Chapter 146: Chapter 90: Little Ru Arrives

It was the little lion’s first time in Taoyuan Village. He excitedly sniffed everything, running all over the place and exploring every corner.

No one had lived here for a long time, yet the hall was immaculate. There wasn’t even a speck of dust in the corners. Someone must have been cleaning it meticulously every day.

「As night fell.」

Duotu went to sleep in the bedchamber, holding his child.

He rested in Taoyuan Village every night. Only here could he sleep peacefully. It was as if her scent still lingered everywhere—in the room, on the bedding, in the very air… But deep down, Duotu knew he was only fooling himself.

She had been gone for half a year.

Even now, he refused to believe it, feeling as if it were all just a terrible nightmare from which he couldn’t move on.

’Once he woke up, she would be back.’

Once his Beast Father was asleep, the little lion opened his eyes. He crawled out of his father’s arms, hopped stealthily off the bed, and padded over to a cabinet.

He clumsily used his paws to open the cabinet door, found a mahogany brocade box, opened it, and picked up two carefully preserved little wooden carvings with his mouth.

One of the carvings was easy to recognize—it was his father, the king. The other one…

’Is it… Mother?’

…

“AWOO!”

“Awoo~”

“AWOOO—”

In the courtyard, the three little cubs chased each other around, playfully nipping at each other’s tails. They were having the time of their lives, creating a complete ruckus.

Sang Luo watched them roughhousing all over the place and couldn’t help but smile. ’They’ll be crying for food once they’re tired,’ she thought. She went inside to get them some jerky, but then she noticed several holes chewed into the rug by the door.

The space beneath the floorboards had been hollowed out for a heating cellar powered by a potent Fire Source Stone. To prevent anyone from burning their feet, Lan Cang had covered the floor with a thick, white, wool carpet. It was soft and warm to walk on. He had also padded the tables, wall corners, and any other small, hard-edged areas with blankets. The cubs’ roughhousing was completely chaotic, and this way they were less likely to get bumped or bruised.

Sang Luo hadn’t noticed before and had no idea when the rug had been chewed. She immediately did a full inspection of the house.

’Well now. You never know until you look! And one look was all it took to see just how much mischief these three had been up to in secret!’

The blankets, the sofa, the electrical cords… they had all been gnawed on, and there were scratch marks from them sharpening their claws.

An angry shout echoed from inside the house—

“You three little troublemakers, get in here right now!”

’An angry mother is a terrifying thing!’

The three cubs froze. They glanced at one another, then trotted into the house with their tails between their legs and lined up, every single one of them looking incredibly guilty.

Sang Luo held up an electrical cord covered in teeth marks. She smiled sweetly. “Let me guess… who was it that chewed on this?”

’Chewing the sofa and the rug was one thing, but how dare they chew on the electrical cords!’

’She’d never heard of a King Beast being electrocuted, but if they bit through to the live wires, her three little cubs would definitely get hurt. This had to be dealt with!’

Little Stone tilted his head, looking completely unbothered. He pawed at the floor with his two chubby front paws, instantly messing up the fluffy carpet.

Zhuizui rolled over on the floor, exposing his soft belly and wagging his tail at Sang Luo, trying to curry favor.

Zhi Xin, on the other hand, simply lay on the floor, completely unfazed. He didn’t look the least bit guilty and even let out a huge yawn.

Sang Luo’s stern gaze swept over the three cubs. Then she turned, pulled a can of meat from the refrigerator, and raised an eyebrow with a smirk. “Whoever stands up and identifies the culprit will not only get an extra can of meat as a reward, but will also get half of the guilty one’s dinner.”

Little Stone’s eyes lit up. The very picture of righteousness, he yipped twice at Zhuizui.

Zhuizui was about to bolt, but his mother snatched him up by the scruff of his neck, pulled him into her arms, and gave his little bottom a light swat. “I knew it was you! You’re the most mischievous little rascal! Your canned meat for tonight is going to your brother!”

Lan Cang walked over just in time to see this. His heart went out to the cub, and he took him into his arms. “It’s okay, it’s okay. We can just replace what’s broken. He’s still a growing boy, don’t let him go hungry.”

“You’re such a softie!”

Sang Luo had always thought he would be a strict father, but it turned out to be the complete opposite. The man doted on the cubs endlessly, giving them whatever they wanted and never scolding them. It looked like she would have to be the one to play bad cop.

Sang Luo shot him a reproachful glare, which immediately sent Lan Cang’s mind wandering. But with the children present, he cleared his throat and explained with a smile, “The three little cubs are teething. Their gums are probably itchy, which is why they like to chew on things. I’ll cut up some meaty bones for them tonight. Once they have something to grind their teeth on, it’ll be fine.”

“Letting them teethe is one thing, but we can’t let them form bad habits, or we’ll never be able to correct them later! Their bites are still small now. In a few more months, they’ll probably be able to tear down the whole house,” Sang Luo said sternly. “Good children are raised, not spoiled!”

“Yes, Luoluo is right. I’ll be sure to discipline them properly!” Lan Cang said, giving her a placating kiss on the cheek.

“Hmph. You adore these three cubs so much, I doubt you could ever bring yourself to lay a hand on them,” she teased.

“Luoluo, don’t you think the three of them look a bit like you? Especially Zhi Xin. His eyes are the spitting image of yours. How could I possibly bring myself to punish him?”

“Really?” Sang Luo gathered the three cubs closer. She wasn’t great at telling wolf faces apart, but now that she looked, Little Zhi Xin’s eyes really did resemble hers. They were quite beautiful.

She laughed. “And here I thought all three of them took after you completely, with nothing from my side.”

It seemed that human genes were assimilated by those of Beastmen. All three of the children she bore had taken on their Beast Father’s beast form, inheriting almost none of her own genetic traits.

“When will the cubs be able to start talking?”

She had heard that most cubs only learn to speak and communicate with people after they shift into their humanoid forms. The time it took to shift varied between races, but for most it was several years. Some cubs with less aptitude might even be delayed further.

“Our three are Innate King Beasts; you can’t compare them to ordinary cubs,” Lan Cang said with a gentle smile. “They actually have the ability to speak from birth. However, they haven’t yet formally mastered words and language, which they need to learn over time. Right now, they’re in their most active and energetic stage, so they can’t sit still long enough to study. I was planning to wait until they’re a bit older before I teach them how to read.”

“Given how boisterous they are, I can’t imagine them sitting still for a second. You’ll certainly have your hands full with them in the future.”

“I’ll gladly take on the challenge!” ’Three cubs are nothing,’ he thought. ’He’d be overjoyed even if they had ten, and he wouldn’t find it tiresome in the least.’ But considering Sang Luo’s well-being, he didn’t want her to endure the pain of childbirth again. This one litter was more than enough. He was completely content.

“Senior, Brother, long time no see!”

Just as they were speaking, a youthful, shy voice came from the doorway. Sang Luo turned her head, her expression one of pleasant surprise. “Little Ru, what brings you here?”

“Yalan Academy is on break,” he said. “I heard you two had a litter of cubs, so I packed my things and came over as soon as the holiday started. I wanted to see my little nephews… I’m afraid I might be imposing for a little while.”

Lan Ruo’s face flushed with excitement the moment he stepped inside and saw the three cubs. He scooped up the closest one, Zhuizui, into his arms, pulled out a bag of beef jerky, and offered him a piece.

The middle cub’s eyes lit up. He eagerly snatched the jerky and gobbled it down in a few quick bites.

When the other two cubs smelled the meat, they crowded around as well, pawing frantically at Lan Ruo’s legs with their tails wagging like crazy.

Lan Ruo was overjoyed, holding the three little cubs in his arms. He only wished the journey hadn’t been so long, so he could have brought more gifts for them.

“We’re so happy you could come, both Lan Cang and I. Don’t talk about imposing, you can stay as long as you like!” Sang Luo said with a warm smile. Then, a thought struck her. She gave the smiling Lan Cang a strange look. ’Wait a minute…’

’Does Little Ru know about our relationship?’

’The cubs are right here, but he’s not surprised in the slightest. It’s like he already knew.’

’And besides, as far as the Western Continent is concerned, I’m supposed to be dead…’

Lan Cang took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Don’t worry. I already explained everything to him.”

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