Chapter 503 - 500: Parting Ways

Chapter 503: Chapter 500: Parting Ways

"Father Beast, my home is on another continent. My Beast Husbands and cubs are there," she said, her tone gentle yet firm.

Jiao Yuan knew he couldn’t keep this female cub who hadn’t grown up by his side.

He reluctantly turned his gaze to the males beside her. "You must take good care of Wanwan. If you bully her, I will bring the Warriors of my Flood Dragon Clan to settle the score!"

Yin Ze understood his feelings as a Father Beast and nodded. "Rest assured, sir. We will protect Wanwan and the cubs with our lives."

Although the other Beast Husbands didn’t say much, their protective stances around Wanwan clearly gave their answer.

Jiao Yuan looked at these powerful young males who were so deeply devoted to his daughter, and a trace of relief flashed in his eyes.

He sighed, knowing he couldn’t force her to stay. "Alright, Father Beast understands. When you come back next time, stay a little longer. Father Beast will wait for you."

"Okay! If I get the chance next time, I’ll bring them to see you."

"Good! Good!" Jiao Yuan showed a kind smile like that of an old father, but his eyes reddened.

Standing beside Bai Wanwan, Shuang Hua saw his expression and turned her head away.

Bai Wanwan understood his feelings, but right now, she just wanted to go home as soon as possible to see Chou Rong and her own cubs.

"Father Beast, we’re leaving now."

"Wait, Wanwan!"

"Is there something else?"

"Father Beast isn’t at ease with you traveling so far. It just so happens that Jinying is heading back too, so I’ve asked him to travel with you to look out for one another."

As soon as he said this, the males beside Bai Wanwan frowned in unison.

Just as Bai Wanwan was about to refuse, Jinying’s figure appeared behind Jiao Yuan.

"Uncle Yuan."

Jiao Yuan beamed when he saw him and patted his shoulder. "I was waiting for you! Help me look after Wanwan."

"Don’t worry, Uncle Yuan."

Jinying replied calmly, unfazed by the glares of the other males.

Bai Wanwan looked at him. "Jinying, if you’re busy, you don’t have to travel with us. My Beast Husbands will protect me just fine."

"It’s no trouble. I promised Uncle Yuan, and traveling with you is on my way."

Since he put it that way, Bai Wanwan found it difficult to refuse again.

’After all, he hasn’t shown any particular intentions toward me; he’s just heading back the same way.’

"Father Beast, we’ll be on our way then."

Bai Wanwan waved at him as tears welled up in Jiao Yuan’s eyes.

"Alright, be careful on the road. Wanwan, you promised Father Beast you would come back."

Bai Wanwan paused in her steps and looked back at him, her gaze clear and serious. "I will. But Father Beast, if you let that female deceive you in any way or show her any weakness again, then I really won’t ever come back."

Jiao Yuan’s heart tightened, and he immediately promised emphatically, "Father Beast knows! I will absolutely not be deceived by her again! Father Beast will wait for you to come back!"

He would never allow anyone to destroy the trust and affection his daughter had so painstakingly granted him.

’Besides, Lan Yi... has already completely broken my heart.’

Only then did Bai Wanwan smile again. "Okay, Father Beast. See you next time!"

Jiao Yuan’s gaze then shifted to Shuang Hua, who was beside Wanwan. ’She... should go out and have a life of her own.’

Xin Feng picked up a tiger cub that was still rolling around Jiao Yuan’s feet, while Yin Ze carefully cradled the two little Phoenixes in his arms.

The other Beast Husbands, meanwhile, protected Bai Wanwan and Shuang Hua in the center of their group.

Along the way, Bai Wanwan chatted with Shuang Hua. Although she tried her best to ignore the extra person in their party, she would still see him from time to time.

And Jinying just followed silently at the rear of the group, maintaining a distance that was neither too far nor too close.

However, his "traveling with them" made the males around Bai Wanwan subconsciously keep him outside their circle.

They had all seen through Jinying’s intentions toward Wanwan, and they wouldn’t casually give any other male the chance to get close to her.

As time went on, the atmosphere in the group grew strange. Bai Wanwan couldn’t help but glance at Jinying several times, but he remained perfectly composed, as if he hadn’t noticed the other males’ defensiveness toward him.

That evening, the group made camp in a wide-open area of rolling hills.

The setting sun stained the horizon a brilliant orange-red. A wind swept across the open fields, carrying the fragrance of wild grass, but it couldn’t disperse the stagnant atmosphere.

Bai Wanwan sighed inwardly. To give her males a sense of security, she stood up and walked over to Jinying, who had been sitting alone on a distant rock.

The gazes of her males instantly focused on her. Although no one spoke, their body language made it clear how much they cared.

Bai Wanwan stopped a few steps away from Jinying, her tone polite yet distant. "Jinying, thank you for your help traveling with us all this way."

She paused, meeting his raised, expressionless eyes, and continued, "But we have some other plans ahead. We need to take a detour to handle some private matters, so we won’t be returning directly to the other continent for now. So... I’m afraid we’ll have to part ways here."

Her voice, clear and firm, carried in the twilight.

Jinying could see this wasn’t a negotiation, but a notice.

Hearing this, he watched her in silence, the setting sun casting flickering shadows in his deep eyes.

After a long moment, the corner of his mouth curled up with extreme slowness into a slight arc, but the smile was steeped in an indescribable bitterness, as if he had just swallowed a cup of aged, bitter wine.

"...Alright." His voice was a little hoarse, as if it took a great deal of effort just to utter that single word. "In that case, let’s part ways here."

He stood up and patted the non-existent dust from his robes. The movement seemed composed, yet it held a trace of imperceptible stiffness.

He gave Bai Wanwan a deep look, a gaze so complex it made her heart skip a beat. It seemed to contain a thousand unspoken words, but in the end, it all dissolved into a single, light phrase: "Goodbye."

In that instant, Bai Wanwan clearly caught a glimpse of a sorrow in his eyes so thick it couldn’t be dispelled. The emotion was so heavy, it hardly seemed appropriate for a chance acquaintance she was traveling with.

She froze slightly, subconsciously wanting to take a closer look.

However, in the blink of an eye, when she looked again, his eyes were a pool of calm, waveless depth. The astonishing sadness from a moment ago seemed to have been a trick of the setting sun, vanishing without a trace.

"Take care," Bai Wanwan said, suppressing the strange feeling in her heart and nodding.

Jinying said no more. He turned crisply, his black figure melting into the deepening dusk. Soon, he disappeared over the horizon, his departure so decisive it was as if he had no attachments left.

Only when his presence had completely vanished from their perception did the tense mouths of the males in the camp finally relax.

Yan Lie let out a long sigh of relief and grumbled, "Finally gone. Having that guy around was making me feel suffocated."

The wariness in Zhu Xiu’s eyes slowly faded, but a trace of deep thought remained.

Xin Feng walked over to Bai Wanwan, gently took her hand, and said in a warm voice, "What do you want to eat tonight? I’ll go make it now."

’For his own selfish reasons, he didn’t want another male by Wanwan’s side either, but if Wanwan were to accept one, he wouldn’t say anything against it.’

They didn’t know that far away, the solitary figure walking into the wilderness had slowly come to a stop.