Su Qinglan stepped through the doors, with Shi Feng following close behind her like a tall, silent shadow.
As they entered the main room, the atmosphere was very quiet. She looked toward the bed and found her father, Su Mingxuan, sitting there with a dazed expression on his face.
He didn’t even notice them at first. His eyes were fixed on a distant point on the wall, and his hands were resting limply on his knees.
Su Qinglan let out a quiet sigh. Ever since the revelation that the woman he loved was still alive and the realization of how much he had wronged her, he had been like this.
It was as if his spirit was wandering somewhere far away, haunted by the past and the complicated mess involving Mu Lihua.
Su Qinglan walked closer and cleared her throat. "Father? We are here."
Su Mingxuan finally snapped out of his daze. He blinked several times, his focus returning to the room. He straightened his back and tried to put on the firm face of a Tribe Leader, though his eyes still looked tired.
"Qinglan," he said, his voice a bit raspy. "You’ve come."
The others followed her inside and gave their greetings.
Lin Muyu, who was still feeling a bit awkward after her earlier embarrassment, stepped forward first. She wanted to finish her business quickly so she could escape the heavy atmosphere.
"Tribe Leader," Lin Muyu said, bowing her head. "I have come because I need to officially register my new beast husbands. I have mated with Wang Mo and Shi Kuang."
Su Mingxuan’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. He looked at the elk beastman and the lion standing behind her, then at Lin Muyu’s glowing face.
For a moment, a genuine smile touched his lips. In a time of so much trouble, the news of new unions and new life was a breath of fresh air. It was a sign that the tribe was still moving forward.
"This is good news," Su Mingxuan said, his tone warming up.
"A strong family is the heart of the tribe. However, my mind is a bit cluttered today with tribe affairs. You should go to Elder Bao’s house. I have already sent word to him; he will handle the registration and record the names of your mates for you."
Lin Muyu looked relieved. She didn’t want to stay in the room with the intimidating Lion King anyway. "Thank you, Tribe Leader. We will go now."
She quickly turned and led Wang Mo and Shi Kuang out of the house. As the door closed behind them, the room became very quiet once again.
Now, only Su Qinglan, Shi Feng, and the Tribe Leader remained. Su Mingxuan’s gaze shifted from his daughter to the tall, golden-haired man standing beside her.
He noticed that the Lion King wasn’t standing like a guest; he was standing very close to Su Qinglan, his presence protective and intense.
Su Mingxuan looked at his daughter and then at the Lion King. He could sense the shift in the air. "And you, King Shi Feng," the Tribe Leader said, his voice turning serious.
"You said you had something important to ask me. What is it that requires the King of the Lions to seek out a Fox Leader in private?"
Su Qinglan felt the tiny snake, Xiao San, shift restlessly in her pocket. She looked at Shi Feng, wondering exactly what he was going to say.
Shi Feng finally cleared his throat, his expression becoming more serious than Su Qinglan had ever seen it. He stood tall, but his eyes flickered toward Su Qinglan for just a fleeting second before he fixed his gaze back on her father.
"Tribe Leader," Shi Feng began, his voice deep and echoing in the quiet room.
"As we discussed before, the plan was for the Lion Tribe to leave once the rainy season ended. But after staying here and seeing how your people live, my mind has changed."
He took a slow breath and made a shocking announcement.
"Our tribe has decided that we want to stay here permanently. If you are willing, we would like to merge the Lion Tribe with the Fox Tribe."
The room went deathly silent. Both Su Mingxuan and Su Qinglan were completely stunned.
Su Mingxuan’s breath became heavy as he processed the words. He leaned forward, his expression turning stern and guarded.
"How is that possible?" Su Mingxuan asked, his voice shaking slightly with concern. "A tribe can only have one leader. You are a King, and you are clearly more powerful than I am. Merging usually means the weaker tribe is swallowed by the stronger one. Are you asking me to just hand over my people to the Lions?"
Su Qinglan also felt a surge of worry. The Fox Tribe was her home. If they merged, would they lose their identity? Would they just become servants to the Lions?
Suddenly, the proud Shi Feng did something unexpected. He lowered his head and bowed deeply to Su Mingxuan.
"Tribe Leader, I have no intention of swallowing the Fox Tribe," Shi Feng said firmly.
"If you are worried about my strength or my loyalty, I am willing to prove myself. To show that I am committed to this union, I will mate with a female of the Fox Tribe. I will put down my roots here and become one of you."
He paused, his voice softening just a little. "I have watched your people. Everyone here is so good, and the way you manage the tribe is better than anything I have seen."
"Many of my own warriors have already mated with Fox females. I cannot bear to tear them apart. It would be heartbreaking to force them to leave their mates and their new lives behind just because the season has changed."
Both Su Qinglan and her father were frozen in shock.
For a King like Shi Feng to offer to mate with a female from another tribe was a massive deal.
In the beast world, the female’s tribe usually becomes the home base for the family.
By saying this, Shi Feng was offering up his biggest weakness. He was willing to tie himself to the Fox Tribe forever, giving Su Mingxuan a way to hold him to his word.