While Ming Huang was fretting, she overheard the increasingly open chatter from people nearby—about the huge disparity in the male-to-female ratio on the Yongchang Continent, and how many males were forming small families with other males.
She trembled slightly and couldn’t help but ask in astonishment, "Can males have cubs with other males?"
This completely shattered her understanding. ’It can be like that?’ She had indeed spent all her time hiding in her courtyard, so she knew far too little. In her previous world as a Princess, there were people with... special preferences, but society never accepted them. Here, it seemed to be perfectly ordinary.
The group paused, turning to see the curious little female and the dark-faced male beside her, who didn’t dare to put his arm around her.
They all chuckled sheepishly. "Of course not. Only females and males can."
Full of questions, Ming Huang asked Ji Wen as soon as she got home, "Brother Jiao Tang, what’s all this about being able to have cubs?"
She was extremely curious. After all, she was still a pure maiden. How exactly did one have cubs? Her old governess used to say they were born from your armpit, while others said they came from the soles of your feet...
Ji Wen’s breathing grew a little heavy. He pulled her into his arms and chuckled lowly. "Wifey, do you really want to know?"
Ming Huang hesitated before nodding. ’I’ll have to get along with my brothers like a male with other males from now on,’ she thought. ’I wonder if they’ll beat me up!’
Ji Wen crushed his lips to hers, swept her up into his arms, and carried her into the room. "Let me take care of you, wifey," he said gently.
The male’s scent was overwhelming, and his movements carried an irresistible, domineering passion. In a daze, Ming Huang found herself bare before him.
Ji Wen had been mentally prepared, but seeing his wifey, who was even flatter than he was, a smile touched his eyes. He treated the little female with even more gentleness, wanting her to give herself to him, bit by bit.
But the cool air on her skin shocked Ming Huang back to her senses. She hastily grabbed the covers to hide herself, on the verge of tears. Burying her face in the quilt, she cried out, "Brother, don’t look! I’m ugly!"
Ji Wen sighed softly and scooped her up, quilt and all. "Wifey, you’re beautiful. If you’re ugly, are there any beautiful females left on the entire Yongchang Continent?"
"But... I... I might not even be..." Ming Huang nuzzled into the crook of his neck, feeling wronged and afraid, but she gritted her teeth and forced the words out. "Brother Jiao Tang, what if I’m a male? I can’t give you all cubs. Will you abandon me and find another female?"
They had raised her. Her feelings for them were bone-deep. The very thought of them doting on another female with such tenderness was enough to make her die of a broken heart.
Ji Wen froze, finally understanding what had been troubling his little female lately. He asked earnestly, "Wifey, can you tell me exactly what’s going on?"
Between sobs, Ming Huang told him what she had discovered. "I’m a male. That’s why I can’t maintain my female form for long. I... I can’t have cubs..."
The little female in his arms was crying her heart out. Pained, Ji Wen gently cupped her chin, making her look at him. "Ming Huang!" he said urgently. "You are a female! If you weren’t, why would the Beast God have chosen you to be the Female Saint during the coming-of-age ceremony?"
Ming Huang froze, too. ’That’s right... If I were a male, there’s no way the Beast God would have mistaken my gender.’ "But..." she looked down at herself. Why was she flat?
Ji Wen suddenly pulled her close and kissed her passionately. "Wifey, it must be because you have the blood of a Divine Beast, so you’re just maturing later than others. Don’t worry. Just keep eating and drinking normally. We’re here for you." Ji Wen’s words soothed the anxiety Ming Huang had felt for days.
She pursed her lips, no longer forcing her voice into a higher pitch. "Is it okay if I talk like this?"
"It’s fine. It hasn’t changed that much, and it’s still much prettier than our voices," Ji Wen said, smiling as he ruffled her hair. "Silly girl, don’t hide your worries anymore. Tell your brothers. Three heads are better than one, and with so many of us, how could we not find a solution?"
Only then did Ming Huang hug him happily. "I like you the most, Brother Jiao Tang!"
Such familiar praise. Ji Wen hugged her back. "Wifey, don’t be anxious. You weren’t growing at all before, but you’ve had a growth spurt recently. That’s a huge improvement.
"A Beastman’s development happens in stages. How could you possibly become an adult all at once?"
"Really? It’s not because I’m a male?" Ming Huang asked earnestly.
Ming Huang tried to peek at herself again to see what she was missing, but this time Ji Wen grew shy and coughed. "You’ll know when you’re older."
Her worries gone and nestled in her brother’s arms, Ming Huang quickly grew drowsy. She snuggled against his chest and drifted off to sleep.
Ji Wen watched the little female with adoration, unable to get his fill of looking at her. This was the little female they had all raised together—spoiled yet lively, well-behaved yet a lover of excitement. It seemed everyone in the family had been led astray by their Mother.
Once she was sound asleep, Ji Wen thought for a moment before gently laying her down. He set up a Protective Shield, then called his brothers together to tell them what was worrying Ming Huang.
"Our wifey is growing up. She has her own worries now and doesn’t even tell us. It seems we’ve failed as her Beast Husbands," Zhi Min sighed.
"Her slow development is probably due to her Divine Beast bloodline awakening. That’s a good thing for us. It means her lifespan will be much longer than that of an ordinary Female Saint," Yin Xiao said with a raised eyebrow and a smile.
’The little female is finally growing up.’ They were all tormented by the thought. ’When can they make things official?’
Ever since Ming Huang learned to take on the appearance of a young man, she stopped wearing her veiled hat. Dressed as a male, she would go out on the streets with her brothers.
She could sit in a teahouse with a bag of sunflower seeds, listening to everyone gossip and making endless trips to the latrine, enjoying every moment.
Meanwhile, the memories of her past life as a Princess were also gradually returning. She came to understand that this body was that of a Phoenix, reborn from fire. That moment had been a true rebirth; everything related to Nong Mu had been burned to ashes, including that wisp of her soul.
She had been a Princess, and her destiny was intertwined with the Phoenix, which was how she had merged with this body.
And what’s more, the males in her household had appeared in her past life on the scrolls of potential suitors that her imperial parents had selected for her. She had seen them at various banquets, too. Each had a different personality and appearance, but they all shared the same unapproachable air.
’To think that after all those twists and turns, they would become her husbands in this life!’
As her memories returned, Ming Huang could feel her body changing, bit by bit. Her curves grew more pronounced by the day, and the gazes of the males were so searing that she wished she could hide herself in a heavy cloak.
The weather grew colder as winter arrived. When her monthly bleeding began, she knew she had truly come of age.
She had prepared a bright red wedding dress for herself. But it wasn’t a traditional gown that covered her from head to toe; instead, it had a tantalizing, exotic flair.