Chapter 230: This is My Wife, Bai Zhi

Yue Junxiao was on cloud nine at the moment. He walked with his head held high and his posture ramrod straight, completely unaware of what the others had been saying. If he had known they wanted to fatten him up to be as tall and sturdy as his father, and that they had called him so skinny a gust of wind could knock him over, he would have likely followed Sang Mo’s example without a second thought—unleashing his spiritual power to spar with them. ‘We’ll see who’s frail! Who’s weak!!’

But as he was oblivious to their thoughts, a smile remained on his face.

Not long after passing through the city gate, they boarded a vehicle. The driver drove them all the way back to the City Lord’s Hall.

The City Lord’s Hall was immense. Even after entering the grounds, they had to ride in the vehicle for quite a distance before finally arriving.

While still some distance away, everyone could already smell the aroma of roasting meat.

Bai Zhi then saw the delicacy the City Lord had mentioned—something he claimed they had certainly never tasted before.

A gigantic beast, roasted to a crispy, golden-brown perfection, was lifted out of a pit in the ground. They then slathered it with all sorts of things, and the rich, meaty aroma instantly filled the air.

Bai Zhi could tell at a glance that it was simply a roast. The cooking method was just different; they had dug a pit in the ground and covered it to cook the meat. The flavor from this method was superb, on a completely different level from the taste of many modern electric grills.

Then, Bai Zhi watched as several people worked together to pull out another beast. Based on a visual estimate, the combined weight of the two had to be at least five or six hundred pounds.

And that was after being cooked, dehydrated, and gutted. Uncooked… they would have weighed at least seven hundred pounds, if not more.

Yue Junxiao glanced over and asked quizzically, “That’s a lot. Are we expecting many guests?”

Hu Zhen beamed. “Nope, this is our dinner for tonight. Xiao’er, eat your fill! Our family might not have much else, but we’ve always got more than enough meat! You’re just too skinny. You have to eat more, or how will you have the strength to carry a female? A Beastman has to be tall and brawny like me to be truly handsome.”

As he spoke, he squeezed Yue Junxiao’s arms and shoulders. The more he prodded, the deeper his frown became.

Then, Hu Zhen reached a conclusion. He looked at Yue Junxiao with a pained expression. “My boy, you’ve truly suffered all these years.”

With a grand wave of his hand, someone immediately stepped forward. Hu Zhen boomed, “Go and roast another one just for the Young Master.”

Yue Junxiao’s face went white with rage. “…”

‘I’m skinny??!’

‘I can’t carry a female?!!’

‘How could I possibly not be able to carry my wife-master!!’

‘I can carry her every night!! Every day!! Every single moment!! How could I not be able to carry her!!’

‘You can say anything else about a Beastman, but you can never say he can’t carry a female!!’

‘Besides! I’m not skinny!!’

‘They’re the ones who are ridiculously tall and built! It’s not that I’m too skinny!!’

‘And it’s not like I can get any taller just by eating more meat!!’

But he then realized that all the Beastmen of Fierce Tiger City seemed to be incredibly tall and brawny. The shortest among them were around six-foot-seven.

In front of him, his father stood over seven and a half feet tall. By comparison, he did seem a bit slight, not quite like a Beastman from Fierce Tiger City.

It was precisely this realization that left Yue Junxiao speechless with frustration.

Bai Zhi had heard their entire conversation. Now, seeing Yue Junxiao’s expression of someone who was furious but didn’t dare to talk back, she couldn’t help but stifle a laugh.

‘The City Lord of Fierce Tiger City is worthy of being Yue Junxiao’s biological father, indeed,’ she thought. ‘He actually managed to render the ever-chatty Yue Junxiao completely speechless.’

It was Yue Junxiao’s mother who settled it. She walked right up and kicked the back of Hu Zhen’s leg, just below his rear, and snapped, “Do you think Xiao’er is like you? Hurry up and have them carve the meat. They’ve been flying for so long, they must be starving. Let them eat so they can get some rest. Didn’t you prepare a grand feast for tomorrow? How will they have any energy if they don’t rest up?”

Hu Zhen reflexively yelped, “OW, OW, OW—Wife-master, you can kick a little harder next time. Didn’t you eat enough today? Your kick feels weaker…”

His words made her snap back to reality. She quickly retracted her leg, turned to Yue Junxiao with a smile, and said, “I’m not usually like this. It’s just that your father can be so infuriating sometimes. Isn’t that right—”

As Hu Yao spoke, she surreptitiously gave Hu Zhen a hard pinch.

Hu Zhen’s face immediately contorted in pain. He quickly agreed, “Ah, right, right, right. It’s all my fault.”

He then lowered his voice and said to his wife-master, “There are so many people watching. At least let me save a little face.”

Hu Yao let out a quiet “hmph.” Her smile widened, but she ultimately spared him some dignity.

Hu Zhen obediently went to instruct his men to carve up the two roasted beasts.

But obviously, everyone had witnessed that little scene. Though it looked like he was being disciplined, it was impossible to deny how good their relationship was. One could tell just from Hu Zhen’s reflexive reaction.

This sort of thing clearly happened often, as he didn’t even try to block the blow. Otherwise, with Hu Zhen’s spiritual power, there was no way he wouldn’t have detected Hu Yao’s kick.

His first reaction wasn’t embarrassment at being kicked in front of so many people. Instead, he was worried that Hu Yao’s kick was weak because she hadn’t eaten enough. After all, he was a City Lord. Even from his wife-master, one might expect a certain degree of public respect.

Despite their loving relationship, they’d had no other children after Yue Junxiao was lost. On one hand, conception might have truly been difficult for them. On the other, they probably didn’t want Yue Junxiao, upon his return, to feel that another child had usurped the love that was rightfully his.

Honestly, a relationship like that was truly enviable.

Many people couldn’t maintain such a bond for decades, though of course, such deeply loving couples were not entirely uncommon.

Yue Junxiao was stunned for a moment, but that feeling quickly gave way to pure envy. He hoped he and his wife-master would be like that, still so deeply in love even when they were old.

‘My wife-master could kick me a few times and it’d be fine,’ he thought. ‘I’m tough and have thick skin.’

‘Besides, with her meager strength, a kick from my wife-master would feel more like she was scratching an itch for me.’

He stole a glance at Bai Zhi, pondering the likelihood of such a thing happening.

This maneuver, which Yue Junxiao thought was subtle, did not escape Bai Zhi’s notice, and she was left utterly speechless.

The moment Yue Junxiao realized Bai Zhi was watching him, he quickly averted his gaze. He looked left and right, pretending he was simply admiring the City Lord’s Hall and had only been caught by coincidence when his eyes happened to pass over her.

Hu Yao, standing beside Yue Junxiao, took in his every little action. A fond, motherly smile graced her lips.

‘My child already has his own wife-master.’ Though she regretted the many lost years, seeing him so happy now was more than enough to satisfy her.

Hu Yao smiled and asked Yue Junxiao, “You haven’t introduced them to me yet. What are their names?”

Only then did it dawn on Yue Junxiao. He had been so nervous this whole time that he had completely forgotten.

He then walked past the others, heading straight for Bai Zhi. Taking her hand, he announced with a radiant smile, “This is my wife-master, Bai Zhi.”