Chapter 186 - 185: Great, Instant Dad

"Beast Father, is what she said all true?"

Chu Yue lowered her head. Her usually emotionless face now held a trace of hope.

"It is."

Jiang Li grunted in affirmation, admitting it frankly. With that, Chu Yue’s last shred of hope vanished.

The Beast Father who had been all-powerful in her heart was suddenly shrouded in a hazy gray fog, no longer warm and radiant.

"How could you...?"

She wanted to say something condemning, but the words caught in her throat when she sensed his fading aura.

No matter what, he was still her Beast Father. She had no right to say anything.

"Sister, I’m here! Did you find Beast Father?"

The sound of hurried footsteps drew closer. Chu Liangyu looked toward the source of the sound and saw Chu Li climbing up the mountain on his short legs.

When he saw Chu Liangyu, he paused, a smile instinctively appearing on his face.

But when he saw Jiang Li’s faint aura, the smile on his face instantly froze.

His previously hurried pace slowed to a crawl. He approached step by step and called out softly, "Beast Father?"

"Hn."

Jiang Li’s voice was feather-light, like a wisp of smoke that a single gust of wind could scatter.

Seeing him like this, Chu Li lost all control and began to wail, tears streaming down his face as if they cost nothing.

"Beast Father is so powerful! Who beat you up like this? Tell me, and Li’er will avenge you!"

Though his voice was childish, it held a ruthless edge. On closer inspection, his expression was surprisingly similar to Chu Liangyu’s.

However, at that moment, Jiang Li’s aura dissipated completely. There was no longer any chance of him coming back to life.

Chu Li’s cries stopped abruptly. He stared blankly at the lifeless man. After a long moment, he suddenly stood up.

He picked up the Shangqing Xianyue Sword that had been tossed aside. Then he raised his head, eyes filled with hatred, and walked step by step toward Chu Liangyu.

His arms weren’t even as long as the sword, yet he could grip it steadily, a clear sign that he had often trained in this manner.

He stopped in front of Chu Liangyu and raised the longsword, pointing it directly at her. "It was you. You killed Beast Father."

Being pointed at by her own cub, Chu Liangyu was furious. Her expression instantly turned cold.

"Chu Li, put down the sword!"

Chu Yue tried to stop Chu Li before Chu Liangyu could speak, but having just arrived, Chu Li didn’t know the whole story and stubbornly kept the sword pointed at Chu Liangyu.

"But she killed Beast Father!"

Without looking up, Chu Yue said calmly, "This was between them. It’s not for us to interfere."

He had held the sword for so long without striking, proving that he only looked fierce but couldn’t actually bring himself to do it.

But he couldn’t accept that his own Beast Mother had killed his Beast Father. Even when his sister told him to lower the sword, he refused.

"Do you want to kill me?" Chu Liangyu’s tone was cold, a hint of a sneer on her lips as she spoke.

"No, I..."

Chu Liangyu knew that in this situation, it was the two cubs who were suffering the most.

But they were still the cubs she had borne. If they developed ideas of matricide, she wouldn’t hesitate to use violence to discipline the two little brats.

The situation fell into a stalemate. Suddenly, a rustling sound reached their ears. Someone was approaching.

Chu Liangyu frowned, wondering to herself. ’Who could be coming now?’

"Female Master."

It was unclear how Chi Yizhong had found this place. His body was covered in dirt and fallen leaves, and his face was covered in scratches from who knows what.

He wasn’t sure where Chu Liangyu was, and when he heard no reply, he called out again, "Female Master?"

"You’ve come at the right time. Your cub wants to kill me." Though Chu Liangyu said this, she walked over and took his hand. "Didn’t I tell you to wait in the tribe? Why did you follow me secretly?"

"I wanted to help you." A blush crept onto Chi Yizhong’s face as he spoke softly, "But I can’t see, so I only just now found you."

"You just said someone wants to kill you. Who is it?" As he asked this, his face took on a cold, murderous look.

His expression was surprisingly similar to the deceased Jiang Li’s at times. For a moment, Chu Liangyu thought she was seeing the dead Jiang Li resurrected.

"In a way, you are just another Jiang Li with a different personality. His cubs are your cubs, too."

Chu Liangyu’s gaze was scrutinizing as she carefully observed the changes in Chi Yizhong’s expression.

"He is him, and I am me."

Chi Yizhong seemed a little angry, unwilling to be lumped together with him. Because of this, some of the joy from finding her faded. "I can help you kill them."

Chu Liangyu hadn’t said it intentionally; she was just worried that Jiang Li hadn’t truly died, but had instead seized control of Chi Yizhong’s body.

Her worries weren’t unfounded. In the tense atmosphere just moments ago, Chu Liangyu might have impulsively struck out at her own cubs.

Chi Yizhong’s appearance was just too coincidental, which couldn’t help but make her suspicious. But looking at his expression, she saw nothing unusual; he was still the same Chi Yizhong she knew.

Though her doubts on this matter were temporarily resolved, the two cubs... For a moment, Chu Liangyu didn’t know what to do with them.

The two children had naturally overheard their conversation, and their gazes fell upon the man they had only met once.

They had felt a sense of familiarity with him back then, a desire to be close. ’So this is how deep their connection is?’

Chu Yue stared at Chi Yizhong and said slowly, "So, you’re our Beast Father too?"

"No." Chi Yizhong turned his head toward the sound of her voice and gave his one-word reply.

Chu Yue and Chu Li exchanged a look, and both saw the answer in the other’s eyes.

They had heard their Beast Father Jiang Li speak of clones before, and from the conversation just now, they had guessed what was going on.

Although Chi Yizhong denied it, his soul was a part of Jiang Li’s. In a sense, he really was their Beast Father.

If that was the case, then they could believe that their Beast Father hadn’t truly died.

Chu Li felt a little better and was no longer conflicted about whether to attack. He walked over to Chu Yue’s side and said, "Sister, what do we do now?"

"Let’s take care of Beast Father first." Chu Yue glanced at Chu Liangyu and the other man, then looked up at her brother. "Let’s go."

"Okay."

The Black Market was now completely under the control of the people Chu Liangyu had brought. If the two cubs planned to stand against Chu Liangyu, then there was no point in going back there.

Chu Liangyu watched them leave, feeling incredibly conflicted. But if she were to open her mouth and ask them to stay...

She just couldn’t bring herself to say the words. After all, they were the cubs she had borne. Even if they ended up on opposite sides, she didn’t want to take their lives unless it was the absolute last resort.