Chapter – 40
Mu Ling’s Memories
Mu Ling no longer remembered Jiang Xi’s face.
All he remembered was how pale she was—so pale that it seemed like she was glowing.
Or rather, it was the hands of the Saint Matron that were glowing.
Mu Ling couldn’t understand what they were saying.
All he knew was that they had invaded his territory.
He called the forest wolves of the Mist Forest and surrounded them.
He stood among the wolves, coldly watching these strange intruders, determined to make them pay for trespassing.
He still remembered that after being surrounded, they didn’t look afraid at all. Instead, they looked at him with surprise.
They seemed to be talking to him, but he couldn’t understand. All he could do was make threatening sounds from his throat.
Even if they turned into wolves, they would still have to submit to his claws as the wolf king.
But the result was obvious—he was captured.
By a beastman who moved just as fast as him.
He thought that the beastman would kill him, take his place, and become the new wolf king.
But he didn’t. The other just captured him, and every day spoke to him in words he couldn’t understand.
They tied him up and went deeper into the Mist Forest.
A place so dangerous that even he dared not enter.
But they were fearless.
At that time, Jiang Xi, lying in the Saint Matron’s arms, would occasionally wake up.
When she did, she would stare at him with her large, striking black-and-white eyes, full of curiosity.
Even when he bared his teeth and growled at her, she wasn’t afraid.
Sometimes, she would get down and secretly place her hand on his head.
His head would glow, and a comfortable warmth would flow through his body from the top of his head.
He had intended to scare her away, but it felt so good that he pretended not to notice.
Later, her periods of unconsciousness grew longer and longer.
He wanted to continue enjoying the comfort, so he would secretly nudge her.
But she woke up less and less often. Even when she did, she was always surrounded by the Saint Matron and the beastmen.
Eventually, they reached the deepest part of the Mist Forest, a place draped with glowing vines.
The beastmen and he stayed outside.
The Saint Matron carried Jiang Xi into the glowing vines.
He didn’t know how long he waited.
He had no sense of time, only that when the Saint Matron emerged with little Jiang Xi in her arms, he could vaguely understand some of what they were saying.
But the more complicated things, he still couldn’t understand.
The Jiang Xi who emerged from the glowing vines was completely black from head to toe.
They took him away from the Mist Forest to a place filled with many strange creatures like them.
He never saw Jiang Xi again, but he followed the beastman of equal speed, learning, training, and rebuilding his understanding of beastmen.
Three years later, after going through his transformation period, he was assigned to protect the Saint Matron’s daughter.
He felt a little happy and wanted to see if she would let him glow on her head again.
He recognized her at once.
Compared to three years ago, the black on her body had become raised black bumps.
But she didn’t recognize him.
The eyes that had remained in his memory were no longer clear black and white; instead, they were filled with resentment, making him afraid to meet her gaze.
Her personality had completely changed—she would hit or kick anyone around her.
She enjoyed watching beastmen fight, going to dungeons, and spending money extravagantly.
Anyone who crossed her without a powerful beastman backing would be thrown into the dungeon fighting arena—win or lose, a dead end.
And those female opponents without backing would either be exiled or disappear.
Later, Jiang Xi fell in love with Horen, the young patriarch of the Golden Lion family, and suddenly changed her cruel nature, pretending to be gentle and sweet.
But the young patriarch did not like her, so she forced the Saint Matron to marry him to her.
Even after marrying into the powerful Golden Lion family, she could not do as she pleased.
Mu Ling had also reached the age to choose a mate.
He wanted to leave, but Jiang Xi refused, and when she married the merman prince, she also took him along to stay by her side for her to vent her anger.
Later, she married one beast husband after another, but none were accepted by the other beastmen.
They avoided her like a venomous snake.
He was her guard and could not avoid her, so most of the time, he became the target of her anger.
Mu Ling’s thoughts were tangled.
He had seen all her forms.
So he knew that she often pretended for a purpose.
Once the goal was achieved—or impossible—she would immediately show her true self.
The changes in her told him that she was no longer the original Jiang Xi.
But his memories kept warning him: no matter what she became, ultimately, she would return to her original self.
Capricious, relentless, never giving up without achieving her goal.
Mu Ling didn’t sleep at all that night.
The next morning, Jiang Xi was at the door talking to Mary.
Mary had heard about the Rehe Valley incident.
She had gone early and hadn’t participated in the Saint Matron’s gathering. The next day when Jiang Xi went, Mary was returning, so they hadn’t met.
She came early that morning to ask if Jiang Xi needed food, having prepared plenty.
Jiang Xi politely declined.
After saying goodbye to Mary, she turned and saw Mu Ling standing outside the firehouse with dark circles under his eyes, looking at her.
Jiang Xi was startled.
“What were you doing last night?”
Mu Ling lowered his eyes and made a muffled “hmph” sound.
“Couldn’t sleep.”
Yi Yue Xi, wrapped in furs, came out yawning and froze when she saw Mu Ling.
She couldn’t help laughing.
“Is it really that serious?”
If you want to stay, stay. No one will stop you.
Lu Liufeng had prepared breakfast and came out to call the matron to eat.
He noticed Mu Ling’s dark circles, and his amber eyes flickered.
He didn’t speak, just called for the matron.
Since teaching Lu Liufeng to cook, Jiang Xi had freed her hands.
With such a capable beastman, life would be comfortable!
This time, Lu Liufeng didn’t give Mu Ling the speed ability.
He simply split the corn in half before putting it in the matron’s bowl.
Jiang Xi held the corn, smiling at him, her eyes curved with a hint of coquettishness.
“Thank you~”
Mu Ling, who hadn’t slept all night, felt dizzy.
Seeing this scene, he inexplicably felt a little annoyed.
Without thinking, his speed activated, and he snatched the remaining half of Lu Liufeng’s corn.
Even Lu Liufeng, who hadn’t wanted to pay attention to him, couldn’t ignore it now.
He helplessly looked at Mu Ling.
“Mu Ling, what are you doing?”
Mu Ling bit the corn, his wolfish eyes a little blank.
He didn’t even know what he was doing.
Yi Yue Xi could no longer hold back.
He laughed uproariously, tears streaming from his fox-like eyes.
“Hahaha, hahaha… too funny.”
Jiang Xi only noticed Mu Ling stealing Lu Liufeng’s corn when Lu Liufeng spoke.
She absentmindedly put the uneaten corn from her own bowl into Lu Liufeng’s bowl.
Lu Liufeng was about to say it was unnecessary.
But Mu Ling, with unthinking speed, put the bite he had taken back into the matron’s bowl.
“……”
