’He... he’s already been mated with Ping Mei. Even if they broke their bond, he doesn’t have a Beast Mark anymore. How could he possibly deserve someone as young, beautiful, and pure as Xia Ming?’

’Even if he selfishly became her male, if something happened to her, he wouldn’t even be able to sense where she was...’

A bitter, unbearable feeling spread through Yi Wan’s chest.

But Xia Ming was completely oblivious. She smiled and pinched his cheek. "Yi Wan must have been so worried about me you’ve become all weathered. You’ve even grown stubble. But you’re handsome no matter what, Yi Wan. This look is even more stylish and makes me feel so safe!"

Just then, she noticed the Beast Pattern on Yi Wan’s neck. She froze for a second and reached out to touch it, but Yi Wan grabbed her hand.

"Don’t touch it. It’ll hurt your hand," Yi Wan said, his gaze greedy. He longed for her so much. He wanted to indulge himself just a little, to at least ease the ache of his yearning.

’Although I’ve lost the right to be her Beast Husband, I don’t have a female to protect now, so I can watch over her openly. Besides, I’m still the High Priest of Golden Lion City. I can give her a good life.’

Yi Wan had a Gold Ability superpower, and the Beast Pattern on his neck would transform into a sharp blade upon contact, easily cutting a person’s hand.

"Yi Wan, did I see that wrong? Is that a green Beast Pattern? Are you a Level 10 Warrior now?" Xia Ming was a little stunned. She felt like something wasn’t right.

Yi Wan nodded but didn’t dare say more. He just held her securely and strode down the mountain. "Ming’er, you must be hungry, right? I’ll hunt a long-tusked piglet for you later, and we can eat at the foot of the mountain."

Xia Ming’s attention was successfully diverted. She nodded excitedly. "Okay! Since you’re a Level 10 Warrior, Yi Wan, it should be easy for you to charge into a herd of long-tusked pigs and grab one or two piglets. But..." She glanced back timidly, met Zhi Le’s eyes, and gave him a friendly smile before leaning close to Yi Wan’s ear to ask, "Can we sneak a bite? Will those two on the Flying Beasts tell on us?"

"Father, why don’t you take Aunt down the mountain to set up camp first? I’ll take the kids to catch a couple of long-tusked piglets!" Zhi Le knew that all of Yi Wan’s attention was on Xia Ming right now. He looked like he wanted to swallow her whole; he was in no state of mind to hunt.

Xue Zhu, also smiling, sat on her father’s shoulders, dangling her feet. "And I’ll forage some mushrooms and wild vegetables for Auntie-Grandma. They’re delicious stuffed inside the long-tusked piglets..."

"And brush a layer of honey on the outside," Xue Bao added, unable to stop himself from slurping as if he could already smell the aroma. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Right on cue, Xia Ming’s stomach rumbled. Yi Wan chuckled in agreement and continued walking down the mountain with her in his arms. "Ming’er, have some jerky and water to tide you over for now."

"Mhm," Xia Ming hummed, used to having everything arranged for her.

When they reached the foot of the mountain, they found a place to camp, started a bonfire, and boiled a ceramic pot of water. Yi Wan added some Brown Sugar to it, which he had specifically bought with Crystal Stones at the market before he came.

Sipping the warm Brown Sugar water and nibbling on the jerky held to her lips, all of Xia Ming’s fears dissipated. She happily swung her feet, her eyes crinkled in a smile. But now that her stomach, which had been twisted with hunger, finally settled a bit, her brain started working again. Recalling the earlier conversation, she asked blankly, "Yi Wan, what did Brother Zhi Li call me just now? Aunt? And... and he has kids who call me Auntie-Grandma?"

Yi Wan pressed his lips together, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth. "Ming’er, that wasn’t Zhi Li just now. It was his son, Zhi Le. Don’t they look a lot alike?"

"They do look alike. I was wondering when Brother Zhi Li got so cold and aloof. So it was his son... Son? A son that big? He looks older than me!!" Xia Ming’s mind couldn’t quite process it.

Yi Wan took a deep breath, placed his hands on her shoulders, and slowly explained, "Ming’er, actually... it’s now twenty years after your accident. I met a very powerful superpower user who opened a rift in time and space and pulled you here right before you were in danger. Do... do you understand what I’m saying?"

Xia Ming let out a "wow." At her young and playful age, she didn’t grasp the implications at all, only finding it novel and exciting. "Doesn’t that mean I have to call you Father Yi Wan now?"

His already shattered heart suffered another heavy blow. ’That’s right,’ he thought, ’there’s a twenty-year age gap between us now!’

Seeing his face darken slightly, Xia Ming burst out laughing and poked his shoulder. "Alright, Yi Wan, I don’t mind that you’re old. I remember Mother saying that males have very long lifespans, and the more experienced a male is, the more he’ll dote on his female. I’m so lucky..."

At this point, Xia Ming asked cautiously, "Yi Wan... then... in these past twenty years, have you... have you been mated with any other females?"

Yi Wan clenched his fists, his gaze fixed on the dancing flames of the bonfire. His expression turned cold as he grunted in affirmation, offering no further explanation.

Xia Ming stared at him, dumbfounded. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she fought to hold them back. She turned her head away and forced out the words, "That’s... that’s good. Your little female must be beautiful and sensible, right? Not like me, always making you worry."

"You... you summoned me here. Will she... will your wife get angry? Really, you didn’t have to..."

She finally understood. If Yi Wan had to summon her, it meant that for the past twenty years of his life, she had been a dead person.

’Why should someone who died continue to live? What did he have to pay to defy fate and change my destiny?’

’Besides, Yi Wan had been the one to find her and bring her back to the tribe to be raised. She had known since she was little that she was going to be mated with him, but now...’

Suddenly, she felt it might have been better if she had just died. At least then, her heart wouldn’t ache so much it was hard to breathe.

But she had been raised by Yi Wan and Zhi Li, spoiled and never wronged. After holding it in for a moment, she saw that Yi Wan was truly ignoring her.

Xia Ming couldn’t help but hug her knees and begin to sob quietly. Gradually, her crying grew louder until she was wailing sorrowfully like a child.

Yi Wan’s heart clenched in pain. Unable to bear it any longer, he pulled her tightly into his embrace.

Xia Ming pounded on his chest with all her might. "You bastard, Yi Wan! You said you would marry me, that you’d be my Beast Husband. If you had waited for me this whole time, then bringing me back would be one thing. But you’re already mated! Why did you bring me here? To watch you be all lovey-dovey with another female? You might as well just kill me..."

"What are you doing, hugging me? Aren’t you afraid your female will get jealous? Doesn’t your chest hurt from betraying her?"

"Let go of me..."

Yi Wan let her vent. The thick scent of jealousy in her words and her tantrum, where she said one thing but meant another, actually put his heart at ease.

"She won’t. I’ve already dissolved the Beast Mark with her. I’m a free man now; no one can tell me who I can or can’t protect. Ming’er, I... I will always be your big brother!" He forced himself to accept it. ’Xia Ming is alive. As long as I can see her, I have a purpose for the rest of my life.’

Xia Ming’s heart was on a rollercoaster, soaring one moment and plummeting the next! She felt the heart that had just died slowly come back to life, only to be beaten half to death again by his "big brother!"