Chapter 92 - 91: Just Like She Used to Be

The lingering power of the longsword swept directly toward Chu Liangyu. She was forced to muster all her strength to evade it.

Jiang Li reacted with incredible speed, and Chu Liangyu didn’t have time to plunge the dagger deeper. Still, the strike was enough to make him suffer.

Just as Chu Liangyu was contemplating how to finish him off for good, a young girl appeared before her. "Beast Mother, stop fighting. If you kill him, we won’t have a Beast Father."

"Besides, you can’t kill him. If this goes on, you’ll both just end up badly injured."

The girl’s voice was cold, as if she were merely stating a fact.

She glanced back at Jiang Li, who was being supported by Chu Li. Seeing that he wasn’t seriously injured, she let out an imperceptible sigh of relief.

’I haven’t raised these two children, so it’s not strange that they’d be biased toward Jiang Li.’

’If I insist on fighting, these two cubs will surely side with Jiang Li, and that will just waste more time.’

"Do you realize it was your Beast Father who plotted against me first?" Their gazes met in mid-air. Chu Liangyu continued, her tone unchanging, "Even if I were willing to let it go for now, your Beast Father might not agree."

She had a point. But Chu Yue didn’t even glance at Jiang Li, simply saying, "Beast Mother, you should go. I’ll hold him back."

"You’ll hold him back?" Chu Liangyu raised an eyebrow, surprised. She found it hard to believe a little cub like her had that kind of power.

"That’s right."

’I don’t know how she plans to hold back Jiang Li, but if it means I can leave sooner, I don’t want to drag this out any longer.’

After Chu Liangyu left, Chu Yue walked up to Jiang Li. "Beast Father, let’s go back."

"Mm."

He wasn’t nearly as difficult as Chu Liangyu had imagined. In fact, it was as if everything had been planned from the start.

"Beast Father, who’s stronger? You or Beast Mother?"

Then she remembered how their Beast Father had them show up at that exact moment, and she seemed to have her answer. "Beast Mother is probably stronger."

Jiang Li suddenly felt the stab wound on his chest from Chu Liangyu throb with even more pain. He lifted his head and gave Chu Yue a flat look.

"You’re just like she used to be."

"In what way, Beast Father?"

’They were mother and daughter, so it was normal for them to look alike. But to say they were *exactly* the same in some way... that was a bit of a stretch.’

"Your personality, and the way you handle things."

Chu Li nodded in agreement. "Even though we haven’t spent much time with Beast Mother, I get that feeling too."

"And is that a bad thing?"

’She had always been one to admire the strong, and she saw nothing wrong with the comparison.’

’In her eyes, being told she was like her Beast Mother was a compliment.’

"Not at all! I think it’s cool that you’re like that, sis!" Chu Li added, giving her a thumbs-up, his smile radiant.

After helping Jiang Li back to their private room in the Black Market, the three of them fell silent as they looked around the space, which suddenly felt much colder and emptier.

From within their own space, they had been able to see everything happening out here. Chu Liangyu simply hadn’t known.

As far as they were concerned, they had been living with Chu Liangyu for this whole period. They rarely spoke, but they cherished the feeling of being together as a family.

"Alright. Once I inherit the position of the Beast God..." Jiang Li trailed off, his throat tightening. He took a slow breath before continuing, "I will find a way to bring her back to you, so she can stay with you and only you from now on."

In truth, it was an impossible promise. Chu Liangyu wasn’t the type of person who could be confined to one place; one only had to look at how she had once traded her life for freedom to see that.

"You said it yourself, Beast Father. You have to remember that," Chu Li said, staring into his eyes.

Jiang Li nodded. He was about to say something reassuring when Chu Yue cut him off. "Why do you have to confine her to one place? That’s not fair."

"I want Beast Mother to stay with me! I..."

"That’s not a reason," she retorted. "She’s free. None of us has the right to trap her for our own selfish desires."

A rare flash of anger crossed Chu Yue’s icy expression. After speaking, she turned on her heel, paused for a moment, and then strode back into the space Jiang Li had created for them.

Chu Li’s eyes suddenly reddened. His sister always wore a cold expression, but he had never seen her so angry.

He worried that he was the one who had made her angry, but at the same time, he felt aggrieved.

’Growing up, they had never enjoyed their Beast Mother’s affection. He was just desperate for it, which was why he’d acted pitiful to get their Beast Father to make that promise. Had he done something wrong?’

Tears streamed down his face uncontrollably. His vision blurred, and though he raised a hand to wipe them, they just kept coming.

"Beast Father, you... you should rest and recover." Chu Li stood up, avoiding Jiang Li’s worried gaze. He took a few steps, then, suddenly realizing how rude he might have seemed, he quickly added, "I’m going to find my sister."

The separate space was a vista of vibrant, springtime vitality. Every scene was as beautiful as a painting, a truly refreshing and uplifting sight.

A slender girl stood motionlessly under an ancient tree. Chu Li watched her from a distance, hesitating to approach.

But the oppressive atmosphere was unbearable. After a moment of hesitation, he walked over. With his head bowed, he said in a small voice, "Sis, I’m sorry. I was wrong. I shouldn’t have thought that way."

A long time passed—so long that Chu Li thought she was going to ignore him. Finally, Chu Yue spoke. "You weren’t wrong. I understand why you feel that way."

Chu Yue’s expression softened. She turned and gently hugged the boy, who was a full head shorter than her. "If you miss her, I’ll take you to her. But..."

"...you have to promise me you won’t try to find a way to trap Beast Mother and keep her with us. Okay?"

As she said this, Chu Yue’s own voice choked with emotion. She felt for her younger brother, but she couldn’t bear the thought of their Beast Mother getting hurt.

She knew that their Beast Mother had almost died once. She had been too young at the time to understand why, but as she grew older, she had come to understand her mother’s feelings.

In the Beast World, male Beastmen far outnumbered females. A single female could have multiple Beast Husbands. It seemed like a privilege, but that was only on the surface.

"Okay, I promise. Does that mean you’re not mad at me anymore?"

Chu Yue’s icy expression quickly returned. She released Chu Li. "Mm, I’m not angry anymore."

The awkward tension between them vanished after just a few words, and Chu Li was back to his usual carefree self.

"Beast Mother said she was going to give us presents, you know. I wonder if we’ll still get them now."

"Don’t worry. I can take you to her so we can ask for them ourselves."

Chu Yue patted his head, her tone firm. "She’s our Beast Mother. There’s nothing to be afraid of."

"Then let’s go in a few days! I’m really curious what Beast Mother’s tribe is like now."