Jiao Ru threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly and nuzzling her head against his chest like he was a precious, long-lost treasure.
Shang Kun’s arms remained open at his sides, a mixture of restraint and longing in his posture. "Ru’er," he asked, his voice hoarse, "what are you doing here?"
"Waiting for you, of course!" Jiao Ru clung to his waist, refusing to let go. "Shang Kun, do you remember? The spot where we were just standing... it’s the same place where we got separated all those years ago.
I thought we just missed each other in the crowd, so I went home and sat by the door, waiting. But no matter how long I waited, you never came back...
Is Shang Kun finally coming home?"
Shang Kun looked into her watery brown eyes, so clear and untainted by the world. He grunted in affirmation. "Yes. The Second Princess is letting me come home for a while."
This time, it was Jiao Ru’s turn to be stunned. ’He shouldn’t have any ties to the Second Princess now, right? The Beast Mark has returned to him, so why does he still sound like he’s thinking of her? Don’t tell me my good intentions completely backfired.’
"Oh, that’s... good. Didn’t the Second Princess come with you?"
Sensing her disappointment as her hands slipped from his waist, his heart clenched. "No. The Second Princess is very busy. Besides, she has dozens of Beast Husbands. She can’t be expected to accompany every single one who returns home."
Jiao Ru nodded. "Alright, I see."
She stepped to one side, her gaze averted. "Shang Kun, do you know where I just came from?"
Before Shang Kun could answer, she continued, "The Princess held a banquet and invited us to attend. She has an honored guest, a Divine Servant from outside the forest, who can alter a female’s Beast Mark without her consent.
I thought you were unhappy in the Second Princess Mansion, so I prayed to the Si Shuo Divine Servant. I’m sorry. I think I made a mistake."
Shang Kun’s head snapped toward her. He asked, his voice strained, "Ru’er, are you saying that because of your prayer, that Divine Servant agreed to return the Second Princess’s Beast Mark to me?"
"Yes. I’m sorry." Jiao Ru’s head drooped, her posture dejected. She had always worked so hard to improve herself, and whether it was because of their promise or their deep bond, she could never bring herself to abandon him.
Her life was good now, and her own Beast Husbands were all excellent and diligent. She just wanted him to have a good life, too.
Shang Kun sighed softly and stroked her head. "I’m the one who should be apologizing. I’m sorry for making you wait so long and worry about me all this time. I’m sorry I didn’t keep our promise to become mates and protect you for the rest of your life."
"So, are you going back to the Second Princess?" Jiao Ru’s voice was already choked with tears.
She had managed to act strong until now, but his touch on her hair felt like a current pulling her back to their childhood, when he would always stand in front of her to shield her from bullies.
Back then, he was her everything! They were too young to understand romantic love; all they knew was that they had to protect each other.
"I’m not going back," Shang Kun said with a smile. "However, the Second Princess is not a good-tempered person. You asked the Divine Servant to return my Beast Mark in front of so many people.
I’m afraid it won’t even take a day for word of this to reach her ears. When that happens, you’ll be dragged into it."
"It’s alright. With Changping around, we don’t have to be afraid," Jiao Ru said, a little smugly. "Changping wanted you to come back, too. We worked toward this together."
"Lord Changping?" Shang Kun was a little stunned. He never imagined Changping was one of her Beast Husbands. Xu Feng and Changping were considered prodigies among the younger generation of Pingjing City. Despite their common origins, their talent was exceptional. They had broken through the ranks of the prominent families to catch the Beast King’s eye, becoming his right and left hands—one for civil affairs, the other for military.
Changping, moreover, held command over all of Pingjing City’s elite guards. Even the Prince and Princess had to treat him with a measure of respect.
Jiao Ru nodded with a smile and recounted how she and Changping had met, fallen for each other, and built a life together. "He knows about us, and he’s been striving to become powerful enough not to fear the Second Princess.
I’ve been doing my part, too. I’ve gotten to know all the powerful females in Pingjing City and have a good grasp of their personalities.
Shang Kun, you have to believe in us. So much time has passed. We’ve both grown into Warriors who can stand on our own two feet!"
Shang Kun’s brow furrowed. After a moment of thought, he nodded and said in a low voice, "I know where many of the missing males from the prominent families are. The Second Princess has opened an underground Male Cave, where she’s collected many well-known males from the city.
Those with Beast Marks become her Beast Husbands. Those without become playthings for her court, until they eventually die from the Beast Mark’s backlash...
Perhaps we can use this to turn the prominent families against the Second Princess. She’ll have her hands full then, and Lord Changping won’t have to waste his resources dealing with her."
Jiao Ru nodded enthusiastically. "Then let’s go find Changping now. So... Shang Kun, will you... will you still honor our promise?"
Shang Kun squeezed her hand and nodded firmly. "Spending the rest of my life with Ru’er would make it complete!"
「Two days later」
Si Shuo learned from Yin Jiang that the Second Princess Mansion had been exposed as the main entrance to an underground Male Cave. The ones imprisoned inside were all sons of the prominent families, and for a time, the entire Royal Family was besieged by criticism and condemnation from them all.
It was Lord Changping who ultimately led the elite guards to temporarily bring the situation under control.
"They say it’s under control, but it really depends on how the Beast King explains this to the prominent families. This has blown up into a huge scandal. The Second Princess went too far; she’s angered everyone. I doubt even the Beast King can protect her this time."
Ji Liang added, "Coincidentally, that female Jiao Ru, whom Little Shushu helped the other day, happens to be Changping’s mate."
"She wanted me to help one of the Second Princess’s Beast Husbands restore his Beast Mark," Si Shuo said, her eyes gleaming. "Could there be a connection? Isn’t it too much of a coincidence? That Male Cave could have been discovered at any time, but it just happens to be right after that male got his Beast Mark back."
Watching the little female’s thrilled expression, as if she wanted to kick the Second Princess while she was down, Zhi Le shook his head in amusement. "Kitty, have you considered this? The news that you helped that male recover his Beast Mark is already the talk of Pingjing City.
Regardless of whether the two events are directly connected, I’m sure the Beast King will blame us for this humiliation and frustration."
"Exactly. From what I’ve gathered, this Beast King only pretends to be magnanimous. He’s an expert at biding his time and settling scores later," Gong You scoffed, then shared a few examples with Si Shuo.
A smirk played on Si Shuo’s lips. "Let him hold a grudge. He needs me as a weapon in his hand more, doesn’t he? We’ll be safe, at least until the Five Countries conference is over."
"Sister, isn’t it my turn to appear as the Bai Xiao Witch Doctor tomorrow?" Xiao Cheng rubbed his hands together eagerly. "We’ll be ’good sisters’ then. If one of us isn’t influential enough, the combined abilities of two should be enough to make them think twice, right?
Besides, the identity of the Bai Xiao Witch Doctor will make it easier for us to fuse the Horned Deer Beastman’s Bone Token with a body."
"Three Bone Tokens are reacting in the direction of the palace. We’ll have to wait for the conference to investigate who they are," Xu Chi said, his lips pressed into a tight line.
"I have a feeling the Beast King isn’t as innocent as he seems," Wei Ce couldn’t help but mutter.