Chapter 163 - 160: The 6 Males Are Thrown into a Panic

Lu Ming, blushing, was led to the side by his brothers and sisters...

Getting along with his brothers was completely different from what he had imagined. The tension, the dislike, the isolation... none of it seemed to be happening.

He was a little dazed, not even noticing if his gait was awkward.

Nan Zishi was a little surprised to see Little Lu Ming’s flushed face.

’So this serious little cub can actually blush.’

The six males of the family sat around the fire with their most revered female master.

Xuan Jin and Chi Xiao still weren’t getting along, sitting as far apart from each other as possible.

Lanxing asked excitedly, "Sister, I heard you shot an arrow right through an Eight Pattern Priest’s eye. Wow, it’s such a shame I didn’t get to see it."

"It’s okay that you didn’t see it. I’ll re-enact it for you now." Nan Zishi said with a smile, pantomiming the action. "It was just like this. Full draw, pull, WHOOSH... and it went right through."

"So cool! Sister, you’re truly amazing!"

Xuan Jin, Wolf Day, and Wolf Night, who had witnessed the battle, along with Hu Bai and Chi Xiao, who hadn’t missed the display, all curled their lips into smiles.

The group chatted for a bit about the battle.

Hu Bai, at the side, skewered meat onto soaked branches and handed them to Nan Zishi.

Nan Zishi said, "Don’t you move. You all usually cook for me. Today, I’ll be the one to grill meat for you."

She grilled six skewers at once, one for each Beast Husband, trying her best to be fair.

Chi Xiao sized up Wolf Day and Wolf Night from the side. ’The two leaders of the rebel army... they look like they can really fight!’

Eager to try, he asked, "Wolf Day and Wolf Night, would you mind a little spar?"

Xuan Jin sighed. ’This big eagle is itching for a fight again. He’s always looking for a brawl over nothing.’

’It’s a good thing their family is full of powerful Beast Kings, or there wouldn’t be enough of them for him to rough up.’

The meat wasn’t done yet, so there was no rush to eat. The males were also itching to stretch their muscles.

Wolf Day said, "Alright. How do you want to do this?"

"I’ll take you on either way. Are you coming one by one, or both at once?"

Wolf Night said, "Chi Xiao, don’t underestimate us."

Wolf Day said, "I’ll go first."

Hu Bai reminded them, "We’re not far from the mining area. If you don’t want to attract the attention of the Eight-striped Beasts, keep it down."

"Got it."

"We’ll be careful."

Wolf Day and Chi Xiao took off their tops, showing off their solid muscles as they began to brawl right there by the fire.

The Silver Wolf was strong, but the Fire Red Eagle was even stronger. Neither side would give an inch.

Sitting beside Nan Zishi, Hu Bai commented, "Chi Xiao hasn’t used his wings or taken flight yet. It looks like he still has the upper hand."

"Mhm."

Sure enough, it wasn’t long before Wolf Day was defeated, and Wolf Night tagged in.

Chi Xiao, brimming with fighting spirit, fought Wolf Night as well, and ultimately, he won again.

The Silver Wolf Brothers accepted their defeat wholeheartedly.

Xuan Jin remarked from the side, "Chi Xiao, it’s obvious the Brother Day and Night fight as a team. They might not be able to beat you individually, but together, they could take you down with ease."

His fighting spirit ignited, Chi Xiao bellowed, "Again! Wolf Day and Wolf Night, I want to fight both of you at once!"

The Xiong Jing between males was profoundly significant. A Xiong Jing held in front of a female was even more so.

They displayed their strength, their solid muscles, their powerful bodies, all to attract the female’s attention.

Often, within a family, whenever a large-scale Xiong Jing took place, the winner earned the right to sleep with the female master that night.

Hu Bai, who used to find Xiong Jing a bit annoying, was now encouraging it.

After fighting the Silver Wolf Brothers together, Chi Xiao, as expected, lost.

Though he lost, the battle maniac was ecstatic.

"The leaders of the rebel army are truly impressive! I accept my defeat wholeheartedly. Let’s do this again next time."

"Alright," the Brother Day and Night said. "But the result of the second match doesn’t count. A two-on-one isn’t fair. So, you still won."

Xuan Jin had been watching the fight for a long time. He weighed his own strength and figured he probably couldn’t beat the Silver Wolf Brothers directly, but he had just noticed some openings in their technique.

So, he also jumped in, beckoning to the Silver Wolf Brothers with a finger. "Come on, I’ll take you two on as well."

Three powerful Beastmen, showing off their solid muscles, began to fight again by the fire in the barren Oasis.

Lanxing sighed beside Nan Zishi. "My brothers are all so strong... not like me. When will I ever be that strong?"

Hu Bai smiled. "Mermaids have long lifespans, so their strength develops slowly. By the time you actually reach our age, you won’t necessarily be weaker than them."

"Hu Bai, how old are you?" Nan Zishi asked.

"Twenty-five. Is that old?"

Nan Zishi shook her head. "I’m twenty-four, too."

"Sister is twenty-four. That’s so young," Lanxing said.

"Ah, that’s not young at all. You’re only eighteen."

Lanxing pouted. "I’m clearly 300 years old! I’m the oldest!"

"Yes, yes, you’re the oldest," she said with a laugh.

As they spoke, something shifted. Maybe it was the beauty of the night sky, the intensity of the males’ sparring, or the cheerful roughhousing of the cubs.

Nan Zishi’s heart began to calm.

She slowly began to speak of things she had never mentioned before.

"Hu Bai, Lanxing. I want to tell you something...

My home is in a place far, far, far away. So far... it’s not in this world."

The firelight flickered across Nan Zishi’s face as she spoke softly.

"I was born into a perfect family. My mom and dad, my paternal and maternal grandparents—they all loved me very much.

I grew up showered in my family’s love. They are the ones who made my personality whole and taught me to be resilient."

"I studied academic classes. From Monday to Friday, I’d sit in a classroom for lessons. After school, I’d go home and do homework, and at the end of the semester, I’d take exams. After exams, we had winter and summer breaks. My family would always find ways to have fun with me during those breaks. No one ever forced me into extra tutoring."

"I loved fluffy little animals. I loved fluffy big animals, too. Ever since I was little, I wanted to be a Beast Doctor. To achieve that dream, I started studying obsessively on my own. My parents understood and supported my dream. After I graduated from college, they helped me open my own clinic, and I became a little Beast Doctor."

"When I was little, I always thought that one day I would marry a boy who didn’t live too far away, whose family was similar to mine. I thought I would start a family with him, and our home wouldn’t be far from my parents—a twenty-minute walk at most."

"I never expected... that the family I ended up making would be so far away. So, so far."

Beastmen have very sharp hearing. Without realizing it, Chi Xiao had stopped watching the fight and sat down across from Nan Zishi.

Xuan Jin and the Brother Day and Night also stopped fighting and stood by her side.

"I have a secret that I’ve never told any of you."

She didn’t want to cry, but as she spoke, her eyes began to well up with tears. "I didn’t choose to build this family on my own. For the past five or six years, this whole journey... it was all because a thing called a ’System’ forced me to mate with my Beast Husbands and forced me to give birth to our cubs."

"Every three months, I had to give birth to a cub. If I couldn’t, I would die."

Chi Xiao exploded with anger, roaring, "What the fuck! What kind of thing could be so evil!"

"How can anyone in this world force a female?!" Lanxing roared furiously.

The look in Hu Bai’s eyes changed abruptly, filled with nothing but heartache for Nan Zishi.

Wolf Day and Wolf Night quickly reviewed past events in their minds, and her previously inexplicable behavior finally made sense.

Xuan Jin’s fingers curled into a tight fist, one by one. A murderous intent erupted in his cold eyes.

"So, do you understand now? I mated with you all... purely because of the mission."

"I’m so sorry."

She had finally spoken the deepest secret in her heart.

Two streams of clear tears flowed from the girl’s eyes.

The six males surrounding her were instantly thrown into a panic.

"Don’t cry," Chi Xiao said, flustered. "What do we do, what do we do? Hu Bai, she’s crying!"

"Sister, why are you crying?" Lanxing said anxiously. "Should I sing for you? I’ll sing, la la la la la..."

Wolf Day and Wolf Night were also frantic.

"Xiao Nan!... Female Master... don’t be sad. Why don’t you hit me to let it out?" Wolf Day said.

"Female Master, what do you like? Do you like my tail? Do you like my ears? What do you like? Ah, I’m so worried!" Wolf Night transformed into his beast form, a giant Silver Wolf pacing anxiously in circles.

"Look at this." A stack of Snake Scales suddenly appeared in Xuan Jin’s hand. With a flick of his fingers, he fanned them out like a deck of cards.

This was a "skill" he had forced himself to come up with after seeing the other males sing and dance.

’Though he had no idea if this stupid skill was actually useful at all.’

Hu Bai gently wiped her tears, comforting her with worried words. "Is there anything I can do? Don’t be sad. I’ll help you beat up the System."

Watching the males scramble in a chaotic circle, trying everything they could think of to coax her, Nan Zishi couldn’t help but laugh through her tears.