Transmigration:The Villain Wants A Happy End Without His BeastHusbands-Chapter 52: We Are Family

Watching Yan Qinghe lie unconscious and pale, tucked neatly beneath layers of silk as though she were already on her deathbed, was unbearable for Yan Wuhen.

She was his sister. His twin.

They had shared a womb.

Only four people were present in the chamber. Himself, Ningyan, Lanyin, and Yu Xuanli.

Wuhen moved closer and gently brushed his fingers through Qinghe’s hair before pressing two fingers to the side of her neck.

A steady pulse.

She was alive. Very much alive.

He exhaled slowly, then lifted the sleeve of her dress without hesitation, tearing it all the way up to her shoulder.

What he saw made his jaw tighten.

Blackened veins crawled beneath her skin, bruised and swollen, fresh yet decaying all at once. Worse still, they pulsed faintly like something alive, beating beneath her flesh.

"What... is that?" Yu Xuanli gasped.

Ningyan and Lanyin stepped closer.

"That’s not normal," Ningyan said grimly. "It looks like it’s spreading."

"I’ve never seen anything like this," Lanyin whispered, tears pooling in her eyes.

Wuhen straightened and turned to Xuanli. "Can I see the former Clan Lord?"

Xuanli nodded at once. "Come with me."

Wuhen glanced back at Ningyan and at Lanyin, who still stared at the corruption as though she might shatter. Then turned and followed Xuanli out of the chamber.

They walked deep into the manor, until they reached a secluded hall.

It resembled a shrine.

Talismans hung from the ceiling and walls, swaying faintly in the cold air. But instead of a beast god’s statue at the center, there was a severed head suspended within an icy blue glow that preserved it from decay.

White fox ears.

White hair, crudely cut.

Xuanli stepped forward, dropped to his knees, and bowed deeply.

Once. Twice. Again.

Fifteen times in total.

Wuhen stood beside him, stoic and visibly impatient.

Then he sensed movement.

Ningyan entered the chamber quietly, his gaze drifting over the talismans and the preserved head with clear surprise. His eyes flicked to Wuhen, and he mouthed silently.

’What is he doing?’

Wuhen smirked faintly and mouthed back,

’Paying respects to his father.’

Ningyan blinked, then looked from Xuanli to the head again before stepping to Wuhen’s side.

At last, Xuanli rose.

He turned toward them, displeasure flickering briefly in his eyes at Ningyan’s presence though he masked it with a polite smile.

"This is my father," he said. "Please treat him with care. We have not burned his remains yet... not until my initiation as the new Clan Leader of the Snow Foxes."

Wuhen stepped closer to the preserved head not to carry it, but to inspect it properly.

He leaned in, nose scrunching slightly as his eyes narrowed at the curved edge of the clean cut.

There.

Thin black veins pulsed faintly beneath the severed flesh. They were small, easy to miss but unmistakably present, spidering along the edge.

Wuhen straightened slowly, his expression darkening.

"The body had the same corruption," he said. "It had already spread up to the neck. Someone beheaded him before it could reach the head completely."

"Maybe it was the work of two beasts." Ningyan said suddenly, drawing Wuhen’s attention.

Xuanli frowned. "A work of two beasts? What does that even mean?"

Ningyan’s violet eyes sharpened. "Why would the person who caused that injury stop it from spreading? If they wanted him dead, they would have let it consume him entirely. This beheading feels... deliberate. Almost merciful."

Wuhen nodded. "That makes sense." Then his gaze hardened. "But we won’t know for sure until I find out myself."

Ningyan lifted a brow. "You’re going out there alone? After what happened to your sister?"

"That’s exactly why I’m going alone, Yan’er." Wuhen smiled but Ningyan’s frown only deepened.

He opened his mouth to argue, then closed it again.

Wuhen felt something warm settle in his chest at the sight.

He stepped forward, completely ignoring Xuanli’s presence, and wrapped an arm around Ningyan’s waist. He leaned in, burying his face against the crook of Ningyan’s neck.

"Are you worried about me, Yan’er?"

Ningyan’s eyes widened, heat rushing to his face. He scoffed once, then again, before snapping, "Why would I be worried?"

"You are," Wuhen chuckled, pressing a kiss to the side of his neck.

Ningyan immediately grabbed his sleeve. "Stop it. Someone is here and there is a damned head in this room!"

Wuhen hummed, his lips trailing Ningyan’s neck. He nipped lightly, then more insistently, until warmth spread through Ningyan’s body and his knees weakened.

"Wait.." He tightened his grip on Wuhen’s sleeves but Wuhen steadied him effortlessly, a firm hand at his waist.

A sharp, irritated throat-clearing cut through the air.

Wuhen paused. His red-gold eyes glowed faintly as he pulled back and released Ningyan.

Ningyan stumbled away at once, breathing hard, face flushed as he pointed shakily at him. "You—!"

Wuhen grinned.

With a frustrated huff, Ningyan dropped his arm and stormed out of the chamber.

Wuhen watched him leave, the smile lingering until Ningyan disappeared from sight.

Then his expression went flat.

He turned slowly toward Xuanli.

"I will leave before sunrise," he said, voice calm but commanding. "Arrange the guards who are willing to come with me."

Xuanli bowed. "As you wish."

Wuhen nodded and started to turn, his tails swaying elegantly behind him.

"Your Highness," Xuanli called softly, hesitating. "My mother... she wants to see you."

Wuhen paused, not looking back.

"About our engagement you broke off," Xuanli continued. "She wants to know why... why did you end it."

Wuhen finally turned his gaze to him, calm yet sharp. "I do not want to be engaged to you. That is why I broke it."

Xuanli’s voice dropped to a whisper. "It’s... because of the phoenix."

Wuhen blinked, keeping his expression neutral. "I broke it a day before I met Ningyan. He has nothing to do with it."

Xuanli’s lips trembled. Tears threatened to spill. Wuhen simply turned away and walked out.

He barely had time to think before he met Wuyin, standing silently by the doorway.

"Can we talk? Privately?" Wuyin asked casually.

Wuhen’s eyes swept over him with undisguised contempt. "Do you know why I haven’t killed you, Yan Wuyin?"

Wuyin said nothing. He just met those intense red gold eyes that could chill blood.

Wuhen’s patience snapped slightly. "You don’t?"

"Because... we are family," Wuyin said softly, bowing his head.

"Exactly." Wuhen growled sharply and stormed away.