Chapter 477 - 474: Jinying

Chapter 477: Chapter 474: Jinying

’She couldn’t understand what on earth Lan Yi had been thinking, to have swapped out her own daughter.’

"Lan Yi?"

Jiao Yuan turned to look at his wife, his gaze questioning.

Lan Yi forced a smile. "She’s spouting nonsense, Jiao Yuan. Are you really going to believe a female from an outside clan with a mysterious background over me?"

Bai Wanwan didn’t wait for Jiao Yuan to waver and continued to fan the flames. "Your daughter’s name is Coral, isn’t it? I hear she can’t awaken the Life Tree..."

"AH!" Lan Yi suddenly let out a piercing shriek, cutting Bai Wanwan off.

Her eyes rolled back into her head, and her body went limp as she thoroughly "fainted," completely unconscious.

"Lan Yi!" All of Jiao Yuan’s doubts and thoughts were instantly thrown to the winds.

He swept Lan Yi up into his arms, but just as he was about to leave, Bai Wanwan called out to him again.

"Clan Leader, you are not just Lan Yi’s Beast Husband; you are the Clan Leader of the entire Flood Dragon Tribe. There’s nothing wrong with loving and protecting her, but if it endangers the future of the entire Flood Dragon Tribe, then I don’t think you’re fit to be Clan Leader!"

Bai Wanwan’s voice wasn’t loud, but her words were resolute.

This was the first time any Beastman had dared to speak to him with such an attitude.

Yet, as he looked at that unfamiliar face, he couldn’t bring himself to be angry.

The female standing not far away gave him a strange and unfamiliar feeling.

It was just that now, he had no time to carefully figure out why.

"Little female, I can forgive your insolence this time. But if anything happens to my wife, I will not spare you."

After he spoke, his figure blurred into a cyan streak of light and vanished before Bai Wanwan’s eyes.

The small courtyard instantly fell deathly silent.

All that remained was the SHUSH of the wind through the leaves and a devastated silence.

"Wanwan..." Yan Lie’s voice, filled with aching tenderness, broke the silence.

He stepped forward and wrapped his strong arms around her, pulling her into a gentle embrace.

His movements were incredibly gentle, as if he were handling a fragile treasure.

The other Beast Husbands also gathered around them.

Hua Han’s beautiful, fox-like eyes had lost their usual cunning, leaving only deep worry and heartache.

Anger blazed in Jin Yi’s golden eyes, but it melted into the gentlest warmth of the sun when he looked at Bai Wanwan.

Xin Feng stepped forward and took her hand, silently lending her his strength.

Zhu Xiu’s cold, vertical pupils seemed to have been steeped in warm water, his gaze landing on her with a soft glow.

Yin Ze stood guard silently at her side. With just a single word from Wanwan, he would turn the entire Flood Dragon Tribe upside down for her sake.

Every pair of eyes that looked upon Bai Wanwan was filled with unspoken heartache, understanding, support, and the unwavering resolve to protect her to the death.

"Wanwan," Xin Feng’s voice sounded beside her, "It doesn’t matter whose daughter you are or where your bloodline comes from. That’s not important. To us, you’re just Bai Wanwan. You are our chosen and only Wife. We will always be by your side, and we will protect you and the cubs forever."

"That’s right, Wanwan. We’ll always be with you."

Bai Wanwan felt the overwhelming love and protectiveness from her Beast Husbands. The icy hostility in her heart, which had flared up because of her original body’s mother, was gradually dispelled by a powerful, warm current.

’That’s right. I’m not the original owner of this body. I am my own person.’

’Even if my guess is right, this Flood Dragon Tribe will never be my home.’

’I’m only here to get justice—for the original owner of this body, and for myself!’

***

Jiao Yuan and the males of the Flood Dragon Tribe had been waiting for a long time when they finally spotted a familiar figure.

The male was tall and slender, his features so handsome they were almost bewitching. His rare, dark gray hair was tied back casually, and he wore a simple suit of dark leather armor, exuding a calm and reserved aura.

Most striking were his eyes, which seemed to hold glaciers that hadn’t melted in ten thousand years, making them appear deep and cold.

However, when he saw Jiao Yuan, a flicker of genuine respect and warmth crossed his icy eyes.

"Uncle Yuan." Jinying bowed slightly, his voice as crisp and clear as jade striking stone.

"Jinying, thank you for making the journey." Jiao Yuan clapped him hard on the shoulder, a relieved smile breaking through his weary expression. "The situation is urgent. The Clan Witch will start setting up the formation today, and I need your Talent Power to help."

Jinying’s ice-blue eyes swept over the tribe’s tense atmosphere and the dim green light coming from the direction of the forbidden grounds. His brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. "Is the Life Tree’s life force nearly exhausted?"

"Yes..." Jiao Yuan sighed, his voice full of helplessness. "I had no other choice but to ask for your help."

"There’s no need for formalities, Uncle Yuan. If you hadn’t saved me when I was young, I wouldn’t be here today. The Flood Dragon Clan’s hardship is my responsibility too." His words were concise and powerful, carrying a composure that belied his age.

"Thank you!" Jiao Yuan was moved. This young man from an Alien Race, whom he had saved from the brink of a brutal beast tide all those years ago, had now grown into an indispensable and powerful ally for the tribe.

"I’ll have the Clan Witch move as quickly as possible, so we don’t keep you for too long."

"You’re overstating things, Uncle Yuan. I’m not in a hurry." Jinying gave a slight nod and fell silent, following Jiao Yuan deeper into the forbidden grounds. His gray hair drifted in the wind, and a flicker of deep solemnity, almost imperceptible, passed through his icy eyes.

He could clearly sense that the Life Tree’s aura was even weaker than it had been the last time he helped maintain the formation.

"Alright, Jinying, follow me."

「In the afternoon.」

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled shadows on the damp ground.

Bai Wanwan sat on her treehouse platform, watching Xin Feng and Jin Yi teach the cubs basic hunting skills.

Just then, a faint commotion from the main path nearby caught her attention. Bai Wanwan instinctively looked up.

She saw Clan Leader Jiao Yuan striding hurriedly in front. His tall figure still possessed an imposing majesty, but his features were clouded with heavy, persistent worry and exhaustion.

And half a step behind him was an exceptionally striking young male.

His features were deep and defined, as if carved from ice and jade.

His eyes were like ancient, unthawed polar glaciers—deep, cold, and utterly placid, as if they could freeze the very soul of anyone who dared to meet his gaze.

’It’s Jinying!’

’The Red Rank Powerhouse I met once in the Tiger Clan Tribe.’

This male had an incredibly strong presence—cold, powerful, and mysterious. He was completely different from the surrounding Flood Dragon Males, who were either rugged or majestic.

He was like a peerless, cold blade hidden in its sheath—his sharp edge was contained, yet he radiated an invisible aura of danger.

As if by some mysterious instinct, the very moment Bai Wanwan’s gaze landed on him, Jinying turned his head slightly, his eyes precisely locking onto the gaze from the treehouse platform.

Their eyes met!

A flicker of surprise and inquiry, however brief, clearly crossed Jinying’s eyes.

His gaze was like a physical thread of ice, instantly piercing the distance to land on Bai Wanwan’s face.

However, the flicker of emotion lasted for less than a second.

Jinying looked away without any change in his expression, as if their brief eye contact had been a mere illusion.