Prince Xue Xing

Xiao Yu tilted his head, seemingly deep in thought.

After a moment, he raised a forepaw and pointed at the lush forest beneath them, then toward Heaven Dou City in the distance, barely visible through the trees. Finally, he gently waved his paw.

Qian Renxue understood and translated for him. "Yu probably means: 'The forest is home. It's comfortable here. Heaven Dou City... is far away, and unfamiliar.'"

Xue Ye didn't seem surprised by the answer. If anything, he seemed pleased.

A powerful being content to stay in the forest and cause no trouble was exactly what he wanted to see.

"Being content with your own little corner of peace is a good thing," he said evenly. "Qinghe gets along well with you and may visit often. I have no objections. You may live in this forest in peace."

He paused, his gaze growing a little more profound. "I hope you can maintain this 'comfortable' relationship with the Heaven Dou Empire. If you need anything, Qinghe will do his best to provide it, so long as it's reasonable."

Xiao Yu understood what he meant.

He nodded again and gave a short cry. "Ao~ (Got it.)"

He had no interest in power struggles. As long as no one bothered him while he built a house, ate fruit, and grew stronger, keeping things as they were would be best.

He just hadn't expected his starting village to be the Heaven Dou Royal Forest.

No wonder he hadn't seen anyone else come here besides Qian Renxue. That was convenient for him. If humans came trespassing every day, he wouldn't know what to do.

A faint smile appeared on Xue Ye's face, as though he had just concluded a successful diplomatic meeting.

"Good." He said nothing more. He had accomplished what he came for today: confirming the Soul Beast's existence and condition with his own eyes, and conveying the empire's position.

He gave Xiao Yu one last, lingering look, then turned to Qian Renxue. "Qinghe, stay here. I'll return to the palace first."

After all, Xue Ye was the emperor. For him to take time out of his busy schedule to meet Xiao Yu was already a considerable concession. He was in his prime, unlike Qian Renxue. Even without her, the empire could continue to function under his rule.

But if he were gone for too long, the empire could face serious trouble. It was best for him to return at once.

Qian Renxue watched Xue Ye leave. Only when he was out of sight did she breathe a sigh of relief.

She looked at Xiao Yu and smiled easily. "Father seems quite pleased with you."

Xiao Yu paid little attention. He wasn't Xue Ye's subject, so why should it matter whether the emperor was pleased? Instead, he called softly to Yu Yi and the other beasts.

They hurried to carry away the fruit on the ground. To prevent a repeat of what had happened with Xue Beng, Xiao Yu now had the offerings from Qian Renxue brought up to him first.

Qian Renxue was used to the sight by now. Her gaze stayed on Xiao Yu. Having shed his childish air, he seemed to change a little more every day. Each time she saw him, she was amazed all over again.

"Yu, what kind of Soul Beast are you, really?" Qian Renxue didn't say it aloud, only murmured to herself. She could say she had watched Xiao Yu grow into what he was now.

Though she had known him for less than a month, he already had enough secrets to fill a book.

His intelligence, far beyond that of ordinary Soul Beasts; his formidable strength; his ability to command the other beasts—she had never seen anything like it in any other Soul Beast.

That night, at the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, the doors to Prince Xue Xing's residence were thrown open with a bang. Xue Beng rushed inside, tears streaming down his face.

When his guards saw it was Xue Beng, they didn't dare stop him. They watched helplessly as he made his way to Xue Xing.

For the spoiled Fourth Prince, being confined was nothing short of torture.

Every day in the residence left him on edge. His mind kept replaying the cold gaze of that white Soul Beast, the shattered head of the Scarlet Mad Lion, and the undisguised, merciless look in Xue Qinghe's eyes.

Humiliation and fear gnawed at his heart like venomous snakes.

Finally, late that night, he took advantage of the guards' lax vigilance, sneaked out, and rushed straight to his greatest support—his uncle, Prince Xue Xing.

"Uncle! You have to get justice for me!" The moment Xue Beng saw Prince Xue Xing, he fell to the ground and began to complain through his tears.

Xue Xing had been wondering why Xue Beng had suddenly come to see him when he was still supposed to be under house arrest. But when he saw his nephew crying like this, he set the matter aside and quickly helped him up.

"Why are you crying like a child? Your uncle's here. Tell me, who made you suffer so much?"

Xue Xing knew only that Xue Beng had been confined. He wasn't aware of the details, and had assumed Xue Beng's arrogance had displeased Emperor Xue Ye, leading to the confinement. But now it seemed the situation wasn't so simple.

Xue Beng nodded again and again, then embellished his account of what had happened in the Royal Forest, making much of how that "unknown little beast" had "brazenly" killed his beloved pet, the Scarlet Mad Lion.

He described how Crown Prince Xue Qinghe had "taken the Soul Beast's side" and "abused his power," even using the incident to persuade Father to punish him with confinement.

He painted himself as the victim through and through.

But Xue Xing was no fool. Though he was displeased by the grievances Xue Beng claimed to have suffered, he naturally didn't believe everything he said. Even so, he had a fairly good grasp of what had happened.

"...It was only a thousand-year Soul Beast! It dared to show such contempt for the Heaven Dou Imperial Family just because my royal uncle favored it. It killed my pet in front of everyone. It deserves to die!" Xue Beng gritted his teeth, his eyes full of venom.

"My royal uncle has been blinded by it, and Father... Father even listened to my royal uncle's side of the story! Uncle, you're Father's own younger brother and a prince of the empire. You can't just stand by while your nephew suffers such disgrace!"

"A thousand-year Soul Beast?" Xue Xing stroked his beard, a trace of disdain flashing in his eyes. So this was all over a beast. He'd thought it was something serious.

How much trouble could a beast possibly cause?

"Hmph, Qinghe has gone too far! To treat his own younger brother this way over a beast!" Xue Xing snorted. It was only a thousand-year Soul Beast. No matter how unusual it was, could it really matter more than the dignity of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family and his nephew's grievance?

"Don't worry, Xue Beng. Your uncle will see that you get justice. Tell me, what do you want to do?" Xue Xing looked at Xue Beng. Since the matter didn't involve Emperor Xue Ye and wasn't especially serious, he could let Xue Beng have his way.

He was certain that no matter how much Emperor Xue Ye favored the Crown Prince, he wouldn't truly punish his own brother, a prince with real power, over a Soul Beast.

At those words, the resentment in Xue Beng's tear-filled eyes instantly turned to malice.

"Thank you, Uncle. I've made up my mind. Since that beast killed my pet, it can go join my pet in the grave!"

Xue Xing nodded. "Good!"