loose strand of hair away from his face. "I don’t want you to be sad, Yan’er."

Ningyan smiled faintly. "I’m trying not to be. It’s been quiet here... peaceful. Then you came along and made it even better. And we didn’t even get twenty-four hours to enjoy it."

Lan Meishan sighed, his own expression falling. "I know."

Seeing his face, Ningyan immediately smiled wider. He rose onto his tiptoes and wrapped his arms around Meishan’s neck.

"You don’t have to be sad too," he said with a pout. "It just makes me even sadder."

Meishan’s face and ears instantly flushed red. He adjusted his glasses even though they weren’t crooked and gave a shy smile. "Then we shouldn’t be sad together."

Ningyan laughed softly and pressed his lips against Meishan’s.

Meishan flushed even deeper, his emerald serpent eyes widening before he shyly turned his face away.

Ningyan chuckled. "Let’s—"

Suddenly, a sickening wave of dark, corrupted energy spread through the house. The air immediately turned cold, and the protective barrier around the house flickered violently.

Both Ningyan and Lan Meishan froze.

Ningyan immediately released Lan Meishan and rushed to the door, pulling it open.

The little boy from earlier came running toward him, crying. Blood smeared across his clothes and down one side of his face.

Ningyan gasped and hurried forward. The moment the boy reached him, he crouched down and held his face gently.

"Oh no... what happened?"

The boy opened his mouth to answer, but Ningyan suddenly heard screams echoing from the distance.

He slowly rose to his feet, looking toward the sound.

His eyes widened.

The corrupted energy was stronger now, thick and suffocating. Panicked cries and the smell of blood carried through the night air.

"Mama and Papa..." the boy sobbed, pulling Ningyan’s attention back to him. His small body trembled violently. "Granny... everyone..."

Ningyan felt his chest tighten painfully.

He looked back at Lan Meishan, who stood behind him with an unreadable expression.

"A massacre," Meishan said quietly.

Rage flooded Ningyan’s chest. Hot tears burned at the corners of his eyes.

"Because of me."