The inside of the treehouse was quiet and warm.
Su Qinglan was curled up in Xuan Long’s arms. His large body wrapped around her protectively as he gently rocked back and forth, his movements slow and steady.
From time to time, he lowered his head and nuzzled her hair, his breath warm against her temple.
She felt sleepy... relaxed... at ease.
Then, without meaning to, her eyes drifted toward the entrance of the treehouse.
A tall figure stood there.
He was leaning lazily against the wooden wall, one long leg bent, his broad shoulders almost brushing the edge of the carved doorway. His height made the entrance look small in comparison.
Su Qinglan froze.
Their eyes met.
Shi Feng.
The Lion King tribe leader lifted his head slightly. When he saw her, his lips curved into a charming, confident smile. He gave a small nod, acknowledging her presence as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
Su Qinglan’s heart skipped.
Immediately, she turned her head away. She didn’t even know why she felt so embarrassed.
After all... she had never looked at him that way before.
But now, knowing that this powerful man actually wanted to become her beast husband, her thoughts were in complete chaos. Her mind replayed his declaration she had seen earlier, and her face grew hotter by the second.
Her heart started beating wildly in her chest.
He was the Lion King.
A man worshipped by all the males of his tribe. Strong, noble, and terrifying on the battlefield.
How could someone like him want her?
Any female would feel flustered being looked at like that...especially when he was smiling so gently. Seeing his handsome face and powerful presence, she felt even more shy.
She couldn’t bring herself to look at him again.
Her cheeks burned red.
Without thinking, she buried her face into Xuan Long’s arm, hiding completely as if she wanted to disappear.
Xuan Long paused, surprised, then instinctively tightened his hold on her.
At the entrance, Shi Feng watched the scene quietly.
Then... his smile deepened.
His eyes sparkled with interest as he looked at the female hiding shyly in another man’s arms. This was the first time he had ever seen Su Qinglan like this...so flustered, so cute.
She was always calm, rational, and steady.
Seeing her embarrassed just from meeting his eyes made his chest feel strangely warm.
Is she shy because of me?
The thought made his heart beat faster.
It seemed courting a female had many sides to it...sides he had never known before. And this small reaction of hers made him realize something dangerous.
He liked it.
Very much.
He watched her quietly, his gaze gentle and patient, as Su Qinglan continued to hide, her ears burning red, completely unaware that her shy reaction had already captured his heart.
Just as Shi Feng was about to take a step forward...to get closer to her.
"Is anyone here?"
A loud shout echoed from outside the treehouse.
"Beast Warrior Hu Yan is here?"
Everyone inside froze.
Heavy footsteps rushed closer, followed by another voice shouting loudly, "The tribe leader Shi Feng is also here! Did something happen?!"
The new presence asked confusedly, never expecting to find Shi Feng here.
Shi Feng immediately stopped in his tracks.
He turned around just in time to see a fox beastman standing at the entrance, panting slightly. The young fox raised his head, met Shi Feng’s sharp gaze, and instantly stiffened.
"...Ah."
His ears drooped.
Why does he look so terrified...? I am scared. This was the first thought in the young fox’s mind.
He scratched the back of his head awkwardly and said, "Uh... Tribe Leader Shi Feng... many warriors from the Lion Tribe are searching for you. They didn’t know where you went, so... I thought I should inform you."
At that moment, Hu Yan walked out from inside the treehouse.
The fox beastman’s eyes lit up when he saw him.
"Brother Hu Yan! The tribe leader is asking...did something happen? Why did you all suddenly leave? Is Sister Su Qinglan alright? Tribe leader is quite worried?"
Hu Yan nodded calmly. "Everything is fine. We were just resting here. We’ll return immediately."
The fox beastman nodded again and again. "Okay! Okay! Brother Hu Yan, also take Rong Ye and Brother Han Jue with you. You’re the strongest...we need you to patrol the other mountain and find traces of the beast tide."
He paused, then sneaked another glance at Shi Feng.
If the Lion Tribe King is here... did something really happen? he thought.
Then he shook his head hard. Why am I thinking so much? Work! Work! He has to work hard.
His fox ears perked up again.
If I find traces, I’ll be the youngest warrior with merit!
Maybe even a beautiful female will look at me differently...
He giggled quietly, imagining himself standing proudly like Brother Han Jue.
Then he ran off quickly toward the tribe center. Already imagining a female asking him to be there beast husband if he does good in beast tide.
Inside the tree house, Hu Yan continued seriously, "The tribe leader is asking us to come back because preparations must be made. We can’t leave the tribe unattended. Now that Lan Lan is awake, we’ll assist with relocation, scouting, and patrols. We need to reduce the risk from the ferocious beast tide."
Han Jue nodded. "Alright. Let’s eat first, then we leave."
Su Qinglan finally snapped out of her daze.
She hurriedly climbed out of Xuan Long’s arms and said, "Y-Yes! Father must be calling you. I’ve already taken so much of your time."
Before anyone could respond, Han Jue and Rong Ye immediately pulled over the food they had prepared.
"No worries," Rong Ye said cheerfully. "Eat first!"
No one invited Shi Feng.
But somehow... he naturally found himself sitting down as well.
He picked up a bowl, copied their actions perfectly, and took one bite.
His eyes widened.
...This was ridiculously delicious.
He took another bite.
Then another.
By the time he realized it, he was shoveling food into his mouth with a huge spoon, nearly choking himself.
Rong Ye stared at him, then snickered.
"Wow. Is this great Lion Tribe King eating delicious food for the first time in his life?"
Shi Feng froze.
His ears turned red.
...He really was eating it for the first time.
Before he could reply, Su Qinglan slapped Rong Ye on the arm.
"What nonsense are you saying? Eat your own food."
Rong Ye clutched his arm dramatically. "Lan Lan! Why are you defending him? I’m your beast husband! He’s just a..."
"Just a what?" she shot back.
"He is just a beastman who wanted to court my female... it is only right I make his life difficult..."
Rong Ye finally blurted it out.
But with each word, his voice grew smaller and smaller until the last sentence was barely above a mumble.
The moment the words left his mouth...
Han Jue nearly exploded.
If looks could kill, Rong Ye would have died on the spot.
This loud mouth...who told him to actually say that out loud? And in front of Su Qinglan of all people?!
Han Jue’s fingers twitched. He truly wanted to slap him.
But now, there was no saving it.
He could only lower his head, grab his bowl, and eat his food with intense focus, as if he had absolutely nothing to do with this situation.
This was all Rong Ye’s idea. Completely and Totally.